perience has there been than is de sirable, and we welcome books which furnish new materials or heretofore scarcely accessible materials for prosecuting it. Perhaps the church would not suffer if a part of the energies expended in the discussion of abstract doctrine, were employed in elucidating Christian experience, and in examining doctrines in their im mediate relations to it. It is well that there has been so immense labor bestowed on the difficulties of Paul. Would it not be well were there more bestowed on the greater difficulties, the sublimer mysteries of John-in considering what is meant by being one with Christ, by dwelling in him and he in us, by the mystical union as of the branch with the vine, and what it is to have within us the well of water spring ing up unto everlasting life, and to experience the power of the Comforter, whose coming was to make it expedient for us that Christ should go away, as more than making good his place? Christian experience is the essence of religion, the life of the church. Far be the day when it shall be undervalued, or the sentiment of the churches shall esteem unnecessary or of secondary consequence, its deepest and most powerful developments. For some years past, it has been the common theme of missionary meetings and other great convocations, that there must be a higher spiritual piety in the churches. As yet, little increase of this spirituality has been seen. God grant that this cry of the churches may be like the moan of the wind before the coming rain. As means of furthering this object, a we welcome enquiries into the nature of the higher life; and we welcome books which unfold the struggles, the errors, and the success of earnest souls in seeking it. Especially we welcome them when written in the beautiful spirit which pervades Prof. Upham's works on Christian experience. And we hope yet more and more to see the church and the ministry engaged in study. ing this great subject-not in the arid spirit of controversialists, but in the spirit of earnest seekers after God, and learning from every source, our dangers and our errors, the relative importance of every grace, and every sentiment, and every doctrine in the divine life. Let it not be deemed unpardonable to suggest that we, in this age so exclusively intellectual, so intensely active, may yet be taught in some points by the despised and condemned Quietists; that we may not have given due prominence to sentiments which they, perhaps, carried to excess. It has been common for dif ferent sects to hold some one or two of the doctrines and graces of Christianity preeminent, as the jewel of their system. Be it ours to strive to hasten on the time, when, from their separate caskets all these jew. els of truth and grace shall be brought together, and the brow of every Christian show to the believ ing world, as they have never seen it, all the combined splendors of the crown of righteousness; till the church on earth shall stand in the likeness of the new Jerusalem above, having her foundation of sapphires, her gates of carbuncles, and all her borders of precious stones. PUTNEY PERFECTIONISM.* NOTHING which affects the great truths of the Gospel is unimportant. The history of religious opinions especially, which is but a view of the workings of the human mind brought into contact with the claims of God, is full of instruction. In the origin and rise of any peculiar tenets, the mode in which they arrange themselves into a system, the relations they form to other systems of truth or error, and the practical results to which they lead in the lives of their votaries, we find much to illustrate the philosophy of the mind, and to guide us in the formation of our own opinions. Especially is it conceived that doctrines which spring up and ripen on the soil of our own New England, however apparently insignificant from their obscurity or absurdity, can not fail to awaken the interest and the notice of all who claim descent from the truth-loving fathers of New England. Many of our readers remember, doubtless, the Perfectionism which was promulgated in New Haven and the vicinity, some twelve or fifteen years since; and which, having wrought its mischiefs in distressing and dividing several of the smaller churches, gradually disappeared from view, and has since been supposed to be numbered among "the things that were." Such, however, is not the fact. We know, indeed, little of what its history has been since; but we learn that it has been transplanted, and is, in some measure, now flourishing in Vermont. An establishment, based substantially on the principles of the Community system, is in operation at Putney in that state, where The Berean: a manual for the help of those who seek the faith of the primitive church. By John H. Noyes. Published at the office of the Spiritual Magazine, Putney, Vt. VOL. VI. 23 are assembled a considerable num. ber of believers' under the leadership, as it would seem, of Mr. Noyes, who was one of the first advocates, if not the father of the system, at New Haven. Other disciples are scattered abroad through most of the northern states, to the number, it is supposed, of from seven hundred to a thousand. A bi-monthly periodical, the "Spiritual Magazine," is their organ of communication with the world; and from this and other sources, we learn that they believe their views to be spreading, and the general condition of the sect to be highly encouraging. The book, whose title we have given above, is a large and handsome octavo of 504 pages, composed wholly of essays and other arti cles which Mr. Noyes had previously contributed to the various periodicals that have at different times been devoted to this faith. They are written with great vigor of style, and, except when occasionally obscured by mysticism, with great clearness; and are