to which he had committed himself was indeed most difficult, it behoved him, while life and health remained, to do something for the illustration and defence of God's holy Word, at a time when scepticism of a peculiar order prevails in the land. He can truly say that he has tried to be impartial in his inquiries, divesting himself of preconceived notions as far as they might impede research. But it is one thing for weak man to purpose, and another to carry out his purposes. Imperfection and ignorance will cleave to all his performances. The author is quite sensible of the deficiencies belonging to his work. It might have been improved by longer time and more intense study. But life is short. With the means at his disposal, and the one talent God has given, he has done what he could. He fears that some things in the volumes may not be acceptable to theologians of a certain idiosyncracy. Sorry will he be to find that he has not succeeded in giving them ample satisfaction. He must say, however, that he has no sympathy with the avowed advocates of systems, creeds, and parties. He did not write for those who are made up in all their opinions; averse to learn, because they are wise in their own conceits; afraid to think, lest they should doubt; prone to censure, where they do not understand; to dogmatise, where they have not studied; to misrepresent, where they do not even take the trouble to read. He appeals to the honest lovers of truth-to the patient inquirers after God's will in the New Testament -to the anxious and humble student of books claiming to be sacred because of heavenly origin.

There is a spirit of hostility to systems and creeds manifested in this fine passage with which we do not sympathize. Taken with proper limitations, it may be allowed to pass; but we are afraid it will be abused. We confess to a profound respect for the Systems and the Creeds of the Protestant Reformation. We hold that they contain the essence of saving truth, and that very materially to deviate from them will be to depart from the only ground of human hope. Again, we are among those who profess to have "made up our opinions on all matters appertaining to man, to God, to Christ, to the Gospel, and to the kingdom in which it is embodied. We expect nothing new, of great importance, from the labours of Critics, Commentators, Antiquarians, Travellers, and Theologians. Compared with that which has been achieved, but little remains to be done. However, we are not in the humour for disputation with Dr. Davidson, who has performed a great public service, and deserves a meed of grateful thanks, which we doubt not cultivated men, of every Christian community, will be forward to present to him.

The Second Reformation. By A. ALISON, Esq.

THIS book, in some respects, bears a considerable analogy to the publications of Mr. Douglas, Cavers, putting one in mind of his large views and surpassing power of generalization. It consists of three parts, all connected, yet in a measure distinct. After an elaborate disquisition on a variety of subjects, touching Divine Providence, Good and Evil, the Fall of Man, Grace, and the Scriptures, -largely erroneous, and not without a sad mixture of impiety and Infidelity,he comes to deal with the Laws of Nature and of Man, and the subject of Life, to which he adds some valuable thoughts on Art. To this succeeds a comparison, somewhat elaborate, between the Churches of Rome and of England, in which the subjects of the Claims of Rome, Miracles, Predestination, Image Worship, the Sacraments, Baptism, and kindred subjects, are brought forth. He then, after a masculine thrust at the Papal Bull, proceeds to deal with the subject of Civilization, and in this lies the pith of the book. The Author descants on Churches, Schools, the Soil, Poor-Laws, Industry, and Taxation. There is a great deal in the work that might be disputed and controverted, and that probably will be so; but it would be very unfair to deny that in some points it possesses merit. It will be prized by the intelligent, and men accustomed to reflect-men who are able to work out the ideas which the Author has satisfied himself, in many cases, with merely indicating. It is, in fact, less disquisitions on the subjects than outlines, after the fashion of Dugald Stuart's Moral Philosophy; and by a large body of men it will be all the more valued, since it is a book of matter rather than of words. There are views on matters of a secular character, not unimportant, which we should feel disposed to dispute; but there is in it so much that is liberal and philanthropic, that we cannot but award to that portion of the work a modicum of praise. Our great objection, we repeat, is, its shocking impiety. The man who can talk in the following fashion of Original Sin, must look to another country than England, and another day than ours, for approbation:

The idea of Original Sin arose at a very early period, and at a time when science was unknown. The error that has been committed is, interpreting Scripture literally, where it is evidently intended to be taken in a figurative sense. There is an evil spirit, and there is original evil; and we

have explained both without either supposing an actual spirit or imputed sin, which is purely imagination.

