should have given a full exhibition of his character, as it was illustriously displayed and glorified in the cross of Christ. It should have rendered it impossible for an individual, in a sound state of mind, to rise from its perusal, without the fullest satisfaction, what he was to think concerning him, and what should be His feelings and conduct with reference to him. In like manner, a book which states that faith is the exclusive means of obtaining religion, should have endeavoured to make plain to the understanding of the reader "the principle or fact which he ought to believe, and the evidence on the ground of which we would have him to believe it." We feel compelled to say, however, that if we had not known, we trust, the gospel before, we might have closed the book without obtaining any very material information upon the subject. Seondly, We are free to confess that our minds revolt at the idea of putting men upon a formal and somewhat lengthened process for obtaining religion. If the book before us had been intended to describe the method which ministers and Christians in general should adopt to make others religious, we should have had much less objection to it. But its object is to point out the means by the use of which irreligious men may arrive at the possession of religion; and to set such men upon such a process, is, we cannot but think, irrational and unscriptural. It is irrational, for it is nothing but men's hatred to religion that prevents their becoming religious. All the irreligion of the heathen world resulted from their not liking to retain God in their knowledge; and all the irreligion of those who possess divine. revelation now, results from their not liking to obtain a right way of thinking, and feeling, and acting towards God. Now, it certainly does appear to us absurd to expect that sinners will use means for doing that which they have no heart to do, and which, if they had a heart-such a heart as would lead them sincerely to use the means would remove every obstacle to their doing the thing itself. The Scriptures command men to make themselves new hearts, i. e. to love God supremely; but they direct them to no means for getting good hearts. In like manner, they command them to believe the gospel-they set the meaning and evidence of the gospel before them, and command them immediately to assent to it; but they prescribe no means of getting faith. Whatever difficulties may attach to the doctrine, (and we freely admit that great, perhaps immoveable difficulties do attach to it), yet we hold it to be an important scriptural sentiment, that all to whom the character of God is in any measure disclosed, are bound instantly to know, and love, and serve Him, and not merely to use the means of doing either that all who hear the gospel are bound instantly to believe it, and not merely to use any means for obtaining faith. There is, we believe, a feeling on the part of many men, who forget the true grounds of moral obligation-that, since religion is the gift of God, it cannot be the duty of men to be religious. Their duty, they imagine, is exhausted by something short of this-by the use of means which are not inconsistent with a state of utter alienation of the heart from God. And so they conclude, it is their duty to be religious because, they imagine, God will impart that influence to them in the use of the means, which is necessary to make them so. It is time surely for it now to be fully understood, that the duty of sinners to do things spiritually good, does not rest upon Divine influence, or the promise of Divine influence, but on the possession of sufficient moral means, to effect all that God requires. It is our duty to know God, because he has revealed himself to us-it is our duty to love him, because infinite excellence adorns his character-it is our duty to believe the gospel, because it is intelligible and true. It is the immediate duty of sinners to be religious, because God has given them sufficient means of being so. And to exhort them to any thing short of being so, is to exhort them not to do the whole of their duty. To exhort them merely to use the means of obtaining religion, as many do, on the ground, that they are incapable of doing more than this, is to plunge into the difficulty, by way of avoiding it; for they are just as incapable of using the means for obtaining religion, with a genuine desire of success, as they are of being religious. The same dislike to religion, which prevents their becoming religious, will prevent their using the means of becoming so And, further, to attempt to get rid of the difficulty which has been thought to embarrass the statement, that sinners are bound to do what they are morally incapable of doing to attempt to get rid of this by saying, that they must do what they can, and that then the Spirit of God will concur with their endeavours, and enable them to do what they cannot-is either to say that man is not so depraved as that he cannot do any thing spiritually good, or that his doings, which are not spiritually good, may be acceptable in the sight of God. The fact on this subject appears to be, that it is the duty of all men to be religious; but that no sinners ever yet used properly the means of obtaining true religion. God imparts it without any endeavours or concurrence of their's; he gives them a new heart and a right spirit, and then they are enabled to use the means for the growth of the principle which he has implanted. Thirdly, We observe, that the system of Mr Brown is encumbered with the difficulty, that it supposes men to be religious, before they will use the means for obtaining religion. The grand means of attaining true religion, says our author, is faith; and, in order to the putting into active and successful operation this grand means or instrument, the following state of mind is necessary. 