Our author (we wish he had given his name, that we might not be obliged to use this circumlocutory phrase) dwells strongly and justly upon the worldly-mindedness of too many parents, who profess to make religion their great object, while placing their children in circumstances in which religion is disparaged, and especially while sending their sons to public schools for the sake of secular advantages. We know that the deprecation of public schools, on account of the moral evils usually attached to them, seldom fails to call down a sneer or a grave denial; but we are increasingly persuaded that our author is right; and we thank him for so honestly giving his religious friends his opinion. We lament, with him, that professedly Christian parents are too often, as regards the education of their children, as worldly as worldly ones. The plea for public schools is, that boys learn more Greek and Latin than they would at home, which we very much doubt, if home-education be well conducted but, if it were true, what would the objection weigh in the balance of the sanctuary? But, it is added, your home-bred boy will be selfish, cowardly, sneaking, and self-important: none of which items do we perceive to be of necessity connected with good domestic training, but quite the contrary. But grant the fact: is a boy less selfish at a public school, or in reality less sneaking, though he has learned adroitness to conceal it, or impudence to outbrave the charge, or false honour to revenge it? But let us hear our author :-"If the precious honours which are put upon parents, even to be as God, the source of life to immortal beings, whom they are to rear up to be fit partakers of the throne of Immanuel, the future sovereigns over all created intelligences, and the priests to offer up the praises and hallelujahs of a redeemed and regenerated world, had not been lost sight of, Christians would never have followed the practices of the world to do evil, and would not have abandoned the education of their CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 347. offspring, and consigned them into other, generally into ungodly, hands. In this respect the infidel will rise in judgment against Christian parents; for there are many of these unhappy persons who still desire that their wives and children may be religious, though they know not what true religion is: but we often find Christian parents saying that they do know what true religion is, and yet acting as if they were willing that their children should be infidels. To cover this delusion, tion, if not hypocrisy; and the very persons recourse is had to the greatest self-decepwho will at one time talk the loudest about the necessity of separation from the principles and practices of a world that lieth in wickedness, and who will maintain, that however outward conduct may differ, yet that the heart which is unregenerate, not born of God, not inhabited by the Holy Ghost, is still at enmity with about the increased morality of our public God, these very persons will quibble schools and universities, and madly persuade themselves that they are performing their duty towards God and towards their children, in consigning such awful charges into the hands of the directors and masters of these places of instruction." pp. 75, 76. "I was myself sent for upwards of nine years to one of our largest public schools, college at one of our universities; and I and, subsequently, to the most numerous am, therefore, well qualified to judge of their merits and demerits. But it does not rest upon individual testimony, but upon the evidence of common sense, when it is asserted, that wherever a number of boys are congregated, without the presence of a controlling superior, every form of profligacy and vice may manifest itself; and that the only limit to its exercise is the physical power of the boys themselves. There is not, there can be not, one single form of vice in the world which may not be, and which is not, practised in our public schools; and, if any deny it, it is only because they are ignorant of the practices which are there carried on. "The public schools of England, as they have been constituted for nearly the last century, have no parallel in the world. Cruel and barbarous as was the treatment which boys received in the schools that were established after the revival of learning, the parents were poor, and had no power to protect their offspring; but at least they never wholly lost sight of them by sending them to a distance. It was a thing unheard of in former times for children to be sent, sometimes hundreds of miles, from their parents' homes, to take the chance of the companionship of associates whose very names, far more dispositions and propensities, were unknown to those who sent them. It is beyond dispute, that example has a far greater influence upon all human beings than precept, and that the influence of those of 4 U the same age is much more powerful than that of those who are older or younger. The children reason thus :- My parents tell me, that their chief anxiety is for my salvation, and the formation of my religious character; but how does this comport with their selecting for me a school where religion is the last thing attended to? With their instructing me in some things which, as religious people, I hear them condemn? How is it, that all the anxiety of their conduct, whatever their words may say, appears to be to make a fine scholar? I am told that religion is the first thing, but I am educated for the world.'