But this is not the worst. Talking of Atonement, our Author peremptorily inquires,

What is there to atone for? Certainly for no act of creation-for having disproved Original Sin, we cannot go back upon it. To atone for sins of commission before they were committed, is no less absurd, so that there is nothing to call for an atonement !

We shudder while we quote the foregoing, and cannot sufficiently regret that a much more indignant expression of sentiment was not recorded in the BRITISH BANNER against this daring impiety. Infidelity of the old fashion was open and magnanimous-its warfare was honourable. Christians knew with whom they had to deal. But to taint a work of this descriptiona work on great secular topics, where the poison of Infidelity is not looked for-is as unmanly as it is pernicious, and forfeits, on behalf of its Author, the confidence of all right-minded

men.

The Poetic Rosary. By JOHN CRITCHLEY

PRINCE. Partridge and Oakey. MR. PRINCE has more power than pretension about him. While he has not promised much, he has done a good deal. From the fact that he dedicates his volume to Mr. Charles Dickens, somewhat may be gathered of his spirit, purposes, and associations. That Mr. Prince is imbued with poetic spirit admits of no dispute, while his muse is peculiarly pure. The volume consists principally of small pieces, with the exception of "The Winter Walk," which is rather more extended. He has a soul to sympathize with suffering and wrong wherever they occur, and hence we find him pouring out his spirit, in the person of the immortal Kossuth, in a strain worthy of William Tell. But while Mr. Prince is at home in personating heroes, he is not less so in bespeaking the emotions of a British workman. Let us hear

THE WORKMAN'S EVENING SONG.
I'm glad to see yon springtide sun
Go down, albeit I love his light;
My bread is won, my labour done,
My reason clear, my conscience right;
And as I take my homeward way,

I see, with not irreverent eyes,
The grandeur of departing day,

In the rich glory of the skies;
Whilst yet the shadowy coppice rings,
Where the brave throstle blithely sings.

To morrow, when his earliest beams
Turn to loose gold the quivering rills,-
Rekindle the rejoicing streams,—

In purple vesture swathe the hills,-
With buoyant mind, and sinews strong,
I'll go, with willing heart, to bear
What burdens to my lot belong,

Of honest toil my needful share ;
And on my way see beauteous things,
Whilst the glad skylark blithely sings.
But now I seek that quiet nest,

Shut from the outward world's annoy,
My home, where I am ever blest,
The sanctuary of my joy;
There will my gentle wife with me

Partake the cheerful evening meal,-
Talk with confiding speech and free,

Sweetly and calmly, till I feel

The peace, the bliss her presence brings,
Whilst the bright kettle blithely sings.
Then will I sit me at my ease,

Absorbed in some enchanting page,
Something to teach me or to please,-
Tale-teller, Annalist, or Sage;
But chief the Poet shall instil
Into my inmost depths of heart
The lofty spirit of his will,

The essence of his tuneful art;
And lift me high on Fancy's wings,
Whilst the shrill cricket blithely sings.
When Sabbath comes, God's holy boon,-
Blest day, so dear and fugitive!—
I'll ask yon sun, which leaves us soon,
For all the light that he can give ;
I'll fly to Nature's tranquil breast,

With the same feelings as of old,
And lay me down for thought and rest
In fields of fluctuating gold;
Or murmur sweet imaginings
Where the fresh brooklet blithely sings.
I'll tread the upland's starry floors,
Climb the rough mountain's shadowy side,
Feel the deep silence of the moors-

Silence that awes all human pride;
The voice of birds 'mid forest glooms,
The lapse of waters in the shade,-
Shapes, colours, motions, sounds, perfumes,
Of Nature's making, shall pervade
My senses with delightful things,
Whilst my rapt soul serenely sings.

