have differed so widely as they do in various countries where this religion is professed; and, if they had been committed to writing, that sacred alphabet would have been preserved among all the nations by whom the faith was received and professed. But the Chinese, who form the largest portion of Budhists, have no alphabet to the present day; and the Tibetians on the North, and the Burmese and Singalese on the South, use alphabets which are manifestly derived from the Sanscrit, which kind of writing was not brought into India till some time after the age of Alexander the Great, as appears from the coins collected in Afghanistan.

From the early age at which Budha promulgated his doctrines many extravagancies were contained therein; and these have been increased a hundred fold by their having beeu handed down only by tradition through various races of most ignorant and superstitious populations, agreeing in scarcely anything save that extravagant and hyperbolical form of expression which is common to all oriental writings, on whatever subject they may happen to treat.

They all hold the doctrine of transmigration and regard it as a punishment for delinquency; and they believe that by abstraction of mind and devout contemplation the soul may attain a higher degree of glory and blessedness than we at present possess. But all they say on these heads is so turgid and so filled with absurd exaggerations that it is difficult to extract sense or consistency out of them. It may be necessary for the missionary to know these things to get at the mind of those to whom he is sent; but to others they appear as stupid senseless as any of the monkish legends of the dark still more extravagant from their Oriental colouring.

9 and

ages, and

1. The Monthly Packet of Evening Readings for the Younger Members of the Church.

2. The Magazine for the Young. October, November, and Decem ber, 1852.

3. Stories and Catechisings on the Collects. Mozley. 5 1417 THE first of the publications here enumerated rises in interest as it proceeds, and exhibits marks of very careful, and able editing. The "Magazine for the Young" sustains its character and that is a high one; and the "Stories and Catechisings," the last part of which, the Sundays having been completed in the preceding one, embraces the Saints' day from St. Andrew to the Innocents inclusive, will form a most valuable series, both as regards the simplicity with which instruction is conveyed, and the soundness of the doctrine propounded. - 4 No AvM

Synopsis Papismi; or, a General View of the Papacy: with Computations of Romish Errors from the Scriptures, Fathers, Councils, &c., &c., by Andrew WILLETT, DD.. A new Edition, carefully revised and edited by the Rev. John CUMMING, DD. London: Reformation Society, 8, Exeter Hall. 1852. In ten volumes 8vo.

f

DR. WILLETT was an eminently learned divine who lived and wrote in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and James I. His "Synopsis Papismi," though a large folio of not less than thirteen hundred closely printed folio pages, was so highly esteemed in his own time as to pass through five editions, the last of which appeared some years after his decease. This work has ever since deservedly held a distinguished place in English theological literature, as being a first-rate manual of the whole controversy between Protestants and Romanists. Dr. Willett's "Synopsis" having become extremely scarce, Dr. Cumming has conferred no small service on those who are called to engage in that controversy by re-publishing it in the present handsome and commodious form, with the addition of a general index. All the references have been verified and carefully corrected; and, as the work now appears, we have much pleasure in adding our testimony to that of the editor's, who has justly characterised it as a compressed, clear, and learned compendium of the whole controversy. Every subject is treated in the fewest words. The arguments are the ablest, most numerous, and most conclusive; and as a reference book for clergymen preaching on the Romish controversy, and for persons desirous of seeing, with very little labour or trouble, the best replies to the acutest objections and reasonings of Romish priests, it is alike unrivalled and invaluable.

Spirits of the Past. An Historical Poem, in Three Books. By NICHOLAS MICHELL, Author of "Ruins of Many Lands," &c. London: Tegg. 1853.

EVIDENCES of unquestioned talent, extensive reading, and cultivated taste abound in every page of the graceful volume before us, enhancing the regret with which we enter our humble protest against the claim put forth on the title-page. Mr. Michell has great command of language, and an ear for rythmical barmony, but these do not constitute poetry. A poet never could have penned such a line as

"The cuirassiers their equals, now, have found."

The "Notes" which extend to more than sixty pages, and display a large amount of classical and historical knowledge, form the most valuable portion of the volume, which is the work of a scholar and a gentleman-would we could add of a poet!

་་་་་་

1. A Memoir of the Rev. W. A. B. Johnson, Missionary of the Church Missionary Society in Regent's-town, Sierra Leone, A.D. 18141823. With some Prefatory Remarks. By the Rev. W. JOWETT, M.A., Incumbent of St. John's Church, Clapham; late Fellow of St. John's, Cambridge. Seeleys. 1852.

2. Parish Sermons; Preached for the most part at Trinity Church, Upper Dicker, in the County of Sussex. By the Bishop of SIERRA LEONE, late Incumbent of the Dicker. Darling. 1852.

THE first of these volumes brings before us one of the most remarkable instances upon record, in modern times, of the power and abiding efficacy of Gospel truth, when declared in all simplicity, and received into sincere and upright hearts, although unadorned by the learning or eloquence of the speaker, and not preceded by the advantages of much education or intelligence in those who received the glad tidings of salvation. It is, in short, a striking illustration of the fulfilment of the promise," The poor have the Gospel preached to them." And the second volume is of the same character, and full of hope for the future prosperity of that work, begun more than thirty years ago by Mr. Johnson; for we find in these sermons by the Bishop of Sierra Leone evidences of a faith as simple in the elementary truths of the Gospel as in Mr. Johnson's; combined with learning, and theology, and eloquence, yet not obscured or displaced by these attainments, but enhanced and recommended the more.

