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REVIEWS AND LITERARY NOTICES.

THOUGHTS UPON THOUGHT. For Young Men. In Three Parts. Foolscap 8vo. 144 pp. J. SNOW.

THE work now before us contains, valuable disquisitions upon some important topics, which have hitherto been very much overlooked or neglected. There are but very few persons who have properly considered the necessity of having their thoughts well regulated, and how far responsibility for thoughts extends. Some persons become needlessly distressed in consequence of thoughts of evil presented to their minds, but not cherished or indulged by them. Others foolishly suppose, that they are in no case responsible for their thoughts; that the mere imagining and desiring of evil, does not render them liable to punishment. It is of great consequence to be able to distinguish those thoughts, which involve our responsibility, from those as to 'which we are mere involuntary agents; and to understand how thought involuntarily produced, and therefore, in its first existence in our minds, involving us in no responsibility, becomes to us an occassion of censure or commendation, of punishment or reward. So, also, it must be acknowledged, to be, of very high importance to understand how we may successfully resist thoughts of evil, and so to control and regulate our busy thoughts, as to make them conduce to the increase of our attainments in knowledge, holiness, and happiness, both here and hereafter. To all who desire to obtain information upon these important subjects, we recommend "Thoughts upon Thought."

The following abridgment of the Table of Contents will give our readers some notion of the nature of the work :

"PART I. On the Responsibility of Man in Relation to his Thoughts. Introductory Remarks.-The different Characteristics of Thought; what are, and what are not, a Man's own Thoughts.-General Principles on which Responsibility rests.-The question of Responsibility in Relation to the Thoughts stated.-Connexion of Thought with Conduct and Character.Consciousness and Volition essential to Responsibility.-Thoughts the Objects of God's special Cognizance.-The Law of God legislates for the Thoughts.Christ's Exposition of the Law.-Express Decisions that Thoughts are Amenable to the Law of God.-The Revolution of the Thoughts in Conversion.-Facts shewing that the Moral Government of God has been administered on the principle of Man's Accountability for his Thoughts. The Extent of this responsibility.-An Appeal to young Men.

PART II. On the Government of the Thoughts. General Remarks on the Government of the Thoughts.-Government of the Thoughts Defined.Reasons for the Government of the Thoughts.-Means for the Government of the Thoughts.

PART III. On the Influence of Thought in the Formation of Character. Scriptural View of the Question.-Motion and influence traceable to Mind.Any given kind of Thinking produces corresponding Principles.-Thinking developes Habit.-Principles and Habit Constitute Character.-The Influence of Thought in the Social Circle.-Illustrations of the Principle.-Concluding Appeal.'

We shall now give two extracts, from which, our readers may judge of the manner, in which the Author discusses the several topics. They are, from the Part-"On the Influence of Thought in the Formation of Character."

"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." This is the verdict of unerring truth, this the solution of an important question, this the index of human character, in all its variety. This, is an eternal verity of the moral government of God. God looks on the thinkings of the heart, and his estimate of character is formed-his sentence is determined. Character is, what it is in the sight of God. Character is not, what it often appears in the sight of men. Character is made up of the intellectual and moral habits of the man; and these habits are necessarily under the influence of the thoughts. Thought is the sculptor of character. Any given number of men, present a verisimilitude in the great principles of character, and it will be found, that their thoughts on those principles generally harmonize. Another number of men shall be selected, entirely different in character from the former, and it will be invariably found, that upon all the several points, in which the character differs, on those very points their thoughts disagree. And so will it be found in reference to those slighter shades of difference of character, the dissimilarity will be found in exact ratio to the difference of thoughts. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." All aversion or attachment proceeds on the assumption that the character is not a mere accident,-not a mere external appendage; but a necessary result, an inseparable effect of an equivalent cause,-an external development of long-continued and long-cherished thoughts of the heart. These are no airy beings, that come and "flit away, and leave no trace behind." Thoughts are either like Harpies, which steal part and filthify the rest of the soul, or like Cæsar's coiners, leave their master's image and superscription upon the mind. The influence of the thoughts is indelible. An influence possessing the power of reproducing its own impressions in an incalculable series, a -a power which leaves the discoveries of the photographic art at immeasurable distance. It is the fact, and not the modus agendi which is now under consideration. The fact is known, the mode of acting is unknown. The fact is realized in every hour's experience of the reflecting and observing mind; but to account for this fact, and to give an analysis of its processes, would be impracticable. Some guesses,-some conjectures may be indulged and avowed, but anything approaching to an undoubted accuracy, or an undeviating certainty, as relating to the process of influence, cannot be presumed. Yet the fact of the thoughts influencing the character, is so often and so forcibly presented on the sacred page, as to place it beyond all doubt. When God is about to carry out, towards any depraved man; his own purpose, "Let us make this man in our own likeness, let us form him after our own image;" he begins by putting the thoughts in order. And thus God did at the first creation. When he put the machinery of thought into motion, himself and his own fair and beauteous world, were the objects about which the thoughts of his intelligent creature man were to be employed. God's communion maintained the innocence and holiness of man,-kept his thoughts centred on the divine nature and benevolence, and, until diverted from this object, he sinned not. In the work of creating the soul anew, God the Spirit begins with the thoughts. He engages the attention of the thoughts on objects remotely different from those on which they have been employed, he allures them on in their thinkings, until they joyfully rally round the "new things, and old things pass away.'

