that I presume to suppose Mr. Noel assumes a softness of language he does not feel; on the contrary, I sincerely believe him to be naturally so amiable, that his style of writing is only in harmony with his constitutional temper. Nevertheless, when we find, under such smooth and plausible words, principles advanced destructive of Church unity, and, therefore, fatal both to sound doctrine and to real charity, I am warranted (without meaning any personality) in terming that sentimental urbanity which insinuates destructive doctrines, a sheep's clothing over a ravenous wolf.

It appears, however, Mr. Editor, that you and I were somewhat mistaken. The family of the Simpletons in England, is so much larger than we supposed, that Mr. Noel's foolish publication has found not a few still more foolish persons, who think it admirable, and who learn from it, with implicit faith, that Christian unity consists in freely allowing endless divisions; that the real schismatics from the Church of Christ are those who enforce outward unity; that true charity consists in welcoming, with an approving smile, the thousand sects that human ingenuity or perverseness has already devised, as well as the numerous embryo sects which are now being hatched, soon to break their shells and come forth; in short, that the numberless sects which separate from the parent Church are truly Catholic, while she, the Church herself, is sectarian, because she forbids sectarianism. According to this new scheme of Catholicism, every additional sect (or as they prefer to be called, "denomination") increases our Christian charity, by making an additional call for its exercise. Happy discovery! On this principle every new sin must be welcomed as a great strengthener of repentance, for most undeniably it is a call for its renewed exercise! Alas for us, old-fashioned thinkers, we still continue to believe, as our fathers did, that outward family union is no trifling help to family affection, (and charity is the family affection of the Christian household,) and that, whenever the various members of a family very contentedly live apart, and even congratulate themselves on their outward separation from each other, their family affection is about as cold as it can be.

Mr. Noel's" foolish tract," mischievous as its tendency is, has, however, done good in a way not intended, by calling forth a most lucid and high-principled answer; "A Letter to the Hon. and Rev. Baptist Noel, containing a scriptural examination of his tract, entitled 'the Unity of the Church;' By M. A:" sold by Nesbit and Co. This excellent publication, costing only 2d., has already reached a second thousand, and we hope it will sell and be distributed to the number of twenty thousand. The mildness of its opening phrases must not deceive the reader as if he was going to read any such wishy-washy false liberality as we have so long had served out to us; indeed, I cannot believe it possible that any dissenter, who really keeps a conscience, and who calmly considers the sound arguments and principles of this little pamphlet, can persist in disobeying his Saviour's command of unity in the Church, or refuse to avoid those preachers who “ cause divisions." (Rom, xvi. 17, 18.) E. H. S.

SONNET

ON THE LOSS OF MY CHILD, WHO DIED THE DAY AFTER HIS BIRTH.

The leaf was falling when my child was born, And autumn's blast came rushing through the trees,

The leaflet floating on the chilling breeze, Circling, descended on the crystall'd lawn; The nipping hoar-frost from the ground had shorn

The last left beauties of fair Flora's gems, Which hung low drooping on their frozen stems:

Emblem of me, my blighted hopes, from whom
The hallow'd name of parent had been torn
Ere for one day that name I could assume ;
And yet, ah no! not torn; the child still
lives-

Lives in the regions of unclouded day,
Lives in the presence of the God who gives,'
And giving owns the right to take away.
Elm Grove, Peckham.

E. D.

OUR ANCIENT CHURCH.

O rally round the Church and Throne,
On high their praise shall ring,
And soon our notes of victory
To joyous tones we'll sing.
For who with sacrilegious hand

Shall touch these bulwarks of our land?

Our fathers' fathers resting place,
The Church hath ever been,
And many a bold and noble race
Its courts have gladly seen,
Hundreds of warriors, brave and free,
Before its altars bend the knee.

Beneath its dear and hallowed walls,
How many a loved one lies,
For holy faith and joyous hope
Till Christ shall bid them rise.

Is it not sweet to think that there
They rest within God's house of prayer?
Though many a blow is aimed at thee,
And storms are gathering fast,
Still, still, in all thy purity,

Fair Church, thou'lt rise at last;
And in our hearts thy holy fane
Shall find a dear and lasting name.

