to a congregation equally large, and at seven o'clock in the evening I addressed a fourth sermon to an overflowing assembly. It should be added, that the village is a very small one. On Monday I went ten miles further to Sandysyke, where the Rev. D. Calvert is labouring with great success. His chapel stands amid the mountains, with only a very few houses, scattered about in a compass of some miles: when I entered the chapel, however, I found it full; five hundred persons were present, many of whom had come two, five, seven, and even ten miles. I shall never forget the scene. From Sandysyke I proceeded to Martin-top, and from thence to Holden, at each of which places I preached on successive days, holding a missionary meeting at the latter. It was on returning to occupy my own pulpit on the Thursday evening, that two of my esteemed young female friends brought me the purse of gold.

Without affectation I may say, that it is not the value of the gold that I prize, in comparison of the affection it betokens.

I may adopt the noble sentiment of Paul, when the care of the Philippians flourished again on his behalf, "Not because I desire a gift, but I desire fruit, that may abound to your account. But I have all-I am full. My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.'

In this communication I wish not only to record the kindness of my friends, but to encourage my brethren to go forth, bearing precious seed, assured that though many things may occur to dishearten them, they shall doubtless return with rejoicing, bearing their sheaves with them. Though there should be no temporal remuneration, there will be that which is infinitely better-the testimony of conscience, and the assurance that they do not and cannot labour in vain. I am,

Yours very truly,
THOMAS GReenall.

Burnley, July 1, 1839.

MEMOIRS of the LIFE and LABOURS of ROBT. MORRISON, D.D, F.R.S., M.R.A.S. Member of the Society Antique of Paris, &c., &c. Compiled by his Widow. With Critical Notices of his Chinese Works, by SAMUEL KIDD; and an Appendix, containing Original Documents, &c. In 2 vols. 8vo.

Longman and Co.

The name of the first translator of the Holy Scriptures into the language of all China must ever be embalmed in the grateful remembrance of the Christian Church. Irrespective of Dr. Morrison's unrivalled achievements as a Chinese scholar, there is a kind of saintly reverence connected with his memory, as the first Protestant missionary who planted his foot upon the soil of that mysterious empire, which superciliously refuses all intercourse with foreign nations, and fortifies itself by a rampart of prejudice, more formidable even than the far-famed wall which encircles its yet unexplored dominions. While living, Dr. Morrison drew towards himself, by the

zeal, energy, and consistency of his conduct, the respect of all Protestant Christendom; and, now that he mingles with the spirits of the just made perfect, his real claims as a man, a Christian, a scholar, a missionary of the cross, may be investigated and pronounced upon, without prejudice on the one hand, or undue partiality on the other. One thing is certain, that in those regions of purity and joy to which he is now elevated, the opinions of feeble mortals can in no way increase or diminish his bliss.

The idea of commencing a Protestant mission in China was in itself a noble conception, and worthy of that distinguished race of men with whom it originated. The missions of an Apostate Community which proceeded by stealth, and symbolized with idolatry in every scene of its location in the heathen world, could be no fit example for the imitation of the Protestant churches. If they were to turn their attention to the evangelization of China, it must be on principles accordant with the word of God, and opposed in every particular to the spirit of the Jesuits. It has

become fashionable with many lax Protestants in modern times to pass extravagant eulogiums on the doings of Romanism in the Chinese empire, and to confound the creeping, selfish, intriguing policy of the Jesuits, with the lofty heroism of the Gospel. But the real truth is, that where popery has gained a footing in China, it has been to the real disparagement of Christianity, and by rendering the followers of Confucius tenfold more the children of the wicked one than they were before. AntiChrist-and Romanism is Anti-Christcan never be on the side of simple Christianity; but must be regarded as its fell antagonist "the mother of abominations," the propagator of "damnable heresy," the doomed and iniquitous thing which has made merchandise of the souls of men," and infused a deadly poison into the cup of life.

66

No man was ever better fitted, by nature or grace, than Dr. Morrison, to become the first representative of Protestantism in China. There was a stern integrity of character pertaining to him, which prevented every approach to duplicitous arrangement; and there was, at the same time, a calm and resolute perseverance of spirit, which made him willing "to endure all things for the elect's sake." He neither committed the cause by rashness nor timidity. Cursory observers, and persons of enthusiastic temperament, more than once censured his want of enterprise; but, now that he has gone to his reward, we can clearly discern that he walked with wisdom and discretion all the days of his earthly toil, and that he did nobler service to the cause of missions by striving to accomplish that which came within the scope of a reasonable probability, than by launching forth into regions of wild speculation, which might have proved fatal to his mission, and which would certainly have deprived all future missionaries of the fruits of his laborious application to the study of the most difficult of all living languages.

The Christian public have been eagerly looking forward to the publication of Dr. Morrison's Memoirs; he occupied a large space in the eye of the church; and the sketches hitherto furnished of his life and labours, in sermons, tracts. and magazines, have been utterly inadequate to satisfy the craving for information respecting the fruits of his twenty-seven years' laborious service in the cause of his blessed Redeemer. We are glad, at last, to be able to announce to our readers the publication of a work, for which we doubt not a very wide circulation is reserved. It will not be received the less gratefully because it comes from the pen of the excellent widow of the deceased,

who, though unaccustomed to literary labours, has reared a monument to the memory of her revered husband, which will considerably enhance her own reputation with the public.

