gious rite or ceremony! In determining heresy, the sovereign was only limited (if that could be called a limitation) to such doctrines as had been adjudged heresy, by the authority of Scripture, by the first four general councils, or by any general council which followed the Scripture as their rule (a black swan !) or to such other doctrines as should hereafter be denominated heresy by the Parliament and convocation." This act "at once gave the crown alone all the power which had formerly been claimed by the Popes, but which even these usurping prelates, had never been able fully to exercise, without some concurrence of the national clergy."

To the credit of the bishops, it should be mentioned, that all of them (fourteen in number) except the bishop of Landaff, refused to take the oath of supremacy, and were degraded from their sees. "But of the inferior clergy throughout all England, where there were ten thousand parishes, only eighty rectors and vicars, fifty prebendaries, fifteen heads of colleges, twelve archdeacons, and as many deans, sacrificed their livings to their religious principles. These in high ecclesiastical stations being exposed to the eyes of the public, seem chiefly to have placed a point of honour in their perseverance; but on the whole, the Protestants, on the former change introduced by Mary, appear to have been much more rigid and conscientious."

Here then is another fatal break in the succession. The Anglicans will find much difficulty in tracing any of their orders even to Rome. The ghost of Elizabeth, their founder, will rise up before them, with the Act of Supremacy in one hand, and of Uniformity in the other-stamping with anger, and in a stern voice proclaiming-"My Lords Spiritual of England, I am your founder and head-from me you derive your ghostly powerthese hands conferred on you the mitres and the keys,-will you now ungratefully disown your virgin mother?"

The constitution of the Church, as by law established, is then manifestly, a human thing-a secular institution-the work of laymen, and a woman! This fact is painfully felt by the Puseyites, as appears from their Tract " on Church and State," from which a few extracts will be edifying to the reader, as avouching facts, which would not be so well received from a dissenter :

"The appointment of all our bishops, and in much the greater number of instances, of those who are to undertake the cure of souls, is vested in the hands of individuals irresponsible, and, unpledged to any opinions, or any conduct, laymen, good or bad, as it may happen, orthodox or heretic, faithful or infidel! The bishops, every one of them, are, as a matter of fact, appointed by the prime minister for the time being, who, since the repeal of the Test Act, may be an avowed Socinian, or an Atheist! A very large proportion of other church benefices, carrying with them cure of souls, are likewise in the hands of the prime minister, or of the Lord Chancellor, and other lay patrons, who, like him, may be of any religion, or of no religion."

Judging from some remarks made by Mr. Godkin, we have been led to doubt, whether he does not attach undue importance to, ordination to the ministerial office, by the imposition of the hands of previously ordained men. He states, "There is such a thing as ordination in non-Episcopal churches. Every Presbyterian and Congregational pastor feels that the direction to lay hands suddenly on no man, is addressed to him, and should be attended to whenever a church, through ignorance, or precipitancy, or party spirit, makes an unworthy choice. This practical veto is found generally sufficient as a check to prevent the abuse of a power which, though not wholly free from perversion, in any human hands, (what power is?) seems more safely lodged with the Christian people, than with a lay patron, a bishop, or a presbytery." We infer from the preceding quotation,

and from other remarks by which it is followed, that Mr. Godkin considers it requisite, that ministers should be ordained by ordained ministers. We cannot however admit that such is the case. We do not object to ordination considered as a mere service of recognition, by which the ordained is acknowledged to be by the voice of some section of the church, called to the office of the ministry, and recognised by the ministers of other churches as worthy to sustain the ministerial office; but we know no authority for believing, that Presbyters can confer any right to sustain the ministerial office. If they possess a "veto" which signifies power to forbid or hinder, it must be either by consent of the parties concerned, or by Divine appointment: the former we admit may be conceded and exercised,-the latter we believe cannot be proved, and ought not therefore, as such, to be allowed. To maintain that ordination by imposition of the hands of ordained ministers, is a requisite qualification for sustaining the ministerial office, is to maintain the absurdities of the doctrine of the Apostolical succession! If such ordination be required by Divine authority, then it follows, that those only ought to be acknowledged as ministers of Christ, who have received such ordination; and those through whom it is conferred, must have received it either from Christ, or his apostles, or from those who received it from him or them, in an unbroken line of succession; for if in the whole line of succession, any one Presbyter was ordained by one who was not rightly ordained a Presbyter, then such ordination must have been invalid, and all ordinations by either the first Presbyter whose ordination was invalid, or by those on whom he professedly conferred ordination, or by their successors, in perpetuity, would remain invalid. Presbyterian, and Episcopalian Apostolical succession, are therefore alike untenable.