This is but an average specimen of the volume, and nothing more is necessary to prove that it has merit. But there is

prose in the book, as well as poetry, and that prose is well written. The last piece is a copious extract from an unpublished lecture, entitled, "Changes for the Better," in which our Poet shows a considerable acquaintance with the best benefactors of his country, and pays a merited tribute to those who have contributed to emancipate mind, and to raise the people.

Home Truths for Home Peace; or, Muddle Defeated. A Practical Inquiry into what chiefly mars or makes the comfort of Domestic Life, specially addressed to Young Housewives. By M. B. H. WILSON.

THIS is an excellent book, and one of a class

So

which can scarcely be over-multiplied. The family is a matter of great moment, whether it respects the Church or State. It is the drops that form the ocean, and the character of the former must determine that of the latter. with intelligent, harmonious, happy families,there is nothing to fear for states; and all attempts to raise either the Church or the State, that leave the family unimproved, must turn out abortive. The subject has been well discussed by nearly a dozen writers in books of various sizes during the present century; but after all that has been done, and done well, there was still room for further attempts, and when a dozen more have come forth, and acquitted themselves with respectable success, there will still be room. The subject is boundless, and admits of being viewed from innumerable points. There is a dash of originality in the present work that distinguishes it from all its predecessors. It might be called the "Cottagers of Glenburnie" amplified and adapted to the Operative Classes of 1851. We have here discussions on "Muddle," a term of terri. ble significance in all houses whether great or small. Our author, or rather authoress,-for it comes out that the work is that of a lady,descants on certain anomalies and phenomena peculiar to "Muddle;" the subject is surveyed from many sides in a succession of chapters, each of which deserves to be written in letters of gold, and set in pictures of silver. The con nection of "Muddle" with habitual falsehood, is well set forth; a picture is drawn, giving an idea of what muddles are in general. Then the pedigree of muddle is traced, and this is followed by the characters that make bad housewives, succeeded by a disquisition on the forbearance and charitable feelings with which the victims of "Muddle" should be regarded. This conducts us to an interlude entitled "Muddle of Order." This interlude is a treatise, by way of homily, to wives and daughters, who will do well to con it till committed to memory. Part II. succeeds, in which we have "Muddle Defeated," under some sixteen chapters. It is here shown that prevention is better than cure, and now comes a long-linked homily on primary and secondary considerations, in which the science of managing the spare bed-room, gentleman's-room, and many other things, is developed. We have then a dissertation on the Division of Domestic Labour-the Duties of the Mistress of a Family-Service-Small Matters with Great Comforts-Contriving, Contrivers, and Contrivances-A Word for the WashHonesty-Liberality and Economy-The True and only Ground for all Improvement. To this is appended a dissertation on Comfortable People, which contains much wisdom delivered in excellent spirit. This is a book which every husband should give to his wife, every brother to his sister, and every young man to his friend. Were the principles of this book to be thoroughly carried out, throughout all the families of England, it would make it a very heaven upon earth, as compared with what the mass of houses

now are.

An Essay on Church Reform. Simpkin and Co. THE title of this performance is too vague to give an idea of its real character. The outline is large; we have nearly forty pages, descanting

on Providence, grace, free-will, good and evil, and church government, the latter part being confined to a couple of loose pages, from which it will be seen that the subject of Church Reform, so far as polity is concerned, is soon dispatched. The author clearly commenced writing before his studies were completed. He tell us "No form of church government is laid down in Scripture; hence that is left to expediency." The only cure for the blunder here enunciated, is a return to the New Testament, and a careful study of it, without note or comment. The writer holds by the principle of Church and State. He would give "the State a veto in the Legislative acts of the Church." Now we who deny to the Church itself all power of legislation, may not be expected to enter into an argument with such a writer. Not only do we deny the right of the State to interfere with the legislation of the Church, but the right of the Church to interfere with the laws of Christ. The writer says some good things about Rome, but altogether the pamphlet is greatly defective in its ecclesiastical bearings; nor is this its worst feature. It manifests the grossest ignorance in matters appertaining to the highest concerns of man. The writer tells us, that "transubstantiation is closely allied to the doctrine of the Atonement, as held by Protestants, and if we wish to escape the snares of that system, we must abjure the idea altogether. Original Sin and Atonement can only be supported by arguing in a circle. The first is proved by an atonement, and the last by original sin. This is mysticism, or argument founded on nothing." Let us hear the sage again-"The doctrine of an Atonement, special Providence, and Predestination, do all detract from the omnipotence, justice and love of God."

