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The book may be lent to the aged, or used by those who have to visit the aged, especially if their state be doubtful, as suggestive of topics for conversation with them.

Lives of Alexander Henderson and James Guthrie. Issued by the Committee of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland for the Publication of the Works of Scottish Reformers and Divines. 12mo. pp. 285. Edinburgh. Printed for the Assembly's Committee. -A very interesting volume. Hender

son will be known to the readers of English history as controversially connected with Charles I. The friends of Charles, of course, make him greatly

inferior to his royal opponent. But here we have his Life by the late Dr. M'Crie, to which two of his sermons are affixed. Both sides may therefore be considered. Guthrie was a pious and devoted Minister; in the principles which he adopted in relation to the National Covenant, so steady and consistent, that, in the course of the fearful persecutions by which the English party endeavoured to force Episcopacy on Scotland, he became one of the victims of their fell intolerance. To the Life some of his writings are attached, including what was indeed his last work, his impressive-we had almost said sternly-pathetic-Address just before he was executed, June 1st, 1661.

RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

I. GREAT BRITAIN.

EXTRACTS FROM THE EIGHTH REPORT OF THE WESLEYAN COMMITTEE OF EDUCATION.

IN the Reports which have been published subsequently to the important General Meeting held in London in the autumn of 1843, the Committee have had occasion to express themselves in terms of hope and confidence, as to the probability of their being able to obtain £20,000, as the first nucleus of a general fund for educational purposes. They have now the satisfaction of reporting that the amount so proposed to be raised has been actually realized, and even exceeded, as will appear from the statement of account now published by the Treasurers. The first great step proposed to be taken has thus been gained, and, perhaps, as soon as, under all the circumstances of the case, could reasonably have been expected; and it is now incumbent upon those who assisted in that effort to apply themselves to the accomplishment of the remaining, and still more weighty, portions of the general scheme, to which the primary commencement and continued sustentation of that general fund have reference.

Important, however, as the question of pecuniary resources and supplies for general purposes is admitted to be, it must still yield in importance to another more difficult and vital question; namely, What are the best and most likely means of raising and maintaining an adequate supply of faithful and efficient

Teachers; and this is at present-as it has been from the beginning-one of the main questions which exercise the attention and care of the Committee. With a view to this object, they have made anxious and diligent inquiry, by circulars addressed to every Circuit; and they have employed their best judgment in the selections they have made from those who have responded to their call: they have further done all that they were able, though not all that they could have wished to do, to train and qualify the persons so selected for the public service; and, as the result of their continued attention to this department of their duty, they have the pleasure of reporting that, during the last year, thirty male and eight female Teachers, having completed their course of preparatory training at the Glasgow seminary, have been appointed, on the recommendation of the Committee, to various schools, as under :

Otley, Bramley (two), Skipsea, Bingley, Ripon, Whitchurch, Sheriff-Hutton, Cardiff, Wigan, Ripley, Hollins, Thornton, Wolverhampton, Selby (two), Exeter, Huddersfield, Almondbury, Bingham, Willenhall, Addingham, Mousehole, Reeth, Kington, Stonehouse, Broughton, Bollington, Sheffield (two), Portsmouth, Frodsham, Kingsley, Stourport, Williton, St. Ives, Leek, Nantwich.

Since the date of the last Report, (iucluding twenty cases which had been reserved from the former year,) one hundred and thirty-two persons have offered themselves to the Committee. Of this number, sixty have been accepted, fortythree have been declined, seventeen have withdrawn, twelve still remain to be considered; and at present there are forty students in course of training at the Seminary.

The Committee have been hitherto mainly indebted to that institution for the training of their Teachers; and they gratefully acknowledge the very seasonable facilities it has afforded, under the circumstances of inconvenience and necessity in which the Committee have been placed. But the project, which has been already repeatedly announced, of having a Wesleyan Normal Institution, continues to be cherished, as being on various accounts exceedingly desira ble. And the Conference having formally empowered the Committee "to apply to that purpose-and, if need be, to the purchase of a site and the erection of suitable buildings-such portion of the general fund as may be necessary, in addition to special contributions, for the completion of that object," the Committee are now anxiously engaged in such inquiries and negotiations as, they have reason to presume, may lead to a result that shall satisfy the hopes and wishes so generally and earnestly expressed upon that subject, in the establishment of that which is desiderated. But they are not yet in circumstances to report definitely and expressly the probabilities which are opening before them : they can only state, that all that has been practicable in the way of inquiry and preparation has been carefully attended

to, and that, on their being furnished with a site adapted to the Institution they contemplate, they will lose no time in carrying this important part of their design into effect.

