If Scotland

dealings with the souls and consciences of their fellow men. owns these Fathers as handing down to her the principles of her church polity, she may do well to consult them, as having also moulded the form, and breathed into it the spirit of her homely and heart-felt piety; and if, in his great kindness and forbearance, God is now pouring out upon any portion of his Church a measure of the blessing which was often experienced of old, and reviving his work in the midst of the years, nothing can be more suitable for giving a healthy tone to such a movement, and preventing the risk of its being marred by shallow and upstart fancies, than the attempt to leaven the minds of men now, with the same style and kind of Christianity, high-toned, manly, and practical, as well as deeply meditative and spiritual, which was formed, under God, by those masters in ancient learning, in moral science, and in Holy Writ, whose practical works it is intended now to bring again into notice and into use."

WELSH CALVINISTIC METHODISTS.

We have been favoured by a correspondent with the following statistical details respecting this influential and interesting branch of the presbyterian church :-Number of chapels, 750; schoolrooms used as chapels, 42; private houses used as chapels, 47; preaching stations, 239; ministers, 134; preachers, 270; deacons and elders, 1772; communicants, 59,358; Sabbath school members and teachers, 107,252. FOREIGN MISSIONS.-India, one station, 3 missionaries. Brittany in France, one station, 1 missionary. COLLEGES.-Bala.-Professor of Theology, Rev. L. Edwards, A. M., Edin; Classical Tutor, the Rev. John Parry. Treveca.-President, Rev. D. Charles, B.A., Oxon. SUBSCRIPTIONS AND DONATIONS,-L.3,085, 15s. 3d.

MONTHLY RETROSPECT.

Church of England.-Every one knows that Unity is one chief boast of the Church of Rome; and it requires but a very slight acquaintance with ecclesiastical history to satisfy us how slender pretensions she has to any such thing, even though we should not insist on the distinction,-allimportant as it is,-between unity and uniformity. Where was the very semblance even of the latter, during the long period when there were Popes at Rome, and Popes at Avignon,-where in the days of Gregory XII. and John XXII., both of whom were deposed,-where, above all,— about the year 1410, when three several Popes (two of them condemned by a Council as guilty of heresy and perjury), had each a powerful faction, and mutually excommunicated and cursed one another? It is not to be denied, however, that for a long time past a great degree of external oneness has characterised the administration of the Mother of Harlots; and the Church of England, which has of late been greatly given to glory in her affinity to her unreformed parent, has, in this respect, resembled her, and has like her all along vaunted of unity, as one of the essential marks by which she might be known as the genuine spouse of Christ, in opposition to the endlessly divided and continually quarrelling tribes of sectarians. This distinctive mark, worthless as it is, she seems to be fast losing. Tractarianism came to such a height at Oxford, that even there it could not be tolerated, and Dr Pusey, its chief abettor, was suspended. Scarcely had this taken place, when the Bishop of Exeter authorised the heresiarch to officiate in that diocese, which he is now regularly doing. The choleric prelate just named, who is a stern disciplinarian, and cannot abate one jot or tittle from the letter of the rubric, for the accommodation of a tender conscience, has of late been rather relentlessly causing several of his clerks to feel the weight of his crosier, and has now brought

matters to such a pitch, that an episcopal church, disowning his authority, has sprung up just under the shadow of his cathedral at Exeter. Three regularly ordained clergymen have put themselves at the head of this party,-denomination we might almost style it, and have issued an advertisement in which they say, "It has long been felt by many who are attached to the Protestant church, as well as to the Episcopal order scrupulously administered, that for the preservation and increase of evangelical religion in these days of revived superstition and arrogant assumption, it is highly desirable to attempt the formation of an Episcopal church distinct from the Established church, on a sufficiently comprehensive basis, to effect the union of general believers in Christ, who may not object to Episcopal discipline, though otherwise differing on other important points." We are not sure that we understand the last clause, but we rejoice in the extension of self-sustained christianity; and however far the movement in question may be from coming up to our views, it has the special recommendation of promising practically to demonstrate that any form of church government may be maintained apart from connexion with the State. This is what multitudes, especially in England, cannot comprehend. Indeed, the Church and State Gazette says,-"An episcopal free church is beyond the power of any one to establish, simply because it is an impossibility. Messrs Bulteel, Shore, and Co., have therefore founded no such establishment in Exeter. They have merely succeeded in opening another meeting-house for the propagation of schism and dissent." To establish what is to remain unestablished is clearly a contradiction; but the Gazette seems to mean that to institute such a church is an impossibility, and that we should be glad to see disproved on a large scale, by facts. It would be a great step in the right direction ; and supposing numbers of oppressed and disgusted Episcopalians to be willing, what more is needed than merely that they should get, at the beginning, a few bishops consecrated by others who have the "succession," such as those in America, or in some parts of the Continent of Europe, or even in the East,-Syria for example, where, though there may be much room for improvement, the descent is allowed to be pure and unbroken? We shall keep our eye on this Free Church of England.

