Syrian coast, will be found of great use to the close student of the Bible. Among aids to the better understanding of the Word of God, the last quarter has produced one book of marked value.1 Bishop Ellicott's commentaries belong to the best class of that new order of exegesis which has grown up of late years, and whose object it is not to make good remarks about the scriptures, nor to preach sermons founded upon the scriptures, but simply and clearly and thoroughly and honestly to explain in English what the scriptures mean in the original tongues. An accurate and accomplished scholar himself, he seeks not merely to make his readers share in the results of his personal studies, but to inspire them with his own spirit of reverent research. Brief, and to the point, he never wearies, while there is still a wonderful affluence both of original and garnered thought in its fertile pages. He decides emphatically against the old reading in 1 Timothy iii. 16, and fortifies himself from his own examination of the Cod. Alex. (By the way, we notice, on page 66, the carelessness of transferring the reference to "note p. 103," from the English edition, when it should have been altered to "note p. 115," to suit the paging of this reprint). In a kindred line of helpfulness we class two, quite unlike indeed in their quality, but each having its own use. The first shows. how Ethiopia is beginning to stretch out her hands unto God; the second indicates the way in which dawn went back to darkness in Italy before the Reformation. In still another line of aid to the sermonwriter we find several works also claiming our good notice. One is an aggregation of 1 A Critical and Grammatical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, with a revised translation. By Rt. Rev. Charles J. Ellicott, D. D., Lord Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol. Andover: W. F. Draper. Boston: Gould & Lincoln. 1865. 8vo. pp. 265. 2 Zulu-Land: or Life among the Zuln-Kaffirs of Natal and Zulu-Land, South Africa. With map and illustrations, largely from original photographs. By Rev. Lewis Grout. Philadelphia Presbyterian Publishing Committee. For sale by Nichols & Noyes. 12mo. pp. 351. 3 From Dawn to Dark in Italy. A tale of the Reformation in the 16th century. Boston: The Amer. Tract Society, 28 Cornhill. 12mo. pp. 441. The Cyclopædia of Anecdotes of Literature and the Fine Arts. Containing a copious and choice selection of anecdotes, etc. By Kazlitt Arvine, A. M., author of the "Cyclopædia of Moral and Religious Anecdotes." With numerous illus. trations. 3d edition. Boston: Gould & Lincoln, 1865. 8vo. pp. 690. illustrations of a lighter and more literary cast than the well-known collection of moral and religious anecdotes by the same author, which has aided so many preachers to point a moral and drive home a truth. Two others" proffer the assistance of a fertile and stimulative mind to the pastor in that lighter field of relaxation, and also of effort, in which he communes with the belles-lettres of the time. Peter Bayne has earned a good degree as a thinker and critic; and any man whose business it is to influence minds may derive help from his well-laden pages. We find others which offer aid in the department of helpfulness of still more consequence to the minister; that of spiritual quickening. One introduces him, in methods long approved by the devout mind, to the intimate company of the Saviour in his last days and hours; another brings a rich store of suggestions as to that armor by which the disciple may safely fight the good fight of faith. Still others offer their help in that exceedingly important labor of gaining and fixing the youthful mind, and guiding inquirers toward the path of peace. 5 Essays in Biography and Criticism. By Peter Bayne, A. M., author of " The Christian Life Social and Individual," etc. 1st and 2d series. Boston: Gould & Lincoln. 12mo. pp. 426, 392. The Suffering Saviour; or meditations on the last days of Christ. By Rev. W. Krummacher, D. D. Translated by Samuel Jackson. (New edition.) Boston: Gould & Lincoln. 12mo. pp.474. 7 The Christian Armor. With illustrative selections in prose and poetry. Boston: The Ameriean Tract Society, 28 Cornhill. 12mo. pp. 156. The Shepherd King. By A. L. O. E. American Tract Society, Boston. pp. 365. Bessie Lovell; or the Power of a Loving Child. American Tract Society, Boston. pp. 377. The Way of the Cross. By Alice A. Dodge. American Tract Society, Boston. pp. 286. Fern's Hollow; a story of the English Colliers. American Tract Society, Boston. pp. 250. Lizzie Weston's Mission. By A. L. W. American Tract Society, Boston. pp. 180. Evidences of Divine Revelation, in a Letter to a Judge. By I. S. Spencer, D. D. American Tract Society, Boston. pp. 120. Lame Willie. American Tract Society, Boston. pp. 133. The Curse. By Rev. I. N. Tarbox, American Tract Society, Boston. pp. 160. The Martyr of Lebanon. By Rev. Isaac Bird. American Tract Society, Boston. pp. 208. Hours with the Toiling; A Book for Women. American Tract Society, Boston. pp. 94. Lessons on the Subject of Right and Wrong. For Families and Schools. Boston: Crosby & Ainsworth. 1864. pp. 88. Editors' Table. WE are compelled to ask the indulgence of our subscribers for being a few days late with this issue; the fault of our engraver, who failed to furnish us the plate of Dr. Tappan's likeness in season for the punctual publication of the number. We may as well say here, that it will probably be a matter of necessity that the July number shall also be behind time in its appearance, as it will be almost wholly devoted to the proceedings, papers, etc., of the National Council; and so will be necessarily printed almost wholly after its adjournment. We trust our readers will feel, however, that they will be compensated for that delay by the speedy appearance of a full, authentic report of the entire doings of that body; which we are making arrangements to secure, and give to them. CORRECTION.In the fourth volume of this Quarterly (1862), on p. 251, is a foot-note "Pain," stating our supposition that one mentioned in the text as having preached in Mr. Prentice's pulpit at Grafton, Mass., was Elisha Paine, of Canterbury, Conn. We have since found by examination of the Grafton Church Records (i. 139) that it was Solomon Paine who