New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-06-02

admission, when by her own unaded Efforts sDe Would
snock in vain vet this is not consequence which the
Esssyists oupbt serioua 10 have contemplated. Their
protest against Joint liabilities has been shhmeinlly
disregarded; and they cannot, ne u seems 10 us IN
good faith or consistency add To Its force hy any iue
Their dis aiIner such as aDi oy OF insidous foes
or the timidy OF anxious friends has so ealerly
messed upon them. Difficult az 1t would have beeo
under any circumstances 10 have parted company ~
any moment after the publication OF the Volume II
became absolutely impossible to DO so al or me lie 81
the csmor No men Of split or honor could do hat
under the influence of calumny compuisioD, which
they had not done on calm refe ton. Still, we repeat
the very fact of the necessity of the original protest
was testimony against the expedlency OF the volpme
Exactly in proportion as 1t severed their JOINT acop
il rend red that Joint action supeuous or misledlog
Another defect not inherent IN the original coucep-
ton Of The work bat perhaps nstoraIly fo~ipg from
general consciousness OF antaeonism 10 existing Views
lis its negative Character No book when urea ol
religious questions, hardly any book which treats OF
any Important questions can lope to nke lts way 10
the hear. Of the English nation, unless II gives al the
same time that il takes away, builds up at the sane
tiue that it destroys. We are far from denying
that there many passages OF constructive charac
fer in the volume Almost the whole Of the h,st aud
a large portion of the seventh E-,ag are enireutly
conservative Still there j. dl'paraging tone through
ont tie work as whole wli,l prOyJkes opposition,
and exciles ditrl, even WHERE 1t does not actually
shake some received opinions ai we cannot but lament
thot ont of Teniires written with much ability, so
little en- be extracted of sold accession to IheUlog
zeal knowledge or biblical literature. The sixth Ess ~
on English Religious Thought III the last Century
has in this spect, the chief clms on Gu, griluie
though even here desire moe of history and ess
of a dissertation. Any illustration Of an OBSCURE
period of Church history or theology, any schoalkc
exposition description Of any one Of the books either
OF the Old New Testament would We are convinced
have Conihated the popular mind Tar more than even
the noble expressions OF religious seL:iment that
breathe through tie general, therefor superi,iI
sketches of the present volume For real information
for substantial ins rucOn, II amazing what heavy
price the unnstructed masses are content TO ay even
ont Of the most cherished ofher preconc, opinions
The subject matter of the " Essays" argues the
reviewer, has again and again been set forth by
eminent theological writers, and apparently with
out causing any detrmeDt to the church or
religion. at has been a prodgious mistake to
suppose that this volume contains anything new.
By friends and foes alike this illusion has been
propapated-'a new Reformation a neo-Chrs-
tanity,' - new Religion, of Christianity without
Christ, without the Holy Ghost without Bible,
and without a Church. We will venture to say
that with the possible exception of Professor
Powell's Essay, and a few words of DR.. Williams
and Mr.. Wilson, there is no statement Of doc
trine or fact in this volume which has not been
repeatedly set forth by diyines whose deep aud
sincere faith in the Christian religion cannot be
denied without the very worst uncharitableness
and some Of whom are actually regarded as
luminaries of the Church. Even If the volume
could be regarded as an epoch in the Church OF
England, it cannot possibly be regarded M IN
| epoch in Christeu DOM If the Westminster or
the Quarterly Reviewer lad looked ever 80 cur
sorily through the works Of Herder, Schleicr.
| macher, Liicke. Neander, De Wete, Ewald, or
even Tholuck Olshausen, and Hengstenberg they
would see TINT the greater part Of the passages
which have given 80 much cause for eIultation or
for ofense in this volume. have their Counterpart
in those distinguished thcooRinus whom We have
just cted aud therefore if they were destined ."
! overthrow Christianity ought TO have done ~
| long ago. But neither s il an epoch 10 Ebgland.
| The STYLE the manner, tho eompos ton OF this
book may be offensive or peculiar. But facts and
creeds are not reyolutionized by manner and
siyle. The principles, even the words, OF The
Essaysts have been known for the last iiiy years,
through writings popular among oil English
students of the higher branches OF theology. II
there be conspiracy, it ia Que far more fOrmid-
able than that Of the seven Essayists, For II u
q conspiracy in which hall the rising generat on,
one quarter Of the Bench of Bishops, the most
leading spirits Of our clergy, have been, aud are,
aud will be engaged, whatever be the results oi
= s,..,rsy. Coeridge led the way,
'no p'o''n' 'O"' ior his GermaDzirl
"no'e ee"ei"''on ''oS, rank
influence. Even DR.. Pussy s~eiled 'hC
for a time and still retains in his teaching trace
| of his former associates. The translation Of
Neibuhr's History of Rome, with its speeula'
tons on the origin OF mankind, by Hare aud
| Thirlwa, called down tho tbunders Of the
Quarterly Review Of that day, which were
answered with burning Indignation and whitening
scorn by the two diyines who had undertaken
| that labor Of love. The Critical Essay OF
Schleiermacher on St. Lukes Gospel was uahered
| into the world by Preface OF the translator,
which bear6 on every page the uomistakeable
stamp of the mastery hand of the Bishop OF st.
| Dayid's; Essay and Preface alike containing
almost oil the principles and many of the state
ments, which D0w--whlle he declares that no
amount of orthodox statement can, without ex-
press disavowal, relieve writer lrJm tho
responsibility of his conniyance at previous heter.
OdOIy-that prelate denOunces as incompatible
with the profession Of an English clergyman.
Arnold's Life and Letters has been ALLOW ed to
pass through as many editions a, the Essays
and Reviews, and yet contains not only all the
fundamental principles of the present volume,
which have been so much attacked, but particu-
lar passages almost verbally concident with the
language of Professor JOwett or DIR. Williams
on the Book of Daniel, or even Of Mr. Wilson
on the early Jewish histOrr Dem Alford's edi.