may be terms employed in the courts of Scotland. The following are not good English:-"I have just come to learn," "I have got no money" for I have no money, "you have plenty authors" for plenty of authors, "listen to their respective deliverances for statements or declarations, "who you allege to have." In page 195, "to expiscate the truth," seems to be a new coinage. As the translation was written for private use only, it was very natural that vernacular idioms should be employed; but when presented to the world it is desirable that the style should be in every respect pure English.

But we turn with pleasure from these few and minor blemishes to the solid excellences of the work. The translator fully understands his subject; with all the circumstances connected with these letters, and with all the persons and events referred to, he appears to be thoroughly acquainted. Prefixed to the work is an Historical Introduction of seventy-nine pages, full of valuable information, and admirably written. And in the body of the work there are many illustrative notes, some of them the translator's, and many of them taken from the very copious notes appended to Nicole's edition of the letters. A portrait of Pascal, "taken from a striking and spirited engraving by Edelinck," is also given.

We sincerely thank Mr. M'Crie for this seasonable production, "when general attention has again been directed to the popish controversy, and when such strenuous exertions are being made by the Jesuits to regain influence in this country,"-Preface. In 1804 the order of the Jesuits was again restored by Pius VII., who declared in re-establishing it, that he should "deem himself guilty of a great crime towards God, if, amidst the dangers of the Christian republic, he should neglect to employ the aid which the special providence of God had put in his power, and, if placed in the bark of St. Peter, and tossed by continual storms, he should refuse to employ the vigorous and experienced rowers who volunteer their services." They

have accordingly been employed, and the result has been sufficiently apparent in the great revival of papal effort and papal power since that period. The effects have been felt in France;-not only through the catholic but in most of the protestant states of Europe;the valley of the Mississippi has felt it; Otaheite has felt it; and most of the missionary stations of Great Britain are now feeling it.

We shall close with an extract from the Concluding Reflections of the translator.

"The policy of the society, as hitherto exhibited in the countries where they have settled, describes a regular cycle of changes. Commencing with loud professions of charity, of liberal views in politics, and of an accommodating code of morals, they succeed in gaining popularity among the non-religious, the dissipated, and the restless portion of society. Availing themselves of this, and carefully concealing, in a protestant country, the more obnoxious parts of their creed, their next step is to plant some of the most plausible of their apostles in the blish schools and seminaries on the most charitaprincipal localities, who are instructed to estable footing, so as to ingratiate themselves with the poor, while they secure the contributions of the rich; to attack the credit of the most active and influential among the evangelical ministry; to revive old slanders against the reformers; to disseminate tracts of the most alluring description; and, when assailed in turn, to deny every thing and to grant nothing. Rising by these means to power and influence, they gradually monopolize the seats of learning and the halls of theology-they glide, with noiseless steps, into closets, cabinets, and palaces-they become the dictators of the public press, the persecutors of the good, and the oppressors of all public and private liberty. At length, their treacherous designs being discovered, they rouse against themselves the storm of natural passions, which, descending on them first as the authors of the mischief, sweeps away along with them, in its headlong career, every thing that bears the aspect of that active and earnest religion, under the guise of what they had succeeded in duping mankind. What portion of this cycle they have reached among us, it is needless to demonstrate."

Memoirs of the late Christmas Evans of Wales. By DAVID RHYS STEPHEN. London: Aylott and Jones. 12mo. pp. viii, 292. Cloth. The sketch of this celebrated preacher's

career which we have presented to our readers will doubtless induce many to obtain the volume. It would be a great mistake to sup pose that we have given all that was worth

admission into the church, and is an exposition of the scripture doctrine of the Deity in contrast with the errors and absurdities of the Parsis. Both these youths have been preparing for the ministry, one at Bombay and the other at Edinburgh, the latter of whom is on the point of returning to India to labour among his countrymen. There is an introduction, containg an account of the settlement of the Parsis in Western India; and an appendix, containing an explanation of the proceedings adopted by that community against Dr. Wilson in the supreme court of judicature at Bombay. We commend this little volume to our readers as very interesting and instructive.

The Commission given by Jesus Christ to his Apostles Illustrated. And a Sermon on the Assurance of Hope. By ARCHIBALD MCLEAN, one of the Pastors of the Baptist Church, Edinburgh. With a Memoir of the Author, by W. Jones, A. M. Tenth Edition, Elgin: 12mo. pp. 297. Price 3s. 6d.

The sight of this volume affords us much pleasure, especially as it is to be followed by another containing select works by the same author, should the publisher meet with that encouragement which he anticipates. Mr. McLean held some peculiarities which we do not admire; but if all professedly Christian teachers were like him, we believe that the brightest visions of Isaiah would very speedily be realized.

Josephus. New Translation, by Dr. TRAILL. Illustrated. Part II. London : 8vo. pp. 76. Price 5s.

