tismal regeneration to be, and as they hold their supposed regeneration."

There is one class of persons who may reap great benefit from these admirable discourses; we especially mean young persons just completing their education, and those who are about to commence the study of theology. They will afford a due and sufficient safeguard against the modern and unecclesiastical opinions so prevalent in the present day.

Mordecai and Esther; or, the Saviour and his Church: affectionately presented to the Ancient People of God. By the Rev. J. W. NIBLOCK, D.D., Head Master of the London High School, and Sunday Afternoon Lecturer at Pentonville Chapel. London: Nisbett and Co. 1837. Pp. 59. THE author "solemnly declares his full conviction, that the events recorded in the Book of Esther are real events; that every thing therein contained is an historical fact, and actually occurred; and that the analogy, which he professes to trace, between the doings and sayings of Mordecai and Esther, and the dealings of Christ with his Church, so far from weakening the evidence of the truth of the events, supports and confirms the same."

So far so well: we would, however, enter our protest against the mode of allegorizing the Holy Scripture adopted by Dr. Niblock, from the manifest tendency of the system to abuse; but as we have still weightier matters of complaint against his little work, we waive all such considerations, and go at once to our objections.

In the Number of the REMEMBRANCER for June 1836, our readers will find a charge of a very serious nature against the commentary of Dr. Adam Clarke, as inculcating nothing less than the heresy of Tritheism. To that we refer for the present work, which adopts the very same views. Our Lord is represented as being the Son of God, not by an eternal generation, but only by a previous compact and agreement with the Almighty in reference to the plan of redemption. This view of the Hutchinsonians per

not

vades the whole work; and withstanding the excuse of seeking edification by such allegorizing modes of interpretation, we cannot pass over such a direct and anticatholic exposition of the doctrine of the Trinity.

According to this plan, Ahasuerus represents God the Father; the second person in the Holy Trinity is "the Mordecai of the Church;" Vashti represents the Jewish Church; Esther the Christian Church, taken from among the Gentiles. All this is very strange; but stranger still that the author supposes three distinct devils. Haman typifies the Devil; Bigthan and Tuash typify Satan and Lucifer. The Lucifer of Isaiah is evi

dently the morning star, used as an emblem of Nebuchadnezzar; and we marvel greatly that the Doctor, who identifies Esther with the Atossa of the poet Eschylus, should not have known that it was a mere vulgar error to esteem it as a name of Satan.

The Doctor waxes warm in defence of Establishments, in commenting on chap. ix. 4. "Then the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea,'-perhaps, for the support of the people of God, -(what will the enemies of an established and endowed church say to this?)" What the enemies of such a church may say, we do not inquire; but as friends of an established and endowed Church, we say in all sincerity," Non tali auxilio."

Thoughts on Religion: from a MS. of the year 1832. By AN UNDERGRADUATE of Oxford. London; 1837. J. Sampson. Pp. 73.

It appears that the writer, having originally composed this very pleasing and elegant poem without any view to publication, has been persuaded at length to send it forth into the world, "in hope that as simplicity of language has been much aimed at, it will find an easy admittance to the understanding, and root at least some passages of Holy Writ, some faithful saying' of Christ, deeper in the memory.' It is filled, indeed, with allusions and quotations from the inspired volume, and

we trust may thus serve to effect the purpose of the writer's piety. He deprecates criticism in a preface of such modesty and good taste, that we could hardly find it in our hearts to blame; but we can assure the writer, he needed not to have feared, as we have the pleasure of pronouncing his little work a very pleasing and useful one, and wish it, therefore, may become a favourite with the public. It is dedicated to the parishioners of Harmondsworth and West Drayton, Middlesex, to which parish the writer was formerly Curate.

The Christian Church, as it stands distinguished from Popery and Puritanism. By the Rev. THOMAS GRIFFITH, A.M. Minister of Ram's Chapel, Homerton. London: J. Burns. 1837. Pp. 315.

Mr.

most

MR. GRIFFITH and his friends are likely to be satisfied with this little volume; but they can hardly flatter themselves with the hope that either "Papist" or "Puritan" will be convinced by it. The human mind is strangely constituted, surely. Griffith may indulge in the "affectionate" and touching phraseology in his addresses and publications to the "dear readers" and "christian friends" of "Ram's chapel" congregregation; and yet never suspect himself to be in the least tinged with "Puritanism." And again, he may believe himself quite free from the spirit of Popery, while he transfers to individuals, what Papists give to the Pope. This cannot be helped: it is a free country that we live in, and it would be hard to insist on a man's understanding his subject before he writes about it. Still this little book will do good, by circulating among an otherwise inaccessible class of readers. There is much in it that is good in itself, and it may provoke the attention of its readers to the subjects it professes to handle. The spirit of the volume is the most objectionable thing about it; because the most contagious, and the least pardonable of its faults. It is, indeed, the very spirit of "puritanism." There is all the zeal, and false feeling, and bad taste, combined with much of the genuine religious tone of

most puritan controversialists. But one point we cannot pass unnoticed. We hold that all trifling levities are unbecoming of the religious teacher. It is melancholy to think of the state of feeling which could allow any man to write pleasantries on so fearful an error as the Romish indulgences, and masses provided by the charity of the living for the welfare of the dead in purgatory; and yet Mr. Griffith, at p. 217, writes of a 66 sort of joint-stock companies for insurances against fire.” Such a spirit as this is by no means favourably distinguished from the spirit of Popery, or the spirit of Puritanism." The sneer, the joke, and the overweening tone in one page of this book are strangely out of keeping with the earnest and solemn feelings of another, and the mistakes and assumptions of a third. At some future time we trust that Mr. Griffith will wish such thoughtless pages as 208, 209, &c. &c. unwritten.

