STUDIES ON THE NEW TESTAMENT. By F. Godet, D.D., Neuchatel. Edited by the Hon. and Rev. W. H. Lyttleton, M.A., Rector of Hagley, &c. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 27, Paternoster Row. 1876.

Mr.

THE translation of Godet's essays into English has afforded us sincere satisfaction. His name is now well known in connection with his two great commentaries on the Gospels of Luke and John; and he is not less distinguished as a theologian. His contributions to the Revue Chretienne are among the most thoughtful and learned which have appeared in that influential serial, and in many respects he reminds us of Alexander Vinet. Lyttleton edited last year a volume of Godet's Studies on the Old Testament, of which this is a continuation. We are glad that so favourable a reception has been accorded to the former series as to encourage the publication of the present series. Godet is one of the few men whose clear insight, sound judgment, brilliant imagination, and fervent piety give an unmistakable value to all his productions; and to know that an essay on any Biblical subject is his, is amply sufficient to secure for it the most thoughtful and respectful attention from all intelligent students. The very crumbs which he lets fall-the fragments which drop by the way, are of far higher worth than the basketfuls of most writers. In the New Testament Studies we have essays on the Origin of the Four Gospels; Jesus Christ; the Work of

Jesus Christ; the Four Principal Apostles; and the Apocalypse. They are studies in which Godet is thoroughly at home, and of which he has obtained a complete mastery. We have never seen the characteristic features and the special design of the separate gospels more happily indicated, nor do we know a more devout and Scriptural exposition of the work of Christ for us, and His work in us, and of the inseparable connection of the one with the other. So, again, the apostles Peter, James, Paul, and John are brought before us in a vivid, lifelike manner, and the distinctive features in the character and work of each are carefully noted. The reconciliation of the doctrine of Paul with that of James on the relation of faith and works is certainly ingenious, and may, we think, be maintained. It is, in substance, that the justification intended by Paul is that by which man enters into the state of salvation; but James is speaking of that by which he abides in it. Works are, in Paul's view, those which are anterior to faith; in James's view they are those done in the state of faith. Faith, as conceived by Paul, is that of the consciousness, which is the act of the whole man, and operates through the will; faith, according to James, is the belief of the intellect, which is dead in itself, unless the will import into it life and efficacy."

The essay on the Apocalypse is remarkable inter alia for its interpretation of the mystic number 666. Seven is the number of perfection, and thrice repeated it would express the pleni

tude of the Divine essence. Six, as the number nearest it, expresses an aspiration, but a powerless aspiration, after that plenitude. "John sees in this cypher the symbol of a three-fold powerlessness-that of the dragon to equal God; that of the beast to equal Christ; and that of the false prophet to equal the Spirit." The Anti-Christ par excellence is, Godet believes, to be a Jew, and the Jews are destined in God's hand to chastise us. In addition to other signs of this which Godet notes, is there not some confirmation of it in the attitude of Lord Beaconsfield's Government to the Eastern question? That apart, the essay is a masterly production, and the whole volume is a valuable addition to our literature. The translation is from the pen of Mrs. Lyttleton, and deserves warm commendation.

If the Johannine authorship of the Gospel cannot be maintained, Christianity will be deprived of one of its noblest supports, and the authority of the Synoptics will receive a blow from which there can be no recovery. In these two works we have a frank and fearless discussion of the entire

question, and although they now appear in an English dress for the first time, they have both achieved a high reputation among Biblical scholars. It is well known that the late Dean Alford held Luthard's work in the heartiest esteem. He said of its first edition that " no such attempt had previously been made to give a general account of the aims and characteristics of the Gospel. A good translation of it could not fail to bring about in England a worthier appreciation of this wonderful Gospel." Dr. Gregory's translation is based on a new edition of Luthardt, and contains many additions and improvements, the work being brought into harmony with the requirements of the more advanced discussion of the questions at issue. There is an admirable summary of Dr. Luthardt's magnum opus entitled "St. John the author of the Fourth Gospel," as well as preliminary dissertations on all the other points, which hold the approach to the subject. The section on the characters of the Fourth

Gospel is especially valuable, and we are made to feel that only in contrast with them can the true greatness of our Lord be seen. There is here the keenest and most searching analysis, as well as vivid portraiture.

Godet's work is also translated from a new and revised edition. His method of treatment is very different from Luthardt's, and we imagine he will be the more popular of the two. He unites with profound and comprehensive scholarship a brilliance of imagination and a transparency of style which few German writers can

claim. He is a man of deep and fervent piety, and while he has an enthusiasm for these investigations, he is controlled by a chastened judgment and the soundest good sense. We have constantly used his commentary on Luke, and always with advantage. The present work is in no sense inferior. On the whole we prefer Luthardt's division of the entire Gospel into the principal sections rather than into five with Godet. But Godet appears to us to excel in the analysis of separate parts, e.g., in the prologue, in which he discerns three steps of progress, the Logos, the Logos misunderstood, the Logos recognised and received; rather than three cycles containing a summary of the whole history as Luthardt. And how fine is the following:

"The prologue is a preface intended to initiate the reader in the true essence of the fact which is about to be related; it reveals its august character, solitary grandeur, and vital importance. The prologue is like that technical term which the composer places at the head of a musical piece to indicate to the performer the accent and time which it requires. To raise the mind of the reader to the height of the drama which is about to unfold before his view; to make him feel that here is not a history which he may confound with others and set aside, after having read it, to pass to another; that it contains the secret of the life of humanity and his own; that the doctrines are nothing less than rays from the absolute Word; that accepted they will become his salvation; rejected, his death; that unbelief in regard to Jesus is God cast off; faith, God received and possessed; such is the real intention of the prologue. This piece is the Commentary on the name Gospel; it proclaims the highest message of God to earth. It transports the reader at the first line into the divine sphere to which the history belongs."

