Terminating in 1546, and leaving Eng- | land entirely untouched, it must be obvious that many additional volumes are still wanting, to bring the history down to the times in which we live. A continuation of Milner's Church History was much wanted, and we are happy to find that it has fallen into such able hands. We earnestly hope that the encouragement Mr. Scott deserves from the public will be received by him, and then there can be no doubt of his success. We also hope that his life and health will be preserved, to pursue his literary labours in this ample field, that in the same strain of impartial excellence he may produce future volumes to realize the expectations which this precursor cannot fail to excite.

Among the numerous incidents recorded in this volume, many may be found that are not less amusing than instructive; and from a perusal of them we may discover the violence of spirit which marked the character of the times. Of these facts, in the animosity shewn by the Papal party to the memory of Luther, when, being ill, his death was anticipated, Mr. Scott has furnished an entertaining specimen, which we give in his own words:

"Luther completed his sixty-second year in the month of November, 1545; and he did not survive that period so much as three months. For some years previously, he seems scarcely to have written a letter, in which he did not anticipate his approaching dissolution; and often his expressions of desire for his dismissal, and for the heavenly rest, are very ardent. Indeed he had, in his many and increasing infirmities, sufficient warning that the time of his departure was at hand. He was troubled with excruciating pains in the head, which nearly deprived him of the sight of one eye; his legs swelled, and he suffered severely from the stone. His enemies, however, were not able to wait with patience for an event which could not now be far distant; and a pretended account of his death, as having been accompanied with a miracle, wrought by God for the honour of Christ, the terror of the wicked, and the comfort of good men,' was, in the year 1545, printed and circulated in Italy. The story is so absurd, that it hardly deserves to be repeated, except as it may shew what some men were wicked enough to invent, and others weak enough to receive, at that time. It set forth, that Luther, finding death approaching, had called for the sacrament, and immediately after receiving it had expired: that before his death, he had desired that his corpse might be placed upon the altar, and there receive divine honours--which desire, however, had not been complied with that when his body was interred, a tremendous storm arose, which threatened destruction to every thing around, and that the terrified spectators, looking up, saw the host, which the impious man had presumed to receive, hovering in the air: that this having been taken, with great reverence, and deposited in a sacred place, the

tempest ceased; but at night returned again with still greater fury: that in the morning, the grave being opened, no vestige of the body could be found, but a horrible stench of brimstone proceeded from the place, by which the health of the bystanders was seriously affected and that the conseqnence of all this had been, the return of many persons into the bosom of the Catholic church. The paper, containing this account, was brought to Luther, and he caused it to be reprinted, with this addition: I, doctor Martin Luther, testify under my hand, that I have received this extravagant fiction, this twenty-first day of March, and read it with great pleasureexcept for the abominable lies against the Divine Majesty which it contains. It gratifies me exceedingly, to find myself so obnoxious to Satan, and to his agents, the pope and papists. May God convert and recover them from the power of the devil! or, if my prayers for them must be in vain, owing to their having committed the sin unto death, then may God grant that they may soon fill up their measure, and that they may find their joy and comfort only in writing such tales as this! Let us leave them alone: they go whither they have chosen to go. I shall see whether they can be saved and how they will repent them of the lies and blasphemies with which they fill the world.""-p. 464 to 466.

From this monstrous fiction of Popery, of which many of the more thoughtful among them were heartily ashamed, we will now turn to Mr. Scott's account of the last moments of this venerable servant of God, which took place at Eisleben, Feb. 18th, 1546; and with this extract our review must terminate.

"Before supper he had complained of a pain in the chest, to which he was subject. It was, however, relieved by warm applications. After supper it returned; but he would not have medical aid called in, but about nine o'clock lay down on a couch, and fell asleep. He awoke as the clock struck ten, and desidered that those about him would retire to rest. When led into his chamber, he said, I go to rest with God;' and repeated the words of the Psalm, "Into thy hands I commend my spirit, &c.' and, stretching out his hand to bid all good night, he added, Pray for the cause of God.' He then went to bed; but about one o'clock he awoke Jonas and another, who slept in the room with him, desired that a fire might be made in his study, and exclaimed, Oh God! how ill I am! I suffer dreadful oppression in my chest: I shall certainly die at Eisleben!'-He then removed into his study without requiring assistance, and again repeating, Into thy hands I commend my spirit!' He walked backwards and forwards, and desired to have warm cloths hrought him. In the mean time his physicians were sent for, as also count Albert, who presently came with his countess. All Luther's friends and his sons were now collected about him: medicines were given him, and he seemed somewhat relieved; and having lain him down on a couch, he fell into a perspiration. This gave encouragement to some present; but he

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blindness in living so long immured in them, and devoted to them, is inconceivable and astonishing, even to myself." p. 136, 7.

