through, and the deep presentiments of the greatest minds of the primitive times of Christianity begin to find their scientific realization. After long toil of the human mind, the time has at last come, when a rich harvest is to be reaped from this dogma, while the union, already hastening, is effected between the essential elements of Christology, which seem the most hostile to each other. Previous Christologies have chiefly presented these elements in their separation and opposition to one another. Now, while we contemplate them together in their living unity, which verifies their distinction from one another, we see their historical confirmation and necessity, and now, as Æthiopia and Arabia, according to the prophet, were to present their homage to the Lord, so must the middle ages, with their scholasticism and modern philosophy, the whole of history, — as well of the antechristian religions, as that of the Christian dogma, -assemble about the One, (the Son of Man,) that they may lay down their best gifts before him, who first enables them to understand themselves; while, on the other hand, he confers on them the dignity of his own glorification, and allows them to contribute to it, so that by their service, likewise, his character shall pass into the consciousness of the human race with an increasing brilliancy."

Now, if we ask what are the merits and defects of the work we have passed over, the answer is easy. It is a valuable history of Christology; as such, it is rich with instruction and suggestion. A special history of this matter was much needed. That this, in all historical respects, answers the demands of the time, we are not competent to decide. However, if it be imperfect as a history, it has yet great historical merits. Its chief defects are of another kind. Its main idea is this, that the true Christ is perfect God and perfect man, and that Jesus of Nazareth is the true Christ. Now he makes no attempt to prove either point; yet he was bound, in the first instance, as a philosopher, to prove his proposition; in the second, as an historian, to verify his fact. He attempts neither. He has shown neither the

eternal necessity, nor the actual existence of a God-man. Nay, he admits that only two writers in the New Testament ever represent Jesus as the God-man. His admission is fatal to his fact. He gives us the history of a dogma of the church; but does not show it has any foundation to rest

on.

We must apply to this book the words of Leibnitz, in his letter to Burnet on the manner of establishing the Christian religion.* "I have often remarked, as well in philosophy as theology, and even in medicine, jurisprudence, and history, that we have many good books and good thoughts scattered about here and there, but that we scarce ever come to establishments. I call it an establishment, when at least certain points are determined and fixed forever; when certain theses are put beyond dispute, and thus ground is gained where something may be built. It is properly the method of mathematicians, who separate the certain from the uncertain, the known from the unknown. In other ⚫ departments it is rarely followed, because we love to flatter the ears by fine words, which make an agreeable mingling of the certain and the uncertain. But it is a very transient benefit that is thus conferred; like music and the opera, which leave scarce any trace in the mind, and give us nothing to repose on; so we are always turning round and round, treating the same questions, in the same way, which is problematic, and subject to a thousand exceptions. Somebody once led M. Casaubon the elder into a hall of the Sorbonne, and told him, The divines have disputed here for more than three hundred years! He answered, And what have they decided? It is exactly what happens to us in most of our studies." ... "I am confident that if we will but use the abilities wherewith God and nature have furnished us, we can remove many of the evils which now oppress mankind, can establish the truth of religion, and put an end to many controversies which divide men, and cause so much evil to the human race, if we are willing to think consecutively, and proceed as we ought. . . . I would proceed in this way, and distinguish propositions into two classes: 1. what could be absolutely demonstrated by a metaphysical necessity, and in an incontestable way: 2. what could be demonstrated morally; that is, in a way which gives what is called moral certainty, as we know there is a China and a Peru, though we have never seen them. Theological truths and deductions therefrom are also of two kinds. The first rest on definitions, axioms, and

...

Opp. ed. Dutens., vol. vi., p. 243, sqq.

theorems, derived from true philosophy and natural theology; the second rest in part on history and events, and in part on the interpretation of texts, on the genuineness and divinity of our sacred books, and even on ecclesiastical antiquity; in a word, on the sense of the texts." And again:* "We must demonstrate rigorously the truth of natural religion, that is, the existence of a Being supremely powerful and wise, and the immortality of the soul. These two points solidly fixed, there is but one step more to take, — to show, on the one hand, that God could never have left man without a true religion, and on the other, that no known religion can compare with the Christian. The necessity

of embracing it is a consequence of these two plain truths. However, that the victory may be still more complete, and the mouth of impiety be shut forever, I cannot forbear hoping, that some man, skilled in history, the tongues, and philosophy, in a word, filled with all sorts of erudition, will exhibit all the harmony and beauty of the Christian religion, and scatter forever the countless objections which may be brought against its dogmas, its books, and its history." P.

