Breviaries.

Paul's Psalm of Love. (8) The Hopefulness of Love.

THIS quality of Love follows as a consequence of much that has been previously asserted in this paragraph of St. Paul's letter, directly from the last named element,-viz., "Faith." While this hopefulness is again a source of the next quality described here, namely, endurance. I.-The hopefulness of Love is attested by the NATURE AND HISTORY OF LOVE, It is attested (1) by its nature. For Love will not let go any ground for expecting the best things concerning the admired, or for anticipating the best things concerning even the pitied. Unwilling to forebode ill, it is sanguine ever of good. (2) By its history. Love is always known to be declining when it is unhopeful. The Infinite Love is the God of Hope. II.-The hopefulness of Love GIVES LIFE AND BEAUTY TO LOVE Whilst Love is a source of hope, hope again feeds the lamp of Love. It suggests the better explanation of what seems mysterious in human or in Divine procedure, and thus it endows Love with an eye that never grows dim. EDITOR.

Paul's Psalm of Love. (9) The Endurance of Love.

"LOVE ENDURETH ALL THINGS."-1 Cor. xiii. 7.

THOUGH not wholly dissimilar from the virtue described in the word "beareth," which suggested to us the tolerance of Love, the characteristic here asserted is not precisely the same. This indicates the force of Love to sustain quietly and to survive all persecutions and distresses inflicted by others. Indeed our word "endure" embodies the thought very completely. I.-Love HAS to endure much. This is strange, but it is true. Love is not requited with Love, but often with misunderstanding and even with hatred. Error hates truth, selfishness hates Love. Christ's biography supplies the climax of the proof of this. But all loving lives witness to the same strange experience. Does not God endure much? II.-Love is ABLE to endure much. The distresses and persecutions that seem to have force enough in them to blast and burn out all they oppose, have been again and again as harmless to Love as the fiery furnace to the three Hebrew youths. Fierce fire cannot consume it; many waters cannot quench it. EDITOR.

Paul's Psalm of Love. (10) The Imperishableness of Love.

"LOVE NEVER FAILETH."-1 Cor. xiii. 8.

EITHER of the two explanations of this word "faileth" that are accepted, either "falls down," or is "hissed off the stage," conveys the same impression concerning Love, namely, that it is permanent, it will never "fall down" from inanition, it will never be "hissed off" because superseded. All the beauties of Love, unlike those of face or landscape, are permanent. I.—The indispensableness of Love is indicated by ITS CAPACITY OF MEETING ALL DEMANDS MADE UPON IT. (1) This is the conclusion from the previous assertions of this passage. (2) This is the result of our observation of every-day life. True love is equal to any exigency. It survives all else. II. The imperishableness of Love is A STRIKING CONTRAST TO ALMOST ALL ELSE IN HUMAN EXPERIENCE. (1) This is the declaration of the passage following our text. All else "ceases," "vanishes," is "done away.' (2) This is confirmed by human experience. Love is the great protest of our immortality. III. The imperishableness of Love IS EXPLAINED BY ITS BEING DIVINE NOT ONLY IN ITS ORIGIN AND SUSTENANCE BUT IN ITS NATURE. Love is of God, and God's Love never faileth, "His mercy endureth for ever." Ours is not an imitation His, but an inspiration from it. His Love is the life of ours. Hence ours deathless.

EDITOR.

Selected Acorns from a Stalwart Oak.

FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE.

"The smallest living acorn is fit to be the parent of oak-trees without end.” -Carlyle.

CHRIST ALL AND IN ALL.-"All relations acquire a significance and become felt as actually living and real when contemplated in Christ; which out of Him, even to the most intensely affectionate, they cannot have. At first, each relation seems to be a step in a beautiful ladder reaching to Him, prefiguring that heavenly relation, and afterwards, if that top step be apprehended, a descending ladder set in heaven and reaching to earth."

PERIODICAL LITERATURE-"Have you meddled with periodicals, and have you thanked God that you still think, love, go to church, and find anyone to love you."

THE KINGSHIP OF CHRIST.-"I have found myself, in all my private meditations as well as in my preaching, drawn to speak of Christ as a King, and His Church as a Kingdom; and whenever I depart from this method, I feel much less clearness and satisfaction, much less harmony between my own feelings and the Word of God."

CHRIST AND HUMAN FELLOWSHIP.-"I was sent into the world that I might persuade men to recognise Christ as the centre of their fellowship with each other, that so they might be united in their families, their countries, and as men, not in schools and factions."

LOVE ANTECEDENT TO KNOWLEDGE.-"I fancy I must get love first, and then, possibly, in this or in some other sphere, I may have learning added. At present I lack both."

HISTORY AND MYSTERY.-"I have no doubt that I have helped someone to feel that there is an eternal connection between history and mystery; that the persons who are seeking to separate them are seeking to destroy both the mere historian turning history into an old almanack, the mere mystics and mythics turning the invisible things, which are of all the most substantial, into an empty, gilded vapour."

CHRISTIANITY IN ITS ESSENCE.-"If I have succeeded in fixing this thought in anyone's heart, that Christianity as expressed in the sacraments, the written Word, and an apostolic ministry, is not a costume belonging to one age or country, but is just that which enables a man to feel and know that there is anything which is not costume, anything which is eternal and unchangeable, it signifies not the least to me

when the words which conveyed the impression are forgotten."

BRISTOL THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE.

T. BROUGHTON KNIGHT.

Reviews.

NECESSARY TO SALVATION. By Rev. C. E. SANDERS, M.A., Vicar of Batchworth. London: Griffith and Farran.

