permitted to believe, that our Lord's express injunction on his followers, ⚫ do this in remembrance of me,' is a better reason for the celebration of the communion than can be adduced for its neglect.”–

-p. 52.

It is quite unnecessary for us to dwell on his justification of free communion in the beginning of Part II. "from the obligation of brotherly love;" nor shall we take any pains to shew, that the contrary practice is in direct opposition to "the express injunction of scripture, respecting the conduct to be maintained by sincere Christians who differ in their religious opinions.' To inflict an equally severe punish ment upon involuntary error and the most atrocious crimes, is certainly not to be justified either by reason or scripture.

Considering "that Pædo-baptism is not an error of such magnitude, as to prevent the society which maintains it from being deemed a true church," he shews, in the third section, that to repel the members of such a society from communion is the very essence of schism.

In the fourth section, he argues that excommunication being not only a punishment, but also the severest punishment that it is in the power of the church to inflict, the practice of excluding any Christian from the Lord's supper can only be justified on the ground of his supposed criminality. But, as nothing of this kind is imputed to many Pædo-baptists, it is manifestly wrong to treat them as criminal in so great a degree. On the nature and severity of the punishment inflicted by excommunication, he has some remarks, which we shall make no apology for presenting to our readers.

"I am far from thinking lightly of the spiritual power with which Christ has armed his church. It is a high and mysterious one, which has no parallel on earth. Nothing, in the order of means, is equally adapted to awaken compunction in the guilty, with spiritual censures impartially administered: the sentence of excommunication, in particular, harmonising with the dictates of conscience, and re-echoed by her voice, is truly terrible; it is the voice of God, speaking through its legitimate organ, which he who despises, or neglects, ranks with “heathen men and publicans," joins with the synagogue of Satan, and takes his lot with an unbelieving world, doomed to perdition. Excommunication is a sword, which, strong in its apparent weakness, and the sharper and more efficacious for being divested of all sensible and exterior envelopements, lights immediately on the spirit, and inflicts a wound which no balm can cure, no ointment can mollify; but which must continue to ulcerate and burn, till healed by the blood of atonement, applied by penitence and prayer. In no instance is that axiom more fully verified, The weakness of God is stronger than men, and the foolishness of God is wiser than men,' than in the discipline of his church. By incumbering it with foreign aid, they have robbed it of its real strength; by calling in the aid of temporal pains and penalties,

they have removed it from the spirit to the flesh, from its contact with eternity, to unite it to secular interests; and, as the corruption of the best things is the worst, have rendered it the scandal and reproach of our holy religion."

It does not, indeed, seem easily reconcileable with reason, that a person should be fit for heaven, who is unfit to partake of the Lord's supper.

In the succeeding division, he condemns strict communion, from the impossibility of reducing the practice of it to any general principle; and, in the sixth, he comments with great ability on the impolicy of it, considered as to its tendency to promote the interests of religion. This argument is properly reserved for the last, that he might not, as he says, "be suspected of attempting to bias the suffrage of his readers, by considerations and motives disproportioned to the majesty of revealed truth." The zeal of the writer breaks out in this last division more, perhaps, than in any other; but, even on this most delicate and trying subject, it is not so much the party-spirit of a sectarist, as the carnestness which every man feels, who, confident of the rectitude of his opinions, is anxious, for their sakes, to produce the same conviction in others. His attachment to the tenets he professes is visible throughout; and the perusal of it cannot fail to suggest the answer, which would be returned by Mr. H. to the two questions, of which, towards the beginning of this article, we declined attempting the solution.

"From a full conviction," he observes, "that our views, as a denomination, correspond with the dictates of scripture, it is impossible for me to entertain a doubt of their ultimate prevalence; but, unless we retrace our steps, and cultivate a cordial union with our fellow-christians, I greatly question whether their success will in any degree be ascribable to our efforts. It is much more probable, that the light will arise in another quarter, from persons by whom we are unknown, but who, in consequence of an unction from the Holy One, are led to examine the scripture with perfect impartiality; and, in the ardour of their pursuit after truth, alike to overlook the misconduct of those who have opposed, and of those who have maintained it."P. 186

After what has been said, it is needless to mention, that the leading subject of the work is a dispute agitated among the Baptists, in which, as members of the Established Church, we are wholly unconcerned. This dispute may now be considered as put to rest for ever; for it seems improbable that any champion will be found in the opposite party daring enough to enter the lists with one by whom Booth has been so roughly treated. Did this work, however, possess no

other claim to our attention than that which it derives from the victory it is calculated to obtain over the illiberal tenets of a portion of a sect, we should not have at all repented of having so long overlooked it, nor should we, even now, consider it worthy of our notice. But this is a controversial treatise of no common character. Its beneficial tendency is -not confined within the narrow limits of a sect;-the whole Christian world is interested in the fate of the general argument it is intended to support. It is the principle of the book that we so strongly contend for;-it is the Christian spirit that it breathes, the benevolent practice it inculcates, that renders it worthy of all the praise we can bestow upon it. Happy would it be for mankind, if persons of every religious denomination would adopt the feelings and the conduct it recommends, towards those who differ from them! Many of the arguments here made use of are applicable not only to this particular controversy, but to almost every unessential difference that can arise among Christians: and, were every contoversialist to imitate the conduct and the reasonings of Mr. Hall, controversies would soon cease to be necessary. Were every theological writer, and every preacher, equally anxious for the restoration of charity among contending sects, the religious world would soon present a very different appearance from what it does at present, and the grounds of contention would soon be surprisingly diminished, though each of them were as firmly persuaded of the correctness of his own opinions as the author of the work be fore us.

