same sort of difficulties in it, as are found in the constitution of nature." (Philocal. p. 23, ed. Cant.) Gratified as we have been with Dr. Croly's Memoir, and particularly with that portion of it which vindicates Butler from the charge of a change of sentiment towards the close of his life, we are scarcely content to lose the customary Essay. Not that we think a biographical sketch may not occasionally be substituted, but the reasoning of the Analogy is so abstruse, and the writer's mode of thinking so intent, that an analytical view of his work, developing the drift and bent of his argument, would have formed, in this instance, a valuable guide to the theological student, no less than the general reader. Paul, Philemon, and Onesimus, or Christian Brotherhood; being a Practical Exposition of St. Paul's Epistle to Philemon, applicable to the present Crisis of West Indian affairs: in a Discourse preached in St. John's Church, Antigua, on Sunday, Dec. 29, 1833. With an Appendix, containing Remarks on, 1. Education of the Poor; 2. Relief of the Destitute. By the Rev. THOMAS PARRY, M.A., Archdeacon of Antigua, &c. &c. London: Rivingtons. 1834. 12mo. Pp ix. 57. ALTHOUGH this Discourse, as intimated in the title, is mainly of a local character, it involves considerations which equally tend to the promotion of social and domestic comfort in the world at large. The "Epistle to Philemon" is, from its subject, peculiarly applicable to the state of the colonies at the present crisis; but the duties of masters and servants, employers and workmen, are no less deducible from the tenor of its admonitions. Mr. Parry, who is also the author of a familiar exposition of the Epistle to the Romans, has exhibited these duties in a truly christian light; and much good may be expected, in a religious point of view, from the circulation of his little volume. The Beneficial Operation of Banks for Savings, affirmed in an Address to the Trustees, Managers, and Friends of the Bank for Savings for the Hundred of Hinckford, in the County of Essex, by whose liberal Subscriptions a splendid Memorial of their Approbation was presented to the Secretary of the Institution, Nov. 28, 1833. Annexed, is a brief Memoir of the late Lewis Majendie, Esq. of Hedingham Castle. London: Wix. 1834. 8vo. Pp. 69. IF any doubt can be supposed to exist, at the present day, of the great and manifold advantages resulting to the poor from the operation of Savings' Banks, we refer all who are sceptical in this matter to this able and eloquent address of the Secretary for the Hundred of Hinckford. Indeed a document, at once so important and so gratifying, ought to be in the hands of every one directly or indirectly connected with these institutions; and those who are engaged in their management are more especially concerned in giving their attention to its interesting details. Acquainted as we have long been with the zealous exertions of the Rev. H. D. Morgan, the writer of the Address, we can duly appreciate the feelings which prompted the token of esteem and affection, presented to him by the friends of the Hinckford Bank; and sincerely do we hope that an institution, so conducive to the moral improvement and worldly comfort of the poor, may long prosper under the control of his humane and salutary guidance. In connexion with Mr. Majendie, of whom he has given a memoir, as creditable to his own head and heart as to the christian character of the object of his encomium, Mr. Morgan has the honour of calling the bank into existence; and the flourishing state in which it now stands, is a striking proof of what may be done by perseverance struggling against opposition, and by reason triumphing over prejudice. IT is the object of the author of these Sermons to illustrate the leading doctrines of the gospel by the different situations in which Christ himself was placed during his earthly ministry. As filled with the Holy Spirit, as being the Son of God, as he walked with men, as he was exposed to temptation, as he was compassed by affliction, in his agony in the garden, in his death, and resurrection, and ascension into heaven, Christ affords, as it were, an emblem of the doctrines of his religion. With reference to the foundation which Christ himself has laid, our author has arranged his subjects unde the several heads of the Influences or the Spirit, Adoption by God, Practicaf Holiness, Victory over Temptation, the Uses of Affliction, Communication with' God, the Death of the Body, Resurrection from the Dead, and Entrance into Glory. On all controverted points, the opinions of the great Divines of our Church are generally adopted without discussion; and the preacher's wish seems to be to improve the hearts of his hearers, rather than meddle with matters above the reach of ordinary comprehension. He has evinced, however, no little theological research in his Appendix, in an Essay on Baptismal Regeneration, which is well worthy of an attentive perusal. This Appendix, it may be added, has been published in a separate form. Practical Advice to the Young Parish Priest. By JAMES DUKE COLERIDGE, LL.B. Rector of Lawhitton, and Vicar of Lewannick, Cornwall, and Prebendary of Excter Cathedral. London: Rivingtons. 1834. 