METALLINE CHURCHES.

"DEAR SIR,―There is a rage just now for the erection of new churches; and not only so, but for ecclesiastical edifices, even amongst Nonconformists, of the grandest description. Ministers are vying with each other in this enterprise. Some are itinerating, not only England, Wales, and Scotland, but even America, in order to get funds with which to erect a cathedral that shall throw all buildings of the same order into the shade, and in which they shall manifest their transcendent abilities. Every minister almost is entreated to give up his pulpit that a collection may be made for this object.

"I say nothing about the consummate impudence of this; but I protest that it is not the true way of extending the empire of Christian truth and virtue. Chapels and churches should grow out of public feeling as plants out of the soil. To put them where they are not needed, as is often done, is a positive injury. Hence there is scarcely a neighbourhood in which there are not numbers of half-empty chapels in consequence of the erection of new ones. The great want is the multiplication of preachers who have the moral, intellectual, and oratoric qualifications to gather, indoctrinate, and elevate congregations of men. What boots fine chapels, fine churches, with pulpits occupied by dolts, charlatans, and promoters of mawkish sentiment and sectarian exclusiveness ? "But my object in writing is to inquire of your readers what is their experience of metalline churches? From a report that appeared in the English Independent a few weeks ago, it appears that one has been put up at South Norwood, elegant, commodious, and intended to be permanent, at a cost of one-fourth of what a brick or stone edifice of the same style and compass would be. We know the Crystal Palace is built of iron. It stands well, and looks majestic. Why, then, should the Christian public be so importuned on all hands for funds to put up buildings unnecessarily costly, and on which oftentimes rests a debt that embarrasses the minister and disgraces the cause of honesty and truth.

"Yours,

"VERITAS."

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 unjust to praise worthless books; it is robbery to retain unnoticed ones.]

THE REVIEWER'S CANON.

In every work regard the author's end,

Since none can compass more than they intend.

are:

THE SUPER-HUMAN ORIGIN OF THE BIBLE, INFERRED FROM ITSELF. By HENRY ROGERS. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 27, Paternoster Row. This is one of what are called "The Congregational Lectures," and it has never fallen into abler hands. The grand object of this is "The Super-human Origin of the Bible, inferred from Itself." And the treatment of it is divided into nine distinct discourses, the subjects of which "Some Traits of the Bible which seem at variance with certain Principles and Tendencies of Human Nature, Ancillary Arguments drawn from certain Traits of the New Testament, contrasted with what might be expected from the Antecedents of the Writers, Arguments derived from Coincidences between certain Statements of Scripture and certain Facts of Human History, Indications of the Unity of the Bible, A Reply to Objections founded on certain Peculiarities of Form and Structure exhibited in the Bible, On certain Peculiarities of Style in the Scripture Writers, The Exceptional Position of the Bible in the World, Certain Analogies between the Bible and the Constitution and Course of Nature."

Those who, like ourselves, many years ago, were wont to meet Henry Rogers in the pages of the "Edinburgh Review," will anticipate a treat in the perusal of this volume. Here he will be found looking with the same keen eye into the heart of things, moving with the same stately march, speaking with the same clearness of voice, strength of emphasis, and occasional sarcasm. Had we space, we would quote a few of the magnificent passages that are found everywhere in this book; but we must beg our readers to procure and peruse it for themselves.

A POPULAR COMMENTARY ON THE NEW TESTAMENT. By D. D. WHEDON, D.D. VOL. I., MATTHEW AND MARK. London: Hodder and Stoughton. Had we not short and popular expositions on the Gospels, as those of Barnes, Jacobus, and others, we should hail the one before us

with gratitude. As it is, we value it; the author in many cases throws light on passages which the others have left in obscurity, and always puts his thoughts in very pithy utterances. Of course he does not profess to do what Alford, Webster, and Wilkinson, and, since them, Morrison of Glasgow have done. But for immediate use this work is excellent, and as such we recommend it. The great fault of most of such works, however, is the linking on of some old theological dogma to the grand utterances of the world-wide Teacher. We are far enough from accepting all the interpretations of this author. For example, on the passage, Matt. xvi. 18, he makes Peter, and not the grand truth which Peter proclaimed, the rock to which Christ referred. We regard it as unscriptural as well as unphilosophic to hold that any Church-assembly -can be built on a man. A man only can become important as he enunciates some great truth that attracts and welds souls together.

THE YOUNG CHRISTIAN ARMED; OR, THE DUTY HE OWES TO GOD. By REV. CHARLES HOLE. London: Longman, Green, & Co.

This book treats of the following subjects: "The Importance of being Armed, The Inspiration of the Bible, The Rule of Faith and the Canon of the Old Testament, The Canon of the New Testament, The Divine Authority of the Bible, The Genuineness of the Old Testament, The Moabite Stone, The Genuineness of the New Testament, The Preservation and Circulation of the Bible, The Miracles of Scripture, Prophecy, The Success of Preaching the Gospel, The Morality of the Gospel, and undesigned Coincidences, Some Objections stated and answered, The Nature of God, The Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, The Nature and Sin of Man, The Wages of Sin, Salvation, Regeneration, Sanctification, Prayer and Praise, The Sacraments, A Sphere of Usefulness, The Gift of God, The Second Coming of Christ." These are all important subjects, and they are here treated in a very able manner.

