REVIEW OF BOOKS.

The Last Days : A Discourse on the myself that I was a very unworthy

evil character of these our times : minister, and ill furnished for my high proving them to be the perilous

calling, when I first set foot in this times of the last days. By the

metropolis of the kingdom.-P. vi. Rev. Edward Irving, A. M. 8vo,

I set out, on this very morning six Pp. xvi. and 586, Seeleys. 1828.

years ago, on my way to London :-so that I may say my seventh year of

labour begins with this record of God's Tus volume, like every other dealings with us during six years of publication of its Author, which constant and unceasing work. May it has come under our notice, com. prove unto us as a Sabbatical year of bines great excellence with great

rest, wherein our souls shall yield defects; there is in it much to

abundant fruit, through the free-will praise and much to condemn. The

operation of the Holy Ghost !For one

year, or nearly so, beginning with the established and experienced Christ

second Sabbath in July 1822, our union ian, or the faithful and zealous went on cementing itself, by mutual minister may derive advantage from acts of kindness, in the shade of that its perusal; but we cannot recom- happy obscurity which we then enjoyed. mend it to the young and partially

And I delight to remember that season informed inquirer.

of our mutual love and confidence; This discourse comprises seven

because the noisy tongues of men and

their envious eyes were not upon us.... teen sermons on 2 Tim. iii, 1–6.

Yet can I not look back, upon the and an improvement of three heads second, and third, and fourth years of occupying about a hundred pages; my ministry, without astonishment and the object of the whole volume is amazement, that God should have to prove the present period to be honoured a man unknown, despised, the perilous times of the last days

and almost outcast (save by you and a

small, small remnant of my native predicted by St. Paul. The dis

church) to preach his Gospel to every course is preceded by a dedication

rank and degree of men, from the to the members of the Session and lowest, basest of our press hirelings, up committee of the Scotch Church, to the right hand of royalty itself. Of of which the following are extracts.

this honour I will boast, and none shall Now, forasmuch as we have endured prevent me boasting of it, in that spirit, together much grievous misrepresenta

I trust, of foolishness for Christ's sake tion of our enemies, for these six years,

in which Paul boasted before the I count it good to put upon record in

churches of Achaia. My God honoured this place, and under the sanction of his servant, whom the religious world those to whom the truth of what I am despised. By a man spoken against, to state is so well known, certain facts reviled, suspected, and avoided, by connected with my coming to this city.

those who usurp the Evangelical name · From the day that I received my

as if it were all their own, my God did commission to preach the Gospel, I speak unto the heads and representatives have never bargained for a hire, nor and nobles and princes of this nation.have I ever sought a bond. The gene- After our church was honoured to do rosity of God's people hath supplied all this service for God and the commonmy wants, and enabled me to minister wealth, we were rewarded by larger to the wants of others..., While I make openings of Divine doctrine, and closer these statements in justification of God's fellowship of the Holy Ghost, and greater providence, in honour of Christ's head- increase of the flock. The doctrine ship of the church, and in refutation especially of the blessed Trinity, and of my most calumnious enemies-who, the offices sustained by the Persons God forgive them ! under the guise thereof in our salvation, I desire, for my of religious publications, do poison the church and for myself, to acknowledge, ear of simple and honest-hearted people was then opened to us, and remained with all manner of falsehood, malice, no longer, as it is to most, a believed and evil-speaking--I do feel within and unknown mystery. Next, the

MARCH 1829.

doctrine of the Gentile Apostacy, as mean name, who consider the last exhibited in the Papal superstition, and days as the whole of the Christian in Protestant liberalism, was made in

dispensation, extending from the strumental, under God to deliver the

personal ministry of Christ to the church from the false hope of converting

end of the world, and who refer to a world which standeth ripe and ready for judgment..... Next in the order of Heb. i. 2. 1 John ii. 18. and simiGod's mercies to us, we have to acknow- lar passages as countenancing their ledge his instructing of us in the true opinion. And many indeed conhumanity of Christ-or rather, I should sider the passage before us as refersay, that he has enabled us to stand and

ring more especially to
rinor more especially to

the very suffer reproach for the most catholic

period in which Timothy lived, and and orthodox doctrine, that Christ took human nature in the fallen. and not in directing him and all others who in the unfallen, state ; which, to my horror succeeding ages should fall on evil and amasement, I do find those theolo- tongues and evil days, how to act gical babes of the religious world ready in such trying circumstances. to renounce.-Pp. x-xii.

