might well bring the blush of shame to the cheek of every minister of the Establishment :

I do not think that in any of the Protestant Churches of the Continent a single minister could be found (unless, perhaps, among the most decided Rationalists and Unitarians), who would consent to ordain a minister for the sake of obedience to a magistrate's command. I have seen some ministers well known for an attachment, perhaps even exaggerated, to the principles of nationality, disclaim the idea with abhorrence. What renders this act still more striking is the circumstance, that the only country of Christendom in which these unreasonable encroachments of the rulers have taken place, is the very one in which the principles of the liberty of the Church have been most fully developed.

Then come the Marnoch and Strathbogie cases, by their conduct in which "the civil courts annihilated the distinction which for three centuries had been established between spiritual and secular matters. . . . . . Nothing similar to this had been seen in Scotland, except during the disastrous times of Charles II." The subsequent stages of the controversy, marked by the extraordinary meeting of Commission in 1841, the West Church meeting, the Convocation, and the discussions in Parliament, are all adverted to. And then comes "the beginning of the end."

All human tribunals had now closed their ears against the complaint of the Church. Every thing seemed to say to her. like the prophet," Set thy house in order, for thou shalt die." (Isa. xxxviii.) But there remained a refuge for the people of God within her. There remained for them an appeal to the heavenly tribunal-to the judgment-seat of Him who "killeth and maketh alive; who bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up." (1 Sam. ii. 5.)

The Disruption, with all its exciting accompaniments and consequences, is described. The departure from St. Andrew's :

Minister after minister-elder after elder-all that was most eminent in the Church of Scotland for piety, for zeal, and for talent-now calmly rose and followed the Moderator, till all the benches occupied by the Evangelical members were entirely empty...... The Exodus of the Established Church was accomplishing the march of her leaders towards the door of the temple was advancing; an angel of God, though invisible, was moving before them. They had been required to rivet the chains forged by illegal resolutions. They burst those disgraceful fetters-they threw them at the foot of the throne; and poor but free, they left those walls wherein their fathers had so hardily fought in the cause of liberty, and which powerful men were attempting to change into a house of bondage.

We cannot follow him in his description of the first Assembly of the Free Church, and the subsequent labours of her ministers. Our 'readers must peruse the book for themselves. Every page has its features of attraction. He closes by a statement of the progress of the Free Church up to the present time. We make but one quotation from this part of the volume; it refers to the refusal of sites :

Alas! in many places the il-will of the landlords has taken the place of the ill-will of the Government. While the flag of modern freedom has been hoisted on the palace of Victoria, the old and faded colours of feudal despotism still hang, though tattered and drooping, over the ancient turrets of some lordly mansions. At Canobie, the Free Christians, driven by the landlord from a waste land, where they had at first assembled, removed to the high road, and turned it into a church, &c. . . And not only at the first moment, but up to this very hour, even during the last severe and tempestuous winter, women, children, and aged men of the above-mentioned churches, and many others besides, have had no other shelter than the arch of heaven. "Pray that your flight may not be in winter," said Jesus: yet, one season after another, the same distresses have afflicted our brethren, and that not under the mild sky of Palestine, but in the icy atmosphere of Caledonia: and the days are not yet shortened. In many places they preached on

the sands of the shore, in the space left free by the retiring tide, and which belongs to no one but the ocean-for once more kind and generous than man. In another place, in a deep gully, where the cliffs are some hundred feet high, a hollow has been closed in from the sea by a barrier of rocks, down a precipice, where Claverhouse himself would not have sought his victims; and there a minister with his congregation has raised his voice to Heaven during two years. The waves of the Atlantic, roaring around them, have afforded them a shelter which their haughty landlords, reclining softly in their London palaces, have dared to deny them. For the elect's sake, may the Lord shorten these days!