HERZLIEBSTE.

My love for thee hath grown as grow the flowers,
Earthly at first, fast rooted in the earth,

Yet, with the promise of a better birth,

Putting forth shoots of newly wakened powers,

Tender green hopes, dreams which no God makes ours;
And then the stalk, fitted life's frosts to bear,

To brave the wildest tempest's wildest art,

The immovable resolution of the heart
Ready and armed a world of ills to dare;
And then the flower, fairest of things most fair,
The flower divine of love imperishable,
That seeth in thee the sum of things that are,
That hath no eye for aught mean or unstable,
But ever trustful, ever prayerful, feeleth
The mysteries the Holy Ghost revealeth.

RECORD OF THE MONTHS.

NEW WORKS.

I.

The Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences, founded upon their History. By the Rev. WILLIAM WHEWELL, B. D., Fellow of Trinity College, and Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Cambridge, Vice-president of the Geological Society of London. London: 1840. 2 vols. 8vo.

THIS work contains the moral of the tale that was told in the author's history of the inductive sciences. The author's aim is great and noble-to give the philosophy of inductive science; to inquire what that organ or intellectual method is, by which solid truth is to be extracted from the observation of nature." Of course the work must be critical in part, and positive in part. It contains "A criticism of the fallacies of the ultra-Lockian school." The author does not stop at great names, nor hesitate to dissent from Bacon, Cuvier, and even from Newton himself. He now and then adopts Kant's reasoning, but differs widely from him; and while he acknowledges his great obligations to Schelling, yet ventures to condemn some of his opinions. The book is designed, in some measure, to take the place of Bacon's Novum Organon. It is one of the boldest philosophical attempts of the present century. The author measures himself against the greatest of all the sons of science. Shall he stand or fall?

The work opens with a preface containing one hundred and thirteen aphorisms "respecting ideas," fifty-six "concerning science," and seventeen greater aphorisms, respecting the "language of science." The third aphorism, respecting ideas, will show the school of philosophy to which Professor Whewell belongs.

"The Alphabet, by means of which we interpret Phenomena, consists of the Ideas existing in our own minds; for these give to the phenomena that coherence and significance which is not an object of sense."

Again, Aphorisms vii. and viii.

"Ideas are not transformed, but informed Sensations, for without ideas sensations have no form."

"The Sensations are the Objective, the Ideas the Subjective part of every act of perception or knowledge."

And Aphorism iv. concerning science. "Facts are the materials of Science, but all Facts involve Ideas. Since, in observing Facts, we cannot exclude Ideas, we must, for the purposes

of science, take care that the Ideas are clear, and rigorously applied."

Aphorism xxxiv. "The process of Induction may be resolved into three steps; the Selection of the Idea, the Construction of the Conception, and the Determination of the Magnitudes.”

These aphorisms occupy about a hundred valuable pages. The author then comes to the real work, the Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences." This is divided into two parts: I. of IDEAS; II. of KNOWLEDGE.

Part I. is distributed into ten books, treating of ideas in general; the philosophy of the pure sciences; that of the mechanical sciences; that of the secondary mechanical sciences; that of the mechanico-chemical sciences; the philosophy of morphology; that of the classificatory sciences; of biology; and of palaetiology.

Part II. is divided into three books, which treat of the construction of science; of former opinions upon the nature of knowledge, and the means of seeking it; and of methods employed in the formation of science.

The above hasty sketch shows what a wide field the author enters upon and passes over. We hope in a subsequent number of this Journal to follow him into details, and examine his method; and trust soon to see an American reprint of the book, for at present its price confines it to few hands.

II.

On the Foundation of Morals: four Sermons preached before the University of Cambridge. By the Rev. WILLIAM WHEWELL, &c. 2d Edition. Cambridge and London, (no date.) 8vo. pp. xi. and 76.

These four Sermons which are very respectable discourses, better suited to the pulpit than the press- are designed to recall men to the eternal foundation of our ideas of the good and true, and to the absolute, and therefore immutable Morality, which rests thereon. They are at war, in part, with the system of Paley, of whom he thus speaks in the preface, p. v. "The evils which arise from the countenance thus afforded to the principles of Paley's system, (namely, by making his Moral Philosophy the standard in the University,) are so great, as to make it desirable for us to withdraw our sanction from his doctrines without further delay, although I am not at present aware of any system of ethics constructed on a sounder basis, which I should recommend to the adoption of the University." He refers often to Butler, as the exponent of a system diametrically opposite to that of Paley, and refers chiefly to Butler's first three