REVIEWS.

Four Lectures on Spiritual Christianity, delivered in the Hanover Square Rooms, London, March, 1841. By Isaac Taylor. London: Jackson and Walford, pp. 205.

We have hopes of our country, from the wide extent to which Christian principles are constantly and progressively diffused, notwithstanding the existence of some grounds of apprehension from other causes. The very controversies which abound in our times, though often excited by mere party feeling, and carried on in an unworthy spirit, have a tendency to fix public attention upon the all-important topics of religion, and to prepare the way for its ultimate triumph. Milton's noble sentiment, that he never knew truth and falsehood fairly engaged, and truth getting the worst of the encounter, has often been verified upon an extensive scale; and we entertain no sort of fear, that the present age will be permitted to furnish a forlorn exception to a rule almost universal. If great principles are virulently attacked on the one hand, they are ably defended on the other, and we cannot doubt that the result will enable us sooner or later to record one step more of real advancement in the great career of human improvement, or some disputed territory permanently gained to the cause of truth.

Amidst the rise and fall of rival schemes of policy, and the uncertainty connected with the most favourite secular interests, it is delightful to contemplate the Christian system, not only as comprising all the elements of human happiness, but as possessing in itself an inherent vitality, and destined to attain universal ascendancy. The benefits to be derived from other sources of influence, whether relating to the physical or the moral well-being of society, have at best only a secondary importance. It is beyond all doubt the imperative duty of statesmen and legislators to endeavour by all proper means to promote the interests of commerce and agriculture, to accelerate the progress of science, to diffuse the benefits of education, and to secure a due adjustment of the interests of the various classes which compose the population of a great empire. But we are well aware that all these objects may be diligently and even successfully attended to, without the production of any thing like the expected amount of social happiness, in the possible absence of that controlling moral principle which Christianity alone can supply. The most perfect legislation, so far as the physical wants of society are concerned, ends in placing the materials of comfort and enjoyment as much as possible within the reach of the great body of the community; but, this being done, those materials may be perverted from their natural tendency, and are very likely to be so per

verted, unless the moral advancement of the people shall have kept pace with their physical advantages. Rome conquered and plundered the world, dating her downfall from her success; and the boasted wealth of Mexico, instead of ensuring public happiness, was undoubtedly one of the main causes of the premature extinction of the rising glory and liberty of Spain.

If, on the other hand, the legitimate influence of Christianity be increasing in any community, if a larger number of individual minds, in proportion to the aggregate mass, be brought under the power of its principles and motives, a thousand causes of evil, which no legislation could reach, will be continually repressed, and all the elements of personal virtue, and of public prosperity, will receive a sensible accession of strength. Hence the enlightened philanthropist, in contemplating the progress of human affairs, will fix his eye upon moral rather than physical causes, and will look for the results he most desires to accomplish, less from any new arrangement of the mere material interests of society, than from the silent progress of those great principles which act directly upon the minds and characters of men.

The page of history, properly investigated, yields abundant evidence to the fact, that the men who have exercised the most extensive influence over their own and succeeding times, have used the moral more than the political instrument,-have, in short, made mind rather than body the base of their operations. The political empire founded by Alexander scarcely continued for a single generation; but the intellectual system established by his illustrious preceptor, Aristotle, exercised a commanding influence over the mind of Europe, for nearly two thousand years. Charles V. sought to erect a universal monarchy in Europe, but he lived to see the utter folly of the project, and to relinquish even his own crown; whilst the opinions of Luther, which the presumptuous autocrat vainly hoped to extirpate by persecution, have never ceased since his time to govern successive generations of men, and appear likely, at no distant period, to prevail over the whole world. Dr. Chalmers, in one of his earlier (perhaps we might also say his better) productions, when speaking of opinion, as "the governing force which men ultimately obey," has well observed, that "the reformation by Luther is by far the proudest example of this in history;" and he adds, "It was through the medium of the press, and by virtue of scholarship alone, that he bore with greater weight than all his coadjutors, on the living history of the world-and after all, it was from the cell of studious meditation, from the silent depository of a musing and meditative spirit, there came forth the strongest and most widely felt impulse on the mechanism of society."* Man, the individual, accomplishes as a hireling his day, yet his thoughts and feelings die not with him, but

* Chalmers on the Respect due to Antiquity, p. 16.

survive in their effects upon his contemporaries, and perpetuate themselves in many instances through distant and unknown generations.

