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ally. His discourse is not a merely systematic discussion, but
displays an intimate acquaintance with the secret operations
of that Divine Comforter. It is impossible to read it without
perceiving that the writer is possessed of that celestial unction,'
which enables him to discuss the subject in a manner the most
efficacious and impressive. He closely inspects the causes of
revival and decay in the spiritual life, and he is successful in
directing the minds of others, because he has attended devoutly
There is one passage which
to the movements of his own.
we would earnestly recommend to the consideration of our
serious readers.

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If (says Mr. W.) we are destitute of Christian comfort and joy, it is, I think, of essential importance to have the conviction deeply impressed upon our minds, that the cause is in ourselves, entirely in ourselves. It is not God that withdraws from us, but we that withdraw from God. When we have withdrawn indeed, and by our backsliding deprived ourselves of "the joy of the Lord," and of the light of his countenance," he may make us to feel our folly and our sin by refraining, for a time, from restoring it. But still let us remember, that the cause is in us; and that in every instance in which the effect does not arise from bodily or mental disorder, the cause is in its nature criminal. The manner in which some have spoken and written respecting the want of religious comfort, as arising from the sovereign hiding of God's countenance, while I am satisfied that it is not their intention to deny that there is a cause, and that that cause is sin in us, has yet frequently appeared to me, too much calculated to produce an impression of a different kind; to lead us when in this situation, or when we see others in it, to look upon ourselves, or on our fellow professors, rather as tried in the course of Divine Providence, than as decidedly "sinning against our own souls," and thus, in either case, to pity rather than condemn. Nay, sometimes, (such is the deceitfulness of the human heart) persons get hold of the notion, which has, perhaps, been suggested to them by the inconsiderate compassion of a well-meaning but mistaken friend, that their doubts and apprehensions are favourable symptoms of their spiritual state; and under the influence of a lurking unavowed impression of this nature, they cherish the melancholy, repel the consolations of the gospel, and while they exhaust upon themselves the whole vocabulary of reproachful epithets, their very complaints are dictated by secret self satisfaction, and are contributing to its increase. In dealing with cases of this description, we ought surely to be on our guard against any principle, which tends to give ease to the mind in a state of unbelief and departure from God; which identifies dejection and despair with the afflictive visitations of Providence; and which thus enables such persons, with plausible self-deception, to maintain their good opinion of themselves, by finding the cause of their doubts in the sovereignty of God, rather than in their own sin.' pp. 361, 362.

Admitting, as we do most cordially, the general scope of these reasonings, we yet suspect that the case is put too strongly,

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and that Mr. W.'s fears have led him to some apparent inaccuracies in this statement. We are not prepared to deny altogether, and in absolutely unqualified terms. the sovereignty of God in the procedure referred to; though we think the principle is too frequently resorted to on such occasions. There are cases in which the decay of consolation ought not to be confounded with the decay of piety, and which it would be difficult to resolve either into bodily or mental disorder: at the same time this is not the case he has exhibited. In reference to it, however, we would just inquire whether any one can be considered as indulging dejection and despair,' who has all the while a good ' opinion of himself and his state? But without pursuing the subject, we consider it not irrelevant to the general design of this Article to remark, how perfectly unmeaning and uninteresting are all such inquiries as refer to Christian experience, in the estimation of those who have imbibed Socinian principles! The very phrase is ridiculed by them; and they consider it the height of fanaticism and cant to advert to such topics. The fears and hopes, the joys and sorrows of the spiritual life, are all without the range of their sympathies; and it would be deemed an undoubted symptom of hypochondria or melancholy to feel on such a subject. They can apply to the ordinary operations of mind, their philosophical analysis; they can trace the processes of sentiment and feeling, on every thing unconnected with religion; but on their own principles we find in their character nothing that bears the slightest approximation to scriptural devotion. Conviction of sin, an anxious concern to obtain the Divine favour, an ardent and habitual solicitude to possess the proofs and evidences of enjoying it, spirituality of mind, the duties of the closet, self-examination, communion with God,-all these, and other subjects of vital consequence to the reality and influence of personal religion, are widely remote from the inquiries and speculations of Socinians. They care for none of these things;" and a "plain way-faring man," who knew only his Bible, and was happily ignorant of polemic theology, would be inexpressibly surprised to find a class of nominal Christians, whose principles directly tended to dissipate all his anxieties on these points, and exhibited them to the world as the chimæras of enthusiasm! The incongruity and incompatibility of Socinianism, with such topics of thought and feeling, will convince every reflecting and serious mind of its direct opposition to the sacred Scriptures.

66

The last discourse is on the Christian character, from Acts xi. 26. There could not have been a better conclusion to a series of argumentative and controversial discussions Here every principle, before contended for and explained, is made to bear upon our personal obligations, and comes home to our business and bosoms. We are compelled to feel and acknowledge

the importance of revealed truth; it is no longer a speculation, a notion, the mere subject of intellectual power, to be rejected or received at pleasure. It is proved to be operative and influential in guiding our actions, in regulating our habits, and in forming our character; and in that character thus formed, and thus developed, we behold the heavenly nature and holy tendency of Christian doctrines. We read this discourse with unmingled and delightful satisfaction; we found ourselves' no longer in the turbid atmosphere of controversy, but in a pure and celestial region, breathing the air and element of heaven. We wished to forget for ever that there was such a pestilential exhalation as Socinianism, and were devoutly thankful to be without the reach of its fatal pollution. Accustomed to revere the authority of Scripture, we no longer found its tone of character relaxed, its sublime discoveries discarded, the Saviour it reveals robbed of his deity, and the sinner deprived of his hope. In the humble and cordial reception of every Christian truth, however opposed to our preconceptions, our prejudices, or our pride; in the supreme devotion of our hearts to HIM who " gave himself for "us;" in the obedient subjection of our lives to his service; in the practical imitation of his example; and in the "blessed "hope" of his second coming, to complete his mediatorial economy and accomplish all the purposes of his grace; we contemplate "the Christian character," and we feel an increasing attachment to those holy principles on which alone that character can be formed and supported. We are confident that no serious and candid inquirer can peruse this discourse, without perceiving that the lovely delineation it exhibits, is uniformly accordant with the sacred Scriptures; and that all its moral beauty, and all its holy peculiarities are derived from the influence of those truths which Socinianism opposes and rejects.