1st, A man must be deeply convinced that he is utterly destitute of religion-that his heart is utterly alienated from God. 2dly, He must have a persuasion of the infinite value and excellence of religion of its value to him. 3dly, A persuasion that it is attainable; and, 4thly, An acquaintance with the means by which it is to be obtained. And, when he has all these prerequisites, he can believe the gospel, and become possessed of religion-i, e. when, he has religion, he can use the means for attaining it. For, if there be such a thing as an abuse of terms, it is surely such to affirm, concerning a man who knows his own character in the sight of God who knows what religion. is, or he could have no persuasion of its value-who believes that it is attainable, and sees how it is to be attained-to affirm concerning such a man, that he is totally destitute of religion. It is easy Fourthly, We observe, Mr B. has after all left the important question, "What are the means of attaining true religion?" unan, swered. Faith is stated to be the grand means; but there are some things presupposed in faith, and necessary in order to its existence -the things which we have just enumerated. If a deep conviction that we are utterly destitute of religion, and that religion is the one thing needful, be absolute prerequisites to faith-the question returns, How is this conviction to be obtained? to see how faith will spring up in the mind which possesses it, because the want of it is the only obstacle to believing the gospel. But what is the means of attaining this conviction? To gain the first step in the process is the only difficulty; after that is gained, the others will follow as a matter of course. By what means then, we ask, is a sinner, according to Mr Brown's system, to attain these prerequisites? by what means is he to bring himself to see that he is in a state of utter alienation from the life of God, and that religion is lovely and valuable-when the only reason why he has it not is, because he does not think it valuable and lovely? Surely not by faith: for all this is stated to be necessary, in order to the existence of faith. Faith is a wheel, so to speak, which will not move till set in motion by something else: for the sinner, says Mr B. is "strongly, invincibly determined, so far as human argument and motive is concerned, not to employ his understanding" in examining the meaning and evidence of the truth. In section 1st, p. 2. he describes the wheels which communicate motion to faith; we wish to be informed, however, what are the means which set them in motion? The first moves the second, the second the third, the third the fourth, and so on; but the question is, What moves the first? We have no doubt that God moves the first, without the employment of any means on the part of the sinner. But, unless Mr Brown can point out the means which the sinner must employ for giving motion to the first, his system of religion, being obtained in the use of means, falls to the ground. To suppose that God uses means to bring back the sinner to himself, is consistent, we conceive, with Scripture and experience; but to imagine that the sinner uses means to bring himself back, is, we think, at variance with both, and goes far to give the praise of his salvation to himself. The high regard we bear to the character of Mr B. has been one cause of leading us into these lengthened remarks. The book is written, we think, with superior ability; in some points its author has made a noble escape from the bondage of system; but on the particular point to which we have called the attention of our readers, we imagine he is even yet under its thraldom, Religious Intelligence. DOMESTIC. EDINBURGH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. dren redeemed from slavery, still remain at the Society's settlements, and promise to be eminently useful in diffusing the Gospel among their Ir gives us much pleasure to countrymen. Three of them are learn, that on Monday, Feb. 22. already actively engaged in mission1819, at a full meeting of the Diary services; others have died in the faith and hope of the Gospel. At this interesting station, the Sul. tan Katte-Ghery received those ser rectors of the London Missionary Society, the sum of four hundred guineas was unanimously voted to the Edinburgh Missionary Society,ious impressions which, there is no in aid of their funds, for the recruiting of which, Collections are now making in London, by the Rev. Messrs Dickson, Grey, Beattie, and Brown. The following condensed account of the operations of this Society, will be perused with much interest. The Edinburgh Missionary Society was formed in the year 1796. Having speedily obtained funds to a considerable amount, it soon after, in conjunction with the London and Glasgow Societies, actively engaged in missionary labours. In those ex. ertions which have proved so highly beneficial in the South Sea Islands, Western Africa, and Jamaica, this Society formerly gave assistance, although these missions have for some years past been conducted entirely by other institutions. The deplorable situation of the Mohammedan tribes of Russian Tartary having been particularly brought