28 FEBRUARY 1891, Page 25

Puritanism in Power. By Clement Wise. (Kogan Paul, Trench, and

Co.)—We cannot pretend to examine in detail Mr. Wise's theories. He has purposely put them in a paradoxical form. "Universalism, by a Calvinist," "A National Church, by a Dis- senter," and "Communism, by a Conservative," are the titles of the three books into which he divides his treatise. Let us give a sample of his argument from the first of these :—" What should we think of a monarch who should address his son and heir' thus : I desire you to be educated for your high calling, but it

all depends upon the use you make of the next week, and it will be necessary for you to have instruction from a minister of mine who is on his way from a far country. If my minister should arrive in time, and you receive well the instruction he imparts, your education will be continued throughout the rest of your youth. If, on the other hand, by any chance he should not arrive within the next week, or, if arriving, you should not immediately understand his lessons, I will stop any further attempt to educate you. You will be disinherited.'" This puts forcibly a common way of thinking and talking about missions. There is much to be learnt from Mr. Wise, though he sometimes puts his instruction in an odd form.