ous currents which bear down upon them and weep themr

away.

The crimes of the revolution occupy many volumes but, according to this writer, its advantages may be enumerated in a very narrow space. After fpeaking ironically of the law adopted on the motion of the fanguinary Couthon, by which the republican juries or judges were allowed to fubftitute moral proofs in the room of legal evidence, he fays,

Let us confider the discoveries by which the republic, is now enriched an uniformity and invariability of weights and measures, the swiftnefs of telegraphs, and the organi fation of aeroftats the metaphyfical fchools, which, as it were by magic, enlighten the human fpecies-and the new methods of fabricating falt-petre, gun-powder, leather, and men of genius, by the means of normal inftitutions.'

The fatire of this paffage, unfortunately for mankind, is too juft. Violent changes of government are rarely productive of benefit; but it is the peculiar anomalous charac ter of the French revolution, to have produced infinite mif chief with scarcely a particle of good; and both the present generation and pofterity will wonder at, and regret, the scandalous perverfion of an opportunity offered to a great nation, of gradually becoming wife, free, and happy: these words have indeed been founded through the trump of equality, but they have been founded to deceive, and to a people who either could not, or would not, understand their meaning, who have been the infatuated dupes of impious and fanguinary factions, and who now crouch beneath the defpotifm of a government profeffedly republican, which, however, can be diftinguished from the fubverted monarchy only by the excefs of its arrogance and profligacy-a government of bombaft and hyperbole, which over-fteps the modesty of nature in all its tranfactions-which, under falfe pretences, ravages the territories, and plunders the property of its neighbours-which views with haggard envy, and with futile anger, the profperity and the firmness of infulated Britain-which even extends its bloody and mercenary fangs across the Atlantic; and endeavours to contami nate the politics of those who, in their fober and prudent revolution, knew not the maffacres of Lyons, or the crimes of Paris.

The author of this performance has not confined himself to the refutation of mifchievous tenets in the political fcience. Juftly confidering true religion as connected with the welfare of every civilifed ftate, he has, in the beginning

7

of his fecond volume, adduced fome able arguments on the immortality of the foul, and other congenial topics. As a repofitory of characteristic sketches, fragments of the fpeeches of demagogues, &c. during the fierceft revolutionary ebullitions of France, the work is curious and valuable. That the writer is a man of ability, is evident from our quotations; and the importance of a fubject thus fkilfully handled, cannot but render the work interefting.

Chriftliche Schriften. Dritte Sammlung.-Von Gottes Sohn, der Welt Heiland, nach Johannes Evangelium.-Vom Geift des Chriftenthums.-Von Religion, Lermeinungen, und Gebräuchen. J. G. Herder. Leipzig. 1797.

Herder's Chriftian Writings, third Collection: 1. On the
Son of God, the Saviour of the World,
John's Gofpel: 2. On the Spirit of
3. On Religion, Opinions, and Rites.* 8vo.
Escher.

according to Christianity : Imported by

IN these three treatifes, an eminent writer continues to give his fentiments on the most important fubjects of religion; and Trinitarians, Arians, Socinians, myftics, enthufiafts, all will rife up in battle against him. But they cannot contend with him; for he will not wage war with any. Argument and fyllogifm, disputes on words, and vehemence of expreffion, are entirely loft on one whose great drift it is to exhibit christianity as an enlivening principle of action, not a theme for difputation-as a fubject intelligible to the meaneft capacity, yet escaping the fubtilties of the most learned a doctrine influencing the heart, correcting and improving the temper, and infpiring the breast with love to God and all mankind.

Before M. Herder enters upon his fubject, he inveftigates the character of St. John's gofpel, as differing from the reft, and makes thefe obfervations.

The great end of our evangelift is to give the true fense of the expreffions, the Son of God, and to fhew how, as faviour of the world, he gives everlafting life. The apoftles did not esteem themselves called or authorised to introduce new doctrines; but it was their business to build upon thefe expreffions, ufed by Chrift himself, as upon a rock. St. John has done the fame thing in his gofpel. Would any

See our XXIft. Vol. New Arr. p. 503.
Na

APP. VOL. XXIV. NEW ARR.

one, on this account, call it dogmatical? It may be fo yet it explains no new doctrine, and is employed on the fingle ancient chriftian dogma. Would any perfon call it polemical? Let it be remarked, that it defends, and does not attack. It contends with weapons of love and convic tion, not with the fresh-fharpened arrows of prefumption. The prudence of grey hairs dictated it, not the rafhness of youth. Would any one call it a fpiritual gofpel? It may be fo; but the other gofpels are not carnal: they alfo con tain the living words of Chrift, and are founded upon the tame rock of faith. St. John, by his gofpel, would not difplace them, but would explain, ftrengthen, complete

them.

This gofpel (he adds) is a complete work, composed upon a fixed plan, in exact order, with ftudied regularity in all its parts; and it is ratified within and without by the feal of truth.'

