perhaps are its actual streams much less abundant than they were two or three years ago, though they glide on their noisome way without exciting the same public outcry as at first. The seeds of infidelity, so prodigally sown, cannot, we fear, have lain inert: the crop is silently growing up, and may be found ripe for the harvest when least expected. If the late success, such as it was, of the efforts of profane and infidel writers had arisen from any dearth of suitable books and tracts on the evidences of Christianity, the numerous and excellent publications which have recently appeared on this subject would have amply supplied the deficiency, and infidelity must have shrunk back to her caverns and buried herself in guilty concealment. Or, if the want of due circulation for such tractates among the poor had been the sole or chief cause of the evil, the strenuous and praise-worthy exertions of individuals and societies to give publicity to these antidotes must surely have supplied such a defect. But though anti-infidel societies of various kinds exist, and anti infidel books are widely distributed, the bydra is not slain: its venom is in reality as deadly as ever; and the effects of it, we fear, are rapidly spreading, not only in our large manufacturing towns, but wherever a radical newspaper or a hawker's basket can find admis.sion, even to the once uncontaminated precincts of our remotest bamlets.

entitled, " An Inquiry into the Causes of the Infidelity of the present Times," by the Rev. J. Ramsay; to which we have subjoined two other publications, which will either negatively or positively suggest some useful hints respecting the proper cure. We purpose to give an outline of Mr. Ramsay's pamphlet, with a few passing remarks of our own; not so much, however, by way of discussing the question on the present occasion, as with a view to shew its magnitude, and to furnish a few hints which our readers may improve upon at their leisure. We may possibly, at some future opportunity, endeavour to go more at length into the inquiry; for it well deserves the most serious attention of every friend to religion, and morality, and the public welfare.

It is of the utmost importance, under these circumstances, to ascertain the causes, in order to discover the proper cure, of this -grievous calamity. In vain, as we have already remarked, do divines write, and societies distribute, the most cogent arguments against infidelity, while the causes which conduce to its diffusion remain unknown or unchecked. With a view to turn the attention of our readers to the subject, we have taken up a sensible and well-written pamphlet,

The first and fundamental cause which Mr. Ramsay assigns for the infidelity of the present times, is " the depravity of the human heart." From this polluted fountain proceed all those streams of wickedness which overflow the land; and till we go to the source of the evil, all attempts at reformation will be fruitless. "This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. They will not come to the light, lest their deeds should be reproved."

"Such," remarks the author, "is the nature of sinful pursuits, that they corrupt the heart; they inflame the pasdarken the understanding, as well as sions, and render them ungovernable. And when once the passions gain the ascendency, they harry those who are under their dominion into every species of malignity and vice; cause them to give up their dearest privileges, their most valuable blessings, their most pleasing hopes; nay, to invent arguments to justify their extravagance, to reject the revelation that condemns them, and to regions of the grave. terminate their views in the gloomy

"The word of God is the instrument which our Divine Master, the Head of

the church, employs for convincing and converting sinuers, as well as for edify ing and building up his followers in holiness and comfort. But before the word of God can produce these effects, it must be received into the heart, and abide there as a living principle. Out of the heart are the issues of life and death: but when sin reigns in the heart, it excludes the word of God, so that it cannot gain admission. It deprives us of all those qualities which are necessary to examine the evidences of Divine revelation, so as to be persuaded contains, so as to be convinced of its importance. The Apostle Paul tells us, that with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and speaks of an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. A wicked heart, then, is the fountain of all evil. It is the source of infidelity, and all its horrid train of crimes and sufferings. Because iniquity abounds, and times of trial have come, many have made shipwreck of their faith and of a good conscience. They have listened to the enticing words of designing men, and have joined in league with those who are the emissaries of satan, and are led captive by him at his pleasure." Inquiry, pp. 8, 9. In these remarks we most fully concur. The author has traced the evil to its source, as described in Revelation, and corroborated by the uniform experience of nearly six thousand years. At the same time, for this very reason, the argument is somewhat out of place in the present inquiry, which is not of a universal but a specific kind; not respecting the source of infidelity generally, but the infidelity of the present times in particular. The fall of man is not more the cause of infidelity in the nineteenth century, than at any preceding epoch; and therefore ought not, in strictness, to have been adduced as a portion of the author's argument. There are considerations, however, which not only induce us to forgive this logical inaccuracy, but to thank the author for having so strongly adverted to this particular topic. This real fundamental cause of unbelief in every age, is too little considered by many who

