of all your christian privileges, and who desire nothing but to advance your good and the common cause of christianity, are not schismatics, but co-workers with you; and they cannot fail to strengthen the true cause of Christ.

6

On accidentally opening your book on the homilies, in the preface, page 1, finding these significant words, there, And how that all they which are appointed ministers, have not the gift of preaching sufficiently to instruct the people which is committed unto them, whereof great inconveniences might rise and ignorance still be maintained, &c.,' I was utterly astounded. And this will somewhat prepare my way to meet your very great and insurmountable objections to lay, or unordained preachers. Now I beg, Reverend Sir, to ask you respectfully, were the preachers just alluded to ordained? If so, what an awful breach of the command, 2 TIM. ii. 2, and what a disgrace to the church!

That I by no means object to the ordination of ministers, elders, &c., specially set apart for that work, I am free to declare. But that the Great Head of the Church has used none but these in his vineyard, I deny. Who I ask ordained, formally, Enoch (Jude 14)—Noah (GEN. viii, 10, and 2 PETER ii. 5) both the preacher and ark-builder?-Abraham, the rich and great Agriculturist (GEN. xviii. 19)—Moses, the shepherd (Exon. iii. 1)—Daniel, the chief president of the court of Persia (DAN. vi. 3)-Amos the herd-man and gatherer of sycamore fruit (Amos vii. 14)? And how came Elisha the ploughman (1 KINGs xix. 19) to be preferred to the educated sons of the prophets (2 KINGS ii. 15)? How came our Lord to reject all the students at the universities of Tarsus and Jerusalem, and all the educated Levitical priesthood, and choose his ministers from poor fishermen (MATT. iv. 18) -from tax-gatherers (MATT. ix. 9)-Luke, the physician (COL. iv. 14)-The other seventy' also (LUKE x. 1)? of whom it is said 'The devils were subject to them through Thy name,' (verse 17), who through

the whole period of their ministrations alternately worked for their bread and preached (LUKE v. 5;) And so they did also after the day of Pentecost. See Paul employed at tent-making, Acts xviii. 3, and xx. 34. Who, I further ask, ordained Apollo, the eloquent man, (ACTS xviii. 24); and who his humble but better taught instructors, the tent-makers, Aquila and Priscilla? (verse 26, and Roм. xvi. 3). Where did the woman of Samaria get her ministerial qualifications, (JOHN iv. 39), and the man late possessed of devils, his soul-commanding eloquence, (MARK V. 20), and many others? And these poor uneducated fishermen, &c., you say, are the foundation of your order. Be it so.

Let the great Lord of the vineyard do what he will with his own. Let him fulfil his faithful promise, (JOEL ii. 28), If he still chooses the rams' horns, (JOSHUA vi.4), occasionally, in conjunction with the silver trumpets, let him be glorified, and let us all rejoice together in the extension of His blessed cause.

The celebrated Dr. Morrison, the Chinese Missionary, thus writes to the London Missionary Directors.

May not two or three persons be preparing for a mission to China? one of them connecting with his main object, medicine-another, astronomy-and a third, watch-making? Paul made tents to obtain bread, and he would have made watches too, if it had been a likely means of obtaining access to thousands of heathens, to whom he wished to bear the name of Jesus.'-Memoirs, vol. 2, p. 171, 1839 edition.

As to tempting persons by pecuniary rewards to embrace religion, I am of opinion that it is at variance with the whole tenor of the gospel. Our Lord's directions are, 'carry neither purse nor scrip,'-LUKE x. 4; 'Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass, in your purses,'-MATT. x. 9; Silver and gold have I none,'-ACTs iii. 6: 'Ye seek me not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves,'JOHN vi. 26. Rewards may make hypocrites, but not christians.

My time, Reverend Sir, is exhausted, but not my

6

arguments. I can hardly expect that you can any longer patiently listen to the proscribed Schismatic,' and the obtrusive rate and tax collector' of Warminster parish, therefore I conclude by most earnestly wishing you all manner of success in the ministry to which the Lord, I hope, has appointed you, and that to the end you may do His work faithfully.” "To the Rev. Arthur Fane."

MEDICAL ELECTRICITY.

