ART. XII.-SHORT REVIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS.

(1.) WE stated, in our January number, that DR. DIXON had been prevented, in some way, from giving, at the last British Conference, an account of his American journey. Perhaps we have reason to be thankful that it was so, if, as we surmise, the fact has given rise to the publication (or at least to an earlier publication) of "Methodism in America; with the Personal Narrative of the Author, during a Tour through a part of the United States and Canada," by JAMES DIXON, D. D. (London, 1849: 12mo., pp. 498.) The work is divided into five parts: I. Personal Narrative: II. Historical Notices of Methodism in America: III. Institutions of the Methodist Episcopal Church: IV. Territorial Progress of the American Methodist Episcopal Church: V. Measures adopted by the Methodist Episcopal Church on the subject of Slavery. As might naturally be expected, the first part is that in which American readers will be most interested. The narrative is clear, pleasant, and animated: the style throughout is that of a sensible, well-informed man,-always direct, perspicuous, and easy. The spirit of the book is excellent. Almost for the first time we have had an Englishman among us, looking at our country and our institutions with that feeling of kinship which one would think Englishmen and Americans should, of all people in the world, cherish for each other. He remarks, in his preface, that "his impressions of the true greatness of his own country were never so strong as during his visit to the States. America is the offspring of England. England has been reproduced in America." Unnatural, indeed, is abuse of the child by the parent, or of the parent by the child. Let us hope that the day for caricatures of American life by Englishmen, or of British life by Americans, has passed away.

As the work will be immediately reprinted, in whole or in part, by Messrs. Lane & Scott, we shall reserve fuller notice of it for our next number. In the mean time, we cannot withhold from our readers a few choice specimens of the kindly spirit, and the manly good sense, of the late Representative from the British Conference.

The following is Dr. Dixon's account of his visit to the President of the United States:

"On our arrival we met with a black man, the only servant of the President we saw; and, on asking whether it would be possible to obtain an interview, he said he saw no difficulty in the case, but would inquire. He went, with Mr. Slicer's_compliments, and soon returned with a message that the President would be very happy to see us. We were ushered, not into a drawing-room, or state-apartment, but into a business-office, with desks, tables, pens and ink, bundles of state-papers, and books on business. And there stood to receive us, to shake us by the hand, to bid us welcome, the chief of the greatest republic, if not the greatest state, in the world. He accosted us very kindly and bade us be seated, at the same time resuming his own chair.

"My embarrassment left me in a moment. I had felt some little trepidation at the idea of being brought into contact with a man so high in station. His demeanour, however, soon dissipated this feeling. There was no state etiquette observed, no ceremonies but such as common courtesy demanded, and might be performed by the plainest person; no court-dress, no cocked hat, no sword and sash, no bowing the knee, no kissing of hands, and, moreover, no peer of the realm, or officer of the

court, necessary to gain an introduction: a black boy, to obtain his master's assent, and to show us the way, seemed all that was expected. With our European notions, this did not really look like an introduction to the head of a mighty nation. Truly this American republicanism must either be considered as a great retrogression into the ages of social simplicity, when shepherds and farmers left their flocks and ploughs to command armies and govern states, and then returned to their avocations; or else it must be considered as a vast stretch into the future, the anticipation of something to come, the model of a perfectly new order of things. It is most assuredly not identical with what has been, and continues to be, in the Old World. Is this simplicity agreeable to nature, to common sense, to the truth of things? I confess, these questions puzzled me at the time, and continue still to puzzle me. There is a fascination, a charm, about royalty, greatness, courts, presentations, and all the embroidery connected with these things, which make it difficult for one to think that there is no reality in them,-that they can be done without. So much of power, of influence, of government, have stood connected with the old names, and insignia of thrones and courts, that many of us cannot dispossess our minds of the idea that there is great use, though we may not know how, in these external accompaniments of states.