Do our readers want any more? In these strange times, so pregnant with incongruous medleys, should any "philanthropist," with more opulence than sense, take it into his head to establish a school for impiety and nonsense, the author of this two shilling pamphlet may stand a chance for the first mastership. Who is the author of this Essay? Is it the gentleman who calls himself A. Alison, Esq., to whose "Second Reformation," we have referred in another article? It savours very much of the same origin. The thought and the language are largely the same. We have only further to add, that bookselling is changing its character that publishing houses no longer guarantee the character of a work. Simpkin and Co., as conducting a great wholesale establishment, are to be considered as guaranteeing nothing. But it is otherwise with Messrs. Hatchard and Son, Church publishers of the highest respectability, whose name is also on the title, together with that of J. Darling, who is injured by being placed last, since as the publisher of certain lying libels some year or two back, on many of the best men of the land, he had a legitimate claim to this sulphureous lucubration.

Memoir of the Rev. E. Bickersteth. By the Rev. T. R. BIRKS, M.A. Seeleys.

THERE are few educated Dissenters to whom the name of Mr. Bickersteth was not known, and none such by whom he was not highly respected; but we hesitate nothing in asserting that half his value was not known either by

them, or by his own community. It is not meant by any means, that a cloud rested upon him in the days of his earthly sojourn, for he walked continually in the popular sunshine; but it is meant that, whether viewed intellectually, spiritually, pastorally, or philanthropically, the full gauge of his great and admirable character was not taken by the general mind. The volumes before us, if we mistake not, will work this conviction into the heart of every reader. We have not for a long time met with a Memoir, in all points, so unexceptionable, 80 instructive, so interesting, and so calculated to exhibit the Christian character in its proper light.

The path of Mr. Bickersteth was unusually devious; it went through the divers sections of society, in all of which he performed his part in a manner the most exemplary, reflecting lustre upon his own name, and his Christian profession. Whatever he did he aimed at doing well, and in no case did he fail of success. a son, as a servant, as a master, as a lawyer, as a divine, as a conductor of public institutions, he was everywhere a model. His son-in-law, Mr. Birks, has done the subject admirable justice, and left nothing further to be desired. The book is by no means too copious, more especially for the first two or three editions, although, by. and by, of course, it will be reduced to a half, or, perhaps, a third, with a view to its adaptation still further to popular utility. It is superfluous to say that it has our cordial recommendation even to Nonconformist circles, since there is in it much, very much, from which all may profit, while there is in it scarcely a paragraph, a sentence, or a word, that can give legitimate offence to any. Mr. Bickersteth, although a consistent Churchman, was yet rather a member of the Universal Church than of any of its rections. Both himself and his writings were largely common property. The present per

formance will conduce not a little to enhance the public estimate both of him and them. No piece of Clerical Biography, during the present century, has appeared, admitting of a moment's comparison with the volumes before us.

The Jansenists; their Rise, Persecution by the Jesuits, and Existing Remnants. A Chapter

in True History. By S. P. TREGELLES, LL.D. Bagster and Sons.

THE Jansenists now are little more than a name, but that name is still a great one in his. tory. There was a time when they occupied a distinguished place as the depositories of a large amount of truth, and the victims of their cruel adversaries the Jesuits. Dr. Tregelles truly says that the "Annals of Jansenism exhibit a considerable mixture of light and darkness," but still they are "well worthy of attention." It is at this time of day curious and interesting to observe the large measure of Gospel knowledge which some individuals in connection with the Jansenists possessed. Mère Angelique is a splendid example. That lady seems to have had luminous views of the free grace of God, and to have been largely baptised from on high; and it is not a little refreshing to Protestants, especially to those resident in Catholic countries, and who are sometimes required to suffer for righteousness' sake, to observe how the same cause produces the same effects, as is seen in the case of the Jansenists, who

were so malignantly persecuted by the Papists of the day. It is not Protestantism as a name that Popery hates, but as a thing; as the symbol of a system by which men are saved and God glorified, while pride is humbled and every mouth stopped from glorying. This "Chapter in true history" is a very valuable one. feeling of every intelligent reader, we believe, will be one of regret that there are not more chapters than one, or that that one is not longer. It is a rare jewel.

