which the brethren engaged with fervour. The congregation was deeply affected. The presence of the Holy Ghost was evident, and many sin. ners cried loudly, 'Lord, save, or we perish!' Never did I witness such a scene of lamentation and weeping for sin. Truly it was the work of God. Before the close of the meeting, seventy professed a hope in Jesus, and upwards of that number declared themselves deeply convinced of sin, and cried out for mercy. Since the close of the meeting, many of these have found peace in believing."

In TROY, N. Y.-" Since the commencement of the revival, there have been added to this branch of Zion seventy persons, many of whom have been and still are teachers in the Sunday-schools; several have been and still are Sunday-scholars."

WYOMING, Pa.-"Two hundred and sixty-nine persons have been baptized by Elder J. Elliott, as the fruits of an existing and still growing revival."

NEW-YORK CITY.-" The work of God is advancing here with great interest and power. We are not prepared to give a full statement of the number who have professed their faith in Christ since the commencement of this revival; but we can give the following specimens of additions to the churches in this city: :

(on trial)

108

425

34

600

Several other churches have shared in the revival, but we have no definite knowledge relative to their accessions."

NEW HATENN, Ct." The revival is going forward here with increasing interest and power. We can make no estimate at present of the members who have closed with the offers of salvation; but whenever an invitation is given for the young converts and anxious sinners to assemble, they flock together like a cloud, and as doves to their windows, and no place less than the bodies of our largest churches, with seats in the aisles, can accommodate the crowd."

YALE COLLEGE AND AMHERST COLLEGE.-"God, in his infinite mercy, has visited these Institutions. Several have attended the meetings for inquiry, and some are beginning to hope. Let all continue to wrestle and pray for these dear youths."

ALBANY." Large accessions have been made to the Presbyterian and other churches. To the first Presbyterian church there were added last Sabbath, fifty-seven persons. The services of that day appear to have given a new impulse to the revival, so that upwards of one hundred individuals are professedly seeking salvation. In the second church, the inquiry meeting is usually attended by from eighty to one hundred persons, a considerable portion of whom, within a recent period, regard themselves as converts. The third church received an accession of fifteen; its pros. pects are encouraging. A few weeks since, upwards of forty were added to the fourth church; and we understand, that seventy more are to connect themselves with it to-morrow."

ROCHESTER." Additions have recently been made to the three Presbyterian churches here, to the amount of 441; and we have just learned, that 130 have united with the Baptist church."

CLARENCE, ERIE Co.-" A considerable number here have expressed hopes of an interest in the Saviour, and the work proceeds with undimin

ished interest and power. "In one neighbourhood, consisting of twentyfive families, in which there was scarcely a praying soul, previous to the commencement of the revival, the family altar has been crected in seventeen already."

BATAVIA." A four days' meeting commenced at this place, April 17. Such was the interest excited, and such the manifestations of God's Spirit among the people, that the meeting was continued eight days. A revival commenced, in consequence, in the Presbyterian congregation; and it is hoped, that all Christian denominations in the vicinity have been exhilarated by this refreshing season of grace."

WHITEHALL, N. Y.-"It has pleased the great Head of the church to favour us with a revival of religion, deep, powerful, and rapid. It has brought, as we humbly trust, to the feet of the cross, almost the whole of the respectable part of this community, and produced an entire change in the aspect of the village. Those that were grossly wicked have now begun to set up the family altar for God, and are giving good evidence that they are passing from death unto life. The work began with a three days' meeting; but such was the state of things among us, that we continued it for eleven days, during which time the meetings were sustained with great interest."

NEWHAVEN AND HAMILTON COLLEGES.-" Many interesting young men in these Institutions are deeply pious, most of them the fruits of the present revival."

WELSH CHURCH.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN. SIR, As statistical accounts of religion seem well adapted for a periodical work, I beg to transmit, for insertion in your periodical, a few extracts from a letter, which gives a brief view of what may be called the "Presbyterian Church" in Wales-a church comparatively little known in the religious world; but which, the more it is known, will be the more highly estimated. The letter evinces an excellent Catholic spirit on the part of its reverend author, and affords a delightful view of the zeal and success of the Welsh brethren. Being a member of the committee appointed by the Synod of the Presbyterian Church in England, for arranging correspondence with those churches in America, Ireland, and Wales, that are understood to entertain similar views with the Church of Scotland, in doctrine and ecclesiastical polity, and who may be inclined for such Christian fellowship, I have merely to subjoin, that this letter forms an answer to inquiries made by me upon this subject.

