Literary Notices. "Years afterwards, when Change had done his work, Three rings of tapers in the eastern part, And windows glowing with rich coloured tints, And Petronilla, with a little fish, Daughter in Christ of the great Fisherman, All these I saw and more." 259 The meaning of the second line in this extract is to us a blank; "wandered in a door," in the third line, is not very intelligible; the remaining lines are no doubt worthy of the author of Directorium Anglicanum, especially the last but two, while the meaning of the last line but one is quite a study. The "Petronilla" here spoken of was, it seems, the patron saint of the young lady who restored this church; the " poem " contains some dim maunderings about the said Petronilla; the epitaph of the young lady within the church she had restored ends with "Lord Jesus, hear our prayers, Thy Petronilla was her patron saint." But what we are now about to quote is far more pitiable in its grovelling and profane puerility than the specimens we have jus exhibited. "ALONE. "Alone, in the noisy restless street; Thousands hurrying to and fro Creeping onwards with none to greet. Home-known faces in quiet dells, Till up and down music of chiming bells Brings me back as they comforting say, Jesus and Mary were out at night, When the winds were sharp and the stars were bright. II. "Then a glimpse of my after-delight, Heart with heart and hand in hand, Autumn rich and Summer bright. "Yet Summer was short and Autumn poor, No red glare from an open door. But Jesus and Mary were out at night, When the winds were sharp and the stars were bright. III. "No sweet voice or joyous smile, No kind glance or bosom warm, Cold below, and none beguile. "Alone, alone, keen though it be, The Olive Grove was keener still, The Nails and Lance, the darkened Hill, And all alone for love of me. Jesus and Mary were out at night, When the winds were sharp and the stars were bright. IV. "Alone in the desolate, crowded street, Dipping down with a curve of lights, Right and left, but none to greet. "Yon church windows, lit up for prayers, And let me tread the golden stairs. When the winds were sharp and the stars were bright." And yet worse, if possible, is this next— "BEHOLD THY MOTHER. "A golden-haired child, with large blue eyes, 'Where do you come from, little girl?' "The chubby hand cannot grasp the flowers, The shy one's fears outforce a few tears, And what prayers do you say, little maid?— "Lighten our darkness,' and' Pray God bless," "I put my hands together, like this, When I go to bed alone, And I always say what my mother taught ;' "Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Bless the bed I lie upon. Four corners to my bed, Four angels at my head: One to sing and one to pray, And two to carry my soul away; And if I die before I wake, I pray to God my soul to take, For Jesus Christ our Saviour's sake. Amen.'' "And where is your mother who taught you this, My good little clever lass?' 'She's not at home now, for they've put her below, Under the churchyard grass. "So every day when I'm out at play, I go and talk to my mother, And give her some flowers.' If one is gone, Methought, you have Another." The Church of Christ: a Treatise on the Nature, Powers, Ordinances, Discipline, and Government of the Christian Church. By the late James Bannerman, D.D., Professor of Apologetic and Pastoral Theology, New College, Edinburgh. Edited by his Son. Two Vols. Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark. No one can glance over the contents of these exhaustive volumes without being impressed by the remarkable comprehensiveness and symmetry of Dr. Bannerman's view of this great subject. They exhibit the fullest, if not best, view of the Church, and of the wide variety of topics suggested by that word, that the student can get and read. The treatment is indeed so thorough, that we scarcely like to throw out an objection to the length and occasional diffuseness of the work, although we believe that it might have been published to greater advantage in half the size. We have read it, of course, with strong prejudice in its favour. Our own platform is Presbyterian, and while we incorporate with our theory what is true in the Episcopal and Congregational polity respectively, we are not eclectic or latitudinarian, but enter cordially into nearly all the polemical points of this work and make them our own. Dr. Bannerman did good service by his lectures on Inspiration, and we are exceedingly glad that his legacy in the present lectures has been found so worthy of his own reputation, of the chair and church he served, and, what is still more, of the great subject he discusses. We cannot do better than extract a few sentences of Professor Rainy's analysis, prepared with great care and perfectly true: "In this treatise the principles and leading applications of the doctrine of the Church are discussed; the Church being here considered chiefly as it becomes visible, and exercises definite appointed functions, the fundamental principles laid down being most commonly received among Scottish Presbyterians. Questions, such as those regarding the sense in which the Church is a Divine institution, regarding the powers entrusted to her, the principles on which they are to be exercised, and the virtue to be ascribed to her action in the use of them, the various controversies regarding offices, discipline, sacraments, schisms, and the like; these are not only important at all times, but at the present time they become continually more urgent. . . . Even those who belong to other schools and do not concur with the author in his conclusions, may benefit by the specimen here given of a coherent scheme of doctrine, and by the obligations which it may be felt to impose on anyone who sets forth a counter scheme." Few books more fully justify this last remark. Dr. Bannerman's is an admirable text-book (in all but its prolixity), and the student of every form of ecclesiastical polity