cessors, that the volume is replete with novel and important matter, of the highest interest to men of every creed who care for the Bible, and to men of every party who relish true learning.

It is not our intention to indulge in mere eulogium; we shall be as free to notify defects as we have been to speak of merits.

Mr. Hanbury's first object seems to have been to let the early witnesses for Independency explain their own doctrines, and his second to accompany their statements, by a running commentary of historical and critical illustrations. The design is simple enough, and in our opinion the execution corresponds with the design. That he has produced what is called a readable book, we will not pretend to assert, but he has worked out his own idea, and accomplished his own purpose, which is more than can be alleged on behalf of one in a hundred writers. Whatever merit a performance may have, its author only deserves credit so far as he has realized his own conception, or when the specific performance shall be found answerable to the given undertaking.

In every work regard the writer's end,

Since none can compass more than they intend.'

Few can compass what they intend; but those who do may be said to have succeeded, whatever the absolute value of their performance. Bearing in mind another distich of the same sage poet, who recommends us to

Read each work of wit

With the same spirit that its author writ.'—

a piece of advice not less applicable to works like the present, than to those directly alluded to; let us measure the execution by the design, and then ascertain the correctness of the design and the fidelity displayed in accomplishing it.

Such being the author's purpose, the book before us is rather a continuous abstract from a series of memorials, profusely illustrated, than an historical epitome or dogmatic relation of their subject matter; and is therefore properly entitled 'Memorials,' although neither a mere commentary or a mere register, but a blending of both by the introduction of times, persons, and actions-in other words, by giving the memorials relating to this extraordinary sect, a historical character. To history, properly speaking, the work can make no pretensions, because it is the business of such a writer to tell the story himself, in his own proper person to be himself the chronicler of the time, the biographer of the person, and the relater of the event. If the author's design had been strictly historical, or, to speak more correctly, if the legitimate history of the body had been the author's object,

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his work might have been comprised in a tithe of the space necessarily allotted to the present undertaking, simply because the substance of such a work could not, in artistical hands, occupy a tithe of the bulk of its concrete material.

Although history proper' is almost the highest of literary enterprises, it does not convey so lively an impression as some of its inferior branches. We learn more by having the matter presented in detail than by having it in its essential and philosophical form. There is less difficulty and more interest in the one than in the other. Mr. Hanbury's book, although of a composite character, will be found to possess this interest to all who will take the trouble of perusing it carefully. He has best consulted his own object, and his own powers, by dealing with his multifarious materials in an antiquarian rather than in a historical spirit; not resolving them into their elemental or abstract shapes, but giving them to us in their wholeness and entirety as he found them, only breaking them up with a view to arrangement, and not attempting to recast them. So far as is possible, therefore, (and even to a greater extent than was perhaps desirable,) he presents the reader with the identical sayings and doings of the successive witnesses for the Congregational polity, not with his own notions about them and collects from hundreds of other works whatever others may have said or done by way of illustration. For such a work an author must be allowed ample room and verge enough' -it could not be comprised in a nutshell.

It is almost needless to remark, that while the accomplishment of such a task requires extraordinary diligence on the part of the writer, the just appreciation of his labour will require exemplary patience on the part of his reader. As the learned Dr. Taylor has observed, the reader will be considerably disappointed, if he 'looks for entertainment without the expense of attention.' To all who relish antiquarian pursuits, a work executed in the spirit we have referred to, possesses innumerable charms; and we have known men with a more direct and disquisitional turn of mind, soon acquire a taste like those which for such researches contain so much suggestive matter to a reflective mind. There is an indescribable gratification felt by all students of the graver sort in having pondered over and mastered books of exact and copious learning, with a brimming text and numberless notes and references, that seem to maintain an endless quarrel with each other for the possession of the author's page, or the reader's eye. Nor can we bring ourselves to believe that there are fewer students of this class now than formerly; on the contrary we are rather disposed to believe there are more now than ever. Such men will duly prize a volume which contains so many goodly relics of the olden time, congenially and elaborately presented and bestowed. But when great utility is combined with great interest-when it is the

progress of civil and religious liberty that we are thus minutely tracing in the words and works of its first assertors and earliest pleaders-when it is the cause of Christian truth that we are thus watching as it gradually evolves itself from error, we cannot doubt that our author with such views and with such subjects, will be cheered, and his work heartily and generously appreciated.

Having said thus much of our author's design, and glanced at the mode in which it has been executed, we shall proceed to give our readers a taste of the work itself. The suggestive matter which it contains with regard to the Congregational polity-the moral effect of the system, historically considered, in teaching self-government in religion, and leading to self-government in politics and with regard to the voluntary principle which is its de facto offspring-whose basis is established in the right of private judgment, and which would, if Christians had relied upon it, have effected a safer and infinitely more complete reformation in this kingdom than that which Henry the Eighth achieved at such cost-must be reserved, as we have previously hinted, to another, and, we trust, not distant, opportunity.

