is manifest in them, (i. e Gentiles) for God hath shewed it unto them. These having not the law (i. e. the bible) are a law to themselves. Their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing, or else excusing one another.

Q. What other rule hath God given to direct us, how all may glorify and enjoy him?

4. The holy scriptures, which are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

SECT. VIII. p. 29.

Q. What is the sum of the first table of the ten commandments ?

4. Worship God.

Here we think the answer of Jesus ought not to have been omitted, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with," &c.

Q. What is the sum of the second table, or six last precepts of the moral lars?

A. All things, whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

The views which this work exhibitsof some leading doctrines of the gospel, appear from the following questions with their an

swers.

SECT. V. p. 22.

Q. How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?

A. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. He that believ eth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. He is the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him.

Q. What is regeneration, or effectual calling?

A. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become

new.

The Author.

God who hath called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart, and give you an heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes. Yet I will, for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them, saith the Lord God. Cast away all your transgressions, and make you a new heart, and a new spirit, for why will ye die, O house of Israel, for I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, saith the Lord; wherefore turn yourselves, and live. Means.

Born again, not of corruptible but of incorruptible seed, by the "word of God," which liveth and abideth for Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth. Necessity.

ever.

Without holiness none shall see the Lord. Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Fruit and design.

We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

SECT. VI.

Q. What is justification ?

A. Be it known unto you, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe, are justified from all things (i. e. exempted from all sins) from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his rightcousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God, that he might be just, and the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus. We have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

From the INTRODUCTION We learn the reason of the compiler for adopting this method, and his motives for undertaking the work. "Considering the facility, and superiour advantages of conveying instruction to young minds in the form of question and answer, and that the method, as well as language of the catechism in com mon use, had long been familiar to the mind and ears of numbers yet among us, it was thought best, to arrange the following selection chiefly under the questions of that venerable system." "Although his original design was the benefit of parents and youth under his pastoral care, together with his own assistance in their religious instruction, yet he hopes that others, and particularly young ministers, as well as Christian parents, will here find a useful assistant in the great duty of catechizing children. Its introduction to schools was the proposal and request of his friends, and for this purpose, that part which treats of moral du ties, has been enlarged, and the whole divided into sections proper for reading."

The Address to PARENTS, which closes the Introduction, contains much important truth; though the language, in which it is conveyed, will not uniformly stand the test of criticism.

The work is decently and correctly printed, except the marginal references, in which are some errors. Should this work receive a second impression, it is hoped that the errors in the marginal references will be carefully corrected.

An attempt to explain God's gracious covenant with believers, and illustrate the duty of parents to embrace the covenant, dedicate their children in baptism, and

train them up in the fear of God. By John H. Church, Pastor of the church in Pelham, N. H. Amherst, Cushing.

In the first discourse, founded on Gen. xvii. 7. the author undertakes to explain the nature of God's covenant with believers, and to prove that this covenant, in a very important sense, embraces their offspring. From the covenant state of the children of believers, the author infers the design, the reasonableness, and propriety of infant baptism. The subject has of late received much attention from men of different sentiments. It has been examined by the most profound understandings, by the most extensive erudition, and by the most critical discernment; and has often excited the warmest and most violent passions. This last circumstance has, in this, as in every other instance, been a great hindrance to the knowledge and influence of the truth. If every writer and preacher would treat the subject with that dispassionate, serious, tender spirit, and with that patience in research, and candour of judgment, which evidently characterize the author of these discourses; we should have greater reason, than we now have, to expect that light would increase, and the truth soon prevail. /

The second discourse inculcates the duty of parents to educate their children in a religious manner. They both deserve serious and attentive perusal. The style has the merit of plainness and perspicuity. The title is too particu lar and prolix.

We have just seen another dis course by the same author, preached at Haverhill and at Pelham on the last days of fasting and prayer in Massachusetts and Newhamp

shire.

This discourse, on the three unclean spirits combining men against Jehovah, was heard in both places with great satisfaction. That part, which points out the sources of present danger to our country, contains much important truth. The notes at the end are interest ing.