From the Archbishop of Canterbury's charge delivered to his clergy, at Maidstone, in the end of September, it appears that the present aspect of things will not permit his Grace to sit softly on his throne. "I do not deny," says he, "the existence of piety, or the hope of salvation out of its the church's) pale; but as all revelation proceeds from our blessed Lord, can hardly be wrong in the belief that he who brought down the word to the church from on high, has also provided the means of transmitting it to all generations. Those who view matters in this light, will readily admit that it implies, if nothing more, a want of faith to seek elsewhere for the means of grace than in the sanctuary which the Lord himself built, -built,' as he himself has said, upon a rock,' and the perpetuity of which he has ensured to the end of the world." It is pleasing to observe the display of large-heartedness and charity on the part of his lordship, in admitting the existence of piety and the hope of salvation among dissenters, and we humbly concur with him in holding that there is a want of faith in seeking the means of grace out of the sanctuary built by the Lord; but surely he takes for granted, what needs very much to be proved, when he assumes that the church of England as by law established, is that sanctuary in any exclusive or special sense. He farther says:-"Among dissenters, within the last few years, so far as I can judge from some of their writers, and the expressions employed at their meetings, a feeling of dislike to the church appears to be gaining ground. After reasonable allowance is made for temporary excitement, I see enough to convince me that serious designs are in agitation for the sub

version of our national church." From the first of these sentences it would seem as if the din of the Voluntary controversy, continuing to reverberate from the cloisters of Canterbury, was only now beginning to break upon his ear. From the second, one could almost suppose that he has already heard of the Conference, and its forthcoming series of Tracts. However that may be, it is refreshing to perceive such signs of the progress we are making. Acknowledgments like these are not easily extorted from the Primate.

In connexion with all this, there is significance in the wailing of the Churchman's Newspaper :- "In fact," says that organ, of high church toryism, "while the whigs only talked of giving heavy blows and great discouragement' to the church, Sir R. Peel, and those acting with him, have inflicted these blows, and in so severe a manner as to render it so much the more difficult for her to recover from their staggering effects." It then refers to Catholic Emancipation, the Repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, &c., and adds :—" It would appear to us that Sir R. Peel especially, is decidedly opposed to church principles, and that his creed is a mere cold Erastianism, which makes the State, in the place of God, the fountain of religion to the people." This is precisely what our Nonintrusion brethren alleged, and they have found relief. Let others go and do likewise.

Free Church-Deed respecting American Slavery.-The Commission met on Wednesday 11th September, and after some other business had been disposed of, the committee on American Slavery gave in their report. The document is of considerable length, sufficient to fill about two of our pages. We can therefore give only an outline, though we feel the subject to be deeply interesting and important.-The committee were not prepared for a final report on all the matters remitted to them, but gave their unanimous opinion on the general subject. They first of all denounced slavery in unqualified terms. "Natural reason, sound policy, a sense of justice between man and man, as well as the whole tenor of God's word, and especially of the dispensation of the Gospel, concur in condemning it; and it is the glory of Christianity that hitherto in proportion to its advancing and prevailing influence, slavery has been mitigated, relaxed, discontinued, and finally extirpated and abolished." They then lament the prevalence of slavery in America, where they declare it to be attended with aggravations. They next admit that the concern we ourselves lately had in slavery precludes any thing like self-complacency on our part, while at the same time they advert to the better example we have latterly exhibited. Then having spoken of the duty of the American churches to set themselves against the abuses and the existence of slavery, they say, "While expressing generally this conviction, the committee feel that it is not for this church to decide peremptorily what ought to be regarded as the particular course of duty to be immediately and universally adopted in the circumstances in which the American churches are placed." Being possessed of such imperfect information, "the committee cannot presume to sit in judgment on them, and summarily condemn them in this matter." * * * "What the committee would most anxiously desire is, not that this church should prescribe or dictate any particular line of conduct to the sister churches of America, in ignorance to a large extent of their circumstances and views, but to see these churches themselves, calmly and deliberately, in brotherly love and fellowship, considering the whole matter in all its bearings, and setting themselves to inquire what is the will of God and their duty in the very peculiar and trying position in which they are placed." The committee are finally of opinion that there is no occasion for interrupting the friendly intercourse begun with the American churches, but that with the view of being mutually useful "all opportunities of drawing closer the

