required further reformation. And now the world may know how deep and dangerous those undrained bogs of popish corruptions are within the pale of the church, which can send forth throughout the land such dark and pestilental exhalations. May God incline his faithful people, both within and without the establishment, to bring every question to the trial of the New Testament. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

No one that loves his country and his kind, can contemplate without the deepest solicitude the social condition of the people. The almost universal stagnation of trade has diffused through the land an amount of distress, which, thongh not yet half told, is truly appalling. In one of our own suburbs, Spitalfields, there are, it is supposed, 24,000 individuals in a state of want; while in the towns of Manchester, Stockport, &c., the destitution is frightful. At Paisley, too, there are more than 13,000, who are only kept from actual famine by the precarious supply of public charity.

Surrounded by such scenes of want and misery, can any Christian doubt, "that all laws which limit the enjoyment of the all-sufficient bounties of Divine Providence are unjust and impious ;" and that it is alike a dictate of patriotism, philanthropy, and godliness, by all peaceful and constitutional means, to seek their speedy and entire repeal.

At such a time there is an imperative call for the active charities of our holy religion, and for importunate intercession with the Father of mercies.

It may be, that evangelical Christians have not been sufficiently attentive to the temporal necessities of their brethren. The period has now come when that duty cannot be neglected-for He who said, "Sell that ye have, and give alms," assuredly requires of his followers to make sacrifices to minister to the wants of them that are "ready to perish."

We have now before us a summons to attend a special meeting of the Congregational Board, at eleven o'clock on Monday, January 3d, for prayer and conference. "The present greatly afflicted state of our country," says the Circular, "and of some of our churches-the whole political and ecclesiastical aspect of affairs-the deep poverty, and, in thousands of instances, the entire destitution of our suffering fellowsubjects-call for deep humiliation, fervent prayer, and wise and holy conference, with the humble hope that the Father of mercies may pardon our iniquities, revive our commerce, satisfy our poor with bread, and pour forth his Spirit, that 'pure religion, and undefiled before God,' may abound throughout our land."

May we not hope that many of our readers throughout the kingdom will join in the supplications of their brethren, and that we may find the fulfilment of that cheering declaration," Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time."

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Communications have been received from the Rev. Drs. Henderson-Clunie-Jenkyn-Campbell-and Alliott.

Rev. Messrs. A. Gordon-T. Stenner-W. Griffith-G. Eustace-E. Bodley-J. Sibree Philip Smith W. H. Dyer–W.A. Hurndall–T. Coleman–A. Reid–D. Richardson-R. Connebee-J. Holroyd-T. Turner-W. Tait-O. T. Dobbin-T. K. De Verdon.

W. Stroud, Esq., M.D.-Messrs. C. I. Medcalf, Jun.-J. M. Hare-J. Lockwood. Fraternus.

The Editor is aware that many of his intelligent readers think that several of the articles that appear in the last volume were not sufficiently popular for the generality of readers. Whilst it is the Editor's wish that every number should contain one article of that class, it is his purpose, and it will be his study to secure, a greater variety of papers on topics of general interest.

THE

CONGREGATIONAL MAGAZINE.

FEBRUARY, 1842.

NOTES ON THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF
DR. J. A. W. NEANDER,

ORDINARY PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY AT BERLIN.

In the brilliant suite that is to accompany his majesty the King of Prussia, on his interesting visit to this country, rumour says there will be a theologian whose life and labours possess a charm to interest the scholar and the Christian, far beyond that which can attach to the soldiers, statesmen, and philosophers, by whom his majesty will be surrounded—we mean, John Augustus William Neander. Although his feeble health or other circumstances may deprive this country of the presence of the first ecclesiastical historian of his age, yet at such a moment, the life, writings, and opinions of one of the most influential minds in Prussia, cannot fail to be interesting to our readers.

This eminent Christian divine was born at Gottingen, of Jewish parents, January 16th, 1789, but spent the greater part of his youth at Hamburg, and obtained his school learning at the Gymnasium and Johannium in that city, at that time under the efficient superintendence of the learned Grulitt. An eminent bookseller in that city relates, that nearly forty years ago, "a bashful, awkward boy was accustomed to come into his shop, and spend hours and days in the perusal of books which were lying about, in total abstraction, and regardless of every thing that was passing around him. This circumstance soon excited attention, and on inquiry, the bookseller was so much interested in the situation of the poor youth, and in the extraordinary mental powers exhibited by him, as freely to furnish him with the books he wanted, and also ultimately to unite with a few friends to afford him the means of obtaining a liberal education. Such was the commencement of Neander's career; and nobly has he repaid the

sympathy and care of his early friends."* His patron became his publisher, and though the relation between them was thus remarkably changed, yet it lost nothing of the mutual respect and confidence in which it was originally founded.

No facts have come within our observation on the renunciation of the Jewish faith, and his obedience to the Gospel of Christ, excepting that it occurred before his seventeenth year, and anterior to his entering upon his academical studies at Halle, in 1806. These were continued at Gottingen, under the venerable Planck, where he held the office of repetent, till 1811, when he removed to Heidelberg, and commenced as a theological tutor, which led, in the following year, to his being appointed as Professor Extraordinary of Theology in that celebrated university. Heidelberg has been the nursery from which many distinguished professors have been transplanted to other stations; and in 1815 she was called to lose Neander, who was transferred to the University of Berlin, where now for more than a quarter of a century he has contributed his full share of labour and influence, to raise that seminary to the pre-eminence of rank it holds amongst the schools of Germany.

