pious Protestants are agreed. How mournful a reverse has now begun to take place, may be inferred from the following circumstances.

The ancient catechism of Geneva taught expressly the doctrine of the Divinity of Jesus Christ. This catechism was withdrawn from the church some years ago; and its place has recently been supplied by another catechism, which maintains a guarded silence with respect to that important and essential doc trine.

In 1805, the company of pastors introduced into the churches of Geneva, a new version of the Bible; in the publication of which, they not only omitted the Confession of Faith of the Reformed Churches of France and Geneva, which had been prefixed to all their former Bibles, but made also many very important alterations in the translation itself; particularly in parts relating to the Divinity of Christ, to Original Sin, and to the person, ality and offices of the Holy Ghost. This version is still used in their churches.

These acts were followed by a rule passed so recently as May 3, 1817; by which all candidates for holy orders are required solemnly to promise, that they will abstain from preaching, in the churches of the canton of Geneva, on the following subjects:-On the manner in which the Divine Nature is united to the Person of Jesus Christ; on Original Sin; on the manner in which Grace operates, or on efficacious Grace; on Predestination.

This rule has been already twice acted upon:-a candidate has been refused ordination, and a minister prohibited from preaching, for objecting to subscribe to it.

Now though the mere circumstance of a limitation on the public, and perhaps intemperate, discussion of some of the points just alluded to, might have been conceived to have sprung from other causes than systematic heterodoxy in the majority of the company of CHRIST. OBSERV. No, 191.

pastors; yet the whole of the cir cumstances taken together can leave no doubt on the mind, that the Church of Geneva has essentially departed from the orthodoxy of its predecessors. Indeed, in point of fact, it is, credibly stated, that of the twenty-five persons who constitute the " Company of Pastors," only five hold the orthodox faith; while all the remainder unite in opposing it. The im portant consequences likely to arise from this circumstance may be inferred from the consideration, that Geneva is a university in which young men from various parts of Europe, and particularly from the Reformed Church of France, are educated in theology; and that the professors are chiefly, if not exclusively, selected from the com, pany of pastors. Far the greater part of the students have imbibed the doctrines of their instructors; and by them the evil, it is to be feared, will be extensively diffused,

The origin of this unhappy revolution of opinion may be traced to Rousseau; whose mischievous writ ings, while they excited in no ordi, nary degree the alternate praises and execrations of Europe at large, could scarcely fail to produce a powerful effect on his immediate fellow-citizens. Independently of other causes, a sort of perverted patriotic pride would naturally conduce to this result; though as Calvin was a great man also, his authoritative name and celebrity would doubtless tend to check the progress of the infidel opinions, or of those more plausible heterodoxies which are the half-way house to them. The consequence is, that the Genevese clergy are halting between Calvin and Rousseau; and, by the inconsistency of their real with their professed creed, have exposed themselves to the attacks of several writers, who have been lately engaged in a controversy which has arisen in consequence of the ordinance already mentioned. The attack on the pastors is said to

5 A

should advance. And if he should perform the still additional service of laying a foundation for the abolition of all controversy, and if not of identifying all sentiments, yet at least of " uniting all hearts;" how much more indebted ought we yet to acknowledge ourselves to him for the exercise of so much charity and so much judgment. That Mr. Cooper is the writer to whom our acknowledgments, on the three several accounts mentioned above, are most justly due, is doubtless a sentence anticipated by our readers; and we are convinced that no candid or impartial reader of the "Letters to an Inquirer after Divine Truth," written by that well known and highly respected individual, will hesitate for a moment as to the justice of our verdict. Indeed, so strongly and favourably are we impressed with the admirable, and, we are ashamed to add, almost novel, spirit displayed throughout these letters on the several controwerted points current in the present day, that we can scarcely forbear, by a small variation from -the quaint title alluded to in our -opening, to inscribe on our copy of Mr. Cooper's little volume, "The Spirit of Christian Controversy."

