as,

from "Brixton Hill." To the second is appended the signature, "M. H. Miall;" to the third, that of "Anne Porter." The writers, however, are various, as indicated by various Christian names; "Robert,' "Elizabeth," "Catherine," ," "Mary Hannah," "Anne," &c. We have sometimes, in guessing at the source, thought of a kind of "Quaker Evangelism;" sometimes, of some good "Plymouth Brethren;" but we can give no certain information, where we have none to give. We have told the reader what we think, and more will not be asked from us.

The World to come. By the Rev. James Cochrane, A.M., one of the Ministers of Cupar. Foolscap 8vo. pp. 404. Edinburgh, Myles Macphail: London, Charles Edmonds.-As far as we can understand Mr. Cochrane's scheme, it may thus be described :-The present world is to be the scene of the future felicity of the saints. Christ, personally, will come suddenly as "Judge of quick and dead." The resurrection shall take place. The wicked shall be judged; the world being then as it generally is; the prophetic declarations respecting the future spread of the Gospel receiving their accomplishment in this future state. The day of judgment is rather a period than a real day before an actual judgment tribunal, and the Judge on his throne retribution and reward are to follow the Redeemer's advent. The earth will be destroyed and changed; but, previously, though after this personal advent, a season of retribution will inter

vene.

Many

we can generally recommend. texts, though they seem to support parts of his plan considered in themselves, do not appear to us to support them viewed in relation to the system. And many texts still remain which the system can only take by immensely lowering them. With all the ability and impressiveness here exhibited, to us it appears that "the World to come" is, in reality, not at all explained.

Prevention better than Cure; or, the Moral Wants of the World we live in. By Mrs. Ellis, Author of "the Women of England," &c. 12mo. pp. vi, 336. Fishers. We are not sure whether we should not call this Mrs. Ellis's best work. At all events, now that so much earnest attention is directed to the important question of education, it is one of the most valuable contributions which have been furnished towards the right solution of a complicated, and therefore difficult, problem. It deserves entire and very thoughful perusal. The au

thor refers to the mass of evils the existence of which is so generally acknowledged, and so deeply deplored; and expresses the thankfulness she feels that so much is done for their cure. But she says, and never was the maxim more justly applied, "Prevention is better than cure." She calls the attention of her readers to moral education: moral, not as contrasted with what is inmoral and vicious, but as distinguished from what is merely physical and intellectual. Moral light must be communicated; moral principles implanted; moral habits formed. Man is a physical and an intellectual being; but he is also, and chiefly, a moral being in childhood, therefore, he must be morally instructed, morally trained. From no education, in which this is neglected, does she anticipate the results for the sake of which the demand for education is now so loudly and powerfully made. And she is right: right theoretically, as every reader of her present work who reads with a willingness to perceive the truth, must acknowledge; and right in fact. Let any one who doubts this, look at modern French literature, and where there is honesty, doubt can no longer possibly exist. However high the physical and mental culture, if the moral man have been neglected, all else seems worse than vain. And here comes in that wonderful book, the book of books, God's book, proved to be such by so many arguments, but especially by this solemn fact, that whenever, in the progress of social inquiry, some particular want is detected, and the true

What this is, we cannot understand. Some writers think there will be awful trials and judgments before the final coming of Christ. Mr. Cochrane, as we understand him, puts it after. But man will then be immortal; for the resurrection will be past, though not the general conflagration. Christ is to reign on earth; but this is the heavenly and eternal reign. It may be our dulness, but after reading the volume, we seem to understand the scheme, as an entire and connected whole, no more than before. It is not millenarianism, but eternalism. We can speak better of it as a volume of detached parts. Many of the observations, thus considered, are scripturally just, and very impressive. The judicious and pious reader, thus viewing it, will find much that is truly edifying; but, taking it as the enunciation of a scheme, religious readers, as they ordinarily occur, would be more likely to be puzzled and unsettled than profited. It is, therefore, by no means a volume that

method of supply pointed out, that book is seen to have known the want from the beginning, and from the beginning to have indicated the supply. We can never expand beyond its wisdom, nor arrive at altitudes where its teaching and guidance can no longer be serviceable. If we see not the miracles of a former age, the book itself involves a perpetual miracle: claiming to be from God, it always exhibits its undeniably superhuman character. Yes; 66 prevention is better than cure ;" and if we would have society rightly peopled, we must begin at the beginning, and, taking the children, who are by and by to be the men and women of the age, we must "train them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." We tender

our sincere thanks to Mrs. Ellis for her well-timed, as well as well-written, volume; hoping that it will have a rapid and wide circulation.

