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presbyters may arise, who may teach their people in their own language the wonderful works of God: this is sufficient for our wishes. It is the very spirit of popery, which would force its peculiarities as catholic belief upon all nations. We regard the Church of England as one pure branch of the apostolical church; all her doctrines are true, all her definitions right, and for us expedient. But fully admitting all this, we may perhaps express an opinion that if it should please God to convert the people of India, they might with advantage, considering the character and circumstances of their countrymen, use much stronger and more vehement language than we do, with respect to the authority of the Church, the efficacy of the sacraments, the power of the priesthood; as well as introduce various changes in dress, ritual, ceremonies, &c. &c. In short, we should not quarrel with them if it should seem expedient to them to model the Church upon the platform of their own Syrian Christianity, purged of its heresies and blemishes, and reformed after the Anglican model; but they might still retain the language of their fathers to utter praises to the God of heaven; they might borrow from their own classical authorities the words and phrases which ecclesiastical and pious practices might render it needful to introduce. We think it most unwise, therefore, and a stumbling-block in the way of truth, to demand from the natives a renunciation of the charms of their own poetry, and of the exploits of their own heroes, as a preparation for Christianity, to transfer the toil from the missionary to his catechumen. And we more than doubt whether the diffusion of a common colloquial knowledge of English (if the new plan should succeed in effecting this) will not tend to lessen that awe, and reverence, and fear, as regards sacred things, without which religion is but too often an useless fancy, and a sluggish dream. The Hindoo and Muhammedan youth may read the Gospels in a foreign, uncouth, northern language, but he will also read books of infidelity and licentiousness, and be prepared as well by the corrupt principles of education as of nature to understand these latter more fully, whilst the antidotes to such poison are not so readily comprehended. We should remember, that to embrace the gospel, will require, in the native convert, all the firmness which zeal, developed in an honest and good heart, can bestow; and that the besetting sin of the majority of those our interesting fellow-subjects, is a want of firmness of character-a deficiency in the virtue of independent manliness and decision.

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LITERARY REPORT.

Noble's Appeal.
Second Edition.
London: J. S. Hodson. 1838. Pp.
487.

THIS work, by Mr. S. Noble, who calls himself Reverend,' and who leads a sort of service at a place called the New Jerusalem Church, Cross Street, Hatton Garden, is a call all upon Christians to turn Swedenborgians.

Reader, wilt thou be a Swedenborgian? Thou must believe that there is neither angel nor devil; and that there is no resurrection. Thou mayest believe, with the Papist, in justification by works done through the help of grace. Thou mayest reject the mystery of the Trinity for the more simple doctrine of that great light, Baron Swedenborg. Thou shalt also be initiated into many secrets which it was never given to prophets and apostles to communicate; yea, the very colour of the wicked in hell-" of a fiery dusky complexion, and in some cases black like soot!"-P. ii. Appendix. And if thou seekest to know more, go to this new apostle of the New Jerusalem Church, falsely so called.

A Sermon preached in the Chapel of Lambeth Palace on Sunday, June 22, 1838, at the Consecration of the Right Reverend James Bowstead, D.D., Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man. By HENRY CALTHROP, B.D. Examining Chaplain to his Lordship; Fellow and Tutor of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Cambridge: Parker. London: Hatchard and Son. Pp. 23.

WE rejoice that so truly excellent an individual has been appointed to the see of Sodor and Man; an individual whose faith is sincere and without lukewarmness, and whose unaffected courtesy and constant probity are well known to all who have had the opportunity of observing his conduct as a member of the university of which he is the ornament. Mr. Calthrop, his truly conscientious successor in the tutorship, continues the same admir

able internal arrangements which were first adopted by Bishop Bowstead; and the very increased number of students attests how highly Corpus Christi College is indebted to its late and present tutor. A more appropriate sermon than that of Mr. C. could not perhaps have been delivered. It is a delineation of the duty of a bishop, and of the spirit in which it should be undertaken. And as it is drawn by the hand of a friend, and gathered from the unerring standard of God's holy word, we can desire nothing better for the prelate, whose consecration was the occasion of its being preached, than that he may ever have it in his mind, and illustrate it in his life; and he will leave behind him a name as estimable in his diocese as that of WILSON.

A Key to the Hebrew Scriptures; being an Explanation of every Word in the Sacred Text, arranged in the Order in which it occurs: to which is prefixed, a short but compendious Grammar without Points, with some Remarks on Chaldee, prefixed to the Book of Daniel. By the Rev. JAMES PROSSER, A.M. Perpetual Curate of Landwater, Bucks. London: Duncan; and Orger and Meryon. Pp. xviii. 336.

