1109 Review.-Lectures on our Lord's Sermon on the Mount. direction; yet, it must not be dissembled, | that while the commonly-received method of procedure is liable to many formidable objections, this which the author has adopted is not altogether exempt. In his five lectures on Biblical Criticism, Mr. Carpenter has taken a comprehensive survey of the subject, noticing the languages in which the Scriptures were originally written, the schools of Hebrew Philology, the labours of the Jewish literati to preserve the purity of the sacred text, and the early editions through which it passed after the invention of printing. In this department he has acquitted himself in a manner highly creditable to his talents, to his industry, and to the result of his researches. Before his auditors and his readers he has spread an ample field, and presented to the eye of dispassionate inquiry, numerous objects, which seriousness will deem of the last importance. His twelve lectures on Bible Interpretation, embracing a greater diversity of matter, are more complicated and involved. Some of his rules are unquestionably excellent, but others, paradoxical in themselves, have given existence to a great variety of opinions. Many of these obtain a shape and character from the religious systems of the writers, who too frequently attach more infallibility to their respective creeds, than to the dictates of revelation, on which all but the spurious must be founded. The authors who have undertaken to investigate and elucidate the various subjects contained in these lectures, would easily furnish a formidable catalogue of names. Some of these coincide in opinion, but by far the greater number, each blessed with more light than his coadjutor, contemporary, predecessor, or rival, hope to astonish the world with the originality of their discoveries. With some trifling exceptions in behalf of a favoured few, none can reach the pinnacle at which they soar; and even among those who are so fortunate as to attain the zenith, the situation is too precarious to be long sustained. A successful competitor attempts the steep ascent, and, gaining the elevation, outshines for a season his vanquished predecessor, and in his turn gives place to another. Of the general remarks in the preceding paragraph, we have no intention to make a particular application to Mr. Carpenter. In many respects, this would be decidedly unjust. He has entered on the multifarious branches of his subject with the commendable spirit of one who seeks after truth with a resolution to embrace it, and has 1110 brought to the task a mind competent to the investigation. On some topics, his researches and arguments are crowned with success, but on several others, where the data are obscure, uniformity of opinion we can never hope to attain. From the writings of various authors Mr. Carpenter has derived much assistance, in fortifying his positions. This circumstance has committed a formidable inroad on the originality of his book; but, though swelling its magnitude, it has by no means diminished its value. The quotations are much to the purpose, and, in most instances, they are selected with care, and judiciously applied. To collect these, his researches must have been extensive, and his diligence indefatigable; but, in the result, he must have been rewarded with satisfaction, and both his hearers and readers will enjoy the advantage. Surveyed as a whole, this volume contains numerous incentives for the student to cultivate an intimate acquaintance with sacred literature, holding out pleasing pro. mises of success, and furnishing much useful matter to facilitate his progress in the arduous undertaking. On nearly every general topic that can fall under his inquiry, he will find something to meet his views, either by correcting or confirming his opinion; and, the author who does either, confers a benefit on the public. Through the medium of several publications, Mr. Carpenter has made himself known in the region of theological investigation, and hitherto the productions of his pen have met with a favourable reception. It is pleasing when talents of an exalted order are associated with perseverance in promoting the cause of virtue, of Christianity, and of God. To this honour the author of this volume is fairly entitled, and we have no doubt that his labour will be sanctioned with the patronage to which it is justly entitled. REVIEW.-Forty-five Lectures on our Lord's Sermon on the Mount. By THIS is a ponderous volume, but its excellence is fully equal to its magnitude. On such a formidable octavo, lazy piety may perhaps look with dismay, but in the estimation of all who know the importance of experimental and practical religion, the number of its pages will enhance its value. In our Lord's sermon on the mount, the essence of Christianity is embodied. It is 1111 Review.