Its Character and Contents.

The book professes to include those passages of Scripture "appearing to be most level to the understandings of children and youth at school, and also the best fitted to be read under the direction of teachers not necessarily qualified, and certainly not recognised, as teachers of religion. No passage has either been introduced or omitted under the influence of any peculiar view of Christianity, doctrinal or practical." The last sentence of this extract from the preface is enough to show the absurdity of the notion that the aim or result of the selection has been such as to exclude any occasion for sectarian controversy in the exposition of it.

The work makes no pretence to com- page 5 pleteness; indeed, it is avowedly a fragment. It was published at intervals (no dates are given), in four parts. The first covers the Book of Genesis, with some illustrative passages from the Psalms and other parts of the Bible; the second deals with Exodus and Numbers and portions of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, illustrated in the same way. The other two are from the New Testament, one including most of Luke's Gospel, the other the greater part of the Acts. Each lesson is followed by a list of questions to be put and words to be explained to the pupils. A mere glance at the latter is enough to confirm the statement of the preface, that no exclusions have been made on doctrinal grounds. Here are some of the words best fitted to be expounded by one "not necessarily qualified, and certainly not recognised, as a teacher of religion" : Redeemed, remission, propitiation, justification, ministry, revelation, resurrection, conversion, elect. What is a lay and unqualified teacher to make of these? And, let him do as he may, what glorious opportunities of heresy-hunting he is bound to afford to a school committee with a taste for sport ! If it were possible to regard the matter seriously, one could only say that it seems a shocking insult to pupils and teachers, to the Bible, and to common sense, that ignorant and, it may be, sceptical laymen should be asked to expound these sacred mysteries.