of its truth; and to attend to what it

have expressed themselves greatly shocked at the late burst of infidelity. For want therefore of tracing the evil to its source, their remedies have not been sufficient to penetrate to the core of the disease; a list of cold arguments in favour of the Gospel is issued from the press or the pulpit, just as if the understanding only, and not the heart, were concerned in the production of infidel sentiments. Such arguments, as might be expected, for the most part effect little or nothing towards the eradication of this "root of bitterness.” A clergyman who would banish infidelity from his parish, must go far deeper; in a word, he must preach the doctrine of Conversion he must shew his auditors plainly and affectionately their awfully lapsed condition by nature; the enormity and guilt of their offences before God; and the indispensable necessity of a radical transformation in the spirit of their minds. There will be found few theoretical infidels, at least among the poor, where such points as these have been duly impressed upon their consciences. The meagre, tame, half Christianity which is always lingering at the threshold of elements and evidences, instead of "going on to perfection,” too often leaves the mind open to every infidel suggestion.

This

To shew that Mr. Ramsay has not insisted upon a superfluous topic in thus strongly alleging the doctrine of human corruption, we may contrast his statements with those of Mr. Owen, of New Lanark, in the pamphlet before us. gentleman, whose benevolent intentions entitle him to a degree of respect which his plans themselves ill deserve, seems to view mankind as wholly made up of perfectible materials. It is chance alone, or rather the necessity of circumstances, that, according to his system, constitutes the difference between a virtuous and a vicious person. There is no such thing in

the junction is perfectly natural. In the case of Hone, in his parodies, for example, a political object was aimed at, but religion was made to suffer with a view to its attainment. And in like manner, throughout the whole mass of blasphemous and seditious publications, which lately. inundated the country, our principles of duty to God, and to civil rulers, were indiscriminately assailed; and the book that inculcates them, was ridiculed and traduced, in order to get rid of both of them together. True Christians, it was soon perceived, could not be disloyal in accordance with their professed principles; and the fact corresponded with the theory,-for the abettors of disloyalty found the religious poor proof against all their artifices; so that there remain

man" being, as Mr. Ramsay scripturally contends, the source of every practical evil,-so far from the corruptness of the fruit proceeding from a corrupt root, the very contrary is the fact. The tree is, in every instance, good and vigorous till some blight or canker happening to lay hold of a remote leaf or twig, spreads by degrees its ravages downward, and contaminates the root! We shall not at present argue the question with Mr. Owen, because we have other matters to hasten to; besides which, the principal arguments we should employ could have no weight with a writer who holds the opinions promulgated in this Report. We are, however, anxious to present the subject to the serious consideration of many professedly orthodox Christians, who, for wanted no other means to render them of duly considering the assertions of Scripture respecting the extent of human depravity and original sin, unconsciously fall into much the same system, and who virtually neutralize, though they do not expressly reject, the doctrine in question. Earnestly do we wish that it were adequately felt by all our clergy in particular, how essentially necessary is a knowledge of the extent of man's natural corruption, to the right inculcation even of the most common moral virtues. Every evil being thus traced to its true source, the value and appropriate ness of the remedies prescribed in Scripture would be more fully felt; and as it is with "the heart that man believeth unto righteousness," with the heart would every teacher of religion begin, both in urging the truth of Christianity and in enforcing its spirit.

Mr. Ramsay's next specification applies more closely to the immediate object of his argument. He traces the infidelity of the present times, as a second cause, to the extensive circulation of irreligious and seditious publications. The writer is quite correct in thus linking irreligion and sedition together;

tumultuary and seditious, but to sap those scriptural principles which taught them to fear God, to honour the king, and to meddle not with them that are given to change.

Christianity, as our author ap propriately remarks, has, from its first promulgation been encountered by those who, from wickedness, or prejudice, or vanity, were led to oppose its progress. But of late years this opposition has been of a peculiarly injurious character; it has not been confined to men of education, but has sought to bring over the passions of the populace, and to make up by numbers and outcry what it wanted in argument: The anti-Christian efforts of the infidel party in France, prior to the Revolution, are too familiar to need recapitulation. From France, the flame spread to Germany, and other parts of the continent; and plays, novels, scientific journals, periodical publications, and even the books of children, were put in requisition to disseminate the principles of infidelity. Our own country did not escape; from Paine to Carlile, sedition and irreligion have had their sworn champions; and though we are unwilling to be