His views of the fierceness of temptation, and the efficacy of prayer, may be seen in the following extracts:

"He did not think any thing could have convinced him so fully of the efficacy of prayer, as the sensible relief which he experienced from it, during those conflicts of doubt and unbelief with which his mind continued to be barassed. He added, that he now spent whole

nights in prayer. He felt perfectly assured that his doubts were the suggestions of the great adversary of souls; and remarked, that they were vividly and manifestly darted, as it were, into his mind, instead of arising from his own reflections, or resulting from any train of reasoning: and their absurdity, in many instances, was so obvious, that his judgment detected it at once, though he still had not power to drive them from the hold they took of his imagination, or to banish them, for the time, from his thoughts." p. 139.

He partially recovered, so as to be able to take occasional exercise in the open air. But he was an altered man

"The avidity with which he listened to the word of God, his eagerness to attend public worship, (which for many years he had entirely neglected,) and the heartfelt and devout interest which he obviously took in the services, his enlarged and active benevolence, the change which had taken place in his tastes, inclinations, and pursuits, all testified that he was indeed brought out of darkness into marvellous light; that old things had passed away, and all things had become new.' p. 141. Every subject but Christ crucified, was now utterly tasteless and uninteresting; and he continued, to the last month of his life, to rejoice with a joy unspeakable, and full of glory,' which bore down all opposition.

"He experienced a happiness to which all the accumulated enjoyments of his whole previous life could bear no proportion or comparison; even that peace of God which passeth all understanding,' and which must be felt, or at least witnessed, in order to form any just conception of its nature and effects." P. 143.

"In contrasting, as he frequently did, bis present happiness with all that he had formerly enjoyed and called happiness, he seemed always at a loss to find words to express how poor, and mean, and despicable all easthly gratifications appeared to him, when compared to that joy and peace in believing,' which now filled his soul: and, one particle of which,' he sometimes said, he would not part with for ten thousand worlds." And it should be remembered, that this was not the evidence of a man disappointed in his worldly pursuits: he had already had his reward in this world; he had experienced the utmost success in the path which he had chosen; he had been keenly susceptible of intellectual pleasures; and of their, as well as of all inferior amusements, he had enjoyed more than a common portion. But when the only object

that can satisfy the affections and fill the capacities of a rational and immortal being, was revealed to him; when he viewed, by the eye of faith, that life and immortality brought to light by the gospel,' earthly fame, and honour, and pleasure, sunk into the dust: and, in reflecting upon his past life, the only thing that gave him any satisfaction was, the hope that his labours might have been beneficial to his fellow-creatures, for whom his charity had now become unbounded. He often said, that 'the blessing of his conversion was never out of his mind, day or night; that it was a theme of perpetual thanksgiving, and that he never awoke in the night without being overwhelmed with joy and gratitude in the recollection of it.' He always spoke of his long bodily afflictions with the most devout thankfulness, as having been instrumental in bringing him to God; and considered his almost total blindness as an especial mercy, because, by shutting out external objects, it had enabled him to devote his mind inore entirely to spiritual things. Often, latterly, he expressed an ar dent desire to depart, and be with Christ:' but always added, that he was cheerfully willing to wait the Lord's pleasure; certain that, if he were continued in this world, it was only for his own good, and to make him more meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light." p. 142-5.

To this delightful and cheering extract, we have to add one more, which gives an account of his death:

"During the last week of his life especially, the strength and clearness of his intellect, and of his spiritual perceptions, were very remarkable: and, on its being one day observed to him, that as his bodily powers decayed, those of his mind seemed to become more vigorous, he replied, They do, exactly in an inverse ratio: I have been very sensible of it.' He conversed with the greatest animation all the day, and almost all the night, preceding his death, principally on the joys of heaven, and the glorious change he was soon to experience, often exclaiming, What a happy hour will be the day of death!' * ** Once in the night he said to his mother, Surely, you are not in tears!-Mine is a case that calls for rejoicing, and not for sorrow: only think what it will be to drop this poor frail perishing body, and go to the glories that are set before me!'

