that place of worship. After tea, the chair was taken by the Rev. J. Lyon, minister of the chapel, who opened the proceedings with a deeplyinteresting speech. Mr. Edwards then gave an interesting narrative of the leading events connected with the history of the Baptist cause in Wrexham. The meeting was afterwards ably addressed by the Rev. H. Pickersgill, the Rev. Joseple Jones, Mr. Price Jones, Mr. Bayley, Mr. Lloyd, and Mr. Chaloner, of Holt.

BROWN STREET CHAPEL, SALISBURY.-On Thursday, January 1st, the annual tea-meeting was held in the school-rooms connected with the abovenamed place of worship. There was a large attendance, and additional interest was given to the meeting by the presentation of a testimonial to the minister, the Rev. P. Bailhache, from the Bible-class and young people of the church and congregation, consisting of a handsome gold English lever watch.

number of the members of the church and congregation of Bond Street Chapel met, for the purpose of expressing their deep sympathy and regard for their beloved pastor, the Rev. G. Isaac. The tea being over, Mr. Cutlack was called to the chair, and presented Mr. Isaac with a handsome copy of Bagster's Bible; also the sum of £13, being the free will offering of a few of the friends. I After the presentation of these tokens of regard, Mr. Isaac rose to express his warm and heartfelt thanks. A few suitable addresses were delivered, and the meeting terminated, leaving an impression most pleasant on the minds of all present.

LLANDUDNO, NORTH WALES.-On Lord's day and following day, 28th and 29th December, ser. vices in connection with the ordination of Mr. John Thomas (late student of Pontypool College), were held at the Welsh Baptist chapel of the above place. The Rev. W. Thomas (Liverpool) gave a brief outline of the nature of a Christian church. The Rev. J. Grillith, senior pastor, offered the ordination prayer. Dr. Thomas delivered a most eloquent and admirable charge to the young minis. ter, founded on Acts xx. 28. The Rev. Dr. Prichard delivered a practical and forcible address to the church on their correlative duties to the pastor of their choice. Other ministers also took part in the services.

CINDERFORD, FOREST OF DEAN.-On New Year's Day, a public meeting was held in the Baptist chapel, Cinderford, with a view to arrangements for paying off a thousand or twelve hundred pounds of the debt remaining upon the cbapel. A large number of friends took tea in the school. room. After the tea a meeting was held, the Rev. P. Prees in the chair. Addresses were delivered by the chairman, by the Revs. W. Best, B.A., of Coleford, and W. Nicholson, of Park End, and by Messrs. Claypole, B. W. Provis, and W. Rhodes; and various sums were promised, emounting altogether to about seven hundred pounds, to be paid by instalments in the course of two years.

WREXHAM.-On Wednesday evening, December 31st, a tea-party was held in the old Baptist chapel, Chester Street, Wrexbam, followed by a

g, in celebration of the centenary of

Amlwch, NORTH WALES. ---On Tuesday and Wednesday, the 30th and 31st of December, large and enthusiastic meetings were held at Salem Chapel, Amlwcb, on the recognition of the Rev. J. Thomas, of Pontypool College, as pastor of the church, in connection with the venerable Rev. H. Williams, who has spent nearly a life of usefulness in the ministry of the above place.

MINISTERIAL CHANGES.- The Rev. J. Horne. late of Halifax, has accepted a cordial and unani. mous invitation to the pastorate of the Baptist church, Evesham, and commenced his ministerial labours with the new year.-The Rev. S. Nash, of Bulwick, Northampton, has accepted an inritation from the church at Prickwillow, near Ely, and commenced his labours there the first Sunday in December.--The Rev. A. Bowden, of Hunslet, Leeds, hag accepted an invitation from the church at Driffield, and entered on his labours on the second Sunday in January.--The Rev. Thomas Lewis is about to resign the pastorate of the Bap. tist church at Jerusalem, Rhymney, and is open to an invitation.--The Rev, J. C. Fishbourne has resigned the pastorate of the Baptist church. Wellington Square, Hastings.

Editorial Postscript.

WE have to express our thankfulness to many of our readers for their kindly recognition of the efforts we have made to improve the appearance of THE CHURCH this year. We are thankful that the change is so cordially approved, as it appears to be, by all our friends. We need not say that we shall be still more gratified if we are able, before the year closes, to announce a considerable increase in our circulation.

