great men, would not fail of being highly interesting and instructive. For such a parallel as might be furnished from the ample materials which they have left behind them, we have not room in the present article, even if we possessed the ability of doing full justice to the subject. But we cannot let the opportunity pass, without inviting the attention of our readers to the following brief and imperfect sketch."

After giving in substance the coincidences in their lives which have already been mentioned, the writer proceeds: "But the parallel is far more deeply interesting in other particulars. The talent of the first President Edwards for philosophical and metaphysical disquisition, was of the very highest order. There was no subject within the legitimate range of human investigation which was too high or too deep for his powers. He saw those relations of things that lie far beyond the ken of ordinary minds, with a clearness that has excited the admiration of the most distinguished metaphysicians of a later age; and in tracing out remote analogies; in straightening and shedding light upon dark and intricate paths; in putting his finger at once upon the sophistry of an argument, and foiling his opponents with their own weapons; in striking out new trains of thought and following them up to the point of complete moral demonstration; in anticipating, inventing and answering objections; and in all that pertains to what we shall venture to call the pure algebra of mental philosophy and metaphysical science,―few men have ever equalled, and perhaps, all things considered, none have gone before him."

"Others have been greatly his superiors both in learning and eloquence-have had much more of what is loosely styled 'genius'-have lived much longer, and moved in far higher spheres. For a century to come, Locke and Reid, Stewart and Brown, may possibly be more extensively known and admired than Edwards. But to say nothing here of his heavenly crown, he has taken his place permanently in the very first rank of intellectual greatness. It can hardly be necessary to add, that among the righteous, he will be held in everlasting remembrance.' In the unclouded brightness of that sun, which will not go down for a thousand years, his name will shine with a new and increasing lustre."

"If Dr. Edwards was not in all respects equal to his honored father, there was, nevertheless, a striking similarity in the structure of their minds a strong intellectual resemblance, which is very observable in their writings. Thoughts and not words, arguments and not ornaments, were the things that engaged their most earnest attention. Neither of them borrowed his pen from the wing of the eagle; nor did father or son, so far as we know, ever spend an hour in wishful gazing at the heights of Parnassus. It was the hill of Zion,' which they loved. It was the holy 'mount of God,' towards which their kindling eyes were oft directed; and it was to sit down there, and shout redeeming love, that they ardently aspired. It was not to make a vain parade of their prowess that they engaged in controversy, but to defend what they believed to be important truth; and they never entered the field, till they had carefully reconnoitered every position and thoroughly proved their own armor. The first advances of both were slow, but direct and sure. Neither of them ever at-. tempted to frighten or trample down his antagonist by a furious onset, nor to carry a strong place by assault. Everything of this kind was entirely foreign from the temperament of these two distinguished champions of the truth. But when they had once buckled on their armor, neither of them ever thought of putting it off, till the enemy should be effectually discomfited."

"In managing a controversy, the method of each was nearly the same. The point in dispute was first clearly stated; the thing to be proved or disproved was placed by itself in a strong light, and then the principal terms to be used were carefully defined. After that, the opponent was generally met on his own ground. His statements and arguments were compared and analyzed. He was often proved to be unacquainted with his subject -inconclusive and even absurd in his reasoning, and palpably inconsistent with himself. This being done, the next step with the Edwardses was, to bring out their own strength, and to show by many separate and almost independent trains of argument, that the scheme which they were opposing was contrary to reason, at war with common sense, and above all, contradictory to the plainest declarations of Scripture. For the correctness of this

statement we need only refer to the treatises of President Edwards on the Will,' and Original Sin;' to that of Dr. Edwards on Liberty and Necessity,' and to his answer to Dr. Chauncy's book on Universal Salvation."

"Moreover, neither father nor son was scarcely ever satisfied with merely proving his point; so that often when it would seem as if every one must be already convinced, we find from five to fifteen strong reasons still to be adduced, besides hints at many others which might be brought forward in case of need. And what must have been extremely mortifying, not to say provoking to an opponent in the writings of the Edwardses, is, that they would anticipate more objections than he ever dreamed of himself, and then answer them in such a way as to discourage every attempt at reply. We have often, from our very hearts, pitied the prostrate theologian; and have been ready to sue for quarter in his behalf, when we found that he was too far gone to speak for himself."

