The

THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTIANITY there are six subjects of momentous interest discussed:-"What Christianity requires you to believe; What Christianity requires you to do; What Christianity says you are; What Christianity proposes to make you; What Christianity will do for you; and How Christianity proposes to reward you." These discourses, which were delivered to the Working Men of Birmingham, are well thought and elegantly expressed. Whilst the thinking will make them acceptable to the genuinely intellectual, the spirit of life that throbs in every page, and the poetic bloom which covers the whole, will give them a charm for the general reader. The author knows the strokes of oratory that can break up the deeps of the heart, and can deal them out effectively. WORDS FOR THE HEART AND LIFE are Twelve Discourses on general subjects; and they are worth the thoughtful reading of the most thinking men of our churches. This is saying much,-but not too much. We predict that such men have only to know of their existence in order to procure them; and have only to read them in order to commend and extol them. intellectually infirm, the overwhelming majority of the religious world, alas! have not the masticating and digestive power to get nutriment out of the choice provisions which are spread on the table of such sermons: and they will shake their head and say, "Here is no food." Well, poor souls! let them have their "puffy sweetmeats;" there are plenty of little confectioners about that can furnish the article, but they must not go to Holloway. Mr. Morris is one of those rare preachers who, instead of drawing pretty little pictures of the branches, the leaves, and the pretty little buds, of the tree of orthodox doctrine, digs about the roots of spiritual life. His works will survive him. THE CONGREGATIONAL PULPIT contains Twenty-one Sermons, all by different ministers: some well known and titled; others, as yet, without fame, and without any appendage to their name. These Sermons having very different measures of merit, we may, perhaps, without invidiousness say, that on the whole some of the least known of these men are the best preachers to us. We feel this and we say it, not merely because it is just to express it, but because the fact shows one great advantage of such a work as the "Congregational Pulpit." We sincerely believe that many of the unknown ministers have something as well worth saying as the most known, and in many cases much more so. There are mighty thinkers in obscure villages, whose great thoughts fall upon rustic intellects like golden grain upon a rocky desert, only to rot in the stagnant atmosphere. Many of them, with that modesty which is ever characteristic of the highest genius, shrink from public notice, and are indisposed to publish their thoughts; and many more have not the means to do so. The talented editor of this work will do immense

service to his age, aye, and to posterity, if he will seek out these FOSTERS and induce them to speak out their great thoughts to the world through the "Congregational Pulpit." We heartily wish success to this work. Although it contains some discourses we think scarcely worth the type, there are others, amongst which we class the Editor's very superior productions, which are sufficient not only to justify, but to commend, the work to the most thinking men of our churches.

THE POETICAL WORKS OF CHARLES CHURCHILL: with Memoir, and Critical Dissertation, and Explanatory Notes. By the REV. GEO. GILFILLAN. Edinburgh: James Nichol.

THE POETICAL WORKS OF JOHNSON, PARNELL, GRAY, AND SMOLLET: with Memoirs, Critical Dissertation, and Explanatory Notes. By the REV. GEORGE GILFILLAN. Edinburgh: James Nichol.

CHURCHILL'S POETICAL WORKS, in the beautiful form in which Mr. Nichol issues his splendid edition of the British Poets, will, we expect, be heartily welcomed by our readers. Churchill as a man is ineffably loathsome;-as a Poet we greatly admire him. We like that lynx-eyed penetration, which pierces through all the imposing forms with which conventionality and etiquette clothe corruption-that manly daring hand which gracefully clutches these forms, takes them off, and lays the inner demon open in the sun,—that bursting of satiric genius into lightning, which burns the fine costumes of popular and official vices and scathes the heart of the wearer. Our age wants a Poet-Churchill now;-some great "son of man," who with the heart of an Ezekiel, and the genius of a Churchill, shall not be satisfied with looking at and admiring the magnificent wall of civilization, which our age has built around itself, and by which it conceals its inner heart; but shall look through the "hole in the wall," begin to "dig" until the "door" of access is found; then enter the "chambers of imagery," and behold and forthwith expose "every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols." In literature, as well as in every other department of public instruction, we want men of this mould-men who will disdain to wear the livery of a frothy, gold-ringed, flunkey, age. THE POETRY OF JOHNSON, PARNELL, GRAY, AND SMOLLET, are all brought into the other abovementioned volume. And the volume which contains the poetic effusions of such men must be of rare worth. We are charmed with seeing the elephantine mind of "Old Sam Johnson" moving in poetic robes. We had scarcely any idea that he could dress so elegantly, move with such litheness and grace, and speak in such soft strains of sweet

music. The MEMOIRS AND CRITICAL DISSERTATIONS attached to these volumes, are written with the gifted editor's usual discrimination, freshness, poetic fire, and high moral tone. We repeat our recommendation of this unrivalled edition of the British Poets.

THE ESSENTIALS OF CHRISTIANITY: Theoretically and Practically Considered. By the late REV. JOSEPH MILNER, M. A., Vicar of the Holy Trinity Church, Hull. Edited by MARK MILNER. London: Tract Society.

THE RELIGION FOR MANKIND: Christianity Adapted to Man in all the Aspects of His Being. By JAMES SPENCE, M. A. London: John Snow.

