The Tops of the Mountains. Gen. viii. 5. Remington and Co., New Bond Street, W.

"THESE are ancient things." If this writer could be a little more lucid we might learn something; but as it is very few readers will wade through a dozen pages without getting into a mist, like that which brooded over the three races when they descended from the highlands of Ararat. The subjects are the Origin of Nineveh, the Giant Clans, the Eleven Nations, the Garden of God, the Outcasts of Elam, Phut, and the heirs of Ephrath. Here are nuts to crack. Those who delight in archæology will value this tit-bit of antiquity. A close reader will have his reward; but such persons are not so numerous as they should be.

Religion in History and in the Life of To-day. By A. M. FAIRBAIRN, D.D. Hodder and Stoughton.

On the face of the thing, we should have said that these as Lectures to Working-men would be a total failure. We may be wrong, and Bradford may be as cultured as Athens, but even then the lecturer must have been quite up to the level of the best intellects, and a little above them. The lectures are very clever, too clever for the audience invited. They are better adapted to prove the eminence of their author than to instruct the many. For eighteenpence the cultured few may here procure a high form of enjoyment, but persons of ordinary education can do better with their money. It may be needful to treat the Christian faith in this manner; but we cannot say that the operation affords us any great pleasure. The science of Comparative Theology is a wicked provoking of the Lord to jealousy. However well it is done, there is a previous question,-is it not treason to attempt it? Dr. Fairbairn has done his work well: should not have fretted if he had never done it at all.

we

Who gave us the Book? England's Debt to William Tyndale. By the Rev. CHAS. BULLOCK, B.D. 1, Paternoster-buildings.

AN attractive fragment concerning our great English translator. There are only forty pages, largely compiled from

other books; but the style is so lively, and the binding so attractive, that it will command a considerable sale, and therein we shall rejoice.

The Roman Catacombs. By S. RUSSELL FORBES. Nelson and Sons.

VERY useful to any one visiting Rome, or to a lecturer upon the Catacombs, for he will here discover the sources of information. In this little treatise Mr. Forbes corrects many errors, and tells us enough concerning the catacombs to whet one's appetite for further knowledge.

Baptist Worthies: a Series of Sketches of Distinguished Men who have held and Advocated the Principles of the Baptist Denomination. By WM. LANDELS, D.D. Vol. II. Baptist Tract Society.

DR. LANDELS is at home with his theme. He is glorious at a lecture, as those who have heard him will not need us to tell. Upon Sir Robert Lush, the Baptist judge, our friend is specially full and interesting, for he was his pastor and his well-beloved friend. Were there not a memorial of Adoniram Judson, John Foster, William Knibb, Havelock, and Garfield, this one paper would be worth ten times the price of this volume. Every Baptist should procure a copy and lend it in his own circle.

The Evangelical Succession.

A course

of Lectures by Different Authors. Macniven and Wallace, Edinburgh. THIS is a third series, including the lives of Owen, Bunyan, Boston, Edwards, Wesley, Carey, Vinet, and Chalmers. The selection appears to have been made upon the principle of illustrating the successive aspects which evangelical religion has assumed in comparatively modern times, by stating the sentiments and methods of its chief representatives. These men are charac ters with which all should be glad to renew their acquaintance, and they will be here seen by many in a new and more interesting light. Some may be reminded of the saying of George III. in reference to the Puritan fathers, "There were giants in the earth in those days." Others may think that the men who delivered these lectures are of much smaller dimensions.

Select Letters of the Rev. Samuel Rutherford. T. Woolmer, 66, Paternoster

row.

THESE Selected letters make a pretty little book, and serve as a taste by which to arouse an appetite for the rest of Rutherford's half-inspired writings. Two shillings is quite enough for it, and we think a shade too much.

Preaching: What to Preach, and how to Preach. Practical Hints for the Clergy. By the Rev. J. EDWARD VAUX, M.A., F.S.A. G. J. Palmer, 32, Little Queen Street, W.C. WRITTEN from a High-Church standpoint, but full of common sense observations which will be useful to earnest men of any church. Indeed, except certain superstitious remarks upon infant baptism, we have read the whole of the little book with great pleasure. Mr. Vaux is evidently a man who reads, thinks, and worships, and is not satisfied with the lifeless routine of services performed according to rubric and usage. Like some other brethren who take to high Ritualism, he has in him a vein of grace, and an evangelical spirit, apparent to all who can read the man internally. So far as they love our Lord we are at one with men of every denomination; but we pray the Lord who has purified their hearts to purge their brains also, and to do the same with ours.