Truth and Love: or, the Calvinist and the Arminian reconciled, and the Unitarian reclaimed, in a new Development of Scripture Doctrine. By William Murchie. 12mo. pp. xvi, 320. Glasgow, George Gallin: London, John Snow. Mr. Murchie's volume rather refers to some controversies that seem to be going on in Scotland, than to the real controversy, in reference to its essential character, its decisive point, as existing between the true Calvinist, and such evangelical Arminians as the Wesleyan Methodists. Of this, from some observations which he makes, referring to what he terms their "inveterate hatred of the doctrines of election, and the perseverance of the saints," and to the "almost utter contempt" of his scheme which, he says, one of their Ministers expressed to him, Mr. Murchie seems to be aware. The chief difference between himself and his Calvinist friends appears to lie in this,that what they attribute to the Spirit, in the certain accomplishment of the decree of election, (which he believes as much as they do,) he ascribes to the Father. As between some parties in Scotland the volume may be a reconciler; but with the points actually at issue as between them and the Methodists it has nothing to do.

A new Solution, in part, of the Seals, Trumpets, and other Symbols of the Revelation of St. John: being an Attempt to prove that, as far as they are fulfilled, they denote the Rise, Increase, and Maturity of the Man of Sin, and the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ for his Destruction. By the Rev. R. Gascoyne, M.A., Mickleton, near Campden, Gloucestershire. 18mo. pp. xxi, 350. Long

mans. After perusing Mr. Gascoyne's volume, we felt that, to do him justice, we must consider it under two aspects. As a scheme of continuous intrepretation, opening the true meaning of such parts of the book as he undertakes to explain, we cannot feel satisfied that he has given the right solution. But, as a collection of consecutive, though miscellaneous, observations, the case is different. Some of his explanations of separated passages are very good; and many of his remarks, especially in reference to the true character of the Man of Sin, and to the great principles of the Protestant Reformation, are excellent, and deserve the most serious consideration. Those of our readers who are accustomed to direct their attention to the great subject of this volume, though they may not be satisfied with the interpretation as a whole, will find much to admire; and to them, guarding ourselves by the distinct statement of the limitation we have already given, we cannot hesitate in giving even an earnest recommendation of the work.

:

Macedonia; or, a Voice to the Christian Church in seven Lectures. By the Rev. G. Staples. With an Introductory Essay by the Rev. Jabez Burun, D.D. Second Thousand. 18mo. pp. 152. Houlston.-Seven useful Lectures, somewhat after the manner of Mr. Ford's "Decapolis," &c., suggested by the language of the man of Macedonia, "Come over and help us." The author well describes the Christian as actively militant in his aggressive plans for the world's conversion, and going on to the triumph predicted and promised.

The Triumph of Truth; or, Henry and his Sister. 18mo. pp. vii, 188. Religious Tract Society. We still gravely doubt as to whether this plan of teaching truth by what really are religious novelettes be one of the best ways; but they have obtained a place now of which it would not be easy to dispossess them. Stronger proof can scarcely be given than that the Religious Tract Society at length adopts them. What we have to do is, under protest as to the form, to see that the principles are correct. The "Truth" referred to in this certainly affecting little tale, is, evangelical orthodoxy; and the "Triumph," that which its proper fruit secures to it over formal rationalism. By the instrumentality of this truth the soul is brought to the love of Christ; and by the love of Christ are secured practical holiness in life, and peace in the contemplation and prospect of death.

The Solar System By Thomas Dick,

LL.D. 18mo. pp. 384.

Religious

Tract Society. We may say of this volume what we have to say in very few words. It is, especially for the young, one of the best popular compendiums of astronomy that we know. We say, especially for the young; but not at all exclusively. They who are older, and who do not require a profoundly scientific work, but one in which the information, though correct and extensive, shall be comprehensible, will find here just what they want. The subjects of the volume are illustrated by neat wood-cuts, and the name of the author is a security for the Christian character of the work.

Neophilus; or, Moral Reflections. By the Rev. Denis Kelly, M.A., Minister of Trinity Church, Gough-Square, London; and Author of "Characters,' "Self-Inspection," "Sabbath-Evening Readings," and "Sermons Large 18mo. pp. viii, 176. Hamiltons.-We have been called to notice previous publications by Mr. Kelly, and have always had to report favourably concerning them. The characteristics which mark them all are piety and good sense; and the author's design is evidently not to get to himself a name, except in the best sense of the phrase, but to do good. He aims at the usefulness of a Christian Pastor; and seeks to extend his sphere by putting forth volumes, which, of course, may go farther, and talk longer, than would be at all possible for an individual. These "Moral Reflections," sixteen in number, possess the same general character as do Mr. Kelly's other writings. He refers to "Temper," "Self-Diffidence," "" Decision of Character," the "Theatre and Opera," (which are, of course, censured by him,)" Affectation," &c. It is a small volume of really useful reading.

