ANALECTA: or POCKET ANECDOTES, with Reflections: designed as an agreeable companion for the Social Circle. By the Rev. JAMES CHURCHILL, Author of " An Essay on Unbelief." &c. 18mo. pp. 395, THESE Anecdotes, agreeably to the author's plan, are for the most part original, or at least, such as have never been in print, short, and of a pious tendency. 'Such as were more open to useful remark have been preferred, especially if he has seen any thing characteristic of human nature magnifying the love of Goddisplaying the sovereignty and influence of divine grace-exalting the Redeemer-endearing the Holy Spirit-recommending an early regard to religionthe pleasures derived from a regard to the Scriptures -making sin appear abhorrent-shewing the beauties of holiness-encouraging to a reliance upon the promises, either in times of conviction, or outward trialillustrative of divine providence, or, as exposing the horrors of the death-bed scenes of apostates or infidels." Many of the Anecdotes, though never before published, are well known to us, and perhaps, some need to be authenticated. Some of the articles can scarcely. be called anecdotes; yet, out of two hundred and sixty-seven, which the author has industriously collected, a large number may be found worthy of perusal. The reflections affixed to each article are useful and appropriate. On the whole, we think this a very agreeable and profitable pocket companion to converse with in a leisure moment. A few selections will enable the reader to judge of the work for himself: we select a few specimens. 1.-The Absent Man. WILLIAM MASON, Esq. the pious author of "The Spiritual Treasury," while engaged in that work, was called upon by a gentleman on business. Instead of taking his name and address as desired, and as he thought he had done, he wrote the chapter and verse on which he had been meditating: and when he came afterwards to look at the paper, in order to wait upon the gentleman, he found nothing upon it, but "Acts the 2d chapter, verse the 8th." Too many have cause to complain, that their great dificulty is not how they may bring their hearts down to earth, but how they U may raise them up to heaven. Happy they who are spiritually minded; they have life and peace.' 231.-Calvin receives Justice. In the year thirty-seven of the reign of Elizabeth, there was a famous recantation made in the university of Cambridge, by a clergyman of the name of Barrett, who had vehemently preached against assurance of forgiveness, the final perseverance of the Saints, and other doctrines, maintained by Calvin, the church of England and the early reformers. The part of the recantation now referred to is thus expressed: "RIGHT WORSHIPFUL, Preaching in Latin not long since in the university church, many things slipped from me, both falsely and rashly spoken,'-then after mentioning the above points, he adds- Last of all, I uttered these words rashly against Calvin, a man that hath very well deserved of the church of God; by which words I do confess, that I have done great injury to that most learned and right good man, and I most humbly beseech you all to pardon this my rashness; as also, that I have uttered many bitter words against Peter Martyr, Beza, Zanchy, Junius, and the rest of the same religion, being the lights and ornaments of our church," &c. 'We are glad to find, there was a time when clerical defamers and breakers of the eleventh commandment, came under the censure of our universities. Then, to cry down the evangelical doctrines, and those who preach the plain sense of the thirty-nine articles, was not the step to ecclesiastical preferment. Then, no mitre awaited the heads of the declaimers against the purest and most beneficial societies. Now, let not the enemies of Calvin fear a host have risen up against him, knowing not what they Bay, nor whereof they affirm; but the offence attached formerly to such conduct, has long since ceased, and we do not expect to find that religious principle will so far get the ascendancy over interest, as to produce another recantation in the nineteenth century.' 234.-An unusual Lodging Place. Most of my readers must have heard or read of the dreadful campaign, when Moscow was destroyed by fire The following is only a solitary instance as related by surgeon Begin, who was attached to the French medical staff:-" After leaving Moscow, we found all the villages in ashes, and a dead silence reigning every where around us. Having wandered a little from the main route of the army, I was roused from a melancholy reverie, on the misfortunes of our men, by the groans of a human being, who ap peared by the sounds to be close to me. I stared around, but could see nothing except scattered and half putrified corpses. The groans continued, and 1 alighted from my horse to make a more careful examination of the place. After several minutes' search, I discovered in the ditch of a redoubt, a wretched Roman soldier, whose right leg had been carried off by a cannon shot lodged in the disembowelled carcase of a horse, and who had existed in that horrid asylum for six weeks! namely, from the battle of