well adapted to impress a mind inclined to this sort of religious speculation. Though lacking formal coherency, it is yet easy to deduce from them a system of doctrine possessing unity, and a good degree of consistency with itself; an outline of which we propose to exhibit, as a specimen of the theological rarities that may be found not a thousand miles from home. We begin with the views which this work presents of the nature, properties, and laws of spirits and spiritual beings, including the soul of of caloric, light, electricity, galvanism and magnetism; and in addition to these, having powers of assimilation, growth, and self-originated motion, being susceptible of personality, feeling, intelligence and will. "We freely confess that we are so far materialists, that we believe there is no such vast chasm between spirit and matter as is generally imagined, but that the two touch each other, and have properties in common-that caloric, light, electricity, galvanism and magnetism, are in some sense connecting links between the material and spiritual worlds-that spirit is in many respects like these fluids, and is as truly substantial as they. We do not ascribe to spirit length, breadth and thickness,' in the common acceptation of those words, because the nature of all fluids precludes those properties. Yet if a specific portion of any fluid is separated from the mass and confined in a solid vessel, that portion of fluid assumes the length, breadth and thickness of the vessel. So if a specific portion of spirit or life is confined in an animal form, that life assumes the length, breadth and thickness of that form. In this sense we believe that spirits have length, breadth and thickness." -pp. 55, 56. A broad distinction is made between the spirit and the soul, thus "A soul is a modification of spirit, produced by union with a material body. What is the nature of that modification, which distinguishes a soul from mere spirit? We answer:-1. When the vital fluid from God entered into combination with Adam's body, that fluid took the form of that body. It certainly animated every part of it; of course it existed in every part, was as large as all the parts, and had the form of the whole. A soul then is distinguished from mere spirit in this respect, viz., the former, like the body, has a definite shape; while the latter, like air and other fluids, has none. 2. The spirit which God breathed into Adam's body, by its intimate union with every part of that body, and by its consequent intercourse with various material substances, as food, air, &c., necessarily received into itself some of the properties of matter. As Adam's body was spirit ualized matter, so conversely, Adam's soul was materialized spirit. This modification places the soul in a middle position between mere spirit and matter; and in conjunction with the first mentioned modification, accounts for the fact that souls, according to the representations of Scripture, have the forms and functions of bodies, and are definite visible substances to spiritual eyes. (See Luke *Having sex too, as Mr. N. says elsewhere, which they will retain in heaven! 16: 22, 23, &c.; Rev. 6: 9.) The spirit which God breathed into Adam's form, was a mere fluid, without definite form, and without material cohesiveness. If it had been instantly withdrawn, before a permanent union of it with matter was formed, it would doubtless have remained an incohesive fluid-an undistinguished part of the whole spirit of life. But as soon as it entered into combination with the dust-formed body, it received the shape and cohesiveness of that bodybecame partially indurated or congealed; so that it ever afterward retained a definite shape, and of course an identity separate from that of the universal spirit of life. If this were not so,-if the soul were a mere fluid spirit, when the body dies that spirit would return into the abyss of life from whence it came, and lose its identity; just as a portion of water, taken from the ocean, when its vessel is broken, returns and is distinguished no more."-pp. 57, 58. We do not propose to comment very largely on these and other opinions which we meet in this work, much less attempt to refute them. We should about as soon think of carrying logic to Bedlam. They are adduced rather as curious specimens-rare aves-in mental and theological science, which we leave to the reader to inspect and judge of for himself. A single remark only is suggested by the above theory, that it presents a new, and in some respects convenient method of ascertaining the mental capacities of mankind. If the soul has the form, shape and size of the body,—is ‘as large as all its parts,' and fills it as water fills the vessel which contains it, then evidently, we have only to measure the body itself, as a gauger measures the capacity of a cask, to learn the magnitude of the soul within. Estimated by this rule, there are certainly some great men in this world, of whom fame has not yet spoken! Starting with this theory of the nature of the mind, it becomes an easy matter to investigate its properties and laws. These are devel oped in the doctrines of Mesmerism. For since the soul or animal life is a fluid of the same generic class with caloric, electricity, magnetism, &c., it is apparent that its phenomena must be similar to theirs; and hence the science' of animal magnetism. This, we are told, is the only true metaphysics, the only philosophy which gives any correct knowledge of the mind, or exhibits on just principles its functions and operations. Mr. N., as we shall see, makes it the key to the explanation of all spiritual matters and all the doctrines of the Gospel, and builds upon it, in short, his whole theological system. After detailing some marvelous experiments said to have been per formed in 1842, by Dr. Buchanan of