WHITEHAVEN, 26th Aug. 1831.5

R. E.

"REV. & DEAR SIR,-Your kind letter, dated the 10th March, did not reach me till the 30th of July, at which time I was on the point of leaving home, and consequently could not reply to it sooner.

"Being now, however, in Liverpool, I avail myself of a favourable opportunity that offers, to return my grateful acknowledgments for your esteemed favour, and the excellent sermon which accompanied it. I have also to request your acceptance of a small book, which contains our Confession of Faith, Rules of Discipline, &c. from which you will be able to form your opinion of us, as a religious body. You will perceive that our doctrinal sentiments are entirely in accordance with the Confession of Faith of the Church of Scotland; and in church government, I think, we approach nearer to that church than any other denomination of Christians in the United Kingdom. We have our monthly meetings of Ministers, Preachers, and Elders in each county, and quarterly meetings, as well as annual assemblies, of all the church officers who may be able to attend, from all parts of the principality, and from the different towns in England to which the connexion extends.*

"I cannot inform you at present of the exact numbers of our congregations and Ministers. I think the number of the former is 400, and that of the Ministers 300. You must understand, however, that we have no stated Ministers, nor have we any fixed salaries for Ministers. Our Ministers and Preachers exchange pulpits with each other almost every sabbath; this is arranged at the monthly meetings, and there is a small fund in each congregation, towards defraying the travelling expenses of the Ministers who may visit them.

"We have no seminary of learning for our young Preachers, nor as yet have we any means of establishing one: this has been a source of regret to many of us. We are rot, however, without the hope of being able sometime to establish so desirable an institution. All that we have been able to do for the last forty years, has been to build or enlarge our chapels: I think that we have built 300 chapels in that time, some of which are large and expensive erections, but not too large for the congregations, which continue to increase. And though many of the congregations consist of poor people, yet they not only contribute cheerfully to diminish the heavy debt remaining upon many of the chapels, but also to other good causes, especially to Bible and Missionary societies.

"This, dear Sir, is an imperfect sketch of the external circumstances of the cause of God among us. The Lord hath done wonderful things, indeed, in Wales, by instruments very poor and insignificant in themselves, and in the sight of men. Our Preachers, though for the most part destitute of the advantage of a classical education, do preach the Gospel in its purity, and in plain language, but with great and becoming solemnity, and sometimes, I may presume to say, 'in the demonstration of the Spirit, and with power.'

"In regard to the correspondence which you mentioned, I have only to say, that however much we may esteem it an honour to be noticed by other churches, yet we labour under great disadvantages in carrying on any regular correspondence, especially in the way of clerical visits, as there are but few of our Ministers who are accustomed to preach in the English language. At the same time, without having had an opportu

*This account exactly corresponds with the original practice of the Presbyterian Church in Ulster.-See "Orthodox Presbyterian," No. I. p. 30.

nity of consulting with my brethren since the receipt of your kind letter, I have no doubt but they will cordially agree to correspond with you oc casionally by letter. I know that it will be the joy of our hearts to hear of your success in the work of the Lord; and I trust that we shall have a mutual interest in each other's prayers. We, however, want more of the Spirit of God in his powerful influences amongst us: the presence of God is not so visible in our assemblies as formerly. Let us pray more for an increase in vital and spiritual religion : most of the virgins are fast asleep§ Now, my dear Sir, I must conclude with wishing you much of the presence of your Master, and much success in his work.

"I am your unworthy brother and fellow-labourer. "LIVERPOOL, August 20th, 1831."

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WHETHER A PROFESSION TO BELIEVE THE EXPRESS WORDS OF SCRIPTURE, WITHOUT ANY EXPLICATION, BE AN EVIDENCE OF KNOWLEDGE SUFFICIENT FOR CHRISTIAN COMMUNION?

(Concluded from page 390.)

"BUT to give a full and direct answer to the force of the foregoing objection, I would lay down these considerations, which may help to remove those glaring rays of rhetoric that diffuse themselves round the argument, impose upon, and dazzle weaker minds, and prevent them from beholding the question in its true light, which, if once seen in its proper sense, would be determined with much ease.

