and Foreign Bible Society, and too much of a piece with the bigotted partizanship of the presumptuous and reckless body of exclusives, who have taken upon them to denounce and overthrow the fairest work of the Christian Church, to entitle them to any attention. But that some of the same party should have endeavoured to affix the same stigma of heterodoxy upon The Self Interpreting Bible, now put forth under the superintendence of the inestimable author's relatives, may afford to the proprietor of the Comprehensive Bible some consolation under his sufferings, and may enable the public to judge of the spirit of the party from which such accusations come, and of the weight due to judgments from which candour and truth are alike excluded. If there were any symptoms of sobriety, liberality, or even of humanity, in the New Biblists, we would entreat them to ponder the saying of Jesus Christ-" With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again," and "Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the BEAM that is in thine own eye?" Remonstrance is, however, thrown away upon men who are self-willed, ambitious, and dogmatic. Their bigotry is exorbitant; their censoriousness unbounded. They are fit only to form a Protestant inquisition. But we will dismiss them with the words of a respectable contemporary, expressly referring to the new edition of Brown's Bible now before us: "The new-selected victim is the publisher of a recent edition of Brown's Self-interpreting Bible, with a life of the author by his grandson, the Rev. J. B. Patterson. "This work," say the conductors of the Record, "6 we have been credibly informed" (on dits,

and "it is understood" fix a stigma, but leave a loop-hole for retreat, if necessary)" is deeply tainted with the errors of modern neologism." "We can conceive," they add, "few things more revolting, or more dangerous, than such a corruption of the work of a holy man of God." We concur in this opinion; for few things are more revolting than such conduct, except it be imputing it without solid ground for the charge. And thus if a young man, unknown like Greenfield, had been the editor, would the work, its author, and its publishers, have been left to sink under slander; but Mr. Patterson and his bookseller promptly sent to the Record office such strong attestation, that the charge was obliged to be retracted, but still with the singular iteration, that

we were credibly informed that it was true." How could they be credibly informed" of a falsehood, and a falsehood incredible on the face of it!

Having adverted to this base attack, we shall at once offer our unqualified attestation to the present edition of the Self-interpreting Bible. All the lovers of Brown will find this Brown Improved, not by any alteration of the venerable author's reflections, but by the addition of a large mass of very valuable notes. Indeed, the present work contains more that is serviceable to the student and minister than any former edition, while it retains the characteristic excellency at which the author aimed, of being both a useable and an evangelical commentary for family or private service. The specific excellencies of the present edition are, unusual accuracy both in point of the textual references and typography. The notes in the margin are selected with great judgment, and the Concise Dic

tionary and Index of persons, places, and subjects, &c. is a most valuable supplement. In it will be found explanations of almost all difficult words, together with references to most of the principal topics of the sacred writings. The additions made are carefully separated from the work of the original author, so that its religious character is most sacredly preserved. Whatever appears in the shape of marginal notes, dictionary, &c. appears to us to comport most fully with the author's design, and to be every way worthy of being embodied with his annotations. Several of his descendants, who are well known to inherit his principles and his piety, and who, of course, are most deeply interested in his Christian reputation, have added their attestation and annexed their sanction. The life has been prepared with their assistance and revision. It is a deeply interesting and admirable memoir of one of the most excellent of men and successful of tutors. This alone would be a powerful recommendation of the present edition; but we may say, that in all respects it is the most complete and most elegant edition of The Self-interpreting Bible which has ever appeared; and is quite equal, in point of paper and printing, to any modern production of the press. There are three excellent maps-one of the world, showing the dispersion and settlement of nations by the descendants of Noah; one of Canaan, adapted to the Book of Judges and Joshua; another of Canaan, illustrating the Books of the Kings of Judah and Israel; a table of the contemporary patriarchs for 2158 years; several plates of the tabernacle and Jewish utensils, and a table of Christ's genealogy as stated by the two evangelists, Matthew and Luke.

BALAAM. By the Author of "Modern Fanaticism Unveiled" London. 12mo. pp. 272. Holdsworth and Ball.

WE had the pleasure, a few months ago, of introducing to our readers the former, and probably the first, publication of the writer of this volume. We were not prepared for so speedy a re-appearance, although we thought highly of his talents and his work. As, however, he has again come forward to contribute something to the public advantage, and to submit his effort to the public voice, we shall endeavour both to inform our friends of the nature of the contribution, and to pass upon it our candid but impartial opinion.

The title conveys nothing definite as to the nature of the work. The character of "Balaam," we can easily conceive, might suggest different trains of thought to different minds, and be rendered subservient to the establishment or illustration of different topics. It is impossible, therefore, to determine, with any thing like certainty, what particular object a writer may have in view, who affixes to his volume the mere name of the son of Beor. We confess, that when we first saw the title of the present work, recollecting the previous attack of the author upon "Modern Enthusiasm," we imagined that he was about to continue the warfare, by selecting a single subject, and concentrating our attention on the extraordinary brayings with which our metropolis has recently resounded, and which far transcend, both in sound and sinfulness, any thing that was ever attributed either to Balaam or his ass. In this, however, we were mistaken. The book is not devoted to any one particular topic, and much less to passing absurdities, but rather to the biographical portraiture of the

Aramæan magician, with the devotional and practical lessons, which his history and fate are adapted to convey.

Our present notice of "Balaam" will rather consist of a brief analysis of the contents of the work, and of the view which the writer takes of his subject, than of any elaborate argumentation either in support of, or in opposition to, his opinions. The subject includes several points, upon which minds equally serious, unprejudiced, and intelligent, may entertain sentiments inconsistent with each other; and it would be very absurd for any to dogmatize, where none can be certain, and where all may be wrong.

