qualifying definitions, it is perfectly in harmony with orthodox Christianity. But we fail to see the special advantage of his terminology. It would seem easier to add the few qualifying phrases to the ordinary modes of expression, so as to make them come into harmony with the new ideas, than to create new forms of statement and undertake to familiarize the world with them. For example; according to the views of those who advocate the doctrine of the divine immanency, the laws of nature are merely the more uniform methods of continuous divine activity. They are like the more permanent lines of policy upon which a government enters when acting under constitutional restrictions. According to this view, at the beginning of the creation God set out on certain lines of activity to which he purposed continuously to adhere. It is this continuous activity along certain lines that furnishes us what we call material substances and the laws of nature-a view which can scarcely be distinguished from the high Calvinistic doctrine of decrees, so far as they relate to material things.

Now we cannot see but that this invariable purpose in the creative act produces permanent realities which can be treated in every respect like the so-called substances of ordinary parlance. It is of little account what the algebraic sign for them is. In any event, they will be used in the equation as exactly alike, and we see no advantage in the substitution of the new sign. What, for example, is the advantage of saying, as our author does, that "the forces of Nature are different forms of his [God's] energy acting directly at all times and in all places. The laws of Nature are the modes of operation of the omnipresent divine energy, invariable because he is perfect. The objects of Nature are, objectified, externalized-materialized states of divine consciousness, or divine thoughts objectified by the divine will"? This is all very well said, but the language contains no more meaning than theologians have ordinarily conveyed by the simple phrase "God is the creator and the sustainer of the universe." The perfection of God, which, according to Professor Le Conte's statement, gives invariability to certain forms of divine activity, is merely the perfection of wisdom in the act of creation. It is difficult, therefore, as before remarked, to see how Professor Le Conte's "materialized states of divine consciousness" differ from the "material substances" of ordinary philosophers.

Nor can we fully agree with the author in his criticisms upon the ordinary statement of the relation between the supernatural and the natural in the production of miracles. Professor Le Conte well says, that, "if we define Nature as phenomena governed by physical and chemical laws and forces, then life becomes supernatural and miraculous-because higher than Nature as we define it;" while "if we reduce the phenomena of life to law and include these also in our definition of Nature, but limit it there, then the free, self-determined phenomena of reason become supernatural because above our definition of Nature" (p. 356). But in our definition of miracles, it is probably best to draw the line between the natural and the supernatural just above the limit of human possibility of attainment. A miracle is an event which is

both supernatural and superhuman, and which manifests a power over the combinations of natural forces which only God may be supposed to possess. Professor Le Conte brings darkness rather than light into the discussion, therefore, when he says in this same connection, that "miracle, in the sense of violation of law, is simply impossible, because law is the expression of the essential nature and perfection of God. It is as impossible for God to perform a miracle in this sense as it is for him to lie, and for the same reason, viz., that it is contrary to his essential nature” (p. 356). The confusion of thought here arises from the two senses in which the word "law" is used. That law of action which is the "expression of the essential nature and perfection of God" is the law of wisdom and benevolence under which all of God's activities must proceed. Whatever God does, is right and good. What we call miracles do, indeed, come under this law, that they must be wisely adapted to the promotion of the highest good which the creation itself was intended to secure; but a miracle may be a divine interruption of the course of events involved in the operation of the material forces of the universe without impugning the wisdom of God as exhibited in the original creation. As we view it, there may be an impossibility in originally so adjusting the material forces of the universe to the wants of such spiritual natures as men possess that there shall be no further need of readjustments. The deistic view of nature is, indeed, open to all the objections which Professor Le Conte brings against it. It drives God's activity so far back in time that it makes it impossible for us to think of him as a father who could lend an ear to our prayer. But the ordinary theistic view does not commit this error. However complicated the conceptions of material forces upon this view, they are supposed to be interpenetrated by present active agencies of the divine will which can form combinations among them amply adequate to secure, on the part of man, a sense of the Creator's omnipresence, while he is ever open to those more direct influences which the human spirit may feel in its immediate contact with God's.

But these criticisms are not designed to disparage the philosophical work of the distinguished naturalist who has favored the world with this reverent and profitable volume. The perusal of it cannot fail to be stimulating and advantageous to all classes of intelligent readers.

