JAMES'S CHRISTIAN FATHER'S PRESENT. transient devotions.-On decision of character in matters of religion.-On the pleasures of a religious life.-On the advantages of early piety. On the influence of religion upon the temporal interests of its possessor.-On the choice of companions.-On books.-On amusements and recreations.-On theatrical amusements. On the period which elapses between the time of leaving school, and the age of manhood. On public spirit.-On female accomplishments, virtues, and pursuits.-On prudence, modesty, and courtesy.-On redeeming time. On the obligation to enter into fellowship with a Christian church. On the choice of a companion for life. On keeping in view the great end of life. On the meeting of a pious family in heaven. Our readers will easily conceive that these subjects, present to a man like Mr. James a fine opportunity of saying many things of first rate importance; and we assure them the opportunity has not been misimproved. Speaking of the consolations imparted by religion, he says "In the hour of misfortune, when a man, once in happy circumstances, sits down amidst the wreck of all his comforts, and sees nothing but the fragments of his fortune for his wife and family, what, in this storm of affliction, is to cheer him but religion; and this can do it, and enable him to say, although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flocks shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls; yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.' What but religion can comfort the poor labourer in that gloomy season, when times are bad, and work is scarce, and he hardly knows where to procure his next meal? What can comfort the suffering female in that long and dreadful season, when, wasting away in a deep decline, she lies, night after night, consumed by fever, and day after day convulsed with coughing? Tell me, what can send a ray of comfort to her dark scene of woe, or a drop of consolation to her parched and thirsty lips, but religion? And when the agonized parent, with a heart half broken by the conduct of a prodigal son, exclaims, Oh! who can tell how sharper than a serpent's tooth it is, to have a thankless child! What, in that season of torture, can pour a drop of balm into the wounded spirit but religion? And when we occupy the bedside of a 285 departing friend, the dreadful post of observation darker every hour,' what but religion can sustain the mind, and calm the tumult of the soul? what, but this, can enable us to bear with even tolerable composure the pang of separation? And we of piety; it follows us, where no other friend can follow us, down into the dark valley of the shadow of death; stands by us when the last hand has quitted its grasp, reserves its mightiest energies for that most awful conflict, presents to the eye of faith the visions of glory rising up beyond the sepulchre, and angels advancing to receive us from the hand of earthly friends to bear us to the presence of a smiling God." too must die: and here is the excellence Urging the importance of an attention to religion, from the influence it has on the temporal interests of its possessor, and shewing how it elevates and purifies the mind; after a reference to its effects on the Negroes of the West Indies, the Hottentots of South Africa, the Esquimaux of Labrador, the fur clad Greenlanders of the arctic regions, and the voluptuous cannibals of the South Sea Islands, he thus proceeds— while our own furnishes illustrations so "But why do I go to distant countries, numerous and so striking? How many persons are there, who were educated in our Sunday Schools, and who are now filling stations of importance, credit, and usefulness, who, but for religion, would never have risen in the scale of society, or ascended above the lowest level of poverty. Education, it is true, gave the first impulse to their minds; but it was an impulse which would have soon spent its force, had it not been continued and increased by religion. It was this that gave the sober, serious, and reflective turn of mind which has led to such mental improvement; and they who, but for the power of godliness, would have been still earning their bread at the plough or the anvil, are filling the place of tradesmen or clerks; or are raised to the distinction of preaching with ability and success the truths of salvation." So true it is, that "godliness hath the promise of this life, as well as that which is to come." But we cannot afford room to quote all the passages we had marked for that purpose, and must therefore only introduce two or three short ones, on subjects of the utmost moment. On the subject of the effect produced by associating with improper persons, our author has this just and pointed language, which we earnestly entreat our young readers to consider with attention. "In the large and populous town where Providence has fixed my lot, I have had an extensive sphere of observation; and I give it as my decided conviction and deliberate opinion, that improper associates are the most successful means which are employed by Satan for the ruin of men's souls." On the character of Novels, and the effect they are calculated to produce, he has the following strong, but appropriate remarks "As to that class of books denominated Novels, I join with every moral and religious writer in condemning, as the vilest trash, the