was thus "countenanced" by Mr. Prentice. Solomon was a brother of Elisha, and was ordained over the "Separate" Church in Canterbury, Conn., when it seceded in 1746; it being the first "Separate Church in the State. He died in October 1754. He left a small quarto of 74 pp., from the press of James Franklin, Newport, 1752, entitled A Short View of the Difference between the Church of Christ and the Established Churches in the Colony of Connecticut, in their Foundation and Practice, with their Ends: being discovered by the word of God, and certain laws of said Colony called Ecclesiastical. With a word of warning to several ranks of professors, and likewise of comfort to the ministers and members of the Church of Christ. CORRECTION. In our last volume, p. 328, last line but two of second column, we stated that the Connecticut Colony had a law requir ing voters to be Church members. A friend rightly suggests that this should be the New Haven Colony, instead of the Connecticut. We were misled by glancing hastily into Felt's Ecclesiastical History of New England. There was something like the same difference, in the matter of tolerance and general spirit, between the Connecticut and New Haven Colonies as between those of Plymouth and Massachusetts. DOCUMENTS CONCERNING THE NATIONAL COUNCIL. [THE following is the form of invitation addressed to all the Congregational churches in the land by the committee.] INVITATION. Those Congregational Churches in the United States of America which are in recognized fellowship and co-operation through the General Associations, Conferences or Conventions in the several States, are hereby respectfully and affectionately invited to meet by their representatives in a National Council at Boston, Massachusetts, on the fourteenth day of June, A. D. 1865, at 3 o'clock, P. M., in the Old South Meeting House. This invitation is the result of a request proceeding from a representative convention of Congregational churches in the Northwest. It has been considered and approved in a meet ing of Committees representing the Congregational churches and ministry associated for fellowship and co-operation in the several States; and on us whose names are undersigned has been devolved the duty of convening the Council, of defining the mode in which the churches may be conveniently and equally represented, and of proposing to the churches, and through them to their assembled delegates, the subjects which require at this time the deliberate attention and advice of such an assembly. Inasmuch as the Congregational churches acknowledge and hold that the local Church is the only ecclesiastical body established by Christ and his apostles, a body complete in itself and invested with an authority under Christ which cannot be delegated; and, at the same time, that the churches thus constituted are in relations of fellowship, one with another, under which it is their duty and their privilege to meet for mutual counsel in cases of general interest and common responsibility; it will be universally understood that the National Council now proposed is destitute of all power or authority over individuals or churches, or over other organizations, and that the churches complying with this invitation will meet by their pastors and other messengers only for the purpose of considering the present crisis in the history of our country and of the kingdom of Christ, and the responsibilities which the crisis imposes upon us who have inherited the polity and the faith of our Pilgrim Fathers. As it is impossible for every Church to be directly represented in any national assembly, we propose that neighboring churches, within such districts as may be found convenient, meet by their pastors and delegates in particular councils or conferences for the purpose of designating the elders and brethren who shall assemble in the National Council; and that the ratio of representation be two delegates (one of them a pastor, if convenient) for every ten churches, and for every remaining fraction greater than half that number. We propose that, where county or district conferences or other like associations of churches have been instituted, the churches of each conference or association meet according to their usual method, and elect their delegates in the ratio above mentioned,―it being understood that the churches of every such conference, though less than ten in number, may be represented by a pastor and another delegate. We propose that, where the churches are not accustomed to meet statedly in organized conferences, they be invited to meet in special councils for this purpose. The subjects on which it seems to us desirable that a National Council of our churches should deliberate and advise at the present crisis are these: First, The work of Home Evangelization devolving on our churches, -a work including all the efforts which they are making, or ought to make, for the complete Chistianization of our country, particularly by planting churches and other institutions of Christian civilization at the West and at the South, by co-operating in labors for the instruction and elevation of the millions whose yoke of bondage God has broken, - by helping to build houses of worship in destitute places, by encouraging and guiding each other in parochial plans and labors for Christ, and by providing the wisest and most efficient methods for the supply and support of an able, learned, and godly ministry. Secondly, The setting forth of a simple declaration or testimony concerning the evangelical faith and the ecclesiastical polity which are the actual basis of mutual confidence and helpfulness, and of co-operation, among the Congregational churches of the United States. The expediency and desirableness of such a declaration - how far it may tend to make the continued orthodoxy of our churches, and the apostolic simplicity and efficiency of their polity, more widely and clearly understood among Christians not in our connection, and how far it may tend to a more complete harmony and co-operation among ourselves, as well as to a more just conception of our system in its capability of expansion and of progress-will be the more wisely considered by the Council, if in the mean time the matter shall have been duly considered by the churches. Thirdly, The responsibilities