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Young's "Life of John Welsh."

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Aberdeen, after it had been interdicted by the Government. We can only afford to give a brief extract as a specimen, referring to the embarkation of Welsh and his companions when they were exiled to France. We beg to recommend the volume to all who take an interest in the history of the Scottish Church, to which it furnishes an important, and, we may add, a most seasonable contribution.

"On the morning of the 6th November, Welsh and his companions bade adieu to their dungeon-a willing adieu, however great the evils which they felt might afterwards betide them. They arrived at Leith pier, along with their wives and some of their dearest friends, about four o'clock in the afternoon. Although these proceedings of the government were conducted with the utmost secrecy, yet a considerable crowd was gathered at the pier to see them embark and to bid them farewell. As a suitable preliminary to their embarkation, Welsh, who was extensively known and popular in the eastern parts of Scotland, as well as in the western, and especially in Edinburgh, where he had officiated in trying times, offered up a solemn and fervent prayer, which excited deep emotions in the hearts of all who heard it. Having taken an affecting leave of their wives and friends, he and his fellowexiles stepped into the small boat which waited at the side to take them out to the ship in the Roads. They remained in the boat for a time, waiting for the skipper, who, as often happens in such cases, was not ready to go on board that evening. It was then left to their choice, either to go on board the vessel without the skipper, or to remain on shore, holding themselves ready, however, to embark whenever they should be called. They preferred to remain on shore; and they were the more disposed to do this, in consequence of an offer made them by Mr John Murray, one of the ministers of the town, to receive and entertain them at his own house. They immediately proceeded thither. It is to the lasting honour of that most excellent minister, that he should have thus owned them, when it is considered that he had previously given deep umbrage to the prelates,-to Lindsay, Bishop of Ross, his colleague in the ministry, and to Archbishop Spotswood, son-in-law to Lindsay, by the open and resolute manner in which, both in the pulpit at Leith, and at the meetings of Presbytery, he had borne testimony against their courses, and considering farther that he ran the risk of giving still greater offence, and consequently of becoming himself the victim of their vengeance, as, in point of fact, he afterwards did.

"It was not 'without a providence,' observes Calderwood, that the exiles accepted of Mr Murray's hospitality. It, at least, saved them from much discomfort; for a gale of wind rising in the night, drove the vessel from her moorings, and obliged her to run for safety to Kinghorn, on the opposite coast. Not many hours after, however, the storm ceased, and the wind becoming favourable, they were again called to take their places in the small boat at two o'clock in the morning, when they came forth accompanied by their wives and their host. Notwithstanding the early hour and the cold, a concourse of people, greater than that of the previous evening, were assembled at the harbour to see them embark, and to bid them adieu. Welsh, on this occasion, as before, offered up the farewell devotions, and preached also a valedictory sermon out of the boat, after the noblest of all examples, to the high gratification of his numerous admirers in Edinburgh and Leith. He gave them many exhortations to hold fast the doctrine which he had taught, and for which he did not scruple to say he would be willing to lay down his life, adding that what he did suffer was the great joy of his conscience.' Others of the exiles spoke in the same strain. At length the vessel moved off amidst the mingled sobs and congratulations of the multitude, who followed as far as they could to the end of the pier, and gazed on the vessel as long as it was visible, their ears being meanwhile regaled by the melody of the 23d Psalm, which was sung by the exiles, 'that both the

VOL. XV.-NO. LVI.

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courage and joy they had in God might be manifest to all.' 'Blessed be God,' exclaims a correspondent of James Melville's, the relater of this affecting history, 'who made that action glorious, and graced them [the exiles] in the hearts and eyes of all that looked on them, and grant me grace for my part never to forget it !'"

Henri de Ruvigny, Earl of Galway. A Filial Memoir, with a Prefatory Life of his Father, Le Marquis de Ruvigny. By the Rev. DAVID C. A. AGNEW. Edinburgh: William Paterson. 1864.

Protestant Exiles from France in the Reign of Louis XIV.; or, the Huguenot Refugees and their Descendants in Great Britain and Ireland. By the Rev. DAVID C. A. AGNEW. Printed for Private Circulation. 1866.

