Author and Governor of the universe-feelings which are required to manifest themselves in a duteous regard to his will. It sets before us "the best principle; and the best application of it; the purest motive, and the most perfect practice." The business of the writer consequently is to correct two opposite and very dangerous mistakes; the one, that of such persons as "profess a most fervent and zealous love for their Redeemer, yet are so far from giving proof of their love by keeping his commandments, that they seem to consider the very warmth of their feelings as affording them a kind of licence for indulging their sinful inclinations:" the other, that of those who "seem not to consider the love of Christ as the best and principal motive for obedience, but content themselves with dwelling on the rewards and punishments of the next world, and on the folly and danger of sin." Against this latter defect, the arguments of our author are principally directed, without, however, losing sight of the former. He shews that "the language of promise and threatening, and an appeal to the interests and passions of men is not the prevailing character-not the general tone, as it were, of the Discourses of Christ and his Apostles: at least, not when they are addressing believers in Christ :" that "almost all the exhortations of the sacred writers are grounded on the infinite mercies of our great Instructor and Redeemer towards us, and on the gratitude, love, and reverence which we ought to feel towards him in return." To prove and illustrate this, Dr. W. urges the language of our Lord and his Apostles, both when they would use exhortation to holiness, and when they would direct the views of Christians to the future reward;-in the former case "making religion a matter not of mere prudent calculation, but of affectionate zeal;" in the latter, placing the future happiness of the faithful "in a more perfect knowledge of our Redeemer, and closer intercourse with him;" and always having a continual personal reference to him, as our greatest Benefactor, our brightest Example, our exceeding great Reward. In this they shew their intimate acquaintance with human nature.

They well knew that a cold address to the understanding-a mere chain of arguments serves rather to teach men what they ought to do, than to excite men actually to do it; it may lead them to think rightly about religion, but not to feel and act rightly: it is like the moon-light, clear indeed and beautiful, but powerless and cold; their preaching, on the contrary, was like the light of the sun, which warms while it illuminates, and not only adorns, but fertilizes the earth. For it must never be forgotten... that it is in vain the affections are excited,

if the practice is not improved; it is in vain that the artificer heats and melts his metal, if he neglects to mould it into the proper form. Indeed, those who do not live a Christian life, may, from that very circumstance, be assured, that they have not true, genuine, and steady Christian feelings." P. 177.

"Let no one then lose sight of, nor undervalue, these admirable, these divine peculiarities of our religion, which furnish the only effectual means of counteracting the weakness of man's nature. Let no one, under pretence of laying a firm foundation of natural religion, render the superstructure of Christianity insignificant, by attributing to natural religion what revelation alone can furnish: and above all, let us not, carelessly blind to those splendid characteristics which distinguish it-confound this religion with the various systems of philosophical speculation, or of popular superstition, which have successively occupied mankind; but keep our eyes stedfastly fixed, as it were, on the star which stands over the holy infant at Bethlehem, and which has no fellow in the firmament*." P. 181.

Dr. Whately proceeds in the next Essay to point out the practical character of the Gospel, arguing thus:

"If there be good ground for maintaining, first, that a false religion may be expected to contain in its pretended revelations superfluous matters, which concern only speculative curiosity; secondly, that all religions, except our own, do actually abound in such matters; thirdly, that a true revelation may be expected to abstain from every thing of the kind, and to contain only such things as are practically important, or, at least, nothing to gratify men's curiosity; and, lastly, that our Scriptures actually do conform to this rule; it will be difficult to avoid the conclusion, that they, and they only, do really come from God." P. 213.

In proof of these assertions Dr. W. urges, that it is "to be expected, that both the devices of an impostor, and the visions of an enthusiast should abound in food for curiosity;" that, in fact, the fables of the Greek and Roman mythology were remarkable for "their general want of reference to human con

* It is impossible for us to notice the many references made by our Author to the books of the New Testament in illustration of his positions; but we must quote the following passage, which struck us forcibly when we read it : "St. Paul, in exhorting the Churches, alludes occasionally only to the rewards and punishments of a future state, and the folly of not preparing for it; but he insists continually on the mercies which God has already shewn us, and the gratitude we ought to feel for them, and strives to fill us with an earnest desire of pleasing him, and an abhorrence of sin, as odious in his sight. For example, when he tells the Colossians to forgive one another, if any man have a quarrel against any,' it is on this ground, even as Christ forgave you.... And again, Be ye followers of God as dear children, and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us.'" P. 167.

duct," that in the pretended revelations of the Hindoos and other modern Pagans, "one leading object is to gratify men's curiosity about the nature and the operations of superior agents:" that the Koran, though not wanting in moral precept and exhortation, " abounds with the most elaborate descriptions of heaven and its inhabitants, and of other (pretended) works of God, all calculated to gratify the prying-one might even say, the impertinent curiosity of man respecting divine mysteries:" to which pretended revelations he adds the fables of the Jewish Talmud, the idle legends of the Romish Church, and the more recent visions of Swedenborg, "furnishing abundant matter of faith, and food for curiosity, but having little or no intelligible reference to practice." The character of the Scriptures is the very reverse of this. In those parts which, though historical, necessarily imply a supernatural communication made to the writer, "nothing is more striking than their uncircumstantial brevity;" forming a remarkable contrast to the pretended revelation of Mohammed, who "goes out of his way, to assert gratuitously many points of astronomical theory. The same contrast is equally striking in the general and brief description of the future state contained in the Scripture, compared with the copious and high-wrought descriptions of paradise and hell, with which the Koran abounds. St. Paul speaks with the utmost possible brevity of being "caught up into paradise," and "hearing unspeakable words." Let this be compared with "Mahomet's long and circumstantial visit to heaven, filled with a multitude of needless particulars; and he must be a bad judge of the characters of truth and falsehood who does not see that the one bears the marks of reality as plainly as the other does of fiction." The Gospel, indeed, reveals some points of doctrine which may appear to be merely speculative, but whoever peruses the Scripture will immediately perceive that all those have a practical tendency, and an application to practice, and that the sacred writers dwell upon such topics with the utmost copiousness, distinctness, and earnestness; as to the mere increase of speculative knowledge, they are scanty, indistinct, and apparently indifferent. When St. Peter has occasion to advert to the deluge, and also to the final destruction of the earth, in which his readers would have been much interested by a circumstantial description, and a false pretender to inspiration would have been sure to gratify their curiosity, the subject is despatched in five or six verses; and he proceeds at once to a practical conclusion.