under the notice of the Society, a mission was, in the year 1802, established at Karass, a village on the lines of Caucasus, where a grant of land was obtained from the Russian Government. Here much good has been done. The Scriptures have been translated and printed in the Turkish or Tartar language, and circulated among the natives; as well as various tractson Mohammedanism and Christianity. A number of chil reason to doubt, issued in his true conversion to Christianity; and Messrs Paterson and Galloway, the missionaries now labouring there, have lately observed the most hopeful symptoms of favourable impressions on the minds of several individuals around the settlement. But besides this, by means of the Karass Mission, the most important preparation has been made for almost unlimited missionary exertions and usefulness, throughout all the regions over which the Tartars roam, or in which their language is spoken. The Emperor of Russia has maintained, for many years, a large guard of soldiers and Cossacks, to protect the settlement from the hostile incursions of the Cabardians and Tartars; and arrangements are at present making, which, it is hoped, will enable the missionaries to act more efficiently, than, in consequence of the unsettled state of the country, they have for a considerable period been capable of doing. Were this station secure, no spot could be more important in a missionary point of view. From it, the state of the various tribes in the recesses of Caucasus might be explored, many of whom, not long ago, had at least the profession of Christianity; and attempts might be made to bring them back from their present degraded ignorance of every thing peculiar to the Gospel, or from that apostasy to the faith of Mohammed, to which they have in many instances, been violently compelled. the tribes between the Caspian and the sources of the Indus and the Ganges, of which there are not to be found individuals who have received parts of the Scriptures from us, by means of Armenian merchants, who procure them at our depository." Such, besides, is the demand for the New Testament among the Tartars throughout Russia, that in the province of Kazan alone, above 2000 copies have been most earnestly solicited; so that it is highly probable a third edition will soon be required. Accounts also have just been re In consequence of the wars, which so unhappily interrupted our intercourse with Russia, the Society's operations, for some time, greatly languished, On the re establishment of peace, a new impulse being given to the Society, two of their missionaries, Messrs Mitchell and Dickson, were, in the year 1815, directed to proceed to Astrachan; a city situate at the mouth of the Volga, on the Caspian Sea, where there is an abun-ceived, stating that the Missionaries dant field of labour for many missionaries, among Tartars, Calmucks, Turks, Persians, Jews, and even Brahmins, who either constantly re. side there or in the neighbourhood, or who occasionally visit it; and where there are, consequently, peculiar facilities for the distribution of the Scriptures, and tracts, in numerous languages. Maintaining a constant correspondence, and the most cordial co-operation with the Russian Bible Society, and acting in some measure as their agents in that part of the empire, during less than three years, Messrs Mitchell and Dickson, with the assistance of James Peddie, Andrew Hunter, and occasionally a Russian pressman, have printed and published no fewer than 20,000 copies of Turkish, Tartar, and Arabic tracts; two editions of the Psalms, consisting of 5000 copies each; 5000 of a second edition of the Gospel by St Matthew; 5000 of St Luke's Gospel; 5000 of a second revised edition of the whole New Testament, the expense of it being defrayed by the Russian Bible Society; together with 2000 copies of St Matthew, in the Orenburg dialect. These publications have been sent into Georgia, the Crimea, and every province of Russia where the Tartar language is spoken or read; they have reached Bucharia and Persia, and have been so extensively circulated, as to warrant the Mis. sionaries in saying, "We have reason to believe that there are few of at Astrachan have been employed by the Russian Bible Society to print 5000 copies of the whole Tartar New Testament in the Orenburg dialect, as prepared by Mr Fraser; and at the expense of the British and Foreign Bible Society, 2000 copies of the Book of Genesis, prepared by Mr Dickson, from the Jewish MS. in the Jagatai Tartar, found by Dr Pinkerton at Bachcheserai, in | 1816, and which promises to be a highly useful work. VOL. VI. This station being of high importance, the Rev. W. Glen, and Mr M'Pherson, with their wives and families, have since been sent thither. The increasing extent of the printing operations, the rising value of property, and the difficulty of procuring suitable accommodation for the mission, have induced the Socie ty to purchase a suite of buildings offered for sale, at little more than half of what the erection of them would at present cost. Of the price, which was 2,5007. they have as yet only realized 640. The whole must be paid in the course of a few months. Nearly about the same time, two other of the Society's missionaries, Messrs Fraser and M'Alpine, were directed to proceed to Orenburg, the capital of the Russian province of the same name, and situate about 500 miles N. E. from Astrachan. Here the field for missionary labour is not less extensive, and hitherto has been far more promising, than P |