The Englishman's Bible. By THOMAS NEWBERRY. Hodder and Stoughton.

THIS book must have cost many years of labour, and the patient and careful toil, shown on every page, cannot but have been of much value to the Author. With much labour, the book would also have some value to the English reader, but not by any means the same value. The system of Tense-marks, and other symbols, has two necessary faults; it is somewhat complex, and very insufficient. No man can understand the force of the different parts of the Hebrew and Greek verbs without having first read much in the Hebrew and Greek languages. Old Testament or New Testament, nothing less than a knowledge of the language can explain the varied force and subtle distinctions of the different forms. These can never be interpreted by a few dogmatic symbols. This being so, while "The Englishman's Bible" has

In

many valuable marginal notes, and other helps, we are afraid that it would often mislead the merely English student. In a word, "there is no royal road to learning," and this is no exception.

From a careful study of several passages, the work of the Author seems well done. Many tenses are not indicated, but these, for the most part, are such as could not well be mistaken. The Indexed Atlas at the end of the work is excellently got up. Mr. Newberry has performed a great task well; still, our advice to the Englishman who wants to understand the original of the New Testament is, "Learn Greek," of the Old Testament, "Learn Hebrew."

Is All Well? Nisbet & Co. A SERIES of brief, very simple, gentle talks on religious themes. Fitter to establish Christians than to rouse the indifferent: the Second Coming bulks largely in this little book, which will make it popular to some minds beyond what anything or everything else could. A Christian Commonwealth. By FRANCIS W. NEWMAN. Trübner & Co. THOUGH having no sympathy with Professor Newman's theological opinions, we heartily endorse every word written in this pamphlet on the evils of war, and the open, undisguised unrighteousness of most national rulers. "British interests have often meant tyranny, thing that is on the side of a righteous plunder, and bloodshedding: and anyprotest against such sinful selfishness has our deepest sympathy. A standing army and an influential military and naval class will always consider butchery officers, though death to thousands of desirable, since it means promotion to the rank and file. May this pamphlet open many eyes to see the evils of war, and be one more stroke towards its destruction.

Gems from the Bible: being Selections

convenient for Reading to the Sick and Aged. Arranged by E. P. NISBET. BETTER by half use your Bible and make your own selection. By this “arrangement the whole of the earlier books are arranged out of use, and the Bible begins with the Psalms. We do not believe in taking gems where every portion is a priceless jewel.

Ingle-nook Stories.

By Mrs. STANLEY LEATHES. John F. Shaw. THIS has fascinated us, although the book is intended for the "times." Its pictures are intensely pretty and the matter thoroughly interesting. Give it to the children and see if they do not like it.

Life's Music; or, My Children and Me. By L. L. HORNI BROOK. Nisbet & Co. A VERY wordy long-drawn story about a family and its vicissitudes. There is much of moralizing, but it is so manifest that it rouses resentment and rebellion. A little more of raciness, and much less of padding would much improve it: as it is, it is much like plum-pudding with the plums and the suet forgotten. We wonder whether anybody could read it right through on a lazy summer's day. Bring the next: and let us get the flavour of this one out of our mouth. The Sea-Gull's Nest; or Charlie's Revenge. By EMILY BRODIE. Shaw and Co.

ANY boy who gets this charming story will be obliged to read it through, as we did. The book would be a suitable present for selfish or quick-tempered Ĩads, like the Leslie and Charlie here described. Miss Brodie takes care to put the gospel into the story, and thus makes it instructive as well as interesting.

The Abbey Mill. By E. J. WORBOISE. J. Clarke and Co.

no

OUR authoress's style is too well known to need description; and her admirers will recognise her touch in every page of this religious story. We are great admirers of the pious novel kind of literature; but if we must have it, we prefer it with the robust Dissenting and devout tone such as is here manifest. It is as good as any of its kind can be.

The Doctor's Dream; or, the Seven Phials. A Tale of Temperance Work. National Temperance Publication Depot.