The following friendly letter appears in The Freeman :“ DEAR SIRS,- I believe it is understond that the conductors of The Freeman are also the editors of Tau CHURCH. I hope, however, that you will not refuse me permission to express, in your columns, my great satisfaction with the improvement in THE CHURCH which has been effected this month, and to join with it the hope that the change may be followed by a large increase in the circulation, Unquestionably, THE CHURCH is the best penny magazine published; it is, in all respects, a credit to the denomination; and I do hope, for the sake of our churches, that the spirited efforts of the editors and publishers to make it efficient, will meet with the success they deserve. May I say to my brethren in the ministry, Do not fail to recommend THE CHURCH to your people this month. I have done so, with the most gratifying results. In this month's Number, Mr. Birrell's article is worth the whole cost ; and Mr. M'Laren's is beyond all praise. The other contents are nearly, if not equally excellent. The portrait of the esteemed Secretary of our Missionary Society is as good as if it had appeared in a sixpenny magazine. “ Wishing you success, this new year, in all your efforts,

' " I am, dear Sirs, yours truly,

"A BAPTIST MIXISTRE."

THE CHURCH.

“ Built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the

chief corner-stone."

MAROH, 1863.

THE INWARD EVIDENCE.

BY THE REV. J. H. HINTON, M.A. “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself.”—1 John v. 10. In dealing with this very interesting and important passage of Scripture, it will be necessary for us in the outset to arrive at a correct conception of its meaning.

No difficulty attaches to it except in connection with one word, “the witness ;” and in order to find the meaning of this word, we must trace it in the context. The passage begins at verse 7, and reads as follows :

-7. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood : and these three agree in one. 9. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater : for this is the witness which he hath testified of his Son. 10. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record which God gave of his Son. 11. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."

We observe, on reading these verses, that two words—"record" and "witness" -are employed. Only one word is here used in the original, and it would have been better if our translators had used but one word, as the thing intended is one and the same. The word testimony, indeed, suits the connection better than either witness or record, and I shall hereafter employ it.

The apostle, then, writes thus :-There are in heaven three that bear testimony to Christ, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; there are also on earth three that bear testimony to Christ, the spirit, the water, and the blood : and this testimony is, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is given through his Son. Now, this testimony ought to be received, because it appeals to us on the same ground as human testimony, which we habitually receive, even when far less ample and decisive: but, apart from this, he that believeth on the Son of God hath the testimony in himself.

What, now, can be the meaning of the word “testimony" in this last phrase ? It cannot be God's testimony itself which a believer on the Son of God has within him, for that is a thing obviously and necessarily without him. The word testimony seems to be here used in the sense of evidence; so that the meaning will be, He that believeth on the Son of God hath in himself evidence that what he accepts as the testimony of God concerning his Son is truly so.

The question thus raised is a very momentous one: it is that of the truth and Divine origin of Christianity; it is whether what we hold as such is really the testimony of God concerning his Son. For us it is of infinite importance that it should be so, for this fact lies at the foundation of all our peace. If

this testimony should, unhappily, prove to be either false or fictitious, the whole fabric of our hope falls into ruin.

Now, the question respecting the truth and Divine origin of Christianity is, of course, to be decided by evidence; and the evidence applicable to it is of various kinds. Concerning the testimony which we are told God has given of his Son, it may be inquired in what manner God has given it; by what persons it has been communicated ; by what deeds their mission was authenticated; in what records it has been transmitted to us; what is its moral tone, and what have been its practical effects.

Concerning the evidence thus briefly sketched there may be made some important general observations. The field of inquiry is obviously, as a whole, very large; nor can any of its separate divisions be said to be even of moderate dimensions. Each, indeed, may well be regarded as requiring several volumes, and the whole a library. We have to begin with the great subjects of revelation and inspiration ; then to weigh the character and credibility of the sacred writers; after that to discuss the nature and credibility of prophecy and miracles ; then to range over the vast field of biblical criticism; then to test, in multiplied instances, the morality of the Bible; and, last of all, to trace its footsteps in the history of mankind.

