The Emancipation of the Soil and Free Trade in Land. By a Landed A very able pamphlet, calling the attention of the nation to what, ere long, must force itself upon their notice, and which it would be well if our aristocracy and our legislature would consider before the evils complained of be irremediable, -save by that most fearful of all cures for the body politic,—a revolution. Peace for the Dying Christian, or, Extracts from various Authors on the Subject of Death. First Series. Selected by H. DRUMMOND, &c. Edinburgh : W. P. Kennedy. 1845. A rich and full selection, both as respects authors and subjects. It is a volume for the living and healthful, as well as for the sick and dying. All may read it profitably, for it speaks to the consciences and souls of all,-pointing away above a passing world, to the Saviour and his cross,-onward to that long eternity on which we so soon shall enter. The Hope of the Apostolic Church: or, the Duties and Privileges of Christians in connexion with the Second Advent, as unfolded in the First Epistle of St Paul to the Thessalonians. Being Lectures delivered during Lent 1845, at St George's, Bloomsbury. By TWELVE CLERGYMEN OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. With a Preface, by the Rev. T. R. BIRKS, Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, Rector of Kelshall, Herts, and Author of "Elements of Prophecy," Etc. London: James Nisbet and Co. 1845. This is the fourth series of lectures on prophecy, delivered in London, by ministers of the Church of England. Like their predecessors, they are plain and Scriptural, embracing a variety of prophetical points, opening them up more in a practical than critical way, and bringing all to bear upon the present condition, both of the world and the church. A page or two of the preface will give our readers some idea of the work. "The Church has now passed through many changes, and the signs of a last and severe conflict are thickening in the horizon. Conflicts, deep, and earnest, and vital, are stirring the hearts of her members, and the inquiry arises anew, as from the lips of the prophet, O, my, Lord, what shall be the end of these things?' If our great and noble empire casts aside the sheetanchor of the Word of God, and refuses to hear its solemn warnings, content to steer amidst shoals and quicksands, by the miserable expedients of an hour; if our Church resigns the inheritance of a pure faith for superstition which seemed flung away to the moles and bats for ever, what can the righteous do but turn their eyes, in spirit, to the east, and wait once more for the rising of the Day-star in his glory? This blessed hope will be the only full and effectual cure for the relapses of blind superstition, and the confederacies of apostate wisdom. Whatever evils may threaten us, and whatever rocks and breakers may be around the Church, there is no need to faint, much less to despair. Even the purest churches may renounce their first faith, and, forgetting their first love, fall once more into error; and the moles and bats of an earth-born expediency may, in these last days, adopt the rejected idols of their forefathers, to their own and a nation's ruin. But here is a hope which no apostasy can defeat, and no confederacy of evil annul or destroy. It rests on the sure promise and oath of the living God: 'I the Lord will hasten it in its time.' He will overturn, and still overturn, until the rightful King shall appear, and the nations of the earth are given him for his inheritance. On this truth let our souls anchor amidst the changes and conflicts now around us. The Lord is sitting above the water-floods; and the same Lord, who now controls the madness of the people, will soon appear in his beauty, and he will then remain and abide a King for ever. The mightiest forms of evil that now alarm and terrify us, are only giant shadows, and will flee away and disappear for ever when this Day-spring shall arise. This hope, as it still draws nearer, will knit the hearts of true Christians into one. They will feel more and more their blessed character, as heirs together of the grace of life, even of that eternal life which was once manifested in the depth of its condescension, and will soon reveal itself once more in the brightness of its glory.”— Pp. xx. xxii. Michael Cassidy, or the Cottage Gardener; a Tale for Small Beginners. London: Seeley, Burnside, and Seeley. 1845. Though there is not much directly of religion in this small but well-filled volume, yet its bearing is evidently religious. It furuishes an admirable illustration of the advantages of the cottage allotment system in Ireland. It is well worth reading, and its circulation among the poor and labouring classes might be most beneficial. John Ronge; the Holy Coat of Treves, and the New German Catholic Church. Edinburgh: T. NELSON. 1845. A most valuable collection of documents upon a subject deeply affecting the interests and destinies of Europe. We shall likely have occasion to refer to it again, but meanwhile we recommend it to perusal. The movement it relates to, is, doubtless, a mixed one at present, not wholly religious or spiritual, but still it is a momentous one, and demands the attention and the prayers of the people of God. The Cross of Christ; the Call of God; Saving Faith: an Inquiry into the Completeness and Extent of the Atonement, &c. By ROBERT S. CANDLISH, D.D. Edinburgh: J. Johnstone. 