The Time of the End; being a Series of Lectures on Prophetical Chronology. By the Rev. W. A. Holmes, B.A. Chancellor of Cashel. London. Seeleys. 1833. pp. 168.

THE object of this work, which consists of eight Lectures, is "to demonstrate that the time of the end, the great crisis of the prophetic times, when the kingdoms of the world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord, and his Christ, shall be in the year 1836; and this demonstration will be found to depend upon five different computations, each of them conducting to one and the same result." The greater portion of the volume is occupied in attempting the establishment of these computations, without entering into any explanation of the nature of the kingdom of Christ to be established upon earth, while the last lecture applies the vision of the witnesses (Rev. x. xi.) to the present persecuted state of the Irish Church, and predicts the fall of the papacy before the end of 1835. This statement will sufficiently indicate the nature of the work, but it does not lie within the province of the Reviewing department of the British Magazine to enter on the discussion of such questions.

Remarks on the Advantage of Loan Funds, for the Benefit of the Poor and Industrious. By Francis Trench. London: Ridgway. 1833. pp. 43. THIS pamphlet, containing valuable facts and instructions as to Loan Societies, is earnestly recommended to the attention of the real friends of the poor. Loans are one of the best charities; but their object is defeated in all ways when the loan is not rigidly repaid. A private person feels reluctant in exacting it, and then, perhaps, becomes naturally disinclined to give this kind of assistance. But a society can exact the repayment, and thus make the charity effectual.

Translation of the Oxford and Cambridge Latin Prize Poems. 2nd series. By Nicholas Lee Torre. London: Longman and Co. 1833. 12mo. pp. 230. MR. TORRE has very considerable power of versification, and has executed with success a task which it seems at first sight a little singular that any one should undertake.

Archdeacon Hodson's Second and Third Charges to the Clergy of Stafford, in 1831 and 1833. London: Hatchards. 1833.

THERE are a great many valuable remarks and sound views in defence of things as they are in these charges. The writer only regrets that so pleasing and right-minded a writer as Archdeacon Hodson should be so much of a Church Reformer, in spite of these sound views.

"For Ever," and other Devotional Poems. By a Clergyman of the Church of England. London: Hatchards. pp. 127.

THIS is a very elegant little volume, full of very pure devotion, and with a great deal of pleasing and refined feeling.

A Charge to the Clergy of the Diocese of Aberdeen, at their Synodical Meeting, Aug. 21, 1833. By Bishop Skinner. Aberdeen. 1833.

A Sermon preached on the above occasion. By the Rev. R. W. Anderson. Aberdeen. 1833.

A TRULY Christian and pastoral charge, worthy of the church and the bishop from whom it comes. Bishop Skinner, while he maintains the necessity of

boldly defending episcopalian principles, nevertheless deeply laments the infidel and democratic spirit abroad, which, in destroying religious establishments, seeks to destroy religion; and exhorts all true Christians to beware of joining in such attempts, though they may not agree in the views or principles of particular establishments. He then goes on to deplore the neglect of the sacraments as means of grace, and to enforce the necessity of religious attention to church ordinances.

Mr. Anderson's sermon is one of truly Christian views, and of sincere and heartfelt piety, as well as of thought and beauty in composition.

Report of Proceedings on a Voyage to the Northern Ports of China in the Ship Lord Amherst. London: Fellowes. 1833. pp. 296.

THIS book is well worth reading. It is a curious picture of Chinese manners. The commander of the Amherst entered several of the larger ports of China, and took the anthorities by surprise. The people were so far from being afraid of or averse from strangers that they received them eagerly, readily, and kindly, and the merchants were anxious to deal with them. (There were European goods, by the way, in all these places, exposed in the shops.) But the authorities could not allow it. They were, however, quite intimidated, and submitted in the most curious way. They uttered very serious threats, or rather let them off like a Congreve rocket, and waited to see the effect. When no effect took place from these large words, they sat still, and did no more.

The book too is a curious picture of English manners, or want of them. The conduct of the English party was surely quite unjustifiable. For persons without any public character to enter a foreign port, contrary to the orders of the authorities, and to the laws of the country,-to treat the magistrates with insolence, and to insist on their submitting to degradation, nay, on one occasion, to go so far as to tear down the door of the town house, because things did not please them, is conduct not to be justified. The Chinese submitted, probably, because they thought that the character of merchant was only an assumed one, as they could never believe that real merchants would dare to claim privileges which belong only to persons of rank and high station.

A practical Exposition of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans. By the Rev. Robt. Anderson, Curate of Trinity Chapel, Brighton, &c. London: Hatchards. 1833. pp. 485.