The importance of virtue and piety as qualifications of civil rulers. A discourse delivered March 21, 1805, by Daniel Dana, A. M. Pastor of a Presbyterian church in Newburyport. Blunt, N. P. THE author chose for his text, that passage of scripture, II. Sam. xxiii. 3, than which none could be found more striking, or more suited to his purpose. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me; He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. In a very serious and impressive manner the preacher sows, "that virtue and religion are most important qualifications of a civil ruler." The views he takes of the subject are various. His arguments appear pertinent and conclusive. Though it is difficult to produce any thing new on a subject so frequently and so ably handled; yet we think the style, the sentiments, and the spirit of this discourse not only justify its publication, but honour the cause of truth. The sermon contains a seasonable antidote against the unseasonable, unscriptural, and atheistical opinion, that religion is not to be considered a necessary qualification of a civil ruler; an opinion which we should suppose could never be admitted, much less prerail in a christian land, did not facts prove the contrary.

We observe only one particular fault. The subject is treated throughout in so candid and unexceptionable a manner, that the

very laboured apology at the beginning, and at the end, must appear useless to every serious reader, and must have appeared unnecessary to every sober minded hearer.

Nature displayed in her mode of teaching language to man; or a. new and infallible method of acquiring a language in the shortest time possible; deduced from the analysis of the human mind, and consequently suited to every capacity. Adapted to the French, by N. G. DuFIEF, of Philadelphia, 2 vols. 8vo. 903 pp. Philadelphia, T. L. Plowman, 1804.

THE author of these volumes informs us, in his preliminary discourse, that he arrived at Philadelphia, in 1793, and purchased books for learning the English language, when the alarm excited by the malignant fever compelled him to seek a retreat at Princeton. Here he discovered that by accident he had left his Grammars at Philadelphia, and not being able to procure them, he resolved to attempt to learn the language, with the help of other books. The mode he adopted was to select French words, and look for the corresponding English words in a dictionary,carefully committing them to memory, with the pronuncia, tion. He then proceeded to select and learn whole phrases and sentences, and finally began to read good authors, without having learnt the rules of Grammar. The success of this attempt was surprising to himself. He acquir ed a competent knowledge of the English, in a much less time than is usually requisite, in the common mode. This led him to read the most celebrated authors on grammar and philosophy,in which he found opinions confirmatory of the justness of his own ideas, that

linguages are learnt most easily and expeditiously by rote. Such was the origin of the system of principles, which the author has published under the foregoing title, the plan of which is to initiate a learner in the French language, by means of familiar phrases, without first acquiring the rules of Grammar.

The first volume consists wholly of phrases or sentences, with a translation of each. It begins with sentences in which occur the names of material objects; proceeding to those in which are used verbs, adjectives, abstract nouns, &c. In this part of the work, we think the author has selected phrases with judgment, and generally translated them with correctness. In a few instances we think the author will do well to revise the translation. For example, in the first page, "Il n'a plus de dents, il est obligé de manger de la mie," is rendered" He lost all his teeth, he is obliged to eat crumb." The first part of the sentence however, does not correspond with the last. It ought to be, He has lost all his teeth, or he has no longer any teeth, and therefore is obliged to eat crumb, or the soft part of the bread in distinction from the crust.

In the second volume, the author enters into a philosophical investigation and elucidation of the elements of language; explains and exhibits by examples the sounds of the letters in the French Janguage; defines the parts of speech, and explains the general principles of Grammar, with great clearness and precision. He considers the interjection as the first language of men, or mother of language; and contends that it ought to have a place among the parts of speech. In explaining the origin of the English application

of sex to inanimate objects, his remark that the custom of speaking of ship, brig, and snow as females, seems to have been established prophetically, as if to personify those objects to which the English were to owe their glory and prosperity, does not correspond in good sense, with the general tenor of his work, and marks the predominance of fancy over judgment.

In a note, page 35, the author alleges it to be "impossible to account for the invention of adjectives, unless we have recourse to their origin from nouns." This remark is believed to be too positive and general. It is true, as in the examples he offers, that adjectives are often formed from names; but, by recurring to the primitive languages, we shall find no small part of nouns and verbs derived from adjectives. In the first stages of society, men would unquestionably give names to objects the most necessary, and most frequently used, or to the most striking qualities; and not unfrequently, a quality would receive a name, before the object or objects in which it was observed to exist. In deducing the, the English article, from there, a noun of place, the author indulges conjecture too far for a Grammarian, whose province is restricted to simple facts. The Saxon article was not the but se; and the has probably a common origin with that, being primitively used as a pronoun.

Under the head of the article, the author classes mine, thine, yours, ours, theirs, who, which, that, &c. for which arrangement he assigns his reasons.

On the subject of the verb, the author has some very ingenious observations, in which he attempts to show that the terminational in