The eleventh letter is divided into two parts. 1. The existence of an evil spirit proved. 2. The certainty and nature of future punishment ascertained. The body of evidence, brought forward, from the Sacred Scriptures, on the first of these topics, is full and satisfactory. But we must differ from the author when he adduces, the appearance of Samuel as a proof of the cxistence of an evil Spirit, We will take a future opportunity to discuss this subject fully; and at present merely observe, that we believe it was Samuel himself NY, as it is expressed in the Sacred Text; for prescience is an attribute of God alone; therefore, none but his prophets can foretell future events. Hence we also object, as evidence to the predictions, respecting things future by the Heathen oracles ; though we would not absolutely deny, in some cases of the kind, demoniacal agency. On the second head, the certainty of future. punishment is shewn from the plain and unequivocal declaration of Scripture; and the nature of it, as derived from the same source, is shewn to consist in the most terrible, but unknown punishment of the body and soul—in eternal separation from the presence of God,—and that God himself will be their tormentor. We were surprised to find the Author bring forward, as an illustration, the exploded notion, that birds attempting to fly over the Dead Sea, were infected by the fetid exhalations, and fell down and perished in its viscid billows. For a satisfactory refutation of this fable, see page 259 supra. The twelfth letter contains proofs of the eternity of future punishments; which is shewn from the duration of bliss, and the duration of torment, being spoken of in the same terms, as eternal,-and from the plan of the gospel requiring that the wicked should be eternally punished :-" Then the soul will be deprived of all its practical powers. No Saviour wiil then be ready to teach us to come to the Father,-no Mediator will then intercede, nor Holy Spirit sanctify the heart. The purposes of God to bring many sons unto glory by his beloved Son, will be completed at the day of judgment. Christ will then deliver up his mediatorial kingdom to God even the Father. He will take possession with his saints of the kingdom of glory; all his enemies shall then be put under his feet, and the door of mercy be for ever shut against them." It is next shewn that the eternity of future punishment is accordant with the perfections and attributes of God,—his infinite Majesty,—his justice-goodness and mercy,—and wisdom; and this awful doom is contrasted with the eternal felicity of the saints in heaven. The three following letters very appropriately close the work, in bringing Infi. delity and Christianity to their final Test;-by examining the characters they form in life, and the supports which they respectively afford their votaries in death; illustrated by various examples. These letters are not only calculated to shew the infinite superiority of Christianity over Infidelity, but they cannot fail of making the most powerful and lasting impression on every thinking mind. Having thus freely, and without prejudice, discussed the merits of the work, we would say, that, upon the whole it merits the approbation and encouragement of the public; while we would earnestly press the Author to reconsider the objectionable sentiments upon which we have animadverted. They can be productiveof no good; but will prove an effectual barrier to the usefulness of the work. II. QUERIES addressed to those who deny the doctrines of the Trinity and the Atonement of Christ; to which are added, some Remarks on Fripp's "Summary View of the Evidence for the truth of Unitarianism." By W. Carpenter, 18mo. pp. 116. London. W. Booth, 32, Duke Street, Manchester Square. Price 1s. 6d. half bound. AFTER having, in the preceding work, viewed, and deplored, the dark exhibition of the perversions, and misrepresentations, which Socinians have made of the Sacred Scriptures, and the works of our most esteemed orthodox writers; and the base means which they have taken to propagate their doctrines, by circulating queries,-corrupting the hymns of celebrated authors-and endeavouring to instil their baneful principles into the minds of youth, by means of catechisms; it is with sincere pleasure we hail the little volume before us, as calculated to afford an antidote to the poison which they may have administered.' The case is now reversed, but with a moderation and candour diametrically opposite to their mode of procedure. Here the querist is queried; the Scriptures are vindicated; and even the youthful mind is furnished with sound arguments against the sophistries of these "Enquirers after Truth." Such a work, we con ceive, was wanted; and will prove acceptable and useful to those whose want of leisure or inclination prevents them from perusing larger