great journal; and he was the better Editor because of this long experience and establishment.

The same principle of unity and continuity was applicable to the circle of contributors to the Examiner, in respect to a more serious consideration. They had just listened to the roll of their members, including the names of the departed, as well as of the living members of this interesting literary confraternity. Well, it was not unprofitable to seek to realise something of the feeling that the brotherhood of Christians is, in some real sense, ever one and undivided, and not wholly severed even by death itself; for the one Father of the one family is always on both sides of the great Veil, and is equally with those here and with those no longer visible from hence. It is the grand truth which Wordsworth put, in simple but touching language, into the mouth of the little child who felt that still, "We are seven," though some of that number were passed within the Veil. To families, to confraternities, to churches, there is a real truth in this unbroken unity and continuity of brotherhood. Hence the regular reading of the full roll of contributors might, with advantage, be again a part of every similar gathering, as at once reviving pleasant memories and reanimating hopes.

R. WESTLAKE said that the words: "Let all things be done unto edifying," had been the principle that had actuated the contributors to the Friends' Examiner, and herein lay, he believed, one of the main causes of the success it had achieved. Reference had been made to those admirable biographies of the early Friends which have appeared in its pages, and those have been eminently of this character. One of the objects set forth at the commencement of the work was to treat the leading subjects of the day "from the standpoint of a Friend," and, as suggesting thoughts in this direction, he should like to quote the following passage

from an address delivered by a leading Nonconformist minister of the present day, remarkable for the depth and solidity of his views-Dr. Maclaren, of Manchester. He said:

"I am sure that the multiplied activities of the Church of the present generation will be far too numerous for it, unless there spring up amongst its members a faith sustained by solitary communion with God in Christ, and a far deeper, more quietly emotional Christian life than anything common amongst them to-day. There are few things that the fussy life of the modern Nonconformist churches wants more than a good strong dose of Quakerism. I should very much like to suppress, I was going to say, the bulk of the religious periodicals of this age, and go back to some of the wormeaten volumes on my bookshelves, which contain works of the Quaker writers of the second generation. I want for myself, and I profoundly feel it, more of the Quakeristic spirit. We all want far more of that still communion with God, and waiting upon Christ; far more belief in that spiritual realm of which Wordsworth wrote when he said :

"Think you that nothing of itself will come,
But we must still be seeking?

Be still, and it will come."

These are words of peculiar force and encouragement to us at the present day, and show how the principles we hold are regarded by thoughtful minds of other denominations, and point at least to our maintaining those deep and substantial views of Christian truth which have been handed down to us from past generations.

EDWARD PEARSON supplemented the foregoing remarks, observing that Dr. Maclaren was a regular subscriber to the Examiner; and referring to William White's remarks he said, Birmingham lacked one thing their Congregationalists had not faith in an unpaid "Quarterly." Their organ, the Congregationalist, began soon after the Friends' Quarterly Examiner, with a paid editor and paid contributors, and their Birmingham editor had spoken to him at

that time somewhat slightingly of the chance or prospect of any magazine going on upon the "voluntary principle." He mirthfully added, that whilst the Congregationalist had admittedly gone down, and had changed its editor in the hope of recovering itself, the Friends' Quarterly Examiner had not gone down and was bent on sticking to its first editor; whilst as to the quality of its articles he cited the testimony of a literary man of high standing, who wrote him that though he received it "tremblingly," he could say with truth he had read and re-read its contents with real pleasure.

R. BALL RUTTER, in a few earnest and forcible sentences in conclusion, spoke very hopefully of the improved tone of religious thought in the Society of Friends compared with fifty years ago when the Aurora Borealis, so graphically alluded to by John Taylor, was published; and rapidly reviewed some of the salient points of difference between it and the present Friends' Quarterly Examiner - differences which were typical of their respective times. The former an annual, romantic, unquestioning, timid, and a little selfish ;-the latter, outspoken, practical, hungry for the good of others-unselfish. The elder and aged Friends then mainly bore the burden and heat of battle, but now the younger Friends take a deep and active interest in the things of God. Let them all take heart then. It was by the preaching of the Cross-fully, simply, and fervently-that all philosophy that opposed itself to the Gospel of Christ must break down. What they needed was freedom and force, not milk and water. We have both souls and bodies, and it was well that our periodical should remember both and not be exclusively religious. Dr. Guthrie used to say that his worldly training for two years in a bank proved to be excellent training for his after religious services, and was a real blessing to him. Let

every reader and writer use every talent, whether committed or acquired, and all for the Lord. In conclusion, he thought that Dr. Guthrie's favourite motto was not unsuitable for each one of the Examiner staff

"I live for those who love me,

For those who know me true;
For the heaven that smiles above me
And that waits my coming too;
For the cause that needs assistance,
For the wrongs that need resistance,
For the glory in the distance,
For the good that I can do."

Thus ended the Quarterly Examiner reunion of 1880, and the Editor, I doubt not, goes home to his literary work animated by fresh hopes and the cheering sympathy of his earnest staff of volunteers. This is indeed an age of anomalies;-even the proverb that "what is everybody's business is nobody's business " is disproved by this unique periodical, which seems to depend for its pabulum on everybody, but has claims on nobody-and one of its most remarkable features is, that from so wide an area of "cultured" ground the average quarterly yield has never yet been abundant, but always sufficient. It is not, I hope, betraying Editorial secrets to say that never has there been a yield of a "crop and a-half" ready for use in any quarter, and yet never has the supply run actually short of the tri-monthly requirement. This unfailing supply has, doubtless, rendered the Editor increasingly trustful, if not confident; but it is impossible to conceal the fact that a "reserve to fall back upon, which is so needful for the peace of mind of banker or merchant in times of stress, would materially lighten the literary danger of "no effects" being some day the answer when a future quarterly payment is due, and the Editorial drawer has been cleared of all its gold and silver ! SPECTATOR.

GOSPEL PREACHING.

(A Paper read at the Breakfast Meeting of the Bedford Institute Home Mission Association, Fifth Month, 1879).

"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."Rom. x. 17.

"And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent?"—Rom. x. 14, 15.

WHATEVER importance may be attached to silent worship, perhaps it will not be disputed that God has been pleased to use preaching as the chief instrument whereby His blessed Gospel has been proclaimed to the world. Although (speaking comparatively) there are a few instances of conversion through other agencies, yet perhaps it is safe to conclude that preaching is essential to the maintenance of vigorous life in the Church, and essential also to the exercise of its power over the world around. There can be no theme of profounder importance, or of deeper interest to us—as fellow-Christians, members of the Society of Friends, met as we are in the interests of Home Mission work -than this one subject of Gospel preaching.

We do not wish to dwell upon that preaching which may be very interesting and attractive, and perhaps drawing large audiences, but which does not convert souls. Still less need we pause to inquire about preaching which is neither popular and attractive, nor soulconverting either. Our object to-day is to inquire what are the characteristics of that preaching which, whether to larger or smaller audiences, is accompanied by that Divine power which converts the soul. This kind of preaching is a gift of the Holy Spirit. In