"To eat cow's flesh, would be a crime not to be expiated, and the very thought of it seems dreadful to a Hindoo. A ser vant by all means avoids being accessary to the crime of which his master is guilty, in eating beef, or veal, and will not so much as touch the plate on which those viands are laid. In teaching a school composed principally of Hindoo boys, I prepared an English phrase in praise of veal, among many others, for my pupils to commit to memory. When I proposed it to them, to repeat after me, I found they were all panic-struck, and that not one of them would open his mouth, to utter so horrid a sentiment. I have been credibly informed, that all the beef which is used by the English force stationed at Poonah, is killed eighty miles distant at Seroor. The Raja cannot admit the criminal slaughter to take place any nearer,

"The sacred bulls, wander over all the streets, exceeding plump and fat, having an allowed right to feed at all the stalls, and constantly receiving portions from the liberal and religious. "The worship of the fabled serpent is annually on the fifth day of the new moon, in the month of August. One of the causes, to which the appointment of this anniversary is attributed, is as follows: When Krishna was a boy, as he was playing, his ball fell into a pond. As he was searching for it at the bottom, he came to the house of Kalya, a serpent, and a god of destruction. The wives of Kalva threatened Krishna with the vengeance of their lord: upon which he put a rope in his nose, and dragged him out to dry land. His wives interceded in his behalf, and Krishna consented to release him. At that time Kalya begged of Krishna the privilege of being worshipped one day in the year, his request was granted, and in consequence he receives the services of the present anniver sary.

"In the suburbs of Bombay, on a rocky situation, there is a small cavern, resembling, but considerably larger than, an oven, At the extremity, there is a small cavity, at which, it is storied, the serpent used annually to appear, to receive the wor ship of mankind. Many profess to believe that he does so still, but others say, that since the unclean Mahometans have begun to inhabit that quarter, the place has become so polluted, that he no longer condescends to gratify the wishes of his votaries, The people however, frequent the spot, and pay their offerings, as sedulously, as though he were miraculously to manifest himself, with some tokens of divine claim to worship, I attended there, very early in the morning on the day of annual pilgri mage to that spot, and saw the people casting parched rice, milk and money about the cavern, and placing them in the aperture, where he is said to make his appearance. In the af ternoon, an immense concourse was collected on the spot,

Tamed serpents were brought in great numbers, and received in rich abundance the offerings of the people."

Here we must desist from quotation; for we hope the pamphlet will pass through many editions, and we would not supersede the necessity of purchasing it, as we intend to do, when a volume comes under review which contains something valuable, but is not worth the auction. value of books-the price of the binding.

ARTICLE XIV.-The Christian Course: a Sermon on the death of Elijah Hunter, Esq. &c. to which are added, some Memoirs of his life, and of his departed children. By John Stanford, A. M. New-York: printed by J. Gray, 1817. pp. 26.

THE Rev. John Stanford is an aged, and highly respectable, minister of the gospel, of the denomination of Baptists. He is Stated Preacher to the Society for propagating the gospel among the Poor, in New-York; and is the writer of several works, which do credit to his intelligence and Christian liberality. He was a pupil of Dr. Gill, if we mistake not, and inculcates the doctrines of that able divine, in a style far superior to that of his teacher. Dr. Gill is tedious, and his involved sentences, especially in his commentary, are often without begin. ning, and without end. Mr. Stanford, on the other hand, is commonly so concise that people wish his performances were longer; and his sentences are neatly constructed.

Were five pages of the pamphlet before us, which intervene between the commencement of the biographical "narrative," and the "short sketch of Mr. Hunter's general character," omitted altogether, or thrown into a note, we should then have quite a finished sermon before us, without any deficiency or redundancy. These pages which mar the work, in their present place, and cut off the application of the discourse from the body of it, contain several very trifling circumstances, about being "put to a store in Tarry Town," about opening "a dry-good store," &c. together with a sketch of three interesting children, well worth preservation in some domestic chro

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nicle, or in the appendix of a sermon, designed princi pally for a bereaved family. In the portion of the little work to which we except, there are several instances in which a supernumerary nominative is found: thus, "In 1811, Mr. Hunter, feeling increasing infirmities of age to to advance, he considered it his duty to settle in the city of New-York." p. 21. Either Mr. Hunter or he should have been omitted. The other parts of the discourse are correctly written. The text is "I have finished my course;' (2 Tim. 10. 7.) and the author very happily describes, The commencement, The Progress, and The Period of the Christian Course. We hope Mr. Stanford will continue to write, Journals of his labours among the poor, and occasional sermons, which serve as excellent religious tracts for distribution. From this sermon, we extract his account of the commencement of divine life in the soul of a sinner; and with this close our brief notice of him.

