folly and wickedness are the same; not only because vicious habits do really corrupt and darken the under. standing, but because it is no small degree of folly to be ignorant that the chief good of man is to know the will of his Creator and do.”

Towards the conclusio of his performance, the Chief Justice vindicates true philosophy against the aspersion that it "tends to infidelity and even to atheism." His remarks are just; and we should like to see in large golden letters, over the door of every Deist in the city, "It is only the half learned who a insolent. They are proud, because they are ignorant."

To what has hitherto been published of the benevo lence of Dr. Wistar, in his professional character, we would state, from unquestionable authority, that besides performing his usual duty at the hospital, he has frequently, without solicitation, arisen from his bed and paid visits to some of his poor patients in that institution whose situation he deemed critical, at almost every hour of the night. Such zeal for the welfare of the bodies of his fellow-men, may well reprove the slothfulness of many of us, who have the care of immortal souls. Let us learn to be instant in season, and out of season.

Late American Publications.

1. The Religious World Displayed; or a View of the four grand systems of Religion, Judaism, Paganism, Christianity, and Mohammedism; and of the various existing denominations, sects, and parties, in the Christian World: to which is subjoined a view of Deism and Atheism. In three volumes. Vol. I. By the Rev. Robert Adam, B. A. Oxford, &c. Philadelphia, published by M. Thomas, 1818. pp. 8vo. 447. 2. The Prophetic History of the Christian Religion Explained; or a brief Exposion of the Revelation of St. John; ! according to a new discovery of prophetical time, by which the whole chain of prophecies is arranged, and their cer tain completion proved from History down to the present period with summary views of those not yet accomplished. By the Rev. J. George Schmucker, Pastor of the Evangelic Lutheran Church, York-Town, (Penn.) Vol. I. Baltimore, 1817. pp. 265. 8vo.

ARTICLE I.-Causes, Results and Remedies of Revenge and Unmercifulness. By a lover of Mercy Rejoicing over Judgment. Philadelphia: 1818. pp. 216. 24mo.

A SINGLE extract will give a fair specimen of this book; which should be classed with Spalding's "Divine Theory," and Fessenden's "Science of Sanctity."

"For, it is immaterial to the brother or sister against whom we let fly the fiery flying serpent revenge, whether it is ushered forth from a sordid priest, by a devout church government grudge, such as he did not honour me, or he excelled me, or he opposed me, or he slandered me, or any of these revengeful or's and me's. If it is revenge at the bar of conscience, and according to the law and testimony; the preacher acting contrary to the royal law of love, is the Devil's Chancellor of old grudges, however he may have recommended the helpless victim of his sacerdotal slow-jawed vengeance, to his favoured inquisitors, like another Spanish president of volcanic iniquity.

"And by the same rule, and for the aforesaid reasons, we repeat it again and again, no matter how we revenge ourselves, whether by letters, winks, nods, peeps, puns, shrugs, humping up the back with a grin, a grimace, a hem, a haw, a whew! a grunt, a religious groan; crying Lord pity me, or them, I'm so sorry for them, I wish he had not got drunk, or that she had behaved prudently, or any other nice, slicing, double meaning, spleenish word, from a Levite maligner, Lady Lucifer, Roaring Psalm-singer, Pulpit Defamer, vindictive Lawyer, or flint-hearted, fiery-tongued brother; twittering, skipping, sipping, singing, shouting, praying, talkative, gadding, gossipping sister, or any other loud mouthed, humped VOL. I.

2 Q

No. 3.

backed, screaming riggler, or postrider of hell; so the direful results of revenge are the natural production thereof. O man of God, there is death (and not justice, decorum, religion, or church discipline,) in the pot." p. 33, 34.

ARTICLE II.-Idolatry destroyed, and the worship of the true God established: A Sermon, delivered in the Old South Church, Boston, before the Foreign Mission Society of Boston and the Vicinity, Jan. 1, 1818, by the Rev. John Codman, A. M. of Dorchester. Boston, 1818, pp. 28, 8vo.

THE foundation of this ingenious discourse is laid in Zephaniah ii. 11. He will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.