of these churches in relation to spreading the gospel through the world. It cannot be forgotten that the work of missions from the United States, to the heathen in foreign lands, was first undertaken by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, originating in the General Association of Massachusetts, appealing to the Congregational Churches for their contributions, and serving them as their agent and almoner. Nor should we cease to praise God that the same institution, now venerable with the years of more than half a century, and illustrious with the success which it has gained by the favor of God's providence and the outpourings of his Spirit, is still the medium of a visible and most fraternal co-operation not only among our churches, but also between us and those Presbyterian Churches which are most nearly related to our own in their ecclesiastical traditions and their evangelical sympathies; and that, even in these times of national conflict, it has been enabled to carry on its work without interruption or curtailment, and has been gaining a stronger hold on the confidence of those who pray continually, "Thy kingdom come." But if we believe that in the new era which the termination of the present conflict must inaugurate, our country, relieved of the shame that has impaired its influence and the burthens that have impeded its progress, is to stand in new relations to the world, we cannot but recognize the crisis as summoning our churches to inquire, devoutly, and with careful and extended consultation, as well as with mutual incitements to love and zeal, what God would have them do, henceforward, in the work of preaching to all nations the gospel of his kingdom. While we commend these subjects to the attention of the churches and of the Council which we invite them to constitute, we may also commend to the Council, when assembled, the fitness of appointing, early in its sessions, a special service of praise and prayer, for the acknowledgment of the marvellous and the merciful dealings of God with the nation in connection with the war, and for supplicating a gracious dispensation of the Spirit of God upon the land, that our restored national unity may be consecrated in righteousness, and in the peace and joy of the Holy Ghost. In communicating to the churches this proposal for a National Council, we may be permitted to express our hope that they will seriously consider the occasion on which it is addressed to them, and the subjects on which the Council is invited to deliberate and advise. We ask that the proposal may be in the churches, as it has been in our consultations, a subject of humble and earnest prayer; and especially that, on the second Lord's day in the month of May next, there may be united supplication throughout our country, and among our missionaries also in foreign lands, beseeching the God of all grace to pour out his Holy Spirit on the Council then so soon to meet, so that the result may be a great reviving and advancement of his work. It is also requested that on or near the day just mentioned, May 14, contributions be received in the churches generally to a Contingent Fund for the incidental expenses of the Council, and for relieving the travelling expenses of ministers who may attend as delegates from distant parts of the country, it being understood that the Fund thus created shall be distributed by a committee of the Council itself, and that any remainder shall be intrasted to the Congregational Union, in aid of the church-building charity conducted by that society. HENRY HILL, Esq., has consented to serve as Treasurer of the Contingent Fund; and it is important that contributions, when made, be promptly remitted to him at No. 28 Cornhill, Boston, Mass. We have only to add that we have made arrangements to lay before the Council, when assembled, such statement of facts, and such suggestions, concerning the matters referred to it, as shall afford material for intelligent deliberation, and facilitate the despatch of business. This invitation was agreed upon in a consultation of Committee at the Chapel of the Broadway Tabernacle in the city of New York, on the seventeenth day of November, A. D. 1864. In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names. LEONARD BACON, New Haven, WILLIAM T. EUSTIS, JR., New Haven, JOHN P. GULLIVER, Norwich, WILLIAM I. BUDINGTON, Brooklyn, ISRAEL W. ANDREWS, Marietta, JULIAN M. STURTEVANT, Jacksonville, WILLIAM R. STEVENS, Rochester, Committee of the General Association of Committee of the General Association of NEW JERSEY. Committee of the General Conference of Committee of the General Association of Committee of the General Association of Committee of the General Convention of MISSOURI. Committee of the General Association of PENNSYLVANIA. Committee of the General Association of [The following is the blank furnished for use as a letter missive for calling the councils, or conferences, for the choice of delegates to the National Council. It is intended to be addressed to each Congregational Church in a State by the committee of the State.] Brethren,-We transmit to you, for your consideration and action, a copy of the Invitation which has been issued for a National Council of Congregational Churches to be convened at Boston on the 14th day of June next. If you approve the proposal, and desire to be represented in the Council at Boston, you are hereby invited to be present by your delegates in a Conference of Churches which will be held at on the day of, at ———————— - o'clock, for the purpose of uniting in the choice of Messengers to the National Council aforesaid. The other Churches invited to this Conference are: [Name them.] Should it be impracticable for a delegation from you to be present, we earnestly hope that you will certify by letter your desire to be represented according to the method proposed in the accompanying Invitation, and will authorize the Conference to act in your behalf. Your brethren in the Lord, Committee. P. S.-We enclose with this letter, for your convenience, a form of a certificate accrediting your delegates to the Conference. [The following form of certificate of the election of delegates from the churches to the Councils, or Conferences, for choosing delegates to the National Council, has also been provided.] |