Og, king of Bashan, 459. His size, Sidon, sarcophagus, 122.

FROM THE

FOUR GOSPELS.

BY REV. GEORGE JONES, M.A.,

Chaplain United States Navy.

WITH MAPS AND TWENTY-FIVE ILLUSTRATIVE ENGRAVINGS.

Large 12mo.

$2.00.

From The Methodist Home Journal, Philadelphia.

The richest treat we have had lately in the book line, is " Life-Scenes from the Four Gospels." Externally, the volume displays the genius and taste of the binder; typographically, it wins our love at first sight. As a book of Bible-scenes, however, its chief attractiveness and value must be determined. Chaplain Jones, the author, is a veteran in the service, having received his commission from the hands of President Jackson, and both on sea and land he has gathered a rich, ripe store of practical knowledge and personal experience, from which he gives a volume to the world that will greatly tend to familiarize men of this generation with the actual in that life of lives-the history and teachings of Jesus. The facts and features of Jewish character and condition, sketches of localities for ever sacred, and narratives of life-scenes, fresh, beautiful and truthful, with which the book abounds, must commend it to popular esteem. What floods of light it brings to the student of the gospels! What help it may afford the Sabbath-school teacher in preparing for the lesson! What illustrations are here for the preacher! We say to everybody our word may reach, Get this book.

From The Sunday-School Teacher, Chicago.

Picture-teaching is always delightful, if at all well managed. It is the method for a Sunday-school teacher. To give definite, clearly-conceived pictures to a class, is to give them that which they will remember. But more than half the battle is to get the picture clearly formed in the mind of the teacher, and to get the habit of making mental pictures.

This large volume is a gallery of carefully-drawn pictures, illustrated with diagrams and cuts, representing the life of Christ. Read this book attentively, and it will do as much as any work we know to give the art of Pictorial Teaching.

From The National Baptist, Philadelphia.

The purpose of the author to render the incidents of our Saviour's life as vivid as possible, to reproduce the scenes so that the reader may live in them as a reality, and feel that he is among living beings, is a very laudable object. Whatever brings home to us the events described in the Bible, and causes them to seem natural, is a real contribution to the value of the Bible.

Such is the design of this volume, and we are glad to see that the design has been well executed. The same process might have been carried further by the introduction of incidents and characters not contained in the sacred narrative, but that would have impaired the truthfulness of the account and reduced the whole nearly to the level of fiction. The author has confined himself to the events recorded, but has sought to invest them with new interests, describing each as nearly as possible just as it took place, making use of all the aid which is furnished by the best books in biblical archæology, criticism, topography and history.

From The Ladies' Repository, Cincinnati.

This is a most valuable, interesting and instructive book. Its object is to give a fulness to the scenes in the Gospels, by interweaving with the Scripture narrative the various information which modern research has placed within our reach, and thus imparting to them a freshness and reality which they cannot have without this knowledge of the country, people and social customs in the midst of which the events happened. It is a graceful and captivating harmony of the Gospels; the life of Christ being presented as one continued narrative, and with true historic accuracy. The information incorporated into the story is of undoubted authority, and is just such as the Sabbath-school teacher and Christian needs to have, and we know of no other book in which so much can be found in so small compass and in so pleasant arrangement.

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498

From The American Presbyterian, Philadelphia.

The author of this work is a veteran Chaplain in the Navy, who has travelled in the Holy Land, and speaks with the authority and interest of a personal observer. His undertaking is one of the most laudable, as it is one of the most difficult in literature, and demands the joint labors of many gifted, pions and thoroughly informed minds before it can be regarded as accomplished. We welcome Chaplain Jones' book as a highly valuable contribution to this department. Its topographical and historical illustrations are important, and furnish positive additions to our knowledge; exhibiting as some of them do the comparative levels of different points on the surface of the Holy Land.

From The Reformed Church Messenger, Philadelphia.

We do not know when we have met with a work which has for us so much interest as this. The leading facts which form the basis of these historical sketches are so skilfully presented as to throw around them a freshness and charm which makes the perusal of them a delightful recreation, as well as a source of profitable instruction. The work is a valuable one for all students of the Bible, and especially for pastors and Sunday-school teachers. The illustrations are numerous and well executed, and the whole work is gotten out in the excellent style characteristic of the enterprising publishers.

From The Morning Star, Dover, N. H.

The author has visited the Holy Land, has studied his subject through the works of all the eminent explorers, has made himself familiar with the topography, features and spirit of the countries which Christ traversed, has laid the results of biblical research and criticism under contribution, has ever kept an active imagination under the control of a sound and instructed Christian judgment, and has saturated his whole mental nature with the spirit of a loving and adoring disciple. The result is before us in this beautifully printed volume, whose interest is such that it will hold the attention of a sympathetic reader from the beginning to the end; it will render most essential aid in preparing Sabbath-school teachers for their work in the class, and even in enabling many a pastor to preach Christ with added clearness of vision and a more effective unction. Whoever buys the book will gain a real blessing; and no earnest study of its pages can fail to make the New Testament gain in interest and significance, and its great Personage stand out with fresh distinctness and higher glory.

From The Sunday-School Times, Philadelphia.

Mr. Jones has travelled with acute observation as a Christian scholar in the Holy Land, and has with this advantage brought also to his task a diligent, painstaking research, whenever it could throw light and reality on the pages of Scripture.

Clear in style, without egotism and expansion, it has one exalted ambition. It seeks to make the reader realize the statements of the gospels as facts passing actually in review. This is not by a tame paraphrase of language, but the reader will soon discover a vast amount of learning, bringing from their hiding-place ancient customs and language, until the mind walks hand in hand a companion with antiquity, and the panorama of the Gospel keeps before the eye like a present reality.

From The Christian Times (Episcopal), New York.

The author of this work was recommended by the late Professor Silliman for his talents, culture and Christian attainments. He presents in this volume a successful attempt to fill up the scenes in the gospels, and render them still more life-like by the aid of his own investigations while in Palestine, combined with all the help that is to be derived from the studies of others. This is no superficial or mere sketching effort, but one that has evidently cost the author much time and study, and which should bring its appropriate reward. The style is such as would naturally be expected from a ready writer, earnestly engaged in delineating scenes in the history of our Lord.

From The Congregationalist, Boston.

This is a very beautiful volume and deserves to be widely read. Its object is to help the reader to understand the Gospel lands and scenes, from illustrations_furnished by modern research, and to present all freshly and vivaciously before the mind. The work is well done, the engravings and maps are of a superior character, and the whole book is calculated at once to please and to instruct.

From The Christian Secretary, Hartford, Conn.

We are greatly interested in this book. It is an excellently printed duodecimo volume, including maps, pictorial illustrations and a satisfactory index. The author has personally visited the localities of the scenery he describes, and the method of weaving together the Gospel narrative is really admirable. He has certainly accomplished his purpose of making the work Life-scenes from the four Gospels. It contains a great deal of information illustrative of the New Testament, and it will be found of high value to pastors, superintendents and Sabbath-school teachers-indeed to all class of persons who are interested in Bible knowledge and study. Most heartily do we recommend it.