past finding out."* But something more is required by our prayer than the submission of our understandings to the divine dispensations: our wills must likewise submit. We must be ready to bear with patience whatsoever it pleases God to inflict upon us; assured that he who governs the world, will order all things wisely, and cause them to work together for the good of his people, it is our duty to rely upon him with entire and unshaken confidence; nor even, if possible, to desire that the affliction with which he visits us, may be withdrawn an hour sooner, or be inflicted with the smallest degree less of severity, than is necessary to answer the gracious purpose which he designs to accomplish by it. In all conditions we ought to be resigned, and to sacrifice our will to the will of God. Howsoever severe, howsoever opposed to our natural propensities be the adversity which oppresses us, formidable as the trial may be to which we are called, and bitter as may be the cup presented to us, after the example of him whose steps we are directed to fallow, it is our duty to submit, and say"thy will be done,"—" not as I will, but as thou wilt."+

Mr. Mendham, in distinguishing the meanings of the term Father, as applied to God, in reference to Christ, and in relation to his followers, observes, "that the mention of the appellation, your father,' as applied to the disciples, and my father, as applied to Christ, is very frequent; yet with such scrupulous attention was the distinction between the different senses of the appellation preserved, that when, after his resurrection, he ap peared to Mary, and he came to the very verge of confounding that distinction, he avoided the impropriety by a very significant repetition:-" Go," said he," to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God." We must confess that we do not, in this instance, see either how an impropriety was avoided, or how it was on the verge of existing.

In the description of the paternal mercy of God, which occurs in page 16, we think that a little too much of an thropomorphitism is admitted.

The author of the present work, with many others, supposes an indefinite quality, which he denominates the glory of God, to be the primary motive of his action, and makes the usual distinctions between justice, goodness, and mercy,

“ Rom. xi. $9.”

We cannot help thinking that christians frequently embarrass themselves by false distinctions between these attributes, and that important practical errors result from any other considerations of them than as different exhibitions of the same quality, goodness, the true glory of God, and the constituent principle of all moral rectitude.

We were sorry to see, from any quarter, any disparagement of the works of Dr. Paley, (see page 57) because we conceive him to be one of those writers on theological subjects, to whom the age is most indebted. We considered it as a pleasing presage of general improvement, in this most important branch of knowledge, that the use of some of his works was adopted in one of our universities; in short, we are inclined to apply to the learned archdeacon that eulogium which Quintilian gives to Tully:-" Ille se profecisse sciat, cui Cicero valde placebit;" and the converse of this proposition, we believe, will be found accurate.

With the theological sentiments of the respectable writer, we have at present little concern; they are, in this work, by its nature, in general rather assumed than proved. We are, however, surprized at his supposition, that the whole of what he esteems christianity, is deducible by a fair and natural interpretation from the words of this prayer.

The

We are sorry that Mr. Mendham, from many parts of whose work we have received much satisfaction, should give any occasion for the inculcation of an important moral quality, the very name of which appears to be now almost exploded by many writers of theological controversy, that of candour. word candour they seem to consider as implying something insidious, or at best as synonymous only with weakness of mind, and incompetency of judgment. By requesting candour, we do not require a man to abandon his judgment, or to surrender the importance of his opinions; we only expect, (what it surely is not too much to expect) when the many fallibilities of the human mind are con sidered, that he will admit the possibi lity, that they who dissent from him most widely in judgment, respecting important topics, may at least be sincere

↑ "Matth. xxvi, 42. and 99. See likewise Acts xxi. 14. Tertullian expresses this part of the sense of the prayer:-Jam hoc dicto ad sufferentiam nosmetipsos præmonemus.”

EVIDENCES OF REVEALED RELIGION.