"" * * *

Thoughts are like seed cast into the ground; some may be crushed by the foot of the careless passenger,-some may be carried away by the birds of the air, some may perish under the influence of a baneful atmosphere,

and others, cherished in the bosom of earth, may take root, spring up, and mature, and contribute, in a measure, to turn the desert into a fruitful field. And thoughts, which thus germinate like seed, produce after their own kind. To strip the subject of all figurative language, bad thoughts may pass through the mind, as swiftly as on the wings of light, and leave scarcely their tint or tinge behind; but these thoughts may be detained, nurtured, and strengthened till they become constituent parts of the mental being. Good thoughts may, with equal rapidity, pass through the mind, like a summer's breeze, which scarcely moves the smallest leaf, and no trace of them is left; but they may linger in the soul, become constant residents, and impart their own character to the dwelling they occupy. This will be found, in most cases, to be the history of principles, whether those principles be good or bad. A principle, full-grown, seldom enters the mind. The good and holy thought is the acorn or sapling put into the mind, and it eventually becomes the firm and sturdy principle, spreading out its branches, like the banana, diffusing itself until the whole region of mind is adorned with beauty. See the man, "whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates in it day and night;" he contents not himself with giving expression to his hallowed enjoyment, "How precious are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!" His mind he richly stores with truths, which he adopts as the principles of his faith and practice. He examines every sentiment that invites his credence, and carefully submits it to the unerring standard of truth, that so the character of its claims to his confidence may be determined, and be received or rejected, according to its harmony or discrepancy with the standard. He thus acquires Berean nobleness of character, aud shows himself, not the plaything of every new teacher, not the easy dupe of every quack in mind and morals, but an investigator of opinions by the light of truth. In every question of morals and religion, he "searches the Scriptures to see whether the things he hears are so or not." These thinkings and investigatings are acts of mind, which, being often repeated, issue in the formation of high and important principles."

The same process is observable in the production of any given principles. In some minds, the process may be exceedingly slow, and, in others, more rapid; yet, in all, thinking takes the precedence of principle, as the cause precedes the effect, and as the cause imparts its own impression to the effect, so the thinking gives its own moral likeness to the principles it produces. These views will be found applicable alike to the history of wicked, as to holy principles. For though the maturity in vice may be more rapid than the maturity of holiness, yet this is to be accounted for, on the ground of man's original bias to that which is evil, carrying his thoughts with the rapidity and force of a torrent in one direction. As that torrent is restrained or unrestrained, will be the character of the principles brought forth. These incorporate themselves with the mental and moral being of the man. Like those studies to which Cicero refers, these principles of good, sustain youth, delight age, adorn prosperity, afford a solace and a retreat in adversity; they delight at home, do not hinder in business, watch with us at night, journey with us when we journey, and wander with us in the country. As this sentence is intended to show the constant and inseparable influence of the studies, in which the mind has been engaged, so the influence of thoughts and principles are inseparable from the man. "As the man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

Although the Author has not given his name, the work proves him to be a workman that needeth not to be ashamed. None but a master could have produced it. The volume abounds with deep, clear, and original thoughts, which are beautifully expressed; and

the work will be highly valued, not by superficial thinkers, but by those who know how to value thoughts rich with mental power. It is a work from which much profit may be derived. Every young man ought to read it, and it is worthy the perusal of all classes, of all ages.

DECAPOLIS: or, the Individual Obligations of Christians to Save Souls from Death. By DAVID EVERARD FORD, Author of Chorazin," Damascus," Etc. 18mo. pp. 122. SIMPKIN, MAR

SHALL, and Co.

BETWEEN two or three years since, the first edition of this work came under our notice. We then expressed our warm approbation, and recommended it to the perusal of all our ministers and members. We are now glad to learn, from the preface to the fourth edition, that within three years, ten thousand copies have been sold in England, and at least, five editions have been printed in America.

In the commencement of the work, Mr. Ford takes a view of the present state of religion, and shows that, it is not what it ought to be, nor what it would have been if professed christians had been faithful. He shows that, it is the design of Christ that his Church should be militant-that souls are perishing not only in heathen lands, but in our country, in our own neighbourhood, in our own houses; and that Christians manifest an unwillingness to rescue them out of the hands of Satan. The causes of this neglect of the interests of immortal souls are pointed out-false opinions are exploded-the duty of all to engage in seeking the salvation of sinners is enforcedand motives for encouragement are exhibited.

Our readers may form an opinion of the impressive manner in which Mr. Ford writes from the following extracts :

"Christians often allow natural affection to neutralize their religious convictions. They admit that the wrath of God abides on the unbeliever, provided always, however, that the unbeliever, on whom that wrath shall abide, is not one of their kindred. They can think of the world at a distance as going down to the chambers of death, and lying there "in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day," Jude 6; but they shrink from the thought when it comes more closely home. It is an awful, but indisputable fact, that the most devoted Christians rarely admit that their near relatives are gone to hell. Hence, their sincerity is suspected, and their warnings are despised. To show the correctness of this startling assertion, take the following case :

A good man has a profligate son who is cut off in the midst of his sins. The last act of his life was an act of impiety, and the circumstances of his death were such as Solomon predicted: "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy," Prov. xxix. 1. The body is brought home to his father's house, and is there made ready for the grave. That father has other children, for whom he has oftened trembled, lest the contagion of their brother's example should prove their destruction. Now is the time to make an impression on their hearts, and to turn even the ruin of their brother to a good account. Imagine, then, the agonized father, taking each child in succession to view the corpse, and saying, "There lies the body of your wicked brother. His soul is in hell. Take warning, or you will follow him. Flee to Christ at once, or I

shall one day despair of your salvation, as I now do of his. The only consolation I have concerning him, is that he has not been able to charge the ruin of his soul to me. I am guiltless of that young man's blood. You know, and God knows, that I warned him day and night with many tears. I prayed for him, I prayed with him, I prayed with him alone, and I besought him by the tender mercies of God, to turn from his wickedness and live; but he would not hearken. And now, I own him for my son no more. Our separation is final and eternal. But, my dear child,' of whom I travail in birth again, until Christ be formed in you,' Gal. iv. 19, must I also part with you? Shall all my hopes, and prayers, and aims be lost? Shall it never be mine to say before the throne, Here am I, and the children which God has given me?' Your brother has perished in his sins. Will you perish too? Is the Redeemer of the world unworthy of your love? He died for your salvation. Will you refuse to obey him? He offers you the pardon of your sins. Will you have redemption through his blood? He is waiting to receive your soul. Will you devote it to his praise? Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation. Ilear his voice. Harden not your heart. Flee for refuge, to lay hold of the hope set before you. And then I shall rejoice amidst my sorrows, and say, at least of you, 'This my son was dead, and is alive again, he was lost, and is found.'" Let such an address be immediately followed by prayer suited to the awful occasion, and where is the child that would ever forget it, or afterwards think his father's religion a lie?

Do any ask, What father could do it? I answer, The man who believes his Bible, and thinks it bad enough to have one child in hell. But suppose, that instead of taking such a course, he spares his feelings. He cannot bear to think that his child is lost. He breathes the whisper of hope where facts warrant nothing but despair. And what is the result? One son says to himself, "Well, I am sure that my poor brother was a great deal worse than I have ever been. He died as he lived, and if he is gone to heaven, I need not be afraid of going to hell." That young man takes courage in his sins, and from that day becomes a profligate. Another comes to the conclusion, that, with all his pretence to piety, his father does not believe the religion which he professes; that the wrath of God, and the loss of the soul, are phrases which have a place in his creed, but to which there is nothing correspondent in the true sentiments of his heart. He leaps to the conclusion, that if his father is a hypocrite, religious men in general are no better; and thus the circumstance which, if rightly improved, might have been God's message of mercy to the salvation of his soul, seals his ruin. He becomes an infidel." **

"There are many, who, when conscience tells them that they ought to do something for the salvation of their unconverted neighbours, postpone their efforts, for affliction to prepare the way. The cares of life, they think, may then more readily be laid aside, and the attention exclusively directed to the things of eternity. And, moreover, at such a time, the call of a Christian neighbour, for the express purpose of religious conversation, will not be thought intrusive. "How glad I should be, for my husband to be seriously ill!" said a poor woman, one day, greatly to my surprise. On my asking a reason for so strange a wish, she replied, "O Sir, if he were ill, somebody would come and talk to him about his soul." The woman was too ignorant to have intended it as a personal rebuke; but may it not be the case, that while we account it a matter of imperative obligation to preach Christ to the sick and dying, we rarely say a word about him to those who need it not less than they?

Whatever may be its causes, the silence of Christians is the undoing of thousands. It may be indolence, it may be timidity, it may be mistaken affection, it may be mere procrastination without any assignable reason;