"The State is an organism* in the natural order- a union of men as men. The Church is an organism in the supernatural order — a union of men as Christians in the Body of Christ. The State is what is called a moral person. But it is different from the individual, because it has no future life. Its first duty is to care for, order and protect, the lives of its subjects in this world. It is bound by those natural virtues which bind men as men, justice, truthfulness, honesty, the duty to keep faith and act rightly. But it is not bound as a State to cultivate the supernatural virtues nor to Christian discipline, for many of its subjects may not be Christian." Page 29.

This leads at once, of course, to the question people constantly ask: "Do you mean that I am to guide my actions by two moral codes, and that the Christian principles which guide me as a private person cannot always guide me as a citizen?" The answer follows boldly, “Yes, that is exactly what I mean. I think it was also what our Lord meant when He said: 'Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's.'"

Much is said throughout the book against Pacifism, by which Father Bull means "that form of heresy which denies that there is a right use of physical force." See note to Preface, p. 8. On page 37, he says: "Pacifism seems to be a phase of the Manichaean heresy which teaches that sin lies in material things, while the Christian maintains that sin lies in the misdirected will. Pacifists protest only against the use of physical force. They make no protest against the use or misuse of intellectual and spiritual force. Yet all war begins in Heaven, in the rebellion of a perverted will against God and His righteous Rule, in the clash of true and false ideals."

These quotations have been taken from the first address in the book. The remaining sermons and papers are mostly concerned with the effort to interpret the war in terms of duty, consolation, sacrifice and service. The writer always has a ready story to fix and illustrate his point. Speaking of sacrifice, he says, page 84: "Shall we not try to catch the spirit of self-sacrifice which inspires our men at the front? A sergeant was borne on a stretcher into our hospital at Le Touquet, shot through the head and blinded in both eyes. When someone offered him sympathy he simply answered, I'm glad to have suffered something for my country.' When a friend said to another soldier,' How did you lose your arm?' he answered promptly, I didn't lose it, sir, I gave it.': H. O.

The State is, in fact, an organization, the Church an organism.- Editor.

The Soul and Its Story: By Norman Pearson; pp. xx+316; price $3.00 net. Edward Arnold, London, 1916.

"Throughout this discussion," writes Mr. Pearson toward the end of his book, "we have always been alert to seek aid from the facts of physical nature for our speculations as to the history of the soul." We may perceive how true this statement is by glancing at some of the chapter headings: Matter as Known to Us, The Conditions of Life, The Appearance of Life, Archebiosis and Heterogenesis, The Dawn of the Soul, An Evolutional Difficulty, The Mark of the Man, Sub-human Consciousness, A Question in Soul Evolution, Examination of Weissmannism, The Transmission of Acquirements. The author has gathered together a great deal of information in regard to " the facts of physical nature," and has placed that information before us clearly and interestingly. It is this presentation of scientific information which gives to the book its real value.

ure

66

The speculations " of the author are numerous and bold. His imagination seems far too ready to soar away as soon as it has passed carefully over a bit of solid ground as an aeroplane rolls over the earth until it gains momentum for upward flight. Moreover, it does not often soar into regions whither the Christian believer will readily follow its flight. The writer, for instance, postulates an "atomic mind-structfor every atom, and a " chemical mind-structure" for every molecule. If a molecule be dissolved into its component atoms as in the case of a molecule of water being broken up into hydrogen and oxygen atoms the atomic mind-structures will cling to their respective atoms, but the chemical mind-structure of the combination molecule has nothing left to which it can cling. Obviously, then, it must either break up into its original mind-stuff, or continue its existence in, so to speak, a 'discarnate' condition. The latter alternative, on the whole, seems the more probable to Mr. Pearson. But he will not stop there. He must go on to a more momentous conclusion. "If the mind-structure of a chemical combination can survive the dissolution of its physical vehicle, it is impossible to suppose that the mind-structure of a living being should not also survive under similar circumstances."

If we find such reasoning in the eighth chapter, it need not surprise us to read these words in the twenty-second chapter: "The soul of the ordinary human being cannot yet be fitted for any body which does not, at least, closely resemble a human body; and we must therefore suppose, either that it reincarnates in some human body on this earth of ours, or that it migrates to some other sphere where a suitable.body and suitable

conditions are provided for it. Of these alternatives, reincarnation on this earth is clearly the simpler, and we may reasonably adopt it in the absence of any evidence to the contrary."

The author manifests a decided leaning toward Theosophy and a decided aversion to orthodox Christianity-although he seldom alludes to Christian teachings. He tells us that " mansions," in St. John xiv, 3, is mere nonsense, inasmuch as the Greek original meant "restingplaces." He finds traces " of the "theory" of Reincarnation in St. John ix, 2-3; for he says, " clearly, if being born blind was due to the man's sin, it could only have been sin in a previous incarnation."

W. O. KINSOLVING.

My Ideals of Religion: Walter J. Carey. Longmans, Green and Co. 1917. Paper, $.40, cloth, $.65.

