In the case before us, the translator evidently feels this, and tells us, in his notes, (see pp. 149-152, note vii. in the Appendix,) that he thinks that Plank would push the thing too far, that he has been obliged to alter, modify, and omit. Now this is a serious objection to this publication. Why give us mischief perpetually? Why make it necessary, as in the case of Ammon's most silly and miserable trash, to have an antidote in the note by having poison in the text? There are two more treatises on interpretation coming out in this work. They are not wanted, and, in as far as they partake of this spirit, will be mischievous, and will tend, as far as they have any effect at all, to lower our reverence for scripture. It may be said that this particular book seeks to correct some of the German extravagances. This is very true. It was written forty years ago, when the accommodation-madness was at its height; and the seeking to correct the height of that madness, was making so many steps backwards towards a sound faith. But, as the principle is admitted in this book, while it has never been so among us, with us it is making so many steps forward to a false and degraded view. Men's standard will be lowered, even where they do not admit the evil principles themselves.

What, again, is the use of the long lists of books? Be it remembered that most of these are forgotten in Germany; that these new lights have long ago been extinguished there, because the Neologists have newer, and that the critical authority of such of these books as ever had any is gone. But if they were not so, would not the Leipsic fair list be just as useful to English students, since no remarks, admonition, or direction about these books is given? It is on such long lists as these, however, that the fame of German learning in divinity mostly rests. The writer has always looked in vain for real scholarship among the German divines, except in three or four cases, and they who are perpetually repeating, parrot-like, without examination, this note of German learning, are doing very serious harm to English learning.

Essay on Church Patronage; or, a Brief Inquiry, on the ground of Scripture and Antiquity, into the people's right of choosing their own Ministers. Blackwood: Edinburgh. 1835.

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THE subject of church patronage is continually rising in importance throughout England as well as Scotland. The dissenters find that the people's Wright divine and indefeasible" of choosing their own minister, is the stronghold of what is termed the voluntary system, and are urging the claim everywhere with indefatigable zeal. They are much assisted in their pernicious labours by the unguarded concessions made by Bingham, Bilson, Field, Rattray, Father Paul, and other eminent ecclesiastical antiquaries, from whom sounder views might have been expected. It is absolutely necessary to put down this popular pretension, for the people never will be satisfied if what they conceive to be their right is not conceded to them. It is matter of surprise that no writer on either side of the Tweed has attempted, since the establishment of the Voluntary Church Association, to take up the question on the grounds of scripture and antiquity. This service is, however, now performed in a pamphlet of no common learning, research, and ability, and the subject is so handled, that, if argument were of much use in these days, we should not hear much more of the people's right to choose their own minister.

Charges, &c., delivered to the Clergy of the Diocese of Barbados. By the Right Rev. W. H. Coleridge, D.D., Bishop of Barbados, &c. London: Rivingtons. 1835. 8vo. pp. 350.

THIS Volume" exhibits fully the peculiar character of a West-Indian diocese, the nature and increasing extent of the wants of the people," and commends them to the faithful zeal and abundant liberality “of the members of

our pure and apostolic church," as its admirable author states. Anything more interesting or more important than such a statement, from such a source, it is difficult to imagine. The truly pastoral character of the charges, the eloquence and piety of the sermons, and the importance of the statistics at the close, make this one of the most valuable books which have come from the press for a very long time. The public will learn from it, not only the wants of the diocese of Barbados, but the inestimable blessing which it enjoys in such a head as Bishop Coleridge.

The Book of the Heart; or, Plain Meditations. By the Rev. James Jones, M.A., of New Church. Oxford: Talboys. 12mo.

A PLEASING volume of really Christian and practical meditations.

An Exposition of Romans IX.; with the Banner of Justification Displayed. By J. Goodwin, M.A. To which is added, Eionvoμaxia, with a Preface. By T. Jackson. London: Baynes and Son. 1835. 8vo. pp. 530. THE public owes some gratitude to Mr. Jackson (the eminent Wesleyan) for the republication, in so very handsome a form, of this standard work of Goodwin's, in which the Arminian doctrine is most ably advocated. Goodwin's ironical preface to the lord mayor and aldermen, as a theological council, is first-rate in its way.

New England and her Institutions. By one of her Sons. Seeley and Burnside. 1835.

THIS is a very amusing portrait of New England, by a New Englander, a clever, coarse man, sketching, with deep interest, scenes to which he has been long familar. The religious sketches are most curious, and are, certainly, anything but favourable to the voluntary system. The English editor has put in some very valuable remarks. Among other things he shews, that a table of the Religious in America, given in the work (from an American periodical), makes the Christians there more than seventeen millions, while the whole population, in 1830, was under thirteen! The chapter called "The Church,” and the perfect insensibility of the author to the flat contradiction between his facts and inferences is very amusing. The History of the Village Choir is as odd as anything can well be.