CONGREGATIONAL HISTORY. 1567-1700. By JOHN WADDINGTON, D.D. London: Longmans & Green,

The following extract from the Author's Preface will explain the nature and uses of this work :

"Until the last few years, the original documents essential to form the basis of this history were either unknown or inaccessible. The subject of Nonconformity was ignored in the most influential journals. English historians repeated, without contradiction, the mis-statements of Heylin and Collier; so that men were surprised and delighted by the condescension of the historical writer who, in passages of splendid rhetoric, sketched the character and genius of Milton, Bunyan, and Baxter. Things are now somewhat changed. When Mr. Lucy received a

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commission to paint a fresco of the Embarcation of the Pilgrims, for the palace at Westminster, under the direction of Lord Macaulay and of Lord Mahon, he was instructed to disguise the subject under the title of 'A Puritan Family.' At the instance of the present writer, it was changed to the proper designation, in which it now appears as the 'Embarcation of the Pilgrim Fathers.'

"The most just and discriminating article on the Pilgrim Fathers known to us in our periodical literature appears in the Westminster Review.

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"Congregational History has yet to be treated with the clearness, vigour, and breadth of view proper to the subject in our representative organs.

"Apart from denominational interests, it would be a clear gain to English historians to make a correct acquaintance with the facts now brought to light. The past, to a large extent, has determined the present. English statesmen would find their account in devoting more attention to the genesis of Evangelical Nonconformity. The most zealous Liberationist might learn something from the experiment of partial disestablishment, without complete disendowment, in the ecclesiastical class of the commonwealth. Time will not be lost by careful investigation.

"Take the Church of England,' Mr. Gladstone says, ' out of the history of England, and it becomes a chaos-without order, without life, and without meaning.' Who can properly understand the meaning of English history, or the character of the Church of England, without a correct acquaintance with the Nonconformist Churches, whose history is interwoven so closely with the momentous struggle for constitutional right? "The simple object of this work is to state the principle of the Congregational Churches, to give their international history with correctness, and to adduce the necessary evidence at every step in the form that bears on the face of it the impress of authenticity. The witnesses are allowed to appear in regular succession, in their proper garb, and to speak for themselves in their own manner.

"It is due to the memory of these men, of whom the world was not worthy,' that their words, as well as their noble and heroic deeds, should be recorded."

If no one felt more interest in Congregationalism, or any other ecclesiasticism, than ourselves, there would be no one either to write or read such histories. However, charity helps us to believe that they must be useful, otherwise such good and able men as Dr. Waddington and others would not spend their time and labour in producing them. The history of even the best societies is more or less the history of the devil,—the history of acrimonious controversies, sectarian impertinence, and slander. The sooner the bad things connected with so-called religious societies are buried, the better; and so far as the good in them is concerned, that under God will live and work beneficially whether it is registered on paper or not. Notwithstanding, we are bound to say Dr. Waddington has done

the work he has undertaken with distinguished ability. He has gone to the best sources of information, searched well the authorities he quotes, and has conducted himself throughout with great fairness and christian charity, judged faithfully, and written with clearness and vigour.

CHRISTIAN DOGMATICS: A TEXT-BOOK FOR ACADEMICAL INSTRUCTION AND PRIVATE STUDY. By J. VAN OOSTERZEE, D.D. Translated from the Dutch by JOHN WATSON, B.A., and MAURICE EVANS, B.A. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 27, Paternoster Row.

This is a work which reveals on the author's part extensive theological learning, immense labour, distinguished literary ability, and, we may add, rigorous orthodoxy. The author defines the object of Dogmatics to be "the moral religious truth (¿1⁄2leia) confessed by the Christian Church as whole, or by any Christian community in particular. It will thus exhibit either a general Christian or a special ecclesiastical character. In both cases it investigates what is to be held as truth within its sphere, and the reasons for this avowal. Not content with an atomic examination, it seeks to know and present truth in its entirety, i.e., in the mutual coherence of all its parts. Its design is not merely to collect and arrange the various stones, but to combine them into an architectural whole. He states that Christian dogmatics and Bible theology, though closely allied, are yet distinguished one from the other. The latter supplies the materials which the former is to employ. Now, inasmuch as properly Christian dogmatics have not always employed the materials of Holy Scripture, it turns out that Church theology is not always in keeping with the eternal truths of revelation. We do not take therefore the author of this book to maintain that the Church dogmas that he here propounds are always faithful exponents of all the eternal truths of Divine revelation. Were he to do this, we could not accept his work or recommend it as a standard of true theology. Some say that such works are out of date, and even the most thoughtful students of, and most earnest believers in, the great truths of the Bible are sick of all theological speculations. Now it is very true that theology is no more the gospel, than astronomy is the stars, physiology life, or psychology the mind, still these sciences are confessedly useful. Though the mind itself is independent of all the schools of mental philosophy, the stars independent of all astronomic systems, metaphysics and astronomy are notwithstanding, quickening, strengthening, and exalting studies.

We therefore recommend this book as a very able statement of the best conceptions that the best men in all ages have formed of those Bible realities which no human minds can fully comprehend.