-Lectures on our Lord's Sermon on the Mount. such an epitome of our holy religion, that were all other portions of the scriptures annihilated, we should find in this sacred discourse, every thing necessary for human salvation. In this light it has been surveyed by Mr. Good, who, in these fortyfive lectures, has placed before his hearers and readers, the principles, doctrines, precepts, cautions, admonitions, advice, and encouragement, which this divine fountain has supplied. For distinct lectures, or discourses, this sacred sermon is most admirably adapted. It abounds with sententious expressions, concise in words, but large in import; detached, and yet connected-minute, and yet comprehensive; and as free from ambiguity as from ostentation. The spirit which pervades this heavenly directory in unison with its contents. It is a messenger from above, teaching by example as well as by words: and the feelings of that man are not to be envied, who can read it attentively without emotions of admiration and reverence. is Lighting his torch at the flame of this hallowed altar, Mr. Good, enters with deliberate composure, yet holy fervour, on his arduous task; and, as he advances in the elucidation of the numerous topics presented for his investigation, we can perceive from the vitality which has been communicated to his lectures, that he has caught "some sparks of its celestial fire." On the ethical beauties of his bright exemplar, he has not tarried to dilate, being more intent upon transfusing into the hearts and lives of his readers, the momentous truths in which their eternal interests are involved, than forward in descanting on the radiance of the gems as they sparkle in the mine. In his seventh lecture on "Blessed are the in heart, for they shall see pure God, the following exalted passages occur, "Let us, therefore, seriously inquire into the nature of that quality of the heart and of the mind, which is exhibited in such an important light in the word of truth, and to which the greatest of all privileges is appended. The word "pure" signifies freedom from alloy. It may be defined by a reference to water, clear and transparent, without a particle of dust or any other substance to defile it. Or, in allusion to wine, genuine and real, without any other liquid whatever. And also to a garment perfectly clean from every spot, and free from the slightest stain of pollution. Hence the purity of heart expressed in the text, is by David called a clean heart, and a right spirit." p. 85. Refined and scriptural as the preceding sentiments are, they receive an unexpected tarnish from their strange, application which immediately follows, 112 "Not that we can for a moment suppose it to consist in baving the heart emptied of all sin, and without any improper affection or inclination, for in this case who could be saved? Tell me, ye who believe that perfect holiness is attainable in the present life, whether men have not sinful desires, and evil dispositions, which will sometimes show themselves, in defiance of all professions of purity? Have not the best of saints ever lamented the mortifying fact, that although sin does not reign in their mortal body, yet it remains within them, and will sometimes powerfully rebel? And is the christian warrior authorized to lay down his mortal weapons, till he crosses over Jordan, and arrives at the land of heavenly promise? We know that all the true followers of Christ are called saints and a holy nation, but this must be considered rather in reference to the purity of the principle from which they act, than from the real and positive state of the heart itself."-p. 85. Strange as the preceding definition of purity may appear, when combined with the application of it just quoted, the paradox which the whole involves, receives its inexplicable climax, from the following sentences, which conclude the paragraph,— "Purity, in a word, is the mind renewed-the disordered spirit restored, and conformed to the "image of God, in righteousness and true holiness.' And it may be explained by the representation which the apostle gives of his own experience. "For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world."-p. 85. How the citations thus adduced can be made to hang together, we find ourselves unable to discover. The mind that can reconcile them must possess a degree of ingenuity to which we lay no claim, and to its superior acuteness we consign the difficult task. But whatever anomalies may be perceived in the preceding quotations, justice compels us to state, that they are by no means of frequent occurrence; and on the present occasion it is to the creed, and not the man, that they must be attributed. He saw the standard of purity erected in the sacred writings, and transferred it to his pages, but the creed demanded a deterioration which he durst not make. He has therefore, with a degree of frankness which does credit to his heart, given the former in all its unsullied brightness, then stated the drawback which the latter demands; and his readers will not fail to draw the legitimate inference. On the favourable side of this volume, much may be said, that will far outweigh its occasional aberrations... Its