then addresses to him the following office, from the ritual of the Lutheran church.

"Do you repent, from your heart, of all your sins against God and against man?"

Answer. "You are acquainted with my sentiments on that subject, and I assure you they remain the same at this moment."

"Do you rely alone upon the expiatory sacrifice of Jesus Christ for obtaining pardon of God?"

Answer. "I know of no other means of entering into favor with God, and I repose entirely on Jesus Christ.

"Do you depart from the world in perfect peace with all men ?"

Answer. "I do not suppose that any one is at enmity with me, personally. For the rest, you know my sentiments on this point, and I refer you to that which I have already said."

"Go then in peace, where God calls you," said the pastor, laying his hands on the prisoner's head.

He now divested himself of part of his garments, and hastened to lay his head on the fatal block. When his right hand was first smitten off, according to the sentence, his whole body appeared convulsed. The axe is raised again, and while the pastor repeats the solemn words, "remember that Jesus Christ was crucified, was dead and is alive again," the blow descends and the head of Struenzée lies rolling at his feet.

Thus perished, says his biographer, the noble Count Struenzée, culpable before men, but justified, as we believe, before God, through the riches of his grace. Had he died with the usual exhibitions of heroic valour, posterity, perhaps, would have decreed him titles of honor, where he would only then have merited pity and contempt. In ascending the scaffold as he did, he has merited an infinitely higher honor, the honor of a forgiven malefactor-the glory of the children of God.

There are a few additional reflections, which have occurred to us, while pursuing this piece of biography, and which we shall now offer. The first is, on what perhaps may properly be called ADDRESs in ministers of the Gospel. We cannot fail to have perceived a happy example of this in the case before us and it is evident that had the Pastor Munter been less acquainted with human nature— VOL. V. 51

less familiar with elevated and kind manners-less the scholar and man of general knowledge, he could not (though ever so faithful a messenger of Christ) have found so ready and successful an access to the heart of the imprisoned Struenzée.

These gifts, therefore, must be of great importance: and we do not see how any reflecting minister of the Gospel can think of holding them lightly. In pastoral visitations, particularly, and more so when the subjects of their visits are the unfortunate-the imprisoned-the skeptical, and the proud, perhaps, who are altogether disinclined to religious conversation, an easy and skilful mode of approaching them must be nearly indispensible. And yet there are those, more in this age than at some former times we believe, who seem to despise all such qualifications in the ministry. They appear to regard, as little better than ecclesiastical foppery, all regard to this subject, and we have even known students in Theology, who could not be persuaded to read so excellent and timely a work as that of Dr. Miller on Clerical Manners. It seems to us there is something wrong here. We suppose, indeed, that no one could go beyond ourselves in utter abhorrence upon seeing the mere man of manners in the ministry; but we cannot but say, on the other hand, that any thing like voluntary coarseness, or the affectation of despising the advantages of good address and extensive knowledge, is equally out of place.

If any doubt whether these gifts can be united with true humility and entire fidelity to the souls of men, we think he may receive some profitable instructions from reading the above noticed piece of biography.

2. We have a remark to make on the important subject of dealing with the dying, and especially with those who are dying in the midst of their strength, under sentence of civil condemnation. There are few who have been in the ministry for many years, without having something to do with this department of duty. But the proper treatment of such cases, is at once a most difficult and responsible office. The too common mistake is either to address at once the fears of such persons, and in a manner which is very likely to harden the criminal against you: or, if you gain access, to rely too exclusively on appeals to natural feelings, and if the subject seems to melt in the end, to proclaim it as a wonderful conversion. We say this is a mistake, and who that

has observed the general results of sick-bed conversions, where they could be observed, has not had reason to fear that most of such conversions are spurious? Yet it is proper to visit the sick and dying, and to seek earnestly for the conversion of those who were previously impenitent or skeptical. And how is this to be done? We think the case before us affords an answer to this question. For the case of hardened and proud unbelievers especially, the example is admirable. Here is an entirely rational dealing with the whole system of error: a most judicious beginning with foundations before proceeding to the superstructure-à logical and lucid discussion of all the great truths of natural and revealed religion-a most faithful dealing with the conscience in its place-a judicious course of counsels as to the nature, duty, and means of religious experience-a careful guarding against a wrong spirit, and false grounds of confidence; in one word, a most scrupulous referring of the whole concern, habitually, as lying between God and the prisoner's own soul; and all this course continued for many days, and only indulging the most humble hope at last: such an example is, indeed, worthy of all estimation by those who deal with the dying, and were it more frequently exhibited, we should not so often hear of the dying speeches of converted criminals, and have less reason to fear that they had been "compassed about with sparks of their own kindling."

