"The pilgrim spirit has not fled: It walks in noon's bright light; And it watches the bed of the glorious dead With the holy stars by night. And it watches the bed of the brave who have bled, Till the waves of the Bay, where the Mayflower lay, God also is moving among us, electrifying the lifeless, energizing the indolent, and concentrating at the seat of life of our government the expulsive energies of immortality. And this being true, shall we despair? Shall the ill bodings of false prophets paralyze our hopes and fill us only with "a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation?" The thought is unworthy, and we cannot for a moment indulge it. We will frankly acknowledge the presence of disease in frightful forms; but so far from despairing, we fervently will trust that the expulsive principle breathed into this government at the passionate invocation of its founders, shall finally fling out of the system every thing noxious, and display it to the world in the rounded symmetry and proportion of unfading and deathless perfection. But the anxious investigator as to the fate of this government, will find another joyous omen in the tendencies of the age. For long centuries the nations were wrapped in darkness, their degradation was extreme, and the tendencies of all things were to sink them deeper. The human mind, like an undisturbed ocean, was corrupting in its own stagnancy. Despotism in religion and state, brooded like a gloomy goddess over this ocean, reducing to quiet every rippling wave, which perchance might disturb its tranquillity. But there was an immortal energy. in that deep, quiet sea, which soon was to expand, and heave the stagnant ocean into an incontrollable tempest. That tempest has long since arisen, and the mighty spirits of the storm have rode forth in glorious vindication of oppressed humanity. Then a tide toward human emancipation set in, which is steadily and majestically rolling on to its consummation. De Tocqueville has splendidly expressed the resistlessness of this tendency in human affairs: "It possesses all the characteristics of a divine decree; it is universal, it is durable, it constantly eludes all human interference, and all events as well as all men contribute to its progress." In fact, we live in a wonderful age, when all nations are starting from slumber, and are moving upwards. Some mighty orb seems placed above them, attracting all from their debasement up to itself. But in this remarkable and joyous tendency of our age, is our nation alone unaffected? As that divine decree, above human interference, and aided by all events and men, moves on to its accomplishment, are we alone excluded? Mankind unite in assigning us the highest place in this sublime movement. We shall enjoy its highest fruition; we shall be placed upon its loftiest pinnacle. Then away with despondency. Let the bigot declaim, the demagogue denounce indignation, empty as his own hollow-heartedness, but let us not cease to remember our high origin. The movements of a world through sixty centuries gave our nation birth, the solemn prayer of the Pilgrim is our representative at the court of heaven, and the breath of immortality our high gift from God. And the regenerating power of this immortality is accumulating, and fast transforming American Democracy into Christian Republicanism. When this takes place, the last, the sublime experiment in government shall have reached its perfection, Christian Republicanism will then become the exquisite model for the world, and under its guiding light all nations fast rise to the fulfilment of their glorious destiny. ARTICLE II. DR. POND'S LECTURES ON PASTORAL DUTY REVIEWED. The Young Pastor's Guide: or Lectures on Pastoral Duties. By ENOCH POND, D. D., Professor in the Theological Seminary, Bangor. Bangor: Published by E. F. Duren. William Hyde, Portland; Tappan & Dennett, Boston; Ezra Collier, New-York; A. H. Maltby, NewHaven. 1844. 12mo, pp. 377. THIS book is in some respects a novelty. Treatises on Homiletics, indeed, are somewhat numerous: though even here, one does not find precisely what he wants. Dr. Porter's work is undoubtedly the best; yet, as he himself tells us, there are some important topics that he does not discuss. A 'thorough, complete work on Homiletics, adapted to the latitude and longitude of New England, and to the peculiar exigencies of this nineteenth century, is still a desideratum. The Pastoral department of the ministerial office has still less engaged the attention of writers. At least very few books on "Pastoral Duty have fallen in our own way; and those few have confined themselves to specific portions of the subject, without "aiming at any comprehensive discussion. Baxter's Reformed Pastor we regard as invaluable. Appeals to ministers, more 'solemn, more searching, never were made, than some which that book