We shall return to this volume; and shall at present merely state, that the perusal of it has filled us with conflicting feelings. We cannot but rejoice at the singularly clear and emphatic testimony which the historian of the Reformation has deemed it his duty to bear to the principles and position of the Free Church of Scotland. Some one-we think it was Dr. Lindsay Alexander-lately brought home from Geneva a report to the effect that D'Aubigné and his brethren felt much annoyed, because, when in Scotland, the Free Church had almost entirely monopolized their persons and services. There must have been some mistake in this. D'Aubigné here speaks for himself; and, so far from exhibiting any trace of annoyance, he gives the Free Church the very monopoly which she had thus been accused of exacting. The two years' interval which have elapsed since then, have, apparently, served only to deepen his convictions and heighten his enthusiasm. posed to dispute, and none can be insensible to its The impartiality of his testimony few will be disimportance. He is one of the few men out of Scotland who have a title to speak authoritatively on such a question. And the fact that, after personal observation and study, he has spoken in tones so earnest and emphatic, may well serve to encourage and confirm us.

The feeling of satisfaction, however, with which we regard the volume is not unmingled. Having perused and closed it, we are filled with a feeling of deep anxiety. The Lord has given our Church a great work to do. He has brought her out from bondage in the sight of all the nations. The watchmen on Zion's towers have hailed the deliverence.

They are eagerly marking our progress, and making it known. The enemy is looking on also, waiting for our halting, and prophesying confusion. We cannot but sometimes tremble for the ark of God. In the impressive words of our author

A victory has been achieved, but there are still many triumphs to be won. Victory has to struggle against victory itself. There are all kinds of dangers for success: there are those of lassitude and slumber, those of pride and disdain; there are those of idolatry, which makes an idol of all belonging to the conqueror; and there are those of narrowness, which forsakes the mighty river of Christian life to confine itself in conduits.

as we can observe, are written with fairness and impartiality, while its general contents are of extreme interest and value. It is, we believe, partly an abridgment of the "Penny Cyclopædia," which has long been most favourably known to the reading public-containing, however, besides, a large amount of new matter. It presents, in a concise but most readable form, information on almost every point on which man knows anything, and will prove a signal benefit and gratification to the many who can afford neither money for the purchase, nor time for the perusal of more minute and expensive works. We cordially commend it to the attention and patronage of our readers.

The Old Orthodox Faith Superior to Modern Opinions; or, Truth and Error surveyed in the light of History and Fact. A Short Treatise for the Times. By the Rev. J. G. LORIMER. Glasgow.

The leading thoughts of this little work were presented in a sermon which the author preached at the opening of the last meeting of the Synod of Glasgow and Ayr. The Synod afterwards strongly recommended and requested their publication; and Mr. Lorimer in complying, as was his duty, with the request, has taken the opportunity of greatly expanding both his arguments and illustrations. The result of the whole is a truly valuable and well-timed work, forming a short but effective defence of scriptural Calvinism, and an exposure of the character and tendencies of the Arminian and Pelagian heresies, with an irruption of which we have lately been threatened. It forms an admirable companion to Truth and Error Compared," by our esteemed friend, Mr. Bonar of Kelso. The two books should be read together.

Wilson's Clerical Almanac for 1848.

The Bible Almanac and Protestant Reformer's Calendar for 1848.

Any recommendation of the first of these is unnecessary. It is well known to the religious public of Scotland, as par excellence the Ecclesiastical Almanac, and should be on the tables of all the office-bearers in the various religious denominations of Scotland. The second is also excellent in its way, and We would recommend possesses many features of interest. its publishers, however, to dispense in future years with the triangular representation of the Trinity, with which it opens. As an illustration of the doctrine, the triangle is not worth much, but as a pictorial attempt to represent the Godhead, it is, to say the least, offensive.

The Text-book; or, Sanctuary Remembrancer for the year 1848. London,

This little book is designed for the use of those who are accustomed to take short notes of sermons in church. It contains a page for the notes of each Sabbath throughout the year, and is neat and portable.

Lectures on the Acts of the Apostles. By the late JOHN DICK, D.D. Glasgow.

