ART. X.-CRITICAL NOTICES. 1. Outlines of a History of the Court of Rome, and of the Temporal Power of the Popes. Translated from the French. Philadelphia: Joseph Whetham. 1837. pp. 328. THIS is the translation of a work of which the fourth edition was published at Paris in 1818. It is well understood to have been written by M. Daunou. It is pronounced by M. Dupin ainé to be "an historical work of the first order." The history is brought down to the year 1810. The author, though a decided Roman Catholic, is a staunch holder of the Gallican doctrines, and earnest opposer of Ultramontane or Roman principles. He admits the spiritual power of the Pope (as limited and defined by the four articles of 1682) and the authority of the Church in matters of faith; but denies their claims in matters political and temporal. The object of his book is to show that the temporal power of the Roman Pontiff originated in fraud and usurpation—has always been injurious to religion and that its constant influence is to retard civilization and knowledge. In the portion of the book devoted to the period between 1800 and 1810, the author proves that during this time : "The principles of the court of Rome were the same as those of Gregory VII., of Innocent III., and of Boniface VII. of happy memory;"—that the import of all the official acts of the Holy See is: "that the Pope can despoil and depose kings, annul the civil laws, overturn the laws of the Church, govern immediately, or cause to be governed, every diocese at his own will; that he is, and that he ought to be, not only a temporal prince, but the preceptor and sovereign of all princes, the universal bishop of Christendom. If we had lost the twenty-seven propositions of Hildebrand [Pope Gregory VII.] they might all be found in the acts of Pius VII. This will not astonish those who have studied the history of the court of Rome. While it exists, this court will have no other principles."p. 305, 307. We are glad to see a book like this for popular circulation in this country. It contains but little information new to the scholar and thorough student of the more learned historical works; but it is a judicious combination and arrangement of scattered materials, which will be useful to general readers. We commend it to Protestants and to Romanists. It is certainly our interest to wish that the principles of Daunou, Talon, &c., as well as Bossuet and others of an earlier age, mutatis mutandis, should prevail among the members of the Romish communion in this country. They are the only principles compatible with our free institutions. Besides, let the principle and habit be settled, of distinguishing, as the Gallican Catholics do, between the political and spiritual sovereignty of the Pope, and between the Pope and the Church :-and it will in the end destroy Papal Supremacy and the Infallibility of the Church, even in things spiritual. 2.-A Debate on the Roman Catholic Religion: held at Cincinnati, from the 13th to the 21st of January, 1837, between Alexander Campbell, of Bethany, Virginia, and the Rt. Rev. John B. Purcell, Bishop of Cincinnati. Taken down by reporters, and revised by the parties. Cincinnati: J. I. James & Co. 1837. THIS debate excited great interest in our sister city of the West. It was the general topic of conversation in every circle, and, as might have been expected, there was no little difference of opinion as to its results. Both parties claimed the victory, and with confidence and exultation. The volume before us is chiefly interesting and valuable as exhibiting the current of thought upon the several topics embraced in it at the present time. It is not a book to which we should refer an inquirer for correct information as to the length and breadth of the ground in dispute between Romanists and ourselves, and the strength of our argument. For this purpose they must resort to the great works of a more learned age to Secker, to Barrow, &c. It is greatly to be regretted, that in all the controversy which has been carried on in this country for the last few years on this subject, Protestants should have displayed so little sound and accurate knowledge upon many important points in dispute, and so little discrimination as to the matters wherein the church of Rome has erred, and wherein she has not erred. The consequence not unfrequently has been, that the advocates of the Romish Church, drawing their antagonists away from its corruptions and errors, have joined issue with them upon other points nowise necessarily connected with these, and where they knew they should have the victory. And the victory they have gained—at least in the view of many spectators. The truth is, that to conduct such a controversy without doing more harm than good, Protestants must have much more theological learning, and particularly a much better acquaintance with the principles of the Primitive Church and the early Fathers, than most of our champions have possessed. The volume before us furnishes abundant illustration of these remarks. Where Mr. Campbell has failed in argument, it is not upon points of Popish superstition and error; but it is when he ventures to attack or deny principles held by the Church in her best and purest daysprinciples from which the Church of Rome, with all her aberrations, has never departed. Finally, all experience proves that no good comes of public religious disputations of this sort, and we hope they will soon be out of vogue. If American Protestants wish to enter the lists with Romanists, let them follow the example of their illustrious forefathers of England-let them prepare themselves by thorough study in the closet, and bring forth the ripe fruits of patient thought in a form that may abide the scrutiny of the thinking, and not merely catch the votes of an auditory. 