greater part of the productions, which, under this name, have carried a turbid stream of vice over the morals of mankind. They corrupt the taste, pollute the heart, debase the mind, immoralize the conduct. They throw prostrate the understanding, sensualize the affections, enervate the will, and bring all the high faculties of the soul into subjection to an imagination, which they have first made wild, insane, and uncontrolable. They furnish no ideas, and generate a morbid, sickly sentimentalism, instead of a just and lovely sensibility. A wise man should despise them, and a good man should abhor them. Of late years they have, it is true, undergone a considerable reformation. The present EXTRAORDINARY FAVOURITE of the literary world, has indeed displaced, and sent into oblivion, a thousand miserable scribblers of love stories, who still however fling back at him, as they retire, the ancient taunt,' Art thou too become as one of us?" His works dis cover prodigious talent, astonishing information, and a power of delineating character truly wonderful. But what is their merit beyond a power to amuse? Whoever wrote so much. for so little real use. fulness? They are still, in part, works of fiction; and in measure, exert the same unfriendly influence on the public mind and taste, as other works of fiction do." The Theatre is severely reprobated, and shewn, by the most unanswerable arguments, to be opposed to the religion of the Bible, and extremely dangerous to the morals of youth. We had marked one or two passages in the chapter on this subject for extract, but we must forbear. The chapter on female accomplishments in the second volume, we consider as one of the very best in the work, but we must not trust ourselves to quote from it, but earnestly recommend it to our female friends, to whom we will just say, what Mr. James advises them "Make up your mind deliberately to this opinion, and abide by it, that what is useful is infinitely to be preferred to what is dazzling; and virtuous excellence to be more ardently coveted than fashionable accomplishments. A right aim is of unspeakable consequence. Whatever we propose, as the grand paramount object, will form the character. We shall subordinate every thing else to it: and be this your aim, to excel rather in the solid and useful corations." attainments, than in external showy de But other works claim our regard, and well of Mr. James; which we do with we must, for the present, take our fareexpressions of sincere esteem, for the addition he has made to our stock of juvenile publications. But before we part, we must beg of Mr. James, when his work goes to a second edition, to correct the name of the respectable Theological Tutor of the Wymondley Academy, and author of "Studies in History." His name is Thomas Morell, not S. Morrell. We had rather also, that when speaking of the third in the Trinity, Mr. J. would call him the person Holy Spirit, instead of Holy Ghost. This last is an old Saxon word, and nearly obsolete, except in the silly tales of apparitions. And finally, it would be well if a second edition of the work could be sold at a somewhat less price, as it would make it more extensively known. Surely nine shillings is too much for about four hundred and fifty duodecimo pages! If Mr. James was a needy but the God of providence has liberally writer we would say nothing about it; blest him with the good things of this life, and he requires not the profits arising from his work to obtain an addition to his comforts. We have no reason to charge him with avaricious motives; but believe the fixing so high a price on his work must have been an oversight, which we have no doubt will be soon corrected. FOX'S ADDRESS AND SERMON. wrought panegyric, somewhat in the quality of a puff-direct, of the author of this Sermon. He was held up to view as one of the most eloquent preachers in the metropolis-surpassing, as we recollect, even Mr. Irving himself! Having never been privileged with an opportunity of knowing this prodigy ex cathedrá, our curiosity was not a little excited; and hearing that a fine new chapel had lately been erected for the display of his oratorical talents, near Finsbury Square, we had almost determined on visiting it, when the sermon now before us attracted our notice in a bookseller's window. We, therefore, availed ourselves of the treasure, and hastened home, expecting a high gratification from its perusal. 287 cause of idolatry was demonstrably upon the increase! But not to interrupt the eloquent preacher, let us notice how he proceeds: "May the building which we raise, be as a fortress for the defence of these simple, holy, and animating truths! Here, in their behalf, may we buckle on the whole armour of God, and go forth to the righteous conflict which we have to sustain! For ours is a state of warfare-of warfare with the corruption that makes religion the drudge of worldly policy; with the spiritual tyranny that demands the prostration of the understanding at his feet, and would bind the freemen of Christ in the fetters of human creeds; with the scepticism that would quench the torch that alone can light us through the shades of death; with the prejudice that doubts whether any good thing can come out of the Nazareth of Unitarianism; with the credulity that, for the simple faith and worship of the Gospel, receives a system at which reason