NOTICES OF THE PRESS. THE BANNER.-"Very few names are better known to us than that of Dr. David Thomas. And perhaps it would be difficult to mention two authors who, during the last quarter of a century, have influenced so much the pulpits of Great Britain and America, and indeed every country where the English language is spoken, as the late Robertson, of Brighton, and Dr. Thomas, of Stockwell. These two in their works are a kind of public property of all denominations alike, Conformists as well as Nonconformists. You can generally tell, when you see a volume of any author's works on a table to what denomination the family belongs; but when you see Robertson's Sermons, or any of Dr. Thomas's works, you have not the slightest clue as to what denomination the family belongs, whether they are Cons or NonThe productions of the Churchman from Brighton are read with delight by Dissenters; and, on the other hand, the Dissenter from Stockwell is read and studied with pleasure by Churchmen." cons. CHRISTIAN SPECTATOR." The Homilist is, of all thought-books for ministers, the most suggestive and philosophical we have seen. If we have any objection to make, it is on the score of a too prodigal expenditure of mental wealth." DUNDEE DAILY ADVERTISER.-"Without copying Robertson of Brighton, there is a prevailing spirit in this publication which perpetually reminds you of his sublime utterances. Dr. Thomas is a man of a spirit so profound and comprehensive, so catholic and charitable, that The Homilist could not be other than that which it is. For the man always underlies the book which he writes. The Homilist is so rich in exquisite utterances that the attempt at quotation in this notice would be to commence illimitable enlargement. The Homilist is the best preacher's annual which we know. We do not highly laud when we affirm that in the department of religious literature to which it belongs, it has no worthy competitor." CHURCH STANDARD.-"That the author is fully equal to the discussion of such topics, few who are acquainted with his qualifications will presume to deny. He is evidently a man of refined taste and cultivated intellect. He has rendered high service to the cause of truth as an expositor and a critic. There are passages which, for richness of imagery and choiceness of rhetoric, have scarcely been surpassed. The very significance and symbolism of language seem to be exhausted in the elegant structure of many of these nervous and inspiriting paragraphs." The Leading Homily. A UNIVERSAL NEW YEAR'S PRAYER. "GOD BE MERCIFUL UNTO US, AND BLESS US; AND CAUSE HIS FACE TO SHINE UPON US; SELAH. THAT THY WAY MAY BE KNOWN UPON EARTH, THY SAVING HEALTH AMONG ALL NATIONS. LET THE PEOPLE PRAISE THEE, O GOD; LET ALL THE PEOPLE PRAISE THEE. O LET THE NATIONS BE GLAD AND SING FOR JOY: FOR THOU SHALT JUDGE THE PEOPLE RIGHTEOUSLY, AND GOVERN THE NATIONS UPON EARTH. SELAH. LET THE PEOPLE PRAISE THEE, O GOD; LET ALL THE PEOPLE PRAISE THEE. THEN SHALL THE EARTH YIELD HER INCREASE; AND GOD, EVEN OUR OWN GOD, SHALL BLESS US. GOD SHALL BLESS US; AND ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH SHALL FEAR HIM."-Psalm lxvii. 1-7. MORE suitable prayer for a whole nation at the opening of a new year could scarcely be composed. It is a medium through which the deepest, the strongest, and the wisest aspirations of philanthropy may breathe themselves out, breathe themselves into the ear of the loving Father of us all. I inquire not into its authorship. Whether it was Moses, or Asaph, or David, or some saint unknown, it matters not. Here it is, it suits our religious natures well: suits them as the air suits our lungs. Nor need I ask when or where it took its rise. It is a poem for all times and lands. Like the sun, it is the property of the race. I honour the unknown hand that wrote its living words, the sainted genius that gave it birth. Through it, as through the model prayer which Jesus of Nazareth gave the world, millions have poured out their souls, and millions more will do so down to the end of time. Underlying it there are five VOL. XL. B great universal truths-truths which kindled its aspirations and ruled its melodies. 27 I. THAT FRESH SUPPLIES OF DIVINE GOODNESS ARE CONSTANTLY NEEDED BY MAN. "God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause His face to shine upon us.' The benediction which the Almighty Himself put of old into the mouth of the high priest, to be pronounced on Israel, is the spirit and model of these words. This is it :"The Lord bless thee, and keep thee the Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."* Hence our text is Divine, and may be used with reverent and unbounded confidence. It invokes fresh communications of His love. "Bless us. Has not God always blessed us, through the whole of our life? Have not "goodness and mercy" followed us from the hour of our birth to the hour we have now reached? Is not our existence, and all the comforts, enjoyments, and privileges thereof, ascribable to His mercy? Verily. Still we need a continuation. A rest in the flow of His beneficence would be our ruin, would terminate our being in black extinction. This prayer therefore becomes us every hour of the day; it should go out with every exhalation of the soul, in order to draw back into its lungs a purer air. The words invoke also a fresh assurance of His love: "Cause His face to shine upon us.' This expression, which frequently occurs in Scripture, is expressive of God's favour and approval. The face is the symbol of the soul and the expression of its deepest things. When anger rises in the heart, a threatening cloud seems to gather over the countenance; but when love wells up within, the cloud vanishes and the countenance beams in sunshine. Hence the meaning of the prayer is, Assure us of Thy love. Now, this conscious dependence of the soul upon God is the very essence of religion. Whilst all men are dependent upon the Almighty every hour for their being and their wellbeing, there are but few of the race who are conscious of it. *Numbers vi. 24-26. |