miscellaneous lectures on subjects of practical morality and religion, which he never wrote out, but delivered from very copious suggestive notes. The present text, as we infer from the editor's confused and clumsy preface, was created by fusing together the notes taken of the lectures by some admiring hearer, and the author's own manuscripts. The consequence is, that we have in almost every lecture such luminous paragraphs as the following:

"For instance, it might be a beneficial thing to have certain specified subjects, of serious interest, to turn to, when thought is beginning to be dissipated into these vanities; certain subjects might be selected and fixed expressly for this purpose. This might be something nearer, as it were, to serve to the purpose, than the merely being sensible that there are many important subjects to which I might turn my attention. There is a grand assemblage to select from. What a reflection here on the folly and guilt of an indulged vanity of thought! General important truth offers many choose any one. The memory of matters of fact. Suppose the recollection of a perilous situation and providential interposition. Or the remembrance of a dying scene. There is possibly in the room the picture of a dead friend. Conscience offers subjects of thought; for example, the record of what a man judges to have been his greatest sin! If turning his mind to meet this dark aspect will not check and suspend the vain career, should he not be alarmed at such a power as the vanity has over his mind? Should not even this very alarm be strong enough to produce the desired effect?"-p. 123.

In fact, every page of this book declares it the absolutely unfinished work of a man whose last finishing touch could make his soundest thoughts no more than readable. And the editorial details seem to have been conducted in the most slovenly manner. Many of the titles to the Lectures are too inappropriate and undescriptive to have been given them even by an author as infelicitous in titles as Foster was prone to be; nor is there even that decent heed to grammar and punctuation which might have been expected from an intelligent proof-reader. And we take this opportunity to record our emphatic protest against the posthumous publication of every distinguished man's waste-paper. It can, indeed, be had of partial friends for the asking; and a credulous and greedy public will snatch at it for the name it bears. But it does atrocious wrong to the memory of the deceased; and, what is worse, it often gives the authority of his name for

opinions which he had outgrown, for theories which he had abandoned, and for the merest crudities which he forgot to burn. Foster probably did not deem these lectures worth preparing for the public eye; for they were delivered more than twenty years ago, in the prime of his vigor both of body and mind. Some of them were evidently thrown together on the day before they were delivered, with no definite purpose but that of meeting the appointment and filling the hour; some of them, however, we wish that he had finished, especially the three on "Noah and the Deluge," the "Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah," and "Elijah's Sacrifice." In these rough, but graphic sketches, his own stern, lofty soul towers up in sublime sympathy with the wild and terrific scenes of flood and fire, and with the unearthly majesty of the prophet on Mount Carmel. The following extract from the last of the three will furnish a specimen, not indeed of the lectures as we have them (for it shows more elaboration than any other passage which we can find), but of the author's usual style and manner on a subject peculiarly accordant with his taste and genius.

"It was proper that the idolaters should make the experiment first, and most ample time was given them. Some delay of their success might even have been of service to their cause. Contemplate this immense legion of priests calling on Baal, before the waiting, gazing multitude! - Behold a sample of that human reason which has itself been idolized, solemnly, perseveringly, furiously, invoking- a nonentity a vain creation of fancy and fashioned by that fancy in the most hateful character! Baal and Baalim are very indefinite denominations, being given to a great diversity of pagan deities. It is supposed that the chief Baal of Palestine was nearly the same as the Jupiter of the Greeks and Romans; but with a confused participation of the attributes of divers divinities. In the instance before us he seems to have been worshipped without an image. This assemblage of priests most likely adored a variety of gods in this one comprehensive service. The priests of the groves' united, though named as a distinct class. They called, from morning till noon;' but no answer; no sign; no flash of electric fire; no demon's invisible torch permitted! For though there was no Baal there, to hear the conjuration, we can easily imagine there were hovering there, unseen, agents who would soon have lighted the flame, if not restrained by superior power. Such aid would not have been wanting as that which was per

mitted for a while to the magicians of Egypt. But this time, those agents were to look on, and forbear! The people also looked on,with intense interest! There were Israelites waiting to see who was their God! Some of those beguiled sinners would wonder at Baal's delay. Some would feel doubt coming on their minds, and some would begin to feel scorn. Elijah, too, long looked on; he could give them time. He knew he should want little himself. Let all their gods be invoked, by all their names and titles! Let all their incantations be expended! Let their last tribute of idolatrous zeal be fully paid! Let the deluded miserable populace see how tenacious their spiritual tyrants were of their enslaved souls!

