rations after higher glory pass away, as we realize our weakness, our vileness, and the glorious riches of God's goodness towards us,-from the depths of humbled and thankful hearts we can cry only, "Jesus, Master! help thy feeble servants, lift us up that we may follow thee, draw us near to thyself, that we may feel and live like thee!"

Brethren and fathers, we have met in council to advance the interests of the glorious kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of sinners. Woe unto us, if we seek our own glory instead of the glory of our Master. We are beset with peculiar dangers in such an Assembly, "temptations without and corruption within." Unused as we are to debate, the conflict of opinions, and the excitement of collision endanger our equanimity, our courtesy, our brotherly kindness, and stir up the spirit of strife and ambition. These evils we may abate by remembering the conduct and principles of our Divine Master. Let us give diligent heed to the admonitions, "Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." "If an evil thought be in thy heart put thy hand on thy mouth." In all our discussions let us strive to exhibit proof that we are disciples of him who directed the "greatest to be the least, and the chief of all to be the servant of all." But grace, special grace, alone can preserve us from this deep-rooted and sinful principle of our depraved nature. Let us daily and hourly ask that grace, assured that we shall obtain it through the intercession of him who hath promised to be our advocate with the Father.

To our Master alone each of us is responsible. He alone can judge the heart. Our actions may seem fair to men, yet God may abhor them, they may be condemned of men, yet God may approve them. Let us each judge himself, and let us ask God to "try us, and show us if there is any wicked way in us, and lead us in the way everlasting." We shall soon cease to sit in these assemblies. We are sitting in the seats of the fathers who have fallen asleep-others will soon occupy our seats, and our names will be forgotten. But what matters it? Our influence passes away and our names

perish from the earth, but Jesus lives, and remains for. ever with his church. We feel that the cause which we love is safe in his hands. Meanwhile, we, if we prove faithful, go up to "shine as stars forever and ever." And may God, of his infinite mercy, grant, that to none of us who stand in these high places of God's heritage on earth, shall be reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

ARTICLE VIII.

CRITICAL NOTICES.

1. True Practice of Religion: from the Dutch "Shorter Doctrine of Practice," of the Rev. EWALDUS KIST, D. D. pp. 448: Published by JOHN BALL. New Orleans.

This work is a translation, by a gentleman, a merchant of New Orleans, during his moments of leisure, of the Practical treatises of Dr. Kist, who has been well styled the Baxter of the Church of Holland. Of the merits of the translation we cannot of course, speak, having never seen the original. The style is very simple and didactic, possessing little of that fervor which marks the prac tical writings of the great English Dissenter, with whom the author is compared. Yet there is no lack of the calm earnestness which is often found to pervade purely didactic treatises, when the writer is sincerely persuaded of the truths he inculcates, and addresses himself with lucid statements and dispassionate reasoning to obviate the difficulties which obstruct the practice of religion. From the nature of the work, the author is not so much engaged in the full, objective statement of the doctrines of grace, as with the analysis of the subjective exercises of believers themselves. The objection therefore, lies against this as against all treatises of this kind, of regarding the work of sanctification too exclusively on its negative side. The difficulty is, indeed, inherent, and not simply accidental. Books of this sort have a value,

in leading Christians to a more complete and systematic analysis of their own feelings; but have, in our judgment, sometimes an injurious influence, when regarded as exhausting the entire subject of Christian Holiness. From the fact that they present chiefly the negative side of sanctification in the expurgation of sin, they are inadequate; and treatises are needed which direct the believer to the contemplation of Christ and to the offices of the Holy Spirit. These two classes of experimental writings are the complements of each other; by which the Christian is instructed, not only to "cleanse himself from the filthiness of the flesh and the spirit," but also to "perfect holiness in the fear of God." The treatise of Dr. Kist is most excellent of its class-discussing all the difficulties, trials and temptations of the believer, and exposing all the spiritual maladies which the Gospel proposes to heal. It is consistently evangelical in its tone, and marked by transparency of style and acuteness of discrimination, rendering it intelligible to the most simple understanding, and easy of personal application.

