The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-10-04
LITERATURE.
BOOkf,

York Harper * Brothers, New York, Jan
sen. McCurg IL Co., Chicago. For sale bl
Hapeman u Graham, Ottawa. s2Oo'
When the disciples of Jesus recovering
from their dismay al his cruciiiXion, got I"
gether in Jerusalem and decided 70 g
forth and found church on the basal doc
trine that this Jesus whom the Jews ha'
crucitied was the Christ, the Messiah io
whose advent they had for so many weary
years been looking, their Great Argumen
was that the carpenters son, in AL the "a
lent events of his life, and the characters
tic features of his teachings and doctrines
was complete, unmistakable and indublt
able realization and personification OF the
Christ or Messiah whose coming had been
so clearly and pointedly prefgured in the
whole Jewish ceremonial system ana Ill
rectly foretold by their prophets. To the
Jews that argument was unanswerable eX-
cept by brute force, and 70 the GentiIe'
who knew nothing about the Jewish cere-
monial system, types, scripture or prom.
ecies, il was foolshness. When, however,
the apostles, finding the Jews so encased in
pride and prejudice as TO be impenetrable
70 their reasoning, turned TO the Gentilc,,
and laid before them the history and
claims of the Jewish scriptures, of which a
translation into their own language Greek
had been I'm their possession for at least
three hundred years, and eXpounded TO
them the prophecies in the light OF cotem-
porary events with which they were famil-
lar, the Great Argument had such an etfe; 4
that in comparatively short time the
greater part of the then known Gentle
world yielded TO the Argument and EN-
braced Christianity. If that argument was
good then, Is ii not good today?
If it was true then that the types and
shadows of the Jewish ritual had for two
thousand years prefgured the sacrifice on
Calvary, and long line of prophecies, GOV
ering an equal space, had designated the
time" when the scepter shall depart from
Judah" as the date of that sacrifice, should
the actual occurrence of that coincidence
not be of equal force and significance TO us
today that it was then? So, at least, thinks
Professor Thompson; and he proceeds with
no less devoutness of purpose than scholar
ly precision to present that argument with
all the accumulated force ii obtains from a
careful exegesis of the scriptural texts aid.
ed by an exceptional knowledge he has at
tanned Of the habits of thought and expires
sion in the east from a long residence there
While to the theologian the Great Argu.
ment' may be familiar enough ii is 50 few
laymen, and among the latter TO the devout
seeker after sold foundation for his faith
and the hope that is in him its study can.
not fail to be full of consolation
BACON. BY X. W. Church, Dean Of St PauPs
Harper " Brothers, New York; Jansen, Nc.
Clurg ~ Co. Chicago. For sale by IIapeman
u Graham, Ottawa. Price IS cts.
The Morley series Of English Men of
Letters would of course be incomplete
without life of Lord Bacon; yet the au {
thor of the volume before us, who shows no
lack of admiration for his subject, is con.
strained at the outset to admit that "the life
Of Francis Bacon is one which il is pain !
b write or to read" While he was ,
man whose life work appeared to be c
10 do great things to enlighten and elevate ,
ms race, ana his career was such as To place {
him among the few chosen examples of :,
human achievement" no man ever lived I
with apparent aims so lofty and noble com.
hned aims 50 beggarly and grovelling. I
All remember Pope's antithesis: THE n
greatest, wisest, medneSt," &c. Its Justice is \
lndisputable. With the most brilliant in ~
ellectual endowments, IA profound and va
-ied knowledge and aconsummate wisdom,
be combined a low, cringing time serving =,
morality that fitted him for acts of amazing :,
meanness. To write the life of such a man :,
hat should at the same time exhibit him u
in all his intellectual greatness and not con I,
zeal his astounding littleness, and do JUS
ice TO both, was an undertaking that un. St
ioubtedly required courage, but the task %
las been well performed, The worthy c,
Dean of st. PauFs, though abundantly sym. u
pathetic, is yet sufficiently impartial TO tell
plain, unvarnished tale, setting forth clear
y and sOberly the authentic facts that bear
lpon the meaner phase of his life, while G
t the same time he is able TO do Justice 10 C,
lis virtues and to his transcendent abilities N
Is lawyer, judge, statesman, author and Il
philosopher. The book is one none will fl
all 10 finish after beginning to read it, p
essays AND LEAVES FROM NoTE Book. By re
George Eliot, New York. Harper ~ Broth &c
ers. Chicago; Jansen, McCmrg " Co. OF :.
tawa: Hapeman ~ Graham Price 20 cts. ~
Those who have formed their estimate of .
ieorge Eliot AS writer from her later nov. al
's'will be agreeably surprised on taking y
p these Essays" There is in them none II
( that profound melancholy we find in her u
ater writings. What for instance, could u