happy in the enjoyment of religious privi- | leges, and active in holy duties amidst great physical infirmity and ever-growing disease he passed the last years of his life.

The immediate cause of his death was said to be gastric irritation, which became more and more aggravated, till he could not take a particle of food. For himself he had no anxiety-no “fear of death;" he felt that he was in Christ, and desired to depart and be with Him. At one period, so vivid was his sense of the love of God to his soul, that he could hardly bear the blessedness he felt; and was obliged to

give expression to it, in what he called "tears of overwhelming joy."

On the 13th of January, 1848, my beloved friend finished his course, and "fell asleep in Jesus;" and on the following Thursday was interred by his pastor in the burial-ground of Paul's Chapel, Taunton.

He was "a good man and feared God above many." Reader!-inay you and I "be followers of those, who through faith and patience now inherit the promises." H. W.

Tewkesbury.

MEETING OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE

EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE.

THE meeting for the Midsummer halfyearly distribution of profits arising from the sale of the Evangelical Magazine, will take place, (D.V..) on Tuesday, the 3rd of July, at eleven o'clock, at Baker's CoffeeHouse, Change-alley, Cornhill, when the attendance of the town and country Trustees is earnestly and respectfully requested.

VALEDICTORY SERVICES, YORK-ROAD
CHAPEL, LAMBETH.

IN consequence of the Rev. Dr. Alliott having accepted an urgent invitation to the important office of President and Theological Tutor of the Western College, at Plymouth, the following valedictory services have been held by the Church, at York-road, to take leave of their beloved and highly-esteemed pastor. On Monday evening, June 4th, the first of these services was held, when a most affectionate address was delivered to the Pastor by the Rev. James Sherman, who brought with him the sympathies of many ministers, and many churches, and many students of different colleges, who would lose, in the removal of Dr. Alliott, a most efficient examiner, and one who was always at his post. An address was also delivered to the church by the Rev. George Clayton, suited to the circumstances in which it is placed by the loss of so beloved a pastor. The Revs. Dr. Jenkyn, James Hill, D. Thomas, and J. Baldwin Brown took part in the devotional exercises of the evening. On Thursday evening, the 7th inst., the church and congregation met at a social tea-meeting, for the purpose of presenting to their valued Pastor, some trifling tokens of their high

VOL. XXVII.

regard. The chair was taken by Joshua Field, Esq., F.R.S., of Balham. The first testimonial that was presented was from the church and congregation, consisting of a purse of gold and an address, elegantly bound, which was read by Price Hopkins, Esq. The next testimonial was from the officers and teachers of the Sabbath-school, a large number of whom had been brought to the knowledge of the truth by the earnest and faithful ministry of Dr. Alliott. The present consisted of a copy of the Septuagint, beautifully got up, with a suitable inscription, and an address delivered by the superintendent, Mr. John Terry. The last testimonial was from the students of a logic and rhetoric class, which has been gratuitously conducted by the Doctor for many months. Most of these young men are in course of preparation for the Christian ministry, and all have found in Dr. Alliott a tried and valued friend, a wise and efficient teacher, a spiritual adviser, and a beloved pastor. The testimonial was a handsomely bound copy of Bagster's English Hexapla, with an appropriate inscription within. It was presented

with an affectionate address to the Doctor, by Mr. P. H. Percy, who observed that it was "a trifling tribute to great worth." The Doctor briefly replied to each; the intensity of his feeling would not permit him to say much; he closed, amidst the excitement of all, with the beautiful blessing of Dr. Watts:

"Peace be within this sacred place,
And joy a constant guest;
With holy gifts, and heavenly grace,
Be her attendants bless'd."

Resolutions were also moved and seconded by the deacons of the church and others who had formely held office in the

2 E

church. A most harmonious and delightful spirit pervaded the meeting.