Moscow. During this time he had lived on the carcase of the animal, whose bones and skin served him for an babitation. Almost every particle of flesh was clean scraped from the interior of the animal, the thorex and abdomen of which protected the wounded soldier from the pelting storm. The stump was nearly healed by the efforts of nature alone; and the Russian, though pale, squalid, and haggard, was by no means in ill-health." The discovery, and the relief which M. Begin immediately tendered, set the poor Muscovite almost in ecstacies! This solitary fact must have the tendency of exciting a powerful abhorrence of war; to promote such a feeling, it here finds a place: though, when it is recollected, that an army of about 400,000 men was almost annihilated, either by the sword, cold, fatigue, disease, or famine, the recital of most dreadful miseries, would fill volumes. Was there ever an instance known before of a horse's ribs forming the roof, and a horse's skin, instead of straw or tiles, to cover that roof? Diogenes' tub was a voluntary habitation; this was forced, and must have been, as appears from his wound, his food; and his inability to remove from it-the extreme of misery, Awful characters, on whom falls the guilt of war? With a PREFACE by the Rev. ROWLAND HILL, A.M. A CANDID APPEAL to the RELIGIOUS PUBLIC in a Letter addressed to the Inhabitants of the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, occasioned by the dismissal of the Rev. ISAAC BRIDGMAN, A.B., of St. Mary's Hall, Oxford, from the Curacy of Trinity Church, in the said Forest. The Profits (if any) to be devoted to the erection of Chapels in the Forest of Dean. 8vo. pp. 52. THIS is Mr. Bridgman's account of his offence and punishment. He went to hear some dissenting preaching, and he admitted the Rev. Rowland Hill into his pulpit. The last offence brought matters to a point, and he was called to an account and ordered to quit by his rector. His disobedience caused the interference of the Bishop of Gloucester, who after various steps, desired him to be silent for three years as the sine qua non of his re-admission into another part of his diocese, or indeed into the established church. Not feeling disposed to be separated entirely from the foresters, to whom he seems to be much attached, nor to be so long silent, Mr. B. resigned his connection with the establishment, and is now ranked among the seceders, purposing to labour in the Forest of Dean. We think, from the appeal, that the good bishop has dealt rather severely with Mr. Bridgman, who, though he may have stepped beyond clerical bounds, appears, nevertheless, to be a man sincerely attached to the Established Church, and devoted to his sacred work. Those who wish duly to judge of this business, ought however to read Mr. Berkin's Answer,' which must qualify many things both in the estimation of the public, and of Mr. Bridgman himself. A REPLY TO A CANDID APPEAL to the Religious public, occasioned by the dismissal of the Rev. Isaac Bridgman, M. A. from the curacy of Trinity Church, in the Forest of Dean. By HENRY BERKIN, A. M. Perpetual Curate of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire 8vo. pp. 53. In reply to Mr. Bridgman, Mr. Berkin vindicates his conduct, by pleading that, if he has erred, it has been by excess of candour, and that his curate has been extremely irregular, indulging in such violations of episcopal rules both in and out of pulpit, as he could not justify, and rash in all his subsequent proceedings. He repels the charge of parsimony by a satisfactory statement of his finance-expenditure, having but £95. per annum, for his two Welch livings, for which he provides curates; and expending £30. per annum, for medicines only, for the poor in the Forest, as well as giving them help for the necessaries of life and he explains the cause of his decrease in labour, as arising from the effects of a paralytic seizure, which has left him in a state of impaired health. We firmly believe that both rector and curate have acted according to their consciences, in what they have done; and as the dissention between Paul and Barnabas was overruled for good, so we trust, that this unpleasant affair will, through an all-wise Providence, be, in the end, productive of consequences, which shall increase the praises of eternity. Mr. Berkin's reply is candid and christian-like. We are sorry he has had reason to accuse Mr. Bridgman of giving garbled extracts of his letters. 1 saw, in visions of still thought reveal'd, Two silent forms before me: both were fair, Yet oh! how much unlike that voiceless pair, Except in outward beauty. One appeal'd To all, save hearts by pride or passion steel'd, With meek-eyed gentleness; and seem'd to wear, Mix'd with each human charm, an heavenlier air, To which Humanity had wisely kneel'd. Beautiful was the other speechless shade, And call'd herself PHILOSOPHY -but prond, Cold, statue-like, she look'd upon the crowd Who to the lovelier spirit homage paid:Her name was SCEPTICISM! that gentler maid Was titled FAITH by acclamations loud! A MOTHER'S GRAVE. Fast by a stream whose murmuring sweet |