remarks that "it is useless to deny the fact that there is danger from without her walls; that there is danger within our Church." (P. 4.)

In p. 5 he affirms, that "we surely have no just cause to complain of a lack of either means or opportunity to fulfil our work." It is indeed admitted, that, "in some instances, from the rapid increase of population, there is not room for all who would join in our services." It must surely, on the other hand, be conceded, that the Church is very far from possessing means commensurate with the implied obligations of a religious establishment, namely, a provision for the religious instruction and worship of the whole of our population. We

might easily fill page after page with the discouragements under which the Church of England goes to her work and labour of love.

As there is evidently a sincerity in the spirit of Mr. Osborne, we will only desire, that all those of his brethren who shall peruse his discourse, may seriously apply to themselves the hints which he throws out. We feel with him, that the clerical character should be always distinguishable from the secular. We feel with him, that earnestness in our calling is too important to be laid aside, or drowned, through the fear of fanaticism. We feel with him, that the false liberalism of this age is not the spirit of christian unity, or compatible with christian truth.

The writer, in his strictures upon the " Oxford Tract Divinity," asserts of" the authors and promoters of it," that "they abuse the faith of the Romanist, while they are gradually adopting the forms of his religion." Little as we are inclined to rank ourselves amongst the implicit followers of that class of writers, or of any other school, we cannot but think that this attack is unadvisedly made. To us they appear to err in the contrary extreme. The 71st Number of the "Tracts for the Times" is, to a considerable extent, rather a palliation of Romish peculiarities than an abusing of Romish dogmas.

An Earnest Protest against the further Circulation of certain Principles contained in the Pamphlet of the Hon. and Rev. BAPTIST W. NOEL, M.A. entitled "The Unity of the Church," &c. Especially addressed to its Author. By CLERICUS SURRIENSIS. London: Seeleys. 1837. 12mo. Pp. 42.

A Defence of a Tract entitled, "The Unity of the Church," being a Letter to CLERICUS SURRIENSIS, in Answer to his "Earnest Protest." By the Hon. and Rev. BAPTIST WRIOTHESLEY NOEL,M.A. London: Seeleys. 1837. 12mo. Pp. 32.

IN noticing Mr. Noel's "Unity of the Church," we confined ourselves to the mere exposure of his grand mistake in confounding christian unity with christian love; as it is manifestly impossible for us, except upon particular occasions, to enter very minutely into the merits or demerits of every ephemeral pamphlet. The exertions, however, which have been made, especially by the Dissenters, to distribute the tract, has given it a more than ordinary importance; and we are truly rejoiced that its sophisms and false liberality have been pointed out at length by Clericus Surriensis. Mr. Noel's defence appears to be made up of childish recrimination on one hand, and a vain endeavour on the other, to explain away the principles which are justly attributed to him in the "Earnest Protest." A weaker attempt at a reply has seldom been put forth; and the little piece of egotism at the end, is a very poor excuse for what the author evidently feels to

be

a lame vindication. We leave the dispute between the two combatants; merely hinting to Clericus, that he would do well to pay more attention to his punctuation, and, indeed, to the general construction of his periods. In several instances we have found ourselves puzzled in the intricacies of a sentence, which it required some consideration to unravel. A rejoinder is, we conceive, an improbable affair; for Mr. Noel's second pamphlet has gone very far to demolish his first.

Think! London: Mitchell. 1838. 32mo. Pp. 48.

Ir the maxim γνώθι σεαυτὸν was worthy of a sage, the word Think! conveys a precept of like importance to the Christian. To think of those things in which "there is any virtue and any praise," is the readiest means of leading to the practice of them; and this unpretending little book, consisting of prayers and meditations, with some well-selected pieces of sacred poetry, is intended to supply some useful subjects of thought, and the best aids for "Those who have no thinking aright. time to THINK," suggests the writer, "must find a time to DIE."

into the precept contained in the text (Prov. xxii. 6), and the encouragement which it offers to secure obedience, readily presents itself; but the accuracy with which the promise is brought within its just limitations, and the preacher's just appreciation of what is meant by a religious education, merit the most serious attention, not only as applied to the objects of the National Society, but as applicable to the duties of every christian We would willingly quote parent.

the remarks on this latter point, which occur at pp. 14, &c.; but it would be an injustice to the sermon to offer any excuse for the neglect of its entire perusal.