During the year, several buildings for schools have been erected, or newly fitted up; and in several of these cases a very creditable liberality has been exerted, with a view to what the Committee and the Conference have considered to be of the utmost importance in all such undertakings; namely, the clearance of the buildings from all incumbrance of debt. Nothing is more manifest to the mind of the Committee, than that this principle must be adhered to, if possible, in every case in which any considerable expense is required to be incurred in furnishing the requisite accommodation; and the evidence which has been furnished, in the cases just referred to, as well as the concurrent evidence supplied by sundry other recent and notorious instances, of what may be done in the way of raising money for the cause of God, where there is a hearty mind for work of that description, shows that there is less of real difficulty in such efforts than ordinary estimates and calculations would, in general, anticipate. The quaint old maxim of "a long pull, and a strong pull, and a pull all together," is not, in all respects, the happiest to be applied to undertakings of this nature. A 66 strong pull, and a pull all together," in the outset of them, will generally secure all that is required; and the "long pull," the most hazardous of all to be calculated on, will, in that case, be most happily and advantageously dispensed with, or reserved for those gentler efforts, which the continued working of the schools may be found to render necessary.

EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE.

A CONCISE VIEW OF THE PRINCIPLES, OBJECTS, AND CONSTITUTION OF THE BRITISH ORGANIZATION.

THE following paper presents a brief account of the British Organization, in connexion with the Evangelical Alliance, as determined upon by the Conference held in Manchester, November, 1846; and, while intended for the information of all who may wish to acquaint themselves with its constitution and objects, is designed more especially for the guidance of such as may desire to become enrolled among its members.

I. The Organization takes for its ba

sis, the basis of the Alliance; and, accordingly, the parties composing it are required to be persons who hold and maintain what are usually understood to be evangelical views in regard to the following subjects; namely,-1. The divine inspiration, authority, and suffi ciency of the holy Scriptures. 2. The right of private judgment in the interpretation of the holy Scriptures. 3. The Unity of the Godhead, and the Trinity of Persons therein. 4. The utter de

pravity of human nature in consequence of the fall. 5. The incarnation of the Son of God, his work of atonement for sinners of mankind, and his mediatorial intercession and reign. 6, The justification of the sinner by faith alone. 7. The work of the Holy Spirit in the conversion and sanctification of the sinner. 8. The immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, the judgment of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, with the eternal blessedness of the righteous, and the eternal punishment of the wicked. 9. The Divine institution of the Christian ministry, and the obligation and perpetuity of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper.

It being, however, distinctly declared, First, that this brief summary is not to be regarded, in any formal or ecclesiastical sense, as a Creed or Confession, nor the adoption of it as involving an assumption of the right authoritatively to define the limits of Christian brotherhood, but simply as an indication of the class of persons whom it is desirable to embrace within the Organization: Secondly, that the selection of certain tenets, with the omission of others, is not to be held as implying that the former constitute the whole body of important truth, or that the latter are unimportant. It being also distinctly stated, that no compromise of the views of any member, or sanction of those of others, on the points wherein they differ, is either required or expected; but that all are held as free as before to maintain and advocate their religious convictions, with due forbearance and brotherly love.

II. The British Organization takes also for its objects, the objects of the Evangelical Alliance. Its great object, consequently, is, to aid in manifesting, as far as practicable, the unity which exists amongst the true disciples of Christ; to promote their union by fraternal and devotional intercourse; to discourage all envyings, strifes, and divisions; to impress upon Christians a deeper sense of the great duty of obeying their Lord's command to "love one another," and to seek the full accomplishment of his prayer, "That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."

Hence, its members are earnestly recommended, in their respective localities, to cultivate as much as in them lies, the habit of co-operation in all good and Christian undertakings, and espe cially in promoting the moral and spiritual improvement of their own coun

trymen. And hence, too, the plan of periodical meetings, wherever they can be established, for fraternal intercourse, and united praise and prayer, is emphatically recommended, as the most effectual mode of diffusing the sentiments and spirit of the Alliance among the masses of Christian people. In subserviency to this, its main object, the Organization will endeavour to exert a beneficial influence on the advancement of evangelical Protestantism, and on the counteraction of infidelity, of Romanism, and of such other forms of superstition, error, and profaneness as are most prominently opposed to it, especially the desecration of the Lord's day. Inquiries will, accordingly, be prosecuted, and information sought, on the subjects of Popery, infidelity, and Sabbath observance, and the results of these investigations published from time to time, in such manner as may be deemed most expedient.

III. For the purposes of this Organization, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland has, for the present, been formed into seven divisions, called the Southern, the South-Western, the Midland, the Northern, the NorthWestern divisions of England, the Scottish, and the Irish divisions respectively. The Southern division of England includes Middlesex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey, Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, and the Channel Islands. Out of the members of the Organization resident in each division, a Committee has been appointed, to consist of not more than one hundred persons, to be called a Divisional Committee. These Divisional Committees constitute, together, the Committee of the Organization, which Committee is to meet in the aggregate once every year, or oftener, if necessary. The Divisional Committee have instructions to originate Sub-Divisional Committees, as early as they may be able, to consist of not more than fifty members each, at such places as may be found to require them. The Divisional and Sub-Divisional Committees may severally admit to membership.

