TO THE EDITOR OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND QUARTERLY REVIEW.

SIR-In the sixth Number of the Church of England Quarterly Review, and in Article VIII. I discover a mistake, into which so many have fallen, not recently only, but in times long past, that I almost despair of ever correcting it, so as effectually to guard against similar mistakes in time to come. And yet on two accounts I ought to endeavour to do so, first to put myself in the way of answering for my own responsibilities, and secondly, to relieve a very worthy friend from the weight of any but his own.

In the review of "The Trial of the Unitarians," the remarks on the "Improved Version of the New Testament," by the latter, which remarks appeared as long ago as 1810, (2d Edition, 1814,) are ascribed to "the late Archdeacon Nares," who, indeed, died in 1829. But the author of those remarks, as well as of many other publications erroneously ascribed to the Archdeacon, is still living at Biddenden, in the Weald of Kent, where he has just completed his 40th year of residence on that benefice, and who, if he may be believed on his own assertion, is the living writer of this very letter. I have said, "if he may be believed on his own assertion," because it has actually happened to him to be disbelieved, and positively contradicted, by London booksellers of great eminence, when claiming his own writings subsequently to the Archdeacon's death.

There were so many things common to the Archdeacon and myself, that I must confess the mistake was, generally speaking, scarcely to be avoided. Both bearing the same family name, (our Christian names were different), both brought up at Westminster-school, both afterwards of Christ Church, Oxford, both divines, and both authors at the same time; but the Archdeacon was my senior, and, therefore, earlier known, and better known,, as the most learned of the two, a dignitary in the Church, and holding preferment in London.

The learned author of the "Trial of the Unitarians," in doing me the honor of bringing me forward as one of his witnesses, was guilty of no misnomer in representing his Attorney-General as calling to the witness box, "Edward Nares, author of Remarks on the Version of the New Testament, edited by the Unitarians." The Archdeacon's Christian name was Robert.

To the public in general it may seem very immaterial which of the Nares's wrote any given book, and it is far from pleasant to me to have to point out such differences. But the mistake leans all one way. While my works are ascribed to the Archdeacon, none of his, from his greater notoriety, are ever ascribed to me; if they were, in point of reputation at least, I might be a gainer; as it is, I might as well have been an idler all my life long; while, in truth, whether they be bad or whether they be good, my publications do now rather exceed in number those of the Archdeacon.

To conclude, two works are extant (there may be more) in which the Archdeacon and myself are sufficiently distinguished, though yet not without some mistakes, as in both cases I stand first, and in one, instead of Edward, I am called Edmund. The works I speak of are, "The Biographical Dictionary of Living Authors," published by Colburn as long ago as

in the year 1816, and "The Bibliotheca Britannica" in two parts, Authors and Subjects, by Robert Watt, M.D., Edinburgh, 1824.-I beg to apologize for this intrusion, and am, Sir, your very obedient servant, EDWARD NARES, D.D.

Biddenden, Kent, April 21, 1838.

Lectures on the Establishment and Extension of National Churches, delivered in London from April 25th to May 12th, 1838. By THOMAS CHALMERS, D.D. and LL.D., Professor of Theology in the University of Edinburgh, and Corresponding Member of the Royal Institute of France. Glasgow: Collins. London: Hamilton and Co. 1838.

DR. CHALMERS is very florid in his style, and has not always condensed his arguments. His views, however, are generally correct, although we regret the bathos to which he has occasionally descended. His idea about workmen and machinery, machine-breakers and frame-breakers, incendiaries, &c., is correct, as to the matter of the simile, but is too undignified for the subject on which he is treating. To the term free-trade in Christianity we have equal objections. In our opinion, the value of the lectures is greatly impaired by the coarseness of the terms and the homeliness of the comparisons that are selected; and we are convinced that one closely-reasoning lecture would have contained all the real matter that is scattered through the series.

Our opinion being in favour of the establishment and extension of national churches, we are unwillingly compelled, by the stern duties of criticism, to make these remarks. Dr. Chalmers has however shown, that, if in the times of the Apostles the doctrines of the Gospel might have been preached without cost, it was impossible that such a system could have been continued in the subsequent ages and as an authority for the existing system, we would add our Lord's words, that the labourer is worthy of his hire, and the Apostolic injunctions, which related to contributions, and spoke of the necessities of the Saints. Rightly, then, he says of Constantine: "when he came forth with his imperial bounty or benefaction, he only did on the large scale what thousands of benefactors had previously, for hundreds of years, done on a small scale before him. When he became the friend and nursing father of the Church, he did for the whole territory, of which he was the sovereign, what, times and ways without number, the friends of the Church had already done, each for the little district in which he himself resided, or for the introduction and maintenance of Christian worship in some chosen locality of his own." We, notwithstanding the writer's advocacy of an establishment, observe at p.p. 56, 57, a sort of inclination to dissenters. Here we detect the

primary notion of a "free-trade," with which the "market-price of sittings" is in good keeping; for, although the author subsequently combats the arguments, the objection remains, as to the terms.

The author extensively exposes the fallacy of the voluntary principle; but his arguments are not so clear nor so useful as those which Dr. Whittaker has given to the public. There is a pragmatism in them which we dislike. They are mixed up with low illustrations, taken more or less from the vulgar idea of a freetrade. There is, however, much sound sense in the book, although it be alloyed by the admixture of these baser materials. The lectures would afford great helps to future inquirers into the subject; but they might advantageously be reduced within the compass of fifty pages. In their present state, the task of perusal is Herculean, and inconceivably dull; nor do we perceive that the great and sound arguments which might have been deduced from the sacred page and the ecclesiastical writers have been brought into just consideration. They turn on mere matter of expediency, and are debased by commercial allusions.

