attempts to apply it. He tells us, page tion can only be presented by one man 140:to another through some verbal sign or exposition of the facts that give rise to "The aim of revelation has not been formally to expound a system of doctrine to the understanding, but to educate the mind of man gradually to an inward appreciation of the truth concerning his own relation to God. Judaism was a propedeutic to Christianity; but there was no formal definition of any one spiritual truth in the whole of that economy (!) The purpose of it was to school the mind to spiritual contemplation; to awaken the religious consciousness by types and symbols, and other perceptive means, to the realization of certain great spiritual ideas," &c. &c. "The apostles went forth to awaken man's power of spiritual intuition; to impress upon the world the great conceptions of sin, of righteousness, of judgment to come, of salvation, of purity, and of heavenly love. This they did by their lives, their teaching, their spiritual intensity in action and suffering, their whole testimony to the word, the person, the death, and the resurrection of the Saviour." Concede for a moment that the sole object of these great agencies was to awaken spiritual intuitions, how, by Mr. Morell's own account of it, was this done? They could not bring the naked idea before the blinded world, and thus cause spiritual perception. How, then, did they proceed? By "teaching!" by the use of "types and symbols," and "giving testimony to the word, &c., of the Saviour!” And, pray, what was this but addressing themselves to the logical understanding? If they embodied these great conceptions in teaching, must not this, as far as it was embodied, be "an exposition of Christian doctrine?" How otherwise could they have proceeded? A spiritual concep it. But this, by the author's own definition of the logical consciousness, is a purely logical process. "Their lives, and their intensity in action and suffering," had no significance in themselves, except as related to their teachings. Madmen and impostors had exhibited the same things; and it was only by verbal exposition that the world could understand the difference between the two cases; in other words, the whole process by which they acted was an appeal to the logical understanding. Here, then, the theory fails at the very point of its application; for it leads us irresistibly to the conclusion, that the revelation made by the inspired teachers of religion was made in the forms of the logical understanding. The fatal error of Mr. Morell's theory lies in confounding the work of the Spirit of God with the action of human agents in the spiritual enlightenment of man. It is man's work to present the great conceptions of religion in those logical forms in which they have been placed in the revealed word; it is the Spirit's work to awaken the power of spiritual intuition, by which these embodied conceptions can be grasped by the higher consciousness of the soul. By confounding the work of God with that of man, and both with the agency of the revealed truth, he has involved himself in a maze of the most fatal error. [P.S. The preceding quotation is from the 2nd No. of "The Foreign Evangelical Review," one of the healthiest books of the day. We shall next give the critique of the writer on Mr. Morell's views of Inspiration.-EDITOR.] VOL. XXX. 2 R OUR PSALMODY. (To the Editor of the EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE) SIR,--With your permission, I will venture to intrude on your pages with a few thoughts on our Congregational Psalmody, to which I would respectfully draw the attention of the ministerial portion of your readers, as it has often been remarked that this delightful portion of our sacred services has not received the attention it merits; although the observation has usually been made in reference to the style of the singing, rather than to the matter of the song. My first remark is, that, so far as I have had the opportunity of witnessing our various congregational services, the real object of our hymnology is too much lost sight of by those who have the selection of our hymns for public worship. It is true that the singing of a prayer,if we as Dissenters think we are consistent in so doing,-may be regarded as an act of worship; but is it consistent with the real and most obvious intention of singing, which we should surely all agree ought to consist chiefly of praise? A large proportion of the Dissenting body-probably the great majority object, and I think very properly, though perhaps not so consistently, to the practice, not uncommon in the Church of England, of chanting or intoning the prayers. They believe it is not a proper mode of addressing the Divine Being, when approaching him in the language of fervent supplication, Nay, so far do many, perhaps most, carry their objection, that they deem it improper, or at least out of place, to quote in their public prayers any poetic phraseology, however appropriate to their immediate object, and they discourage it in others. And yet how frequently do all our congregations sing their prayers! I have not unfrequently attended Divine worship in some of our chapels where there has not been a single song of praise during the entire service. There has been nothing but prayer (if we except the thanksgiving offered by the mouth of the minister), only changing the mode of it from what appears to me the most appropriate one of presenting it by the minister on behalf of the congregation, to the singing of it by the people. I know not, sir, how it may strike you or your