learned bishop, and his brethren Patrick and Wake. On the subject of Transubstantiation, we may be permitted to add that of Bishop Cosin, "Historia Transubstantiationis Papalis," which, with its translation, was published after the Restoration. The third volume of Bishop Gibson's collection, commencing with title 9, contains the excellent and memorable " Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England," and its Defences against the pretended Exposition of the Doctrine of the Roman Church, by Bishop Bossuet, wherein the learned Archbishop Wake proved himself worthy of his exalted station. To the other tracts which follow the above, written by Stillingfleet, Williams, Clagett, and Sherlock, on the same subject or connected therewith, after merely mentioning those already adverted to, on the Creed of Pius IV., we have two highly useful tracts, under title 11, on Councils, by Mr. Jenkins and Dr. Comber, the latter especially deserving particular attention, as disclosing the false dealings and forgeries of the various Romish editions, and of Baronius's Annales Ecclesiastici. Against Baronius, beside some others, on Councils, I have found Basnage's work, "Annales Politico-Ecclesiastici,"* of good service, who also corrects some errors into which Comber had fallen; nor should the various sections of Spanheim's "Historia Christiana," contained in the first volume of his works, previously noticed, under the word Concilia, be altogether neglected. Of the 12th title, it will be sufficient to say that the tracts concerning the worship of the Virgin Mary were written by Bishops Fleetwood and Patrick; and of the next title, that the first tract therein, the Missionaries' Arts discovered, attributed to Mr. Hicks, is, at this time, deserving of attentive perusal, as are also those which follow, relating to the Jesuits, in Queen Elizabeth's reign.† What the Missionaries' arts have been in former times, we may also learn from the letters of Bishop Bramhall to Archbishop Usher, and of Sir William Boswell to Archbishop Laud; as well. as the work entitled, "Foxes and Firebrands,' printed in Charles the Second's reign; "The Maxims of the Popish Polity in England," published in 1709, contains also many just remarks on the same subject. From these and other documents, it is clear that the church of Rome has had its hidden adherents, and even missionaries, not only among the puritans and independents of former days, but also in our very churches; as was the case with Heth, in Queen Elizabeth's reign, with Goodman, Bishop of Gloucester, whom the honest zeal of Archbishop Laud discovered; to say nothing of the notorious case of Parker, Bishop of Oxford, in James the Second's time. It was against one of these pretended churchmen, but real papists, that Spinckes, himself a nonjuror, wrote his "Essay toward a Proposal for Catholic Communion, &c., lately published by a (pretended) minister of the church of England, printed at large, and answered chapter by chapter. Whereby it appears that the author's

Basnage's Annales were published at Rotterdam, in 1706, in 3 vols. folio. + See Watson's "Important Considerations," with a Preface and Notes by the Rev. Jos. Mendham, M.A. Lond. 1831.

“Archbishop Usher's Life," by Parr, (Lond. 1686,) p. 611, and Append. p. 27.

method of reconciling the church of England with that of Rome is fallacious, and his design impracticable." London, 1705. I would here only add, let these things be well weighed and considered, for, by some, the same methods are more than suspected in the present day. With an Appendix of General Discourses against Popery Bishop Gibson's collection closes; the last of which is an anonymous tract, "The Protestant's Companion;"-its chief design is to prove that "Popery is contrary to Scripture, Primitive Fathers and Councils;" as such, it is a very useful tract, and also in establishing the scriptural foundation, and consequent antiquity, of the doctrines of the Anglican Church, &c. (To be continued.)

DISTURBANCES OF THE JEWS.

SIR,-Since I wrote the remarks on the disturbances of the Jews, as illustrating part of the Revelations, I have reflected on it, and should like to add a few words.

1. The Lord being taken up into heaven, the first seal exhibits him preparing "to judge and make war," and about to go forth conquering and to conquer. It exhibits no specific sublunary event; but the general truth that Christ, triumphant over death and hell, was about to execute judgment upon earth.

2. The second seal exhibited the series of bloody scenes which afflicted Judea, from the revolt of Judas Gaulonites to the capture of Jerusalem; and justly characterizes them as "peace taken from the earth, that they should kill one another." For the Roman war was but an episode in those civil tumults, and a consequence of them.

