a mere formalist for life, and he may therefore, die deceived. If the feelings are repressed, and the individual left in doubts and hesitation, the inquiry may be abandoned, and he may fall into a state of entire neglect or apostacy. In this situation the temperament and moral habits should be understood, in order that the truth may be applied with the best success; and yet, during the urgeney of an inquiring state, how is this knowledge to be acquired? Besides this, in a season of religious excitement, well understood under the title of a revival of religion, it most generally happens, that full conversations with all who seek instruction can not be expected. It is under these circumstances, that some experimental treatise which shall assist the minister himself, or which may be put into the hands of inquirers, becomes truly desirable, and will be hailed as a valuable auxiliary to the ministerial work. Just such a book we apprehend the letters of Dr. Henry constitute; indeed, it is one which leaves very little yet to be desired. It is true, that there are works intended for religious inquirers which, by long possession of the public confidence have, as it were, already occupied this ground, and our remarks on the value of Dr. Henry's letters, may seem to detract from the merits of these previous efforts. This, however, is not intended. Edwards on the Religious Affections, though

unequalled in some respects, is yet entirely too intellectual for readers whose minds are in a highly excited state of religious anxiety. The individual whose heart has settled down in its acceptance of the offers of the Gospel, and who does not want his anxieties relieved, but his affections animated and increased; and who, therefore, has time to look into the depths of Edwards' investigations, may take up his book with incalculable profit. But religious inquirers in their early state of mental anxiety, want instructions which shall be adapted by plainness and simplicity, to the immediate urgency of their situation. What the work of Edwards on the Religious Affections may want, will probably be supposed by some to be abundantly made up by one of the most celebrated, and most useful treatises in the English language. We mean, "Doddridge's Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul." It is almost impossible to speak too highly of this work, the only one well known and universally received as standing at the head of the class to which it belongs. There is no merely human work which has been made, by the grace of God, more instrumental in the salvation of sinners, and no man can with a clear conscience, or with a respect for his own character, detract from its reputation. It will probably outlive any work which ever has, or ever will be writ

ten on this subject, because it has a hold upon the public mind, which nothing but its intrinsic merit could gain, and because it has by translations into very many languages, taken a start, which would render it impossible for any other to outstrip or even to reach it. ter these remarks, which are meant to express the high veneration which we have for the "Rise and Progress," we shall be excused for a few observations which may modestly express our views as to some deficiencies which characterize that celebrated work. In investigating the subject of conversion, one thing has been very much neglected, viz. the necessity of taking into account the actual difference which exists among individuals, as to their peculiarities of temperament, their habits, views, feelings, opinions, and education. It is beyond all question, that these must modify religious experience; and yet persons in an anxious state of mind are most generally treated as if conversion was a process, which begun and went on and concluded in a certain uniform manner. Now this is contrary to philosophy and experience. In the process of conversion there are no two persons operated upon exactly alike, and it is for this reason, that religious biography is so little useful to anxious inquirers. The life may describe an experience, but it may have shades so opposite to that of the reader, that he conceives himself entirely out of the way. The

Rise and Progress of Doddridge has about it a similar difficulty, excellent as it is. "He marks out a single course, a single train of exercises, leading to certain results with little variation." It is on this precise account, that Doddridge's Rise and Progress, valuable as it is, is apt to disappoint the expectation of inquirers. We have met with very many persons into whose hands we have placed this treatise, and they have returned to us with the complaint, that its details did not correspond with the exact condition of their feelings. Under these circumstances several have been discouraged, instead of being relieved, because finding no correspondence, or very little, in their course with that marked out by Doddridge, they drew the conclusion that their experience, whatever it was, did not assume the character of real conviction of sin, or did not amount to genuine conversion. And we have found some whose minds have been relieved from their perplexities by a careful perusal of the "Sermons on Regeneration," by the same author, because these, though not so generally useful as the "Rise and Progress," have yet less of the evil of which we have here complained.

It was during a season of religious awakening, when the defects connected with the work of Doddridge, became more apparent, that the Letters of Dr. Henry fell into our hands, and was read with peculiar satisfaction, and

placed in the hands of others with the most manifestly beneficial consequences. It is possible that this may have some influence with us in estimating the work as highly as we do, and which might not appear to others under circumstances less exciting, so valuable as we have ventured to pronounce it. But this occurred at least five years ago, and more deliberate examination has increased, rather than diminished our favourable opinion. And we are happy to find that there are others, of no mean reputation in our country, whose opinions coincide with our own. In a review of Dr. Henry's work which we find in the Christian Spectator for Nov. 1828, there is the following high testimony. "He," Dr. H.. "seems to have experienced some of the difficulties which he describes, and solves. He had been much employed as a spiritual guide to awakened and distressed sinners, and to doubting christians, and it is matter of devout gratitude that the great head of the church, directed such a man to put the result of his own thoughts and observations upon paper. From the impressions which we had received of Dr. Henry's character, of his strength of intellect, his delicacy of feeling, his christian simplicity, and the warmth of his piety, we were prepared to expect much from his pen: but his letters have exceeded our expectations. We consider him to have entered a field not hitherto suffi