"Since the Apostle witnesses that no man can come unto God except by faith, (Heb. xi.) it is manifest that the irreverence, indevotion, I might almost say scurrility of so many priests in their holy functions, can arise only from want of faith. We consider this to be of a twofold character.

"There are some, who led away by the babblings of pseudo-philosophers, and blinded by a certain evil concupiscence, altogether deny the Real Presence of JESUS CHRIST in the Holy Eucharist; and there are some who neglect it, although professing to believe therein. Both of these classes make great havoc of the Christian priesthood; and being guilty of the Body and Blood of the LORD, eat and drink damnation to themselves. 1 Cor. xi.

They of the first class stand at the awful altars, not in truth as priests burning with the fire of love due to GoD's most loving SON, but philosophers, as they boast themselves, illuminati, denying the LORD Who bought them, treating with contempt the most holy mysteries, themselves the foulest of all hypocrites..

"The other class of unbelievers we call negligent, for they keep the faith, but care for it less than is fitting, and treat a sacred thing as common and of every day, and as it were worthless from its frequency. They approach the awful mysteries without previously considering what they are about, or why, or in what manner. They neither cleanse nor prepare their minds, not discerning the LORD's Body.

"To each we present this Shield of Faith,' which we have prepared with great labour from all extant writings of all ancient fathers, liturgies, and acts of councils, after examining them with great attention. We were amazed at the amount of extracts accumulating on our hands, and when we found we had enough to assign several to each day of the year, we prepared this book, which is sufficiently bulky, out of the materials."

Upon looking through these extracts, we think it must be striking to a member of the English Church to observe how fully coincident their teaching is with that of our own authorities. They do assert most forcibly the true, spiritual Personal presence of CHRIST in the Holy Eucharist, but in a mystery, and without committing themselves to the more recent theory of Transubstantiation. That they may seem to teach this doctrine to a mind always trained in its belief, we can readily understand, but we have not met with any in those numbers of the work which we have seen, which push the explanation of the doctrine at all further than is done by the formularies of the English Church. Indeed were it not for prayers to the Blessed Virgin, which we find amongst the devotions, the whole Book would scarcely need alteration for use amongst ourselves.

We cannot, however, close our remarks without calling attention to the great phenomenon of the spread of infidelity which the publication of such a book indicates. We see that grievous as is the want of sincere faith amongst our own priesthood, the taint is not upon us only. Many people are apt to think that there will be no low Church party to trouble them, if they join the Communion of Rome, that there all will be pious believers in the mysteries of our holy things. But the need of a work such as this shows the wide extent to which the same evil does exist there as here. Far be it from us to rejoice in any tokens of evil of whatever kind in that or any other Communion.

Tua res agitur paries quum proximus ardet.

But it is our duty to recognize the fact, as in some measure affecting the position of things amongst ourselves. We see that it is not a de

fect peculiar to the Church of England, but that we are fallen into the times of unbelief, and there is an express warning not to be discouraged, "because beforehand I told you of them."

It may be significant of the attack which is being made upon this peculiar feature of our LORD's mediation-His Presence upon the Christian altar-that in the Revelation it is ever in this character that He heads the armies of the faithful until the day of consummation. He is ever exhibited to us as the "Lamb as it had been slain." They who worship the beast are they whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." The devout worship of this mystery-the highest function of our religion and the closest manifestation of CHRIST Himself, does indeed seem to be the great safeguard against losing sight of CHRIST altogether. We see Him not now with the outward eye, but here he is present to the eye and the hands and the lips of faith. In Him "though now we see Him not, yet believing we rejoice, with joy unspeakable and full of glory," even though "evil men and seducers" may, as we well know by the Providence of our GOD, they shall,-"wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived."

:

The Californian Crusoe or the Lost Treasure Found.
Mormonism. J. H. Parker.