IV. While the parties composing this Organization are required to be such as hold and maintain evangelical views in reference to the doctrines enumerated in the Basis of the Alliance,-in the admission of members, regard is to be had not only to an intellectual assent to those doctrines, but also to the practical exhi

bition of their influence upon the conduct and temper of the individual; and, therefore, it is an instruction to the several Committees, to provide that no person be admitted to membership except he be recommended by two members of the Committee to which his name shall be proposed, as being, in their judgment and belief, a person of Christian charac. ter, spirit, and deportment. The mode of signifying adhesion to the principles and objects of the Organization, may be by writing or orally, at the option of the party applying for membership; and the parties recommending him must declare that he has, in one mode or the other, signified his adhesion to them.

In pursuance of the course thus prescribed, the following is the kind of declaration which has been agreed upon as desirable to be used by members of Committee, in recommending individuals for membership :—

"EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE. BRITISH ORGANIZATION.

"We the undersigned, being Members of the Committee of the Southern division of the British Organization, hereby recommend for Mem

bership in the Organization, declaring that he has signified his adhesion to its principles and objects, and that he is in our judgment and belief a person of Christian character, spirit, and deport

ment."

It has also been ruled,-"That no person be admitted to membership whose name and recommendation have not been first submitted to a Nomination SubCommittee." "That a vote be taken in Committee on the name of each person reported for admission by its Nomination Sub-Committee, and that a majority of the Meeting determine the result." And, "That if, in any case, the Nomination Sub-Committee should decline to report the name of a person properly recommended, the members recommending him may appeal to the Committee."

Whereas the Provisional Committee, during their session at Birmingham, resolved, that no slaveholder should be invited to attend the Meeting which was to be held in London for the formation of the Evangelical Alliance; and whereas it is known that some British subjects are holders of slaves :-The British Organization, in pursuance of the course adopted by the Provisional Committee, and upon mature deliberation of the whole case, but without pronouncing any judgment on the personal Christianity of slaveholders, agreed to declare,

that no holder of a slave shall be deemed eligible to membership. There is no money qualification for membership in this Organization; but, although a money qualification is not considered essential, yet, inasmuch as the business of the Alliance cannot be conducted without a regular supply of funds, it is hoped that each member who can afford it, will contribute annually, not less than 58., nor more than £5. Any larger amount to be considered a donation.

The main object of membership, in every instance, ought to be, to render palpable and prominent a desire to promote Christian union. In seeking such membership, persons should be actuated by real solicitude for the peace and prosperity of the church of Christ, as connected with the manifested oneness of his people; and it should be habitually recognised, and valued, and delighted in, as binding them to avail themselves of all possible means, whereby, through the divine blessing, they may contribute towards bringing about so glorious a consummation. Especially should it be regarded as pledging them in their own conduct, and particularly in their own use of the press, carefully to abstain from all bitterness and malice, and, in all things in which they may yet differ from each other, to be kind, tenderhearted, and forbearing; to strive to promote, each in his own communion, a spirit of humiliation for its peculiar sins, and to exercise a double measure of forbearance in reproving, where reproof is needful, the faults of those Christian brethren who belong to other bodies than their own; and, when required by conscience to assist or defend any views or principles wherein they differ from Christian brethren who agree with them in vital truths, to aim earnestly, by the help of the Holy Spirit, to avoid all rash and groundless insinuations, personal imputations, or irritating allusions, and to maintain the meekness and gentleness of Christ, by speaking the truth only in love.

At the same time, however, that there are thus duties to be observed, and sentiments to be cherished, and dispositions to be cultivated, there are also many privileges, some of a subordinate kind, and some unspeakably precious, to which membership must be understood to entitle those whom it distinguishes. Not only does it invest them with a species of influence eminently fitted to operate beneficially, and not only does it enable them to attend the public and general meetings of the Organization, in a cha

racter of which they alone are possessed; but it gives them a right to be present at more private and select meetings for intercourse, reading the Scriptures, and prayer, which, it is hoped, will, ere long, become numerous and frequent. It also affords them the opportunity, if contributors to the funds of the Organization, to purchase its publications at reduced prices, and to obtain grants of any such as may be intended for gratuitous distribution; and, not to specify other particulars of this class, it warrants them to expect the exercise of sincere and heart

felt sympathy, alike in their sorrows and their joys, and assures them of a special interest in the earnest and believing prayers of Christian affection. May the Lord, in the plenitude of his grace, so direct and dispose the hearts of his people as that this blessed Confederation shall be continually gathering to itself fresh accessions of those who shall advance the great cause with which it aims to be identified, by the manifestation of simple, fervent, enduring love!

London, December 31st, 1846.

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