will find his own views fairly represented. Here and there the Congregationalist is rather hardly dealt with, but the general tone of the work is dignified, earnest, temperate, and devout. We heartily recommend it to the shelves of our universities and students of theology. By the Hints on Clerical Reading, especially intended for Young THIS little book is faithful to its title; it gives only hints, and those hints are mainly useful to young clergymen. But there are some points which others, besides readers of the Liturgy, may note with advantage. Take the following: "We constantly hear a pause introduced between words which should be read closely together; while others, which ought to be separated by a pause, are read together, to the destruction of their true meaning. Many destroy the grammatical connection between the words in the clause of the Apostles' Creed, thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead,' by making a pause after 'judge.' In the Nicene Creed it is very rarely indeed-scarcely ever-that the titles of the Holy Ghost are read correctly. Almost always a pause is made after 'Giver,' as though the following words depended alike on both the preceding nouns. But though the Holy Spirit might truly be called the Lord of life,' it is quite certain that He is not so called here; but that the first title given to Him is the Lord '-simply and absolutely, as in the Athanasian Creed-and the second 'the Giver of life.'" 66 6 Very important consequences may be involved in the position of an emphasis. For instance, I have heard the sentence, 'Ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God,' read with a very strong emphasis on the word 'all' without the least on prophets;' the effect of which was to wipe out, by implication, the whole interval between the patriarchal and prophetical eras." "A similar mistake is made in the Versicle, Grant us peace in our time, O Lord,' when so strong a stress is laid on 'our' as to imply that we think it of no consequence what may be the state of the world in other ages, if it be but peaceful in our own. The chief emphasis ought to be on peace.' Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;' here a stress is sometimes laid on 'be' and 'is,' as though there were an antithesis between time future in the first clause, and present in the second; though the very type in which it is' is printed shows that the words are not expressed in the original. It should be read, 'Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' In Luke xvi. 9, ‘And I say unto you,' &c., the stress is generally laid on 'say' alone, both the pronouns being left without any. And yet both of them require it, to show in what sense our Lord applies to us the lesson to be learnt from the conduct of the unjust steward and his lord: and I say unto you.' 1 Cor. xv. 36, Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die.' The second thou' in this verse is scarcely ever read with the full emphasis which it demands; generally without any at all. And yet in the original it stands the first word even in a relative clause, as though he would say, 'Thou, at any rate, who knowest the wonderful results of thine own actual sowing of grain, hast no ground for denying as impossible those of the metaphorical sowing of the body.' "The instances adduced surely warrant the suggestion, that it is well for all clergymen, especially young ones, to read carefully over beforehand the original Greek: they would thus run no risk of mispronouncing some of the proper names which occur in the lessons: changing, e.g., Lasca into Lasea, and Cenchrea into Cenchrea; confounding the Enčas of St. Luke with the classical Æneas; lengthening the penultimate of Patrõbas; changing the masculine dissyllable Urbane into the femine trisyllable Urbanē; and the quadrisyllables Timotheus and Eliseus into the trisyllables Timotheus and Eliseus, as they are generally read." These extracts will give a fair idea of the character of this simple little book, which is a useful contribution to one branch of a wide subject. System of Christian Ethics. By Dr. G. C. A. Von Harless. Translated by the Rev. A. W. Morrison, M.A., and the Rev. W. Findlay, M.A. Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark. THIS book is of much wider and deeper interest than the title would suggest. It is a complete exhibition of the plan of salvation in the Christian Scriptures: salvation needed and offered; salvation possessed and enjoyed; salvation exhibited and retained. The book is an old book, which has reached a sixth edition in Germany, and, like the author's exegetical works, has exerted a great influence on the evangelical reaction in that land. This is a beautiful translation; and we are glad to perceive that the original Greek is literally given. This gives a rich charm to the page, and adds very much to the value of a book which abounds on almost every page with striking expositions of the original. We have nothing but satisfaction in recommending this profound system of the theology of redemption to all Christian ministers. Minutes of Several Conversations between the Methodist Ministers in the Connexion established by the late Rev. John Wesley, A.M., at their Hundred and Twentysixth Annual Conference, begun in Hull, on Thursday, July 29th, 1869. London: Wesleyan Conference Office. 1869. HERE are the records of the ministers deceased during the past year; the stations of the living; the names and lists of the ministers lately ordained (seventy-nine in England, five in Ireland, twenty-two abroad) and of those who are passing through their years of probation; here are summaries of all the year's results, numerical and financial, and of all the business done in the various departments. Here are the lists of the various administrative committees, and committees of review, of which committees one-half are always laymen. The volume contains also the addresses to and from affiliated Conferences, and the pastoral |