Interesting explanations are given, in this part, of the design and character of the pictorial embellishments with which this work is richly adorned. They are intended to subserve three distinct purposes. The first "is the general one of aiding the conceptions of the reader, in an agreeable manner, while perusing the narrative of Josephus, and enabling him to bring before his mind, graphically, the scene of any signal transaction, as well as the aspects of the country where the events took place." Another class of the plates "will be brought forward in direct elucidation of some particular passage of Josephus; and in most cases they will tend, along with the accompanying explanations, to vouch for his accuracy and veracity in a strik. ing manner, while occasionally they may serve to correct or modify his statements. There is yet a class, the intention of which, with the attendant explanations, will be "to elucidate certain points of Jewish archeology, that are more or less intrinsically important, although not attaching to such or such a book or chapter of the writings of Josephus." The accompanying dissertations on the vaulted passages which have been discovered under the temple and the massive architecture connected with them, of which also plates are given, are very fascinating. One of the engravings is the head of Pompey, taken from a coin in the British Museum.

VI. Watt and Cavendish: Composition of Water.-VII, State of Ireland. Edinburgh: Kennedy. 8vo. pp. 272.

In the leading article of this able quarterly, the chief purposes and characteristics of the work are described thus :-"Let us proclaim it as the great and distinctive feature that we should wish to see henceforth impressed upon this department of the journal-the most special service which through its medium we should like were rendered to society-the best and worthiest honour, in short, to which it can aspire-is that it shall ably acquit itself as a defender of the Christian faith, intact and entire, against those new and unwonted forms of infidelity which are so rife and rampant in our day, whether springing up in our own land, or imported from abroad."..... "In conclusion, let us observe that, as we disclaim for this review all partisanship in politics, so with like earnestness do we disclaim for it all sectarianism in things ecclesiastical. We utterly repudiate its being our aim to advance the objects of any one denomination in the church of Christ, though we shall ever regard it as a high and holy endeavour to advance the objects of the church universal. On this sacred theme our alone directory is the bible, and our alone desire is to speed forward the cause of truth and righteousness in the world."

The Widower's Counsellor and Comforter. By the Rev. NATHANIEL ROWTON, Coventry. With a Preface, by the Rev. John Angell James. London: Johnstone. 18mo. pp. 177.

a

address to widowers, and addresses to After Mr. James's preface there is a general young widower, a middle-aged widower, an aged widower, and some concluding reflections. The design is good, and the execution respectable.

Consolation in Life and Death; wherein is showed that Interest in Christ is a Ground of Comfort under all the Troubles of Life and Terrors of Death. Also, how they that have an interest in Christ may retain the same. Begun in a Funeral Sermon occasioned by the Death of Mrs. Ellen Asty, and since much enlarged. By OWEN STOCKTON, late Minister of the Gospel at Colchester, in Essex. London: R. T. S. 24mo. pp. 136.

A little volume that will be highly prized by all those who reverence the doctrines of scripture, delight to see them expressed in scripture words, and do not object to the stiffness and manifold divisions of a sermon which appears to have been preached about the middle of the seven

teenth century.

A Discourse on the Forgiveness of Sins, addressed to Anxious Inquirers. Also a Defence of the Discourse; in a Series of Familiar Conversations on some of the Leading Truths of the Gospel. London: Simpkin, Marshall, and Co. pp. 140.

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something different from what this pamphlet supplies. The "Defeuce" is as little to our taste as the "Discourse."

The Forgiveness of Sin, and the Means of Attaining a Personal Assurance of it. By the Rev. T. EAST, Birmingham. Glasgow: Macklehose. 16mo. pp. 185.

This is a valuable treatise. The author evidently possesses a philosophical habit of mind, a rich fund of such facts as serve the purpose of useful illustration, great veneration for the truths of scripture, and a piety matured by the discipline of many years' experience. The titles of the principal chapters into which it is divided, convey an idea of the work :-"I. The Theory of Redemption Defective, unless provision be made to convey to Believers in Christ a Knowledge that their Sins are forgiven, and that their salvation is absolutely certain.11. How a Knowledge of the Forgiveness of Sin is Acquired and Sustained, and what is its Practical Tendency.-III. The Charge brought against those who profess to have Attained, or who are labouring to Attain this Knowledge, Examined and Repelled."

Philosophy of the Plan of Salvation. A Book for the Times. By an American Citizen. London: R. T. S. Monthly Series. Price 6d. This is a book to be perused slowly and repeatedly. We have read it through once, and if we had leisure to indulge ourselves so far, we would read it through again. It illustrates admirably what the apostle Paul calls the manifold wisdom of God"-the wisdom of God in his plan for reconciling sinners to himself through Christ, and in the preparatory measures which preceded the full development of the gospel scheme. We rejoice to learn that this volume is selling rapidly.

Observations on Sunday School Instruction: being the Substance of an Address delivered to Sunday School Teachers. By the Rev. JOHN GREGG, A.B., Minister of Trinity Church. Dublin: Curry and Co. 18mo. pp. 83.