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In these two handsome volumes Mr Agnew has opened a new vein in the field of historical research, and one pre-eminently requiring attention. Of all memorials none are so ready to sink into oblivion than those of the exile, separated from his friends and countrymen, and cast like a weed on the shore of a strange land. The few who come into contact with him care little about the history of one who had no friends to mark his career, and no country to mourn his departure. Exiles for the cause of religion are still less likely to attract notice in the land of their adoption. Hence the memorials of the French Refugees who crowded in such numbers to our shores were in danger of perishing for want of a congenial chronicler. From this destiny they have been preserved through the labours of Mr Agnew, who has been led, partly from family connection, but mainly from sympathy with the piety and worth of the good men who suffered so much for truth and liberty, to investigate their history; and in these volumes we have the fruits of inquiries which must have been prosecuted under manifold difficulties, and with widely scattered materials The first volume, published two years ago, which contains what he terms a "Filial Memoir ' of De Ruvigny, Earl of Galway, Mr Agnew wishes now to be regarded simply as an appendix to the larger volume, now printed for private circulation, on the general subject of the French Refugees. In this volume, besides a chapter on Ruvigny, we have memoirs of the three Dukes of Schomberg, including, of course, the famous general who fell at the battle of the Boyne; of the Ligoniers, the La Rochefoucaulds, and of other members of noble families, of refugee clergy, of officers, of literati, with notices of their descendants, &c. &c. Few things are more fitted to make us blush for our common nature than the mean jealousy which seems to have dogged the steps of these Protestant exiles, of whom, in fact, "the world was not worthy." England indeed afforded them an asylum; but their memorialist is obliged to spend pages in vindicating them from obloquy and detraction. This is not peculiar to England. The same paltry exclusiveness may be seen evinced in every country village, and every corporation, not excepting the church herself. It is a great mistake for the stranger to suppose that personal worth or past services to the cause of religion will shield him from being regarded as an intruder, whom envy will strive to disparage, and whom party spirit will treat with neglect. Mr Agnew has done his best to vindicate the tarnished names of these good men; and to all who love the truth, to all who delight in historical research, and more especially to all who are connected by birth wtth these once illustrious families, his work will be perused or consulted with great interest. The volumes are got up in a very imposing style, quarto size, with portraits and other illustrations. We trust the excellent author will be rewarded for his pains by the interest in the history of the Protestant Church of France which must be revived by his praiseworthy investigations.

Robertson's "Sermons and Expositions." 431

Sermons and Expositions. By the late JOHN ROBERTSON, D.D., Glasgow Cathedral. With a Memoir of the Author, by the Rev. J. G. Young, Monifieth. London: Alexander Strahan. 1865.

Dr John Robertson was cut down in the midtime of his days. He was known to many old St Andrians as an able and successful student. In almost every class, from the beginning of his college course to the very close, he was facile princeps; and all he did was done so quietly that it seemed as if he were the idlest of the idle. For ten years he was settled at Strathmartine, whence he was removed to the Glasgow Cathedral. This volume is nearly all posthumous; or, more properly speaking, only a very small part, and that fragmentary, at the close was prepared by the author with any view to the press. The memoir is brief and meagre. There is no attempt at giving the reader any insight into the inner life and methods of thought and work of the man. The book is divided into three parts. The first (after the brief biographical sketch) consists of sermons preached in the country parish; the second, of sermons prepared and preached in Glasgow; and the third consists of a few fragments prepared at St Andrews, when laid finally aside from duty, with a view to the press.

We confess to having been sadly disappointed with the perusal of the volume. We expected great things from Dr Robertson's ripe scholarship, extensive reading, and matured powers; but, in the earlier sermons, of definite distinct doctrine there is none. Elegant composition, vigorous thought and expression, there is, but of theology, in the true sense of that word, there is next to nothing. It would seem as if the author had never turned the unquestionably great powers of his mind to the subject in the solitude of his quiet country manse. And when the theology appears as it does in the Glasgow sermons, it is far from satisfactory. It is a sort of Maurician Arminianism, of the weakest and most watery type. Christ, according to him, is the head of our whole race. This is "a connection we may repudiate and resist till it is broken, and we go into the outer darkness; but a connection, too, we may wisely and thankfully use and improve till no more darkness remain, and we pass into the perfect light of heaven." Speaking of the "good" that is in the world, he says, "This, though they know it not; this, though they may deny it; this is of Christ our Lord; by this He is testifying for Himself; by this He is claiming these people as His own; by this He is declaring Himself the Lord and Head of them, as of all other human beings," &c. Again, he is inclined to think that "the apostle looked upon all men as related to Christ, and having Him for their Head; but yet he did not look upon all as therefore living members: some were related to Christ only unconsciously, others might be dead members." Christ's choosing us means, "Christ choosing to be the Saviour of mankind, and coming to provide a possible salvation for them at the cost of his own life." This doctrine appears more or less fully and clearly in every one of the Glasgow sermons. "The doctrine of imputation" is quietly thrown aside; "the righteousness of God" is God's personal rectitude; and "the doctrine of election" is proved to be only God's choice of "nations," the Bible not having a word to say for individual personal election.

The third part consists of fragments, but they are valuable fragments of minute criticism. Fragmentary though they are, they shew us what Dr Robertson could have done had he put fully forth his great powers in this direction. We closed the volume with a sad and sorrowful feeling.

Theology and Life. Sermons chiefly on Special Occasions.
PLUMPTRE, M.A., Professor of Divinity, King's College, &c.
Alexander Strahan. 1866.

