New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-09-25

rHRIsTIAN DoGMATlCs fo "a oosrssIKE d. d.
Ds as from he oue wAIsos Wares and NAV
Ses Ei,ed sy H. B. sxTH, D. and PHLlF soHAD D.
d. senbnsI. Armstrong, X Co.
The author of this work, which is now intro |
nced for the first time into English theological era
ture is one OF the most eminent living theologans o
Holland He was born in Rotterdam IN lso7 was P"s
for Is years Of the principal Reformed Churcn III ''a
city, and for than 10 years has Deeh proi -
theology in the University OF Utrecht In auu"on
TO several volumes OF sermons, he mas "i
aI5te of Christi (2d ed. ls63-eS), "Mahuai 'oi
Christians" Qs55-6D, and "Theoiogy u ."o w"
Testament" translated by professor W. 4" '"
The present work is his most lmpor'a". plO
ton giving the mature fruits OF long anu cH'nes'
.tndv % the doctrines OF the Christian faitD In
the oninon OF Professor Oosterzee, the iounuauoh VI
,hooogv ia laid in the spiritual nature OF man. Al
Though the divine cannot be fully comprehended may
vet be apprehended by spiritual insight Inc ceaseess
feeling OF man after God though IL may never com
petey attain object testihes TO an inward necessity
of his nature The mind and conscience cannot rest so
long as they nd rest in God Man seeks his Goa as
the sunhower seeks the sun the child its mothers
breast The organ by which strives TO SATISFY TINS
impulse reason the faculty OF IDEAS cosey
united with the heart The denial OF TINS
faculty leads TO skepticism in philosophy ana IN
theology 10 blind belief authority. If man is utterly
unable to rise the Invisible, he must bow mechanically
70 that which is enforced upon him from
without as reyelfsion, unless he has an :lnner
criterion for distinguishing truth ana ialsehoou
In this domain. But the truth with whieh
Christian dogmatcs is concerned according to Professor
osterzee belongs the sphere Of science but OF
faith There Is indeed science OF divine things Dut IL
IA a scence Of faith, and not OF demonstration re
gous truth can be the object Of perception py
the senses The Invisible world i revealed only 70 'ne
spiritual eye. without the principle OF persoua la'h
divine knowledge is utterly inconceiyaoe' Ihs 10 Vrue'
in the opinion Of the Of revealed religion no less
Of pa1i
ences Of Christianity lie contends, has been misunder
stood and exaggerated. Christ himself never regarded
miracles AZ the chief proofs Of his divine mission lie
always considered faith founded on his words as oI
higher value than that grounded on sgns Luther was
right when he said: "such signs are unim-
portant and almost childish when compared
with the sublime wonders which Christ I'M
eeasinely works in his church." so also when
he said: "God must allure men By sueh e&terhai
miracles children tempted by apples and pears
stil though miracle by itself cannot prove the uuth
Of doctrine, the author maintains that 1t may be re-
,arded as a sign Of the divine presence with him by
whom it was performed. Divine revelation, more
over argues Prof OOsterzee, must be sharply distn-
guished from the Holy Scriptures 1t is evident that
the Bible contains much which cannot possibly IN the
proper sense the word be termed revelation. Holy
Scripture the revelation ITSELF but the source OF
our knowledge OF revelation the record, the memorial,
the bearer OF revelation. The Bible was written by men,
. for men, and in truly human manner. only alter
a long tune were its various writings united
In O compact whole But this truth has often
been lost sight of. Soon after the Reformation the
Scriptures began to be reverenced in al extravagant
manner Men regarded the Bible a book suddenly
fallen from Heaven, and written by the immediate hand
of God According this view, everything in the Bible
was inspired merely the facts but the words not
merely the consonauts. but the vOwels, not merely its
religious and contents but its geography and his
tory On this account the language and style of
the Bible must be deemed faultless Every blemlsh
would detract the honor OF the heavenly writer
The historical and human side of Holy Scripture thus
receded the background, and was touched upon as
lightly as possible This view remarks the author, In
point Of logic is admirably conclusive But 1t derives
no support from the Bible itself. The whole of this
mechanical theory the fruit of dogmatic prepOs-
session was not asked what the Bible really was, but
what IT ought be- an inaliberule offaith and e
Each demand called forth another and still more strn-
gent But 1t Is pretty generally acknowledged
that the position is untenaOe, although it is s chung
TO by Of the mechanical theory of inspra
tion both in England aud Holland. Hence, even In our
OVID day. the hint given by Herder TO the young theo
Logan is by means unnecessary: "The best way OF
reading the Divine book is as human book" Not
v1tbstandng these concessions the spirit of rational
inquiry the must not be regarded as In any de-
gree favorable TO the conclusions Of modern skeptical
philosophy The author for the most part sustans the
received doctrines the Church with earnestness and
vigor truly catholic but not latltudinarian
While he attempts to show the harmony of Christian
doctrine with the dictates OF sound reason, he
never hampers with the severity of its character or d
lutes strength of its contents His style is solid and
forcibe but especially attractive His compactness
of statement is we'll adapted for textbook, but makes
its perusal rather hard reading The translation as we
Judge may be more faithful the original than to the
idom Of veTnacular, and at all events it is any
thing but model of pure English construction, and
lacks the favor Of familiar and expressive phraseoogy
WIthin the present century it has been especially de-
Tended talented manner" (vol. p 2l6) is sthe
worst sentence have found, but that is wholly mex
cusabe IN an English scholar
BIBLIOTHRCA DIABOLlCA. BEISG CHOICE SELECTION
THE VAIUABLE Books RELATING DEVIL Syo
Do Scrbner, Wexford, a Armstrong.
The literature of diabOlism is of so large