"Neither of the Edwardses appears to have relied at all upon his genius; but they were both indefatigable in their studies. In these too, and in their exercise and rest, they were as systematic as possible. They rose early and lived by rule, as every man must, who would enjoy a clear mind, and accomplish much in a little time. They were not afraid to let it be known that they had their hours sacred to study and meditation. In this way they avoided needless interruptions, as most other men in the sacred office might do, and thus bring much more to pass than is generally accomplished. In looking over the controversial writings of the times in which they lived, and thence passing down to the present hour, it is curious to observe how few attempts have been made formally to answer any of those larger works in which they put forth their strength. Nibbling enough about the points of their arguments, there certainly has been, but for the most part it has been extremely chary; and we suspect that the few who have taken hold in earnest, have in the end, found pretty good reason to repent of their temerity. Or to change the figure, it is quite amusing when some slight impression is made upon an Edwardean outpost, to hear the shouts of victory, as if the cita

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del itself had been carried by storm. To forget, has been found vastly easier than to answer."

"We have said, that in our opinion, the first President Edwards was a greater man than the second; but if the father had higher powers of invention, the son was perhaps the most acute and dexterous as a logician. If the former could dive deeper, and bring up more pearls from the bottom, he could not arrange them when procured with greater skill and advantage than the latter. If his eye was more excursive, it was not keener. If he could lift the telescope easier, we doubt whether he could manage the microscope quite so well." "We cannot take leave of Dr. Edwards, without once more expressing the high opinion which we have formed of his talents, nor without offering hearty thanks to God for giving him such powers, and disposing him to consecrate them to the service of Christ, and to the best good of his fellow men, both in the life that now is, and in that which is to come."

*

The works of Dr. Edwards which were published in his life time, are the following:

1. "The Salvation of all men strictly examined," etc. This work was in reply to Dr. Chauncy. Several editions of it have been published; one with an appendix by the late Rev. Dr. Emmons* of Franklin, Mass. Respecting it, a distinguished living theologian has often remarked, "that it is a perfect answer to Universalism, as it was, is, or ever will be.” Another has called it "the great store-house of arguments to all who have written on this subject since." Of this and the next mentioned work a writer in the American Review says, "They will both do lasting honor to the memory of Dr. Edwards, both as a divine and philosopher." It was first published in 1789.

2. "A dissertation concerning Liberty and Necessity,” etc. in reply to the Rev. Dr. Samuel West. Of this work the following anecdote is told by one now living who personally remembers the incident. Dr. West, after the publication of his work, was often remarking, somewhat boastfully, that no one had answered it.

* Dr. Emmons was accustomed to say that the senior President had more reason than his son; but the son was a better reasoner than his father.

Soon after Dr. Edwards' work made its appearance, Dr. West was at a meeting of ministers, when one of them said to him, “Well, Dr. West, I congratulate you." "Congratulate me?" said Dr. W. "for what?" "Why, I congratulate you that you have at last got an answer to your book; and I condole with you that it is an answer that cannot be answered." An able writer in the New York Theological Magazine, remarks: "From the high reputation of Dr. Edwards, as an indefatigable student and close reasoner on subjects of an abstruse and metaphysical nature, I was led to enter on the perusal of this book with uncommon avidity. My curiosity was heightened by the frequent intimations I had received, that Dr. West's performances were viewed by his friends as an unanswerable vindication of the Arminian scheme of self-determination and contingence, in opposition to the scheme of moral necessity as maintained by president Edwards. The perusal I finished without the least disappointment. Few productions, I believe, on subjects of this nature, contain, in so small a compass, more instruction or less superfluous matter. The distinctions made are clear, and the arguments cogent. Not only the outworks, but the strong hold of Dr. West seems to me to be utterly demolished." The dissertation is divided into eight chapters. It was written and published while he was at Colebrook.

3. "Observations on the language of the Muhhekaneew Indians," etc. This was communicated to the Connecticut Society of Arts and Sciences, and first published at their request in 1788. It has since been several times republished, both in this country and in Europe. Of this treatise, the Hon. John Pickering, who edited one of the editions, remarks as follows: "The work has been for some time well known in Europe, where it has undoubtedly contributed to the diffusion of more just ideas, than once prevailed, respecting the structure of the Indian languages, and has served to correct some of the errors into which learned men had been led by placing too implicit confidence in the accounts of hasty travellers and blundering interpreters. In the Mithridates, that immortal monument of philological research, professor Vater refers to it for the information he has given upon the Mohegan language, and he has published large extracts from