Is life worth living? question him, The meanest wretch who shames this earth, And what is life? a ghostly sense Life is worth living, if we climb The ladder to the throne of God; Is life worth living? answer thou Who climb'st where duty points the way; Is all-sufficient even now. Is life worth living? can we say That God repents His love to man? Is life worth living? mark the rose, The sequel of a martyr's woes. Life is worth living, even though For every soul that finds its good, Is life worth living? every whit We live from Him, and He is love, The power of man to welcome it. Is life worth living? do we ask If all must die? if God is one?— Distrust, despair, and doubt be gone, Rise up, fulfil thy destined task. J. H. Miscellaneous. THE FIRST THREE KINGS OF ISRAEL. London Speirs, 1879. By the REV. W. BRUCE. WE insert in this portion of the Magazine a brief notice of this important and interesting work. "The work," the author tells us in his brief preface, "is based on a series of discourses delivered about twenty years ago. Something has been done to connect the subjects of the discourses, so as to make the explanations more continuous. In other respects the matter is substantially the same; and there is little difference in the form, except that chapters with titles have been substituted for sermons with texts. The work is an exposition of the important and difficult portion of the Word of which it treats, according to its spiritual sense. The style is perspicuous and attractive, and the author's treatment of his subject is illustrated by pertinent Scriptural and rational illustrations, which add to the fulness of the explanation. In these remarkable histories are some of the chief difficulties of the written Word. The cruel wars and immoralities of the kings, the turbulence and insurrections of the people, with other manifold evidences of human infirmity and folly, embarrass the minds of honest inquirers, and furnish grounds of objection and rebuke to the ill-disposed. Those who are most anxious to preserve faith in the Bible as the Word of God, and who most fear to lose its promises and hopes, are compelled to confess to great difficulties in their efforts to reconcile some of the particulars of this history with the moral teaching of the Gospel. It is not in the letter that this reconciliation can be effected. It is a knowledge of the spiritual sense which lifts the narrative out of the sphere of doubt and contention and plants the feet of the disciple upon a rock. But however convincing may be the general statement of the existence of a spiritual sense in this portion of the Word, it is only an intelligent acquaintance with the particulars which this sense discloses that can satisfy the rational mind. And it is in this respect that the work before us is so extremely valuable and so well calculated to be eminently useful. There is no real conviction of truth apart from an enlightened understanding of its teaching, as there is no abiding assurance of its importance and value apart from its practical development in life and conduct, which is its union with the good from which it proceeds and to which it continually aspires. The general truth which underlies the several particulars of this eventful history is thus stated by the author: "The spiritual meaning of their history during this period describes a state of spiritual advancement in the religious life of those who are Israelites indeed. The beginning of the kingdom of Israel may be considered as representing the beginning of that upward progression by which the kingdom of God is begun in the human mind; and the history of the first three kings describes its advancement from natural to spiritual, from spiritual to celestial. The natural, the spiritual, and the celestial are represented by Saul, David, and Solomon. It will be our principal aim to unfold the sacred history as it applies to these several states and stages of the regenerate life. "But there is another and still higher subject to which the history of the first three kings of Israel relates, and which demands our earnest attention. The Holy Word, which, in its interior sense, treats of the regeneration of man, in its inmost sense treats of the glorification of the Lord; for the Lord made His Humanity Divine by a process analogous to that by which He makes man spiritual. This Divine subject, although too exalted for us to dwell upon continuously, has yet so important a relation to that of the regeneration of our own souls that it is profitable to see their connection." The general aim of the author is an exposition of the spiritual sense of these histories. In this respect the book is similar to the author's former works on Matthew, John, and the Apocalypse. Though aiming, however, at the elucidation of the spiritual sense, the work is not confined to this feature. The spiritual sense of the Word can only be correctly interpreted from an accurate knowledge of the meaning of the letter; and many pages are occupied with reflections upon, and expositions of, the literal meaning of the narrative. It would be easy to note many examples of shrewd suggestion and wise statement in regard to the meaning and tendency of the literal sense. The remarkable judgment of Solomon by which