436 



LITEEATUEE AND LITEEAEY PEOGEESS IN 1870. 



ceeded in pleasing some of the " churches" so 

 well, that they have circulated large editions 

 of the lectures that concern themselves re- 

 spectively. " Jesus ; His Life and Work, as 

 narrated by the Four Evangelists," by Howard 

 Crosby, D. D., is a life of Christ, not disser- 

 tation upon it ; and is founded on a strict exege- 

 sis, excluding, as far as possible, imaginations 

 and conjectures. It is elegantly printed and illus- 

 trated. " Light at Evening-Time ; a Book of 

 Support and Comfort for the Aged," by John S. 

 Holme, a volume that by its generous type would 

 attract old eyes, is composed of appropriate 

 selections from ancient, mediaeval, and modern 

 writers, with original contributions from sev- 

 eral contemporaries of repute. Under the titl e 

 " Living "Words," some unwritten sermons of 

 the late John McClintock, D. D., LL. D., from 

 phonographic reports, are presented to the 

 public. They are a fit but inadequate memo- 

 rial of that excellent and variously gifted 

 divine. " Presbyterian Eeunion ; a Memorial 

 Volume," commemorates the reunion by a 

 narrative of the course of proceedings through 

 which it was reached ; a review of the history 

 of the two branches during the period of sep- 

 aration, biographical, statistical, and other 

 matter, of great interest to the denomination 

 concerned. Much good taste and good feeling 

 are shown by the authors of the volume. 

 " The Open Door," by the Eev. J. Hyatt Smith, 

 properly comes under the department of fiction. 

 But its polemical purpose, to advocate unre- 

 stricted communion, gives it a place here. Its 

 literary merit is slight ; its value as an argu- 

 ment, as is the case with most theological argu- 

 ments, depends a good deal on the receptivity 

 of the reader's mind. " Christianity and Greek 

 Philosophy," by B. F. Cocker, D. D., inves- 

 tigates " the Relation between Reflective 

 Thought in Greece and the Positive Teaching 

 of Christ and His Apostles." Ancient philos- 

 ophy is exhibited as a providential preparation 

 for Christ, and bearing a part as truly as Juda- 

 ism in the Divine arrangement for the educa- 

 tion of the world. This conception of the best 

 Pagan thought is not as novel as the author 

 would seem to suppose; but, on the other 

 hand, it is not so generally accepted as to ren- 

 ' der a work like this superfluous. It is popular 

 in style, suggestive rather than definitive, and 

 coming near to anticipate matters suitable for 

 a promised volume on " Christianity and Mod- 

 ern Thought." The references made are to 

 works generally accessible, and the discussion 

 is neither so profound nor so wide in its range 

 as to put it beyond the reach of the general 

 reader. 



A religious periodical that was distinguished 

 for its liberal scholarship, as well as by its 

 liberal religion, the Christian Examiner, has 

 ceased to exist. The denomination whose 

 views it represented have in its place an in- 

 terest in a new monthly magazine called Old 

 and New, very skilfully edited by the Rev. E. 

 E. Hale. This periodical, though less theolo- 



gical and less scholarly than that which it 

 swallowed up, is probably superior to it as a 

 means of popularizing the. religious ideas it 

 represents. Meanwhile, a monthly magazine, 

 styled The Examiner, has been set up in 

 Chicago as an organ of " radical Christianity," 

 or anti-supernaturalism ; Eev. E. C. Towne is 

 editor. It is a bold, uncompromising work, 

 showing more zeal than discretion or good 

 taste. 



Popular commentaries on the Bible are 

 multiplied in a way to indicate a large demand 

 for such works. Eev. N. Marshman Williams 

 has commenced a series of notes on the Gos- 

 pels, of which a volume on "Matthew" has 

 been published ; a similar series has been be- 

 gun in like manner by the Eev. George W. 

 Clark, who is also author of a very meritorious 

 "Harmony of the Four Gospels in English." 

 Eev. Henry Cowles, D. D., has added to his 

 works on the Hebrew prophets a volume of 

 "Notes on Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the 

 Song of Solomon." His expositions, while giv- 

 ing evidence of careful and critical study, are 

 in the best sense popular. A "Commentary 

 on Paul's Epistle to the Eomans," by William 

 S. Plumer, D. D., LL. D., is copious in its cita- 

 tions of ancient and modern interpretations, 

 strictly orthodox, and in style more dogmatic 

 than critical. "Bible Notes for Daily Eead- 

 ers" is the title of a commentary on the whole 

 Bible, by Ezra M. Hunt, M. D. It is creditable 

 to his industry and sincerity, but, though his 

 two comely volumes contain much excellent 

 matter, we think that students of the Script- 

 ures would be more benefited by a work 

 showing a readier perception of the difficulties 

 of Scripture, and skill in meeting them. Few 

 works of a more learned and elaborate sort 

 appear. The gigantic undertaking to produce 

 in English, with large additions, Dr. J. P. 

 Lange's " Commentary on the Holy Scriptures " 

 (BibelwerTc), of which notice has been before 

 made, still goes on, commanding a degree of 

 patronage which would have been thought to 

 be scarcely within possible expectation a few 

 years ago. Volume vii. of the New Testament 

 has appeared, containing four of the Pauline 

 Epistles. Mention may be properly made here 

 of the completion of the American edition of 

 Dr. William Smith's "Dictionary of the Bible," 

 under the editorial care of Prof. Hackett and 

 Mr. Ezra Abbot. The work forms four vol- 

 umes one more than in the English edition 

 and is not excelled for thorough editing by 

 any similar work. Much additional matter has 

 been introduced, some corrections have been 

 made, the facilities for reference have been in- 

 creased, pictorial illustrations added, and it 

 has a unique place among the means of biblical 

 study. The following works, of which there 

 is not room for particular notice, may be sum- 

 marily mentioned : 



An Essay on the Liturgy of the American Church. 

 y the Eev. "William P. Lewis. 



By 



The Expiatory Sacrifice of the Cross. By J. H. 



