faith, and a required system of ecclesiastical order, will, it is confidently believed, ere long, see cause to wish devoutly that the objections of Bishop Hobart and others to promiscuous religious societies had been better understood, and more fairly represented, that they might have had an earlier influ

ence.

Bishop Hobart does not regard the objection as lying in distributing the Bible without note or comment, though that measure is carried to an absurd extreme by these societies, but in the means used for that end; or rather, we should say, for that professed end. Notes and comments innumerable are distributed by Bible Societies. Their reports, the sermons and speeches at their meetings,and their extensive correspondences, being but very partially occupied with business matters, are, in fact, but so many religious tracts under other names; while their unnumbered agents are but so many missionaries, preaching, in the employ of Bible Societies, and with all the increased influence which such respectable authority can give them, those doctrines which they deem the best notes and comments on the Scriptures. This objection Bishop Hobart has strongly urged.

Dr. Miller's Lecture, if misunderstood by Catholicus, is certainly in language very open to misinterpretation. Catholicus says, "the doctrines contained in this Lecture are materially the same as those which have been maintained and acted upon, for years, by Bishop Hobart and other judicious Episcopalians in the United States." We should suppose that this assertion could not be controverted by any one who had read the Lecture of Dr. Miller, and the writings expressive of Bishop Hobart's opinions; from both of which there are large extracts in the article of Catholicus. For ourselves, we should have gone farther than Catholicus, and have contended that not only were Dr. Miller's "doctrines materially the same," but that he appear ed to recommend a very similar course of proceeding thus he writes, "our Episcopal brethren exercise a most LAUDABLE diligence in placing the volume which contains their articles,

:

forms, and offices, in every family within their reach," &c. It surely must be known, that those societies which distribute both the Bible and Prayer Book, have done vastly more in this "laudable" work, than those which distribute the Prayer Book only. It must be known, that the Bible and Prayer Book Societies in Bishop Hobart's diocese, have done far the greatest part of this "laudable" work. Had not, therefore, the readers of Dr. Miller's Lecture reason to think that he inclined to this very plan of Bishop Hobart, adapting it of course to the case of Presbyterians? We can conscientiously declare, that such was actually our impression on perusing this extract from Dr. Miller's Lecture. Dr. Miller disavows (in the above letter) any such inference; yet we cannot but think that his arguments and language will, by most readers, be accounted an entire justification of Bishop Hobart.

Of one head of the remarks of Catholicus Dr. Miller has taken no notice,-that relating to the opinion of the Presbyterian General Assembly. This body, representing the entire Presbyterian denomination, declare that "the Confessions of Faith, and Standards of [their] Church," regarded by them "as a summary of those divine truths which are diffused through the sacred volume," " cannot be abandoned, in [their] opinion, without an abandonment of the word of God." While we admire the candour of this open avowal, we cannot but remark, that it is stronger language than has ever been used by Episcopalians in favour of their Prayer Book. Indeed, had Bishop Hobart, or the House of Bishops, uttered such a sentiment, the whole country would have resounded with the cry of-bigotry.-But to the bearing of this sentiment on the remarks of Catholicus. Had not he, has not every one, a right to construe the above expressions as vitally inimical to the cause of circulating the Bible without note or comment? You give the Bible alone (says the argument of the Presbyterian General Assembly, to Bible Societies),-you give the Bible alone; wherever we can overtake that Book with our " Confessions and Stand

There are three hymns on

FUNERAL OCCASIONS.

Hymn XLV.-Logan.—Job xiv. 1, 2, 5, 6. 1 Few are thy days, and full of woe, O man, of woman born!

For the Christian Journal.
No. V.

REVIEW of the proposed Additions to the HYMNS.

IN our second number we ventured to take the ground, that in preparing hymns for public worship, there should be no particular tenacity for the text of the authors-but that the church should

improve upon that text whenever it required improvement. The rights of authors are but literary; and in appropriating their works to religious use, these rights are merged in higher considerations. This, we hope, will be borne in mind. Many pieces called hymns were not written for worship; they are but sacred poetry. Many others, designed for the sanctuary, are too imperfect for so noble a use. And some, adopted by other denominations, are not such as an episcopalian should admit into fellowship with his admirable liturgy. Very few are the hymns, known to the present writer, that are fit to be adopted, in their current readings, by our church. Criticism and correction, therefore, should be freely offered. We have endeavoured to do our part. And, as we pretend not that our suggestions are infallible, we would respectfully call on our brother journalists* to contribute to the same good work. These several reviews will be so many debates before the committee and

*This was written before the December number of the Gospel Messenger, containing a critique on the hymns, had come to hand.

Thy doom is written, "Dust thou art,
"To dust thou shalt return."

2 Behold the emblem of thy state
In flow'rs that bloom and die,
Or in the shadow's fleeting form,
That mocks the gazer's eye.

3 Determin'd are the days that fly
Successive o'er thy head;
The number'd hour is on the wing,
That lays thee with the dead.

4 Great God! afflict not, in thy wrath, The short allotted span

That bounds the few and weary days

Of pilgrimage to man.