Ar the beginning of the present century the study of the Hebrew language, even in our universities, was seldom pursued. No scholarships, no exhibitions served to stimulate the exertions of the academical student; no honours awaited his successful pursuit of a difficult object. This partial eclipse, we are happy to say, no longer obscures the glory of the oldest written dialect. Hebrew, the language in which the Bible, the word of God, was first communicated to man, is now universally studied by all who would aspire to the character of profound divines. Premiums are held out in the universities; some of our prelates demand a certain proficiency in the sacred tongue, as a sine qua non in candidates for holy

orders; and all, with one consent, pronounce it a most valuable acquirement. We can only say that a more important aid in facilitating this acquirement could not have been found than the learned and laborious work of Mr. Prosser.

How to Live Happily. A Sermon by the Rev. CHARLES GIRDLESTONE, M.A. Rector of Alderley, Cheshire. Preached on Sunday, May 13, after the awful Death of John Norbury, who was married at Sutton Church, May 7, 1838; lost his Life by Violence the same day; and was buried at Alderley Church, May 11, 1838. Second Edition. London: Riving

tons.

THIS sermon, which is plain, simple, and earnest, like all Mr. Girdlestone's writings, merits the most extensive circulation, especially among the manufacturing districts.

The Daily Ministration of the Clergy. A Visitation Sermon. By the Rev. GEORGE LANGSHAW, M.A. Fellow of St. John's College, and Vicar of St. Andrew the Great, Cambridge. Cambridge: Stevenson. London: Parker, and Hatchard and Son. 1838. Pp. 24.

THIS is no common-place discourse. It is a compendium, vividly and apostolically drawn by a laborious parish priest, of the awful, and at the same time, blessed duties of his office. It will be acceptable to all that would be glad to avail themselves of a manual of parochial duty written in the spirit of the primitive George Herbert.

Origines Ecclesiastica; or the Antiquities of the Christian Church. By the Rev. J. BINGHAM. Vol. II. London: Straker. Pp. x. 570. THE high estimation in which the works of the learned and judicious Bingham have been held, not only in England but on the continent, render the republication, at the present time, peculiarly opportune. The character universally conceded to this eminent divine, is that of profound learning, and unprejudiced investigation. In Germany his merits have been long

established by the excellent translation of the Origines by Grischorius; and both Auguste and Walchius pronounce him to be the "facile princeps" of archæological writers. The volume before us is got up with the greatest care, and the name of Mr. Straker is a sufficient guarantee for its completion in a manner suited to the merits of the author, and the vast importance of the work itself; an importance fully established by repeated abridgements, and the extensive recommendation it has received at the hands of our most distinguished prelates, who almost invariably introduce it in their lists for the Biblical student. The value of the present edition is greatly enhanced by the insertion at the foot of each page, in full, of the Greek and Latin authorities to which Bingham appeals, in lieu of merely references as heretofore; which is of the highest importance, as saving time to those who possess extensive libraries, and trouble and expense to those who do not. In a word, even a Curate's collection of books would be deficient without it, whilst to the more wealthy it is absolutely indispensable.

The Natural History of the Sperm

Whale; its Anatomy and Physiology -Food-Spermaceli-AmbergrisRise and Progress of the FisheryChase and Capture-" Cutting in" and "Laying out"-Description of the Ships, Boats, Men, and Instruments used in the Attack; with an Account of its favourite Places of Resort. To which is added, a Sketch of a South-Sea Whaling Voyage; embracing a Description of the Extent, as well as the Adventures and Accidents that occurred during the Voyage in which the Author was personally engaged. By THOMAS BEALE, Surgeon, Demonstrator of Anatomy to the Eclectic Society of London, etc., and late Surgeon to the "Kent," and "Sarah and Elizabeth" South Seamen. London: Van Voorst. Pp. vi. 393.

IN every point of view it has seldom fallen to our lot to notice a work of higher interest and importance. Mr. Beale has undertaken his task con amore, and completed it in a masterly

manner. The mistakes and misapprehensions of previous authors are corrected; the physiology and habitude of Leviathan are described; and the sperm whale, under the hands of his cicerone, appears before us as familiar as a farmyard friend. Books of this class confer an incalculable benefit on mankind. They are the result of personal observation; they contain facts, instead of the too common fictions-useful, instead of useless knowledge; and as such we recommend this Natural History, hoping Mr. Beale may ere long favour us with further practical illustrations of his zeal and acquirements in the pursuit of Natural History.

Scripture Readings; or Streams from the Fountain, illustrative of the Natural and Spiritual Man; as portrayed in an Engraving on Steel. By HENRY ADLARD, from a Drawing by J. H. NIXON, designed by the Author. London: Bagsters.

Pp. xxiv. 148.

THE design of the really splendid engraving, which, we are told, this work is intended to illustrate, is to exhibit, on the one hand, the desolate condition of the human heart in a state of nature, estranged from God through the transgression of Adam; and on the other, to show the operations of the Holy Spirit, regenerating and quickening by the word that which was lost through sin and death.