"You all know, that without life there can be no motion. And it is equally certain from scripture and fact, that by nature, as well as by the violated law of our God, we are dead in trespasses and sins; therefore, unless an atonement be made for us, and we be made alive by the Spirit of Christ, it is absolutely impossible to commence the Christian course, much less to finish such a course with joy. If there be no beginning, there can surely be no end. Our Lord Jesus settled this point with Nicodemus; for he assured him that except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. That it is in God we live, move, and have our being, is a moral, as well as a scriptural truth; so obvious that none but an atheist would call it in question. But how God could, consistently with his offended justice, quicken the soul of man, which is alienated from the. life of God through the ignorance that is in him because of the blindness of his heart, and which is as morally dead to the offices of spiritual life as a corpse in its grave is to the functions. of animal existence, can be ascertained only from the revelation made in the gospel of his grace.

"As this is a subject of important interest, I will detain you a few moments in its explanation.-In the pages of divine revelation, we are assured that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Christ commenced his COURSE of obedience and suffering, which terminated in his death upon the cross; thereby magnifying the law

of our offended God, and making it honourable by his atoning blood. After which, he arose from the dead, ascended into heaven as our forerunner, there to appear in the presence of God for us. Upon this, therefore, as a solid ground, the Christian course is founded. Christ is our life; and through him, flows that new life to the soul, justly condemned in itself to everlasting death. As a proof of this, receive the testimony of Peter: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again into a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Christ is therefore our judicial, spiritual, and eternal life. This is granted. But how this life is to be communicated to a soul, in order to its living to God, and commencing the Christian course? I reply

"The Spirit giveth life. (2 Cor. iii. 6.) It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing. (John. vi. 63.) Various opinions have been advanced on the operation of the Divine Spirit, in communicating spiritual life to a soul dead in trespasses and sins. But, the generation of the first man, Adam, is a sufficient directory to me to understand the regeneration of a sinner. The body of Adam was formed of the earth, and perfectly inanimate until the vital principle, by the breath of the Almighty, was breathed into his nostrils. Then the whole animal machine was set in motion, and man became a living soul, in the exercise of all its sublime faculties and powers. In like manner, the soul of man, as sinful, is as inanimate towards God as was the body of Adam, until the Spirit of the Lord communicates the new, vital principle of grace, by which, in scripture language, it becomes regenerate, is born again, breathes and lives as in a new world, progressively exercising faith, hope, love and joy, with every other attendant motion and passion; and is thus a new creature in Christ Jesus. Now the soul begins to live to God in the exercise of the spiritual senses of seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, smelling, the good and gracious realities of the gospel of the Lord Jesus, unknown and unfelt before. How great-how glorious the change! Born again, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God; thereby receiving power, or privilege to become a child of God. Although life be animated existence, and many of its properties are far beyond our comprehension, it is known by its motion and effects. This can be as well ascertained as the botanist can describe vegetative, or the anatomist animal life. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit."

"You must now be convinced that God, in Christ, by his

Spirit, is the author and giver of regenerating life, and that its effects will be more or less evident in pursuing a course honourable to God, and delightful to the possessor. The communication of this spiritual principle of life is the same in all; but the exertion of it admits of variations, according to the natural texture of the mind, the indulgence of former habits, or the providential circumstances which may have attended conversion. Paui was indeed a pattern of the long-suffering of God. This, however, is not the case with respect to the history of his conversion; no other person, whether before or since, having been known to be under the same circumstances. Still most Christians will, more or less, remember incidents which attended their spiritual birth, which, on the review, will enliven their gratitude and joy in the Saviour. Instead, therefore, of my adverting to any of these, or even asking you as individuals to what religious denomination you may belong, I will ask this more important question-HAVE YOU BEEN BORN AGAIN? Though you may not know the time, or place, you will certainly be convinced, if the Lord has called you by his grace, that once you were dead in sin; that your redemption was effected by the death of Christ; and, that the Spirit of God alone could have raised you to newness of life, by which you are now as a new creature, breathing a sacred air, in a new and spiritual world. Be assured that no external profession of religion, however correct in itself, will, with certainty, demonstrate your state as a child of God, any more than the collection of bones covered with flesh, furnished with sinews, and covered with beautiful skin, could convince the prophet Ezekiel that they formed a real army, when, as yet there was no breath in them. (Ezekiel 37.) I therefore appeal to the inward state and feelings of your mind and heart, ardently wishing, that the Spirit itself may bear witness with your spirits that you are the children of God."

ARTICLE XV.-Death's Defence of his Character against the Slanders of Poets, Orators, &c. By James Gray, D. D. Philadelphia: printed by W. Brown, 1817. pp. 12. 12mo.

It is the duty of a Christian to become familiar with death. He should think of it repeatedly, until he can think of it with composure. He should consider it as made to him gain by our Lord Jesus Christ, who has taken away its sting. Instead of throwing around it indescribable horrors, when he speaks of it to his children