Save in a clump, when stationed by his hand, Who strips an ancient dwelling like a storm, To put his own dear fancies in their place. And a few stripling elms and oaks appear, I miss the grandeur of the rich old scene, 'As thus my spleen upon the view I fed, And thus with gentle voice he spoke- The Lass replied-" The trees are fled, « The miller only murmurs now; "Then, lassie, lead thy grandsire on, "And I would taste the healing spring, "That soon its rocky cist forsakes, "The holy spring is turn'd aside, "The plough has levell'd all around, "Then, lass, thy grandsire's footsteps guide, "Or, lassie, lead me to the west, "Where grew the elm-trees thick and tall, "The rooks are shot, the trees are fell'd, Though this indeed promotion gains, "O then, my lassie, lead the way "To Comfort's Home, the ancient inn: "A servant once, he still preserves "Alas! that mine should be the fate "Old David's sorrows to relate: "Of what was grand, of what was gay, "But all is chang'd, is lost, is sold- In the former volumes, there are inserted a few smaller pieces hitherto unpublished. The most interesting is a lyrical com position, entitled, The World of Dreams,' (in vol. iv.,) which is not unworthy of the Author of Eustace Grey, although not equal in power and beauty to that remarkable production. It has been remarked, that the present volume, if inferior in vigour to any other volume of the Author's poetry, is perhaps more amusing than any other, and displays more mild good-humour. A man, said Johnson,grows better-humoured as he grows older.' older.' This depends, however, upon the qualities of the man. Age mellows some tempers, and sours others. Art. IV. A Paraphrastic Translation of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans By Laicus. 12mo. pp. 110. London, 1834. WE regret to be unable to speak in terms of approbation of this apparently well intended publication, the proceeds of which, we are informed, are to be given to the British and Foreign Bible Society. We should be sorry to deprive thetreasury of that excellent Institution of the smallest contribution; but we cannot withhold our opinion, that this Translation is a failure, and that, as a paraphrase, it is open to serious exception. The The title-page does not state, that the Translation is accompanied with very copious notes, taken, with few exceptions, from Professor Stuart's Commentary, recently reviewed by us. very free use made of that work, may justly be complained of by the Publishers, unless it is with their permission that so large a portion of the Professor's Commentary is reprinted in the present shape. The chief design of the publication, indeed, would seem to be, to give circulation to those notes. Ample use has also been made of Mr. Stuart's Translation. Yet, in those very parts of the Epistle which have received from the American Professor the most important illustration, the Editor deserts his authority; as in the exposition of Ch. vii. We do not find fault with the translation as being too paraphrastic, but as failing, in many places, to convey the genuine sense. Take, for instance, the following rendering of part of the viiith chapter, in which some of the Apostle's expressions are completely misinterpreted, and the scope of his argument obscured. For those who act upon natural principles and in their own strength, do in the end yield to their natural propensity to sin; while those who seek the assistance of the Spirit, have their wills and consequently their actions conformed to the dictates of the Spirit. For the impulses of the flesh lead to eternal misery, while the influences of the Spirit lead to eternal happiness. And this is the case, because carnal appetites are hostile to God, for they are neither subject to God's law, nor can they by any possibility become so: so that they who act according to their natural propensities cannot please God. But you are not living under the influence of the flesh but of the Spirit, provided the Spirit of God has his residence in your hearts (for if any one has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His). And if Christ be in you, the old man is crucified as to his sinful appetites, but the spirit is rendered happy on account of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwell in you, then He, who raised Christ from the dead, shall also animate your mortal bodies in the service of God through his Spirit, who now resides in you. 'Well then, brethren, having such assistances, we are not constrained by the corruption of our nature to become slaves to that corruption. Wherefore if ye live according to the lusts of the flesh, ye must perish everlastingly; but if through the Spirit of God ye are enabled to mortify these lusts, then shall ye live in eternal blessedness. pp. 50-52. We do not see what is gained by turning certain portions of the Epistle into dialogue, in the following manner : 'Jew. What then is the superior excellence of the Jew? or what is the benefit of circumcision. 'Apostle. It is great in every way, but chiefly because the inspired word of God was intrusted to them. Jew. If then some of them have disbelieved, shall not that disbelief nullify the faithful promises of God? Apostle. By no means! for let God be found faithful to his word, though every man be proved a liar, as it is written (Psalm li.), "That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings and prevail when thou judgest." Jew. But if our unrighteousness exhibit God's justice in a clearer light, shall we not say (I speak in the character of an unbelieving Jew) is not God unjust in visiting upon the Jews his anger? 6 Apostle. By no means. For if so, how shall God ever judge the world? Jew. For if the truth of God has been, in consequence of my lie, manifested much more clearly, why should I still be convicted as a sinner? Apostle. And why not say further, "Let us do evil that good may come.' Of these the condemnation is just. (For it is thus that we are slanderously reported to say.) 'Jew. Well then, do we excel the Gentiles? Apostle. Certainly not. For we have made the charge above against Jews and Gentiles, that they are all sinners." pp. 13, 14. It must be through mere inadvertence that grammatical improprieties have been suffered to occur in the Translation; but it indicates the absence of a due care in revising it: e. g. If "thou dost lean upon the law, and can distinguish,' &c. p. 11. 'Do you suppose, that on doing the very same acts for which you condemn others, that you shall escape,' &c. p. 9. As an instance of unwarrantable departure from the text, we may refer to Rom. v. 4.- Knowing that afflictions produce resignation, ' and resignation a purer state of life,' &c. We had marked other instances, but it is needless to particularize them. We took up the publication with a predisposition to commend any attempt to promote the better understanding of this difficult, but most important portion of the Apostolic writings; and it is because we do not deem it adapted to answer this end, that we have felt it to be our duty to point out the very defective and incompetent character of our worthy Layman's well-meant performance. Art. V. 1. The Spirit of the Psalms, or the Psalms of David adapted to Christian Worship. By the Rev. H. F. Lyte, A.M., Minister of Lower Brixham. 24mo, Brixham, 1834. 2. Church and Home Psalmody, being a Collection of Psalms from the Old and New Versions, and Original Hymns for Congregational and Domestic Purposes. By the Rev. Thomas James Judkin, M.A., Minister of Somers-Chapel, St. Pancras. 18mo., pp. 340. London, 1831. ; PRECEDING Article in the present Number has invited the attention of our readers to the reform of French Psalmody; and it may have occurred to some of them, that English Psalmody is not unsusceptible of improvement. In the number of our hymns, we seem to be likely to vie with the Germans in the devotional and poetical beauty of a certain proportion of those which are found in our collections, we need fear no comparison with those of any other language; yet, there is ample scope for the genius and piety that may be consecrated to this service of the sanctuary. It is remarkable how few, comparatively, of the hundreds and thousands of hymns that are extant in print, have struck deep root in the heart and memory of Christian people, so as to become the classical language of devotion, or to deserve to be so. A hymn may be full of faults, but must have redeeming excellencies, which pious people of different denominations love to have by heart; and that can hardly be a good hymn which few can retain or are anxious to commit to memory. Tried by this test of popular merit, the bulk even of Watts's Psalms and Hymns, and certainly the majority found in our Collections, cannot be regarded as having established their claim. to a permanent place in our hymnology. By degrees, as accessions are made to the stock of hymns, those which are not wanted will be dropped; of the new contributions, those which |