Here, then, we were, four Methodist preachers, and one merchant, snugly ensconced in a government office, a sort of counting-house, with President Polk, one of the greatest men, by position, in the world! Who could forget some of the documents which had issued from this centre of power, this heart of American diplomacy? Decrees had been framed here which had thrilled through the body politic in every part of the world, producing mighty palpitations of heart, and convulsive throes! The policy and messages of this very President have produced strange emotions. They once filled Great Britain, if not with consternation, yet, at any rate, with indignation; they put the Parliament of England into a ferment, and called forth the impassioned eloquence of men of all parties; they made it expedient to employ the diplomatic skill of Lord Ashburton, esteemed, at the time, one of the most sagacious peers of the realm; they led to treaties but little relished, and much condemned by some of the best sons of the British empire; and they resulted in the political exaltation, strength, and aggrandizement of America. Some of these messages, moreover, moved the military forces of the republic, by land and sea, to the invasion of Mexico; to the victories of Taylor and Scott; to the spoiling of a feeble people; and led to the annexation to the States of a territory, but little, if at all, inferior to the whole of Europe. These are some of the effects produced by the decrees sent forth from this place, with the signature of this plain little man. Things are not then to be estimated by the appearance. The room is common, but it is the centre of mighty forces; the President appears destitute of the forms of majesty, but possesses its reality; the missiles lying about are not artillery, swords, and helmets, but they move, they shake the world."

His introduction to the General Conference at Pittsburgh is thus related :

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"When I had delivered my credentials, Bishop Hedding introduced me to the Conference, making such observations as occurred to him. In the few remarks I made, the official short-hand writer entirely misreported me in one particular. He represented me as saying that we, the English Methodists, were 'all on one side;' whilst the fact is, I said, We were all on the side of liberty, of emancipation.' By this interpretation of my remarks, I was made to assume the position of a partisan in the great dispute between the North and the South; whereas nothing could by possibility be farther from my thoughts or meaning. Were it not that I considered myself, not as a private person, but as the representative of the British Conference, and that they have an interest in the spirit and manner in which the person representing them was received, propriety would dictate that I should be silent on many things which occurred at this first meeting, and on many subsequent occasions. But seeing that the Methodist body in England in some sort stood in my person, in the presence of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America, in fraternal relations, undoubtedly those who sent me have a right to know how their greetings were received. They may, then, be assured that they were hailed in the most cordial, affectionate, and Christian spirit and manner. When the British Conference (for so the matter is to be understood) was introduced to the American body, as a mark of respect and good-will, every minister present spontaneously, not by order of the chair,

stood up, and paid the parent body the most profound and hearty respect. This was done in a manner not to be mistaken. Nothing trifling, formal, diplomatic, marked the movement. It was not the expression of mere courtesy to a stranger; it was the manly burst of affectionate regard for a body to whom, I am perfectly sure, they feel the most devout attachment. After these introductory greetings were finished, one of the brethren offered a resolution, to the effect, that the British representative should be incorporated amongst themselves as a member of Conference, and should be invited to take part in their proceedings and debates, as he might find it convenient, and be so disposed. This resolution was unanimously carried.

Not content with a public recognition, the five bishops came that evening to my lodgings to pay their respects; not to me, let it always be kept in mind, but to the Methodist Church in this country. This they did in the most handsome and hearty manner. The conversation turned, as might be expected, on the affairs of Methodism in both countries. I found the bishops, on this and all subsequent occasions, deeply interested in our affairs."

He was particularly struck, at the General Conference, with the "Bench of Bishops:"

The spirit and demeanour of the bishops could not but excite attention. How do they conduct themselves in their high office?' was a natural question. It was soon answered. The bearing of these men of God was perfectly uniform: there was no deviation. It is difficult to describe it; just as what is pre-eminently beautiful, excellent, and morally sublime, refuses to submit to the touch of the most perfect artist. It is not enough to say that it was dignified, grave, judicious, impartial, commanding. It was all this; but all this with much more combined. There is always in mental and religious excellence an intangible, an impalpable power, glory, of the soul, which cannot be described. It is this inward and spiritual force which gives to the several faculties their strength and elevation; and when these faculties are so balanced as to receive the hidden impulse equably, and transmit it to practical and useful purposes, then greatness is produced. This was manifest in these eminent officers and it was never the writer's good fortune to behold a class of men who gave him such an ideal of what bishops ought to be, as in these American ἐπίσκοποι.

