freshes him from the living stream of salvation; it cheers his drooping spirit in the last fearful conflict; it lights up with holy joy the countenance of the dying christian, and throws its lovely beams of hope on the soul of the bending mourner as he conveys the dead to the silent tomb; it carries the soul of the sleeping pilgrim to the bright realms of glory, and thither it guare

antees the certain ascension of the same body which he lays in the grave; there to reap the rich rewards of the divine love in pure and perpetual bliss.

But on the other side, turn your eyes on these prospects set before our pilgrim. There lovely nature ceases to smile; a withering blast has passed over the face of the land; the herbs have perished; the flowers have faded; the forest has shed its leaves; the whirlwind has swept them away; the pestilence has walked in secret, and spent its energies on animated nature; desolation scowls from his throne of darkness-For oh! the sun has set over

that world. His kindly influences are gone -and gone is the divine person who redeemed by purchase and by power, the trembling pilgrim; and gone too is that divine person who led his steps into the paths of righteousness. The lamp of truth flashes in the socket, and threatens to leave him in the gloom of despair; every object presents a dreary aspect; he moves through darkness to a land unknown; shifting phantoms hover round him; unearthly voices tempt him to turn inward on the energies of his own mind, and seek what is necessary there. At the sight of the moral chaos within, he is thrown back with encreasing sorrow on what is without. The pitiless storm mingles its terrors with the ragings of the mountain stream: the thunders roar; the lightning's livid glare reveals the face of nature in her new deformities; the demon of the storm mingles his unearthly shrieks with the roaring of the thunder, and lashing the whirlwind into fury, he rides over his head, and threatens to "carry him away in a tempest of the night!" Return, O pilgrim from the valley of the shadow of

death; return to the valley of vision. This is the land of light; hither thy God beckons thee; here thy Saviour stretches out his arms to receive thee; here the Comforter will dry up thy tears. And when the years of thy life shall be numbered he will bear thee away to the land

of the blessed; and the church will embalm thy memory in her sweet remembrance, while with a tear she pronounces "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord!"'

4. The "Proem" is indeed a curious sui generis and amusing article of almost 40 pages;-but we feel lit

tle concerned in its defence or analysis. This however we say-that its relevancy, to the edifice of which it forms the ample vestibule, is not so questionable as some have supposed. If the memoir of an author or a sketch of his life is relevant and interesting, so also is Mr. B.'s proem. A comparison of its last and first sentences will furnish the clew to its design. It refers to the author's ancestors, and to the very singular incidents which led to his very singular undertaking. It comprises events of real history-scenes of the author's birth and boy-hood which are fresh in his memory, dear to his heart, and not alien from the matter in hand. We know that some have objected to its title―THE PROEMas stiff, and savouring of pedantry; some to its style as romantic, inappropriate and mainly imitative of the prosaic peculiarities of Sir Walter Scott; and some to its subject-matter as too heroic, martial and detailed, to suit the tone of the subject of the work itself. With these critics we have neither company nor competition. It should however, be remembered that in this lightreading age, something spirited, fanciful and even singular is necessary to arrest the attention, and to break the monotony-the dull abstraction which is wont to characterize a religious production. Variety, sprightliness, and the charm of narrative are the condiments of the book; and the talents of the author in seasoning and furnishing his viands, is observable in the whole repast and greatly

enhances the value of the entertainment.

To conclude-we recommend Mr. B.'s volume to all our readers, and especially to the clergy, for whom it was peculiarly designed, and who. will, we think, consult at once their duty, their entertainment, and their usefulness by exploring its contents. How many preachers of "the everlasting gospel," commissioned from the Prince" on whose head are many crowns," to preach

the gospel to every creature in these sublunary dominions, seem to make the case of the Friends an exception to the privilege and authority of the mandate, and though situated in the vicinity of their abodes, employ no measures to loose the fetters that bind them-we fear, to the doom "of them that obey not the gospel of God." They have prejudices, pride, and passion to be subdued but mighty is his name who uses the preaching of the cross for the demolition of "strong holds." One reason (and a great one) of the inaction of the clergy in respect to the Friends, is the common ignorance of the profession as to their tenets and history: the book of Mr. B. meets the difficulty, and ought to repose, not in neg lected honor, in the alcoves of our clerical libraries. The contents of Mr. B's book are so multifarious and the topicks it comprises so much like the stars of both hemispheres for multitude, that we are aware our present strictures are less a specimen than a sketch of what might be done to advantage in a full review of its chapters. We have been necessarily partial in the scope-perhaps voluntarily partial in the spirit of our animadversions. For this, no doubt, our "accusation" will be written "in letters of" English, if not in those of "Greek, and Latin and Hebrew." Nor will this prove that it was not because we bore" witness to the truth." But however it may be received--we shall tell the Friends (if they read these pages) that neither our author, nor ourselves are against them-God is witness! "Our hearts' desire and prayer to God for them is that they might be saved!" No scorn contaminates our

pity; we do not regard them less, because we regard the gospel more. We feel for them, and iove their souls, and would willingly become their servants "for Jesus' sake." Many of them, for other qualities than those of enlightened evangelical piety, have long since conciliated our respect and veneration. Their in