We are glad to see this new edition of a book with which we have been long and favourably acquainted. Dr. Dick was an able theologian, and a man of eminently sober and solid judgment. His Lectures on the Acts are perhaps not so widely known as his "Lectures on Theology," but are characterized by the same valuable qualities. Ministers who are lecturing through the book, or on portions of it, will find it repay consultation. The practical lessons, especially, which he deduces from the various incidents and discourses, strike us as apt and forcible, and free from commonplace.

The Stellar Universe: Views of its Arrangements, Motions, and Evolutions.

Neptune; being a Critical Account of the Discovery of the New Planet.

Thoughts on some Important Points relating to the System of the World. By J. P. NICHOL, LL.D.

The last of these three forms a new edition of one of Dr. Nichol's most eloquent and important treatises. The others are new Works. The Stellar Universe" is intended as an Introduction to astronomy, for the special use of the young; and that purpose it is admirably fitted to serve. Nowhere have we seen the science presented with such a combination of minuteness and simplicity, or in a style so well fitted to arrest and impress the mind of the youthful student. Planet Neptune," consists of an exposition and a history; and presents a complete and scientific view of the great astronomical discovery of the age. He administers a severe but deserved

"The

castigation to M. Arago, for his bearing to Mr. Adams, and most satisfactorily vindicates the claims of the latter to rank as a discoverer alongside of Leverrier.

Bright Clouds and Dark Shadows; or, Sketches of Lowly Life. Edinburgh.

A delightful little book, from the pen of one who evidently takes delight in seeking out and soothing the sorrowful and perplexed. It consists of twenty sketches of individual history and experience; and abounds in pleasing and touching incidents, and in skilful adaptations of remark and advice to varying circumstances. Those who are in the habit of visiting the sick, or have occasion to speak a word to the downcast, will find in them many passages and hints which they might turn to good account; and all may receive from it lessons attractively conveyed, and which it will be to their advantage to learn.

Lessons for the Living, from the Experience of the Ding. Edinburgh.

A series of impressive pictures of the dying experience, first of the godly, and then of the worldly and profane, from the pen of one who was himself brought near the gates of death. It is a book well fitted to awaken and solemnize.

Henry of Eichenfels: or, How a Little Child learned to know that there is a God. Translated from the German. Edinburgh.

A simple story from the German of the Pastor Schmidtz; the object of which seems to be. to draw the attention of children to the many proofs which crowd around them, of the existence and goodness of God. A hermit is the teacher, and a little boy who had been stolen from his parents by brigands is the pupil. We are usually no great admirers of hermits, either in grottoes or on paper; but the Eichenfels hermit is a kindly old man, who abandons company with his fellows from anything but misanthropy; and the lessons which he teaches are simple and salutary.

Notes of the Month.

ENGLAND.

The Baptists in England. -A somewhat extraordinary communication regarding the condition of the Baptist Churches in England, has appeared lately in the New York Recorder, the organ of the Baptists of the Northern States of America. It is from the pen of the Rev. Mr. Wheelock, a highly respectable minister of that denomination, and purports to give the result of his observations, during a recent visit to England, with regard to the effects of " open communion" among the Baptist Churches there. Our readers are aware, that there has long been a controversy among different sections of Baptists on this subject-some, headed by Robert Hall, maintaining that they may lawfully admit to the Lord's table all whom they believe to be Christians, even although they have not been baptized as adults and by immersion; others maintaining that such a course is unlawful, on the ground that such persons are really unbaptized, and that, as a general rule, the administration of baptism must precede admission to the Lord's table. In England, it would appear that the former views have become very prevalent; and the results, as stated by Mr. Wheelock, an opponent of open communion, are startling. He says, that the discussions in the Churches on the subject have produced "wranglings, and heart-burnings, and schisms." "In some, after the leaven of open communion has so far progressed as to gain the ascendency, Churches have excluded members who united with them before they became open communionists, because, retaining their strict principles, they refused to commune with the Pedobaptists that had been taken into the Church; and this has been done under a plea that these brethren, being in the minority, refused to walk with the Church. Churches, when united but just able to sustain the cause, by the introduction of open communion, have been divided, and neither branch able alone to sustain a pastor.

