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still he had great cause of thankfulness to God, that he had been enabled to accomplish so much, in a short time; so much more than most of us effected in a long ministry. He replied, 'I am thankful; and I could have wished, had it been God's will, to have lived to do much more; for I had marked out much work which I intended to execute. I had prepared skeletons of sermons principally for the young, which I had hoped to fill out and preach this summer; and determined upon my plan of labors for some time to come. But God has ordered otherwise, and I bow to his will.' I reminded him of the last discourse which he preached to my people, a few weeks before his sickness, and which seemed to make a deep impression on all who heard it. 'Yes,' said he, that is the best method of enforcing moral and religious truth, by apt and familiar illustrations, brought home to every soul. Had I lived, I should have preached more than ever in that way, the only way in which preaching, as it seems to me, can do much good. Indeed,' said he, 'I had just begun to learn how to preach. I should not in future have devoted much attention to controversy, because the time has gone by, when I think it was needed. My preaching would be for the most part, practical; illustrating the paternal character of God, the life and example of Christ, the importance of early religious education. That,' said he, with emphasis, is the grand point; that is the foundation of a religious character. I do not mean to say, that I regret having been engaged in religious controversy. And though some things which I wrote, and some expressions which I used, may have seemed harsh and severe, I thought them necessary at the time, and that I was doing my duty to truth and religion. And I do not now regret the course I pursued.' - pp. 210, 211.

"The last time I saw your pastor was the afternoon before his death; a day ever to be remembered by me. As I entered his chamber a scene presented itself, which made an impression on my mind, that will never be effaced. There was just light enough in the room, to enable the friend who sat by his side to read to him devotional hymns, and those beautiful and sublime chapters, the 14th and 17th of John and the 15th of Corinthians. The calm and serene and holy expression of his countenance, the bright and heavenly lustre of his eyes, - all spoke with an eloquence which language cannot describe of peace and heaven within. I felt the place to be holy. I said to him, You are highly favored, my brother, in being so free from suffering, that you can indulge these meditations, and pass your hours in these exercises, which will shortly form your employment and delight forever. Your heaven has already commenced. Yes,' said he, I have indeed a foretaste of heaven; I have communion

with heavenly spirits. Some of my dreams have been most delightful. When I leave my friends on earth, I shall only go to a larger family in heaven. If I had strength, I could talk; I could preach to those around me. I could pray and tell of my experiences. But I dislike all display. One short line expresses all I feel and wish to say. Father, thy will be done. That is enough.' - pp. 212, 213.

"Never have I seen more completely exemplified the power of religious faith to sustain, cheer, and console the Christian, than in him, during the whole of his sickness. Never have I witnessed such childlike submission to the will of God. The last moments of his life are confirmation of this; for when he perceived himself to be dying, he said, 'O Father, receive my spirit. I die in peace with all.' After a pause he added, ' my firm faith

in Christ supports me now.' Who could witness such a scene and not exclaim, 'Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!' In this humble yet exalted and heavenly frame of mind our friend closed his present being." - p. 214.

May we not well say of such a life and such a death, as we have now portrayed, "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace?"

A. P. P.

ART. V.- The Elements of Moral Science. By FRANCIS WAYLAND, D. D., President of Brown University, and Professor of Moral Philosophy. Third Edition. Boston: Gould, Kendall, & Lincoln. 1836. 12mo. pp. 402.

THE well earned reputation of Dr. Wayland, as a writer and a moralist, ensures a ready and respectful acceptance of any new production of his pen. Our own notice of this work has been delayed too long, but not, as will appear, out of any want of regard for the author. He has set an honorable example to literary men in the employment of time and talent. Charged with all the duties appertaining to the Presidency of a very respectable literary institution, and actively engaged in the details of instruction, he has yet found time for the pre

paration of two manuals of science, every line of which evinces care and patient thought. We are indebted to him for the only considerable treatise on Moral Science, of which this country has to boast. The natural partiality for an American work on a subject, to which our countrymen have hitherto paid little attention, would secure to it no little favor, were it less able to stand on its intrinsic merits. But we risk nothing by the assertion, that this treatise and Mackintosh's "Review" have done more for Ethical Philosophy, than any other publications of the present century in our language. We speak not now of the opinions, which Dr. Wayland has advanced, to some of which we object, and shall take occasion to express our objections with perfect freedom. We refer particularly to the literary execution of the work, and to the spirit in which it is written. It is marked by great originality of thought, clearness and force of argument, and extraordinary vigor and purity of style. Perhaps a mode of reasoning less abstract and severe might have added to the attractiveness of the book, and greater fulness of illustration have been used without any loss of precision or depth.