THERE is a very pleasing, tone and temper manifested through this volume, which is, as its amiable author says, chiefly practical, and displays both diligence and reading highly creditable to him. But the fact is, that a practical exposition of this great epistle in a series of lectures is a tremendous undertaking. The doctrines handled in it, on a full exposition of which the practical exhortation must be built, require more discussion than it can be advisable or feasible to bring before a mixt congregation, and in a limited time. Mr. Anderson has obviously felt this, and has tried to avoid the most difficult questions, for example, that of predestination. Yet desirable as it is, as he states, to avoid controversy, one must take either one side or the other, or one must say more decidedly than Mr. Anderson does, no Christian ought to think of this matter, but ought to feel that if by God's grace he is living spiritually, he may feel a confident hope that he shall be accepted; and that if he is not so living, he has no reason for such hope.

Still every one will be pleased with the kind, earnest, and affectionate tone of the exhortation, and will rise from the perusal of the volume with great respect for its excellent author,

It may be well to add, that here and there, in expounding the text, Mr. A.

appears rather to wiredraw in his distinctions. For example, chap. i. 18, has he any reason for saying that (aoßeia) ungodliness means distinctly sin against the first table, and (acikia) unrighteousness, against the second, as the words certainly mean sin against God and against man respectively? This is ingenious, and there are several other points of the same kind cleverly taken through the work. But are they certain?

The Biblical Cabinet. Vol. V. A Translation of Tholuck's Commentary on the Romans. By the Rev. R. Menzies. Vol. I. Clark. Edinburgh. 1833.

pp. 58.

WISHING every success to this undertaking, the Reviewer notices this volume, as a token of the progress of the work, with great satisfaction. But he will not attempt to give a general character of it till the second volume of the Commentary, embracing the commentary on the most important parts of the epistle, has appeared. He earnestly hopes that all lovers of Biblical Criticism will give due encouragement to the meritorious publisher.

The translator has given a very valuable extract from Tholuck, giving an account of Rationalism very well summed up. But after reading it, how does the learned translator think, that the evils of Rationalism could be exaggerated, and why does he say, that the prejudices against it are the offspring of ignorance? Is Tholuck then ignorant? or is he prejudiced? If so, why appeal to him? If not, can any one have made out a worse case than he has ?

A Testimony for Pure and Undefiled Religion. By J. Roberts, Incumbent of Quorndon, Staffordshire. Seeleys. 1833. pp. 120.

WITH all due respect for Mr. Roberts and writers like him, may they be asked against whom they are fighting, when they attack persons who maintain that man is born innocent, and that they can be justified by their own works? These misrepresentations of opponents are the causes of half the dissensions among Christians. Men of all persuasions rely too much in practice doubtless, and pride themselves too much on their own excellence. But it is idle to suppose that any orthodox Christians maintain in theory, that they need no Redeemer, and it is therefore idle to argue against monsters which do not exist. One gets tired too, of the same chimeras, killed by the same giants, in the same way, everlastingly. The whole of the book is in the same exaggerated strain. Mr. Roberts says that the following are general names for unconverted Christians-members of an harlot, idolaters, &c. &c. And elsewhere he implies that gross actual sin is the necessary state previous to arriving at conversion. The writer certainly will not enter into the controversy on which these statements trench. But he would gladly know whether many persons think that St. Paul meant to use such terms as those cited above as general descriptions of persons such as Mr. Roberts means-viz., persons who, though brought to God in baptism, and educated by Christian parents, and living within the sound of the gospel, and, as some would say, influenced by it, nevertheless have not declared themselves to experience afterwards the great change which he conceives to be necessary to a Christian.

1833.

Religious Establishments tried by the Word of God. A Sermon. By the Rev. W. Dealtry, D.D., &c. London: Rivingtons, &c. WHY does not Dr. Dealtry print this most acute, excellent, and able sermon (separating it from the allusions to the particular occasion on which it was preached, and perhaps some of the less necessary, though very useful notes) in the form of a very cheap TRACT for the most general circulation? Such a tract, so clear and convincing, could not fail to do the greatest good, and such a tract is exceedingly wanted.

Bishop Doane's Primary Charge to the Clergy of New Jersey. May 29, 1833. Camden, U.S. 1833.

No brief review can ever do justice to the rich stores of thought and feeling, the genuine and warm piety, and the high church principles of Bishop Doane. It does honour to the American episcopal church to elect such men, and their elevation is warmly hailed by all clergy of right principles here, who feel interested beyond expression in the welfare of the American branch of the true church.