In describing the distinguishing My conviction is, dearly beloved features of tbe different characters. brethren, that many trials and many

Mr. I. displays the hand of a master, sacrifices abide us. The spirit of the church, and the spirit of the nation,

and ably points out many existing grows worse and worse. The times are evils, though at the same time his both perilous and evil. This city is the observations are not unfrequently place in which the church will have to strained and far fetched, and occaabide a fearful struggle. We are not sionally provoke a smile. Thus in unknown, nor unnoticed, by the enemies speaking of traitors, he observes, of Christ. Satan owes us many a

Secondly, I attribute the prevalence grudge ! and he will come; and whatever he hath in us he will wrench away

of this spirit of treachery to a certain from us. Cleanse yourselves, there

idolatry of what is called truth, without fore ; purify yourselves ; give yourselves

any respect to the spirit in which it wholly unto Christ : dwell in love one is spoken. Of late years, I have had with another; abide in the truth; be

occasion frequently to observe the bestedfast and immoveable, always abound

trayal of personal friendship, the ing in the work of the Lord, knowing

violation of hospitality, the invasion of that your labour in the Lord shall not be

the most sacred places and usages, which in vain.-Pp. xiii, xiv.

is committed in every publication of a

periodical kind-I should rather say, On these passages we shall offer

of an entertaining kind, whether peno remark, but call the attention

riodical or not—by the exposure of priof our readers to the following vate conversations, by the reporting extract from the work itself.

from memory of oral discourse, and We shall now proceed to settle, as far

founding upon it grave charges; and as we are able, what is signified by the

when I have adverted to enlightened last days in which the perilous times are

men upon these evils, I have commonly to come. There are, and there can be,

received for answer, "Oh, they are but only two opinions with respect to this

small evils attendant upon a great pubpoint; the first, that they are the last

lic good : there can come little harm days of the Jewish ; and the second,

from making the truth public : truth is that they are the last days of the

great, and will prevail !' In like manChristian dispensation.--P. 11.

ner, when I have oft adverted upon

that other mark of the traitorous times Mr. Irving is here very unfor. in which we live, the publication by tunate ; he says. There are, and pretended friends of the correspondence there can be only two opinions of deceased persons, which they never with respect to this point;' whereas intended should see the light; and the it is perfectly obvious that there is

exposure of their frailties, which there a, third opinion, whether right or

was no call to expose—it has been wrong; whether more or less pre

answered to me, If it is true, it is

well : the truth, in the long run, will do valent, but still an opinion which no evil. I would rather people knew has been advanced by authors of no me with my faults, and as I am, than

think of me better or otherwise than I pose. Nevertheless, it is so pleasing to am.' Now, while such views exist prurient curiosity to get behind the concerning the telling of truth, as that curtain of modest life; it is so pleasing it will at any time justify itself by the to envy and to malice to batten upon good which it produceth unto men in the infirmities and errors and frailties general, it is most clear that you do not of men; that, if the traitor will but only take away all let and hindrance to spice his offering with calumny enough, treachery, but do present a very great the public, religious or irreligious, at encouragement and inducement thereto; whose shrine he offereth it, will right palliating all its evils; dignifying it gladly accept the offering, and give ear with the nature of a common good; unto his suit. Oh ! oh! this traitoryea, honouring it with the dignity of a loving age of men hath more crime personal sacrifice for the common good. of this kind to answer for, committed The very worst and basest of the people, within these last thirty years, than any the very scum and offscourings of the the longest period of which there is any earth, the vicious and infidel under- record in the annals of men. There is strappers and hirelings of the press, are not one reflection in which I more justified, by this way of reasoning, for delight, than that God hath prevented doing daily and weekly, and monthly, me from betraying the trust of another, the most horrid violence to all men by publishing it anonymously unto the with whom they have had any inter- world.-Pp. 314—317. course in times past, by retailing, with

He thus describes some of the all the virulence and distortion of an envious and debased mind, those inci.