We are not aware of saying any thing that is unreasonable, though perhaps we may run counter to the judgment of many a youthful and conceited practitioner in that way, when we maintain, that controversy, particularly that respecting Divine truths, ought to be one of the last and most matured efforts of the advanced Christian divine. This, which to some appears the easiest, to us appears the hardest and most bazardous of all duties. So many and great dangers seem to us to environ the controversialist on every side; so many aberrations is he liable to both in temper and judgment; so likely is he to be misled by false lights and false guides; so much is he in danger of mistaking his first views of a subject for his best views of it, his illustrations

for sound arguments, his prejudices for demonstration, his poverty of information for clearness of conception-to which we might add a multitude of other mistakes, as the sober reader must be well awarethat we are convinced the blindness of many writers, and consequently their total unfitness for the office they undertake, can alone occasion their entering upon it. To judge by the productions of some persons, we should almost suspect this very blindness at once to the dangers and the duties of the controversialist to be amongst their most cherished qualities in order to fit them for the fearless exercise of their hazar dous functions. We should suspect that not a few, warm in youthful zeal or something else bearing that name, dare not let the moment of action, as they deem it (and per haps rightly according to their views), slip by, and consign them over to the frost of age and the test of an impartial judgment, and consequently to the delay or defeat of their most promising schemes. Thus the weapon is wrenched out of the only hands which are duly qualified to wield it; the and wary experienced retire disgusted from the scene; and "fools rush in, where angels fear to tread."

The character and qualifications of the true religious controversialist-and here we cannot help it, if we are suspected of placing Mr. Cooper before us as the original of the portrait-are of a very different complexion. We should require such a person to be possessed of long and deep experience not only in the particular truths which it is his task to elucidate, but also in the whole range of Christian doctrine; and that too as bearing upon all the characteristic traits and essential properties, all the various modes and relations of that particular being, man, for whom these truths are intended. His studies we should desire to have been as much conversant with men as with books. Truth would of course be his ob

"The design of this publication," as the author tells us in his preface, "is two-fold: First, to assist the serious and humble inquirer in his search after Divine truth; and, secondly, to promote the peace and harmony of the Christian church." (p. iii.). On the latter point, which has been deemed, he says, impossible and chimerical, only because we attempt too much, the following passage will fully expound the tem per and scope of Mr. Cooper's most desirable undertaking.

"To entertain an idea, in the present state of human nature, of bringing all persons to an union of judgment and practice in religious matters, would be a speculation, which the experience of eighteen hundred years has proved to be visionary and absurd. Such an union the writer has no hopes of ever seeing accomplished. The utmost, which in his opinion can reasonably be looked for, is a union of spirit; such a union as results from a disposition to bear with the infirmities, prejudices, and ignorances of others; to tolerate a difference of opinion without regarding those who differ, with sentiments of jealousy and suspicion; to indulge mutual sympathies; cordially to co-operate in every good work; and thus to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Such an union is the utmost which can

be looked for: nor can any reasonable expectation be entertained that even this union will ever be universal. The violent, the bigotted, the intolerant, together with all those who are governed by party-spirit and by an immoderate regard to the exclusive interests of their own religious community, will always dissent from an union so repugnant to their feelings and prejudices. But to hope that true Christians may thus unite in spirit and disposition; that all those who love the Lord Jesus in sincerity; and have drunk of the same spirit,' may come to a right understanding on their respective differences, and love one another with a pure heart fervently this is surely no extravagant speculation, no wild, chimerical hope: for it is only to look for the manifesta. tion of those fruits which true Christianity is capable of producing; and which, when left to exert its own native energies, it naturally will produce.Such an union between such persons is

a practicable union; for it is an union to which their mutual principles spon taneously incline them; and therefore, the attempt to promote it is a rational the author has in view: and if in atattempt. Such, then, is the union which tempting to promote it, he shall be made instrumental in bringing nearer together any of the divided sheep of Christ's flock, and in leading them more closely to combine against their common foes, his end will be in a great measure an swered, and his laboar not in vain in the Lord." pp. vi-ix.

The former design of this publication, namely, to assist the serious and humble inquirer in his search after Divine truth, with a peculiar aspect to the circumstances of the present times, may doubtless be considered its principal one, and a most laborious, but in the same proportion a most necessary, work We are of Christian charity. greatly disposed, it is true, and Mr. Cooper has well noticed it, to estimate our own difficulties upon any subject at a higher rate than they may fairly deserve in comparison with those of others, from the very circumstance of their being our own.

We who are ex

posed to little or nothing more than the rude shock of conflicting opinions, can have no adequate conception of the trials arising out of the fury of heathen or worse than heathen persecutions. Yet if these more fiery trials are, for the most part, through the mercy of God, withheld from modern Christians, it is not to be denied that the very ease we enjoy, added to the insidious workings of mere speculative opinions, when left to their full operation on the human mind, may present to us many temptations to wander from the right path, by which our progress will be as much impeded as by the immediate obstructions of violence and tyranny. To guard against the malignant influence of each varying human error, the result of human depravity and weakness, is indeed no easy task to the incipient Christian; and to collect