of the Established Church from the high position in which they now stand, virtually transfers to the Roman Catholic priesthood that preference and that preponderating influence which have been hitherto assigned to the purity and authority of religious truth, rather than to the numerical superiority of the members of any communion in a single part of the United Empire.

With these views the undersigned Archbishops and Bishops, whilst they give just credit to the intentions of his Majesty's Government in bringing forward a plan of national education, cannot but regard that which has been proposed as most inapplicable to the present state of Ireland; as subversive of those institutions for the education of the poor, which, without giving just cause of offence to Roman Catholic prejudices, have produced great good, and which, if duly supported, would have unostentatiously gone on producing much more; as separating religious from literary instruction, which ought to proceed hand in hand together; as depriving Roman Catholics of the Scriptures, which, it appears from undoubted documents, they are every day becoming more anxious of obtaining; and as transferring from the national Clergy all superintendence over the national education, of which they are the appointed guardians.

In conclusion, therefore, they recommend to the Clergy of their respective dioceses to endeavour to support the schools now under their management by such means as they may themselves possess, and with such assistance as they may be able to procure, trusting in the blessing of Divine Providence on their humble endeavours to work unmixed good, even if it should be within a more confined circle, rather than to engage in the support of a system which is exposed to many just objections, and which, as it should seem, cannot be carried into effect, so as to secure the co-operation of the Roman Catholic Clergy, without a compromise of Protestant principles, and without retarding the progress of scriptural knowledge, which is now making large advances in Ireland.February 23, 1832.

ART. II.-Natural History of Enthusiasm. Fifth edition. London: Holdsworth and Ball. 1831. 8vo. pp. 328.

(Concluded from page 140.)

WE willingly resume the pleasure of noticing the remaining part of the able volume to which we have introduced our readers. As "the doctrine of a particular providence" has been a fertile field of enthusiastic perversion, so we were prepared to see it discussed with his wonted talent by the author before us. Our expectations have been agreeably realized; and we proceed, therefore, with much satisfaction to the renewal of our labours.

The doctrine of a particular providence has peculiar temptations to captivate the imagination of the brainsick visionary, whether he be of the number of those melancholy hypochondriacs, who recognise,

in every event, the penal inflictions of an offended Deity, or enrol himself in the happier class of those frolic favourites of heaven, who see ever in the mere fortuities of life the special signs of God's peculiar love to themselves. Nay, even divines have lost their way amidst "the harassing perplexities which arise from the present dispensations of Providence ;" and, because not even a sparrow falleth to the ground without the knowledge of the Great Disposer of events, they have become the passive spectators of their own destiny, and have taught their disciples to forego the necessary exercise of their own prudence and skill in indolent reliance upon the care of heaven. We know assuredly, and God forbid that we should cease to bear in mind, that in HIM "we live, and move, and have our being;" and that He "numbers the very hairs of our heads." Yet it is a sad perversion of the doctrine of a particular providence, to be perpetually looking to the interposition of Heaven on our behalf, and to rely upon supernatural favour, rather than the pious exertion of our own talents, to promote our welfare. This is the error of the enthusiast, who disregards the common course of events, and forgets that God directs the universe by known and permanent laws, and, therefore, worships "chance, under a guise stolen from piety."

The enthusiast, who looks to what is possible, rather than to that which is probable, will be found to pay court to fortune, rather than to virtue; and to discard both prudence and probity, in overweening expectation of the special guardianship of divine power: or he becomes remiss and dilatory in laborious duties, and "the wheel of toil stands still while the devotee implores assistance from above;" or he hurries with mischievous activity to engage in enterprises, "from which, if the expected contingent to be furnished by Providence,' be deducted, scarcely a shred of fair probability remains to recommend the scheme." (Pp. 125, 126.) To expose the delusion of such as build presumptuous expectations upon the throws of fortune, on pretext of faith in Providence, our author analyses the contingencies of human life, dividing the incidents of it into two classes; the first and larger of which comprises those events, which common sense and experience may enable us to anticipate," from the uniform course of events in the material world, and the permanent principles of human nature, and the established order of the social system;" whilst the second class of events are those which no sagacity could have foreseen; "for though in themselves they be only the natural consequences of common causes, yet those causes are either concealed or remote, and are, to us and our agency, the same as if they had been absolutely fortuitous." (P. 129.)

It is beautifully observed by our author, that "in the divine management of the fortuities of life," there is "a dispensation of

moral exercise, specifically adapted to the temper and powers of the individual," "by which nicely fitted movements of the machine of Providence, the tasks of life are distributed where best they may be performed." Since, then, no man can presume fully to understand his particular temper, or "so estimate his talents as to qualify him to anticipate the special dispensations of Providence in his own case," it is the presumption of enthusiasts to quarrel with heaven on the ground of their allotted destiny: and this presumption is admirably depicted in the section before us. There is very much that we could wish to insert in our pages from this admirable portion of the Natural History of Enthusiasm, did our space permit us to indulge in copious extracts. In our necessarily confined limits, we must content ourselves with barely pointing to the districts of the golden mines, and are compelled to leave our readers to dig out the precious treasures for themselves. It is, we confess, with singular forbearance that we refrain from the theft of many felicitous passages, wherewith to adorn our humble pages; and we feel, more especially feel, the difficulties of our temptation, when we peruse, and reperuse with still increasing satisfaction, our author's excellent observations upon that superstitious form of enthusiasm, which, in puny minds, is wont to degrade the doctrine of a particular providence by habitual association with "trivial and sordid solicitudes ;" and we would earnestly entreat the lovers of orthodoxy, who wish to be taught how "thwarted enthusiasm generates impious petulance," and how "the exaggerations of self-love, inflated by an enthusiastic piety," lead men to indulge in repinings, which reason and religion equally condemn, to consult the volume now upon our table. They may there learn to check presumptuous murmurs by connecting their faith in a particular providence with sound notions upon that system of universal guardianship, "which secures individual interests consistently with the well-being of the whole." They may there see how closely the individual fates of the human family are interwoven, so that each man lives for others, as well as for himself, and may be said "to hold in his hand the centre lines of an interminable webwork, on which are sustained the fortunes of multitudes of his successors." There they may see how beautifully our author has illustrated this law of connexion by "the influence of history upon the character and conduct of successive generations:" to the utter silencing of those petulant cavils wherewith we are prone to arraign the particular dispensations of Providence towards ourselves. There they may learn, again, the folly of talking of "a mysterious dispensation of Providence," since ALL ALIKE are governed by reasons that are inscrutable; and there, lastly, they may be taught, that "the perplexities arising from the present dispensations of God, may be greatly relieved by entertaining anticipations of the future state

