The Expository Times

The

Higher Criticism of the Bible has been fought in India, has been fought by the missionaries of the Cross. For the enemies of the Cross heard one day of Jerahmeel, found the book and came with it to the missionary. See, your own professors doubt the very existence of your Christ. missionary was never so put to it for a reply. He could not repudiate Jerahmeel on the spot. For he must be in touch with the scholarship of his day, and he could not be sure in a moment that the scholarship of his day rejected Jerahmeel. And indeed it is always better that there should be a little perplexity and even some falling away than that the truth should be rejected..

But now the way of the missionary is clear. Dr. R. F. Horton has written a new volume, The Bible a Missionary Book (Oliphant; 2s. 6d. net). He has written it with the skill of an accomplished artist and with the clear conviction that the truth of God for this generation lies along the lines of the Higher Criticism. But not embracing Jerahmeel.

There are two kinds of criticism. The one is unbelieving and unhistorical; the other is historical and believing. Dr. Horton strongly urges the missionary to keep in touch with modern scholarship still. The Bible will be more to him than ever if he does, more heroic, more missionary. But he must distinguish.

Under the title of Grace Triumphant (3s. 6d.) the Religious Tract Society has published a new volume of sermons by Spurgeon. Where the Society got them we do not know, but they never were published before, and they are worth publishing now.

Do you want a book for boys? Plenty of adventure, a real hero? Mr. Lovett has written it for the Religious Tract Society. Its illustrations will satisfy the most bloodthirsty boy's appetite, but its hero is a prince of peace-James Chalmers of New Guinea. Tamate is the title (3s. 6d.).

A man is known by the titles of his books. The Rev. J. D. Jones, M.A., B.D., of Bournemouth, has published a book entitled Elims of Life (Religious Tract Society; 3s. 6d.). You could not conceive Mr. Inge or Dr. Rashdall publishing a book under that title. Their titles are Faith and Knowledge, and Christus in Ecclesia. Which is better? That is scarcely a fair question. Each

may be excellent, but we might say that, generally speaking, Elims of Life is better for a sermon, Faith and Knowledge is better for a book. For a sermon must be intelligible at once. Every sentence of it must be intelligible. You cannot hear it twice. It is true that Dr. Dods used to repeat a sentence twice, and it was most effective, but few preachers dare do that. Some of Mr. Inge's sentences have to be read twice, and then they are most effective. Mr. Jones is intelligible at once.

Messrs. Revell have added to their International Pulpit The Loom of Providence, by Dr. Robert Mackenzie (3s. 6d. net). The sermons are always strong and direct, sometimes striking. The sixteenth sermon has a striking title, 'Drudgery or Delight'; its text being, 'My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me' (Jn 434). In that sermon Dr. Mackenzie describes three degrees of motive-first, the thought of self, egoism; second, the thought of others, altruism; and third, the thought of God, for which we have not coined a name yet, but are content to say, 'The love of Christ constraineth us.'

What does Evangelism mean? It is the title of a book by the Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D. (Revell; 1s. 6d. net), but what does the word mean? Is it something different from preaching the gospel? Is there preaching that is not evangelism? One chapter is entitled 'The Evangelistic Service.' Are there services that are not evangelistic?

Why is it that every Christian preacher in America is interested in Evolution, and that only one in ten in this country has the least consideration for it? Can you recommend me anything on Heredity?' asks the one preacher in ten, and we answer there are several recent American books. The latest is The Christian's Relation to Evolution, by Professor Franklin Johnson of Chicago (Revell; 35. net). It is a preacher's book. But the preacher can make no use of it if he has not been accustomed to look at life and religion in the light of development, and under the stress of environment. Το those who have, it is a book of much interest and pregnancy.

