"might ring their passing bell." It is well described as perhaps the very best model that could be studied, of " paraphrasing a parable without diluting it."

Next follows the " Second Part of the Pilgrim's Progress,”—a work, the long delay and final execution of which clearly show the great care which Bunyan bestowed upon his literary labours, and that he was not a "Glorious Dreamer," as Mr. P. observes, by accident or without effort. His ideas and designs had many a form before they haunted his "night-visions." He did dream, asleep and awake, and wait for happy moods; but he prepared himself for these helps. Accordingly, not all the popularity of the first part of his Pilgrim could tempt him for years to write a "Second Part." It was written, it seems, at intervals, whilst engaged upon his "Life of Badman, and his "Holy Life the Beauty of Christianity." The chronological critique also connects with it his" Pharisee and Publican,"—" a work from the same mint and metal as the works just named. Bunyan came out of Mansoul, and up from his second pilgrimage, and direct from the grave of Badman, to write and preach it."

"The Jerusalem Sinner Saved" stands in Doe's Circular, No. 38, in the order of publication, and is dated 1688, the year in which Bunyan died.

"This, however, is any thing but the date of its composition. As a sermon, it was his favourite, and had been preached, in substance, in many places, both before and after his imprisonment. In the original Preface he says of it, I have found, through God's grace, good success in preaching on this subject, and perhaps so I may by writing upon it too. I have been vile myself: but have obtained mercy; and I would have my companions in sin partake of mercy too: and therefore I have wrote this little book.'

The fact is, he wrote and published so much during what Doe calls the time of King James II.'s Liberty of Conscience,' that he was seized with a sweating distemper' in the spring of 1688. It was this illness that was brought back by his journey to Reading. We thus get at the secret of his hard work. He had no confidence in James, and therefore he made the most of liberty while it lasted, and took care that sermons which he might never preach again should not be lost to the world, if he should be again silenced."

Thus far the order of Bunyan's treatises appears to be ascertained. There remain, however, twenty more upon which Doe's Circular throws no light by dates, and thus gives no clue to their origin. The length of our notice forbids our abridging Mr. Philip's conjectures respecting them, or his characters of them. "The Saint's Privilege and Profit,"-" The Acceptable Sacrifice or the Excellency of a Broken Heart,"-" Defence of Justification by Faith," Israel's Hope Encouraged,"-" Paul's Departure and Crown:" nor would his introductory critique enable us to give his opinion of "Solomon's Temple Spiritualized,"—"The House

of Lebanon,"-"Antichrist's Ruin," or the "Notes on Genesis." Suffice it therefore to say that he has clearly shown that "The Acceptable Sacrifice or the Excellency of a Broken Heart," was Bunyan's last work —" a specimen of his own contrite spirit in the last year of his life."

"Cokeyn, who knew him well, and loved him dearly, said, whilst his ashes were hardly cold, What is here written is but a transcript of his own heart. For God, who had much work for him to do always, was always hewing and hammering him by His Word, and sometimes by more than ordinary trials and desertions. The design was, the humbling and keeping of him low in his own eyes. The truth is, as he himself sometimes acknowledged, he always needed the thorn in his flesh,' and God in mercy sent it him, lest under his extraordinary circumstances, he should be exalted above measure; which, perhaps, was the evil that did most easily beset him. These facts give a peculiar interest to the treatise under notice. There is a calm and deep solemnity about its appeals to the conscience, that indicates, if not a dying man, yet a subdued man, who is too much absorbed with eternal realities to be either violent or harsh, even when wielding them against the hardened."

There is one more little paragraph which we must quote as a literary notice for the times.

"It is want of room," says Mr. P. "that prevents all notice here of his 'Antichrist's Ruin.' That is both a pithy and prudent book, and well worth re-publication, now that the endowment of Popery at home is indorsing Antichrist abroad, and now that England is flirting with Babylon, whilst Germany is bearding the Beast."

