The Sun. — London, England, 1815-01-10 00:00:00

THE SUN REVIEW. LXI.) SP.RmoNs, chiefly on Particular Occasions. Ancn!sitn ALISON, LL.B.Trebendory of Sarum, Senior Minister of dbe Episcopal Chapel, Cowgate, Edinburgh, &c. Svo. pp. 463, price 12s. Looga'ma and, Co. London; A. Consta ble and moo. ktlinbuigh. If the private excellence of its Ministers were to form the fame of an Establishment, our sera might rank among the most triumphant days of 'the Church of England. For stronger • displays, fiercer times may be required, and the RIDLEYS and LATIVIEIeS, the faithful Martyrs and devoted thamPions of the Faith, as the natural products of an age of persecution are not to be looked for among men who have no cause for peculiar fear or courage. But in the virtues suited to their state of Society, the world has never seen a body so blameless. Apostolic benevolence and self denying righteousness, the greatest gifts of our purified and accomplished nature, must be rare among any association of human, beings ; but History offers no instance where eleven thousand men have acted so fully up to the rule of their sta tion, worn a robe so lightly tinged with the/temp tations of life, or with so little of evil, circulated so large a share of good through Society. Yet it is certain, that at no period since the Reforma tion has the Church fixed a feebler .hold upon the. People. We will not stray into the ettume ration of those multitudes and myriads of Secta ries, which, hot' the other day, revolting from the Host of the true faith,' are now - getitering with the spirit of deSerters; and only lingering-till its array seems to shake. This spirit, is formida ble, and no eon - talon vigilance iu the Leaders of . the Church is called for by its malign activity.— But a more fearful symptom is to be found among those who have still Stood. Their hearts.are not entire in the cause. The great Church Commu nity is faint and listless, negligent and cold, at-. • tached to the ancient doctrine- by _little more than custom, and combined against its adversa ries less by rational fidelity than by that light contempeand pride of superior sense, which these have so often known how to subdue. . For this anomaly there must be some solution., Vulgarity has no irresistible: attraction, Ignorance and folly, extravagance and meanness, are not the indispeu sible arms of him who is to be Master of the Mul titude. The grace and dignity of the Church Worship are not Originally less connected with the heart than the squalidness awl mummery of the Conventicle„ and yet the Establishment is beset by schism. " That House" is built upon a rock, and it is It-ell for the happiness and wis dom the Community that its foundations sbould not lie within the power of the pass ing storm but without utter ruin there is much to suffer, many a high memorial, many a stately and revered bequest of 'other times, matt, - wise rant costly provision for the . happiness of posterity., is to be lost ; and it is no timid eye of querulous voice that looks to the whitening.of the wave:, and summons the guardian's of its towers to be vigilant and be secure, It is - a fact %villa' may lead us far, that the great effort of the Sec taries has been directed to an object .which the Established Clergy have apparently thought in capable Of productiveness. The Church had the first choice of the soil, and its tracts of easy'and tempting fertility were the natural settlements of that multitude of .distinguished labourers whoa; she " sent forth into her harvest." Those who followed were forced to a sterner selection. Like the later Colonists of the New World, they found the shore and the valley, the luxuriant and level' ',. regions already filled, and they were driven to the desort and the - mountain, till in their barrenness the treasure was discovered that was worth all -Forced by their exclusion from the usual accesses of the - popular mind, to 'abandon the calmer and more- obscure conversion of private influence, they ascended the pulpit and stormed tic defences Which they could not undermine.— The example - is not to be forgotten, with fee -hie means they have done much ; it will be more the part of rashness 'than of courage to. wait till a matured , and exulting strength leads them on to a struggle in which success must he still more doubtful, and even tfiumph to be paa:hased only by heavier mutual Oar' virtues have failed, our knowledge• of the 4 or ld, our high ~and polished literature, all have "broken short in our hands against the (ode incur sion, t he pike and club of this barbarian adver sary. We must try some superior modes. The Church of Ungland, Ainong the crowd of admirable 'qualities Avhich have raised her in the estimation of, the world, has. neglected , the most oper , t i,,, and p „ we ' r f i d of all, Eloquence—the large and commanding impression which gives one 111,in the svii!iog mastery over the minds or thou has been almost totally thrown out-of the tomes with such decisive weight in the trans:ie., Lions of human life, has been scarcely reckoned among the legitimate resources of the_ Church. We have no great public preacher ; and we shall have none, until such men arc called for by the Hierarchy. We know the ambition, the fasti diousness, the