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"The Kingdom of Grace is the city of God, which is set amidst the darkness; and the Kingdom of Glory is the city of God, which is set above the darkness for evermore. In a very true sense these two cities of God are one; and both are Jerusalem, the city of His love; both are the abode of His Angels, His Saints, His servants; both are flooded and filled with the brightness of His throne.

"Blessed are they who keep His commandments and do His will: blessed are they who always in purity and innocence of heart tread the courts of His house with His Saints and Angels .... No words can express the utter desolation of souls that are lost in mortal sin. For them the sun shines not; the flowers grow not; the rain falls not. They listen neither to the voice of creation nor the whispers of grace; spring and summer, autumn and winter, come and go, but these souls hear not their message; what is far worse, Advent and Lent, Christmas, Easter, Whitsuntide, pass by unheeded; they are clothed in their darkness, wrapt in their grave-clothes, fettered with chains far stronger than steel." (pp. 13-14.)

Or again :

"Protestantism is the dethroning of Jesus, and the denial of the revelation of God. It is the rising up of the human will against the Divine will; and it is caused by the pride of man's natural heart rebelling against the humbling doctrines of the Gospel." (p. 31.)

Or again, in this beautiful passage from "the Name of Jesus" :

:

"This is what He did for us, and how did He do it? Rama, and Egypt, and Gethsemane, and Calvary, and the Garden Tomb give the answer to the question. A lonely Wanderer, weary, and hungry, and thirsty, went up and down the world, seeking for the lost, gathering them into His love, carrying them in His Arms, bringing them into His House. A Face so venerable, so careworn, so full of love as His, had never been seen among men. A Presence so majestic and yet so tender had never before sent a thrill through human hearts. He seems to look into all faces with a wistful, pleading look, a look of Divine compassion, and Divine tenderness, and inexpressible love. And still He says to each, I am a houseless Wanderer in this great city, will you give Me a shelter for the night? The storm is breaking upon Me, and the darkness covers Me, and a burning agony dries My Heart up with thirst, will you be to Me a hiding-place from the storm? Will you be to Me as a river of water, as a covert from the whirlwind and the rain? Thus pleadingly He speaks as He looks into each face, and goes on His weary way despised and rejected of men.'" (pp. 116-117.)

No one can deny that " great truths" treated in this way, instinct with love and devotion, clothed in the pure, genuine English of Father Rawes's style, must do good to every one who takes up the book, and we are delighted to see that a third edition of it has been called for.

Sermons by the Fathers of the Congregation of S. Paul the Apostle, New York. Vol. VI. The Catholic Publication House. 1871.

TH

HIS sixth volume of the Sermons of the Paulists fully sustains the character of the other five. We are much in need of some such plain, clear, practical sermons in this country for spiritual reading among ordinary

people, and for the use of families and servants in the country and at a distance from any Catholic church, or employed in nursing sick persons and young children. At such times the total deprivation of the Word of God as preached is often very sensibly felt, and a certain hardness and barrenness is induced in the soul which paves the way in the uneducated for many temptations. The Sermons of the Paulists are printed in a clear bold type, which adds to their usefulness for families and lending-libraries, or for darkened rooms in sickness.

Some Elements of Religion: Lent Lectures, 1870. By H. P. LIDDON, D.D. London: Rivingtons.

WE

E had hoped to give a careful notice of this truly admirable volume: but time forbids; and we may not improbably make it the theme of a short article in our next number. Canon Liddon writes in the best possible spirit and with signal ability. As we read, our wonder increases that the author should have condescended to sanction the "English Church Defence Tracts."

THE

Reflections on the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. From the French. By a Religious of Loretto Convent, Navan. Burns, Oates, & Co. 1872. HIS is an excellent everyday manual for Lent. There are a profusion of beautiful French books on the Passion for such as can profit by them; but there has been a singular scarcity of what may be called, without irreverence, popular books, not of devotion, but for reading and reflection--on the Passion of Our Lord. This volume of Reflections, entering, as they do, minutely into all the stages of the Great Sacrifice of the Cross, not only excite devotional feeling and contrition, but convey also a great body of scriptural knowledge, which is one chief foundation of devotion.

Wilfulness and its Consequences. A Tale extracted from the Diary of a Sister of Mercy. By Lady Herbert. Burns & Oates. 1872.

HIS prettily-told and useful story was written by Lady Herbert, on the

THIS occasion of the half-jubilee of the present Superior of Blandford

Square Convent. It contains by way of introduction a clear sketch of Catherine McAuley, the eminent foundress of the Order of Mercy, and some excellent remarks by the writer on the predominant wilfulness of the present day. Like all Lady Herbert's stories, it is full of interest and pathos, and fully to the point.

Little Pierre, the Pedlar of Alsace; or, the Reward of Filial Piety. Translated from the French. By J. M. C., with twenty-seven illustrations, New York: The Catholic Publication Society. London: Burns, Oates, & Co.

