an active contributor to a periodical at Kiel ("Kieler Blätter). In addition to his literary labors and his services as an academical teacher, he was quite efficient as a member of society at Kiel, particularly in the concerns of the poor, in which he showed an uncommon practical talent.

His principal publication in theology, unquestionably, is his Lectures on Dogmatic, (Vorlesungen über die Dogmatik), published at Hamburg in 1826. Only one volume has yet appeared. The third edition of this volume was published in 1834, in the preface to which we have the promise of an early appearance of the first part of the second volume. The contents of the first volume are, I. A general Introduction, embracing, the nature of religion, the connection of knowledge with religion, the christian, the biblical and the Lutheran dogmatic, importance of the Lutheran dogmatic for theologians, closer view of its design, reference of the Lutheran creed to the Bible, relation between the Lutheran creed and those of other sects, relation of dogmatic to philosophy, and relation of dogmatic to the office of preaching in the church. II. An Historico-Critical Introduction, including a survey of the progress of Christianity to our times, Catholicism, Protestantism, review of the history of christian dogmatic-first period from Peter Lombard to Melancthon-second from Melancthon to Semler,― third from Semler to our times. Our author then proceeds to discuss the principles and character of Protestantism. The first or critical portion of the work treats of the sources of religious truth, under the subdivisions of authority of the Holy Scriptures, connection of the Old and New Testaments, divinity of the Scriptures revelation - inspiration, sacred canon, interpretation of the Scriptures, and the right use of reason.

A translation of the second of these subdivisions, we now present to our readers. TRANSLATOR.]

CONNECTION of the Old and NEW TESTAMENTS.

Under the name of the Holy Scriptures, which we expound as the rule of theology and as the source of our knowledge of it, we include not merely the writings composed by the apostles or their disciples, which refer to the establishment of the christian religion and church-the Scriptures of the New Testament - but also the religious documents of the Jews - the VOL. XI. No. 29.

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writings of the Old Testament or Covenant.* Herein we follow the authority of Christ and the apostles, who refer to the laws, precepts, ordinances, prophecies of the Old Testament, and derive their arguments from thence. They indicate its sentiments as those of God, or of the Holy Spirit ; they expressly establish its validity, or recommend its use.

Still, there is another aspect in the religious constitution of the Old Testament, which is represented in the New as imperfect, 2 Cor. 3:6 seq., Heb. 8: 6 seq.; as the first rudiments, Gal. 4: 3,9; as a mere preparatory or intermediate stage in religious education, which as Christians we have passed over, Gal. 3: 23, seq., and as something now antiquated and dissolved, Heb. 8: 13. 2 Cor. 3: 11. Thus the writings in question cannot come to us in the shape of a rule of faith and practice like the New Testament, and hence we have the problem, otherwise worthy of attention, to determine how we are to regard these writings from the stand-point of christian theology?

Since it is no other than Christ himself by whom we are delivered, not merely from sin, but from the darkness of our understanding and heart, so must we look especially to him, in order to arrive at the light of true knowledge, and then to those persons who propagated and established what he commandedthe apostles and their disciples, whose writings are contained in the New Testament. But the appearance of Christ does not stand isolated. He is the object and aim of a series of divine preparations, which point to the redemption of men. For, as the divine determination in respect to redemption and expiation must be regarded as eternal, so must its accomplishment have commenced along with the fall of man. But since every thing in the world follows the laws of its being which God would not

The Vulgate translates the Greek diaden by the word testamentum, as though the covenant established by the Deity was intended to be in close connection with the Mosaic religious dispensation, from which the name and the idea were transferred to Christianity when the old covenant ceased. Heb. 9: 15. 12:24. Matt. 26: 28, not without reference to Jer. 31: 31. Comp. Heb. 8: 8 seq.

Luke 10: 26. 16:29. 20: 37, 42. 24: 25-27, 44-47. John 5: 39, 46. Acts 2: 25-31. 28: 23,-also particularly in the epistles.

Matt. 15: 4-6. Acts 3: 18, 21. 4:25. 1 Cor. 9: 8. Heb. 1: 1. 3: 7. 10: 15. 1 Pet. 1: 10-12, etc.

§ Matt. 5: 17. Luke 16: 17. 2 Tim. 3: 14-16. 2 Pet. 1: 19.