"St. Paul also, in speaking of the same subject, having told the Corinthians, that at the last day we shall all be changed;' and that

the blest shall be 'clothed upon' with a body like unto the glorious body of Christ,' proceeds, instead of detailing any of the circumstances of so interesting a change, or fully describing the glorified body of 'saints made perfect,' to exhort them to 'be stedfast, and abounding in the work of the Lord, since they know that their labour is not in vain.' Such passages in the works of the Apostles may furnish the most unlearned Christian with 'a reason for the faith that is in him,' consolatory to his own mind, and unanswerable by Infidels. He may ask them, how it came to pass, that no one of our sacred writers has given a full, minute, and engaging account of all that is (according to him) to take place at the end of the world;-of all the interesting particulars of the day of judgment;-of the new bodies with which men will arise; and of the glories that shall be revealed in heaven. It is plain, that nothing could have been more gratifying to the curiosity of all who had an interest in the subject; nothing more likely even to allure fresh converts, than a glowing description of the joys of heaven; it would have been easily believed too, by those who gave credit to the writer, as it is plain St. Paul supposed the Corinthians did; it would have been very easy for an impostor to give a loose to his fancy, in inventing such a description; and to an enthusiast it would have been unavoidable; he who was passing off his day dreams for revelations, on himself, as well as on others, would have been sure to dream largely on such a subject. Why then did not St. Paul do any thing of the kind? I answer, because he was not an impostor, nor an enthusiast; but taught only what had been actually revealed to him, and what he was commanded to reveal to others. Let Infidels give any other answer to the question if they can. They have had near two thousand years to try; and never yet have they been able to explain the dry, brief, uncircumstantial, unadorned, unpretending accounts which our sacred writers give, of things the most interesting to human curiosity, on any other supposition than that of their being honest and sober-minded men, who spoke only what they knew to be the truth." P. 210.

The author concludes this interesting and instructive Essay by a few remarks on what we ought to expect to learn from Revelation,-how we should understand what is revealed,-and what application we should make of it. With respect to the first point, he cautions his readers against "expecting to learn any thing from revelation, excepting what is in a religious point of view practically important for us to know." Let no one, says he, seek for a system in any branch of physical science from the Scriptures," which were designed to teach men, not natural philosophy, but religion." Again, on the "secret things which belong unto the Lord our God, we should not only seek for no explanation in Scripture, but should carefully abstain from the presumption of all inquiry

whatever." With respect to the right understanding of what is revealed, the most practical interpretation of each doctrine, that can fairly be adopted, is ever likely to be the truest. And, lastly, it behoves the Christian to make, and exhort others to make, a practical application of the doctrines of his religion to character and conduct. Dr. W. objects with good reason to the " strong distinction which is frequently drawn between doctrinal and practical discourses; as if the two subjects were either of them indeed to be neglected, but kept apart and independent. Whereas, in truth, every doctrinal discourse should lead the Christian hearer to its proper moral results -every practical precept be referred in his mind to its true foundation in the Gospel doctrines.”

It may, perhaps, be pertinent to remark in this place, that the views taken by the fathers of our Church of the leading doctrines of the Gospel, is decidedly practical. Witness the services appointed for the great festivals, and the Homilies framed for those occasions.

The last Essay in the volume before us is on the example of children, and is divided into two parts; "first, our analogy to children in respect of the knowledge we possess; and, secondly, in respect of duties." In treating of the former, Dr. W. remarks, that the knowledge of children is in its kind, relative; in degree, it is scanty and imperfect; yet it is practically sufficient for them, if they are but careful to make a good use of it. Upon these heads our author enlarges in a manner highly pleasing, shewing how much our situation as Christians resembles that of children; that all our knowledge of God is relative, and therefore partial; that it is limited likewise and indistinct; but that "in the midst of all our ignorance and weakness, that which we can best understand is our duty; and if we are diligent and patient in acquiring such knowledge as is suitable for us, and in practically applying it, instead of boldly prying into mysteries beyond our reach, we shall be undergoing the best preparation for that superior state of existence, in which God's faithful servants will, through his mercy, obtain an enlargement of their faculties, an increase of their knowledge, and a nearer view of his adorable perfections." On the second head, that of duties, Dr. W. points out the lowliness, and modesty, and self-distrust of children; their docility, and their resignation, i. e. "an undoubting and affectionate confidence in parental care and kindness, accompanied with a cheerful, submissive, and ready obedience, even where they cannot understand the reasons of the commands given and the restrictions imposed." The remarks which naturally arise on each of these points, on