"Not more than an hour before his death, when he had been expressing his hope and faith in very animated terms, I remarked to him how striking was the uniformity of faith and of feelings expressed by believers in the same circumstances, at every distance of time and place; and spoke of it as an indisputable evidence, that these graces are wrought in all by one and the self-same Spirit, and as a proof of the truth of the Bible, the promises and descriptions of which are thus so strikingly fulfilled and exemplified. He entered into the argument with his accustomed energy, and assented to its truth with delight. It seemed remarkable, that though he had, during his whole illness, been very sensible of his increasing weakness, and had watched accurately all its gradations, yet he spoke, in the last moments of his life, of going down stairs as

usual, and said, it could not require more than a very few weeks to wear bim out,' not appearing to be at all aware that his end was so very near, till about half an hour before his death. Finding himself extremely languid, he took a little milk, and desired that air might be admitted into the room: and, on being asked, if he felt at all relieved?' he replied, Very little; and can hardly distinguish, indeed, whether this is languor or drowsiness which has come over me; but it is a very agreeable feeling.' Soon after, he said suddenly, I surely must be going now, my strength sinks so fast: I bave almost lost the power of moving my limbs.' On my making some observation on the glorious prospect before him, he added, 'Ob, yes! I am GLAD to go, if it be the Lord's will!' He shat his eyes, and lay quite composedly. By and by he said, What glory!-the angels are waiting for me!' Then, after another short interval of quiet, he added, LORD JESUS, receive my soul!' and to those who were around him, Farewell!' These were the last words he spoke."

So died this convert from infidelity to the blessed truths of Christianity. It is to lamented that so many of his professional brethren have, it is to be feared, imbibed those ruinous opinions, from which tremendous consequences, it pleased the Father of mercies, by a special exertion of his power and goodness, to awaken and deliver Dr. Bateman. It appears absolutely confounding and paradoxical, that those who are spending their lives in examining and admiring the wondrous mechanism of our fearfully and wonderfully made' bodies, should presume to deny the existence of their MAKER, and reject and despise that very guide to truth and happiness which He has vouchsafed to us in this scene of bewildering labyrinthal error and misery. It is woful, that men who are discovering incessant proofs of the Almighty's skill and benevolence, who enter, as it were, into his very workshop, to behold more narrowly his 'handy work,' should wilfully shut their eyes upon the bright and glorious light of revelation! But illustrious names are not wanting to prove that anatomy is eminently capable of inspiring sentiments of religion. Let us look at the names of Harvey, Sydenham, Boerhaave, Haller, and, in our own day, Pringle, Bailey, and Barclay, and we shall find that deep piety is not inconsistent with the most exalted science. This momentous error arises from men's contemplating anatomy too much in the abstract, disconnecting it from that mighty chain of evidence which girdles the universe, and gently binds the hearts of men in sweet, delightful, and reasonable captivity and subjection to the Father of their spirits.

But it is high time that this lengthy no

tice should conclude. We had intended to make a few remarks on this interesting and important subject; but we have already exceeded our usual limits. A word or two to our author must terminate our remarks. This narrative, though ably written, is sadly wire-drawn; in plain English, eked out, and stuffed with supererogatory comments and elucidations, from beginning to end. Should the work see a second edition, he will find a pair of scissors of singular service.

BRIEF SURVEY OF BOOKS.

1. Popery in 1824, (Butterworth and Co.) is a pamphlet which every Protestant ought to read with deep attention. It tells him, on indisputable authority, what Popery is, flowing without any adulteration from the fountain head. It contains the circular letter of Pope Leo XII. to his clergy, directing them to prevent as much as possible the circulation of the scriptures; and it comprises a fair specimen of that bigotry, arrogance, and intolerance, which are the distinguishing attributes of the holy see, accompanied with those infamous denunciations, which might be expected from the region of impudent infallibility.

2. The Obligation of Christians to receive the Lord's Supper every Lord's Day, by J. M. Cramp, (Burton, London,) is a pamphlet of more promise than performance. The author's scriptural authorities are very few, and these of doubtful interpretation. In stating the practice of the primitive church, and in collecting the opinions of celebrated divines, he has been more successful, but nothing conclusive can be adduced from such questionable premises. "For baptism," he tells us, the time is appointed,-when the individual believes," p. 12. But in p. 15, he observes, that "the application of moral precept must always be regulated by considerations of time, character, circumstances, &c. and much latitude of judgment must be allowed, so that the spirit of the injunctions is preserved.' There are some to whom this doctrine will prove very acceptable.

