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exertions of divine power, were now known and acknowledged to be natural.

"Such a supposed wisdom and intelligence was not to be found at this period among the boasted sages of Greece and Rome; they were then even far more eager after miracles and predictions than the Hebrews had ever been in the earliest periods of their history. In all unusual occurrences they saw prodigies and omens; and they pretended to immediate revelations, which they carefully distinguished from the explanation of signs. Whence, then, had the Hebrews this wisdom and intelligence, so far superior to the knowledge of all the other nations of the earth? On the contrary we know from Josephus and the New Testament, that the Jews, in the time of Christ and his apostles, were still too much inclined to expect supernatural events; for, after all the miracles which Christ had wrought before their eyes, they were always requiring of him some new sign. Matt. xii. 38, 39: xvi. 1-4. Mark viii. 11, 12. Luke xi. 16, 29. John iv. 48: vi. 30. Finally, the supposition in question is refuted by the fact, that in the founding of the perfect kingdom of God by Jesus and the apostles, miracles and prophecies were again found necessary, as they had been in ancient times; and that after the establishment of the Church, they again ceased.

"But when the promise given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: "By thy seed shall all nations be blessed, or, esteem themselves happy," had been fulfilled by Christ; the power of God, his miraculous cooperation, appeared only in the disciples of our Saviour, and afterwards, the perfect kingdom of God was promoted by the ordinary course of divine providence. As soon as this kingdom was established among the Jews and Gentiles, during the first generation after the ascension of Jesus, the Theocracy of the Jews who remained in unbelief, was left to its decline; a decline which, according to the predictions in Mal. iii. 1-5: iv. 1-5. Dan. ix. 24, 27; and Matt. XXIV, was applicable only to the old Theocracy. Since the destruction of Jerusalem, the unbelieving people, in the course of seventeen hundred and fifty years, have been scattered over all the earth, and have every where suffered the most cruel persecutions, oppressions, insults, and every species of distress, without any manifestation of the Theocracy for their relief, without any supernatural aid, without a miracle or prophecy. The people, however, are constantly preserved by divine providence in all their distresses; millions have perished by the sword since their revolt from the Romans, and we

may say, millions have become Christians, Mohammedans, and pagans; still the people remain and increase, and acccording to the prophecies, Deut. iv. 31: xxx. 1-5. Jer. xxiii. 1-8: xxxi. 35-37: xlvi. 28, they will continue to exist till the period arrives of which the apostle Paul speaks, Rom. xi. 25-28, and which some of the ancient prophets appear to have anticipated."

With respect to the chronology adopted by the learned Professor, we have nothing particular to say. It is a perplexing and difficult subject. And it is evident, from various passages, that he felt it to be so, and was not always entirely confident himself of the soundness of his conclusions.

On

a number of points connected with this department of his subject, he differs from those with whom we have been most accustomed to concur; yet we are far from being sure, that he is wrong. We should have been better satisfied, however, if in a few instances, he had been more particular in stating the reasons on the ground of which he decided. The ipse dixit of such a man is weighty; but, in the republic of Science and Literature, we surly Americans would rather bow to argument than authority.

With regard to the Appendix translated from Basnage, we cannot refrain from saying, on the whole, that we wish it had been entirely omitted. It adds considerably to the size and price of the volume, without furnishing, in our judgment, a corresponding amount of solid information. The author of the Histoire des Juifs is well characterized by Professor Stuart in his preface. He certainly was a learned, and, in many respects an able man. But judgment in the choice and concoction of his materials can by no means be ascribed to him. We think that Mr. Stowe himself, or even an inferiour man, might have compiled a sketch, in less than half the compass of the translation from Basnage, far more in keeping with Jahn's work, and much better adapted to give authentic and useful information to theological students.

We close our remarks on this useful publication by observing, that, while we commend the literary zeal, diligence and ability of Mr. Stowe in preparing it for the press; and while we sincerely wish the enterprizing booksellers who patronized the undertaking, may be remunerated by a ready and extensive sale; we, nevertheless, think that better things ought to be expected and attempted in the department to which the volume before us belongs; and attempted we will add, if no where else, on this side of the Atlantic. We are indebted to the Seminary at Andover for many valuable presents in reference to Biblical Literature. We should be truly gratified to welcome another from the same quarter, on this great field of sacred labour. We cannot forbear to express a hope that some gentleman there, with all the nerve and elasticity of youthful movement, will, before long set about it. Let him not, however, think of issuing his Prospectus for publication in eighteen months, or even two years after sitting down to the job. Let him calculate patiently to devote to it the leisure hours of twelve or fourteen years. Let him avail himself freely, but with much thought and discrimination, of the labours of Heidiger, Usher, Buddæus, Spencer, Basnage, Selden, Vitringa, Shuckford, Prideaux, Bedford, Hales, and some score of other folios and quartos, rich in materials of different qualities. Let him explore the pages of Saurin's “Discours Historiques, Critiques, Theologiques, &c.," which, we believe, have never been translated into English. Let him carefully consult Allix, and Father Simon, and Cloppenburgh, and Spanheim, and Lightfoot, and Winder, and Stilling fleet, and Delaney, and Warburton, and Faber, and a number of the more judicious modern Germans, whose writings have not yet become familiar to American scholars; taking the quintessence of their best matter from them all; compressing into a single page, in many cases, the opinions, arguments, and authoritics which they often spread

Let him guard against the

over half a dozen, or more. fault into which so many historians, as well as commentators have fallen, the fault of being copious and fluent on the easy places, and passing over, either in total silence, or with a few unsatisfactory words, the really difficult ones, as if he saw them not. When a work on this plan shall be executed, —and it will require nothing more for its execution than strong good sense; sobriety of mind; a pious recollection, at every step, that the great subject in hand, is nothing less than the church of the living God, in its various characters and relations; and a capacity for close, patient attention, and indefatigable labour;-then our intelligent Christians will be furnished with a companion, which they will all highly prize, as an auxiliary in every department of religious reading; and our Theological Seminaries with a text-book, for the first part of their historical course, more convenient, rich, and instructive than they have ever yet enjoyed. When two or three large editions of Jahn's work shall have been sold and worn out, we hope the next generation of Professors in our Seminaries, will be so happy as to hail the completion, and enjoy the great advantages of such a present as we have now recommended.

BROWN'S THEORY OF CAUSE AND EFFECT.

THE late Dr. Brown, Professor of Moral Philosophy, in the University of Edinburgh, some years ago, published a book, entitled CAUSE AND EFFECT, in which he revived and defended the opinion of Mr. Hume, on the subject of power. It is due, however, to the ingenious author, to state that he distinctly disavowed Hume's skeptical inferences from this doctrine.

The same opinions, and the same reasonings, in support of them, are exhibited in his lectures on the philosophy of the mind, a more recent publication. And as the Philosophy of Dr. Brown has many admirers in this country, and has received unqualified recommendations from high authority, it will not, we trust, appear unreasonable or unnecessary, even at this late period, to bring his theory to the test of a fair examination; this is the object of the present article.

The opinion of Dr. B. to which I have referred is, that in philosophical accuracy, there is no such thing as causation or power; that immediate invariable antecedence is all that properly enters into the idea of a cause, and immediate invariable consequence, the true idea of effect; and accordingly, that power is nothing else but the relation between an immediate invariable antecedent and consequent. In plain English, his opinion is, that there is no such thing in nature as power; and that when we mean any thing more by this word, than merely to express the invariable antecedence of one thing to another we speak inaccurately, and unphilosophically. The words cause, causa

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