referred to were gone, and this was the last A sermon had been delivered in the same expression that could be understood. He place in the morning of the same day, by lay seemingly perfectly easy till about half- the Rev. Eustace Carey, founded on 1 Thess. past eight, when he raised his head from the pillow, and with his left hand took hold of the hand of his friend, then gently withdrew it, and breathed his last. According to his desire, his remains were interred in the compound of his own house. The Resident, with other friends, kindly attended the funeral on the morning of the 5th, and read the burial service at the grave. The Resident has also ordered a monument to be erected over the grave, and directed an inscription to be prepared, both in English and l'ersian." HOME PROCEEDINGS. v. 6. In the evening the chair was occupied by the Rev. W. Walton, the respected pastor of the church, and in addition to the usual business of the meeting, an Association was formed for the congregation in connexion with the County Auxiliary. On this occasion, the audience were addressed by the Rev. Messrs. Gough of Westbury Leigh, Rodway and Fleming of Bradford, Newman, Witty, and Curwen of Frome, Anstie and Millard of Trowbridge, as well as by Mr. Carey and the Secretary of the Parent Society. Sermons were preached, and in some instances public meetings were held, during that and the following week at Frome, Devizes, Bradford, Melksham, Beckington, Laverton, Philips Norton, Corsham and Chippenham. In the place last named the WILTS AND EAST SOMER- chair was kindly occupied by our highly es SET. The third Annual Meeting of the Auxiliary Society for Wilts and East Somerset, was held at the Baptist Meeting House, in Back Street, Trowbridge, on Wednesday Evening, April 2. teemed friend the Rev. Richard Elliott of Devizes; and those who are acquainted with the circumstances of the infant congre gation at Chippenham, will be able to appreciate their zeal on learning that, including the collection at the annual meeting, upwards of twenty guineas were contributed by them during the past year. The total amount from the Auxiliary is, we are in formed, about £300. Contributions received on account of the Baptist Missionary Society, from March 20 to April 20, 1828, not including individual Subscriptions. FOR THE MISSION. Legacy of Mr. Matthew Wilson, late of Kettering, by J. C. Gotch, Esq. Ex Evesham, Subscriptions, &c. by Rev. D. Davies £ s. d. 100 0 8 10 0 24 0 0 Haworth, Subscriptions and Collection, by Rev. M. Oddy (£10 10s. previ ously acknowledged)........ North of England Auxiliary, by Rev. R. Pengilly, viz.: Ditto, for Serampore Translations, by Miss Angas. Ditto, Juvenile Society, for ditto 8 0 2.10 0 3 17 0 14 12 8 5 13 0 Broomley Broughton North Shields Rowley 2 15 0 (£20 previously acknowledged.) 58 17 8 St. Albans, Auxiliary Society, Subscriptions, &c. by Rev. W. Upton.. Weston by Weedon, three years' Subscriptions, by Rev. W. Gray East Dereham, Subscriptions and Collection, by Rev. J. Williams 17 14 6 313 6 600 35 6 23 13 0 3 17 0 10 0 0 Rugby, Female Society and Subscription, by Rev. E. Fall 8 14 0 500 24 14 5 Wilts and East Somerset Auxiliary (part), by B. Anstie, Esq. Treas. viz. : 16 16 3 6 2 6 68 19 6 220 21 14 5 ..... 5 0 0 6 3 0 11 17 2 .... Great Missenden, Missionary Association (one moiety), by Rev. T. Price.. Mr. John Deakin, Birmingham 163 9 3 7: 10 0 19 16 0 Those Friends who have been disappointed in obtaining copies of Mrs. Leslie's Memoir, &c. are respectfully informed that the Second Edition has now left the press, and that they may be supplied on application, either to the Mission House, or to Messrs. Wightman and Cramp, 24, Paternoster-row. Fine copies, 4s. 6d. ; common paper, 3s. The thanks of the Committee are returned to Mr. Henry, Bermondsey, for a parcel of Magazines as also to Miss M. A. Maurice, of Southampton, for ditto. Littlewood & Co., Printers, 15, Old Bailey. BAPTIST MAGAZINE. JUNE, 1828. LETTERS of the late Rev. AndREW | first attached the idea of mystery FULLER. (Continued from p. 203.) On the Canonicalness of Solomon's to religion." Now, it is easy to see that if Solomon's Song be a Divine allegory, (which it certainly is, if canonical,) it bears very hard upon both these positions. As to the first, I suppose that Mr. R. with that great share of common sense, of which he is undoubtedly possessed, would find some things here, like what Peter said of some things in Paul's Epistles-" hard to be understood.” And as to the latter, if this Song be