sion, a desire to break away, as it were, from old fixtures, and make an experiment at once of something wholly untried. This irregular action of the mind seems to belong to the present era of transition and progress. It is not to be too violently condemned, as wholly tending to evil. It is but the excess of a good thing, which, if properly watched and guarded, will by and by settle down upon the solid ground of moderation and truth.

Among other symptoms of what we refer to in these remarks, we observe that some one has been at the pains to translate for the second number a worthless speculation of Schiller's on the Mission of Moses, in which that writer, after the manner of a poet, attempts to account for the institutions and success of the Jewish Lawgiver on principles merely human; and would lead us to believe that he was little else than a cunning politician, wise enough to pretend to an intercourse with the true God, of whom he had heard from the Egyptian priests, because he saw no other means of resisting the idolatry of his people, and stimulating them to independence. We are at a loss to guess the purpose which a religious Magazine hopes to answer, by the insertion of so poor a romance as this. We are almost equally puzzled to know the uses or the wisdom of the paper, which sets the modern ministry on a par with the ancient prophets, by simply depriving the latter of all authority as divinely appointed, and of all power of prediction. The questions respecting the divine legation of Moses, and the actual office of the prophets, are questions to be discussed, in the proper place and for the great purpose of establishing the truth; but we cannot help thinking, that a religious journal, addressed to the popular mind, is to be complained of, if it publishes articles which take for granted the imposture of Moses, and the merely human authority of the Prophets. The Christian Church is not ready for that yet, though it may be ready that its scholars, whose business is inquiry, should exercise themselves in the investigation.

It is pleasant to observe in the first number a distinct proposal for " a Translation Society, whose object shall be to publish versions from the German and French of the best works on history, and speculative philosophy;" a project similar to that which has been set on foot here, and which is thus noticed in the second number of the Teacher.

"In our last number a proposal was thrown out for the estab lishment of a Translation Society, whose object should be to pub

lish Versions from the German and French, of the best works on History and Speculative Philosophy. We rejoice to find that such a Society already exists in Boston; the first fruits of which are now before us. This is not the first instance in which we have observed of late, that our American brethren are extending their studies beyond English forms of thought, to the great writers of France and Germany. In this respect, more than in any other, are they preparing for themselves national individuality, and an independent Literature. Little sympathy as the Theology of America, when compared with the Theology of Germany, exhibits between the mental tendencies of the two Countries, nevertheless we are bound to acknowledge, that the religious Periodicals of our own denomination, and we believe even more extensively among the orthodox, manifest an increasing love and study of Continental Theology and Philosophy, of which unfortunately we have almost no signs at home. If we do not wish to fall behind our times, and to be the worst-furnished class of Theologians, in any country where Sacred Literature is professed; the least stirred by new ideas; the least aware of what other minds are doing-we must alter this.

"We have received the names of some, and we solicit the names of all, who are willing to coöperate in furtherance of the objects of a Translation Society. Even so small a number as two hundred Members would be able to do something to enrich the literature of our country, and to provide for themselves most powerful instruments of improvement. We hope that in our next Number we shall be able to announce, that many names have been received, and that progress has been made in the formation of a Society." - pp. 183, 184.

It is pleasant, too, to observe a kindly notice of our country in an encouraging article on the ministry to the poor, and to perceive that the interest of our brethren in that important movement is extending itself. It is in active and apparently successful operation in London, Manchester, and Liverpool.

A sprightly article entitled Change of surrounding Influences in the Ministerial Life, contains recommendations on the subject of recreation and health, which are as applicable here as elsewhere. The writer would have clergymen retreat occasionally from their labors, to find refreshment and renew the elasticity of their minds in retirement or travelling.

"We believe that our clerical brethren are, in one sense, too exclusively devoted to their duties. No religion can ever require that its ministers should be always at the altar. Our brethren appear to us to be laboring under the not ungenerous error of

thinking of what they have to prepare, to the exclusion of much of that which ought to be preparative for it. Absorbed in a great end, they overlook some of the direct and necessary means. Week after week, month after month, and year after year, they are content (with few or no voluntary intermissions) to keep the tenor of their way, (they had better deviate right and left into bass and treble,) in one perpetual and unbroken series of oscillations from the study to the drawing-room, from the drawingroom to the pulpit, and back again from the pulpit to the study. Now this is a life which appears to us to be most preposterous. Nature will have her revenge for such a violation of her laws. She never contemplated the existence of such anomalies and she resents them. Most conscientiously do we believe that many a gifted and excellent minister makes himself less efficient, even in the maturity of his powers, by the unvarying regularity with which he performs his duties, with a certain defined and uniform ellipse, the two foci of which are his pulpit and his home. And if we think thus with respect to his powers in the plenitude of their vigor, there is little need for us to add, that we look upon the same causes as contributing not a little to antedate their decline. We are fully persuaded we cannot be more somany a valuable minister has made his latter days comparatively inefficient, by neglecting the use of due and seasonable relaxation."

that

Some remarkable statements are made, under the signature of the former editor, respecting the condition of education in Great Britain. Many, which we had intended to copy, as useful to those among us who are now engaged upon inquiries relating to that subject, are crowded out by our limited space which allows us to insert only the following.

