character, he had a peculiarity, beyond all the other great writers of his school, of making his pious emotion dependent in all cases upon some solid scriptural basis.

"Spiritual life is the vital energy which pervades the morality and the practice recommended by Owen. It is not the abstraction of a mystical devotion, like that of Fenelon or Law; nor is it the enthusiastic raptures of Zinzendorf; but the evangelical piety of Paul and the heavenly affection of John. For every practice, mortification, and feeling, Owen assigns a satisfactory, because a scriptural, reason. The service which he recommends is uniformily a reasonable service; and to every required exertion he brings an adequate and constraining motive. In examining the practical writings of such men as Hall and Taylor and Tillotson, we miss the rich vein of evangelical sentiment and that constant reference to the living principle of Christianity which are never lost sight of in Owen. They abound in excellent directions, in rich materials for self-examination and self government; but they do not state with sufficient accuracy the connection between gracious influence and its practical results, from which all that is excellent in human conduct must proceed. They appear as the anatomists of the skin and the extremities: Owen is the anatomist of the heart. He dissects it with remarkable sagacity, tracing out its course and turnings in every path that leads from integrity, and marking out the almost imperceptible steps which conduct to atrocious sins."- Orme.

Bunyan.

John Bunyan, 1628-1688, is, of all the writers of his age, the greatest marvel. With only the most limited opportunities of education, he produced a work which is one of the greatest classics, not merely of English literature, but of all literature, ancient and modern. The Iliad itself is not more clearly a work for all time and all men than is the Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan, the Bedfordshire tinker.

Character and Career. Bunyan was an illiterate tinker, and in early life shockingly profane. Being brought under strong religious conviction, he abandoned his former way of life, and became ever afterwards a most earnest and devoted Christian. The change in his religious character reacted, as in such cases it often does, upon his intellectual development; and though he never attained to, nor indeed aimed at, the character of a learned man, he yet became a most powerful thinker and writer, his topics being limited chiefly to those drawn from the Bible and from religious experience, and he is second to none in the power of description, or in the purity of his English.

His Skill in Allegory. In one particular and most difficult department of writing, Allegory, he stands unrivalled, not only in English, but in all literature. Shakespeare is not so clearly the first of Dramatists, as is John Bunyan the Prince of Dreamers. His Dream of the

Pilgrim's Progress is confessedly the greatest of Allegories, ancient or modern; it has been translated into almost every language that has a religious literature of its own, and it probably has been more read, and been instrumental of more spiritual good, than any other book, the Bible only excepted. Bunyan was a Baptist; but he is a favorite among all Protestant denominations.

Works.-Bunyan wrote many works, the chief one, after The Pilgrim's Progress, being his Holy War. Some of his other works are Grace Abounding; Justification by Jesus Christ; The Holy City, &c. He was imprisoned in the Bedford jail for more than twelve years on account of his religion, and while there, with no books but his Bible and Fox's Book of Martyrs, he wrote his great work, and some others. A complete edition of his works has been issued, in 6 vols. 8vo.

Bunyan has been called the Spenser of the unlearned, the Shakespeare of the religious world. He did not write for literary glory, but solely for the religious instruction of the rude people among whom he lived; yet the highest literary authorities have bowed in reverence before the wonders of his art.

"He had no suspicion that he was producing a masterpiece. He could not guess what place his Allegory would occupy in English literature; for of English literature he knew nothing. ** * * The style is delightful to every reader, and invaluable as a study to every person who wishes to obtain a quick command over the English language. The vocabulary is the vocabulary of the common people. There is not an expression, if we except a few technical terms of theology, which would puzzle the rudest peasant. We have observed several pages which do not contain a single word of more than two syllables. Yet no writer has said more exactly what he meant to say. For magnificence, for pathos, for vehement exhortation, for subtle disquisition, for every purpose of the poet, the orator, and the divine, this homely dialect, the dialect of plain workingmen, was perfectly sufficient. There is no book in our literature on which we could so readily stake the fame of the old unpolluted English language; no book which shows so well how rich that language is in its own proper wealth, and how little it has been improved by all that it has borrowed. *** Though there were many clever men in England during the latter half of the seventeenth century, there were only two great creative minds. One of these minds produced the Paradise Lost, the other, the Pilgrim's Progress."— Macaulay.

"This wonderful book is one of the few books which may be read repeatedly, at different times, and each time with a new and a different pleasure. I read it once as a theologian, and let me assure you there is great theological acumen in the work; once, with devotional feelings; and once, as a poet. I could not have believed beforehand, that Calvinism could be painted in such delightful colors."— Coleridge.

Howe.

