more recent labors of Hug in the critical, and of Olshausen in the historical branch of the investigation; the method and order are judicious, and the style clear and animated.

20. Refutation of the Misstatements and Calumnies contained in Mr. Lockhart's Life of Sir Walter Scott, Bart., respecting the Messrs. Ballantyne. By the Trustees and Son of the late Mr. JAMES BALLANTYNE. Boston: 1838. James Monroe and Company.

12mo.

THIS pamphlet contains a full and perfect vindication of the Ballantynes from every charge brought against them in Mr. Lockhart's life of Scott, and completely removes every impression to their discredit made upon our minds by Mr. Lockhart. Moreover, it conclusively shows, that Sir Walter Scott, himself, never entertained any opinions unfavorable to the rectitude or honor of his partners; but, on the contrary, that he cherished towards them, to the last, undiminished sentiments of respect and confidence. It is put beyond a doubt, that Sir Walter Scott, if living, would never have sanctioned or permitted such a representation of his relations with the Ballantynes, as Mr. Lockhart has given.

So far from the misfortunes of Scott being chargeable to the Ballantynes, it is established beyond question, that the bankruptcy of the house of Ballantyne and Company, was solely owing to the immense accommodations allowed to Sir Walter Scott, upon the credit of the house, for his own private uses, beyond all that was due to him from the fair profits of the business. It was doubtless an error on the part of the Ballantynes, to allow this immense floating accommodation, with all its ruinous load of discounts, stamp duties, etc., to Scott; but this was a want of proper business management, which Scott never complained of; nor is it the error complained of by Mr. Lockhart. Apart from this single error, it is clearly proved that the proper business of the house was well and profitably conducted; that while Sir Walter was drawing these advantages from the house, besides receiving almost every sort of valuable aid, especially from James Ballantyne, in carrying on his literary works, the Ballantynes themselves received nothing from the business beyond the means of a moderate and reasonable livelihood; that but for these accommodations extended to Scott, the house would never have been involved in difficulties; and that after the connexion with Scott ceased, the affairs of the house, under the management of James Ballantyne, became thriving and lucrative.

By an abstract of the accounts given by the trustees, it appears that the liabilities which devolved upon Sir Walter Scott, from his connexion with the Ballantynes, amounted to nearly half a million of dollars. But these were truly and properly his own personal liabilities - the money had been raised on the credit of the house for his own private use had been absorbed at Abbotsford, and when the day of disaster came, Abbotsford was found to be beyond the reach of his creditors. This transfer, indeed, involves nothing to the dishonor of Scott; but it is perfectly clear, that in assuming these liabilities to the utmost of his means, Sir Walter acted not more as became the honor of a gentleman than as required by the simple honesty of a merchant.

21. Picciola, or Captivity Captive. By M. D. SAINTINE. Philadelphia: 1838. Carey, Lea & Blanchard. 12mo. pp. 204.

THIS is a little gem of its kind-a beautiful conceit, beautifully unfolded and applied. It is a tale of a rare character, for the language in which it was originally written, and a perfect contrast to the fictions which have characterized the Paris press for some years past. It is unexceptionable in language, sentiment, and moral. It describes the progress from infidelity to belief, of a mind bewildered in the mazes of metaphysical speculation, and blinded by the pride of reason and of learning, and thus lost to the power of comprehending the simple and sublime truths of revealed religion. The Count de Chasney is its impersonation, who had at command all the pleasures which wealth, rank, and talents can bestow, but finds them all unsatisfactory, becomes sated with his overflowing cup, commits a political crime, is convicted, and condemned to imprisonment in a fortress of Piedmont. In his confinement, no solace of any kind is allowed him, not even that of books or writing materials, but

"The more to mark his gloomy void,
And bid him feel his misery,"

he contrives to scratch upon his walls a few sentences of freezing atheism. Still the heart must love something, and having nothing else to love, he gives his affections to a little flower, which chanced to spring up in the court of the castle. To this he applied the endearing diminutive name of Picciola; and it soon occupies all his thoughts, receives all his care, and at last becomes the means of rekindling a spark of faith within his breast, and of stirring his soul

anew with love to the author of creation. As its stock expanded, the stones between which it grew press too closely upon, and endanger its life; the compassionate daughter of a fellow-prisoner, by great personal exertion and sacrifice, procures an order from the government for their removal. In his liberator, he recognises the ideal being which had been presented to him in the dreams inspired by the influence of his darling Picciola. This part of the story has the most rational dénouement imaginable. Thus was a simple flower the means of winning back to life, and faith, and love, a withered and benighted spirit, and of transforming the skeptic and misanthrope into a happy husband and Christian be

liever.

The style and plot of this truly charming story require no criticism; we will only express the wish, that those who rely on works of fiction for their intellectual food, may always find those as pure in language and beautiful in moral as Picciola.

22. A Pastoral Letter to the Clergy and other members of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, from the Bishops of the said Church, assembled in General Convention, in the city of Philadelphia, September 5, 1838. New York: 1838. Swords, Stanford, and Company. 8vo. pp. 23.