In some such cases the result has been the destruction of the Baptist Church, and the establishment of a Pædobaptist Church in its place. In other instances, where the two bands have maintained their separate existence, it has been amidst great bitterness and rancour, planting deep in whole communities seeds of discord and ill-will, and evil workings, by law suits and protracted litigations about the Church property. The property of some churches has been obtained through the influence of mixed fellowship," upon the express stipulation that the pastors shall be alternately a Baptist and Padobaptist. Each pastor, of course, would endeavour to have his church, in missionary and other benevolent labours, co-operate with his own denomination. You can readily perceive the ill-feeling naturally begotten by such changes."

Nor does he confine himself to mere general statements. He gives individual instances; thus,

"While in London, I casually learned that the ordinance of baptism was to be administered in one of the largest and most popular Baptist churches of that city. At the hour appointed, about twilight on Thursday evening, I went to the chapel to witness the baptism. The church had in connection with it eight hundred members. On entering, I perceived the lamps were lit, but few in attendance, and the pastor addressing the people. Eleven were baptized, and, after changing their raiment, they returned into the chapel, and received the right hand of fellowship. I asked the administrator why the baptism was upon a week-day evening, and at an hour when so few could attend. He answered, that about one-half of the church were Padobaptists, and for the peace of the Church they were careful to select an evening and an hour when there was no other engagement, not even for a committee meeting, or meeting of Sabbath school teachers, or Bible class, or anything else, lest the peace of the Church might be disturbed by the Paedobaptist members thinking they had been entrapped to secure their presence at the baptism. For the same reason, he told me, the right hand of fellowship was given at the baptism instead of the communion on the following Sabbath, that nothing be said there that might endanger the harmony of the Church. I retired from the scene to my room, so full of sadness at the delusion into which open communion principles had plunged beloved brethren, by which they were led thus to degrade that precious ordinance, that I fell on my knees and prayed earnestly that such things might never be witnessed in the Baptist Churches of my beloved America."

Further

"One of the largest Baptist churches in Liverpool has a Padobaptist for one of its deacons: and I was told the pastor of that church has all his children sprinkled. He is one of the most influential ministers of our denomination in England, and was commissioned lately by the Baptist Mission Society to proceed to the West Indies, to set in order the coloured Baptist Churches in Jamaica. Many leading brethren in England openly avow their sympathy with Robert Hall's willingness for the extermination of Baptist Churches for the sake of Christian union! In some mixed Churches, the Baptist members have been disciplined, and some excluded, because they propagated among the people Baptist sentiments. In Bedford, one of John Bunyan's successors was permitted to retain his pastoral relations in that church, only on condition that "he should not introduce controversy (on baptism), into the pulpit nor into conversation, unless it was first mentioned by others."

I

"The Baptist Church in London, in which our beloved brother Dowling of this city was reared, is a strict Baptist Church, but has always been connected with an association whose Churches are now mostly open communion. The excellent pastor of that church told the trials to which his peculiar relations subjected him, till my very heart ached in me, and then he asked me, Now, my brother, tell me, what shall I do?' confess I hardly knew what to say, and when I answered that I would break away from the association, and unite with a strict communion one, he replied, Yes, and then everywhere I am met with a frown, which says, "You bigoted, close Baptist!' and on the other hand, those with whom I connect myself will hold me off at arm's length, because I preach such doctrines as did Andrew Fuller. Isolated and despised, what can I then do ?" The most venerable, and able, and learned Baptist I saw in England, told me that he had received many overtures to change to open communion, and had he but consented, he might have gathered many wealthy Pædobaptist

families into his church, but his conscience would not allow it. He could not sacrifice truth to expediency. But, said the good old man, with tears in his eyes, "I expect as soon as I am in my grave, my church will go with the rushing tide into open communion, when the work of rending and schisms will be consummated here as in other Churches.*

