New-York tribune., 1867-04-13

the sphere Of pure imagination and sentiment, his
literary faculty was far inferior to that OK his
life lung associate and friend, Washington Irving.
With larger powers OF reasoning, and wider and
frmer grasp OF thought, he never attained the deli
cate feces Of illustration and the flowing sweetness OF
language which gave perpetual charm even to the most
careless effusons Of his brilliant ootemporary Nor
no suoh wonderful master OF genial bumor and bland
poshed irony as his friend His satire was sharp and
often hitter II came from deeper than Irvings
IL was inspjred by vehement passion and derived
s potepey from gall Of hatred and party spirit with
which t was tnctured, rather than from the love Of
toc and the indulgence Of sportive fances Pauldng
we believe more in earnest than Irving; he
man OF stronger convictions and serious purpose
but without his sunny warmth OF disposition, and his
happy facility Of temperament, which enabled him to
catch the gayest aspects OF e and appreciate the love
liest traits OF character. In Mr. Pauldngs humor we
usually detect Mephisophelan vein he loves to strike
imaginary foe with flashing dart; he seems to re-
joce IN the wounds which he nfics and to triumph In
the wry faces Of his victims Washington Irving,
on the other hand loses the kindly genteness OF
his natures he is TO all unpleasant mages shrinks
from dealing blow that hurt anybody and in his
keenes strokes Of satire shows the refinement OF the
artst rather than the force Of the prizefghter Mr.
Pauding was lover of controversy. He snuffed the
battle afar oft He delighted in giving sturdy blow.
and was not unwilling 10 receive Discussion was
his forte, not description nor narrative He wanted
argument to give point to his essays He had no taste
for mere literary cOmposition no JOY in seeing 1.-THE
nmble and airy servitors" of language fall at his bidding
into their proper places ecstasy In behodlng the
children Of his brain radiant with the glow Of vitality and
clad in dress appropriate to their natural beauty-The
collection given TO the pubic exhibits the author In
the most favorable light 1t judcousy omts the cruder
and more acrimonious portions OF his writings ana pre-
serves only which worthy Of remembrance for
the value of their thoughts for happy turns OF
Az he \
extreme But this is not the fault Of the compiler The
life OF Mr. Paudng like that Of most literary men, was
comparatively Of incident and the events which
made up its tissue are now Of little interest than the
paper on which lie wrote.
Ecco Deus: Essays on the Life aud Doctrine Of Jesus
Christ Boston Roberts, Brohers, Is Intended by the
author as counterpart to Ecce Homo" coincidng on
several important points with that remarkable work,
though treating the subject from different point of view,
and regarding mystery Of the incarnation as the sole
key the facts related in the Gospel narratives The
neglect Of this principle has led the author Of "Eece
to several untenable conclusions, which Is the
purpose of the present volume TO expose although but
little Of spirit the tone Of controversy is betrayed in
its composition the form Of express reply TO
that and conducts the examination Of the life and doc
trne Of Christ independent ground. Still the leading
positions OF "Ecce Homo" pass under review, at least
incidentally in the Of the discussion, while the
closing chapter Of the volume devoted TO criticism OF
freer views than usually found In the popular
theology day. He thinks largely and boldly, with
little reference to the received traditions OF
the church. He evidently writes in the interests
Of truth, not Of any religious school or party.
He has no dread OF new ideas, and clings TO old
ones only from conviction OF their value after fearless
examination His language wholly free from pretense
Or termality %S .1s {'s.., % ~"
siasticsm IS enivene1 with the freshness of original
MI I'm fba m
able Not few will derive pleasure from his pages, who
find theological treatses too strong for their digestion
Among the views which mark the writer as inclined 10
the newness in religious IDEAS are his statements In
regard to the Scriptures He fully recognizes human, as
well as divine element In the Bible. Is often thought
Of he affrms in narrow and even unreasonng way by
its admirers No doubt it contains many contradictions
II abounds In seminal IDEAS but has finished pictures
The plan of revelation is TO make man more and more M
dependent of the scribe and more and more eaht On
the Spirit Writing is human contrivance, but thinking
Is divine operation The scribe for the child the spirit
for man. The Calvnism of the writer Ia apparent IN
his views No conception OF the doctrine
Of the Bible he maintains be correct which wars with
the human consciousness the heart repes then II ma
ture shudders with horror when they are suggested we
cannot trust to the authority Of grammar and lexicon In
their favor IF God sit his Judgment seat ana
see men going down TO hell because he determined from
all eternity that they should not 10 Heaven, when
he saws 'whosoever, he means but fewthen let all
honest and noble men leave him alone In hs hateful
heaven and go down hell in company with poor In
iured creatures who deserved better at his hand
This ia stronger language OF defiance than the
famous words of John Stuart MIL in his protest against
the authority of an unjust Deity With regard 70 the
miracles OF Christ the author maintains, that although
thev are 10 be received actual occurrences they were
Of temporary character, and have no place in purely
spiritua dispensation. They quite m accordance
with the superntendence Of the visible Christi But now
that Christ s no more known in the flesh the whole system
of objective demonstration has passed away Not mira
cles but science, belong to the rplershp q he spirit
The progress Of humanity is from the material 70 the
spria from the miraculous to the moral The present
is dstnctively the dispensation Of the Spirit, the
age OF mind the era of reason. Truth has moth
ing TO fear from rationalism. The Spirit presdes
over the intellectual development Of man, leading
him into all truth. The miraculous Is now set
back in distant history one phase Of divine
revelation; but the spiritual sheds It's brightness over
the future charming into deeper Investigation
than was possible TO the ages which have been trained by
symbol and enigma and miracle With such CONCESSIONS
10 the headings of modern innovation II is not probable
that the author Of this work Will find considerable
party in his favor. He goes too far, and yet not far
enough to satisfy either OF the prominent tendencies OF
the religious world He bold too hopeful too cr
cal 10 please the adherens Of the past and cngs too
closely to many Of the cardinal ideas Of ecclesiastical ira
dition 10 be hailed feowworker by the lovers OF
progress His book informal and desultory In Its ar
rangemept often superficial In its treatment OF import
ant topics with claim to the character OF an ex
haustive, or systematic treatise but II abounds
in pregnant suggestions flashes brilliant sideligh
Obscure themes and always commands respect by t
air Of earnestness and good faith