heed lest in the end-thy fast approaching end-oh, take heed, lest dying in thy present state thou be classed, and doomed, and condemned with such. Oh, wilt thou not hearken to this final midnight cry! Delay not, lest when thou criest for mercy in a dying hour the door be shut, and the Lord answer, "Depart from me,

I know you not." Finally, O sinner, hear the voice of the Saviour, "Repent and be converted, watch and pray, watch, and hearken while the cry is yet in thine ears, for thou knowest neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." Hexham.

E. R.

A LETTER signed "A TUTOR," appears in the Magazine for November, containing some strictures on the mode of education for the Christian ministry among the Dissenters, and some statements in reference to the expense which that mode entails upon the churches. It is not my intention to discuss the plan suggested by "A TUTOR," for improving the existing plans of education, though it may be conceded, that improvements might be effected; and I am disposed to think, that a meeting of the tutors of our respective colleges, to deliberate and decide upon some uniform plan, would lead to beneficial results. But the statements of expense contained in his letter are so exceedingly wide of the mark, and so powerfully calculated to inflict injury, especially upon our smaller colleges, that I must beg you to grant me room for the following remarks :—

The following (he says) may give a general idea of the ordinary cost of one of our smaller colleges :

Per Annum. Building, or rent with taxes £400 0 0 Repairs, furniture, station

100 0 0

400 0 0

Occasional lectures, &c.

500 O O 100 0 0

..

£1,500 0 0

Surely, Mr. Editor, this tutor must have lived in the moon, to imagine that any Dissenting college in the country educates candidates for the ministry at such an expense. I happen to be acquainted with two of our smaller colleges, and with reference to them, I can most confidently affirm, that the tutor's estimate is not only incorrect, but outrageously so. You will judge. so, from the following account of the Western Academy, located at Exeter, under the presidency of Dr. Payne, with whose proceedings I am fully acquainted: 400% is the Tutor's estimated expense for building, or rent, &c. Now the whole cost of the Academy House at Exeter, including the recent enlargement to such an extent as to afford most comfortable accommodation for the resident tutor's family, and fourteen students, was very little, if any thing, more than 30007.; and the whole yearly expense, incurred by the education, &c. of twelve students, (the number at present in the institution,) including the interest of 30007., is about 8607., or little more than 70%. for each student annually.

I cannot think, Sir, that the Tutor's estimate of expense should go forth to the world without this counter statement.

Ever yours,

A MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE WESTERN ACADEMY.

This sum, (he adds,) divided by twelve, will give 1257. per annum, for each student.

UPON the world's tempestuous sea, The Christian's bark is often toss'd; But though the billows mountains be, It never can at last be lost.

Though none appear at hand to save,
Jesus himself amidst the night,

Will walk upon the gaping wave,

And chase the storm, and bring the light.

Sorrows of many kinds may roll,
In wave succeeding wave along;
And unbelief may fright the soul,
With rocks conceal'd, and currents strong:
But not a single wave can rise,

And not a single tempest swell,
But by His power, who good and wise,
Permits it, and doth all things well.

While to our heavenly home we sail,
We sometimes need the tempest's force;
Perpetual sun and calm would fail

To drive us onward in our course.
He who rules all things by his arm,
Knows and administers the best,
And we shall praise for seeming harm,
When we have enter'd into rest.
Homerton.

JAMES EDMESTON.

HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. Comprising also the Progress of the Christian Mission established in 1818, and an authentic Account of the recent Martyrdom of Rafaravavy, and of the Persecution of the Native Christians. Compiled chiefly from Original Documents. By the Rev. WILLIAM ELLIS, Foreign Secretary of the London Missionary Society. In 2 vols. 8vo, pp. 1078.

Fisher, Son, and Co.

An intense interest has of late been excited among Christians, in this country and all over the world, in the state and prospects of Madagascar, in consequence of the sudden arrest of Missionary operations, by the cruel edict of its wicked and despotic sovereign. "The history," observes Mr. Ellis, of Madagascar is, in many respects, highly instructive. It exhibits a branch of that singular and widely-scattered race inhabiting chiefly the coasts and islands of South-eastern Asia; preserving in their language, and many of their customs, unequivocal signs of identity, yet dwelling at a distance from the Malayan archipelago, or the groups of Polynesia, greater than, without the strongest evidence, we should have believed it possible for them to reach. It shows an interesting portion of the human family, gradually emerging from the ignorance and rudeness which characterise the earliest stage of society, exhibiting the intelligence and energy, and acquiring the comforts of a civilised state. It further shows a people, with scarcely a single exception, friendly and hospitable to their visiters, until goaded to outrage and violence by ill-treatment, or rendered more corrupt than they were before, by the vicious influence and example of their visiters.

