THE FIVE CLERGYMEN.

I love thee. He saith unto him, Keep my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

REV. MR. SAWYER.

Lord, you know that I am a friend to you. He said to him, Feed my sheep. He said to him a third time: Simon, son of John, are you a friend to me? Peter was grieved that he said to him the third time, Are you a friend to me? and he said to him, Lord you know all things; you know that I am a friend to you. Jesus said to him, Feed my sheep.

In the rendering of particles, and in the careful observance of tense and number, we have thought the revision more worthy of praise than the new translation. It may not go far enough in revising our present translation, but it shows what can be effected by very slight modifications of the words and phrases which we have been wont to hear from childhood.

Such a work we think not necessary as a substitute for the common version, though the very extravagance with which it is executed, may do something to prepare the way for a revision on more conservative principles, with which the people may be content. We shall be satisfied "if it cometh to pass that whatsoever is found already, the same will shine as gold more brightly, being rubbed and polished: also if anything be halting, or superfluous, or not so agreeable to the original, the same be corrected and the truth set in place."

We can hardly open Mr. Sawyer's book without seeing new reasons to comtend the severity of a criticism made upon it by one of the most frequent contributors to our pages;-the Italians have two words to express the act of translating. One of these is vulgarizzare, to vulgarize. The author of "Sawyer's Translation" has succeeded at least in accomplishing this!

ARTICLE VI.-DR. CLEAVELAND'S REPLY TO THE NEW ENGLANDER.

Dr. Cleaveland's Statement, in Reply to Dr. Dutton's Review of his late Anniversary Sermon, presented in the Third Congregational Church, New Haven, Nov. 28, 1858. New Haven: Published by Thomas H. Pease. 1858.

WE have placed, above, the title of a "Statement," which Dr. Cleaveland has printed with reference to our review of his late Anniversary Sermon, in the November number of the New Englander, because we think it demands from us some notice. Our review was written because we considered the language in his sermon to be another repetition of charges which have been made again and again in many other quarters, and by many other persons;-charges which we deem to be unjust, and injurious to the interests of religion throughout the country. We rebuked certain passages in his discourse, because we thought that in them he was identifying himself with those in New England, and out of New England, who have been so long in the habit of accusing their brethren of heretical tendencies and defection from the evangelical faith. We did not do it with any idea of subserving local ends, or as a matter of simply New Haven interest; much less on account of any unkind feelings towards him personally; but because we considered him a volunteer representative of the class of persons of whom we have just made mention, who had taken it upon himself to repeat and publish these offensive charges under our very eyes, uniting with them very injurious misrepresentations of that eminent theological teacher who had just been borne to the grave. What we said about the individual case, and the individual man, all had a wider reference, and was intended to have a bearing upon a style of remark which we have [heard, and heard again, till forbearance has ceased to be a virtue. For some years charges have been made against one and another of the conductors of this Quarterly

which are fitted to affect their Christian standing and reputation for orthodoxy. We, personally, have felt this. Our friends throughout the country have been attacked by name in the public prints. We have in mind pastors, far and near, who have told us that their influence has been injured by statements, circulating in their parishes, that neighboring ministers had doubts with regard to the correctness of their theological opinions; and were imputing to them views, tending towards Unitarianism, which they most emphatically reject. There are those, here and there in New England, not to speak of what is beyond, who are ever mourning in most lugubrious style about the "danger in New England of defection from orthodoxy;" who say without hesitation that our Congregational polity is not "strong" enough to keep out Unitarianism. This is not confined to the region of Connecticut. Those who know anything about the matter, know what has been said, and how suspicions have been sown broad-cast through the land. We do not consider it necessary to go into details. The whole thing is patent. We have felt the more indignant about this, because some of the persons who have thrown out these suspicions have not hesitated to use language which we consider a betrayal of the interests of Congregationalism. We will not enlarge on this point, although we might say much of grave import. We have reason to believe that there are some among us who would not hesitate to try to revolutionize New England, if they thought they could succeed-who would draw new ecclesiastical lines through its length and breadth, if the people, who are everywhere devotedly attached to our ancient polity, would permit it. Now all this has been done, and is done, under cover of just such language as we have held up to public reprehension in our former review. And we had concluded that loyalty to truth and religion did not permit us longer to pass over in silence such groundless suspicions and injurious charges.

