"There is amongst the Prelates of Ireland an augmented prejudice against the truth. The Primate and the Archbishop of Dublin have withdrawn, and others with them, from the Bible Society and all the Religious Societies. It appeared to me, therefore, that, through the Divine blessing, I might do good by going there. The bugbear in their minds is Calvinism; by which term they designate all vital religion. You well know that, though strongly Calvinistic in some respects, I am as strongly Arminian in others. I am free from all the trammels of human systems; and can pronounce every part of God's blessed Word, ore rotundo, mincing nothing, and fearing nothing. Perhaps too I may say, that, from having published sixteen volumes, and preached for forty years in Cambridge, I may be supposed to give a pretty just picture of the state of Evangelical Religion, such as it really is. On this account I hoped, that however insignificant in myself, I might be an instrument of good: more especially, because in the last year I sent to every Prelate there my Sermons on the Conversion of the Jews."-P. 563.

Again:

"Here were two extremes; observing days, eating meats, &c.-Paul, how do you move? In the mean way?' No. To one extreme?' 'No.'"How then?' 'To both extremes in their turn, as occasion requires.'

"Here are two other extremes, Calvinism and Arminianism, (for you need not be told how long Calvin and Arminius lived before St. Paul). How do you move in reference to these, Paul? In a golden mean?' 'No.'-'To one extreme?' 'No.'-'How then?' To both extremes: to-day I am a strong Calvinist; to-morrow a strong Arminian.'—'Well, well, Paul, I see thou art beside thyself: go to Aristotle, and learn the golden mean.'"'-P. 600.

This manner of speaking, however, was simply to get all fish into his net. We believe that he had no head for deep theological questions, but still he must have been conscious that a discussion which had so stirred up the Church had some reality in it. Occasionally also we plainly see on which side his heart

was.

"You should unite the wisdom of the serpent with the harmlessness of the dove. What can you say more Calvinistic than I have said in my letter to you? But I have stated it so, that your subtle foe may not have ground of accusation against you. Perhaps you think I have trimmed: perhaps your dear wife may think so too; but the more you consider my Preface, the more will you, I think, be disposed to acknowledge, that my views are truly scriptural, and at the same time more calculated to unite men of real piety, than the partial statements of either party."-Pp. 421, 422.

The Preface of his Helps to Composition' is a doctrinal statement on which Simeon always rested his orthodoxy. Having once penned this he rested on his oars, and, when called on, simply referred to the Preface:' over and over again is 'the Preface' pointed to. Such a device was, no doubt, most successful; for if the inquirer waited to renew his questioning till he understood this manifesto and saw its consistency, he would be long enough in troubling its author again. Yet Simeon had views of doctrine, for he invented a special vocabulary whereby to express the intricacies of his own acute perception. But

what were the intricacies he dwelt on, for it was his great profession to be plain and simple? The explanation of this appears to be in his distorted efforts to embrace all doctrines under the wings of his own Calvinistic notious. He wished to acknowledge every doctrine that has apparent good in it; but he tried to view it through the atmosphere of Calvinism. Deeper men of his own school have seen that such a union is impossible, and therefore have been more avowed in their principles; but Simeon never could fully comprehend a system of theology so as to discover that a certain set of views hang naturally together, and that there is a consistency in Calvinism as well as in Catholicism. The errors of Calvinism are not so much in details as in the first committal to a certain system. This done, all the rest follows of itself. But Simeon never saw the true connexion between one thing and another; he imagined he might hold isolated doctrines apart from any system, and it was in the attempt to reconcile the contradictory elements of his creed that he had recourse to a vague and unintelligible phraseology. But what object can be gained by further examination into the theological views of Simeon? Read his interpretation of the word renatus :

"Your question about renatus, I can only answer by saying, that under God, I owe everything to Provost Cooke. I see you full of utter amazement: Pray explain yourself,' I hear you say. I will in few words. On the 29th of January, 79, I came to College. On February 2d I understood that, at division of Term, I MUST attend the Lord's Supper. The Provost absolutely required it. Conscience told me, that Satan was as fit to go there, as I; and that if I MUST go, I MUST repent, and turn to God, unless I chose to eat and drink my own damnation. From that day I never ceased to mourn and pray, till I obtained progressive manifestations of God's mercy in Christ in the Easter Week, and perfect peace on Easter Day, April 4th.

