In pursuing the course that appeared to be marked out for him, he has found himself, in some instances, quite out of the beaten track; but at such times the light from the holy Book has seemed to shine more brightly along the way, indicating,-as is believed,the primitive path. That form of faith which regards the rising of the dead, even as the death of the living, to be a normal process, provided for by the author of man's nature, and, through spiritual agencies, going on continually,the whole in accordance with the original laws of our being, is doubtless, not quite unknown to the christian public; yet such a belief is thought not to be enunciated in any of the creeds; and the number of those professing it is obviously not large; — the writer, therefore, for sheer loneliness as to this, has made a somewhat frequent use of the first and third persons singular. It being impossible to do the subject anything like justice without correcting sundry erroneous renderings in the common English version of the scriptures, it has hence been necessary to advert to the Greek of the New Testament more frequently than is to be desired in a work designed for general reading. While he has not altogether neglected availing himself of the helps within his reach, he has not thought proper to load the pages of his work with references to writers, however eminent, excepting only the writers of the scriptures. In quotations from the scripture writers, the Common Version is followed, for the most part, with the excep tion that a few merely verbal changes are made, (out of the many which should be,) as to for "unto," those for "they" or "them," when used as a definitive or demonstrative pronoun,- who for "which," when relating to a person or persons. And whenever any material departure from its renderings is deemed indis, pensable, due notice is usually given at the time; since probably, no translation was ever more religiously venerated than is this, excepting, perhaps, the Vulgate Latin. In citing scriptural testimony, only so much — in general-is given of a text, or of a passage, as is adapted to the illustration, or to the proof, of the point then in hand. Throughout the work, it is constantly taken for granted that a general doctrinal harmony among the several parts of the scriptures truly exists; also, that such harmony will be apparent if to the language of each text shall be given the rightful interpretation. And it is held that, in most cases, the surest method of determining the true sense of any portion of the sacred writings, is, to compare scripture with scripture. That the work may prove instrumental in correcting some of the doctrinal errors extant among christians,that it may tend to induce in the minds of believers a faith having more of the scriptual vitality and reformatory power manifested in the apostolic age,— that it may lead to the more general profession of a hope which, taking firm, unfailing hold of the spiritual unseen, is, therefore, steadfast, lively, purifying, and sat |