THIS story has deeply interested us, holding our excited attention from the first sentence until the last, and it left us stimulated and strengthened in our

conflict against the drink power. It is an unusual kind of story: a sly humour peeps out constantly from the pages, and yet with vivid force the dangers of our great national sin are exposed. We wish it may set many readers not merely dreaming, but fighting against the demon drink.

Squire Bentley's Treat, and The Card on the. Nosegay. Religious Tract Society.

Two tiny little stories for the young ones. They will help to teach them kindness, and sympathy with sufferers. Sixpence will make little eyes flash, and ears intently listen to these bright little tales.

Leo and Dick. By C. E. S. Friendless Johnny. By JENNIE HARRISON. Shaw and Co.

Two excellent juvenile story-books. Wonderful change for a shilling. Our youngsters ought to love reading, with

such books on all sides.

The Shoes of Fortune, and other Fairy Tales. By HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN. John Hogg.

SWEET and fresh as the daisies, and full of life as the swallows which scream their delight overhead. Every child knows the tales of Christian Andersen. What! Did Johnny say that he never read them? Dear John, beg papa to buy you this book, and we do not advise you to read it, we might as well persuade you to eat raspberry puffs. Once he begins the book, there will be no stopping the boy till he has eaten his way through it, as a jumper devours a road into a Stilton cheese.

Mumu; and The Diary of a Superfluous Man. By IVAN G. TURGENIEFF. New York: Funk and Wagnalls. "THE Diary of a Superfluous Man" is as absurd as any of Burnard's Happy Thoughts, only much truer to nature as it exists in Russia. It must be a terrible thing to be a Russian nobleman and do nothing; but worse still to be a fool, and hesitate, and suspect. The standard library of Messrs. Funk and Wagnalls is a marvellous institutioncheap even in a land where books are almost given away.

Life of General Gordon. By the author of "Our Queen," "New World Heroes," &c. Walter Scott, 14, Paternoster-square.

WE suppose it was needful to use a small type to get all the matter into a book of the price; but at our advanced age we prefer something easier to read. This will not affect the young people. This volume contains a succinct history of one of the most eventful and romantic lives which we have ever read. Gordon reminds us strongly of Oliver Cromwell, and our admiration for his courage and faith is very great. Nevertheless, we do not like the combination of soldier and Christian which leads to the shooting or hanging of men in cold blood. It may be necessary in war,-of that we cannot judge; but war itself is a poor sphere for the Christian virtues. It is almost treason to whisper that the hero's spirit is at certain junctures more firm than gracious; but it is so. We must confess that the same is true of Cromwell, but the light in which he lived was not strong upon the question of war. War is a horrible business, look at it how you may; and none the less so because an earnest believer finds himself able to figure in it. May wars cease to the ends of the earth.

George Birkbeck, the Pioneer of Popular Education. A Memoir and a Review. By JOHN GEORGE GODARD. Bemrose and Sons, 23, Old Bailey,

Dr. George BIRKBECK was a leading pioneer in popular education. His name is indissolubly connected with Mechanics' Institutes, and other methods for the education of working men, which he either founded or brought into the light of day. We hope that a sincere religiousness underlaid his character, and moved him to seek the good of his fellow-men; but this does not appear in the memoir. We have known several individuals of Quaker descent whose philanthropy has been spicuous, while their religion has been of the quietest order. In all other respects Dr. Birkbeck's life is an admirable example, especially in the perseverance with which he pursued his great object, and the patience with which he endured the most bitter criticism. His was a practical mind,

con

and one which influenced his friends to an amazing extent. His name in our locality is connected with a school, a bank, a building society, and other matters, proving that he is not forgotten. We are glad to observe that Mr. Quintin Hogg is spoken of as virtually succeeding to the same work, by carrying on his wonderful system of evening classes at the Polytechnic. We wish success to every effort to increase knowledge, for the light of heaven is opposed to darkness of every kind.

How Sorrow was changed into Sympathy. Words of cheer for mothers bereft of little children. By Mrs. PRENTISS. Hodder & Stoughton.

THE first part of this little half-crown volume relates with great minuteness the story of the lives and early deaths of two of the children of the authoress of "Stepping Heavenward," and other works. The remainder of the book is filled with her letters to other bereaved mothers, with whom she sympathizes out of the depths of her own heart's experience. There was an evident growth in grace in Mrs. Prentiss's own case as her sweet flowers were gathered, one after another, by "The Gardener " who knew best when and how to take them. To quote her own words, her bereavements

"Made heaven look home-like, made my bleeding heart

In all the grief of other hearts take part."

The Story of a Working Man's Blindness. By G. A. JOHNSTON Ross. J. U. Campbell, 33, New Market, Inverness.

A VERY well written and a very affecting narrative of how a still living Scotch artizan lost his sight by a blasting accident, and then turned his attention to other matters, a wife and children having to be supported. He succeeded in doing many things which proved his possession of much perseverance and some genius; and, better than all, the light from heaven dawned upon the afflicted man's soul after that of the sun was eclipsed for ever. Those who send for the little book, which is sold with the view of getting a small sum for the benefit of the family, will not be disappointed. The publisher of the story is himself the disabled workman.

The Kingdom of All-Israel: its History, Literature, and Worship. By JAMES SIME, M.A. Nisbet and Co.

A THOROUGHLY learned work, taking the right side, and smiting the critics hip and thigh. The period of govern

one

ment in which the tribes were nation was never better described. It proves the wonderful of pregnancy Scripture that such a history can be compiled out of the materials which it supplies. We think our author is occasionally too severe upon David, but we have read his portly volume with intense interest and pleasure. He is master of his subject, and writes with a wealth of information under his control. There

is no spinning out of short matter into lengthened periods. Much is condensed into little, and all show of learning is forsworn. The defence of Deuteronomy is triumphant; the wretched questioners of its authenticity are made to vanish into smoke. The "modern thought" critics are usually too much honoured when they are treated with supreme contempt. One remark made by Mr. Sime deserves to be ever

remem

bered: he does not expect to see every bit of ruggedness removed from Biblical history, but he says, "An ancient book, in which unvarying smoothness distinguishes the narrative, will always be regarded with suspicion. A brief record of remote antiquity, which contains no difficulty in fact or in law, may be a record from which all difficulties have been skilfully and designedly removed. 'An English judge once remarked, on hearing minutely circumstantial evidence, that when a lock works too smoothly there is reason to believe it has been oiled.'"

The Life of Christ. By Dr. Bernhard WEISS. Vols. I. and II. Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark.

WORTH reading, but not to be trusted. As compared with many German critics Weiss is on the orthodox side, but he frequently manifests strong tendencies in the opposite direction. He answers others, but in so doing he occasionally suggests a still more subtle doubt. He gives us good food, but it is not clean feeding: the husks are there as well as the flour. He treats the gospels after the manner of a historian, and in order

to appear very impartial he is not dogmatic. We are afraid of him. Suggestive as he is, we cannot recommend him. Those who have long been worried by sceptics may find him a helper in sundry points; but simple-hearted believers will be rather vexed than instructed. We have heard the question raised as to the happiness of the translation; but that question we leave to German scholars. We are not enamoured with this "Life of Christ," nor, indeed, with any other.

The Biblical Treasury. Vol. I. Genesis. Sunday School Union.

We have a high esteem for "The Biblical Treasury." In its older form, and accompanied by a good index, it has proved very useful. In the new issue the illustrations are arranged in the order of the books, chapters, and verses which they explain; and in this shape the series will be much more handy. The Sunday School Union, among all its publications, has nothing better than this. The Genesis volume is good. The New Testament is complete in five volumes at two shillings each.

Sermons. By DAVID SWING. London. R. D. Dickinson.

HIGHLY artistic effusions from America. We pity the people who listen to such preaching. The bulk of all that is beautiful in these sermons is borrowed. Does he draw much, then, on our English divines? Nay; he prefers to refresh his flock with streams of thought from the pens of Mr, Ruskin, Mrs. Browning, and other respectable citizens of our modern republic of letters. Dr. David Swing is pastor of a Presbyterian church, and he despises Calvinism. As a specimen of his style, we will give one quotation. The text is-" To be spiritually minded is life." The first words of the sermon are-"This is one of those expressions which come to us from the Platonic atmosphere." But his discourses, though stilted, are not the quintessence of Attic refinement. He can indulge in home-spun slang, as when he talks more than once, disparagingly of course, of "Talmagian Theology" -a genus that is not recognized at our ancient universities or catalogued in our public libraries,