contains; and there are many very useful hints in regard to modes of labor. We should like to see the work reprinted in a neat and separate form, placed on every minister's table by the side of his Bible, and made his daily companion. If ministers communed more with Baxter they would be holier men. But Baxter is not all that a minister wants. He wants a book not only urging him to fidelity, not only discussing some of the prominent branches of his work, but examining it in all its details, and counselling him how to act in all the varied circumstances in which he is placed. This want Dr. Pond has attempted to meet: and we think, on the whole, with much success. He omits few topics, if any, whose discussion is desirable in such a book. He begins. with the subject of pastoral qualifications; then proceeds to, reply to the various questions that arise in regard to settlement in the ministry; next takes up the various relations and duties after settlement, which are enumerated and discussed with great particularity and finally, in the last three lectures of the twenty-seven, canvasses the subjects of Dismissions, Withdrawment from the Ministry, and Results of Pastoral, Labor. Dr. Pond has in fact given us a full methodical treatise upon the important subject of Pastoral Duty, in all its parts. A "young Pastor," or candidate for the pastoral office, need but glance his eye over the table of contents to discover that the book deals largely in topics with which he is personally concerned. The book is very creditably got up. The form, binding, type, and paper, are all good. We notice a very few typographical errors; but in general the printing is accurate. We are happy to say that the book is in this respect very favorably distinguished from the last edition of the Doctor's work on Baptism, than which, though printed in Boston, we do not recellect to have seen a book more crowded with typographical blunders. The style is eminently simple and direct. We know of few men, who can present an idea, or a train of ideas, more clearly than Dr. Pond. Even in his more metaphysical discussions, as all can testify who have heard him in the pulpit or the lecture-room, there is an entire absence of that element of mysticism and darkness in which some men so delight to move. The Doctor, we presume, rather congratulates himself that he knows nothing of those "depths " ("as they speak") we certainly think that his students are to be congratulated, and all with whom his students do or will come in contact. In a book like the present, simplicity and directness are of the first importance. Dealing throughout with practical matters, it ought to be a plain, didactic, practical book. And such it is. Yet not didactic in the sense of being dull : for the book has no inconsiderable animation and fire, and we think will be read with interest even by laymen. Something of this may be owing to the fact, that it consists of a series of lectures, prepared in the first instance for oral delivery, and actually delivered to a body of students. We find no irrelevant matter-no tedious prolixity in the discussion of matters in point. There seems to be a somewhat studied avoidance of encroachment upon the department of Homiletics: though, in the lectures on Revivals, there are some remarks on what should be the general features of pulpit (along with other) effort, at such seasons, which constitute one of the most valuable portions of the book. As to conciseness, we think that in some of his discussions the Doctor has followed a rule which he lays down in regard to social meetings, namely, that they should close at a point of time. when those present are still desiring to have them continued longer. If the rule is good in one case, we suppose it is in another yet we wish there had been a little more fullness on some topics. We here refer, however, chiefly to some of the minor ones and perhaps, after all, the Doctor has judged wisely in compressing the book within as narrow limits as he has. We confess, we have been surprised as well as pleased, to find him answering so many questions in so brief a space, and answering them at the same time so well. From the views in general which Dr. Pond propounds, we presume few New England clergymen will dissent. A perfect unanimity on all points, where the points are so many, can hardly be expected. But we are very much deceived, if most of Dr. Pond's counsels will not commend themselves to his elder, no less than his younger brethren, as sound and safe. On most of the vexed questions, the arguments are given both pro and con; and, so far as we are able to judge, with a good degree of fairness. The Doctor has generally a pretty decided opinion himself, and declares it boldly. This we like and we like the other feature too. We thus learn not only his own conclusions in the particular case, but the |