excellencies are so numerous, that no manageable quotations can do them adequate justice. They abound in every lecture, from which valuable lessons may be derived, to improve both the head and the 1113 Review. Select Letters of the late Rev. W. Romaine. heart. Its character is not controversial, nor are any topics introduced for the purpose of polemical disquisition. Dignified in natural simplicity, the language is perspicuous without ornament, and nervous without being inflated. The subject, and not the vehicle or its embellishments, is always uppermost; and he who reads in the same spirit which appears to have influenced the author, will lose sight both of the phraseology and the man, to gaze with intensity and awe on the things which make for our everlasting peace. His appeals to scripture authority are numerous, and in general the passages are well selected; and the spirit of piety which every where beams upon us, illuminating with its rays, and enlivening with its genial warmth, is at once calculated to enlighten the blind, and to thaw the frozen-hearted. We have already said, that no portion of God's word is so admirably adapted as our Lord's sermon on the mount, to furnish an ample, a diversified, and permanent foundation for a course of practical lectures. In such a field Mr. Good could find no want of materials. These he has selected with care, and so combined, as to erect a majestic edifice dedicated to the cause of God. Hither the tribes of christian worshippers may repair with safety, notwithstanding their local differences on disputed points. While inculcating evangelical truths, the author has never sacrified either moral principle or practice, neither has he given to moral conduct a tone of excellence which will supersede the necessity of "the chief corner-stone." Both har monize in his lectures, and we have no doubt that all who read them with sincerity, will concur in opinion, that his volume is fairly entitled to the support of the whole christian community. 1114 In the order of Providence, the orbit in which Romaine was called to revolve, was more circumscribed than that in which Wesley and Whitefield moved, but within this sphere, illumination and vital warmth invariably marked his progress; and when he left the world, in 1795, his name was surrounded with an halo of glory, which would not have dishonoured the character of his more celebrated coadjutors. The Letters, now under examination, do not appear to have been written with any design to meet the public eye. Though not altogether of a local nature, they were addressed to various individuals in the character of private friends; but as they contain observations on religious truths, which revelation has rendered permanent, their utility may be extended with great advantage beyond the narrow limits to which they were at first consigned. A conviction of this fact has caused their varied possessors to allow their publicity; and wherever they shall be perused in the same spirit that dictated to the author's pen, they will be received with joy; while, from their aspect and contents, even the more fastidious will hesitate to bring against those persons, by whom they have been contributed, a charge of violated friendship. Independently of their uniformly religious character, these letters contain many judicious remarks on passing events, connected with the church of Christ, the interests of which always appear to lie near the author's heart. They also communicate wholesome advice, caution, admonition, and direction, as occasions seemed to require, to those for whose eye alone they were exclusively intended. We do not, however, find, amidst this diversity of subjects, any one article that has not an almost immediate bearing on Christianity. Its doctrines, precepts, promises, agency, and influence, on the heart and life, rise constantly before us. With the writer, these, in the aggregate, formed the one thing needful, and under REVIEW.-Select Letters of the late Rev. this impression he strenuously and earnestly EVERY one acquainted with the progress of Christianity in England during the eighteenth century will almost instinctively incorporate in the list of its celebrated divines, the names of Wesley, Whitefield, Romaine, and Hill. For a series of years these stars formed a brilliant constellation; but, with the exception of the Rev. Rowland Hill, they have sunk beneath the horizon, yet, leaving behind them, in the districts where they respectively shone, a lustre which time in its flight has been forbidden to impair. recommends them to all his correspondents. An interest in Christ he invariably urges them to seek and find, since by this alone they can make their calling and election sure. It is well known that Mr. Romaine was of the evangelical Calvinistic party. This may be gathered from the tone of several of these letters, and in some we find expressions that might easily be made subservient to antinomian purposes, which we feel satisfied his soul abhorred. This, however, is more excusable in private epistles written to intimate friends, possessing a congeniality 1115 Review.