This little book has for its key-word the answer in the Church of England Catechism about Sacraments,-"Two only, as generally necessary to salvation, that is to say, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord." Throughout these Eight Lenten Sermons Mr. Sanders is aiming at proving that these Sacraments are necessary to salvation, finding his evidences not only in the teachings of "The Church" to which he loyally gives heed, but adducing arguments also from Holy Scripture, to which we are bound to say he seeks to be as loyal as to the Church. Our pages have never been controversial, or we might be disposed to measure a lance with the courageous and charitable, but, as we think, mistaken vicar. He certainly puts the Sacramentarian position with unmistakeable clearness and unusual force, whilst he presses home the ethics of a Christian life with vigorous persuasiveness.

VOICES FROM OLD BEVERSTON CASTLE AND RECTORY.

By Rev. T.

WESLEY BROWN, Author of "The Art of the Silver Tongue," &c.
Price Fourpence. W. Hatcher, Malmesbury.

A well-written little brochure consisting of two parts, a Historical Sketch of Beverston, and the Religious History of Beverston and Some Notable Rectors. There is a good deal of very interesting research, not a little indignant rebuke of the clerical intolerance and idleness, and worse, of former years, and we are on every ground glad to note a concluding tribute of honour and good will on the part of the writer, who is plainly a sturdy Nonconformist, toward the recently appointed Rector of this historic parish church.

A LAMP AND A LIGHT. By REV. F. BOURDILLON, M.A. London : Hatchards.

This is an unpretentious, albeit useful, little book. Amongst the religious topics of which it treats, are "The Twofold Light of the World -The Knowledge of the Love of Christ-The One Master and Guide

Our Father's Knowledge and our Wants-The Prayer in the Cave-Prayer and no Prayer-Jesus the King-The Risen Life-The Warfare WithinWaiting-Fall of the Tree-Undying Worm--Unknown Time-Daniel after the Decree-Resolution acted Upon. The Heart's Reply to the Call of God-Den for the Soul-Wheat and Tares growing together-God's Delight in Mercy-Luz changed to Bethel-John's wish for Gaius-Christ taking away Sins-The Great Gain of Godliness-The Great Awaking— The Guiding Eye."

A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS AND DEACONS; or, Practical Hints on the Constitution, Discipline, and Services of Congregational or Independent Churches. By SAMUEL MCALL, Late Principal of Hackney College. Third Edition. London W. Mack, 28, Paternoster Row, London.

This carefully prepared manual of judicious counsel, from the pen of one who is now almost a patriarch among Congregationalists, will he read with interest and profit, not only by those for whom it is directly intended, but by many of other Communions who wish to have enlightened views of the main principles that guide the activities of so large a sisterhood of Churches as are here concerned. We have been glad that words of ours lately led a wealthy layman to give a copy of Mr. Wilson's book, on "The Life Education of the Christian Ministry," to a large number of students who had lately left College. It would be a similar gain to a large number of similar young ministers to receive from some generous hand a copy of this book.

THE RIVULET. By THOMAS LYNCH. London: J. Clarke and Co.

The attacks which were made upon Mr Lynch, by what are called the orthodox men of all churches, some twenty-five years ago, or more, have not yet faded away from our memory. We remember that the late Editor of the Homilist was one of the men who stood up in his defence and wrote a Homily entitled Odium Theologicum. The persecutor dies but the martyr lives-lives as a vital force in the hearts of men. Indeed, some of the heretic's hymns are now sung in the Churches whose ministers and deacons denounced him. Is there a hymnal in any church containing a more soul-quickening and up-lifting force than that beginning with "Gracious Spirit dwell with me," &c. Through all these hymns there breathes the same spirit, and most of them possess equal devout and

poetic merit.

Had the Congregational Hymn-book been entrusted to such a man as this as editor, we should not have had the necessity of three different Hymnals, with additions and sundry shameful mutilations. And so unsatisfactory is the last that another is in course of production. It is monstrous to entrust the editing of any hymn-book to a man without the highest poetic genius and Christly theology, ethics, and devotion. As three hundred hymns would be sufficient for any congregation, for one generation at least, we should recommend every minister to compile a hymn-book from the very best sources for his own congregation. The outlay would be very trifling and he could add new hymns to the book as they were required. For new hymns are as much a necessity of a

living church as new blossoms of a living tree.

Publications of the Religious Tract Society, 56, Paternoster Row, London.

GIRL'S OWN ANNUAL for 1884.

Boy's OWN ANNUAL for 1884.

EGYPTIAN LIFE AND HISTORY.

By M. E. HARKNESS.

BABYLONIAN LIFE AND HISTORY. By E. WALLIS BUDGE

PRESENT DAY TRACTS. By Various Writers.

Both the "Boy's" and the "GIRL'S OWN ANNUAL" are so much alike in paper, type, contents, binding, general "get up," and illustration, that much of what might be said of one would apply equally to the other. Both of them are equal to their predecessors, and this is saying a great deal. They seem to have been born in a mature state, or rather began like the first man. They are brimful not only of what cannot fail to charm the young imagination, but to interest the young intellect and to improve the young heart. Pieces of biography, interesting stories, musical compositions, numerous pictorial illustrations, and abundant recipes on almost everything domestic and medical, cannot fail to obtain for these volumes a hearty welcome into English homes.

EGYPTIAN LIFE AND HISTORY.-For many reasons the Egyptian empire is charged with mighty interests, not merely for one country and one race, but for all countries and all races. Alas, that we, who call our

selves a Christian country, should be sending out our men of battle and of blood to slaughter by tens of thousands the blood relations of Job, whose life and magnificent words constitute one of the most attractive