self-willed pride, that may degrade the value of this noble faculty, ; but it would be absurd to suppose, that among the Clergy of Eng land there are not to be found men of talent, too numerous to make its highest examples rare. And who is to compute the effect of such a body, in vested with such acquirements, vigorous and Ar dent, seconding the zeal of " heavenly things" by the finest qualities of earth, full of the enthu siasm that virtue may not disdain to borrow froM genius, and meeting the flashes of that stolen and . fictitious fire of the impostor by the lightnings of Heaven. Who shall compute the services that are to be thus done even to politic society, the fearful discontents that are still to be removed, the firth obedience to be generated, the innume rable and contagious remnants of an unwholesome time, that, ready to quicken again into pestilent may be extinguished and swept - away with the surge, recOing, before " that hreath'of Hea ven." The subordination of -the people is inter-, woven vitally and thoroughly with. their religious belief, and unless we are prepared to give the na tional allegiance into the hands of republican schis matics, we must adopt the means by which,beyond all others, the mind of man in every age of the world has been controuled. The . Sermons of Which we give the present extracts, are an !man . swerahle evidence that the pulpit is,,not incom patible with the noblest and most Animating elo quence ; a regundant style. a vigorous logic, and that deep and interior acquaintance with 'Scrip . titre, which exhibits itself rather in the spirit than theletter, something more of the feclitig than the phrase, .are the claims of this volume. But they leave the Clergy of England only still more with out excuse offering an example of the powers which -may give influence to the Preacher, they offer lit front a Sektish pulpit ; and England has still to find a vindicator of her clerical genius. Th e volume contains twenty-two Sermons ; nine on 'public subjects, five on the seasons, and the remainder - on general topics. We have room but for two ,extracts, which, for the purpose of exhibiting the happy varionsuess and calm good sense of those pages, we have taken one from a private, the other from a public subject. The ► first is front a Sermon on Summer. " Every scene of life has' its appropriate duties ; and I trust I shall therefore lie forgiven, if I attempt at present to draw your attention to this subject :—To • the consideration of the duties and the dispositions which become those who • possess this important share in `he property of their country. " If - it be unfortunate for us, that we often undervalue the blessings we enjoy, it is equally trof_orturate that we sometimes undervalue the usefulness we possess. There is a modesty in goodness, which sometimes leads men to estimate their impOrtance in society too low. There is a carelessness, • too, which the possession of power is alit to produce, and which renders - them unconscionS of the exertious which are d4t ii us4ed of them. - . It is wise in men, therefore, sometimes to remove themselves,, as it were, from their own situation in Het—to look upon their condition in the light in which the rest of the world consider it ; us •to return te with pew impressions of the duties which it demato l ls, and of the oppor:upities of virtue which it affords " If, in this view', my brethren, you survey the great scene of human society, you trn: 'ec• that the condition in it the most honourable, the most inipOrts and the Most fruitful of usefulness, is that of the proprietor or ittnd, Other men must struggle with the world, -before they can rwise them selves into distinction and influence. He, on the - contrary, is born - a ruler of the people, and the same i. - evs which con vey to him the title to his laulds, convey to him the welfare or the wretchedness of the men wim 'inhabit them. His opinions, in many ways, become the model of theirs;--his example is able, either-to strengthen or to shake their most important principles of morality;—aod his power can make itself felt, even within the walls of the lowest cottage, either in disseminating joy, or diffusing sorrow. 'From the agita tions of the great world, the obscurity of the • poor -renders them happily free; and, amid the calm occupations of se moestered Industry, even the influence of legislature is but , distantly felt. 'But the influence of their landlord is felt in every day and in every occupation of their lives ; and he alone, of all the various members of society, has the power of realizing the beautiful description of the Patriarch of olds " When I went out of the gate, the young men saw me, and hid themselves; and the aged arose, and stood" up. When the ear heard me, then it blessed• me, and when' the eye saw me, it gave witne,ss unto me. I delivered the poor and the fatherless, and him that had none to help hint. The blessing of hint that was ready to perish came upon use, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy." The second is from a striking Discourse on the Fast, 1811.