".. the monster has displayed his menac-righteous, the honour of the Judge, ing aspect in their pages, and seized and the glory of God the Father, in for his prey, those who expected to the work of redemption." To these find him dead. But no imputations topics he chiefly confines his observaof this kind, can attach themselves to tions, examining them with reverenthe articles before us. The authors tial caution, and investigating their have not administered poison, with- various branches and bearings with out providing an antidote; the rea- that moderation, perspicuity, and sonings are clear and unembarrassed, practical application, for which his and the reader is generally conducted discourses are particularly remarkto a satisfactory conclusion. able. It would be easy to prove, that Mr. Thorp is a decided enemy to the antiscriptural doctrine of self-righteousness; and the following passage will furnish satisfactory evidence, that he discountenances the antinomian heresy : It is, however, but fair to state, that the objections are rather common than learned, and that the replies are more obvious than profound. It is a work adapted for those who have a smattering of philosophical infidelity, and who think every thing formidable which they cannot master. Of this volume, the evident tendency is, "To assert eternal Providence, And justify the ways of God to man." This is a station which it fills in a manner highly creditable to the talents of the writers, and, as such, it merits our warm recommendation. "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand,' &c. immediately follows a recapitulation, not of negative, but of positive virtues; not of exemptions from crime, but of a series of good actions; not of uprightness of intention merely, but of positive acts of brotherly love, and Christian benevolence. Both the law and the gospel demand acts of outward obedience. Sincerity of intention is not sufficient. There must be action also, as the index of the heart, and the test of character. We are not, however, to suppose that acts of love, and benevolence, will form the only sub REVIEW.-A Sermon delivered at thejects of inquiry at the day of judgment. We Monthly Lecture, on Thursday Even- THE substance of this discourse is, an inquiry, "For what purpose the good works of the righteous, are to be exhibited at the day of judgment.' This, it must be confessed, is a most important subject, which, though not to be treated superficially, ought to be touched with a careful hand. From the pen of inexperience, guided by the zeal of youth, the discussion of this point has been wisely withheld on the present occasion, and we are happy to see the task assigned to Mr. Thorp, of Bristol; whose character has been long established, whose name is well known throughout the nation, whose temperate judgment must be respected, even by those who differ from him in some theological sentiments, and whose praise is in all the churches. After some preliminary remarks, in which the author justly excludes good works from being the ground of justification, he introduces his subject in reference to "The character of the are commanded to stand complete in the whole will of God."—pp. 11 and 12. REVIEW.-Matthew Henry at Hackney. To which is (are) added, Strictures on the Unitarian Writings of the Rev. Lant Carpenter, LL.D. 8vo. pp. 140. London. Seeley & Son, Fleet-street. 1824. SOCINIANISM is such an ill-disguised sort of infidelity, that it seems scarcely deserving of half the pains employed in its refutation. No serious Christian, we should think, could be in any danger from a creed, which not only leaves out, but which finds no substitute for, the great doctrines of Christianity. It denies to us a Saviour, without proffering the intercession of the saints; and takes away the cross, without so much as giving us a crucifix in its stead. It desolates the sanctuary of its altar, of its priest, and of the atoning blood; leaving the guilty without pardon, and the dying without hope. It lays waste the inheritance of Him who is appointed heir of all things, converts the church of God into a temple of ethics, and fills it with the morals of philosophy. There may, indeed, be some who lay hold on the skirts of such a system, to take away the reproach of open or avowed unbelief; but it seems remarkable that any real Christian should have any fellowship, any sympathy at all with it. It has, moreover, been so completely vanquished and put to flight, first by Horsley, then by Fuller, afterwards by Wardlaw, by Bevan, and Pye Smith, that nothing remains but a company of fugitives, who have fled, like the Benjamites, before the men of Judah. But if, as the author of this classical and elegant pamphlet believes, these enemies of the Christian faith are still active in their endeavours to "corrupt our Encyclopædias, our Reviews, our Travels, and spread the effluvia through our reading-rooms, and public libraries," p. 114. there