1845. This work has just come into our hands, and want of time prevents us from taking it fully up and entering at large upon its contents. There are few works upon the Atonement with which we feel more entirely at one; few that seem to us so comprehensive and complete. It may be said to be controversial; yet there are none of the rugged, repulsive edges of controversy about it. We confess, that to our mind it is more thoroughly satisfactory in most things, both in its exposition of texts and its discussion of difficulties, than Owen, Stevenson, or Haldane. It especially commends itself as being not a mere scholastic or speculative defence of certain tenets, but the calm, yet earnest elucidation of mighty truths, and the clear solution of difficulties, which may stand in the way of the honest inquirer regarding the welfare of his immortal soul. Everywhere there is manifested this affectionate dealing with the souls of his readers,-the desire to lead them, not merely to abstract truth, but to a living Saviour. The whole work betokens not merely the able, vigorous intellect, but the tender, loving heart. We regret that we can only afford room for one passage, and even that must be cut short. It thoroughly sets at rest the question as to whether the soul must first be quickened before it can believe, and as to whether the Spirit comes into direct immediate contact with the soul, or only indirect and mediate through the Word. We can only give a part of the statement, merely remarking, that we shall not quarrel with Dr Candlish about the use of the word faculty, though, perhaps, it is not the exactest, either metaphysically or Scripturally. "Do we cast any slight or discouragement on human efforts, or give any sanction to the relaxation of diligence, or the diminution of anxiety, on the part of the sinner seeking the salvation of his soul? Here, let us face, at once, this imputation, by comparing, as to their tendency in this respect, the two different ways in which the Divine interposition, in the actings of his creatures, may be represented. For the sake of distinction, we may characterize them, as the auxiliary, or the creative methods, respectively. According to the first, God is regarded as co-operating with man; according to the second, he is to be viewed as requiring man to co-operate with him. "This, as it seems to us, is an important distinction; on which, indeed, turns the practical question, whether man is to have the precedency or God, in the work of individual salvation. The types, so to speak, of the two opposite theories, may be found in the instance of the impotent man beside the pool of Bethesda. (John v. 1-9.) Contrast his own complaint: 'I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool,' with the Saviour's command to him, 'Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. The Lord might have adopted the plan which the man himself suggested; he might have rewarded his long waiting and his many previous attempts, by helping him to the side of the pool; and, supported and aided by so strong an arm, the tottering invalid might have succeeded, at last, in curing himself, by the use of the mysteriously troubled waters. But God's ways are not as our ways. Jesus proceeds otherwise in his work of healing. He will not merely fall in, as an auxiliary, in the carrying out of man's plans and efforts; he will take the lead, as assuming the whole matter into his own hands; he issues his order, and the man, believing, is healed. Now, on both of these plans, there is co-operation; but on the first, the Lord is expected to co-operate with the man; on the second, he requires the man to co-operate with him. Need we ask which of these two arrangements is the most becoming and the most blessed ?—becoming, as regards God-blessed, as regards man. "Now, throughout, in the first step, and in the whole subsequent progress, of the life of God in the soul of man, the position or attitude which man has to take is that of acquiescence; he is to fall in with what God proposes; he is to be a fellow-worker with God. His own idea constantly is, that God is to concur with him, so as to help him out, where there is any deficiency in his attainments, and help him on, where there is any failure in his strength; and that, upon his doing his best, God is to make up what may be wanting, and have a tender consideration for what may be weak; and so, the righteousness of Christ being virtually supplemental to his own sincere yet imperfect obedience, and the assistance of the Spirit seconding his own honest though infirm resolution, he is to be somehow, on an adjustment of accounts, and with a due allowance for human frailty, justified and sanctified at last. Need we say that the whole of this motley and mongrel system must be overturned and reversed? It is the very opiate of a drowsy spirit, deadening all energy, and lulling asleep all care. How different from this is the plan of God! Take a believer in the middle of his course. What is he doing?-working out his own salvation with fear and trembling, because it is God that worketh in him both to will and to do of his good pleasure' (Phil. ii. 12, 13);—not trying to make himself holy, by the help of God-as another man might vaguely express it-but realizing God himself within, making him holy; and under this impression, following out what God is doing. It is the Christian paradox: to feel myself passive, in the hands of God, and yet on that very account the more intensely active—moved unresistingly by God, like the most inert instrument or machine, yet for that very reason all the more instinct with life and motion; my whole moral frame and mechanism possessed and occupied by God, and worked by God, yet through that very working, made to apprehend more than ever its own liberty and power. This is the true freedom of the will of man, namely, that it becomes the engine for working out the will of God. And does not the same order hold in the beginning of the divine life? Here, too, is it not through our being passive, that we reach and realize the only true activity? Is it said that, by telling men that faith is the act of a living soul, and that they cannot believe but by the impulse of a new life-a life such as the creating and regenerating Spirit imparts-we encourage them to shut their eyes, and fold their hands, and sit down in listless and indolent expectancy, waiting for they know not what? Miserably shallow theology! and, if possible, still more meagre metaphysics! Call a man to believe, and let him imagine that his believing is some step