3. The third seal displayed a tremendous dearth of grain, and an unusual abundance of wine and oil. This is a feature in the prophecy so peculiar, and so distinctly and almost descriptively pointing out the reign of Domitian, that it serves to confirm and fix the preceding and succeeding times. His was the time between the wild disorders which Titus pacified, and the awful united struggle against Trajan and Hadrian. During it, those things were a brewing. Domitian, (saith Orosius,) "ordered strict inquisition, enforced by the most cruel torments, to be made among the Jews after the family of David, and that all such should be slain, from a jealousy against the sacred prophets; and yet at the same time a belief in them, that there should still come one from the seed of David who should obtain the kingdom." Assuredly, Domitian's acts were not aimed at the mere text of the old prophecies, but at the prophesyings and interpretations of the Akibas and other firebrands of the day. It remains for us to understand, how the frightful dearth of corn throughout the empire, and the surprising abundance of wine, which induced Domitian to order the excision of vines and converting of vineyards into arable land, was connected with the Jewish drama, whose scenes are here presented to us. It was so connected therewith as to form the whole matter of the third seal.

The 22nd chapter of Deuteronomy, verse 9, says, "thou shalt not

sow thy vineyard with divers seeds, lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard be defiled." I do not know whether this law was originally intended to prevent a vineyard from being converted into a corn-field, or only to prevent its being used for both purposes at a time. But I believe it furnishes us with a clue to that verse of Revelations, and shews us in what manner the edict of Domitian violated the prejudices and sacred traditions of the Jews, so as to bring forward and ripen their disaffection.

4. The fourth seal describes the horrible rebellion, and justly describes it as the reign of death himself, rather than of war. But a word should be bestowed on that person. He rode on a pallid horse, and Hades rode beside him. They had power to kill with the sword, with famine, with death, and by wild beasts. What is killing with death? Of all the great means by which Judea was desolated in this war, pestilence is the only one enumerated, and that is death in this

verse.

5. The fifth seal declares that the consummation of the Divine vengeance must be delayed for a short space, till its object, the martyrdom of the saints of Palestine, was consummated. That the last and greatest Barcochab filled up that measure of crime, appears from the words of Orosius, speaking of Hadrian, ultusque est Christianos, quos illi Cothebâ duce, quod sibi adversus Romanos non adsentarentur, excruciabant, (7. c. 13.)

6. The sixth seal contains the finishing of the state and of the war, the vanishing of sun, moon, stars, and heaven, and the flight of all the people, great and small, into the dens and rocks of their mountains.

To shew yet more clearly that the powers which here came to an end were those of God's people, now no more a nation, or, at least, one any way connected with him; the same seal contains the sealing of the 12,000 from each whole tribe, (except Dan,) and from the half tribes. For what reason this was done, I will not here speculate. But it was a winding up of affairs between God and a nation with whom his peculiar connexion was now ceasing for ages upon ages to come, not without a view to its ultimate revival.

7. Immediately after the sealing of the last tribe, "all the nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues" of the world, appeared before the throne and before the Lamb: which further shews us that we have now done with the Jews and their peculiar concerns; that the vision is become catholic, and that the affairs of the seventh seal are those of the church at large, without reference to that fallen people.

H.

HOSEA, v.7.

SIR, Your correspondent "M. N." is mistaken in supposing that "a month," in Hosea, v. 7, is put erroneously for "a moth," which, as he himself observes, would be no translation of pvoißn. It is remarkable that, in ver. 12, where the word "moth" does occur, the LXX have rendered it by ταραχή. Our translation is not from the LXX, but from the Hebrew, and is as literal as possible. In Cran

mer's Bible it stands thus-"a moneth therfore shall devoure them, with their porcyons.' "Devorabit eos mensis cum patribus (a misprint for partibus) suis."-Vulgate. "In singulos menses," literally, "moon after moon."-Targ. Jonath. The Arabic Version in Walton has "pediculi ;" two others, cited by Cornel. a Lapide, have respectively, "latrones" and "assur." The last mentioned author, and Cocceius, looking to the translation of Aquila, vɛounvia, interpret it of a new monarchy which should overwhelm Israel, monarchies being sometimes represented in scripture by the heavenly bodies; but this is hardly applicable to Assyria. The meaning seems to be, as expressed by Bishop Horsley, "a very short time shall complete their destructions." So Diodati, "un breve spatio di tempo;" compare Zech. ii. 8. Others, as Castalio and Tirinus, suppose that the destruction foretold actually took place within the month. The interpretation of Junius and Tremellius may be passed over, as indelicate and improbable.

Why the LXX translated it ovoiẞn is not apparent: the explanation that Schleusner adopts in his Lexicon in LXX seems as probable as any. To this, as a work of great utility to readers of the Greek Version, I beg to refer your correspondent, and am, Sir,

Your obedient servant, H. H.

NOTICES AND REVIEWS.

Lectures on Confirmation and the Lord's Supper. By the Rev. Thomas Griffith, A.M. London: Cadell. 1835. 12mo.

