reason of strength they be four-score years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow, for it is soon cut off and we fly away.' Yes, gentlemen, 77 years of age. Yes, the silver cord will soon be loosened, and the golden bowl be broken. And now this valuable property is offered. Who'll bid? who'll bid? Don't hang back, gentlemen. Say something. Seventy-seven years old! £6,000 says one, £7,000 says another. Oh! but that's not half its value. Come, come, don't be afraid. I know, gentlemen, there is a great outcry in Falmouth about it, but they can't help themselves, and depend upon it, even if disestablishment come, vested interests will always be respected. Come, what shall I say? Thank you, £8,000, it is going, gentlemen, £8,000, £9,000, well we're getting on, £9,000, still below its value, gentlemen, £9,000 for this property, £1,700 a year, and the incumbent 77 years old. Don't be afraid, any one of you may bid. Why, the biggest blackguard in the room may have it, if he'll only give money enough." But a truce to this. I tell you I have scarcely exaggerated one bit. Some of the words I have used, are the very words the auctioneer is reported to have used. Is it not awful? Oh! I can fancy in that auctioneer's room, the devil himself leering with malicious joy, as the terrible scene is being enacted, and if it were possible for sorrow to be in heaven, must not the angels who rejoice over one repenting sinner, weep, weep sad and bitter tears? Oh Christ! Christ! Christ! thou, who when on earth didst drive the buyers and sellers out of the temple, saying, "My Father's house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." Oh Christ! they sell for gold the right of preaching thy blessed gospel! they sell for gold the right of baptising into thy holy name! they sell for gold the right of breaking the bread and pouring out the wine in memory of thy agony and shame! they sell to the highest bidder the right of burying thy saints "in the sure and certain hope of a blessed resurrection!"

And well might we shrink from the awful scene. But remember that this scene was enacted just one month ago to-day, and every week similar scenes may be witnessed. And do not say, it is too bad to refer to those things, they are mere abuses, that men in the Establishment are disgusted with them as much as you are. Are they? I ask, then, what steps do they take to remedy it? I know when men recognise abuses, they set to work to create a public opinion to remedy them. What, I ask, are you doing to alter this state of things? Don't tell me you do not like to call public meetings and create excitement; you can pack the biggest hall in London to overflowing, and get your leading men to speak there, lest, perchance, a single word should be struck out of the damnatory clauses of the Athanasian Creed. But where has a meeting been called to denouuce an evil like this, or what steps have you taken to remedy it? Shall we be blamed, if we say your silence in the midst of it gives consent to it? You are responsible for the evils you take no steps to cure.

I refer to one point more, and only to one point more. We do not care to unite ourselves with this Church because we find to our intense sorrow that it is by its clergy, by its ritual, by its practice, leading this country back to Rome. How much farther it will go in this direction I know not, but I confess I cannot contemplate the future without a feeling approaching to alarm. Let me ask you to listen to the following extract from the Weekly Register, a Roman Catholic Journal. Speaking of progress, it says:

"In England the work of conversion has continued during the past year with steady and not very slow steps. To name, or even indicate individuals who have been received during the past twelve months would be foreign to our purpose. This much we say (and say with truth), the fact being known to many Catholics in London, that the number of converts in London alone has been upwards of 2,000 during the past year, and they have during the last few weeks increased very much. Many, we are informed, have joined us, who are all but Catholics, and who had little need of instruction before they made up their minds to take the final, the long deferred, but the all-needful step. From every Ritualistic congregation in London there is a continual stream of

converts drifting towards us, and the number would be increased had we priests sufficient to look after those who are hesitating as to their future step in the right direction. In various parts of this country, different Anglican clergymen have been received into the Church to the number of some ten or a dozen, and at least as many ladies connected with the Anglican sisterhood have followed in the same direction. And of every twenty Anglicans who join the Catholic Church not less than seventeen have been prepared for the step by the teaching they have heard from Ritualistic pulpits, and by the practices they have got accustomed to in Ritualistic churches. Not only laymen but Auglican clergymen, have been seen devoutly hearing mass at Catholic churches, rather than go to their own places of worship where what they considered heresy was taught."