When concerned with such a man, we almost forget our differences, and delight to contemplate the many points in which we entirely agree. A proper regard for truth might cause us to appear antagonists; but our contest would be maintained with becoming temper, and quitted-not with those feelings of irritation to which such disputes commonly give rise, but with increased respect for our adversary, and diminished confidence in our own infallibility. If the proper end of controversy be to conduct us ultimately to the truth, (and surely such an end is necessary to justify the employment of such means,) this is the spirit in which it ought to be conducted, and this the temper it should produce. If it serve but to give obstinacy and inveteracy to error, to inflame and perpetuate discord, and to augment the rage, and swell the pride, of the combatants, no good man should practise or encourage it,

ART. V. The Civil and Military History of Germany, from the Landing of Gustavus to the Conclusion of the Treaty of Westphalia. By the late FRANCIS HARE NAYLOR, Esq. Two vols. 8vo. London. Murray. 1816. Price 30s.

THOSE who are conversant with the productions of the most accredited historians must be aware, how seldom a talent for perspicuous narration, and opportunities of acquiring authentic information, have been added to that power of metaphysically deducing effects from causes, and that ability for generalizing motives and results, without which, history, although always an essential branch of knowledge, can never prove dignified and delightful. If it partake not at once of the particular attraction of biography and the universal interest of philology, it degenerates into chronolo gical detail; and, however serviceable to fix in the mind precedents and data, becomes unavailing towards the eleva tion of the soul and the developement of the understanding.

The writer of these volumes seems to have possessed many of the qualifications of a good bistorian. In them be records the transactions of an interesting period of ninety years, from the abdication of Charles V. in 1558, to the treaty of Westphalia, in 1648; and his work may be considered as a continuation of what the author calls (with more levity than propriety) the entertaining history of Dr. Robertson. The history of Charles V. is a work of no common' merit, and deserved a more honourable mention. The events which intervened between the abdication of that extraordinary man, and the accession of Ferdinand II., are recorded in the first three chapters of this work; and the remaining part of it is taken up with a narrative of the famous thirty years war, which produced an effect so important on the political state of Europe. By this time, the progress of the reformation, in the several states of Germany, had been such as to give just cause of alarm to the church of Rome; while the love of freedom, which accompanied it, was no less hostile to the ambitious designs of the house of Austria. It therefore seemed the common interest of that house and the Pope, to use every possible means for the suppression of such dangerous innovations; and accordingly the most furious per secutions were instituted against all who encouraged them.

The Protestants, perceiving what they had to expect from such a coalition, laid aside their differences, and formed a confederacy for their mutual protection, called the Evangelical Union. This soon produced a similar confederacy among the Catholic states under the protection of the Emperor. The accession to the imperial throne of Ferdinand II., anno 1618,-a prince no less remarkable for bigotry than for a propensity to despotism, was the signal for the commencement of those hostilities, which continued, with various success, till the peace of Westphalia put an end to them, and established both the liberties of Germany and the principles of the reformation.

An account of this war, which has long been considered a desideratum, is now given by Mr. Naylor. This narrative is perspicuous and forcible; and his reflections every where breathe that spirit of independence and truth, which are inherent in well-organized minds. The characters of eminent persons, which are usually given as the sum of the evidence that has been laid before the reader, Mr. Naylor very properly prefixes to his separate narrations. He draws them with vigour and precision; and it is to us no small recommendation of the book, that these refreshing passages so frequently relieve and reward our attention to the continuous story of the crimes and follies of semi-barbarous nations, inflamed by bigotry, and duped by fanaticism into runious and interminable wars.

From the pious intrigues and haughty imbecility of the court of Spain, the wary policy of the German states, and the crafty cruelty of Italian devotees, we turn with all the ardor of our best affections to the contemplation of the mild, the pious, the brave, the enlightened Gustavus Adolphusthe Christian hero, the philanthropic king! A large propor tion of the pages of this work is devoted to the recital of the prodigies of valour performed by this accomplished general, on whose character and exploits the historian expatiates with obvious satisfaction. The epoch which the Swedish monarch adorns, is by far the most entertaining and instructive of the work.-Mr. Naylor has left us some reason to complain of the paucity of those moral reflections, by which he now and then shews himself so competent to inform our judgment and improve our taste. Less eloquent than Hume, whom he frequently charges with being the uncandid apologist of the House of Stuart, he nevertheless displays a vividness of description, and a manly compression of style, which render