on.

drawn because they were abused. "We hesitate not," concludes Mr. O., (indeed he never does,)" for a moment, to assert that these facts would be true of the most excellent of all his (God's) gifts-inspiration." "This most exquisite grace," he says, (in a passage which will baffle most readers,)" would soonest shrink from its contact with a world that lay in wickedness and return to the bosom of God. And such in effect was the case at all times, and especially under the New Testament dispensation." What this means it is not easy to guess. Inspiration continued from the time of Moses to the time of Malachi, which is not very confirmatory of Mr. O.'s remarks. However, we will go "The purpose which called forth this immeasurable display (?) of the divine condescension was speedily, as well as effectually, realized; it had certainly departed before the termination of the first century, and to eight persons only of all those who attended upon our Lord's ministry was this grace given," &c. Now, as far as anything can be made out of this extraordinary reasoning, it is this. Were certain writers inspired? They certainly lived while miraculous gifts existed. To know whether they were inspired, we must know when these gifts ceased. (Why we must know this, as these gifts had not ceased in their time, does not appear.) From their writings, it seems that the gifts had disappeared before the end of the second century. But inspiration is more delicate than the others, and would go sooner. Therefore, it is certain that it had ceased before the end of the first, and that only eight persons had it. It will be seen that if this number had not been stated, even all this tissue of extraordinary assertions would have been in vain, inasmuch as Barnabas and Clemens, at least, wrote before the end of the first century. Yet what proof, beyond Mr. O.'s assertion, does he affect to offer? No argument is here offered for the inspiration of these writers. But what hope can be entertained from the inquiry of a writer who has such views of the nature of proof?

Again, in chapter vi., on Baptism (which, by the way, is a long statement of Mr. O.'s own views of the Scripture doctrine as to regeneration in baptism) the reader finds him intrepidly asserting that all who wish to be consistent, must, if they maintain baptismal regeneration, also maintain transubstantiation. For, as Mr. O. thinks, there is so plain an inconvenience in the want of an analogous system of theology, that we may fairly argue, a priori, from the improbability of a revelation from heaven being so circumstanced; and this analogy, says Mr. O., cannot be maintained without assuming the sameness in nature of the two sacraments! What Mr. O. means is hard to say. Certain persons, he says, maintain that regeneration follows baptism necessarily. And they are bound to believe that the bread and wine are changed into our Lord's body! Now without at all entering into the subject of baptismal regeneration here, it is quite manifest that if Mr. O. reasoned correctly, he would see that even to preserve the analogy of which he speaks, all which is requisite is that they who maintain that one sacrament conveys grace necessarily, should maintain the same of the other. The Anglicans believe just as firmly as the Romanists that grace may be conveyed by the elements, though they are not actually changed into our Lord's body. If I avow my belief in baptismal regeneration, I may understand the argument which says I ought to admit the necessity of spiritual benefit from the eucharist, though I shall take the liberty of telling the arguer that even then he does not understand my belief or his own argument; but I do not even know what he means when he says that, to be consistent, I must believe in transubstantiation !

With respect to baptism itself, as far as it is possible to make out Mr. O.'s views, they are these. No one mentioned in scripture is baptized who does not believe. No one can believe without the renewing influences of the Holy Spirit. From these premises, Mr. O. wishes to deduce the consequence that baptism does not convey grace necessarily. The right consequence, if Mr. O. knew how far his own ideas go, is that it conveys no grace at all. If the work is always done before hand, baptism can never do it.

