AD CLERUM: ADVICES TO A YOUNG PREACHER. By JOSEPH PARKER, D.D. London: Hodder and Stoughton.

THE CITY TEMPLE: SERMONS PREACHED IN THE POULTRY CHAPEL, LONDON, 1869-70. By JOSEPH PARKER, D.D. Price 68. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 27 Paternoster Row.

HERE are three works from the pen of Dr. Parker. The first consists of three discourses, the subjects of which are-The Fall of Adam, Eternal Punishment, and the Annihilation of the Soul. Dr. Parker regards the account given of the fall of Adam in Genesis, not as a history, but as a parable. He believes in the fact of the apostasy with all Christian theologians, but he regards the revelation of the fact in Genesis as given not in a literal history, but in an allegorical costume. In this he is not alone. He has many first-class Biblical scholars, sound theologians, and loyal disciples of Christ on his side. Fact is fact, however it may be revealed to us-groaned out by a fiend or chanted by a seraph, chronicled in prosaic literalness or garbed in the costume of fiction. Heaven's chief Teacher might have given a literal history of the condition of good and bad men in the retribution hereafter; but He gave the fact in a parable. Dr. Parker's discourse on Eternal Punishment will carry with it the convictions of every thinking man, be he rationalist or orthodox believer. His disquisition on the Annihilation of the Soul will, perhaps, not prove so conclusive and generally satisfactory. He denies the doctrine of the annihilation of the soul, as advocated by some modern religionists—a doctrine, we confess, from which both our philosophy and our piety revolt. His idea is, that no creature is necessarily immortal, and that the human soul, under the influence of evil, will wear itself out, just as a candle consumes itself by its own flame. As our space will not allow us even to indicate the points wherein we agree and differ from the author, we can merely say that every loyal student of the Bible should procure and peruse these discourses for himself.

AD CLERUM is a volume consisting of a number of articles on preachers and preaching which appeared in the Pulpit Analyst. The article which it contains on the HOMILIST, though, on the whole, exceedingly generous and laudatory, has a few unfortunate expressions-expressions in which the more undivine part of the author's nature leaps into the light. He says that our homiletic method is "wanting in variety." Our method has always been to bring out of the Sacred Passage the Divine ideas it contains, and so distribute and discuss them as to commend them to the reason, conscience, and experience of modern men. We should be only too glad to be shown "a more excellent way." We confess that our search in the Analyst for a better method has been hitherto utterly in vain. There is no variety of method in getting at truth; it is as fixed as the essence of moral actions, which must be either good or bad.

There is another clause in this book which we cannot forbear quoting -"In my opinion, the time for the completion of the HOMILIST has fully

come. It may now with advantage coalesce with the Pulpit Analyst— giving it the prestige of a unique history, and leaving it to supply some omissions which mark the service even of some of the strongest minds." What was this Pulpit Analyst at first? With the exception of a few strong articles in the first numbers from the pen of Dr. Parker, such as those contained in the volume before us, it was made up, for the most part, of petty verbal criticisms, frothy sermons, ghastly skeletons, many of them furnished by men whose contributions had been rejected by the HOMILIST. This was the thing that was to give "prestige to the HOMILIST, a work which Dr. Parker once characterized "as traversing its own peculiar sphere with a splendour quite enough to dazzle the vision of any rival aspirant." Where is the Pulpit Analyst now? Since Dr. Parker has withdrawn from it, it lost the only reason for its existence, and the only power that could sustain it. The Pulpit Analyst, we are told, is giving way to the Preacher's Lantern. An "Analyst" is a philosopher rendering service to the world; but there are few places but the stable which require a "lantern" in these days of brilliant gas. A sad thing to see a philosopher becoming a Lantern! What a metamorphosis! We want preachers' sunbeams, not lanterns. How many serials of this class have come into existence since the HOMILIST came on the stage? Many for the express purpose of running it down the hill of destruction. But they are all gone, and the HOMILIST still lives to adjudge their merits and write their epitaphs. "Vires acquirit eundo." This is the testimony of the first preachers of the age-in Germany, Australia, America, as well as England.

"THE CITY TEMPLE" contains forty-one sermons on a great variety of subjects. It is exactly twelve months since we called the attention of our readers to single sermons which are now bound up in this volume. We said in that article that "we never rejoiced more in the rising popularity of any preacher than that of Dr. Parker, in the Poultry Chapel, in the heart of London." This we say now—We have heard him preach several times since, each time to a large congregation, and with great power. Last Thursday we were in his church. The place was as well filled as

ever, and there was no abatement in the preacher's freshness of thought and power of expressions. We can scarcely conceive of any sermon, in its contents, structure, and delivery, more fitted to lift men's souls from the secularities of time to the spiritualities of eternity-from the immoral to the Divine-than the sermon we heard on that occasion. Dr. Parker is a man of remarkable ability; his intellect and imagination are of a high type-most quick in movement and expert in execution. His nature, as he speaks, flashes scathing irony, sparkles enlivening humour, and gushes with tenderness and compassion. He is decidedly one of the ablest preachers in London. Such a man is sure to have the envy of the inferior men of his own profession. Envy, however, is always a compliment which weak men render to the strong. I say to the little envious brother, "Thou enviest all, but no man envies thee."