The title of the first volume says all that we feel necessary to say about the work. It is a synopsis of what are Calvinistically considered to be the essentials of Christianity. It is evidently written with a good intention, is pervaded by a devout spirit, and will be valued by a large class of religious readers. The other work-THE RELIGION FOR MANKIND, deserves a much longer notice than we have space for. This book looks upon Christianity in the right aspect, and, strange to say, in a somewhat new aspect, namely, that of its relation, not to ecclesiastical systems, nor to theological creeds, nor to philosophical speculation, but to humanity. How many books crowd our religious libraries, and how many sermons are constantly preached in our churches, which might lead one to suppose that Christianity was intended to keep up the ISм of Calvin or Arminius, the Catholic or the Protestant, the Churchman or the Dissenter ! Sometimes we hear Christianity preached as if the gospel was intended to harmonize with the poetic ideas of Emerson, Carlyle, or the more transcendental Hegel. This kind of preaching is, of course, very popular to the would-be intellectual, who consider wild incoherencies and cloudy confusions of thought, very grand and profound. We rejoice heartily, when we see such men as the author of this book,-men of mind and culture, occupying important positions in the church,-taking a thoroughly humanitarian point of observation in relation to Christianity. This we are sure is the only stand-place where the true doctrinal glories of the gospel can be seen, and its true spiritual provisions appreciated. Oh that all ministers would stand upon their common humanity, instead of upon systems, when studying the Revelation of God! We have read this book with great interest, and we trust with profit: it is clear, condensed, vigorous, and practicaljust the book for young men.

THE ANALOGY OF RELIGION TO THE CONSTITUTION, AND COURSE OF NATURE. Also, FIFTEEN SERMONS, on subjects chiefly ethical, Preached in the Chapel of the Rolls' Court. By JOSEPH BUTLER, D. C. L., Bishop of Durham. With a Life of the Author, a copious Analysis, Notes, and Indexes. By JOSEPH ANGUS, D. D., Author The whole designed for the use

of the Bible Hand-Book, &c., &c.

of Students and others. London: Tract Society.

A work that has been growing in popularity for One Hundred and Twenty Years, and that amongst the true mental Barons of the race, if not beyond criticism, certainly needs neither commendation nor description from our pen. We have for some years, in our pastoral capacity, used the "Analogy" as a MENTAL GAUGE, to determine the intellectual fitness for pulpit-work of young men who have applied to us to recommend them as candidates for the ministry. Our plan has been, before giving any advice or sanction, to put the "Analogy" into the hand of the candidate, request him, after he has studied it, to pay us another visit, that we may put a few questions to him on the structure and scope of the work, in order to test his intellectual competency for the high office to which he aspires. In some cases we have never had a second visit on the subject; and we have thus been blessed as instruments in preventing any addition to the number of those in the pulpit, whom the pious in congregations tolerate, the thinking pity, and sometimes despise. We should like to see this plan generally adopted by our brethren; for we feel assured that if the "Analogy" was made a gate to the pulpit, the church would soon have a higher race of teachers; and with this its influence upon the world be increased a thousandfold. Owing, as we do to Butler, more than to any other uninspired writer; and having a strong and growing impression that the diffusion of his works would most effectively check the progress of scepticism, by raising the intellectual tone of ministers and churches; we have no words to express our gratitude to Dr. Angus for what he has done, in the work before us, to popularize the invaluable productions of this extraordinary man. Dr. Angus in his condensed, clear, and copious, analyses, shows that he is thoroughly imbued with the scientific spirit of the Bishop, and so thoroughly conversant with his intellectual idiosyncracies and habits, that he knows every turn in his mental pathway, and can track his every footstep. Let every young man who has any respect for the claims of his own intellect and for the claims of his Bible, get this work forthwith-read it, study it, and master it. With the Bible, the Bible Hand-Book, this edition of the Analogy, and, we were about presumptously adding "The Homilist," no minister is justified in pleading the poverty of his library as an excuse for the poverty of

sermons.

A HOMILY

ON

Modern Preaching.*

"For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake."-2 Cor. iv. 5.

Ir is not my intention to preach a sermon on these words, nor to confine myself rigidly to the discussion of such topics as they contain. I read them simply because, as a description of the subject-matter and manner of apostolic preaching, they indicate generally the line of thought which I intend to pursue.

It is not usual for me to preach about preaching. The occasion unsought for, at first unaccepted by me, and still unwelcome, must be my apology for doing so now. The object of our meeting seems to require that something should be said on that subject; and with deference to your judgment, I shall presume so far on your candour, as to give honest expression to my own sentiments.

We

It has become fashionable to decry the pulpit. scarcely overstate the case when we say, that the press groans, and the land rings, with lamentations over its inefficiency. Our opinion is, that these complaints are not altogether without reason; though we believe that the defects have been greatly exaggerated, and that much of the clamour is without foundation. Many of our brethren are, without question, keenly alive to the wants of the age,

* The substance of an Address to the Students and Friends of Stepney College; delivered at their Annual Meeting, September the 19th, 1855.

H

Vol. V.