nance of religion could be attempted? To me it seems, that it is quite practicable, Sir, and ought to be acted upon among all who maintain our Saviour's proper Deity and mediation, salvation by grace alone, through faith in the blood of Christ, and the necessity of a personal regeneration, or change of heart, by the Spirit of God. And this is what I have meant in this paper, by "holding the Head."

I should rejoice, Sir, to see the true friends of Christian union meet, and produce some plan of a short liturgical and extempore service, to be forthwith used among us on a Saturday evening, or early on the Lord's day morninghaving the harmony of the whole Christian church, and the greater success of a preached gospel, for its particular subjects. Where, in point of numbers they could be accommodated, I would have all the evangelical denominations meet, “with one accord, in one place," to use such a service, and their clergy, conjointly, or alternately, conduct it. On a week-day evening, especially at the monthly concert, how often would it be a decided and heart-warming improvement, to gather together all who attend the scattered services of a town, into one church?

This I should hope,-"watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints," in private, together with consistent lives-might result in some new manifestation of the spirit of charity among us, so that we should soon be anxious for a plan of united public preaching of the gospel throughout the country-preaching, designed rather for the many thousands of Sabbath-breakers, than the few hundreds of Sabbath-keepers, and for the bringing home to Christ's fold, the millions who are, I fear, even in this enlightened country and age," as sheep having NO shepherd!" Have your readers hearts to weep over such? Then they will bestir themselves. Our aim must be, at no proselytism from party to party, but at conversion from ungodliness to Christ.

LITERARY NOTICE.

Physical Theory of Another Life. By the author of Natural History of Enthusiasm. New York, D. Appleton and Co. 200 Broadway, 1836.

Whoever has supposed that the increase of knowledge bears any great proportion to the increase of books, or that literature is gaining much by the constant accession of new authors, is doubtless doomed to disappointment. We have so long been surfeited with what is new, and found so little that is original, that we have begun to entertain the suspicion, that literature is only passing through a general metempsycosis ; that the souls of antiquated volumes are emigrating from their decayed bodies, and making their appearance again in others more genteel and spacious. We think we have actually met with the contents of several popular works in their pre-existent state, and must be permitted to say, we were as much delighted with them when they formed a few paragraphs in some ancient divine, as when spread out to their present size and dimensions.

This is one of the few volumes now issuing from the press, which does not contain what is much better thought and said in a thousand other books. The author has the honesty to conclude, that his reader should have some equivalent for his time and money; that the Christian public, with the present demands upon their charities, ought not to be taxed for common-place thoughts, vapid declamation and crude and dangerous speculations.

The writer has several times appeared before the Christian public, and has acquired a reputation which the present volume fully sustains. He doubtless possesses a most vigorous and comprehensive mind. His taste and genius seem to have inclined him to metaphysical subjects, and he has most successfully cultivated such as have any important bearing on Christianity. As a specimen of his style, we quote a passage, in which we think, he has presented the arguments for the existence of mind and matter, in a very forcible and happy manner.

"The materialist-and in this argument the materialist must take the atheist as his companion, the materialist says-" It is impossible for me to doubt the existence of matter; for it is under my touch, it is before my eyes, and its properties are the subject of the only sciences that are absolute in their method of reasoning, and infallible in their results. But as to mind, otherwise than as it is merely a function of animal organization, or a product of cerebral secretions, I know nothing, and can know nothing of it, and the inquiry concerning it ever has been, and must always remain obscure and unsatisfactory.

"But the spiritualist contemns this summary treatment of the argument by his antagonist, as crude and illogical, and such as can satisfy none who are competent to analyse strictly their own consciousness. He affirms that this statement of the case by his opponent takes for granted the very facts that are to be proved; and in reply to the materialist, he says-" All that I contend for, and which I affirm to be intuitively certain, and known without proof, you first tacitly assume, and then formally deny. What are all these sensations of touch and sight, and what are these demonstrations of mathematical science of which you speak, but so many states of the mind-so many mental phenomena, as I may term them, which, while they imply necessarily the existence of mind, do but

render the existence of matter probable; or at best demonstrate its reality by a circuit of reasoning? I will grant you that an external world may exist, and I believe that it does exist: but this very belief, let it rise as high as it may, together with the argument that sustains it, are still only so many elements of my mental consciousness, and can never nullify or annihilate that of which they are parts." This skepticism concerning the reality of matter, and an external world, which is of a far more subtile and sweeping kind than that of the materialist concerning mind, he finds it impossible to supplant; and he feels himself undermined in his assault upon spiritualism, and his foot sinks whichever way he endeavours to advance. His opponent therefore leaves him with this defiance-" Prove the existence of an external world if you please, or if you can; and I do believe it to exist; but I believe it by inference; and therefore hold it as a truth, if not inferior in certainty, yet assuredly as subordinate to that primary truth-the existence of mind."