Is Christianity Miraculous? The question

forms the title of a book published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (2s.), and written by the Rev. C. H. Prichard, M.A. Mr. Prichard is a scholar. His contributions to the Dictionary of the Bible will be remembered. But he seems to hold that to this question the simplest answer is the best. He goes directly to the Gospels to discover if the plain reader can find Christianity miraculous. When we see that Christianity is miraculous, we can consider the philosophy of it afterwards. Mr. Prichard examines the narratives of the Virgin-birth, of the Resurrection of Christ, and of our Lord's Miracles. the first subject, as the most immediately important, he has given the greatest space. And after all that we have read lately on the Virgin-birth, we have found Mr. Prichard's chapter fresh and stimulating. Indeed, the points of the controversy are set out here in better order than anywhere else. The other chapters are so short that only the essentials can be contained in them. But Mr. Prichard knows what the essentials are and wastes no space.

There are more difficulties in the Gospels than in any other part of the Bible. And the difficulties are more deep-seated. The Rev. George S. Cockin, M.A., has published a book in which he tries to explain some of the difficulties in the Gospels. He does explain some of them. Many of them he shows that he is not able to explain. His book is entitled Some Difficulties in the Life of our Lord (Elliot Stock; 4s. 6d. net).

Mr. Elliot Stock has issued a cheaper edition of a volume of sermons by the Rev. Frank W. J. Daniels, M.A., Some Old Stories Retold (2s.), if you can call that a sermon which could not occupy more than five minutes in the delivery. Certainly there is no waste of time over introductions or perorations. Mr. Daniels has something to say before he begins, says it, and is done. Sometimes he says it in a single word. He speaks in one sermon of the worship which exhausts itself in minuteness of ceremonial, and calls it 'Micromania.' In one place Mr. Daniels becomes a textual critic. He is so distressed over the explanation of the Parable of the Tares in St. Matthew with its 'seven little short snippetty bald sentences tacked together by six ands,' that he suggests that the scribe who was copying the Gospel found a lacuna in the MS. before him from verses 37 to

Books for the Young.

THE arrival of a large budget of books from the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge makes us at once think of Christmas and Christmas presents, and if our present is to be a story-book, we have here such a large choice that we could not do better than take one of them. There are all sizes, and suited for, if not all ages, at least a good many. Taking them according to size, the first two are Nell Garton, by Jessie Challacombe, and Constance's Fortune, by A. E. D.; each 2s. Jessie Challacombe has learnt the secret of success in literature. It is to know one thing thoroughly, and then write it. Jessie Challacombe knows children thoroughly; and in Nell Garton we have the story of Hedsor and Muriel Delamere, two of the naughtiest and most fascinating children ever met with. They were indeed wicked little imps, who succeeded in routing their elderly governesses one by one till the coming of Nell Garton. If we want to know what means she used, and her methods were decidedly ingenious, to tame the irrepressible two, we must read this attractive book. The illustrations in Nell Garton are by Mr. Piffard. Mr. Piffard evidently read the book before doing the illustrations, a thing which many artists do not seem to do.

Next in size comes Sonny, by C. M. Rodwell; Is. 6d. Sonny was just nine years old, and his proper name was Hugh, but as he was the only boy, with three younger sisters, he was always known as Sonny. His three sisters adored him, and gave in to him perhaps more than was good for Master Sonny, and the result was that he was rather a spoilt and boastful little boy, and in consequence led his sisters into a good many scrapes, such as driving the farmer's pigs home

and being upset by them in the muddiest bit of the whole yard, or falling into the river when trying to land a 'monster' fish, and being carried straight home to bed. The book goes on to tell us how Sonny, through his great desire to become a soldier, like his father, conquered his boastful habits, and gained the Humane Society's medal for saving another boy's life.

Then we have three books, at Is. each: The Camerons of Niddry, by Mrs. Stacy Waddy; Through the Furnace, by F. E. Reade; and The Nursery Rebels, by H. Elrington. The first two are for older people, and the last is for children. It is a story of three little pickles, Don, Harold, and Edmund, who, thinking themselves too old to go in the same railway carriage as their nurse, set out alone. Read what the results were.

Next come The Foster Brothers, by C. A. Mercer; and Phabe's Long Holiday, by Mabel Escombe; 6d. each. Most of us will prefer the first of these, as it is a bright little tale, while the last is too sad for children. Both of these have pretty covers, the one brown and the other crimson, and the illustrations are remarkably good for the price.