works. The ponderous volume enveloped with dusty controversy, and learned discussion possesses few charms to any but the professed Biblical Student; while the present unobtrusive work presents itself in an inviting form to every class of theological readers. The author appears to be well acquainted with the subject and the state of the controversy. Hence the case is clearly exhibited, the arguments well arranged and supported, and the language perspicuous and unembarrassed. "The question at issue," says Mr. Carpenter, (in his preface,) between the Trinitarian and the Unitarian, is one of the first magnitude, as it involves consequences of the most serious nature. If the Trinitarian doctrine be true, the opposers of that doctrine are evidently without God in the world. If that doctrine' be false, those persons who embrace it are guilty of the grossest idolatry, by raising a creature to the Godhead. Such being the state of the case, the question is certainly worthy our most attentive and serious consideration. It would be a considerable advance towards the close of this controversy, could both parties be brought to acknowledge the question as one of pure revelation, Instead of this, the one brings the doctrines of revelation to the test of his philosophical creed (falsely so called,) and rejects those which he is not able to comprehend. While this continues to be the case, we need not expect to find the decisions of Scripture possessing that weight, which they certainly ought to have, upon the minds of men who admit them to be a revelation of the will of God." (Page iii.) "The mere circumstance of its being mysterious, should not, as I before hinted, be brought as an objection to the thing. If men be pushed to first principles, they will in every thing be at a loss. But when our adversaries step forward to point out the absurdity of the Catholic doctrine, let it not be by stating the question to be our holding, that three persons are one person, or that three Gods are one God: these contradictions never disgraced our creed. The truth is, we maintain, that the one Divine Essence manifests itself to us in three Divine Subsistencies, most intimately joined and absolutely inseparable. Such is simply the nature of the doctrine which we conceive to be taught in Scripture, and which it is the object of the following pages to establish; how far this is accomplished must be left for the reader to judge." (pp. v, vi.) These Queries, which are thirteen in number, may properly be divided into five parts -1. The evidence for a plurality of persons in the Godhead, Quer. 1.: 2. Proofs of the Deity of Jesus Christ, Quer. 2-6.: 3. Proofs of the Personality and Godhead of the Holy Spirit, Quer. 7, and 8. 4. Proofs of a Trinity in Unity, Quer. 9, 10.: 5. Proofs of the Doctrine of the Atonement, Quer. 11—13. The first Query contains evidence of a Plurality of persons in the Godhead; drawn from the inspired writers of the Old Testament, (whose great object was to preserve the Israelites from idolatry,) using plural nouns, which are often oined with plural verbs, adjectives, and pronouns, when speaking of God:-as ,Thy Husbands בעליך,Thy Makers עשיך,Masters אדנים,Gods אלהים .The Holy Ones, &c קדשים (Thy Creators בוראיך The second Query is grounded upon Jesus Christ being called God, The Great God, The True God, Mighty God, Lord of Glory, &c.; and all the Divine attributes, as Eternity, Omnipotence, Omniscience, Omnipresence, and Immutability, being distinctly and obviously ascribed to him. The third Query is founded upon the Sacred Penmen applying to Jesus Christ what is spoken of JEHOVAH-GOD, absolutely ;-as is evident from a comparison of Scripture with Scripture;-for example, " I, even I, am the LORD (JEHOVAH) ; and besides me there is NO SAVIOUR." (Isa. xliii. 11.); compared with "Our LORD and SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST" (2 Pet. iii. 18); and many other passages which declare him to be SAVIOUR. The fourth Query is grounded upon Our Saviour being represented as receiving all divine honours, whither internal, as Faith, Hope, and Love; or external, as Prayer, and Praise. The fifth Query is drawn from the obvious difference which is discernible between the manner in which Christ and his disciples wrought their respective miracles. The sixth Query is grounded upon the various expressions in Scripture, which evidently teach that Jesus Christ had an existence, personally DISTINCT from GOD the FATHER, previously to his manifestation in the flesh; as, for example, "And now, O Father, glorify thou me, with thine own self, with the glory which I HAD WITH THEE before the world was." (John xvii. 5.) The seventh Query contains evidence that the Holy Spirit is represented in Scripture, not as a quality of the power of God, or the influence of God exerted, but, as a