3. We could not but feel the desire, while perusing this biography, that it might be read by the infidel. We have felt that it must work some convictions of the truth on such minds. We know, indeed, what would be their immediate answer. "These exercises," they would say, "were those of a dying man!"-Not all of them however. The conviction of the truth in Struenzée, and the profession of it, was before his condemnation. It was at a time, too, when he declared "he would not wrong the truth to save his life :" and he proved his sincerity in the manner of conducting his judicial defence.

But suppose it was in certain view of death that this faith was entertained, does it therefore follow that it was a weak or unworthy faith? Look at the case. Here is a man in the full exercise of all his intellectual and moral powers:he had been a skeptic-he is slow and reluctant in relinquishing his errors, demanding reason and proof for every

position of truth until he is constrained to acknowledge the whole. He is, at first, miserable under this admission of truth, but finally is led by it to the Saviour, and then is happy and steadfast to the end. Now has the unbeliever any thing which he can reasonably object to all this? Does he still say that Struenzée was in dying circumstances, we will now remind him that he, too, must one day be there; and the argument ought to be, that the same views which can change a sinner then, and are found appropriate both to life and death, must be true views and altogether important to him.

It was the opinion of Struenzée, "that no man could give a full examination to the evidences of Christianity, and not be a believer." But we suspect, a further acquaintance with the subject would have corrected this error. The Scriptures tells us, 66 that men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil."

4. We have hoped, in conclusion, that this piece of biography would encourage the preparing and distribution of religious tracts. We have seen the high and somewhat remarkable testimony to their usefulness, which is here given, and feel confident that a more appropriate means of doing good could not be adopted.

The condition of European countries, even more than that of your own, renders such a species of reading acceptable; while the lively and terse method of expression for which this work is distinguished, is most happily exhibited by French writers. We hope our beloved fellow-laborers of France, will continue to exhibit their characteristic talent for this good work.

Let these "flying leaves" be prepared and scattered through all their population: and may the desire of the dying stranger be soon fulfilled, when "villages, the colonies, and all men, every where, shall daily read these writings, and learn thence to become more pious and more happy."

ART. IV.-REVIEW OF THE MEMOIR OF DR. PORTER.

By Rev. WILLIS LORD, New Hartford, Conn.

Memoir of the Life and Character of Ebenezer Porter, D.D. late President of the Theological Seminary, Andover. By Lyman Matthews, pastor of the South Church, Braintree, Mass. Boston, published by Perkins and Marvin. 1837.

It is a beautiful as well as benevolent constitution of God, that the natural and appropriate object of the mind, is truth; of the affections, virtue. There is implanted in the soul, if not a congeniality, yet a reverence for these, which is never felt towards error and vice. Hence results, what we may term a general law; that distinguished excellence, whether intellectual or moral, secures distinguished respect and

esteem.

Is genius, for example, the rare endowment? How often has genius been celebrated in eulogy and song? There is in it, so to speak, a kind of divinity, that stamps upon its possessor the signature of greatness; an eloquence of expression, that, though the lips are silent, tells of burning thoughts and lofty purposes, "and leaves no one at his option, whether or not, to pay the tribute of profound respect."

Alike honored is distinguished virtue. Nay, it exacts from the race, the spontaneous tribute of a superior regard. Intellectual excellence is never of itself the object of moral approbation. Disconnected from purity of heart, it may, indeed, be invested with a seductive brilliancy, but at best, it resembles "an icy palace, transparent indeed, exactly proportioned, majestic, and admired by the unwary as a delightful dwelling, but gradually undermined by the central warmth of human feeling." The difference between it, and high moral excellence, is the subject of consciousness. The one, we admire: the other, we revere and esteem. Who, for illustration, would envy the merited honors, even of a Bacon, when he remembers the bitter record of the poet :

"Wisest, greatest, meanest of mankind!"

M'Intosh's History of Philosophy.