3. The Apostolical Fathers, Polycarp and Ignatius. Burling ton, New-Jersey. 1837. 8vo. pp. iv-48. Ir is a good sign, that within a few years there have been several American reprints of the translated writings of the apos tolic fathers. The duodecimo edition of Mr. Chevallier's abridgment of Wake, noticed in our last number, and an octavo reprint of the work of Wake itself (though sadly altered as to distribution and arrangement, and somewhat in the text) are the only collection. But the Epistles of Ignatius have been given to the public by Dr. Cooke in an Appendix to his Essay on Presbyterian Ordination, and since that, separately, in a 12mo pamphlet, at Portland, (we believe,) somewhere in the West, and at Troy, New-York; beside several republications in the pages of periodicals. And now we have them, together with the short letter of Polycarp, and the simple, touching, and highly valuable early narratives of the Martyrdoms of Polycarp and Ignatius, in a neat, well got up octavo pamphlet. The text, introductory notices, and selected notes of this edition appear to have been taken from the American reprint of Chevallier. It might have been as well to state this; particularly as Mr. Chevallier has made some change in the translation originally produced by Archbishop Wake. A word of preface, from a pen which cannot be mistaken, informs us that "the mine is rich, and may be opened again." Even so, and let it be often: for most entirely do we agree with Bishop Doane in the belief that, "next to the pure ingot of the scriptures, there is no finer gold for the adorning of the earthly sanctuary." We add, also, as it may go further with some readers, the remark of Dr. Murdock:-"If any one wishes to know what was the simplicity and godly sincerity of the first and infantile age of the Church, let him read the Apostolical Fathers." 4.-The Ministry of Jesus Christ: compiled and arranged from the four Gospels, for Families and Sunday Schools. With Poetical Illustrations and Notes. By T. B. Fox. Boston: Weeks, Jordan & Co. 1837. 2 vols. 18mo. A CHOICE specimen of humanitarian Christianity, rationalist divinity, neological criticism, and liberalistic taste. For the use of "families and Sunday Schools" we have here the Gospels pruned of all useless excrescences, and other matters which, "for an obvious reason," are deemed to have been indiscreetly admitted by the original compilers! The "natural course of the story" is freed from the profitless episodes which have too long encumbered it-the angelic greeting to the virgin mother, the immaculate conception of the incarnate Word, the nature of Him who was with God and was God, and yet came unto His own, and was made flesh and dwelt among us. No such dreamy history and obsolete philosophy is obtruded on the young disciple by the considerate Mr. Fox! Neither can any naughty words escape his vigilance. Even the pure Gibbon and the mealy-mouthed Monk Lewis might now forego their strong objections to the Biblethe New Testament, at least; and admit that it is rendered a safe pabulum for the unsullied youthful mind. "Editio expurgata" ought to have been put in the title; only, perhaps, there were some slight misgivings about its agreement with the motto the author has prefixed to his book,* inasmuch as it "The Bible? That's the book. The book indeed; On which who looks As he should do aright, shall never need Wish for a better light To guide him * might seem that the Bible, though the best book, needed a little mending before it was quite fit to guide at least the young. Nor mending only-but a little patching, too, and a goodly array of new pieces'-"purpurei panni" all, we have, served upon the old stuff, in the second volume. Here and there indeed, we think that a carping critic might take occasion to complain of a want of vigilance in the selection of the illustrations, equal to that so well displayed in the emendation of the text. Surely the same adroit pen and scissors that dealt with John could have done their work as thoroughly with Heber, and purified these pages from such blots as the mystico-philosophical apostrophe to the "Incarnate Word" (II. 35.) and the "Wisdom whose unfading power Beside the Eternal stood." But Homer nods sometimes, and so does Mr. Fox; else would he scarcely have allowed so much room in his "cheap and simple" volumes to illustration from Heber, and Montgomery, and Keble, and a few of like antiquated turn, when he might have had for the nonce a sufficiency of matter so much more congenial as that delightful little ballad from Herder, about: "A marble image Of the Virgin and her Child, Among green pleasant meadows, All in a grove so wild." Yet, oh! the infirmity of poor human nature! Even here a delicate sense of propriety indicates need of change. How could the editor suffer that incautious line "The Virgin and her Child" to escape him? Why, the whole secret is out! He might almost as well have inserted the narrative of Matthew or Luke entire! Children are so inquisitive! Oh, Mr. Fox, how could you be so thoughtless! But evidently, in this second volume the editor's attention was engrossed by the learned and ingenious notes. Truly the march of intellect is rapid. Little did the pains-taking Griesbach think that even in the nursery and the Sunday School, the very babes should be taught to share in his critical labours, and nicely balance the respective claims of such various readings as "and I know the Father," for "even so know I the Father." (II. 167.) To be sure the advantage is great, in so early freeing the mind from the trammels of superstitious |