THE PRESBYTERIES OF EDINBURGH, ETC., ON THE EDUCATION QUESTION. 21 yet speaketh." "His works follow him." The fruits of his long and honoured ministry are imperishable. We speak not merely of the many redeemed souls whom he was instrumental in winning to Christ and leading to glory, but of the works which will soon place him in the first ranks among British theologians, controversialists, and phi lanthropists. We would not say that Glasgow will long feel proud of having reared Dr. Wardlaw, and enjoyed his ministry, because we prefer saying that Glasgow will, for generations to come, give God thanks that Dr. Wardlaw was so long spared to be one of her "burning and shining lights." THE PRESBYTERIES OF EDINBURGH, GLASGOW, AND DUNFERMLINE We deem it proper to place on record, the resolutions adopted by several Presbyteries of the United Presbyterian Synod, on one of the engrossing topics of the day-National Education. On the 1st November, Dr. Harper brought before the Presbytery of Edinburgh, his motion on National Education, which is as follows: "That, in the opinion of this Presbytery, it is desirable that immediate efforts be made to procure the establishment of a system of education for Scotland, which shall be commensurate with the wants of the community, which shall be supported in part by local assessment, and which shall place the superintendence of the schools under District Boards, to be chosen on an impartial and non-sectarian principle. That provision for the secular branches of education is the legitimate province of civil government, and that religious instruction is the duty and charge of parents, and of the religious communions to which they belong. That the attention of this Presbytery has been called to the scheme proposed by Sir J. Kaye Shuttleworth, embodying certain important principles, especially the nonimposition of tests in the appointment of teachers, and non-interference by statutory enactment with religious instruction, withal providing that the superintendence of schools shall be in the hands of Local Committees, elected in certain proportions from the heritors and rate-payers, and from office-bearers of religious communions within the school district. That this Presbytery, without giving an opinion upon all the details of the proposed scheme, are of opinion that it would be a very great improvement on the present system, and that were a measure, framed in accordance with it, submitted to the Legislature, this Presbytery would deem it worthy of acceptance, as fitted to secure a sound and efficient system of public instruction for the people of Scotland." The motion was carried; Drs. Brown, of Edinburgh and Dalkeith, expressed the grounds on which they could not concur. On the 8th November, Dr. Taylor brought the following resolutions on the same subject before the Presbytery of Glasgow: - "1st. That in the opinion of this Presbytery, the Scottish parochial system of education, however beneficial it may have been in former times, is not now adapted to the altered ecclesiastical position of the country, and is altogether inadequate to the existing educational wants of the people of Scotland. "2d. That while the reform and extension of the parochial schools are imperatively required to render them really national institutions commensurate with the wants of the community, the unanimity which pervades the great mass of the Scottish nation, in regard both to the general question of national education and the manner in which religious and secular instruction should be communicated in the schools, affords good grounds for the belief that a system of education, founded on equitable and comprehensive principles, would meet with general and cordial support. "3d. That the attention of the Presbytery has been called to a scheme, by which it is proposed that the existing religious test and the control of the judi ut the Fastery, vinos ezice ing a upimo respecting al the deals fue prosed measure, are iẻ vgamor fu, vas rougin forvari by LUE Government, i wold be ardaly was comet of the great body of the peoque di Seutuut, and WOLIO bring & sound educa tion VIII the react of al classes of the Commenny The discussion on the resolutions will be restined by the Prest viery at ther next meeting On the 14th December. Dr. Johnstone of Limet is presented and supported the following res dutions before the Presbytery of Dunfermline *1st. That in the opinion of this Fresbytery it is not inconsistent with the functions of civil government to provide for the secular instruction of the subject; and that in cases in which thus instruction has not been otherwise provided for, it may become the duty of the government to do so. it be a much greater extem that is the beer accomplished, al the acmages arising from a sound gious education, vichors exauding on the one hand the ex-operam and aid of the se, or innerieing on the other with the rigins of conscience and the religions conTactions of the community. 41. That & System in accordance with the principies set forth in the foregoing TESOLLOIN, which would supersede the system which operates by means of Privy Comal grans i diferent churches, which would increase the number of schools, provide for the election of properly used teachers, without regard to religious sect or party, raise the status of the schoolmasters, and vest the powers at present possessed by the herors and the Presby teries of the Established Church in commilees ejected by the heritors, parents having children at school, and other contributors, would be mailed by the Presby tery as conferring an unspeakable boon upon Scotland." The resolutions were approved of and adopted the Rev. Mr. Walker dissenting. Tries for the anth. JANUARY. THE FIRST PROTESTANT MISSIONARY TO CHINA. THE gospel was introduced into the Chinese empire by the Nestorian Christians about the year 636. About the beginning of the seventeenth century the Romish Church was animated with great zeal for the conversion of China, and sent out swarms of Dominicans, Franciscans, and Capuchins, under Je suit influence. It was, however, only towards the close of the eighteenth cen tury that the Protestant Church began to move in an effort to evangelize this mighty nation. This honour belongs to the