fessedly without any warrant or authority from him at all. If they say, by Jesus Christ, and through the virtue of his mediation; we entreat them to recal the numerous passages of the Scriptures, which have but just now been recited, and which, in the closest consonance with the whole tenor of the Gospel, assure them, that all despisers of the grace Now held forth in that Gospel shall behold, and be amazed, and perish; that those who make light of its invitations shall never taste of its blessings; and that those who believe not shall be damned; the wrath of God ABIDETH on themit abideth, fixed by the just sentence of God, and can any power of sinners on earth, or the damned in hell, ever remove the unutterable weight?-Let them further reflect upon the general and uniform doctrine of the New Testament, that the dispensation of mediatorial mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ will terminate at the great day of judgment; that he will then conclude the Gospel dispensation by performing the functions of the universal judge; that, in his judicial capacity, he will solemnly appoint the righteous to the enjoyment of everlasting life, and the wicked to the suffering of everlasting punishment; and that he will then have completed the designs of his present mediatorial kingdom, and will" deliver it up to the Father;" so that, thenceforward, to expect salvation from him to any of those who had refused it before, would involve a complete contradiction and subversion of the whole constitution of divine mercy and wisdom, for the salvation of sinners. It follows, therefore, that this restoration cannot be expected, as "the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord." They must then look for it in some other way, apart from Christ, without him, and independently of him. But THIS is an absolute impossibility. The grand and universal doctrine of the New Testament is, that "there is salvation in no other, neither is there any other name under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved; that other foundation can no man lay; that if any man, or even an angel from heaven," were to attempt it," he is to be held accursed;" that those who are" without Christ," are without hope;" that to those who reject him, "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin, but a dreadful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall deYour the adversaries;" and in short, that upon those "who obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, he will be revealed in flaming fire to take vengeance," and to inflict upon them (dikn) the just sentence, even " everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power." Surely the weakness and wickedness of men could never devise, nor the craft of Satan ever suggest, a notion more delusive, more daringly opposite to the word of truth, or more impiously contradictory to the Author of that word, than is this expectation of salvation without a Saviour! We come then, finally, to ask, whether this expectation is professed to be grounded on any intimation, promise, or warrant from God, or is taken up without any such authority? To this inquiry the advocates of the doctrine of universal restoration give different answers. Some of them ground their doctrine principally or solely upon their own philosophical the ories, and are content with saying! that the sacred Scriptures are not absolutely and decidedly against it. We think that ample proof has been produced that the sacredScriptures ARE, absolutely and ་་ decidedly, and in the strongest manner, opposed to this sentiment, and that it can never be maintained without a virtual defiance and contempt of God's authority, as declared in his word: and with respect to the alleged philosophical arguments in favour of the sentiment, it would not have been convenient to extend these papers by discussing them at length, seeing we have necessarily occupied so many pages already; but the solid principles of truth and reasons which have been briefly laid down in the two former Essays contain the germ of a sufficient answer to them all, and which may easily be applied to that purpose by any reflecting person. But there are others of these advocates who do suppose that they have found some scriptural passages which express or intimate their doctrine. Those which appear the strongest and most plausible shall be noticed. "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." 1 Cor. xv. 22. But there the Apostle is speaking of the resurrection of believers in Jesus to that glory and happiness for which they were prepared by grace and holiness in this life; and if it were conceded that, in this sentence, the universal terms refer to mankind at large, it would follow only that it asserts the resurrection of all mankind to an immortal existence, as effected by the power of Christ, according to his own declaration, "The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation."-Again, they argue that Christ's "putting all enemies under his feet, and destroying death, the last enemy," implies the total abolition of sin and misery; whereas the terms contain a declaration of the abolition of the death of the human body, and the restraining, coercing, and punishment of the agents in moral evil, however powerful; and their own plan of corrective discipline admits the continuance of moral and natural evil for a period long after the resurrection, even for ages of ages.