The Persecuting Principles and Corrupt Practices of the Church of Rome. Two Sermons, preached in the Parish Church of Ashby-de-laZouch, on Sunday, November 5, 1837. By T. FELL, M.A. Curate. Ashby: Hextall. London: Rivingtons. 1837. 8vo. Pp. 43. ALTHOUGH the representative of her Majesty in Ireland did not hesitate to sanction at least, if not to command, the omission of the national service of thanksgiving to Almighty God in the Chapel Royal, for that signal deliverance from Papal violence, to which, perhaps, his young mistress may be

indebted for the continuance of the Protestant succession, and consequently for her crown; we are proud and happy in the belief that the solemnity was duly observed in less elevated stations, and that the opportunity was seized in a multitude of instances, for awakening the people of England to a sense of the blessings which they enjoy by the expulsion of Papal tyranny and Papal perfidy, from the land of their fathers. The sermons before us were called forth by that occasion; and their requested publication is a proof that the importance of their object was sensibly felt, and that there is not that deep and deadly apathy to the Protestant cause which is generally supposed to exist. They are good plain discourses, admirably adapted to the congregation of a

country town; and they state the question between Protestants and Romanists broadly, fairly, and powerfully. The former is devoted to the persecuting spirit of Popery, while it illustrates papal statutes and decrees, and proves them to be unchanged and unchangeable; and the latter, after adverting to the corruptions of the Romish Church in general, selects two of them for more especial consideration. These are the prevention of the free use of the Bible, and the denial of the doctrine of justification by faith. In conclusion, the preacher offers some forcible remarks on the benefits derived to the poor, from being enabled to join in prayers which they can understand, instead of bowing in dumb ignorance to an image of the Virgin.

Euvres de Claude Arvisenet. 15 vols.

32mo. Bruxelles. 1837.

are

THIS is a remarkably neat little Belgian pocket edition of the works of Arvisenet, at half-a-franc per volume. The writings of this author are not, we believe, much known in England ; and as they are chiefly designed for the young, it is as well that they are not; for, although their mild and amiable spirit bespeaks a true disciple of Christ, yet the Romish errors occasionally upheld, and her peculiar tenets tacitly, if not pointedly, recognised. Of course, we have no right or intention to object to this in a member of the Papal communion; whereas, on the other hand, with minds firmly fixed and settled against the admission of what we believe to be corrupt, we cannot withhold praise where it is due to literary merit, and to a sincere endeavour to promote the cause of religious truth. There is much, very much, in all of Arvisenet's volumes, which, if separated from the doctrines of an apostate church, must be read with advantage by Christians of every denomination.

Britannia Saxonica. By G.W. COLLEN. London: Pickering. 4to. Pp. 55. WE consider this book as indispensably necessary to the clear under

VOL. XX. NO. V.

standing of that portion of our English history to which it refers. Mr. Collen has evidently taken great pains to make the work as perfect as possible, nor do we know any one to whose hands we should have assigned the elucidation of this portion of history with better hope of success than those of the author before us: it is with pleasure, therefore, that we recommend the volume to the notice of our readers.

The Prose Works of the Right Rev. Father in God, Thomas Ken, D.D. sometime Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells. To which are added (qu. prefixed?) some of his Letters (never before published), and a short Account of his Life by William Hawkins, Esq. his Executor. The whole collected by JAMES THOMAS ROUND, B.D. Rector of St. Runwald's and St. Nicholas, Colchester, and late Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford. London Rivingtons. 1838. Pp. xii. 494.

8vo.

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UNDER any circumstances we obliged to Mr. Round for his editorial labours in collecting the scattered works of Bishop Ken; and the sound practical piety which he has thus embodied, will be received as a treasure of great price by the sincere and contemplative Christian. The brief account of the Prelate's life might with advantage have given place to a more satisfactory memoir from the able pen of Mr. Round himself, with such of the letters as are really important, introduced in their proper connexion. The pieces contained in the volume are three Sermons; an Exposition of the Church Catechism; Directions for Prayer; a Manual of Prayer for the use of the Winchester Scholars, and all other devout Christians, with the three celebrated Hymns for Morning, Evening, and Midnight, annexed; Prayers for the use of all persons who come to the Baths for cure; two Pastoral Letters; and Articles of Visitation and Inquiry, addressed to the Clergy, Churchwardens, and Sidesmen of his Diocese. The volume will be read with interest by all who venerate good Bishop Ken.

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