The subject of this memoir was a humble German, employed as a porter in the establishment of a sugar refiner or some such menial occupation; and while thus engaged his own heart was opened for the reception of divine truth, and he also received the impulsive desire to impart the glad tidings of salvation to others. In this, as in so many other instances upon record, the providence of God and the grace of the Holy Spirit went hand in hand. Johnson was brought low in temporal circumstances; and a passage of Scripture, which had been impressed upon him at school but had lain dormant ever since, was brought forcibly to mind-viz., "Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." But the remembrance of his sins brought him to the brink of despair :

"The following morning I went to work: how I felt I do not know, for I was like a madman. Breakfast time came-all the men went home, but it was of no use for me to go home; yet to stay there would cause suspicions-therefore I went home.

My wife met me at the door very happy. This was something strange to me: she told me that the breakfast was ready. I was

astonished, and did not know what to say. She then told me that a lady from India had taken a house in the street, and had sent to the mistress of a neighbouring shop, for a woman to stay with her and the mistress had recommended her, and the lady had given her four shillings and told her to get the house ready, and, if she behaved well, she would reward her accordingly.

"My feelings at that moment I cannot well express-the greatest sinner in the world, and God so merciful! My despairing state was turned a little into joy; but still my sins, my sins, laid very heavy upon me......Oh what shall I do?

This gives the clue to Johnson's future history, and furnishes also the principle on which all his ministrations were grounded, and accounts for their success especially among such a population as that of Sierra Leone. He ever after acknowledged the leadings of God's providence in all things, and every exhortation or reproof he was ready to receive as if specially addressed to himself; and, under circumstances very much calculated to produce pride and self-exaltation, he was kept humble, and he invariably ascribed the success which attended his exertions to the grace of God: so that, disclaiming all human merit and disregarding human censure or applause, he was kept equally steadfast in all cases whether of adversity or prosperity. And the same spirit of a simple reliance upon God and distrust of themselves was imparted to his converts, and this must be the ground-work of every real conversion to Christianity.

Just at this time Johnson went to the German Church in the Savoy, and heard a Moravian missionary preaching on the love of Jesus. In the course of the sermon he said, "Is there a sinner here, full of sin, and ready to sink under it? In the name of Jesus, I bid such an one to come unto Him; for He has said, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' "This was exactly suited to Johnson's case: he laid hold of the promise-he was enabled to cry to Jesus for mercy, and he felt that his sins were forgiven for Christ's sake; and soon after he felt an irresistible desire to tell to others what Christ had done for him.

The humble circumstances of Johnson, and the want of preparatory education, rendered it so extremely improbable that this desire would ever be accomplished that he struggled for some time against it; but, finding the desire increase rather than diminish, he offered himself to the Church Missionary Society, and was at once accepted:

"His name was once mentioned to the committee, and it was agreed that he should have an interview. That interview took place a fort night after; and without an hour's delay, or any postponement for

further enquiries, Mr. Johnson and his wife-himself a workman at a sugar refiner's in Whitechapel-are at once engaged, and destined to go forth as soon as a certain amount of instruction has been given, as schoolmaster and schoolmistress in Western Africa. The men who thus, at once and without hesitation, grasped at the offer of William Johnson almost as soon as it was made, were not novices or men of rash and heedless tempers. That committee included such names as Josial Pratt, Basil Wood, William Goode, and Daniel Wilson. The obvious inference, therefore, which we may safely draw from their immediate acceptance of Willam Johnson's offer is, that the sincerity and earnestness of his soul so showed itself in his looks and words, that, as Philip could baptise the eunuch whom he had only seen for a single hour, so they felt no danger of deceit or illusion in at once accepting the plain assurances of this German mechanic” (4).

In little more than a year we find Mr. Johnson settled as a schoolmaster in Sierra Leone; and Mr. Bickersteth, who had preceded him by about six weeks to fix the stations of the missionaries, wrote home-" I am much pleased with what I have seen in Mr. Johnson: there seems a deadness to the world, and a devotion of heart to the cause, which are likely to make him a blessing where God's providence shall place him." Hog-brook, afterwards called Regent's Town, became the place of his abode and the chief scene of his successful exertions.

There was no church when he arrived at Regent's Town, and Mr. Johnson held family prayers in his own house, to which the people came in such crowds that the house and piazza and windows were all full; and on the first day that school was opened ninety boys, besides girls, made their appearance; while at six o'clock in the evening, when an adult school was opened, thirty-one men and twelve women attended. The simple expositions of Scripture which Mr. Johnson gave soon began to produce an effect, and many came to open their hearts to him and seek for guidance and consolation. "I went (says Mr. Johnson) and related the circumstance to Mr. Butscher at Leicester Mountain, and begged him to come and baptize them, which he did. Twenty-one adults, one boy, and three infants (captured negroes) were baptized. On Saturday evening I examined them one by one; and I was astonished to hear in what manifold and wondrous ways God had revealed himself to these poor people. Several more came soon after, and the number amounted in January, 1817 (not more than six months after his arrival at Regent's Town), to forty-one communicants."

Thus, though he had been sent out only as a schoolmaster, Mr. Johnson was, as it were, constrained to take upon himself