With the religious opinions of any of the various fanatics, who arose during the usurpation of Cromwell, Mr. Fry of course claims no kindred; though we think they may in general be traced, irregularly perhaps, to the same source from whence his own are legitimately descended: and, in particular, the "inward light of the quakers" seems to bear a close affinity to the doctrine which he holds concerning "the experience of the work of grace."

Of any participation in the religion of Charles II., a concealed papist, or of James II., an avowed one, we freely acquit him. But in his estimate of the character of the divinity of this period we can by no means concur.

"The state of religious instruction at this period, may be known from the writings of Tillotson, Sharp, Atterbury, Sherlock &c. If as writers they were superior to the Divines of the former age, in the manner and philological beauties of their discourses, in doctrine and in matter they were far inferior. Though able advocates for the church of England against Popery, and for revelation against infidelity, and most eminent as moral instructors, yet they afforded but a very unfrequent, faint, and cold exhibition of those peculiar truths of the gospel which the reformation had restored." Again,-" With some exceptions, we cannot say that the great Bishops and divines whom the revolution brought into power, made any efforts to restore the doctrines of the Reformation." Even the Dissenters felt "the chilling influence" of this period. "Whenever they have departed from what is called Calvinism, the congregation has evidently felt the change; it has been arrested in its growth, and after a time visibly decayed."-" When, therefore, we review the state of religion in the former part of the last century, both in the general church and amongst the Dissenters, we are led to reflect, that except in some few churches and congregations the doctrines of the Reformation were in a manner lost, and the effect of that glorious visitation of mercy seemed to be almost at an end."

At length a brighter prospect opens to his view, and he closes his labours with sanguine expectations of the universal prevalence of his favourite doctrines. He is happy enough to discover his body of "real Christians"-"his faithful believers""the eternal Church," &c. &c. where our readers by this time are no doubt prepared to look for them, amongst the enlightened disciples of Wesley and Whitfield." The History of Methodism," he affirms, "is the History of Religion, in the latter part of the last century." True it is, that he qualifies his admiration, by admitting," that the religion of the Methodists was at this time very much of the ascetic cast, blended with a great deal of Mysticism." And he quotes an opinion of Wesley, who, as some thought, retained always something of the mystic about

him, that "the mystic writers were în his cool judgment and in the presence of the most high God, one great anti-Christ." But in noticing Whitfield's first sermon at Gloucester, where "though some mocked at the strange doctrine, many were seriously impressed," he adds the report, that "fifteen persons were driven mad by it" apparently with as much unconcern as Bishop Benson expressed to whom the report was carried, who only wished, "that the madness might not be forgotten by the next Sunday." He mentions also, an extraordinary effect of Wesley's preaching about this time-that, "many persons, especially women, were thrown into a kind of epileptic fits, which seemed connected with strong religious impressions, and that he encouraged them, and gloried in them as a spiritual effect of his preaching." It is but justice to Mr. Fry, to say, that he admitted that, "by all judicious Christians this matter has been regarded to his prejudice." But he records with great complacency Mr. Whitfield's account of the effect of his preaching to the half-barbarian colliers at Kingswood,-who seems to have been delighted "to see the white gutters made by their tears, which plentifully fell down their black cheeks," but which after all-numbers chose to impute to any thing rather than the finger of God." We are informed also of the multitudes who assembled to hear "his sanctified eloquence," twenty, fifty, nay eighty thousand together, without the smallest hint of the physical impossibility that one tenth part of them should hear one word that he said, or the moral impossibility that they could have understood or profited by it if they had.

Again, we lament that Mr. Fry has not contented himself with relating simply the rise, declension, and revival of those doctrines, which, we are satisfied, exhibit an erroneous view of Christianity; without sanctioning them also by his unqualified approbation, and warm recommendation. His book, the title page announces, as "designed for the use of schools"-for which purpose, but for this blemish, we should have thought it well adapted. For his matter is unquestionably selected with judgment, and luminously arranged; his language is clear and concise, and not deficient in elegance; and we rise from the perusal of his work with very favourable impressions of his character, with which otherwise we are quite unacquainted, and with the hope that he may see hereafter occasion to modify some of his present opinions, and possibly to think with king Charles, that," preachers insisting on reformation and a good life, would be much more serviceable to their congregations, than discussing such mysterious points as Predestination and Election."

Botano-Theology, an arranged Compendium, chiefly from Smith, Keith, and Thompson. Pp. 112. 3s. London. Rivingtons. 1825.

ANY work professing to afford merely proofs of the existence of a Supreme Being, may be considered superfluous. We are not, indeed, prepared to go quite so far with our dislike as Mr. Coleridge, who "more than fears the prevailing taste for books of Natural Theology, Physico-Theology, Demonstrations of God from Creation, Evidences of Christianity-Evidences of Christianity!" he is "weary of the word;" but we perfectly agree with him in thinking that the main object is to make men feel the want of religion: it is our business to rouse them, if we can, to the self-knowledge of their need of it, and we may safely trust it to its own evidences. But though mere proofs may be superfluous, illustration has its use: like gleams of sunshine on the landscape, it enlivens and enlightens the page of sacred lore; illustration, too, prepares the way for closer connection and more intimate union with the subject upon which it is brought to bear. When

66

Pulpits fail, and sounding-boards reflect.
an empty ineffectual sound.”

