and the State, the amazing advances in all that respects the rights of man, the mental, moral, and material interests of society, the growth of our country, the development of its resources, the enlightenment of its population, and the upbuilding of Messiah's kingdom thoughout the world; all serving to illustrate the adaptations of Providence to beneficent ends, and vindicate the ways of God to man; fraught too with the most cheerful views of the church's future, and man's increasing elevation in the scale of moral being; admirably adapted to animate and cheer one on, whose life-plan respects God's glory and man's chief good. As when the sun at his setting irradiates encompassing clouds, and throws his last rays athwart the landscape, giving "tokens of a goodly day tomorrow," so did his life at "three-score years and ten" shine forth with unwonted brilliancy, revealing the kindliness of his spirit, and lighting up to our vision the glories of coming ages, until we feel that it is a great thing to begin life with God's book for our guide, and Christ's salvation our end; to pass through a world of sin and toil and sorrow as he did, working, "while it is called day;" doing our part in the great drama of human existence: yea, a glorious thing to look back on a long life spent in the cordial recognition of God's claims, in the furtherance of Christ's mission, the triumphs of Redeeming love over a fallen humanity!

But if he was so favored in his life, what shall we say of his death? I may not trust myself. This is his province* whose privilege it was to be at Mr. Barnes' house the morning of the day that proved to have been his last on earth; to converse with him in relation to the kingdom of heaven; to "break bread" with him for the last time in the midst of his loving family; and shortly after to part with him that he might go on his errand of Christian condolence to the house of a neighboring parishioner. And, may I not add whose sad, sad privilege it was to have been called, within a few hours, to that same house of mourning, there to see him in the same chair he had taken on

* Henry Neill, D.D., whose interest in the subjects of this article revived my own, by whose request the article was written, to whom I cheerfully acknowledge my indebtedness for several items of intelligence.

R. W. D.

entering the parlor; with his right hand over the arm of the chair, his left, ungloved, by his side, his head thrown back, and he-ah, how changed-usleep in death! and from thence to aid in carrying his mortal remains to the house he had loved, and had so recently left; and to break the mournful tidings to his beloved wife.

ART. III. THE REVIVAL OF CHRISTIAN DOGMATICS. By Prof. J. J. VAN OOSTERZEE, D D., of Utrecht.

Translated by Rev. J. P. WESTERVELT.

A NEW ERA for Dogmatics also has dawned in our age, which has not improperly been greeted as the age of the Regeneration of Christian Theology. The earlier Rationalism and Supernaturalism, both from their stand-point equally one-sided, have been succeeded by a more just and fruitful apprehension of the truth as life from God, historically revealed in Christ, known only in the light of the Scriptures, along the way of personal spiritual experience. Proceeding from Germany, this tendency of Dogmatics has made its influence felt in the various churches even of other lands, and has with increasing clearness and firmness maintained itself against the attacks of a constantly more shameless infidelity. Enriched with the wisdom of the past, purified by the fiery ordeal of the present, the science moves steadily onward, though by numberless circuitous ways and not without strong reaction, towards a brighter future, in which it can more fully than ever before satisfy its imperative demands.

The title of this article is not designed to express unqualified commendation, but simply to indicate the revived scientific life of the present, contrasted with the stagnation and decline of the preceding century. It is not intended hereby to deny, that this revival has been accompanied by renewed retrogression or dangerous maladies.

The history of the revival of Dogmatics in Germany is associated with the great name of Fr. Schleiermacher († 1834), the German Plato. Those who have eulogized this theologian, who is still more praised than read, have not always kept themselves within proper bounds, and have often ascribed to that which has great historical value an eternal significance. The requisition at least, that every thorough dogmatic investigation should begin from Schleiermacher, is extremely one-sided, and will not be readily assented to by those, who, with Gospel in hand, have attentively re-perused his Christ. Glaubenslehre (le Aufg. 1821). Yet it can not, on the other hand, be possibly gainsaid, that he gave to the scientific tendency of his time "the impetus to an eternal motion," and like John the Baptist, preceded anew the Christ. He inspired an age, benumbed by the chill breath of rationalism, with new respect for religion (Reden über die Rel. le Aufg. 1799), and commended Christianity as personal life-communion with Christ, in whom he beheld the highest ideal of humanity, the Redeemer from the power of sin. Incipiently not free from Pantheism, he gradually approached nearer to Christian Theism, and assured to religion its indestructible place in the inmost sanctuary of the human consciousness. The cardinal doctrine of the Reformed Dogmatics, man's absolute dependence on God in the work of salvation, so often misapprehended, was also by him, though developed in a peculiar way, reinstated in honor, and the ethical character of saving truth, though with lamentable misapprehension of its historical side, placed emphatically in the foreground. In view of the wealth of his mind and the many-sidedness of his influence, we can not be at all surprised, that his pupils also, and others of kindred spirit with himself, starting with his principles, have as they advanced struck out paths of their own. This holds with regard to the Dogmatics (unfinished) of A. D. C. Twesten (I., II., 1, le Aufg. 1826), who inclined much more to church orthodoxy, and to C. J. Nitsch († 1868), whose System der Christl. Lehre (le Aufg. 1829) may be called a powerful effort to reunite Dogmatics and Ethics.

