the very small numbers of people that are qualified and can be had for colonizing in new fields. Africa, Asia, South America, are now to be regenerated, and made agreeable as neighbors and productive as to trade, mainly by the regeneration of their own populations, and not by the colonization of those who call themselves "the superior races." And for this the almost sole dependence is upon the power of the Gospel, to the extension of which the present system of English diplomacy is one of the chief obstructions.

The subject grows upon us as we advance. But time and space now permit only a bare statement of the conclusion of the whole matter. It is, that the people of the United States are right in looking upon the occupancy of the "key of the continent," or any part thereof, from the Rio Grande to the Orinoco, by any European power or coalition, as utterly and forever inadmissible, as a wrong to be repelled, and resisted and removed, by all means, through exertions never remitted, as the conditions of our national peace and independence, if not of our existence as a free people. And it follows that the Austro-Gallic empire in Mexico should be regarded and treated, by all the lawful governments of America, as an unendurable nuisance, to be abated as speedily as possible, by separate or joint efforts, at whatever hazard or cost. It is a pure and unmitigated evil, a wrong done to us all, an insult in its motive, a foul conspiracy in its contrivance, and an outrage in its deed. There ought not, there cannot be any settled peace on this continent, there can be no permanent pacific relations between America and Europe, until this indignity is done away, until the Monroe Doctrine is recognized as the law of nations between the two continents. We desire that this may be accomplished solely by pacific measures, and chief among them we regard a firm and manly statement of our rights, while a shilly-shally policy, of equivocal claims and concessions, and timid apprehensions of rebuff and displeasure from those who are bent upon crowding us to the wall, are sure to be unavailing, and only tend to make more inevitable the terrible alternative of a general war, which may God avert, in mercy to mankind!

ARTICLE VI.-NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS.

THEOLOGICAL AND RELIGIOUS.

ELLICOTT ON THESSALONIANS.*-Ellicott's Commentaries on the Epistles to the Ephesians and the Galatians have been so long known to the American public, through the editions issued by Mr. Draper of Andover, that it seems scarcely necessary to say any thing concerning them at this late day. We are sure that very many of our readers will share the pleasure with which we receive the announcement that another volume has been reprinted, and thus placed within the reach of all students of the New Testament among our people. The character of the present volume on the Thessalonians is very similar to that of the earlier volumes; and the continued use of the author's works only leads us to express, with more earnestness, what we have said of them on the pages of this Quarterly, on former occasions. It is really refreshing-in the midst of the large amount of uninteresting and uninstructive writing on the Scriptures, which is given forth not only from the American, but, perhaps, in an especial degree, from the English press, to find such thorough scholarly works as those of Bishop Ellicott ;— and to those who do not have access to the writings of German authors, these volumes offer what has long been desired, and what cannot fail to be fully appreciated. We are happily getting beyond the days of Scott, and Matthew Henry, and even Barnes; and we trust that the young men of the present day, who are pursuing theological studies, are prepared, in some measure, to follow the most careful scholars in their searchings into the Scriptures, and to make their own "practical observations."

If Bishop Ellicott has any fault in his writings on the Pauline Epistles-and we think he has some-perhaps the most striking one is, that he is, if we may so express it, too intensely grammat

A Critical and Grammatical Commentary on St. Paul's Epistles to the Thessalonians, with a revised translation. By CHARLES J. ELLICOTT, B. D., Dean of Exeter, and Professor of Divinity, Kings College, London. Andover: W. F. Draper. 1864. 8vo. pp. 171. New Haven: T. H. Pease. Price 1.75.

ical. He dwells too entirely upon the exact meaning of words and phrases, and never suffers himself to enter into anything of the glory of the Pauline thought and feeling. He does nothing to inspire in the student a love for the author; nor does he, as it seems to us, trace out, with sufficient fullness, the progress of the discourse-except, indeed, as it passes on from verse to verse. He appears to limit himself, of set purpose, to the "critical and grammatical" of his title page, as if anything beyond this would have violated his promise to his readers, and so he becomes dry beyond what is needful; he almost prevents the reader from reading a word more than what is necessary for the explanation of the single passage concerning which he is in doubt. But it is infinitely better to be dry than prosy; and we do not expect a scholastic and critical commentary to be as exciting as a novel, or as interesting as some sermons.

