PRESIDENT AND PROFESSOR OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY IN THE THEO- HARTFORD: PUBLISHED BY D. R. WOODFORD & CO. Successors to Robins & Smith. 1847. Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1847, by D. R. WOODFORD & CO., in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Connecticut. PREFACE. THE book reviewed in the following pages, is anonymous; but the name of the author is pretty extensively known. A writer in the Christian Review, says, he "is understood to be a distinguished lawyer in the city of New York, retired from practice, a brother of one of the most able and eloquent preachers that ever adorned the American pulpit." After this announcement it may be as well to tell the whole truth, especially as the author has said that "the omission is not from fear of responsibility," and that "should any future exigency invite the disclosure of our name, it will not be withheld." As it will be convenient for me, in the prosecution of my object, to be able to refer to some name, I take the liberty to state, that the reputed author of the book, is GEORGE GRIFFIN, Esq., brother of the late Rev. Edward D. Griffin, D. D., that burning and shining light, whose memory will long be affectionately cherished by American christians. The book has been favorably noticed by several religious journals, and has evidently awakened no small degree of interest in the theological world. "It is confessedly, the production of a highly gifted mind, and is written with much vigor and eloquence; and moreover discusses a question of the greatest theoretical as well as practical importance. "The writer, like his distinguished brother, possesses not only a strong and discriminating intellect, but a vivid imagination. Hence his style abounds. in glowing imagery, and in bold, startling, and sometimes extravagant expressions. His reasoning is altogether of the rhetorical kind, and may properly be denominated "logic set on fire." His argument is conduc ted with an earnestness which shows, that whatever others may think, he has, at least, succeeded in thoroughly convincing himself. Hence his conclusions are stated with great positiveness and assurance. It gives me pleasure to add, that the book is written with a spirit which evinces a deep interest in the fundamental doctrines of the gospel, and an ardent attachment to the cause of Christ. But still I am compelled to believe, that the author has adopted a theory which cannot be sustained by a fair interpretation of the word of God. The reasons for this beleif, I shall state with frankness, and, as I hope, with christian candor. Far be it from me to depreciate the account which the scriptures have given us of the sufferings of Christ. That his sufferings were exceedingly great and dreadful, I have no doubt. This is freely admitted by divines who maintain that they were confined to his human nature. Professor Stuart says, "In his divine nature, considered as the immutable God, we cannot conceive of his having suffered; and indeed, the scriptures always represent him as having assumed the human nature that he might suffer. Phil. 2: 6-8. Heb. 2: 9. But still it seems to me to be impossible for us to ascertain, how great his sufferings really were. The peculiar constitution and the unspeakable dignity of the Saviour's person; the spotless innocence of his character; the agony of the garden which forced his whole frame to sweat as it were great drops of blood; his complaint on the cross that his God had forsaken him; the fact that he expired sooner than those who suffered with him; the commotion of the natural world at the woes which he endured; the heavens shrouded in darkness; the luminary of the skies extinguished; the vail of the most holy place rent, by which Jehovah's presence was concealed; the rocks and tombs bursting asunder; and the mouldering dust of the saints becoming reanimated with life-all, all combine to show that the scene of suffering was such as the world had never witnessed, and that it is probably not in the power of language to express, nor of our minds to conceive, the extent of the agony which Jesus endured." Sermons on the Atonement, p. 11, 12. President Edwards says, "Our Lord Jesus Christ, in his original nature, was infinitely above all suffering, for he was 'over all, God blessed forever;' but when he became man, he was not only capable of suffering, but partook of that nature which was remarkably feeble and exposed to suffering. He began to suffer in his infancy, but his sufferings increased as he drew near to the close of life. The cloud over Christ's head grew darker and darker as long as he lived in the world, till it was in its greatest blackness when he hung upon the cross, and cried out my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me.' His last sufferings were so dreadful that the view which he had of them before, overwhelmed and amazed him; as it is said, 'he began to be sore amazed' The very sight of these last sufferings was so dreadful, as to sink his soul down into the dark shadow of death; yea so dreadful was it, that in the sore conflict which his nature had with it, he was all over in a sweat of blood-and if only the foresight of the cup was so dreadful, how dreadful was the cup itself!-how far beyond all that can |