Bishop Hall Onderdonk's Second Charge to the Clergy of Pennsylvania. May 22, 1833. Philadelphia, U.S. 1833.

THIS charge, on the Rule of Faith, is so able, sound, and acute, that it ought to be reprinted in this country. A good and sound view of this subject is exceedingly wanted.

Sermons on the Death of W. Wilberforce, Esq. By the Rev. Joseph Brown and the Rev. T. Mortimer.

BOTH these sermons do great honour to the feelings entertained by their authors for so eminent and excellent a man as Mr. Wilberforce. Mr. Mortimer's sermon, too, is obviously that of a very amiable and sincere man. Would he not have done well to omit in the pulpit reading a very long and very dull and common-place extract from a newspaper, describing the funeral of Mr. W., the scarves and hat-bands, &c.? Mr. Brown's sermon contains some very interesting and characteristic anecdotes of Mr. W., doing him high honour, rather fitted, however, for a memoir than a sermon.

Mr. D'Arblay has preached on the same subject, and doubtless his would be a most eloquent discourse on such a theme. But it has not yet reached the author.

A Farewell Sermon at Nayland, in Suffolk. By the Rev. M. Harrison, A.M. Colchester: Walter and Taylor. 1833.

NEAR sixty persons signed an address begging Mr. H. to print this sermon, and they have done the public a great favour. It is only to be regretted that so sound and bold a sermon should not be likely to be more generally known, from being printed in the country?

Memorials of Oxford. No. XI. Oxford: Parker.

It is a duty again to mention this very beautiful and very cheap work, which deserves general circulation, as giving almost for nothing an excellent account of one of the most venerable and excellent of our institutions, and the most beautiful of our cities.

Memorials of Salisbury. By the Rev. P. Hall. No. V.

THIS work also deserves most honourable mention, and does high honour to the industry and talents of Mr. Hall.

The Animal Kingdom. By Baron Cuvier. Translated, with plates. Vol. I. Nos. 1, 2, and 3. London: Henderson.

BARON CUVIER's learned and systematic work is too well known to require encomium here. The English translator has done a most acceptable service in bringing it before the English public in so cheap and beautiful a form.

An Historical Account of the Origin and Progress of Astronomy, with Plates, illustrating chiefly the Ancient Systems. By John Narrien, F.R.A.S. London: Baldwin and Cradock.

1833.

THIS work contains an interesting account of the rise and progress of astronomy, and views of its state among the various nations of the earth in all ages, which can be properly called historical. The author gives strong reasons for rejecting the extravagant opinions of its antiquity among the Chinese and Hindus. It is a work which cannot fail to be valuable to those who have a knowledge of the principles of this science, as it contains a mass of information which is scarcely to be met with elsewhere in so compact a form.

MISCELLANEA.

SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL.

THE following is the Circular of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel :

"The standing Committee having been directed to consider what measures are rendered necessary by the immediate diminution and proposed discontinuance of the parliamentary grants for the maintenance of the clergy in British North America, have agreed to the following

"" REPORT.

"The establishment of Christian ministers, professing the doctrines of the church of England, was regarded by our forefathers as an object, both in a religious and in a civil point of view, of the highest importance to the inhabitants of British North America. And this object was cherished by the British legislature, who took measures to secure a permanent provision for the clergy, by a reservation of lands to be appropriated to them in the several colonies. But the reserves have not yet become available to the completion of the proposed object, since the lands have not been brought into general cultivation; and his Majesty's government have accordingly been in the habit of proposing to parliament annual grants for the support of the colonial church.

"In the year 1813 the government, which had previously made the payments to the clergy of Nova Scotia and Quebec through the hands of the colonial agents, considered it a cheaper and more convenient mode, to avail themselves of the services of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel; and from that time to the year 1831, the society annually received the parliamentary grants, and distributed the sums paid to them, in addition to the allowances which they made from their own funds.

"In the last year (1832) his Majesty's government acquainted the society, that, taking into consideration the finances of this country, and the condition of the colonies, they felt it their duty to give notice to the socicty, that the parliamentary grants would be gradually reduced, and, at the end of three years, discontinued. On the receipt of this information, the society made a respectful remonstrance to the government, urging, but ineffectually, the claims of the church and clergy in British North America. An expectation, however, was held out, that, in the interval, means might be found within the colonies themselves for supplying the deficiency thus produced in the income of the clergy.

"The parliamentary grant was reduced in the year 1832 to 12,000l.; and the government have undertaken to propose for 1833 a grant of 8,000l.; and for