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terms would be misinterpreted, and would never be taken in other than a carnal sense. That this was a wise discretion is proved by the blasphemies which were published by their enemies concerning the Holy Eucharist. It shows a mind warped by prejudice, which, on an unsupported assertion of the derivation of the name Presbyter, could deny the typical bearing of the Levitical Priesthood, and its fulfilmentand completion in the sacerdotal system of the Christian Church.

P. 46. "Though the Presbyters are mentioned incidentally at xi. 30; xv. 2, the first appointment of that order is nowhere noticed." Their ordination is distinctly mentioned at xiv. 23, which passage, though not the first in which they are referred to, is worthy of especial notice, as giving us the first intimation of clergy appointed by the Apostles, and acting under them, resident in Gentile cities.

VII. 42. The expression "GOD gave them up," &c., is referred to that class of phrases in which human modes of action are attributed to the ALMIGHTY. Surely this is not all which is to be said of it. The people would not walk in God's ways; so He strove with them no more, His preventing grace was withdrawn, and they were suffered to take their own evil course. We should have thought that everybody must allow this to be the meaning of the expression.

VIII. 15. The commentator evidently shuns to declare the whole doctrine of Confirmation. He tells us, "S. Augustine lays it down, that the HOLY GHOST is still given at Confirmation, though not now producing such extraordinary and miraculous effects as in the first age. (De Bapt. III. 16.)" The Bishop's Prayer in our own office shows what are the gifts of the HOLY SPIRIT imparted in Confirmation. In Apostolic times the extraordinary gifts, miraculous powers, &c., were bestowed. Mr. Humphry proceeds: "It appears that Philip, being a deacon, was not competent to bestow the HOLY GHOST, at least not so completely as the Apostles." S. Philip merely baptized; and the minister is not of the essence of the Sacrament of Baptism: the blessings therein given are the same whoever be the dispenser of the Sacrament. "The administration of this rite [Confirmation] has accordingly been always reserved to the highest order of the priesthood." This is not absolutely true, if Bishops are meant by the "highest order of the priesthood:" as in special cases, or by regular commission, Priests were sometimes allowed to confirm. However there can be no doubt that such occasions were exceptions to an almost universal rule. The commentary goes on: "at the same time our Church holds that in the sacrament of baptism, though administered by a priest or deacon, there is conferred an instalment, (as it were,) of that spiritual influence, of which a further measure is granted to those who are worthy recipients of the rite of confirmation." The words which we have italicised

contain the notice of a discovery, which it were a pity should be lost upon the readers of the Ecclesiastic in the year 1855.

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The difficulty in v. 16, ("As yet He was fallen upon none of them, only they were baptized in the Name, &c.,") vanishes, when we remember that the term "fallen upon " referring to the gift of the HOLY GHOST is used of the extraordinary, not the ordinary, measures of grace, which is further evidenced by the fact that Simon " saw the effects of the descent of the HOLY SPIRIT. And as we are upon the subject of Baptism, we may as well note one or two more passages where this sacrament is mentioned, and point out how far short of the truth the commentary reaches. And first in connection with what has been said above, we find the same blunder touching the effects of Baptism, with no saving clause this time, in the notes on the case of S. Paul, ix. 17. "Ananias by immediate revelation was empowered to confer the HOLY GHOST; which gift Philip, the deacon, could not bestow (viii. 14)." There was nothing special in the gift at S. Paul's Baptism. Remarkable as is his case for the use of the ordinary means of grace, and human instruments, after so wonderful a conversion and revelation, (which Mr. Humphry himself notices, v. 10), it would have been not only unusual, but contrary to God's dealings with His Church, if a special revelation had been given to enable Ananias to wash away S. Paul's sins, (xxii. 16), by the Baptism of water and the HOLY GHOST. What was revealed to Ananias was that he should go to him who before was a blasphemer and a persecutor, but was now to be known as a "chosen vessel," and restore his sight, and admit him into the Church in the ordinary way. At the risk of wearying our readers we must quote another passage which shows the writer's perseverance in maintaining his confusion of ideas. Speaking of an interpolation which has found its way into a few MSS. at v. 39 of Chap. viii., (πνεῦμα [ἅγιον ἐπέπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸν εὐνοῦχον. ayyeλos dε] йρяаre x.T.A.), he says, "Such a fabrication would ἄγγελος δὲ] ἤρπασε readily suggest itself to one who reflected (1) that the HOLY GHOST could not be conferred by the deacon," &c.,-xix. 2. English version, 'Have ye received since ye believed?' more correctly,' Did ye receive when ye became believers ?? i.e., when ye made profession of your faith at baptism." As if S. Paul would have asked any whom he thought to be Christians whether they had received the HOLY GHOST. His question evidently refers to their confirmation. Supposing them to have been baptized Christians, he inquires whether they have received that further measure of grace which is given in confirmation. Their answer surprises him, and he asks, "Unto what then were ye baptized?" and they inform him that they were baptized unto John's baptism, that is with water, not with water and the HOLY GHOST.

