and the result is, that the injurious effects ascribed to religion, are produced much oftener by other causes.

Hundreds are injured by injudicious intellectual application, to one who is injured by solicitude about his soul. Thousands are reduced to morbid melancholy by sloth and gluttony, and by intemperate drinking tens of thousands, to one who becomes the victim of perverted excitement on account of his religious anxieties. The perplexities, and cares, and disappointments of life, occasion more nervous melancholy, and mental aberration, a thousand fold, than ever appears in alliance with revivals of religion. The annual visitations of sickness and mortality, in the families of the fashionable, and thoughtless, and dissipated, produce more shipwreck of cheerfulness, and more sadness of heart, and protracted melancholy, than is produced by all the revivals so constantly occurring in our land. The instances are rare, in which any permanent evils result from solicitude for the welfare of the soul; and such as do exist, are for the most part the consequence entirely of indiscretion either of cruel opposition, which cuts off the unhappy sufferer from the needed evangelical instruction; or cases of indiscreet voluntary concealment, where confidential communication and instruction would have produced alleviation; or where there was antecedently such a tremulous state of the system, as precluded protracted emotion on any subject, or in any degree, without injurious nervous excitement; or, which is more common, cases of prolonged religious solicitude, without suitable exercise, nutrition, and sleep. In proportion to the tax laid upon the intellect, and the heart, of severe thought and deep feeling, is the necessity of a corresponding increase of muscular tone, to balance nervous tendency. If, then, when the tax on the nervous system is doubled, the muscular system is robbed of its energy, by utter inactivity, by irregular and diminished nutrition, and a voluntary subtraction of sleep, who can wonder that the animal spirits should flag, and the nerves unbalanced sigh to every breeze, and send out their wild vagaries through all the regions of the imagination.

I am aware, that some seem to regard the imporance of the soul, and the excellence of religion, as a complete guarantee against any possible harm, in seeking salvation in any manner, whatever resistance may be offered to the ordinary rules of discretion and self-preservation. But it ought to be remembered, that the Holy Spirit, in the conviction and conversion of men, acts by the instrumentality of stated laws of body and mind, and not by their prostration. The body and the mind may easily be too much exhausted to render the influence of truth of any avail; and when this is the case, rest is required, instead of new excitement.

Animals are guided in their own preservation by instinct: man by reason and experience. Nor is it to be expected, that God will preserve by a miracle that health and safety, for the

preservation of which he has bestowed on us the ample means. The laws of mind and body are general laws, and the violation of them by indiscretion, while seeking the salvation of the soul, will be the same in its result, as if similar violence were offered in relation to any other subject. The only precautions which I have found necessary, are,

1. That the subject of religious inquiry shall continue his daily avocation, which will furnish a partial alleviation to the mind from intense thinking and deep feeling on one subject. This, attended by stated seasons for reading and prayer, will not be injurious to the progress of knowledge and salutary impression, but favorable to it; while undiverted intensity of thought and feeling will be liable to produce confusion of mind and exhausted sensibility, in ⚫ such cases misnamed stupidity.

If the employment be studious or sedentary, in such cases there should be taken, every day, more than the ordinary amount of muscular exercise.

2. A second caution is, to continue, as near as may be, the ordinary amount of nutrition and sleep, and at the times which habit has rendered natural. A momentary loss of appetite, or an occasional encroachment on the regular hours of sleep is not to be feared; but the continuance of this robbery of animal nature, at a time when a double tax of thought and feeling is laid upon it, and an increase, instead of a diminution of care is needed for its healthful preservation, cannot fail, if persisted in, to impair the muscular tone, and induce nervous debility. By such causes, the power of digestion may be invaded, and the corroding acid formed, to prey upon the great organ of sensibility, bringing upon the soul disastrous twilight, and perplexity, and fear, and faintness of heart, all which will now be taken by the suffering subject, as evidence of unparalelled guilt and hopelessness, and by the enemies of religion, as demonstration strong of the morbid influence of revivals of religion; when in fact, it is the result of ignorance, or of a presumptuous neglect of the means of self-preservation, which, in any other case, would produce the same effect. No wonder, that abused nature groans and travails in pain, and shuts out the light of heaven, and shrouds the soul in sackcloth. It is the cry of exhausted feeling-the ebbing of nervous energy-the going out of the lamp of life, because its oil is wantonly consumed, and not replenished.

Short seasons of acute distress are not dangerous. But where solicitude is protracted, there is a liability to nervous affection, which should be understood by ministers, and Christian parents, and all Christians, and guarded against by a vigilance and care, to secure a temperate regularity of food, and sleep, and exercise. With these simple precautions, there is, in every case of religious awakening, next to absolute safety.

What Edwards used to call Satan's temptations, which came in at the close of a revival, were evidently the effect of nervous debility, in case of seriousness protracted, without a due regard to the means of preserving an unperverted healthful flow of nervous feeling. It was the flagging and mourning of exhausted, neglected nature. In proportion as I have paid a careful attention to this subject, have those cases of stubborn melancholy been rare in their appearance, and when incorrigible to moral influence, have yielded usually to regimen and exercise, until, in many cases, when the preternatural darkness was driven away by the pulsation of health, the Sun of righteousness arose upon the soul in a cloudless day. But with all the preceding liabilities to nervous affection, the danger attendant upon the mental solicitude which precedes and is indispensable to repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, is not so great as that which attends the ordinary avocations of life.