abolish, and since the weak eyes of men cannot look directly on the divine light in its full clearness, therefore, God has brought our race through certain stages of moral and religious development, till finally the Saviour himself appeared, and the mystery of redemption in which are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, Col. 2: 3, was fully disclosed. This determines our view of the conduct of the people from whom the salvation was to proceed, John 4: 22; of the counsels which imparted it; of the arrangements which were entered into in regard to it, and of the writings in which these things are recorded. Thus the exhibitions of the divine will, from which proceeded the determination respecting redemption, are ever becoming clearer; and the wisdom by which this salvation was accomplished, has made out in the writings of the Old and New Testaments one code of divine revelations, which display to us the preparations made by God for our redemption from beginning to end in connection. These preparations must be so apprehended by us, that we can rightly understand the last and highest of them, and so that the coming of Christ will operate on us in the same manner as it did on his first disciples. Since Christ found his people prepared for himself by means of these holy writings, and since he had, in his own behalf, a greater witness than that of Moses and the prophets even the testimony of God in the works which were appointed unto him to fulfil, John 5: 36, so the effects of the one are by no means to be separated from those of the others. As Christ was thenceforth preached unto the heathen, they at the same time received the writings of the Old Testament; to these, in addition he annexed the annunciation of the gospel, and even after this had gained an entrance, it would be difficult to reckon how many were won to the faith by means of the Old Testament, or by it were confirmed;-in respect to which many explicit testimonies both of modern and ancient times have come to us. What is so connected in contents and in effect, we may be allowed to discriminate, though not to divide. And since we are now to distinguish, and to inquire, how far the Old Testament can be regarded as the rule of faith and life for Christians, we may consider the question under two divisions.

1. The Old Testament contains divine revelations and precepts. But God can reveal nothing which is not true: he can order nothing which is not holy and good and important for those who seek information in respect to truth and goodness.

Yet every thing is not revealed at the beginning. Till man is susceptible of higher manifestations, God must condescend to his infirmity; the divine precepts must always be adapted to man's actual progress in education, until he is ripened for a more perfect state. Hence we must compare the earlier revelations and ordinances with the later-those of the Old Testament with those of the New, and give attention to the points where the former are true and valid, where they are fully interpreted and completed, where they are modified or abolished.

In this, however, is rather contained a necessity to come to a reply to the proposed inquiry, than the answer itself. This can be stated precisely

2. In a direct and obvious canon: The information and the precepts of the Old Testament are of authority for us so far as they point to one and the same religion contained in the Old Testament as is contained in the New; they are not of validity so far as the religion of the Old Testament stands in opposition to that of the New.

It is, indeed, in itself clear, that the christian life and consciousness, so far as it differs throughout from those of the pious Israelites, can draw no nourishment from that by which the latter was ordered or exhibited; but whatever sentiment or knowledge does not contribute to advance us in the faith, to which God has called us through Christ, cannot be regarded as intended by him for us.

Now the religion of the Old and New Testament is one in relation to its monotheistic-dogmatic character, i. e. it is such a religion as elevates itself to the recognition of one true God, which lies at the foundation of the most important motives of our moral consciousness, and which, ripened into reflection, was sufficient to enable an individual, in the rejection of polytheism, to strive after the truth. We are also to bring into account the materials for the development of the religious consciousness which exist in monotheism. Also, as the code of precepts expands itself, we are to consider the subjective principle of religious earnestness and love of truth which are therein predominant. This brings us to the perpetual validity of the instructions of the Old Testament in respect to universal religious truths, the being of God, his will, works and attributes,-likewise the universal rules and precepts which are set up for the direction of men as called to act or to suffer;-instructions and precepts which are presupposed in the New Testament, although

there illustrated in a more complete manner, and brought forward in connection with the peculiar truths of Christianity and by them more exactly defined.

Still, whatever may be these peculiarities, we are by no means to place the New Testament in opposition to the Old. The instructions and preparations of the latter are not merely introductory steps to Christianity, but contain Christianity itself in a certain sense, whatever may be their introductory character. As preliminary to what is not yet completely fulfilled, they are only that in which lies the germ, in which still, though the perfect accomplishment is not yet reached, there is a capacity in itself for further enlargement and development; and whatever is essential to religion as it were completes itself in Christianity; or, as we may further expand the idea, whatever belongs to the essential conditions of our salvation cannot be entirely wanting in a religion revealed by God. We see, indeed, in nature how the inferior forms of animal organization point to the highest to the type of the human form. Thus the Jewish religious community differed from the Christian in its mingling with political affairs, in its reference to the particular relations and needs of this people, in its temple-service and priesthood. Still, here we find as it were a preformative influence. The religious condition of the Jews conceals under a sensible covering the essential ideas of a christian theocracy, of which Christ is to be the head. In the religious life of a pious Israelite we recognize the elements of a spirit kindred to ourselves. In short, we see Christianity in a certain sense previous to Christ. But in order to place together in its appropriate light the real differences between the Old and New Testaments, we must anticipate a little what is in the sequel still further illustrated.

Christianity requires, that along with the consciousness of our sinfulness, of our desert of punishment, as well as of our impotence, we should embrace Christ with a full faith, in order that we may be happy and blameless in his strength, through whom God has reconciled the world unto himself, and gives unto us a higher power through which we overcome sin. Now what is peculiar to this faith is, that it leads us to Christ. Therefore, that which summons us to believe is the recognition of the divine mercy in Christ— the gospel in its appropriate sense as

Or as Melancthen says: "Ever since the creation of man, there has been one and a perpetual church of God."