"The beings of the mind are not of clay!"

The solitary cogitations of Columbus gave the new world to Europe, and can never cease to affect the destinies of collective man, so long as the very species continues to exist upon the earth. Every thought in mind, as well as every element of material nature, has a bearing and an influence beyond itself. "God giveth to every seed its own body." As the workman lives in his work, the parent in the child, the artist in the production of his genius, and the legislator in his cherished institutions, so every man, in all the walks of life, lives for others as well as for himself, and perpetuates something of his own character in the influence he exerts upon those around him. The metaphysics of to-day will be the politics of to-morrow; and we all alike receive and transmit important impressions, from the circumstances which agitate society, and from the various controversies which give an impulse to the times in which we live.

We have been led to these remarks by the appearance of the work before us, written by Mr. Isaac Taylor, whose writings have produced no inconsiderable effect upon the public mind, and who, in addition to his other valuable productions, has laid the religious world under new obligation by the excellent summary of truths and principles here presented. These lectures were delivered at the Hanover Square Rooms, at the instance of the London City Mission. The author warns us not to expect a systematic digest of theology, or a formal biblical argument, in support of the several articles of an evangelical creed. His object, and a most important one it is, has been to direct the attention of welleducated persons to the great principles of the Gospel, and especially as at this moment placed in jeopardy by the wide diffusion of opinions which would substitute the vain inventions of antiquity for the purity and simplicity of apostolic Christianity. The volume consists of four lectures. Though not professedly controversial, it treats of a variety of subjects connected with the theological discussions of the present time, with which the esteemed author has on many occasions shown himself to be intimately conversant. The first lecture is "On the exterior characteristics of spiritual Christianity;" the second, "On the truths peculiar to spiritual Christianity;" the third, "On the ethical characteristics of spiritual Christianity;" and the fourth, "On spiritual Christianity, the hope of the world at the present moment."

Our readers must be referred for details to the volume itself, which is neither bulky nor expensive, and will amply repay a serious and attentive perusal. We only premise, in order to give an idea of the argumentative style of the work, that the topics of the first lecture are expressed in the following propositions, "That Christianity is a religion

of facts; that Christianity is a religion of facts, with which all men, without exception and without distinction, and in an equal degree, are personally concerned; that Christianity induces a new relationship between man and his Maker," (we should rather say, with deference to Mr. Taylor, that it adds a new responsibility to an existing relationship ;) "and that the facts of Christianity, when admitted as true, are of a kind to excite and maintain in activity the warmest and most profound emotions of which men are susceptible, according to the individual constitution of their minds." Without entering at large upon these particulars, we shall confine our attention to some of the more interesting of the subjects which the author has introduced to our notice. He tempts us irresistibly to offer a few passing comments, when he lectures upon such topics as the philosophy of Christian evidence, the absurdity of the Oxford Tracts, and the importance of union among Christians.

In his account of what he terms "the exterior characteristics of Christianity," by which, however, little more seems to be intended than is usually expressed by the more familiar phrase, "historical evidence," he justly argues, that the system rests ultimately upon facts, upon facts sustained by unquestionable evidence, and upon facts too of such a nature, that, if once candidly admitted, the mind has no resting-place, but in the adoption of the entire scheme of truth and doctrine inseparably associated with them. Under this head, the personal character and history of the Saviour of the world, very properly occupies a distinguished place. The whole of the argument upon the evident reality of the life of our Lord, proving as it does that Christianity is historically true, is, in our opinion, very beautifully stated. It blends the moral with the historical evidence, and goes far to justify the subsequent remark of the author, "Although it is not true that Christianity rests mainly upon moral evidence, yet it is true that it might rest on that ground with perfect security."-p. 34.

