merciful Ruler to beings capable of repentance." "If there is one lesson," Dr. Smith observes, "clearly taught in the prophetic writings, it is God's long-suffering. It is even startling to find Jeremiah declaring, in Jehovah's name, to Zedekiah, but a short time before Jerusalem was captured, that if he would even then submit, God would spare him and the city."

As an illustration of the successful manner in which Dr. Smith combats the recent inventions of neology, we may adduce the following quotation, which has reference to the same prophecy of Jonah, to which allusion has already been made :

"Supposing that the Book of Jonah were a mere tale, a fiction, as the neologists assert, you then, without losing any of the force of its teaching, have a problem to solve more difficult than ever. Of course the Book of Jonah must be put at a much later date, long after the fall of Nineveh, and yet the purity of its style, which nevertheless has something very personal and individual about it, will not let it fit in well even with the Chaldaic period. Supposing, however, that with Ewald you assert that it belongs to the end of the sixth century, how do you account for the teaching of the book? Who was the wonderful man who entertained this view of prophecy, so much in advance of even Christian commentators ? Whence came his enlarged views towards the Gentiles? his conviction that God cared for them? I can find no era in Jewish history when such views would have had a hearing, or any book containing them have been admitted into the canon except upon the certainty that the writer was a prophet. The popular view of prophecy was, that it was its business to curse the Gentiles and bless the Jews. They would have trampled the Book of Jonah under foot unless it had had some external authority." (p. 261.)

The Lecture which follows deals with specific promises of Christ in Hosea, Amos, Isaiah, and Micah.

In the eighth Lecture Dr. Smith treats more fully and explicitly of the prophecies of Isaiah, and exposes in a masterly manner the inextricable entanglements and inconsistencies. of the negative criticism as regards the last twenty-seven chapters.*

The concluding Lecture, which formed no part of the Bampton course, is added as constituting a necessary part of the argument. Its object is to show, that so far from the fanatic belief of the Jews in the assertions of the prophets having brought about, as some have alleged, their seeming accomplish

Dr. Smith sums up an extremely able note on this subject in these words:"Either, then, this book was written by Isaiah, as the Jews constantly affirmed from the most ancient times, or it is a piece of patchwork. The mental calibre of the man who can believe it to be the latter, must be in

finitesimally small. The theory of a Babylonian Isaiah is dead." We entirely concur in the conclusiveness of Dr. Smith's arguments against the "patchwork" theory, but we fear that his final remark must be received with some degree of qualification.

ment, the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy in Jesus of Nazareth contradicted all the preconceived ideas of the Jews both in Palestine and abroad.

We must now draw to a conclusion our account of the general character and contents of this valuable work. We cannot do this, however, without observing how greatly its importance and interest are increased alike by the incidental illustrations of the meaning of particular portions of Holy Scripture, which Dr. Smith, as a good householder, produces so abundantly out of his amply-stored treasure-house, and by his wise and timely application to the existing circumstances of our own times of the results of his researches into the Mosaic and prophetic institutions.

The following instances must suffice:

"It is a mark of the intellectual superiority of the Semitic races that syllabic writing was known to them at a very early period, while the Egyptians, like the Chinese, never advanced beyond pictorial writing. Ewald (Hist. Israel, i. 51) shows that writing existed among the Semitic nations before we can historically trace it; and though it is uncertain to what Semitic people half the civilized world owes this invaluable invention, so much is incontrovertible, that it appears in history as a possession of the Semitic nations long before Moses. In opposition, however, to so great an authority, I further hold that the phraseology of Gen. xxiii. 17, belongs to a written document, and therefore that the art of writing existed in Abraham's days." (p. 114, Note.)

The following illustration is of a different character. Referring to St. Paul's assertion (1 Cor. ix. 5), that not only Peter, but the rest of the Apostles, and our Lord's brethren, were accompanied by their believing wives on their circuits, Dr. Smith observes in a note:

"The phrase is so very strong, as to imply that marriage was the all but universal rule with the apostles, οἱ λοιποὶ ἀπόστολοι, καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τοῦ Κυρίου. In the Authorised Version occurs one of those mistranslations which occasionally mar our beautiful version,— 'Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife? The Greek means a believing wife, a wife who is a sister, that is, a Christian. The wives of the Apostles, then, were all Christian women."

We will add only one more illustration of the value of a work which we heartily commend to the careful perusal of all theological students, as being, in a very eminent degree, a book for the times.

"I wish, in fact, to protest against two errors: the first, that the inspiration of the prophet was unlike anything that happens now; on the contrary, I believe that the Holy Ghost still impels and forces men to preach Christ. But the second seems to me the

worst error, namely, the denial of any spiritual gift higher than is vouchsafed now; on the contrary, I believe that on special occasions the great prophets of old were under the influence of a directly supernatural power. No preacher or teacher now is secure from error; but unless the writers of the Holy Scriptures had been thus secured, what reliance could we have placed upon their words? No preacher now has any new divine truth to reveal; but it was the very office of prophets and apostles to reveal new truths to the Church." (p. 118, Note.)

MEMOIRS OF SIR GEORGE SINCLAIR.

Memoirs of Sir George Sinclair, Bart., of Ulbster. By J. Grant. London: Tinsley Brothers.

SIR GEORGE SINCLAIR was no ordinary man; his great attainments, classical and literary, and the high position which he occupied for many years, not only in general society, but in the political and religious world, will cause him to be long remembered, and make it proper that his Memoirs should be placed permanently on record.

