Our thoughts are fruitless, till in action shown,
Till power displayed, on adverse power o'erthrown,
Give strength to purpose, that may fear defy.

Power hast thou gained, or knowledge? Put to use
Thy talent then; to hoard it is abuse,

Nay, worse, is sin: hand, tongue, or pen,
Whate'er thy weapon, void of fear or doubt,
Mix boldly, gladly, with thy fellow men,
And work, with earnest heart, thy purpose out.

FREEDOM.

Freedom is self-control. He is not free

Who looks abroad for guidance; or who finds
In party, creed, or sect, in king's decree,

Or mob's acclaim, the rule of right that binds
His thoughts and feelings. Freedom dwells in minds
To virtue disciplined; where sense of right,
Our own, and not another's, is our guide;

Where self-respect, and scorn of wrong unite,
And truth and justice in our hearts preside.

To freedom thus inbred, if law accord

Freedom of action, we are free indeed :
But wrong, is tyranny, by one decreed
Or many, wrong, not less to be abhorred,

Though thousands gain, if one unjustly bleed.

The following poem, entitled, " Anniversary of the Wedding," is in a different strain.

Thy lively laugh as gaily rings,
As in those hours of opening youth;
As warm thy prompt affection springs,
As in our prime of joy and truth.

Those eyes of love are still as bright,
As when at first on me they shone;
Yet softened now with milder light,
And deeper tints to youth unknown.

If graver thought upon our brow
Is fixing here his aspect sage,
Yet cheerful fancies wreath, e'en now,
With smiles of joy the cares of age.

Then let them haste, the years! away:
Our growing loves they cannot part;
Youth did not lead our thoughts astray,

Age will not change the constant heart.

A Collection of Hymns for the Christian Church and Home. James Munroe & Co.

Boston.

THIS Collection by the Rev. Dr. Flint of Salem is an excellent one in many respects. Were we to dwell on subordinate qualities we would say, that the book is of convenient size, it is easy to purchase, and easy to carry it bears lightly on the purse, and lightly on the hand. The number of hymns is not swelled up as if worth consisted in bulk and burden.

The matter of the book is excellent also, and this is the one thing needful. There is consistency of sentiment without sameness, and variety without confusion. The divisions are simple, and the arrangement of subjects lucid. The collection is a valuable contribution to the lyrical devotion of the public and the domestic altar.

We hear much about the scarcity of good hymns. Doubtless they are scarce, but with a genuine taste, we suspect, we should find them more abundant than we imagine. By extending the circle of our choice, and laying aside some of that superstition which holds our veneration to the mass of pious verses, without poetry, which swells our prescriptive psalmody, we should discover much from the noblest minds, that might be consecrated to the service of God. The true nature of the hymn seems to us to be greatly misunderstood by professional writers and collectors. The hymn is not theology; it is not logic; it is not metrical dogma, and it is not metrical argument. Neither is it

ethical; it is no more a statement of morals, than it is a statement of doctrine. It is simply a song; a divine song, to be sure, but still a song. A hymn is subject to the laws which regulate this form of composition, and it must fulfil their conditions. The essence of a hymn is poetry; the form of it is lyrical; the spirit of it is devotional; let a composition, then, be poetical, lyrical, and devotional, with brief expression, and an adaptation to worship, and you have a complete hymn. The hymn is the melody of holy emotion, which breathes, because it must, in music. The hymn is faith made vocal in sweet sounds; it is the poetry of prayer. The hymn is not, as many seem to think it, a sermon, but a song. A short sermon in rhyme may be cogent in thought, and clear in language; but it is not a hymn. A hymn is not explanatory, but suggestive; not analytic, but inspiring. The logical is fatal to the lyrical; and there is no piety which can sing in syllogisms.

Dr. Flint with the spirit of a poet has been alive to this distinction; and the lyric beauty which marks his selection is the consequence. Hymns are for religious feeling, and not for speculative intellect. The truth of a hymn, therefore, is not metaphysical but emotional. We know, for instance, that this present world contains exceeding worth and exceeding goodness; but states of mind there are, in which the ideal of a holier beauty seems to flash rebuke on all that it can claim. These states of mind take at times expression in our hymns, and in reference to such states of mind the expression is true. So, we must from analogy believe that heaven has labor as well as earth; but contrast of idea being the source of mental relief, the fatigue of the present seeks refreshment in the repose of the future. Meeting a traveller weary after a long journey within a short distance of his home, we would not seek to cheer him by the work which awaited him, but by the rest which was to intervene. Thus it is, that heaven is associated in Scripture and devotion with tranquillizing imagery, because in Scripture and devotion, heaven is mostly used to give consolation to our tired hearts.

We think that a tender and trustful experience, a grave but grateful temper, a deep spiritual pathos, but solemn Christian hope, form the prevailing character of the book under notice. We observe in several hymns from Bryant this pensive tone, mingling the low sounds of a meek piety with "the soft, sad music of humanity." Distinguished by the peculiarities of each author's genius, we could specify many hymns in the compilation of similar character, from Norton, Moore, Heber, C. Wesley, and Milman. A more Jubilant and exultant strain

pervades two fine old hymns (198, 311) from the Breviary; and a glorious one (334) from Heber. A most magnificent hymn is that (188) marked anonymous, and commencing, "A voice upon the midnight air;" also, that (240) from the fervid and energetic Quarles. Dr. Flint has inserted some exquisite productions of his own; and one especially, (365) an Evening Hymn, we read with much delight; like the close of a summer's day, it soothes down uneasy desire; it bids the troubled heart be still; murmuring blessed thoughts, it steals with holy silence on the soul, and prepares it for darkness and for sleep with visions of beauty and dreams of peace.

Poetry for Home and School. Selected by the author of the "Theory of Teaching," and "Edward's First Lessons in Grammar." Boston: G. Simpkins. 1843. 12mo., PP. 360.

THE judgment and good taste shown in this compilation, are as remarkable as the talent so manifest in the author's previous original publications. It will be found, we think, to answer entirely the end proposed. A selection could hardly be made. that should address itself more winningly to the heart, the fancy, and the religious sentiments of the young reader.

Lectures on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans. By THOMAS CHALMERS, D. D., LL. D., Professor, &c. N. York: Robert Carter.

THOSE Who wish to own the works of Dr. Chalmers will find here a cheap reprint of the Lectures on the Epistle to the Romans, yet with a good clear type and on fair paper. It is to be completed in five monthly parts, at twenty-five cents each. It is in octavo with double columns.

The Simple Cobler of Aggawam in America. By Rev. NATHANIEL WARD. Edited by David Pulsifer. Boston: J. Munroe and Company. 1843. 12mo. pp. 96.

REPRINTED in excellent taste from the edition of 1713, but with the additions and alterations contained in later ones.

INDEX.

Pagan and Jewish notices of it, Eclectic Review, its character of
59 - silence of Quintilian and

VOL. XXXIII. 3D S. VOL. XV. NO. III.