A Tale of

Ir is the privilege undoubtedly of novelists and other writers of fiction to draw on their imagination for events and characters. There seem however two limits which should control the exercise of this prerogative -one that the story should not transgress the bounds of probability; the other, that it should not make free with the reputation of persons and bodies whether now actually in existence or that have already become objects of history. The last of these conditions we conceive to be most flagrantly violated in the tale before us, when the writer represents the chief Mormonite characters of his tale as being secretly the agents of certain Jesuits at New Orleans. If there be any evidence for such a charge by all means let it be produced; but until this point is established (as we imagine it cannot be) it is surely going beyond the just limits of controversy to put forth an assertion to this effect, even in a work of fiction. We cannot understand how any person can write or circulate such a story with a good conscience. Could these passages be removed, the moral of the book would be valuable, as indicating the instability and downward tendency of religious opinions when not resting upon the support of the Church.

The Journey Home. By the Rev. E. MONRO. London: Masters. THE charm of Mr. Monro's allegories is too well known to require any comment from us now; they rest in the memory like some familiar music which we long to hear again, and the last read appears always the most beautiful. It really seems to us, however, that "The Journey Home" does excel its predecessors, and certainly the closing chapter is one of the most poetical pieces of composition we have seen for some time; but

there is one point which requires, we think, a little revision for a future edition. It seems to us, that there is some risk of this allegory conveying an erroneous impression to the mind of a child respecting the immediate translation of the soul to heaven after death. We are very sure that Mr. Mouro would be most unwilling to lead any one to adopt so mistaken an idea, but we think he will find that unintentionally he has done so, for the "City" of which he speaks, as the blessed goal of the pilgrimage is of course the New Jerusalem, which shall at the last come down out of heaven as a bride adorned for her husband, and yet into this same City he causes his pilgrim to pass on the day of his death without any mention of an intermediate state. A very few words in the chapter on the Valley of the Shadow of Death will soon remove this flaw from a singularly beautiful work.

Heroines of Charity. By AUBREY DE VERE, Esq. Burns.

THIS volume seems to be more of a compilation than an original work, containing the lives of some very saintly women, most of whom were French sisters of charity. Some of these memoirs are unquestionably very attractive, owing to the simple fact that they are drawn from documents written by the noble women themselves or those connected with the order, and consequently we have the account of their admirable devotion and burning zeal given with genuine feeling and much honest simplicity. This affords a pleasant contrast to the unreality and intolerance which generally characterize the writings of persons who, like Mr. De Vere, have lately joined the Communion of Rome, and of which he gives many specimens in those parts of the volume which are actually his.

The history of Mrs. Seton, an American sister of charity, who preceded him in the step he has taken, is written in a very objectionable style and with a degree of bad taste, to say the least of it, which we should not have expected from a man of his refinement of mind. This part of the work detracts seriously both from its beauty and usefulness, as it speaks much more of the lady's mental difficulties than of her good deeds; altogether it is scarcely a safe book to put in the hands of young people, although it is full of grace and eloquence, and some parts of it might be very valuable in leading the women of our own land to a deeper devotion and self-denial.

Mother and Son. Oxford and London: J. H. Parker.

In this the first of a new series of Tales we recognize the hand of an author who has long been an established favourite with the public, and we are glad to find in its graphic pages that the talent which characterizes "S. Antholin's" and the "Warden of Berkingholt" has in no sense lost its power. If the future Numbers of this series are as admirable as that which has commenced it, we may safely predict its success.

Leonard and Dennis, (London: Masters,) is the first Part of a Tale which promises remarkably well. It is evidently written by one who is of sound judgment in holy things, and who has the power of handling

the subject with elegance and skill. It is a story of the present war, and it has a peculiar though not unpleasing effect that as the scene is laid in the battles which have but just taken place, the reader seems at the close of this first Number obliged to wait till some more events befall the soldier hero before he can possibly have the continuation of the tale.

Sermons on the Christian Life, by the Rev. HERBERT HILL, display a good deal of thought, and are quite above the average of pulpit discourses. It is a relief too not to find them printed in the ordinary sermon type.