lovers of pleasure. dents and conversations which, because To descend, now, from this most they were transacted in the confidence subtle form of the love of pleasure, of friendship, and ought never to have which consisteth in pleasing others, I been obtruded upon the world, the observe, next, the pleasures of the inmuch-injured party will rather be con- tellect, which men love rather than they tent to suffer from, than to expose the love God. Not, O ye adorers of yourmodesty of private life, and enter the selves! that ye must become weak and lists with a self-proclaimed traitor. God silly in order to love God. Don't lay will not justify such palliations of that flattering unction to your souls, ye wickedness because they put on the dis- witlings, when measured by the wisdom; guise of a love of truth. His truth is ye dwarfs, when measured by the embodied in a moral law, and the love gigantic intellects, of your fathers. Ye of his truth proceedeth by the obedience men of lille books, ye men of little of that holy law. Honesty to our minds, ye men of articles in reviews engagements expressed or understood, and paragraphs in newspapers, ye faithfulness to our plighted truth, inte mighty men without a name, flooding grity, responsibility : these are the soil the world with an unfathered progeny; of truth in the spirit. Truth is only do not fear that you are too wise and the fruit of a will co-ordinate with the too learned to love God; of too soaring will of God. As pure water proceedeth an intellect to stoop to the humble from a pure fountain in unwearied thoughts of Him, who comprehended abundance, so truth proceedeth in the largest compass of the infinite God, plentiful and fruitful streams from a and fathomed the utmost depths of his righteous will. A wicked man cannot unsearchable mind; who spake as never tell the truth: he loveth falsehood, and man spake; Light of life, Parent of he cannot love the truth. Where are reason, bright Image of God. Ah, there two words so constantly united in brethren ! this decline in the stature language, as the word false and the and the beauty and the fruits of the word traitor ? False traitor, is a true human intellect, is to me the most ascombination of words. Do you expect, sured proof of its apostasy from Christ, then, truth from the mouth of one who, in whom dwelleth all knowledge; and while speaking, is betraying the confi- from God, who is the Father of lights. dence of a friend, or of a family, or of Human intellect hath become an idol, any trust? I say, Nay: it is only the and is worshipped independent of Him art by which he administers the poison. who lighteth every one that cometh He gives you place, time and person; into the world ; and men take pleaand affects to give you the very words; sure in the works of the upsanctified intelbut he puts into them a traitor's heart, a lect, without respect to the cause in which traitor's interpretation, a traitor's pur- it is employed. They call it an intel

lectual age ; but they should call it the of our fathers, than of these subtle deage of the love of pleasure, in which the ceptions; which, through the last of the intellect is constrained to contribute its eye, steal their way into the heart, and share to the great banquet of pleasure lull men asleep, like Sampson in Dethat is served up. It is not for the lilah's lap, until they are fairly shorn discovery of the truth, it is not for the of all their locks of strength. admiration of moral worth, nor for the If I now descend a step lower, and discernment and taste of what is beau consider the pleasures of eating and tiful, but for the gratification of our drinking, I must enter my solemn prolikings and dislikings, that we write and test against the comparison to our adread in these times. So that I may truly vantage which in this respect is wont to say, that as power hath come to serve be made with our fathers; and I hold, pleasure, rather than to promote godli- that if our fathers indulged in greater ness; so the eye of the understanding excess, they fell far short of us in nicety, hath likewise come to love what is delicacy, and sensual indulgence; and pleasant, rather than to love what is their excess, also, was not the fruit of good. I think it is not many years epicurean pleasure, but of robust health, since we first had a book entitled the hospitality, and good cheer. Their * Pleasures of Imagination;' and now tables groaned with plenty, because they I may say that we have . Pleasures were generous and noble; but the like of Hope,' of 'Memory,' and even of plenty descended upon the lowest • Religion :' every thing brought, as I menial in the house, and diffused itself said, to contribute its portion to the love to the cottages around them. Tell not of pleasure, rather than the love of God. me that it was the same love of pleasure If, again, we look to the lust, or plea- which now must entertain a foreign sure, of the eye-which is one of the cook, prime minister to the diseased great heads of a Christian's trial from constitution of our body: te!l not me this present world—we shall find that that the slaying of the fatted calf, and men seem no longer to dread any evil the broaching of the home-brewed in this quarter, nor to guard against it; liquor, and the making of a feast, as but rather to think that the elegance Abraham did when Isaac was wenned, and beauty of the object seen is a as Isaac did to entertaia Abimelech and complete justification of the time, the Phichol, is ever to be likened to that expense, and the honour bestowed upon effeminate daiptiness, both in eating it. For example: of beautiful pictures and drinking, which now ruleth the and precious statues, of ornamental corporations of our cities, and formeth a objects in our apartments, of outward chief burden of their charge. Why decorations in our habitations, and of should these things not be discoursed every other thing pleasant to the eye, of? They are a disgrace unto the city the increase of which hath taken place in which we live. I declare, that with within these thirty years, abstracting the half the waste of their luxurious enterminds of our nobility and gentry and tainments I would keep the families well-conditioned people from the study of almost all the clergy necessary for of homely household economy, from the churches of our cities. They talk family cares, from noble and charitable about our fathers, as if they were all a pursuits, which hath increased the set of sensualists: I wot well they vanity and the expense of living, and would have been ashamed of us their propagated so much the more toil and children. They ate their meal like speculation of every kind : this increase, hungry men, and went about their work I say, of the lust of the eye, within my refreshed again; but we, whether from own remembrance, is not to be reckoned our love of labour or of indulgence, up. Now, for my part, I believe one have thrown our meal into the luxurious honest Englishman of the old school, evening, that we may not have any one stern Presbyterian of the old school, after-interruption, but slide gently and to be at any time worth at least a dozen softly from the banquetting-house unto virtuosi, who have learned their craft in our downy! chamber. Brethren, blame foreign parts, and brought it over, all me not for entering into these things : redolent with Popish superstition, or at they are the characteristics of the times least with Protestant indifference. I which I have taken upon me to unfold. would rather have an importation of If, again, I direct my attention to living Jesuits in the lump at once, with public entertainments, I can hardly whom we might know to deal in fair keep my indignation within bounds. A round words, according to the manner rout, a ball, a conversazione for the exhibition of rarities and shows; to what do periods, but they are brought to they amount but foolish spectacle? To light in many instances by the speak, is out of the question; to dis