"Thus you see, that under God I owe all to Dr. Cooke. Howbeit he meant not so, neither did his heart think so. But to specify the day that I was renatus, is beyond my power. You have the season.”—Pp. 710, 711.

We come now to the close of Simeon's life. On attaining the fiftieth year of his residence in the University, and also of his connexion with Trinity Church, he kept solemn Jubilees in commemoration, of course, of the great services he had rendered to the University and parish. The suggestion, however, came from himself, and the whole thing was managed by himself. They lasted a whole week: we extract from his diary the account of three days on the latter occasion.

'On Tuesday, at half-past 10, about thirty-two assembled. I opened the meeting with observations (as on a similar occasion before) founded on the fact that the Jubilee was always at the close of the day of atonement; the services of which day prepared those who had received deliverance from spiritual judgments, to set others at liberty and restore their inheritances, and those who

were now liberated and restored, to appreciate and improve their mercies aright. Thus our Jubilee arose out of, and was a continuation of our previous humiliation, which I desired to pervade all our services, and all our enjoyments. I prayed with tears. Mr. Sargent followed in a way of humiliation. Mr. Bickersteth followed admirably in behalf of Missions. We then retired for the luncheon; and met again at 2 till 4; which time was occupied in a similar way, by Mr. Hankinson and other brethren.

'Then twelve of the residents went home to dinner, and I entertained twenty. About six of the others came back to tea, and we spent the evening, till past 9, in discussion.

'Wednesday was wholly occupied in most profitable discussions and prayer from 11 to 1; and from 2 to 4. Lunch and dinner as before, and evening as before. Mr. Jowett's closing prayer will not soon be forgotten. Mr. Marsh gave his views of the reign of Christ, greatly moderated and softened. There would be no controversy if the prophetical people were all like him.

'Thursday was spent, till dinner-time, as Tuesday had been, in the word and prayer only.

But behold, to my utter surprise, my dear (Clerical) brethren presented me with an elegant inkstand. This quite overcame me. I could speak only by silence and tears, from a sense of God's unmerited and unbounded love towards me. As there was to be Church-service at half-past 6, all except a few dined with me; Mr. Cunningham preached on the very same text that I myself had taken on Monday. We then separated, after a season such as no one of us had ever seen before. '-Pp. 708, 709.

Death-bed scenes and the speeches of dying men are things which ought to be refered to with great gentleness and consideration; but yet we have great faith in the ruling passion strong in death." The composition of sermons was an instance of this principle in Simeon.

'During the greater part of Thursday, (Oct. 27,) his whole mind seemed absorbed in perfecting a scheme for four Sermons upon his favourite passage in Eph. iii. 18, 19, "That you may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled with all the fulness of God." His thoughts had early been employed upon the subject, and before I arrived he had dictated the outlines of the four, Sermons under the following heads :'— P. 813.

His dread of a death-bed scene was excessive; a feature we do not altogether understand in him; for he had been accustomed to the presence of friends on devotional occasions all his life, and a death-bed is a natural place for such presence. Did his consciousness involuntarily associate artificiality with religious scenes? We will not speculate, however, but only narrate. After there had been an alarm that he was dying, which caused his attendants to send for several persons into his room, he thus expresses his annoyance :- Now I was much hurt at the scene last night: a 'scene!- -a death-bed scene I abhor, from my inmost soul.-No!'

"Now bring some paper, and write something down for me directly." Then, in a very serious and deliberate manner, he dictated the following:-"If anything laudatory be mentioned before the University by Dr. Dealtry, about me, or about my Sermons, I entreat from my inmost soul that I may not have it

repeated to me: let me go to heaven as the vilest sinner in the universe.

So far as respects myself, let me not know there is such a person existing as Charles Simeon; on no account, if any remarks are made, let them be uttered before me. Satan himself could not be a greater curse to me, than the person who would dare to breathe a word upon that subject commendatory of me, or anything I have ever done. They would be a curse to be, whoever they are. Persons so acting are doing the devil's work, and it is frightful to me. I feel, if I could be pleased with it, it would be damnation to me."-Pp. 816, 817.

His death-bed devotions take a simply contemplative turn.

