have been broached upon the various parts of the general subject of which he treats, Professor Upham is patient and discriminating, and may be relied upon as giving us the best views which have been presented. He has removed many difficulties, settled many doubts, and explained and simplified many intricacies. And upon the whole we can most cheerfully recommend his works to the attention of all such as wish assistance in their endeavors to form a just acquaintance with the powers and susceptibilities, or various states of the human mind. We give the following brief specimen from the work on the Will. It is the conclusion of a note to a section on "Slavery of Will."

"FOURTH. If man's will be enslaved, so that he cannot of himself be and do what is required of him, what shall be said, on philosophical principles, of his accountability? The theological doctrine in general terms is, that, whatever may be true of the slavery of the will in the things of religion, man's accountability remains; and that he is not only required to do what is right and to avoid what is wrong, but that he is justly condemned, in particular, for not serving and loving God just as the Scriptures demand of him. This view is undoubtedly a correct one; and yet the human mind, in its search after justice as well as truth in this matter, will be desirous to find something explanatory of this seemingly inconsistent state of things, viz., slavery on the one hand, and moral accountability on the other. Different explanations are given by different theological writers. It will be said by some, for instance, that man, in virtue of his connection with Adam as the natural and federal head of the race, and also by his own personal acts, has brought himself into his present ruined situation. He has destroyed himself; and, therefore, stands accountable both for his present ruined state, and also for every thing which naturally flows out of that ruin.

"But it is believed that theologians commonly meet the difficulty here, in addition, perhaps, to the view just referred to, by connecting with the doctrine of the religious slavery of the will the great conservative doctrine of the grace of God, purchased by the blood of Christ, and manifested in the shape of a general and adequate offer of divine assistance to all who will sincerely do all they can for their religious restoration, whether it be more or less. Prostrate and

inthralled by sin as we are, we may still, by the grace of God, speak of our freedom and accountability in religious things as well as in others, and that, too, without any prejudice either to fact or to language; but not in such a way as to appropriate to ourselves any merit. We find in Christ that purchased freedom which we had lost in Adam. And hence those frequent Scriptural appeals which are made to us just as if we had not lost our strength. We cannot of ourselves break our chains; but theologians very properly assure us, that there is a sense in which we may take hold of the arm of Christ, which has power to break them for us. Hence, although in our natural and inthralled state (if we choose to call it such) we can undoubtedly make important efforts of a certain kind, and which have a connection more or less inti

mate with our final destiny, we are nevertheless properly said to be saved by the divine power, and to have no merits of our own. The necessity of human effort, in whatever shape and to whatever extent it is put forth, and the accessory and consummating influence of divine grace, seem both to be referred to in that interesting and instructive passage: Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.""

The style of these works is in general correct, perspicuous, and natural, and the great modesty and excellent spirit of the author cannot be too much admired. The present edition appears with the author's latest corrections and improvements, and for style of mechanical execution is altogether worthy of the well-earned reputation of the enterprising house from which it emanates. An able review of these works is in hand, and will appear in our next number.

5. Speeches delivered on Various Occasions. By GEORGE G. COOKMAN, of the Baltimore Annual Conference, and Chaplain to the Senate of the United States. New-York: George Lane. 18mo. pp. 139.

THIS little work is most earnestly commended to the attention of the Christian public generally, as being calculated not only to impart useful instruction, but to diffuse the spirit of benevolence; and especially to awaken public interest in behalf of our great benevolent institutions. In these speeches will be found a sprightliness and vigor, with a novelty of expression, and an exuberance of figurative illustrations, almost peculiar to the author, and which impart the highest interest to his platform productions.

We have read these speeches with great pleasure, and, we hope, some profit, and have found nothing in relation to which we judge it necessary to guard the reader, unless we make an exception of several statements made in the last address. The author says, "Methodism, so called, is not a sect," p. 128. "Methodism is not a form," p. 129. "Methodism is not an opinion," p. 131. Though these statements are justified by the declarations of Mr. Wesley, and are undoubtedly true of "Methodism" before it assumed a distinct church organization, yet at this time they can only hold good in a very qualified sense, in relation either to the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States, or the Wesleyan connection in England. For though Methodism is not sectarian, or formal, or theoretical, in any bad sense of these terms, it still must be admitted that the Methodists are as really and truly a Christian

sect, and as certainly have formulas, and as clearly have a set of doctrinal opinions, as any other Christian communion in the world. Our object in this notice is, so to qualify the statements alluded to, that they may not lead the reader into error, and by no means to detract from the value of the able and interesting speech in which they are found. We hope these excellent speeches may, in many cases, take the place of the light reading, which often has far less literary merit than they may justly claim, and never any of the sanctifying fire which gives them character.

The only regret the reader of this work will be likely to experience will be, that it is not longer.

6. Select Discourses on the Functions of the Nervous System, in opposition to Phrenology, Materialism, and Atheism, &c. By J. AUGUSTIN SMITH, M. D., President of the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New-York. New-York: D. Appleton & Co. 1840. 12mo.

pp. 210.

THIS Volume contains, 1st, a lecture on the diversities of human character from physiological peculiarities, and 2d, three discourses on the functions of the nerves. In the lecture, originality and independent thinking will be apparent to the reader, and command his respect, whatever he may be disposed to award to the theories of the author. And the discourses upon the nervous functions, including motion and sensation, will be found to present much that is new, ingenious, and instructive upon this terra incognita of metaphysical research. The criticism upon phrenology, which is anatomical, physiological, and metaphysical, although somewhat censorious as the sect will regard it, is more easily to be condemned than answered. And materialism and atheism, which are kindred sciences, will find their fabric of argument, so called, based on the phenomena of the sense of touch, to be swept away beyond recovery.

Professor Smith is undoubtedly a scholar and metaphysician, who understands the subjects on which he treats, and though his style is unique, and indeed sui generis, yet he deals his blows without fear or favor, relying upon his inflexible integrity of purpose, and the resources of his learning and logical acumen, for protection from the army of critics. The work is well worth perusal, especially as an antidote to popular delusion in these degenerate days, when philosophy is running mad.