19 JANUARY 1889, Page 23

Ripples in the Starlight. By J. R. Macduff, D.D. (James

Nisbet and Co.)—The "ripples "consist of fragments of religious thought, printed in paragraphs and having no connection at all with each other. Some of these "disjointed sentences," as the writer con- scientiously calls them, are eloquent, others are incoherent, spas- modic, and somewhat turgid in expression. Detached sentences must be true gems of thought and style to bear complete isolation. Dr. Macduff should have hesitated before putting commonplaces in a position of prominence, and exercised more judgment in his selections and his manner of arranging them.