divine, it must either be entirely neglected, or an allegorical style of preaching, occasionally, is unavoidable. That I have not misrepresented MY DEAR FRIEND, IT is an important observation of an inspired writer, "Happy is the man who condemneth not himself in the thing which he alloweth." Such is the darkness, and such are the prejudices of the present state, that a consistent character is a rarity. I am naturally led to these reflections by a survey of the course pursued by Mr. R. in relation to the word of God. It is well known, that for many years, he has levelled all his artillery | Mr. R. is evident from his own against the practice of sacrificing words, in his Dissertation on PreachScripture to creeds and systems. ing, prefixed to the second volume So far, he has done well: but, of Claude: "The fathers were fond alas! how much easier is it to ri- of allegory; for Origen, that everdicule the foibles and propensities lasting allegorizer, had set them of others, than to keep in subjec- the example. I hope they had tion our own. Here, I think, he better proofs of the canonicalness has failed. There was a time, when of Solomon's Song than I have had he did not hold that there is no- the pleasure of seeing." The thing mysterious in Scripture; as amount of which is, "The fathers witness the postscript to his Plea were fond of allegory-Solomon's for the Divinity of Christ, on mys- Song supported them in it-I do tery. But of late years, two capi- not like allegory-I reject Solotal articles of his creed, are, That mon's Song." the Scriptures contain in them nothing mysterious-nothing but what common sense alone is sufficient to understand; and, That to explain them in a way of allegory is all froth and nonsense. He lately preached a sermon from Micah ii. 5. which was taken down in short hand, in which he pronounced, among other things, that "Rome of Scripture, which cannot, without VOL. III. 3d Series. Far be it from me, to countenance all that has appeared in the world, in the way of spiritualizing Scripture, as it is called. Whether the "fathers," or the children, were the publishers, it matters not. Doubtless the greater part deserves no better name than that of froth and nonsense. Yet there are parts R doing violence to common sense, | you, whether the Apostle to the he understood otherwise than as Hebrews had not a much better types or allegories. The whole notion of things, when he styled Jewish ceremonial, if thus under- the whole Jewish ceremonial " a stood, bespeaks the wisdom of its shadow of good things to come?" author, has an intrinsic glory, and Heb. x. 1. And what, but an alanswers to the New Testament ex-legorical meaning can be attached position of it. But if otherwise, to the 45th Psalm? The " King,' to say the least, it must have been of whom David sang, can be none an intolerable load of unmeaning other than the Son of God. (Heb. ceremonies. i. 8.) And throughout the whole One would think, that no Chris-Psalm, he is described under pretian could doubt whether the sacri- cisely the same character as in fices under the law, were instituted Solomon's Song. for the purpose of pointing to the But, not longer to exercise your great sacrifice under the gospel; patience, by remarks on types and or that the manna of which the allegories in general, allow me to Israelites partook, and the water offer a few reasons why I think of which they drank, had a typical the Song of Solomon a Divine alallusion. 1 Cor. x. 3, 4. And if legory. any entertain doubts whether their It is allowed on all hands, that ceremonial purity, (consisting in this song was esteemed canonical eating none but clean creatures-by the Jewish church, before and in their priests wearing none but at our Lord's coming. This is clean garments-and in their fre- evident by its being retained in the quent washings,) were intended to Septuagint; and nothing appears typify moral purity, they may have that in the least degree invalidates those doubts removed, if they wish, the conclusion that it was always by inquiring of an inspired Apos- received by the Jews as authentle. Compare 1 Peter i. 16. with tic. Lev. xi. 44. from all additions and diminutions. Now, had they betrayed their trust, surely our Lord would not have overlooked a matter of such importance. Since, therefore, he never charged them with any such thing, there is every reason to conclude that in this matter they were There are two things which renTo account for these ceremonial der this fact of weight, in deterinjunctions, as Mr. R. does, in