"A few estimable individuals in the town of Manchester enjoy the distinction of having been the first to supply trustworthy information on the condition of popular Education. Among other efforts they have surveyed the four towns of Manchester, Liverpool, Salford, and Bury, and have published reports, from which we learn that one-third of the children of those places are destitute of any kind of education whatever. Of the 75,000 children who are under instruction, no fewer than 36,000 attend Sunday-schools only; that is, one half of those who are instructed are instructed only a few hours one day in the week; while out of about 120,000 children requiring education, not more than 39,000 are undergoing a daily training. But our estimate is too favorable if taken as a criterion of the state of popular Education; for, in these four boroughs, there are many large schools

for the middle and upper classes, containing children not only of residents but of strangers.

"In many country villages the master of the school is frequently a person unable to write himself. The village of Stansted, in Kent, may be taken as an instance, where the schoolmaster was recently found to be an agricultural laborer, able to read sufficiently to teach the children their catechism, and to spell through a chapter in the New Testament, but who had never been taught to write. In this case there is no school-room, but the children sit on forms in one of the aisles of the church, the floor of which is considerably below the level of the surrounding graves. The walls are of stone; the church is cold and damp; no fire is lighted in the winter, and the children or teachers have to sit in motionless attitudes from a quarter before nine in the morning, when the school begins, till a quarter before one at noon, when divine service concludes.' The fact,' adds our authority, deserves mention, because it is one instance among thousands, and because it marks the stinted measure of support which even Sunday-schools receive under the present system.""

We could easily glean more from these pages which would be well worthy the attention of our readers. But we have done enough to evince our hearty interest in the work, and to enable our readers to form some judgment of the character of its

contents.

H. w. jr.

NOTICES AND INTELLIGENCE.

The Authenticity of the New Testament. Translated from the French of J. E. ČELLERIER, Jr., Professor of Criticism and Sacred Antiquities in the Academy of Geneva. With Notes and References, by A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER. Boston: Weeks, Jordan, & Co. 1838. 16mo. pp. 254. - The translator of this little work has done a good service to the general reader, and especially to Sunday Schools. The original was prepared by Professor Cellerier, a scholar every way competent to the task, for popular instruction; and this, too, in a community which, as regards the state of religious inquiry, very much resembles our own. gives, in the first place, a sermon embodying the substance of the argument, an epitome of the whole; to which are appended

He

Illustrations exhibiting the evidences on important and difficult points more at length. We do not think that his method is so clear, simple, and direct as it might be. In other respects the topics are selected with judgment, and urged with uncommon seriousness and unction, and a constant reference to their interest and suitableness as matters of general discussion. He has also availed himself to a considerable extent of the new light which recent investigations of the German critics have thrown on the literary history of the Scriptures, and in this way has done much to popularize what is truly valuable in their writings, without doing anything to promote or countenance their love of theory, or license of speculation.

We owe this version to the desire of the translator to provide a manual for his Sunday School pupils, better adapted to their tastes and capacities than "the admirable works of Paley and Norton." He was encouraged to go on, he tells us in the preface, when he saw, "the interest with which they listened to its pages, the joy and animation which beamed from their countenances, as the work developed the beautiful character of the Savior, the wonderful history of the Apostles, and the powerful proofs for the authenticity of their works, and the honesty of their intentions." Other teachers, we doubt not, will eagerly avail themselves of this timely and very important auxiliary in their useful labors, making it necessary that a new edition should soon be issued. In that event we hope that the whole may be carefully revised, as several passages bear marks of haste, or want of practice and skill in composition. Thus, on page 41, "A state of things which cannot be explained only by a common source." Better, "can only be explained." Page 147: "In my opinion, according to good criticism, there is no longer any material for objection, than against these two." For than read but; or reconstruct the sentence. Page 229: "It has been said that every dead language cannot be translated." The meaning we suppose from the connexion to be, that no dead language can be translated. Page 233: after observing that "in the New Testament many terms have a variable meaning,” the author is made to lay down this rule; "When we read the New Testament, let us be careful to apply to them their theological and exact signification," &c. Obviously the very reverse of what was intended. Again, we have, p. 159, "concision" for conciseness; p. 160, "dogmatism" for inculcation of doctrine; p. 213, "Biblical Society" for Bible Society. We were also surprised not a little to find it stated in the Appendix, p. 252, that the common English Bible "is probably as perfect a version as was ever made by man."