— • If such then be the auspices under which we advance,— if such be the ends we pursue,--let not the heart of this country shrink ficim the dangers to which it is still exposed, or from the luirdships it may be yet doomed to endure. Every thing that is animating,--e very thing that is commanding in nature, arc with us. The Provid ence o f Heaven calls nut only a n ot to be overcome with evil, but to ~!urcotue it with good.'"lhe shades of our aiicestors beckon us to follow them in the Math of freedom and: of honour;—the- Uplifted hands of nations implore us to free them from their chains, and to restore them to the liberty and the dignity of man.— In so high a contest, he the struggles or the hardships that are to await us what they may, there is yet glory in en coun tering them. and I trust, that, even at this hour, there is not one British heart that would exchange the perilous but majestic attitude in which his country stands, for the hollow security of any insidious peace, or the base tranquillity of ignomi nious submission. '-'Voris it to he forgotten, my brethren, in our calcula tions of the fnthre, that there is an advantage whi c h vice itself eter gives to the virtue which opposes it; and.that the effort' of guilt to defend itself, am ever destined, by the be nevolent laws of our nature, to add to its crimes and its (*tan gors. In the history of the dark and tremendous power that opposes, us, who is there that has not read this awful pro gress? The mask of hypocrisy loss long•fallen ;—the features the Well-known features) of tyranny are descried even by the slaves who serve it ;—and the weight of military despotism sinks every hour with heavier pressure upon the People thetn selves that created it. Year after year (in that great but wretched country), either takes something fr”at the happi ness of private life, or adds something to public All that once distinguished it is gone ;—the gay soil harmless intercourse of social life is forl)idden ,the voice of public information or instruction is silenced;---the spy and The in former glide into the sacred 'privacies of domestic confidence; and from the arias of the . mother, the children of her love or of her widowhood are torn ' that they may swell the ranks of armies, whose paupers she dare not billow with her More gtgaiiiic qrp lvt4 Tier Commet:, of tlle worla is to he suspended;--the progress of every nation. to; Avealth and to iMlepenthence is to be stopt T --t he project3,of insane ambition are tube pursued, bot by the bravery whiel, its armies can act, but by the taniethlss with which ILI subjects - can suffer;—and the world around is to return to n wilderness, that oge impious throne may be e3tr.blished upon the ruins of all the former honours of humgaiity.ti " There. is a limit, my brethren, to htunan suffelancO, and there is an hour in oppresiion, whert resolution springs front despair. To that hour, to that aveiving hour, time and nature are approaching. " The cup of bitterness is full, and there is a drop which will make it overflow. Unmarked a s it may be amid the blaze of military g•lory, the drean baud is yet "-writing on the wall" the sentence of its doom; and however late may ht it's arrival, -the hour is yet steadily ap proaching, when " evil will be overcome with good ;"—and when the life blood - of an injured_ world will collect at the heart, and, by tine convulsive effort, throw off the load that has oppressed it." The " Continental System" was now in force. To conclude—these beautiful Sermons add an other source of Christian delight to those which BLAIR and LOGAN have already opened on nearly the same Northern ground. They are fit compa mions for the closet of . the man of literature, for. the family circle of the man of true wisdom, or the lick chambers of the man nf.holinesi. .We would dwell more at length ,upon their praise, did our limits permit ; but arc compelled to lay down our pen with only noticing the exquisite instance of fine feeling displayed in Mr. ALisoN's choice of text on the Jubilee : "And Joseph asked them of their welfaye, and said, .1 . ) your ,father well ? the old wean of whore ye spahe, is he ya alive r' FRENCH PAPERS. VIENNA, DEC. 26.—The following, is the new Note which. the Plenipotentiaries of German States of the second rank have delivered to Count Altalstet:— " The Plenipotentiaries of the Princes and Cities of Ger many had the honour to receive, on the sth of pecernher, the answer of his Excellency Count Munster, Cabinet Minister and Plenipotentiary for lianciver at the Congress of Vienna, to their note of the IGth'of November. The contents of this answer leave given them new proofs of the real national spirit and zeal for the weltare of Germany for which his Excellency is universally eateemed ; and they beg. him to accept their warns thanks for thi; communication. They have receivtd from him, with high satisfaction,. a nevi assurance,' that On the principal points, be agrees with them in Opinion, that the Constitution of the Germanic Confederation cannot be org ,- nised in a way more favourable fur the general welfare, than by restoring the imperial dignity, with such modifications and pri• vilegesas are suited to present circumstances. `l . l2 , •ei3Trectness of these views tranquillises them the more, inasmuch as they are in like "manner ,embraced by his Royal Ilighnesx Prince Regent, the Sovereign of a country to which our na tive Germany is so highly indebted. They; therefore, do-not for a moment doubt that the Prince Regent, as will as his Minister, will contribute to the accomplishment of their common wish. With this hope they beg to enter into some additional explanations on the points adverted to by his Ex cellency, that they may not he exposed to the reproach of having neglected any thing iu as affair of such high import, ance to Germany. " According to his Excellency's Note, the Chief didieulty opposed, to tint restoration of the imperial dignity in Ger many, dun not consist in the terms of the Treaty of Paris, 131 . 