"It was in silence that the prophet had thus long looked on. When he did speak, what would you have him to have said? a gentle dissuasion ? that would have been no fit language to the insulters of the Almighty, and the destroyers of the people! a loud denunciation of vengeance? - that was to be executed, and needed not be spoken. 'It came to pass that Elijah mocked.' We are not to imagine this as said in a light, bantering tone of pleasantry; as if the prophet would amuse himself with their unsuccessful impiety; but as an austere and bitter rebuke in the form of sarcasm, and it had in it a propriety and truth, without which sarcasm and ridicule have no point. Some such thing as he in mockery suggests was to be supposed by them to account for their failure. He is a god,'' as you assume, and favorable to you. There must therefore be some occasional cause of this his inattention. Is he not talking, pursuing, on a journey, or asleep? Now this was quite pertinent, because the heathens did suppose such things might happen, to prevent the gods hearing them. Le Clerc illustrates from Homer - Jupiter had a bed, and sometimes went to sleepThetis could not obtain a desired boon from Jupiter, because he was gone on a journey to Ethiopia, and was not to return for twelve days. Baal's worshippers were not less gross in their notions; and therefore such things were justly thrown in their teeth. Will any one say this was too harsh, and almost cruel, when Elijah saw the wretched men thus laboring in vain? What! in the land of Israel?—among a people perishing under the effects of the abominations which these men had promoted among them? What! after these wicked men had doubtless abetted Jezebel in killing all the teachers of the true religion that could be found?

'

"After hours of vain invocation, they had recourse to their most wild and barbarous rites; leapt upon the altar - cut themselves. Now, this was no newly invented expedient of theirs,

prompted by despair. These were customary rites in the worship of several heathen deities. It was like a judicial doom, that those who would worship false gods should do it at the cost of plaguing and torturing themselves. Miserably exhausted many of these priests must have become, but the will was resolute, inflexible, and invincible; they went on till near the time of the Jewish evening sacrifice.' Still no voice, no auspicious sign, no fire. The great assembly that witnessed this long process had to make their reflections. The great majority had to reflect that these were the personages to whom they had long surrendered their judgments, their consciences, and the religion of the God of Israel; that these had been their accepted intercessors with invisible power. They had to consider in what degree themselves might be involved in the consequences which now would seem to impend. It was too much to hope that justice would entirely dissever the retribution." pp. 221-224.

John Foster was the contemporary, associate, and friend of Robert Hall. Ornaments of the same denomination, preachers in the same chapel, writers for the same public, they are naturally brought into comparison with each other. Hall was the most eloquent writer; Foster the most cogent reasoner. The one was mighty in persuading men to act as they believed, and in dressing up the merest commonplaces of truth and duty with glowing words from a fervent heart; the other loved to run athwart men's settled judgments and opinions, and never went his way so rejoicingly as when loaded down with paradoxes. The mind of the one teemed with beauty, and his heart with love; while the other's tenderest emotions were acts of ratiocination. The two were as unlike as law and gospel; and, had they occupied rival pulpits, the competition would have been between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion. Each was needed in his place and for his work; and they both wrought for truth and man with conscientious fidelity. Both have left honored names and a luminous track where they disappeared. Would to God that the championship of the most sacred interests of our race might ever fall to equally valiant hands and loyal

hearts!

ART. VII.

H.M., Torrey

The Miscellaneous Works of THOMAS ARNOLD, D. D., late Head-Master of Rugby School, and Regius Professor of Modern History in the University of Oxford. First American Edition, with nine additional Essays, not included in the English Collection. New York: D. Appleton and Co. 1845. 8vo. pp. 519.

In a recent number of this Journal, we noticed at some length the Life and Correspondence of Dr. Arnold, by his friend and pupil, Mr. Stanley. We have now before us the fourth English and the first American edition of that work. The appearance of this interesting biography has been naturally followed by a desire to know more of the character and opinions of so vigorous a thinker and admirable a man. The demand for new editions of his works has been immense ; and within only a few weeks, his biographical and historical contributions to the Encyclopædia Metropolitana, which constitute the germ of his Roman History, have been republished. In the eagerness to save every relic, his occasional and even his fragmentary productions have been deemed worthy of republication; and the volume of miscellanies which we have now under review contains a series of treatises, pamphlets, and articles collected from a great variety of sources. We are indebted to the American publishers for several additions to the contents of the English volume which bears the same title; and although the volume has thus already reached a goodly size, we should have been glad to meet with two or three more of the Introductions and Appendices to the Sermons, one only of which do we find in the present collection.

No one, who knows any thing of Dr. Arnold, will expect to find in him the qualities of a modern essayist. For mere literary criticism, and the graces or the artifices of style, he had little time or taste. The fragments of leisure gathered out of the cares of a laborious vocation were too precious to be spent upon the amusement of an idle reader. The lighter moods of authorship he willingly left to those who could afford to indulge in them. For himself, he found life too serious a pilgrimage for these wayside diversions. He could not play with the pen; he had more work for it than he could find time for. And even when he enters upon some