1 The spring of their action was human applause. In the Olympic games death was crowned with glory; children from their earliest infancy were taught to regard the pursuit of fame as the sole object of life. The bravest heroes, as Miltiades, Leonidas, and Themistocles, loved their country because they loved themselves, and hoped for an immortality of fame. Under the same impulse Herodotus composed his history, Pindar sung his odes, Phidias sculptured his Zeus, and Alexander extended his conquests. The same selfishness marks the character of the Romans. Cicero, whose vanity was unbounded, in an oration before a vast concourse of people, remarked that the very best of men were governed by the love of applause ;* and, in his Natura Deorum, that the virtuous are justly honoured and appreciated for their morality, since it is not a gift of the gods, but the product of human power.† This self-righteous spirit, and this deification of human nature, constitute the predominant character of Stoicism. Seneca will not acknowledge that the truly wise man is inferior to the gods, but ventures to place him upon a moral equality, because, like them, his virtue depends upon the exercise of the natural powers; nay, he makes him even superior to them, because his morality is the product of the energy of his own will, whereas theirs is necessarily grounded in their nature. By fostering pride, Stoicism succeeded indeed in repressing the outbreaks of gross sensuality and other degrading vices. But it is precisely this self-righteous complacency, dangerous in proportion to its refinement, which constitutes the inmost essence of sin, and imbues men with a satanic element. Nor did the Stoic endeavour to humble his pride, for to him it was the highest good-the perfection of character. Absorbed in his self-sufficiency, he blasphemously aspired to the dignity of divinity, and enrolled his name in the catalogue of the gods.§ * Pro Archia poeta, c. 11: Trahimur omnes laudis studio et optimus quisque maxime gloria ducitur. In the beautiful passage concerning the existence of the soul after death, (De Senectute, 23,) he seems to have confounded the idea of personal immortality with that of immortality of fame. † De Nat. Deorum. III., 56. Num quis, quod bonus vir esset, gratias Deis egit unquam? at quod dives, quod honoratus, quod incolumis! Propter virtutem enim jure laudamuret in ea recte gloriamur, quod non contingeret, si id donum a Deo, non a nobis haberemus. ‡ Cicero imagined that man was qualified to attain to the perfection of virtue. De fine, v, 15. Est enim natura sic generata vis hominis, ut ad omnem virtutem percipiendam facta videatur. Comp. v, 9: Secundum naturam vivere, i. e., hominis natura undique perfecta et nihil requirente. This is absolute Pelagianism. § Epist. 73. Jupiter quo antecedit virum bonum? diutius bonus est. Sapiens nihil se minoris æstimat, quod virtutes ejus spatio breviori clauduntur. Sapiens tam æquo animo omnia apud alios videt contemnitque quam Jupiter; et hoc se magis suspicit, quod Jupiter uti illis non potest, sapiens non vult. Comp. Epist. 53. Est aliquid, quo sapiens antecedit Deum; ille naturæ beneficio non timet, suo sapiens. FOURTH SERIES, VOL. 1.—30 Stoicism, therefore, stands in direct opposition to Christianity. It would be as easy for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, as for a Stoic to become a convert to the humbling doctrines of Christ's religion. The apathy and indifference to the nobler sensibilities, inculcated by this philosophy, is not only opposed to the spirit of the gospel, but contradicts the nature of man. For we are not taught to mortify the feelings of the heart, but to purify and sanctify them. Cato, rushing upon his sword, without an exclamation either of dismay or sorrow; or the unknown sage, who, after having consigned his wife and children to the narrow house without a tear, gave himself up to the stroke of death without a sigh; may excite our wonder, but never our respect and love. Immeasurably superior to them all is CHRIST, who wept tears of sorrow for the unbelievers of Jerusalem, and tears of love for the bereaved sisters of Lazarus; who, in the garden of Gethsemane, when oppressed with the burden of a world's sin, sweat great drops of blood, and on the cross cried out,-"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” In the former there is nothing but the forced calmness of pride-cold as ice, gloomy as the tomb; in the latter, we behold a sinless human nature agitated with the intensest feelings, rejoicing with them that rejoice, and weeping with them that weep, seeking to embrace in its arms of love the entire human race. Having thus reviewed the preparation for Christianity in the heathen world, we shall, in our next number, treat of the preparation for Christianity in Judaism. The Psalmist; a New Collection of Hymns for the Use of the Baptist Churches. AMONG the recent hymn-books issued by different denominations, "The Psalmist" is justly entitled to a high rank. It was compiled by Rev. Baron Stow and Mr. S. F. Smith. To the pen of the latter gentleman it is indebted for several original productions; none of them of very great merit. The volume is beautifully printed, and is accompanied by a commendatory certificate, with fac-simile signatures of nine gentlemen of the Baptist Church, among whom we see the name of Rufus W. Griswold, the editor of several collections of sacred poetry. In their preface