PRE-ORGANIC EVOLUTION AND THE BIBLICAL IDEA OF GOD: An Exposition and a Criticism. By Charles Chapman, M. A., LL. D., Principal of Western College, Plymouth. Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark; New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. (Pp. 304. 54x38.) $2.40.

This volume contains an historical introduction tracing the progress of the doctrine of evolution from the time of Diogenes of Appolonia to the present, an exposition of the teachings of Herbert Spencer, and a criticism setting forth the points of agreement and of difference between Spencer's Eternal Reality and the biblical idea of God. It seeks to establish, by an exhaustive argument, that the fundamental tenets of Spencer are in harmony with biblical theism, and that his system becomes inconsistent when it de

parts from such an agreement. Its main points are: that absolutely homogeneous matter could not have contained resident forces tending to differentiation, apart from intelligent purpose; that the initial act of differentiation must have been an act, not merely of power, but of Reason; and that, while we may not expect fully to understand God, it is illogical to speak of him as unknowable. It sets forth the fact that Mr. Spencer's ontology is the very reverse of nihilism, and contends that from his own premise of an Eternal Reality back of an evolutionary process, may be deduced certain knowledge which enables us to think of the Eternal as Rational Will, or, in other words, as Personality. The book is an appreciative and discriminating critique of the Spencerian philosophy, and deserves warm commendation.

SERMONS ON THE WAY OF SALVATION.

By Kev. Charles G. Finney, late President of Oberlin College. Oberlin, Ohio: Edward J. Goodrich. 1891. (Pp. vii, 467. 53⁄4×3%.)

The publication of this volume is another indication of the permanent influence of the great preacher whose life became so closely identified with the community and college at Oberlin. For the most part, the sermons were preached to mixed audiences of citizens and students, and were equally effective with all his hearers. As originally given, they were spoken without notes, and are preserved only by the fortunate circumstance that Professor Cowles was in the habit of taking them down in shorthand for publication in the Oberlin Evangelist. Even then they are not given verbatim, but only in an abbreviated form. Still, the marrow has been preserved, and each sermon as here given is as long as one ordinarily hears from the pulpits of the present day. The subjects cover the whole range of the redemptive scheme, and are treated with that logical sequence, tenderness of feeling, and richness of imagination which characterize all the discourses of the distinguished evangelist. As the preface well says, "So clear was Finney's conception of the truth, that he was unable to utter an obscure sentence. And so profound was his conviction of the justice and love of God, and of the unreasonableness and folly of sin, that he could not but speak with inspiring eloquence when beseeching men to be reconciled to their Lord and Saviour."

THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN. By Marcus Dods, D. D., Professor of Exeget ical Theology, New College, Edinburgh. In Two Volumes. Vol. I. New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son. (Pp. xvi, 388. 5% x3%.) $1.50. The stamp on this volume, which seems to have passed the English edition unchallenged, promises the reader an exposition of the first twenty-four chapters of the Gospel of St. John, but the book does not indicate that adding chapters to the Gospel of John is any part of Dr. Dods' alleged heresy. The Table of Contents is responsible for the mistake. The first eleven chapters are treated in this volume, bringing the exposition, which advances along well-marked theological lines, down to the prophecy of Caiaphas, and a consideration of the main thoughts of the atonement.

The book begins with a very brief introductory note, stating the plan of

the Gospel. There is no discussion of the authorship. Opinions will differ concerning the wisdom of omitting the discussion of so important a question. To some it will be an unexpected relief to find the exposition beginning with the tacit assumption of the Johannine authorship; to others the omission will seem serious. On the whole, it seems to us that it would have been better to meet all such questions squarely and treat them concisely. The conquest of a difficulty is usually better than the assumption that no difficulty exists. Difficult points are treated in a similar manner elsewhere in the book. We cannot help thinking that a change in method would have made the book more serviceable to the class of readers by whom it will mostly be read, and that this might have been done without making the book unpleasantly controversial.

We have the impression, too, that this book does not show quite the theological acumen of the author's work on Genesis, or the practical directness of that on First Corinthians, both in this same series. The critical matter is overbalanced by the homiletical, and exposition gives place to illustration and rhetorical development.

When this has been said, however, there remains much of good to say about the volume. The author has entered into the spirit of his task. He handles the text reverently, and draws lessons practical and often profound. The great doctrines discussed are ably wrought out and skilfully presented. The book is not without value as a commentary, and is well worth its cost to any one who loves good reading, and desires a better knowledge of the truth.

