to young persons, it strikes us that the effect would be highly beneficial. To rouse the dormant attention, to waken an interest in intellectual and moral subjects, to develop the idea of God in the half-formed mind, is often half the difficulty which the Pastor has to surmount, in conveying religious truth into the mind. Now the language of God's works is one which the child can understand; and in teaching him by these sensible images, what they "declare" concerning "the glory of God," you act as you do by a child who is learning to read, you begin with single letters, and with these letters you connect pictures, and it is from these that he learns the power of words. But the fact is, that Theology takes little cognizance of the manifestation of God in his works; so much has she been perverted by metaphysicks and controversy, that she is unaccustomed to speak of the great Object of worship, except in the language of abstract propositions and formal doctrines; and, strange to say, discourses on the nature and attributes of the Deity are apt to be the most abstruse and unaffecting of all religious discourses. We hear by THE DELIBERATIVE DIRECTORY far too little of God from the pulpit, as our Father in heaven; there is by far too little in most sermons, that leads the mind directly to the contemplation of God. We think there is much truth in the following remarks.

contemplations were suited only to carnal men and mere philosophers, and as if they should be polluted by particular descripwere afraid lest the sanctity of the pulpit tions of those operations of Deity which are perceived through the medium of the corporeal senses. We do not mean to insinuate, that the essential attributes of from the material world, should form the sole, or the chief topicks of discussion in the business of religious instruction; but, if the Scriptures frequently direct our attention to these subjects if they lie at the foundation of all accurate and extensive views of the Christian Revelation-if they be the chief subjects of contemplation to angels and all other pure intelligences in every region of the universe-and if they have a tendency to expand the minds of professed Christians, to correct their vague mote their conformity to the moral chaand erroneous conceptions, and to proracter of God-we cannot find out the shadow of reason, why such topicks should be almost, if not altogether overlooked, in the writings and discourses of those who fedge of God, and the duties of his worprofess to instruct mankind in the knowship."

God, and the illustrations of them derived

"Notwithstanding the connexion of the natural perfections of God with the objects of the Christian Revelation, it appears somewhat strange, that when certain religious instructors happen to come in contact with this topick, they seem as if they were beginning to tread upon forbidden ground, and as if it were unsuit able to their office as Christian teachers, to bring forward the stupendous works of

the Almighty to illustrate his nature and attributes. Instead of expatiating on the numerous sources of illustration of which the subject admits, till the minds of their hearers are thoroughly affected with a view of the essential glory of Jehovah, they despatch the subject with two or three vague propositions, which, though logically true, make no impression upon the heart; as if they believed that such

We recommend to some of our enterprising printers, the republication of the work which is here reviewed.

THE SYNOD OF NORTH CAROLINA,
AS ADOPTED BY SAID SYNOD, A. D.

1821. Fayetteville, printed at the
Observer office, by A. H. Dismukes,
1822. 4to. pp. 39.

THE DELIBERATIVE DIRECTORY OF
THE PRESBYTERY OF FAYETTE-
VILLE; AS ADOPTED BY SAID PRES-
BYTERY, IN APRIL, 1822. 12mo. pp.

41.

We notice these pamphlets chiefly with a view to recommend the example of the synod of North Carolina, and the presbytery of Fayetteville, to general imitation. The junior members of our ecclesiastical judicatures commonly need informa tion in regard to the proper powers of the several church courts, and the regular method of doing business in them; and all the members need to be reminded of the duties incumbent on them, and of the order which ought

This table of contents exhibits the general nature of the work. We had intended to quote the "introductory address" of the Moderator of the synod. But we find that the space which we must reserve for other purposes forbids it. The hymns which accompany these pamphlets are original. We give a specimen of them in the following

HYMN,

For the Opening of an Ecclesiastical
Meeting.

1. Father of mercies, God of grace,
Hearer of pray'r, and source of love,
Here, in thy courts, we sing thy praise,
O, deign to hear us from above.

to be observed. We well know, in-
deed, that all necessary information
on these topicks may be obtained by
a careful inspection of our publick
standards; but we as well know, that
too often it is not obtained; that to
obtain it requires time and study, and
a comparison of different parts of the
book, in which the information is con-
tained that the requisite attention
is too seldom given to the subject,
and that irregular proceedings, and
appeals to superior judicatures, which
might have been prevented, are often
the consequence of the neglect. We
therefore think that our brethren of
the North Carolina synod, and of the
presbytery of Fayetteville, have done
well and wisely in providing a small
manual, in which the powers and du- 2.
ties of synods and presbyteries are
clearly specified, and the right me-
thod of every procedure is plainly
delineated-a manual, which, at a
trifling expense, every member may
possess and keep by him, during his
attendance on the judicatures to
which he belongs. We therefore not
only respectfully recommend, that
such a publication as this should be
made by other synods and presbyte-
ries, but take leave to suggest, that
possibly the General Assembly also,
might find something of this kind
highly useful.

The two pamphlets before us are alike in their tenor, except that one relates to a synod and the other to a presbytery. To that which relates to a synod, is prefixed the following table of contents.

