'How,' it is objected,* 'can we explain this, except on the supposition of men existing on earth and in the earthly state, contemporarily with the higher and heavenly glory of the new Jerusalem ? That the phrases 'men,' 'nations of the saved,' 'kings of the earth,' signify, ' saints in the resurrection state,' is presumed by Mr. Elliott to be the only alternative, and one which few will be inclined to embrace. It must be observed, that this part of the description, however, we do not say is borrowed from the prophetic language of Isaiah, but obviously refers to it: And Gentiles (nations) shall come to thy light,† and kings to the brightness of thy rising: and the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister to thee. . . . . Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.'§ (Isa. lx. 3-11.) The sun shall be no more thy light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee; but Jehovah shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down, nor shall thy moon withdraw itself; for Jehovah shall be thy everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.' (Ib. 19, 20.)

For.. as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.' (Isa. Ixii. 5.) In both the prophetic descriptions, Jerusalem is addressed under the image of a city; yet, there can be no question, that the symbol in both cases refers to the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord,' the true Israel. (Isa. lxii. 12.) How far the predictions of Isaiah are to be considered as having had at least their incipient fulfilment, or how far they point to the restoration of the Jews as a distinct people to their own land, are inquiries which need not here be entered upon. To identify the restored Jewish people with the constituency of the apocalyptic New Jerusalem, would, it is admitted by Mr. Elliott, be to attach to the symbols a meaning at variance with the whole analogy of apocalyptic interpretation; since, from the beginning of the book to the end, Jewish emblems are used to designate the Christian Church. What, then, are we to understand by the prediction, that kings shall be tributary to the redeemed Church, and that the wealth of nations shall be poured into the heavenly community? Surely, this cannot be taken as literally denoting commercial wealth, mineral riches, or earthly splendour; any more than the precious stones and pure gold of the city walls and pavement are to be construed literally. The idea intended to be conveyed seems to

' in the brightness of thy sun-rising.'—

The wealth of the nations.'-Ib.

§ Their kings with pomp may come to thee.'-Ib.

be, that of supremacy, as of a metropolis, exaltation, and glory; implying that the righteous shall then have homage rendered to then, partaking of the joy and reign of their Lord. Taken by

itself, we might well imagine that a time would come, even before the consummation of all things, when the saints, the true servants of Christ, shall be so far recognised by the world as to receive its homage, and to enjoy a sort of moral supremacy. The language

of St. John is, however, opposed to this idea: "The world knoweth us not, because it knew not Him. We are now sons of God, but what we shall be is not yet (outwardly, visibly) apparent; we know, however, that at His appearance, we shall resemble Him, for then shall we behold Him as He is.' (1 John iii. 1, 2.) This certainly points to the time when Christ shall come in his glory, and shall be glorified in (or with) his saints, and admired (@avμao0ĥvat) in all who have believed upon him.' (2 Thess. i. 10.) Not till then will the Church be manifested or recognised in either its integrity or completeness, or in its true glory of conformity to Christ. That the apocalypse' of the sons of God will be coincident in time with their resurrection, 'the redemption of the body,' St. Paul clearly intimates (Rom. viii.); and that this will be connected with the awful coming of the Judge and the final judgment, is also as unequivocally indicated. Upon these grounds, therefore, we must reject the hypothesis of a millennial or ante-millennial manifestation of the Church, or of the contemporaneous existence of earthly kingdoms with the visible glorification of the saints symbolised by the New Jerusalem. We cannot conceive of such a state of things; and nothing short of the plainest declarations of Scripture could warrant our entertaining an expectation incompatible with experience, or, rather, involving essential incompatibilities. But we may safely believe and be well assured, that not only will the body of Christ share in the glory of its head, when every eye shall see Him,' and all nations shall be gathered before Him,-not only shall the bride of Christ shine with a reflected refulgence in the day of her presentation,—but the New Jerusalem shall gather into itself all that is truly precious, glorious, or excellent upon earth, all the elements of intellectual and moral grandeur, all the wealth of true knowledge and wisdom, as well as all that can conduce to immortal felicity and perpetual advance

ment.

IV.

NEANDER'S VIEW OF DR. ARNOLD.*

WHEN We recently invited the attention of our readers to Dr. Arnold's Miscellaneous Works, we made no attempt to enter into a full discussion of his life and opinions. The time which had elapsed since the publication of his Memoirs, and the discussion they had already undergone, appeared, at least according to the fashions of journalism, to preclude us from entering fully into the subject. We strongly felt, however, that the real discussion of his opinions had yet to be commenced, and we were prepared to seize on any favourable opportunity for recurring to those innumerable germs of sound thought and holy feeling which lie hidden in his letters and other writings. Such an opportunity has presented itself under singularly favourable circumstances, in the publication of the following paper by Neander, the value of which is the greater to our readers, as it refers almost entirely to Arnold's theological opinions.