1'4 iT; previous negociations, in virtne of which other Powers have regardedthat dignity as no longer existing. The under signed having no knowledge of these negociations, cannot . form an accurate judgment' on the sulajecet ; but though they readily believe that the idea of re-establishing the Roman em pire might have been abandoned, as incompatible with the general situation of Europe, and also the idea of renewing the imperial dignity, because then it had become, a, matter of indifference to the Court of AuSbia, and that therefore the• the sole intention then was to unite the independent states of Germany in a federative league, yet, nevertheless, they cannot help thinking, that there existed neither the wish nor the power to oppose any.obstacle . to the internal organiza tion of the German 'confederation, and particularly to the existence f )f a head of that association invested with theim perial dignity. They deem themselves the more authorised to suppose this, as they cannot imagine that any of the high contracting Powers could have any interest in pre:Venting the Germanic conNeration from receiving any particular form, considering that Oat body can in no case assume an offen sire attitude; they thfuk, on the contrary, that the other powers of Europe, follow:1N the example of England, would unanimously subscribe to the declaration, as generous as wise, which the Emperor of eaused to be publish ed in• his name, arid in that of the King of Prussia, on the,ir approaching the frontiers of Germany, by Field-Marshal Kutusoff, March 21, 1813, as well as the invitation dated Head-quarters, at Kalisch; a declaration ,by whirls that re spectable Monarch announced to the German people liberty, independence, and the regeileration of their venerable CM pire, as a matter to be wholly left to the German l'inces and States, in order that the primitive spirit of the German na tion might he renovated with greater strength and unity than ever. But the Court of Austria, from that German patriot ism.whieh characterises it, must view with pleasure an ar rangement whielywill be best calculated to consolidate tran quility and concord in Germany; and if, _to avoid every ap pearance of self-interest in the late great contest, and to remove every difliculty, it may nut have chosen at the important mu nicht of decision, to advance any'claim to the title of Emperor of Germany, it may still be considered as extremely probable that Austria would not decline resuming the dignity of Chief of the German Empire, if she thought that she would thus best fulfil the wishes of a nation which she esteems, and if such conditions were offered to her as would enable her to support that dignitNivikh honour and energy. From these considera— tions the Undersigned are convinced, that the negeciations which preceded the Peace of Paris by no means exclude the possibility of re-establishing the imperial dignity, as soon as the majority of the Representatives of the German Nation shall have assented to the same. Neither can they see any difficulties in the way of the. other Powers of Europe ap proving of this, espeeially if it is considered that no thing new is claimed, but merely the re-establishment that etisted prior to the oppression froth Which Germany has bees. se happily delivered. If, therefore, there he tlO sufficient reason rendering the establishment Of a eon ttitttion in the accustomed forms impossible, it will be of a nature the more easily carried into effect in the interior of Germany, inasmuch as the prerogativeS of the Imperial dig nity mentioned in the Note of the 16th of November, are not Calculated, when seriously looked upon, to produce a felt!' of their being !net by well-foundiA protests. if, as it the-in tention of all the parties interested, the Germait nation be considered as a body, of Which all the members should IA Closely united, their gCneral will would of course be pro nounced in the Diet, and become a general law, which the Emperor, in Virtue of his very dignity, would be bound and authorised to cause to be executed." It is affirmed, that in every thing regarding the future constitution and internal organisation of Germany, the most perfect a;ree►nent prevails he tween Count Munster, Austria, and Prussia. 'l`he Princes of the second rank, and the Free Townsi reckon on the protection of Austria, an have come to an understanding on fundamental. prin ciples with Count Munster. VIENNA, DEC. 20.