London Missionary Society; and their first step was taken in February, 1799. The Rev. John Campbell, then of Edinburgh, who had travelled in South Africa, was the person whom Dr. Bogue proposed to be the first Protestant Missionary to China, but Mr. Campbell could not be prevailed on to undertake the enterprise. From this time accompanied him to Canton, but the fatigues of the voyage, and the anxieties connected with public transactions, operating on a constitution already enfeebled by long and laborious application, he was attacked with fever, which terminated his valuable life on August 1, 1834. the matter was before the society, till, in July, 1804, Dr. Bogue, the tutor of the Missionary Seminary, was instructed to direct the studies of Mr. JOHN MORRISON, with reference to that mission. ON THE TWENTIETH DAY OF JANUARY, 1807, Mr. Morrison left his native shores, the first messenger of mercy from Britain to one-third of mankind. The voyage was circuitous and tedious, and he did not reach Macao till September 4, 1808, or Canton till the 7th. He at once set himself to study the language. He had taken with him from England a Chinese translation of the Acts of the Apostles, and, by September, 1810, was able to publish a transcribed and revised edition of it, and accomplished thereby what no one before had done-the printing of the works of foreigners by natives. By the close of that year he had composed and printed a tract on the Redemption of the World; also a translation of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism. In 1811 he completed his Chinese Grammar, which was printed at Serampore in 1815. In that year he also issued his translation of the Gospel by Luke. On July 15, 1814, the first convert was baptized. In November, 1819, Dr. Morrison had the happiness of witnessing the completion of the entire Bible into the Chinese language. The herculean task of Dr. Morrison, however, was the preparation of a Chinese and English Dictionary, which was completed in 1822, and published in six quarto volumes. The expense of printing £15,000, which was generously defrayed by the East India Company. He re-visited England in 1823, when he had an opportunity of presenting a copy of his Chinese Bible to the British and Foreign Bible Society, and to his Majesty. The East India Company received him with marked attention, and the highest respect was shown him by the most distinguished Oriental scholars. He returned to China in 1826. In July, 1834, Lord Napier reached China, for the purpose of carrying into effect the decisions of the British Government. Dr. Morrison it was At the present day, when so noble an effort is being made to send one million copies of the New Testament in the Chinese language to China, the above brief notices of the labours of the first Protestant missionary to China may not be uninteresting. THE CONVERSION OF PAUL. THE conversion of Paul is one of the most striking illustrations of the power and sovereignty of Divine grace, and furnishes one of the most conclusive arguments for the truth of Christianity. There have been many instances of men changing their principles, and going over to the party to whom they previously stood opposed. There have been striking instances of men, of tempers the most violent, having been tamed when brought for a time under the restraining and sanctifying influences of Divine grace. And, as every man has his price, there have been instances in which self-interest has induced a man to change his principles or his party. But when the case of Saul of Tarsus is considered by itself, and as a whole, it is utterly inexplicable, unless we admit that his conversion is a testimony to the sovereignty of God and the truth of the religion which he had zealously set himself to overthrow. It was the event of a moment, and was effected at a time, and in a manner, when no one expected it. It was not brought about by any of those agencies which are sometimes brought to bear successfully on men of infidel views, or who are strongly prejudiced against the gospel. There was not the shadow of a probability that he would in the least degree promote his popularity or his temporal interests, but the very reverse. And had the change been some grand experimentas such a thing has been attempted-to give a stab to Christianity in a part, and by a hand not expected, a few months would have effectually cured him. On the other hand, there is the amplest evidence that there was no collusion with his former friends, for they everywhere, and to the last hour of his life, proved his most malignant enemies, visiting him with the vengeance of their disappointment. There is evidence the most ample, that Paul was sincere and his conversion genuine, in the varied and protracted sufferings which he had to endure. He had devoted his zeal to stay the progress of the Christian faith, and scrupled not to shed much Christian blood, in the hope of thereby quenching the cause of Christ; yet he at an unexpected moment became a believer in the resurrection of Christ, the great fact upon which the faith of the primitive Christians was built, but which Paul and his countrymen denied, and, at any sacrifice, had laboured to have it regarded as a falsehood. His conversion was a display of Divine wisdom, as much as of sovereign grace. He was in the full sense of the expression, "a chosen vessel," chosen for a particular work, and possessing peculiar qualifications for the performance of it. Christianity was to become the religion of the whole world, and we discover evidence of wisdom in selecting for the apostleship a man who was a Jew by descent and education, as he was thus adapted to meet all the objections of his unbelieving kindred; and having received a very superior classical education, he was qualified to address the learned men of the earth, throwing all the charms of literature around the faith of the gospel, and meet the wise and prudent of this world upon their own ground. The anniversary of the conversion of Paul is specially observed in the churches of England and Rome, on THE TWENTYFIFTH DAY OF JANUARY. In the Romish church, the apostle is on this day prayed to, and entreated to "intercede for us to God," and God is entreated "to sanctify the onerings