the points of a difficult debate, and putting his case, were also so admirable, that some of his oldest friends have told me they never could understand how he managed it.

The failings of his character were weaknesses rather than faults. They were on the side of hesitation, delay, indecision, discursiveness, and vagrancy of mind; the allowing himself to be imposed upon-disorder in his papers and correspondenceirregularity of hours-his library a perfect Babylon-letters, thousands upon thousands, lying heaped around— half a morning often lost in recovering some important document. But all these were nothing-they flowed from his cast of character, and were perfectly understood and allowed for by all who knew him.

One thing, after all, was remarkable amidst this discursiveness; he knew exactly where to place himself—what to undertakewhat decline—what objects to pursue;—and, therefore, all he did, throughout a long life, told, and told with increasing force, in the cause of humanity and religion.

To attempt any outline of the bearings of this extraordinary man's protracted and honourable course upon the general interests of religion and the welfare of his country, is beyond the powers of the present writer. He knew him personally only for the last twenty-four years; but that intimacy has traced, in indelible lines, his various excellencies upon his heart. He admired others, he loved Wilberforce. His influence upon his age was prodigious! Fifty-three years—and such years! -at such a crisis! from 1780 to 1833—with such a revival of Christianity going on such noble institutions formed and matured-such a front put upon real, vital, scriptural piety-such an improved state of religious feeling in all ranks, from the highest to the lowest—such a gradual elevation of the character of bishops and clergy-such an acknowledgment and avowal of the peculiar doctrines of the Gospel-such a commencement of the illumination of the Heathen and Mahommedan world-such means set to work for the instruction of the young, and for the relief

and recovery of every species of wretchedness! But enumeration is impossible. Nor will the writer trust himself to say how much of all this may be traced to that statesman who by his writings vindicated the Gospel, by his life exemplified its precepts, and by his benevolence commended its excellency; who swayed, gradually, much of the opinion of Europe as to religion; who lived to accomplish the greatest enterprise of benevolence which it ever fell to mortal hand to undertake; who was in a position which no other senator in our age has occupied; uniting in himself the various influences of the orator, statesman, and the Christian; who has raised the character of our country by associating Christianity more than ever with the love and affections of mankind; and who, dying in a private station, and after years of retirement from public service, was compelled to occupy in his death the niche of honour amongst the great and good of Britain, which neither he nor his family for an instant contemplated; and thus to exhibit the first example of a grateful country adorning with all the sacred solemnities of a public funeral, and assembling, in the persons of her most exalted characters in church and state, around the remains of one, of whom it was only necessary to say, when interred by the hand of national gratitude, that he was

BORN AUGUST 14, 1759,

AND

DIED JULY 19, 1833.*

The mind reposes with delightful satisfaction in the contemplation of the Christian excellencies of Mr. Wilberforce, in whatever relation he appears, and acceptable and gratifying as the preceding notice of this truly estimable man will be to all who can appreciate his worth, the Editor cannot deny himself the pleasure of adding the following letter from Mr. Wilberforce, to his friend the Rev. very long before his decease.

W. Jay of Bath, written not
The lovely view in which it

Such was the simple inscription on his tomb.

places the candour, humility, and affection, of Mr. Wilberforce in the prospect of his removal to the heavenly state, will, he is persuaded, secure for it a very favourable reception.

66

"MY DEAR SIR,

"Elmdon House near Birmingham,

"Dec. 30th, 1831.

Though I will not withhold from Mrs. Wilberforce the pleasure she will have in answering your friendly letter; I cannot be satisfied without assuring you with my own pen, that I feel honoured as well as gratified by the proof of your esteem and regard for me, which you give by desiring to place my name at the head of your new publication. It gives me unaffected pleasure to reflect that my name will be thus permanently associated with yours. And may this, my dear Sir, with all your other labours of love, be abundantly blessed. May the gracious Giver of all good, who has already rendered you an instrument of such extensive usefulness, continue to prosper your endeavours to promote the temporal, and still more, the eternal benefit of your fellow-creatures; and after a long protracted course of usefulness and honour, may you at length have addressed to you those blessed words, "Well done good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of your Lord."

"Suffer me to add my humble prayer, and let me hope it will be sometimes yours also, that I may one day welcome you into that better world, and that though by somewhat different paths, yet tending to the same point and gravitating (if I may use the expression) to the same centre. We may at last meet where holiness and happiness, where love and grace, and gratitude and joy, will be unalloyed and everlasting.

"Such my dear Sir, is my sincere wish, and sometimes shall be the prayer for you and for all that are most dear to you, of Yours, with cordial esteem

And attachment,

"Rev. W. Jay."

"W. WILBERFORCE."

THE TRUE CHURCH.

BY JOSIAH CONDER.

ONE Church, tho' bigots fight and sceptics scorn To view the unholy strife

The Church is one, the Church of the new-born,

Who draw from Christ their life.

One race, from Adam sprung, have peopled earth : The heirs of heaven are one by second birth.

Diverse in feature, fortune, temper, hue,

In robes or rags disguised,

Yet to their Head were each in spirit true,
As to one Lord baptized,

Then would they as one body feel allied,

And deem him brother for whom Christ has died.

Yet are they not one body? Sceptic, learn;

Divided as they be,

Still with one spirit all the pious burn:

As one they bow the knee

To God in Christ; one hope divine is theirs.
Oh, there is unity in good men's prayers.

For the one Church is not the aggregate
Of churches or of sects;

But of the faithful, those whose happy state
Each with the Head connects:

O come the day when every sect shall fall,
And Christ, the living Head, be all in all!

THE CHRISTIAN MOURNER'S PRIVILEGE.

BY BERNARD BARTON,

How sweet to think, in sorrow's hour,

That He who reigns above,
Altho' supreme in sovereign power,
Is as supreme in love!

How sweet to know, when thus the axe
Is to our gourds decreed,

He will not quench the smoking flax,

Nor break the bruised reed.

But that to those who kiss the rod,
By Him in mercy sent,

The staff of comfort from their God
Shall in his love be lent.

Sustain'd thereby, with hopes serene,
Though earth's best joy seem gone,
On this, like Jacob, they shall lean,
And worship Him thereon.

For God, who binds the broken heart,
And dries the mourner's tear,
If faith and patience be their part,
Will unto these be near.

Let such but say, Thy will be done!"

And HE who JESUS rais'd,

Will qualify them, through his Son,

To add, "THY NAME BE PRAIS'D!"