"It is not customary for the bishops to take part in the debates, or in any way to interfere with the proceedings of Conference, except on questions of law and order. Two or three occasions arose in connexion with points of law, when one of the bishops expounded its meaning with great clearness and logical precision. The bishops seem to be perfect masters of all constitutional questions, and also of the complicated details of business. When they had occasion to interpret any matter of order, being appealed to for that purpose, all parties invariably acquiesced; not an objection was ever raised, or any infringement attempted. Some persons may imagine that all this must reduce these officers to mere ciphers. Not so. They possess great influence, and are treated with undeviating reverence and respect. Their moderation, in fact, is their power. By not attempting to do too much, they possess the means of doing everything which their station requires from them."

And of the preachers he says:—

"Their Methodism is a belief, a truth, a principle. They as much believe in the soundness of Methodistic doctrines, the excellency of their ecclesiastical polity, and the religion of their system, as in the truth of the word of God itself. Republicans though they may be, they are not revolutionists. And the same is the case regarding their religious convictions. In a free and easy intercourse with these men for a fortnight, I did not hear one word which savoured of disaffection to their ecclesiastical institutions. This was the case respecting their bishops; not a murmur was heard. They were perfectly loyal to the church. This, as will be seen, must give the church great power and force. Every man is prepared to take his place, and do his best. None of his strength is frittered away in wrangling disputes, in projects of reform, in tinkering and mending the system. On the other hand, he occupies his sphere of labour with the undoubted persuasion that he is serving the cause of God; that he is connected with a form of religion which must prevail, because diFOURTH SERIES, VOL. I.-33

vine; and that his business is not to mend the rules, but to keep them. We cannot be surprised at the amazing success of a system of religion so supported, and so worked. Every man is possessed of an idea, a truth, which he feels himself bound to propagate. He does this without hesitation, puts his whole soul into his mission, and it is done unto him according to his faith."

The eleventh chapter sums up the writer's views of America and the American people. We can only give one passage:

"It is, then, an undoubted fact, that the American people do pay great regard to religion; and as this, like everything else, is with them a personal and not a conventional concern, it is all the more energetically promoted. It seems a principle of Americanism, that the obligations of our nature are untransferable. An American never dreams of putting his social or religious obligations into commission. He never considers himself as having denuded himself of his responsibilities, when he has given his vote for a President, and taken his share in constructing a government. Even his political duties are not, in his own estimation, put in abeyance by these transactions, much less his moral and religious. He does not expect the gov ernment to serve God for him, or to take into its hands the task of publicly provid ing for that conservation of morality and religion which he knows can only be secured by personal exertions.

"According to American ideas, the state does not consist of public functionaries. whether civil or ecclesiastical, but of the people. The souls and bodies of the population, unitedly, constitute the state: not a function, not an office. In the state making provision for this or the other, the American would include himself. He has no notion of public men taking his place, and relieving him of the burden of his own intelligence, conscience, humanity.

"This is a living power. It is refreshing even to look upon a true and real American, with his swinging gait, in the full consciousness of his manhood. There is something even in his appearance different from other people. It is not recklessness, not rudeness, not isolation, not misanthropy. Nothing of this sort is seen. And yet there is an air of perfect independence and freedom, consciousness of strength and power, repose in the midst of activity, calmness and dignity with profound emotions. An American, more than any character it was ever my happiness to study, looks like a man who is sensible that he carries his own destinies about him; that he is complete in himself; that he is a self-acting, self-moving intelligence; that he has to shape his own course, and become the architect of his own fortune. He does not seem to be looking without to catch the chances of some stray events by which to fashion his life: his thoughts are steadily fixed upon strengthening his own resources, and he is always laying in a stock for the voyage he is upon. The effect of this is to produce (I hardly know what to call it) a rotundity,-a fulness, a completeness of manhood,-not seen in other societies; and to those who do not comprehend him, or who have only been accustomed to the fawning flatteries --and as false as they are fawning-of other nations, all this is extremely offensive."