distinct, living, powerful, and intelligent person; as when he is represented as speaking, hearing, separating, making intercession, teaching; as being grieved and vexed; and as having a mind, understanding, will, and power. The eighth Query contains proofs of the Holy Spirit being a DIVINE PERSON, drawn from what is spoken of God absolutely, in one place of Scripture, being applied to the HOLY GHOST directly, in another; and, from the fact that every Divine attribute, as Eternity, Immensity, Oxmipotence, Prescience, and Omniscience, are ascribed to him. The ninth Query is in favour of the doctrine of the TRINITY founded on various passages of Scripture where THREE DIVINE AGENTS are plainly spoken of. The tenth Query exhibits the doctrine of a TRINITY in UNITY, or that the three persons-the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, are one undivided GOD; by shewing that the Scripture in some passages ascribe every divine work to the one true God exclusively; and in others, to each person distinctly ;—and in some, speak of things peculiar to GOD, which, in others, are predicated of each person. The eleventh Query proves the doctrine of the Atonement from the difficulty, or rather impossibility, of attaching any meaning to those passages of Scripture which represent Jesus Christ as wounded for OUR transgressions, bruised for Our iniquities, bearing our iniquities, giving his life a RANSOM for many, as REDEEMING us with HIS BLOOD, &c. The twelfth Query is drawn from the express declarations of Scripture, that the death of Jesus Christ was not the natural consequence of his undertaking the reformation of the world, or, in other words, a mere accidental circumstance, but that he CAME, according to the determinate Counsel and foreknowledge of GOD, to GIVE his LIFE a ransom for many. The thirteenth, and last, Query is grounded upon the unequivocal language of Scripture which declares, that the suffering and death of Christ is the mean of rendering God propitious to man; or, in other words, that the death of Christ is the medium through which God communicates pardon and salvation to repenting sinners. The author, having abundantly substantiated these various propositions, which are in the shape of Queries, from the Sacred Scriptures alone, without any comment, offers a few brief remarks upon the several collections, and judiciously adds, “The writer has one request to make, which is, that the reader will not content himself with merely reading the passages cited in the preceding pages, but that he will turn to them in the Bible; ascertain the connection in which they stand, and find out the scope of the speaker or writer; being fully assured, that such a method of proceeding will, instead of weakening the arguments founded upon such passages, abundantly strengthen and confirm them. That doctrine which is legitimately deduced from the current language of Scripture, has nothing to fear from such an investigation; while the opposite is, with much labour and difficulty, supported by a far-fetched interpretation of a few insulated passages, and the adoption of such rules of criticism as neither Scripture nor reason will justify." To this is added, " A compendious view of the divinity of Jesus Christ, and of the Personality and Deity of the Holy Ghost, taken from Dr. Clarke's Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity." Having thus exhibited the direct evidence for Trinitarianism, the author next proceeds to review Mr. Fripp's "Summary View of the Evidence for the Truth of Unitarianism, from Scripture and Ecclesiastical History." Mr. Fripp sums up his "Evidence for Unitarianism" in twenty-four propositions; these Mr. Carpenter has taken the pains to classify, by bringing together those which are similar, thus saving himself and reader much trouble. We heartily approve of the spirit with which these remarks are made by the author, he is uniformly ingenuous, candid, and moderate. He allows Mr. Fripp's propositions all their force; and successfully and calmly points out their erroneous nature; which serves further to establish the former part of the work. A We cordially recommend this little work, as containing a judicious summary of the Scriptural evidence for the great and momentous doctrines of the Trinity and the Atonement; and as affording, especially to the young, for whom the author chiefly designed it, solid arguments which as the thick bosses of a shield may enable them to withstand the attacks of the Sceptic and Unitarian. Poetry. THE INCARNATION. LONG had the voice of prophecy foretold A son; a child to us is given. On him The Prince of Peace. His government and peace On David's throne, and kingdom evermore. His righteous sceptre : all shall he order, Revolving suns and seasons now brought near His chosen people sought to see their king; And eagerly expected he would soon |