Had Schleiermacher in general endeavored to assure to Theology an independent place beside Philosophy, others

were by no means wanting whose activity was under the preponderating influence of a specific philosophical school. In pursuance of the principles of Jacobi, as they were developed by Fries, we see Dogmatics cultivated by W. M. L. de Wette (+1849), a pious mind with critical spirit, inclined to skepticism and idealism (Lehrb. der chr. Dogmat., le Aufg. 1816. Wesen des chr. Glaubens, 1846). In the spirit of the elder Fichte it was treated by L. J. Kückert (Christ. Philosophie, 1825). As independent, yet kindred in spirit with the tendency of Schelling in his first period, C. Daub († 1836) is to be mentioned, having regard to his Theologumena (1806) and other dogmatic works. Chief representative of Hegelianism in the doctrinal domain was Marheinecke († 1846), especially as appears from his Dogm. Vorlesungen (1847.) Many an adherent of the speculative tendency entertained at that time the conceit that peace had been for ever concluded between believing and knowing. Theology, it was asserted, confessed the same truth in the form of thesis, to which Philosophy did homage in the higher sense of philosophial conception. The self-deception meanwhile became but too quickly apparent, and the Hegelian school separated into a right and left side, the former of which remained believing, but from day to day lost influence, and the latter quickly proclaimed an absolute separation of faith and science as the highest wisdom, and made itself guilty of treating in the most sacrilegious manner both the history and doctrine of Christianity. The names of D. F. Strauss (Christl. Glaubensl. 1840, '41, II Th.), Bruno Bauer, Feuerbach and others acquired a sad celebrity, which renders a fuller notice unnecessary. According to the blasphemy of the last named, the secret of Theology was to be exclusively sought in the domain of Anthropology, in other words, Religion a conceit, self-adoration a duty, and the emancipation of the flesh at once the highest triumph of the spirit. It is not surprising, where the tree bore such fruit, that the school of Hegel was the last speculative-philosophical one, that exercised such preponderating influence on modern Dogmatics. That it was meanwhile possible, even from a speculative stand-point to serve with eminent gifts the

science of faith, appeared in a brilliant manner in the chief Christological work of J. A. Dorner.

Without fixed attachment to a philosophical school, Dogmatics was in this period cultivated in free, independent spirit by theologians, whose names may not, in such a review as this, remain unmentioned. We join them here together, although the tendency of the one exhibits a more eclectic, that of the other a more mediating character. To this group belongs Carl Hase, Prof. at Jena, a theological physiognomy which will not be readily confounded with any other. Genial, fresh, æsthetic, full of sympathy for the historical side of Christianity, though having by no means outgrown Rationalism, he sought and found his way in this domain also, independently of others. He enriched the science with an Evang. Dogmatik (le Aufg., 1826), a more popular Gnosis (le Aufg., 1827), and a reproduction of the church system, according to the necessities of our time in the Hutterus Redivivus (le Aufg., 1833), over against which was placed, by an anonymous hand, a Melanthon Redivivus (1837), for the purpose of commending the ideal spirit of Christianity, which, however, secured less sympathy. Beside, though not above his, may be mentioned here the dogmatic works of Cramer (1829), Baumgarten Crusius (1830), and F. F. Fleck (1846, I.), as also the Philosophische Dogmatik (1855,) of C. H. Weisse, constructed with a view to the adjustment of the different. tendencies. A less speculative, more rationalistic, historicocritical character was exhibited in the Institutio Theol. Dogm. of Dr. C. W. D. Grimm (1848).-Among the Apologists of this period the place of honor is deserved by C. Ullman (†1865), Christian humanist and historigrapher, such as few are, on account of his excellent treatises on Die Sundlosigkeit Jesu (le Aufg., 1828,) and Das Wesen des Christenth. (1845, le Aufg), and A. Tholuck, of more conservative tendency than he, but also still more than he many-sided, brilliant and captivating, most of all on account of his excellent works: Die wahre Weihe des Zweiflers (le Aufg. 1823,) and Die Glaubwürdigkeit, I. Evang. Geschichte (le Aufg., 1836). his friend J. Müller, a man of kindred spirit, Dogmatics owes a masterly elaboration of the Christian doctrine of Sin (1839).

To