respecting the blessed sacraments. (pp. 262-264.) He thinks that although the phrase baptismal regeneration has sometimes given offence, "the whole offence is in the expression, and not in the doctrine." He

says

"Those who object to the expression baptismal regeneration, by regeneration mean, for the most part, the first influx of irresistible and indefectible grace; grace that cannot be repelled by its subject, and which must issue in his final salvation. Now, of such grace our church knows nothing; and of course, therefore, means not by regeneration at baptism, the first influx of such grace. That the sins, original and actual, of the faithful recipient of baptisms are washed away she doth indeed be lieve; and also that grace is given to him by the immediate agency of the Holy Spirit; yet so that conscience thus cleansed may be again defiled, and that the baptized person may, and often does, by his own fault, fall again into sin, in which if he die, he shall without doubt perish everlastingly; his condemnation not being avoided, but rather increased, by his baptismal privileges. So that, in fact, we say not that any one is regenerated at baptism, according to the meaning of these words in the lips of our opponents......... What approaches most nearly to that grace of their own imagining, which they call regeneration, is the repentance not to be repented of, and followed by fruits of righteousness to the glory of God's grace, and to the salvation of the Christian, which we call conversion or renewal, and attribute to the same Spirit from whom we receive our new life at baptism, and which we hold to be as necessary to the salvation of one who has fallen from his baptismal purity (and who hath not so fallen ?) as we hold baptismal regeneration to be, and as they hold their supposed regeneration.”—(pp. 268, 269.)

At p. 226 occur some really beautiful remarks on the great Christian mysteries:

"The Christian (observes Mr. P.) hath his holy of holies in the high and unsearchable mysteries of his heaven-taught faith, and in all those unrevealed things concerning God himself which it is needless and impossible for us to know, in our present stage of existence, and which it hath been the good purpose of Jehovah himself to cover with an impenetrable veil. The outer courts of the sanctuary are thrown open to him; and he is not only permitted, he is invited, exhorted, commanded, to press into them; and he finds them crowded with whatever is fitted for the exercise of his mind and heart in the study and love of religion, with whatever is adapted to occupy him in the active service of his Lord. But each forbidden step beyond, or rather beside the veil, (for through it he can never pass,) were a step of presumption and danger, and, however little he might expect it, into darkness."

In some of the remaining discourses-the seventeenth, "On the Communion of Saints," and the eighteenth, "On the Forgiveness of Sin," Mr. Poole is treading on ground which has been much disputed upon in the present day; and he must prepare for some difference of opinion, and for much misrepresentation of what he does hold. Enough has now been said to shew that there are many parts of his volume which contain able arguments and instructive matter.

Sermons on Various Subjects. By the Rev. James S. M. Anderson, M.A., Chaplain in Ordinary to the Queen, Chaplain to the Queen Dowager, and Perpetual Curate of St. George's Chapel, Brighton. Rivingtons. 1837. 8vo. pp. 345.

MR. ANDERSON has "spoken even before kings," and "not been ashamed to declare the whole counsel of God." His style is chaste, earnest, impressive, and often eloquent; and while he maintains that the death and merits of Christ are the only meritorious cause of the world's redemption, he insists, in every sermon, on the awful, but too

often forgotten truth, that "faith, without works, is dead." The volume under review consists of fifteen sermons, and discusses, among other important subjects, the power of conscience, the grace of God and the agency of man, Christian patriotism, the ministerial office, and the humiliation of Christ. Sermon II., on Philip. ii., part of 12, 13, is a judicious and practical improvement of the seemingly opposite truths of man's free agency and God's almightiness. Without going into controversy, Mr. A. appeals to holy scripture, and the experience of his hearers, in proof of the positions set forth by the apostle-"viz., that man is free, and yet that he is absolutely dependent upon God;" and that the duties resulting from this acknowledgment are "those of watchfulness and prayer; duties which our blessed Lord himself enjoined, and which embody in themselves the full realities of the Christian life," (p. 31.) The sermon concludes with a powerful exhortation "not to be wise beyond that which is written," (p. 44.) The fourth discourse is an excellent one, on an important subject. The text is taken from 1 Cor. iv. 1, and the preacher exhibits the fearful importance and mighty reponsibility of the ministerial office; and adverts, on the one hand, to the low and degrading standard which some people take of it, and on the other, to the error which leads men to lay stress rather upon the person who speaks, than on the tenets he declares, or his sacerdotal authority. To those-and their name is Legion-who have fallen into the latter mistake, the following remarks may be usefully addressed.

"You magnify the man, and not the office; the creature, and not the Creator. You come, by a necessary consequence, to estimate the substance of that which is spoken only by the same rules which regulate your judgment in matters of mere human construction. You bring to bear upon us the same excited curiosity, the same perverse prejudice, the same capricious imagination, the same captious criticism, which, in the world around you, are so many active elements, unceasingly at work, to embroil the conflict of your opinions; and you forget that our ministrations claim your attention solely as the appointed channels through which the divine blessing is conveyed to your souls and ours; that, whether we administer the sacraments of Christ, or pray in his name, or preach his word, we are manifesting those mercies, and exercising those means of grace, the efficacy of which depends not upon the wisdom, the learning, or the industry, of man, but upon the will of God ordaining them, upon the power of God accomplishing them. 'Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.'"-p. 95.

The seventh sermon, on the parable of the unjust steward, contains at pp. 155-159, an exposition of the injunction, "Make yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness," which will bear comparison with that in Mr. Irons' discourse, which was lately reviewed in this Magazine. Mr. A. adopts the common protestant interpretation. Sermon VIII. is extrinsically interesting from the circumstance of its having been preached before his late majesty, his admirable consort, and Prince George of Cambridge, shortly after the confirmation of the last-named personage. The following extract may serve as a fair specimen of its style :

"Again, when the plague went forth among the people, we are told that it was Aaron who ran into the midst of the congregation, and put on incense, and made an atonement for the people, and stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.' And was not that earthly high priest a type of Him who is our

'High Priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec;' who hath put on the incense, not of earthly perfumes, but of his own all-prevailing merits, and made atonement for the people; who hath stood, and still stands, between the dead and the living; who bath stayed, yea, who still stays, and by his meritorious intercession will continue to stay, the moral plague that is gone forth among us, that deep infection of our nature, which, if there were none to help, would cast both soul and body into hell? He, then, is your hope and your salvation. Lay hold upon his promises. Cast yourself unreservedly upon his power. Look earnestly and steadfastly to his glory. Then will you be able to possess your soul in patience, and feel, more clearly than any tongue can tell, the blessedness of that assurance wherewith St. Paul closes his present exhortation, There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will, with the temptation, also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."-pp. 178, 179.

There are some beautiful remarks in Sermon X. ("Jesus weeping") on the comfort which the sympathy of friends and kindred gives in affliction, (p. 215;) but perhaps the discourse on "the repentant woman" is the best composition in Mr. Anderson's volume. The description of the miserable condition of "those who have been ensnared by the tempter's voice to ruin" is rich in pathos and true cloquence. The last sermon in the series, that on the death of his late majesty, will be read with deep interest and admiration by the Christian patriot. The reviewer is sorry that he cannot give a more detailed exhibition of the merits of Mr. Anderson's work. He has room only, in conclusion, to express his grateful acknowledgment of the pleasure and profit he has received from its perusal.

Tales of the Martyrs; or, Sketches from Church History. London: Dean and Munday, Threadneedle-street. pp. 223.

THIS little volume is written with the very meritorious design of calling the attention of young persons to the history of THE CHURCH. It comprises a Tale of the Early Christians-Britain's First Martyr-Scenes from English History-The Martyr's Widow-The Huguenot Family -Henri Arnaud, a sketch from the History of the Vaudois-The Missionary-Martyrdom in the Nineteenth Century. These "Tales" are written in a pleasing manner, and will interest the youthful reader. They contain a few statements of a theological nature, with which the reviewer cannot entirely agree. The book, however, as a whole, is calculated to do good, and may be safely recommended.

National Religion conducive to the Prosperity of the State. Two Sermons preached in the Parish Church of St. Bride, in aid of the Trinity Church Endowment Fund. By the Rev. Thomas Dale, M.A. With an Appendix. Richardson, Cornhill. 1837. 8vo. pp. 92.

THESE excellent sermons are intended to prove, I. That a form of national religion is the express ordinance of God. II. That unity of religions worship conduces to the "compactness" of a city-i.e., the prosperity of a state. III. That it is wise policy in the nation to preserve, and true patriotism in the individual to promote, such unity. IV. That the performance of duty towards others is the sure means of acquiring blessings for ourselves. Of these, the two former propositions

are discussed with much ability in the first, and the two latter in the second, discourse. At p. 7, Mr. Dale observes

"No community of Christians was regarded (in primitive times] as competent of itself to reject the ordinances of the apostle, more than any one of the ten tribes of Israel to disregard the injunctions of the lawgiver. As Moses judged all Israel, so Paul, speaking by the Spirit, directed his ordinance to the universal church. What the law first enacted in this respect, the gospel recognises, and therefore ratifies. And it is very remarkable, that, in proportion as the church declined from uniformity of worship and discipline, it declined also from purity of doctrine."

