Unitarian minister, is waiting only to be gathered like the
harvest by the hand of the reaper. We believe there is a
great and a glorious opportunity to spread the truth in that
part of the country, and we rejoice that any have turned
their faces towards that field of labor. We hope they will
be followed by others and many others, for they will all
find room to work. But they must work.
But they must work. A missionary
will not find the people eager to build him a church as soon
as he proposes to occupy its pulpit. He will encounter
unbelief and indifference and worldliness, and false religion
and imperfect views of religion, and prejudice and bigotry
and hostility. If he will go out prepared to meet these
trials, and will not be discouraged by his early experience,
he will obtain an audience, a congregation, and an influ-
ence that shall reward him for the sacrifice he has made in
leaving the home of his youth. But if he enter upon the
work with extravagant anticipations, or if we send him
thither with erroneous conceptions of the service he must
execute, he will probably return in disgust and we shall
receive him with coldness. Let us talk about the West at
our Anniversaries as if we were speaking of realities, and
not of visions.

We need pursue these remarks no farther. It is time they were brought to a close. Our readers will probably admit that we have sought to speak the truth. We have wished to set before them neither too bright nor too dark a picture of our condition. It has its sombre hues. And yet it is prevailingly such as we love to look upon. We do not expect a rapid diffusion of our opinions through the · land, but we are confident that their progressive and permanent ascendancy may be secured by a discharge of the duty which we owe to them. Let us as a denomination be faithful to the full extent of our abilities and opportunities, and the truth for which we render thanks in every prayer that goes up from our hearts will have, if not a free, a successful course, and will be glorified by those who now reject it. Three things must we do, three rules must we observe, if we would acquit ourselves of our duty. We must hold our opinions with the grasp of a firm faith, we must maintain and cultivate union among ourselves, and we must show forth the power of our persuasions by their effects upon our characters and lives. E. S. Gonnte

NOTICES OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS.

Symbolism: or, Exposition of the Doctrinal Differences between Catholics and Protestants, as evidenced in their Symbolical Writings. By JOHN ADAM MOEHLER, D. D. Translated

from the German by James B. Robertson, Esq. New York: 1844. 8vo. pp. 575.

THIS book is a valuable aid to the student of theology, and will not be found an unpalatable drug by any man at all curious in historical or philosophical inquiries. It is written by a freeminded, learned, devout, and by no means irrational Roman Catholic, upon the points at issue between his own and the Protestant doctrines.

66

Moehler seems to have been the most eminent of modern Catholic theologians in Germany. After filling several posts of honor in Wurtemberg, he accepted a theological chair at Munich, by invitation of the king of Bavaria, in 1835. In 1838 he died, aged forty-two. He left several important works to the public, the most prominent of which were "Unity in the Church, or the Principle of Catholicism," "Athanasius the Great, or the Church in the time of her struggle with Arianism," and the present treatise. The translator deems the Symbolism" superior to any other work in exhibiting the present relations of the Roman and Protestant Communions. Of course the reader immediately asks wherein it is better than the great Bossuet's "History of the Variations." The reply is, that Moehler gives a more internal view, exhibits the doctrines of some more recent denominations, writes with more philosophical depth than the Bishop of Meaux, and above all, without going into the minutiae of modern Rationalism, yet ever has it in mind, and writes from the stand-point of the present age. Without discussing the whole catalogue of Protestant sects, he treats of Romanism in contrast with the doctrines of Luther, Calvin, Zuinglius, and those of the minor denominations, as he calls them, Anabaptists, Quakers, Moravians, Methodists, Swedenborgians, Socinians, Arminians; whereas Bossuet confines his attention to the Lutherans and Calvinists. The points of comparison are as to the Origin of evil, Original Sin, Justification, the Sacraments, the Church. The authorities are given from the various creeds with great fulness, and the reader is thus put in possession of knowledge not elsewhere easily to be acquired with so much exactness. The tone throughout is mild

and candid, although far from lacking in positiveness. The most remarkable feature of the book, to those who read it from our point of view, is its assertion of superior liberality on the part of Catholic doctrine over Protestantism. Moehler almost takes ground with us against Luther and Calvin, as to the free agency and rational power of man and the relation of works to faith. He deems that the moral faculties are impaired by the fall, although by no means so utterly ruined as Luther and Calvin maintained. His view of the moral capacity of the Heathen, and the destiny of those of them who have followed the light they had, leads us surely in one thing to prefer Rome to Geneva.

Of course the Socinians are not spared by his pen, although he seems to consider them very consistent Protestants. Of Unitarian doctrines, as held by us, he seems to have no knowledge. He has some excellent remarks on the Quakers, and offers some suggestions to the followers of Swedenborg that must somewhat shake the walls of their New Jerusalem.