John Howe, 1630-1705, was, in the opinion of Robert Hall, "the greatest of the Puritan Divines." Critics who do not accord to Howe so distinguished a place, are yet unani

mous in considering him one of the greatest of theological writers.

Character and Career. Howe was educated at Cambridge; was domestic chaplain to Oliver Cromwell, and to Richard Cromwell; was afterwards ejected for non-conformity, but continued to preach to a dissenting congregation. His writings are not so numerous as those of Baxter and some others, and they are wanting in grace and elegance; but they are regarded as surpassing those of all other Puritan divines in force, and in breadth of views. Robert Hall says, "I have learned far more from John Howe than from any other author I have ever read. There is an astonishing magnificence in his conceptions."

Works. Howe's works have been published in 8 vols., 8vo. Those best known are: The Living Temple; The Blessedness of the Righteous; Delighting in God; The Redeemer's Tears; The Redeemer's Dominion over the Invisible World; The Office and Work of the Holy Spirit; God's Prescience; The Vanity of this Mortal Life.

"Possessed of the learning of Cudworth, the evangelical piety of Owen, and the fervor of Baxter, with a mind of larger dimensions than what belonged to any of those distinguished individuals, everything which fell from his pen is worthy of immortality. He delights while he instructs, and impresses while he enlightens. His Living Temple, The Blessedness of the Righteous, Of Delighting in God, The Redeemer's Tears, are among the finest productions of uninspired genius, and must be read with high gratification by every Christian. His style is occasionally rugged and inharmonious; but the sentiment will richly repay the trifling annoyance of its harsh and involved structure."- Orme's Bibl. Bib.

Matthew Poole, 1624-1679, a Presbyterian Non-conformist, is especially and most favorably known by his Synopsis, and his Annotations.

Poole wrote many other works on the controversial topics of the times, but the two which have been named outweigh all the others, and are of permanent value.

Poole's large work, The Synopsis, was itself an abridgment of a work larger still. There had been printed a work in 9 vols. folio, called Critici Sacri, and containing a collection, in Latin, of the critical annotations on the Bible of ninety of the most celebrated scholars in Europe. Poole undertook to reduce to order this immense mass of critical erudition, and made his celebrated Synopsis Criticorum, in 5 vols. fol., being a careful digest of the former work, and giving under each chapter and verse the best comments to be found in regard to it. Having finished this great work, which is even yet in demand among theologians, he made a still further reduction or abstract of it in English, for the use of ordinary readers. This other and smaller work was in 2 vols. fol., and was termed Annotations upon the Holy Bible. Poole did not live to complete this latter work, his labors on it ending with Isaiah. The work itself, however, was completed by other hands.

Pilgrim's Progress is confessedly the greatest of Alle modern; it has been translated into almost every la religious literature of its own, and it probably has bee been instrumental of more spiritual good, than any Bible only excepted. Bunyan was a Baptist; but among all Protestant denominations.

Works.-Bunyan wrote many works, the chief one, after The being his Holy War. Some of his other works are Grace Aboundi Jesus Christ; The Holy City, &c. He was imprisoned in the Be than twelve years on account of his religion, and while there, wit Bible and Fox's Book of Martyrs, he wrote his great work, and so plete edition of his works has been issued, in 6 vols. 8vo.

Bunyan has been called the Spenser of the unlear speare of the religious world. He did not write for lit solely for the religious instruction of the rude people lived; yet the highest literary authorities have bow before the wonders of his art.

"He had no suspicion that he was producing a masterpiece. I what place his Allegory would occupy in English literature; for of he knew nothing. ** The style is delightful to every reader a study to every person who wishes to obtain a quick command o guage. The vocabulary is the vocabulary of the common people expression, if we except a few technical terms of theology, whic rudest peasant. We have observed several pages which do not co of more than two syllables. Yet no writer has said more exactly say. For magnificence, for pathos, for vehement exhortation, for for every purpose of the poet, the orator, and the divine, this hom lect of plain workingmen, was perfectly sufficient. There is no bo on which we could so readily stake the fame of the old unpollute no book which shows so well how rich that language is in its ow how little it has been improved by all that it has borrowed. ** many clever men in England during the latter half of the sevent were only two great creative minds. One of these minds produc the other, the Pilgrim's Progress." - Macaulay.

"This wonderful book is one of the few books which may b different times, and each time with a new and a different pleas a theologian, and let me assure you there is great theological once, with devotional feelings; and once, as a poet. I could no hand, that Calvinism could be painted in such delightful colors

Howe.

John Howe, 1630-1705, was, in the op Hall, "the greatest of the Puritan Divines." not accord to Howe so distinguished a plac