SOME BOOKS OF THE '4VEEIL [Tinder this heading W. notice
such Books Of the week as haps not Won nursed for mains in other forms.]
Lecture Outlines on the Thirty-nine Articles. By Arthur J. Tait, B.D. (Elliot Stock. 3s. net.)—Mr. Tait explains that this volume, which is, indeed, of quite modest size, is not meant for a text-book, but, rather, for a guide to study. Certainly it should be useful, for it gives suggestions which the student will do well to accept. But to deal with the Articles is not a grateful task, and it might have been wise to leave the reader to come to his own conclusions. In Article XIII. we read: " Works done before the grace of Christ, and the Inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant to God," and Mr. Tait has the comment that the words " do not deny the possibility of goodness on the part of involuntary unbelievers, for the grace of God is not to be limited to the members of the Church." We do not believe that the framers of the Articles meant anything of the kind, or they must have said so. A pagan who has never heard of Christ is just, chaste, charitable, and he pleases God because, says Mr. Tait, God's grace has helped him. But these good acts are clearly "before Justifica- tion "—the proposition is most significant—and therefore are " not done as God bath willed and commanded them to be done," and so "have the nature of sin," are, in fact, on the same level with injustice, lust, and cruelty.
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