We could fain pause here to meditate upon certain interesting points of resemblance between these two great men, in the ruling spirit of their minds and their ecclesiastical position. Alike so thoroughly imbued with the conviction of the spirituality of Christianity, as even perhaps to undervalue its external envelopments,alike ready to grant to every Christian the liberty of thought which they claimed for themselves,-but alike so devotedly attached to the essentials of the Christian faith, so filled with the love of their common Saviour, and so actively zealous for his glory, as to be raised far above the oft-insinuated suspicion of unsoundness in the faith,-either of them, in spite of the utter Germanism of Neander, and the thoroughly English character of Arnold, was well able to appreciate the other. Under any circumstances, therefore, the judgment of Neander upon Arnold's theological opinions would afford matter of deep interest. But when we see a foreign theologian, who has long commanded our profound respect, coming forward to say to us,-You have had a man among you whose works contain the germs of a renovated theology, who had burst the fetters of sectarian exclusiveness and religious dogmatism

* Die Bedeutung des Thomas Arnold für den Standpunkt der kirchlichen Gegenwart, nach den über sein Leben erschienenen Denkwürdigkeiten. Von Dr. August Neander. Besonders abgedruckt aus den Jahrbüchern für wissenschaftliche Kritik. The Importance of Thomas Arnold for the present position of the Church, according to the recently published Memorials of his Life. By Dr. Augustus Neander. Separately reprinted from the Jahrbücher für wissenschaftliche Kritik.

which have so long encumbered you, a man who has cultivated on English ground that liberty of thought which we have endeavoured to foster upon ours, and from whom, however you may suspect us, you cannot turn with contempt, we feel that it is not Neander who is addressing us in favour of Arnold, but that we are called to watch a powerful movement, which has sprung up in England as well as in Germany, and which we can no more in safety than in honour overlook.

Hence will be apparent our reason for inserting the following paper without any modification of certain passages which, we are well aware, must prove distasteful to some of our readers, and which we should be the first to protest against being understood, by inserting them, to adopt. Not only does fairness both to Arnold and to Neander demand that this paper should be inserted in its integrity,-not only are the honour and impartiality of our journal concerned, but, what is a far higher consideration, faithfulness to the great cause of Divine truth, as a thing to be elicited alone by an unrestrained study of the Bible, demands that no attempt should be made to evade questions which are agitating the mind of nearly every religious inquirer, and which lie at the very foundations of theology, but which, we venture to affirm, have yet to be settled on a basis which shall be satisfactory to the biblical as well as to the dogmatic theologian.

But, not to extend our introduction into an article, we must now let Neander speak for himself.

We have here* some rich memorials from the life of one of the noblest and most enlightened men of the present century; one who, as president of a flourishing public school at Rugby, for the education of the English youth, acquired for himself great reputation; and whose hallowed memory will long continue to live and to operate within the minds of his numerous pupils. Many of the letters which accompany these memorials are of the highest interest; they give the most graphic and attractive representation of a character deeply penetrated, as well as purified and enlightened, by the very essence of Christianity; they manifest a spirit in every respect healthy; the contemplation of which in these disjointed times, when true symmetry and true vigour of soul are so rare a thing, must have a peculiarly beneficial influence upon the reader. We can only compare this delightful piece of biography with the memorials of the life of Niebuhr,-a man

The author refers to Stanley's Life and Correspondence of Dr. Arnold.'

whom Arnold peculiarly honoured and loved. Such works are to be especially recommended to young men, who need to be cheered and incited by the contemplation of great examples. I am happy, therefore, to announce that I have induced a young theologian, who appears to me peculiarly adapted for the office, to undertake a translation of these memorials for the German public; of which I shall give timely notice.

It is not for us here, however, to make any further remarks upon the personal history of Dr. Arnold, or to dwell upon the varied features of his character; our object is simply to exhibit those points which furnish a remarkable sign of the age, as it regards the history of theology and of the church in England; nay, a remarkable sign of the age as it regards the history of theology and the church generally, if we only consider the close connexion in which all the indications, that betoken the dawn of a better future, ever stand to one another. We must notice especially those things which characterise this man as the representative of a new and a free development of theology precisely in that country where ancient tradition is most earnestly appealed to, and where a stiff and contracted school of theology has for the most part hitherto prevailed. Inasmuch as in a former article we were obliged to combat a supporter of this contracted and traditional theology, we are so much the more rejoiced in being able to point out here in England one so nearly related in spirit to our German and more philosophical school,-one who must have so entirely sympathised with us in our toils and contests. regard this as an important sign of the times; it is the outbreathing of a spirit which is going forth throughout Germany, and which must, sooner or later, produce an universal vibration. When from the most opposite directions, in lands of the most varied culture, similar movements of the Spirit manifest themselves, this is always in history the premonition of some new and incipient spiritual creation.

And we

Such truths as have been pronounced by this wise and noble man cannot prove ineffectual. Besides, he has left behind him a numerous school; for the frequent editions that have been published of this work in a few years are a sufficient proof of the great sympathy which it has met with in his native country. If it be asked, whence the free theological sentiments which we here acknowledge have been derived, we confess ourselves unable, from the information now lying before us, to decide how far this man, who was incited to the study of the German language through Niebuhr's work upon Roman History, had been influenced by an acquaintance with the productions of German theology. At any rate, much appears to have flowed forth in a peculiar manner from his own philosophical and theological investigations. Several