the part of the administrator and subject; or it is coercive, and without alternative or possibility of change. Only one of these can be true.

Therefore, if there is no alternative power there cannot be any law, and if there is no law there cannot be any voluntary violation of personal authority, and consequently no offense is committed against the majesty of God. Under such circumstances it is absurd to talk of atonement; for where there is no bona fide injury done to the authorities atonement is neither necessary nor possible. A coercive system of government may be imagined as existing at the will of the divine Being, and as being under the direction of his personal presence and supervision; or it may exist as the product of the impersonal forces of nature acting by the power of evolution, or of continuous procession from some sufficient but unknown original center. In either case there is no amenability to law, no guilt is possible, and there is no salvation, as in either case, whether by prearrangement, without alternative choice, or by evolution, which means by continuous procession, that is, without a break, there is no infraction of law. Nothing is forfeited, and there is nothing to redeem; nothing is lost, and there is nothing to save. It appears to us that the scholasticism of this age should correct its vocabulary or conform its theology to the facts in the case. WILLIAM JONES. Butler, Mo.

"OUR BIBLE AND OUR FAITH."

DR. VAN PELT's well-balanced and altogether admirable discussion of the above subject in the January number of the Review seems to me to be open to some criticism. Without specifying the page and express language, unless I have misapprehended him after several careful readings, the discussion conveys the idea that the Bible, being only a medium, and not the object of our faith, has not the importance that recent discussions have given it. All must admit that Christ, and not the Bible, is the object of saving faith. But, while the Bible is only a medium of this faith, the inference that it is only of secondary importance to that faith is not, we believe, in accordance with fact, and departs from the recognized tenets of evangelical theology.

The canvas and paint in a Michael Angelo are only mediums through which we catch the divine ideas of the artist; and yet they are absolutely indispensable to the perpetuation of those ideas. Any tinkering with those mediums mars the idea. The only Christ we know is the Christ of Scripture. The only Christ we can teach to others is the Christ of the Bible, and that, too, after some formulated doctrine at the hands of fallible men, increasing daily in knowledge and wisdom. But is it not reasonable to suppose that, since we are in our present state so utterly dependent for a medium for the knowledge of the divine Christ, we should have from God a medium of absolute perfection? Such is our only primary source of knowledge. To me the Bible is that perfected medium, the sine qua non of our faith. CHARLES L. Bovard. Albuquerque, N. Mex.

THE ITINERANTS' CLUB.

NEW METHODS OF MINISTERIAL TRAINING.

THE best method of educating those destined for the learned professions, especially for the Christian ministry, is now a matter of discussion. It is somehow assumed by those who write upon the subject that the old method has proved a failure, or at least only comparatively successful. Looking at this subject from the standpoint of Methodists, however, it is clear that our first preachers were eminently successful in practical work. It is true they were revivalists, mostly without the training of the schools, but somehow they attracted all classes to their ministrations. Certainly no charge of failure to reach the masses could be laid upon them.

As the Church grew it became necessary to provide an education for her ministry, and it has therefore been the aim of the Church to secure for those who occupy her pulpits the best possible facilities. At first this education was confined largely to the college work. Later it came also to include a theological course, until now it is recognized as best that the student shall pass through an entire course of academic, collegiate, and theological training. Such is the condition of things to-day, and it is against this order of things that there is a kind of protest, because it is supposed that our preachers fail to reach the masses as they did formerly.

Yet no one would charge this failure, if it be a failure, to ministerial education; for certainly one cannot assume that an educated ministry would be a powerless ministry. It is claimed, therefore, that the difficulty lies in the want of knowledge of the conditions of the so-called "submerged classes." Hence the demand for what is called a new form of education. The recent visit of the senior class of a theological school to the charitable institutions of New York, including its slums and its lowest places, has been largely noticed by the public press. We may well consider whether such a visit should be counted as a part of the education, or whether it should be an incident and illustration in education. That some knowledge of the conditions of society is desirable for a young minister no one questions. But that it should form an integral part of education is the matter that we ought to consider.

The first requirement for ministerial training is that it shall provide discipline, that is, the culture of the powers and faculties of the student to their highest possible limits. The practical work of the ministry is nothing more than the normal exercise of one's faculties. No training, therefore, can be considered adequate for the ministry which is not essentially disciplinary. It is safe to say, therefore, that Latin and Greek and mathematics must be fundamental. Other discipline, it is true, is affirmed by many to be equally productive of mental culture. If, however, we take into consideration the specific culture required for the ministry,

Greek at least is essential for his practical work, and therefore should be required both as a discipline and as an acquisition of necessary knowledge. The present courses of study in our colleges and universities in these particulars is, for the ordinary student, sufficiently limited. The training of a minister must also include a study of the subject-matter of his teaching. This is the peculiar work of the theological school. The ordinary divisions of theological study are exegetical, systematic, historical, and practical theology. Neither of these could be well omitted in any thorough course of ministerial training, and these constitute the present sphere of the labors of theological professors.

It is necessary, however, to consider the attitude of mental training in relation to modern or experimental work. There is, at this time, a manifest distrust of old methods, and a tendency to education entirely by lectures of a character adapted to popular audiences. We cannot hesitate to admit that the ministry of to-day must meet the wants of to-day. The sociological developments of the age form a special subject of study for the ministry, and the university settlements and other organizations have taken a prominent hold on our modern philanthropic life. The institutional Church has come into existence, and what we desire to insist on is that, while a study of these things is desirable as a part of ministerial education, it should not be pursued to an extent which would interfere with the other studies of general discipline and information. In other words, it should be subsidiary and not occupy too much of the time. The training of the head and the training of the heart are so vital that no studies of a practical character, however important, can be substituted for them. The new method has a measure of value. We would, therefore, urge a strict adherence to the old methods of training, and supplement them by courses of lectures on topics of modern progress and the ordinary means of success in the ministry at this time. But we would protest against the new as a substitute for the old.