The State of Popery and Jesuitism in England from the Reformation to the period of the Roman Catholic Relief Bill, in 1829. By the Rev. THOMAS LATHBURY, M.A., Author of a "History of the English Episcopacy." London: Leslie. 1838.

THIS work is but a compendium of the subject, and is fully justified by the passing events of the times. The weakness of our ministry, and the daring exertions of O'Connell, whom no one seems to have sufficient spirit to castigate as he deserves to be castigated, afford the most powerful reasons to us for recommending this picture of Popery and Jesuitism. Being rather a syllabus, than a history of facts, it will weary none by the perusal, and may warh many of the mine that is ready to burst beneath us. The book is sent forth in

a form adapted to effect general good; and we trust that neither our expectations nor those of the author will be disappointed.

* Should this work reach a second edition, we will thank Mr. Lathbury to substitute Tridentine for Trentine.

The Shepherd's Garland; composed of Gatherings, during Leisure Hours, from Ways of Pleasantness and Paths of Peace. By FRANCIS SKURRAY, B.D., Rector of Winterbourne, Steepleton, Dorset, and Perpetual Curate of Horningsham, Wilts. London: Simpkin and Marshall. No year is marked.

THIS volume treats of both light and devotional subjects, and is diversified in the selection of them. As specimens of the poetry, we give the following extracts :

Oblivious Sleep! thy opiate give,

Whene'er upon my couch I lie;
Thus, without life, how sweet to live!

Thus, without death, how sweet to die!

Among the sonnets we prefer that on the rising sun :—-
Thou seem'st to roll in the etherial field,
Bright as a lamp, and round as warrior's shield;
Before thy beams the constellations start,
And lay aside their lustre, and depart.

The startled Moon escapes from thee, and braves
The tide and tossings of the ocean-waves:
But thou dost march, undaunted, in thy sphere,
Without the dread of molestation near.

When tempests gather and obscure the sky,
When thunders rattle and the lightnings fly,
Thou dost look down and shew thy radiant form,
Defy the blast, and penetrate the storm;
Mingle thy lustre with the patt'ring rain,

To form the sign that speaks of peace again.

Many of these sonnets are evidently descriptive of the author's travels: among the other pieces we give the preference to the Hindoo Widow, and the Pastoral Ballad.

The New Version of the Psalms is fitted for country congregations, but hardly for those in towns. Mr. Skurray merits praise for not having made these sacred odes mere texts for fanciful and enthusiastic stanzas, as many have made them, giving to them a meaning which they never had, and sometimes forcing them to convey doctrines which were never asserted in the Scriptures. For congregations in towns, we think that a little more polish and a greater power in the verses will be required; but as a version of this description would be quite out of place in the country, because it would often be unintelligible, Mr. Skurray has, in our opinion, realized his object, and produced a collection which deserves to be admitted into our rural parishes very generally.

The Testimony of History to the Divine Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures; or a Comparison between the Prophecies and their Historical Fulfilment. By the Rev. W. J. BUTLER, M.A. of St. John's College, Cambridge, and Rector of St. Nicholas, Nottingham. London: Hamilton. No year is marked.

PASSING by the intimations of a Messiah before the flood, the author commences his disquisitions with the prophecy of Noah, In this is an epitome of the history of the human race. Nor has any prediction been more completely verified :-for the Messiah came in the line of Shem, and the descendants of Japheth enlarged their borders over the greatest portion of the globe, extending

their conquests in the direction of the "tents of Shem." In the days of Moses, the family of Ham was prosperous; yet the predicted servitude has been fulfilled. They have successively been slaves to Jews, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Saracens, and Turks; their change of masters has not prevented them from being trodden under foot and the West Indian islands bear living evidences of their doom. And this doom was pronounced about 2,300 years before the Christian era.

The prophecy concerning Ishmael and the Arabians comes next under consideration. The multiplication of Ishmael's progeny, their power, their rank, their importance, were rapidly accomplished; as early as the youth of Joseph, they are recorded to have traded to Egypt in caravans; and the book of Job displays their consolidation into tribes. We may assume, that each of Ishmael's twelve sons became the sheikh of a tribe; and the primitive Biblical history records them in a manner which bespeaks their military renown. The Arabs indeed consider Joktan to have been the founder of their race but notwithstanding their genealogical trees, who shall define what parts of the present stock should be retraced to Joktan, to Ishmael, or to Abraham's sons by Keturah? who shall analyze the intermixtures? Yet Joktan and Abraham were equally sons of Shem; and it is by no means clear, that the Arabian traditions respecting the former, as the progenitor of the Arabs, should not be referred to Jokshan, the son of Abraham (Gen. xxv. 2)—for the Arabic displays a great corruption of the name—and one, which we may correct by the one name as well as by the other. But should not this conjecture be correct, the harmony of the divine plans will be equally apparent; for as Peleg and Joktan were brothers, the first having been the ancestor of Abraham, the second, according to tradition, the ancestor of the Arabs, so the line of the Messiah proceeded from Abraham through Isaac, whilst Ishmael and the children of Keturah added to the cognate stock of the other branch of the Abrahamitic family.

Mello, a profane, but lost author, quoted by Eusebius, states, that Abraham had twelve sons by an Egyptian wife, who divided Arabia; adding, that in his time also the number of Arabian tribes was twelve. These decidedly were the twelve sons of Ishmael. The predicted wildness and opposition of the race to all, and the opposition of all to it, together with its defying endurance, have been wonderfully fulfilled. This is indeed one of the most striking revelations ever made to man; for its truth has been attested in every subsequent age, and is still as manifest as it was centuries ago. In the term "he shall dwell," the scenite life of the Bedúin is strongly depicted: and that life has been led for 3,700 years, by the Arabs wandering in the desert, and dwelling in moveable tents. The line of empire, which, according to Diodorus