One more specimen of Mr. O.'s modes of dealing with great questions must be given. He very calmly pronounces (p. 214) that the doctrine of the apostolical succession of the clergy is "a notion as utterly destitute of scripture warrant, as the supremacy of the pope." Mr. O. professes to be a reading man. Now, without at all inquiring here whether the doctrine is true or false, can he recall to himself the names of those who have supported a directly contrary opinion, and offered what they conceived to be proof in their favour, and expect that his cool assertion that they are utterly wrong shall be received? He writes so very vaguely, and seems to think so indistinctly, that it is somewhat dangerous to censure some of his opinions. In the same page he is extremely angry with what he calls "the entire figment of a church on earth, the only authorized expositor of the word of God, in virtue of the apostolical succession of her clergy." Does he mean that it is a figment that the church is authorized to expound scripture, or that the figment is that her authority rests on the succession of the clergy? Whichever he means, he shews afterwards that his feeling is somewhat a personal one, for he says that the proper "inference" from this figment is that the laity " will do well to leave a very exact and curious attention to religion to those whose holy orders confer upon them the advantages for such pursuits, whatever they be, which accrue from the apostolic succession, and not to busy themselves with inquiries which they necessarily pursue under unfavourable circumstances, and with which they have, in strictness, no right to intermeddle." Now, without meaning any disrespect to Mr. O., it must be said plainly that all this is mere temper. Does he know any one who maintains that a single clergyman possesses any divine right authoritatively to interpret scripture? Does he know any one who maintains that laymen should not pay a strict and curious attention to religion, any one who maintains that laymen have no right to intermeddle with inquiries about it? Before he gives way to this kind of temper, let him remember who were the intimate friends of Robert Nelson. Let him remember how the labours of West, of Lord Lyttleton, of Jenyns, and many other laymen have always been received.

Certainly, as a matter of common sense, it may very often be said, that if laymen whose attention has been mainly given to other things, suddenly take up divinity, and think that they can at once see the truth where very many who have given all their lives and thoughts to it are in doubt, they are very likely to mislead themselves and others, just as if clergy were, without any previous qualifications but those of a good education, at a late period of life, to take up law and medicine,and denounce the gross follies entertained by eminent judges and physicians. The judges and physicians who ventured to smile at these discoveries would not be accused of thinking that they had any divine right to interpret Lyttleton or Hippocrates, or that no one but lawyers and physicians had a right to interfere. Mr. Osburn may, let him be assured, go on exposing the blattering idiotcy, doting anility, and pellucid nonsense of the fathers, without let or hindrance on the part of the "few wrong-headed members" of the church of England who maintain the apostolical succession. Nay, they can promise that, if he will go on diligently and faithfully to collect and arrange the opinions of the early fathers, in a clear and compendious form, they will be exceedingly obliged to him. It is probable that they may use his book for a purpose not exactly like what he proposes. They may take the liberty of drawing inferences from his facts exactly opposite to what he does, and to use his collection to prove what he thinks they will disprove. But as a friend to every one's thinking for himself, he will not disapprove of that.

With respect to the object of Mr. O.'s book, it is, perhaps, the only way, if persons can adopt it, by which the ecclesiastical and theological system of our church can be met. In a word, he asserts, in fact, a defection of the church from the time of the apostles (see p. 310). What, however, his views are exactly on this point it is hard to make out. He tells us there that the immediate disciples of the apostles retained perfectly the doctrines which formed the dis

tinguishing features of the gospel, though they erred grievously; but that even these great truths soon disappear from the writings of their successors, and nothing of Christianity remains beyond the facts recorded in the Bible-all else is "a mash (!) of heathenism and Platonism."

Yet even as to the immediate writers, as, for example, Clemens of Rome, we find (pp. 100, 101) that he states even the atonement in a way which Scripture does not sanction, and that this great doctrine was presented to the early church under a debased and materialized aspect-that Irenæus grievously errs on this same doctrine, &c.—and that all the first Christian writers are in error as to the eucharist. Of course, if Mr. Osburn can shew that the disciples of the apostles were wrong on the main doctrines, and that these main doctrines of the gospel wholly disappeared in the next generation, he has made short work with all notions of a church. Some may venture to ask, if the Gospel was so utterly lost so soon, how Christianity came to prosper and spread, and may remember Christ's promises for their comfort. Others might have thought that (as an human cause) the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church. But Mr. O., like Gibbon, considers the martyrdoms as enthusiastic (p. 221). Others, again, may be puzzled to know why, if Mr. O. thinks that all the peculiar doctrines of the gospel disappear even in the works of those who immediately followed the contemporaries of the apostles, he, who is so fond of strict analogy, and strict logic, and strict inferences, does not, with Dr. Priestley, reject the Trinity, which certainly was one of the doctrines held by these writers, whose works are “a mash of Platonism and heathenism."