THE INTELLECTUAL VIGOR OF OLD MEN.

ONE of the fallacies current in our time is that of attempting to fix an absolute line dividing maturity and old age. It is specially mischievous when the line is drawn by years. Observation will teach us that some men in effective work, in all lines demanding intellectual vigor, are old at thirty, while others are young at seventy. But there now seems to be an increase in the age to which intellectual vigor may be continued.

The position of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the primate of all England, who on state occasions ranks next to the royal family, is certainly one demanding the services of a man in the fullness of his strength, and especially mental strength. The dignity of the office is further shown by the salary attached to it, this being about seventy-five thousand dollars a year and the use of the episcopal palace at Lambeth. The present Archbishop of Canterbury was appointed to this high office when

he was seventy-five years old. The recent bugle blast of Mr. Gladstone, from his resting place at the Riviera, on the relations of the European powers to the island of Crete is an astonishment to mankind. It is in line with the other intellectual labors of this distinguished statesman. At an age between eighty-five and ninety he has done a wonderful work in his annotations on Butler's Analogy, placing himself side by side with one of the most acute thinkers and reasoners that the centuries have produced. Now, in behalf of Crete, he has awakened the conscience of the world in an appeal to Europe which for fire, logical force, elegance of diction, and eloquence recalls the palmy days of the foremost speaker and statesman of the nineteenth century. In this view the press is a unit. We must not forget the pope at Rome, a few months younger than Mr. Gladstone, who still sends forth his encyclicals abounding in learning, and yet governs the Roman Catholic Church with a clearness of perception and a wisdom in statesmanship which we would expect of a man twenty-five years his junior. The fires of intellect still burn freshly, though the bodily powers have become weak. Bismarck, too, over eighty years of age, still has the vigor to speak to Europe and to instruct the nation in its crisis, and his words are still heard. The Systematic Theology of Dr. John Miley is the standard for the training of ministers of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. This work was written between the seventieth and eightieth year of its author, and during his full performance of his duties as a professor at Drew Theological Seminary. It may be said that these are the few; and yet one who would take the trouble to study the mental achievements of the world would find a result not unpromising to the intellectual vigor of men and women, even down to extreme old age. Our youth must not be overproud of their achievements in the presence of such facts as these.

The question before us is, How shall this intellectual vigor be promoted? For whoever aids in lengthening the usefulness of a life is adding another force to the elevation of our humanity. Intellectual vigor may be maintained partly by a care of the physical health. Wasted strength in early life will bear its baneful fruit in old age. So far as is known, the persons whose names we have indicated have lived moderately, indulging not so much in the luxuries as in the necessities of life; in other words, they have taken care of their health. Again, those who have maintained intellectual vigor to old age have mainly been persons who have prepared themselves thoroughly for the work to which they were called. They have developed their faculties by gradual processes, and attained in early years information and discipline which lay at the foundation of their lifework. With this preparation one's profession can be carried on by normal labor, rather than by extraordinary, spasmodic effort. It is not the regular work which wears out a life, but the overpressure which grows out of emergencies for which one is unprepared. The men who have not been prepared for their position by slow and gradual processes find it harder to summon their powers in an emergency, and consequently the strain upon them is greater. Besides, they have the disadvantage of 31-FIFTH SERIES, VOL. XIII.

having to make extra preparation for all emergencies, while one who has been thoroughly and properly trained is not easily taken at a disadvantage. It will be found, in most cases, that persons who maintain intellectual power in positions of prominence for a long period are those who have fitted themselves for it by such gradual processes as have been indicated. Further, intellectual vigor will be maintained by keeping oneself in constant sympathy with the onward movements of mankind. The world does not stand still. It cannot stand still. One who sits himself down at forty years of age and takes no account of human progress will soon get out of touch with the forces with which he has to do. He will lose sympathy, and will consequently lose intensity, and becomes a follower, and not a leader. The persons to whom we have already referred seem to be awake still to all the problems of life, and hence their ability to speak with authority. Mr. Gladstone is known as a profound student of Greek and Greek literature, and it is not wonderful that his old Hellenic spirit wakes up when he sees little Greece come to the front as a leader and win the respect of the world. He remembers the days of Marathon and Salamis, and somehow sees them repeated in the attitude of the Greeks of to-day. This memory of his early studies has no doubt awakened his sympathies and called forth the intellectual vigor of which we have been writing. We believe that there has been no period in the history of the Church when the worth of old men to the world was more apparent than now; and it is well worth the while of young ministers to ask how they may preserve their intellectual vigor down to the latest period of life.

UNSOUND CRITICISM ON MATT. XII, 40, 41.

"FOR as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here" (Revised Version of 1881).

The Book of Jonah has recently been summoned afresh to the bar of criticism, and great learning and research have been expended to show its unhistorical character. Thus far there has been one answer to all attacks on this and many other parts of the Old Testament, namely, that our Lord and Saviour has put upon it the seal of his own authority. It cannot be denied that attempts have been made to invalidate Christ's testimony, without denying his divinity, such as the doctrine of the Kenosis; but they have been recognized as inadequate to explain fully his unqualified utterances.

The most recent effort to set aside the testimony of Christ to the historic accuracy of the Book of Jonah is reported to have been made in Philadelphia. An eminent preacher had given his reasons for his views of the Bible, when he was met by a request to explain in harmony with