There are also three 3d. books: A Peep into Fairyland, by G. E. R.; The Messengers, by M. C. Butler; and Richard Beavers, by the Rev. H. Boyden.

caster takes his place beside those two, making the rougher and sterner side of New Zealand life to live in literature.

Sons o' Men contains a number of short stories, each touching some phase of ranch experience in New Zealand. The same characters occur in most of them, and all stand out vividly before us in unmistakable personality.

There are problems in the book. They are not there because Mr. Lancaster wishes to air his opinions on them, they are there because they are part of life. There is the drink question, and there is also the question of difference of race and colour. This latter we have in the Story of Wi, probably the strongest of all. The most humorous tale is the last, Through the Fire,' where we have the account of how Walt worsted the widow and won Darlint.

From the Sunday School Union have come the new volume of Young England (5s.), and the Child's Own Magasine (Is.). This year Young England is resplendent in crimson, with the figure of a horse and rider on the cover. Nor are its contents inferior to its cover. There are two continued stories: 'The Sway of the World,' by Lawrence Zeal, and 'Gerald the Sheriff,' by Charles Whistler, who has already gained a name by his Danish stories. There are also a number of thrilling short stories, the best being those on public school life; and the jokes are there under their old name of 'Something to Smile at.'

Of all the magazines for the little ones, the Child's Own is our favourite, because from beginning to end it is so bright, and its stories are all written by authors who know how to adapt themselves to children. Besides illustrations on almost every page, there is a large coloured picture at the beginning called Distinguished Visitors.

INDEX OF SUBJECTS IN RECENT THEOLOGICAL LITERATURE.

BOOKS.

BOOKS INDEXED.

CAILLARD (E. M.), Individual Immortality.

CALDECOTT (A.), and MACKINTOSH (H. R.), Selections from

Literature of Theism.

DAVIDSON (A. B.), Theology of the Old Testament.
Faith of a Christian. By a DISCIPLE.

GARVIE (A. E.), Gospel for To-day.

GREGORY (A. E.), Hymn-Book of the Modern Church.
HALDANE (R. B.), Pathway to Reality.

HASTIE (W.), Theology of the Reformed Church.

HENSLOW (G.), Present Day Rationalism critically examined. HENSON (H. H.), Value of the Bible.

HERRMANN (W.), Faith and Morals.

HUNT (W. H.), Sermons on Social Subjects.
INGE (W. R.), Faith and Knowledge.
KENNARD (J. S.), Psychic Power in Preaching.

KENNEDY (H. A. A.), St. Paul's Conceptions of the Last
Things.

KERSWILL (W. D.), Old Testament Doctrine of Salvation. M'CONNELL (S. D.), Christ.

MACDONALD (G.), Tree in the Midst.

MOORE (E. C.), New Testament in the Christian Church.

MOULE (H. C. G.), Holiness by Faith.

PEAKE (A. S.), Problem of Suffering in the Old Testament.
POOLER (L. A.), Studies in the Religion of Israel.
RAGG (L.), Evidences of Christianity.

ROBINSON (A. W.), Lay Work and Office of Reader.
SABATIER (A.), Religions of Authority and of the Spirit.
SMITH (J. R.), Teaching of the Gospel of John.
SWETE (H. B.), Studies in the Teaching of our Lord.
TEMPLE (H.), Trinity in Unity.

TYMMS (T. V.), Christian Idea of Atonement.
WATKINS (O. D.), Divine Providence.
WERNLE (P.), Beginnings of Christianity, vol. ii.

SUBJECTS.

Adam, Fall of, MACDONALD 225-239.
Agnosticism, CALDECOTT and MACKINTOSH 360.
Amos, POOLER 107.

Angel of the Lord, DAVIDSON 296–300.
Angels, DAVIDSON 288-296; WERNLE 55-58.
Anselm, CALDECOTT and MACKINTOSH I.
Apocalyptic, KENNEDY 59-62.

Apostolic Succession, SABATIER 90; WERNLE 13.