Then rally round our ancient Church,
The Nobles of our land;
Embark within its glorious cause

With head, with heart, with hand.
O, never, never, flinch or flee,
But sound the notes of victory.
Leeds.

CONSTANCE.

Reviews.

A Series of Letters to the Rev. Nicholas Wiseman,
versity of Rome, &c., on the Contents of his late
William Whittaker, D.D., Vicar of Blackburn.
Hatehard. 1836.

D.D., Professor in the Uni-
Publications, by Rev. John
Letters I. and II. London :

IN these controversial letters Dr. Whittaker has splendidly maintained the high Theological character which he had acquired, whilst he was yet resident at Cambridge, as a Fellow of St. John's College. Nor is Dr. Wiseman the first antagonist, whom he has put " to silence and to rebuke." Amidst the many theological productions of the present day, we have found none more argumentative than this: none which has more closely grappled with the controversy, and more decidedly borne away the victory. The preliminary matter having been disposed of, and valid objections raised against the assumed infallibility of the Roman Church, and her unwarranted doctrine, Transubstantiation, and both having been completely overthrown, Dr. Whittaker proceeds to a consideration of what that rule of Faith is, which we must apply as the test of Truth; preparatory to which, the simplicity of the Protestant Faith is strongly contrasted with the great complexity of the Romish. Here every error which we reject as heretical, is shown to be so, because it is, more or less, directly opposed to the fundamental doctrines of Christianity; the singleness and completeness of Christ's one Sacrifice on the Cross, for the sins of the whole world, effectually applied to the justification of sinners, through faith, by the Holy Spirit of God. The simplicity of the Gospel Faith is proved by Scriptural quotations, and is excellently illustrated from natural

Theology; it draws with it every other doctrine which the Protestant Church of England holds. But there is no such a coherence, which makes the doctrines of the Church of Rome natural consequences of this great leading truth of Christianity; "the Church's Infallibility, Purgatory, Hagiolatry, Prayers for the Dead, Parthenolatry, Transubstantiation, the Supremacy of Rome, Staurolatry, Auricular Confession, Papolatry, Image-Veneration, Osteolatry, the Sacrifice of the Mass, Indulgences, Pilgrimages, Penances, &c., &c.," do not flow from it, and cannot be reconciled with it. Whilst the Church of England has one cardinal point, the preservation of which secures all its doctrines, the Romish Church is beset with difficulties, arising "from the heterogeneous nature of her doctrines, and the obligation of her members to receive, with implicit deference, the decrees of a visible infallible Church;" which may propose various other doctrines, as time proceeds. Baptismal Transubstantiation is capable of nearly, if not quite, as good a defence as the other, if the Church had insisted upon it; nor have we any security that this doctrine may not, at some future period, be enjoined: we have no guarantee to the contrary. Nor is the Romish Church so infallible, as to have declared, what future infallible councils may decree. To all this, the easy manner in which a Protestant may comprehend the points of faith proposed to him, and the habit of the Protestant Clergy to strongly verify, by the Scriptures, these points are brought in forcible opposition so that neither trusting to his Teacher's infallibility, nor to his Church's infallibility, he weighs, on inspired evidence, the doctrines offered to him, and does not yield by constraint, but by conviction, his assent. Not so with the Roman Church, whose rule of faith is her infallibility, as the expositor of Divine Truth, whether that be Scriptural or traditionary. If, as Dr. Wiseman affirms, Christ intended to perpetuate the truth of his religion through one visible, infallible Church, Dr. Whittaker's argument is conclusive, that every individual Romanist is as bound to enter into the details of the evidence respecting Scripture, as his opponent has represented the Protestants to be: for if the Papal infallibility depend upon Scripture, the truth of Scripture must be first clearly proved: but if it rest upon anything else, still the "credibility, authenticity, and genuineness," which every Roman Catholic is bound to investigate, will remain.

