Theological Notes and Queries. OPEN COUNCIL. [The utmost freedom of hallowed thought is permitted in this department. The reader must therefore use his own discriminating faculties, and the Editor must be allowed to claim freedom from responsibility.] INTERCESSION OF CHRIST. REPLICANT. In answer to QUERIST No. 1, p. 56. We observe that from the moment that man fell, he has been under an economy whose grand characteristic was an atonement to be offered at a future period. Those who were saved under the old dispensation were saved by means of this future atonement. The atonement is the basis of Christ's intercession. This intercession avails for general and particular purposes. It avails generally to secure the continuance of the human race in the world, and the continuance of those external arrangements necessary for the physical and spiritual well-being of man. It avails to secure for sinners every facility for ensuring salvation; and it avails for believers by furnishing them with all requisite aids towards the completion of the good work which has been begun in them. The whole tone of the scriptures favors the position, that it is to the intercession of Christ that all things with which man stands connected here are allowed to continue. In short, that it is to the intercession of Christ that sinners and saints are in Queries to be answered in our next number. 5.-If no person enters Heaven but through faith in Christ, what will become of the dying heathen who has never heard of that name and its attendant blessings? Or in other words, if he enter Heaven, through what means? E. P. 6. Is there any scriptural evidence to show that the mind of man is inferior to the mind of an angel? Or throughout eternity will the human mind be less comprehensive than the angelic? J. T. Literary Notices. [We hold it to be the duty of an Editor either to give an early notice of the book sent to him for remark, or to return them at once to the Publisher. It is unjust to praise worthless books; it is robbery to retain unnoticed ones.] THE REVIEWER'S CANON. In every work regard the author's end, Since none can compass more than they intend. THOUGHTS ON PREACHING. BY DANIEL MOORE, M. A., Incumbent of Camden Church, Camberwell. London: Hatchard and Co. We are not of those who disparage the pulpit, and consider that through other influences it is fated to sink into obsolescence. The pen can never discharge the functions of an eloquent tongue and a truthtransfigured face. Truth written, as compared with truth spoken, is as the winter to a summer's sky. It may be clear and bright, but it is cold;-under its influence the landscape will wither and the rivers will freeze. Albeit, we are far from the opinion that the modern pulpit approaches the ideal. The ideal pulpit is the organ not of metaphysical creeds, but of a living Christ; not of sectarian peculiarities but of eternal principles; not of conventional charities but of unbounded benevolence. It does not speak about "our body" and "our church;" it knows nothing amongst men "Save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." The ideal pulpit commands the respect of the most intellectual, takes hold upon the common sense of the age, is heard by the common people, and creates a high-toned public sentiment to which all trades and politics must render homage. Alas! lamentably far is the modern pulpit from this. It attracts but a few of the higher class of intellect, and it scarcely touches the masses; its most powerful attractions are for the emasculate, the narrow and the moody. What is most of all depressing in this age is, that as a rule, the pulpit that is most remote from the ideal magnetizes the largest number. "The assumption," says the author of the volume before us, "seems to be made constantly, that the pulpit is losing its hold on the popular mind; that it has come down from its high vantage ground as a first rate power in the state; in fact, that as an agency for influencing the will, or guiding the thoughts of men, the day of preaching is gone by." We hail every honest and well-directed effort-by whomsoever put forth-to raise the pulpit to, what our author calls, a "first rate power." The work before us is comprehensive in its plan; it embraces the divine ordination of preaching, its grand design, the intellectual demands of the age upon it; the elements, construction, style, subject-matter and delivery of a sermon ; extemporary preaching,—its efficacy compared with the written sermon, and a variety of supplemental topics. On all these points there are observations worthy the best attention of every preacher. The work is not the product either of a mere theorist, or of an unsuccessful minister; but of one who practically understands the matter, and whom heaven has signally blessed. THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST BY JOHN. Expounded by FRANCIS BODFIELD HOOPER, Rector of Upton-warren in Worcestershire. London: J. and F. H. Rivington. THE Book of Revelation is such a field for speculation, such a battleground for theological combatants, that if we had the ability, we have neither the disposition nor the space, to canvass the merits of contending theories. The work, too, before us on this prolific subject of enquiry is so voluminous, that all we can do is to state, in the writer's own language, his scheme of interpretation and the points