The

Letters to a Candid Inquirer on Animal Magnetism. By WILLIAM GREGORY, M.D., F.R.S.E., Professor of Chemistry in the University of Edinburgh. Taylor, Walton, and Maberly. WHAT the cause of Total Abstinence recently attained in the admirable work of Dr. Carpenter has now been realized for Animal Magnetism in the volume before us. Numerous works on the subject, some of them by men of eminence, have already been given to the public; but we hesitate not to say, that never was the question 80 favourably brought before the mind of cultivated Englishmen as in the present volume. In the case of Dr. Carpenter the patron is the Prince, and if Dr. Gregory has not obtained a prince, he has yet laid hold upon a Duke, since his Grace of Argyle—no mean judge in such matters has kindly granted permission to dedicate the volume to him. The work comprises nineteen Letters, in the course of which the whole subject is largely illustrated. We might cite whole sheets of matter of the most interesting and exciting character, abounding in facts, some comic, some tragic, and some all but incredible, and yet, perhaps, as thoroughly fortified by evidence as the case admits. It will not do any longer to laugh at Animal Magnetism. According to the old adage, those may laugh who win; and confident we are that they who will sit down, and give this work a thorough perusal, will find that, after all, it is no laughing matter. Another conclusion to which the candid student will be led, is the highly practical character of the subject. It is not a matter of mere curious speculation; there is much in it which is deeply interesting not only to the medical world, but to all mankind. This is the best digest of the subject that has yet appeared.

The World-Religion; or, The Fitness of Christianity to be the Religion of the whole Human Race. By JAMES BALDWIN BROWN, B.A. Ward.

THE Conception of this discourse is good, and it is ably brought out. Mr. Brown takes up the notion of Paley, that the competition is not between Christianity and any existing religion, but between Christianity and nothing. He has dealt effectually with the notion current in our day, that it does not matter much what a man believes, so long as he believes something; that the form of the religion, or its objective truth, is a matter of no importance so that it exercises the religious faculty, and distinguishes humanity from the brutes. Having set forth the truth of the idea-" the world-religion"-he proceeds to inquire into the pretensions of Christianity to be such, and he sets forth the grounds of his conclusion. He next examines into the power of Christianity to make good its pretensions, which leads him to look backward into history, and its effects upon the world,

from which he adduces substantial evidences in support of this latter proposition. The discourse concludes with an excellent section on Christianity as the power of God to salvation. This section furnishes materials for a wide extension. Mr. Brown well observes-" This is the crucial test of religion; is it power? Christianity is power, and in this it stands in bright contrast to the Pagan religions of the world."

Confirmation; or, Are You Ready to Serve Christ? By the Rev. ASHTON OXENDEN. Fourth Edition. Wertheim and Co.

WE have read almost everything that has appeared on the subject of Confirmation, from the pens of Churchmen, and nowhere, out of Rome, have we met with a piece of more thorough rubbish. We took up this little piece, expecting to find in it some improvement; but in vain. When it states what Confirmation is, it states what is not true; when it sets forth "some wrong notions about Confirmation," it only adds to the error previously extant, or repeats per versions of the word of God. Nothing can be more inaccurate than its quotations from the eighth and nineteenth chapters of the Acts, in support of the prelatical notion of Confirmation. The Evangelical clergy cannot do better than surrender the thing at once, and were all who have written upon the subject to make a contribution of their productions to Messrs. Wertheim and Co., with instructions to make a bonfire of them, at the west-end of St. Paul's, the flame would present a spectacle in the eyes of a true Protestant more glorious than even the roof of the Crystal Palace.