The author of the Memoir, the title of which is prefixed to this article, had one essential qualification for the difficult task which he undertook. He had a sincere regard and unqualified admiration for the subject of his performance. He sympathized entirely with Sir George's opinions, and he thoroughly appreciated his character and abilities. Mr. Grant is also a practised writer, accustomed to express himself with readiness upon most of the questions he had to deal with; and, what is of still more importance, he concurred entirely in those views of Evangelical truth, which Sir George for many years cordially maintained.

Although the memoir is somewhat disfigured by anecdotes and recollections of the author, which have no relation to the subject in hand, and by occasional defects in taste, which we hope will be removed in another edition, we can nevertheless recommend it as an interesting record of an Evangelical layman of the type of Wilberforce and his companions,-men who, having all the advantages which this world can bestow, yet felt them to be unsatisfying and unprofitable, unable to support the mind in the hour of sickness or of sorrow; and found their true rest and comfort in a loving trust in their blessed Lord and Saviour, and in going about, like Him, "doing good."

George Sinclair was born at Edinburgh, on the 28th of August, 1790. He was the eldest son of the Right Hon. Sir John Sinclair, Bart., and of the Hon. Diana Macdonald, only daughter of Alexander first Lord Macdonald. The family of

Sinclair came originally from Normandy, where one or more villages may still be found bearing the name of St. Clare. The family settled in England in the days of the Conqueror, but was invited to Scotland by King David I., who not only introduced a number of Norman settlers into Scotland, but built and endowed so many monasteries, that he acquired the title of St. David. King James I., however, whose sayings are frequently not devoid of point, sarcastically alleged of him, that "he was a sair saint for the Crown." The branch of the Sinclairs to which Sir George belonged was that of Ulbster: it appears that in 1596 and 1603, George fifth Earl of Caithness conveyed the lands of Ulbster to Patrick Sinclair, designating him in both grants as his cousin.

Sir John Sinclair, the father of Sir George, was well known, not only in this country, but abroad, as an agriculturist and financier. His Statistical Account of Scotlaud, in no fewer than twenty-one volumes, is a wonderful monument of talent, -energy, and perseverance.

In the sketch which we propose to give of Sir George's life, we shall advert, in the first place, to his gifts and attainments, and then to the use he made of them.

At ten years of age he was sent to Harrow, where he laid the foundation of extraordinary classical acquirements. "The prodigy of our school-days," says Lord Byron, "was George Sinclair, son of Sir John. He made exercises for half the school, literally verses at will, and themes without it. He was a friend of mine and in the same remove." To proficiency in Greek and Latin he added knowledge of another ancient language, Hebrew, in which he made no ordinary progress, in consequence of obtaining first-rate instructors and his habit of daily reading the Hebrew Scriptures. At sixteen, he was sent to Germany, where he acquired so perfect a command of German, as well as French, that he has been more than once taken for a Frenchman or a German. On one occasion the King of Prussia, hearing Mr. Sinclair at his table conversing in German, whispered to one of his courtiers,-"I thought you told me that that youth was an Englishman." Sir George's acquirements in foreign languages were perhaps dearly purchased; for the discipline of Oxford or Cambridge would have been a better preparation for public life in England, and the want of this discipline could in no other way be supplied. There is a calm, well-regulated tone of mind, a spirit of moderation, and an acquaintance with the peculiarities of English life and of the English Constitution, which can only be acquired at an English University.

To his knowledge of ancient and modern languages Sir George added knowledge of modern science, and in particular

of anatomy, chemistry, and physiology, which he studied under eminent professors, both in London and Edinburgh. His short-hand notes of lectures on these subjects would fill many volumes.

Sir George's memory was singularly comprehensive and tenacious. We have heard him repeat nearly a whole book of Virgil; and he could have done as much with several other classic authors. The fact is, that he not only had a first-rate memory, but he stored it with the best materials. He always chose good intellectual society; he seldom read a novel, a review, or a newspaper; but had always choice classic authors, ancient and modern, upon his table. While he was residing in the North, he might be seen walking with his daughter upon the shores of the Pentland Firth, translating and explaining to her the finest passages of Demosthenes and Eschylus.

Few men had greater readiness, point, humour, and interesting anecdote in conversation, than Sir George Sinclair. The only danger was, that when he told a good story, it did not always follow that any of the company would be prepared to hazard another equally good; and he was then often obliged to tell a second and a third, and thus to engross the conversation in a degree that he did not desire.

We have yet to mention Sir George's highest attainmentReligion. His religious life dates from an early period, but not so early as he must often have desired. He received in his youth religious instruction from his excellent mother, Lady Sinclair; but he was misled by the rationalism of Göttingen, and the dissipation of Vienna. On his return home, however, a happy change took place: he became acquainted with men of piety, and by the grace of God was induced to adopt those Evangelical views to which he ever after consistently adhered.

Of the strength, the clearness, and sincerity of these views, we can give no better proof than the following extract from a speech delivered at a meeting of the Bible Society in 1823 :

"It has pleased God to impart unto all of us (and to myself in particular, who am less than the least of His mercies) unnumbered temporal comforts. But all the worldly advantages, which His bounty has profusely bestowed-nay, all that our hearts could desire and all that His providence could grant-are still but as dust in the balance, when contrasted with the unspeakable gift of His love; with that of mercy, which as much surpasses every other blessing in value and in importance, as eternity transcendeth time. Ought not our hearts to burn within us, as we contemplate the charter of salvation, which alone secures for us a personal interest in the glorious heavenly inheritance, that great and everlasting charter, from which all of us mainly deduce the same momentous and consolatory inferences, though perhaps as to a few of its minor and subordinate clauses some shades of difference may exist ?"