The object of the writer in the present work, is to point out the evident connexions which philosophy has traced between the mind and body; to describe reciprocal operations and influences of these upon each other-to show to what extent, the mind is circumscribed in its percep tions; impeded, thwarted, and interrupted in its operations; and impaired in its powers by the body. Then to show, that as a more delicate and exquisite organization of body, would add so much to the powers of the mind, would so extend its perceptions, and increase its knowledge, that both reason and revelation make it probable that such an organization will be bestowed; that hereafter the soul will be united to a body, not only free from the inherited defects of the present, but also differing materi ally in its nature.

We think that he has treated a subject, on which revelation is almost silent, with becoming caution: that he attributes no undue authority to his conclusions. He ever, throughout his investigations, manifests a pious respect for the authority of Scripture, the modesty of a truly great mind, and the caution and suspicion of his conclusions which characterize the real philosopher who respects the bounds which God has prescribed to human enquiries.

That the imperfection and corruptibility of the human body which have been inherited from our first parents will hereafter be removed; that the body will be restored to its original perfection, is an undisputed truth of revelation. But it is the great object of our author, in his ingenious and beautiful discussions, to go much beyond this; to make it prob able, not only that the body will be perfect and incorruptible, but also materially different in nature from what it was. That the person will possess a perfection of senses-a power of locomotion-a command over matter-a freedom from mental fatigue-a power of reasoning, memory and association, now almost inconceivable.

Here we think our author has failed in his proof. His reasoning is ingenious and plausible, but not convincing. We think he should

have proved, that, if the body is to receive such an important change, the perceptive mind should also receive one equal and similar. He seems to take it for granted that every thing requisite belongs to it as mind already; that its powers at present are only repressed by the grossness of the instruments through which they act. Yet he has admitted that the senses are only the instruments through which the mind acts; and that the mind is inherently percipient of light, heat, sound, &c.; that these inherent powers have been bestowed by God: they of course, have their limits, and were accommodated to the organs which they were to use; they doubtless differ in different orders of beings, and in different beings of the same order. Now, are we to suppose, that God did not originally

accommodate these powers of the mind to the nature of the body with which he had invested it? Could he have immersed or rather smothered intellects the most noble and exalted in the bodies of our first parents, in bodies so gross and coarsely organized as not to be able to develope a thousandth part of the inherent powers of mind? Could he have left it till the fall and recovery of man should make it, in some way, expedient to bestow on the human race, bodies in some respect adapted to the high character of their minds?

That our bodies will be raised spiritual and incorruptible, is the belief of all who respect the authority of revelation. Though the real Christian expects and intensely desires to possess a body fit to be the servant of a holy soul, he desires with still greater intensity to be free from the struggles of the flesh; from the remains of indwelling sin. He desires not principally to become an expert reasoner, a skilful mathematician or natural philosopher, in another life. He will of course adore the perfections of God in the Creation-but the great work of redemption will be that which will fix all his mental and moral powers.

We are compelled to think the speculations of our author, amusing and ingenious rather than useful-from the nature of the subjects, they can be thoroughly understood by very few. We have the highest respect for the philanthropy, piety and talents of our author. We think his book contains much that is new and curious; but we think Baxter has come much nearer to the true theory of another life, in his Saint's everlasting Rest. He has kept reason silent, and listened to Scripture; and we know of no book except the bible so well adapted to make the great subject of another life a subject of innocent, useful and delightful speculation,

AND

THEOLOGICAL REVIEW.

NO. XII. DECEMBER, 1836.

ART. I. CAUSES OF THE PRESENT DECLENSION OF

RELIGION.

By Rev. N. MURRAY, Elizabethtown, N. J.

An Inquiry into the Causes of the Decline of Religion in Christian Churches. By John Griffin. Third Edition, 8vo. pp. 75. London, 1819.

We learn that the author of the above "inquiry" was the pastor of a Baptist Church in Great Britain. Whether he is now living we are not informed. The author states that he was appointed to preach before the Hampshire Association, and that the questions assigned him to answer were, "WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF THE DECLINE OF RELIGION IN CHRISTIAN CHURCHES, AND WHAT ARE THE BEST MEANS OF EFFECTING ITS REVIVAL ?" These very important questions he discusses with considerable ability. By the vote of the association the discussion was given to the public, and soon reaches its third edition. We know not that it has ever been re-published in this country. And we would here venture to suggest to our Baptist brethren, that an abridgement of this work adapted to their churches, and published in the form of a tract, would be likely to prove highly beneficial to their own denomination by withdrawing attention from a circumstance to the essence of religion; a result among all Christians most devoutly to be wished.

The questions discussed by our author are questions of high importance to every branch of our American Zion; and to none more so than to the Presbyterian and Congregational churches. That the special influences of the Spirit are withheld, and that there is throughout the Church a sad declension of vital piety, is but too evident. Since the days of Edwards, the Congregational and Presbyterian VOL. III

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