New-York tribune., 1870-01-07
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
HAGFNRACH,s CHURCH HISTORY.

with Additions, by the hcN. JOun r. nulsl ~ ~
4 Co. i''
Usage and the point of view occupied by the
author WILL suppose, justify the title of hIcheH
sesckichte tChurch History or, as DR.. Hurst trans
lates it, History of the Church,, given to these
volumes. but. looking merely at the contents, we
should deem it misnOmer DIR. Hagenbacb passes
IA review the various schools and phases Of opinion
and of feeling in reference to religion since the
beginning of the last century. 1t is not with the
Church, or with any church, a constituted body.
rs pTopagator of doctrines, as an active force IN
civilization that he mainly or specifically deals, but
with the influences and the changes which religious
belief has undergone its ever-varying relations with
philosophy with literature, with the spirit of the
times. lie has little nothing to say of the
regular and ordinary action of the different
religious communities. The only sects he
has occasion 70 notice are those which, like Metho-
dism and Swedenborgiauism, have sprung into ex-
istence within the period of which he treats and he
looks only at the new clements, in the way of doc
trine or Of emotion, which they have introduced.
He glances at the Church of England only in con-
Hecton with some movement like that of Iractari-
anism at the Church OF Rome only it has exhlb-
tied signs Of the workings of internal Protestantism
nt the Lutheran and Calvinistc Churches only as
their dOgmas have been recprOcally affected or have
been modified by the influences of metaphysical in
quiry. He discusses Pietism and Rationalism, Free
thinking and Idealism; and lie examines them, not
as alterations from fixed standard, but rather as
the movements of pendulum which. if it should
cease to oscillate would cease to act Tho greater
part OF the second volume is cccuped with the sue
cessiye developments Of GClman philosophy and
literature 1t is true that these considered only
with reference to their bearings on cOtempora-
neous states Of religious belief. Yet the influence
considered isgnot that of religion on philosophy
aud literature, but that of philosophy and liter
nture on religion We do not mean to intimate that
DIR. Hagenbach is anything else than orthodox in
his own views He belongs, as we are told in the
preface and his expressions of opinion sufl-
eenty indicate to certain sections of the Evangel
ical school He professor of theology in the Uni
versity of Basle and his work consists of lectures
delivered we suppose in that capacity. Buthe aims
to consider all opinions and mutations of opinion, so
far as they sincere, only manifestations of the
inQuiring spirit in a region where to stihe inquiry
would be to sthe life, < HeIdoes not test them by
their conformity to any settled code. He seeks in
each of them some Justifying cause, some healthy
operation. lie regards them all us contributing in
various ways and degrees to a common object. as
leading, by however ciTcuitous paths, to a common
goal Or rather he sees that goal is attainable,
that all mental activity implies progress. and
that progress implies diversity and change.
Theology is not with him a stationary
science, nor does he regard the formulas OF one
age as sufficient to express the conceptions OF an
other As he considers that criticism and dalectcs in
the past have been, on the whole beneficial IN their
results SO he would not restrict their operation IN
the future. lie would neither carry.us back to the
rigid system Of Luther, nor bind us down 10 the
subtle and compromising interpretations of Scheier
nacher. His proper subject, as he more than once
defines il, is "the development ofLProtestantism."
md uplo fbiq fprTn he TO all
shades of opinion, the whole course and action Of
the mind outside the pale of the Roman Church, in
regard TO Christianity. Such, at all events, is the
actual field of his survey.
This application of the term Professionalism" seems
70 MS entirely correct 1t is clear that the Reforma
ton was no mere transition from one set OF dogmas
10 another. The Reforners themselves, it is true,
saw it only in this light They considered their work
TO be simply removal Of abuses, the restoration of
primitive Christianity, Of the pure doctrines Of the
Gospel But what they really did was to emancipate
the human reason, to let loose force which could
never thenceforth be again caught and confined.
The main, the essential distinction between the
Church of Rome and Professionalism was not that
the former supplemented the Scriptures with
tradition but that it assumed the right to interpret
all teachings and to impose ITS interpretations all
minds Discussion might arise, but IT must cease
when the voice of the Church had pronounced a de-
cision When this voice lost its power, when the
rivil government was no longer an agent ready to
snforce its DEGREES, the notion of author
lty, of iufallibilty, of harmony ceased TO
exist. The beaten highway having been deserted,
and the guide discarded every was left to choose
his own route and general separation was the in
svtable result. This is the grand theme of the re-
troaches which Roman Catholics address to Pro
lestapts You have" it is said, no leader no GER
tainty, no unity; yOu have separated from us only
10 be divided among yourselves And it is surely
no sufficient answer to say, 1--WE have the Scrip
lures for our guide and infallible standard" when
there is not text of Scripture that may not be
adversely interpreted not an article OF faith III one
creed that j. not rejected by Others not a difference
of belief whether considered material or inmate
rial that does not testify the exercise OF that I'M
fetterea private Judgment which refuses TO be con-
fined b. any bounds or controlled by any decisions
Were il not for the fact that the number Of
those who exercise the right OF private judg-
neut TO its full extent is comparatively
.mall there would be no limit to the diversity of
creeds; no two persons would be found III entire
agreement. The only answer to the Roman Catholic
Is: I'VE admit that we have such certainty, no
such unity no such guidance as you possess. We
gave these up in exchange for spiritual freedom,
with It's powers and its responsibilities. We parted
with them as the full-gown man renOunccs the
paternal authority and relinquishes the patemal
protection and support You have all one faith, but
It is the faith of childhood, impaired by others,
received with unquestiOning submission. We
aspire 10 a faith which shall spring up in the indi-
yidual consciousness which shall accept only what
Is in harmony with the internal voice Of the soul,
which shall be inwoyen with the fbers OF the moral
being, and beat in all the pulses of its life"
The beginning of the eighteenth century is rightly
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