which, with a little supernatural help, he may reach, as a preliminary to his new life with God; then he may take his ease, and, to a large extent, use his discretion, as to the time and manner of obeying the call. But let him know that this faith is the effect or fruit of an exercise of Divine power, such as raises the dead and gives birth to a new man; that his believing is seeing Christ with a new eye, which God must give, and grasping Christ with a new hand, which God must nerve, and cleaving to Christ with a new heart, which God must put within him; and let it be thundered in his ear, that for all this work of God, now is the accepted time, and now is the day of salvation;-then, fairly startled, and made to know what faith is, as the act of a living soul, and what is its source, even the present power of the quickening Spirit, will he not be moved to earnestness and energy in seeking the Lord while he may be found, and calling upon him while he is near? And is it not this urgent impression, alike of the heavenly nature, and the heavenly origin of faith, which prompts both the profession and prayer-'Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief?" Pp. 126-129. We subjoin a striking paragraph, somewhat to the point, from Krummacher's Elisha:-"Our will is a Divine compulsion, in the form of personal freedom. All conversion is nothing else. Then, are converts mere machines?' Would it be a misfortune to ask a talented man if he were a machine of the Holy Ghost? What is the natural man? Is he free? The blind creature thinks so; and in what fetters is he not bound! He sins not by compulsion, but of necessity; in the same way as the Christian is holy of necessity, and, at the same time, willingly so. Freedom, in the vulgar sense of the word, is, once for all, a lost treasure. But, if we must be subject to some power or other, who would not rather be influenced by heavenly powers than be sold under the dominion of darkness." The Grievance of University Tests as set forth in the Proceedings of the Presbytery of St Andrews, with an Authentic Copy of the Libel in the Case of Sir David Brewster. Edinburgh: J. Johnstone, 1845. Our universities ought certainly to be maintained as religious institutions, but not as ecclesiastical ones. And we trust that if any change be introduced into their constitution the above example will be kept steadfastly in view. And we know no better illustration of it than the case of Sir D. Brewster. This pamphlet contains a full statement of the proceedings of the Presbytery of St Andrews in his case. It is vigorously written, and with very considerable humour as well as sharpness. Rome's Second Triumph, being the substance of a Pastoral Address to the Congregation of Free St David's, Dundee. By the REV. G. LEWIS. Dundee: Middleton. 1845. Full of clear statements, startling facts, and energetic appeals. It is much needed at present, and will be found most suitable for circulation. An Exposition of the Confession of Faith. By the REV. R. SHAW, Whitburn. With an Introductory Essay, by the REV. W. M. Hetherington, LL.D. Edinburgh: J. Johnstone. 1845. We reverence the Confession, not because possessed of any Divine authority, or because infallible in its statements, but because we believe it to be in accordance with the word of God, and to contain the exposition of Scriptural truth. It is man's word, and as such must share in the imperfections of all man's works, -nor can it stand anywhere but immeasurably below the word of God;—still believing it to be a correct setting forth of God's mind, though in the language of man, we reverence it and would give to it our most thoughtful study. The present exposition of it is excellent, and not less so the introductory essay, the former being strictly dogmatical, the latter more of a historical nature. The volume is altogether a very valuable one. Protestant Missions in Bengal Illustrated, &c. By J. J. WEITBRECHT. Second Edition. London: J. F. Shaw, 1844. We have already noticed and commended this excellent work. We shall not enlarge anew on it. We would rather take the opportunity of giving some corrections of the work stated in the Overland Summary of the Christian Spectator. "In opening a brief sketch of the commencement and progress of our Missions, Mr Weitbrecht justly styles Dr Carey the first Missionary in Bengal,' and a man of great talents and apostolic zeal.' The precedence of Dr Carey, however, is not strictly one of time. Not only had Kierander and others appeared as Missionaries in Bengal before him, though without any result-but his own first colleague, Dr Thomas, had previously visited the country, and won the attention of several natives to the Gospel, and of Ramboshoo in particular, the author of the first Christian hymn composed in the Bengalee language and for a Bengalee tune, though never himself a Christian. Moreover, the first convert in Bengal who broke the chain of caste, the excellent Krishna Pal, was the fruit of Dr Thomas's humanity and godly conversation. His arm had been injured by a fall, and whilst Dr Thomas afforded him surgical aid, he also recommended the balm of the gospel to his soul, and by the blessing of God, with success. Yet Dr Carey may justly be styled the first Missionary in Bengal, because of the early date of his arrival, combined with the magnitude of his achievements, and the impression made upon the Christian church by his example. From want of opportunity of reference, Mr Weitbrecht underrates the translations of Dr Carey. The truth is, he completed the entire Scriptures of the Old and New Testament in seven of the principal languages of India, namely, the parent Sungskrit, the Bengalee, the Hindee, the Ŏoriva, the Mahratta, the Sikh or Punjabee, and the Assamese; and his colleague, Dr Marshman, added the entire Scriptures in Chinese. In addition, the New Testament was completed by Dr Carey in twenty-two languages more, the Telinga, Kunkun, Pushtoo or Affghan, Moultanee, Goojooratee, Kashmere, |