66

The apologetic of Mr. Carey is exactly that which meets the needs of people in general to-day. This particular book is avowedly written for the laity, or rather to the "men of goodwill" among them," the enormous class of men and women who deny neither God nor their conscience." He disclaims any fitness for writing for "men of the world" nor the man about town," but he writes to "sailors, soldiers, undergraduates, miners, clerks, laborers - men who are tempted as I am, have sinned as I have, wish to rise to better things as I do, to these I want to unfold the trials, the difficulties, the stumbles, the recoveries, the joys, the splendors, the adventures of the true religion of Jesus Christ." This is so refreshing that one longs to see how the writer will carry out his purpose. All who are familiar with Mr. Carey's method will anticipate that there will be straightforward and sympathetic dealing with the subjects considered - The Grounds of our Belief, How to Become a Christian, The Theology Behind the Sacraments and Schemes for Reform. He has been coming in close contact with men and women under the stress of life during the war and he has no platitudes nor compromises nor hazy indefiniteness to put forward as sufficient for the eager reaching out of minds and hearts and souls "athirst for the living God." He finds in man three instincts, for God, for goodness and for immortality, and he finds that experience shows that these instincts are satisfied in the complete and practiced religion of Jesus Christ as set forth in the Christian brotherhood, the Church. It is not religion, he declares, that is a fanciful fairy-tale. "On the contrary, the fairytale belongs to those who tell you that the strongest spiritual instincts.

in man have no real foundation. That is a fairy-story, if you like. If you tell a hungry man that food is an illusion; or a thirsty man that drink does not exist, then you can also tell the man that his hunger after righteousness, goodness and God, lacks and must always lack its proper object." This experience of religion he correlates with authority. He finds that Christianity has its roots in history and "has expressed itself in historical acts and episodes which lend themselves to be tested by the rules and canons of historical enquiry." It is not merely a pragmatic religion. "We can't quite say Christianity makes me so happy, and is so satisfying, that it must be true.' I can imagine people saying so I think I could myself, but it is not the way Christianity has been presented to the world. In its original presentation to the world by the Apostles it based itself on witness, particularly the witness of the Resurrection." We become Christians, the author goes on to say, by a union with the personality of Christ through prayer and Sacraments."Prayer guarantees that we are wishful for union with Him, Baptism effects the union, Holy Communion perfects it." Behind the Sacraments lies not merely sentiment, a subjective attitude of the feelings, and certainly not empty custom, but a theology which he states very simply as he had just stated it to a boy on board ship who had come to his cabin and asked to have Holy Communion and Christianity explained to him. Most interesting are Mr. Carey's schemes of reform. His ideal diocese includes a Bishop who must be "a constitutional ruler and the father of his clergy and people" in whom the clergy feel that "they have a guardian of the Faith who will not tamper with the heritage derived from the past. He must be a witness and keeper of the Catholic faith as proved by, or agreeable to, Holy Scripture, and set out for public worship in the Book of Common Prayer. He may allow extras, at either end of the scale, but never at the sacrifice of the vast body of common matter. There may be variations, but there must be limits." The parish priest in this ideal diocese "must feel that his Bishop is not a new kind of pope, but a constitutional ruler who (following the Prayer Book) treats the Church of England as an authentic part of the Catholic Church of Christ with the undoubted right to vary its non-essentials, but in bulk in complete harmony with the faith and practice of the undivided Church." We have given samples from the stimulating and suggestive book to indicate the vigorous, frank loyalty which is just what the Church needs to employ everywhere to-day.

A. W. J.

A Bishop's Message. By the Rt. Reverend Ethelbert Talbot, D.D., LL.D., Bishop of Bethlehem. Philadelphia: G. W. Jacobs & Co.

We have nothing but commendation for this book of counsels which Bishop Talbot has dedicated to the Clergy whom he has ordained and to his young men who are looking forward to the Sacred Ministry. From an experience of over thirty years of his own Ministry nearly all of which have been spent in the work and office of the Episcopate the Bishop writes with equal kindness and sagacity on the cultivation. of the spiritual life, the practical difficulties and dangers of the pastoral office and many other problems which confront the Clergyman in the discharge of his duties under the conditions of modern life. In the several chapters nearly all the phases of the parson's life are touched upon his valid call to the ministry, his devotional life and dealing with souls, to his duties as a business man and a citizen and in relation to his Vestry, Choir, and Sunday School. The book is easy reading and full of wisdom not untinged with humor, good from beginning to end, and while of special interest to those to whom it is dedicated, Vestrymen, Choirmasters, and all Church workers should be able to work with a better understanding of the difficulties of others by a careful study of the Bishop's Message. W. H. B.

World-Builders All: The Task of the Rising Generation. E. A. Burroughs. Longmans, Green & Co. $.75. 1917.

The after-the-war problems" are quite properly engaging already the thoughts of many. The little book before us is addressed to the young men primarily who, when the war is over, will find that upon them devolves the task of building up what has been thrown down or marred by the disasters that have overtaken families, nations, universities and other groups in the life of the human race. It is inscribed to the masters and boys of our great English public schools and is written in just the vein that touches the type of manliness and loyalty to ideals that are produced by these schools. Religion is given its rightful place, as the foundation for the rebuilding. If Christ comes in, He comes as Master, and He must have His own way in the house," is the figurative expression drawn from public school life which will carry the lesson home to the hearts of those who, from their experience, will know just what is meant. Practical prayer, the cross and many another deep subject are dealt with and illustrated from incidents of the war. The volume is a good one to put into the hands of young men at the present moment.

66