bonds of fellowship, ought to be embraced and improved." Dr Cunning ham, speaking in favour of the report said, "The abolitionists held the extreme view that no church should tolerate slavery in any circumstances, and they were supported in this view by many in this country. Now he doubted whether they had scriptural authority, or apostolic example, in favour of such high ground. Whilst he deplored the existence of slavery, however modified, still he could not but think that the abolitionists in America had acted too like excited partizans, and had spread views in this country which were unfair as to the state of slavery among them." Dr Candlish also supported the report, and said, "It appeared to him that the matter of receiving pecuniary aid from the American churches formed no question at all." The report was unanimously adopted, and the moderator, Mr Grey, was requested to "address a friendly letter to the American churches, expressing a sense of the deep obligation under which the Free Church was laid by the manner in which they had received the deputation, and drawing their attention to the matter of the report." We observe that an Anti-Slavery Convention, of ministers and elders connected with the Presbyterian Church (old school) was to be held in Hamilton, Butler County, Ohio, on the 17th and 18th of September, the object being to deliberate as to the proper course to be pursued by the Presbyterian Church on the subject of slavery. In such circumstances it is of vast consequence that British Christians should, by faithful counsel and remonstrance, strengthen the hands of the anti-slavery party in America. No denomination in this country have so much influence with the old school as the Free Church.

Relief Union-We are informed that the Relief and Secession ministers of Saltcoats, with their three congregations, met in one place on the last Sabbath of September, and joined in observing the Lord's Supper. We have not heard of the same length being gone in any other quarter, but we believe that this is not beyond the recommendation given by our synod at its last meeting. A joint meeting of the Union Committees of both synods, we understand, was to be held at Glasgow on the 29th of October. We shall be glad to report progress in our next.

Voluntaryism in Jamaica.-We have frequently observed in the newspapers, notices of voluntary petitions being presented to the Legislature in Jamaica, and sometimes of their being very unceremoniously, and, we should have thought, unconstitutionally, disposed of. The good cause, however, seems to be making progress. On the 31st August a meeting was held at Kingston, in the Baptist Chapel, East Queen Street, which is said to be capable of holding more persons than any other edifice in the town, and, according to accounts, "it was completely crowded,-presenting a dense array of all classes and grades, including several members of the Legislature; planters, merchants, tradesmen, and labourers, had all representatives present. There were, doubtless, very many opponents of the great and rapidly advancing principle of perfect religious liberty, present on the occasion; but, though, in the most courteous terms, invited to avow and defend their state-church love, none availed himself of the friendly challenge." The ministers on the platform were Messrs Oughton, Wood, Kennedy, Barret, Clarke, Bagster, Day, Knibb, Slayter, Jones, Millard, Rouse, Lloyd, Hands, Armstrong, Evans, Hewitt, and Hymans. A series of resolutions, very similar to those usually adopted at our voluntary meetings in Scotland, were unanimously passed. The last of them was-" That this meeting pledges itself, by the use of every moral and constitutional means, to promote the separation of the Episcopal Church from the State."

Erratum.-In last Monthly Retrospect, page 540, 13th line from bottom, for American Episcopal Church, read American Methodist Episcopal Church.

MURRAY AND GIBE, PRINTERS, GEORGE STREET, Edinburgh.

THE

UNITED SECESSION MAGAZINE,

FOR DECEMBER, 1844.

MISCELLANEOUS COMMUNICATIONS.

NOTICES OF THE CHARACTER AND OF THE DEATH-BED EXPERIENCE OF THE REV. WILLIAM M'LAY.

THE minister appointed by the Presbytery of Coldstream and Berwick to preach the funeral sermon for the late Rev. WILLIAM M'LAY of Stitchel, selected for his text these words, Mat. xxv. 21, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." And, after attempting to illustrate the condition and character of the true and faithful servant, and the commendation and reward so graciously bestowed on him by the Lord of all, the preacher, in conclusion, addressed the bereaved congregation nearly as follows:

I need hardly tell you, my brethren, that, in most of what has now been said, I have had in view the useful labours and peaceful death of your late worthy and lamented minister, and of my own much esteemed and dearly beloved friend, to whose memory it is now my melancholy duty thus to pay the last tribute of respect.

Of his earlier years I have not had the means of obtaining any very particular information. The amount of what has been told me is, that he was born, December 17, 1773, in Balnie, parish of East Kilpatrick; that, about his fifth year, his parents removed to the farm of Broadfield, in the same county; that he joined the fellowship of the Church in connexion with the congregation of Craigs, West Kilpatrick, then under the ministry of the Rev. William Watson; and that he entered a student in the college of Glasgow, in November 1794.

It is within a few weeks of forty-five years, since my own acquaintance with him commenced. It was, of course, in the days of our youth, when we were associated together as students of divinity, under the tuition of the late pious and learned Dr LAWSON; a man whom, in common with all our fellow-students, we held in the highest possible veneration. The four sessions which we then spent together were among the most delightful days of our life; and it was then that a sincere and cordial friendship was formed betwixt us, which, without interruption, or

NO. XII. VOL. I.

4 c