illustrated some portions of the sacred volume. Nor will he affirm the
utter fruitlessness of all the prayerful efforts of men of God, during
the last three centuries, to understand the general principles of
languge, [sic] the different significations of words, (the literal, the
tropical, the typical, the allegorical, &c.,) and the proper rules for
the interpretation of the Sacred Record. He is too well acquainted with
the literary fame of Germany and the writings of that galaxy of
theological luminaries, that has reflected so much glory on the land of
the Reformation, not to admit that many parts of the Sacred Record are
better understood at present, than they were three centuries ago. But
the principal difficulty which prevented the full and clear appreciation
of divine truth in the earlier Reformers, was the fact that _they were
educated till adult age, [Note 3] in all the superstitious rites and
ceremonies of the Romish Church_, and we all know that it is impossible
entirely to emancipate ourselves from the prejudices of early education.
Under these circumstances the marvel is, not that they retained a few
papal views and practices, but that they accomplished as much as they
did, in unlearning the errors of their early education.

"If all Christianity were to take its first start to-day;-to-morrow
already interpretations and confessions would spring up like mushrooms
in a hot-bed." p. 11. This idea is expressed rather too strongly for
the claims of history; as it is certain that during the golden era of
Christianity, the first three centuries, no other creeds were employed
by the churches generally, than the so-called Apostles' and the Nicene
Creeds. It is chiefly since the period of the Reformation, that the
church of the Redeemer has been cut up into so many denominations,
professing different and some of them very extended creeds.

"Every denomination has an individual life, and the law of
self-preservation ought, to teach her, that she is throwing herself
away, if she, is not determined to stand by her banners and to defend
her position." p. 11. Whatever definition we may adopt of the
indefinite and cloudy term "_life_" in this passage, our reply is, the
life of every Christian church ought to be the _life of the Gospel_,
and the life of the church as established and conducted by the inspired
apostles. Every thing in the life of any church inconsistent with this,
must be wrong. It is true, since the formation of