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LITERATURE AND LITERARY PROGRESS IN 18TT. 



an Introduction to Lithology. By E. Jannettaz. 

 Translated from the French by G. W. Plympton. 

 (Van Nostrand.) 



The Microscope. By Andrew Ross. Fully illus- 

 trated. (Industrial Publishing Co.) 



Economic Monographs. I. The Silver Question ; 

 or, Dollar of the Fathers versus Dollar of the Sons. 

 By David A. Wells. II. Why we Trade, and how 

 we Trade. Bv David A. Wells.-III. The Tariff 

 Question^ and its Relations to the Present Commer- 

 cial Crisis. By Horace White. IV. Friendly Ser- 

 mons to the Protectionist Manufacturers. By J. S. 

 Moore. (Putnams.) 



THEOLOGY AXD RELIGION. The condition of 

 the public mind is such as to attract not a few 

 writers to the discussion of the historical evi- 

 dences, the philosophical relations, and the 

 distinguishing doctrines of Christianity; of the 

 truths of theism and natural religion as against 

 a naturalistic skepticism ; and of various con- 

 troverted doctrines within the lines of Christian 

 belief. It is not easy to make a clear distinc- 

 tion between philosophical and religious works, 

 and some of the books about to be mentioned 

 might, with almost equal propriety, have been 

 classed in the preceding section. 



A work which saw the light last year, but 

 which must represent several years' work, is 

 " The Creeds of Christendom," by Dr. Philip 

 Schaff (Harpers), embracing the history and 

 the text original and translated of the ancient 

 and Catholic, and of the modern confessions, 

 wh.ether Greek, Latin, or Reformed. The 

 bringing together of these authoritative and 

 standard symbols, with indexes and every need- 

 ed help for reference and comparison, is a 

 unique conception, carried out in a way that is 

 highly creditable to the accomplished editor 

 and his learned collaborators. Dr. Schaff's 

 " Harmony of the Reformed Confessions " 

 (Dodd, Mead & Co.) is an exposition of the 

 points in which the Reformed (Calvinistic) 

 confessions are at one. The essay grew out of 

 the late conference of Presbyterian and Re- 

 formed churches at Edinburgh. Dr. Schaff 

 has issued an additional volume of Lange's 

 Commentary " The Books of Samuel " (Scrib- 

 ner). A new edition of Dr. H. B. Hackett's 

 " Commentary on the Original Text of the Acts 

 of the Apostles " (Draper, Andover, Mass.) 

 has the last corrections and additions of that 

 lamented scholar. Dr. Henry Cowles continues 

 his learned yet popular Biblical expositions by 

 the issue of a " Commentary on the Book of 

 Job " (D. Appleton & Co.). Immer's " Herme- 

 neutics of the New Testament," translated from 

 the German, with additional notes, by A. H. 

 Newman (Draper), is an acceptable addition to 

 our scholars' apparatus of study. Dr. George 

 P. Fisher's " Beginnings of Christianity" (Scrib- 

 ner) presents the fruits of extensive and exact 

 learning in a singularly-attractive and agree- 

 able style, constituting a work which in sub- 

 stance is a contribution TxTth knowledge, and 

 in style to the literature, of his subject. A 

 work in part covering the same ground, but 

 extending over a larger tract of history, and 

 less critical, is " The Church of the Apostles," 



by the Rt. Rev. W. Ingraham Kip (D. Apple- 

 ton & Co.). "The Life and Writings of St. 

 John," by the late Rev. John M. Macdonald 

 (Scribner), is honored with an introduction by 

 Dean Howson, one of the authors of the well- 

 known "Life and Epistles of St. Paul," with 

 which a comparison will be provoked, that the 

 later work, though able and creditable to the 

 author, cannot sustain. The " Lectures on Bap- 

 tist History," by the Rev. Dr. "William R. Wil- 

 liams (Baptist Publication Society), adorn hia 

 subject with a wealth of erudition and mingled 

 energy and beauty of style that would make 

 any theme interesting. Dr. Williams's reputa- 

 tion seems likely to be chiefly a tradition, sus- 

 tained by writings that suggest rather than 

 demonstrate their author's place among the 

 scholars of his time. In the "Discourses and 

 Essays " of the late Prof. Henry B. Smith, D. D., 

 LL. D., which are published under the leading 

 title, "Faith and Philosophy," with an intro- 

 duction by the Rev. Dr. George L. Prentiss 

 (Scribner), we have a very valuable contribu- 

 tion to contemporary thought, which one can- 

 not contemplate without regretting that such 

 powers and acquisitions did not frame a more 

 durable literary monument. The "Manual of 

 Theology and Christian Ethics," by the Rev. 

 Alvah Hovey, D. D., LL. D. (H. A. Young, 

 Boston), is an outline drawn up for the theo- 

 logical class-room, but maturer minds may find 

 in it food for thought, and aids to investigation, 

 " The Religious Feeling, a Study for Faith," by 

 Newman Smyth (Scribner), presents with fresh- 

 ness and force the internal or subjective evi- 

 dences of Christianity. The subject of " Orien- 

 tal Religions, and their Relations to Universal 

 Religion," is pursued by Samuel Johnson in a 

 new volume on China (Osgood). His indus- 

 trious research is manifest to the reader of his 

 work ; to criticise it successfully, one should 

 have gained more knowledge of the matter in 

 hand than is possessed by its author, which few 

 can claim. The seventh volume of McClintock 

 and Strong's " Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theo- 

 logical, and Ecclesiastical Literature" (Har- 

 pers), sustains the reputation gained by the 

 preceding volumes for fullness, accuracy, and 

 impartiality. " The Reconciliation of Science 

 and Religion," by Alexander Winchell, LL. D. 

 (Harpers), is able, and exhibits familiarity with 

 the matters in controversy, as viewed on differ- 

 ent sides. But it has no promise of being the 

 " end of controversy " on the subject. 



Some other works might be mentioned as 

 having just claim for distinction ; the titles that 

 follow include them with others : 



The Spirit of the New Faith, and Other Discourses. 

 By 0. B. Frothingham. (Putnams.) 



"Marvels of Pruyer. By Matthew Hale Smith. 

 (Tibbals.) 



He will Come. By Stephen H. Tyng, Jr. (H. 

 Hoyt, Boston.) 



The American Evangelists, Moody and Sankey. 

 and their Work. With Biographical Sketches of 

 P. P. Bliss and Dr. Eben Tourje'e. By Rev. Elias 

 Nason. (D. Lothrop & Co., Boston.) 



