20 DECEMBER 1884, Page 22

Martin Luther : Student, Monk, Reformer. By John Rae, LL.D.

(Hodder and Stoughton.)—A critical biography of Lather, holding the balance in a really judicial way between his virtues and his faults, is hardly to be expected in such a book as this. Dr. Rae speaks of lira as "the divinely inspired prophet of Germany." Roman Catholic writers, with equal sincerity, describe him as the vilest of mankind. But we are diverging into topics not appropriate to our present object. This book contains a vigorous sketch of the Reformer's life and work, taken from the standpoint of a thorough-going admirer. If we put aside the question of the tenability of this standpoint, the book may be said to be saccessful.