On Lord's-day evening. June 10th, the Rev. Doctor preached his farewell sermon to a crowded audience, from Acts xii. 25, which, at the particular request of many friends, will be published. Doctor Alliott has been beloved by all who knew him; his preaching has not been with enticing words of man's wisdom, but the plain, faithful, and unadorned preaching of the cross. His labours have been eminently owned, to the conversion of vast numbers to the faith of Christ. His loss will long be felt in this Christian church, in the neighbourhood of Lambeth, and by surrounding ministers and churches; the testimony of all to his character is, that he is a man who bas walked with God. But while the church laments their loss, they cannot but congratulate the students of the Western College on the prospect of enjoying the tuition of so competent a teacher, so great a scholar, and so exemplary a Christian; they heartily congratulate the church at large that the chair of the late excellent Dr. Payne is about to be filled by so able and worthy a successor, by one who, in addition to eminent literary qualifications, is a living epistle of Christ, an embodiment of the spirit of the gospel. They pray that he may be abundantly blessed in the new, important sphere of Christian 'usefulness on which he is entering, and may see, as the result of his labours, multitudes of young men go from beneath his spiritual oversight, who shall be devoted and faithful preachers of Christ crucified, and shine in the church as stars in the firmament of

heaven.

Lambeth, June 11th, 1849.

Rev. Dr. Raffles. The business of the day consisted, in part, in receiving reports from the examiners as to the progress of the students in their various departments of study,-in classics, mathematics, biblical criticism, ecclesiastical history, and doctrinal and pastoral theology. The examiners were the Rev. Drs. Redford and Halley, and the reports read by these gentlemen were honourable to the students and tutors, and highly satisfactory to the meeting. The President read a report as to the internal state of the College during the sessional year, and bore gratifying testimony to the truly fraternal feeling subsisting among the students, and to their general conduct. The Rev. John Kelly then delivered an address to the students, full of wise counsels in relation to their duties and prospects, and which it is hoped will be printed. After this address, several resolutions were adopted by the meeting, being moved and sustained by the Rev. Drs. Redford, Halley, Vaughan, and Davidson; by the Rev. Messrs. Fletcher, Sutcliffe, Poore, Gwyther, and Raven, and by Mr. Charles Robertson. In the refreshment room, the claims of the College were again urged on the attention of its friends, and the general feeling appeared to be, that no temporary difficulty can prevent this important institution from becoming the centre of large benefit to remote generations. The plantations around the college are now grown into great richness and beauty. Not the least pleasing feature of the day was the presence of so many pastors of churches, who had received or completed their education in the new college.

NEW TABERNACLE, OLD-STREET-ROAD.

THE Rev. Isaac Vaughan, of Olney, Bucks, has been invited to become the stated minister of the Church and Congregation assembling in the New Tabernacle, Old Street-road, and has cordially accepted the

same.

PROVINCIAL.

LANCASHIRE INDEPENDENT COLLEGE.

ON Thursday last, the fifth anniversary of the Lancashire Independent College took place at the College, Moss-side, near Manchester. The day was highly favourable, and the attendance more numerous than it has ever been on these occasions. The large library was well-filled with ladies and gentlemen from Manchester, Liverpool, and various parts of Lancashire and Cheshire. The chair was filled by the

ORDINATION.

ON Tuesday, 29th of May, Mr. J. C. Rook was ordained to the pastoral office over the church and congregation assembling at the Old Meeting House, Thaxted, Essex.

The Rev. R. Frost, of Dunmow, commenced the morning service by praver and reading the Scriptures; the Rev. S. Ransom, Classical and Hebrew Tutor of Hackney College, delivered the introductory discourse; the Rev. John Adey, of Union Chapel, London, asked the usual questions; the Rev. H. J. Rook, of Faversham, offered the ordination prayer; the Rev. John Watson, Resident Tutor of Hackney College, delivered a most powerful charge to the newly-ordained minister, and the Rev. C. Berry, of Hatfield Heath, concluded with prayer. At the close of the service, about two hundred persons, including a numerous assemblage of ministers, dined together in a spacious booth, erected for that purpose, when addresses of an appropriate character were delivered. In the evening, the service

was commenced by the Rev. F. Pollard, of Saffron Walden, and a highly useful and judicious discourse was preached to the people by the Rev. W. A. Hurndall, of Bishop Stortford, from Heb. xiii. 17. The Rev. E. Stephens, Baptist minister, at Thaxted, concluded the services of the day with prayer. The church at Thaxted can boast, like many churches in the surrounding town, that it has had but two ordination or recognition services in the space of more than sixty years.