One Hundred and Twenty-nine Letters from the Rev. John Newton, late Rector of St. Mary Woolnoth, London, to the Rev. William Bull, of NewportPagnell. Written during a period of thirty-two years; from 1773 to 1805. 12mo. pp. viii, 312. Hamiltons.Among a certain class, and that, we fear, a very large one, Mr. Newton will never be allowed to hold rank as an epistolarian. The admirers of Madame de Sevigné only admit Cowper because his talents and elegant ease have compelled them to acknowledge the justice of his claims. He is recognised as a standard letter-writer, not because of his piety, but notwithstanding it. Still, that Mr. Newton was a writer of letters is undeniable. Not many men have

written more. And, for those to whom he wrote, and such as they, his letters had, and always will have, a peculiar value. If they have not the classical eloquence and simplicity which have won for Cowper's the literary position they occupy, yet they will never be considered as mere prosing compositions on religious subjects by those who are able to form a judgment on the point. He wrote always as a Christian Pastor, but he wrote always as a friend; and in all his letters his heart also speaks. In each, too, there will always be found something profitable; and this, for those who sometimes wish to be able to read a whole subject at once, and in a little time, is a great advantage. Some time ago, a volume containing above sixty letters, written to a Clergyman, in addition to what had been published before, was given to the public; and their reception has induced the possessor of these (which also, except fourteen, have never been printed before) to send them to the press. Mr. Bull's son has done well. All those who like the letters of the good old man will be thankful for the addition thus made to their means of pleasure and profit. They bear the same characters as those heretofore published; unless it be said, that, being written to a friend so much esteemed, they are more affectionate and confidential. Altogether, the volume furnishes a valuable addition to the stock we possess in English already-neither small nor valueless-of Christian letters. We may add, that they supply many useful hints in reference to the persons with whom Mr. Newton was acquainted, and the eventful times in which he lived.

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. 18mo. pp. 186. Religious Tract Society. A small, but excellent, treatise; published by one of the Nonconformist Ministers nearly two hundred years ago. Calvinistic in its principles, and often in its expressions; but also containing much that is very instructive and consolatory on the subjects to which the title refers.

The Widower's Counsellor and Comforter. By the Rev. Nathaniel Rowton, Coventry. With a Preface by the Rev. John Angell James. 18mo. pp. 177

John Johnston. -For all whom it may concern, a truly Christian and valuable manual.

The Footsteps of Messiah; a Review of Passages in the History of Jesus Christ. By the Rev. W. Leask, Author of "Our Era," "The Evidences of Grace," &c. 12mo. pp. viii, 351. John Snow. The author's account, and it is very accurately given, of the work is this: "I have been of opinion, for a considerable period, that the facts of the Saviour's history involve important principles, connected both with the Christian dispensation, and the intellectual condition of men; that that history is more than the record of a wonderful life, more than biography; that it is, in short, inspired didactic narrative. The present volume is the result of this idea. It is a review of certain passages in the Redeemer's history, as given by the Evangelists; and an effort to indicate those principles which the respective passages appeared to me to contain." These reviews are given in twenty-four chapters; the titles of some of which will give the reader of the foregoing passage a general notion of the work. "Chapter I. THE MANGER. Greatness independent of earthly Splendour. III. THE MIDNIGHT FLIGHT.-Tyranny frustrated. VI. THE WILDERNESS.- - The Tempter foiled. XII. NAIN.-Life restored. XVII. THE SAMARITAN VILLAGE. Ignorant Zeal rebuked. XXIV. MOUNT OLIVET.-The Ascension." The Author's aim is to point out the principles embodied in the several facts which he considers, in connexion with the lessons, especially in reference to practice, which they teach. We recommend the volume with sincerity, and much pleasure. It is orthodox, evangelical, pious, and practical; and is plain, without being at all superficial. The style is clear, always impressive, and sometimes rises into a beauty, a genuine poetry, which reminds us of Dr. Harris's "Great Teacher."

The Sanctification of the Sabbath illustrated and enforced; in a Series of "Tracts for the Times," by Ministers of various Denominations. Tract I. The Divine Authority and Permanent Obligation of the Sabbath. By Ralph Wardlaw, D.D. 8vo. pp. 15. Maclehose, Glasgow. With gratitude and cordiality do we direct the attention of our readers to the Tract now on our table, and to the promised series of which it is the commencement. Never in our own history has the sacredness of the Christian Sabbath been so systematically impugned