"Ist consideration. It is generally agreed by Protestant writers, that not the mere words of Scripture, but the sense of it, is properly Scripture. The words are but the shell in which the divine ideas are conveyed to the mind. It is not the words of the Bible, but the sepse of it, which has the proper characters of the word of God. If any words or language might pretend to this, surely it must be the Hebrew and Greek originals: now these have no such power upon an unlearned Dane or Swede, a French or an English man, as is attributed in Scripture to the word of God. These words in Greek would not pierce or divide in sunder the soul and spirit of a Barbarian: the Gospel, in mixed Syriac language, in which Christ himself spoke, would never prove the power of God to the salvation of a Roman or a Turk: nor could the perfect law of the Lord, in Hebrew, convert the soul of a Muscovite. But when these original words are translated into each language, and convey the same divine instruction and sense to different nations, this sense and instruction (which is properly the word of God) work upon the heart, and make a new creature; for the sense of Scripture is the same in all languages, though the words are very different. Hence it is plain, that we do not in the least derogate from the honour of the Bible, while we declare, that it is the sense of Scripture, and not the mere words of it, that must be our rule of duty and practice. "2d consideration. That the mere words of Scripture were never given us for a test of truth and error, but the sense of Scripture is such a test; much less can we suppose the words of Scripture given us for a best of every man's knowledge, in order to Christian communion. Those that are of this opinion, profess indeed to pay a most exalted and superla.

tive honour to the holy Scripture, in making the very letters and syllables of it so effectual and powerful, to determine all controversies in the Christian church with the greatest ease, and to charm and subdue the warring tongues of men to submission and silence: for if an heretic acknowledges these letters and syllables to be divine, no man must open his mouth against him. But surely this is such an honour, as God never designed for letters and syllables; and if I might venture to use so hard a word, I should ask whether it were not a superstitious regard paid to ink and paper? when errors are proposed, we are indeed called to examine them, by the law and the testimony, Isaiah viii. 20; and it is said, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. But the design of this text is not to make the very words and syllables the judges of truth, but the meaning and sense of them: I prove it thus.

"Suppose I doubt whether Christ made a real and proper satisfaction to the justice of God for the offences of man; I compare this with the words of Scripture, and I find there, that Christ redeemed us from the curse, he bare our sins on his body, he was made a sacrifice for sin, he is our propitiation, or atonement; but I cannot find the words real and proper satisfaction in Scripture; how then must 1 judge whether this be truth, or no? I cannot do it by the mere words, for these are different; but by its agreement in sense and meaning with those other scriptural expressions, I find it to be a divine truth.

"I prove it by another instance thus. Suppose I am told, that I must subdue my pride and vanity of mind, and that I must repent of all backbiting and intemperance, of which I have been guilty, if ever I would be saved: I consult my Bible, and there I find that I must repent of sin, that I must mortify the deeds of the body, that I must crucify the flesh with its lusts, that I must pluck out my right eye, and cut off my right hand, if I would enter into the kingdom of heaven. Now how shall I know what is my duty? surely, the literal sense of the words cannot be. How then shall I find my duty, but by explaining the spiritual sense of these metaphors, in which Scripture so much abounds? A right hand, and a right eye, signifies those sins which are beloved as those members of the body; and then I must draw such consequences as these, viz.: If sin must be repented of, then backbiting and intemperance must be repented of, for they are sins; and pride and vanity of mind must be subdued for the same reason.

"If the words of Scripture may not be treated in this manner, and applied to solve any doubt or difficulty by explications and inferences the Scripture cannot be a sufficient test of truth and error; and if this method be allowed, then it becomes also a sufficient test of Christian knowledge in order to communion; which is all that I contend for.

"3d consideration. Most of the books of Scripture were written at different times, and upon very different occasions, to reprove some particular vices, to refute some special errors or heresies, to instruct in some particular affairs relating to doctrine and duty, in such expressions as were most exactly suited, and divinely proper to answer those special designs. The metaphors and figures of speech there used were well known, or well explained, in that age, and accommodated to the genius and understanding of those persons, for whose benefit they were first written. And by these divine writings we have sufficient direction to find out all necessary truths and duties at all times, in all nations, and ages of the church, by comparison of things, and just inferences. Now though God foreknew