"And den, Mr. Breacher, it ish said dat Jonah was cast into de sea and taken into de whalesh pelly. Now I never could pelieve dat. It alwaysh seemed to me to pe a peeg feesh story, put it ish all plain to my mint now. vash not into de whalesh pelly at all, but shust shumpt onto his pack, and rode ashore. Oh, I vash so glat I vash here to-night! He "And now, Mister Breacher, if you will shust explain a bassage of Scripture I shall pe, oh, so happy dat I vash here to-night! It saish de vicked shall be cast into a lake that purns with fire and primstone alwaysh-O Mr. Breacher, shall I pe cast into that lake if I am vicked! or shust close_py, or near to, shust near enough to pe comfortable? Oh, I hopes you tell me I shall be cast only shust py a good vay off, and I vill pe so glat Í vash here to-night! The Annihilation Controversy. We have received the following letters from our esteemed friend, Mr. Rogers. He may very cheerfully abide the sneers of Mr. White, who is so genial a gentleman that he would not betray so much temper if he had not been severely smitten. The dogmatism of the Editor of the Rainbow is noteworthy; the controversy is pretty well over when the ipse dixit of Dr. Leask stands instead of argument. To the Editor of the "Sword and the Trowel.” Camberwell, January 6th, 1871. DEAR SIR.-The Rev. Edward White has declined the controversy with me upon the subject of eternal punishment from, to use his own words, "a natural reluctance to be involved further with a gentleman who always writes in the tone of a tutor, and one possessing the rare power of assertion requisite for converting untrained youths, from town and country, in little more than two years, into expositors of God's word, and pastors of Baptist congregations." The Editor of the "Rainbow" refuses to insert any further communication from me upon the subject. in these words:" Rev. G. Rogers will please excuse us. It is a waste of time and space to say more on the subject. Eternal suffering is not the doctrine of Scripture." Yours truly, G. ROGERS. The following is the letter refused insertion in the "Rainbow." DEAR SIR, Mr. White's reply to what he has styled my hold and audacious challenge, demands some further observations from me. The points to have been discussed by him are, 1. Whether there are not instances in the New Testament in which the doctrine of eternal punishment is affirmed as decisively and fully as it could have been affirmed in the Greek language? Whether, in fact, the eternal happiness of the righteous, or the eternity of God, is expressed in stronger terms? 2. Whether there are any instances in which the limitation of future punishment is as clearly and fully affirmed? and 3. Whether there are indirect allusions, figurative illustrations and inferential intimations, sufficiently numerous and powerful, to qualify the plainest declarations upon the subject? Of the first of these enquiries, in which the whole challenge consisted, and which admits of one reply only, Yes! or No! no notice whatever is taken. The second, which alone could have nullified the first, is also passed over in silence. To the third, which by itself can have no force, Mr. White's observations are limited. He says the doctrine of eternal punishment would have been conveved more clearly in the Scriptures if such expressions as " death,"" perishing." destruction," being "killed," "burnt up as like chaff and tares," "blotted from the book of life," "broken to shivers," "ground to powder," and "dashed to pieces like a potter's vessel," had not been used. But what evidence is there that these expressions were intended to teach the nature or duration, or anything beyond the certainty, the suddenness, and the completeness of the punishment of the wicked? All of duration included in the literal and conventional meaning of these terms is coufined to this life, and no more applies to Mr. White's view of the duration of punishment after death than our own. Mr. White surely did not expect that figurative illustrations of eternity itself could be taken from the things of time? It would be just as wise to maintain that the doctrine of the eternity of God, and of the happiness of the righteous, is impaired because figurative representations of them are taken from temporal things. Mr. White further avers that the eternity of future punishment would have been more clearly taught in Scripture if man's natural immortality had been affirmed. Supposing, however, the soul to be naturally and necessarily immortal, there would have been no need to have affirmed it in connection with eternal death any more than in connection with eternal life. If natural immortality were included in life in Christ, a distinct proposition