Editor's Table [pp. 285-288]

NOTICES.
NOTICES.
THE AMERICAN PULPIT is a monthly, edited and pub lished by Rev. Richard G. Rust, A. M., Boston. The
first two numbers have been received, and have greatly
delighted us. No. 1 contains two sermons, viz., Christ,
not Self, the Object of Preaching, by Professor Holdich,
and The Spoiling Influence of Human Philosophy, by
Rev. Baron Stow. No. 2 contains Lukewarmness, by E.
Beecher, D. D., The Object of Christ's Incarnation, by
Charles Adams, and Sketch of a Funeral Sermon. The
object of the publication is not to please or amuse, not
to discuss critical questions, or novel doctrines, not
to furnish food for the theologian, or showy models of
pulpit discourse, but to urge the sinner to the cross, to
stimulate the Church to increased action, and to pro mote enlarged views and liberal feelings. For this pur pose it is to present, from month to month, sermons of
living divines, of different evangelical denominations,
enforcing the vital truths of Christianity. We perceive
that the following distinguished clergymen, among oth ers, are engaged to contribute to its pages: Stephen
Olin, D. D., Professor Holdich, George Peck, D. D., A.
Stevens, President Nott, S. H. Cox., D. D., S. Osgood,
D. D.
HARPER'S ILLUMINATED AND NEW PICTORIAL BI BL,E. Jtumsbers XXX, XXXI, and XXXII.-This,
which will probably be completed before the close
of the year, when well bound, will constitute a most su perb copy of the holy Scriptures. It would be a rich
New Year or Christmas present from the father to the
son, and we hope it will go far to revive that good old
custom of presenting the child with a copy of the word
of life, when he leaves his father's altar to erect one for
himself.
BARNES' NOTES ON THESSALONIANS, TIMOTHY, TI TUS, AND PHILEMON. Harver 8f Brothers.-This vol ume appears equal to any oithe preceding ones by the
same author, and, notwithstanding our numerous com nientaries, may perform an important part in the diffu sion of evangelical truth. Mr. B. is a clear and beauti ful writer, of great learning and industry. He is, how ever, strongly Calvinistic.
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DOMESTIC ECONOMY..N7umbers
FV and VI. Harper 8 Brothers.-This is one of the
most useful books which the fruitful press of the Har pers has furnished this season. It should be in the
hands of every man.
DICTIONARY OF PRACTICAL MEDICINE. N'umber
IX.
METHODIST QUARTERLY REVIEW, July, 1845.-This
number contains many excellent articles, well sustaining
the high character of the work. TI%e editor, in an able
article on Brownson's Quarterly Review, pays the fol lowing richly merited compliment to our friend, Dr. El liott: "We will, however, just hint to our extremely
modest antagonist, that we have a living author, who
has produced a work which has been republished in
England, and has been pronounced by some of the best
scholars of the age one of the most learned and conclu sive productions ill the English lan:uage."
BIBLICAL REPOSITORY AND CLASSICAL REVIEW, July,
1845.-This is a good number of a good work. Though
strongly Calvinistic in sentiment, it is catholic in spirit,
and its articles are generally written with spirit and
strength.
285
EDITOR'S TABLE.
THE TEMPERANCE CAUSE, notwithstanding the vigorous and persevering efforts of its friends, appears to
be declining. When it was first presented to the American people, it attracted the attention and support of the
wise, pious, and influential. Its advocates were clergymen, lawyers, physicians, merchants, and the more
worthy mechanics and agriculturalists. Though assailed by ridicule and gross abuse, its progress was, in the
upper walks of life, steady and rapid; but when it
sought to extend the pledge to the lower walks, it found
itself irresistibly impeded. Its pledge required abstinence only from alcoholic liquors. To sign it, therefore, required no self-denial on the part of the rich, who
could purchase wine; but demanded a sacrifice of all
artificial stinmulus on the part of the poor. The friends
of temperance, therefore, found that, to widen their
sphere of influence, they must broaden the platform of
their pledge. But this gave rise to a violent opposition,
which called forth arguments in defense of total abstinence. It is to be feared that many good men, in advocating this principle, fell into several errors. Thus, it
was maintained that the use of wine, in any quantity,
and on any occasion, is sinful. To establish this position rules of exegesis were resorted to, by which a man
might make the Bible teach almost any thing. Again,
it was asserted that Christianity is progressive, and that, *
in its incipiency, it was liable to many mistakes, which
it was reserved for modern philosophy to dissipate-a
statement little short of blasphemy. False principles are
generally followed by erroneous practices. Thus it was
ill temperance. Wine was rudely banished from the sickroom, and a weak mixture was substituted for it at the
sacrament.
This ultraism produced a reaction which well nigh resulted in a total discomfiture of the cause. We are
friends to total abstinence; but we place it upon the
broad ground of the apostle, "If meat make my brother
to offend, I will eat no meat while the world stanrdeth."
It is wrong to put an occasion of stumbling in a brother's
way. Every day's experience strengthens the conviction that the cause can never be carried to a successful
issue withonda total abandonment of the malt and vinous
liquors.
The cause did not recover from the shock which ultraism occasioned, until the Washingtonians arose.
These men gave it a new and irresistible impulse; but
they introduced several " reforms," which, in our hunimble opinion, impaired their influence, such as dispensing
with addresses to the throne of grace at the comnmencement and close of their public meetings-excluding clergymen and other pious persons from the offices of their
societies-introducing in their addresses a coarseness, not
to say vulgarity, of illustration offensive to a refined auditory. The consequence was, that they who were originally the chief pillars of the cause retired from public
view. Their own efforts having been unsuccessful, and
those of the Washingtonians so remarkably energetic
and effective, they seemed to think that Providence had
taken the work entirely out of their hands. We are
now convinced that they were in error-their withdrawal has been seriously felt-their counsels, their
prayers, and their influence were needed to give respectability and stability to the society, and direction to its
movements. Many of the Washingtonians have, as
might have been expected, fallen from their steadfast