There are more accidents injurious to health, in voyages and journeyings for amusement, and in the daily occupations of men, than attend the exertions of men to obtain salvation. I have looked with admiration upon the safety with which, in ordinary cases, the mind acts in this great concern. There is a moral excitement in the open-eyed vision of truth to an unholy mind, which, though painful, is salutary; and with proper instruction, is much more calculated to prevent, than to produce morbid melancholy. Where the proper instruction is given, God is not accustomed to permit the spirit to fail before him, but within a period safe to body and mind, grants deliverance.

Nor is there any such liability to improvidences, as creates any peculiar danger. Children in the hands of the most judicious. mothers, come to harm as often as awakened sinners under judicious treatment. Indeed, the odium which is got up against revivals, as tending to melancholy, and mental aberration, does in reality belong to another quarter. The infidelity, and irreligion, and profligacy, which trumpet this objection against revivals, produce a thousand fold more distress, and melancholy, and nervous insanity, by vicious excitement and exhaustion, than all the evils which have ever been occasioned by mental solicitude on account of religion. It is impenitent profligacy and infidelity, which wear out the body, and war against the soul. Infidelity and intemperance occasion a hundred murders and suicides, to one death which is occasioned by religious anxiety; and if the example of the wicked should be imitated, in publishing all the suicides produced by atheism, and infidelity, and heresy, and profligacy, it might require a weekly gazette extraordinary, devoted to that single theme, inscribed within and without with mourning, and lamentation, and wo.

REVIEW.

THE LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD, the American Traveller; comprising selections from his Journals and Correspondence. By Jared Sparks. Cambridge, Hilliard & Brown, 1828.

Biographies are so multiplied in these times, that in order to be patronized they must possess merit; at the same time they offer, in general, so many attractions for the mass of readers, and are so extensively called for and read, that in no other sort of writing does merit stand in better prospect of reward. Two things only are requisite to give them certainty of success-a worthy subject and good execution. If the character portrayed is one of little prominence, if its various shades are marked by no striking peculiarities, if it is associated with no national blessings, no enterprize of greatness, no purposes of benevolence, it may not rise into notice, even though the execution be first rate. Greatness will command interest, under the disadvantages of poor description. And even though it may be wicked greatness, if it is set forth with the view of deterring others from vice, it is not the less adapted to excite and fix the attention. On the other hand, good judgement in the selection of incidents, and the graces of good style, are indispensable to a finished biography. Men of judgement are disgusted, when circumstances of little or no moment are detailed in the character even of a great man. And men of taste will loathe the inelegancies and vulgarities that too often abound in the biography of eminent men. It becomes necessary, therefore, that good selection of character, and also of the incidents of character, should be combined with the best taste in the use of style, and the happiest talent at illustrating the nice shades of feelings and of actions, in order to ensure the perfection of biographical sketches. Every man of reading knows how admirably these different qualities were associated and evinced in the "Lives of the Poets," by Dr. Johnson. So judicious was his selection of the incidents of character, that the reader almost forgets the excellencies of style, in admiration of the character drawn ; and yet so accomplished was the execution, that poets little known to fame by their own writings, are made famous by the pen of their biographer. There is one other thing which may be mentioned in connexion with this notice of Dr. Johnson as a biographer. Remarks of a general nature frequently escaped him, when he was drawing the portraits of illustrious individuals. In the hands of a master, this is highly instructive and proper. But it requires the hand of a master. It should be done in the proper place, and with suitable brevity. If general remarks are made without judge

ment, without appropriateness, and with prolixity, they tire and disgust the reader.

We proceed now to apply these principles to the work before us. We think it possesses a high degree of merit, both as to matter and manner. Ledyard was certainly a very extraordinary man. "The acts of his life," his biographer remarks, " demand notice, less on account of their results, than of the spirit with which they were performed, and the uncommon traits of character which prompted their execution. Such instances of decision, energy, perseverance, fortitude and enterprize, have rarely been witnessed in the same individual." To trace the progress of such a mind is an object worth the efforts of the most gifted writer. A skilful delineation of the early developement of a great mind, is among the most profitable studies of the youthful learner. As his own mind is unfolding its powers, he is most interested in learning how others have been unfolded before him. But besides this circumstance, the scenes of his life were extremely diversified, and connected with some of the most curious and most noble objects of public interest. Almost at the outset of the Memoir, we find his name connected with the subject of Indian Missions. We soon find him sailing to Gibraltar, afterwards to London, to seek for wealthy family connexions; and after a disappointment in this particular, embarking with Captain Cook in his last voyage round the world. In the course of this celebrated voyage, Ledyard made observations, which abundantly shewed the discrimination of his mind. His remarks concerning the first peopling of the South Sea Islands, concerning the language, manners, and superstition of the natives, his singular digression on the origin and practice of sacrifices, and other speculations of like character, are among the most entertaining records afforded by voyagers. His account of the last scene in the life of Cook is probably the most ample and correct that has ever been given. During this voyage, also, several adventures of his own are recorded, which possess no common interest. We afterwards find him in his native land, proposing, for the first time, a voyage for mercantile adventure to the northwest coast. This he did, in consequence of witnessing, in his voyage with Cook, the astonishing profit made by procuring furs on that coast, and selling them in different parts of the world. After great exertion, delay and perplexity, he entirely failed in his attempt. Had he succeeded, he would undoubtedly have enriched himself, and all embarked in the expedition. He next went to Europe, and endeavored to set on foot the same enterprize there; but notwithstanding his incredible toils and anxieties, he met, in the end, with bitter disappointment and entire failure. He was, however, without question, the first to propose, in both continents, the fur trade on the northwest coast, which has been the source of wealth to many in each hemisphere. We next find him prosecut