There is much more to be said on Mr. O.'s book, but space forbids. It must, however, be briefly noted that he obviously forgets that Justin Martyr, Tatian, &c. were laymen and philosophers, and are therefore of doubtful and variable authority-that Tertullian especially can never be appealed to as any thing but a witness, and that whatever opinions thoughtful and learned individuals may hold, the common use made even of the early fathers has been also that of witnesses.

It must be noticed, too, that Mr. O. is extremely confused or unfair on very material points. What right has he to say, if he knows his own meaning, that they who maintain the apostolical succession contend that what he calls the "fiats of eternity" (i. e., the power of settling man's eternal doom at their own will and pleasure) are committed to them? What right has he so to quote Hooker (pp. 67, 69, 99) as he does? They who are about to read Mr. O.'s work should compare Hooker with Mr. O.'s statement of his opinion, in order to be on their guard.

A Visit to Iceland, by way of Tronyem. By John Barrow, Jun., Esq. London Murray. Foolscap 8vo. 1835. (Many wood-cuts.)

THIS book gives one strong reason to wish that Mr. Barrow may prosecute his travels in other directions, for it is not often that one has the good fortune to meet with a traveller at once so intelligent, so lively, and so right in spirit and feelings. Iceland is a country so rarely visited, and so little calculated, as one would think, for the abode of man, and yet so full of wonders and beauty, that, in spite of all the want of that interest which a luxurious and a commercial spirit must feel in the absence of splendid cities, and vehement business, it presents strong attractions and a very peculiar interest to the thoughtful, and to those who love to trace human nature under all its various aspects. Mr. Barrow has done full justice to Sir John Stanley's most interesting engravings and account of the Geysers, and has himself detailed his journey and his stay at these extraordinary springs in a most lively manner. The volume has great interest also for those who feel interested in the condition and the influence of religion. In Iceland, Mr. Barrow found the bishop a scholar and a gentleman; and from the clergy, in the midst of their priva

tions, he received all the attention and hospitality which it was in their power to shew. They alone, it would seem, by the light of the Gospel, must preserve the light of civilization in the land. The use made of the churches as storehouses and as lodging places for travellers is painful to hear of.

Hora Hebraica; or, an Attempt to Discover how the Argument of the Epistle to the Hebrews must have been understood by those therein Addressed, &c. By George Viscount Mandeville. London: Nisbet. 1835.

It is only common justice to Lord Mandeville to say that his wide reading of commentators and diligent study of Scripture might serve as an example to divines. They are really very remarkable, and do him high honour. But he will excuse the reviewer for suggesting to him that his book is overloaded with discussions and opinions of various commentators. It is a magnificent 8vo, which, in 568 pages, gets no farther than the 9th verse of the 4th chapter of the Hebrews, and which in all places so readily follows every bye path that it is almost impossible to keep the thread of the reasoning. Thus, in the first few pages, we have a discussion of ten pages on a passage in Colossians, another on a passage in 1 Corinthians, one of seven pages on Ps. 11, and one of eight pages on 2 Sam. vii. 11. Lord Mandeville may be assured that to the common reader this must make his work practically useless. He obviously disregards expense. Let him, then, in a second edition, condense his matter, and state his views at the head of each chapter in a brief and concise form, which will enable the common reader to follow the longer notes with advantage. The reviewer must fairly confess for himself that he has been so bewildered by the mazes of notes that he has not been able satisfactorily to ascertain what Lord M.'s view of the whole scope of the Epistle is, or in what way he thinks that it was understood by those to whom it was addressed.

Songs of the Prophecies. By M. S. Milton. pp. 240. London: Baldwin and Cradock. 1835.

THESE "Songs of the Prophecies" are a series of stanzas on some of the great judgments foretold and recorded in the Bible, such as the destruction of Tyre, and Nineveh, and Babylon, and of the Cities of the Plain. They contain proofs of considerable imagination and many pleasing passages, but require revision and alteration. The introductory chapters and historical notices are, for the most part, carefully compiled, and valuable.

