LITERATURE AND LITERARY PROGRESS IN 1870. 



435 



U. II. II. Murray, of Adirondack 



so entitled from the place where they 



delivered, we suspect, owe more of their 



tin- author's celebrity in other mat- 



hantoany intrinsio superiority. u Mir- 



. Past and Present," l>y tlie Kev. William 

 Mount fonl, as the title intimates, ar^iie* the 



iiility of miracles on grounds which, mak- 

 ing them less exceptional events than in the 

 popular notion, makes them also perhaps of 



Zoological significance. The discussion is 

 conducted in a style of remarkable freshness, 

 and is agreeable reading even when one is 



<<! to protest against the thoughts that 

 are so pleasantly uttered. The author com- 

 bines a sincere faith in Christianity, as a re- 

 vi': i led system, with openness to conviction, 

 on sufficient evidence, of revelations more re- 

 cently made by alleged "Spiritual" media. 

 "Holy Matrimony," by the Rev. J. A. Bolles, 

 sets forth with considerable force that view of 

 the subject which is held by a portion of the 

 Protestant Episcopal Church, and which ap- 

 proaches the Roman Catholic doctrine. " The 

 Christian Rule of Marriage," by the Rev. How- 

 ard Malcom, D. D., discusses (to state the 

 topic more fully), with logical force, the rule 

 that should govern the Christian in contract- 

 ing marriage, but leading to a conclusion which 

 is seldom practically recognized in cases where 

 the question actually arises. " The Extent and 

 Efficacy of the Atonement," by the same au- 

 thor, argues with like energy of style, and ear- 

 nest zeal, in behalf of the high Calvinistic doc- 

 trine on that subject. "The Christian Law of 

 Marriage," by Hugh Davey Evans, LL. D., is 

 a work of great ability, written in a style of 

 considerate, judicial calmness, and presenting 

 what may be termed a moderately strict eccle- 

 siastical view of the subject, but stated with 

 the skill of a good lawyer. The biographical 

 sketch of the author adds much to the value 

 and interest of the volume. His character 

 was such as it is good to become acquainted 

 with. "The Invitation Heeded," by the Rev. 

 James Kent Stone, D. D., sets forth, in a pleas- 

 ing style and an excellent spirit, the reasons 

 which led the author to leave the Protestant 

 Episcopal and enter the Roman Catholic Church. 

 A review of it, under the title, " How the Rev. 

 Dr. Stone bettered his Condition," treats with 

 extraordinary controversial ingenuity the issue 

 that he provoked. "The Boston Lectures," 

 1870 " Christianity and Skepticism" is a se- 

 ries of lectures delivered by eminent divines 

 and scholars in the interest of Christianity as 

 against prevailing tendencies to skepticism, and 

 as a whole is worthy of their reputation and of 

 the cause they champion. " The Signs of the 

 Times, as connected with the Vatican Council," 

 by Bishop A. C. Coxe, is of a character obvi- 

 ously indicated by the title, not so ranch a po- 

 lemic against Rome, as a plea for Protestant 

 .unity. "Judaic Baptism," by the Rev. J. W. 

 Dale, D. D., is one of a series of books treat- 

 ing very exhaustively of an old controversy, 



but to which the author claims ho has brought 

 v.me i'n-!i evidence. "God Sovereign and 

 Man 1Y,-,-," l,y N. I, i:i.-.-, I . U., in an able 

 vindication of the doctrines of divine fore-or- 

 dination und human freedom, and of their con- 

 sUteney. < Mir oriental Minions," by Bishop 

 Edward Thomson, D. I)., LL. D. (whose 

 death on his passage homeward, from a visit to 

 the East, was a great loss to the Methodist 

 Episcopal Church), gives the results of obser- 

 vations in India and China, valuable to the 

 supporters of the Methodist missions there, 

 but not adding very much to the information 

 of the general public. " The True Unity of 

 Christ's Church," by the Rev. S. S. Schmucker, 

 D. D., is " a renewed appeal" for " the reunion 

 of the evangelical churches," Christian and 

 fraternal in spirit, bearing ample evidence to 

 the author's excellence, but, we fear, hardly 

 practical in its proposals. " Work-day Chris- 

 tianity," by Alexander Clark, has its literary 

 merit and pervading spirit vouched for by no 

 less an authority than Mr. Bryant. " The Un- 

 seen "World," by the Rev. R. C. Shimeall, is at 

 once speculative, exegetical, polemic, and sen- 

 timental, offering a little for divers sorts of 

 readers, in a remarkable combination. In 

 small compass, under the title, "Successful 

 Preaching," much sound instruction is given, 

 in addresses to theological students, by three 

 of the most successful preachers, Drs. John 

 Hall, Theodore L. Cuyler, and H. \V. Beecher. 

 A more extensive and complete treatise on the 

 same subject is that of Rev. Dr. J. A. Broadus : 

 " A Treatise on the Preparation and Delivery 

 of Sermons," exhibiting much critical acumen, 

 " sound, roundabout sense," and felicity of state- 

 ment and illustration, shaded by some slight 

 negligences of style. Another work of merit 

 in the same department is " Sacred Rhetoric ; 

 or, a Course of Lectures on Preaching," by 

 Robert L. Dabney, D. D. " The Scripture 

 Doctrine of the Person of Christ," by J. A. 

 Reubelt, D. D., is said to be " freely translated 

 from the German of "W. F. Gess, with many 

 additions." The freedom of translation, thus 

 allowed, consists, in part at least, hi modifying 

 the author's text so as to make it utter the 

 translator's views on matters in which they are 

 not agreed an unwarrantable liberty, it seems 

 to us. The book is mainly orthodox, accord- " 

 ing to the ancient confessions, but free in spec- 

 ulation and as clear in style as the nature of 

 the subject and the course of argument could 

 well admit. " The Theology of Christ," by the 

 Rev. J. P. Thompson, D. D., is a fresh, vigor- 

 ous, candid, and very interesting discussion of 

 the leading doctrines of evangelical religion, 

 which are deduced exclusively from the words 

 of Christ. " Our Seven Chsrches,"bytheRev. 

 Thomas K. Beecher, is a title given to a series 

 of lectures in which the author gave, from his 

 own point of view, a statement of good things 

 which each of the different denominations of 

 Christians could claim as peculiar to itself 

 very pleasant, not very profound. He suc- 





