holy, just, friends of God, who spake by His Spirit, and foretold what was then passing in the world. They alone knew the truth, they alone announced it to mankind, without fear, or partiality, or regard for their own reputation. He advised Justin to read their writings, saying that he would learn from them as much concerning absolute truth as was necessary to a philosopher. But their declarations were not demonstrated, but required implicit faith, being their own evidence. The fulfilment of their predictions, and the prodigies they wrought should not surprise a man who considered their simple desire to extol the glory of the Father who created all things, and to give the knowledge of Christ His Son who proceeds from Him. This conference must be left to the reader's judgment. The result was, that when the old man had disappeared and left Justin alone, he was filled with a burning desire to read the Prophets. He did read them with love and conviction, and thus became converted, not only to the worship of the God of Israel, but to the faith that Jesus of Nazareth was the Saviour, the Teacher, and the Lord, of whom the Prophets spoke. Justin's conversion took place when he was rather more than thirty years of age. When Justin had become a Christian, he did not lay aside the garb or the profession of a Philosopher. Why should he, when he regarded Christianity as a divinely imparted practical Philosophy? He now travelled through various countries to propagate the faith. At Rome he established a kind of school, and his house served as a place of meeting for the Christians. Tatian, afterwards of Gnostic notoriety, was one of his disciples. In the reign of Antoninus Pius, Christians were labouring rather under general popular misunderstanding and dislike than any regular state persecution. In the year 150, Justin addressed his first "Apology" to the emperor and his adopted sons. This is the most celebrated of Justin's works. It succeeded so far as greatly to better the condition of the Christians, by setting them in a fairer light, and rendering the emperor favourable to their cause. Justin also held a conference at Ephesus with Trypho, a leading Jew, which he afterwards recorded under the title of "Dialogue with Trypho the Jew." As the Apology maintains Christianity against the heathens, this work, ranking next in importance, deals with the Jewish side of the controversy. Justin having held a discussion with one Crescens, a Cynic, that persons plotted his death. This he speaks of in his second "Apology," which was addrest to the emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, and to the Roman people. He was now apprehended and brought before Rusticus, prefect of the city of Rome, who examined him with harshness, but found him intrepid and constant. He might have purchased his life by sacrificing to the gods of Rome, but he preferred the martyr's crown. He was beheaded, together with several others, who had learnt Christianity from his lips and example. This was in the year 167. Justin regards the better doctrines of heathen philosophers as more obscure utterances of the same Spirit who inspired the Scriptures. From the mode of his conversion, he would naturally incline to an especial reverence for the Prophets. He holds the Deity and humanity of Christ, and the Divine Triunity, and it was to be expected that his expressions on this subject would savour of Plato. He holds that the soul does not at death enter at once its permanent abode, but dwells elsewhere, in incomplete reward or punishment, until resurrection. Christ's second advent will be pre-millennial, when the raised saints will be associated with Him. Much interesting information on the customs of the early Christians, and particularly their mode of celebrating Baptism and the Lord's Supper, may be gathered from Justin's First Apology. Justin has been canonized both by the Greek and Latin Churches. In the former, he is remembered on the first of June, in the latter on the thirteenth of April. His titles are Philosopher, Saint, Apologist, Doctor of the Church, and Martyr. His does not seem a mind of the first order, yet he was solid and practical, eminently moral and pious, with a deep reverence for the Scriptures. He was a candid and generous opponent. His style is remarkably earnest, weighty and severe. On the whole, by force of character, and well directed and sustained working, he greatly contributed to establish the Christian cause in that adverse and critical time. Besides the works above mentioned, there are several of which his authorship is disputed, several spurious, and several are lost. The best edition of Justin is that of Otto, 2 vols. 8vo. Jena, 1842-1844. W. C. [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. unjust to praise worthless books; it is robbery to retain unnoticed ones.] It is THEOLOGICAL ESSAYS: reprinted from the Princeton Review; first series, with a Preface. By the Rev. PATRICK FAIRBAIRN, D. D., Professor of Divinity, Free Church College, Aberdeen. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark. This book is a glorious Theological arena, where one sees ideas, in their finest costume, most daring attitudes, and disciplined movements, fighting their bloodless campaigns. All the assailants of old Calvinism are brought into the battle-field of this volume: the sceptic, the socinian, the papist, and the pelagian ideals, are here; those who have been buried in the grave of centuries are called up to strengthen the forces of the more modern enemies; and truly valiant and triumphant is the defence. Never did Calvinism fight more skilfully, display more calm courage, and demean itself with so much magnanimity towards the conquered. These twenty-three Essays deal with every disputed point in orthodox Christianity, and are written by some of the ablest thinkers and scholars of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. As these Essays are the productions of different minds, they possess, of course, different measures of merit. The two historico-theological ones-that on "Tholuck's History of Theology," and that on "The Phases of Transcendentalism," are our favorites, and are worth the price of the volume. Although we have a strong aversion to Polemical Theology, we have enjoyed much of the controversy of this volume; and regard the work, on the whole, as a contribution of immense value to orthodox Christianity, and as admirably fitted to stimulate the intellect in the highest sphere of action, and strengthen the faith in the highest class of truth. THE CHERUBIM AND THE APOCALYPSE. BY ALEXANDER MACLEOD. Edinburgh: William White and Co. So many Expositions on the Apocalypse have appeared, and so few out of the multitude are worthy the notice of any but the soft-brained dreamers, who hang lackadaisically on the lips of those spiritual fortune-tellers of the world, who know all about the times and seasons, and are more alive to "unfulfilled prophecies," than unfulfilled obligations, that we feel a recoiling from all new comers of this class. We have an impression that this book has never yet been properly treated, and that its great idea has never yet been developed. Amongst other qualifications, which we consider necessary to a correct interpretation of this book, we think of at least two :-First, an utter forgetfulness of Gibbon, Mahomet, and the Pope; Secondly, an eye more alive to ethical principles, than to poetic forms, or sectarian polemics-an eye that shall look through the gorgeous garb of the book into its moral truths, and discover the relation of these to existing humanity, We do not intend these remarks to apply to the volume before us. Although we do not agree with all the author's interpretations, we appreciate his work as one of the most sensible, sober, and practical, that has yet come into our hands on this subject. GOD AND HIS WORKS. By the Rev. THOMAS ROBERTS. London : Partridge, Oakey and Co. Our judgment upon antitheistic controversies is, we presume, pretty well known by the readers of the "Homilist " If such a creature as an Atheist, or Antitheist, actually exist, he lives beyond the pale of all theistic logic. No arguments can carry a conviction of God into any mind where the theistic sentiment is really wanting; and where it is not wanting, dialectics on the subject are, we think, more suited to weaken than to strengthen it. Besides, the being of God is a subject that can never be proved; to attempt it is a logical absurdity. If a truth at all, it is an ultimate truth, the axiom of all axioms :—and axioms are eternally independent of controversy. We should, therefore, ourselves, leave Atheists alone on this question; assured that if they do not feel the logic of the heavens and earth, the universe, nature, consciousness, they are not likely to feel the logic of our little propositions. The book, however, before us, does not attempt so much what we consider the unnecessary and impossible work of proving the being of God, as to show that His being harmonizes with the consciousness of humanity. This book has but little in common with the ordinary run of such publications. It is neither common-place, superficial, dogmatic, nor dry;" on the contrary, it has much originality and depth; it is philosophic in its spirit, and interesting in its illustrations. The number of essays which the "Burnet prize" has recently called into existence has, we fear, prevented this work from attracting the notice which it justly 66 deserves. Mr. Roberts is a thinker of the right type, analytic, in dependent, and vigorous. heaven multiply them! We gratefully hail such thinkers. May MANNA IN THE HEART; or Daily Comments on the Book of Psalms. Adapted for the use of Families. By the Rev. BARTON BOUCHIER, GLIMPSES OF JESUS; or, Christ in the affections of his People. By W. P. BALFERN. Second Edition. London: John Farquhar Shaw. We class these two works together, not because they issue from the same publisher, but because they belong to the same species of religious literature, and are suited for the same class of readers, and for the same occasions; they contain the same types of thought, and breathe the same devout and evangelical spirit. Both are thoroughly good of their class. MANNA IN THE HEART, is a domestic commentary on Seventyeight Psalms. The expositions have nothing of that dry verbal criticism, in which our little word-scholars have frequently managed to entomb the moral meaning of passages. Whilst we appreciate sound scholarship, we despise the learning which, in Biblical exegesis, shows more of itself than the great spiritual ideas of inspired men; and which displays a greater interest in the root of a word, than in the grandeur and race-wide applicability and importance of divine ideas. The comments of this book are plain, practical, and short; instinct with devout feelings, and admirably suited to stimulate and guide family devotion. GLIMPSES OF JESUS is a book of the same stamp; it contains short discourses on various scenes in the life of Jesus ; the discourses are plain, interesting, and experimental. THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTIANITY: A Course of Lectures to Working Men. By WILLIAM LANDELS. Birmingham: Hudson and Son. WORDS FOR THE HEART AND LIFE: Discourses by the REV. A. J. MORRIS. London: Ward and Co. THE CONGREGATIONAL PULPIT. Edited by the REV. T. G. HORTON. Vol. I. London: Judd and Glass. Here are three volumes of Sermons, each of which deserves-what we had hoped to give—a tolerably lengthened notice. But we find, to our disappointment, that our space limits us to a very few words. In |