and violated as in the present day; and never has the Christian church been so loudly called to engage in the argument which is calculated to illustrate and enforce the divine origin, and the universal and perpetual obligation, of the Lord's day, and to protect it from the effects of that wild liberality on topics both moral and religious, which would not only deny to that "sweet day of rest any sanctity superior to other days of the week, but actually close the house of God, and withdraw from men the ordinances of religion, trample upon the word of revelation which the Most High has vouchsafed for the instruction and happiness of man, and open the gates to a flood of immorality and irreligion which Sunday traffic, and Sunday amusements, if legalized by any Act of Parliament, would infallibly produce. Such we know have been proposed in the Legislature of Great Britain; and we hope the Christian community will mark those gentlemen who have with temerity and recklessness supported propositions which would fearfully damage the cause of truth and of piety. We hope, also, to hear no more of individuals occupying the chair at the annual assemblies of our religious institutions, who, with manifest inconsistency, will in one place advocate the cause of the Bible, of Christian Missions, and of religion, and in another countenance and publicly support measures which, if adopted, would speedily reduce the Sabbath in Great Britain to a level with the God-dishonouring and soul-damning abuses of the Sabbath in Paris. We trust that all such, so-called, representatives of the people, will be remembered at the approaching election, and their services politely declined. Christendom is under great obligations to the zeal and perseverance of the pious inhabitants of Glasgow. That town has hitherto formed the centre of the Sabbath controversy in the North; and from thence has originated the proposal to publish a series of short original essays, embracing a lucid and scriptural, although concise, view of the whole question of the Sab. bath, by Ministers well known in their several denominations, both in England and Scotland. As it is of the first importance that the public mind be leavened with sound scriptural views of this subject, the intention is, in the first instance, to publish them in the form of tracts, at a very low price, so that they may be extensively circulated throughout the country; and that afterwards they may be combined in a volume of a moderate size. The following arrangement of

subjects, &c., has been proposed :— I. The Divine Authority and Perpetual Obligation of the Sabbath. By Ralph Wardlaw, D.D., Glasgow. II. Traces and Indications of the Primitive Sabbath in many of the Institutions and Observances of the Ancient World. By Rev. John Jordan, Enstone. III. The Spirit and Manner in which the Sabbath ought to be observed. By Rev. E. Bickersteth, Watton, Herts. IV. The Sabbath not a mere Judaical Appointment, with examination of the more prevalent fallacies by which it has been attempted to show that the Sabbath-Law has been abolished or relaxed. By Rev. Andrew Thomson, B.A., Edinburgh. V. The Adaptation of the Sabbath to the Temporal Well-being of Men, and more especially of the Working Classes. By Thomas Chalmers, D.D., Edinburgh. VI. The Adaptation of the Sabbath to Man's Intellectual and Moral Nature. By Rev. James Hamilton, B.A., London. VII. Historical Notices on the subject of Sabbath Observance, showing its Influence on the Prosperity of Churches. By VIII. Biographical Notices on the subject of Sabbath Observance, showing its Influence on the Piety of Individuals. By Dr. Hannah, Manchester. IX. Indirect Influence of the Sabbath

By

upon the Intelligence, Liberties, Commerce, Trade, social Order, and general Prosperity of Kingdoms. By X. On Sabbath Railway Travelling, as it affects the Working Classes. By David King, LL.D., Glasgow. XI. On Sunday Mails. Andrew Symington, D.D., Paisley, XII. Other Prevalent Forms of Sabbath Desecration. By Rev. Peter M'Owan, London. XIII. The Blessing promised on the Sabbath sanctified, and the Penalty annexed to the Sabbath profaned, stated and illustrated from Experience and the Word of God. By Stewart Bates, D.D., Glasgow. XIV. The First Sabbath after the Creation, -after the giving of the Law,-after the Resurrection of our Lord: a Sabbath at Sea a Sabbath in the Sick-chamber: the Heavenly Sabbath. By R. W. Hamilton, D.D., LL.D., Leeds. XV. Concluding practical Address. By Rev. J. A. James, Birmingham. The first of the series is now before us, written in Dr. Wardlaw's well-known concise, lucid, and energetic style. To some of his biblical criticisms we might demur: nevertheless, we wish the tract an unlimited circulation; and most heartily and prayerfully do we desire for the Glasgow project," GOOD LUCK IN THE NAME OF THE LORD."

YOUR Wesleyan readers generally are aware that there has lately been vouchsafed to this town a rich and gracious outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and that some hundreds of persons have been converted to God. Believing that, on many grounds, an authentic account of this work is desirable, we beg permission to lay before the Christian public, through the medium of your "Banner for the truth,'" the following statement:

It seems proper, in the outset, to mention some of those circumstances which, in our judgment, contributed, by the divine blessing, to prepare the way for Our recent revival. We would humbly and devoutly acknowledge the hand of

God in the whole work. No power but that of his Holy Spirit can save souls from death, and we have had numerous and humbling proofs of this great truth. But, inasmuch as God carries on his work by means of human agency, we feel it right to trace that course of events and instruments which has been so remarkably followed by the divine blessing.

Allow us, then, in the first instance, to refer to financial questions. The connexion between the financial and spiritual prosperity of any church is more intimate than many persons imagine; especially where the system of finance is founded upon the principles of the New Testa