The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-01-12
LITERARY NOTICES.

among the Doctors Of Theology in on. land.
DR.. Beecher has ventured to solve the enigma
OF all ages, in the grand debate, which Milton
has told us, first began in the regions of the
damned, where he says Book II, Paradise
LOST
Others sat apart, a hin retired
In thoughts more elevate, and reasons high
vi Providencc, Foreknowlcdge, VIII, and Fate.
Fixed Fate Free viii, Foreknowledge absolute,
And found no end in wandering mazes lost'
The author deems it in his power to shed
hight upon the great debate Of 1.-The Moral Re-
lations of God and Man" IL is grand enter
prise, and the author of this volume has enter
ed upon it in the maturity and strength of
manhood, after years of accumulated intellect
ual wealth, evidence of all which pervades this
work. We shall not presume to decide the
question whether the solution is successful or
not; we leave it to the conflict of minds whose
business it is, and whose duty it is, to contend
earnestly for the faith delivered to the Church
of God in the revelations Of God-in His Word
and in His Works. There is but one God; and
his revelations, however made-in Providence,
in Creation, or in Revelation-must if we can
attain to the entirety of truth, agree. Doctor
Beecher believes he has attained to a desired
end, and We hope to see his book read and his
arguments fairly met He does not raise a
man of straw, to show the vigor of his arm in
knocking it over. Witness the opening of
Chapter V, where he says
"The frat point of attack has ever been, as
hau oil 1ofa Cd tba 81 Al
istence, in new-created being, of sinful ma
ture, for which he is liable to a just punish
ment, and that anterior to any knowledge, will,
or choice, of his own. How, is it asked, can it
be honorable or right for God so to deal with
any new-created being To this question, no
one has ever been able to give any more salts
factory reply than those We have considered.
Doctor Woods takes distinctly the
ground of mere faith and mystery; that is, he
comes distinctly to the conclusion that it can
not be indicated on any principles of honor
and right known to the human mindn We
remember, from infancy, how often we puzzled
our tiny brains with the famous distich-
" In Adams fall
We sinned all.
And in this, we doubt not the readers of this
notice have all sympathized. Certainly, those
who were indoctrinated into the depths of mys-
teries opened to the children of New England
| in the once famous New England Primer y
Dr. Beecher thinks he has hit the egg upon
the end, in reviving the old Grecian notion OF
pre-existent state of the soul He says, page
49, chapter Ky
IL allege then, 1. That system based on
pR existence is the only one which admits and
requires such principles as explain what the
Church of God is, and develops system GEN.
terng in God and the Church, according to
the Scriptures.
90 Il is the only system which demands, OF
even allows, of a natural and consistent devel
opment of that view of God which is peculiar
to the Scriptures" Sc.
OF these postulates there are eleven. We
have quoted only Of the two first
We hope the answers to this new theory
may be as Christian in their temper, and by
men as thoroughly fitted for the task, as tht
author of the g Conflict of Ages" If SO, good
and only good, viii result from this new con
lict of mind with mind We confess to oul
apprehensions, the foundation.stone of stones
of stumbling is not yet reached; and this is the
origin Of sin. Sir Christopher Wren, when asked
how the drop-ceiling of Westminster Hall wa,
constructed, and if he could not build roof like
it, replied, Tell me how one of those drops il
maintained ID its place, and will erect an
other roof like this" The existence of sin under
the government of a God, infnite in power anC
goodness is the last difficulty to be met, land i
matters not to most minds whether the stones
of stumbling reach high as an Egyptian pyra
mid or few courses of stone above the deser
waste The chain Of causes reaches from thu
throne Of the Infinite and is buried in thu
ocean Of the unknown eternity, and most mind'
rest lust where Abraham's mind found firm
standing when he said "That be far from
thee, to Stay the righteous with the wicked anC
that the righteous should be as the wicked
that be far from the Shall not The Judge o.
oil the earth do right"
In conclusion, this is a work which merits
the attention of Doctors of Divinity, mos
learned, most laborious, and most Christian
To their hands we commend it. well convinced
=
eliminated, at least now expressions of love
and sympathy via be, to the edifcation of the
Church militant and the conservation OF tht
truths of Christianity, as received by the grea
body of Protestant churches. w,
Busy MOMENTS OF Az IDLE WOMAN. New York
Appleton l. Co. For sale by Robert Farnham
Washington, D. c. l VOL. PIP. 2S5.
This fanoiluI little book has beguiled us Of
busy hours so winning have we found it, The
tales are: Eiith;O "An Everyday Life
eThe Widow ;" Old Maidism as Marriage
Gan Episode in the Life of Woman of Fash
ion.D w.
LECTURES TO YoUNG MEN. BY w. g. Eliot, pastor
of the Church of the Messiah, st. Louis l vol
PIP. 1870. Crosby, Nichols a Co, Boston
LECTURES ON THE FORMATION OF CHARACTER OF
YoUSf MEs. By Rev. Rufus W. Clark. Boston
John q. Jewett : Co. ] vol, Pr 379.
The above are sold by Gray & Balantyne
of Washington We have carefully examined
these volumes. They are worthy of all &C.
ceptation. We hope every Young Mems Chris
tan Association may place duplicate copies, il
not dozen, in all the- libraries.
Mr. Eliot is native Of Washington, and
Mr. Clark was for time the Minister of the
Four and-a-h half street Presbyterian Church
In Washington these gentlemen are greatly
respected for their piety and well known tai
ents; both have appeared before the public as
authors of works which have been we'll receiv-
ed The lecture on "Leisure Time" by Mr.
Eliot, and the chapter on "Pernicious Litera-