his mining the question:-1. That to "Christian Doctrine of Ceremo- the Jewish church, until their renies," by suggesting the necessity jection of the Messiah, were comof linen garments, frequent wash-mitted the oracles of God; (Rom. ings, &c. because they had so iii. 2.) to keep them, no doubt, much butchery and dirty work to do," is neither to the honour of God, nor of his people Israel. To suppose the Most High to deliver such injunctions and prohibitions, and to annex such awful penalties, in accommodation to a system of butchery," is not much to the honour of his character, or his con-blameless. It is true, they inventsummate wisdom. And to suppose that the people of Israel did not know how to do “ dirty work" without such a body of laws and penalties to instruct and to awe them, is not much to the credit of their common sense. I submit to 66 66 ed a number of traditions, by which they made void the law of God: but they never pretended that these were Scripture, but simply what they were the traditions of the Rabbies. For making void the law by these traditions, Jesus re buked them in the severest terms; In fine, if the Song of Solomon but he never once hinted that they is a corrupt addition to the Bible, had corrupted, added to, or dimi- either Christ and his Apostles were nished from the Scriptures. On ignorant of the fact, or thought it the contrary, 2. Jesus and his unimportant, or designedly avoided apostles, in addressing the Jews, its exposure. The first of these appealed to those very Scriptures suppositions is totally inadmissiof which they had possession, for ble, unless we deny the omniscience the truth of their doctrine. "Search of the Son of God, and the inspithe Scriptures, (said our Lord,) ration of the Apostles. The sefor in them ye think ye have eter-cond would imply that they were nal life, and these are they which indifferent to the great end of their testify of me." By Scriptures, mission, viz. to seal up the vision undoubtedly they must have un- of prophecy, and to perfect the holy derstood him to mean all the books canon; and render null and void at that time in their hands, ac- all those solemn charges and awful counted canonical. Had he meant threatenings, to those who should any thing else, he should, and presume to add to, or to take from doubtless would, have explained it. And to suppose the last is dehis meaning. For Christ to in- liberately accounting Christ and veigh so sharply and so frequently his Apostles a company of imposas he did against traditions, which ters: and then, to adopt Mr. R.'s were never pretended to be canon-own words on another occasionical, or a part of the inspired (Plea for Divinity of Christ, p.50. writings, and at the same time First edition.) "What becomes of know that the Jews had added a all their fine professions of declarmere love-song to the sacred ca- ing the whole counsel of God-of non, and yet say nothing about keeping back nothing that might that; but on the contrary, by ap-be profitable—of imparting their pealing to their Scriptures in the own souls-and so on? Are not bulk, allow their purity; is most all these rather romantic?" unaccountable, quite unworthy of I have no doubt that the veil, such a Divine Instructor, and past covering, or colouring of this Song, all belief. The same may be said is borrowed from an Epithalaof the apostolic declaration, "All mium, or marriage song. Scripture is given by inspiration," certainly appears to be carried on &c. By all Scripture, the apostle throughout, as it is also in the 45th must have meant to include either Psalm; and probably, the speakers all those books which the Jews introduced, in addition to the brideaccounted canonical, or only a part groom and the bride, allude to the of them. If the former, the point companions who usually attended is granted; and the Apostle may at Jewish marriages. Yet it is be considered as setting his seal to easy to see, in several expressions, all the writings of the Old Testa-scattered, probably on purpose, ment. If the latter, then it became throughout the Song, marks of its him, as an inspired guide, to de- sacred meaning; expressions which tect and expose the forgery, and are totally inapplicable to any not to speak of the Scriptures in thing but what is divine. This is the gross, knowing that so idle an observable in many of the Psalms, affair as a mere love-song was particularly in the 16th, wherein universally received as a part of are many things applicable to them. David, and which the reader would This |