he established his reputation for wisdom has often been described, but rarely, indeed, has the bearing of the whole subject been so lucidly and forcibly presented as in the chapter on this event in this work. Nor is this a solitary example. Some of the darkest passages in the histories of Saul and David are carefully examined and lucidly explained in regard to their literal meaning, while all are shown to be, in their spiritual sense, in perfect harmony with an infinite benevolence in God and the highest moral culture in man. As a speci men of the author's general treatment we give the following from the interview of Saul and Samuel on the return of Saul from the war with Amalek : "If we believed that all good is from heaven and all evil is from hell, we would neither appropriate the merit of good nor the guilt of evil. It is by regarding good as our own that we claim the merit of it, and it is by regarding evil as our own that we try to excuse or justify it; and thus refuse to take the demerit which belongs to it. Saul represents one whose natural mind is still in this state. But when light from the Lord enters through the spiritual mind, this state is seen, and a perception of it comes to the natural mind itself. When Saul had offered his explanation, Samuel said to him, 'Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?' The true condition of the mind in the earlier stages of the regenerate life is for the will to be under the direction and control of the understanding, which is meant by Saul being little in his own sight. He then reminds Saul of the commission he had received respecting the Amalekites, and tells him how imperfectly he had discharged it; but Saul still maintains that he had obeyed the voice of the Lord, and had gone the way which the Lord had sent him, and had brought Agag the king of Amalek, and had utterly destroyed the Amalekites: but the people had taken of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord in Gilgal. It was then that Samuel uttered that memorable saying, ' Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.' Worship is one of the duties we owe to God; but it is only a means to an end: and the end of all Divine worship is that we may be strengthened to do the Divine will. God requires mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offering. "The ceremonial law was given for the sake of the moral law; and the institutions of worship are, still more under the New Testament dispensations than those of the old, aids to the performance of the duties of the moral law. It is well to serve the Lord in worship, but to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. "But if worship, in its pure and holy state, is secondary and auxiliary to a pure and holy life, what can be said of that worship which is founded upon a violation of the Divine commandments? is not worship sometimes offered to God as a substitute for obedience to His will? When penitence is in the heart, prayer will be upon the lips; for from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. But even then the offering itself must be pure." We had marked other passages which present singularly clear and beautiful expositions of the internal sense of the many remarkable particulars contained in these histories, but our space forbids their insertion. It is the cumulative evidence arising from the application of the law of correspondence to such a variety of particulars which leaves upon the mind so convincing an evidence of its truth. And this conviction is strengthened by the light which is thence shed upon the moral and spiritual nature of man and the Divine laws of His spiritual culture. There is one class to whom the careful study of this work would be especially valuable the numerous class, particularly of educated young men, whose opinions are formed by the current literature of the day. It is unquestionable that large numbers, not only of writers on secular and scientific subjects, but also of professedly religious writers and teachers, have lost faith in the plenary inspiration of the Scriptures. The only possible way to restore this faith is an enlightened understanding of the spiritual and Divine meaning of the Word. The work before us is, we think, admirably adapted to subserve this sublime purpose, and as such we strongly commend it to our readers. MAY MEETINGS. The usual interest which attaches to these meetings seems this year to have been well sustained. The clouds which have for some time overshadowed the financial affairs of the large missionary societies appear to have somewhat lifted, and the general tone of the reports has been cheerful and hopeful. The improvements in the finances in more than one case has been by exceptional efforts; and the societies so assisted can only hope to maintain their position by increased economy and care. We give a brief notice of each of the principal missionary societies. Church Missionary Society."The annual meeting of this society was, in most respects, worthy of its best days. There was a talk about retrenchment in the report, and in the speech of the venerable Earl of Chichester, who, as usual, presided. The Rev. C. F. Warren, of Japan, asked if there was any consistency, any sincerity, in the prayer for men, whilst seventeen of those who have been trained in the society's college for mission-work are recommended, for the present, to seek curacies at home. The income of the society for the past year reached the noble sum of £221,723. The expenditure was kept London Missionary Society.