against the pointless contempt which, without enquiry, sets down every Calvinist as a Methodist, or an Antinomian, but against the bolder assumptions which stigmatize Calvinism and Calvinists by epithets in the highest degree unchristian and unjustifiable.' Of this work it is said, 'The entire volume, with an exception to which we shall refer, is entitled to our warm commendation. Its sentiments are throughout evangelical; it is sufficiently argumentative, avoiding the extremes of metaphysical reasoning and loose declamation; the exhortation is earnest and persuasive; and the whole composition is perspicuous and animated.'' The work well deserves to take its place among the more select volumes of sermons which have obtained the approbation of the religious public.' EDMESTON'S Sacred Lyrics. Third set. Of these it is remarked, Mr. E. wants only judgment, and a little severer mental cultivation, provided he will take time and take pains, to write much better poetry than this volume contains.'-Sketches of Sermons, preached to Congregations in various parts of the United Kingdom, &c. vol. IV. are accused of a want of simplicity.' They are neither highly praised, nor condemned. BODY AND SOUL is justly treated with a contemptuous satire.

THE MONTHLY CENSOR speaks of HARNESS BOYLE'S Lectures on the Connection of Christianity and Human Happiness, as shewing great diligence and research. DOUGLAS's Hints on Missions, is said to be a work distinguished by an enlarged view of the subject on which it treats, and appears to be the result of extensive information.'-THE ARCHBISHOP OF CASHELS' CHARGE is epitomised. — MATHEW's Appeal to Revelation opposed to Socinianism, is valuable for the plain and perspicuous manner in which the subject is treated.'-RENNEL's Sermon before the Sons of the Clergy, 'is well worthy attention from the convincing arguments it contains, and the moderate but firm manner in which they are advanced 'The

Coutry Curate's Offering to his Parishioners, is left to speak for itself, by quotations.-GANDOLFI'S Lessons of Morality and Piety are barely noticed.— LETTERS from a Lady to her Niece, on Virtue and Happiness, are said to be expressed with earnestness, and the advice they give is sober and rational.'-Swan's Memoir of the late Mrs. Paterson, of St. Petersburg. This book is noticed in a manner which would be worthy of the pen of the Author of BODY and SOUL, reflecting upon experimental and evangelical piety. No wonder that the devotional feelings of Mrs. P. and her ardent love to souls are denominated 'Fanaticism' and Enthusiasm' for the critic is, as we presume, one who has been led, not from, but in the calm and unpretending path of the Orthodox faith.'-We remember an expression of the late Rev. John Newton, Rector of St. Mary, Woolnoth, London, to be found in one of his hymns:

"The more the treacherous calm I dread,
Than tempests bursting o'er my head.'

GLEN'S Tour to Karass is not very favourably noticed; its deficiency in interest and narrative, is justly mentioned, and its better quality of evangelical piety, could find no commendation in this Review. The Missionaries', says the Critic, 'seem active and zealous, and it is to be regretted, that in the blessing of the Gospel which they offer to the followers of Mohammed, it should come to them deteriorated by those extravagant notions which enthusiasm has mingled with it in these latter days.'-It is no uncommon thing for many people, to deem all others mad but themselves, and so the world deem those who are sitting at the feet of Jesus and in their right mind.— WORDSWORTH's dull and stupid Ecclesiastical Sketches are praised, but can any other opinion be expected from the wretched taste, which can prefer Wordsworth as a poet to Moore? it is like preferring the dense atmosphere of a November's, to that of a Midsummer day.

205

THEOLOGICAL CRITIC.

BODY AND SOUL.

Concluded from last month.

Before entering upon the work itself, it may be necessary to premise, that we are given to understand the author is a Reverend Divine, if he be not a grave one. He has a cure of many souls, in a town both famed for its population and its extensive manufactories of stockings, and his church stands as represented in the volume, nearly opposite to the Baptist meeting. He is himself the very Dr. Freeman and hero of his narrative, a gentleman who, whether from policy or not we deponents say not, acts towards the sectaries with more candour than he writes, and who, though he has not always regarded the clothing of his BODY, and the soundness of the elbows of his coat, from causes we need not name; has generally had no objection to warm it comfortably inside as occasion has offered. Of the state of his SOUL he is the best judge, and we hope that he will not forget that those of his hearers will be required at his hands.