"Read then the Gospels, simply as historical memoirs; and by such aids as they alone can supply, make yourself acquainted with Him, who is the subject of these narrations. Bring the individual conception as distinctly as possible before the mind; allow the moral sense to confer, in its own manner, and at leisure, with this unusual form of humanity. 'Behold the man,' even the Saviour of the world, and say whether it be not historic truth that is before the eye. The more peculiar is this form, yet withal symmetrical, the more infallible is the impression of reality we thence receive. What we have to do with in this instance, is not an undefined ideal of wisdom and goodness, conveyed in round affirmations, or in eulogies; but with a selfdeveloped individuality, in conveying which the writers of the narrative do not appear. In this instance, if in any, the medium is transparent; nothing intervenes between the reader and the personage of the history, in whose presence we stand, as if not separated by time and space.

"It may be questioned whether the entire range of ancient history presents any one character, in colours of reality so fresh as those which distinguish the personage of the evangelic memoirs. The sages and heroes of antiquity, less and less nearly related, as they must be, to any living interests, are fading amid the mists of an obsolete world;

but He who is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever,' is offered to the view of mankind, in the dyes of immortality, fitting a history, which, instead of losing the intensity of its import, is gathering weight by the lapse of time.

"The evangelists, by the translucency of their style, have given a lesson in biographical composition, showing how perfectly individual character may be expressed in a method which disdains every rule but that of fidelity. It is personal humanity, in the presence of which we stand, while perusing the Gospels, and to each reader, apart, if serious and ingenuous, and yet incredulous, the Saviour of the world addresses a mild reproof,' It is I,-Behold my hands and my feet;-Reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless but believing.' And can we do otherwise than grant all that is now demanded, namely, That the evangelists record the actions and discourses of a real person?

"It is well to consider the extraordinary contrasts that are yet perfectly harmonized in the personal character of Christ.

"At a first glance, he appears always in his own garb of humility; lowliness of demeanour is his very characteristic. But we must not forget that this lowliness was combined with nothing less than a solemnly proclaimed and peremptory challenge of rightful headship over the human race! Nevertheless, the oneness of the character, the fair perfection of the surface, suffers no rent by this blending of elements so strangely diverse. Let us then bring before the mind, with all the distinctness we can, the conception of the teacher, more meek than any who has ever assumed to rule the opinions of mankind, and who yet, in the tones proper to tranquil modesty, and as conscious at once of power and right, anticipates that day of wonder, when the King shall sit on the throne of his glory,' with his angels attending; and when all nations shall be gathered before him,' from his lips to receive their doom. The more these elements of personal character are disproportionate, the more convincing is the proof of reality, which arises from their harmony."-p. 21.

"Will any one who is acquainted with antiquity affirm that any writer, Greek, Roman, or Barbarian, has come down to us, whom we can believe capable of conceiving at all of such a style of incident or discourse; or who, had he conceived it, could have conveyed his conception in a style so chaste, natural, calm, lucid, pure? Nothing like this narrative is contained in all the circle of fiction, and nothing equal to it in all the circle of history; and yet nothing is more perfectly consonant with the harmonies of nature. We may listlessly peruse this page, each line of which wakens a sympathy in every bosom which itself responds to truth. But if we ponder it, if we allow the mind to grasp the several objects, we are vanquished by the conviction that all is real. But if real, and if Christ be risen indeed, then is Christianity indeed a religion of facts; and then are we fully entitled to a bold affirmation, and urgent use, of whatever inferences may then be fairly deduced."-p. 30.

Apart from the graphic beauty of the character of our Saviour, as sketched by the evangelists, we should never forget its importance considered as positive evidence of the truth of the Christian system. If that character be faithfully pourtrayed, there is an end of the argument, for a person so immaculate could not have testified falsely concerning himself. But, on the contrary supposition, how, it may be asked, came a few illiterate fishermen to imagine and describe so exquisite a specimen of sinless yet suffering humanity? There is certainly no trace in all profane literature of the conception of so exalted a character; and from the false notions of greatness prevailing among the classic writers of Greece