For the present month, as the work has but just come into our hands, we must content ourselves by laying before our readers the plan of Mrs. Morrison's work, leaving all details and observations to a future period; and only observing that the memoirs are in the highest degree interesting.

The life of Dr. Morrison is here divided into five periods.-I. From his birth to his entrance into Hoxton Academy.—II. From his entrance into Hoxton Academy to his embarkation for China.-III. From his embarkation for China to the foundation of the Anglo-Chinese College.-IV. From the founding of the Anglo-Chinese College to his return to England.-And V. From his arrival in England, in 1824, to his death in 1834.

The Appendix, which is miscellaneous, contains a general scheme of the UltraGanges Mission Union ;-the rules of the fund for widows and orphans of the UltraGanges Mission;-some thoughts on the conduct of the Chinese government towards the Honourable Company's servants at Canton-a narrative of the affair of the Topaz, while at Linton;-an account of the fire at Canton in 1822;-an address, by Dr. Morrison to seamen ;-a proposal for bettering the condition of sailors in China;-an explanation of the term Church;-and critical notices of Dr. Morrison's literary la bours, by Professor Kidd. To the last of these documents, which occupies eightyeight close pages, we beg to call the special attention of our readers, as it places Dr. Morrison's character, as a Chinese scholar, in a truly commanding point of view.

(To be concluded in our next.)

A MEMOIR of the REV. THOMAS CHIVERS EVERETT, late of Reading. By H. J. CRUMP, Chaplain of Mill Hill Grammar School. pp. 316.

Hamilton, Adams, and Co.

Biography, which has become so deserv edly popular, when written with impartiality and discrimination, furnishes perhaps the most profitable species of reading to which the public mind can be directed. It must, however, be confessed that this department of our literature, like every other, has been perverted from its legitimate purposes, and has in numberless instances become either an instrument of selfishness, or a medium

The

of flattery and misrepresentation. taste of the age has presented an irresistible temptation to the vanity of some, and the avarice of others; and hence the press has poured forth biographies in "numbers without number," which the most indulgent charity cannot prevent us from regarding in many cases as pieces of highly embellished panegyric rather than faithful specimens of biographical delineation. If a man, who has never been fifty miles from the village where he first saw the light, should happen to have evinced a little more sagacity than is usually found in the meridian in which he moved, his memoirs must be published -his memory cannot be permitted to pass into oblivion. If a youth stumbles on a few smart things, writes a few letters correct in point of grammar and orthography, or constructs a few rhymes, these things are regarded by fond parents as the premature but brilliant scintillations of genius,the early, but unquestionable indications of future greatness; and that they should slumber in forgetfulness would be deemed a dishonour to the departed and an injury to society. Hence, of the publications, which from month to month crowd our editorial table, biographies and memoirs form by far too great a proportion. But the needless multiplication of badly written and injudicious biographies is not the only evil in connexion with this subject of which we have to complain. The voluminousness of the biographers of the present day is another and a grievous violation of all good taste and good sense, against which it is incumbent on the censors and guardians of the press to enter their united and strongest protest. It would have been well, indeed, for their own reputation and the benefit of their readers, if a great proportion of modern biographers had been compelled to adopt as their model the beautiful specimens of memoir-writing which have been bequeathed to us by some of the greatest masters of Greek and Roman literature. In those ancient memoirs there are no tedious details of trifles, which can neither interest nor profit--no needless and jejune reflections-no injudicious or indelicate extracts from private memoranda-nothing, in short, to indicate that the writer was more anxious to make a book than to delineate a character. They are perfect models of taste, elegance, and propriety, and will therefore be read and admired, when in very many instances, the historian and the hero -the writer and the book-of modern times will have passed into utter forgetfulness.

In making these remarks, however, we can have no reference in the form of censure to the volume now before us, for its conciseness stands in striking contrast to

