The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1868-01-08
RECENT PUBLICATIONS.
The shemariah Manual of Devotion.

ing room and everywhere.
We have received rom the Rev. Samuel
Emerson, of Shemarial, Augusta county, Va,
the January number If this publication. to-
gether with a parcel Of hand bills for book
stores and an advertisement for insertion in
the Central PreSLyterda, with a request to
give the work notice-a request which shall
be complied with. w are also informed that
= If the agencies of ne Presbyterian Church
in the United States NJ assist in making this
manual useful in Sunday Schools, &C., he
will supply it to then at cents a number, "
&c. Where the works to be published there
is nothing on its face o show; the only clue
is direction in the litter of Mr.. E., to ad-
dress" Shemariah, ''S4 Nassau ST., n. Y.
Upon inspecting on edition of the hand
bills, We find that it $50 be monthly publ
cation Of about 30pp. mo. year, impress
ing the most important truths in manner in
which all can join, andto which no candid or
rejecting mind can oject;" or, as another
edition of said hand-blls has ito which
no Catholic, Protestant or Infdel can object. :"
After this promising outside, an examina-
ton of the contents ii this Manual of devo-
ton enables us to say IL promise is well kept.
There is nothing in it to which even an iaJidel
could object. The authr tells us in fact, and
in the most express laOguage, that he does
"endeavor to present nothing to which any
Buddhist, MahOmea stheist or any one can
-Fols0Tas'fy objcct.i. would be bold man
who should say the effort was unsuccessful.
In consistency with these views the name
and offices of the only Redeemer of sinners is
carefully excluded from the Manual, which is
strange mixture OF maxims Of general mo-
rality, some from the Bible, and others we
know not whence: they are in general such as
might have been culled from the Alcoran OF
Mahomet, the Shaster of the Hindoos, the
writings of the Chinamln Confucius, and the
Book of Mormon The name of God is in
deed frequently introduced, but the author
seemed to think it necessary to make an apol-
ogy for this apparent hurt offered to the feel
ings of atheists. He says, 1.-THE words in ital-
les are his own,
I" 1t is proper that Tshould state to what ex-
tent, in accordance with my catholic purpose,
| feel that can use certain words.
BY the word God, | mean the ultimate
source Of power or of the combination Of pow
ers in accordance with which all things take
place Whether God literally walks, handles
thinks, purposes, &c. or not, or whether lie
has an existence apart from the matter around
us and the souls we are should notbe discuss
ed here. No one is such an Atheist as to deny
that some events are, in some sense, determin
ed by antecedent causes and this fact is al
that Is accessory"
After this luminous definition of the Crea
tor, we are deeply indebted to this philosophe
for the following satisfactory view Of our
selves:
81 | would not have you grant your own per
sonal existence, further than to consider al
words implying it as expressive of the fac
that there is an assemblage of experiences
Of sensations, memories, hopes, and desires
which you call yourself There is, then,
possibility, and we find probability, tina
there are other beings: and, if so, then thei
interests are as worthy Of consideration as ou
own. The prevalence of this truth-this tri
umph of faith working by love in our hearts
will free from evil, and establish there tn,
kingdom Of Heaven, of peace, purity, love
and joy. The triumph of this truth will es
tablish the kingdom of Heaven Throughout
the earth; filling it with peace, purity, love
and JOY"
Boston school, need not object to that. Ant
then only to think that this is proposed to thu
Scotch-Irish Presbyterians of Augusta anC
Rockbridge and elsewhere, instead of tn,
Shorter and the Children's Catechismsl w
beg leave to refer the author to book recent
ly written by Judge Thompson, of Wheeling
West Va, entitled Living Forces of the Uni
verse" He will probably be deeply interested
in this most extraordinary volume, as might b,
inferred from the following definition he give
of the sOuLwhich is fair specimen of tn,
entire volume of $50 pages:
Soul is the organisms in which are in
wrought various functionalizations indepen
dent in their respective powers, yet correlated
to muscles and viscera in the corporeal frame
and organically arranged for repercussing from
one to another, and in normal condition sub
W lhO OOutiOl VI Vic spiritual
topsy."
We have given only few specimens of wha
this Shemariah Manual sets forth in the way
of religion. The same author proposes to pub
lisb the Shemariah Speller and Reader, Pri
mary Grammar, Primary Physiology, Primary
Mental Philosophy, Primary Arithmetic, anc
Primary Astronomy; in all of which, especial
ly in Mathematics and Mental Philosophy
there are promises encouraging the world t.
believe it is to be speedily set right, the au
thor having satisfied himself that its teaching
are wrong.
Shemariah Church we have long known, il
its late excellent pastor, as well as its present
and also in its many estimable people; bu
from such importations as this curious affair
1.-The Shemariah Manual of Devotion, a,
well as the inundation of other things to come
may it and all others have a safe deiverance
ARROWS FROM Ny CULVER; pointed witt
the Steel of Truth, and winged by Faitl