The

Our readers can be at no loss to ascertain our opinion of the volume, of which we have given so ample and extended a notice. It is altogether one of the most able and satisfactory, on the Socinian Controversy, we have ever had an opportunity of commending to the attention of the religious world temper of the writer is candid and dispassionate; his reasonings are in general distinguished by their acuteness and force; and what is to us of special importance, he never loses sight of the question, as vitally connected with our dearest interests and our everlasting welfare. The notes in the appendix are highly creditable to the critical research and biblical knowledge of the Author; and had we not wished all our readers, of every class, to study the volume for themselves, we should have selected more copiously from that part of it. This, however, was in a great degree unnecessary, in consequence of several elaborate articles on these subjects that appeared in a former volume of

our journal. The style of Mr. Wardlaw is uniformly perspicuous, and, at times, distinguished by a happy felicity and elegance of expression; but it is occasionally deficient in energy, and capable of considerable improvement, if it had been less diffuse and expanded in some of the illustrations. There is also, at times, too great a proportion of scriptural phraseology, the introduction of which is the principal cause of that diffuseness to which we have adverted, and the effect of which is much less impressive in a volume, than when orally delivered. But these trifles we should not have mentioned, if we did not entertain the hope of being again instructed and gratified by his publications. He has already rendered essential service to the cause of scriptural truth; and we rejoice in the consecration of his talents to the defence and explanation of its principles.

Art. V.-History and Antiquities of the Cathedral Churches of Great Britain. Illustrated with a series of highly-finished Engra vings, exhibiting general and particular Views, Ground Plans, and all the Architectural Features and Ornaments in the various Styles of Building used in our Ecclesiastical Edifices. By James Storer, Vol. I. 8vo. pp. iv. 126, with 64 octavo Engravings. Price demy, 31. 3s. or 7s. 6d. per Part; super royal 51. or 12s. per Part. London, Rivingtons, Murray, &c. 1814,

EVERY one who has an eye to see and a soul to feel, must,

on entering York cathedral or chapter-house, the cathedrals of Lincoln, and Winchester, or on contemplating the majestic front of Peterborough cathedral, experience irresistible impres sions of mingled solemnity and delight, such as none but similar edifices are capable of producing. If he should enquire when were these extraordinary specimens of architectural skill, rivalling in their execution and surpassing in sublimity the proudest structures of Athens and Rome, erected; what would be his astonishment, had he not previously ascertained the fact, on being told in reply that they were built during the dark ages!' When but few even of the clergy could read, and scarcely any of them could write their own names; when nobles lay upon straw, and thought a fresh supply of clean straw in their chambers once a week a great luxury; when monarchs usually travelled on horseback, and when they met wrestled with each other, for the amusement of their courtiers ; then it was that architects whose names have not reached us, and whose manners and course of instruction are merely con

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*E. R. Old Series, Vol. V. pp. 24, 236, 329.

jectured, raised buildings almost to the clouds with stones most of which they might have carried under their arms. Rude men, untaught by science, applied the principles of arcuation, of thrust, and of pressure, to an extent which would have made Wren and Jones tremble. Men, ignorant of metaphysical theories, so blended forms and magnitudes, light and shade, as to produce the artificial infinite and the real sublime. Men, who lived in times of the grossest superstition, erected temples for the worship of God, which seem as if intended to rival in durability the earth on which they stand; and which, after the lapse of several ages, are still unequalled, not only in point of magnificence of structure, but in their tendency to dilate the mind, and to leave upon the soul the most deep and solemn impressions. This is an anomaly in the history of the Fine Arts, which has never been adequately explained; the investigation of the subject, however, is worthy of the attention of the philosophic and inquisitive. It would indeed be easy to speculate on this interesting topic, and to assign a plausible account of the matter; but as it would be equally easy to demolish with one hand what is erected by the other, we shall reserve our more mature reflections for some subsequent occasion, contenting ourselves for the present with briefly noticing the volume before us.

It is the intention of the Editors and the Proprietors of this work to comprise the descriptions of all the cathedrals of Great Britain within the compass of four volumes. That which is now on our table is devoted to the cathedrals of Canterbury, Chichester, Lincoln, Oxford, Peterborough, and Winchester. The description of the first of these edifices, is illustrated by eighteen engravings; the second, by nine; the third by ten; and each of the remaining three by nine. It is due to the respective artists to say, that they are, in general, admirably executed. The perspective is usually correct, the points of view are happily chosen, and the light and shade judiciously thrown. Some of the plates, indeed, exhibit very striking specimens of accuracy and force of representation, especially considering the smallness of the scale which has, of necessity, been adopted. Among these we may name the interior view of Canterbury cathedral from the entrance to Becket's Crown, and the S. W. view of that cathedral, the magnificent west fronts of the cathedrals of Lincoln and Peterborough, the chapterhouse at Lincoln, the interior, and Guymond's tomb, Oxford cathedral, the rich ruins of the cloisters at Peterborough, and Winchester cathedral from the ruins of Wolvesey. Besides the several interior and exterior views of the different buildings, there is given a ground plan of each cathedral, on which, however, by a very ingenious contrivance, the graining of the

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