All this does not bode well for the efficiency and permanence of the Baptist denomination in England. Of course, we have no sympathy with the high view, an adherence to which Mr. Wheelock thinks would have saved the Baptist Churches from such disasters. Nor would we attach much weight to the allegation that their consistency demands the carrying out of that view. It is a consistency which, as it appears to us, is more honoured in the breach than in the observance; not only because it is founded on an error, but also because it would seem to demand with equal force the adoption of other and even more startling conclusions. For if we are not baptized, and on that account disqualified for the membership of the Church, what becomes of our Church character? What title have those who have never received the one sacrament, and have no right to partake of the other, to the name or standing of a Church of Christ? If consistency requires of our Baptist friends to deny that Pædobaptists are baptized, it would seem to require of them further, to affirm that there is really no true Church or ministry but their own. Our intention, however, was, to advert not so much to the merits of these differences, as to the illustration which they afford of the working of Congregationalism. We commend them as such to the study of our readers. Had there been such a supervision as Presbytery secures, and at a time when, comparatively speaking, religion was flourishing, is it conceivable that matters would have been allowed to come to such a pass? And so long as every pastor and congregation are thus allowed, and thereby in effect encouraged, to "do what is right in their own eyes," what prospect is there of anything like peace or harmony? The present position of Congregationalism in England (Baptist and Pædobaptist) is altogether somewhat critical. We mean with regard to order and sound doctrine. We bring no charge of general heresy, and have no ground for suspecting it. But the statements made as to the number of Congregationalist ministers and others who are making free with some points of theology, espe cially the doctrine of future rewards and punishments, are somewhat alarming. The most sagacious men among them are too wise not to see and fear the danger. We hope they will not be slow to provide against it as they best can. The volume by Dr. Hamilton of Leeds on the subject indicated, is' a very valuable contribution to the cause of scriptural truth, and must form of itself a powerful preservative. But if steps are not taken to check the beginnings of heresy, by individual dealing, and if need be, by censure and expulsion, they will find the task a more difficult one, a few years hence, than they now perhaps imagine.

Conference on the Education Question. -The English Congregationalists have held a conference at Derby on this question. Having resolved, at previous meetings, on the rejection of all Government aid, the chief point which came before them was whether they would set up an educational machinery exclusively their own, or join with other Dissenters in establishing one general scheme. After discussion, they resolved unanimously on the first of these courses—the disadvantages of the second, in their opinion, being,

"1. An imperfect union, many not joining because of their own denominational action; such as the Wesleyans and the Free Church.

2. The compromise necessary for union, both as to what may be taught and done; such as teaching or not teaching certain doctrines, and the offering of prayers in day-schools, normal schools, and in public meetings; besides the constraint of neutrality in local and general management."

*

It was determined also, that the 'education given to the schools "must always be conducted on evangelical views of religion." A subscription was immediately set on foot, and the assembled ministers and others pledged themselves to instant and earnest exertion.