A Digest of the Laws and Regulations of the Wesleyan Methodists. With an Appendix. By S. Warren, LL.D. pp. 323. London: J. Stephens. 1835. THE second and improved edition of a very useful work for those who wish to investigate the laws &c. of the Wesleyan Methodists.

Nine Sermons on the Lord's Prayer, intended for Young Children of all Classes. By a Member of the Church of England. pp. 72. London: Hatchards.

1835.

VERY plainly written. They contain some useful hints for young people.

Sober Views of the Millennium. By the Rev. Thos. Jones, of Creaton, Northamptonshire. pp. 51. London: Seeleys, &c. 1835.

MR. JONES maintains the approach of the Millennium as a period of spiritual triumph over Satan, &c., but rejects the doctrine of the personal advent of our Lord before the day of judgment.

Pulpit Recollections; being Notes of Lectures on the Book of Jonah, delivered at St. James's Episcopal Chapel, Ryde. With a new translation. By the Rev. R. W. Sibthorp, B.D. Second Edition. pp. 99. London: Seeleys, &c. 1835. PRACTICAL reflections and applications of the warnings contained in this prophet to the case of Christians, nationally and individually.

A Key to the Symbolical Language of Scripture, founded on the Symbolical Dictionary of Daubuz, &c. By Thomas Wemyss. Author of "Biblical Gleanings," &c. pp. 512. Edinburgh: T. Clark. 1835. THIS little volume appears likely to be a very useful book of reference for those who have not time to consult more extensive works. Its title-page sufficiently explains its contents. It is in the form of a dictionary. It may be observed, however, that many words occur which can scarcely be said to be used in a symbolical sense in the passages which are quoted.

Works on Episcopacy. Protestant Episcopal Press, New York. 1831. 2 vols. 12mo. pp. xxiv., 784.

THESE two volumes comprise-1. "Two Series of Letters," addressed by the late Rev. Dr. Bowden, of New York, to Dr. Miller, in reply to and refutation of the assertions, misstatements, and misquotations of the latter in his "Letters concerning the Constitution and Order of the Christian Ministry."2. Dr. Cooke's" Essay on the Invalidity of Presbyterian Ordination;" and, 3, Bishop Henry U. Onderdonk's “ Episcopacy tested by Scripture." The collection of these elaborate treatises in two volumes was occasioned by the republication of Dr. Miller's "Letters," with an additional letter, the "assertions, denunciations, and sophisms" of which are exposed with equal ability and temper by Bishop B. T. Onderdonk, of New York. Very few copies of the "Works on Episcopacy" have hitherto reached England; but, as Dr. Miller's "Letters" are announced for immediate republication in London, it is deemed right to apprise all the friends of our church, that they have been most completely refuted by the authors of the treatises above-mentioned, and that a considerable number of the "Works on Episcopacy" has been ordered from New York. Their arrival shall be announced, in the hope that all those readers who can afford to purchase will not fail to procure copies.

Parochial Sermons. By J. H. Newman, M.A., Vicar of St. Mary's, Oxford, &c. Vol. II. For the Festivals of the Church. London: Rivingtons. 1835. pp. 451.

It would be, perhaps, uncivil to say that out of every 100 volumes of sermons published, 99 might be just as well let alone. Most persons beside the authors would allow the sentence to stand, reading 90 for 99. But whether 90 or 99, this volume is clearly the hundredth. Instead of common-place thought or no thought, and common-place views and common-place words, the reader will here find original thinking, views as new as they are just, a piety as fervent as it is calm. He will find the work, in a word, of a learned, studious, thinking Christian, one whose time, happily for him, is not consumed in committees and vestry-rooms, but who shews forth, by the light of his life and writings alike, what they who founded colleges knew might be the genuine fruit of their foundation-men able to instruct others, because by thought and learning they have instructed, and by prayer they have disciplined their own hearts. Let clergy and laity alike study, and be thankful for Mr. Newman's

volume.

The History of Greece. By Thomas Keightley. London: Longman and Co.

1834.

MR. KEIGHTLEY's services to the cause of education cannot easily be over