somewhat less imbecile and luxurious than those commonly admitted by Christians." (P.158.)

When our readers shall have gathered these flowers, a further harvest of delight may be reaped from the seventh section of our History, upon the "Enthusiasm of Beneficence." Recollecting that "religious enthusiasm takes its commencement from the point where the emotions of the heart are transmuted into mere pleasures of the imagination," we shall readily perceive how "the excitements incident to a course of beneficence are very fit to furnish occasions to such a transmutation." It is by Christianity alone that men have been effectively taught to do good. And christian philanthropy, though not discarding the native sympathies of the human heart, is a principle essentially different from the spontaneous feelings of our nature. Our author, therefore, enumerates the peculiarities of christian benevolence, for the purpose of shewing the profundity of that “skill which makes provision, on the one side, against inertness and selfishness, and on the other, against enthusiasm." (P. 161.)

The peculiarities of Christian philanthropy are such as these: it is vicarious; obligatory; rewardable; subordinate to an efficient agency; and an expression of grateful love.-P. 162.

1. "Whoever would remedy misery must himself suffer, and the pains of the vicarious benefactor generally bear proportion to the extent or malignity of the evils he labours to remove." This important maxim is impressed upon his readers by our author with peculiar emphasis, and applied to christian ministers, who are sent forth as "sheep among wolves," and of whom their spiritual head foretold (how truly, alas! we, in these days of blasphemy and scorn, need no seer to tell us!) that "they should be hated of all nations for his name's sake;" and "whose path of beneficence is more beset than the common walks of life with disheartening reverses." (P. 165.) But it is this stern law of vicarious charity which stands opposed to the visionary expectations of the ardent enthusiast, who riots in the glowing illusions of hope, neglecting the calculations of probability; and who cherishes secret expectations of immunity from personal disaster, or "clings with fond pertinacity to the hope of a semi-miraculous interference on those occasions, in which the work, rather than the agent, is in peril." If in the vicariousness of Christian benevolence, the disciple of "the Man of Sorrows" be secured from the illusions and the disappointments of enthusiasm, so his charity, based on a sense of peremptory

2. Obligation, embraces the largest purposes of good will; so that, agreeably with this law of universal extent, it is not possible to exceed the extent of Christian duty! Here, again, the follies of enthusiasm are checked: for

This remarkable arrangement of the Christian ethics, by which the largest possible contributions and the utmost possible exertions are demanded in a tone of comprehensive authority, seems, besides its other uses, particularly intended to quash the natural enthusiasm of active zeal. It is a strong antagonist principle in the mechanism of motives, insuring an equilibrium, however great may be the intensity of action. We are thus taught, that as there can be no supererogation in works of mercy, so neither can there be exultation. Nothing, it is manifest, but humility becomes a servant who barely acquits his duty.— Pp. 171, 172.

3. "The rewardableness of works of mercy," (for it is presumption to affect indifference to the promised reward,) interferes not, in a wellconstituted mind, with the sovereignty of God's bounty. The Christian's hope of recompense is intimately dovetailed with his hope of pardon and he acknowledges that his future retribution, however accurately measured according to his work, is still "a pure gratuity” from the treasury of heavenly riches, freely bestowed upon sinners by Christ.

4. The consideration that Christian philanthropy is but the subordinate instrument of a higher and efficient agency, is another cure for the overweening vanity which is not seldom found to taint the spirit of enterprising beneficence; for the temper of mind proper to a dependent agent, is incompatible with visionary and presumptuous confidence in the efficiency of second causes.

5. Christian beneficence, lastly, is the expression of grateful love to Him who died for us. In this capital love of affection to our Redeemer, we possess a sure antidote to "the deadening of our hearts, and the quickening of our imaginations," which are the essence of enthusiasm. We are not permitted to let our benevolence evaporate in the barren and heated atmosphere of dry abstraction, whilst in the poor and the wretched, we are shewn our Lord's representatives on earth, in doing good to whom "we cherish and express feelings, which otherwise must lie latent, or become vague, seeing that He to whom they relate is remote from our senses." (P. 182.)

The expansiveness of Christian benevolence does, indeed, open a door for "the utmost imaginable enhancement of zeal, without hazard of extravagance." But we are free to confess that our author's joyous anticipation of an approaching era, "when the fervours of Christian zeal may reach the height, even of a seraphic energy, without enthusiasm," is too bold a flight for our sober understandings; and more like "imaginative" fancies (the children of enthusiasm) than the humble calculations of dispassionate judgment. And we would venture to remind our author, with friendly voice, that he seems to have forgotten his condemnation of those enthusiastic excitements which beset "the dogmatical expositor of prophecy," when he penned such sentences as the following :

Such a day of developement shall ere long arrive, the time of the triumph of divine principles shall come, and a style of true heroism be displayed, of which