The italics are not ours. Mr. Humphry seems to have fallen into Calvin's error of thinking that Ananias confirmed S. Paul.

X. 4. Note. "This belief [of prayers being borne up on the wings of angels,] which derives some countenance from Rev. viii. 4, has prevailed also in the Christian Church; the following sentence, translated from the Missal of Sarum, stands in the Communion Service of King Edward the Sixth's first Prayer Book (1549): We beseche Thee to accepte this our bounden duetie and service, and commande these our prayers and supplicacions, by the ministry of Thy holy angels, to be brought up into Thy holy Tabernacle before the sight of Thy divine majestie.'" Now the truth is, this is not translated directly from the Sarum Missal. The words in the old Canon are these: "Jube hæc perferri per manus sancti Angeli Tui in sublime altare Tuum, in conspectu Divinæ Majestatis Tuæ," where "Angeli" is by many ritualists supposed to refer to our LORD Himself.

v. 11. Mr. Humphry objects to the English version "knit at the four corners," on the double ground that apxais cannot mean "corners," and that if it did have this signification here, it would require the article; and then with some boldness translates, "fastened to the ends of four ropes," leaving us in doubt whether he means agxais to signify ropes, or ends, or both. Next follows a quotation from Ecumenius to the effect that the sheet is the Church, the beasts therein Gentiles, and that the Apostle beheld the Church τέσσαρσιν Εὐαγγελίοις δεδεμένην, ἐν ᾗ ὑπῆρχε πάντα τὰ Ovn, with the remark subjoined, "This is inconsistent with the interpretation of apxais, 'corners." And yet Cornelius a Lapide, who interprets in quatuor sui extremitatibus," adds: "Hi quatuor anguli significant quatuor Evangelia, spargenda per quatuor Örbis plagas."

XII. 17. "It is quite uncertain where he [S. Peter] was between this and chap. xv." It seems most probable that he visited Antioch at this time, and from thence went on to Rome.

XIII. 2. ASTOUPуouvrov. The commentator disapproves of Erasmus' rendering of this word, quum sacrificarent, adding that it was "not confined to the administration of the LORD's Supper till the fourth century." He says that S. Chrysostom states the ministration here meant to be preaching. Others may be more for tunate than ourselves, but we cannot find the passage to this effect in S. Chrysostom's Homily on this part of the Acts; and it seems to us that the words "to the LORD," render any such interpretation erroneous. We should imagine the Eucharistic sacrifice to be meant, or at any rate public prayer and praise.

χειροτονήσαντες.

XIV. 23. XIPOTOVÝσαvres. "The opinion of Jerome, (ad Esai. Iviii.), that" this word "here means ordination by laying on of hands (xapoleoía), is not supported by any clear example of such a sense. Supposing this to be the case, we do not see that the meaning would be altered. It was the Apostles who appointed the Presbyters, and no other method of appointment is recorded ex

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cept ordination by imposition of hands. At the same time we think there is very good evidence that χειροτονία and χειροθεσία are used by Ecclesiastical writers to express the same idea, as is now the case in modern Greek. An instance will be found in the second Homily of S. Chrysostom on 2 S. Tim., another in the letter of the Nicene Council to the Church of Alexandria, another in the chapter of the History of Theodoretus, (lib. I. cap. ix.), which contains a transcript of that epistle; numerous other instances might be added.