PRESENTATION OF A TESTIMONIAL.

ON Tuesday, the 20th Feb., the congregation assembling at the Princes-street Chapel, Gravesend, celebrated the twentyfirst anniversary of the pastorate of the

Rev. J. Tippetts. A tea-meeting was appointed to take place in the school-rooms adjoining the chapel; but owing to the unexpected number that attended, it was found necessary for the accommodation of all to adjourn into the chapel. The chair was occupied by the Worshipful the Mayor, J. J. Ridge, Esq. In the course of the evening one of the deacons, in the name of the congregation, presented their much. respected minister with a handsome timepiece, which bore upon it the following inscription: Presented February 20th, 1849, by the church and congregation meeting in Princes-street Chapel, Gravesend, to the Rev. John Tippetts, as a token of affectionate regard for twenty-one years' faithful and devoted services as their pastor."

ON THE BEST MODE OF IMPROVING OUR
PUBLIC DEVOTIONAL SERVICES.

Read at the Annual Meeting of the Durham and Northumberland County Association, April 11, 1849.

AMIDST much that is calculated to humble us and to depress, in the present position and circumstances of the church, we may regard it as a token for good that a general and anxious inquiry has been awakened respecting the causes of failure, and the most efficient methods to be adopted in carrying forward the work of the Lord. How we can best meet the intellectual requirements and remedy the intellectual evils of the age,-how we can interest the masses of our population,-how we can secure the affections of our sabbath scholars, and attach them to our churches,these, with others, are questions which have been earnestly canvassed amongst us. The same feeling prompts the present inquiryinferior to none in importance, and certainly not uncalled for, if we reflect upon the listless and undevout appearance which our worshipping assemblies often present, or upon the feebleness of and scanty attendance upon our meetings for prayer.

The inquiry fairly embraces both these departments, relating alike to improvement in the devotional parts of our public services, and in those engagements which are almost exclusively devotional, — engagements which, for the most part, are attended by professing Christians alone. The evil it implies is one of great magnitude, very perilous, and, if not remedied, fatal to all our hopes of denominational prosperity and

of spiritual well-being. Our theology recognizes, and our modes of worship imply, absolute and direct dependence upon the agency of the Holy Spirit for spiritual success. For the most part, we commence the public worship of the sabbath by an avowal of that dependence, invoking that sacred Being's aid. We repudiate liturgical forms, because we rely upon his making intercession within us according to the will of God; and while in the exposition of the Scriptures and the proclamation of the gospel, we bring into exercise the mental powers we possess, and the various learning we may have acquired, we often distinctly declare that all efforts will be in vain unless the Holy Spirit prepare the hearts of the hearers and water the seed which is sown. If, then, He be dishonoured-if our professed devotions be cold and functional, he will be grieved-will withdraw his sacred influence, the evil will be increased, our efforts will be paralyzed, no blessing will attend the means used, and soon lukewarmness will be succeeded by the icy chill of death. Our worship may be intellectualthere may be classical correctness and imaginative beauty, but if there be not the direct aid of the Holy Spirit, there will be no heart, no warmth, no real worship at all. It is an evil which generates itself, which increases insensibly, though with rapidity, and against which, even at its commencement, we must be upon our guard. Is it affirming too much, or exaggerating the importance of the theme, when I say, that so long as this evil is rife, all the other evils we mourn will remain, and that to remedy this is the surest, the wisest, the

