sition of defence, my sword fell with a terrible blow on his steel cap. Stunned by the blow, he bent himself forward-and, grasp ing the mane, he tumbled from his saddle, and his steed galloped over the field. I did not repeat the blow. His left hand presented his sword his right arm was disabled; his life was given to him. My companions having disposed of their antagonists, (and some of them had two a piece,) we paused to see the fate of the battle. Dalzell and Livingston were riding over the field, like furies, cutting down all in their way. Monmouth was gal. loping from rank to rank, and calling on his men to give quarters. Clavers, to wipe off the disgrace of Drumclog, was committing fearful havoc. "Can we not find Clavers," said Halhead." No," said Captain Paton," the gallant Colonel takes care to have a solid guard of his rogues about him. I have sought him over the field; but I found him, as I now perceive him, with a mass of his guards about him." At this instant we saw our General at some distance, disentangling himself from the men who had tumbled over him in the melée. His face, and hands, and clothes, were cover. ed with gore. He had been dismounted, and was fighting on foot. We rushed to the spot, and cheered him. Our party drove back the scattered bands of Dalzell. 66 My friends," said Sir Robert, as we mounted him on a stray horse, "the day is lost! But-you, Paton, you, Brownlee of Torfoot, and you, Halhead, let not that flag fall into the hands of these incarnate devils. We have lost the battle, but, by the grace of God, neither Dalzell nor Clavers shall say that he took our colours. My ensign has done his duty. He is down. This sword has saved it twice. I leave it to your care. You see its perilous situation." He pointed with his sword to the spot. We collected some of our scattered troops, and flew to the place. The standard bearer was down, but he still fearlessly grasped the flag-staff, while it was borne upright by the mass of men who had thrown themselves in fierce contest around it. Its well known blue and scarlet colours, and its motto, "Christ's crown and Covenant," in brilliant gold letters, inspired us with a sacred enthus siasm. We gave a loud cheer to the wounded ensign, and rushed into the combat. The redemption of that flag cost the foe many a gal lant man. They fell beneath our broad swords; and, with horrible execrations dying on their lips, they gave up their souls to their Judge. Here I met in front that ferocious dragoon of Clavers, named Tam Halliday, who had, more than once in his raids, plundered my halls; and had snatched the bread from my weeping babes. He had just seized the white staff of the flag. But his tremendous oath of exultation (we of the Covenant never swear)-had scarcely passed its polluted threshold, when this Andrew Ferrara fell on the guard of his steel, and shivered it to pieces." Recreant loon," said I, "thou shalt this day remember thy evil deeds." Another blow on his helmet laid him at his huge length, and made him bite the dust. the melée that followed I lost sight of him. We fought like lions-but with the hearts of Christians. While my gallant companions stemmed the tide of battle, the standard rent to tatters, fell across my breast. I tore it from the staff, and wrapt it round my body. We cut our way through the enemy, and carried our General off the field. In Having gained a small knoll, we beheld once more the dreadful spectacle below. Thick volumes of him, by the common feelings of humanity, to spare their lives. He had just finished his usual oath against their "feelings of humani ty," when Paton presented himself. He instantly let go his prey, and slunk back into the midst of his troopers. Having formed them he advanced. We formed, and made a furious onset. At our first charge his troop reeled. Clavers was dismounted. But at that moment Dalzell assailed us on the flank and smoke and dust rolled in a lazy cloud over the dark bands mingled in deadly fray. It was no longer a battle-but a massacre. In the struggle of my feelings I turned my eyes on the General and Paton. I saw in the face of the latter an indescribable conflict of passions. His long and shaggy eye-brows were drawn over his eyes. His hand grasped his sword. "I cannot yet leave the field," said the undaunted Paton,-"With the General's permission, I shall try to save same of our wretched men beset by those hell hounds. Who will go?—At Kilsyth I saw service. When deserted by my troop I cut my way through Montrose's men, and reached the spot where Colonels Hacket and Strachan were. We left the field together. Fifteen dragoons attacked us. We cut down thirteen-and two fled. Thirteen next assailed us. We left ten on the field-and three fled. Eleven Highlanders next met us. We paused, and cheered each Now, Johnny,' cried Hacket to me, put forth your metal, else we are gone.' Nine others we sent after their comrades, and two fled. Now, who will join this raid *?" "I will be your leader," said Sir Robert, as we fell into the ranks. We marched on the enemy's flank. "Yonder is Clavers," said Paton, while he directed his courser on him. The bloody man was, at that moment, nearly alone, hacking to pieces some poor fellows already on their knees and disarmed, and imploring other. rear. Our men fell around us like grass before the mower. The bu gleman sounded a retreat. Once more in the melée I fell in with the General and Paton. We were covered with wounds. We directed our flight in the rear of our broken troops. By the direction of the General I had unfurled the standard. It was borne off the field at the sword's point. But that honour cost me much. I was assailed by three fierce dragoons; five followed close on the rear. I called to Paton-in a moment he was by my side. I threw the standard to the General, and we rushed on the foe. They fell beneath our swords; but my faithful steed, which had carri ed me through all my dangers, was mortally wounded. He fell. I was thrown among the fallen enemy. 