12mo. Pp. ix. 124. SINCE the appearance of Herbert's "Country Parson," the form of which has been adopted by the author of the publication before us, a more useful, discreet, and pious manual, for the guidance of the parish priest, has The subjects not been put forth. considered, the unpretending spirit in which they are discussed, the great importance attached to the duties recominended, and the clearness with which they are shewn to be both practicable and profitable, alike contribute to render the writer's admonitions both valuable and instructive. Peculiar circumstances will of course call for corresponding deviations from the system proposed by Mr. Coleridge; but, as a general outline of parochial duty, a safer and more efficient system could scarcely be devised; and, without some system, it is clear that the most earnest exertions will fail of half their benefit. A SERMON ON THE ORIGIN, PROGRESS, AND END OF THE DIVINE LAW. PSALM Xix. 7. The law of the Lord is an undefiled law, converting the soul. To the devout and humble-minded Christian, there can be little need of pointing out the excellency of the divine law, or recommending the study of it. He knows that it contains the fixed and immutable councils of God towards men; that it informs them of his sure mercies, his inevitable judgments, and his everlasting covenant; that it is throughout a code of principles, a rule of action, and a record of realities, in which their present and eternal peace are involved; that it displays the power of God and the wisdom of God; that it relates to the highest subjects, and therefore is worthy of the highest regard. All however, as we well know, are not thus devoutly affected towards the word of God, but consider it too frequently with indifference or hostility, as reflecting on the wisdom and justice of God, and controlling the liberty and happiness of man. Very many, even within the sanctuary of God, outwardly profess reverence toward it, occasionally reading and referring to it, and yet are not inwardly changed and fashioned by it. The consequence of such various opinions and practices in relation to the statutes and judgments of the Lord, may easily be imagined. Many become rooted and grounded in error and wickedness, and many unstable souls are beguiled. With a view to the correction of such errors, it may be no unprofitable or uninteresting subject for your consideration, if I point out to you the great object and excellency of the covenant which God hath made with us; that, like its great Author, it standeth fast throughout, and is "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." On these accounts, then, it is a duty ever incumbent on the friends of pure religion, and more especially on the ministers of the gospel, to vindicate and explain the ways of God; to point out, not only the beauty and consistency of the law which he has given us, but its necessity for our well-being;-to do, in short, as Nehemiah, the Prophet, did in old time; to read in the book of the law distinctly; to give the sense, and cause the people to understand the meaning; to the intent that they may put their trust in God alone, and seek him ever with a faithful and true heart, when they see how excellent is the covenant which he hath made with us. Let us consider then, as briefly as possible, its origin, its progress, and its end. By the word Law, we understand, in common, a rule of action; and by the law of the Lord, we mean that rule which God, the Lord of all, hath revealed for the government of our thoughts, words, and actions; that thus the whole man, both soul and body, may be rightly disciplined and informed. And as it implies power and authority in the Giver of the law, so also does it bespeak weakness and dependence in those to whom it is given, and consequently that God may reward or punish according as man receives or disobeys it. And first we may observe, concerning these Divine statutes, that there never was a time, since the creation of man, when they did not exist. They were given indeed at one period, and enlarged and extended at another; but still in every period their authority was the same, the wisdom and justice also which ordained them were the same, and the object was the same; viz. the preservation or conversion of our souls, that we might live and not die. But in order to point out this matter more clearly, that the law of the Lord hath ever been holy, just and good; of most excellent wisdom in respect to its Divine Author, and of exceeding mercy and loving-kindness in respect to us, to whom it was given; it may be useful to consider it in its three most distinguishing periods: 1st, As it was in the days of Adam before he fell; 2dly, In the time between the fall and the coming of Christ; and, lastly, as it is now, in the days of the gospel. 