ART. XIII. An Enquiry into the Necessity, Nature, and Evidences of Revealed Religion. By THOMAS ROBINSON, A. M. Rector of Ruan Minor, Cornwall. 8vo. pp. 303.

which, some of the Jews are of opinion, was made by the appointment of Moses himself; but which others, with greater appearance of probability, ascribe to Ezra. The Jews in tended that one of these sections should be read in the synagogues every Sabbath day. The number consisted of fifty-four; because in their intercalated years a month being added, there were fifty-four Sabbaths. In the other years, they reduced them again to forty-two, by joining together two short sections. They ended the last section with the last words of Deuteronomy, on the Sab-ed by the artful and designing against human bath of the feast of Tabernacles; and begun a-new with the first section from the beginning of Genesis, the next Sabbath after.Each of these sections was again subdivided into seven parts, for as many readers; every Isrelive having the privilege of reading, except women, slaves, and others, who were deemed incapable of doing it. Notwithstanding this privilege, a priest, a Levite, or some person of eminence, was usually selected in preference to those who were more uninformed; the latter being never permitted to begin till those of the former description had finished.† Till the time of the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes, they were accustomed to read the Law only; but that being prohibited from being read any longer, they substituted, in the room of it, fifty-four sections out of the Prophets. When the reading of the law was restored by the Maccabees, the section read on the Sabbath out of the Law served for the first lesson, and that out of the Prophets for the second. The reading of the Law, indeed, was not confined to the return of the Sabbath, as it was constantly rehearsed every seventh year, before all the people, at the feast of Tabernacles."

have taken the steps they did to accomplish their object? If they had no surer method of advancing their cause, than that with which their own efforts could have supplied them, they would have had recourse to those things which are commonly successful on similar occasions; they would have attempted to impose on the understandings of mankind by conciliation and flattery; they would have dazzled their imaginations by visionary prospects of future advantage; and would have inoved every engine, which is usually direct

As a very fair specimen of our author's method, we select the following passage, where, speaking of the prevalence of christianity, he observes,―

"Here then is an effect proceeding from a cause, according to human estimation, inadequate to produce it. Nothing similar, as far as we are informed, ever took place before or since. Can any one believe, that an obscure peasant, in an obscure country, with no better assistance than twelve poor fisher men, could have brought about so great and extraordinary a change by any possible mode of human exertion? or is it credible, that, without co-operation and support, they would

weakness. But these things, so often practised by others, could not be turned to advantage by them. They possessed neither influence, wealth, nor power; they had, (with few exceptions) neither abilities, learning, address, nor eloquence; so far indeed were they from aiming at allurement, that the method which they took of making converts to their cause, was likely to operate as an effectual discouragement. They attacked the obstinate and rooted prejudices universally entertained for the established forms of religious worship; and loudly condemned those darling follies, vices, and superstitions. to which mankind had shewn so long and fond an attachment; they exhorted their hearers to embrace a cause, which could not fail to involve them in the most serious evils; and to acknowledge the divine mission of one, whom, far from clothing with supernatural splendor, they represented as terminating a miserable life by an ignominious death. All they had to put into the opposite scale, was the promise of a recompence, invisible and distant; and of such a nature, as preconceived opinions must reasonably regard as chimerical and delusive. This address was not made in a dark age, or to a savage peonations of the earth, at a time when humare ple, but to the wisest and most enlightened learning and philosophy were at their greatest height, thus every motive that usually influences the mind of man, religion, custom, law, policy, pride, interest, vice, and even philosophy, were united against the Gospel. These are enemies at all times formidable and difficult to be subdued, even when attacked upon equal ground; but now entrenched and rendered inaccessible by the strongest bulwarks of civil power; yet against all these obstacles christianity struggled, and completely triumphed. It overturned the tem ples and altars of the gods; it silenced the

"This month was added between February and March; and was done, when the corn would not be ripe at the Passover, nor the fruits at Pentecost."

"The manner of reading the Law was as follows:-On Monday they began with that section which was proper for that week, and read it half way through; and on Thursday proceeded to read the remainder. On Saturday, which was their solemn Sabbath, they read the whole over again, both morning and evening. On week days they read it only in the moming; but on the Sabbath always repeated it in the evening, for the benefit of those who could not leave their work to attend the synagogues on week days."