readers, but to me the practice seems, to say the least, open to considerable objection; especially when it is now so common in many of our places of worship to sit during the singing,-a rather indefensible custom, which cannot be chargeable on the Church of England. I do not mean to carry my objection so far as to say that it is, under all circumstances, wrong to sing our prayers. I object to it as being unseemly and inappropriate. Neither do I mean to say that our hymns ought never to include a petition to the Divine Being. Some of our most rapturous and exalted hymns of praise imply or include such petitions, which, I confess, I should be reluctant to leave out. But 1 conceive there is some difference between an occasional ardent desire expressed in a song of praise, and those direct prayers which form the sole object of many of our modern hymns. I am aware that to this it may be replied, the Psalms of David themselves consist for the most part of prayers, and these were sung by the people. There is some force in this objection; but may it not in reply be said, that the circumstances, especially in a spiritual point of view, of the Jewish church and of the Christian churches, are widely different; that some of these sacred compositions, such, for instance, as the 22nd Psalm, and many others, were never intended to be so used, as they do not seem to be at all adapted for the purpose of congregational worship, either of Jews or Christians; that the Psalms were a species of Liturgy of the Jewish church, in the services whereof, I apprehend, free prayer, except perhaps on rare occasions, was never observed; and that many of the Psalms were sung in such a way as few, if any, would approve in our times, viz. in a dramatic style,-the king, the priests, and the people taking severally their parts in response to one another? Take as examples the 32nd, 91st, and 115th, with many others. The objection to which I have alluded, of whatever importance it may be deemed, does not seem to have occurred to the compilers of many of our modern hymn-books, if we may judge by the great number of rhythmical prayers which so many of them comprise. Indeed, the large proportion of hymns of this character in the various selections, appears to me somewhat extraordinary, especially considered as intended for public worship, and coming from editors who, I have no doubt, would object to the practice of intoning alluded to above. It may be thought fastidious on my part, but I confess to a certain degree of conscientious objection to join-particularly on some occasions in the singing of hymns of this description. they are either adapted to the subject of the sermon, or are in themselves beautiful compositions. Few things, for example, are perhaps more common than, when a minister is preaching on the subject of prayer, for him to choose that exquisite composition of Montgomery's, "Prayer is the soul's sincere desire," or the scarcely less favourite one of Cowper's, "What various hinderances we meet;" yet, beautiful as these are, they can hardly be regarded as adapted-possibly were never intended-to be sung as an act of Divine worship, which I regard as the only proper object of congregational singing in public religious services. There is yet another kind of metrical composition, the propriety of using which in our public worship is, I think, yet more questionable; nor can the use of such be considered as worship in any sense, at least of the Supreme Being. If worship at all, it is the worship of our fellow-worshippers, or of some grace, virtue, or idea to which the hymn alludes. As examples of the first, I refer to the hymn, “We bid thee welcome in the Lord" (470th Hy. Cong. Hy. Bk.); and the following, "Come in, thou blessed of the Lord;" and of the last, "Songs of praise the angels sang" (1st Hy. Cong. Hy. Bk.), which is rather a metrical history of songs of praise, than a song of praise itself. In these particulars the compositions of our revered Dr. Watts offer a striking contrast to many of the selections which have been published of late years. Except in his versions of some of the Psalms, many of which are pray Another characteristic alike of the selections to which I have alluded, and of our congregational singing, showing how much the real and proper object of this interesting part of Divine worship is lost sight of, may be mentioned; I mean the number of hymns (so called by courtesy) of a purely didactic nature, and which should rather be desig-ers, comparatively few are to be found nated by the more appropriate name of religious poems. Many of these, 1 submit, are entirely unsuited for public worship, however beautiful they may be, and as many of them unquestionably are, considered merely as poems. Not a few of these are chosen to be sung, evidently with but little regard to the object of singing, but merely because containing any prayer at all, still fewer consisting entirely of prayer; but however objectionable, and even puerile, some few passages in his hymns may be, they are for the most part direct ascriptions of praise to the Divine Being, for his attributes, his works, or his grace; and of these, very many are of the most elevated and ecstatic kind, such as, it appears to me, few whose hearts are at all attuned to sing the praises of God can join in without having their desires awakened, their affections enlivened, and their souls lifted up in sacred and hallowed devotion. Such as these, wherever they are to be found, are, I venture to think, the most suitable and appropriate themes for our sacred songs; and I must confess