—" The directors of the London Missionary Society have had a year of heavy trial, and often wearisome anxiety. During the year which ended last May there was a large excess of expenditure over income. Reserve funds had been used to the extent of £12,000, and an adverse balance of more than £5000 was brought forward to the new account. These monetary difficulties have been, to a large extent, overcome-nearly £3500 of the debt has been cleared off; and, while numerous savings have been effected in the expenditure, the ordinary income has slowly but steadily increased. The contributions for general purposes, combined with the contributions and dividends for special objects, have reached the sum of £102,000. to £50,351, as compared with £46,092 in the previous year. Excluding special funds, the total receipts for general purposes have been £45,233 (the largest income ever received by the Society, except in the Jubilee year), as compared with £38,332 for 1878-79, which is £2719 in excess of the year's expenditure. Of this increase nearly £4000 is from the churches; the debt of last year is consequently reduced from £3363 to £644. Wesleyan Missionary Society.-"The ordinary home receipts for the year have been £118,808; foreign, £9068; cash from Thanksgiving Fund, £37,622; total, £165,498; payments, £148,107. The expenditure has exceeded last year's ordinary income by £11,000, and the receipts have diminished by £9000 more. An earnest appeal was made for increased help." The Rev. W. Wilson, formerly a missionary in Fiji, where he had seen a man eaten and had been himself in imminent danger of the same fate, insisted on the word "entrenchment" being substituted for the word "retrenchment." Other speakers spoke of the success of the society's work in various parts of the world. The net increase of membership in the mission churches amounted to 1052, which cannot be regarded as a large increase. Primitive Methodist Home, Colonial, and Foreign Missions.-The amount contributed on the Home Stations in the last year for Home, Colonial, and Foreign Missions is £16,111. This is considerably less than was contributed last year. Miscellaneous and special contributions, and sums from Foreign Stations make the total sum of £23,820, which is £2365 more than was received in the preceding year. Besides these sums the Home and Foreign Missions have contributed for the support of missionaries, building and enlarging mission chapels, etc., the sum of £15,354, making a total of £39,174. The state of the funds and the prospects of trade in the country twelve months ago compelled the committee to diminish expenditure wherever that was practicable, and there is still a debt of £7477 remaining. United Methodist Free Churches Home and Foreign Missions." The total income raised for missions at home and abroad was £16,688, which, with a bal ance in hand at the beginning of the year, made £17,122. The expenditure was £17,926, leaving a balance due to the bank of £804. This deficiency was partly to be accounted for from the fact that the income from special sources was much smaller than in the previous year.' The several sums noted in the preceding, show that large subscriptions continue to be made for the promotion of foreign missions. There is also much zeal and earnestness manifested by the committees in conducting the several missions thus liberally sustained. The progress made in the conversion of the nations missioned is very various. In some cases, as in Madagascar, the suc cess of the missionaries is very marked. In others the number of conversions is very small. In all Protestant missions the leading feature is the diffusion of the Bible in the language of the people, and this must eventually prepare the way of the Lord at His Second Advent. CHRISTIAN UNION. This now somewhat hackneyed topic is discussed at great length by the chairman of the Congregational Union, the Rev. Dr. Newth, Principal of New College, in his address from the chair. Dr. Newth does not follow on the beaten track of this discussion, but accepting as a fact the diversity of opinion and discipline in the Church, defends it as, on the whole, a manifestation of the Church's life, and as conducive to its perfection and usefulness. Thus after stating the position of the Congregational body, he says: "Are we, then, a sect, as some term us? To this I answer both yes and no. If by 'sect' be meant, as is sometimes meant, a something outside and apart from the Church of Christ; a something cut off and rejected from it; a congregation professing and calling itself Christian, yet alien from the household of faith, disowned by the Lord of the Church, and therefore excluded from any participation in the blessings He bestows upon His faithful servants; a sect in this sense we cannot own ourselves to be. If, however, it be simply meant that we are a section, a portion only of the entire body of confederated companies of Christ's servants on earth, all is granted to us that we claim; and |