We trust we may be pardoned if we add, that we do not quite like the manner of the author, in all his works, in expressing his feelings toward persons who do not accept his position on certain subjects. Without expressing any sympathy with the views of Professor Jowett and writers of his class, we question whether anything is gained, either for them or for the cause, by assuming such a style as is found in the passage, which follows the author's remarks on Jowett's Commentary on these same Epistles: "After having thus performed a very painful duty, I trust I may be permitted to express my full recognition of the genius that pervades his writings, the ease, finish, and, alas! persuasiveness of the style, the kindly though self-conscious spirit that animates his teaching, and the love of truth that, however sadly and deeply wounded by paradoxes and polemics, still seems to be ever both felt and culti vated. May these good gifts be dedicated anew to the service of Divine Truth, and be overruled to more happy and more chastened issues." Perhaps it is a matter of taste only, but we doubt whether Professor Jowett's "good gifts" are any more likely to "be overruled to more happy and more chastened issues," because these words were printed, than if they had been omitted; and we are even led to doubt whether, in general, it does a great deal of good to tell a man, who happens to disagree with us respecting the strictness of some of our views, that we are "pained" to see how rapidly his looseness is carrying him downward. Nay, more-we have sometimes thought, that such a style was espe

cially out of place, in the case of one who would comment upon the words of this Apostle. But we speak with becoming hesitation, and we are willing, if it be desired, to put an emphatic interrogative at the close of this paragraph.

The author of the recently published "Letters to a Theological Student" expresses his regret that Olshausen's Commentaries have ever been translated and thus opened to American readersbecause they are so much more dangerous than Scott. Without giving any opinion as to the reasonableness of this regret (the present is not the proper place for such an opinion)-we may say that the works of Ellicott are eminently safe, as indeed, his remarks already quoted would seem to indicate. He combines a high order of scholarship with very strict views; and we may cheerfully commend the present volume as one that every clergyman, however alarmed at the danger of modern learning or scepticism, might well make his own both by purchase and by careful study. That even the most rigid in their views of inspiration, &c. can find no fault with him, we think will be plain from the following passage, which is found in his note on 1 Thess. v. 23.

"Your body and soul and spirit;' distinct enunciation of three component parts of the nature of man.

To assert that enumerations like the present are rhetorical, (as De Wette), or worse, that the apostle probably attached 'no distinct thought to each of these words,' (as Jowett), is plainly to set aside all sound rules of scriptural exegesis. Again, to admit the distinctions, but to refer them to Platonism, (as Lünemann), is equally unsatisfactory and equally calculated to throw doubt on the whole of the teaching. If St. Paul's words do here imply the trichotomy above described, then such a trichotomy is infallibly real and true. And if Plato or Philo have maintained (as appears demonstrable) substantially the same views, then God has permitted a heathen and a Jewish philosopher to advance conjectural opinions, which have been since confirmed by the independent teaching of an inspired apostle."

But we are extending this notice beyond the proper limits, and we can only close, as we began. with the expression of our sincere gratification at the reception of this new volume. The author's faults, if, indeed, others agree with us, that he has any,-are nothing in comparison with his excellencies, and the earnest Christian feeling, which shines out here and there, in the midst of his grammatical annotations, will make many a reader follow him with the more satisfaction, and with the larger confidence. That he is an earnest seeker after truth no one can doubt;-that he is a patient and faithful investigator, and a believing, devoted Christian

scholar, is the highest praise which he would ask for himself, and this praise will be readily given him by all.

LANGE'S COMMENTARY.-A Theological and Homiletical Commentary has been for some time in course of preparation in Germany, under the editorial supervision of the Rev. Prof. Dr. JOHN PETER LANGE of the University of Bonn, in connection with a number of distinguished divines of Continental Europe. The New Testament is nearly finished and the Old Testament has been commenced. It promises to be a complete and useful Commentary, and will prove especially valuable to ministers. It contains critical annotations of the text and its translation, and a threefold commentary, exegetical, doctrinal, and homiletical. Under these three heads the text is viewed under every aspect. It forms almost an exegetical library by itself. The spirit of the Commentary is eminently genial and reverential, thoroughly evangelical, and yet truly catholic and liberal.

An English translation of this work, with a considerable amount of original additions, is now preparing for the use of the American public, under the editorial management of Dr. Philip Schaff, assisted by the Rev. Drs. Shedd, Schäffer, Yeomans, Kendrick, and other eminent divines of various evangelical denominations. The first volume, containing the General Introduction and Commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew, prepared by Dr. Lange in German, and by Dr. Schaff in English, will appear in a few months from the press of Mr. Charles Scribner of New York.

DR. NAST'S COMMENTARY.*-Dr. William Nast is a German by birth, a graduate of the University of Tübingen, where he was for several years a room-mate of Strauss, the author of the Life of Christ. After coming to this country, which was many years ago, he "was brought," to use his own language in the dedication of this volume, "into the liberty of the Gospel," and engaged in the service of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as their pioneer missionary among the Germans of the Western States. He has prepared, with great painstaking, this elaborate commen

* A Commentary on the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, critical, doctrinal, homiletical, &c. &c. By WILLIAM NAST, D. D. Cincinnati: Poe & Hitchcock, 1864. 4to. pp. 760.