though, in some important particulars, our poet would not have symbolized with the modern Unitarians. Decidedly as his denial is here expressed to the doctrine of the Trinity, his views were very far removed from the notions of Socinians. In fact, there is a perplexity, a self-contradiction, hanging about his system, which lead us to hope and believe, what we have before expressed, in similar cases, of the aberrations of good men from the truth, that the man was better than his system. We can by no means allow ourselves to believe, that the canker of Socinian and Arian speculation had reached Milton's heart. There appears to us every reason to think, that these errors were not the prinIciples of his better days, nor the creed which had incorporated itself with his feelings and habits; but the reveries of infirm age, which solitude and abstraction converted into verities, and assimilated to those holy truths which he had learned in a better school, and which partook of none of the dreaminess of these later views. There is not, we think, sufficient evidence that this book contains the opinions of Milton when he wrote his great poem; and it is equally certain, that, odious as were the Arian doctrines to all the leaders of the party with whom he identified himself, it is hardly possible that they could have been ignorant of the fact, or that, knowing it, they could have concealed it. Milton was too honest not to have avowed his dissent from the popular doctrines, and his contemporaries too much like himself not to have lifted up their testimony against his errors. It is highly probable, that, like many other great men, he had felt his understanding baffled and at fault, in attempting to comprehend the mysteries of the divine nature, and that protracted study and research only contributed to hurry him into

the abyss of Arian jargon. The efforts he made were evidently those of a mind embarrassed and perplexed by its own attempts to apprehend the infinite and mysterious nature of God. The simplicity and clearness, however, which he and others have affected, will be found but inadequate solvents. The difficulties and mysteries of the trinitarian hypothesis are but exchanged for real absurdities and palpable contradictions. What appears to be gained in distinctness is lost in consistency; and for the mysteries of faith discarded, we are taught to feast on logic and reason, and to believe the Bible but an improved edition of the light of nature. We would not, however, take upon us to say what were Milton's precise views upon the important points in question. What he has written upon them may rather be considered as an attempt to invalidate received opinions, than to substitute a clear and explicit theory of his own. His attempt is, indeed, directed to the main pillar of the orthodox doctrines-the Scriptures; and his examination of them very comprehensive, including most of the passages deemed decisive in the controversy. But the criticisms of our author upon these scriptures are, like most of those from the same school, rash, dogmatical, and inconclusive. Though the work is free from scholastic technicalities, yet the author occasionally displays a fondness for some of the logical forms of argumentation; and though he loses no opportunity of showing his contempt for the dogmas of the schoolmen, yet he is himself by no means free from many of their worst vices. of course it was to be expected, that so powerful and prolific a mind as that of Milton could not address itself to such a subject, without producing much, even in the bad cause of Arianism, that is both vigorous and subtle. Such,

certainly, is the character of a considerable portion of the volume; and had it been published at the time of its composition, it must, from the existing state of the controversy, have been far more injurious to the cause of genuine Christianity than it can be now. Indeed, a moderate share of biblical knowledge will be sufficient to detect the sophistry and misrepresentation which pervade the erroneous portions of the work.

We do not design to enter upon any critical examination, nor to attempt any reply. All that Milton has said in defence of Arianism has been again and again answered; and, as it regards the Scripture Testimony, if any reader should entertain doubts, we cannot do better than refer him to Dr. Smith's elaborate work, which may be justly said to contain a succinct and satisfactory reply to all the critical reasonings of the Unitarian party. It may, however, be expected that we should give some account of the contents of Milton's volume; and this may be very briefly done. It consists of a large selection and arrangement of scripture texts, disposed in systematic order, and connected together by explanatory criticism and constructive reasoning-forming a sort of authoritative statement of those doctrines which he deemed scriptural. The following is the author's brief but interesting statement of the course and circumstances by which he was led to the present undertaking:

"I entered upon an assiduous course of study in my youth, beginning with the books of the Old and New Testaments, in their original languages, and going diligently through a few of the shorter systems of divines, in imitation of whom, I was in the habit of classing under certain heads whatever passages of Scripture occurred for extraction, to be made use of hereafter, as occasion might require. At length I resorted, with increased confidence, to some of the more copious theological treatises, and to the examination of the arguments advanced by the conflicting parties respecting certain disputed

points of faith. But, to speak the truth with freedom, as well as candour, I was concerned to discover, in many instances, adverse reasonings, either evaded by wretched shifts, or attempted to be refuted, rather speciously than with solidity, by an affected display of formal sophisms, or by grammarians; while what was most pera constant recourse to the quibbles of the tinaciously espoused as the true doctrine, seemed often defended with more vehemence than strength of argument, by misconstructions of Scripture, or by the hasty deduction of erroneous inferences. Owing to these causes, the truth was sometimes as strenuously opposed as if it had been an error or a heresy; while errors and heresies were substituted for the truth, and valued, rather from deference to custom and the spirit of party, than from the authority of Scripture.

"According to my judgement, therefore, neither my creed, nor my hope of salvation, could be safely trusted to such guides; and yet it appeared highly requisite to possess some methodical tractate of christian doctrine, or at least to attempt establishing my faith, or assisting my such a disquisition as might be useful in memory. I deemed it therefore safest, and most adviseable to compile for myself, by my own labour and study, some original derived solely from the word of God itself, treatise which should be always at hand,

and executed with all possible fidelity, seeing that I could have no wish to practise any imposition on myself in such a

matter.

"After a diligent perseverance in this plan for several years, I perceived that the strong holds of the reformed religion, were sufficiently fortified, as far as it was in danger from the Papists, but neglected in many other quarters; neither competently strengthened with works of defence, nor adequately provided with champions. It was also evident to me that, in religion, as in other things, the offers of God were all directed, not to an indolent credulity, but to constant diligence and an unwearied search after truth; and that more than I was aware of still remained, which required to be more rigidly examined by the rule of Scripture, and reformed after a more accurate model. I so far satisfied myself in the prosecution of this plan, as at length to trust that I had discovered, with regard to religion, what was matter of belief, and what only matter of opinion. It was also a great solace to me to have compiled, by God's assistance, a precious aid for my faith, or rather to have laid up for myself a treasure which would be a provision for my future life, and would remove from my mind all grounds for hesitation, as often as it behoved me to render an account of the principles of my belief."-Milton's Preface.