"The work will also encourage the philanthropist in his career of undaunted and persevering benevolence, by exhibiting the success with which the iniquitous traffic in human beings had been prohibited, in what

was once one of the most frequented slavemarkets in the world.

'Beyond these, and other points of deep and lasting interest, these volumes supply a faithful record of the means employed for introducing among five millions of our spe cies, a written language, a knowledge of the use of letters, of some of the useful arts of civilised life, and an acquaintance with the sacred truths of Divine revelation. The measure of visible success, which for a time attended these efforts, and the melancholy reverses they have recently experienced, with the fierce and destructive persecution which has lately burst forth, and raged with such fearful violence in Madagascar, have excited deep and general interest throughout our country. An account of this persecution-which continues to rage against the native Christians, from whose numbers, there is reason to fear, additions are still made to the noble army of martyrs who have sealed their testimony with their blood-will be found in these volumes, recorded with greater explicitness than in the statements hitherto made public."

These modest pretensions, in support of the claims of this History of Madagascar, will be found to be more than sustained. The work has been got up with much care, for the most part from original documents, and with the aid of eye and ear witnesses of many of the scenes described. Documents of value in the colonial office have been carefully examined, particularly the MS. journals of James Hastie, Esq., by whom the treaty for the abolition of the slave-trade was negociated, and who for several years acted as British agent at the Capital of Madagascar. The Missionaries, too, and especially our highly esteemed friend Mr. Freeman, have contributed their full share to the illumination of the work, which may be fairly regarded as a competent history of Madagas car, from the period of its discovery to the present moment.

We have here all the features of a detailed

and connected history. The geography, climate, modes of living, provinces, population, manners and customs, religious usages, inveterate superstitions, government, jurisprudence, natural scenery, and topography of the island, are all minutely described.

But the two great objects on which Mr. Ellis has put forth his strength are the history of slavery in Madagascar, and the introduction of Christian Missionaries among its people. Upon these topics the fullest and best information may be looked for in these volumes. And never, perhaps, in the history of our world, was a prospect so bright and cheering so suddenly obscured by the fell determinations of a single heathen persecutor, and that persecutor in the form of woman. The measures adopted for the abolition of slavery, in connexion with the introduction of the Gospel, and the means of religious education, had wrought a change in the state of society in Madagascar, in a few short years, the most pleasing and remarkable. Under the go

vernment of Radama, the cause of freedom and the cause of Missions received most ample encouragement; and, humanly speaking, had his valuable life been spared for a season, the pr gress of Christianity would have been so vast and general in the island, as to have defied the tyrannical power of the present usurping and murderous Queen. How mysterious are the ways of Divine Providence, in often permitting the temporary triumph of evil powers! Yet even this mystery of the Divine government is connected with some of the brightest unfoldings of God's wisdom and mercy to the human race. The enemies of Christ's Gospel are suffered to exert their utmost power and malice in checking the current of Divine mercy, that the energy of Omnipotence may be more signally displayed, in again opening its floodgates, and bidding defiance to the powers of earth or hell that would dare to shut them on mankind.

We doubt not that this will be history in the future destinies of Madagascar. The seed of God's truth has been widely sown in that now consecrated soil; and, watered by the tears, the sufferings, and the blood of its martyrs, it will yield, at some day not far distant, a plenteous harvest. The cries of the universal church, to the Lord God of sabaoth, for the persecuted band of native Christians, aided by their own daily pleadings at the footstool of Divine love, will stir up the strength of Him who will come and save them. Whether the arm of the Lord will be made bare in judgment or in mercy on that heathen Princess, who now bids defiance to the armies of the living God, it is not for man to predict; but of

VOL. XVI.

this we may be sure, that if the stone cut out of the mountains without hands shall fall upon her, by reason of her impenitent resistance of the God of heaven, it will grind her to powder, and scatter all her boasted dominion, as it did that of Tyre, and Egypt, and Edom, and Moab, in days of old. May the Lord himself turn her heart, as he does the streams of water in the south, that she and her persecuting adherents may not be consumed in the fierceness of his hot displeasure!

We refer our readers, in this work, to a full and deeply interesting account of all the circumstances connected with the martyrdom of Rafaravavy.

Mr. Freeman's outline of the Malagash language will be interesting to Missionaries, and philologists. It does him great credit.

Indeed we must say, in conclusion, that these are two very important volumes, well arranged, well written, and remarkably full of sound and excellent information.

HISTORICAL SKETCH of the RISE, PROGRESS, and DECLINE of the REFORMATION in POLAND. By COUNT VALERIAN KRASINSKI. In 2 vols. Vol. 1.