By E. H.
London :

We have been at a loss to know, in reading this volume, wherein the author differs, and how far, from his predecessor Mr Maurice, who was deposed for, as it seems to us, teaching not very differently from his successor. For example, he teaches "the unity of mankind in Christ, Christ the head of every man, Jew and Gentile, alike in their sin and their redemption, alike in the history of their fall and in their capacity for restoration, all concluded under condemnation, that all might be the objects of a boundless mercy." If that be true, Mr Maurice's doctrine about the eternity or non-eternity of future punishment becomes a mere worthless speculation. The author has a sermon on "Justification by Faith, and its first preacher." He thinks Habakkuk was the first preacher of it. He forgets about Enoch and Noah. We cannot discover any difference between the views of Mr Maurice and those of his successor on the nature of justification. Thus he expresses it: "To believe in God, and in his righteousness, in his will to give what he demands, in his justice, and in his love; to trust that will in all the chances of life, in all the convulsions of the spirit, is to find peace and life." Here is a specimen of the Popish doctrine on the point: "The righteousness which is God's special attribute is revealed as that which he imparts, which in every human soul has its starting-point and its goal in trust." Again: "In that faith there lies the source of all true righteousness, and through it Christ imparts a righteousness like his own, the righteousness of filial obedience and filial love." That and no more, that and no higher, is this professor of divinity's idea of the righteousness that justifies, that righteousness of God which the gospel reveals and proclaims, and which alone is the power of God unto salvation.

Studies for Sunday Evening. By LORD KINLOCH. Edinburgh: Edmonstone & Douglas. 1866.

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The title of this volume explains itself and unfolds the nature of its contents, which is considerably more than can be truly said of the titles of many modern publications. The studies are thirty-four in number, and embrace a wide variety of topics. Lord Kinloch has given us his judgment on many points of passing interest. We turned first, for example, to Given by Inspiration," a very admirable paper, though we do not agree with either all its reasonings or all its conclusions; "Elders in every City," "Saved by Faith," "The Purpose of Election," "The Necessity of Miracles," "The Propitiatory Sacrifice," and "The Law of the Sabbath." This last meditation is thoroughly good, and so far as it goes sound, though far from exhaustive on the subject. We quote a single sentence to shew the stand-point of this legal, acute, clear thinker: "The Decalogue, with this commandment in it, is rightly read as a grand promulgation of the statute law by the Supreme Ruler of the universe." This other sentence is also worth extracting: "When, of the great mass of ceremonial precepts given to the Jews, this alone is found selected in order to be embraced in the moral code, it is an almost inevitable inference that equally with the others this commandment was intended for universal obedience." We can cordially commend his Lordship's volume as a suggestive, and in many respects a solid contribution to our literature of practical divinity.

"Eastward," "Scripture Studies," &c. 433

Eastward. By NORMAN MACLEOD, D.D. With seventy illustrations from photographs, engraved by Joseph Swain. London: Alexander Strahan. 1866.

One of the most elegant and attractive volumes of the season. Brimming with heartiness and good humour, sparkling with incident, and glowing with deep and occasionally with devout emotion, every page is a picture, and the whole reads like a romance. Most of the sketches we have seen before in "Good Words;" but here they are gathered together, and the effect is greatly to their advantage. True, we do not meet with any great or novel discoveries, or erudite conjectures. True, we see fully as much of Dr Macleod as of the Holy Land. Indeed, it requires some effort of the fancy to conceive of the lively Doctor in a land so called. We can hardly picture him as travelling over the sacred ground in any other conveyance than in a firstclass carriage, as well padded as the unfortunate Mussulman upon whose prostrate body he sat down, mistaking it for a canvass bag, and without realising the time when, as some wag observed to the horror of a good lady, the guard would be shouting out "Bethlehem Station!" Still, next to the delight of travelling in Dr Macleod's company, is that of listening to his account of his travels. The illustrations are exquisitely finished; and Mr Strahan has spared no pains to render the volume as inviting to the eye, as it certainly must prove pleasing to the taste of the reader.

Scripture Studies; or, Things New and Old. By the Rev. WILLIAM WHITE, Haddington, Author of "Lectures on Daniel," "The Principles of Christian Union as laid down in the Word of God," &c. &c. Edinburgh: W. P. Kennedy. 1806.

We hasten to notice the appearance of this volume in the hope of being able soon to do more justice to its contents. Meanwhile, we may say, that to all who delight to penetrate beneath the surface of Scripture, to trace the Divine wisdom in its construction, and to discern the occult, but no less real and important relations between revealed truth and the constitution, the needs and the aspirations of the human soul (the best of all arguments in behalf of inspiration), these "Studies" will afford no ordinary treat. The topics are various, but all are treated in a style of raciness and originality rarely to be met with. Some of the "Essays" will be found peculiarly suggestive of things new as well as old. And Mr White has thrown over the whole the halo of that fervid imagination for which he is distinguished.

Mill and Carlyle. An Examination of Mr John Stuart Mill's Doctrine of Causation in relation to Moral Freedom, with an occasional Discourse on Sauerteig, by Smelfungus. By P. P. ALEXANDER, A.M. Edinburgh :

W. P. Nimmo. 1866.

If any reader wants to see Mr Mill's doctrine of causation ably, clearly, and most logically handled, we can commend to him, with all assurance, the first half of this volume. And if any reader of Carlyle's works wants to see the most perfect imitation of his style, manner of thought, and other queer ways, while all the time "the great Thomas" is sharply and aptly criticised, the latter half of this volume is to be, with a clear conscience, commended to them. There is nothing better even in "Rejected Addresses," clever as that burlesque confessedly is. We are free to confess that we turned to Carlyle's Frederick to verify some of the imaginary quotations, seeking for them in vain.

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