-James. "The masters of the public schools have never pretended to exercise any habitual controul over the boys, but have avowed that the system was confined to the acquisition of two dead languages alone. Their principal support has been derived from two sources: first, the wilful distaste of parents to fulfil their duties towards their children, and finding them impediments to their getting so much money in their various businesses, or hindrances to that round of ceaseless frivolity in which the more opulent classes dissipate their time. The second source is vanity, and an anxiety for some advantage which is supposed to accrue from having been at school with noblemen. In the olden time instruction was wont to be conveyed by the schoolmaster of the parish, or by one resident in the families of the more wealthy; but the parents' home was the alone residence of their offspring. The present practice marks more strongly than any other the decay of the foundations of society, because it had to war with and overcome the strongest instinct, namely, that of a parent's love; and, to the honour of the sex be it acknowledged, that it found a resistance in the strong citadel of a mother's breast, long after it had dislodged every other opposer. But this subject would lead us too far from the purport of this essay: suffice it to say, that the more it is sifted, the more it is opposed to every maxim of religion, morality, and affection; and it would not be more incongruous for a man to call himself a Christian, and be an habitual drunkard or swearer, than it is for him to do so whilst thrusting his children out of his own home, and consigning their education to irreligious teachers." pp. 85-88. Our author quotes, in the last extract, James's Family Monitor: he also several times cites Anderson on the Domestic Constitution; and alludes to Morison's "Reciprocal Obligations of Life;" all which we notice for the sake of adding our testimony to the excel lence of the advice in each of these works *. We wish he had also noticed Dr. Belfrage's admirable "Monitor to Families." We mention it here, because, among the many new works that press upon us, we do not recollect having recommended to our readers Dr. Belfrage's publications, which, we need only assure both them and the author, has not arisen from not thinking highly of their value. His "Coun sels for the Sanctuary, and for Civil Life," just published, complete his valuable series of illustrations of Christian morality, including young persons, aged persons, and families. 66 Our author does not say much of physical or mental education, his object being moral and spiritual; but he makes one remark, which is of great importance, that the mind of a little child should not be strained. Very true," says an anxious mother; "I never strain the mind of my little girl of three years old, or my boy of five: the former has only lately begun to read, and the latter does not study above five or six hours a-day." She is so far merciful in this, that it is not more than half the time many a little girl at boarding-school is confined, with a profusion of educational nuisances. But the whole system is injurious: Sir Astley Cooper says it is the chief exciting cause of gland and spine complaints, and that girls never will be well till books and music are out of date. There is at least moderation in these things; and Christian parents, who value real benefit and duty more than shew, will know how to check their own vanity or impatience, rather than sacrifice their children for the sake of display. We fear that the excellent institution of infant schools, if they diverge from their original object to become literary gymnasia for stuffing little heads with much learning, will greatly Mr. Morison has just published his useful Counsels to Servants separately, as a neat tractate; like his "Counsels to a Wedded Pair. injure the physical and mental stamina of the succeeding age. A little child is never idle. It has employment enough in exercising its infant senses, acquiring new ideas, and practising its unfledged energies. The pedant sees it at its busy efforts, and gives it a book, to learn hic, hæc, hoc," to prevent its being idle." He perhaps succeeds in prematurely stimulating-not, alas! expanding-the tender brain; while the limbs shrink, and the con. stitution is sapped. We heartily wish there was a mixed branch of respectable physicians, sound divines, and tender mothers, to legislate for children; for grievously are they too often managed in mind, in soul, and in body. We quit the topic of parents and children, with the following monitory passage. "In praying to be conformed to the image of Christ, we pray to become daily more and more unlike all earthly beings; more and more objects of scorn and derision to man. We pray that our children and families may be more unlike the children and families who have no inheritance in the kingdom of God and of Christ. At times, parents will feel appalled at the apprehension, that their children will be deprived of the external advantages which are fitting to their station; that they will grow up outré both in mind and body. Satan will hint that religion does not consist in outward things; and that peculiarity will be ensured without genuine piety as certainly following. O let parents beware here, for Satan has in this found out their tenderest place. Parents! if this bugbear of the imagination haunts you, conjure up this pic ture to yourself your child on its