stands aghast, and faith herself is half confounded;' with the bigotry that, reversing the miracle proposed to Christ, transforms the bread of life itself into brother who offends by diversity of opinion; stones, wherewith to wound or slay the and with the superstition which makes faith or ceremony, instead of holiness, the passport to future blessedness. With these we wage an everlasting conflict, and the prize of our victory is the emancipation of the human race." a On opening its pages our attention was first arrested by "An Address," delivered by the preacher on laying the foundation stone of this Unitarian Chapel. At the head of this Address stands, as a motto, the following text of Scripture:-"There is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." Commenting on these words, Mr. W. J. Fox informs us, that "this is the genuine apostles' creed," in the faith of which they were about to erect Christian temple for the worship of the 'Universal Parent." He then adverts to a few texts of Scripture which assert the unity of the Godhead, and passes on to explain to us the mediation of Christ, of which his text speaks. "He ransomed us," says he, "by his exertions, sufferings, and resurrection, from the bondage of doubt, idolatry, and vice. And thus he ransomed all for his religion, the truth of nature, confirmed, illustrated, and extended by Revelation, is pursuing its predicted course to universal empire here, and Scripture testifies, that ultimately the whole creation shall be made free with the glorious liberty of the sons of God." : Now, were we of Mr. Fox's creed were we of the number of those, who account it downright idolatry to worship Jesus Christ as God, we should really be very much perplexed to make out the grounds of this boasting of the triumphs of what they call the cause of truth; we should be obliged by all that we read, and see, and hear, to come to a very different conclusion, and to say that the All this to be sure is very fine, but then it is very foolish. How easy would it be to retort all these vile insinuations upon the Socinians, and to prove them the very persons who need deliverance from these evils. But let us hear how he proceeds— "Here may the ignorant, the poor, the friendless, seek the God of light and conall his works,' and whom they shall not seek in vain! solation, whose tender mercies are over "Here may the child of sorrow drink of the waters of life, and renew his strength, and behold bright glimpses of Almighty love beaming athwart the clouds that overshadow the path of his pilgrimage, and look through the mist of tears to the lovely regions of immortality! "Here may the wanderer, entangled in the wilderness of doubt and error, hail the day-spring on high of Christian truth, and regain the path of peace, and find rest unto his soul! "Here may the victim of fanaticism, the slave of terror, learn to think better of his God: and as he beholds the caprice and vengeance which he has ascribed to the Deity (to his own dismay and despair) "He's like themselves, or how could he be good? This is precisely the case with Mr. Fox and his friends; they measure the character of the great God by their own: and thus they fancy him to be "altogether such an one as themselves." But we must treat our readers with a few more of the gems of this pamphlet. We must all admit that the following is exquisitely pretty! 66 May the holy train of Christian graces, -Sympathy wiping away the tears of grief, Patience bowing meekly to the will of Heaven, Devotion holding high communion with the Omnipresent, Gratitude faithfully and deeply tracing the record of bounties, Resignation looking from the grave with tearful eye to heaven, Integrity moving along her narrow path with fixed eye and undeviating step, and Charity with glowing heart and liberal hand,hither repair, and here make their per manent abode! this is VAPOUR; the principles to The Sermon, which follows the Address, has for its motto, Rom. viii. 9: "Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." In discussing his subject, the preacher's object is to show the affinity, or rather identity of primitive Christianity and modern Unitarianism. To us, however, the point out; and indeed the whole Sermon, even does not appear to be very clearly made upon the principles of Unitarianism itThen follows a fine apostrophe to the self, is a poor affair. We shall lay before "Hearers of Winchester, who yet survive, and in whose hearts and eyes the called the peroration, or summing up of our readers one quotation, from what is animation of youth rekindles, when you the whole discourse. It is absolutely a remember how the apostle of benevo- curiosity; and when our readers look at lence came, proclaiming "God is love," the length of the sentence, beginning, and tracing that principle, with glowing" And were it needful," &c. they surely eloquence, to its glorious results (the cannot wonder that the preacher should universal salvation of men and devils!!) have run himself out of breath, and Hearers of Vidler, to whom his clear closed abruptly. and nervous reasoning first demonstrated the kindred truth that God is one, and who will long mournfully cherish the remembrance of his vigorous mind: you have seen, in the indication which this event affords of the progress to maturity of the society whose infancy they cherished; and in the evidence