The preface naturally attracts our first attention. Short and simple as it is, there is an air of emotion about it, a blending of modesty with self-confidence, such as might have been expected, and such as every ingenuous mind will appreciate. We could almost write an article on the proper way of reading a preface! Few sympathize, and fewer still are capable of sympathy, with an author who is just on the point of ushering upon a cold and careless world, the work which has long been his laborious but favorite task-with an author whose task' is smoothly done,' all but the penning of a few prefatory sentences. We can; and knowing what a work is before us, we read the preface in the spirit in which it must have been written. All efforts to please or to instruct, within the vast range of art, must, we are aware, stand or fall by themselves-but we should like to see a more generous tone prevailing-a more lively sympathy on the part of the world (and the church is just as cold and careless as the world for this matter,) when an individual comes before them with an honest view, in manliness and modesty, to amuse or edify them. This utter callousness of heart in judging of these efforts, of whatever kind, is, we must maintain, by no means so characteristic of professed critics, as it is of mere readers, or mere hearers, or mere spectators, of those who never in their lives made any attempt at such efforts as they are so free to be severe upon. There is enough, in all conscience, of the idolatry of intellect amongst us; but there is little, if any, of the respect for, or appreciation of honest effort, amongst us. We need be at no pains to patronize the geniuses whose performances compel the instantaneous ho

mage of all-but we should be better critics if we measured the productions of mere ordinary men, by the amount of effort they cost. Whatever the earnest performance, be it a picture, or a book, or even a sermon, let the reader stay his judgment until he has put himself in the author's position, and we will answer for it that his judgment will be all the sounder. He will, of course, after such a digression as we have indulged in, on the art of reading prefaces, (although Mr. Hanbury's stands in no need of such a round-about, deprecatory apology,) not object to accompany us back to the one before us.

The project and its execution,' says our author, are entirely his own. Trained to prize civil liberty, of all earthly acquisitions the next to religious freedom, he renders his homage to the Father of Lights,' and rejoices in having drawn from their long night of repose, treasures inestimable, retaining the charms of pristine freshness; relics of mind and conduct in by-gone ages, and testimonies of superior wis. dom, though not always of perfect sobriety.'

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After alluding to the desirableness of a historical collection— Corpus Historicum-adequate in all respects to the present and increasing importance of the Christian denomination to which the author is confirmed in his attachment, after a systematic 'scrutiny more persevering than perhaps any other layman ever engaged in which he properly notes to be even yet a deficiency in ecclesiastical literature-the plan upon which he has proceeded is thus referred to.

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The plan whereon the work is executed thus far, and on which it will be proceeded with, is that which admits of compliance with the dramatic writers,-distingue tempora, et conciliabis Scripturas. Words and deeds disposed in the closest connexion with what occasioned them; the exact and nearest succession of events; being the most natural and regular, must ordinarily present the best means of arriving at a correct judgment in relation to them. Accordingly so much of what is original and documentary, whether amicable or hostile, is here placed when practicable, in immediate vicinity. Hence they who are dead yet speak for themselves; and if all they spake to purpose be not adduced, the deficiency is one which could not be supplied."

The design, we believe, is novel-at least we are not aware of any work which supplies us with excerpts and abstracts from the fathers and founders of this particular polity.

Before giving a sample of the execution, we shall quote the continuing paragraph from the preface.

So far the author-for he has endured all the labours of authorship -is secure in his self-approbation; but that he has never erred

when selecting and arranging his materials, nor ever misconceived his authorities, he cannot affirm: his desire to be minute has led in more than one instance, to irrelevancies, which were perceived when they could not be expunged. Thus also it may be with respect to the orthography of common names, which he has not hesitated to change when he had discovered what is most authentic. He takes no more credit to himself for having practised impartiality in contrasting opponents, and adjudicating their merits, than comports with those prejudices, or infirmities, infecting every human breast. Some advantages he apprehends, will have resulted from his not being swayed by any professional interest to seek to elevate unduly the pastoral office and character.'

From the variety of matter and the closeness of its contexture, we feel it to be no easy task to present our readers with a sample of the work. Each page of the 585, of which this first volume is composed, presents materials for reference and consultation, rather than quotation and extract. There are numberless independent passages from the fathers and founders of the sect, of great force and pathos-passages which thrill us by their simple energy and truth, and at the same time make our English blood boil in our veins, to think that they should have been uttered with all humility and heartfelt sincerity, before mitred judges, who rewarded their authors with racks, banishment, bonds, and death; but being intimately connected with the argumentative or narrative portions of the work, it will be better to defer reference to them to our proposed analysis. It must be evident also, that any attempt to abstract a volume which is itself a well-compacted series of abstracts, would not answer any useful end. We had prepared, at some pains, a rapid outline of contents, but unless accompanied by explanatory details, for which we cannot afford the requisite space, such a plan would not meet our immediate object in this brief article. We shall, perhaps, best perform our promise of giving the reader a taste of Mr. Hanbury's manner, without violating the continuity of his subject, by a brief examination of one of his teeming chapters. The introductory chapter will serve our purpose. It is entitled a Dissertation on Terms and Principles,' and embraces the following topics, which we take from the table of contents:

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Congregationalists; Independents-Their rise-State Church, Reformers, Presbyterians, or Puritans-Their rise-Progress-Subscription, when first enforced-Enforced again-Precisians the same with Puritans-Martinists-Brownists-Conventiclers-The People's power -Under Anglo Episcopalians-Under Presbyterians-Bishop Hall and Milner deny Independency-Gibbon affirms it-Tindal shows itAgain-Mosheim confirms it-Result-Scripture Bishops-Defined -Isaac Barrow and Whitgift, of the First Churches-The most apos