The second letter commences by reverting to the Popish doctrine of infallibility, and entering into a deeply historical detail in refutation of it. The subject is worthy of consideration, since a recent Protestant writer, but evidently a very young man, has insisted on the infallibility of Ecumenical councils, and given to tradition an authority but little inferior to that which the Romanists assign to it. He seems scarcely to have defined tradition in his own mind, according to its legitimate Ecclesiastical sense. But Dr. Whittaker more critically says, that tradition, whether oral or written, can never prove the truth of any doctrine-that it can only substantiate facts. On the other hand, it is manifest from Dr. Wiseman's lectures, and Papistical works in general, that the Romanists pretend to derive tradition from Christ's oral discourses to his Apostles and Disciples, by them transmitted to their successors which is a stock on which any wild and convenient legend may easily be engrafted. Some Protestant writers have viewed this plea in too favourable a light, without reflecting that the reality of such traditions, and the authenticity of their transmission remain to be proved. Nor have they pondered on the contradictions which these traditions continually exhibit to the Scriptures, which is an overwhelming argument against their veracity and credibility. Where tradition, however, is an evidence of facts, it is valuable but it has no authority with respect to doctrines.

Never has a dogmatist been more completely prostrated, than Dr. Wiseman has been prostrated by Dr. Whittaker: historical records have been not unsparingly searched to overthrow him, and hold up to public view, the forgeries of his Church. The fallibility of the infallible Vulgate : i.e. alterations and interpolations are brought into formidable array against this Quixotic defender of Popery : forged bulls, rescripts and decrees, are also added to the catalogue of charges. Anachronisms are substantiated in some of the documents, in which the Papists chiefly confide; from which in connexion with other internal evidences, their spurious character is determined. In illustration of the contradictions which the Roman infallibility gives itself, Dr. Whittaker has thus compared two authorised and infallible editions of the Scriptures : "Josh. ii. 18. The Clementine edition

6

reads, Signum fuerit-shall be a sign. The Sixtine edition reads, 'Signum non fuerit'shall not be a sign. (Josh. xi. 19.) The Clementine second edition reads, 'non fuit civitas, quæ se traderet filiis Israel, præter, &c.'-there was no city which yielded itself unto the children of Israel, but, &c. The Sixtine reads, non fuit civitas, quæ se non traderet filiis Israel, præter, &c.'-there was no city, which yielded not itself unto the children of Israel, but, &c." One more example will suffice. "Wisd. ii. 11. Sit autem fortitudo nostra lex Justitia,' is the reading of Clement.-let the law of righteousness be our strength. But Sixtus V. has it, 'Sit fortitudo nostra lex injustitiæ.'-let the law of unrighteousness be our strength.' In the same powerful manner, the Church of Rome is convicted in her charac'er of "an infallible hermeneutic interpreter of Scripture," of incapacity and error. Excellent remarks also are made on many versions: thus whilst Dr. Whittaker has employed himself in discomfiting Dr. Wiseman, he has at the same time enriched his letters with a most useful epitome of Biblical Literature. The arguments are perfect; the conclusions drawn are unavoidable; and Dr. Whittaker's Letters should adorn every theological library.

The History of Nottingham Castle, from the Danish Invasion, to its Destruction by Rioters in 1831. By John Hicklin, author of "Leisure Hours," "Literary Recreations," &c. London: Hamilton, Adams and Co. 1836, p. 320, 12mo.

We have always much pleasure in reading any thing from Mr. Hicklin's pen, because so far from finding, as we too often do, something which may offend the eye and hurt the feelings of the Christian, there is every thing to please and to instruct. Mr. Hicklin is an ardent lover of the Church of England, and never hesitates to manifest that love by his devotedness and zeal in its behalf, whenever called upon to do so; and from the prevalence of dissent, and much consequent animosity against the Church in Nottingham, that is very often. He is we know highly and deservedly respected in the town, and even by some of those who are religiously and politically opposed to him, and it would be well if the Church had more such zealous lay friends in every town and village in the kingdom.

66

But we must not write a history of Mr. Hicklin, but return to his interesting History of Nottinghain Castle," which, as the title intimates, was burnt down by rioters; that is, by reformers, during the time of the reform mania, when the poor deluded people were goaded on to acts of outrage by the seditious harangues of the Whigs, who cared not what they did to keep themselves in power and pay. Twentyone thousand pounds were awarded to the Duke of Newcastle, the owner of the property, for the damages done by the reformers. A report of the trial, which ended in his grace's favour, is given at the end of the volume. The work is illustrated by nine engravings, is written in a very agreeable style, and will richly repay a diligent perusal, which it will have if our advice to procure it be attended to.