Is there one of us in this hall to-night surprised at this testimony? I think not, it is but what we all expect; and I am uttering but the sad truth when I say, that it seems that the one aim of the most active party in the Establishment is to bring the English Church as closely as possible into perfect uniformity with the Church of Rome. I have books at home-manuals for the young, for candidates for Confirmation, for preparation for the Communionmanuals that evidently have a large circulation; and written by leading members of the Ritualistic party, in which the Romish doctrines of the priesthood, the Sacrifice of the Mass, the transformation of the bread and wine into the actual body and blood of Christ, auricular confession, the power of the priesthood to forgive sins, are openly and unblushingly taught; and there is not a church belonging to the Establishment of this country but might be occupied by men teaching the doctrines for opposing which our fathers died, and the fires of Smithfield were lighted. The Bennett judgment has unprotestantised the English Church. And the Church Times is perfectly right when it says, "We are not blind to the practical effects of the judgment. It is a great advantage to the less courageous members of the High Church school to know that they can preach, without any fear of Civil and Ecclesiastical penalties, the primitive doctrines of the Real Presence, the Sacrifice of the Mass, and of Eucharistic Adoration. It is a great disadvantage to Monsignor Capel and his colleagues to have one of their favourite weapons wrested out of their hands in that they can no longer allege that English Catholics who preach these tenets are disloyal and alien from their own Church."

It must not be forgotten that, by that judgment, any man and every man in the English Church may preach the Real Presence, the Sacrifice of the Mass, and the Eucharistic Adoration; and the highest Court of Appeal in the land has decided that in so doing he will not be acting in opposition to the teaching of the Church. We cannot be united with a Church which will and does teach such doctrines for the Gospel of the grace of God.

And now I must draw rapidly to a close. The question has been publicly raised, and the prayer in this hall offered, that we Nonconformists might yet return to the one fold of Christ's Catholic Church. If the words are used in the only sense that can properly attach to them, we protest against the lack of charity that excludes from that fold Christian men and women simply because they are Nonconformists. With all humility and reverence, but with all confidence, we avow our belief that Christ the Good Shepherd has admitted us himself into his fold, and we will let no man come between us and our Saviour. If the words are used to mean the Church of England as by law established, we protest against the presumption of any man or of any party arrogating to itself a title that can only justly be applied to the whole. If the words are so used, then we on our side are obliged to show reason why we do not wish and should not wish the prayer to be fulfilled. The Church of Christ should not be a political organization, as this Church is. The Church of Christ should be pure, or should attempt at least to be pure: this Church admits the infamous traffic in livings, traffic in the very souls of men. The Church of Christ should teach only the word of God; this Church teaches the doctrines of Rome, and

therefore we cannot unite with her. Many other reasons I might have given. Let these suffice. I know full well that in occupying this position, and saying what I have said to-night, I shall lay myself open to many charges. Men who, with honeyed words upon their lips, can manifest the real lack of charity which excludes all Nonconformists from the one fold of Christ's Church, will doubtless charge me with being very uncharitable. Those who are members of a political Church, a Church made what it is, and continued as it is, and that cannot be altered from what it is but by political action, may call me that terrible thing, a Political Dissenter. But these things will pass unheeded by. I tell you what it is, brethren. The time has come when it is needed that we speak out. The rapid progress which this semi-popery is making amongst us calls for more earnest devoted Christian outspokenness. It seems to me as though a most determined effort is being made to induce Nonconformists, and especially Wesleyans, to amalgamate with the Church of England, One gets up and in persuasive tones declares that John Wesley lived and died not only a Churchman, but a Churchman holding the views that now distinguish the modern Ritualists, and from it the conclusion is deduced that Wesleyan Methodists ought to be Churchmen and Ritualists too. Another, not so wise and prudent perhaps, but animated with the same design, tries to frighten the Methodists into the Church, and when he cannot succeed. says, (and I give my authority for the statement it is Mr. Barlow, J.P., a leading Methodist of Bolton, in Lancashire): “Well, your John Wesley is burning in hell, for his schism from the Church of England." Yes, depend upon it, there is a battle yet to be fought in this England of ours; a battle in which, when once it is begun, we shall have to draw the sword, and throw away the scabbard. Be it ours to be prepared for it; prepared by an intelligent apprehension of the great principles involved in the conflict; prepared by a knowledge of the skilful use of the great weapon, the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God: prepared by lives of holy, unselfish devotedness, to the great cause we hold so dear; prepared by loving sympathy with him whom we delight to follow as the Captain of Salvation. So prepared, we will fight the good fight of faith, praying always with all prayer aud supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. And so fighting, we shall come off more than conquerors through him who loved us and gave himself for us.

Mission Work in Philistia.

ACTS VIII. 26-40.