Sale of Presbyterian Churches in England.-The English adherents of the Scotch Establishment are at present playing a disgraceful game. Every one has heard of the iniquities perpetrated in Scotland in connection with the quoad sacra chapels, wrested from their rightful owners, and either locked up, as in some instances they have been, or kept open nearly empty, and on funds subscribed for the carrying on of Home Missions. In England, a course, if possible even more outrageous is being pursued. After the Disruption, the great body of the Presbyterian congregations in England formed themselves into "The English Presbyterian Church," sympathizing with the Free Church, but having no necessary or constitutional connection with it. Some three or four refused to join in the movement, choosing rather to remain as mere pendicles of the Scottish Establishment. And these, headed by Dr. John Cumming, who works to the hand of Dr. William Muir, are now, it would seem, stirring up and directing movements in different parts of England, the object of which is to turn as many as possible of the congregations connected with the English Presbyterian Church into the streets, and deprive them of their churches and schools. The title-deeds of some of the churches speak of them as connected with the Established Church of Scotland, and this is seized on as a pretext for bringing in the strong hand of law and turning out the congregations. They might have something like an excuse for such conduct, if they could keep the churches open and fill them with ministers and adherents of the Scottish Establishment. But they have no such excuse. Their only object appears to be, to do what they can to discourage and crush all who, in any way, or to any extent, sympathize with the Free Church. In proof of which, it may be stated, that they have actually sold one of these churches, out of which a faithful pastor and his flock were driven, to the Wesleyans, and another has been purchased by a railway company for the Episcopalians! Others will probably soon be brought to the hammer; and there is, of course, nothing to prevent their being purchased by Socinians or Socialists. And yet those guilty of such outrages talk of their zeal for the cause of Christ and of their Christian charity, and whine about the hard words of Free Churchmen!

SCOTLAND.

A Site-Refuser on the Rights of Property.-Very few of the landlords who refuse sites, have ventured on a statement of their reasons for so doing. They generally either take no notice whatever of the requests made to them, or give a curt and abrupt refusal. If we may judge from the specimens of intellect and temper which those few who have ventured further have exhibited, the curt course is decidedly the most safe and creditable. If such men as Colonel Campbell, and Lord Ward, can commit a blunder greater than the refusal of sites, it would certainly seem to be their writing of letters. The following epistle from the latter has just been published. It is addressed to Mr. Shaw, the Free Church missionary at Glengarry, who had written twice to his Lordship on the subject of a site:

As

Lord Ward to Rev. Dugald Shaw. "REV. SIR,-I returned no answer to your first letter to me, because it was not written, I conceive, in a respectful tone, You now press for an answer, and I will give you one. long as the law of the land upholds the Established Church of Scotland, I shall countenance no other; nor will I do anything for a body whom I hold to be Dissenters, stirrers up of strife, and most unchristian in spirit. Do not suppose that this is an opinion hastily formed. I was in Scotland when the

question was first raised, and was thoroughly instructed in its meaning and tendency by a clergyman who has now seceded; but as I did not adopt my views hastily, neither shall I be induced to alter them. One word more, and I have done. You reside in this Glen by sufferance on my part. If there was a clergyman of the Established Church here to take care of my people, I should not permit you to stay here to thwart his labours. There is none at present, and I prefer your teaching to the knowledge that there is no pastor in the Glen. You may forward this letter to the Committee of the Free Church if you will, and express at the same time my determination to grant no site to the authors, aiders, and abettors of this movement on my property; and I am, Reverend Sir, your very obedient servant, (Signed) WARD.

"Glengarry, Oct. 9, 1847."

This is deplorable. He admits that he would rather have a Free Church minister on his property, than have his tenantry want a minister altogether. And yet although there is no other minister, he refuses them the slightest facilities for worship. Just as if he had said to Mr. Shaw,-"I prefer your staying to instruct my people in the faith and duties of religion; but if you will persist in staying, and if they will persist in attending your ministry, it must be at the peril of your lives. It will not be my fault if you are not drenched with rain, and loaded with snow, as often as there is a stormy Sabbath." But he goes further: "If there was a clergyman of the Established Church here to take care of my people, I should not permit you to stay here to thwart his labours." Of course, if the kingdom were under the control of such proprietors as Lord Ward, every minister who refused to bow the knee to the Scottish Establishment would be ordered out of the country. It is well to have a site-refuser stating the substance of the matter so plainly. However some may seek to mystify and perplex the question, there can be no doubt that such would be the consistent and inevitable carrying out of the site-refusing policy--the landlord claiming the consciences and souls of his tenants as part of his property, to be ordered and disposed of by him as he (be he Christian, Mohammedan, or Infidel,) may see meet. For the sake of the landlords themselves, we lament such wretched displays of ignorant intolerance. They are the enemies both of their own order and of the Church which they seem so anxious to uphold. Indeed, the greatest kindness which the Legislature could do either them or their Establishment would be, by statute law, to put it out of their power to perpetrate such folly. And what may be recommended as a kindness to them, ought to be demanded with a voice of thunder, as simple justice for the honest God-fearing people whom they so unworthily com bine to oppress. Lord John Russell has pledged his Government to a remedy For the sake of all parties concerned, let it come as speedily as possible.