A part of the introduction we would erase, and commence with the third paragraph; because the two which precede it are trite exaggerations. In an extemporaneous discourse it might have answered well enough, to have said, "In rising to fulfil my appointment to the interesting service of this occasion, I cannot but feel that oppression of spirit, which a sense of the magnitude and importance of missionary themes is calculated to produce:" but how did Mr. Codman know, when writing these words in his closet, that he should feel an oppression of spirit in rising to read, or repeat his performance? How could he have known, that a holy, joyous animation would not possess his bosom, and excite far different emotions in pleading the cause of missions, than those of oppression? How could he know, that he would not feel a disposition to soar away on wings of faith and love, instead of being "ready to sink." These previously arranged embarrassments, sinkings, and swoonings, are not to be admired in one, who for several years has been accustomed to public speaking, and who professedly preaches in the name, and by the authority of Jesus Christ, the truth of God. We strongly suspect, that these feelings of profound diffidence and timidity, were they sifted, would prove to be such emotions of selfregard as our brother would not think praise-worthy. Often, a fear that they shall not honour themselves by

their performance, springs up in the minds of preachers, beside the desire of doing good; and the importance of augmenting or sustaining their own popularity, is but slightly varnished over with the magnitude and impor portance of the subject.

Paul had reason to say, "I myself am a man;" and pious teachers may have so much of the fallen man about them, as to be very solicitous, even to trembling, to acquit themselves handsomely, before an unusually large audience. We impute not Mr. Codman's apologies to such a cause as this; but while we think him eminently good, he will not deem himself to have attained to perfection; and perhaps will be candid enough to own, that he would have omitted them, before his own congregation in Dorchester.

says,

"if

We think it exaggeration, when our author ever there was a subject which demanded the eloquence of the pulpit, it is that to which our attention is this evening to be directed." Important, indeed, is the doctrine that Jehovah will exterminate idolatry; but if ever there was a subject, which demanded the eloquence of the pulpit, more than another, contained in the divine revelation, it is that of Christ's person, the constitution of the Mediator, his incarnation, atonement, resurrection and final judgment of the children of men. In providing a Saviour, creating his human body and soul, effecting a a union between the human and divine nature, so as to constitute one God-Man-Mediator, and in giving him a ransom for his people, Jehovah has "all his mightest works outdone."

Mr. C. considers the text to be an expression of the divine purpose to destroy idolatry, and establish every where the worship of the true God.

In treating of the destruction of idolatry, "implied in the divine determination to famish all the gods of the earth;" he shows that the gods of the nations "live upon the ignorance, the credulity, the superstition, and the vices of mankind:" p. 9. and that "Jehovah will carry into effect his determination to famish" them, by removing their support. "He will remove the ignorance of mankind by enlightening their understandings; he will

destroy their credulity by presenting to their minds proper objects of faith; he will overcome their superstition by correct views of the nature of true religion; and he will reform their vices by the sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit." p. 14.

In treating, secondly, of the universal establishment of the worship of God, he makes a few observations, and very pertinent ones, on "the nature of the worship spoken of in the text, its locality, and its extent." p. 17. The universal worship, to be established, he shows to be characterized, by purity, spirituality, simplicity, solemnity, sublimity, and perpetuity. In speaking of its simplicity he says, "even a heathen was constrained to bear this remarkable testimony to the simplicity of their worship, that Christians were accustomed to meet together to sing praises to Christ as God." This was doing well, for one who had to address an audience in Boston; and we thank Mr. C. for hinting to his townsmen that true religion includes the worship of the Son of God, as a truly divine person. One of our common teachers in the south would have shown, in treating of its nature, that the religion which is to cover the whole earth, includes knowledge of the only true God, the God of the Bible; conviction of sin; apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ; acknowledgment of the Godhead of Immanuel; approbation, and appropriation of the atonement; justification through the righteousness of Christ, imputed by an act of God, and received in the exercise of saving faith; right thoughts, productive of holy feelings and volitions; and new obedience to the law of Christ: but those ancient features of godliness have been so rarely seen in some portions of our country, that we do not wonder an orthodox divine should have forgotten to delineate them. Such alas! is the influence of Socinianism on those who live within its sphere, as that of Sodom on righteous Lot: it makes them think and speak less of the importance of a divine Redeemer, than they would do under other circumstances; and so enervates their evangelical sensibility, that they deprecate less than they should the awful sentence of anathema maranatha.