ought far more to have been given to that effect. Mr. White replies, further, that if warning had been given against taking the terms life and life eternal, in the sense of duration of existence, the doctrine of a natural immortality would have been more clearly revealed. We needed foot notes, he thinks, to prevent us from taking these terms in a physical sense. Much more we conceive, did we require foot notes to inform us that physical, as well as spiritual, life was included in those terms. This physical idea forced into combination with the spiritual idea of life in Christ is the great assumption upon which Mr. White's theory is built. Why foisted into this figurative description of the benefits derived from an interest in Christ any more than in his being our light, a door, or a vine? Does Mr. White really suppose that he has discovered a similar combination of ideas in our speaking of the destruction of the soul, as including "separation from God and perpetual misery"? Surely these two things are far more closely allied than physical and spiritual life. One more instance in which Mr. White suggests that the eternity of future punishment might have been more fully revealed, would have been by more frequent, and, as I understand him to mean, more terrible descriptions upon the subject. Another writer, at the same time, gives a similar reply. The question, however, is not how often the eternity of suffering needed to be revealed, in order to command our belief, but whether it has not been revealed as plaiuly and fully as words could express? It is to a small part only of my paper that Mr. White has condescended to reply. The bearing of the subject upon the redemption-scheme, and upon the Lamb for ever upon the throne, he cautiously avoids. His allusions to myself personally, and to the College with which I am connected, are wholly irrelevant to the occasion; and in my opinion would have been better omitted for his sake rather than my own. I trust I have had no other aim than to defend what I hold to be the teaching of the word of God; nor am I conscious of having transgressed the rules of fair controversy in so doing. G ROGERS. THERE are some things we must deny ourselves for others' sakes. Though would do very ill to come scouring through a town where children are in the way. Thus some things thou mayst do without sin to thee, if there were no weak Christians in the way to ride over, and so bruise their tender consciences. But, alas! this is too narrow a path for mere professors to walk in nowadays; they must have more scope for their loose hearts, or else they and their profession must part.-Gurnall. Reviews. We have many books still waiting for notice, and we hope to mention them all in due time, but we are just now pressed for space. We have this month noticed first those needing immediate attention. The London Monthly Diaries for 1871. | The Grey House on the Hill. OUR esteemed friend, C. R. H., has it which has carried it into execution. Re The Child's Companion for 1870. paper covers, The Diary of Nannette Dampier, during the years 1664-66. Written by her in the French Language, and now translated into English. By ANNA J. BUCKLAND. Johnstone and Hunter. A GOOD book, and calculated to make its readers good. It is a diary of a young lady in a Puritan family, during the plague,and deals with her inner life as well as with the events of the times. It will suit Sunday School libraries admirably. * I don't agree with you Mr. Editor in Honourable Mrs. GREEN. By the Nelson WE handed this story to a lady, who promised to give us her opinion in return. She is a lady of exquisite taste, and remarkable good sense, and therefore we give her remarks as we receive them. 66 "A very tender, touching story: one which cannot fail to interest and de light all true-hearted boys and girls. 'Magna est veritas et prævalebit' is the lesson it teaches; and I can but hope that all who read it may learn it well. The title is somewhat misleading. One straightway pictures to oneself a dear, cosy, old-fashioned country mansion; grey, of coarse, with hoary age, but flecked with the bright green and gold of moss and lichen; soft folds of crimson curtains shading the windows, and warm firelight glancing out from the shining panes. Alas! for imagination's pictures. The reality turns out to be a dreary, cold, hard-featured workhouse, to which the little hero of the story is banished for a time in suffering and disgrace. He is an orphan, friendless (save for a brother away at Sebastopol), for, the lines' falling to him at first in hard-worked, misunderstood, uncared very unpleasant places; but he has true, child-like faith in God, and is making of wrong-doing and dishonesty falls