New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-11-26
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
tnRDs NATURAL AND REVEALED THE
80. .''.- o.. OIOGY ..... H..

.r,,,nrCr,1se OFF NATURAL AND REVEALED THE
oLOGY. By CHARLES T. LORD. svo' pp' o0V go
This hook is about equally divided into two parts
The first consisting of twenty-f0ur chapters I@Aes
mn the important questions in natural science anu
philosophy ranging from the outward world anu 'liO
relations TO il of the senses, through inc nun,,
faculties up to the laws of being; taking III W 'I0
way ontOogy psychology, ethics @sthe'lOe, I ba
alogv the problem of evil. physical ana moi"i' s
issnes between naturalism and supernaturas", Sno
.x0vuents for the being and attributes OF UOd. ini9
ort closes with an ELOQUENT protest against atnelsn
The second part comprising tweh'y-t"o
treats the subject of revelation al lals anu ~
ar Showing the necessity for it. the condluonS
md the processes involved In IT. dsoOurseS Vi '0
,arson and offices of the Christ; expouDas Inc -"
s1o.olo 81 miracles throwing ont comments on the
.arratives of miracles in the Bible; explains the
1,nortance of prophesy and the bearing OF the Mes
.ianio predictions as they are called; vindicates
Ahe integrity and inspiration of the canon OF
Reruture outlines the theology of the Old and the
New Testamemts touches the unity OF the human
Race and closes with feryent remonstrance against
skeptcism.
To dispatch themes 80 manifold and so vast in
vanRle volume would be quite impracticabls. Even
oursory remarks so great variety OF topics
must be closely compressed in order TO ma admls-
son. The author has, therefore, prudenty aDstalneo
from
matters he deals with, and has cOntented himself
with summary digests of statements collected from
writings of more OF less repue in the several depart
uents of knowledge that he skirts Being man OF
large reading and at the same time of decided
mind. he has been able to cOndense into ON abso-
lately narrow compass the substance OF many books
Ard vet the limitation We have noticed-that.
namely. which confines him to the task Of reporting
results instead of celebrating discussions-was alone
not sufficient to enable the author to accomplish MS
plan. He found himself under the necessity
Of excluding the modern aspects Of the
yrebIems he presents Into the wide and
tempting fields of recent science and specu-
lation he, does not venture to step his foot.
With the fresh Investigations of his own day,
space forbids his having concern. An account
of the schools of thought and Of criticism
in Germany aud France, for example, would
have carried him far ont of his way, and
= consideration of their intellectual significance
would have complicated his argument more than be
desired 70 this circumstance, We presume, s to be
Ascribed his entire omission of them in his text.
There is chapter on deism, a by-gone system that
stood in negative attitude toward revelation. with
cut claiming special philosophical worth; but no
mention is made of heism. which is positive system
Of high speculative pretensions The chapter on
atheism contains description of Auguste Comte OF
of the school of Positivists, whose denial of the
noHular conceptions of God entities it to all the
attention the opponents of atheism have to bestow
on that subject Skepticsm receives large share of
comment but the latest forms of skepticism
% well known to scholars in English and French
literature passed by if they were not existent
In all respects the writer keeps himself within the
circle of old-ime opinions and of oldtime reasoning
about opinions. That he does so by an effort is
not apparent for he evidently lives in them himself.
Nevertheless, think he pushes his method to
unnecessary lengths. As questions are not
% be discussed in the text of the volume,
there would seem to be the moro propri-
ETY. in pointing the reader to the work in which
they are discussed. Why, in his Index to Authors,
should he give less than two columns to the destical
writers, for example, and more than six to their adj
vorsariesi Why should he omit those names that
ore new, fresh, eminent and within easy reach, and
report those whose arguments have been superseded
BY more original thought Why should we look i'll
vain for any of the really great names in biblical
scholarship of the present generstionf Why should
disparagng comments ratiOnalistic books be
placed in brackets sometimes misleading Judgment,
while comments of the opposite tone are
written over against the titles Of orthodox works
Why should pains have been taken TO say in ausiOn
to a volume on the --latest Form of Infdelity" that
this latest form of nfdety is German theology
Unchantabe critics will be apt TO accuse the author
who does such things of dealing unfairly with those
ksm whom he differs ar.-
But while thus carefully and successfully avoiding
khe criticisms and speculations of the last half CEN
tRry, Mr.. Lord has presented faithful account Of
speculation and criticism they previous to
that time aud has reproduced with admirable clear
the spirit of that remote epoch when as yet the
scientific method of inquiry kept itself strictly with
IA secular boundaries, and theological matters we're
In the keeping Of pofessed apOlOgsts and dOgmatist
The chapters on prOphesy, miracles, inspiration
sum up effectively all that said by that
early school, leaving nothing in the way of abso-
luteness of statement to be desired. Aud in doing
this Mr.. Lord has rendered good service TO his CO
temporaries This volume will the theological
student immense amount Of dry, difficult, and I'M
profitable reading, and will thus allow him time to
study the deep problems of speculative religion
der their newest aspects by the light of the newest
thought. Nor will theological students be the only
gamers by his labor His style of writing is direct
fOreiDle and plain 10 every understanding so that
all intelligent persons who wish TO know how their
ancestors reasoned sacred subjects will be able to
de so. They win find the book interesting vol
anne aid excellent a guide
MAGAZINES.
A~uou.x kIa oo,tribufOrS 70 IT, HasnIH nf