The first eighteen verfes of the gofpel in queftion occupy a confiderable degree of our author's attention. These verfes have been, for many ages, fubjects of contention; and the contenders ftood in need of the remark that this is a gofpel of peace, not a mandate againft heretics, or a formulary of the inquifition. The plain fignifications of the words are to be examined. John thought in Hebrew, and wrote in Greek. We must look to Hebrew metaphors, to Hebrew writings, to underftand his terms. The fyftems of Plato, of Zoroafter, and the Gnoftics, will lead us into error. This is clearly pointed out by an examination of the three fyftems; and thofe of Cerinthus, Saturninus, Bafilides, and Valentinian, are alfo inveftigated. M. Herder now gives his own interpretation, which agrees with the lead ing feature in the religion of the Jews-that there is only one felf-exiftent being, Jehovah, the true God; that the phrase Son of God can be taken only in a moral fenfe; that the invifible God was prefent in his fon, who was to mankind the fpeaking God. He was not only the inmoft interpreter of the divinity, but his all-active organ to revive in the human race the god-like dignity, for which he was created.* This interpretation leads our expofitor to fome remarks on. fathers, on councils and canons; and he has put the following addrefs into the mouth of John.

My beloved, we require not thefe things. My doctrine and that of my brethren, concerning our Chrift, were fimple and intelligible. Without him we knew not God; we looked up to Chrift as to one through whom God revealed himself. When God had spoken for a long time by the mouth of the wife men and the prophets, he spake tå us

by his fan. This for had only one notion of God, that of father, from which he derived every thing relative, either by knowledge or action, to the falvation of mankind. Of himfelf he had only one idea, that of fon, who was to obey and imitate his father. Of man alfo, he had only one notion, that he is a fallen creature, to whom, however, there is a higher deftiny, by which mankind will become a happy family of brethren, a godlike race. Our notion alfo of the fon was clear: we loved and honoured the father in the fon; and we looked upon the fon as our brother.'

Several miracles, actions, and difcourfes of our Saviour are now examined; all of which, according to M. Herder, were related by the evangelift for the purpose of proving in what fenfe Jefus was the faviour of the world; and it is from our ignorance of thofe times that we cannot, on this plain conftruction, give an account of every fyllable in this gofpel. The trinity of modern times is not to be found in it. God (fays our author) is in Chrift; Chrift is infeparably in active community, through the fpirit, in his own difciples: this is St. John's trinity, as intelligible as heartfelt."

The queftion, of the use of this gospel to us, is answered in a fatisfactory manner; and in this, as well as in the other parts of the work, though we cannot in every instance agree with the author's interpretations, we highly approve his mode of investigation. He looks to fcripture alone for the explanation of fcripture: he rejects all metaphyfical fpeculations, he is filled with the nobleft ideas of the wifdom and goodness of God; and, with him, chriftianity is not a mere exercise of the reasoning principle, but a cordial fenfe of the love of God toward mankind, exemplified in fending Chrift to be the faviour of the world. Every thing which 'opposes that love, whether from ambition, felf-intereft, or the intereft of the church, is anti-chriftian; and the prevailing idea throughout the work is, that God is love, and that chriftians ought to love each other.

The fpirit of chriftianity is inveftigated in a fimilar manner. The meaning of the word aux is examined with care; and the ideas entertained by the ancient Hebrews when this term (or a correfponding word in their language) was used, are explained with propriety. Hence the ufe of the term amongst the early chriftians is reconciled with its original meaning.

In treating of religion and its dogmas, our author well diftinguishes between the principle that affects the heart, and the fcience derived from the accurate inveftigation of the phrafes or fentences of creeds. He does not think it unimi

portant to have the creed accurate; but to digeft it in fuch a form of words as will fuit every one, feems to him impoffible, and fuperfluous even if it were poffible. The difcriminating mark of a chriftian is to believe that Jefus is the Chrift, the Son of God, the faviour of the world: the other points, if introduced fo as to destroy the bonds of love which ought to fubfift among chriftians, are marks of deviation from the christian character. Hence it appears that the fyftem of religion is very fimple. There may be fects, there may be differences of opinion, without breach of charity; and while each is convinced in his own mind of the rectitude of his, intentions, and of his defire cf arriving at the truth, he cannot be far from the right path. But if, with this rectitude of intention, and earneft defire of approving himself a member of Chrift's community, the zeal of any one fhould carry him to the excefs of impofing a fingle article of his creed on another, or of interfering in any way whatever beyond fpiritual love and perfuafion, he fwerves from the religion of Christ, becomes carnal, throws himself out of fpiritual communion, and, till he repents of fuch a crime, is an alien from the gofpel, a flave to the maxims of the world. In this and other parts of the work, fentiments are delivered very different from thofe which generally prevail; and we shall fele& one, as a farther fpecimen of our author's manner. On the modern notions of the devil he is particularly fevere; and he reprobates the fyftem, as a philofophical diaboliad, invented to do honour to the evil principle.

Where (fays he) is it written that Satan, as a being of a higher order, can take away enjoyment from any earthly and bodily object, conftitute himself the fole proprietor of all the goods of the earth, and, in fpite of the good principle, erect a kingdom of fin, to which all men fprung from Adam must be fubjected? Where is it recorded, that the good principle, on account of its lawful pretenfions to dominion over mankind, fecured itself by the erection of a statutable government, and for this reafon formed the Jewish state? Where is it written that Satan offered to Jefus, as a feemingly dangerous rival, to make him a partner of his kingdom, and, when this offer was rejected, not only deprived him, as a stranger and an intruder, of whatever could make Life comfortable, but excited againft him all kinds of trouble, and perfecuted him to an ignominious death? Miferable Satan! or rather, in this new philofophical light, glorious Satan! how much is afcribed to thee, that thou mayeft enjoy the honour of occafioning the falvation of man! thou art ftill more glorious, fince, according to this doctrine, thou dwelleft in human nature as fovereign. lord' It is not then true, that every thing which God created