its � the disgrace of churches and the of states � that even make it a question with not men whether on the whole christianity has done more of good or of mischief in the world � that make it no question at all but that if christ were to come again he would be again by the chief priests what shall we do with christianity why if we can improve upon it improve upon paul s christianity as paul improved upon peter s christianity develop it further more widely an than it has ever been developed yet work out its great enduring principles the full length to which they will go as principles in their varied to every department of human thought and life its eternal spirit in new forms of and beauty as the spirit of humanity itself rises to new heights and tries its strength in new modes of being and action work out by the light and with the resources of our own day and generation its grand idea of a kingdom of heaven and of god carry its justice its freedom and its faith into our literature our trade our politics and wherever else freedom and faith can find or make a place for themselves do all we can with this and with every other genuine utterance of the spirit of humanity that shall make us wiser stronger truer men � bring us into nearer intelligence of the laws and sympathy with the spirit of the great world of god � the year has been distinguished with us above any of its by the of valuable works both ancient and modern not only are the latest and poorest blown in the old world re blown in the new but the heavy over which wisdom has grown pale and the iron hand of diligence become weary in the composition are also presented to us not many years ago if we remember rightly a asked the aid of the of his state to enable him to issue s not daring to trust two alone among the valuable works we would name the works of lord vo the letters of april fo s history of the to s history of the saxon church vol vo the speeches of lord vo and the works of lord bacon in royal vo in these volumes we have all the works of lord bacon arranged after the manner of s edition accompanied with his life of that philosopher and furnished with an index more convenient than that in the english edition here we have the substance of seventeen english volumes for about a fifth part of the cost of the original edition and in a very form we love to see elegant books but not the less those of a sort which can find their way to a farmer s fireside we learn that another edition of bacon is in course of publication amongst os in numbers designed for still wider circulation at some period we hope to return to mr s edition of bacon and consider the merit and influence of the method in philosophy some other books we would notice more particularly r i the history of christianity from the birth of christ to the of in the roman empire by the rev h h d c with an by james d d new york vol vo here the three elegant volumes of the original are compressed into one in the american paper and type are such as we usually receive from the press of the messrs the work is written with n good deal of but bears few marks of that at once various exact and profound which we expect from an historian of the church and fewer still it may be of that grasp of mind that philosophic power which and the course and spirit of an age a grasp and a power which we may require of a writer who measures himself against the greatest historical and philosophical problem of the world � the rise extension development and destination of christianity attempts a history of christianity enters upon a vast field where the ground is uncertain and its limits not defined perhaps scarce he must tell us what christianity is in itself and what is its foundation when it was first made manifest in the world under what circumstances and with what when and in whom it reached its highest point and what has been the course of its development and what its influence negative and positive on the human race how it has acted on men and how their superstition and sin have ed upon their notions of christianity these four as we take it present themselves to the philosophic writer who aims to the christian idea and its historical development he must tell us whether christianity be the absolute religion or not the absolute religion if the latter what are its considered in itself if the former what is the history f its successive and of its application in the under what forms has it been contemplated and what have men set to this perfect religion if the author takes the view that christianity is absolute religion then the whole matter itself into this what relation did the form of any time and place bear to this absolute religion or when the absolute religion was proclaimed what did it find and how were they met various preliminary questions must be answered no doubt for example how do we get at the idea of absolute religion in general how that of christianity in particular to look at the latter question and see what it christianity is one historical of religion amongst many other which ar e more or less imperfect we become acquainted with it by means of historical witnesses sacred and profane then the question comes are the witnesses competent to testify in the premises here comes the critical question if they are and we 