some friends, when terrible suspicions upon him, and even the good Doctor* and his equally good son, Tom,' are compelled to believe the overwhelming evidence against him. Off to the workhouse! for the doctor cannot have a thief and a liar in his house; but 'our old Tom'sticks steadfastly to his little friend, and at last has the intense happiness of completely establishing his innocence. The book concludes very pleasantly with the return of the brother from the Crimea, wounded, but worthy of the Victoria Cross, and with the triumphant reiteration of its motto-Magna est veritas et prævalebit."" your little sneer at doctors last month. Pictures and Stories of Natural His- | exception to the rule, it has happened tory. T. Nelson & Sons. in this case that the very best title for THREE most fascinating books. We mar- the whole series of sermons was the subvel more and more at the art and inge-ject of the first. "Rain upon the Mown nuity now brought to bear upon juvenile literature. Here we have pretty stories about live things in very simple words, almost all of one syllable; and to make these go down with the very young folks we have a superabundance of engravings, some of them most deliciously coloured. The demand for children's books must surely be great when a house like that of Messrs. Nelson gives so much attention to the supply. We almost wish we were boys again. The Hive; a Storehouse of Material for AFTER carefully looking through the The Students' Manual of Oriental History. A manual of the ancient history of the East to the commencement of the Median Wars. By FRANÇOIS LENORMANT and E. CHEVALLIER. Vol. II. Asher & Co., 13, Bedford Street, Covent Garden. We have shown our appreciation of Vol. Rain upon the Mown Grass, and other Grass" is a most apt emblem of the whole manner and matter of the preacher of Westminster chapel. We hardly know what Mr. Matthew Arnold means by "sweetness and light," but when we hear the words we always think of Mr. Martin. His is a sort of vigorous tenderness, a manly childlikeness, a transparent depth, a lowly height. To know the man and not to love him would argue a hideous distortion of heart. You do not love him because some one noble quality redeems obvious faults, but because, take him for all in all, you see a balanced graciousness in him which you discover in very few even of the best of the brotherhood. The sermons before us are fresh, sparkling, living, clear; and they drop into the soul softly and sweetly as rain upon the grass which is newly shorn. A master's touch is visible on every page, but there is no trace of art, pretentiousness, or straining for effect. The themes are most of them the elementary truths of the gospel, and these are not elaborated into obscurity, nor philosophised in to unimimportance, but simply and honestly handled after the natural manner of a refined and spiritual mind. There is no hurricane, or flood, but there is a dew from the Lord, and a clear, calm shining. Softness and strength here melt into each other, and lend a mutual adornment. Perhaps not to the uneducated, but certainly to persons in whom piety and taste are united, this halfguinea volume will prove a welcome addition to sermon literature. Our space does not admit of our saying more. The Spanish Brothers; a Tale of the Sixteenth Century. By the Author of "The Dark Year of Dundee." Nelson & Sons. THIS is one of the Schönberg-Cotta series of historical stories, which is of itself a sufficient passport to the confidence of readers of that class of literature. If we must have religious and historical novels let them be such as these. The subject is full of holy interest, and the treatment of it is devout and inspiring. Sources of Joy in Seasons of Sorrow; | mend it to our readers. The great with other help on the heavenward assistance such translations as Messrs. way. By JAMES GRANT. William Clarke lay before their subscribers must Macintosh. be to all expounders of the sacred Scriptures, makes us wish to see the circulation of this excellent series greatly increased. To tried believers this work will answer Grant has now produced some fifty this volume. Clarke's Foreign Theological Library. Two more volumes equal to the others The Sunday School World. Edited by It is WILL no doubt be found on every Wesleyan's table. Memoranda. THE Watchnight Service at the Tabernacle, despite the intense cold and the deep snow, was exceedingly well attended, the place being well filled. After the few minutes' silence, which is always observed before the striking of the clock, the following hymn was sung, having been composed by the Pastor for the occasion : At midnight praise the Lord Into the coming year But march with voice of praise, |