1 fainted. I opened my eyes on misery. I found myself in the presence of Monmouth—a prisoner with other wretched creatures, awaiting, in awful suspense, their ultimate destiny. W. C. B. • This chivalrous defence is recorded, I find, in the life of Captain Paton, in the "Scots Worthies," Edin. edit. of A. D. 1812. This celebrated officer was trained up to warfare in the army of Charles Gustavus, King of Sweden. This is a specimen of those heroic Whigs who brought about the Revolution of A. D. 1688. REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. The Scripture Testimony to the Messiah, &c. BY JOHN PYE SMITH, D. D. Vol. I. London. 1818. Pp. 472. Vol. II. Parts I. and II. London. 1821. Pp. 810. THESE Volumes contain a statement of the Scripture testimony to the Messiah, and "a careful examination of the Rev. Thomas Belsham's Calm Inquiry, and of other Unitarian Works on the same subject." The motives of the author, and the design of the work, will be best explained in his own words. "Many works of various character and merit have been published on this truly important subject. Of these, not a few are entitled to all the commendations which are due to ability and learning, to sound judg. ment, fair reasoning, and Christian temper. It must, however, be acknowledged, that the generality of the earlier works, valuable and useful as on many accounts they are, were constructed upon a state of the controversy in a considerable degree different from that which it has more lately assumed. Others take up a limited view of the subject, and decline the investigation of some points which are necessary to a correct understanding of the case. Some have sacrificed their utility to their jealousies; and, by the accumulation of weak or dubious arguments, have obscured and enfeebled their better matter. Others have sought a miserable assistance from harsh and irritating language, crying down rather than answering their opponents. Some have assumed principles hostile to the right of free inquiry, personal judgment, and unrestrained profession of what is apprehended to be truth. Some have rested their arguments on the authority and prescriptions of men; and, to the injury of a good cause, and the deep grief of many conscientious friends of that cause, the authors of some other works have betrayed their chagrin, that the justice of the British legislature has denied to their reasonings the support of penal terrors. In the mean time, the dispute is continued with unquenched ardour; and the claim of victory is made, on each side, with apparently equal confidence. "It will not, I trust, be deemed an act of presumption in me, to attempt this service to the cause of Scriptural truth. Not merely rally feel in a subject of vital concern, but the common interest which Christians geneother circumstances in my situation, have led me, during several years, to be an observer of the progress of the controversy; and, I hope, not a superficial or bigoted student of the topics and questions which it includes, or which have a near relation to it. The design of the following work is to present an impartial view of the whole evidence, full but not diffuse, compressed but not obscure or ambiguous; and the manner proposed is that which seems most agreeable to the natural proceeding of the mind in the search after knowledge-a careful induction, rising from the most acknowledged principles, and rendered, as much as possible, unobjectional at every step. To the spirit of dictation, to the attempt to uphold the ark of God with unhallowed hands,' the writer hopes that he will strenuously oppose himself;' desiring to be armed only with the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit of God.' "After some preliminary observations, which the nature of the subject, and the actual circumstances of the controversy seem to require, it is intended to trace the expectation of a great deliverer, and author of happiness to mankind, from the earliest intimations upon record through the successive developments of the divine purpose. In this induction our object will be to ascertain, by a careful scrutinizing of the evidence as it arises, what those characters were, of which the union in one person, who should in due time be revealed to the world, would constitute him the Saviour expected,-the Messi ah. This will be one leading part of our inquiry. The other will be founded on the position, the admittance of which denominates a man a Christian, as distinguished from a Jew, a heathen, or a deist, that Jesus is the Messiah. Our object in this part will be to ascertain, by the same inductive process, what characters are attributed to Jesus, the acknowledged Messiah, or Christ, in those writings which all Christians regard as the repository and rule of their faith. If the conclusions at which we may arrive, by pursuing these separate lines of investigation, should turn out to be at variance with each other, we shall be as. sured that we have erred at some point of our progress, and it will be necessary to re trace our steps. But if a comparison of the results thus attained by different, and, in a great measure, independent processes, should find them to be coincident, we shall have the most satisfactory proof that each line of inquiry has been fairly conducted; and that the general conclusion, resting on the whole body of separate yet harmonious evidence, is the verdict of the truth." In the concluding sentences of the paragraphs now quoted, Dr. Smith has, we think, thrown considerable obscurity over the plan of his work. His language is such as may lead the reader to suppose, that he considered himself engaged in a process of reasoning from induction, during which we are required to suspend our judgment until he arrive at the conclusion of his argument. He speaks of inductive processes, of conclusions arrived at by pursuing separate lines of investiga tion; he makes the supposition, that these conclusions might turn out to be at variance with each other; and he tells us that, in this event, it will be necessary to retrace our steps. We