2. Bronchitis and Kindred Diseases. By W. W. HALL. New York: REDFIELD: 1854. Eighth Edition, pp. 382, 12 mo.

This treatise has been long before the public, and has now reached the eighth edition. Its frequent re-publication attests the extent to which diseases of the organs of respiration prevail in our country, and to which we fear they are increasing. Dr. Hall has some reputation as a successful practitioner in these cases, and his book is a plain and popular exposition of the nature and symptoms of these diseases. In one opinion of his we cannot express our concurrence, the inutility of resort to a milder climate. This measure is not adopted in a majority of cases till the last stages of disease, when it is worse than useless. We can testify to the recuperative influence of our own climate, of the summer heats and the genial mildness of winter, upon a system which was a prey to these diseases. The positive influence of the summer heats upon a constitution yet sufficiently vigorous, is far more beneficial than the negative effect of the winter.

3. The Characteristics and Laws of Figurative Language. By DAVID W. LORD. Designed for use in Bible Classes, Schools, and Colleges. New York: FRANKLIN KNIGHT. 1854: pp. 306, 12 mo.

The above is the title of a book, in many respects valuable, of an able and earnest writer. It gives a minute analysis of the several figures of rhetorical style, the principles on which they are employed, and the rules by which their meaning is to be determined. As a rhetorical treatise, it is entitled to the consideration of scholars. But its object is to bear on the interpretation of the Scriptures, and the volume is offered to the instructors of Bible Classes, Schools, and Colleges. It is believed and hoped that with these views of figurative language a different understanding will prevail of the prophetic writings. We fear we shall hardly be forgiven, if we, in any measure, withold our assent, even for a moment, from the principles of interpretation pecular to the author. The idea that the ancient theocracy, its history and institutions, furnish the costume of prophetic descriptions, when the kingdom of Messiah is, the subject of prophecy, and that therefore, these descriptions are not to be interpreted according to the letter, is even violently denounced. "It is a most unscholarly and clumsy contrivance, without a solitary reason to justify it, to set aside the plain and indubitable teachings of the Word of God, for the purpose of substituting in their place the lawless fancies and absurd dreams of presumptuous men." But, who are these "presumptuous men," and absurd dreamers. Not Prof. Stuart only, but Alexander, Hengstenberg, and indeed, the majority of Protestant Divines, men altogether as sincere, and as learned as the author, and altogether as desirous of holding forth the pure truth. Yet of them, he again says: "For this extraordinary construction not the slightest reason can be given, except a wish to get rid of teachings which, though specific and indubitable if construed by the established laws of language, are at variance with certain favorite theories respecting God's purposes, or the measures it becomes him to pursue in the government of the world." Such language strikes us as little fraternal and otherwise in bad taste, es

pecially on the subject of prophecy, which is confessedly obscure, and from whose interpretation all dogmatism should be excluded.

4. The World in the Middle Ages: An Historical Geography, with accounts of the origin and developement, the institutions and literature, the manners and customs of the nations in Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa, from the close of the Fourth to the Middle of the Fifteenth Century. By ADOLPHUS LOUIS KOEPPEN, Prof. of Hist. and Germ. Lit. in Franklin and Marshall College, Penn. Accompanied by complete historical and geographical indexes, and six colored maps from the Historical Atlas of CHARLES SPRUNER, L. L. D., Captain of Engineers in the kingdom of Bavaria. New York: D. APPLETON & Co. London: 1854: fol: pp. 232. The same, 2 vols., 12 mo.

The above truly acceptable work meets the many desiderata of a student of the Middle Ages. This period of human developement is, perhaps, less understood than either the more ancient times of classical literature, or the more modern period since the Reformation. And yet its great importance must be manifest, since then were laid the foundations of nearly all the governments of Modern Europe. Prof. Koeppen, is admirably qualified to superintend the compilation of such a book. His materials were ample, being chiefly collected during a long residence in Italy and Greece, and during his travels in the East; and his European education, for he is a native of Denmark, has put sources of information within his reach, which it would have cost far more labour for an American scholar to obtain. The student, both of church and of secular history, will find the study of the letter press contained in these pages a source of great satisfaction to him as explaining the political geography of the Mediaval period, while the accompanying maps from Spruner, are of great value, exhibiting the position of the Roman Empire and the Northern Barbarians in the 4th Century, Europe at the beginning of the 6th Century,-in the times of Charlemagne,-in the time of the Cru