The Sabbath Alliance.-We rejoice at the energy which the Alliance is infusing into its operations. The meetings which are being held over the kingdom must be productive of signal good; and the diffusion of tracts on the subject, especially among the working classes, will dispel a cloud of misapprehensions. The Sabbath question is one which, in its religious and social aspects, is, when represented, so vividly plain and alarmingly important, that we are confident, if it be but rightly stated, the people (religious and irreligious) must almost at once see through it. Newspaper editors, who themselves select Sabbaths as their jaunting days, may be slow to understand the sin and injustice of which they are guilty; but the mass of the people have no such miserable interests to serve, and will not be blinded by the dust which such strive, because they find it needful, to raise. Our working men must be especially open to the truth on the subject, and will when made bare, resolve themselves just into this-that one all.see shortly that the pleas of Sabbath-railway apologists, working man is to be wrought as a slave, in order that another working man may have facilities for enjoying himself. And

ven were there no impiety in the matter, the cruel injustice of such a course is so evident that one would think the gorge of even the non-religious among the working classes must rise against it. We say nothing now of their interests as a class, although these are of course most seriously involved. Our readers will find in our advertising page an intimation of a premium of £25 to be given for the best Essay on "The Temporal Advantages of the Sabbath to the Labouring Classes, and the Consequent Importance of preserving its Rest from all Encroachments of Unnecessary Labour." The competitors must be working men. This is a step in the right direction. We doubt not that the successful working man, whoever he may be, will be found more than a match for the compassionate patrons who would keep railways open for his benefit. An intelligent, homely, blunt utterance on the question, from one of the class most interested will be of weight. The letter of Mr. Swan, of Folkestone, was a most effective document. Let us have more like it.

SWITZERLAND.

Canton de Vaud.-The intelligence from the Canton de Vaud is distressing. The lull has ceased, and the storm broken out more fiercely than before. A decree has been issued forbidding the meetings of the Free Church for worship, and a godless populace are assaulting the faithful ministers and their adherents with the most cruel indignities.

"Public worship on Sabbath has been suspended; in most places Christians have been unable to leave their houses: their doors have had a surveillance to watch before them, of the armed guard, paid by Government. Some of the demitted ministers have had their lives threatened. One of them eseaped from being killed by a blow from the handle of a loaded pistol. The murderer, upon whom the pistol exploded, was severely wounded in the hand and eyes. The threatened pastor had him carried to his (the pastor's) own bed. The miserable man acknowledged his crime, and entreated God's servant to pardon him, and pray for him."

Even worse things appear to be in store for our afflicted brethren. The return of the troops from the destruction of the Sonderbund will be the signal for fresh excesses. The correspondent of Evangelical Christendom says

"The most hostile treatment is preparing for the Christians on the return of the troops. A letter addressed to the pastor of the Free Church of Romainmotier (Mr. Gonin), and signed by 118 of his former parishioners, ordering him to leave the country within a given time, says: We give this advice with a friendly intention, as our soldiers have sworn not to lay down their arms, until they have cleared the country of the Pasteurs démissionaires." Soon after, a number of men came with the intention of dispersing a religious meeting; but the pastor not being at home, they contented themselves by searching every part of the house, without any legal warrant whatever. On his return, Mr. Gonin applied to the authori ties of five out of the seven communes or villages, which compose his former parish, complaining of the illegal perquisitions made in his house, requiring their protection, and claiming his right as a citizen to dwell where he liked. But what are rights, laws, and justice, to a fanaticized people? The only result to his application for assistance, was the calling together a popular assembly, in which a committee was chosen, to write to him in the name of the said assembly, and order him to leave the country forthwith, or else they could not answer what would be the consequences to him and his family."