While many a Polish patriot is shedding scalding tears over his country, endeared to him by numerous noble associations, but blotted out from the map of Europe by a most atrocious conspiracy of despots; this volume, published in our language, by a Polish Protestant, seems designed to compel Polish Christians to weep over what is more important than an oligarchal kingdom-an extinct church. This volume forms the first part of a history, that is to be completed in a second, which we should be glad to find followed by others, to complete the sad story of the extinction of the Reformation in several countries of Europe. But in vain has Protestantism, after exhibiting such buds of hope, been withered by such a blast as in Poland. If this gives to the Polish Protestant church more melancholy interest, it also renders it the more difficult, but now nearly impossible, for any but one so circumstanced as Count Krasinski to gratify the curiosity excited.

This writer has inspired us with a sort of romantic interest in him and his country. He may well ask us, "What must be the state of feeling of one who, educated by a pious mother, in the tenets of scriptural religion, and taught from his earliest infancy to consider that religion as the only foundation of his present and future happiness, and the love of his native land, as a sacred duty, commanded by its precepts; of one who, being strongly impressed with those sentiments, was recording the overthrow of his religion, and the consequent decline and fall of his country?"

3 E

It was the infelicity of the Poles that their conversion to the Christian religion was so late as the latter half of the tenth century, 965, which insured their reception of antichrist along with Christ, and proclaims the wretched state of the Christian Church; for she who could say, by the lips of Tertullian, in the second century, "We are of yesterday and have filled all places," afterwards suffered a nation, living on the banks of the Danube, to remain pagan till the Christian era was advancing towards the year one thousand. Such were the consequences of that worldly amalgamation by which the Church was shorn of her strength, and became a Samson in the hands of the Philistines. Yet the national spirit struggled against the despotism of Rome, so that the Waldenses and Huss reaped a harvest in Poland.

The reformation of Huss derived great support from the national spirit of the Slavonians, and the political relation between Bohemia and Poland diffused through the latter country the spirit that rose in the former. In fact, a Polish army, according to the notions of the times, was sent to the aid of the struggling Bohemians. But there, as elsewhere, the Redeemer's words proved true, "They who took the sword for religion perished by the sword."

It is well known to the readers of British ecclesiastical history, that our Wickliffe held intercourse with John Huss and Jerome of Prague; but not so well known that the Poles chaunted poems in praise of the English Reformer. The following is a prose version of some of these stanzas :

"Ye Poles, Germans, and all nations, Wickliffe speaks the truth. Heathendom and Christendom had never a greater man than he, and never will have one."

"Whoever wishes to know himself let him approach Wickliffe. He has written his inspiration about the ecclesiastical dignity, the sanctity of the Church, the Italian antichrist, and the wickedness of the Popes."

That Luther owns Huss a forerunner is seen, page 89:-" John Huss," says Luther, "has weeded the vineyard of Christ from thorns. He has condemned the scandal of the apostolic see. I have found a fertile and well-tilled ground. I rose against the popish doctrines, and I destroyed them. Huss was the seed which was to die, and to be buried, in order that it might germinate and grow." But after two thousand ecclesiastical edifices had been transferred from Popery to Protestantism, the Jesuits were introduced, and all was lost. For there had been too much reliance on nobles, and laws, and buildings, in fact, on men; and there was a want of churches composed of living stones which

have been the salvation of religion in our country.

But, as usual, Popery was fatal to the liberty of Poland; and they that would not let the Poles have a church, but determined to absorb them in the Pontine Marshes, found, at last, that they extinguished the very nation too.

The Polish Socinians are well known to ecclesiastical historians, and our author deplores the fatal influence of Socinus and his followers on the Reformation in his country. In fact, the anti-trinitarians were more destructive than the Jesuits.

The talent of the Poles for acquiring languages is here demonstrated; for the English is surprisingly pure and idiomatic. Most happy should we be to find, that this book has gained the attention it deserves; for while the author should, on many accounts, be rewarded, the book cannot be read without the liveliest interest, and the most hallowed and beneficial emotions

A

MILLENARIANISM UNSCRIPTURAL. glance at its consequences. Crown 8vo. Crofts, Chancery-lane.

This anonymous writer had no occasion to be ashamed to own his book or his theme. The speedy second coming of Christ to reign personally on the earth and produce the millennium, which had long been an influential crotchet with a few, has been revived and propagated by Irvingism, and is now common among the evangelical clergy and the Plymouth brethren. But it so constantly gives a portentous warning of fanaticism, and of a withering indifference to missions for the conversion of the world, that it fairly justifies the pains our author has taken to show its unscriptural character.

The work is divided into nine conferences, which have some of the disadvantages of the dialogue form; while they expose the absurdity of supposing that the earth will ever contain that heterogeneous population which Millenarianism would create-the anti-evangelical consequences of the restoration of the Jewish temple and economy -the annihilation of Christ's heavenly priesthood by his earthly reign-and the opposition of Millenarianism to the Scripture doctrine of the renovation of the world, the resurrection and final judgment, and the work of the Holy Spirit.