We are grateful for every auxiliary capable of stimulating to piety, and of elevating "the soul of man through transitions of fear and wonder and awe to adoration and to divine love," (p. 2.) In this point of view books like the one before us are entitled to a fair share of encouragement; they deserve to rank high, and take a prominent station in the armament prepared to fight the battles of pure and undefiled religion, when opposed by apathy or scepticism. We, therefore, thank the anonymous author for his zealous and well-meant offering in support of that cause, which we, in common with him, deem most dear and sacred; and have only to regret that in our critical examination of a work, stamped in every page with the strongest features of good intention and genuine piety, we must as reviewers hazard some remarks, of which we fear he may not quite approve..

The avowed object of this Essay, which is denominated "but a nosegay of flowers, culled from various parterres bound together by a slight ribbon of commentary, and arranged with interest to set off their diversity," (p. 111.) is not to offer any exact view of botanical science, but to present a cursory exhibition of "the most remarkable differences and similitudes,

which manifest the varied power and unity of beneficent design through this portion of creation," (p. 56.) It accordingly consists, almost wholly as to fact, of abridgment and occasional citations from the systems of Linnæus, Jussieu, Decandolle, &c.; but more particularly from the botanical lectures of Mr. Thompson,-the system of physiological botany of the Rev. Mr. Keith, and the introduction to, and grammar of botany by Sir J. E. Smith. In the progress, a fair proportion of science is brought under consideration, which, although not new to the professed botanist, may be read with advantage and interest by the far greater class of superficial admirers of nature's most beautiful productions. With some of these facts, in connection with our own or the author's observations and reflections, we shall present our readers,—not without indulg ing a hope that we may excite their curiosity to search for more wonders in the great and lovely garden which natural science opens to our view.

Keith has justly and concisely remarked, that the simple elements of chemistry, carbon, oxygene, and hydrogene, "form as it were the very essence of the vegetable subject, and constitute by their modifications the peculiar character of the properties of the plant." This passage serves as a text for a page or two of somewhat trite and common place reflections upon the assumed folly of philosophers, clowns, savages, or atheists, who could ever expect to see oaks or tulips start up from such compounds unless acorns or tulip bulbs were previously deposited. The whole of these reflections we should be glad to find omitted in a second edition, as not only gratuitous and unnecessary, but as tending to obscure or diminish the real force of the author's argument,-it being in fact a perfect work of supererogation to hint to a rational being, that either clown or philosopher could ever entertain the idea that such fantastic deviations were possible in nature, or that her movements were in any instance either "blind or uncertain." Had he indeed expatiated upon Mr. Keith's remark, and occupied the same portion of space and time in pointing out the astonishing varieties of effect produced by apparently the slightest variations in the component quantities and qualities of the few and simple elementary principles employed by Omnipotence in the mysterious laboratory of nature, we think he might have laboured more effectually in his calling, and have illustrated more vividly the boundless power of the mighty Master's hand. For, if we may be allowed to reason from analogy, there are grounds for supposing, that every beautiful variety in form and matter and movement owes its origin to modified combination and

permutations in possibly not more than two elementary principles. "It was indeed a sublime idea of the ancient philosophers, which has been sanctioned by the approbation of Newton, namely, that there is only one species of matter, the different chemical as well as mechanical forms of which are owing to the different arrangements of its particles *;" and the modern. chemical Newton of his day, Sir H. Davy, has shewn, " that a few undecompounded bodies which may, perhaps, ultimately be resolved into still future elements, or which may be different forms of the same material, constitute the whole of our tangible universe of things. By experiment they are discovered, even in the most complicated arrangements, and experiment is, as it were, the chain that binds down the Proteus of nature, and obliges it to confess its real form and Divine origin †.”

66

Sumner, too, in his work on the creation ‡, in a similar manner contends, that the slightest outline of the constitution of the natural world conveys a proof of the most comprehensive. wisdom, which, having determined upon the existence of a habitable system like ours according to a certain plan, obtained the ends proposed by the simplest means. Indeed," he. continues," there is sound reason to believe that the argument here touched upon may hereafter be carried to an extent not only far beyond that to which I have limited it, but beyond that which is compatible with the present state of our knowledge." He then proceeds to state the progress of science respecting elementary principles, which has already familiarized us with the almost inconceivable power of positive and negative fluids producing the most opposite and singular results. Where can we refer to a more striking instance of the effect produced by a change in the quantities of similar substances, than that which occurs in the corrosive nitric acid, and the pervading principle by which our life is constantly sustained; for what are aqua fortis and atmospheric air but compounds of precisely the same ingredients, oxygen and nitrogen, in different proportions?

We suspect a little unsound philosophy in the line of demarcation drawn between the vegetable and animal world.

"Animals," it is said, "must in general move to obtain their food. A glutton may bathe in turtle soup; a cow may be buried to the neck in grass, or hay, either dry or moist, a horse in corn; a lion or dog in fibres of raw meat; a bee in honey, but if they cannot take it through their mouths into their stomachs they die;" whereas "plants cannot

* Davy's Chemical Philosophy, p. 223. ↑ Ibid. p. 503. ‡ Vol, ii. 12,