EMARKABLE and immediate blessing attended the Spirit-taught and seems to have been placed upon record to teach Christians to be always ready to make use of present circumstances in leading others directly and individually to a knowledge of their Lord and Master; and although Gaza, Askalon, Ashdod, Ekron, and many other places in the Philistine plain, are familiar to most readers of the Old Testament, yet in modern times no one seems to have taken sufficient practical interest in the spiritual welfare of its inhabitants to establish any permanent mission in the neighbourhood.

of which

Gaza is a town of some 16,000 inhabitants, and in the surrounding districts there are sixty towns and villages; while to the south-east, along the borders of Egypt, nearly 50,000 rather lawless Arabs form their camps in about 7,000 tents. Yet in modern times no systematic effort has been made to preach the gospel to them.

This large population professes the religion of Mahomet, with the exception of a few families belonging to the Greek Church. An Evangelical School has

however been opened within the last few months at Gaza for boys, taught by a young Syrian from Antioch, and attended by some thirty-five pupils, nearly all of whom are Mahometans.

But no provision has yet been made for female education in the neighbourhood, and another wide field is there opening up for English Christian motherliness, prudence, principle and tact. Several ladies of private means are carrying on work of this kind very successfully in different parts of Syria. A recent lady traveller well remarks: What praise do not such devoted women deserve for the energy and self-denial they exert? Far away from their own circle of relationship, their sole wish is to raise to better things a population immersed in ignorance; but this is rendered still more affecting by their locality in a land where once shone in its fulness the grace and mercy of our God and Lord." And elsewhere: "I often think of the reproach contained in the reply of the poor Bedouin woman, who on hearing the simple principles of Gospel faith as unfolded to her by Miss W., replied, 'No one ever told us of these things.' Age had prevented her joining those she belonged to in their daily wanderings, and the hours went slowly by in awaiting their return, and the solace of their talk May God grant a blessing on those words then spoken to her, and seemingly received with a reproach that they had never reached her ears before-to be a consolation and a hope which would bear her above her trials of dreary solitude! This reproach causes a fearful responsi bility to rest upon ourselves." See "A Lady's Ride through Palestine and Syria." S. W. Partridge & Co., 1872.

Oh! that some large-hearted, true, godly women, with means at their command, might but hear their Master saying, "This is your place: cultivate Gaza for me!" Trained native female teachers, with some knowledge of English, may be obtained from Jerusalem and Beyrout, who may be employed in school work and visitation.

Procrastinating hopelessness has paralysed many of our efforts for Palestine, although 1840 years ago, He, who came from heaven to preach glad tidings to the poor of this very land which he claims as his own, commanded his disciples to look for immediate results to their work of faith and labour of love, saying, "Say not ye, there are yet four months unto the harvest; for I say unto you, LIFT UP YOUR EYES, AND LOOK ON THE FIELDS; FOR THEY ARE WHITE ALREADY TO HARVEST. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together." "The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he would thrust forth more labourers into his harvest."

An English missionary would be quite safe at Gaza, but should have a native catechist to work with him. Three Englishmen have resided at Gaza for eight years, in charge of the telegraph between Alexandria and Constantinople, who are friendly to mission work. They report that they have found the town healthy, though rather hot in the height of summer for two or three months, when they usually sleep in tents near the sea. But, doubtless, as elsewhere, some more satisfactory way of securing ventilation may be discovered. Provisions are good and cheap, house rents low, and necessary expenses about half what they are in any ordinary English town at present.

W. D. Pritchett, Esq., of Bishop's Stortford, on whose heart has been laid the soul needs of Gaza, has been, for the last four years, travelling as a volunteer distributor of the Arabic Scriptures, through the less known camps and corners of the land, beyond Jordan, from Damascus southwards into Egypt, through the ancient kingdoms of Og and Bashan with their many ruined cities, and in the wild countries of the Ammonites, the Moabites, Edomites, and Philistines. By one who has had ample opportunity of observation, he is said to be one of the best practical economists in money matters; and his own services in the proposed Gaza mission will continue to be gratuitous.

His proposed coadjutor says, "I know the people sufficiently well, together

with their habits and customs, to feel quite at home with them. Not having experienced a day's illness during the three years and a half I have spent in Syria, and having laboured among the people with an acceptance that is in every way encouraging, the path that Providence has planned for me is not to be mistaken."

Help for the GAZA MISSION may be sent to the care of Messrs. H. Gaze & Sons, Tourist Directors, 142, Strand, London.

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