16 JANUARY 1897, Page 26

The Yoke of Freedom. By Charles James. (Bentley and Son.)

—We cannot say that we recognise any known type of "Labour Member" in Mr. Jack Charnel, a profligate, liar, and swindler, who represents the working men of Black Church. Mr. James incurs a very serious responsibility by taking his hero from a class so limited. To the best of our belief that class, which, past or present, may very soon be counted, has never been disgraced by such a, creature as Jack Charnel.

We have received cheap editions of two volumes which have had a considerable success. One is Religion in Common Life (Elliot Stock), a course of seventeen sermons by various preacher:, delivered in the church of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields. Four were preached by the vicar, the Rev. J. F. Kitto. Among the other names we notice Dr. Wace, the Dean of Canterbury, the Bishop of Stepney, and Archdeacon Sinclair.—The other is The Gospel of the Kingdom (same publisher), five Advent Sermons preached in Holy Trinity, Sloane Square. "Their object is to make it clear that we hold the faith as a social, no less than as an individual, Gospel."

Messrs. A. Constable and Co. are publishing a convenient and attractive-looking series of single books of the Bible. We have now before us The Book of Psalms and The Gospel According to St. Matthew. They are printed in the fashion of the Paragraph Bible. The verses are not given. In theory it is right, but practically it is convenient to have the numbers in the margin. Reference is difficult without them.

We have received four annual volumes :—The Mission Field (G. Bell and Sons), "a Monthly Record of the Proceedings of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel at Home and Abroad." It contains, it need hardly be said, many interesting things. One of them certainly is the success, intrinsically small indeed, but significant, of missionary effort in the North-West Provinces. The conversion of three Brahmans and a Mahommedan at least shown what is possible.—From the same publishers we have also received The Gospel Missionary.—Of missionary work at home we have a record in Bible Women and Nurses. (Cassell and Co.)—The Children of the Church (S.P.G.) is another magazine connected with missionary effort.