quiring a superiority over it; this superiority is rather an already existing and absolute possession of the divine will. The idea of the divine perfection would suffer a very prejudicial modification, if the Biblical assertion, "what the Lord saith, that cometh to pass; and what He decrees, stands fast," were not to be fully accredited. Baader insists on this very decidedly, and it is therefore impossible for him to admit that God first produced the world out of himself in chaotic disorder and then brought it gradually to light, order, form and beauty, intending, after it had become perfect, to bring it back to himself. The power of God is unlimited. The resistance of the ground of the world breaks fruitless on it from the first. The moment of the beginning of creation is at the same time the moment of its completion, and as it comes forth in full splendor out of the hands of its Creator, so it is immediately taken up again into the same. This, moreover, all relates to the primeval creation above, to which reference is made in the first verse of the Bible, while the further account of the progressive shaping and moulding of nature can be looked upon as a history of the restoration of nature from the disorder into which it was thrown by the fall in the spiritual world.

It was only possible for us here to speak of the properly decisive momenta of Baader's theology. Yet it will appear plainly enough from this very scanty and fragmentary exposition, that this theology is as far elevated above abstract theism as above deism and pantheism, and that, therefore, that has been reached in it, at least approximately, which Hagenbach has justly pointed out as the necessary object of search for modern theology and religious philosophy. If it could not be permitted us to develop that doctrine here in full detail, much less can we occupy ourselves in this place with the other contents of Baader's philosophy, which in allits parts bears a religious character and stands in perfect harmony with the Bible. Meanwhile, there will be found in the nineteenth volume of Herzog's Real Encyklopadie, pp. 139153, a compressed review of his entire system, together with the necesssry bibliographical references for those who may desire to become more intimately acquainted with it.

Several decades ago Immanuel Hermann Fichte said of Baader's doctrine, that "it was one of the few which have a future." In full argreement with this judgment is that of another highly valued thinker, Weisse, who says that "Baader's philosophy contains such elements, that he agrees with Hoff

man, the friend and pupil of Baader, in cherishing the conviction, that when it shall have been taken up by philosophical speculation and wrought into the form of scientific knowledge, it will exert an increasing influence not only in the future of speculation, but also on the general religious consciousness of men, and that it will acquire a degree of importance which is beyond estimation." "But even after," as Fichte still further remarks, "the general content of truth in Baader's religious conceptions of life and the world, shall have come to be more widely known, more profound investigators in times far distant will discover, fermenting in his writings, the seeds of a knowledge, of truth, which will only need to be more thoroughly demonstrated and more generally developed." So will the lively desire, by which we are animated, that a far more comprehensive use should be made by theology of the investigations of this great man, than has yet been made of them, and such, especially, as the present relation of secular science to the doctrine of salvation imperatively demands, appear as a desire fully justified.

ART. XII. NOTE IN REPLY TO DR. HATFIELD.*

Many, perhaps most Presbyterians, relying mainly upon 1 Tim. v, 17, have been, and probably still are of the opinion, that in the apostolic churches there were two kinds of elders, (bishops or presbyters): elders who both taught and ruled, and elders who only ruled. Dr. Hatfield and I agree in dissenting from this opinion. We agree in finding only one kind or order of elders in the New Testament. But we differ very widely in regard to what that kind or order is. I hold that the primitive elders were empowered and expected both to teach and to rule. He has tried to prove that they were only to rule; that the proper teachers, preachers, and pastors of the apostolic churches were "the apostles, evangelists, and other missionaries."

The argument from the analogy of the Jewish synagogue must not be pushed too far. It will not do to assume that the primitive Christian elders were not pastors and teachers because Jewish elders appear not to have been leaders of divine worship in the synagogue.

That Christian elders are not spoken of as κηρύσσοντες and εὐαγγελιζόμενοι, is nothing to the purpose. These words denote the proclamation of the gospel to the unevangelisized; not the expounding of God's word to Christian congregations.

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And then it is expressly required of elders that they be apt to teach" 1 Tim. iii, 2. That this aptness to teach implies much more than may be expected of mere ruling elders is evident from Titus i, 9. where it is made the duty of an elder to "hold fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound dactrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers." So, likewise, the Ephesian elders (Acts xx, 28) were exhorted by Paul "to fed the church of God." The Greek is ouaiver, which, as Meyer says, camprehends both ruling and teaching. With such passages before me, I shall be slow to believe that the primitive elders were not pastors and teachers.

Union Theol. Sem'ry, Jan 1st, 1869.

ROSWELL D. HICTHCOCK.

*The American Presbyterian and Presbyterian Review, October, 1868: Art II. The Primative Eldership.

ART, XIII.—NOTES ON RECEFT BOOCS.

THEOLOGY AND CHURCH HISTORY,

Picture of the Illuminated Holy Church of the Armenians. Constantinople: From the Press of Tatteos (Thaddeus) Divitjian. 1866. pp. 404. This is a book of church services, being that of the ear y Armenian Church, professedly purged of the errois in doctrine and worship which assimilate the modern church to the Greek and Romish communions. The preface claims that the church of the Armeniaus brought upon itself the stigma of schism by refusing to accept dogmas and usages which the churches of Constantinople and Rome introduced after the time of the Council of Nice; but its authors affirm that, subsequently, their church became grievously corrupted in both respects by the influences ab extra, which it could not successfully resist. Deploring the division of their nationality by the establishing of the Greek Armenian, the Roman Armenian, and, lastly, the Protestant Armenian ecclesiastical and political organizations, and now less fearing further secessions in the two former directions than in the latter, they plead for such a reform in faith, rites and worship as will hold the nation together, and put it in the path of social and mental progress. They boldly declare that the Armenian Church has become "a mere satellite of Rome," and assign this fact as the cause of the grievous failure of the experiment, which they were permitted by the Turkish government a few years ago to attempt, to administer under a republican constitution the civil affairs-such as education, laws of marriage and divorce, management of church property, etc., the control of which is yielded to the Christian nationalities by their Turkish masters. Rome can never be "constitutional."