Pp. 122, 123. Mr. Humphry takes that view of the "rebuke" administered by S. Paul to S. Peter, which has so widely obtained among Protestants. He He says of S. Peter, "his vacillation proceeded from the occasional weakness and irresolution of character, which had already once betrayed him into a more serious self-contradiction," adding no notice of the different explanations which have been given.

XVI. 1. After speaking of intermarriages between Jew and Gentile, and of the opinion that Gentile wives only, and not Gentile husbands, were unlawful, Mr. Humphry proceeds: "On the other hand, the marriage of Drusilla and Felix was considered illegal by Josephus, Ant. xx. 7, 2." In the passage quoted the Jewish historian makes no comment whatever on the marriage. And one would have thought that the illegality of the connection was sufficiently notorious, without reference to the peculiar Jewish law about intermarriages, from the fact that Drusilla had at that time a husband living, Azizus, King of Emesa, whom she had abandoned for Felix.

Though we had marked many other passages of Mr. Humphry's commentary, we think the above will be found quite sufficient to prove our position, that he is neither a safe, nor an accurate annotator. Like so many others he is led away from the true source of interpretation by a miserable caution, which keeps him lingering on the outskirts of the truth, without courage to follow whither it beckons. We hope that some one may be found ere long to exhibit the unity of the Acts of the Holy Apostles, without the millennial aberrations, and other Protestant conceits of Dr. Baumgarten, and to comment upon them with greater boldness, and more accurate theology, than Mr. Humphry.

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WISNIEWSKI'S POEMS.

Hymnes et Elégies. Par Jules Wisniewski. Paris, chez Ledoyen, Libraire, Palais Royal. 1853. Pp. 240.

If religious poets were not as uncommon as they happen to be at the present moment in France, we should in all probability have never thought of noticing the work mentioned at the head of this article; but a French poet, imbued with deep religious principle, and writing with a holy object in view, is so rare a thing in the times in which we live, that we can well afford-and indeed we almost feel in duty bound-to devote a page or two to a passing notice of M. Wisniewski's effusions. His volume is made up of some thirty poems or so, shorter or longer-but none of them very long-on various subjects of every day life, such as religion, the family, friendship, external duties, labour, momentary and indefinable aspirations, réveries, and so forth,-each reflecting and embodying the particular feeling of the hour; and if it does not say much in favour of its author's poetic genius or artistic skill, it at least indicates that it is the production of a virtuous, high principled and reflecting man, penetrated with a lively sense of his Christian privileges and responsibilities. To these poems is prefixed an Introduction of some ten or twelve pages, explanatory of the nature and object of his publication, as well as of his views on various matters of passing interest. Some portions of this Introduction are, in every respect, exceedingly well written, and tend to prove that M. Wisniewski is more at home in prose than in verse. From what we have said, it will be readily inferred that we do not consider the author of the Hymnes et Elégies a first-rate poet. He is not a Racine, or a Lamartine, or even a Reboul. He has frequently some very good ideas, but they are expressed in the most unpoetic manner imaginable. His diction is by no means always as correct as it should be; and at times his verse strikes us as intolerably uncouth and inharmonious. Indeed many of the lines appear to us to have a good deal more of prose than of poetry in their composition; and we have noticed some that are even deficient in one of the essential elements of verse-scansion. Thus in a line of the poem entitled En traversant un Cimetière, we find one foot too many, (p. 112,)

“J'ai passé, sans rien dire de tout ce qu'on admire-"

whilst a line of the poem called Une prière de Dante, wants an additional syllable to make up the requisite number, (p. 198,)

"Et ton CHRIST lui-même a sué l'agonie."

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