An admirable address, fraught with evangelical sentiment and judicious counsel, and written in a singularly vigorous and aphoristical style. The Triumph of Henry VIII. over the Usurpations of the Church, and the Consequences of the Royal Supremacy; a Paper read to the Philosophical Institute, September 25th, 1846. By GEORGE OFFOR, Esq. Published at the Unanimous Request of the President and Members. London: Campkin. pp. 77.

Many persons have been deluded by the writings of the late Mr. Cobbett and others of his school into the belief that the nation was in a better state before the reformation than it has been since. This small volume is well adapted to undeceive them. As an assertion of civil supremacy over the clergy who had claimed exemption from the control of the laws, the act of supremacy was, as the author shows, perfectly just; though, if he had done all that his title-page professes, illustrating "the Consequences " of the Royal Supremacy, he must

VOL. X.-FOURTH SERIES.

have unfolded very much for the reception of which it is probable that he did not think his audience prepared.

The Young Physician. A Narrative Founded on Facts. By MRS. PAXTON, Author of "The Veil Lifted," &c. Edinburgh.

In this volume there is much to admire, combined with not a little that is liable to objection. The author's design appears to be to enlist the sympathy of Christians on behalf of that large and unhappy class of our fellow creatures usually described as "unfortunate females." Such an object cannot fail to secure the approval of all the humane and virtuous. It is gratifying to add, that the whole is replete with correct religious sentiment. Of the ability manifested in constructing the tale into which the "facts" are woven we cannot speak so favourably, and as to the composition, it is glaringly defective.

ASIA.

HINDRANCES TO THE GOSPEL IN CHINA.

The Calcutta Christian Observer for December last contains some extracts from the journal of a native Christian assistant missionary in China, named Cheng, which furnishes pointed illustrations of the fact, that the great obstacie among the heathen to the reception of the gospel is the misconduct of professed Christians.

An inquirer said, "Sir, how many years is it from the time of Jesus until now, and how far is it from Judea to the Central Land ?" I replied, "It is 1846 years since the birth of Jesus. If the wind is fair you can go to Judea in about two months." He replied, "The red-haired men who distribute these books, also sell opium: this is false benevolence." I said, Foreigners are good and bad; the good worship God, believe in Jesus, do good, and love all men as themselves: the wicked are the avaricious who do not worship God, and do not believe in Jesus. Hereafter God will punish and reward the good and bad of all nations." I gave books and came away.

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A gentleman from the Shangtung province called and said, "This is the place of a foreigner who has come to teach men the Roman catholic religion, is it not so?" I replied, "That religion and the religion of Jesus are widely different; the Roman catholics are like the Buddhists, they use idols." After the preaching, he said, "The doctrine is excellent, but why do the disciples of Jesus sell opium, nor forbid it coming to the flowery land ?" I said, “You are in error; there are good and bad of all nations; if all men were the disciples of Jesus, there would be no unjust gains: as for opium, the Chinese are to blame for taking what the foreigners so wickedly bring them. It is not given away, but is as dear as pearls. The opium-eaters are their own destroyers: they

do not die from violence."

In the afternoon, many children came to worship. I discoursed on the creation of the world, and the coming of Jesus. Many hearers were present. An old man said, "What you say is reasonable, but the redhaired men sell opium, and in other things act improperly, how can they exhort men about God ?"

Next day, after preaching, many said, "It is difficult to believe the red-haired men's religion, and selling opium."

I went out to proclaim the gospel, my teacher accompanying me. When he had discoursed, several said, "This is a foreigner devoted to carrying out the opium-trade. How can he exhort men to believe in Jesus and to do good? If he gives away medicines, he ought to cure opium-smokers."

On worship day, I spake first of God the creator of all things, and then of Jesus' dying to save men. The words were not finished when some men said, "That man's teacher is a foreigner who sells opium, how can you hear him talk of justice and harmony ?" I said, "He does not sell opium; but not fearing the sea, has come thousands of miles to teach men to worship the true God." They said, "Why does he give away medicines, and exhort men against opium, and not cure so many opium-smokers?"

The editor of the Calcutta Christian Observer adds, "It is lamentable to hear on every hand of the great obstacle to the progress of the truth which is presented by the opium-trade, a traffic sanctioned by the government of India, and from which it derives a considerable revenue. Romanists and protestants equally bear testimony to this, that the opium-trade, so baneful to the physical and moral health of the people, and prejudicial to the moneyed interests of the Chinese empire, is the great obstacle to the spread of the gospel. At every step the Christian missionary is met with the charge,

You are a nation of opium-dealers; on the one hand you preach peace and life, on the other you spread disease, poverty, and death.'"

THE KARENS.

In the New York Christian Observer we find so compendious an account of this interesting people, that we doubt not that it will be acceptable to many of our readers, though some of them are probably familiar

with the facts to which it refers. It is derived from an address delivered in public by Mr. Abbot, who had been for ten years a missionary in and near Burmah.

All the present missions among them are east or west of Burmah. About 1500 or 1600 of these people are now in Arracan, a long strip of coast between the Bengal sea and mountains separating it from Burmah. They have no government. These Karens had neither written language nor religion until