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Yes," said he, "it is to the principles I look. It is upon the broad, grand principles of the Gospel that I repose-it is not upon any particular promise here or there any little portions of the word, which some people seem to take comfort from; but I wish to look at the grand whole-at the vast scheme of redemption as from eternity to eternity.... Indeed, to say the truth, what may be called my spiritual exercises have lately been at rather a low ebb; and I may make another confession to you, (smiling,) my bodily exercises also of late have been at a low ebb." I observed," Very probably the one may have been partly the cause of the other."

"Yes," he continued; "but however that may be, I wish to point out this distinction in my case-that I am not solicitous so much about this feeling or that, or this state or that, as upon keeping before me the grand purposes of Jehovah from eternity to eternity."-Pp. 811, 812.

Throughout the long account which is given of his last illness from the beginning of October to the 13th of November, when he died, there is one striking omission, which we must hope is but accidental. It is never mentioned that he received or alluded to the Holy Communion. The composition of sermons, Jews' Societies, and addresses to Undergraduates, were running in his head for days together, but the Church's consolations are never spoken of. One more extract from this period we now give, in connexion or not, as the reader may think fit, with the mention just made regarding that Sacrament. The following scene is, to say the least of it, a dangerous playing with sacred ideas and a most sacred text of Scripture:

"The next day, Friday, (November 4,) when I went to him in the evening, he was on the point of taking a little wine, which had just been prescribed for him. It so happened that having had a present of a small quantity of Lachryma Christi, which he much valued as a token of the donor's regard, some of this had been brought out for him on the present occasion. Never shall we forget his countenance and manner, as we offered him a little of this wine in a glass, after we had raised him up and supported his back with the pillows. Stretching forth his feeble and withered hands in the attitude of reverential and earnest prayer, he began, in the most affecting manner, to invoke a blessing on all present May all the blessings which my adorable Saviour purchased for me with His tears-yea, even His own precious life-blood-be now given to me to enjoy -and to my two dearest friends, Sir Richard and Mr. C- and my two dear nurses-and to that dear friend who gave me this wine-that they may enjoy the same in time and eternity." He then just tasted the wine; and turning to me most affectionately said, "And you take some-and you also," looking to his nephew. He seemed rather exhausted with the effort; but when we had gently laid him down again, he began to speak of the pleasure he had

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felt, in the circumstance of this wine in particular having been brought to him on such an occasion. He then desired the remainder of it to be sent immediately to the friend from whom he had received it, with a label bearing this inscription" To G. C. H. Esq., with kindest and devoutest wishes for his happiness in time and eternity." Afterwards, referring to what had passed, he observed, "There! I shall drink no more of that wine, until I drink it new (this word he uttered in a peculiarly significant tone) with my Redeemer in His kingdom."-Pp. 820, 821.

If, by way of summing up, we were required to describe Simeon's whole character in one word, we should at once fix on the word artificial.' 6 There is a tone of effort and of display running through all that he said or did. His outward manners were strikingly artificial-his inward thoughts were the same. He preferred throwing his energies into an artificial system of religion, to following the Church as his guide; and on doctrinal points he dwelt on an inconsistent amalgamation of views, which proved that he did not see deep into the tendency of any. Thus religion with him dealt with little more than the outside of human nature-that part of it which lies under the control of the artificial principle. His system probes but skin deep; it creates religious sentiment, religious language: it does not go near the heart: from one end of the book before us to the other, we have not met with one idea that goes below the very surface of human nature, and we would say, of human intellect. We never feel that Simeon has hold of the real creature man. He has not the remotest consciousness of the wonderful analogy between the Gospel he so strove to preach and the being to whom it is preached. All depth of reasoning, all profound meditation, were to him scholastic subtleties,' injurious to true religion, though he himself adopted subtleties of thought beyond the comprehension of all ordinary mortals, in order to fabricate an artificial divinity of his own, which suited his own views-subtleties as unfitted to supply the necessities, as they are to elevate the spiritual perception of the creature he had to deal with. All this, however, follows as a natural sequence from the degradation of human nature which Calvinism teaches. Man's best powers are despised, and a mere shadow of him is recognised by Calvinistic preachers, little more than the inkstand which Simeon recommends his pupils to address by way of practice. We can feel no sympathy with such teaching, for it is itself artificial, and supposes us to be artificial also.

To return, then, to our original position. It is needless for us to add, after the remarks which we have been making on Simeon's career and life, that we do not acknowledge those claims to the character of a saint, which his friends and admirers make for him. He was a phenomenon in the Church, but he was not so much a light as a token of darkness. Dark and dor