apprehend that it is the tendency of this language to give us an erroneous view of the grounds on which we rest our belief regarding the person of Christ. If it were the object of the writer to prove that Jesus is the Messiah, this must, of course, be done by an induction of the facts recorded in the New Testament with respect to him, and a comparison of these facts with the doctrines and predictions of the Old Testament writers. But Dr. Smith supposes it to be admitted that Jesus is Messiah, and his object is to state the Scripture testimony respecting the person of Messiah. The more numerous the passages are which bear upon this subject, the greater the weight of that testimony; but it is of no importance whether the evidence be brought from the Old Testament or from the New, provided the passages adduced are acknowledged to have a reference to Messiah; nor VOL. XXI. NO. XII. does it add to the weight of that evidence, that there is an entire coincidence between the declarations of the Old Testament, which, before the incarnation of the Son of God, revealed to men what he should be, and the narrative of the New Testament, which affirms what he actually was. Such a coinci dence may be highly satisfactory to our minds, as proving to us that the whole word of God has been dictated by the same unerring Spirit; but every part of the Scripture testimony respecting the person of Christ is separate and independent; it needs no confirmation from other parts of the same testimony; it commands our assent to the truth so far as it is revealed in them; we are not at liberty to wait until we have a large accumulation of evidence, but are highly criminal in the sight of God if, after we have obtained good and sufficient evidence, we do not, with our understanding and our heart, come to the conclusion, that Jesus is indeed what the Scripture has revealed him to be. Suppose that in one or more passages, it matters not whether in the Old or New Testament Scriptures, the real divinity and proper humanity of Christ are expressly affirmed, and that, on every principle of sound and rational interpretation, such passage or passages must be understood as declaring, that he was truly God and truly man, the doctrine respecting the person of Christ is established beyond dispute. The believer of this doctrine, resting upon these plain declarations of the word of God, is quite unassailable; every other portion of the sacred record must harmonize with them; and the most plausible objections, and most ingenious sophistry, ought not to make the least impression upon his mind. From the ground which he has assumed he may as 50 sail his opponents. Every additional portion of the word of God declarative of the same truths, whilst it confirms his own faith, may be urged against them, and their unbelief may be shown to be altogether inexcusable. In these sentiments, we are sure, Dr. Smith will cordially agree with us. He will not maintain that every man who would have an enlightened belief in the doctrine regarding the person of Messiah, must weigh and attentively consider all the proofs which he has adduced on this subject. Most Christians, we are persuaded, rest their belief rationally and consistently on less than a hundredth part of the evidence which he has brought forward; they are convinced, not by a process of reasoning, or an "induction rising from the most acknowledged principles," (language which appears to us to be quite inapplicable, except, perhaps, to the latter part of the work under our review,) but by the plain and explicit testimony of Scripture to the person of Messiah. The deity and humanity of Jesus Christ are facts in Christianity, which are to be established, not by reasoning but by the evidence of testimony; and to represent the matter in any other view is, we think, to weaken in no small degree, the foundation of this most important article of the Christian faith. We would not be understood to affirm, that our author has, in the execution of his work, made himself liable to such a charge. On the contrary, he has given a statement of the evidence on this subject, than which nothing can be more distinct and satisfactory. The arrangement of the different kinds of evidence is, perhaps, the best which could have been adopted. He commences with the books of the Old Testament; then he proceeds to the direct evidence contained in the New; after which he brings together a variety of assertions with respect to the character, offices, and works of Christ, from which he infers, we think justly, his real divinity. In the course of making this statement, he repeatedly appeals to the reader, whether the doctrine which it is his aim to es tablish were not fully proved by particular portions of the testimony which he has adduced. And were it not for the passages which we have quoted from the introduction, and remarks occasionally interspersed throughout the work, apparently intimating, that he considered a large accumulation of testimony to be essentially necessary to the establishment of the doctrine, we should have thought it quite superfluous to explain so much at large our views upon this subject. In the preliminary considerations, contained in Book I. there are some very judicious observations on the evidence proper to the inquiry concerning the person of Christ, the interpretation of Scripture, &c. many of which are equally applicable to other subjects of theological controversy. Dr. Smith endea◄ vours to show that there is no antecedent incredibility in the belief of a plurality, not of separate beings, but of subsistences, or distinctions not altering the unity of the divine nature;-that the Scriptures are our only source of evidence in this matter, and that it is the duty of every man, who professes to believe their divine authority, to embrace without prejudice the truths which they declare. He proceeds to prove that it is not difficult to ascertain the import of the sacred writings; the style and phraseology of which he shows to be admirably adapted for their purpose. |