Dr. Neander's lectures in the university extend to all branches of historical theology, to the exegesis of most of the New Testament writings, to which he has added lectures on systematic theology. His labours in the Consistorium relate principally to theological examinations. With an infirm state of health, he devotes all the time which his onerous official duties and literary avocations leave at his command, to intercourse with the students in theology. There are very many living witnesses, to the advantages which his devotion to the young has conferred upon those who are destined to act their part in the affairs of another generation.

"The department of theology to which Neander has principally devoted his attention, is ecclesiastical history. But the course which he has taken, and the point of view which he has adopted, are new, peculiar, and striking. Instead of dwelling on the external history of the church, and merely arranging and recapitulating the facts preserved in ancient authors, he has endeavoured rather to take a comprehensive historical survey of the effects produced by Christianity on the human race, in all the relations in which it has been presented to them. He would view the Christian religion in its relations to the mind and soul of man; the manner in which it has affected these in

*We transcribe this interesting anecdote from an article from the pen of Dr. L. Woods, Jun., in the American Biblical Repository for 1833, to which work, with a biographical notice of Dr. Neander in the Conversations-Lexicon, translated by Mr. Ryland, and to the preface of his, and other translations of the works of the historian, we are indebted for the facts recited in this biographical sketch.

different ages, countries, and individuals; the hindrances which have existed to counteract its benign effects; and then also the external manifestations of these influences and these hindrances, both in private and public life, and in doctrine, as they are exhibited in the history of the visible church. It will be apparent, that this is a far loftier eminence, from which to survey the field of ecclesiastical history, than has commonly been gained; and that viewed from this elevated point, the field expands into prospects of unlimited extent and overwhelming interest to the Christian student. No ordinary training or qualifications would enable the historian to do justice to his subject, regarded in this light. This Neander felt; and he has, therefore, shaped the studies of his life accordingly. His first step was to make himself acquainted with the facts and the spirit of Christianity, from the original sources; and with these, as developed in the New Testament, no man is probably more familiar. The next point was to become in like manner acquainted with the views and character of those to whom Christianity was presented; in order to be able to estimate in what manner it would probably be received, the modifications which it would undergo from the influence of preconceived opinions and former feelings, and the nature of the objections and hindrances which it would have to encounter. The sources of all this information may be classed under three heads,—the national views and philosophy of the Jews at the time of our Saviour's appearance, a knowledge of which is to be drawn chiefly from the Bible and the Jewish writers; the philosophical views and moral state of the heathen world, which, so far as they stand in relation to the history of the Christian religion, are to be found in the lives and writings of those who embraced, or rejected, or modified Christianity, viz. the early teachers and fathers of the church, the schools of philosophy, and the ancient heretics; and lastly, at a later age, the various speculative and practical systems, both orthodox and heterodox, which sprung up in the bosom of the church itself, and which are recorded in the numerous decrees and interminable discussions of friends and foes in the middle ages. None of these sources has been overlooked by Neander. Endued with great sagacity and a memory of prodigious power, and trained to habits of iron diligence, he has studied, to a greater extent and with larger results than any man now living, all the works of the fathers and other ancient writers, as also all the writings of the middle ages, which have any bearing upon either the external or internal history of the Christian religion. He has entered into their very spirit, and made himself master of all their stores. These are points on which there is no question among the scholars of Germany, of any sect or name. What Neander affirms upon any subject connected with such studies, comes with the weight of the highest authority; because it is understood and

known to be the result of minute personal investigation, united with entire candour and a perfect love of truth.

"The character of his writings corresponds to such a course of preparation. They are not a mere narrative of the actions of persons and the progress of events; but they bring before the reader the very persons themselves, as thinking, speaking, acting, in all their living power and energy; their thoughts become visible to us, their very words are repeated to us, their actions take place as it were before our eyes. It is the same graphic power of vivid representation, applied to the true delineations of real character and history, which gives to the half historic pages of Scott their magic charm. His successive writings all serve to mark the progress of his studies; while at the same time they have laid open many new views and treasures of ancient things. In a special manner, he was the first to introduce light and order into the chaos of the Gnostic systems. All his previous works have also served directly, if not intentionally, as preparatory to the great work on which he is now labouring, his General History of the Christian Religion and the Church."*

We shall now proceed to enumerate his principal works in the order of their publication.

In 1812, while he was professor at Heidelberg, he published a work which revealed the hand of a master in that department of Church History, "Uber den Kaiser Julianus und sein Zeitalter," On the Emperor Julian and His Times, which is described as replete with a living freshness of delineation, and with discussions that discover extraordinary power of thought and reflection. This work has not been rendered into English.

In the following year he removed to Berlin, and published "Der heilige Bernard und sein Zeitalter," Holy Bernard and his Times, which in a subsequent edition contained an introduction on the first period of scholastic philosophy. He then turned his attention to the early period of the church, and produced a work, "Genetische Entwickelung der vornehmsten Gnostichen Systeme," A development of the leading systems of Gnosticism, this work appeared in 1818, but like the preceding one has not been translated into our language. Dr. Neander then gave to the public a portraiture of a bishop distinguished as a preacher, pastor, and theological writer, entitled "Der heilige J. Chrysostomus und die Kirche, besonders des Orients, in dessen Zeitalter," Holy Chrysostom and the Church, particularly the Eastern, in his times. Two volumes of this work appeared in 1821-2, and a third volume was intended to consider the peculiar opinions of this father, which we suppose has not yet appeared.

* American Biblical Repository, Vol. iii. 68-70.