efforts made for their extirpation; course, madness; to breathe, oft difficult

and thougbour ears are often enough. What a disgrace to a Christian people! Oh what a disgrace to a

shocked with tidings of abomination, Christian people, are these our evening yet still we doubt whether ever a entertainments.-Pp. 367-372.

period existed in this land, when

the cause of purity and benevolence We are pained to observe, that

was more sedulously advocated and Mr. Irving, in direct opposition to

promoted. Still, however, much, the avowed sentiments and confes

very much, remains to be done; sions of that church of which he

and in proportion as ministers, is a minister, denies the anthority

they occupying commanding situations, of the moral law as a rule of life,

point out bow widely the rami.

point and indulgesin sentiments and

fications of corruption extend, and reasonings on this topic, which if

how much that is evil penetrates pressed to their full extent, would

into the most favoured situations, invalidate all the preceptive parts

they will doubtless, through the of the word of God. We call

divine blessing, be instrumental in upon him to reconsider this part

convincing men of sin, and stimu

convincing m of his work, and to contrast it with

lating them to the exercise the following brief extract from

of penitence and prayer. In this the confession of faith of the church

point of view we hail Mr. I.'s of Scotland.

endeavours ; he goes much deeper * Although true believers be not

into the moral part of the question under the law as a covenant of works,

than the majority of popular to be thereby justified or condemn

preachers, and, on such points, is ed; yet it is of great use to them,

deserving of especial attention. as well as others; in that, as a rule

On political questions, and on the of life, informing them of the will

actual state of things, among difof God and their duty, it directs

ferent religious denominations, he them to walk accordingly,' &c.

appears to us very imperfectly Mr. Irving appears to us to fail

informed, and hence his arrows are entirely in his main argument.

not unfrequently shot at random, These are indeed perilous times,

and calculated to wound the very and we live in the last days, but he

persons and causes he means to has not demonstrated that these

support; while his style, on some times are more perilous than others.

occasions, affords most ludicrous He points out many and grievous

examples of bombast. evils which exist among us, but he o ye niggard spiritualizers of God's has not shown that on the whole universal promise! ye pharisaical coniniquity abounds more than in temners of the material creation ! who former periods, that the propor

will not hear that this rough rose-bud

will not hear tion of ungodliness is greater than

should blow into the flagrant and genein former times. It is not indeed

rous rose, nor that the lily which hath

emerged from the waters should open easy for an individual to obtain all

its fair bosom unto the eye of heaven, I the elements necessary to form an cannot away with you, for your refusal exact calculation; but, amidst all unto the sense of man of her resurrecthe evils we feel or fear, we are tion might, and enjoyment, and possesconvinced that the cause of sound sion, and pure delight, and roaming morality and of true religion is

range over the heavens and the earth; advancing amongst us. The hor

I cannot away with you, for your most

unscriplural, unprophetical, unnatural rors of the dens and recesses of

dislike to hear of any thing but nature's iniquity are indeed more brought doom, or nature's death ! Nought will to light now, than in some former satisfy you, ye heartless men, but that