of his people by the prayers of Paul, that they may become still more acceptable by his intercession." THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. MEN devoted to scientific studies are not always devout. They will point their telescopes to the heavens, and study the principles of celestial mechanics, without ever turning their thoughts to Him who "leadeth forth Arcturus and his sons." They will dig into the strata of the earth, and speculate on the antiquity of its fossils, forgetful of Him who is from everlasting. They will classify the shells on our sea-shores, and arrange the flowers of our fields, and dissect the human frame, studying its wonderful structure, without ever lifting up one devout feeling to Him who is the maker of all things. A very different student was the Hon. Robert Boyle. Few men, in his day, had made equal proficiency in the study of the natural sciences. But he invariably felt, that to whatever department he directed the inquiries of his mind, he wanted another teacher besides nature-that he needed not merely a revelation, but the gospel. From creation he turned to the sacred volume. He admired its style, but he admired it mainly because it contained the communications of redeeming love. He did not go to the Bible for his physical science, but he went to it for "the words of eternal life." And, though he did not gather science from its pages, yet in the spirit of the Bible he carried on the pursuits of scienceremembering that God was the author of both-that He who inspired histories, and psalms, and prophecies, and epistles, made also stars, and flowers, and rocks, which never look so interesting as when studied in the light of His own Word. His piety was not a theory, but a practice. As Burke said of Reynolds, that "in painting portraits he appeared not to be raised upon that platform, but to descend to it from a higher sphere," so we may affirm of Boyle, that he came upon the stage of literature with a bloom over his garments, that breathed of a remoter and purer climate. The Honourable Robert Boyle was the seventh son of Richard, "The Great Earl of Cork." He was born at Lismore, in the province of Munster, on THE TWENTY-SIXTH DAY OF JANUARY, 1626. Having been one of the directors of the East India Company, he rendered the extension of commerce instrumental to the progress of the gospel among the natives of the East. His noble fortune was expended in various schemes of Christian philanthropy. At his own cost he translated and printed five hundred copies of the Gospels and Acts in the Malay tongue. He also at his own expense distributed Pococke's Arabic translation, in every country where this language was understood. He was a munificent contributor to a scheme for translating the Scriptures into the Welsh and Irish languages. He assisted the celebrated missionary Elliot in his endeavours to spread the gospel among the aborigines of North America. The correspondence which he held with the missionary is still preserved, and is deeply interesting. In the codicils attached to his will he made provision for the institution of "the Boyle Lecture," that noble scheme which has blessed this country with so many able defences of natural and revealed religion. He died on the 23d Dec., 1691, and was buried in St. Martin's Church in-the-Fields, London. THE MARTYRED SOVEREIGN. Is the liturgy of the English church, Charles I. is designated our "martyred Sovereign," "thine anointed, blessed king Charles." A martyr is one who dies a witness to the cause for which he laid down his life. For what cause did Charles lay down his life? Was it "the divine right of kings" to rule according to their own pleasures, or contrary to the will of the people, as expressed by their representatives? Are these the principles of the British constitution? These questions must be answered, and the answer will determine upon what ground Charles is spoken of as having been a martyr, or why, on THE THIRTIETH-DAY OF JANUARY, a very lengthened form of prayer, with fasting, is offered in every Episcopal place of worship. The Stuarts were sufficiently indoctrinated into the belief of the peculiar sacredness of their VOL, V.-No. 49, N.S. B persons. The distinguished George Buchanan was the tutor of James VI., the father of Charles. As the tutor was one day deep in study, he was disturbed by the obstrepreous noise occasioned by his pupil, and reproved him; he received a reply insolent even from a king towards his instructor, and Buchanan, throwing his book from him, took up his royal pupil, and having laid him across his knee, gave him a chastisement deemed most ignominious. The Countess of Marr, attracted by the wailings of the child, came into the room, and taking him in her arms, broke out on Buchanan with a literal storm of aristocratic indignation, demanding, "what right he had to lay his hand on the Lord's anointed." Nurtured under such views, James, who was a spoiled child, transmitted them to his offspring, and when Charles occupied the throne, his reign was one course of despotic government. The tribunal before which Charles was brought, was not composed of the peers of the realm, nor even the parliament, but merely a section of the parliamentary army, who had resolved to confine their accusations to one fact that Charles had taken uparms against the parliament of the realm, and was, therefore, guilty of high treason. ON THE TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY OF JANU ARY, 1649, sentence of death was recorded against Charles, and on THE THIRTIETH his head rolled from his shoulders on the scaffold, in front of Whitehall. The execution of Charles is an event in the annals of England, which has excited more attention than perhaps any other. It has raised two questionswas it in itself just and necessary; and, as an example, was it likely to be salutary? In regard to the first, even those who are averse to punishment by death, must admit that of all the modes which have been adopted in England for putting princes to death, that, in the case of Charles, was the least dishonourable. Edward II., Richard II., Henry VI., and Edward V., did neither of them long survive their deposal from power; but the case of Charles was the first on JANUARY, 1854. |