-A Treatise on Friendly Societies. of sentiment with the writer, and where he might naturally be expected to unbosom his thoughts without reserve. Yet even here we discover nothing which the most moderate Calvinist would blush to avow; and, admitting the system, nothing that can justly expose the writer to reprehension. In a work of this kind it would be unfair to animadvert on diminutive peculiarities. In the eye of impartiality they form no conspicuous part, and even where they appear in their strongest character, they sink into insignificance when placed beside the excellences with which these letters abound. The works of Mr. Romaine have already appeared in eight volumes octavo, besides Calasio's Concordance to the Hebrew Bible in four volumes folio, of which he was the editor. To these may now be added this series of Letters, which will form a creditable addition to all his other publications. REVIEW.-A Treatise on the Internal Regulations of Friendly Societies, &c.&c. By James Wright, 12mo. pp. 306. Benning, London, 1829. WHAT Mr. Pope has observed, respecting civil governments, "Whate'er is best administered, is best," may, with very few restrictions, be rendered applicable to friendly societies. Even an indifferent code of laws, executed with justice and impartiality, will be productive of more real benefit to the subjects on whom they operate, than the best possible system committed to the management of knavery and ignorance. This, however, is nothing more than making an estimate between two evils, and allotting to each its proper degree of merit, mischief, or defect. If in any case, the principles are erroneous, the laws founded on them will almost necessarily participate in their character, and under such circumstances, no administration can ensure to the members of the community, the greatest possible portion of good. It is only when the foundation rests on a solid basis, and the structure is raised with durable materials, that it can be expected to answer the end proposed, and prove essentially advantageous to those who take shelter under its hospitable roof. Although friendly societies have been long established, their fundamental principles were formerly but imperfectly understood. Hence, these associations containing within themselves the seeds of their own dissolution, after flourishing for a season, sunk into decrepitude, and finally disappeared. To secure the important ends for 1116 which these societies were established, and to prevent the recurrence of disasters from which scarcely any had escaped, their permanency became a subject of minute inquiry, and of accurate calculation, to scientific men. Of late years, they have therefore assumed an almost new character, and the law having taken them under its protection, individual members are inspired with a degree of confidence, which cannot fail in contributing to their stability. Of these movements, variations, and vicissitudes, Mr. Wright has availed himself, and, gathering information from what other individuals have written, and societies have done, and connecting them with his own observation, he now presents to the public the result of his extended researches. No one can read this volume without being convinced, that the subject of friendly societies has engrossed a considerable portion of his attention, that he has made himself extensively acquainted with the principles on which they are founded, has traced these to distant issues, and noticed through their principles through their varied operations diversified stages, the advantages or disadvantages to which occasional circumstances have given birth. So fully, indeed, has he entered into the subject, that there is scarcely a question which can be asked respecting these institutions, for which he has not provided an answer. The Act of Parliament, passed in June 1829, he has given at large, and stated many cases of legal decision, which may be considered as forming a precedent, when others of a similar character and tendency shall either occur in the societies, or be brought before the tribunals of justice, to receive a final award. In the code of rules, provision is made for nearly all cases of possible occurrence, and numerous forms are given, according to the requirements of law, which, under given circumstances, the members are required to fill up. In this general outline, these rules may be said to embrace all that can be expected, but in their detail, many localities will render several of their branches inapplicable. Viewed as a whole, this volume may be justly deemed a directory to all who advocate, or wish to promote, the interests of friendly societies. To private members, and officers in each little community, it will be found a convenient manual, and even magistrates may consult it with no small advantage. We must not, however, suppose that it exhibits a model of perfection. On some points a diversity of opinion will prevail, and time only can give maturity to opera 1117 Review.