The time has now come say the compilers of this book, to proclaim "the independence of the church," to "cast off the ultramontane influence," to rescue the church of their fathers" from the Papal claws." They demand the rejection of doctrines foisted upon the Armenians from abroad," which place the faith of man in respect to salvation upon a wrong foun lation, and transfer his hope and worship from God to thins created and material." Accordingly, they exclude from their reformed liturgy the prayers to saints and angels, and the idolatrous addresses to the Virgin Mary, which abound in the Armenian church service as usually conducted. They present a scheme of doctrine, in an extended exposition of the Armenian version of the Creed commonly called the Nicene, which, with one or two exceptions, is evangelical and sound. Baptismal regeneration was at first recognized in it; but after the printing was advance I a leaf was canceled, and the article on baptism was remodeled and reprinted in order to exclude that i lea. On the communion, however, they teach that in it we truly partake of Christ's body and blood under the form of bread and wine, for the forgiveness of our sins and the inheritance of eternal life;" and that we are "united to Christ by this holy mystery." They acknowledge, also. the seven sacraments of Rome, but give preeminence to the two as being of Christ's appointment, while the others rest on the authority of the church. Baptism and the Lord's Supper they define as simply "outward holy signs by which the union of the believer with eternal truth is shown forth." The inconsistency of the expressions above quoted. in reference to the Supper, with this definition, is apparent. Confirmation (which in the Armenian Church immediately follows baptism, and in which oil is used), they pronounce “a sacrament of the church by which the baptized (child), by means of a sensible anointing, receives the grace and power of an inward unction of the Holy Spirit, and is fitted to contend with the sins of the world."

Secondly, declaring that the church has now rights and ceremonies unknown in its purer times, which are a laughing stock to the unbelieving, a grief to the truly pious, an offense to all enlightened men, and which have converted our churches into theatres, deprived worship of its spiritual character, and made it like the show of a fair," they cast out numerous observances connected with the

administration of sacraments and special church services, prayers for the dead, priestly blessing of fowls, wells, salt, etc., and decry the extravagant honors which are paid to the corpse of an ecclesiastic, and the supposed impartation, by anointing, of spiritual powers to the bar of iron or wood which is used instead of a bell to call the people together.

In the third place, they call for an abatement of the pretensions of the clergy, in words like the following: "The present relations of the clergy to the people are opposed to the very spirit and substance of Christianity. Instead of being teachers, pastors and fathers to the people, they claim to possess supernatural authority and power, rule by the terrors of that authority, teach the people only that which serves their own purposes, and are an obstacle to every good work."

The chief actor in this movement for so large a measure of reform in the Armenian Church is understood to be a gentleman of high social position, and holding an important post in the employment of the government, by whom the cost of publishing an edition of one thousand copies of the book was provided for. A vartabed, or preaching monk, of some notoriety, did much in its preparation. How large a following the leaders have had is not known. Donbtless, thousands are with them in conviction and desire; for "Young Armenia" has waxed strong, and the long-waged conflict for the over throw of hierarchical despotism in civil affairs and advance in education must necessarily ally itself with the spirit which seeks a moral and spiritual reformation. The principles of evangelical truth are, however, far more widely accepted than their power is felt in the generating of a true spiritual life; and it remains to be seen how much of real and enduring vitality is expressed in this action. At the outset, the individuals who were concerned in getting out this book, uttered brave words regarding their determination to go forward against all outcries and ecclesiastical maledictions, and expressed confidence that many congregations would insist on the use of this reformed liturgy in their worship. But the old weapon of Patriarchal and Episcopal anathema was promptly unsheathed, with the usual effect of arousing the wrath of an ignorant and interested priesthood, among a people yet largely bigoted and easily alarmed by the cry of heresy and revolution. How much the yielding to the storm, which has been seen, is a wise policy waiting for a better day. rather than a want of the martyr spirit which alone carries forward a true reformation in a corrupt church, will be manifested hereafter. The book is now, as we are informed, used nowhere for public worship, unless by a very few persons in Pera, of Constantinople, meeting in some private place, But this volume has significance as marking an important stage in the progress of thought; its publication has created a ferment; and the events to which it has given rise demonstrate the necessity of the position taken by the evangelical Protestantism, which, in a separate organization. is growing into strength in Turkey, especially among the interesting Armenian race, and awakening the pulsations of a new life in the body of surrounding death, in connection with the labors of the missions of the American Board, and by the wide distribution of the Holy Scriptures through the agencies of the Bible Societies of England and America.

W.

A Short Practical Hebrew Grammar, with an Appendix containing the Hebrew Text of Gen. i-vi, and Ps. i-vi, Grammatical Analysis and Vocabulary. By the Rev. STANLEY LEATHES, M. A., Professor of Hebrew, King's College, London. London: John Murray, Albemarle street. 1808. 12mo. 244 pp. The author of this work having found in the discharge of his official duties that "a chief impediment consisted in the want" of a compendious grammar, equally serviceable to " tirones" (p. 23) and advanced students, has endeavored to supply the deficiency. The general appearance of the volume is creditable; the Hebrew letters are clean and distinct. We regret, however, that the work, as a whole, must be pronounced a failure. It can not be called a contribution to the literature of the department; it adds nothing to the science of grammar in general, or of Hebrew gramma in particular. It is not a suitable or valuable work for the beginner or the scholar. The whole subject is treated in thirteen chapters: