ical system of modern days," he remarks, "which delights in magnifying the so-called mistakes of the Bible, in explaining away its miraculous narratives, and in making as little as possible of its Divine character and supernatural element, is a system that I cannot away with. It seems to me to take a rock from beneath our feet, and plant us on a quicksand. It robs us of bread, and does not give us in its place so much as a stone. I believe that the inspired writers were infallibly guided by the Holy Ghost, both in their selection of matter and their choice of words." His comments upon the commentators, on the other hand, are very brief and scarcely worth referring to, but of the Scotch and English writers he says, as some will think quite properly, "I must confess that I think we have little to show in this department of theological literature," while his remarks upon the German authors, "What people can mean by telling us that we have much to learn from modern German writers on Scripture, passes my comprehension"—will find but little sympathy, we fear, among those who have used German and English commentaries together. Indeed we can only explain the remark, by noticing that the German commentaries, which he has used, seem to be only those which have been translated into English, and the reason for translating which has often been something else besides their real value as commentaries. We remember, in one of the commemorative discourses upon the late Dr. Robinson, it was stated that some distinguished Doctor of Divinity in New York had declared that he had gained more good from Robinson's Dictionary of the New Testament, than from all the commentaries he had ever used. The speaker evidently thought, and so perhaps did most of the audience, that this was a compliment of the highest order;-and so it may have been, but we could not help asking who was the Doctor of Divinity and what commentaries he had used, and until these questions were answered,-much as we valued the dictionary,-we could not regard the fame of Dr. R. as altogether established by that one remark. Few persons, we believe, can use such works as those of Meyer and De Wette and others who might be mentioned, without feeling that they are "learning much" from them, and we may add, without feeling that the best English commentators of the present day-as Alford, for example-have learned from them not only much, but even the largest portion of that which is most useful in their own works. The day may come when these

German writings shall be opened to the English public, but until they are, it is no more fair for an Englishman, who is unable to read them or who has never read them, to pass a sweeping commendation upon all German writings upon the Scripture, than it would be to judge such works as Alford or Ellicott in our own language by those of inferior men. But we are too far removed from the author to have any disputation with him upon this subject, and the day is far distant in the future, we suppose, when the fear of the Germans, on the part of some, will not be at least as exaggerated as the praise on the part of others. We are glad to bid him farewell with the expression of our full concurrence with his view “that it is not one of the primary duties of a parochial clergyman's office to write commentaries," and with the wish that he may have as good success in all his primary duties, as he seems to have in this secondary one.

THE PERSON OF CHRIST.*-The American Tract Society of Boston have published an admirable book for general distribution, well adapted to meet the current infidelity of the times respecting the Person of Christ. It is from the pen of the accomplished theologian and scholar, Dr. Schaff. Besides a full statement of the true doctrine, there is an examination of the various false theories, which is particularly satisfactory. The value of the volume is also much increased by a large number of critical notes, and a collection, quite unique of its kind, of the testimonies to the character of Christ by a succession of unbelievers from the time of our Saviour to the present time. They are Pontius Pilate and his wife; the Centurion at the cross; Judas, the traitor; Flavius Josephus; the Talmud; the heathen writers against Christianity; Tacitus and Pliny; Celsus and Lucian; Porphyry; Julian, the apostate; Thomas Chubb; Diderot; Rousseau; Napoleon Bonaparte; William Ellery Channing; Strauss; Theodore Parker; E. Pecaut; Renan and Frances Power Cobbe.

"O MOTHER DEAR, JERUSALEM." -All who are attached

*The Person of Christ: The Miracle of History. With a reply to Strauss and Renan, and a collection of Testimonies of unbelievers. By PHILIP SCHAFF, D. D. Boston: American Tract Society. 1865. 16mo. pp. 375. New Haven: F. T. Jarman.

O Mother Dear, Jerusalem. The old Hymn; its origin and genealogy. Edited by WILLIAM C. PRIME. New York: Anson D. F. Randolph. 1865. 12mo. PP. 92.

to this noble old Hymn, which is commonly ascribed to David Dickson, a Scotch clergyman of the seventeenth century, will be pleased to learn that Dr. Prime has published an edition of it, as nearly as possible in its original form, in a small but beautiful volume. The editor acknowledges his indebtedness, in this American edition, to a little monogra h, published in Scotland, by Dr. Horatius Bonar. In the Preface, some account of the origin of the Hymn is given; and several beautiful medieval Hymns, which breathe a similar spirit, are appended.

LIBRARY OF OLD ENGLISH DIVINES.-We are glad to see that Hurd & Houghton have issued a "Prospectus and Specimen Pages" of a series of republications from the best English theologians and preachers of the seventeenth century. They propose to call it the "Library of old English Divines." It is to be under the editorial supervision of Dr. Shedd, of the Union Theological Seminary, New York. Dr. Shedd is quite at home in any department of history and from his acknowledged ability and sound judgment is well qualified to make the selections for the editorial labor to which he is called. The character of the firm which has undertaken it gives the best assurance of success, provided that the reading public appreciate the enterprise. They will execute the work in the best style of the printer's art. The Riverside Press needs no commendation on this side of the Atlantic, or the other.

The object of the enterprising publishers is to furnish the works of those old fathers,-Puritans, and Church of England men-unabridged and unmutilated. Selections from them, and compilations, and single treatises, more or less altered and "improved," have been given to the public by the Tract Society, and other publishers. But we have outgrown the period of dilutions and mutilations. We want complete editions of such works, or at least entire treatises, all that these grand old fathers thought and felt on subjects upon which they deemed it important to publish. How seldom do we find in our parochial or ministerial libraries, the complete works of any one of those "great lights of English theology?" Baxter and Bates, Charnock and Chillingworth, Cudworth, Flavel, Hooker, Howe, Waterland, and South.-Yet here are the rich mines of thought, or rather the storehouses in the mining regions, where gold lies in ingots. Ridgley's Body of Divinity is very

good, but it is little else than gold leaf beaten out from the masses of thought which old Charnock had packed down in his work on the Attributes. The English intellect comes out in these men in all the solidity and strength of stalworth fighters for religious and civil liberty, at a time when the British Constitution achieved its best victories over arbitrary rule and oppression. The English language, when these men came to make use of it, had been brought to its perfection by Milton and Shakespeare, and the translators of King James' version of the Bible. Some of the most perfect specimens of style,-of clear, precise, earnest, and powerful writing-are found in these works. The preachers, and even the metaphysical theologians, shared with the great poet and dramatist, in the rich, almost gorgeous imagination which marked that golden period of English literature. An infusion of these solid elements into our vigorous, rushing American mind would serve a good purpose.-Not by imitation or importation, for these overload and weaken;-but through digestion, by silent affinities and incorporation. One thing more that recommends this enterprise is the price of the books. This is put at the very lowest point of remunerative labor. The publisher proposes to sell to subscribers for $3 each volume, in all respects of equal value with those which cost by importation, from $5 to $6.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL.

FROUDE'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND.*-We welcome the continuation of Froude's History as republished by Messrs. Scribner & Co., in volumes Third and Fourth. These volumes carry us from the crisis of the English Reformation to the death of Henry VIII. They are distinguished by the same characteristics, which are so conspicuous in the first two volumes, and which make the reading of this history so positive a delight. The same clearness and force of style, the same natural and glowing eloquence, the same warm interest in his themes and characters, the same artist power to conceive and represent are everywhere present. Let the reader the fourth volume and read two or three the "Outpages upon

open

* History of England from the Fall of Wolsey to the death of Elizabeth. By JAMES ANTHONY FROUDE. Volumes III and IV. Charles Scribner & Co. 1865. 12mo., pp. 480, and 508. New Haven: Judd & White. Price $2.50 each.

lines of Scottish Character," and he will find it difficult to lay down the book.

HISTORICAL VIEW OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.*-This work is much more of a book than its simple title would indicate. It aims to give a philosophical view of the most prominent features of the American Revolution. The titles of its chapters are the topics of as many separate disquisitions. They are as follows: The Causes of the Revolution, the Phases of the Revolution, The Congress of the Revolution, Congress and the State Governments of the Revolution, Finances of the Revolution, The Diplomacy of the Revolution, The Army of the Revolution, Campaigns of the Revolution, The Foreign Element of the Revolution, The Martyrs of the Revolution, Literature of the Revolution (prose), Litera ture of the Revolution (poetry). Some of these topics are the themes for philosophical treatment, others are the motives for effective historical portraiture, but all are treated with a thorough knowl edge of the subject. The style might be criticised as occasionally a little ambitious, and now and then not entirely accurate. There is occasionally an attempt at effect which is not pleasing, but as a whole the work is very useful and satisfactory, and might be safely recommended as a valuable addition to our literature upon this much hackneyed but never uninteresting theme. The events which have recently agitated our country have imparted an immensely augmented interest to every one of those initial movements which made us an independent nation. We have learned to understand history and interpret it. It is greatly to be desired that our youth should be thoroughly instructed in the truths which the history of their own country is fitted to impress upon them.

STEVENS' HISTORY OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.-It will be remembered that Dr. Stevens has already earned high distinction as the author of a "History of the Religious Movement of the 18th Century, called Methodism." That work gives the

* Historical View of The American Revolution. By GEORGE WASHINGTON GREENE, Boston: Ticknor & Fields. 1865. 12mo. pp. 459. New Haven: T. H. Pease.

History of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States of America, By ABEL STEVENS, LL. D. Two Volumes, pp. 423, 511. 1864. New York: Carlton & Porter.