Our divine begins with an account of the Town Rector, that is, himself. His whole character we cannot give, but it may be necessary to inform the reader that he held in equal abhorrence the puritanical hypocrisy of unlettered inspiration, and the unblushing arrogance of exclusive Evangelism.' This gives us a specimen of what we are to expect and by and bye we are introduced to a scene in which Mr. Trustwell, a worthy merchant, who has two sons at college, consults the doctor what he shall do with one of them, for

His time has been passed almost exclusively, in religious reading, with the Bible, and'-addressing the doctor, with commentators, whom I know you do not consider orthodox'-' he has been running after what he calls serious men, and gospelpreachers,' he has patronized Evangelical societies and works, and seems to have compassed sea and land, to make proselytes of the Jews. After the College Lectures of the day were over, he was to be found, not seeking instruction for himself in the public

schools of the University, but teaching "the young idea how to shoot" in those established by serious societies. His evenings were passed in the assemblies of those who denominated themselves Elect,' at which it was usual not only to furnish the guests with tea, but to serve each at the same time with a Bible, that all in their turn might give vent to that wild and fanciful spirit of apostolical exposition, with which they considered themselves in · spired.' The members of this grave body were great dealers in mystery; each of them had a separate but clear interpretation of the Song of Solomon, could unravel the Arcana of the Apocalypse, compute the number of the beast, and calculate to a decimal the time of the Millenium. They possessed, moreover, the means and power of explaining the articles of the Church, upon the exclusive principles of Calvin.

That this is a caricature every candid mind will acknowledge; some of the charges alleged against the Young Evangelist, such as his religious reading, and especially that of the Bible, are such as ought rather to cause a blush on the cheek of the accuser than the accused. That he has neglected his studies for other engagements, is no fair sample of the tea-drinking.' College fraternity, for we believe as much devotedness to study may be found among them as among others, and many of them have attained the highest rank in literature: And as to dealing in mysteries, this belongs but to a very small number, who are as far removed from the Evangelical body, as they are from those denomi nated Orthodox.

But we shall carry our review to an unreasonable length, if we comment upon all that is objectionable. We must pity the ignorance of the Christian divine, who can tell his readers, that 'baptism is as necessary to salvation, as breath to the life of man,' and that the holy communion is essential to salvation!' is not this substituting the ordinance for the Saviour-the shadow for the substance?

Two women, who hear an Evangelical clergyman, are brought before the Doctor as a magistrate, and they begin to quarrel in his presence: Election forms one topic of their discourse; one of them says - But then what does that argify, if we are predestined to be saved, as the minister says we are? What signify the filthy rags, if we are made clean by grace? But if I a'n't to be of that number, but am to be a reprobate,

it don't signify what I do; why, your worship, it is all up with me, and it don't signify what I do.' These slaps at Calvinism are known by almost every child in theology to be unjust. We never enter into controversy upon this point, because our magazine is not designed to discuss knotty questions, but this we must say, that however such representations, or rather misrepresentations, might suit the pen of the SOCINIAN BARRISTER, they are unworthy the honest integrity of a merely moral clergyman.

The following characters are shamefully distorted, or if they have any counterpart in real life, it is not a specimen of Evangelical religion in general. We, who have had opportunities of seeing it both in and out of the Church of England, of observing its influence on society all over the kingdom, of watching it for more than twenty years, and of comparing it with the society of the world, in which we have often been constrained to mix, can protest against it as a false statement:

These young ladies, though well educated, and endowed with all the accomplishments of elegant life, had estranged themselves from every thing that could be construed into cheerfulness of disposition, or manners. They were uniformly bent on the prosecution of one design; their music, their dancing, their drawing, were abandoned as unnecessary, or inconsistent with the dignity of a religious life. If they worked with their needle, it was for the clothing of any, rather than themselves. Their reading was all of one kind and one cast, and calculated to inspire dread instead of composure. They kept up a correspondence with persons at a distance, whose minds were as sad and gloomy as their own. They inveighed against all amusements, of what nature soever they were, as well public as private. Though unwilling to engage in scenes of busy life, they made no scruple of going great distances, and undergoing all the inconveniences of attending large public meetings and committees, and would manifest on these occasions an air for the despatch of business, supported by no other proof of it. At home, unmindful of the duties of domestic economy, and the exercise of that disposition which should characterise the sex, they were either wholly occupied in devotional contemplations, or "compassing sea and land to make proselytes" of the cottagers of the neighbourhood, among whom also, when visiting the sick, although taking upon them the functions of the clergy, they avoided their practice of using the prescribed forms of the Church, or those composed by the most pious and learned of her sons, but gave way to the unrestrained volubility and unbridled pourings torth of extemporaneous effusions.