The centre of the engraving is occupied by a well designed and highly finished portrait of our Saviour, surrounded by nine emblems, representing

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Death, Grace and Truth, also demand especial notice and approval, and present a tout ensemble that cannot be contemplated without deep interest and emotion.

Of the work published to illustrate the engraving, and which abounds with passages adduced to explain each state that is portrayed, we are bound to speak in equally favourable terms, and sincerely trust that the piety and zeal which suggested the undertaking may meet with the encouragement so justly due; and especially (we hope that the amiable design of the author may further that good and holy cause which he had especially in view.

God's Word and Ministers. A Visitation Sermon. By the Rev. C. GIRDLESTONE, M.A. Rector of Alderley. London: Rivingtons. 1838. Pp. 20.

THIS excellent discourse steers clear of the extremes of liberalism and of semi-Romanism, and is a comprehensive digest of the doctrine of Scripture on the duty of the christian ministry, as the preachers and interpreters of holy writ.

Millenarianism Unscriptural; or, a

Glance at some of the Consequences of that Theory. London: Crofts. 1838. Pp. xii. 252.

THIS work is an ingenious, and, in many respects, able attack upon the various extravagances that are comprehended under the term Millenarianism. It is written as a report of a series of conferences between an advocate and an opponent of the theory. The author thus treats of the composition of the millennial and post-millennial population of the earth; the alleged re-building of the temple of Jerusalem, and restoration of Levitical orders and rites; the incompatibility of millenarianism with our Lord's sacerdotal office (as intercessor); the christian economy the only means announced in the Scriptures for the moral renovation of the world; the millenary theory inconsistent with the scripture account of the resurrection and final judgment; heaven the final residence of the saints; total dissolu

tion of the earth; the alleged premillennial advent of our Lord at variance with his own testimony.

A great variety of topics is brought under review; and we are occasionally reminded of the scholastic subtleties and unprofitable minuteness of the profound doctors of the middle ages. This is, perhaps, the natural result of instituting such a mode of investigation as that which the author has pursued; a mode which requires the perfect discrimination of a sound understanding, as humble as it is comprehensive. The nearer we keep to the simplicity of Scripture in all our discussions, and the more we avoid touching on mere probabilities and uncertain analogies, the greater will be the effect of those arguments which we deduce from Scripture alone. The purely scriptural portion of this little volume is in general well written, especially the Ninth Conference. To us those words alone, so much insisted upon in that portion of the work," of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more," are sufficient to decide the question.

There can be little doubt that the monstrosities of millenarianism-its dream of a new temple, Levites, and sacrifices; of a time in which the Scriptures will, in a great measure, (if not altogether,) be superseded; in a word, of a third dispensation-are such as are calculated to clothe religion itself with inconsistency and absurdity, by extorting such a system from the word of God. It is at once to build up and to pull down; to erect a temple instead of a kingdom; and to declare the substance to be nothing without the shadow; and so to contradict our Saviour's discourse at Jacob's well, as to make it doubtful whether there be any plainness or perspicuity in all Scripture. This is the consequence of interpreting what is plain by what is obscure, and of mistaking a non-essential for an essential point.

Portrait of an English Churchman. By the Rev. W. GRESLEY, M.A. Author of Ecclesiastes Anglicanus; a Treatise on Preaching. London: Rivingtons. Pp. viii. 366.

WHO has not read-who has not admired--who amongst the Clergy

has not wished to realize and embody, as it were, the idea of "6 Herbert's Country Parson?" The present volume is founded upon that great and good and pious model; and we may pronounce it, without fear of contradiction, a most successful "attempt to paint the feelings, habits of thought, and mode of action, which naturally flow from a sincere attachment" to the doctrine and discipline of the Established Church. One volume like this is worth a thousand cold, tame, mechanical defences of the Reformed Church; and we are sure that its extensive circulation by the Clergy will be the means of consolidating our strength, and enabling us to oppose a bolder front to our adversaries.

Letter to the Duke of Wellington. By the Rev. R. J. M'GHEE. London: Published by the Protestant Association. Pp. 7.

THIS is one of many warnings which our rulers are constantly receiving, (would that it were not in vain!) and which leave them inexcusable in continuing that absurd system mis-named Conciliation.

The Roman Catholic Oath. Speech of the Lord Bishop of Exeter, on Thursday, March 1, 1838, in the House of Lords, on presenting a Petition from certain Inhabitants of London: the City of Cork, &c.

Published by the Protestant Association. 1838. Pp. 22.

So complete a document, at so small a price, is of inestimable value. It is another irrefragable proof of the folly of the conciliation system, and an irrefutable exposure of the unchanging perfidy of the Church of Rome; a church in which, if an individual be a man of honour, it appears to be rather against than according to the education he has received, and the general policy of the society to which he belongs.

It is a melancholy and degrading spectacle to see a Protestant government promoting perjured conspirators against Protestant laws. It is most melancholy to see such individuals as Lord Glenelg, professing an unfeigned

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