Friendly Addresses to Young Men. By the Rev. FRANCIS KING, A.B. Wertheim and Co.

MR. KING is curate of Oswestry, and was of late Scholar of Trinity College, Dublin. The object of the present volume is to present advice to youth on the employment of their leisure, or for the improvement of their minds, with special reference to the pervading spirit of danger of the times, and of religious and scientific institu tions for young men; to which is added an appendix on Roman Encroachment. The discourse was originally delivered to a Young Men's Institute, and for such a service, no subject could have been better selected; and while the selection is good, the execution is not unworthy of it.

Counsels to Parents regarding the Education of their Children. Prepared by a Committee of the United Presbyterian Synod. Dunn. THE history of this precious Tractate is the following: the Synod agreed to appoint a Committee to prepare an Address on the Duty of Christian Parents in relation to the Religious Training and Instruction of the Young; and selected for this purpose three of their ablest ministers-Drs. King, Struthers, and Robsonand instructed the Committee to circulate the Address in the way they deemed best fitted to secure the object in view. This was a good idea, and great good cannot fail to come out of it. Its object is, to press the early commencement of the work of culture, and to urge parents, as far as possible, to have a hand themselves in the education of their children; that it should be of a substantial and thorough character, and be imbued with the spirit of religion; that the

extremes of indulgence and labour are alike to be avoided; and that the entire discipline of the family should bear upon the spiritual welfare of those who compose it. The subject of schools and families is earnestly discussed, and likewise the importance of training the young to habits of beneficence. We could wish an Address of this kind for the Congregationalists of England. The History of John Wesley's Coat; showing by whom it has been worn, and how it has been trimmed. Richardson.

THIS is a terrible book, and intended to inspire terror among others. It is clearly the production of an educated man, who understands thoroughly what he is about. It may be designated a new exhibition of an old subject, and its circulation must materially contribute to diffuse a spirit of dissatisfaction with "Methodism as it is," and to multiply the ranks of the Reformers. Fiction is rendered subservient to fact, and altogether it is a very effective publication, adding another to the many existing reasons for a speedy settlement of the great controversy now raging in the realms of Methodism.

The Great Exhibition Spiritualized. By HENRY BIRCHI. Snow.

THE mere sight of the Crystal Palace has elevated the souls even of the dullest that have visited it, and in the breasts of countless multitudes it has kindled feelings of the highest poetry, ofttimes approaching to rapture. The spiritual and the carnal have been alike subdued by the display of its power. While one class have been the subjects of mechanical emotions, others have given way to feelings of religion, and amongst these is Mr. Birch, who surveyed the marvellous pile with such feelings as Christian men ought to look on everything great and everything little, connecting it with the Author of matter and of the human mind-the source of the wondrous skill by which that mind gives such a variety of form to that matter. The result is a very interesting and edifying tractate, which may be profitably read by the multitudes who have visited the Palace, and also by those who have never enjoyed that privilege.

The Truth of God against the Papacy; being a Course of Lectures on Popery, delivered in Edinburgh, 1851, at the request of the Scotch Reformation Society.

WE are very glad to see this volume from the teeming press of Messrs. Johnstone and Hunter. The first lecture of the volume is by Dr. Thomas M'Crie, who discourses with characteristic ability on the Supremacy of the Pope, utterly demolishing the superlative absurdity. His colleagues, each with an appropriate theme, are the Rev. W. H. Gould, Drs. Hetherington, Harper, Begg, Thomson, Alexander, Candlish; and the Revs. W. Thomson, D. T. K. Drummond, W. K. Tweedie, and C. J. Brown. By this corps of first-class men the subject of Infallibility, Tradition, the Mass, Indulgences, the Confessional, Image Worship, the Invocation of Saints, the Spirit of Popery, the Jesuits, and Antichrist, are discussed with due elaboration. There is no order or system in the outline, or rather outline there is none. Only a selection has been made of twelve of the principal topics; but, for practical purposes, these suffice. To establish these twelve points will be, in effect, to carry the day,