On I., 29, we have a fine instance of Godet's intuition, and his power

to see the strong points of apparently opposing interpretations. He is right in regarding the expression LAMB OF GOD as referring both to Isaiah liii. and to the Paschal Lamb -the prophet himself having reference thereto. And full of important consequences is the idea that John virtually derived the phrase from Christ Himself. "Not being able to confess his personal sin, He unfolded no doubt that of Israel, that of the world as He understood it, to the astonished view of John." And that suggests the genesis of the expression.

Our space is exhausted, or we could give various other instances of equal interest. If we were shut up to one of these works, we should probably select Godet, but it would be with feelings of regret at the limitation, and we should heartily side with the decision "both are best."

THE STORY OF CHRISTIANITY, from the Apostles to the Reformation, compiled for popular reading. By Rev. ANDREW REED, B.A. London: Hamilton, Adams & Co., 32, Paternoster-row. 1877. MR. REED has got hold of a capital idea, and given to it admirable and effective expression. There is, even in otherwise well-informed circles, a surprising degree of ignorance of the salient facts of Church history. This may partly be due to the lengthy and prolix dissertations in which so many of our Church historians indulge, and to the very technical style in which they have written. Ours is an age in which brevity is indispensable. People, as a rule, have neither time

nor inclination for an exhaustive treatment of the subjects which claim their attention, and hence the need of trustworthy handbooks. Mr. Reed has given us the best which has yet been published on the history of the Church, having compressed into small compass the substance of the bulky works of Milner, Mosheim, Neander,

and other writers. He has, moreover, done this in a pleasing manner, and without leaving on the mind an impression of having presented only a bald and dry statement of facts. The rise and progress of the Arian heresy, the growth of the Papacy, and other important events, are depicted very clearly. The spirit of the work is liberal, evangelical, and Scriptural, and it ought to secure a large circulation.

How TO SUCCEED IN LIFE: A Guide

to the Young. By Rev. J. B. Lister. London: Snow & Co., 2, Ivy-lane, Paternoster-row.

MR. LISTER has compressed into the space of ninety-five pages a number of wise and helpful counsels to those who are starting in life. Youths of from twelve to sixteen or seventeen will find in his work that which is admirably suited to their deepest needs, and cannot fail to derive profit from its perusal. He has evident knowledge of the tastes, capacities, and duties, as well as of the temptations and perils of the young. His moral tone is healthy and invigorating. The book has reached its fourth edition, and that is a guarantee of its excellence.

.SERMONS

FOR THE CHRISTIAN YEAR. Translated from the German of the late Richard Rothe, D.D., with Preface by W. R. Clark. M.A., Prebendary of Wells, &c. From Advent to Trinity. Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 38, George-street. 1877. ROTHE Was one of the greatest German theologians of the present century, although we could scarcely rank him next to Schleiermacher, whose influence he, in common with so many other leading minds, so profoundly felt. Nor did he put forth his whole intellectual strength upon his sermons-probably from a conviction (with which we fully sympathize) that the pulpit is not the place for subtle and elaborate discussion either of the apologetics or the doctrines of Christianity. These

discourses are the calm and devout utterances of a noble and refined mind contemplating the great fundamental verities of the Christian life, and bent upon producing in others a more perfect spiritual manhood and a deeper inward peace. The sermons on the Labourers in the vineyard; Love the one thing needful; the Canaanitish woman; the Perfecting of the teaching of Jesus; and Faith and Sanctification, are especially noteworthy. The volume abounds in fine readings of the Gospel narratives, in keen spiritual analysis, and in powerful incentives to spiritual perfection. It is a valuable series of discourses, and will be welcomed by all thoughtful and devout minds, as a good specimen of the preaching which tends to edification. The translation also is clear and graceful.

GLIMPSES OF THE INNER LIFE OF OUR LORD. By W. G. Blaikie, D.D., Edinburgh. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 27, Paternosterrow. 1876.

"THE aim of this little book is devotional and practical." No aim can be higher, and it would be difficult to see how it could be more admirably carried out. Dr. Blaikie rightly lays stress on the importance of the Christian life, as the outgrowth and evidence of faith. He regards Christ as our exemplar in all things, and assimilation to His image as our supreme duty. And as Christ's life is the manifestation of His nature, we must reverently study the glimpses we obtain into it, that we may thereby learn how to secure the purity and healthfulness of our own inner being. Dr. Blaikie dwells with great force and fervour on Our Lord's devotion to the Father, His delight in the Father's will, His temptation, His sympathy with man, His peace, His prayerfulness, &c. &c. He has overlooked no point of importance, and has given us many striking and suggestive thoughts. Though not perhaps a profound and original thinker, he writes with a freshness and unconventionality as well as with a chaste beauty of style which are quite delightful. We know no worthier companion for a devout life.