deathbed, and the conviction flashing on your mind, that had you but served your God with half the zeal you taught your child to serve the world; had the hours which were spent with the dancing master, been passed with the Bible, the eternal destiny of that child had been reversed. Be assured that happiness in this world is as effectually secured, both to yourself and to your child, by following the directions of God, as it is in the world hereafter." pp. 166, 167. We cannot find space to quote much from the section on servants; but it contains much important matter. We copy a few sentences: "It would be wide of the present purpose to discuss the causes of a fact which has been noticed by many travellers, namely, that of all the nations of the earth, hearing, and insolent to their inferiors; the English are the most proud, overand that this prevails more in the lower and middling, than in the higher ranks of life. Kindness and urbanity have no connexion whatever with improper familiarity; and none are so far removed from the latter as those who exercise the greatest portion of the former. The cause is probably to be found in wealth, the god which is worshipped more in this country than in any other; and certainly it is an idolatry which more degrades and debases its votaries, than pride of ancestry, or of intellectual superiority. But be this as it may, it is a most unchristian act to behave with haughtiness or violence to inferiors." pp. 95, 96. "The dissolution of all the bonds of society is more apparent in the case of servants and masters than in any other situation. The universal system pursued by tradesmen, even by some who make great professions of religion, of paying servants a per centage upon the amount of their master's bills, is a direct premium upon waste and dishonesty in every department which is entrusted to their care. Instead of looking upon themselves as parts of one family, which has but one interest, they enter their master's service for the purpose of indirect plunder, by means of which they intend to procure a provision against future contingencies for themselves. The heads of the family are kept in intentional ignorance of any evil that arises, and it is considered a breach of duty in any servant to report the misconduct of another: the extent of this is so great, that it is absolutely impossible for any large family to counteract it. The heads of many families, who are called religious, know as little what takes place amongst their servants as the most worldly; and though there are some religious servants who are conscientious in certain things, there are scarcely any who do not wink at the misdemeanours of their fellowservants rather than perform their duty to their employer. Nor, indeed, can it be otherwise, since social duties are not inculcated either in the schools or from the pulpits of modern religionists, but only those which are personal and selfish." pp. 107, 108. The last sentence contains one of those sidelong strokes which we have before noticed; and, among other casualties that belong to it, it has not the merit, so far as we fact. We have already seen that can judge, of being matter of some other charges against the "religious," or "Evangelicals" as a body, are in the same unhappy pre dicament. We have before adverted to the section on the duties of kings and subjects. We quite concur in all the author says of the duty of loyalty as a religious obligation; but we certainly do not go to the length of his argument, that should a ruler act ever so wickedly or extravagantly," he is amenable to Christ alone," in such a senseif the argument mean any thingthat the nation has no right to interpose to moderate his tyranny. Neither do we quite sympathize in his exalted admiration of the " autocracy" of the Bourbons, when they returned to the throne of France, after the peace in 1814. The determination of Louis XVIII. to acknowledge nothing that had passed in France during his absence, and dating his first act in the twen. tieth year of his reign, which our author so much extols, was not of much consequence, either well or ill, except that it conveyed an insult on all the governments, including our own, that had treated with Bonaparte and the French nation during his absence. But the refusal to acknowledge that the French had any thing but what he gave them, and maintaining that the privileges confirmed by the Charter, were not their due, but only doled out by his free-will and sovereign bounty, exhibited the very spirit, which, being duly followed up by his successor, has led to the late revolution. And here, to be perfectly serious with our respected author, we are quite clear that if he could succeed in inoculating a considerable number of our leading men, and members of both houses of parliament, with his views of civil government, and induce them to act upon those views, the king's crown, the peer's coronet, and the bishop's mitre, would not be worth six-month's purchase. A revolution would be inevitable, and the same succession of stages from extremes on the one side to extremes on the other, would take place as in the days of Charles the First, Cromwell, and Charles the "that Second. Our author will, we doubt not, allow this; but may probably tell us that it is in consequence of Erastianism, and the demon of "toleration," and other evil works; and proceed to point out the exact vial which is now pouring out over France, and perhaps threatens England. Our onlyreply is, that the evil on either side originates