The whole of the prophetical writings were not, like the Law, read over in public; but such parts only were selected for that purpose, as had a reference to the foregoing lesson

out of the Law."

ANN. REV. VOL. II.

L

oracles; it humbled the pride of emperors; it confounded the wisdom of philosophers; and introduced into the most civilized nations of the world a new principle of virtue and religion. This extraordinary influence and authority it has maintained for nearly eighteen hundred years; it has been looked up to as the certain and unerring road, not only to present, but future happiness; and is still regarded by the wise and good, as a system founded by the gracious Saviour and Deliverer of mankind."

One defect pervades the volume: the want of references to the authorities upon which the writer has depended. Such references would have been of great utility, not only in confirming what the author has advanced, but in introducing others to the same sources of information as those from which he has himself drawn.

ART. XIV. Abrégé des principales Preuves de la Vérité et de la Divinité de la Religion Chretienne, par Beilly Porteus, Seigneur Evique de Londres. Traduit de l'Anglois sur la septième Edition, et dedié avec permission à Monseigneur l'Eveque de Londres, par J. L. CHIROL, Pasteur à Londres. 12mo. pp. 164.

THE original of this work is too well known, and too generally admired, to need our commendation and our praise. M. Chirol has performed no mean service to the public, by translating this valuable compendium with faithfulness and elegance, into a language. more widely used than that in which it was originally composed; and for the

sake of the interests of christianity, we earnestly wish that its circulation may be as extensive amongst young persons, upon the Continent, as the original has been among the young persons of cur own island.

Some notes are added by the translator, which form a valuable addition to the text.

ART. XV. The Mild Tenor of Christianity: an Essay. 8vo. pp. 159. THE advertisement prefixed to this little work, will exhibit the design, and something of the manner of the author:

«The design of this essay is to revert to the original departure from the simplicity and Jenient character of the christian doctrine, and to pursue the deviating stream through all its wanderings till it was checked by the mound of reformation; and in the second part of this essay I propose to offer some remarks on the same deviating stream as it glides along with less aberration in its min gled state. This scheme involves a number of celebrated personages, whose characters will be surveyed under a new aspect

Next will be considered the more culivated parts of British christianity; to which will be added, an account of some charitable institutions on the Continent, with a cursory

life of Vincent de Paul, whose name is not familiar to the English reader.

"Some reflections will then be offered on controversial pulpit discourses, as hostile to the spirit of christian ethics; which naturally lead to a critique on the Master of the Teniple.

"Some observations then occur relative to biblical expositions, with strictures upon the Reverend William Gilpin; concluding with remarks on the sombre morality of Dr. Johnson."

Conformably with this design, the author, with some appearance of order, has brought together much miscellaneous matter, illustrative of the mild genius

of christianity, when rightly professed; and of the bigotry and austerity which have characterised those who have mistaken its proper spirit. He begins by select ing passages from the scriptures to prove, according to his own too often inflated language," that the emanative benevo lence of the Father of the Universe rushes forward to all his children."Page 3. From these he passes to the writings of the fathers, and to the origin of monkish institutions. Anecdotes are interspersed, of St. Anthony, Alfred, Peter the Hermit, St. Bruno, St. Ber nard, and others. Approaching the re formation, he celebrates the virtues of Grosteste, Las Casas, and Wickliffe; and we are entertained with a specimen of the religious farces which were once in such great request. From the period which has elapsed since the reformation, the author has selected several eminent characters, who have honoured, by the

mildness and excellence of their conduct, the faith they professed to maintain.Amongst these we meet with the names of Sadolet, Montaigne, Vincent de Paul, Fenelon, Addison, and Rundle.

Our readers will be interested by the following account of Vincent de Paul:

"He was born 1756, in a village near the Pyrennees. He was educated at a monastery in the same village, and distinguished him