-Again, they understand the Apostle as asserting, that "by the righteousness of Christ the free gift, unto justification of life, comes upon ALL men," Rom. v. in the full and absolute sense of that expression; but a slight at tention to the connexion will show that the Apostle is speaking only of those who receive the atonement, who are justified by faith, who are reconciled to God by the death of his Son, and who are saved from wrath through him. They also represent the promise, that "the creation itself shall be delivered from its subjection to vanity, and from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God," Rom. viii. as signifying an ultimate and complete deliverance of ALL mankind from sin and suffering: but this consequence by no means follows from any interpretation of the passage that is not absolutely wild and extravagant, and least of all from that which appears to be the most rational and true interpretation, viz. that the passage represents, by a strong and beautiful personification, the inferior orders of the creation as mourning and groaning under the abuses and injuries which they endure from the manifold wickedness of men, and as anticipating their deliverance when righteousness shall dwell upon earth, more completely than has ever yet been experienced since the fall brought misery upon all the orders of animated nature. Further, they labour to support their doctrine from the declaration, that "all things are put under Christ, that every knee shall bow, and every tongue. confess to him, and that God by him gathers together all things in one, and reconciles all things unto himself." But a serious attention to these passages shows very plainly that they refer, in part, to the subduing and conquering of the Redeemer's enemies, and in part to the assemblage and union of converted men and sinless angels in one holy and harmonious moral system, under the Messiah as their common head.-Again, they argue from such passages as say that Christ " gave himself a ransom for all, and died for all;" and that God "will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth; not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." But we think it extremely plain and manifest that this class of passages refers only and entirely to the provisions and means of divine mercy, and the revelation of the authoritative will of God, for the salvation of sinners now, "while it is called to-day," under the dispensation of mercy in the present life.-Finally, they urge with peculiar vehemence that the words in the original Scriptures, which are by us translated for ever, everlasting, and eternal, do not necessarily signify a duration properly endless; for they are sometimes used to denote a limited duration, as when they are applied to hills and mountains, to various laws of the Mosaic dispensation, to perpetual servitude or that which lasts through the whole of a man's life, to the possession of the land of Canaan by the Israelites, and to the continuance of the family of David in the possession of the regal dignity. This is all true; but it is only a part of the truth, and the whole truth is this. The words in question, particularly those which are employed in the New Testament, do properly and truly signify a duration without end. They are the plainest and strongest that the Greek language, so universally admired for its copiousness and energy, can furnish; nor can any other language furnish any higher or clearer terms to express a PROPER ETERNITY. They are the words by which are denoted the continued happiness of saints and angels in glory, and the unchangeable perfections of the infinite God, and his very existence itself. And whenever they are applied, in the inferior and accommodated sense, to objects not immortal, it is always to convey the idea of a duration as perfectly perpetual as the nature and circumstances of the subject will admit of. If the terms were taken as applied, even in this reduced sense, to the punishment of the wicked in the world of misery, they will be equally conclusive against the opinion of the restoration of the wicked, for they will express as long a duration as the subject admits of, i. e. a punishment as long as the souls of the wicked, and their bodies after the resurrection, shall continue to exist. At the same time, let the reader keep in mind that the use of these terms, (though supplying a conclusive and impregnable argument,) by no means constitutes the sole or the principal proof of the doctrine which we have endeavoured to represent from the abundant evidence of God's most holy word. All the arguments preceding this have been drawn from other and independent sources. In conclusion, the writer must repeat the conviction of his own mind, in the review of the entire argument, that it is strong, full, and demonstrative; and that the contrary opinion rests upon no1 solid foundation, from even nature or reason, while it is, in the most complete and decisive manner," overthrown and laid prostrate by plain evidence from the word of God, J. P. S/ REVIEW OF BOOKS. ་་་་་་་་... An Introduction to the Writings of the New Testament. By Dr. John Leonhard Hug, Professor of Theology in the University of Freyburgh, in Breisgau, &c. Translated from the Original German, by the Rev. Daniel Guildford Wait, LL.D. Rector of Blagdon, Somersetshire, Member of St. John's College, Cambridge, and of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain.-London: Rivingtons. 2 vols. 8vo. £1. 12s. WHEN we reflect on the great utility of sacred criticism in preparing the mind for the adoption of just and accurate views of the text of Scripture, it appears, at first sight, difficult to account for the fact, that, till the latter half of last century, but little general progress was made in this department of Biblical literature. If we except the invaluable Prolegomena prefixed to the first volume of Walton's Polyglott, the Introductio and Critica Sacra of Carpzov, Glassii Philologia Sacra, and some standard works of a similar nature, no 'books existed from which an acquaintance with the preliminary branches of sacred learning could be obtained: and even such works were confined, for the most part, to the libraries of public institutions, or those of a few learned theologians, whose particular taste led them to cultivate this kind of study. The Latin Introductions of Moldenhauer and Pritius, though more adapted for general circulation, and calculated to be more generally useful, never appear to have bad many readers in this country; nor, in fact, can we expect that they should have been found in the hands of students, when it is N. S. No. 36. Robert's recollected, that they were foreign publications, which sold high, and the subjects of which they treat were not then elevated to the important rank which they now hold in theological tuition. Key to the Bible, Collyer's Sacred Interpreter, and Father Simon's Critical History were long the only books in the English language that could be regarded in the light of introductions to the study of the Holy Scriptures:works differing greatly as to their plan, and the merit which they possess in a critical point of view, but still calculated, to a certain extent, to facilitate the inquiries of studious readers of Scripture. Had the Histoire Critique obtained that general perusal to which, with all its faults, it was entitled, it might have excited attention to numerous subjects of essential critical moment; but the prejudices which existed against the author as a Catholic, and the very unreadable English in which the translation appeared, must have operated to prevent its usefulness. With the publication of the Introduction to the New Testament, by the late J. D. Michaelis, à new epoch in the history of Biblical learning commenced, not only on the Continent, but also in England. A translation of this work appeared in 1761, and was soon followed by Harwood's Introduction, and Percy's Key to the New Testament; and, about twenty years afterwards, by Gray's Key to the Old Testament. In 1801, appeared a new and improved translation of Michaelis's Introduction, accompanied with valuable notes, by the learned Dr. Marsh, which greatly tended to 4 P increase the spirit of critical research, that was now becoming more general among biblical students. Since then, we have been favoured with two very important accessions in the works of Horne and Carpenter; but we are free to acknowledge, there still appears to us to be wanted a separate work, in the form of a strictly Critical Introduction to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. While we cannot but regard Carpenter's book as admirably adapted to answer the end specifically proposed by the author, and we feel greatly indebted to Mr. Horne for the quantity of useful matter with which, at great labour and expense, he has furnished us, we cannot rid ourselves of the conviction, that the latter author, by aiming at too much, has crowded together numerous subjects, which ought to have been treated in separate works, and thus precluded the possibility of his entering into the discussion of many points, with that critical minuteness and nicety, which their high importance and the present advanced state of biblical science imperiously demand. While, for instance, upwards of two hundred pages are devoted to the interpretation of Scripture, in which, with much that is excellent, is mixed up no inconsiderable portion of superfluous and heterogeneous matter, the Alexandrian and Vatican MSS., two of the most important biblical documents, are disposed of in ten, which consist almost entirely of mere bibliographical notices, interesting to the curious, but by no means satisfying the demands of critical research. The work is also radically defective in Hebrew criticism-a department indispensably requisite to the successful investigation of the real meaning of the Old Testament Scriptures. These remarks are not made with the view of detracting from As it regards patience of investigation, profundity and variety of talent, and a peculiar happiness of tact in seizing the points at issue between discordant authors, none of the writers just enumerated is to be placed on a level with Dr. Hug, a translation of whose introductory work is announced at the head of the present article. The author, who is Roman Catholie Professor in the University of Freyburgh, was induced by Dr. Schnurrer, the learned Chancellor of the University of Tubingen, to commence and prosecute a series of critical investigations into the state of the Greek text of the |