Kentucky, an account of which was communicated by Robert D. Owen, in an article in the New York Evening Post, our author finds in them "a theory which establishes the possibility, and explains the philosophy of all the wonderful works by which the origin of Christianity was attested." "In the light of this theory, what is there incredible in the accounts which we have of Christ's healing the sick? It them. What was this but a means of es- mate conductor. This is all in accord ance with the laws of Animal Magnetism. At least it does not contradict them, and is no more mystical than the operations of Dr. Buchanan. "It is only necessary to suppose that the battery of vital energy in Jesus Christ was immensely stronger than in Dr. B. different in degree, not in kind—in order to account for the principal discrepancies between Christ's system of operation, and modern neurology. The vital power of Dr. B. is so feeble that he finds only here and there an individual with nerves These assertions, though uttered by one who is absolutely perfect, and can not sin,' are audacious if not blasphemous. The miracles of the Son of God, of the same kind with the manipulations of some juggling mesmerizer! And Christianity rests, not on the authority of his works in actually suspending and reversing all natural laws, but only on his display of skill and power superior to those of other magnetizers! What, pray, could Robert Dale Owen, or any other infidel, desire beyond this statement? And how far is it from the charge alledged against Christ by the Pharisees of old; "He casteth out devils by Beelzebub the prince of the devils?"-or from incurring ly novel. They are in some resthe condemnation pronounced in Matt. 12: 31, 32? We must pass with the briefest possible notice, many of the curiosities of opinion contained in this book. Among them is Mr. N.'s idea of the mode of God's existence. "In relation to the Godhead, we agree with Trinitarians on the one hand, that Jesus Christ is a divine person, co-eternal with the Father, and was his agent in the work of creation. But we agree with Unitarians on the other hand, that the Father is greater than he, and that the Holy Spirit is not a distinct person, but an emanation from the Father and the Son. We believe not in the Trinity, nor the Unity, but in the Duality of the Godhead; and that Duality in our view, is imaged in the twofold personality of the first man, who was made male and female!' Gen. 1: 27. As Adam was to to Eve, so is the Father to the Son; i. e., he is the same in nature, but greater in power and glory-The Father and the Son are concentric spiritual spheres. Their relations to each other are those of male and female. The Father fills the Son, and is enveloped by him. The Son envelopes the Father and is filled by him. Though in a subordinate sense it is true that each fills and each envelopes the other-that the Son dwells in the Father as well as the Father in the Son, (for to a certain extent, in all combinations of spirits, there is an interchange of relations and functions,)—yet in a general sense, it is evident from Scripture that the Father is the interior life and the Son the exterior. Thus in the prayer of Christ, the order of indwelling is indica ted in these words;- That they may be one as we are one; I in them and Thou in me. The Father is the indwelling life of the Son, as the Son is the indwell ing life of believers. That the relation of the Father to the Son is that of inte rior to exterior, or male to female, appears also from these words of Paul;The head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God.' 1 Cor. 11: 13. It is obvious that in all combinations the interior life must be more compact, and therefore stronger than the exterior. The female capacity is in its very nature negative. Weakness makes room for strength. Deficiency embraces fullness. Hence the Father takes precedence of the Son. My Father,' says Christ, is greater than I.'"-pp. 5, 488. Mr. N.'s opinions in regard to the prince of evil, though scarcely less singular and fanciful, are not equal pects a revival of ancient Manicheism. Satan is declared to be an uncreated, self-existent, eternal being, originally and essentially evil; and as such is the first cause and creator-principium et fons—of all sin. The Gordian knot respecting the existence of moral evil in the world, which theologians have had so much difficulty in untying, is thus solved at a stroke! We pass to notice the views of Perfectionism respecting the doctrines of Christianity--beginning with the fall of man. All men, in their natural state, are depraved, but not alike deprav ed. Adam was originally holy, after the divine image. In his temptation in Eden, however, Satan contrived to bring him within the attraction of his own sinful spirit, and by the known laws of animal magnetism, subject him to the impulses of his will. Hence he sinned; and by sin rendered his subjection to Satanic influence perma. nent. "The streams from the two eternal fountains," (i. e. God, and Satan) "flowed together in him. His spiritual nature was primarily good, as proceeding from God; but secondarily evil, as pervaded by the devil. With this compound character, he had the power of propagating his own likeness. As the offspring of Adam's body was twofold, distinguished into male and female, part following the nature of the primary, and part the nature of the secondary parent; so the offspring of his spiritual nature was twofold, distinguished, like that nature, into good and evil, part following the character of the primary, and part the character of the secondary spiritual element. In other words, Adam had two sorts of spiritual children; one of them like himself, primarily of God and secondarily of the devil, of whom Abel was a specimen; the other primarily of the devil and second |