manner. It is not a book merely for preachers, but for thoughtful lay readers. Chapters on "The Visions of God," "The Perfect Manhood," "The Land of Promise," " All Things are Yours," "The Perfect Life," "The Chivalry of Heaven," will be indeed an inspiration to Christian living. The Lay Preacher's Handbook: First Steps in Homiletics. By the REV. CHARLES O. ELDRIDGE, B. A. London Charles H. Kelly. Toronto: William Briggs. Price, 70c. Our Wesleyan friends in England make much more of lay preaching than we do in Canada. Village and rural Methodism in that country owes an unspeakable debt to this important service, and not a few of its lay preachers are welcome in the foremost pulpits of the connexion. The Local Preachers' Union and Preacher's Magazine have been important helps in the development of lay preaching. This little book, with its wise suggestions and godly councils, will be found very helpful, not merely to lay preachers, but to ordained ministers. The remarks on Self-culture, The Bible, and How to Study It, The Study of Human Nature, Choosing a Text, Divisions, Classification, Voice and Manner, Open-air Services and Mission Work, and Prayer, are full of wise suggestions. Books for Bible Students. Edited by REV. ARTHUR E. GREGORY. An introduction to the study of Hebrew. By J. T. L. MAGGS, B.A. Containing grammar, exercises and reading lessons. London: Chas. H. Kelly. Toronto: William Briggs. Pp. viii-190. Price, 90c. Among the books for Bible students edited by A. E. Gregory, the present manual will be found of much value. Every expositor of the Word of God ought to be able to read for himself the Scripture oracles in their original tongues and to verify for himself the teachings of the great commentators. Nor is this such a difficult task as is often thought. With the little volume before us and a determined will, any average student should be able to accomplish this object. A Harmony of the Gospels, from the Revised Version. By W. H. WITHROW, D.D., F.R.S.C. Toronto: William Briggs. Price 50 cents net, in cloth. For twelve months from July next the Sunday-school Lessons will be upon the life of Christ. To furnish the best possible help for this important study the Editor has arranged this Harmony of the Gospels, the result of a very conHe siderable amount of labour. has so interwoven the narratives of the four Evangelists as to give as full and flowing an account as possible of the life of our Lord. The advantage of such a Harmony, or Monotessaron, is thus stated by Prof. Amos R. Wells, in the Sundayschool Times: It "Far above Concordance, Bible Index, or Bible Dictionary, I count the Monotessaron the very best help to Bible study. Speaking for one, I may say that through recent first acquaintance with a Monotessaron, that Matchless Life has shone upon me with an entire splendour of beauty and majesty before unimagined. has given the life and person of Christ marvellous vividness, setting facts in their due order, location, relations and proportions, while the facility it affords is a constant inspiration to fresh delightful study. Not only every Sunday-school teacher, every Bible scholar should own one." but The Canadian publishers are William Briggs, Toronto; C. W. Coates, Montreal; and S. F. Huestis, Halifax. Most Harmonies are rather expensive; this is within the reach of everyone. The book may be ordered from the author or from the publishers. THE Methodist Magazine. AUGUST, 1894. A RAINY DAY ON MOUNT HERMON, AND BY ZELLA CARMAN. To the average traveller there is, perhaps, no pleasanter hour in the twenty-four than that which he spends over the walnuts and coffee after the serious business of the table d'hote is finished. In that serene state of mind and body which follows upon a well-spent day and a good dinner, he is at leisure to enjoy a chat over to-day's impressions and to-morrow's plans. Shortly before our party left Jerusalem, Mr. Floyd, in the course of one of these after-dinner chats, remarked, "You will have one, or, it may be, two days' rain on your journey north. I hope it may occur when you are under shelter." The serenely confident air with which this announcement was made, prevented any open display of scepticism, but an intimate acquaintance with the Canadian climate is not conducive to faith in weather prophecies, and we did not take Mr. Floyd's prediction seriously, though we were destined to recall it. Some weeks later, the morning of the twenty-second of April, found us in camp at Banias, the northern limit of our journey in Palestine proper. We were awakened as usual at five o'clock by Assad's bell, accompanied by his invariable formula, "Fust bell, please;" but the little ceremony seemed to lack its usual brisk cheerfulness, and alas! the soft patter, patter on our canvas roof assured us that Mr. Floyd's prophecy had been only too correct. Now a rainy day in April was not exactly a thing without VOL. XL. No. 2. them as our due, we felt justified in resenting a change. Someone meekly ventured a reminder that we had been told that the peasants' hope of a full crop rested on this "latter rain "; but he was silently ignored, and the anxious watch of the skies proved PILGRIMS RETURNING FROM precedent in our experience; we had even, perhaps, a recollection of a few snowy April days in a certain far-away north land, but these things belonged to a past state of existence; we had had cloudless skies for two months now, and, having come to consider JERUSALEM. |