The godly pastor has been compelled to bow before the threatening, and with his wife and seven children, has taken refuge in Geneva. The whole body of pastors expect a similar expulsion, and are prepared for the worst; and emigration arrangements are being proposed, by which the faithful among the people may be enabled to accompany their pastors. The Evangelical Societies of Geneva and France are anxious to come to their help, but unfortunately their funds are at present in a state of unprecedented embarrassment. British Christians must instantly arouse themselves and meet the emergency. Our own Free Church must not be behind-it

ought to be in the forefront. How signal have been our i vileges as compared with those of our afflicted brethren! And how loudly we are called upon, not only to remember them earnestly before the Lord, but also liberally, bountifully, immediately to minister to their necessities! They are casting themselves upon the Lord. Let us be his ministers to them that their prayers may be answered through our means.

·

"Hitherto," writes one, "by the faithful intercession of Jesus, we have been supported and preserved. Some souls are distressed, doubtless. We have, in general, as a duty, to enter into our closets, to shut the door, and to hide ourselves a little while, until the indignation be overpast. But so far as we can judge, no one has yet turned back. What would happen should the persecution become more fierce we cannot tell; but what consoles us is this: we know that the foundation of God standeth sure,' having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are His; and let every one that nameth the name of Christ, depart from all iniquity.'

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ITALY.

The Policy of the Pope.-A mist envelops the policy of the pope. Strong fears are beginning to be entertained by "Young Italy" that his performance will come far short of his promise, or rather of their expectation, for he himself never promised much. Their fears have several grounds. First, the pope has come out with a flaming eulogy of the Jesuits. In a letter addressed to a priest who had inscribed to him a thesis on the immaculate conception of the Virgin

"Such merit (the merit displayed in the thesis) does not surprise us in a member of that illustrious Society, which has produced so many men distinguished by the integrity of their lives, by the glory of their holiness, by their devotedness to the Catholic religion, by all kinds of learning, and by their services to Christian and to civil society."

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The references to the religious character of the Jesuits are bad enough, and would have excited dissatisfaction and uneasiBut to speak of them as "distinguished by their services to civil society—is (if not a jest) such an outrage upon truth, and runs so directly contrary to the popular sentiment of the Continent, that the fact of the Pope's having seriously used the words is naturally a source of great disappointment and apprehension. Then, again, his words to the deputies of the Pontifical States, when they went to him to present an address, are regarded unpleasantly. He told them that, while he had no objection to receive their advice, he would abandon nothing, not an iota of his sovereign power, but was resolved to transmit it to his successors full and entire as he had received it." So disagreeably does this sound in Italy, that some of the journals in his interest have found it needful to go the length of alleging that the words were never uttered by him, but have been forged by his enemies. Still further, he has been maintaining, in all its rigour, the censorship of the press, holding apparently with his more outspoken predecessor, Pope Gregory, that the liberty of the press never be sufficiently execrated and detested;" and that "liberty of opinion" is "the pest of all others to be dreaded." (See Encyclical Letter of 1832.) Some time, however, must elapse before the real character and intentions of his Holiness can be positively determined on. His difficulties are just beginning. It was an easy enough matter to show a few kindnesses at the commencement of his reign, and to accomplish or promise a few minor reforms. But, as recent commotions in Italy prove, these have only served to whet the popular appetite and to awaken popular expectation. He must go further. Suddenly to stop short would produce a concussion which might pitch him and all his brother potentatas in Italy from their seats. But how much further may he go, consistently with a regard to the safety, not of his kingdom (for that would not probably suffer), but of the Church of which he is the head? That is the problem which he has undoubtedly started, and which the world is waiting to see

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