In that part of the work which treats of the history and institutions of American Methodism, Dr. Dixon shows that he has studied these topics with great industry and care. It is, indeed, matter of surprise that in so short a time he has been able to obtain so large and just a view of the subject. At the same time, it is not to be wondered at that, in matters of detail, he has fallen into occasional mistakes. The chapters on the "Measures adopted by the Methodist Episcopal Church" on the subject of Slavery, are the least satisfactory and accurate of any in the book. It appears to us that Dr. Dixon has not succeeded in obtaining any clear view of the subject in his own mind; he has certainly failed to present it in his book. But here, as everywhere, the spirit in which he writes is excellent: he never dogmatizes, never looks for bad motives, or thinks that men who differ from him must, therefore, be in the wrong. In our more extended review of the work we shall, if it appears to be neces

sary, show wherein we think his views are erroneous, and his statements inaccurate; in the mean time, we assure our readers that in the book itself a great feast is in preparation for them.

(2.) DR. VAUGHAN (Editor of the British Quarterly) delivered a course of Lectures in London, last year, on some of the aspects of the times, as affecting Christianity, which have now been collected into a volume under the title, "The Age and Christianity." (London, Jackson & Walford, 1849: 12mo., pp. 323.) The aim of the book is, to characterize the age, not (as Fichte has done in his "Characteristics") on à priori grounds, but by a careful survey of its phenomena as they present themselves,—and these he classes as Skepticism, Materialism, and Contempt for the Past,-together with the strong Reactions which these tendencies have severally called forth. These characteristics are then illustrated, first, in their relation to the proofs of Christianity; second, in their relation to the truths of Christianity; and thirdly, in their relation to the Christian religion as a whole. Under this last head, Pantheism, Mysticism, Formalism, and Naturalism, the four tendencies away from true religion to which thoughtful minds of this age seem most inclined,—are set forth very aptly, both as to their origin and workings. Dr. Vaughan has a clear, strong, thoroughly English mind; he grapples well and vigorously with every subject that he handles,—and there are few of the great questions of the day that he has not handled. We hope this book will be republished. Its healthy tone of thought is needed just now, as much in this country as in England-perhaps more.

(3.) DR. BUSHNELL'S "Three Discourses" have called out a number of replies, reviews, &c., among the best of which is a "Review of Dr. Bushnell's Theories of the Incarnation and Atonement, (a Supplement to 'Theophany,') by ROBERT TURNBULL, Pastor of the First Baptist Church, Hartford, Conn." (Hartford, Brockett, Fuller & Co., 1849. Pp. 77.) It is a natural supposition that Mr. Turnbull, as a neighbour and friend of Dr. Bushnell, has had better opportunities than most other men of understanding Dr. B's opinions, and of appreciating his motives and feelings. Accordingly, this Review is tender and kind in its tone, while it is thorough in its treatment of the subject; exposing the inconsistencies of Dr. B.'s book unsparingly, and yet admitting all that is good in it, and assuring mankind that the man is better than his dogmas. We need not dwell on the subject now, as the review which we have promised our readers will probably appear in our next number.

(4.) There is no kind of writing so easy as Allegory, to one born with a genius for it, as Bunyan was; and none so difficult to other people. A good specimen is afforded in "The Hill Difficulty" of Dr. Cheever, lately published in a fine volume, along with a collection of various pieces, fugitive and other, of that versatile writer. The volume is entitled, "The Hill Difficulty, and some Experiences of Life in the Plains of Ease, with other Miscellanies," by GEORGE B. CHEEVER, D. D. (New-York, John Wiley, 1849: 12mo., pp. 388.) The