*

We will give one instance. We have been credibly informed that a New England minister, preaching lately for a Presbyterian brother in Philadelphia, declared that the Congregational ministers in New England, very extensively, reject the doctrine of regeneration by the Holy Spirit!

Just at this juncture Dr. Cleaveland preached his sermon. Within one half hour, we were told, by those who heard it, that the New Haven pastors had been assailed, and in the very spirit and style of these other attacks with which we had been long familiar. The sermon was published. We found on reading it, that we were correctly informed; indeed, we deemed that the reality was worse than it had been reported. Not one syllable did we hear till after our review was published in contradiction of what we had first been told. We thought it to be our duty to review this discourse, and treat it as the representative of what had so long been a grievance.

In reply Dr. Cleaveland has published the "Statement" whose title we have given. On reading it, we find it is due to him, on the one hand, to give him the benefit of placing before our readers his full and distinct disclaimer that he had any reference to the New Haven ministers, and to Dr. Dutton in particular, in a paragraph, which, as we judged, did refer to them, and could not have any other reference—a paragraph, charging on some of them departure "from the central doctrines of the gospel-the Trinity, Atonement, and Justification by faith, exchanging signals of sympathy with Unitarians, transcendentalists, pantheists, and I know not what besides." And it is due, on the other hand, to ourselves, and especially to the memory and reputation of Dr. Taylor, to correct the errors, some new and others repeated, to which he has given expression in his "Statement."

This "Statement," as the title page indicates, was made by Dr. Cleaveland, in the Third Church, on the Sabbath, Nov. 28: which was right so far; as there the sermon, explained by it, was preached. It was published at the request of "members of his congregation," who made their request on the ground that its publication would "tend to correct misapprehensions in the community." Dr. Cleaveland intimates, in his reply to their request, that it "had been his purpose not to publish" it. On this point the judgment of these members of his congregagation was right. For an explanation, made verbally within the walls of the Third Church, of a sermon published to the world, which contained what was understood to be an attack

on some of his brethren in New Haven, and upon one of them especially, would not have been sufficient or fair. The publication of the Statement is right and honorable; and we intend to give it fair and honorable treatment.

There is an impropriety in the title of the Statement, which should be noticed at the outset. It is entitled a "Reply to Dr. Dutton's Review." If there was a design in giving this title to intimate that Dr. Dutton is solely responsible for the review, that design is not just. The Review was the New Englander's; and for it the New Englander is responsible. "The printed list of contributors accompanying the work," to which Dr. Cleaveland refers, is given, somewhat reluctantly, to satisfy the urgent curiosity of subscribers, and not to divest the New Englander of individuality or responsibility.*

We will first dispose of that part of the subject which is, in some sense, personal, dwelling on it as briefly as the case will allow, that we may come to the charges against Dr. Taylor, which are of broader and deeper interest.

"But Dr. Dutton's heaviest complaint is, that I have charged my brethren in the ministry in New Haven,' (meaning, I suppose, the Congregational pastors in the city,) with having broken away from the central doctrines of the Gospel, the Trinity, Atonement and Justification by Faith; and above all, that I have charged Dr. Dutton himself with exchanging signals of sympathy with Unitarians, transcendentalists, and pantheists; insisting that I must have had reference to the fact that Prof. Huntington, of Cambridge, had preached in the North Church in this city.

“To all this I reply, that Dr. Dutton is entirely mistaken in supposing that the language in question was intended to apply to him, or to my ministerial brethren in this city. By reference to the whole paragraph on which he founds his complaint, it will be seen that I speak in the most general terms; nothing is said of pastors or ministers, here or elsewhere, except in the remark that 'some have fallen back into a more scriptural style of preaching.' The passage to which he objects bears intrinsic evidence that it cannot be restricted to my ministerial brethren of this city. I speak of changes in the community here;—four or five ministers do not make the community. I speak of 'new parties, contending for new issues;' an expression that evidently has a wider range than New Haven ministers, or New Haven itself. The very nature of the case forbids so limited an ap

• With more care and caution than usual, the Article was read in manuscript to several of the conductors of the New Englander-to four of them at least—as well as to the editor, was stated substantially to others, and was published with their approbation.