We conclude with this notice the rather, as being deeply impressed with the conviction that " Antichrist" is now meditating and about to make his last attack. The writings of the Reformers and Puritans are eminently calculated to prepare us for that attack (Bunyan's by no means least so); they are rich stores for the Church to fall back upon. We cannot doubt but they were designed for present use; and while we rejoice to see them received as they now are, with a unanimity and zeal which clearly show that Protestantism is not dead, we feel it a duty, however humbly, to call attention to them, and thus aid what appears to us a providential movement connected with great events on the eve of accomplishment. An age of missions, and what will probably soon be an age of deepening conflict, cannot be an age (as evidently it is not) of very original authorship. It is the time of action. We must up and be doing. It is therefore, we repeat, matter of thankfulness that we have these stores to fall back upon, and if the present notice be at all instrumental in directing attention to the weapons of proof laid up in the works of the immortal Bunyan, its end will be accomplished.

SHORT NOTICES.

INSTRUCTION FOR THE IGNORANT: being a salve to cure that great want of knowledge which so much reigns both in young and old prepared and presented to them in a Plain and Easy Dialogue, fitted to the capacity of the weakest. By JOHN BUNYAN. London: Nelson. 1846.

THIS Plain and Easy Dialogue is, in fact, a Catechism, and, as one of Bunyan's biographers remarks, "such a catechism as only Bunyan could produce. He knew by bitter experience what Ignorance is, and by long experience what forms of knowledge find the readiest entrance into vacant minds. Hence, he makes the ignorant put his questions as their own, instead of asking them questions. Nor is this all. He makes them identify themselves with every point in some way: either by kindling youthful curiosity, or by drawing out the natural conscience dextrously. "I will not venture to institute," adds Mr. Philip, "either a contrast or a comparison between Bunyan's Catechism, and those most in use now in families and Sunday Schools; but I do most respectfully submit to the heads of both, the propriety of studying his Catechism for Catechism, to see whether his plan might not facilitate their own work. It deserves eonsideration also, whether Dr. Watts' Catechisms might not be well followed by that of Bunyan? Catechetical Association with the name of the Author of the Pilgrim's Progress, seem to me invaluable, now that Bunyan is a universal favourite with children. Indeed, I can conceive of nothing so fascinating to the young, as setting them to ask JOHN BUNYAN questions." There is much wisdom in these suggestions-but we would just add, that this little manual of Bunyan's is more than a catechism for youth. It is in truth a very awakening dialogue, as much calculated to arouse the careless and slumbering, of whatever age or class, as to instruct the ignorant— "a salve," as it is well entitled, "to cure that great want of knowledge, (experimental heart-knowledge) which so much reigns both in young and old." It was written by Bunyan, "driven from his people "in presence, not affection," to put them "again in remembrance of first things, and to give (them) occasion to present something to their carnal relations, that (might) be... for their awakening and conversion." "Next," he says, "I present it to all those unconverted, old and young, who have been at any time under my preaching, and yet remain in their sins:

"

and I entreat them also, that they receive it as a token of my love to their immortal souls: yea, I charge them, as they will answer it in the day of the terrible judgment, that they read, ponder, and receive this wholesome medicine prepared for them.

Now the God of blessing bless it to the awakening of many sinners, and the salvation of their souls by faith in Jesus Christ."