In verse 1st, line 1st, we would read"How few thy days &c." The 3d verse favours the high calvinistic notion of a given decreed length of life to each individual mortal; a notion utterly at variance with the case of Hezekiah; nor do we find such a doctrine in the

passage in Job which is here paraphrased; it only declares generally that there is a limit, a short limit, to mortal existence; we propose, therefore, another reading of the verse—

Determin'd is thy short career,
Thy days will soon be fled;
The hasting hour is on the wing
That lays thee with the dead.

Thus amended, the paraphrase is good, and will make a valuable hymn.

We proceed to the next, on the same subject.

Hymn XLVI.-Člark.

1 Swift as an arrow cuts its way

Through the soft yielding air;
Or, as the sun's more subtle ray,
Or lightning's sudden glare,
Or, as an eagle to the prey,

Or shuttle through the loom,
So haste our fleeting lives away,
So rush we to the tomb.

2 Like airy bubbles, lo! we rise,

And move upon life's stream;
Till soon the air that caus'd, destroys
Th' attenuated frame:
Down the swift stream we glide apace,

And carry death within;
Then break, and scarcely leave a trace,
To show that we have been.

3 The man, the wisest of our kind,
Who length of days had seen,
To birth and death a time assign'd,
But none to life between;

"his" for "her" in the 6th. With these changes the hymn has our cordial vote.

Hymn XLIX-Warning.

1 Hasten, sinner, to be wise,

Stay not for to-morrow's sun;
Wisdom if you still despise,

Harder is it to be won. 2 Hasten, mercy to implore:

Stay not for to-morrow's sun, Lest thy season should be o'er Ere this evening's stage be run. 3 Hasten, sinner, to return;

Stay not for to-morrow's sun,
Lest thy lamp should fail to burn
Ere salvation's work be done.
4 Hasten, sinner, to be blest;

Stay not for to-morrow's sun,
Lest perdition thee arrest

Ere the morrow is begun.

Excellent in substance, well executed in the mechanism and rhythm, and free from the crudenesses of thought and language which often betray the artist who does his work by halves: though, therefore, it is somewhat deficient in elegance, and in elevation of thought, it will be a useful hymn.

We proceed to the next.

REPENTANCE.
Hymn L-Wesley.

1 Stay, thon insulted Spirit, stay,
Though I have done thee such despite,
Nor cast the sinner quite away,
Nor take thine everlasting flight.
2 Though I have most unfaithful been,

And long in vain thy grace receiv'd,
Ten thousand times thy goodness seen,
Ten thousand times thy goodness griev'd;
3 Yet, oh! the mourning sinner spare

In honour of my great High Priest;
Nor in thy righteous anger swear
T' exclude me from thy people's rest.
4 My weary soul, O God, release,

Upraise me with thy gracious hand;
Guide me into thy perfect peace,

And bring me to the promis'd land. A good hymn, but the latter part is much inferior to the former.

There are next four pieces under the head of

FAITH. Hymn LI.

1 Approach, my soul, the mercy-seat,
Where Jesus answers prayer:
There humbly fall before his feet,
For none can perish there.

2 Thy promise is my only plea,
With this I venture nigh;
Thou callest burden'd souls to thee,
And such, O Lord, am I.

3 Bow'd down beneath a load of sin,
By Satan sorely prest,
By war without, and fears within,
I come to thee for rest.

4 Be thou my shield and hiding place! That, shelter'd near thy side, I may my fierce accuser face,

And tell him, "Thou hast died." 50 wondrous love! to bleed and die, To bear the cross and shame, That guilty sinners, such as I, Might plead thy gracious name. 6 "Poor tempest-tossed soul, be still, My promis'd grace receive;" 'Tis Jesus speaks-I must, I will, I can, I do believe.

Before suggesting minor corrections, we plead for the omission of the entire 6th verse does faith come from any such "speaking of Jesus" as is there meant; he did indeed speak peace to certain penitents whose faith had already saved them-and in this sense, applied to peace, the figure of Jesus speaking is allowable; but, as the verse will be understood, it implies that faith is produced by a more direct communication from the Saviour than comports with our want of inspiration: besides, we object to the climax, "I must, I will, I can, I do believe;" take the words in the more obvious sense, and they intimate a mere rush of feeling, unmixed with any operation of the understanding; take, however, the word "must," in the calvinistic sense, and the passage becomes a strong calvinistic anticlimax-I do because I can, I can because I will, I will because I must ! ex- \ punge, expunge the whole verse.-Presuming this done, we offer a few other amendments. We fear that verse 1st, line 4th, may possibly be misinterpreted: it is true, of the mercy-seat, that

none can perish there,” but could not that truth be expressed more safely? none can perish who remain there; if a correction be deemed adviseable, we offer the following line, though it is, poetically, inferior

None perish steadfast there.

The 2d verse begins, "thy promise is my only plea;" though the previous address is to the speaker's own soul; we propose

Thy promise, Lord, my only ples,
With this I venture nigh, &c.

In the 3d verse, 3d line, "war without" must mean literal war, for the spiritual conflict is within; we would read" by war, and care, and fears