Delineations, Graphical and Descriptive, of Fountain Abbey. By J. and H. S. Storer. With Historical Notices. Quarto. pp. 158. Longman and Co., London; Stevenson, Cambridge; Langdale, Ripon.

THIS volume will be a source of great pleasure and interest to all who delight in seeing the architectural remains of our country beautifully illustrated by the art of engraving. The "Graphical Delineations" consist of sixteen fine engravings, and two vignettes; whilst the "Descriptive and Historical Notices," which accompany them, furnish very interesting details respecting this beautiful ruin and its former denizens. The Appendix gives, among other matter, some curious extracts from John de Wageby's poem, called, "Clavis Scientiæ." John de Wageby was a monk of Fountain's Abbey in the fourteenth century; and these extracts are taken from the selections, published by Mr. Walker, from the MS. of the late Mr. Heber.

Sermons; by the Rev. H. Gauntlett. With a Memoir of the Author. In 2 vols. London: Seeley and Burnside. 1835.

No one can read the account of Mr. Gauntlett, by his daughter, without being impressed with a complete belief that he was a very excellent man,

though they may not agree in his views, nor approve of the way in which his biographer speaks of many persons and things. Mr. Gauntlett writes clearly and pleasantly, and these volumes will doubtless be very acceptable to those who agree in his views. Miss Gauntlett has added some letters of the poet Cowper, for the purpose of shewing that religion was not the cause of his melancholy. There can be no doubt that there was derangement about him from an early period, and, consequently, it would be extremely unjust to impute his sufferings to religion. But these letters prove nothing, one way or the other. They are as painful letters as can be imagined-an account of the feelings of a man of high genius believing himself irrecoverably lost, and beyond God's power to retrieve. They are full of genius and of beauty, but such melancholy exhibitions of human infirmity should never be published.

Sermons on the Gospels. By the Rev. James Wheeler. 2 vols. London: Keating.

THEse are sermons by a Roman catholic clergyman, and consequently it will not be expected that anything should be said as to their doctrine. But they deserve most honourable and respectful mention for their classical and scholar-like composition, for their gentle and Christian feeling, and for their true and genuine piety.

An Address to the Curates of the Church of England on Church Reform. By a Clergyman of the Establishment. Norwich: Printed for Simpkin and Marshall.

1833.

Ir any one likes to waste half-a-crown in seeing a clerygyman (if he be one) exhibit his Christian temper by abusing his brethren-his veracity and charity, by representing a large mass of them as mere idlers, hunters, and card-players

his wisdom, by representing all incumbents as revelling in riches, &c., or his judgment by repeating, as novelties, in the dullest way, all the old thousand times-repeated tales about the offences caused by the phrases "most religious," and the rest of the regular list of sins of the liturgy, he had better buy this pamphlet. Or if a dissenter likes to see the Christian way in which this clergyman ridicules the twang and cant of the conventicle, and his exceeding reprobation of such vulgar persons as dissenting ministers thinking of taking orders, he too had better expend his money on this work. The writer's sovereign remedy for all evil is, the popular election of all clergy. But, with the true Puritan feeling, after denouncing all prelates, and potentates, and all their riches, he is inclined to keep a very fast grasp of the tithes. He could find at least 500 better pamphlets than his own, written by the presbyterian ministers in King Charles's time-better (bad as they are) in sense and in Christian temper. As to wasting time in refuting propositions for popular elections of clergy—or, in other words, for getting rid of the gospel, by inventing a system in which that only shall be preached which the corrupt heart of man will receive with pleasure-it would be too idle. And everything else in this pamphlet has been said and answered so often, that it would be equally idle to undertake that part. Indeed, it is so precisely like twenty or thirty which came out three or four years ago, that it may very likely be one of them with a new title-page. They went on till every one was weary, and the authors found that publishing their wisdom cost and lost them some 30l. or 401. a-piece, and that nobody read it after all. This gentleman is trying his fortune now that the swarm of similar productions has passed away.

The Voluntary System. Parts III., IV., and V. Rivingtons.

It is to be hoped that this short, amusing, curious, and instructive work is as widely read as it ought to be. It is a complete exposure of the minutiae of the

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voluntary system, by one who knows it well, in a perfectly Christian temper. They would be strange persons who could deliberately leave the "compulsory" for the "voluntary" system after reading these pamphlets.

Speeches delivered at a Meeting held to present a Bible, &c., to the Rev. Hammond Roberson, of Heald's Hall.

MR. ROBERSON is a gentleman whose talents, high character, and munificent sacrifices of money and time to the church, deservedly command the respect and gratitude of all who know them. The neighbouring clergy did themselves the honour of shewing their sense of his services by a present of splendid books, and held a meeting to present them. The speeches of Mr. Atkinson and Mr. Roberson will be read with sincere pleasure by all who desire to uphold high principles. And Mr. Gathercole will, if he will control his expressions, be able to render signal service to the church. Altogether, the occasion, the meeting, and the sentiments, do the highest honour to all the parties concerned.