most philosophical method of remedying them? Let us be grateful that the glory has not departed from our assemblies, and that often we are made joyful in the house of prayer; but still, has not the evil assumed such an aspect that it may well call for great searchings of heart? If it be true, that often in our public worship, when the pastor is engaged in prayer, avowedly presenting the morning oblation of thanksgiving, or supplicating the blessing that all require, the majority are sitting listlessly with open eyes, manifesting no sympathy, taking no part in the prayer. If it be true that the songs of praise are often uttered without thought, while the eye is roving round the assembly, or the heart is in the world. If it be true that meetings for prayer are regarded as of very secondary importance, as meetings to attend which there is no obligation, and which any worldly engagement may set aside. If these things be true, either wholly or in part, is it not fitting that we should ask for the cause and the remedy, while we are humbled in the dust before God?

It would be very easy-more easy than pleasant to dilate upon the causes which have led to this state of things; this is not my province. And yet a few remarks must be hazarded before the remedy can be found.

The lack of a deep devotional spirit is the immediate cause of the external evils we mourn, this lack arising, primarily, from the spirit of intense worldliness which prevails among professing Christians.

Forgetting the impossibility of religious compromise, they have attempted to unite the service of God with the love of the world. Like the Samaritans of old, they fear the Lord and serve other gods, the tendency of this being to deaden devotional feeling to create a distaste for purely spiritual exercises-to demand in the sanctuary fictitious excitement or intellectual amuseIment, while the heart is divided, and the reproof is provoked, "Who hath required this at your hands, to tread my court."

In the chill atmosphere of earth, and the barren soil of the human heart, true devotion is an exotic which, at the best, attains a stunted growth, requires constant care, and soon withers if the cold blasts of worldliness succeed to the spiritual warmth of the Christian's first love. But there are some subsidiary causes which may be mentioned, and which are more strictly denominational.

The Relative Importance of the Devotional part of our Services has not been sufficiently considered nor enforced.

These are too often considered but as preparatory to the preaching of the word; and while we would not forget that this is

pre-eminently the great instrument in the conversion of sinners, while we would not for one moment attempt to lessen its importance, yet it must not too exclusively occupy the thoughts in anticipating the engagements of the sanctuary. Whether we, brethren, are blameless in reference to this, is a grave question. Do we manifest by our deportment, and by our mode of conducting the devotions of the congregation, that we regard this as the most solemn and sacred part of our engagements? Is not the low estimate which is formed of it by the people fostered by the practice which prevails amongst us on special occasions, when any eminent brother or gifted stranger has to preach, of letting the previous parts of the service be conducted by some one else, while anxious lest he, by any prolixity, should trench upon the time to be occupied by the preacher of the day?

If in these, or any other respects, we have fostered the evil, let us seek to amend it without delay.

The low estimate in which devotion is held amongst us, is indicated too surely by the aspect which our prayer meetings presents. "It is only a prayer meeting," is too often regarded as a valid excuse for remaining round the fire-side, or neglecting the assembly of the saints for the frivolous gossip of an evening party. Surely, if the idea were grasped in all its unutterable solemnity, that whenever we pray, we are addressing the Most High and Holy One, and that he is cognizant of us as really as if all the harps of heaven were hushed, and every voice in the universe were silenced that he might listen to our cry; then with greater earnestness the inquiry would be made, "Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God ?" The Reverence which, by Association, is due to the Sanctuary, is too often Overlooked.

We have still too much of the iconoclast amongst us, and because others pay undue homage to particular buildings, we rudely will pay none at all; because their external reverence appears to us to savour of superstition, we rush into the opposite extreme, by not paying the respect to the sanctuary which we show to the houses of our friends. Is there no sacredness in the place devoted to the worship of the Most High, where he often makes himself known to his people, and manifests his power in the conversion of souls? If we cultivate suitable emotions when visiting the house of some famous poet, or the grave of some sainted martyr, -if the spots consecrated to liberty, and identified with the memorials of the past, are regarded with peculiar reverence, is none due to the place that is often the house of God-the gate of heaven?

The whispered converse which is conti