Besides being a very large, the Christian evidences are also a very difficult subject of study. The mastery of it demands a vast amount of information, such as can be acquired only by long and extensive reading; it demands, also, great attainments in learning, meaning hereby chiefly a critical knowledge of the Greek and Hebrew languages, but including also a knowledge of what com. mentators in many languages, and in many ages, have written ; and it demands, finally, a well-balanced and highly-cultivated mind, qualified, both by educa. tion and by practice, to do justice to minute questions of criticism, and to weigh with candour moral arguments. The study of the Christian evidences becomes the more difficult now, because of the great distance of time at which we are from the occurrence of the chief facts involved, of the wide diversity between ancient and modern modes of life, and of the critical embarrassments resulting from the transmission through so many hands, and so many ages, of ancient manuscripts. And the difficulty is further aggravated by the fact, that a host of unbelievers have traversed the field before us, raising up innumerable objections, more or less weighty, and often presenting them with ingenious plausibility, though with a culpable perverseness.

To these considerations it may be added, that the mastery of the Christian "evidences must clearly be a work of time. Several years of continuous study is the shortest time that could possibly be allotted to it; and the whole of a long life would not be too much to be devoted to it.

From these observations it inevitably results that, in relation to the bulk of mankind, thene evidences are almost, if not altogether, useless. It is little to say that not one in a thousand-it should rather be said not one in a millionof the hearers of the Gospel possesses either the learning, or the general knowledge, or the mental culture, or the leisure time, required for the study of them.

And we may now be struck, perhaps, by a corresponding fact; namely, that the mastery of the Christian evidences is not in any instance made the basis of God's appeal to mankind. The commission of our Lord to his disciples was not, Go and explain to the people the evidences that you bring a Divine message ; but, Go and proclaim the message itself : “Go ye and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be condemned.” How absurd it would have been to find the apostles saying to their auditors, “ Come, and let us sit down to the study of the Pentateuch, that we may settle its historical character, and ascertain whether it was written by Moses.” A long while indeed it would have been, on such a plan, before the Gospel would have been preached to the nations, and a still longer time before any had believed in Jesus.

The question of time, indeed, involves the settlement of the whole matter. God, in the Gospel, announces an immediate impending ruin, and requires an immediate act of reconciliation to himself. When he says to a sinner, “ Repent, and be converted,” it is no admissible answer to him to say, “Lord, allow me time to examine the evidences of Christianity; and then, if I am convinced, I will answer thy appeal.” The stern reply even of Divine mercy is, “Lose not a moment. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation !' Long before so much time is past, even to-morrow, you may be in perdition.”

God's appeal to men, then, is not, in point of fact, based on the Christian evidences : it may now be added, that it would be of no use if it were so. Not that the Christian evidences are incomplete or unsatisfactory; on the contrary, to a candid mind, they are the most convincing and conclusive evidences the world ever saw; but they require a candid mind, and this no unconverted man will ever bring to them-which is the same thing as to say, no unconverted man will ever be convinced by them. I have said that the Christian evidences require a candid mind. What case of evidence does not? Undoubtedly, there are difficulties; and in the estimate of these all the difference in the world is made by the temper of the judge. The real question is, whether they are looked upon with the eye of an enemy or of a friend, Now, ungodly men are, without exception, enemies to God, and in the spirit of an enemy they will look on the evidences of Christianity. Were they much more clear than they are, they would still find objections to them ; nor would it be possible, by any amount of evidence, to silence their cavils. Why, therefore, should the evidences be made clearer for them, or why should any appeal be made to them on the ground of evidence at all? Such an appeal is inevitably futile. If ever an enemy to God is reconciled to him, it will be because the love of God in Christ Jesus shines into his heart.

It is thus that the Bible is adapted to become a test-book for the world into which it is thrown, and for every man into whose hands it comes. To the understanding it presents abundant materials for objection, and he that is willing to occupy himself with them shall find no want of employment; but all these difficulties are nothing where the heart is right; and it is doubtless to show whether the heart is right or not, that God has seen fit to leave so many difficulties in the Bible. It is still as when our Lord said to the cavilling Jews, " If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God” (John vii. 17).

But now, after this view of one class of the Christian evidences—for it is but one class of them which have been under observation let us look at another, as presented to us in the text. “He that believeth on the Son of God," says the apostle, “bath the evidence in himself.” The former were outward evidences ; this evidence is within.

Let us take care here that we rightly understand the phraseology which the apostle employs. He does not say, He that believes the testimony of God to be true afterwards finds the evidence of its truth within himself: this would be absurd. But he says, “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the evidence in himself.” Now, to "believe on the Son of God” is a very different thing from believing God's testimony concerning his Son to be true. It is, to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, to submit to God's method of dealing with us through him. It is thus an exercise of the heart, and not of the understanding merely; and its direct object is, not the truth of the testimony which God has borne, but the substance of that testimony itself,