1. The first law given to man, was that which was given to our first parents, in the garden of Eden, respecting the forbidden fruit. God, when he made the world, made a law for every part of it: he made a decree for the sun and moon, and made it fast for ever, that they should run their appointed course, and not transgress at any time; he made also a law for man, of a higher order indeed than was given to the other works of his hand, because man was made of a higher nature than they were, and capable of higher things. The law given to us involved in it reward or punishment, which that given to the other creatures of God did not, for they were not made free and responsible agents, nor were they destined to endure for ever, as man was. Concerning this law given to Adam, we may observe, that it was a very simple and easy commandment; so very simple, that some, judging from the more extensive commandments given to man in after times, have hastily pronounced it to be foolish; but by such objections we only condemn ourselves, and bear witness to God that his first law was not grievous, but that it was just and good. The more simple and easy it was, the greater was the sin of Adam in disobeying it; it was adapted to his pure and spotless nature, which the commandments subsequently given to man were not; it served moreover, as a test of his obedience, as an acknowledgment that he held his earthly estate of him, who was the Lord and Sovereign of the ground he occupied: and had it been kept, it would have kept his soul; it would have been the means, through the gift of God, of advancing him at once from a paradise below, to a paradise above, without tasting of death; for he would have been in that case undefiled, and innocent of the great offence, and capable of the chaste and holy joys of heaven. Thus far then the law of God relating to man was good; it found him in a perfect state on earth, and it was intended to make him perfect in heaven; it found him made " a little lower than the angels," but it was destined to give him angels' food, to "crown him with glory and worship." 2. Secondly, let us consider that period relating to the law of God, which passed between the fall and the coming of Christ. Our God, as we have seen, having made man upright, gave him also a law suited to his uprightness, such as had no respect to any sin which he had committed, but only to such sin as, in his free agency, he might commit; but man, as we know, obeyed it not; and by that act of unbelief and disobedience on his part, he altered his nature and his condition upon earth. God's promise to him, that he might eat of the tree of life and live for ever, became void, the curse took effect, and, from that moment, death entered into the world. Before his sin, he was only liable to mortality; but after his sin, his mortality was determined and established. Having thus acquired a knowledge of evil, and become a sinner, it was necessary, in regard to the happiness of man and the purity and consistency of the Divine attributes, that additional laws should be given him; such as should now be adapted to his sinful and mortal state, that thus they might convert his soul and bring it back again to God. To this end, God spake unto our fathers, at sundry times and in divers manners, by the prophets; and he gave them the law of sacrifices, the law of circumcision, and various other outward rites; that through them, men might be assisted and strengthened in the pursuit of heavenly things. Hence also holy places were appointed, and holy men were ordained, whose lips should preserve knowledge, and at whose mouth men might seek and learn the divine word: hence also came the two tables of stone, containing the ten commandments, or moral law, that through them men might be reminded of the love which they owed to God and man, and perceive in their own weakness how "far they were gone from original righteousness." The first law given to man had, as we have seen, no reference to any existing evil in man; but all these subsequent laws which were given him had respect to the evil dispositions which he had acquired, and to the evil practices which he had introduced. The law, says St. Paul, speaking of the Mosaic institution, " was not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient; for the ungodly, and for sinners; for unholy and profane; for murderers of fathers, and murderers of mothers, and manslayers." The law of God, moreover, at this period, had respect not only to the sin which had been committed in the world, but also to the remedy which was provided for it, through the Saviour. Thus St. Paul speaks: "The law was added because of transgressions," until the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; it was but the shadow or representation of good things to come; it looked forward to Christ, thus teaching men, that after all, he was the life and spirit of the law, the great reality to which it related, the only acceptable offering for sin, when man had transgressed the law. As there was then no hardship in the law of God, in its original state, so neither was there any in its subsequent state, but what was occasioned by ourselves, by the sin which had alienated us from God, and which, consequently, required a greater force to bring us back to God. If the law of God became at any time as a yoke to our necks, which it was hard to bear, it was because of sin, which had made our hearts harder than a rock, and not otherwise to be subdued. If the law of God brought us, as it were, into bondage, it was for this reason; because we had first abused the liberty of God, and made ourselves the servants of sin. Surely in this point of view, the statute law of God must even appear a most wise and merciful provision for man; and the more we consider and understand it, the more ready we shall be to exclaim with the Psalmist, |