to having often had my religious sensibilities sadly benumbed, when, on a Sabbath morning, the voice of all nature around, the hallowed associations of the season, the sacred glow of devotional feeling, and perhaps, in addition, the magnitude and cheerfulness of the congregation, seem to call for some elevating strains of praise to the God of nature and of grace, instead of such a psalm or hymn as "Great God, attend while Zion sings" (84th Ps. Watts); "My God, my King, thy various praise" (145th Ps.); "Great God, how infinite art thou!" (67th Hy. 2nd Bk.); "Hosanna to the Prince of Light" (76th Hy. 2nd Bk.); or, Blessed be the Father and his love" (26th Hy. 3rd Bk.), some meagre composition, containing neither praise nor prayer, has been chosen to commence the sacred services of the day, a composition, it may be, which, had it not been the production of some one bearing a great name, had never found its way into any manual for public worship. Again Is it not a fact, that the choice of hymns for Divine worship,usually, I presume, the department of the minister, is sometimes regarded by him rather as a task than a pleasure? Now, if I am correct, from what does this arise, but from the fact of his imposing it upon himself by the constant endeavour to choose such as may have some reference to the topic of his discourse? This, however desirable it may be, at least with regard to the last hymn, and however in many instances practicable, is not necessary even for that; while the attempt to do so for others too often limits his choice to a comparatively small number, when there is so great a variety of valuable hymns, admirably adapted for worship, though they may not bear on the preacher's immediate theme. The minister may, if he chooses, in the exercise of the freedom which our ecclesiastical polity allows him, make his prayers to bear more or less on the subject of his discourse, and usually, I presume, he does so; but when a hymn appropriate thereto cannot readily be found, how easy would it be to select others from the great variety of noble compositions we possess, the immediate object and aim of which is to render suitable and exalted praise to the God of nature and of grace. To enumerate or specify these would be almost endless, and quite needless. Yet I have observed how very many of them are completely overlooked by those who have the selection of our hymns for public worship. Is it not the case, that the staple of our congregational singing consists of hymns such as those on which I have ventured to animadvert, while many of the best and most appropriate ones are either overlooked or disregarded? My belief is, that so much has it become the fashion, of late years, to introduce selections of hymns into our congregations, as 'Supplements" to Dr. Watts (thus justly, in my opinion, giving him the place of honour), that comparatively few of our modern Dissenters are at all aware of the beauties to be found among his sublime compositions, and are especially unacquainted with those contained in his version of the Psalms. By the foregoing remark, I wish not to be understood as disapproving of the use of other books. Far from it; as there are numbers of other good and suitable hymns which ought to be embraced within the range of our Christian Psalmody. Nevertheless, I could have wished that these selections had been made with greater 66 judgment than is apparent in most of them; and that the inferior and objectionable ones, which all more or less contain, had been omitted, rather than inserted to please a vitiated public taste, or to do honour to some celebrated poet or divine. I know not, sir, how far the remarks I have made may commend themselves to the approval of your readers. In two things, however, I fancy you at least will agree with me; viz. that greater pains and judgment ought to be observed in the selection of our hymns for public worship than is usually manifested; and that the matter and object of our songs is capable of some improvement in those particulars to which I have alluded; and should I have succeeded in drawing the attention of those whom it more especially concerns, to what I think requires some amendment, my object will so far have been gained. I remain, dear Sir, Yours respectfully, Poetry. As if an angel whisper'd the response. Whose living energy hath prostrated To him who wrote, whilst love inspired the Review of Religious Publications. THE LANDS OF THE MESSIAH, MAHOMET, A. Fullerton and Co. we have reason to anticipate that every future effort to explore the lands of the Bible will render unbelief, in its grosser forms, a thing more palpably opposed to the common-sense and common observation of mankind. WE are deeply indebted to modern travel, for a greatly improved acquaintance with the Dr. Aiton has made a very valuable concountries most frequently referred to in the tribution to our stock of knowledge, and Sacred Records. And, with all the changes certainly to the delight which one feels in which have passed over these lands, it is following an enterprising and intelligent striking to observe how every fresh account traveller through countries rendered memotends to confirm the authenticity and truth-rable by the scenes which have been transfulness of the inspired narratives. The acted in them. His account of the motives enemies and friends of revealed truth have contributed, voluntarily or involuntarily, to this result; and, from the history of the past, which induced him to enter upon his arduous undertaking, is very natural; and few there are, perhaps, at least among the intelligent |