The appeal is wisely confined to the Scriptures, which are ably unfolded; and if the Millenarian is made to look little in argument it seems to be merely because the author could elicit from him no better reasons, for the spirit of the book is eminenty candid and charitable. We could not, indeed, avoid wondering at the patient labour displayed in going so thoroughly into a

dogma that has so little to entitle it to respect. We are here, therefore, furnished with a book eminently fitted to be put into the hands of one who is beginning to drink the poisoned cup, for they who have drunk deep would scarcely deign to read any thing but what favoured their infatuation. They are pleased to skip from text to text, catching at the sound of the words, and performing feats of legerdemain with figures and types, with little disposition or ability to examine the connexion, with much less to ascertain the whole scope and system of the prophets and Revelation.

The exposure of Millenarianism, on the heterogeneous population which it assigns to the earth during the Millennium might have been more complete, as the following table will show :

Millennial Population of the Earth:-1. Holy Angels.-2. Heaven-descended glorified Saints.-3. "Changed" Saints in glorified bodies.-4. Saints, in natural bodies.-5. Wicked, in ditto.

Post-Millennial Population of the Earth: -1. Holy Angels.-2. Heaven-descended Saints.-3. "Changed" Saints.-4. Saints, in natural bodies.-5. The Raised Wicked Dead.-6. The Wicked in natural bodies.

The most spiritual, and therefore, to Christians in general, the most stringent argument is derived from the view which the apostle gives of Christ's priesthood, and intercession in heaven, until the end of all things. It deserves the serious consideration of all who are in danger of being infected by the error of the times.

Christ's own words, concerning the mission of the Spirit for the conversion of the world, are with great propriety urged; but as Millenarians usually talk much of the Spirit, they should have been seriously warned of their awful approach to the sin against the Holy Ghost, by saying that he will not do what Christ promised him for, and which was better for us than Christ's bodily presence; and that, therefore, it is expedient that Christ should come to do by his personal reign what the Spirit has failed to do "convince the world of sin, and righteousness, and judgment to come.'

An INQUIRY into the HISTORY and THEOLOGY of the Ancient VALLENSES and ALBIGENSES; as exhibiting, agreeably to the promises, the perpetuity of the sincere Church of Christ. By GEORGE STANLEY FABER, B.D., Master of Sherburn Hospital, and Prebendary of Salisbury. 8vo, pp. 660.

Seeley.

This volume, we cannot help anticipating, will be of essential service to the Protestant cause, in its conflict with the errors of

Popery. It is, in many respects, a bold challenge to the advocates of Romanism. In his preface the learned author has in a very masterly way evinced the utter fallacy of Bossuet's famous argument in support of the position, that the Romish church, with the churches in communion with her, is the sole visible church Catholic. The heads of the argument which the Bishop of Meaux expanded, are as follows:-"The doctrine of the Catholic church subsists in four points-the connexion of which is inviolable. The first point is, that the church is visible; the second point is, that it always exists ;the third point is, that the truth of the Gospel is there always professed by the whole society; the fourth point is, that it is not permitted to depart from its doctrine; or, in other terms, that it is infallible." Mr. Faber quotes the Catholic bishop's entire illustration of his favourite canons; but, upon the question of the infallibility of the papal church, he challenges the proof of "Ecumenical council in which the possession of infallibility is decreed to the church of Rome." Hildebrand, who, in the eleventh century, "played the part of pope by the style of Gregory VII., decided, indeed, that the Roman church has never erred and never will err; but this will only serve the turn of those, who hold the individual infallibility of the Pope; nor will it serve even their turn, unless they can produce the infallible decision which infallibly assigns to the Pope the privilege of individual infallibility."

any

Upon the popish dogma that Peter was the Rock spoken of by Christ, Matt. xvi. 18, Mr. Faber thus admirably remarks:"This is merely to build one assumption upon another assumption, to pile an ecclesiastical Ossa upon an ecclesiastical Pelion, to place (after the manner of the Hindoo legend) his spiritual universe upon the horns of the bull, and the bull upon the back of the tortoise, and the tortoise itself upon vacuity. What PROOF has the learned Bossuet, that Peter and his alleged successors the bishops of Rome are conjointly the Rock upon which Christ promised that he would build his Church? A man of his attainments must have known full well, that the church of the three first centuries was profoundly ignorant of any such speculation. Some of the old writers deemed the individual Peter to be the Rock; some pronounced the Rock to be Christ himself; and some, which is the most ancient interpretation, asserted the Rock to be Peter's confession of Christ in his two-fold character human and Divine, the Messiah born a true man of the Virgin, and yet the essential Son of the living God-but NONE of the writers of the three first centuries ever imagined, or allowed, that the Rock is