Nonconformist.

From his lively portraits they will learn to know some of the
finest spirits England has produced; while from his able and
comprehensive summaries of the works they left behind them, any
reader of quick intelligence may acquaint himself with their
leading thoughts.

II.

THEISM:

THE WITNESS OF REASON AND NATURE TO AN ALL-WISE AND BENEFICENT
CREATOR.

Octavo, 10s. 6d.

Christian Remembrancer.

Dr Tulloch's Essay, in its masterly statement of the real nature
and difficulties of the subject, its logical exactness in
distinguishing the illustrative from the suggestive, its lucid
arrangement of the argument, its simplicity of expression, is
quite unequalled by any work we have seen on the subject.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD & SONS, EDINBURGH AND LONDON.

RELIGION AND THEOLOGY.

2 Cor. xi. 3.--"The simplicity that is in Christ."

There is much talk in the present time of the difficulties of
religion. And no doubt there is a sense in which religion is always
difficult. It is hard to be truly religious--to be humble, good, pure,
and just; to be full of faith, hope, and charity, so that our conduct
may be seen to be like that of Christ, and our light to shine before
men. But when men speak so much nowadays of the difficulties of
religion, they chiefly mean intellectual and not practical
difficulties. Religion is identified with the tenets of a Church
system, or of a theological system; and it is felt that modern
criticism has assailed these tenets in many vulnerable points, and
made it no longer easy for the open and well-informed mind to believe
things that were formerly held, or professed to be held, without
hesitation. Discussions and doubts which were once confined to a
limited circle when they were heard of at all, have penetrated the
modern mind through many avenues, and affected the whole tone of
social intelligence. This is not to be denied. For good or for evil
such a result has come about; and we live in times of unquiet
thought, which form a real and painful trial to many minds. It is not
my intention at present to deplore or to criticise this modern
tendency, but rather to point out how it may be accepted, and yet
religion in the highest sense saved to us, if not without struggle
(for that is always impossible in the nature of religion), yet without
that intellectual conflict for which many minds are entirely unfitted,
and which