Cassell's Bible Dictionary, Illustrated. London: Cassell, Petter, & Galpin, Ludgate Hill.

THERE is much sound doctrine, as well as competent learning, in the several parts of this work, so far as issued, and the present number is for the most part an acceptable continuation of the work. We think, however, that the article on Elijah might have brought out more fully the transcendent splendour of his spiritual character. The article on the Book of Ecclesiastes does not exactly quadrate with our view, as it questions the authorship of that sacred book. The views of the writer of this article are, however, stated with modesty, and are accompanied with an emphatic avowal of the canonicity and Divine authority of that book. After giving the opinions of various writers, he says:-" We do not speak dogmatically upon the subject; but, as the result of some careful inquiry, we must state our belief that the Book of Ecclesiastes is of uncertain authorship and date, but that its canonical claims are equal to those of any other portion of the Old Testament." Believing, as we do, that the author of that book is Solomon,

and that the decision of this question is by no means unimportant in establishing the faith of Christians, we shall briefly state the grounds on which we hold the conviction that Solomon was the author of this portion of the Sacred Scriptures.

While the general voice of both the Jewish and the Christian Church has ascribed this book to Solomon, it must be admitted that some authors, though contending for the canonicity of the book, have questioned or denied the claim of Solomon to its authorship. Dr. Hengstenberg ascribes the authorship to some unknown writer, during the period of Israel's deepest depression-between thereigns of Xerxes and Artaxerxes-alleging certain internal marks and philological reasons for this opinion. He is not the first who has denied Solomon to be the author of Ecclesiastes. Rabbi Kimchi ascribed this book to the Prophet Isaiah, and the Talmudical writers to Hezekiah. Grotius, from some foreign words and phrases which he thought he discovered in it, suggested that it was composed by order of Zerubbabel for his son, Abihud. Jahn, after some German critics, for

the same reason, thinks it was written after the Babylonish captivity. This question, however, is not be determined by what certain authors, ancient or modern, may think, but what saith the Scriptures? And, in this instance especially, what does the writer say of himself? If the writer has left this question open, then may men of a later age innocently speculate as to its author and the time of its production; but if he himself has told us who he is, or left clear and decisive evidence as to its authorship, then we are not at liberty to speculate on this question without undermining his integrity, and, by logical consequence, denying the inspiration and authority of the book itself. With all due deference, then, to our author, to Dr. Hengstenberg, and others who are of the same opinion, we think the internal evidences of the book are decisive as to Solomon being its author, and that the alleged philological difficulties are capable of a satisfactory solution. Let us look at the testimony of the author himself.

Although the name of Solomon is not given as the writer, the book is expressly ascribed to the son of David. Hence it opens with this declaration : "The words of the preacher (), the son of David, king in Jerusalem.' If these words are genuine, and their genuineness is not disputed, then the son of King David was its author; and there was no other son of David, except Solomon, to whom rationally it can be referred. Indeed, the identity of Solomon, as this son of David, is determined by specific characteristics.

1. Solomon was a king of Israel; and the author speaks of himself as being king over Jerusalem when he wrote the book: "I the preacher was king over Jerusalem" (i. 12). But no other son of David sat on the throne of Israel except Solomon, and hence it is just as evident that Solomon was its author as if his name had been formally announced.

Here, then, the evidence might close, for it is conclusive; but there are other characteristics which apply with equal force and speciality to Solomon, and to no other monarch of Israel.

2. Solomon was pre-eminent for wisdom; and the author of this book says: "I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven' "I gave my heart to know wisdom" (i. 13, 17).

4. Solomon was unrivalled in his magnificent architecture, splendid decorations, and the grandeur and state of his royal household; insomuch that a royal visitor fainted at the sight of the splendour of his court and kingdom; and the author of this book says: "I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards; I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me" (ii. 4—7).

5. Solomon was remarkable for his prodigious accumulations of gold and silver, brought in from Ophir and tributary monarchs, until it was said that" he made silver to be in Jerusalem as the stones;" and the author of Ecclesiastes says, "I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces."

6. Solomon, it is well known, broke through the restraints of religion and plunged deeply into licentiousness and pleasure; and the author of this book speaks of himself as having been a thorough epicurean in the pursuit of sensual enjoyment. He says, "I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. And whatsoever mine eyes desired, I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy."

7. Further, tradition informs us that Solomon became disgusted and sick with the vanities of the world and of everything which had usurped the place of God; and the author of Ecclesiastes everywhere expresses the disappointment, the disgust, and the weariness of life he felt, when he found, by sad experience, that all was vanity and vexation of spirit" (ii. 11).

The book, in fact, is a mirror of Solomon's life; reflecting his descent from David, his monarchy as the king of Israel, his supernatural endowments and extensive acquirements, his wealth, his magnificence, his apostacy through earthly pleasure, and his pungent mortification at the folly of his conduct in having forsaken the fountain of living water, and hewn out to himself broken cisterns that could hold no water. It is a graphic and instructive picture of that mirage of human life by which he had been deceived.

9. Moreover, the book bears the impress of Solomon's brief, sententious, antithetic style of writing, as well as of his character and life. There is, indeed, no book in the sacred canon which has more clear and satisfactory evidence of its author than the Ecclesiastes, and to deny it is to deny its own testimony, and thereby invalidate not only its inspiration but its truthfulness. While this is inevitably the logical result of the theory, it is one from which we are sure the faith and piety of many of its advocates would recoil.

