our Lord's promise to St. Peter, does not allude to that apostle, but to his divine Master; he suggests that aurns must be referred to жɛrρa, and that the words πuλai àdov, the gates of death, would seem to be used in allusion to our Saviour's resurrection, "inasmuch as those gates were not sufficient to hold him in the dominion of death." This exposition of the passage is scarcely satisfactory. There is perhaps no authoritative interpretation of the text; but the latter part of Mr. Falloon's exposition seems to be altogether new. St. Hilary, Chrysostom, Theodoret, Theophylact, and Augustin, refer werpa to St. Peter's confession of the divinity of Christ; St. Cyprian, Tertullian, and others, maintain, with the Roman church, that St. Peter is the rock upon which the church was to be built; and this interpretation seems most consistent with "the grammatical construction of the sentence, as well as the meaning of the words, and the propriety and accuracy of metaphorical language." St. Peter, then, is the rock, and our Lord's promise declares that the "gates of hell," the opposition of men and devils, shall never utterly prevail against the Christian church. Dialogue IV., on holy orders, exposes and refutes Dr. Dwight's arguments against episcopacy. Letter III. ably discusses the questions of infant baptism and the mode of administering that holy sacrament. In reply to the question, Does the church of England hold baptism to be regeneration? Mr. F. observes, "I might answer this very briefly, and say that, whether the opinion be right or wrong, not only the church of England, but all the reformed churches, agree with the primitive Christians in holding the doctrine of baptismal regeneration." p. 252. The reviewer would demur to this statement, so far as the continental reformed churches are concerned, and if Mr. F. means that they use the term "regeneration" in the same sense as it is employed by the church of England. Letter IV., on the eucharist, deserves a most attentive perusal, particularly pages 288-304, which plainly prove that the sacrament of the altar is also a commemorative sacrifice-a fact which has been well nigh forgotten. Mr. Falloon remarks, in the preface, that, at the Reformation," the word of God was acknowledged as the only authoritative instructor in faith and morals." Is this statement quite correct? The reformers acknowledged that holy scripture is the only standard of doctrine; but did they not at the same time hold that the catholic church was the appointed teacher of all necessary and saving truth?

The reviewer takes leave of Mr. F. with a sincere wish that his book may be extensively circulated, and restore many to the one ark of refuge, who now wander in a doomed world, with no other guide than the meteors of heresy, and no other hope and consolation than the uncovenanted mercy of God.

The Perpetuity of the Church. A Sermon, preached at St. Mary's, Newington, Surrey. By William J. Irons, M. A. of Queen's College, Oxford, and Minister of St. Peter's, Walworth. London: J. G. & F. Rivington. pp. 32. In this very able sermon, Mr. Irons has attempted a novel, but striking, exposition of Luke, xvi. 9—“ Make yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations." Mr. Irons states the common protestant and

Romish interpretations of this difficult text, and then proceeds to prove that they "both seem to support questionable doctrines,-are inconsistent with the inferences which may with much greater certainty be. drawn from the internal structure of the passage,-have no connexion with the general object of our Lord's discourse, and possibly have arisen from a too exclusively verbal criticism." After maintaining each of these positions with great fairness and ability, the eloquent preacher contends that "the persons addressed are the Jews; the mammon of unrighteousness,' the Gentiles; the friends' are those of the Gentiles whom, being admitted to the Christian blessings, it was the interest of the Jews to conciliate, and make friends of; the failing' spoken of is of the Jewish system; and the everlasting habitations, the Christian church,' against which the gates of hell should never prevail.'" The whole sermon is a valuable addition to the criticism of the New Testament, and will challenge praise for its ingenuity and talent, even where it fails to rivet conviction.

The Apostolic Office. A Discourse delivered in the City of Providence and State of Rhode Island, America. By an American Divine. London: Groombridge. Edinburgh: Stephen.

THE author of this excellent sermon is Bishop Griswold. It is clear, simple, and argumentative. Much gratitude is owing to Mr. Stephen, of Edinburgh, than whom few have deserved better of the episcopal church of Scotland, for having reprinted this very able defence of episcopacy in the form of a cheap tract, and for adding to it some very good notes.

A Pilgrimage by Sea and Land: or Manifestations of the Divine Guidance and Providence in the Life of John Christian Stahlschmidt, particularly in his Travels in all the Four Quarters of the World. Written by himself. Translated from the German by S. Jackson. London: J. Hatchard and Son. 1837. pp. 355.