There is one very important point which Mr. Griffith has overlooked. In expounding the Nineteenth Article, which defines "the visible church," he labours evidently with all his might to give it such a latitude of interpretation, as to include the great body of the English Dissenters within that definition. Now, it is a point not exactly decided, how far the Article was originally intended to extend; it is evidently worded with a studied ambiguity. It mentions, also, the churches of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch, and even the church of Rome; none of which certainly come up to the standard of Mr. Griffith, as having the pure word of God preached in them, and the sacraments duly administered in all essential points according to Christ's ordinance; nay, we almost doubt, whether Mr. Griffith would admit the church of Rome even to be called Christian. Here, therefore, there is a contradiction between the Article and the elaborate exposition of "the Minister of Ram's chapel." Even, however, if we admit that the foreign Protestant churches were intentionally included in the definition, it by no means follows that the English Dissenters can receive the benefit of this concession. At the

time of the first promulgation of this Article, they had no existence; and the Reformer certainly never allowed the name of churches to the wild adherents of the Anabaptists, and the other few sects which sprung up out of the first outburst of the Reformation ; and when the Independents (who now rejoice in the name of Congregationalists) aftewards arose, the Church of England, and the foreign Protestant churches, treated them as mere sectaries. The very most which can be conceded is, that the Article was intended to comprise under the name of "the visible Church," those communities which were regularly organized according to the Episcopal or Presbyterian models; and therefore none of the Reformers would have hesitated in unchurching the English Dissenters. The whole history of Independency clearly proves, that it was looked upon, by the whole body of the Protestant churches, as an impious inroad on duly organized churches, and as a mere wil ful piece of sectarianism. We would, therefore, seriously advise the author to mend his argument in this point, as it is wofully in need of repair.

The Young Christian's Glossary; a Selection from an unpublished MS. to be entitled, The Protestant Schoolboy's Glossary, for the Use of Grammar, National, and other Schools. By the Rev. CHARLES MACKENZIE, A. M. Head Master of Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, St. Olave, Southwark, and Vicar of St. Helen, Bishopsgate. London: Simpkin and Marshall. Pp. 24.

THIS very judicious explanation of words, chiefly occurring in the Bible, Liturgy, and other Books of Religion, fully answers the purpose of a sound and orthodox definition of things, about which, we fear, much mischief arises, from the want of clear and definite meaning. Such words as heresy and schism have, it is to be feared, lost their proper signification in these days; and he who tries to bring them back to their original meaning deserves our warmest thanks. This Mr. Mackenzie has done, and we honour him for this seasonable attempt. We give one

or two of his definitions.

Catholic: a member of the universal church of Christ, but sometimes improperly applied to the members of the Romish Church, who ought to be called Romanists, or Roman Catholics.

Church: 1. The whole body of Christians, as the catholic or universal church. 2. The body of Christians in one particular country, as the Church of England, a branch of the catholic church. 3. The building consecrated in each parish to the worship of God.

Heresy, [Greek] "choice:" applied to choice of religious opinions, and generally used in a bad sense.

from

Heretic: one who has adopted a heresy : one who differs catholic church.

the

Schism, [Greek,] "rent:" a division from the christian church without sufficient cause: a sin denounced in scripture. 1 Cor. i. 10, and xii. 12-21. Eph. iv. 3, &c.

We trust Mr. Mackenzie will publish the whole MS. from which he has now given us this very useful selection.

The Schoolboy's Manual; being an Appendix to a Greek Grammar, and containing some Account of Greece, Geographical and Historical. With a short Biographical Notice of the most Illustrious Grecian Philosophers, Heroes, Historians, Orators and Poems. For the Use of Schools. 1836. London: Wix. Pp. 28. "MULTUM IN PARVO" ought truly to be the motto of this little but most valuable publication. It is admirably adapted for superseding many of the larger, but less satisfactory Books for Schools, on the subjects enumerated in the title-page. The information is as accurate as it is varied; and yet condensed into the smallest possible space.

A Sermon, preached before the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Lincoln and the Clergy, at the Triennial Visitation, at Cuiston, July 27, 1837. By E. G. MARSH, M.A., Rector of Waltham. London: Seeley. 1837. Pp. 27. THE text of this very able Sermon is from 2 Tim. ii. 24-26. It was published by request of the Bishop and Clergy; and we must say, the request is not only complimentary to the preacher, but from the soundness and excellency of the Sermon, creditable to those who made it.