It is due, however, that we should notice the philological objections which are alleged against the claim of Solomon to be regarded as the author of this book. A few words are asserted to be of foreign origin, and therefore indicate the composition of the book at a later period, when the Hebrew language had become partially corrupted by an admixture of Chaldean terms. If this assertion as to the mixture of Chaldean words were correct, we do not see its force as an objection against Solomon being the author of the book; for any language is liable to the introduction of foreign terms, and this liability is the greater in proportion to foreign intercourse and influence. And when had the Jewish nation so much intercourse with foreign peoples as in the time of Solomon? When that monarch had an alliance with surrounding nations, and commerce with the most distant parts of the earth; when ambassadors from various regions attended his court, and numbers of foreign women, as wives and concubines, thronged his palaces, was it unlikely that a few foreign words would be introduced into the language of his court? When the monarch's own habits of life were changed by foreign influence, was it unlikely that a few

foreign terms would be introduced into his vocabulary? Would it not have been strange had it not been so? And yet, after all, the foreign terms introduced into this book are extremely rare. Grotius asserts the following four words

גומץ פשו אביונה סיר: to beforeign

But on examination, two of them are found in other parts of Scripture. The first occurs in Exodus xvi. 3, and 2 Kings iv. 39. The second may be

derived from 728, "to will or wish;" which is a verb of frequent occurrence. The other two, though not found in other parts of the Hebrew Scriptures, are only in the same category with many other words which, in various parts of Scripture, occur but once in the original, and have their roots in cognate languages or dialects. These remarks apply also to a few other terms adduced by Dr. Hengstenberg. In fact, considering the foreign influence brought to bear on the court of Solomon, the wonder is, not that a slight tinge should have been given to this discourse, in the flexion or verbiage of its composition, but that its purity should have been so generally maintained.

It avails nothing to allege that the other writings of Solomon are free from these foreign terms; for those writings were composed in his earlier days, while his conduct was pure and his court uncorrupted.

For the reasons now stated, and many others which might be alleged, if necessary, our readers may rest perfectly satisfied that Solomon, the son of David, was the author of this book, and that it takes its place amongst those records of eternal truth of which the Apostle Paul affirms they "are given by inspiration of God, and are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, and thoroughly furnished unto all good works." To extend and deepen this conviction respecting every portion of the Sacred Volume is, we are most fully assured, the ardent desire of those honourable gentlemen who are issuing this important publication, and we earnestly wish them success in their great enterprise.

The Mother of the Wesleys: a Biography. By the Rev. JOHN KIRK. London: H. J. Tresidder.

THAT Woman whose mind and habits moulded the character of such men as

John and Charles Wesley, cannot be forgotten. She has left an impression the church and the world which time can never obliterate, but will rather render the more legible. Yet, strange to say, this is the first separate volume devoted to her memory, and this comes more than one hundred and twenty years after she had entered into her rest. It is true, indeed, that a pretty full description of the personal character and life of this Christian lady is given in Dr. Adam Clarke's Wesley family, and in every biography of her sons; and oft in magazines and reviews, the precious odour of her memory has been poured forth. But her striking

individuality of character, her practical wisdom and piety as a Christian and a wife, and as the mother of two of the most illustrious men in the eighteenth century, demanded the tribute of a volume; and, still more, the influence likely to be exerted on our mothers and daughters in Israel, rendered such a volume a desideratum which ought long ago to have been supplied. We, therefore, heartily thank Mr. Kirk for this valuable production. The work is well written; it not only brings out the general features of Mrs. Wesley's character, but exhibits much care in the investigation of facts, and equal discrimination in sifting the evidence of some questionable narrations which had found currency and obtained popular belief. The work will be equally acceptable to the members of the several sections of Methodism, as to those of the Parent Body; for, while we all have equally a filial reverence for the memory of herself and her sainted sons, we have amongst us the same special requirements which this admirable volume is so well adapted to supply. We would, however, respectfully suggest that we think no practical good can issue from good Mrs. Wesley's notion of the saints praying for us in heaven, while it may possibly be perverted by some as affording a plausible apology for our praying to them.

A Guide to the Daily Reading of the Scriptures. Compiled by A. Loudon: R. Davies, Sutton-street, Commercial Road; and J. H. Tresidder, Ave Maria Lane.

A WONDERFULLY condensed but very valuable guide to the daily reading of

the Holy Scriptures, with a selection of portions of the Sacred Volume adapted to the various conditions and duties of the Christian life. Nor is this all. We have a classification of the Scriptures as establishing the several doctrines of the Christian faith, and the most important facts of sacred history. These, of course, are not in full quotations, but in figures for reference; and supposing them to be correct, which we have no reason to doubt, but not time to verify, the selections and appropriations must be of great value to the Biblical student and the Christian family. Our only objection to the work is to the mean and shabby way in which it is got up. It ought to be handsomely printed on good paper, well bound, and sold at a shilling, instead of threepence per copy.

Lost, but not for Ever. My Personal Narrative of Starvation and Providence in the Australian Mountain Regions. By the Rev. R. W. VANDERKISTE. Third Thousand. London: James Nisbet.

THE fact narrated is a marvellous one. For six days and nights the only food the author had was one slight meal on leaving home, and during four days and nights of that period he was exposed to heavy rains; yet his life was spared, and he safely got home to write this volume. The work breathes a truly pious spirit, and exhibits remarkable patience under suffering, and confidence in the providence of God. There is, however, much irrelevant matter constantly interrupting the narrative, and carrying away the mind of the reader to a multitude of topics which have no connexion with the incidents of the narrative itself.

Loving Words of Caution, Counsel, and Consolation, for such as are seeking to be like their Loving Lord. In Poetry and Prose. London: H. J. Tresidder. A VERY good book, full of excellent matter, and written in an attractive style.

Matrimony: or, What a Marriage Life is, and How to make the Best of It. By JOHN MAYNARD. London: G. J. Stevenson, 54, Paternoster Row.