THE admirers of German mysticism will be much edified by this volume, which is the produce of the same school of enthusiasts as the singular and interesting autobiography of Heinrich Stilling. The author was a disciple of one James Boehme, respecting whom Jung-Stilling remarks in the preface," a great part of his doctrines accord with the pure religion of Christ; another part is philosophical, and by no means injuriously hypothetical; and the remainder incapable of any explanation, and completely useless." Christian's father appears to have been a sensible individual, for, on finding one of the works of the above enthusiast in his son's desk, he horsewhipped him "with a vigorous arm," in order to drive his "mystic and pietistic fancies out of his head." This castigation, however, had not the desired effect. Stahlschmidt quitted his father's roof, and commenced his travels. His narrative contains very little to interest the general reader, but much to offend the sober and humble churchman. At one time of his life he entertained serious thoughts of making the philosopher's stone; and, at p. 139, there is a curious account of an alchymist with whom he entered into a long conversation, and who afterwards expended six hundred rix dollars, without advancing a hair's breadth in the process

of his art. It is a matter of regret to the reviewer that this autobiography has been translated into English. It can do no good, while, on the other hand, it may cause serious harm by helping to render popular amongst us an unhealthy and mystic spiritualism, as far removed from the one catholic and apostolic faith as the rationalistic system to which it inevitably leads.

Pastoral Recollections: In Six Letters to a Friend. By a Presbyter. London: Houlston and Son. 12mo. 1837.

THESE letters profess to contain, as far as they indulge in narratives, only narratives of real events; and in the conversations, where they are not verbally what passed between the author and the different persons represented in them, to give the substance of what took place with such fidelity as is practicable. The few stories which occur seem to confirm this statement, for they are simple and unpretending narratives of scenes and characters which most active ministers of our church must have seen something to resemble. The most faithful narratives of this kind are perhaps those which are found at the end of the late lamented Mr. Mayow's sermons. It might not be judicious to publish them from his journal, but they are undoubtedly genuine pastoral scenes, and in some respects the narratives in this volume are not unlike them, although rather more worked up into a state fitted for publication. The remarks and admonitions interspersed are chiefly practical, and some of them may be found very useful hints. The following quotation from an assize charge, by Lord Abinger, is too important not to be quoted. It occurs in a note to this volume, p. 58.

"In looking at the calendar, he (Lord Abinger) witnessed the classes into which was distributed the education of the prisoners,-those who could read and write well, read and write imperfectly, and those who could not read at all. In the list there were only three who could not read and write, out of a calendar of twenty prisoners. The doctrine which had been lately promulgated was, 'Give the poor education, and you destroy crime.' This had not turned out to be the case with the calendar before him; for he found that most of the desperate robberies and burglaries were committed by persons who were described in the calendar as reading and writing well. He adverted to this, certainly not to discourage educating the lower classes of society; but to suggest, indeed, what he would boldly affirm, that if that education was not founded on moral and religious principles, instead of becoming a blessing to the poor, it would in the end be a curse to society. To give a sound education to man, moral and religious instruction must accompany it, and be its foundation. Man should be made to perceive and to cultivate that religious and moral feeling which is a part of his nature, and his distinction from the beasts of the field that perish. "It had been truly said by Lord Bacon, that knowledge is power.' To give knowledge, then, without teaching the right method of using it, and the true purpose for which it was designed, was to give the force of a giant to the discretion of an infant. He was aware that many persons were persuaded that education might be useful, without making religious instruction a part of it. He had no doubt they were conscientiously of that opinion; but his own experience and reflection had satisfied him that they were mistaken. Education without religious instruction might sharpen the intellect, but could not control the passions, of the human race. Whereas man should be taught, and could not be taught too early, that the powers of reason were given to him that he might use them to control his passions, and understand his duties as a moral and religious being; that he might learn the truths and estimate the value of revelation; that he might cultivate a habitual feeling of reverence towards his Maker, and believe that to serve his fellow-creatures and to respect their rights was part of his religious duty. When these became the objects of education, he had no hesitation in saying that crime would greatly diminish."

Holy Matrimony. A Sermon, preached in the Church of West Tarring, Sussex, January 15th, 1837. With Notes and an Appendix. By the Rev. J. W. Warter, M.A. of Christ Church, Oxford, Rector of Patching, and Vicar of West Tarring, Sussex. London: Rivingtons. 8vo. 1837.