Mr. Parker has commenced a series of Short Sermons for the Festivals, intended for family reading, which will be generally acceptable.

From the same publisher we have also to acknowledge the Educational Register, a careful repertory of information concerning the Colleges and Grammar Schools of the country, and other kindred institutions.

The Rev. R. KNIGHT'S Essay on Predestination, (London: Bagster and Sons,) is not a work by any means easy to be described. The writer seems to have worked his way to an average amount of orthodoxy, and to those who are still floundering in the slough of "individual decrees," his work may from its very moderation be of considerable use. But we should think that the number of such persons was now happily few, as we fear, their prejudices are strong.

The Good Fight, (London: J. H. Parker,) an allegory-very earnest and real.

The Castle Builders, and Lucy the Housemaid, are two acceptable reprints from Messrs. Mozley's Juvenile Magazines. The former by Miss Yonge, the latter by the author of "Sunlight in the Clouds."

The Bible and how to use it, in the "Churchman's Library," is a reprint of the Article on Holy Scripture in our last Number. We should mention also that the Article on Women and their Work may now also be had separately.

There is nothing very new propounded by a "Fellow of a College, (Oxford,) in What is Convocation going to do for our Church Services, (Oxford: Vincent. London: Rivingtons.) The writer however has qualified himself better than many for speaking on the subject, and anything upon the subject of the Prayer Book from one conversant with Ritual matters is a real gain. The principles of the writer are cautious and moderate.

The Doctrine of Christian Baptism, (Masters,) is a clear and well argued tract, first stating the truth dogmatically, and then answering the objections of opponents. In another edition we would suggest a better explanation of S. Peter's expression that we are "born again by the Word of GOD."

We are indebted to a zealous Churchman who writes from Greenock for a reprint of the Bishop of New Jersey's very striking Sermon, Ancient Charity the Rule and Reproof of Modern. It is also accompanied with a Pastoral Letter from the same quarter, and with a Preface from the editor.

97

SCUDAMORE'S ENGLAND AND ROME.

England and Rome. A Discussion of the Principal Doctrines and Passages of History in Common Debate between the Members of the Two Communions. By W. E. SCUDAMORE, M.A., Rector of Ditchingham. London: Rivington.

THE controversy between the Churches of England and Rome can hardly be said to exist at the present moment in an active and energetic state. The two contending bodies seem to be content with watching each other narrowly; the one from their (as they think) invincible citadel of Papal supremacy; the other from within very strong entrenchments of a different character, thrown up against the attacks of their more aggressive opponent. The monotony of this position is only broken by occasional sorties, sometimes on one side, sometimes on the other, in which success is generally dependent upon the weapons with which the engagement is conducted. It is to an occasion of this nature that we are indebted for the appearance of Mr. Scudamore's very valuable work. Some letters appeared in a country journal, under the title of "Letters on Roman Catholic Principles, by a Saxon Catholic ;" and though, as Mr. Scudamore says, "the arguments advanced were neither new nor forcible, yet as they derived a degree of persuasiveness from the candid and kind tone of the writer," he was induced, at the instance of his friends, to undertake the task of making a reply in the pages of the same paper. This circumstance accounts for the epistolary form in which the book is written; and which, though apparently not a matter of regret to the author, is the main defect in his publication. The truth is, that a book thrown into the form of a number of letters exhibits an air of slightness; and no matter what amount of reading and ability it may evince, it is very difficult to regard a volume so composed as anything else but an ephemeral, and comparatively speaking unimportant, production. What, perhaps, is a worse result is, that a controversy conducted in letters, in which only one side of the question is stated at length, wears the garb of unreality. It requires an effort to believe that the opinions combated were ever expressed, or expressed in the exact form and meaning in which they are controverted.

We regret this circumstance the more, because, however painful it may be to take up polemical subjects, and however reluctant one may be to bid others do so; at the same time we must express our opinion that a good book on the points of difference between VOL. XVII.-MARCH, 1855.