These few words well express the author's design as it breathes through the whole catechism, and, like every thing which Bunyan wrote, testifies to his love for souls, and his earnest desire to pluck them as "brands from the burning." We would therefore heartily recommend it for general circulation, and submit to our Sunday School teachers, whether it might not serve to give their instructions a more impressive searching character, were they from time to time to review this interesting specimen of Bunyan's teaching. It is true, he uses plain and "hard sayings "-i.e. sayings hard to be received-but, if we are not mistaken, there is now-a-days too much of smooth teaching, both in the pulpit and in schools; and glad should we be if the treatises of Bunyan now coming into circulation should be blessed to the awakening a more solemn and serious earnestness in the circulation of divine truth. Our readers will excuse us, perhaps, if we give the "conclusion" of Bunyan's Catechism as a specimen of his earnest awakening style. There may be an expression or two (as there are many in his various writings) which some would wish to modify: but we leave his "picked and packed words," to speak for themselves, and should not be sorry to see them revived a little in these polite days,

"Before I wind up this discourse," he says, "I would lay down these few things to consider of, and meditate upon :

"I. Consider, that seeing every one by nature are accounted sinners, 'tis no matter whether thy actual sins be little or great, few or many, thy sinful nature hath already lain thee under the curse of the law.

"II. Consider, that therefore thou hast already ground for humiliation, sins to repent of, wrath to fly from, or a soul to be damned.

"III. Consider, that time stays not for thee, and also that as time goes, sin increaseth so that at last the end of thy time, and the completing of thy sin, are like to come upon thee in one moment.

"IV. Bring thy last day often to thy bed-side, and ask thy heart if this morning thou wert to die, if thou be ready to die or no.

"V. Know 'tis a sad thing to lie a-dying, and to be afraid to die to lie a-dying, and not to know whither thou art going: to lie a-dying, and not to know whether good angels or bad must conduct thee out of this miserable world.

"VI. Be often remembering what a blessed thing it is to be saved, to go to heaven, to be made like angels, and to dwell with God and Christ to all eternity.

"VII. Consider how sweet the thought of salvation will be to thee when thou seest thyself in heaven, whilst others are roaring in hell.

"The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy Spirit."

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE LITURGY OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. By the Rev. W. TROLLOPE, M.A., Pembroke College, Cambridge. Cambridge Hall.

1846.

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THIS manual of Questions and Answers on the Liturgy, "is primarily designed for Students in the Universities." It is one of the many helps which have been provided for the theological examinations, and contains, no doubt, a great body of valuable information clearly arranged and well expressed. But Mr. Trollope's manual "has also been compiled with a view to more general usefulness. In the higher classes of schools, it may be presumed," he observes, "that such a volume will be introduced with advantage: and by omitting such of the authorities as it has been deemed advisable to give in the original Greek or Latin, it will not be found ill adapted for private or family instruction." We wish it were in our power unhesitatingly to second this view, and recommend without caution or reserve a volume so full of useful matter, and, on the whole, so fairly drawn up. But while (as is usual in catechetical manuals) there is too much assumed on some doubtful points, there is in others, not a little enveloped which we should be very unwilling to recommend as sound teaching. Thus in the opening of the chapter on Common Prayer and its essentials,' the catechumen is thus instructed:-

"3. Point out certain essentials which are necessary to ensure its efficacy. "In order to ensure this efficacy, it is essential that common prayer should be offered in a consecrated place, by an appointed minister,

"4. Whence does it appear that Christians are called upon to worship God in a consecrated place?

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As we have houses to eat and to drink in,' to which St. Paul (1 Cor. xi. 22) opposes the 'Church of God' and since God expressly set apart the temple of the Jews' as a house of prayer' (Isa. lvi. 7; Matt. xxi. 13), it follows that Christians also are called upon to worship in a place consecrated to his service, and in which therefore his honour dwelleth.'

Again, it is another of Mr. Trollope's sequiturs that we are certainly regenerated in baptism. Not to quote our author at length on this head, we will just allow him to ask and answer one question :

"What do you understand," he asks, "by the word regeneration?"

"Ans. Mankind' being by nature born in sin, and the children of wrath,' the term regeneration is borrowed by our Church from the Scriptures to express that death unto sin, and new birth unto righteousness, whereby in baptism we become children of grace. This spiritual birth, like the natural, can only take place once, and that in baptism and though a baptized Christian may repeatedly fall from a state of grace, and be again renewed by re