may be good reason for his having prepared a little nitric acid for purifying the atmosphere within its influence; otherwise, we should think the system must eventually perish in its own corruption. In the work before us, the venerated"Matthew Henry" is summoned from the shades, made to revisit the scene of his former labours, and behold what desolations have been made in the church. Placed in the pulpit he once occupied, he delivers a warning lecture, summing up, and exhibiting, as he proceeds, the early opinions respecting the Deity of Christ, not only from the prophetic and rabbinical writings, but as they were traditionally and symbolically preserved in the mythology of all the ancient heathen nations. The next section consists of a critical examination of the Unitarian Version of the New Testament, so far at least as concerns the doctrine of the Trinity, the Deity of Christ, and the Atonement. The mistranslation and evident corruption of a number of passages, are ably exposed; and though the writer has not always succeeded in placing his remarks in juxtaposition, they discover considerable learning and acuteness. The testimonies of the early Christian Fathers then follow; and the pamphlet closes with some pointed strictures on the writings of Dr. Carpenter, which we esteem the ablest portion of the work. The anonymous author, whom we suspect to be a layman, is entitled to commendation, for learning and ability, so zealously devoted to the cause of truth, and for the entertaining and instructive performance, which we have now the pleasure of introducing to the notice of our readers. REVIEW.-The Fruits of Experience ; a Memoir of Joseph Brasbridge, written in his Eightieth Year. 8vo. London. pp. 257. Simpkin and Marshall. 1824. THE author of this work having attained to his eightieth year, assumes courage enough to inform the world, that through nearly his whole life he has been a fool; and we are not without our apprehensions, that for his present reformation, he is more indebted to poverty and age, than to any change of principle. The materials of which this volume is composed, are highly miscellaneous, developing scenes of dissipation, profligacy, and riot, that reflect but little honour either on himself, or his companions in excess. We are ready, however, to give him credit for the impartiality of his narration, both as it respects himself and others. In his details, he records his neglect of business, his losses, and his failure in trade, which was that of a silversmith, and occasionally reflects upon the vicissitudes of fortune. Of many individuals in high life, he delineates the characters from personal acquaintance, several of whom, if seen without his burnishing, we might easily mistake for libertines. To some friends he pays very handsome compliments; but on such persons as he deems his enemies, he is equally severe. In politics he is a high-flying Tory, and in one or two instances he gives evidence, that to a persecuting spirit he was no stranger. He seems, however, in his more domesticated habits, to have possessed a generous mind, ever ready to do a kind office when opportunity offered; and he hesitates not to record facts in which he was amply repaid by profitable gratitude. This volume, independently of its biographical character, abounds with incidents and anecdotes, many of which are highly amusing, and some few are not uninstructive. With most of the celebrated profligates of his day, the author seems to have been remarkably intimate, and to the riot and scenes of prodigality, to which this intimacy exposed him, may be attributed his negligence in business, and consequent ruin. o d'a Among his "fruits of experience," repentance appears to have been a sickly plant; but whether this has arisen from a want of cultivation, or from the soil being uncongenial to its growth, we take not upon us to determine. It is certainly an entertaining book, containing many sallies of wit, smart repartees, and some genuine strokes of humour, interspersed occasionally with bright coruscations of thought. These, however, can hardly make an atonement for the remorseless manner in which he recounts his adventures. In this book, the predominant characteristic is, the memory of age looking back with glee on the dissipation and extravagance of youth. REVIEW.-Sermons, and Plans of Sermons, on many of the most important Texts of Holy Scripture. By the late Rev. Joseph Benson. 8vo. pp. 103. London. Cadel, Strand. 