LECTURES ON THE HISTORY OF PREACHING. By the Late Rev. John Ker, D. D., Professor of Practical Training in the United Presbyterian Church, author of Sermons, "The Psalms in History and Biography," etc. Edited by Rev. A. R. Macewen, M. A., Balliol, B. D., Glasgow. Introduction by Rev. Wm. M. Taylor, D. D., LL. D. New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son. (Pp. 407. 3%x5%.)

THE PREACHERS OF SCOTLAND FROM THE SIXTH TO THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Twelfth Series of the Cunningham Lectures. By William Garden Blaikie, D. D., LL. D., Professor of Apologetical and of Pastoral Theology, New College, Edinburgh. Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark; New York: Scribner and Welford. (Pp. 350.6%x31⁄2.)

THE SCOTTISH PULPIT FROM THE REFORMATION TO THE PRESENT DAY. By William M. Taylor, D. D., LL. D., Minister of the Broadway Tabernacle, New York City, author of "Peter the Apostle," "Elijah the Prophet," "David, King of Israel," etc. New York: Harper and Brothers. (Pp. 287.5x3%.) $1.25.

The two volumes by Drs. Ker and Blaikie resemble each other in size, and somewhat also in method of treatment. Dr. Ker begins with the work of the prophets in the Old Testament, and traces the development of preaching in the Jewish and Christian churches. The first eight chapters, which bring the history down to the time of the Reformation, belong to the introduction to the study of preaching in any country, and may be as profitably read in connection with Dr. Blaikie's book as that of Dr. Ker. The remain

der of the book is occupied with a sketch of the history of the German pulpit, giving of each period and preacher an account not unlike that which Dr. Blaikie gives of the men and times of Scotland. We can but regret that Dr. Ker has not left material for a volume on the preachers of France,-a subject to which he had given much study, and on which he might have produced a volume in every respect the equal of the one before us. The reader feels himself in the class-room throughout. The form of the lectures is nearly that in which he delivered them to his classes, and most of the chapters subjoin appendices containing critical studies of specimen sermons by the respective preachers of whom the several chapters treat. A warm evangelical spirit pervades the whole. Dr. Blaikie's book begins with St. Patrick. Of course he was a Scotchman and essentially a Protestant. Out of the little that is known of him, Dr. Blaikie makes a very interesting sketch of his life, and quotes good authority for the probable genuineness of "St. Patrick's Hymn." This book treats more of the preachers, and Dr. Ker more of their preaching. Blaikie gives special attention to doctrines, while Ker's standard is more strictly homiletic. Dr. Blaikie is not able entirely to separate his two chairs of Pastoral Theology and Apologetics. The view he gives us of the "Moderates" is very different from that of Dean Stanley; and it would not be difficult to construct from this volume the chief features of his entire system of theology. An appendix contains a paper on the preaching needed for the present time, in which he seems to indicate that the model modern preacher would be a combination of D. L. Moody and Joseph Cook.

Dr. Taylor's little book is less of a history than Dr. Blaikie's, and covers a smaller portion of the field, beginning with John Knox, and not dealing with men now living. It is a genial, earnest, and sympathetic picture of the men who have made the pulpit of Scotland famous, together with a vivid portrayal of Scottish character, and a brief introductory sketch of their ecclesiastical history. Dr. Taylor's estimate of the "Moderates" agrees with that of Dr. Blaikie. His quaint humor, his lucid style, and his pride in the land of his birth make this a most interesting, as it is also a most valuable volume. For all the works above noticed, we have only words of commendation.

UNIVERSAL BELIEFS; or, The Great Consensus. By Rev. E. F. Buir, D. D., author of "Ecce Coelum," etc. New York: American Tract Society. (Pp. 312. 52x34.) $1.25.

HIS STAR IN THE EAST: A Study of the Early Arian Religions. By Leighton Parks, Rector of Emmanuel Church, Boston. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin, and Company. (Pp. 292. 58x338.) $1.50. These two books seek to set forth the underlying harmony of all religions, and to magnify the truth which is common to all. The former includes all religions in its induction: the latter examines more minutely the religions of India alone. The former holds that these truths are the common possession of mankind: that there is a realm of supernatural beings at whose head is one personal Being, supremely above all others, who is active in human