It is to be hoped, that the publication of this work will rescue the science, of which it treats, from unmerited neglect in our schools and colleges. The present is not the time, ours is not the country, in which we can safely give up the study of first principles, and trust the formation of character to the exigencies of active life. We hold that conscience may be educated, nay, that it requires education; that, by accustoming the mind to dwell on questions of casuistry, to look at the motives of actors rather than at the consequences of actions, and to try doubtful cases rather by general rules than by particular results, a healthy state of moral feeling may be induced, or the original and pure impulses of the better part of human nature may be cherished and confirmed. If this work be not systematically performed in early life, to what influences shall we trust the protection and improvement of the moral faculty? To the calls of business, in which the auri sacra fames is forever at war with scrupulous justice, and trivial but frequent violations of moral law are sanctioned by custom? Or to the struggles of the political arena, where it is well for the com

* Besides the work under review, Dr. Wayland has published within a few months a text-book of Political Economy.

batants, if in the heat of the contest they do not forget, that such a thing as moral law has any existence? By imparting knowledge, we create a power of fearful magnitude, and the responsibility for its misuse rests not more on those who do, than on those who might have prevented, the wrong.

The fact, that the community is not fully sensible of the importance of these studies, only places in a stronger light the necessity of fostering them in the higher institutions of learning. To do otherwise would be to make these bodies follow, and not guide, public opinion. The interests of learning can be safely intrusted only to the learned. The public cannot appreciate the gradual but effective workings of the higher modes of education, and in the attempt to make them productive of more immediate and tangible good, would probably destroy their efficiency altogether. Doubtless, a knowledge of French and Italian is held in higher estimation in our fashionable circles, than great skill in determining casuistical doubts;. and a merchant's operations on Change would not be much facilitated by an acquaintance with the Theory of Moral Sentiments. The public, therefore, are not likely to call with much earnestness for improved modes of instruction in Moral Philosophy, and did the matter depend on them alone, the science might sleep in as undisturbed repose for centuries to come, as Aristotle's Logic has done for centuries past. This last branch of learning, we may remark in passing, seems to have revived of late, much to the astonishment of those who are not accustomed to watch the cycles of popular opinion respecting matters of knowledge. It has revived for the same reasons, which, among others, should procure greater attention to be paid to the study of Ethics. The discovery has been made, that proper discipline of mind is at least of equal value with a large fund of practical information. Syllogistic lore may be useless, and worse than useless, if the proficient be induced to dress up matters of common reasoning in a scholastic garb, and enunciate his premises and conclusions according to the strict rules of art. But it may be highly valuable, in the veriest utilitarian sense, if it lead to an increased power of analysis, to greater acuteness in detecting fallacy, and a more cautious regard to the ambiguity of terms. So moral subjects afford the fairest field for the application of moral reasoning, and the intellect cannot fail to be improved, while the affections are cultivated, and the conscience enlightened and made strong.

We have spoken of the neglect of Moral Science in our seminaries, and the term will hardly appear strong, if we look at the present mode of instruction in this branch. Recitations memoriter from the text of so lax a moralist as Paley will do little towards the formation of sound principles, or the cultivation of taste for the pursuit. A book is studied instead of a subject, and the memory is strengthened at the expense of the understanding. A slavish habit of mind is induced. The student readily accepts conclusions supported by such admirable clearness of style and by an unrivalled power of illustration. Never was there a stronger instance of the force which reasoning borrows from perspicuity and method. Never a more unhappy application of these qualities to the support of error. Blinded by the author's candor and suavity of manner, the pupil will hardly admit that the positions can be controverted.

The instruction afforded is not only unsound, but imperfect. Hardly a hint is given, that the subject embraces the most curious problems, which have exercised the master minds of antiquity, and which the acutest of modern philosophers have discussed with various degrees of success. The speculations of the ancients are the more instructive, from the remarkable exemplification, afforded by their lives and characters, of the workings of their principles. Religion afforded them no positive precepts to modify the operative power of speculation. Their principles affected not only their writings, but their lives. They acted what they taught. The cynic lived in his tub, and growled at the follies and vices of the world. The skeptic would not turn aside from his path, though a precipice lay before him. The stoic quailed not, though the fatal mandate from the emperor had arrived, and the blood was already flowing into the bath from his opened veins. The epicurean remained aloof from public cares, wandered in his gardens, and surrendered himself to the charms of literature and love. Compare the characters of Cato and Sallust, of Pomponius Atticus and Brutus, and you detect at once the different schools to which they belonged, and estimate the merits of the respective systems from their practical effects. Mackintosh calls the five hundred years, which elapsed from Carneades to Constantine, the greatest trial of systems which the world has witnessed.

Consistency is not so highly prized among the moderns.