This statement has, indeed, been fearfully illustrated on the continent, and among the Presbyterian and other nonconformists in our own country. Heresy is the usual reward of schismatical insubordination. The "Appendix" contains an interesting account of the laying of the first stone of the new church in the parish of St. Bride, on Oct. 3, 1837; and of which ceremony some notice was taken in the British Magazine for November, at p. 593. The church is situated in Pemberton Row, Gough-square; and is designed to contain 1100 sittings, of which 700 will be assigned at a low price, or left altogether free. The style of the building will be of the lighter Norman, previous to the pointed or lancet window. The body of the edifice will form a hexagon, with three octangular recesses, in the centre one of which the altar will be placed. The diameter of the church is 48 feet, the height of the parapet 40, and the height of the tower about 80 feet. The ENTIRE proceeds of the pew rents, &c. &c., will be appropriated to the support of the minister and services, and no pecuniary advantage whatever will be derived from it, directly or indirectly, by the incumbent of St. Bride's.

Essays and Correspondence, chiefly on Scriptural Subjects. By the late John Walker, some time a Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, and a Clergyman in the Establishment. Collected and prepared for the press by W. Burton. London: Longman and Co. 2 vols. 8vo. pp. 590, and pp. 669.

ANY attempt to criticise this work would prove far beyond the limits which could possibly be assigned to it in almost any periodical magazine, but especially in one which only professes, in general, to give brief notices of the contents of works of interest. The opinions are so strange, in many respects, the ground travelled over so very extensive and varied, and the results to which all tends, though written, no doubt, with the purest intentions and feelings, seem to the reviewer so paradoxical and confusing, that he hardly knows in what terms to describe it. The writer, it appears, was once a clergyman in the church of England, but left it in abhorrence, as deeming the distinction of clergy and laity an abomination. To use his own words, vol. ii. p. 354

"It is now many years since I have renounced with abhorrence the title of Reverend, and the whole of the clerical character connected with it. That character, under whatever name or modification, is one of the ungodly fictions of the man of sin, and one of the main pillars of antichrist's kingdom."

This was in 1821. And equally strong are many other of the declarations of opinion in this author. It is not meant here to argue

against them, they are the conclusions of a mind very peculiarly constructed, and desirous of literal conformity to the word of God, and to that alone; but then obtained through such a view of scripture as very few other minds in the kingdom could agree to, and, at times, utterly irreconcileable, as it seems to the reviewer, with the plain tenour of scripture itself. Thus, at one time, the only true Christians, in the judgment of this Christian reformer, are about seven, (vol. ii, p. 284;) and, at another time, the true disciples in the world appear to consist in a congregation of about thirty individuals, connected with Mr. Walker. One after another, every description of opinions comes under the censure of this author. The high Calvinists are all accused, (vol. ii. p. 324,) of error, as mistaking "for faith a strong persuasion that they are among the elect of God." Then, again, Dr. Chalmers is called, (vol. i. p. 346,) one whom he views "with the same hope of which every sinner is the object, that he may yet be brought to the knowledge of the truth." The Evangelicals and the Baptists are often the objects of this writer's attacks; and, of course, the High Church people are equally wrong, when weighed in his balance. Mr. Alexander Knox and Mr. Haldane are both the objects of his severe animadversions. The opinions which he himself maintained are brought forward in a variety of ways; but it would require a sort of belief in some incomprehensible infallibility pertaining to Mr. Walker to expect any other individual to follow them, even if he could exactly make out what they are. In the part of his book called Scripture Paradoxes Vindicated, he labours hard to maintain the following, amongst many others:—

"A man may be all his life most sincerely religious-nay, abound ever so much in what is called heart-religion-and yet may live and die that character which the Scriptures pronounce an Atheist."-Vol. i. p. 529.

Mr. Walker holds unconditional salvation. (vol. ii. p. 508). Then, again, this author pronounces all oaths utterly unlawful; but holds keeping the first day of the week like a sabbath-day unscriptural and unchristian, but that Christians are bound to meet on that day to eat the Lord's Supper. (vol. ii. p. 416, and 507.)

From this collection of strange opinions, superficial as it is, and scanty, compared with the great mass of matter, (two thick closelyprinted octavos,) it will be seen that Mr. Walker was a man of a determined spirit, but one who, desiring to obey the Bible in all things, would hear no interpreter of that book but his own will and views. Whether such guides were safe, may be left to those to judge who can wade through these volumes. It will not, it is hoped, be deemed uncharitable in the reviewer if he expresses his sorrow at what he thinks are energies wasted, and learning and piety misapplied.

"Indeed, it is well for me, and for all the elect of God, that he extends his mercy and salvation to such stubborn, wicked, rebellious, incorrigible infidels. You think not but that he expects some good return from those, to whom he extends what you call mercy, and that, instead of that, all the returns they make to him are evil, and only evil continually, nothing is to be looked for but that he would cast them off. In short, though you are verbally (I believe) a Calvinist, yet what you call salvation hinges, in your view, upon some conditions to be fulfilled by the sinner. Now, all such imaginations are entertained in direct contradiction to the word of God. He