which every day affords of the wide diffusion of their principles and ours, a sight which would have gladdened them, and in the enjoyment of which we are entering into their labours." Now we must tell Mr. Fox, that all "We are strong in the plain and literal declarations of the New Testament; but we are yet stronger in the sameness of the general impression made by Christianity and Unitarianism as to the moral qualities with which these declarations are associated in the teacher's mind, and which they are designed to produce in the convert. The machinery is the same; the object the same: our system has the spirit Unitarianism. of Christ, and is his, and Christianity is And were it needful to illustrate this practically, not hard would be the task; for men who have had an abiding and universal sense of the Divine DR. LEE'S REMARKS ON DR. HENDERSON'S APPEAL. presence, who have shewn that God was in all their thoughts, and who seem to have made the very state of consciousness an act of adoration: men who with filial con fidence could cast themselves on his protection, and obey the call of duty, though summoning to the bitterest sacrifices of fortune or of feeling, renouncing every prospect for the testimony of a good conscience, and in reliance on his providence: men who have developed the powers and asserted the rights of intellect, and won from Philosophy her proudest trophies to cast them at the foot of the Cross; and whose exalted talents and unshaken faith were an exhibition of the native affinity of Reason and Revelation: men who have raised the standard of religious freedom, and fought its battles, and suffered in its cause, and prompted its manly and generous assertion, not only for those who were like-minded with themselves, but on behalf of all, even though holding opinions the most remote, and mad with a bigoted hostility the most inveterate: men who, deeply impressed with the practical importance of their own tenets, could yet most readily allow, and praise, and love goodness in others, whatever they believed, or whatever they rejected: men, whose pure lives shewed, that even if the head were wrong, the heart was right, and that, if doing Christ's will be building on a rock, they need not dread the storm, come when it may men who loved their neighbour as themselves, and felt the zeal of benevolence in all its energy, and were in doing good unwearied, and grappled man to their hearts with the affection of a brother: men who through life's changes, and in death's struggles, had hopes fixed on high, ever firm and glorious, drawing their souls to heaven to join the kindred society of the just made perfect, and enjoy the full triumphs of that cause for which they combatted, in the subjection of all enemies at the Saviour's footstool: men such as these has no system done more honour to Christianity than Unitarianism by producing in comparative abundance." With witnesses many their cause did abound; With some that were hang'd, and some that were Ar some that were lost, and some never found! drown'd, 289 reason to believe that Dr. Henderson will very soon reply to the Professor's Statements himself, we shall forbear to work except that in which our review remark minutely on any part of the of the "Appeal" is directly attacked. Professor Lee's "Remarks" are now before the public, and will, no doubt, be received differently by different persons; for our part, we have not yet been able distinctly to perceive what his object was in making and publishing them. He does not appear to contend for truth; he writes in a spirit altogether unsuited to the cause he professes to espouse; he sneers at the claims of Dr. Henderson on the subject of oriental literature, and would fain crush all his pretensions beneath the weight of titled names. Moreover, he imputes to Dr. H. other motives for making his appeal than those by which he avows he was actuated; and if all this, and much more of the same nature, that might be mentioned, be intended to bear on any grand point it appears to us to be this, viz. to justify the British and Foreign Bible Society in circulating a version of the errors; a version, respecting which we New Testament which is replete with again say, "There is not a page, nor scarcely a verse that does not contain something or other of an objectionable nature.” If this be not the professor's aim, we confess we know not what it is. Now we do seriously think that the Bible Society would have acted wisely in totally suppressing the version when they found that, if it must be circulated table of errata of such magnitude; and, at all, it must be accompanied with a with all due deference to the wisdom of their advisers, we are fully persuaded that circumstances will soon convince them of the correctness of our remark. In the brief notice which Professor Lee has condescended to take of our review he has managed to introduce insinuations of no light nature. He suspects our regard for truth; our integrity; we have used unhallowed means too in support of truth; we have done evil that good may come; we have made a stand for truth which the title of our Magazine does not call for; and all these evils we have committed under the imposing title of Evangelical! Our readers will naturally inquire on what these charges are founded; and they shall be immediately informed. In our review we have said in reference 2 P |