3. Ingram's Principles of Arithmetic, (Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh,) is a neat little volume, which contains much valuable matter, and promises to be exceedingly useful both in schools and for private students. The rules are laid down with great simplicity, and may therefore be easily comprehended. It contains also a compendious digest of weights and measures, as established by a late act of parliament.

4. Bernard Barton's Missionary Memorial, (Westley and Davis, London,) con

tains many exquisite lines, and some that can hardly claim a station on the favourable side of mediocrity. His name, as a poet, was calculated to excite expectations-they are but partially gratified.

5 William Hale's Address to the Manufacturers of the United Kingdom, (Holds worth, London,) is a sensible, well-written pamphlet; but we very much doubt, if the measures he recommends were adopted, whether they would produce all the benefits he anticipates. His chief force is levelled against the reduction of wages. This compels the weaver to work more hours than usual to earn a scanty pittance, which, by overstocking the market with goods, increases the evil it was designed to remedy. He recommends that wages remain undiminished, but that the weaver should be employed fewer hours. This certainly has more rationality than the scheme which he so justly reprobates.

6. Another number of the Anti-Slavery Monthly Reporter, now before us, is, like all its companions, a catalogue of misery, cruelty, and injustice, which cannot be read without feelings of horror and indignation. From the slave system nothing but wretchedness and iniquity can be expected. Taken in all its branches and bearings, slavery is, probably, at this moment, the blackest crime that earth presents to heaven.

7. The Address of the Society of Friends to the Inhabitants of Europe, on the Iniquity of the Slave Trade, (Phillips, London,) makes a powerful appeal in behalf of the injured negro, to the humanity of mankind, and denounces the trade in human life as repugnant to the principles of Christianity. It contains little that is new, but much truth, that neither sophistry nor argument can refute. To this inhuman traffic, the people called Quakers have always been decidedly hostile.

7. Danver's Letter to the Right Hon. R. Peel, on the Inexpediency of Imprisonment for Debt, (Simpkin and Co. London,) strongly reminds us of a trite, but just observation-"The hand that cannot erect a hovel, may demolish a palace."

8. A Review of Nonconformity, by John Ely, (Westley, London,) contains, within twenty-five pages, the history of Nonconformity in outline, and is calculated to convey to the mind of the uninformed on this subject, a tolerably correct idea of its causes and progress. The remarks which follow the statement, are sufficiently strong to evince the author's views of establishments and intolerance; and we shrewdly suspect, were his power equal to that of which he condemns the exercise, the cause 97.-VOL. IX.

of complaint would be soon transferred to other communities.

9. The Schoolfellows, by Mrs. Hewlett, (Westley, London,) is a pretty delineation of character, exemplified in the history of two young females. Mrs. Hewlett has marked, with much discrimination, the prevailing propensities of each, and with an impartial hand traced them to their distant consequences and issues. The lesson inculcated is, the importance of early impressions, and the necessity of making those which will be of lasting value. The history of Sarah and her Husband is both instructive and interesting.

10. Advice on Playing the Pianoforte, &c. (Longman, London,) is a pretty little article for those who have musical ears, and an abundance of money.

11. A concise View of Ancient Geogra phy, by W. H. Bond, (Simpkin, London,) will be found very useful to readers of ancient history. Accompanied with its maps, the names and situations of all remarkable places may at once be seen in connexion with their more modern and present appellations.

12. The Messenger of Mercy, (Westley, London,) contains much wholesome advice and pious instruction, exemplified in the history and adventures of a tract. It is written with much pleasing simplicity, which can hardly fail to arrest the attention, and interest the feelings.

13. Familiar Dialogues for Sunday Schools, by a Teacher, (Kershaw, London,) are, what the title expresses, "instructive and entertaining." In this little book many important topics are brought before the reader, and treated in a manner that must command the cordial assent of his judgment, and ensure his approbation.

COMPENDIUM OF GEOLOGY.-NO. I

To contemplate the sphere in which we live, and to which we are confined, it is at once interesting and amusing. It is interesting, because every thing which is connected with this globe is connected with ourselves, directly or indirectly; and it is amusing, because the rich variety contained therein, gives endless variety to the thinking faculty. No necessity exists for our poring incessantly upon one object, or upon one subject; interesting matter exists every where; and in every way in which we can view this matter, it presents us with a new face.

If we survey this sphere as a planet, and thus connect it with astronomy; if we view it as a habitable world, and examine its

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