plain to us in the matter. win its way in the world in obscure and silent ways, without the applause of men, against misconceptions and reproaches, and very often not until after it has been crucified. It is a blessed thing to know that, whatever may be the final issue of our labors in this field, the Name of Him whom we have sought to serve will in all things be glorified.

His truth has always had to

And here it may be well for us again to recapitulate the objects sought to be gained, or at least promoted, by this magazine.

I. Primarily we are working toward that final unity of the church, which is involved in the fact that she has been constituted one body of Christ, and which must be made manifest to the world before it can be brought to believe that the Father sent the Son.

2. We are striving towards this end by seeking to bring Christians into a larger view of God's purposes of grace toward mankind than has hitherto obtained in the church, and of her position under this plan, so that they may see the goal toward which all things are tending, and be drawn together into unity as they press toward it.

3. We have sought to show that this larger hope and light is all contained in that primary doctrine of the gospel, the resurrection of the dead, and that the church has made a monstrous mistake in converting this gracious. provision of a second life to the human race, bound over to death by its primal sin, into a means of perpetuating the existence of its unregenerated masses in endless misery.

4. We are striving specially to make room in the Presbyterian Church, to which we owe allegiance, for better views of these things than those to which that church stands pledged in its Standards, and to prepare the way for the revision of her authorized teaching upon these points, which she has already virtually abandoned.

A revolution in thinking and in statement upon these great problems of theology is not only coming. It is already here. We have not sought to create it, but to give it right direction by setting forth an interpretation of Scripture which makes room for both sides of its teaching-retributive and redemptive-and brings them into a harmony which reason can perceive and in which faith can rejoice.

If

And now as a practical suggestion we ask our readers if they cannot do something to aid us in this work. any feel that they can serve the church and the Master by helping to distribute the truth through these pages, we would be glad to employ their gifts to this end. But all could do something to bring the magazine to the attention of those who would be likely to be profited by it, and so to increase the number of its subscribers and the area of its influence.

In this connection we call attention also to the book recently issued from this office, in which there is presented a complete scriptural argument for the views upon future punishment we have been advocating. We believe its wide circulation at this time would be of great benefit.

This book will be mailed to any of our subscribers for fifty cents in addition to the regular price of the magazine.

If any would like to take the magazine upon trial, we will send it for three months to any address for twenty-five cents, or the book and magazine for three months will be sent for one dollar.

RÉSUMÉ OF CRITICISMS.

We have received a number of criticisms upon the book we have just issued-The Fire of God's Anger— Our readers will be doubtless interested in the résumé we give below of some of these. The book has not been long enough published to receive a very wide notice, nor has there been any attempt to thoroughly review its arguments. This is what we hope to see done, especially by the journals of our own church. We have no other desire than that this doctrine shall be held up to the full light of searching investigation, and be tested in every way by the only standard—the Scriptures—to be rejected if false, to be amended where deficient, and to be honestly accepted if found true.

The Recorder (Reformed Episcopal) speaks of the book as "ably written, and we could only wish that the loving spirit and intellectual force of the author were devoted more entirely to preaching the great salvation offered to men Now, rather than in seeking to recast the opinion of Christendom concerning the awful and irrevocable doom of the impenitent." It deprecates any endeavor to lessen the horrors of future punishment by detracting from the terrors of the law, as tending to give encouragement to sinful men.

To this we give answer, that the opinion of Christendom upon this subject is in solution, and is likely to be recast in a far more objectionable form than is given to it in

this book. As to the choice between driving men to Christ by distorted views of the law of God which malign His character and misrepresent His Word, and constraining them by a true and just exhibition of His righteousness and grace, there can be no question as to which is the most productive in good results. We sincerely believe that this book presents both sides of divine truth upon this subject in their right relation.

In this connection we quote from the review in The Living Church (Episcopal).

"The author's view is not intended to give much comfort to one who goeth on still in his wickedness, but is rather meant to cover the case of the heathen, and to try to justify God's justice and to manifest His mercy. The sinner must expect his punishment, the awful sentence of death."

This critic objects however to "a second probation" and asks "Why not a third or a fourth? Why stop at the second?" He does not seem to have noticed that we do not use or approve of the phrase "second probation." We hold that men who go down to death under the condemnation that has passed upon the race, without knowing Christ, have no probation for eternal life in this life. They are "condemned already." So that a renewed trial in life after their recovery from death cannot be a second chance for that for which they never had a first chance, As to why we regard

this opportunity after resurrection as decisive and final, we can only say that we believe Christ has redeemed all men to another life for the very purpose of opening a path for all to eternal life, which is now closed to all except as men are now tested by His gospel, and that for those who fail under the conditions of the life to come, no second or third resurrection is spoken of only a second death. This critic commends our "ingenuous endeavor to escape from the terrible consequences of the Calvinistic creed, and this feeling after a foundation for a larger hope. Those who think as he does on the subject of future retribution will enjoy the calm and self-convinced method of

his argument, which is expressed in no dogmatic or criticising spirit." He questions however our first principle that "resurrection is redemptive," mainly because it cannot be accomodated to the resurrection scene in Rev. xx. We would ask him then, will he deny that resurrection is redemptive? And shall a principle which arises out of the very meaning of death as the wages of sin, and which underlies all the Old Testament promises of redemption, and which is asserted in the New, be set aside because one of the dark passages in the most obscure book in the Bible "refuses to be manipulated in its favor?" We think, however, that most candid readers of our

chapter upon this passage will see that, while the proper meaning of this passage may yet be undiscovered, it does not oppose itself to this principle.

The Free Methodist, of Chicago, says: "This is a carefully written and neatly printed and bound volume of 280 pages, The style is plain and the author is evidently a man of ability. He says he has served for many years in the ministry of the Presbyterian Church. This book appears to us to be a natural product of a mind which has undergone a reaction from Calvinism. Persons educated to believe that those who are saved, are saved by a secret decree of the Almighty, without regard to their own choice or conduct, (We were never so educated to believe) are in a fit condition to some day come to the conclusion that this decree takes in, sooner or later, the whole human family. Any doctrine that rests mainly for its support upon the Old Testament is open to very grave suspicion. This is especially true of doctrines relating to the future life. Christ brought life and immortality to light in the gospel. To go to the Old Testament for instruction on these subjects is to go back to the dark."

This critic infers that because we believe in universal blessing to the race through redemption by Christ, that we must believe in the final salvation of all. He could not have read the book very closely. And certainly he seems never to have suspected that God's decree to recover mankind to a life beyond the death that came upon all in Adam, means blessing for all and not a curse. One however who depreciates the Old Testament, as does he, can