the confused and ponderous tediousness of multitudes of recently published biographies. It is an interesting and faithful sketch of the life and character of Mr. Everett, in which his own letters, journals, and essays are neither sparingly nor injudiciously employed. Having generally withheld whatever might seem tedious in reflection and detail, as well as whatever might seem unnecessary in the compositions and correspondence of his friend, Mr. Crump has furnished the public with a memoir of departed excellence which cannot fail to be welcomed and admired. Instead of swelling his volume with dissertations and ambitious writing of his own, or with every scrap of letter, essay, and sermon of Mr. E.'s on which he could lay his hands, the author has been so brief and simple in his own remarks, and so extremely judicious in his selections from the papers of his friend, that he deserves very high praise for the wisdom and discretion with which he has accomplished his task. In many biographies of a higher order than the one now before us we have met with much that seemed so foreign to the subject that we were under the necessity of "skipping" page after page, but in Mr. E.'s we found nothing tedious or irrelevant to interrupt the attention, or induce us to omit the perusal of a single line. If Mr. Crump's diction and style of thinking have not imparted any adventitious charm to the memoirs of his departed friend, the arrangement of his materials has not encumbered them with any disqualification for public favour. But if this volume had been written with much less skill and judiciousness than happily distinguish it, the exquisite taste and beauty of the selections from Mr. E.'s papers which are inserted, and above all, the deep toned piety and apostolic zeal which seemed to form the element in which he lived, and moved, and had his being, could not fail to secure for it general admiration and extensive perusal. After repeatedly reading the larger specimens of Mr. E.'s compositions, which form an appendix to the volume, we are inclined to think that they are not inferior to any of the most admired productions of the day in chasteness and elegant simplicity. essay on the leading points of the Calvinistic controversy is distinguished not more by exquisite beauty and simplicity of diction than by enlightened and comprehensive views of theology and biblical interpretation. Every selection indeed from the papers of Mr. E., which this little volume contains,-whether letter, or journal, or essay-yields abundant proof of a well adjusted, well disciplined, and well stored mind, and hence will assuredly gratify every

His

reader of taste and intelligence. But whilst the elegant diction and vigorous understanding of the subject of this memoir claim for him a place among polished and literate minds, his deep-toned piety, which seemed at all times to throw an element of sanctity around him, and his ever-active zeal which uniformly excited him to aim at the spiritual well-being of his fellow-men, must associate his name with those of the most illustrious and devoted of our race. It is manifest, indeed, that he would have been among the most prominent in the field of missions, if his health and vigour of body had enabled him to act in accordance with the energy of his will and the benevolent suggestions of his heart. There is altogether something so beautiful, so lofty, and so worthy of imitation in the character of Mr. E., as delineated in this volume, that we most cordially thank Mr. Crump for furnishing us with a memoir which may be very justly classed with those of Martyn, Spencer, and Urquhart. It may, perhaps, in some respects, be inferior to those, and may therefore excite a less extended interest, but in all that is fitted to give birth to admiration of high principle, genuine piety, and untiring zeal for the salvation of men and the glory of God, it claims a distinguished place, and cannot fail to be eminently useful.

ESSAY on the NATURE and PERPETUITY of the OFFICE of the PRIMITIVE EVANGELIST. By DAVID DOUGLASS, Pastor of the Baptist Church, Hamsterley, Durham.

T. Ward and Co.

THIS work, we are afraid, is in danger of being overlooked among the varied and numerous productions of the day. It is the unpretending effort of the laborious and faithful pastor of a rural and rather ancient Non-conformist bishoprick, in one of the northern counties, to contribute his quota of scriptural study and research to the general benefit of the church catholic. The views advanced, and the arguments adduced in their support, will well repay an attentive perusal. The subject of the Essay has been too much regarded, we fear, as either unworthy of much study, or as settled by the dicta of a few great names, and the common consent of Scripture expositors. These have generally passed it by with very little notice as an office in its nature extraordinary, and in its duration temporaryclassing it, as a matter of course, with the other extraordinary offices of the apostolic age. So in our manuals of church order and discipline, and in our ordination ser

vices, we always find pastors and deacons spoken of as the only offices now extant in the church; without reason assigned or inquiry made, the evangelist's with all others is consigned to the pages of history. Those who would utter one word in arrest of this summary judgment are in great danger of being at once marked as followers of Irving, or some other modern visionary. It is true, that those who do summarily reject the evangelist from the list of ordinary church officers have the sanction of two of the greatest names connected with Protestant Christianity, Calvin and Dr. Owen, both of whom regarded the office as extraordinary. Our author, however, ventures to differ, though with much modesty, from both these great men, and from all who follow their views. His work consists of two parts. In the first he treats of the nature of the office, showing, from the New Testament, that the work of an evangelist was essentially of a Missionary character; that his necessary qualifications were not extraordinary; that his call to the office was generally, except in the case of the first whom our Lord himself appointed, by the voice of the churches,*-his designation by the laying on of the hands of the Presby. tery; that his authority was limited to, first, that of ordaining either alone, or with the eldership of neighbouring churches, as the case might allow, bishops over newly planted or destitute churches, in which act they had a veto, as congregational bishops are allowed by us to have; and secondly, to that (which ordinary pastors equally possess,) of enforcing the commands and rebukes of Scripture with the authority of its Divine Author. He then concludes this part of the Essay by showing that the utility of the office, while primarily relating to the world, was also great to the churches by uniting them all together in the holy band of Christian Union. This last object was effected by their preserving the churches sound in the faith, frequently visiting them, writing to them, and creating and keeping alive

a spirit of sympathy among the churches by communicating to one the estate of another, becoming their messengers on especial occasions to one another, and receiving their own support from, not one in particular, but from several or many. As a specimen we here give the following extract, which concludes the first part of the work. After remarking that in what was peculiar to an apostle they differed, he proceeds:"But as far as Missionary work, properly so called, was concerned, they stood on the same footing. In this work, they were their assistants while living, and

Acts xvi. 1-3. 1 Tim. iv. 14. 2 Tim. i. 6.

+ 1 Tim. v. 22.