28 JUNE 1879, Page 23

there preserved." He "purposes to begin at the beginning, to

inquire, from the record before us, into what God taught the first man,—to see, if we can, the form and extent of the earliest revela- tion Then, on and on, through the Patriarchal, the Mosaic, the Prophetic economies, to the time of the Baptist, to the age of Christ, and through the channel of Apostolic writings, we shall watch the onward flow of the living waters, bearing in mind, all the way through, the distinction between the objective and the subjective aspects of revelation In what we now attempt, minuteness of detail, fullness of illustration, the clearing-up of obscure points, and anything like a complete exhibition of the variety and har- mony of divine revelations during several thousand years, must siot be looked for. Nothing like exhaustive treatment is con- templated." It will thus be seen that little that is new, or that bears directly upon existing controversies, is to be looked for in Dr. Stough- ton's book. It is, for the most part, a simple record of the develop- anent of Divine truth, as it may be traced in the pages of the Bible. But to those who are content to walk in the old paths, the book will be welcome; for the events of which it treats are well described, and the style is adapted to the unlearned as well as to the more advanced reader. The reflections !suggested by the subjects treated of are con- ceived in a devout spirit, and the author has evidently spared neither time nor pains in the execution of his work. His authorities might, perhaps, in some cases have been more judiciously selected. "The Speaker's Commentary" has scarcely borne out the promise of its projectors ; and "Davison on Prophecy" is little better than obsolete, when viewed in the light of modern discovery.