1824. HAVING lately reviewed the Life of the author of these discourses, we have little occasion to enter into a detailed account of his ministerial exertions. From nearly the commencement of Methodism, he laboured among the followers of the late John Wesley, was highly approved by them as an able and successful preacher, and finally finished his course, in calling sinners to repentance, and recommending them to the Saviour of mankind. intellect, regulated by reverence for the holy word, and on all occasions checked in its excursions by a consciousness of human imbecility. An intimate acquaintance with the revealed will of God, is conspicuous throughout; and even in these ser mons, which appear in the form of skeletons, an enlarged and firm foun dation is perceptible, on which the materials have been collected, to raise a lofty and permanent superstructure. The name of Mr. Benson will be long remembered, and highly respected, by those among whom he officiated as a minister. His more finished works have procured for him an honourable name, as a polemical and practicat writer; and this little volume, though most probably never intended by him for publication, will not disgrace his memory. 66 5 has REVIEW. A Letter to the Editor of to a nu Transformed; but he my inbred enemy The sermons before us, including those that appear in an unfinished state, are thirty-five in number; but though they uniformly inculcate the doctrines of Christianity, the texts have all been selected from the Old Testament. In prosecuting his inquiries, the author indeed makes copious appeals to the New Testament, and fully establishes the connexion between these two branches of reve-of lation, elucidating the former by the more explicit declarations of the latter, and proving, that throughout the whole, the doctrines, precepts, and promises, partake of the most exact uniformity. In these discourses, we find the vigorous emanations of Sa powerful H Since that time, other tormentors have started into existence, and this unfortunate work has had to complain W& These yelling monsters, that with ceaseless cry Surround me, as thou sawest, hourly conceived 481 Review-Thoughts on Devotion-Life of Rev. E. Irving. 482 repel one difficulty by introducing others, against which the objection lies with equal force. In this, the fetters of his creed appear; we hear the clinking of the chain; and the sound furnishes indications of severe pressure, notwithstanding the feelings seem varnished over with smiles. At the conclusion there are several notes, which occupy about twenty pages. These refer to various parts of the volume, and are inserted to illustrate propositions which the preceding articles contain. These notes take their stand on a much more exalted ground, than the subjects occupy which_they_elucidate; but to the unlearned reader, the work appears complete without them. In this pamphlet Mr. Reed enumerates many particulars stated in "No Fiction," which, he says, are not fictitious; but unfortunately, those which he has been charged with having invented, he has passed over in silence. It is also somewhat curious, that, in this "Letter," the author should enter into a vindication of fictitious writings, because he had published a book, entitled, "No Fiction!" But no ingenuity can render error invulnerable; and, perhaps, on the present occasion, Mr. Reed would have displayed his wisdom, in resting his defence on the continuance of that profound silence which he had previously observed. In the early stages of this warfare, if he had complied with Mr. Barnet's reasonable request, and ful- Viewing these "thoughts," however, filled his own promise, in making either in connexion with the notes, or some avowal that should vindicate detached from them, we cannot but Mr. B.'s character from the asper- survey the book in a favourable light, sions with which it had been assailed, It contains a considerable range of this controversy would have been thought on many momentous topics, strangled in its birth, and "No Fic-is imbued with piety, and uniformly tion" would have descended to pos- inculcates practical godliness. terity, wearing that vizard, of which it must henceforth be content to sustain the tattered remnants. REVIEW. Thoughts chiefly designed as Preparative or Persuasive to Devotion. By John Sheppard. 12mo. pp. 286. London. Whittaker, 13, Ave-Maria-Lane. 1824. REVIEW.-The Life and Writings of the Rev. Edward Irving, M.A., &c. By James Fleming, Esq. M.A. 8vo, pp. 38. London. Knight and Lacey, 24, Paternoster-Row. 1823. FEW divines in modern days have ascended so high a pinnacle of popula rity, as Mr. Irving, and, as a natural THE author of this work, in classify-consequence, few have been more exing his subjects, has arranged them under twenty-four distinct heads, each of which occupies a proportionate number of pages. They come before us in the form of meditations, which lead the mind from thought to thought; sometimes through verdant plains and cloudless skies, and at others through labyrinths and difficulties, which lie on the utmost margins of human comprehension. posed to the shafts of envy and criti- fesses to treat him with impartiality, The present little publication proto animadvert on his defects, and to bring his excellencies into light; but, On the Omnipresence of Deity, his for the service which Mr. Fleming ideas are dignified and rational; and has rendered, Mr. Irving, we con so far as the human intellect can fol-ceive, will not be very forward to low a subject at once sublime and acknowledge his obligations. In page awful in the highest degree, its pow-10, Mr. Irving is represented as posers seem to expand, while he attempts to explore "This dark unbottom'd infinite abyss." On the efficacy of prayer, however, he is by no means equally happy. He has started an objection which he has not answered, and attempted to No. 65.