"Introductory address. A brief view of church judicatories. Powers and duties of a synod. Moderator's address to his successor, including rules of order."

"Appendix. Of dissents and protests, Hymns. Doxologies. Apostolical bene

dictions."

Behold us, Lord, assembled here, As rulers of thy church on earth; Keep us, O, keep us in thy fear,

As children of a heav'nly birth.

3. In all our councils, Lord, preside;
Let thy good Spirit be our guide,
Our ev'ry act, do thou direct;
thy good Spirit be our guide,

Let

And from all ill, our souls protect.

4. All needful knowledge, Lord, impart, That we may learn thy heav'nly will; With love to thee, fill ev'ry heart,

That we may keep thy statutes still. 5. Just and impartial may we be;

In all we do, be this our aim,

To keep thy church from error free,-
And thus, exalt Immanuel's name.

6. In bonds of love, may we unite,
And, like a band of brethren move,
"Till we enjoy unmix'd delight,
In realms of never-ending love.

We have understood that the Rev. COLIN M'IVER is the author of the hymns which appear in these pamphlets; and that all the materials of both publications were collected and digested by him, and submitted to the judicatures by which they were adopted, and ordered to be printed.

Literary and Philosophical Intelligence, etc.

We have just seen the Prospectus of an Elementary Course of Biblical Theology, translated from the work of Professors Storr and Flatt, with additions by S. S. Smucker, A.M. Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Newmarket, Virginia. The translation of this work is recommended by the Professors in the Princeton, Andover and New York Theological Seminaries. We cordially unite with them in wishing success to the undertaking.

Dr. Moyes, a blind philosopher, who many years ago gave lectures on natural philosophy in this city, in a lecture on chemistry, which he delivered in Edinburgh to aid an institution for persons deprived of sight, said, in speaking of the dog, "His fidelity endears him to the sons and daughters of sensibility; but amidst the wonders we daily see, it is not the least, that the number of this animal in England amounts to two millions; which, at an expense of only one shilling per week, gives upwards of five millions sterling, (nearly twenty-five millions of dollars,) a sum capable of building seventy ships of the line, aud far exceeding the revenue of several vast empires."

Proper Method of Boiling Potatoes. To boil potatoes mealy, and not cracked, it has been recommended to assort them to a nearly uniform size for each boiling; put them into an uncovered pot, which they must not fill, and pour over them cold water so as only to cover them. When this first water is nearly ready to boil, pour it off, and replace it with a similar quantity of cold water, salted rather profusely; which replacing of the water has the double effect of removing the extracted juice of the raw potatoes, and to cool their outsides, whilst their inner parts retain the heat acquired; so that the boiling they are then to undergo (until the prongs of a fork prove them to be done in the middle,) is uniform throughout, and the potatoes are not cracked, as in a close covered pot they are apt to be, by the great heat applied to their outsides, whilst yet their centres are in part raw.

The Eye.-A professional gentleman, who has lately written a treatise entitled the "Art of Preserving the Sight," relates the following fact, in order to show the danger attending the compression of the eyes:-"I was called in some years ago to the case of a strong man who had always enjoyed a most excellent sight until a short time previous, when he had become totally blind from the following incident.

One day he happened to be engaged with a party of friends, when some person entered the room without his noticing it, and ran familiarly to cover his eyes with bis two hands, desiring him to guess who it was that blinded him. Either unable or perhaps not choosing to guess the person's name, he endeavoured to disengage himself from his hands; but the stronger effort he made for that purpose, the more forcibly did the other press his hands upon deadly effect, that the unfortunate man, his eyes, and this so long and with such when permitted to open his eyes, found himself totally blind, although there was no apparent hurt done to the organ."

A very respectable writer in a late No. of a London Review, speaking of the African slave trade, relates the following circumstances:-"It was once the lot of the writer of this article to be on board a small vessel, containing nearly one hundred slaves; the whole, with the exception of five or six men, were male and female children, from four to thirteen years of age. These were confined to a small space, with scarcely sufficient room to sit upright; many of them labouring under disease, and their flesh, (or rather skin, for flesh they had but little) rubbed into wounds with the motion of the vessel, and by lying close together on the bare deck. The the crew, planned to take the schooner men observing the constant inebriation of from them; but they were too emaciated and weak by confinement and hunger to attempt it hastily. In a short time they in their appearance, and to look much bet were observed to be considerably altered ter. One night, when all the crew but the man at the helm were asleep, these desperate negroes rushed on the deck. The sailors and captain were aroused-a scuffle of some minutes ensued, in which both parties were severely wounded, and ultimately the slaves were overcome. following morning the captain deliberately loaded his pistols, placed three of the poor wretches in succession outside of the gangway, and in the presence of the others, shot them with his own hand. On inquiring, it was discovered, that these little half-famished children had daily supplied the men with some portion of their own scanty provision, to strengthen them for the enterprise."

The

An authentic account of the death of Lord Byron has reached England.-His decease took place at Missolonghi on the 19th April, after an illness of ten days. A cold, attended with inflammation, was the

Keligious Intelligence.