Literary Notices.

[We hold it to be the duty of an Editor either to give an early notice of the books sent to him for remark, or to return them at once to the Publisher. It is anjust to praise worthless books; it is robbery to retain unnoticed ones.]

LIFE AND PHILANTHROPIC LABORS Of Andrew Reed, D.D. By his Sons. London: Strahan & Co.

He had but few equals

DR. REED was a man of undoubted greatness. amongst the ministers of his own persuasion. In mental and moral stature he towered head and shoulders above most. Many of his brethren, and some whom we heard some years ago endeavoring to damage his reputation appeared almost pitiably small by his side. He thought as a philosopher, planned as a statesman, and felt as a devout philanthrophist. Once only, we heard him preach, and that was on a public occasion, some twenty years ago; and we were then struck with the thorough grasp he had of the subject in hand, the simplicity of his manner, the clearness of his diction, and the soul-stirring potency of his tenderness. The feeling that played upon his countenance, and trembled on his lip, made every sentence eloquent. He was too big for any denomination. The denominational air on which, alas, most ministers live, would not suit his spiritual lungs. Such a life as his deserved a permanent record. His sons have discharged their duty with delicacy of feeling, discrimination of judgment, and considerable literary ability. May these relics of a sainted man, like the buried bones of Elisha, touch the dead to life!

THE FOUNDATIONS of our Faith. By PROFESSOR A. Goss, and others. London Strahan & Co.

HERE are ten lectures on what are called "The Foundations of Faith." The subjects follow the order of the Apostles' Creed. This is their connexion :-The subjects are-What is Faith ?-Nature or God,-Sin, its nature and consequences,―The Old Testament Dispensation of the Heathen World,--The Person of Jesus Christ,-Christ's Atonement for Sin-His Resurrection and Ascension,--The Holy Spirit and the Christian Church, The Doctrine of Justification by Faith,--The Future Life. These subjects, which are confessedly vital ones, are here treated by various authors, and with various degrees of ability. The variety of treatment gives a charm to the volume. Some of these papers are very

masterly. They display a very profound acquaintance with the nature of man, the theory of moral restoration, and the methods of the Divine government. The book as a whole is very valuable, and its advent very opportune.

GOODWIN'S WORKS. Vol. VII. London: James Nisbet & Co.

HERE is another volume from the prolific and somewhat prosy pen of Dr. Goodwin. There are men who are, we suppose, theological authorities of the age, who see wonderful things in this author's productions, and we must, of course, believe that such things are to be found in them by the tutored initiates. We confess to a lack of that faculty which seems necessary to the discovery. We see, indeed, that which we find in almost every popular evangelical work of the day, but nothing more. Albeit, we rejoice in their republication for many reasons, and trust that the enterprising publisher will meet with a satisfactory reward.

THE THRESHOLD OF REVELATION. By REV. W. S. LEWIS, M.A. London: Rivingtons.

THE discussions of this book are confined to the first chapter, and the first three verses of the second chapter, of Genesis. Its plan is thus described in the author's own language:-"I desire in the following pages to give a thoughtful and candid consideration to the objections in question. I would take occasion from them, that is to say, carefully to examine in the first place the portion of Holy Scripture to which they object to examine it, as I have said, as inspired, and to investigate, on this supposition, the statements it contains. I purpose endeavoring thus to ascertain how far the statements thus found accord with this view; how far they appear worthy of that Great Author to whom this assump tion in reality attributes them; how far they harmonize with those other Scriptures which we believe to have come from Him; and how far they agree, and are meant to agree, with the language of His works." The work is very original in its structure, vigorous in its thinkings, practical in its bearing, and displays a large acquaintance, not only with the scheme of Revelation, but also with scientific truth.

WORDS FROM THE GOSPELS. By CHARLES J. VAUGHAN, D.D. London and Cambridge: Macmillan & Co.

HERE is another valuable volume of discourses from the fertile brain and accomplished pen of one of the most valuable religious teachers of the age. The subjects of these discourses are:-Ignorant PrayersChrist Eating with Sinners-Gospel Righteousness-Four Thousand Men Fed in the Wilderness-Mismanagement of Eternal Interestthe Divinity of Work-The Gradual Miracle-The Gospel Fire-The Unchangeable Words-The Offence of Christ-The Voice in the Wilderness-&c., &c. Altogether, the number of discourses is twenty-two. They

who are acquainted with the author's productions, will expect to find in this volume living and life-giving thoughts, true to Scripture and to souls; nor will they be disappointed.

THE PULPIT ASSISTANT. By REV. THOMAS HANNAM. Vol. III. London: William Tegg.