telligence on ordinary themes; the elegant pleasantness and ease of their demeanor ; their "natural affection" in the polish of its sentiments, and the ramifications of its humanity, and the disinterested assiduity of its services; the tenderness of their friendship, their guarded education of the young, and in a word—their EXEMPLARY PHILANTHROPY, deserve universal recognition and applause! But alas! where do all these gra ces and accomplishments of nature leave them, on the score of religion? The finger of revelation writes tekel on its collective glory. Let them consult the volume of inspiration-the record of their Creator's mercy; let them read it with selfapplication and prayer-and we may indulge the hope that they will come at length to regard it with views and feelings similar to those of that great Apostle, who, with James and John, was selected to witness the glorious scenery of the mount of transfiguration where the senses of hearing and of sight attested the "majesty" of the Son of God. He did not disparage the recollected privilege of the occasion, when, in the epistle that contained his valedictory to the churches, he instituted an express comparison between "the voice that came from heaven," and the Holy Scriptures and gave his apostolic sanction to the immense superiority of the latter in these ever memorable wordswe have also A MORE SURE WORD OF PROPHECY; whereunto YE DO WELL THAT YE TAKE HEED, as unto A LIGHT THAT SHINETH IN A DARK

PLACE, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts.

The Boston Handel and Haydn Society Collection of Church Music ; being a selection of the most approved Psalm Tunes; together with many beautiful extracts from the works of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and other eminent modern composers. Harmonised for three and four voices, with a fig

And, as each mingling flame increases each,

In one united ardour rise to Heaven!"
THOMPSON.

Second Edition, with Additions and Improvements. Boston; Richardson & Lord, 1823. The singing of the early christians, as we are told, frequently enticed the gentiles into their assemblies. But of most of the music in our churches there is too much reason to say, as Dr. Burney said of the English parochial music in his day, "it is such as would sooner drive christians out of the church than draw pagans into it." It may be that we have been peculiarly unfortunate, and have heard only the most unskilful choirs or the most injudicious selections, but speaking from our own experience we must declare that much of our Psalmody deserves any name to be found in the dictionary better than Sacred Music. Many of the performers we have sometimes thought, might perhaps, contest for superiority with the northern barbarians mentioned by the biographer of St. Gregory. "Their rude throats instead of the inflexions of pleasing melody," says he, "formed such rough sounds as resembled the noise of a cart jolt ing down a pair of stairs." where the rough and the noisy has not preponderated, we have often been nearly compelled by the frivolous, volatile, jig-like air of the tune and the singers to imagine that we had mistaken a play-house for the house of God.

And

These remarks, however, are more strictly applicable to what has been than to what now is. For in many towns and villages in NewEngland, church music is performed in a style of chaste and devout soVOL.VI.-No. 10.

69

because to banish that trifling, flighty, irreverent style, which not long since prevailed, and bring forward in its stead a melody suited to the nature and design of public worship, was absolutely necessary as a first step towards excellence in sacred music. This necessary and difficult step was taken in some musical collections anterior to the one under our notice. But to these collections there must exist in the minds of those who have made any considerable advancement in musical taste and information, some important objections. They are throughout deficient in harmony, or, in the arrangement of the accompanying parts. These parts are often entirely destitute of the sentiment and expression of the principal melody, and consisting of the most unnatural and uncouth intervals, are in themselves devoid of every thing like pleasing air or tune. But not only so, they abound, even · the latest editions, with gross and unpardonable violations of the most common rules and the very first principles of thorough base. The Grammar of music has been wholly neglected; the ear is shocked in almost every tune with forbidden progressions and consecutions.

We

cy. But a greater fault in the work is, that too many of the pieces can not be suitably executed by a choir without instrumental accompaniments. They may be performed well and with effect in the church with a good organ and a good organist, they may be performed in the chamber with a piano, but they fail when attempted by the voice alone. This however would be a less fault if such pieces were distinguished by some mark to inform the chorister under what circumstances to attempt them, and would be no fault perhaps if our churches were all furnished with organs, as (craving the pardon of our puritan fathers) they ought to be.

But we will not enter into particular excellencies or defects in th work, because to do this profitably or even intelligibly we must adduce examples which would carry us beyond our limits, while the general ground on which we recommend it to universal use will be easily apprehended without such details. It is a collection containing most of the old approved tunes whose melody or air is dignified, solemn, reverent, chaste, and every way suited to divine worship-harmonized judiciously upon the improved and essential principles of modern musical science. This is ground enough for commendation, and it is a ground of commendation which belongs to no collection used among us except that of the Handel and Haydn Society.

re

We intended to offer some marks on the history of sacred music, but must defer them for the present. We cannot close the article, however, without alluding to the importance of cultivating this art. The pleasures of music are perhaps when strictly considered, only pleasures of sense. But they are inseparably connected with intellectual enjoy ment, and have a powerful tendency to wean the mind from those grosser delights with which the multitude are satisfied. For this reason the attention of youth should be direc