The Morning and Evening Prayers of the Church of England in Hebrew. London: Duncan and Co.

THIS translation comes from the London Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews, and is highly creditable to them in every way. Their object is to obtain the criticisms of Hebraists before the publication of the entire prayer-book, in order to avoid errors, and they hope in every successive edition to get more and more corrections. This is the plan dictated by good sense, and the only one which will answer. They state that many of the foreign Jews consider Christianity as an idolatrous system and without any public prayers. The Jews, again, think that no prayer should be offered except in Hebrew. If, therefore, we wish them to read our liturgy, it must be in Hebrew.

Memoir of Bishop Heber. By Thomas Taylor, Author of "The Life of Cowper." London: Hatchards. 12mo. pp. 512.

MR. TAYLOR, just as in his Life of Cowper, has given, in a compendious form, most of the interesting details of the life of the admirable Bishop Heber. He has great good feeling, and an earnest wish to avoid giving offence. Before another edition he should get some friend to read the work, and free it from a few vulgarisms and errors, such as writing him, taking up his degree, inducted (for presented), the constant use of the doctor and his lordship, &c. &c.

Or three works published in Numbers, and spoken of with the praise which is their full due, one (Billington's Architectural Director) is just finished, and a very useful work it is; while the others, Beattie's Switzerland, and the Memorials of Oxford, are going on with their usual beauty.

MISCELLANEA.

DIOCESAN SOCIETIES FOR BUILDING CHURCHES AND CHAPELS. It may be right to call the attention of those who are anxious to promote that most important object, the building churches and chapels, to the views on which the Church Building Society has proceeded-namely, to give no assistance to the building of any church or chapel which either has not a district attached to it, or, if that is not the case, where the minister is not dependent

on the incumbent of the parish. They who desire to uphold our parochial system, in which the cure of souls is committed to one person in chief, who believe that to be a wise and beneficial system, and who dread the setting up altar against altar-i. e., the placing one clergyman in another's parish, but in a condition of entire independence-will take care that their contributions to diocesan societies are devoted to cases which fall within one or other of these two descriptions-viz., churches with a specific district cut off from the mother parish and committed to the minister of the new church, or churches, the minister of which is dependent on the parish minister. There is a great tendency just now to build churches, the patronage of which is placed in certain trustees, who will appoint incumbents wholly without reference to the parish priest, and who, consequently, will not act with him.

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It should be noticed as a curious fact, that the two dioceses of Chester and Lichfield and Coventry, have alone received above one-fourth of the whole sum expended by the Church Building Society. It may surely be doubted whether other dioceses would not do well to direct their efforts to replenish the treasury of the London Society. It was stated in one of the meetings of the Lichfield Diocesan Society, that the London Society's rules allowed them only to give one-fourth of the expense to be incurred in each case, and that this was a reason for the formation of the Diocesan Society, as the parishes were so poor that this aid is not enough. But on coming to figures, it appears that the London Society has given more than one-third to the cases in Lichfield. How is this?

A SMALL HARVEST OF REFORM PLANS.

THE "Times" has in one day's paper, from various correspondents, the following:

"A Friend to the Church" recommends that the principle of not touching vested interests shall be rigorously adhered to, but that all large incomes shall, nevertheless, be immediately touched-that, besides all the ministerial reforms, church patronage should be reformed, and the people be allowed to have great influence in electing their ministers. Then this kind writer advises that the incomes of all church sinecures, and the overplus of all redundant church sinecures, and of all unnecessary chapter situations, shall be thrown into a fund for effecting the leading object of ministerial reform that impro priations should be made to contribute-that the best application of Queen Anne's bounty should be a part of the preparation of the church reform.

Oh! happy we! who have such clear and wise heads busy about us. Then "W. H. E.," Oxon, states, with most unblushing falsehood, that the curate's stipend is fixed by law at 80l. per annum, and demands that it shall be increased according to the benefice and population; the said "W. H. E." knowing full well that this is the lowest salary which the law allows, and in parishes only where the population is under 300, and that in all other cases it rises progressively with the population, and that the curate has the whole living, if it does not amount (as may often be the case) to the sum which the law allots to the curate. "W. H. E." wishes to see the imperiousness of the higher clergy restrained, (by law, doubtless,) and the curate better paid. "H. R." wishes translation of bishops to be done away, except to London, York, and Canterbury..

A Conservative" says, that no reform will be satisfactory unless twothirds of the parish approve the appointment. Indeed reform will be a farce without this. All church property should be thrown into one fund; the bishops turned out of the House of Lords, and allowed 3000l. a year each; Deans and chapters done away with, and their money used for general church purposes. Then church rates should be done away, &c. &c. 2 T

VOL. VII.-March, 1835.