THERE is a tendency in some quarters to disparage such works as these. In those portions of the so-called religious press which are under the management of ministers, the tendency shows itself whenever an opportunity occurs. Even the "Evangelical Magazine" cannot notice works of this kind without gratifying this propensity. A month or two ago we saw an instance of it in the notice it gave of a work of the Rev. George Brooks. It is a sad fact that many of the ministers that thus deal with such books stand most in need of pulpit help, and most slavishly use them. Amongst many instances of the kind with which we are acquainted, we are here vividly reminded of one which came in painful contact with our own experience a few months ago. It will be remembered by our readers that, some two years since, there appeared in the pages of the "Baptist Magazine " two articles on the "Homilist," whose egregious dishonesty in quotation and representation were severely condemned, even by the Newspaper Press, and whose manifest object was to degrade and injure our labors. A few months ago we were informed as to the author of those articles. As the person named was a Baptist minister who had been known to make a more slavish use of the "Homilist" than, perhaps, any man living, and had personally expressed to us the highest encomiums upon the work, we did not believe it until we wrote to him on the subject, when, alas, we found it so. Such conduct is too bad for comment. Beware of preachers who disparage pulpit helps.

THOMAS RAFFLES, D.D., LL.D. A Sketch. By JAMES BALDWIN BROWN, B.A. London: Jackson, Walford, & Hodder.

THIS work opens with many striking thoughts of death that stir and soothe the soul at the same time, and then proceeds to sketch the history of one of the noblest men, and most eminent ministers of this age,— Dr. Raffles, whose sunny looks and right manly life helped not a little to reveal that Gospel, to whose exhibition from the pulpit he consecrated the powers of his being. We need scarcely recommend this book. The reputation of the gifted author, and his church-famed hero, will secure for it a large circulation.

SCENES IN THE LIFE OF ST. PETER. By JAMES SPENCE, M.A., D.D. London: Religious Tract Society.

THE idea of this book is good. A systematic sketch of St. Peter's life was needed. The execution of the plan is creditable to the author's

intellect and heart. The author, however, we think, lacks that profundity of warm impulsiveness in his nature which alone could enable him fully to expound the life of such a man as Peter. A man can only reveal what he has within him. A man must be a philosopher, to expound a philosopher; a poet, to expound a poet; an enthusiast, to expound an enthusiast. Peter was an enthusiast of the highest type; the author is not. Albeit we gratefully accept this work until a man of St. Peter's make shall come to write his life. The getting up of the work is truly elegant.

How YOUNG MEN MAY BECOME GREAT MEN. By ALPHA BETA. London: Snow.

This little book, which we learn from the title page, is in its second edition, is far more worthy of that literary distinction than many that attain to it. The introducing "Chapter on Thoughts," is a good specimen, a sort of first-fruits of the succeeding chapters. The eight succeeding sections expatiate on those qualities of head and heart that cannot fail to make a man truly great, and which, as the historic names prove, and which our author has made to sparkle on almost every page, will generally ensure success. Whilst it ought ever to be an axiom, that success is no synonym with greatness, we think such a little work is likely to be very useful. A free distribution of "How young men may become great men," can scarcely fail to inspire and fasten the best ambitions of youthhood.

SKETCHES FROM LIFE, WITH OCCASIONAL THOUGHTS AND POEMS. By ROBERT GEMMELL. Glasgow: Hutcheson Campbell.

THESE Occasional thoughts, expressed sometimes ir prose and sometimes in verse, on a great variety of subjects, display a soul deep in life's experiences, strong in intellect, affluent in fancy. Scrappy and unpretending as the little work is, it abounds with noble ideas, and assures us that the author could do something of a higher kind in the field of literature.

:

POPERY UNMASKED. BY HENRY WOODCOCK. London: Richard Davis. This is a popular and telling exposure of Popery. The author has truly brought the monster into the sunlight of truth, unmasked it, and its hideousness is revolting to all who truly look at it. SERMONS. By the REV. JAMES PITT EDGAR. Edinburgh W. P. Nimmo. London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co. Five plain useful discourses. SEARCHING OF SCRIPTURE, AND ITS TEACHINGS. By A LAYMAN. London: James Nisbet. A useful guide to Biblical study. TRUTH FRAE 'MANG THE HEATHER; OR, IS THE BIBLE TRUE? BY WILLIAM M'CAN. London: S. W. Partridge. We see nothing in the thoughts of this book to require publication. They might as well have slept in manuscript.

A HOMILY

ON

Man's Cry for a Knowledge of the Supreme Law.

"Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"-Acts ix. 6.

AN'S cry for fellowship with God, which is deep as the profoundest instincts of the heart, and wide as the race, has engaged our attention in the previous discourse. This cry, we have seen, can only, in the nature of the case, be satisfactorily met by the manifestation of a God, personal, benevolent, and propitiable; and such a manifestation is found nowhere but in the Bible. In this grand Old Book we find exactly that Living God which the deep heart of humanity cries out for.

The cry we now proceed to notice is for a knowledge of the Supreme Law. We take Saul of Tarsus, in his present attitude, as a representative of the race, asking for that which the conscience of humanity cries after-a knowledge of the Divine Will. This cry is as universal as the other; it is the breath of conscience. As it is the law of intellect to seek after wisdom, and the law of the heart to seek after beauty, it is the law of conscience to seek after the rule of duty. A deference to the Supreme Will is the law of its existence. That this cry is universal, is evident from the fact that all

VOL. XIV.

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