in false views of civil government, as exhibited in Scripture. There is the extreme of tyranny and despotism; and there is the extreme of all-subverting modern liberalism. The wise and right-minded Christian will know how to avoid both. Have I not power, once said a despotic British monarch to a servile prelate, to take my subjects' money upon my own authority, with or without their consent? "God forbid," replied the prelate, your majesty should not do as you will with your own; you are the breath of our nostrils." And what say you, my lord? continued the king, to another more honest or better informed Episcopal by. stander. "I am of opinion that your majesty has a good right to take my reverend brother's money, because he offers it." His wit saved his conscience, and perhaps his liberty; for in those days monarchs were accustomed to act upon very despotic ideas of" social duty," as now-a-days there is the contrary tendency in public opinion, to strip them of their just reverence and scripturally acknowledged power. But we shall not avoid this evil, and come to a sound medium, by reverting to the ultraism of stern semi-papistical Lauds, or mild and amiable non-juring Sancrofts. There is nothing which radical politicians are more ready to avail themselves of, to discredit cordial, manly, scriptural loyalty, and cheerful submission to kings, and all that are in authority, than the caricatures of this virtue, exhibited by such writers as Mr. Irving and other kindred schools. If our limits were not more than exhausted, we should not pass over our author's section on the duties of ministers and their flocks; which contains so much that is true and instructive, with some things which appear to us to be doubtful, that it would occupy some space to disentangle the two portions. His general view is, that it has come to be too much forgotten that the ministerial function, and the sacraments and services of the sanctuary, are means of grace, simply by Divine appointment, and, as such, independent in their efficacy of the character of the efficient administrator; and that laymen too much intrude upon the responsibilities of the ministers of Christ: while the ministers of Christ are apt, in their turn, to usurp a power not given them by God, in the families of laymen, where the pastor, he considers, should appear only in the character of a private friend, or "substitute," or "deputy," not as an authorised teacher, every master of a family being priest in his own house, and his pastor only "a stranger within his gates." There is a mixture of peculiarity in many of our author's statements, even when we do not materially differ from him, that renders it difficult to say yes or no to his positions; and we sometimes stumble over a remark which surprises us, like the massy boulders which the geologist finds in Switzerland, unconnected with the surrounding strata, and exciting his wonder as to whence they came, or what is their use, or how they arrived there. Here are fragments from various confessions, but we know not one that would bind our author as a whole. He has a dash of churchand-king, a dash of "the Evangelicals," and a dash, we are feign to think, of practical Popery; but the reader, if he have not the misfortune to be a critic, may pass over, or never find out, all this, and be content to be pleased with the frank, easy, gentlemanly style, edified with the religious instruction, and warmed with the piety and devotion of spirit and love to the Saviour, which beam in every page. RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE. SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL-CODRINGTON ESTATES. ON taking up the Report of this society, for 1829-1830, which has just been distributed, we turned to the notice respecting the society's estates in Barbadoes, and with the more eagerness, as a report has been for some time current, that the conductors of the institution have at length determined upon that act of Christian justice and mercy, the liberation of the unoffending persons detained by them in slavery. We have read the passage which relates to this part of the society's missions with mingled gratitude and disappointment; gratitude, that the society is at length, as we trust, really interested, and in earnest on the subject; disappoint ment, that the measures of relief proposed, whatever they are, do not rest upon the basis of simple Christian duty, and are hedged in with preliminaries which must vitiate every plan of which they form a part; and we fear will render all the present wishes of the society as abortive as are now acknowledged to have been those of their predecessors in days that are passed. It is not willingly that we again exhibit serious mistakes and deficiencies where we trust there is a real anxiety to do what is right; but the importance of the case demands it, and it would not be acting with Christian honesty towards the society if we did not freely, though respectfully, express our apprehensions. We begin with quoting the statements in the Report, on which we shall proceed to offer a few remarks. "The accounts transmitted by the chaplain, shew the progressive improvement of the Negroes in religious and moral conduct, and prove that the measures adopted last year, with a view to the encouragement of marriages, have not been without a beneficial influence. "Other steps however, of a more direct character, are now under consideration, for the promotion of the same object, having a tendency also to that consumma |