The Co-Sacrifice of Christ and His Members

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74 Book Reviews

true end when dedicated as part of His Mystical Body, which is the enduring organ of His action on earth. The Eucharist is the characteristic act of this Mystical Body, the common sacrifice of Christ and an believers, who are co-offerers with Hirn. "The Eucharist is fully acceptable to God only when it is offered up as the co-sacrifice of Christ and His rnernbers in one fellowship, and is directed towards the unique goal of all ascetic endeavour, the glorification of God."

This short notice only touches on a few points in a closely knit and elaborate argument. The book, which has been built up from instructions given to theological students, is not altogether easy reading; but priests and others called upon to give religious teaching will find it full of valuable and suggestive material.

Its outstanding quality is the inclusiveness and organic sense which rnaintains the difficult balance between the liturgie and personal, corporate and individual aspects of religious life.

According to Dr Jurgensmeier the doctrine of the Mystical Body is the necessary basis of the whole practice of Christian asceticism, and its great value is shown to consist " first of all in the influence it exerts upon the individual member, showing hirn the way to participate most profitably in liturgy; secondly, through liturgy, it fructifies the ascetic life of the individual, who is thus enabled to mould his life more and more on the pattern of Christ's life."

Only where liturgical revival rests on some such foundation as this, and presupposes a deep sense of spiritual unity in an taking part in it, can we expect it to exhibit its life-changing power.

EVELYN UNDERHILL.

RICHARD BAXTER, THE REFORMED PASTOR. Edited by John T. Wilkinson. The Epworth Press. 7s. 6d.

Richard Baxter's Reformed Pastorwas first published in 1656.

Mr Wilkinson has done weIl to make this religious classic accessible in an attractive form with a satisfying introduction.

Baxter's book is a monument ofa wonderful and fruitful ministry, a ministry of most self-denying labours. Kidderminster re- sponded weIl to the appeal of its devoted pastor. "When I came thither first," he wrote, " there was about one family in astreet that worshipped God and called on His name, and when I came away there were some streets where there was not past one family in the side of astreet that did not so, and that did not, by professing serious godliness, give us hopes of their sincerity, "

Baxter knows weIl the human heart. Pride is the root of most sins, and is one of the "most heinous and palpable."

at The University of Iowa Libraries on June 4, 2016 tjx.sagepub.com

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Book Reviews 75 Among the pastors of Christ's flock "it is more hateful and inexcusable" than in anyone else. "Brethren, may I take leave a little," he urged his fellow-pastors, " to expostulate this case with my own heart and you, that we may see the shame of our sin and be reformed? . . . Humility is not a mere orna- ment of a Christian, hut an essential part of the new creature;

it is a contradiction to be a sanctified man or a true Christian and not humble." He sees only too plainly how the lack of humility can ruin the spiritual work of the minister of Christ.

Baxter is also distressed at the worldliness of his ministerial brethren. "Another sad discovery that we have not so devoted ourselves, and all that we have, to the service of God, is the preoalence of worldly interests too much against the interest and the work of Christ. And this 1 shall further manifest in these three instances following-e-our temporizing; our too much minding worldly things, and shrinking from the duties that will hinder our commodity; our barrenness in works of charity and in the improving of all we have to our Master's use. . . . It occa- sioneth the enemies to say that reputation and preferment is our religion and our reward. . . . I find money is too strong an argument for some men to answer." Baxter knows too that, to a great extent, upon the holiness of the pastor will depend, with God's grace, the success of the work undertaken in His name. "0 brethren, watch therefore over your own hearts . . . be much at horne: and take heed to yourselves also, because there are many eyes upon you, and therefore there will be many observers of your falls. You cannot miscarry but the world will ring ofit. The eclipses ofthe sun by daytime are seldom without witnesses . . . your sins have more heinous aggravations than other men's. . . . 0, take heed, brethren, in the name of God, of every word that you speak, every step that you tread, for YOll

bear the Ark of the Lord; you are intrusted with His honour, and dare not let it fall, and castitinto the dirt."

It is surprising to learn that Baxter urges the duty ofministerial celibacy that ministers" might live in a single, freer condition, and have none of the temptations from wife.and children to hinder them from furthering their ministerial ends by charitable works." Mr Wilkinson gives no outline of Baxter's life, and therefore has no space to tell us how this ideal of ministerial celibacy was abandoned with the pastor's marriage with Margaret Charlton, he being aged forty-seven and she aged nineteen.

Margaret died in1681. In that year he wrote her Life. Margaret was a devoted wife, and followed her husband to prison when he was sent thither for preaching. "She ·cheerfully went with me into prison," he wrote; "she brought her best bed thither;

and did much to remove the removable inconveniences of the prison. I think she had scarce ever a pleasanter time in her life than when she was with me there." Yet both had their difficulties:

she that with his increasing deafness and ill-health he was

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76 Book Reviews

tempted to slacken in his efforts at preaching and teaching, and he that in her boundless generosity she insisted on borrowing money for charitable purposes.

We hope that in Mr Wilkinson's second edition there will be an index to the book.

R. D. MIDDLETON.

jUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY. Essays presented to the Rev. Paul P. Levertoff, D.D. Edited byL. Gillet. J. B. Shears and Sons. 3S. 6d.

A symposium of essays collected to mark Dr Levertoff's sixtieth anniversary, this book is a worthy tribute to his untiring work in the sphere of Jewish-Christian relations. Two of the essays, those of the late Bishop Frere and the late Professor Goudge, have already appeared in print in The Church and the Jews, the quarterly organ of Dr Levertoff's work, and they both consider in general the problem of the relation between Judaism and Christianity. The other essays are concerned for the most part with more particular questions. Dr Oesterley contributes an appreciation of the Jewish liturgy, drawing attention to some of its fundamental elements. Dr Greenup examines the Day of Atonement as it is dealt with in Philo, Josephus, the New Testament and post-Mishnaic times, concluding with the expression of the hope that modern reform movements in Judaism may lead to the realization that "Christ is the end of

the Law for righteousness to everyone that believeth." In .relation to the study of the Atonement, Mr Harley Walker notes the J ewish background of the Christian doctrine of salvation and compares and contrasts Judc:eo-Christian soteriological thought, especially with regard to the "Goei" idea, with Indian soteriological thought as seen in the conception of Karma. The editor, Fr Gillet, writing in French, raises the question of the Shekinah and its significance in Christology, a subject upon which Dr Levertoff has long been engaged in preparing a book. It is a pity that here, as elsewhere in the book, there are many small errors in the printing of the Greek quotations.

The interest and value of the book are greatly enhanced by the inclusion of a Latin version of Dr Levertoff's Jewish-Christian liturgy, "The Meal of the Holy King." This is subjected to a careful explanation and consideration by Lic. Paul Schorlemmer, who writes in German. Mr W. A. Walker, in considering the problemof a ]ewish-Christian branch of the Catholic Church, indicates the obstacle caused by Christian disunity, but stresses the importance of ]ewish converts becoming full members of the Body of Christ, the Church. In the concluding pages Dr Levertoff's daughter contributes a very illuminating bio-

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