We admit that "Every Presbyterian and Congregational pastor feels, that the direction to lay hands suddenly on no man, is addressed to him"--but we doubt the applicability of that direction, to the subject of ordination to the ministerial office; the direction, we believe, relates only to the exercise of caution in the administration of discipline towards offenders; as appears from the words by which the direction is preceded. Those who possess grace and gifts, qualifying them to become teachers of righteousness, and who are called by any section of the Church of Christ to the work of the ministry, require no other authority to exercise the functions of the ministerial office. We however do not object to a formal public recognition of persons so called, nor do we object to the imposition of hands accompanied with exhortation and prayer; provided it be understood that no Divine right, authority, or appointment is thereby bestowed. We believe that among other benefits resulting from the spirit of inquiry evoked, by the high claims put forth on behalf of the Papal and Anglican clergy will be that, of the general diffusion of more correct opinions on the subject of ministerial ordination.

We confess however that we have some difficulty in deciding from Mr. Godkin's statements, whether he does regard, ordination by ministers as a requisite to entering upon the office and work of the Christian ministry. On this question he has not expressed himself, with the same clearness and precision, as on other topics. By the quotation

we have given, we are left in doubt as to whether he intends the "practical veto to belong to ministers or to the people-the former part leads us to conclude that he means it to belong to ministers, the latter part refers it to "the Christian people." Again, in another place, he states, "Presbyteries and bishops may have a veto, and by refusing to ordain, may, when the occasion demands it, prevent abuse, and preserve the due order of the house of God." Upon the whole we are led to the conclusion, that Mr. Godkin's mind inclines to the opinion that ordination by either presbyters or bishops, is not a matter of much importance. This may be inferred from the following remarks: "John Knox utterly disowned the orders of the Church of Rome, as anti-christian. In matters of church government, he was far from being as rigid as some of his followers. When he was chosen by a Christian congregation in Genoe, he held that to be a sufficient call to the pastoral office in that place and cared little about ceremonies."

We regret that we cannot proceed to give a general outline of the remainder of Mr. Godkin's valuable work; we should willingly enlarge, but our limits forbid. To our readers, especially to the ministers of our Connexion, we strongly recommend the work. It contains a comprehensive statement of the important questions in dispute between Papists and Puseyites on the one hand, and Protestants on the other. It is a popular, clear, logical, interesting, and convincing exposure of the errors, corruptions, and absurdities of Romanism and Puseyism; and is just such a defence of true Protestanism as the exigencies of the present times demand. The value of the book is not to be estimated by the moderate price at which it is published. It is now especially important that all persons should understand the Papistical controversy, that they may be able to repel Papistical errors with the shield and sword of truth; this work admirably furnishes both the means of defence and attack, and will enable those who possess and read it to contend earnestly and successfully for the faith once delivered to the saints.

THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA. By the REV. J. A. WALLACE, Minister of Hawick. Royal 18mo. 151 pp. J. NISBET and Co.

This little volume contains a lucid exposition of the Apocalyptic addresses to the seven churches of pro-consular Asia; and deduces from their history, appropriate and practical lessons of instruction to christians and churches. The most prominent facts connected with the past and present state of the Asiatic churches, are narrated in a most interesting and instructive manner-and the evidence of the accomplishment of the word of Christ, delivered by him to his servant, John, concerning those churches, is clearly brought out to view. The following quotation will enable our readers to judge of the plan and merits of the work.

"The state of Sardis now is a token that the warning was given in vain ; and shows that the threatenings of the Lord, when disregarded, become certain judgments. As the seat of a Christian church, it has lost-all it had to lose-the name. No Christians reside on the spot."—(Keith.)

It has been remarked by another:-" Reached Sardis, the great capital of the Lydian kings, and the city of the far-famed Croesus. Found difficulty in procuring a lodging, at length put up in a miserable mud hut occupied by a Turk.-Could not refrain from weeping while we sung the seventy-fourth Psalm, and prayed among the ruins of Sardis.. Here were once a few names, which had not defiled their garments, and they are now walking with their Redeemer in white. But alas, the church as a body, had only a name to live, while they were in reality dead; and they did not hear the voice of merciful admonition, and did not strengthen the things which were ready to die. Wherefore the candlestick has been removed out of its place.-Our eye has affected our hearts, while we beheld around us the ruins of this once splendid city, with nothing now to be seen but a few mud huts, inhabited by ignorant Turks. Every thing seems as if God had cursed the place, and left it to the dominion of Satan.—(Fisk.)