-VOL. VI. wearied industry, and powers but a sessing "a popular manner, an unlittle above the ordinary standard;" and in the same sentence, as well as in others, insinuations are thrown out, that artifice had been employed at the commencement of his career, to seek and secure that popularity 2 H which he has attained. To this is added a train of accidental circumstances; among which, his having been taken into a kind of partnership with Dr. Chalmers, and his chapel having been occasionally visited by several illustrious personages, have not escaped notice. That merit creates envy, is a maxim which was scarcely ever illustrated more clearly than in the case of Mr. Irving. where the people, apprehensive that it would be dangerous to seek too much personal holiness, soon verified the author's anticipations. An outcry was raised against him with all the fierceness of sectarian intolerance, and Mr. Smith being tarred and feathered, was charged with heresy, and thus exhibited to the world. In the supplement, which occupies nearly half the volume, Mr. Smith defends his former arguments against the attacks of his assailants, and vindicates his character from the unman 'It is, however, but fair to add, that to the excellency of his moral character, and to his inflexible integrity, Mr. Fleming bears the most unequivocally imputations with which it had been testimony. On these points, his numerous assailants have been compelled to acknowledge him to be invulnerable, after making due deductions for that vanity, egotism, and affectation, which their disordered optics have enabled them to discover. In estimating Mr. Irving's character, Mr. Fleming, in page 37, has thrown together thirteen items, of which four are in his favour, and nine to his disadvantage. Throughout the pamphlet the disproportion is still greater, although he "thinks more highly of the stature of Mr. Irving's mind," , than many persons who have escaped the infatuation of his worshippers." REVIEW. The Carnal Man's Character; being an Illustration of the Seventh Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans with a Supplement. By the late Rev. James Smith, of Dumfermline; with a Preface and Notes, by Valentine Ward. 12mo. pp. 210. London. Baynes & Son. 1824. In this volume, the long agitated question, whether St. Paul, in the seventh chapter of his epistle to the Romans, intended the character which he has there delineated, for himself as a mature Christian, or designed it for one whom he personates, is again revived. On this disputable point the author does not hesitate to declare that he espouses the latter view, although he is well aware that the tide of popular opinion runs in an opposite channel, and he is not ignorant, that bigotry will hurl upon him its thunderbolts, and label him with ana themas. This treatise appears to have been first published in 1787, in a district aspersed. To this work Mr. Ward has now given a literary resurrection; and for this crime, we shall not be surprised to hear that a dress is preparing for him, similar in texture to that which his predecessor wore. The evidence adduced by Mr. Smith, while examining the passages that fall under his consideration, decisively proves, that the character described by the Apostle could not be applicable to him after his conversion. He investigates the subject with much acuteness; and the strength with which he argues his cause inclines us to think, that it will be an easier matter for his opponents to raise the hue-and-cry of heresy and blasphemy, than to refute what he has advanced, and establish the opposite sentiment by reasoning equally conclusive. D Cow HeW. REVIEW. The Woodgrove Family, or the Young Orphans a Narrative for Young Persons. 12mo. pp. 131. London, Seeley, Fleet-street. 1823. THIS is an interesting narrative, in which several characters are introduced, all performing their respective parts in a creditable manner, and conspiring to the general effect resulting from the tale. Throughout the whole, we have no incidents that glare beyond the range of probability; bat the interchanges of thought, which spring up afresh as the narrative proceeds, render the marvellous and the romantic less necessary. It is a tale of piety, in which religion appears to advantage, in softening the ills of life, by creating resignation to the divine will. It is an excellent little work for a juvenile library, or a reward book for a Sunday school, in each of which situations it will probably find many readers. As de 1601 |