The Little Villagers' Verse Book. By the Rev. W. L. Bowles, M.A. Rector of Bremhill, Wills, London: Simpkin and Marshall. 1837. 18mo. p. 36.

A very pleasing and interesting little book for children.

A Manual of Family Prayer, comprising three Weekly Courses of Morning and Evening Devotion 1. From the Authorised Formularies of the Church. II. From the new Manual of Devotion. III. From Jenks's Prayers and Offices: to which are added occasional Collects for the principal Feasts and Fasts of the Church. By the Rev. A. Horsfall, M.A of Queen's College, Cambridge. London: Parker. 1837. 12mo. pp. 160.

WE have given the title of this work at length because it well describes its character. Mr. Horsfall is one of those steady, sober-minded divines who are not to be turned aside from the path of truth and duty by the nonsense of the age; and he well deserves the thanks of the Church for the excellent compilation before us, which we beg strongly to recommend to our readers, not for perusal, but for actual and constant use. It is worth a thousand of the volumes of chaff which we some

times meet with.

D

Letters from an absent Godfather; or a Manual of Religious Instruction for Young Persons. By the Rev. J. E. Riddle, M.A. London: Longman & Co. 1837. 12mo. pp. 206.

THIS work, in a great measure, consists of extracts from several of our old standard divines, and some of the best moderns, and may be of considerable use, and would have been far better had it contained a chapter or two on the nature and constitution of the Christian Church, and another on the three orders of the ministry, and the mode of their appointment to their offices, and so forth-subjects of great importance at the present time. Bishop Beveridge's "Sermons on the Dignity, Office, and Authority of the Christian Priesthood," would have furnished the Author with right matter, and will well pay him for a thoughtful perusal.

Pastoral Recollections; in Six Letters to a Friend. By a Presbyter. London: Houlston & Co. THIS little work was written by the author, to alleviate the tedium of indisposition, and contains not fictions but facts which took place under his own eye. We are sorry that we have not room for extracts, but the less regret it, as the price of the work is such as to place it within the reach of a great number of our readers, to whom we most cordially recommend it, as not only interesting, but as breathing a delightful spirit of piety and calmness throughout.

Tales of the Martyrs; or Sketches from Church History. London: Dean and Munday. 1837. 18mo. pp. 224.

At a time when Popery is making rapid progress in our country and the world, any work which fairly exposes its enormities and cruelties ought now to be circu lated. This work contains a selection of instances of popish burnings and cruelties, which ought to be held up to the abhorrence of every Christian and Englishman. We cannot hesitate to wish it may be generally circulated.

On Restitution: Lot and his wife: The Rich Man: Christian Composure. By the Rev. F. Strauss, D.D., Chaplain to the King of Prussia, &c. &c. Translated from the German by Miss Slee. London: Wertheim, Aldersgate-street. 1837. 12mo. pp. 106.

THESE are four very good sermons, and form a striking contrast to the neological rubbish, of which Germany is so fruitful.

Miscellanea.

CANA OF GALILEE.

THIS place, called by the Arabs Keffer Keema, is now a poor little village, but possessing the purest and most delicious water possible-the best, the Christians of Palestine say, in the world. From it were the vessels filled for the marriage. The house is still shown in which the miracle was performed; and some earthen jars are sunk into the floor, which devout searchers for relics are made to believe were the very jars in use on that day. A church was built over the spot, which, like all others of a similar purpose, is in ruins. Some travellers have fancied that the same sort of waterpot is carried by the women now. We were not so fortunate as to witness the ceremony of drawing water; but none so large, at any rate, can be still in use. There are very few inhabitants in Cana; and it is, like other places, nearly washed away by the rain and snow. -Major Skinner.

THE CHIEF CAUSES OF DISSENT.

1. Education. 2. Prejudice. 3. Distance from Church. 4. Want of the preached Gospel, or of Church Room. 5. Ignorance. 6. Itching Ears. 7. Pride. 8. Ambition. 9. Offence. 10. Revenge. 11. Hypocrisy. 12. Love of Cant. 13. Eccentricity. 14. Disloyalty. 15. Heterodoxy. 16. Interest.