HEROES OF HEBREW HISTORY. BY SAMUEL WILBERFORCE, D.D., LORD BISHOP OF WINCHESTER. London: Strahan and Co., 56 Ludgate Hill. A NOTE by the distinguished author says:-"The following sketches, with the exception of 'David the King,' have already appeared in the pages of Good Words. They are now republished at the request of many who desire to possess them in a separate form."

The heroes sketched in this volume are Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samson, Samuel, David, Micaiah, Elijah, and Elisha. Biographic sketches of these men we have in abundance, and, of course, no new information concerning them can be expected. Still, different writers will set them in different lights; and he will set them in the truest and most commanding light, who has the most power of mind, richness of culture, and heroism of heart. A man must have the heroic in him before, in writing, he can do justice to the life of a true hero. The Bishop, in mental power, culture, and oratoric force, is one of the foremost men of the age, and every production of his is valuable. These sketches are admirable. They have all the charm of romance, and all the tenderness of devout sentiment.

THE SPIRITUAL GARLAND, Being Extracts from English Sacred Writers. Selected by J. G. PILKINGTON, M.A. London: R. D. Dickinson, 92 Farringdon Street.

THIS is one of the choicest productions of the kind. The selections are made from a large variety of sources, and with great taste and judgment. Some of them, not a few, are amongst the finest paragraphs in the religious literature of England. Preachers will find many powerful suggestions, as well as striking illustrations, from this volume. It has a table of contents, an index of texts, a general index, and an index of authors, so that there is no difficulty in finding the subject sought for at

once.

CHATTERBOX. Edited by J. ERSKINE CLARKE, M.A. London: W. Gardner, 10 Paternoster Row.

THE CHILDREN'S PRIZE, for 1870. Edited by J. ERSKINE CLARKE, London: W. Gardner.

WE are glad to find that the intelligent and industrious Editor of these two books is still alive, and working without any abatement of energy or skill. His works are incomparably the best of all within our knowledge, for children. The pictures are admirable, equal to anything in the Graphic in execution; and as to the subjects, far more interesting and refreshing. The tales are such that children can well understand, and understanding, can scarcely fail to feel their moral. We heartily commend these two books to parents as the very best and handsomest presents they can make to their children.

"But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God."-2 Cor. iv. 2.

T. PAUL here introduces himself as a true minister appointed by God. He is led to this assertion in this place by the insinuations of false teachers against his ministerial character, and by the opposition of others (probably

of Judaizing members), who had arisen in the Church at Corinth, and who strenuously denied his claim to Apostleship.

Nor, indeed, is this the only time that we find the Apostle thus obliged to defend his ministerial character, and to show his superiority to these false teachers who, having no true claim to that office themselves, tried to found a reputation upon the ruin of that of the Apostle.

These defences, which the Apostle was obliged to make from time to time, and which were the source of great pain to himself, are yet of very great value to us, as they give what St. Paul considered the characteristics of the true minister, as well as certain marks by which we may discover the false one.

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In the particular defence before us, he begins by telling the Corinthians that his office proceeds from the grace of God alone, and not from his own worthiness. And this conviction enables him to assure them that no difficulties have been able to weary him, or to make him shrink, through cowardice, from plainness of speech and action.

And then he goes on in the text to give certain marks which characterized his ministry, but which was altogether wanting in that of these false teachers.

These were purity of motive; purity of conduct; purity of doctrine.

I. Purity of motive. "We have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty."

By this he implies that these false teachers used such means to promote their schemes as men, generally, would be ashamed of; such crooked acts, as would need only to be known, in order to ruin the cause they were intended to promote. For men see at once that the cause cannot be a good one which requires to promote it such crafty schemes as cannot bear the light of day. The grand object of these false teachers was not a good one, and hence they had recourse to underhanded means to hide it, for thus only could they hope to have any chance of acceptance with those who knew the purity of St. Paul's motive. And need it be said that the same purity of motive is required now, and that he whose object in entering the ministry is such that he has to resort to means of concealing it, would certainly be condemned by St. Paul, as one who had not renounced the "hidden things of dishonesty ?"

II. Purity of conduct. "Nor walking in craftiness." The whole life of these false teachers was a crafty attempt to appear what they were not, to appear as if their actions were guided by a changed heart, whereas they