-Emmanuel, a Christian Tribute, &c. tions, the credit of which is now hazarded on experiment. Much that has been advanced by others, Mr. Wright has em bodied in his pages. This, in connection with his own remarks, is associated with the laws as they now stand, and, thus combined, the whole will form an ample basis on which future progress may be made towards perfection. To friendly societies it is a work of super lative value, and one which no community of this description, should be without. It contains much useful information, which they may easily reduce to practice, and fur nishes their deliberations with a comprehensive and an intelligent guide, both in reference to the rules they may adopt, and the application of law to their decisions. REVIEW.— Emmanuel, a Christian Tribute of Affection and Duty, for the Year of our Lord, 1830. Edited by the Rev. William Shepherd, 12mo. pp. 360. Maunder, London. THIS is a lovely annual, of the second class, among which, if it cannot stand foremost, it will occupy no inferior rank. The title denotes that its character is exclusively religious, and all its articles, both in prose and verse, as well as its engravings, are perfectly consistent with its pretensions. The frontispiece, by John Britton, F.S.A. is a fine specimen of Christian architecture; enriched with all the labour and embellishment of art. In an article by the same author, which refers to this venerable representation, he observes as follows. "The accompanying frontispiece has been composed from the architectural members of the west front of York Minster; and it shews that the monastic artist who designed that magnificent facade, gave to it a decided unequivocal Christian character. It has no one form nor feature of Paganism; and whilst it displays evident signs of its true appropriation, it is calculated to prepossess the passers-by, as well as the persons who enter its sacred portals, with admiration of the architect, and with the most devout and profound veneration for that Omnipotent Power, to whose services and glory it was dedicated," p. 294. Two other neatly executed engravings, the Marriage, and the Pilgrim, complete its graphic decorations. With the former of these is connected an article in prose, pointing out in general terms the sacredness of the institution, and the awful criminality of violating its immutable sanctions. The latter is accompanied with some lines, which expose the absurdity of going on pilgrimage,, and the folly of expecting that | 1118 penance will atone for sin. The outward covering is a beautiful crimson silk, not inferior, either in quality, colour, or wavy distinction, to the most gaily attired of this modern family! In the list of contributors, we find many names of high renown in the republic of letters, and among them some who have already obtained a niche in the temple of fame, but to this they must be chiefly indebted for the halos which encircle their present communications. By others, however, who are less known to the reading public, several lively and appropriate articles have been contributed. The Opening of the Fourth Seal by J. Pennie, is bold in language, and animated in description. A masculine vigour runs through all the lines, which are brought to a conclusion before the subject is exhausted. The Parthian Convert by Miss Agnes Strickland, introduces us to Oriental manners, but its fictitious character diminishes the interest it would otherwise excite. The Captive, an allegory from the Russian, by W. H. Leeds, is an admirable piece. It is true to nature, and the origin, life, and death of every human being will explain to whom it applies. Miss Henrich is pathetic, its incidents are few, but they are exceedingly prominent, and call forth in their progress the varied emotions of curiosity, indignation, and regret. Duty and Disobedience is quite characteristic. Life can furnish many proofs, that the principles on which the delineation is founded, are not fictitious. On many other articles, both in prose and verse, similar observations might be made, but these would carry us beyond the limits which impartiality prescribes. Designed principally for the perusal of young persons, variety will always be indispensable in publications of this kind. This, Emmanuel contains, but without in any case deviating from the character which the title imports. Nothing dull or gloomy is introduced, and no unbecoming levity disfigures its pages. Its articles are both amusing and instructive, such as none but stern ascetics or anchorites would be unwilling to see in the hands of the younger branches of their families. REVIEW.-Historical Miscellany, or Illus trations of the most important Periods in ancient and modern History, &c. &c. By W. C. Taylor, A.M. 12mo.pp. 404. Whittaker, London, 1829. ALTHOUGH this neat volume appears from its complexion to be chiefly designed for the use of schools, it will be found essentially serviceable to multitudes who have |