A

PLEASANT tale for children, with really good illustrations. The picture of the stork standing on one leg, on the highest point of an old ruin, with the spire of Strasburg in the distance, is worthy almost of Gustave Doré. The binding also is most attractive, with just enough of bright colour to attract a child's eye. Nor if the book be opened will disappointment follow, for although of the very simplest nature, the tale will go straight to a child's heart, by the description of Little Pierre's endeavours to set up in the world. There is one thing, however, in the little book, at which we venture to say children will not be pleased, and that is, that when Little Pierre loses his dog Fox, the dog remains lost for ever, and nothing more is said about him. Children are so fond of animals, that for them the total loss of Fox will cast a shade over all the rest of the tale, however happy the ending. Like everything connected with Alsace, the story breathes throughout the atmosphere of the Catholic religion, and the account of the origin as well as the description of the sanctuary of our Lady of Marienthal cannot fail to suggest feelings of devotion to her, whose blessed name cannot be too early on the lips of every child. We have no means of judging when the tale was originally written in French, but we may mention in connexion with the recent annexation of Alsace to Germany, that the German as well as the French element is represented in its pages. Thus the excellent M. Vincent had never felt satisfied with the union of Alsace to France; when he wrote the name of Rastadt, a deep sigh escaped his lips, and he said to Pierre, "It was in the château of Rastadt, my friend, that the agreement was ratified which gave France the possession of Alsace in 1713. This castle is to-day, thank God, nothing but a barrack." Perhaps the excellent M. Vincent would now somewhat modify his opinion, were he to see the whole of beautiful Alsace transformed, as it is at the present moment, into one vast barrack for Prussian soldiers. The translation is fair, although at times a little stiff. There is also a little confusion as to the position of towns on the German side of the Rhine. One does not pass by Heidelberg in going from Carlsruhe to Baden-Baden.

Aunt Margaret's Little Neighbours; or, Chats about the Rosary. By SKELTON YORKE, &c. Washbourne. 1872.

THIS

HIS pretty book carries out a very good idea, much wanted, to impress upon people who do not read much, or upon those who cannot read at all, the vivid picture or story of each mystery of the Rosary. Well-educated

people would perhaps be much surprised, considering the immense number who use the Rosary as a daily devotion, how singularly few are those who know the mysteries upon which they are supposed to meditate. Long experience teaches that with the quite uneducated, pictures alone, without some story or vivid teaching which fixes them discriminately upon the mind, are of little use; while a story without pictures makes often an indelible impression. The writer of this charming little volume knows how to speak to the imagination, and her pure allegory, such as that in "Perseverance to the End,” is better than her mixed tales. She would do well to write a volume of Catholic allegories in the fashion of Monro's "Vast Army" and "Dark River, so fascinating to children, and which would be to us all, especially to boys, a great boon.

The Lives of the Saints. By Rev. S. BARING-GOULD, M.A. February. Hodges. 1872.

THE

HE second volume of Mr. Baring-Gould's Lives is fully equal to his first. His research and painstaking industry may be somewhat judged of by the fact of his giving us separate notices of more than two hundred saints-exclusive in several cases of their companions in martyrdom-for the single month of February. Many of the lives are generally unknown. The narrative is original while perfectly clear, the legends wonderfully picturesque, and the tone and feeling deeply reverent. Such a book as this is eloquent of hope for the future.

Contemplations on the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, &c. New edition. Washbourne. 1872.

HIS reprint, with the approbation of the venerable Bishop Milner,

Scriptural devotion. It contains thirty-four excellent subjects of reflection. before the Blessed Sacrament, or for making a spiritual visit to the Blessed Sacrament at home, or for the use of the sick. The contemplations are full of solid piety, and calculated to excite and increase true devotion to our Lord in the Tabernacle.

Dramas from the Lives of the Saints. Germaine Cousin, the Shepherdess of Pibrac. By Lady Georgiana Fullerton. Burns & Oates. 1872.

VEN in the slightest production from her pen, Lady Georgiana Ful

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recognized. Much demand has at times been made for suitable children's plays in convent and other Catholic schools; and we welcome any work of this kind, that is easily committed to memory and interesting, while also fil! of good feeling, and elevating in tone. We shall hope to see many m hese little plays.

Correspondence.

To the Editor of the DUBLIN REview.

DEAR SIR, I feel very grateful for the kind notice given in the DUBLIN REVIEW of my work on "The Vicar of Christ." I thank you from my heart for your kindness. As, however, the critic has misunderstood me upon a very important point, you will permit me to explain myself, without any intention, however, of attacking my kind reviewer.

My argument is this. A man cannot logically reject the evidences of the Catholic Church. By so doing, he tramples on the laws of reason and evidence. The natural consequence of such a course is the rejection of even natural religion, and the return to deism or paganism, practically, if not theoretically. I had no idea of even hinting, that natural religion does not stand on its own basis; as in other works of mine I have proved this, and even the first dogmatic definition of the Vatican Council affirms it.

Facts all around us prove the truth of my assertion: and if my language is strong, it is in view of these terrible facts.

Thanking you again for your kindness to me, and taking the opportunity to assure you of my respect and regard,

I am,

Your humble servant in Jesus Christ,

Chancery Office, New York, August 24th, 1872.

T. S. PRESTON.

[We have very great pleasure in inserting this letter. We much regret our unintentional injustice to Dr. Preston, and are heartily glad that he did not mean what we supposed. We can add nothing to what we said in July (p. 215), on the great value and excellence of Dr. Preston's volume.-ED. D. R.]

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