ONE is always glad to meet with Mr. Griffith, for he always writes from thought and with feeling and vigour, though in a style somewhat overstrained, and all these characters belong eminently to the Lectures on Confirmation, which may be recommended, with one exception, to all young persons who have a judicious friend to read it with them, or talk to them about it. One lecture-the third, on renouncing the world-rather disappointed the Reviewer, as coming from Mr. Griffith. To say that the world tempts us through the senses-that the lust of the eyes tempted Eve—and that we are to provide against it by filling the heart, which must love something, with love of God, is a mere common-place view. Mr. G., in his next lecture, truly says, that the desires of the flesh are not sinful when kept within the bounds which God has assigned to them. Why does he not shew, in like manner, that, if not abused, the senses may be made a means of leading us to the God who gave them, and not away from him. Will not outward nature, rightly and duly used, assist? Was it not intended to assist in purifying the heart, and elevating the imagination? In Lecture VII., which is an excellent one, why does not Mr. G. shew the dreaminess and unsatisfactoriness of the pursuit of virtue for virtue's sake? If he had done that, the first portion of that Lecture would have been admirable. His allowing, and giving credit to, the other modes and grounds of morality, is quite right.

The exception alluded to is the lecture on the church. Mr. Griffith's view of the church, as formative of our character, is most valuable, important, and philosophical. His wholly sinking the importance of doctrine and government is quite unintelligible. This deficiency destroys his argument. What he says would apply to Socinianism, or almost to Mahometanism. Perhaps

wherever there is good in these or any other forms-i. e., in their moral teaching-what he says does apply. But what is it that gives to any true branch of the church of Christ the power of forming character fully and efficiently, except that it is a true branch-that it teaches all the truth, and holds back no one of those great principles which He who knew what was in man expressly revealed in order to educe all the best qualities of the heart when reconciled to God?

On the Lectures on the Lord's Supper, the Reviewer is not sure that he fully perceives Mr. Griffith's view; but there is great difficulty in expressing one's self quite clearly on the nature of that ordinance, and neither space or time for a long inquiry here. He hopes that some correspondents of this Magazine will examine Mr. Knox's opinions on this interesting subject, and that thus it may be fully discussed.

Lectures on Homiletics and Preaching. By E. Porter, D.D., President of the Theological Seminary, Andover. With a Preface, &c., by the Rev. J. Jones, M.A., of St. Andrew's Church, Liverpool. London: Seeley and Burnside. 1835.

Ecclesiastes Anglicanus: being a Treatise on the Art of Preaching. (As adapted to a Church-of-England Congregation, &c.) By the Rev. W. Gresley, M.A., of St. Chad's, Lichfield. London: Rivingtons. 8vo.

WHETHER any one ever studied a didactic treatise in order to know how to become a poet or an orator, and whether, if they did, it did them any good, are questions which the Reviewer could answer to his own satisfaction, though most probably not to other persons'. The real use of good didactic treatises would seem to be not to form, but to correct. In that way they may often be very useful. Commonly, however, they consist of directions, of which it may be said, that if a man's own common sense does not suggest them, it is just as well to suggest nothing at all to him; or of directions which, as a matter of common sense, he certainly fulfils if he can, and if he does not, it is only because he cannot. By this latter class, one means such precepts as-" Not to be obscure, or confused, or diffuse, or affected," or twenty other things as bad; or, "To be simple, or lively, or clear," or twenty other things as good.

Then, again, a large portion of such books generally consists of truisms, or mere generalities, as, that "a subject should be well chosen," or should be “suitable to the time, and place, and hearers," &c. &c.

In the present case, it is to be hoped that it will not be deemed too disrespectful to a book written by the Head of a College, published by an English divine, and recommended by an English prelate, to say, that the greater part of it is very poor stuff indeed. The account of the fathers and their preaching, and of the older history of the pulpit, is so meagre and superficial as to be at once useless to the reader, and not creditable to the writer.

What, again, can be learnt from being told that the wise preacher will have regard to his own talents and taste and age-that the composition of a sermon calls into exercise both the intellect and the heart-or, that a preacher ought to have pious feeling-that an exordium should be judicious as to length—that a sermon with a simple, obvious train of thought is best remembered-that there are three methods of division-the textual, topical, and scholastic-and that the textual division is taken from the words of the text? However, there are a few sensible chapters-that, especially, on unity of subject, which contains a direction of real advantage to the student, and one not obvious-viz., never to attempt producing more than one impression-i.e., not to commence by discussing various matters (perhaps directly suggested by the text, but still) only remotely connected with that subject on which the preacher is about to dwell.