wherein he essentially differs from all preceding exegetes. "In the first place," says he, "I will briefly state my views on the points of chief interest in the interpretation of the Apocalypse. The salient points lie in the seven-seal book. This book I take to extend from chap. vi. 1, to chap. xx. 10; and to contain a symbolical history of the first or Jewish Dispensation. The first six seals depict the history of the six ages between the creation and the second destruction of Jerusalem; the seventh seal marks off the sabbatical, millennial, or celestial age. Under the sixth seal, the first or Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem is symbolized. The seven trumpets mark out a transition period common to the sixth and seventh seals, and lying between B. C. 70, and A.D. 70. The seventh trumpet extends from chap. xi. 15, to chap. xix. 21 ; and contains the history of the conflict between Christianity, Judaism, and Roman heathenism from A.D. 1 to 70. The new Jerusalem scene symbolizes the progress of Christ's Church to its state of highest purity and perfection. This period forms the ogdoad, or complemental eighth Age, which merges in the celestial Ages of ages. Thus there is a parallelism made of the Apocalyptic ages with 'the hebdomads' (or celestial mansions of the blessed) and 'the ogdoad' (or heaven of the divine presence) of which Clemens Alexandrinus speaks.' The work displays great critical acumen, immense learning, and a truly reverend and catholic spirit. THE LOST TRIBES, and the Saxon of the East and of the West. By GEORGE MOORE, M. D. London: Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts. WHAT became of the Ten Tribes? is a question that has often been enquired into by philosophic historians, and generally with very different results. The question is interesting on ethnological grounds, and is particularly important on account of its relation to Biblical facts and prophecy. "Could,” says Dr. Moore, "the Ten Tribes be traced, we should find a key to much that is hidden in the history of the world, and in the Bible; our understanding would be enlarged and our faith confirmed. By fixing attention in the right direction, we should see the face of time more clearly through the veil thrown over it, and obtain a fuller insight of the wisdom and the providence concerned in the distribution of the human race, for the higher development of man's intellect and energies in the commerce and the warfares of the world." Our author prosecutes his enquiries in a truly scientific spirit, and with sacred and philanthropic aims. clusions he reaches are: That the Saxons of the West are the descendants of the Sace of the East; that there is a connexion between them and the Buddhists, and that the Buddhists are related to these lost tribes of Israel. In short, he discovers their influence, more or less, in every land from China to Peru; and thus finds in the history a fulfilment of the prophecy, that Israel should be sown among the nations, swallowed up, and yet not lost. Hos. viii. 8. Those who are acquainted with "Man and his Motives," and "The The con Connexion of the Soul and the Body," productions of Dr. Moore's able pen, will form some conception of the intellectual affluence, lofty purposes, and godly spirit of this extraordinary book. MODERATE CALVINISM. Re-examined by JOHN HOWARD HINTON. London: Houlston and Wright. In all seriousness, when will men who profess to be the expounders of the Bible, honestly endeavor to develop the principles and spirit of Christ, rather than the interpretations of Calvin Arminius, or any other fallible expositor of God's word. We are weary to the heart of such logical trifling. "Paul we know and Christ we know," but who are these unauthorized interlopers between us and the Heavenly Teacher? Away with the logical twaddle about "moderate or immoderate Calvinism. The world wants Christianity, not the opinions of the would-be theo. logical dictators. In such controversies of late we have discovered the perpetration of sad immoralities in the name of Calvinism. The other day, for example, the editor of a print, arrogantly called the British Standard, himself a great Calvinist forsooth, in order to injure the "Homilist," gave the following sentence as a quotation from its pages:-" Calvinism is the product of intensified selfishness, an impious arrogance and a powerless will." When it was pointed out to us in the columns of this Calvinist journal we were amazed. We felt that, we had not written such a sentence;-for in most of the theological opinions of Calvin as represented by himself we believe. We searched the "Homilist" to see if it contained anything like it, and on the 393rd page of the second volume of the "New series," we fell on the following sentence :-" Ultra-Calvinism is the product of intensified selfishness, an impious arrogance and a powerless will." Reader, what think you of the honesty of this Calvinist editor of the British!...? If Calvinism inspires or authorizes such v the sooner it is swept from the world the better. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF THE GOSPEL. THE learned author of this inestimable work, informs us that his chief object in it has been to show that there is a true meaning between the idea of a formal harmonization of the Gospels, and the abandonment of the absolute truth. The subjects he discusses are very |