In the last number of this Magazine an excellent sermon, by Mr. Norris, of South Hackney, entitled "Marriage Scripturally Considered" was reviewed. It is a duty to add a notice of another sermon, which, although its forerunner in point of time, was, by some inadvertence, not duly noticed at the time of its publication. This is the less to be regretted, because it seems to the writer of this notice that neither of these sermons, although occasionally, of course, touching on the very same parts of scripture, supersedes the use and usefulness of the other. The sermon of Mr. Norris is plain and argumentative, and keeps close to scriptural arguments; the sermon of Mr. Warter is a little more discursive, and, although based on scriptural grounds, abounds in illustrations from other sources, partly derived from classical quotations, but chiefly from the older writers of our own church, with the rich treasures of whose works Mr. Warter seems to be familiar in an extraordinary degree. The principle advocated in these sermons agrees in the main pointnamely, that marriage is a divine institution, and must be a holy and a religious ordinance, and not a civil contract; but the mode of enforcing this truth is as different as well can be. Let those who have weighed the arguments of Mr. Norris, therefore, turn to this sermon also; they will find much to reward them for their pains. It will help ably to maintain the same just and righteous protest against the desecration of a religious rite, and it will be an introduction to a variety of beautiful extracts from our older writers, all bearing upon this point, and all valuable and interesting.

To make this subject complete, one might add a recommendation also of Dr. Croly's sermon on the same subject, which supplies some matter passed over in both of these. To all three, each in his different sphere and mode of treatment, every member of the church is under obligations for this protest against a national sin and a legislative abomination.

Thoughts on Prison Discipline. By a Looker-on.
Walton. 1837. pp. 80.

London: Taylor and

THERE is much in this pamphlet calculated to give the man who cares about the prosperity of his country, and conceives that morality is an essential element of prosperity, food for thought and consideration. It is clear that prison discipline is a most important portion of the polity of a country. It cannot but happen, where poverty and temptation are close at hand, and press with a grievous weight upon an ill-informed and badly-regulated population, there must be offences; and the consideration at once suggests itself-what can be done with the offenders? The duty of the legislature, in reference to this subject, clearly divides itself out into distinct branches. It has a duty to perform towards the wretched beings whom the law brings within its penalties-it is bound to reclaim and amend them if it can; but it has also a duty to perform towards the rest of society, and not to suffer the reformation of the dishonest to be so

paramount to all other considerations as to operate to the disadvantage of the honest and laborious part of the community. The wisdom and the mercy of Heaven, which permits in this, our state of trial, so mixed a scene of sin and sorrow, has doubtless not left the case a hopeless one; but man's mere partial knowledge has hitherto precluded him from discovering any infallible course to pursue which shall not be open to objection-any scheme, in short, of correctional measures, which shall secure the great object of reforming offenders, without having indirectly the effect of depressing the innocent, or offering, in some degree, a premium to crime. It is to the examination of the question, What course is, on the whole, the most beneficial to be pursued in the conduct of prisons? that these "Thoughts on Prison Discipline" are devoted. They are written with considerable knowledge and ability, and occasionally exhibit a degree of shrewdness and caustic humour, which lead one lightly over ground which was apparently unpromising enough. In the first few pages the author bestows a few tolerably severe blows on the New Poor Law. He observes, justly enough, that if "we send a man to the workhouse because he is poor, and (to restrain others from committing the like sin of poverty) confine him there to as hard fare as is consistent with his working hard, it appears absolutely necessary (in justice alike and in policy) that the convict in the county gaol should not be suffered to live more at his ease, to labour less, or to fare better." This is certainly unimpeachable in point of logic, but to the mind of the writer of this notice it suggests two different remedies; and which of them is applicable must be dependent entirely on the state of the facts. If the prison diet is really low enough, then the remedy cannot be by lowering the prison diet, but by raising that of the workhouse. If, however, the diet of the prison be not low enough, it may be lowered; and surely it ought not to equal the diet of an union workhouse, where the only crime that can be laid to the charge of the inmates is, that "misfortune has marked them for its own"-that they are poor, and have no other home! Or, to put the matter in a fairer light. Let the diet, &c. of the prison be settled abstractedly on its own merits-let that which is fitting to a prison be appointed for prisons; but when once that is settled, for mercy's sake give the inmate of the poorhouse something which shall set him in comfort above the convicted felon. Nothing was more strenuously urged by the Poor Law Commissioners than the absolute necessity of keeping the pauperized labourer in a lower condition than the independent one.+ Surely, it will tell strangely for Old England, if to do this they must reduce human nature so low, that the convicted felon cannot be placed lower in the scale of comfort, even in the prison destined for his punishment.

This does not appear to be the case, for the evidence seems to bear out the assertion of one of the gaolers," that thousands of honest families do not fare so well as the inmates of a gaol."

+ Surely, this principle requires some modification. It was ably suggested in the "Cambridge Chronicle," that if the industrious poor, from fear of the union house, will live on far less than human nature ought to have, this system begins a competition in bearing and in producing starvation.