—News, which appears to come from a pretty good source, assures us that the King of ,Saxony, who is always at Frede ricksfeld, has declared that he would sooner live , on the revenue of the Queen and his daughter than renoun ce his Crown and his dominions for any indemnity whatever. A system of resistance has established itself between the King of Saxony and his people, without communication, which embarrasses greatly those Powers who would diS- , pose of that kingdom-. Amnia, France, and Eng land, continue to interest themselves frr the King of Saxony. The King of Wurremberg, though. much attache() to Austria, has pronounced aga inst• the despoiled. Monarch. Each Power persists ii!: its opinion. This disposition of mind may serve to explain the delays inithe Congress. Notwithstanding all ,the prohibitions . ot the Prussian authorities, and the precautions the!, take, Addresses ar r i ve h ere -f rom a ll t h e t own s - anti districts of Saxony in favour of their King. We expect in this city four Italian regiments of the new Levy,' composed in great part of the choice men of the. Italian Foot. Guard. They at' not complete. Each regiment has only six cow panies,.and the whole form but one brigade: Th e men desert on the road, and spew the greatest re pugnance to serving it) Austria. They wihl , be ‘ distributed at &win Moravia, Prag u e, arid Temeswar, in the Bannat. Count de Sissi ds is appointed CivirGovernor of the Tyrol., We hear that the Court Purveyors have Neel" ed orders to make new purchases in their respcc' rive lines, which indicates, mai4re the deparuno, of the King of . WURTE:CIIIIIRGH, the other Sove reigns are not likely soon to make their cthiges. PARIs, JAN. s.—he latest accounts . from A'. giers state, that the Dey of Algiers is determipect to maintain a good understanding with France. " We' are . a4 l - thorised to declare, that Madam Siad having no correspondence in Italy, isit o l anY 1•.;;-!Aon whatever in that country, co possible that any letter from ber,.addsnticf.leitve seen by one,Sil i - • i ce no.suell letter ever w ft . "--' (f ou r~i de -Paris-) - g q a nnounce finally the MADRID; perlAada lor Paris, departure of the Coact she af.Lnioary. where he will arrive b ,"" 11- no w no longer a --I'here ItostE,.DEc. 1 Atlninnstiatots tote our tompora Kin.). of Naples and M --The fate of the pro% ncts MoNsiv.a, Da, even of those yvlirch of the ci-dmint Westpba occupied by Prussia, ap were oely ln the month of Ser doubt of a serious misandersta pears ,definitively decide: • ' t d the 9th, ordered int.ingbt:te:,eel) tember, a .Royal Patent, ar 1815 . " f the introduction on the Ist of J al.ti merly Prussian, usurped by Westphati 3 Royal Cabinet Order, dated Vienna, Nov. the ancient Prussian Code in' the formerly made no part of the Prussia) ) allY ~tetis this introditeuon . to the provinces and which have hitherto been only _provision all y administered in the name of Possia. ~ prJ:incesbtra conferences iIODEC.I3 % c v l i i 6 tl .— ie t li m e l n t Secretary inck ii'!s h o7 l -c. t ' a ;:, He will_ be presented to-morrow-to the 110 1 Y , , i;i i His arrival, it is believed, will be bench, for the Holy See. It is believed, that-the 1 " , 1 0 has succeeded - in obtaining a pardon for the et iL bv of the Peace, denounced as a traitor and rob in Ferdinand VII. but warmly protected by Charles IV. and iiis'Queen. LEIPSIC,DEC. 27 —For some clays past inv it . 3 :,, tions have . been c i rcu l a t e d t h roug h 4;1 the -11 , 1( ,',4 Saxonhority an induce toee e s r i, s ) o rto t o t ‘ s l. f ri n eeisac a in u st t I fi e u c e s n f , 11. councils, and petltiou s Congress,einteitgr(yleirtaneing in the name of the Na t ! u i . ) , Lire of i the'Nation, but without men t tt 1. 01 ing the Kin g ' s name. The reasons assigne d as this are,_that the deliberations of the Congre s i, or . to the fate of S axony , h ave ta k en suc h- a u " ne e tunate-turn,_that, notwithst an di ng the pr ese t o f of the Emperor Al exan d er , the disinember' heri t i o n Saxony now app ears in ev it a bl e , uu l css the u '. oo s, pronounce strongly a ga i ns t i t . Th ese hoe."-ever; find few partizans, because they Pd e s teed from_ persons gen e r a lly di struste d ; the stratagem is too gross. Hitherto Aft the ai tempts nnide to convey to the Congress- tht: se i ves - mews of the nation, have b e e n regar ded as c ri ' o l) against the Allied S overe i gns , an d t h reate ned punishment '; every voice raised in its t _'avonrrato been ; nntlibers of libels have lyeetkeir eit t ion eelagainst it : and y e t a ll on a sudden the n a , is invited to raise its voice ! but with the addictn of instruction that no mention Is to be unto Frederick Augu s t us ! Wh o can f a il to realark,`. o l the t sole deli of this invitation is to draw ' 1 "f . Saxony an indirect d ec l arat i on that she oh l Y it , l e d silts on her integrity, and that ir.she' 01)ta ycc . that, she is re a dy t o consen t t o become a Pr"_; i t n be of any Stat e whatsoeverWe can assert nittne of every honest Saxon, that the na tion fr - 0/ 0 never separate the wish for !lei - integritY, attic that of her ex i s t ence u nd er her King, -0 " (4 , 5 t he she - values the latter as much as sh e d" former. _ _ •, BASLE, D EC . 21.—Th e E x -King of o f tI , Q Gustavus IV. is here, under the liar" Count of Gottorp. lie lodges at the ifildikircii "d has only two attendants. lie is disting u , is ta i cs f ' l. his pkty, and the alms which he dist"'