These are the remarks of another:-"The_rough hill of the Acropolis of Sardis, with the inconsiderable and rapidly disappearing ruins on its ridge, was now before us; and we saw beyond it, looking to the east, the lofty irregular summits of Mount Tmolus, covered with deep snow. On the sixth hour of our journey we reached the desolate city. This, in the time of its greatness and prosperity, was the very hour at which its streets and public places would be crowded, and when the voice of public or of private affairs resounded through the busy town. We saw not a living creature. This contrast, though trite enough as a feature of composition or rhetoric, is still awfully impressive, when presenting itself, as it must, in spots like these. I entered a deep narrow glen that separated the Acropolis of Sardis from the adjacent mountains. A scramble over a very irregular path brought me in a few minutes to the opposite end of the Acropolis, and in sight of the columns of the celebrated temple of Cybele, situated on a pleasant little green plain about a furlong to the south of the impending hill. I repaired with eager haste to these columns, and sat myself down in a melancholy mood on the green sward opposite to them. Here, indeed, the work of Turkish destruction had advanced gradually, but too rapidly. In 1700, Chishull had observed six lofty Ionic columns, all entire, except that the capital of one was distorted by an earthquake, and many other remains were adjoining to them. In 1750, Peysonnel found standing, three columns with their architraves, a part of the cella, and three detached columns. At the time of Chandler's visit in 1765, there were five columns erect, and even then the amiable traveller, in tearing himself from the spot, made the melancholy observation that "it is impossible to behold, without deep regret, this imperfect remnant of so beautiful and glorious an edifice." In 1812, Mr. Cockerell found three standing columns, the truncated portions of four others, and a part of the wall of the cella. At the beginning of April, 1828, only two columns, one of them with the distorted capital as described by Chishull, and a piece of the shaft of another, with its beautiful but broken capital sunk in a hole in the earth, met my eye. Of the wall of the cella, I could scarcely see a trace. This was all that remained of the magnificent temple which had received the homage of remote and ingenious ages as one of the most magnificent works of Greek art, and whose melancholy ruins had been honoured with the regret and reverential admiration of travellers from distant lands, and in a special manner by my own enlightened countrymen. I indulged a sad but pleasing reverie in recalling the feelings and imaginings of men, who, pilgrims like myself, had visited this remote waste, and this long deserted shrine. I called them before me, the distant, the unknown, and the long since dead, and asso

eiated them with the forlorn pillars-the mementoes of prostrate beauty and glory."-(Macfarlane.)

And it has been strikingly observed by another still:-"If I should be asked what impresses the mind most strongly on beholding Sardis, I should say the indescribable solitude, like the darkness of Egypt,-darkness that could be felt. So the deep solitude of the spot, once the Lady of Kingdoms,' produces a corresponding feeling of desolute abandonment in the mind which can never be forgotten. Connect this feeling with the message of the Apocalypse to the Church of Sardis :--I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead,' and then look around, and ask, where are the churches, where are the Christians of Sardis? The tumuli beyond the Hermus reply, 'all dead,' suffering the infliction of the threatened judgment of God for the abuse of their privileges. Let the unbeliever then be asked,— Is there no truth in prophecy-no reality in religion ?”—(Arundell.)

These certainly are striking extracts, and the lesson which they tend most forcibly to impress on the mind is this:-That a mere formal profession of religion, while it blinds the mind to the perception of its danger, and induces a spirit of carelessness and unconcern, exposes it at the same time to sudden and irreparable ruin. Yet that is the condition of many who make a fair profession of religion. They know well what the gospel is. They have listened to it till their ears have become perfectly familiar with the sound, and perhaps they are able to speak with the utmost fluency on every doctrine connected with the truth as it is in Jesus. But it is one thing to know the truth as a matter of mere speculation, and another thing to be practically and experimentally alive to its sanctifying and its life-giving power: one thing to be brought into a state of tranquillity and repose, because the truth has made us free from the bondage of condemnation and of sin, and another thing to be putting ourselves in the attitude of defiance, and remaining at ease within the precincts of Sion, because we have been quenching the Spirit of all grace, and doing despite to the Holy One of Israel. The latter is a state which to the deceitfulness of the human mind may appear exceedingly agreeable, for what can be more soothing to the spirit amid the troubles and distractions of this evil world than a state of quiet and undisturbed repose. But alas, the misfortune is, that it has no solid foundation to rest upon. It is dependent for its very existence on the spirit of strong delusion. No reasonable being can rely upon it without enclosing himself in a refuge of lies. How sad the condition of such a soul! How fearful the hazard to which it is exposed! How awful to be purchasing a few moments of slumber, for what may be followed, and followed speedily, with the perdition of the soul for ever! To the man in such a state we would solemnly appeal, saying to him with all earnestness :-Is there nothing in the dying agonies of the Divine Redeemer on whose blood you are trampling, or in the warnings of the Holy Spirit whose strivings you are resisting, that has the power to disturb your security, or to awaken you from your slumbers ? And are you resolved, that in defiance of every remonstrance, you will continue to sleep on and to take your rest? yet, remember that this cannot last for ever. Sooner or later there must be an awakening. There is no sleep in heaven: for there they rest not day and night singing before the throne, Holy, Holy, Holy, the heavens and the earth are full of thy glory; nor is there any sleep in hell: for there the worm never dieth, and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever. And is it befitting that with an eternity unprovided for, and all your sins uncancelled and unforgiven, you should be asleep here,-asleep within view of the solemn mysteries of the cross of Christ-asleep on the mount which commands the prospect of the celestial land-asleep under the shadow of the tree whose leaves are given for the healing of the nations-asleep on the verge and amid the music of the river of which the saints have been drinking in all generations, and which