the compilers say: “The authorship of the hymns has been stated, where it was practicable; but in consequence of the variety and irresponsibleness," [an awkward word, and hardly legitimate,] "in this respect, of some of the sources from which they have been drawn, a few are still anonymous. In some instances a hymn has been ascribed, in various collections, to different authors; and no means exist of identifying the true one. In such cases, it is possible that errors may have occurred; but it is believed that they are very few. Any errors of this kind, which may hereafter be discovered, will be promptly corrected." A frank acknowledgment, and a promise that we have no reason to doubt will be fulfilled. It is our purpose in the present article to assist our Baptist brethren in rendering future editions of the "Psalmist” more perfect in this respect, by pointing out some of the errors and omissions alluded to, so far as regards the poetry of the Wesleys, with which our associations and predilections have rendered us more familiar than with that of other authors. We assure the industrious compilers, and the learned gentlemen whose certificate accompanies their work, that they may depend upon the truthfulness of our statements, and the "responsibleness" of the source from which they issue. In addition to the hymns in the volume before us that are credited to "Wesley," we notice the following: Hymn 57. This, which "The Psalmist" credits to Pratt's selection, is a part of C. Wesley's versification of Numbers vi, 24, 26. It is the 112th of the Methodist Collection; the only alteration being that of the pronouns from the singular to the plural number, thus: "Eternal Sun of righteousness, Display thy beams divine, Hymn 58, commencing, "Father of all, in whom alone," in which our compilers have made a few alterations, is also Charles Wesley's. The alterations are in the second verse. We place them in juxtaposition, that our readers may give full credit for the emendation: As written by Wesley. 2 While in thy word we search for thee, (We search with trembling awe!) Open our eyes, and let us see The wonders of thy law. The Baptist Improvement. 2 While in thy word we search for thee Thy light impart, that we may see Hymn 59 is also credited to "Pratt's Collection." It is a curious piece of poetical mosaic. The first and second verses are C. Wesley's, altered, and the third was written by Hart. It will amuse the reader to trace the process of its manufacture :— And melt the heart of stone.-See Meth. Col., Hymn 22, v. 1. 2 Speak, with the voice that wakes the dead, And bid the sleeper rise; O, let his guilty conscience dread The death that never dies.-Ibid., Hymn 21, v. 5. 3 Let us receive the word we hear, Each in an honest heart; Lay up the precious treasure there, And never with it part.-Ibid., Hymn 475, v. 3. Our Baptist brethren need have no hesitation in assigning their hymn 122 to C. Wesley. It is a part of the 293d of our Collection. Messrs. Stow and Smith take from it verses 1, 3, 5, 4, in this order, and thus it reads in "The Psalmist :". 1 Father, in whom we live, In whom we are and move, All glory, power, and praise receive, 2 O thou incarnate Word, Let all thy ransomed race Unite in thanks, with one accord, For thy redeeming grace. 3 Spirit of holiness, Let all thy saints adore Thy sacred gifts, and join to bless 4 The grace on man bestowed, Ye heavenly choirs, proclaim, And cry, "Salvation to our God! Let the reader compare it with 293 in the Methodist Collection, and award the compilers due credit for their ingenuity. We are utterly at a loss to account for the blunder of our Baptist brethren in assigning their hymn 166 to Montgomery. It was written, and well known, before he was born. The bard of Sheffield does indeed give the hymn, in its integrity, in his Christian Psalmist, but does not claim it as his own. It is the 258th of the Methodist Collection, and was written by Charles Wesley. Messrs. Stow and Smith cull from it verses 5, 2, 4, 6, and under their plastic hands it takes this form : Hymn 207, “Hark, the herald angels sing," is a part of a lyric originally written by C. Wesley, and altered a little by his brother John. It is ascribed, in the volume before us, to "Rippon's Collection." The hymn is indeed found in Rippon's book, but that author assigns it to J. C. W.,—three letters possibly overlooked by the present compilers, or, if not overlooked, not understood. They mean J. and C. Wesley. That well-known hymn, beginning, "Behold the Saviour of mankind," has a place in the collection before us, and is credited to "Percy Chapel Collection." It was written by Samuel Wesley, Senr. "It was preserved in a singular manner when the author's parsonage was consumed by fire the second time, Aug. 24th, 1709. Among other little mementoes of this calamity, says the editor of Clarke's Wesley Family, four leaves of music may be noticed; the edges of which bear the marks of the fire, and may be handed down to posterity as a curiosity. Charles Wesley, Junr., has written on one of the leaves, 'The words by my grandfather, the Rev. Samuel Wesley.' Then follows the hymn referred to."-See Creamer's Hymnology, p. 284. Hymn 229, "From whence these direful omens round," here credited to “Episcopal Collection," is from the pen of S. Wesley, Junr. It is No. 613 in the collection of the British Wesleyans. The first line, as originally written, reads, "From whence these dire por |