In recording the title of this sensible and judicious apostolic letter we have only to commend it in general terms to the thoughtful perusal of our readers, and to call particular attention to the following remarks, which we are glad to see coming from a quarter entitled to the highest respect:

"While speaking on the subject of christian unity, permit us to observe that your bishops have noticed, with painful concern, that our religious journals, which ought to be to our churches as messengers of peace on earth and good will towards men, diffusing among our people the knowledge of Christ and the love of God, are too much filled with unprofitable controversy; and what is worse, that they not unfrequently manifest a spirit of strife and contention, inconsistent with brotherly kindness and christian love. It is an evil which in the judgment of some, more than balances all the good which those journals effect. It is injurious to the cause of religion, and to our Church especially, causing us to appear before the world, as what we certainly are not, a divided Church. In no other way is the bond of charity oftener broken, and unity disturbed, than by judging illiberally of the tenets and practices of others.. This is now the way in which the spirit of persecution chiefly operates. It is happily, in a great degree, disarmed of its tortures and flames; but in slanders, and hatred, and malice, and all uncharitableness,' it still exists. From which let us pray in our hearts, as with our lips we do, that the Lord will deliver us.'

23. The Atonement: a Charge to the Clergy of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Pennsylvania, etc. By the Right Reverend HENRY U. ONDERDONK, D. D., Bishop, etc. Philadelphia: 1338. 8vo. pp. 38.

CONTRARY to our original intention, we have concluded not to meddle with the various newspaper criticisms which have been called forth in different quarters by this charge. We prefer to take up the subject in a somewhat more general shape; and without meaning to bind ourselves too closely by any promise, we are ready to express the hope that we shall hereafter be able to exhibit our views on this important subject in a more complete and defifinite form than we could do in connexion with the disquisitions adverted to. We are the more inclined to this, as the conclusions to which we have come are in some respects different from those generally adopted on any hand, and would require a fuller and more careful exhibition than we should be able to give in this number.

In the mean time, we are free to avow that, as against those representations which exhibit the atoning work of Christ as "addressed to the JUSTICE of God," we think Bishop Onderdonk perfectly correct. That view of the atonement which insists upon regarding the passion of Christ strictly and literally in the light of a "payment" or a "legal penalty" exacted by "Divine Justice," we cannot but consider as contradictory to (not simply above) every dictate of reason-subversive of other plain and indisputable facts of revelation and by logical necessity involving consequences no less at variance with the scheme of revealed religion than with the necessary convictions of reason.

At the same time, we cannot attach any importance to the distinction upon which Bishop Onderdonk insists so strongly-of addressing the atonement to the HOLINESS of God. We cannot conceive that the atonement can rightly be said to be "addressed" to one attribute of God more than to another, nor to all of them together.

In regard to this subject, we believe there is one question to which we are incompetent to return an answer; and yet it is precisely the question which the various theories are framed to solve -the question concerning the nature of the atonement. On this point, we believe Revelation has not instructed us. It has taught us plainly that the atonement had its ORIGIN in the Divine Benevolence that its OBJECT was to provide for the deliverance of all mankind from the evil of its fallen state that the AGENCY employed in accomplishing this object was determined by Divine Rec

NO. VII.-VOL. IV.

32

titude and Wisdom, and consisted in the incarnation, passion, etc., of Jesus Christ.

But How it was that this agency accomplished this object; or in other words, WHAT IT WAS that the passion, etc., of Christ did, in accomplishing this object; or in still other words, IN WHAT MANNER the passion, etc., of Christ laid the foundation for human salvation — in regard to this we are ignorant. We adopt on this point the view of Bishop Butler. We do not believe it was the intention of scripture to explain it. All the explanations given, and the various terms employed in scripture (such as sacrifice, payment, ransom, propitiation, reconciliation) are adopted, as we think, either in relation to some of the collateral objects, or to give us a lively impression of the nature and magnitude of the blessed effects and consequences of the atonement. And the very diversity of the terms and metaphors employed, seems to us to imply manifestly the impossibility of construing either of them into a strict statement of the nature of the atonement.

24. How to Observe- Morals and Manners. By HARRIET MARPhiladelphia: 1838. Lea and Blanchard. 12mo.

TINEAU.

pp. 239.

THIS book is an evident pensée d'escalier; the author never thought of giving herself the sensible counsel it contains, until she had returned from her travels, and discovered how widely she dif fered from her own ideas of right, in the report she made upon the nakedness of the land she had visited. The whole introduction should be prefixed to the next American edition of her Travels, and Retrospect of Travels; it would serve to expose the folly of her sweeping judgments better than the best of criticisms, as may be inferred from the following extract, which gives us a fair idea of its general tenor:

"Every man seems to imagine, that he can understand men at a glance; he supposes that it is enough to be among them to know what they are doing; he pronounces confidently upon the merits and social conditions of the nations among whom he has travelled; no misgiving ever prompts him to say, I can give you little general information about the people I have been seeing I have not studied the principles of morals - I am no judge of national manners.""

And so, throughout the volume, there are found the same just and liberal principles of observing, intended, perhaps, as a candid acknowledgment of her own narrow practice. Notwithstanding a little too much twattle, and a great deal too much credulity, the