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NUMBER III.

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over of Passion Week...Nowell's Cate-
chism...Evidences of State of Salvation.
...Religious Affections...Popular Objec-
tions against the Church of England...
Letter Mr. Walker to Mr. Adam...Ex-
fract from Gurnall......... p. 325-346.
MISCEL....Modern Characters, Eusebia....
Unpublished Tour, La Trappe...On the
Poetry of the Christian Observer...All-
ance between Virtue and Vice, p. 346
-357.

REVIEW OF..
F...Hayley's Cowper.... Blunt's
Letters to Sharp... Paley's Natural The-
ology...Scott's Evidences of Christianity.
... Findlay's Inspiration of the Old Tes-
tament...The Anti-jacobin Review, p.
357-877.

Britain....Parliament....Stock-jobbing... LIT. AND PHIL. INTELL....Great Britain,

Duelling........

....p. 249–251.

OBITUARY....Advantages of early Piety.

..........Mrs. Newbold....Mrs. Venn...Deaths,

p. 252-255.

REVIEW OF...The Anti-jacobin Review, p.

256.

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RELIG. COM...Epistle of Ignatius to Poly-
carp... Death of Bishop Atherton...On
Isa. xliii. 8-11. and Dan. xi. 2.-xii. 3...
Nowell's Catechism, Lord's Supper...
Spirit of Grace at Meals...On Leslie's
Death of a Quaker...Want of Plan for
Study of Divinity...Neglect of Means of
exciting Religious Affections...Observ-
ance of Sabbath...Account of Mrs. Bo-

MISCEL...Unpublished Tour, Mount Blanc.

vey..

.................p. 581–598.

...Loss of Lady Hobart...On extracting
political Good from moral Evil...On Du-
elling...Query respecting Messrs. Wes-

REVIEW OF... Milner's Church History...

ley and Fletcher............p. 600-609.

Cooper's Sunday-drilling...Infant Bap-

tism vindicated... Brougham's Colonial

Policy...Jay's Sermons, p. 609-624.

LIT. AND PHIL. INTELL...Great Britain."

....France....Germany....Russia....North

America...List of New Books, p. 630-

RELIG. INTELL...Association in Ireland
632.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS....France.... Portugal....

for promoting Religion........... p. 634.

Spain....Holland....Sweden....Turkey...

-America...St. Domingo... Great Britain,

General Reflections, Intelligence...Ire-

land..........

p. 636-639.

OBITUARY...Account of William Small...

Reverend Thomas Drewitt... Deaths, p.

640-643.

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ERRATA

IN THE PREFACE.

P. vii. Linc 19, for we read The Conductors; and for our read their

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P. 718. Col. 2.

P. 738. Col. 1.

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IN THE 12TH NUMBER, VOL. II.

Line 19 from bottom, for Genoese read Genevese.

Line 19, and in the running title, for Biographical read Bibliographical
Line 32, for Hammond's read Harwood's

Line 26 from bottom, for 8vo, read 12mo.
Col. 2. Line 6 from bottom, for 203 read 205.

CHRISTIAN OBSERVER.

No. 13.

JANUARY, 1803.

[No. 1. VOL. II.

Religious Communications.

CONCLUSION OF THE ACCOUNT OF CLEMENS ROMANUS, FROM VOL. I. p. 768.

Here our readers an abstract of the
Nour two last numbers we laid be-

valuable Epistle of this eminent Saint
to the Corinthian Church. The corre
spondent who favoured us with that
abstract, has since transmitted a few
reflections upon it, which we now
subjoin, and which we trust will be
frind neither unseasonable nor use,
Lars.

As this excellent address ranks in
point of antiquity and authority next
to the inspired word, so it breathes in
every line a spirit of meekness and
simplicity not unworthy of an Apos-
tle. But it is still more valuable, as it
holds up to all future ages a vivid and
interesting picture of that struggle be-
tween nature and grace, which takes
place, not only in the hearts of indi-
vidual believers, but in all societies of
men united for religious purposes.
We know, from the history of the
4 nurch or Corinth at a still earlier
period, that neither the presence and
power of an Apostle, nor even the
Erst and most abundant effusions of
He spirit had entirely eradicated the
remains of pride, contention, and e-
mulation; yet the representation of
this Church, as it had subsisted nearly
to the date of the Epistle of Clemens,
is extremely pleasing. The power of
divine grace is richly displayed in that
amiable catalogue of its fruits, with
which the epistle commences: chari-
ty, hospitality, contentinent, love of
order and subjection to lawful supe-
nors, together with a lively interest in
the general welfare of the Church,
were qualities which eminently adorn-
ed the Christians of Corinth.

But human depravity never permits
a state like this to be of long continu-
ance: external circumstances, whose
operation is suspended by the first fer-
vours of religion, naturally regain
their influence, and the enemy of
souls ever on the watch, aids the col
CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 13.

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tious, blopp every serek into a flame,
lision of opposite interests or inclina-

and too soon acquires, unperceived,
much of that influence over the Church
of God which he possesses in the
world at large. Pride was the first
bitter fruit of the fall; and this single
principle, in its operation upon socie-
ties, hath, from that time to the pre-,
sent, been the moving cause of every
rebellion in states, and of most sepa-
rations in Churches. But the general
principle adapts itself to particular
circumstances, and what those cir-
cumstances were in the Church of
Corinth, though it was unnecessary,
for Clemens to detail them in a letter
to those who knew them better than
himself, we may infer from the gene-
ral tenor of his reproofs. A spirit of
discord had evidently gone forth;
some ancient and blameless Presby-
ters had been deposed by the influ
ence of a party, and the whole evil
is ascribed to wealth and luxury on
the one hand-to envy and strife on
the other..

Corinth, as is well known, was a
very opulent and dissolute place: and
though the state of Christianity, at
that time, forbids us to suspect that
any thing like open profligacy of
manners, or undisguised tyranny and
insolence, was tolerated among be-
lievers; yet, unless the power of reli-
gion be great indeed, wherever there
is a striking distinction of ranks and
habits in a religious society, self-in-
dulgence will gradually return upon
the wealthy, and envy will be mista-
ken for just oflence by the poor: a
consideration, in all assemblies and
all debates, beyond what is its due,
will be claimed by worldly rank, and
will be opposed by superior talents or
eloquence in inferiors, with uniform,
and often undue, pertinacity.

It seems probable, that the ejected.
Presbyters of this Church had been
chosen at a time "when not many
wise, not many learned, were called

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