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In the preface the author states his views of the province of the biographer, and thus gives us to understand what we are to expect in his own work. He conceives that it is not sufficient for him merely to pourtray character, and to present the picture to the observation of others, though, strictly speaking, this is his simple duty, as his labour is more analogous to that of a painter than a scholiast." He considers that, from the moral insensibility of most minds, it is incumbent to point out and to carry home the lessons which the portrait conveys, because, because, though the observer ought to perceive them himself, it is well known he frequently will not. The principle is perfectly just; it is one, however, which we could have wished some writers of religious biography to have "honoured by the breach rather than the observance;" they have often sermonized where they ought to have been silent; but, possibly, this arose as much from the want of a character to paint, as from a propensity to enlarge on whatever it might teach.

The first chapter contains a description of that part of Mesopotamia, of which Balaam was probably a native, and from which he was brought by Balak. It is accurate and interesting. It is succeeded by a brief sketch of the state and character of "some of the then existing and distinguished nations of the world.” Among these are the Israelites, the Egyptians, the Canaanites, the Phoenicians, and Aramæans or Syrians. In noticing the latter, the writer introduces the name of Job, and expresses the probability that his conversion was one of the happy effects flowing from the faith and obedience of Abraham. Though we are not prepared to acquiesce in this supposition, nor in the opinion hinted by the author, either respecting the time of Job's trial, or the situation of Uz, yet we willingly accept the following admirable reflections, on what we may term the diffusive energy of piety, or the tendency of good to propagate itself, which very appropriately succeed the expression of the probability to which we have referred:

Let

"This view of the prolonged results of character and example invests the subject of personal piety with singular dignity and importance. In such an aspect, individuality loses its comparative insignificance, and the influence of each human being, with something like the multiplying power of the unit, bears most essentially on the total amount of moral good or evil. no one impeach this idea, as though it were subversive of faith in the sovereignty of God. According to the notions entertained by too many professors of the gospel in our days, it is a violation of that high tenet to convey any sentiment that implies a pre-ordained and continuous plan in the Divine mind, or an established

and necessary connection between holiness and happiness, sin and misery, labour and reward, suffering for Christ's sake and eternal glory. Their vague and undefined conceptions on the subject readily coalesce with such representations as invest the Divine sovereignty with a

caution the young unpractised traveller in the ways of the Lord against the very common delusion of professing to seek Divine counsel and guidance in reference to matters in themselves unlawful, equivocal, or decidedly inexpedient. When conscience pronounces, at once, the verdict of condemnation on any plan, pur pose, or wish that may arise in the mind, or be suggested by concurrent circum stances, it is only mocking the Almighty to implore his direction; we ought rather to ask for grace and strength that we may not for a moment parley with the temptation. If we wait on the Lord' for the purpose of praying him over, as it were, to give us our own will, instead of praying ourselves into a congenial posture of mind for yielding implicit and unreserved obedience to His will, as revealed in the Scriptures of truth, it will be a singular mercy if we be not left to take our own way, and reap the just fruits of such perverseness. This hint will not be thrown out in vain, if it should discover to any one the fallacy of supposing, that the step he is taking must be unquestionably right, because he has not ventured on it without first asking counsel of the Lord. The motive which prompts, and the spirit which pervades our prayers, must be regarded with jealous scrutiny; for if these be self-willed and petulant, we may expect to be dealt with in the

same manner as were the children of Israel, when God gave them their request, but sent leanness into their souls.'" -pp. 57-59.

The third chapter includes the second embassy to Balaam, and his journey to the land of Moab. It consists of much that is explanatory of the difficulties involved in the history, and of the apparent contradictions in the character and conduct of Balaam himself. It is replete also with moral instruction; there is a sort of running practical commentary upon the events and circumstances as they occur, calculated to impress the reader, and to prompt a serious inquiry into his conduct and condition.

The fourth chapter is one of the most interesting in the volume. It opens with the preparations for sacrifice, and proceeds in a very captivating manner to notice the

The

several attempts made by the diviner to procure and pronounce a malediction on the Israelites. The feelings of Balak, on the delivery of the successive blessings, are excellently delineated; and the blessings themselves are translated and placed upon the page as they ought to be, according to the poetical form in which they are expressed in the original. last prophecy uttered by Balaam that which he volunteered, so to speak, after Balak had dismissed him in anger, and which contains the prediction of the "star that should proceed from Jacob, and the sceptre that should arise out of Israel"-gives the author an opportunity of introducing the question respecting the double sense of prophecy, and of discussing it in relation to this specific prediction. It was once our design to have adverted to this subject, in the course of our remarks, but we now feel that it would be impossible to enter so extensively into the argument as would be necessary to establish and illustrate the views we have adopted. Those of the present biographer of Balaam may be collected from the following passage, which, we may add, is very beautifully written.

"Much of the confusion existing on theory of double and in some cases triple this point is to be ascribed to the false interpretation, by which a single passage of holy writ is made to refer to several the writer; secondly to the Jewish nation; objects at once, as, for instance, first to and thirdly to Christ Such is almost invariably the case with regard to Lam. i. 12, and many other texts that might be mentioned. Should a doubt exist in the mind as to the true scope of a fulfilled prophecy-for it is not our business here to treat of predictions upon which the seal of futurity remains unopened—it is unquestionably proper to adduce the evidence in favour of each probable allusion : not, however, that all the different hypotheses may be embraced as equally faith