The book at once reminds us of a kindred work by an English Churchman, Maurice's "Kingdom of Christ." Kingdom of Christ." Maurice is the better artist, although we should deem Moehler the deeper theologian. Yet both the Englishman and the German are to be regarded as among the fairest and most instructive writers of the age. Maurice is evidently driving very hard against the Romanist, whilst Moehler has very little to say about the English Church, and probably did not know much about the present school of Anglo-Catholics. The new movement in England had not made much progress when he wrote, nor had William Palmer, the Oxford historian, as yet proclaimed, I should like to see the Patriarch of Constantinople and our Archbishop of Canterbury go barefoot to Rome, throw their arms round the Pope, kiss him, and not let him go till they had persuaded him to be more reasonable." We are inclined to think the embrace would be a very long one, before much effect would be produced upon the venerable father in the Vatican. Surely appearances indicate that the successor of Augustin would be called upon to make more concessions than the successor of St. Peter, and that England will become Romish quite as soon as Rome will become Anglican. All Maurice's labor and philosophising have not convinced us that Roman Catholics are less reasonable than "Anglo-Catholics."

and

"Two systems of doctrine," says Dr. Pusey," have now, probably for the last time, met in conflict; the system of Geneva and the Catholic system." True it is, that Prelacy and Calvinism are beginning to fight all over Christendom. Our place is with neither; neither with a Church under the rule of Bishops, nor with one under the rule of Calvin's dogmas. From the pre

late's mitre and the dogmatist's pentagon, good Providence save us, and lead us in simplicity to him who is "the way, the truth and the life." The mitre is quite as easy as the fivepointed creed. OAG

Human Nature. A Philosophical Exposition of the Divine Institution of Reward and Punishment, which obtains in the Physical, Intellectual and Moral Constitution of Man; with an Introductory Essay. To which is added a Series of Ethical Observations, written during the perusal of the Rev. James Martineau's Endeavors after the Christian Life." London. 1844. 12mo. pp. 91.

As is intimated in the title-page, we are indebted for this "Philosophical Exposition," and the "Essay" and "Observations" which accompany it, to the volume of sermons by Mr. Martineau, noticed in the last number but one of this journal. The "Introductory Essay" is a little too transcendental for us. Certain we are that the following summing up of the doctrine will not 66 amaze" the reader, by its "manifest clearness and

simplicity."

“God is infinite in being, hence he is infinite in wisdom and power, therefore infinite in happiness, for being is the antecedent and originator of these.

The greatest characteristic of a genuine, comprehensive science of human nature - of TRUE RELIGION, is the recognition that being is the greatest good, it is the one and only source whence happiness is derived, it is the designer and executor of everything which exists.

When man shall become livingly conscious of this great principle, when he shall appreciate and realize its full significance and applicability, then will the vastness and sublime propriety of Christ's declaration appear, 'the kingdom of God is within you;' then all divisions amongst mankind shall cease, all disputation and strife shall be forgotten; the innumerable sects and parties that perplex and confuse themselves with questions concerning Heaven and Hell, Reward and Punishment, Right and Wrong, now seemingly so mysterious and obscure, will discover and be amazed at their manifest clearness and simplicity, and the extreme facility of their solution!”

The "Exposition of the Divine Institution of Reward and Punishment" is better, as it gives illustrations, some of them happy, of the uses of pain, considered as announcing the presence or the approach of evil in the moral as well as in the physical constitution of man. But the writer has allowed himself to be betrayed into the vice of exaggeration, so common among theorists at the present day; and made a really important truth to assume the form of extravagance and paradox. All will agree, we suppose, that the pains of conscience are intended to give warning to those who will take it; and again, that moral VOL. XXXVII. -4TH S. VOL. II. NO. I. 11

insensibility, a paralysis of the soul, is part of the sinner's doom, in this world. But when we are told, that "man's greatest absolute evil consists in an unconscious decrease and retrogression of being towards negation" (p. 31); that remorse "is not, strictly speaking, the punisher of sin, but the indicator of its presence;" and that the only "true and ever enduring punishment of moral transgressions, is decrease of vitality in the faculties of the moral nature" (p. 44); most persons will demur. Most persons will still believe that it is possible to conceive of one thing worse than annihilation; to wit, continued and unending existence in misery and again, that remorse may be justly regarded as an evil and a punishment as far as it goes, though, in some cases, the means of preventing a worse evil and a worse punishment. It is plain that this writer often confounds susceptibility of remorse, which is the consequence of what God has done, with remorse itself, which is the consequence of what man has done.

The Ethical Observations" are short comments on different passages in Mr. Martineau's Discourses, originally written on the margins of that book; and there they might have remained without material loss to the public.

W.

1. The Life of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, written specially for Children and Youth. Boston: S. G. Simpkins. 1844. 12mo. pp. 160.

2. Sketches from the Life of Christ. By Mrs. H. V. CHENEY, Author of "A Peep at the Pilgrims," "Village Sketches," etc. Boston: William Crosby. 1844. 12mo. pp. 147. THE first of these is a reprint of an English work, a fact which should have been announced in connection with its title. The incidents in the life of the Saviour are well enough arranged, and in this its merit consists, rather than in its power to affect the feelings and reach the fountains of spiritual life in the soul. It has little warmth or coloring of style or sentiment, and consists too much in a bare detail of facts and incidents to satisfy us; though there may be those who will not object to this feature of the work. Faults of taste, too, we think occasionally occur in it. Yet we are not disposed to criticise the production with severity. It is designed chiefly for the young, and if it succeeds in interesting them, may be found useful. We hope, however, that it will not be allowed to take the place of a work with a similar title by the late Rev. H. Ware, jr.

Mrs. Cheney's book is what it professes to be, "sketches" from the life of Christ, and not a continuous history. It was commenced, the author tells us, for the use of her "own family," and aims