CASE 80. Aged thirty-five.-Pain in the left side incessantly, attended with great debility; so weak that it was with great difficulty she could walk. Some months before, she ruptured a blood-vessel in her stomach, and for some time her life was despaired of. On account of her great debility, I applied it, of course, very cautiously, as it was not certain that an acceleration of blood might not take place, and produce a new rupture; the pain being always felt at that spot. There being apparently no alternative but death, I resolved in this very dangerous case to try the experiment. I drew the imperceptible stream (uninsulated) through the stomach, receiving it exactly at the affected spot. To my great surprize, in about two minutes the pain ceased; the next day it returned; I then applied it a little stronger -her health now improved very fast. After a few days I ventured to administer a few very gentle shocks through the stomach, and all over the body. The pain returned no more. In a fortnight she appeared perfectly cured. Two Sundays after, she sung an anthem in Warminster church. At its first application she was so extremely weak that two persons were obliged to support her only to receive the fluid in its simplest form. She lived to old age.

81. Aged fifty.-Pain in her knee for a month, no rest night or day. Perfectly cured; shocks a few evenings.

32. Aged forty-five.-Rheumatism in her shoulder for two years. Perfectly cured; once sparks.

83 Aged twenty-three.-Nervous head-ache for six months; could not sleep a whole night in a month. Cured; once positive sparks.

84. Aged thirty-five-Great debility for eight or nine years through a chill, which was increased six weeks ago, attended with trembling in all her limbs. Perfectly cured; shocks six evenings.

85. Aged thirty.-Tooth-ache, so violent as literally to produce agony. About a dozen very small shocks passed through the affected part; perfectly cured in an hour; pain did not return.

CHAPTER XIX.

CONTINUED OPPOSITION MADE TO OUR CAUSE AT THE COMMON BY THE SPIRIT OF THE TIMES; PAINFUL STRUGGLES AND REFLECTIONS ON ACCOUNT THEREOF; FUNERAL SERMONS, AND OTHER INFORMATION.

It

"DECEMBER 22nd, 1841. Our chapel is rather better attended. We hope that it is somewhat recovering the shock given us by the amazing and unkind exertions lately made, and still continued, by our steady opposer and his associates, in order to reduce us. has been a time of long and sore travail indeed. Our school has suffered as well as our congregation. Every other denomination in the town also, has been alike attacked and injured. Such is the spirit now abroad, that it not barely aims at checking all our progress, but it is nothing more nor less than downright annihilation. "Down with them-down with them, even to the ground.' Nothing, I say, but utter destruction will suffice. We have not heard for the last fortnight of any new cases, where has applied personally to our people; but one of his influential associates, has actually pressingly offered a poor woman of our society (Mary Pearce) a new cloak worth a pound, to leave us and come to church; which she nobly refused to accept. The Lord evermore reward her for it. It is worth recording. We are in trouble and want such helpers much. I trust her name has long been in the 'Book of Life,' there for ever to remain. O Lord save us.

The Christmas tea-meetings, held as usual, were much to our edification. The school children's (87)

especially, gave us joy. Every little help is truly refreshing to those who are compelled to prophesy in sackcloth, as I do almost continually. Sad times indeed in spiritual matters.

"January 1st, 1842. Anniversary prayer-meeting at six in the morning. In 1828 we commenced this service. Some of us have never been absent at this season. There was a good attendance: ten persons engaged in prayer: it was a most refreshing time. When the chapel was opened, fourteen years ago, I could scarce live under the pressure of my unworthiness and unfitness for the great work. There was also a heavy unpaid debt on it which rested wholly on me. A new church was afterwards erected, (as it was said) to oppose me; but nothing has hurt us. We still live, and labour, and love. The chapel debt is nearly cancelled, and we delight in His work. But never before were there such sad searchings of heart amongst us, as since we have had to suffer the fierce, powerful, and continual attacks, on the part of the spirit now abroad, designed and determined to blot us for ever out of existence; but I say we are notwithstanding, still strangely living, and marvellously supported, yea and encouraged to. So we humbly hope that our poor chapel will not yet be 'converted into cottages,' nor be made into a malthouse.' O for more of His blessed spirit, of His heart-cheering presence; it is all we want. How sweet to the soul! it is like holy oil to our bones."

6

THOUGHTS ON THE TIMES.

By the Rev. W. Carus Wilson, M.A., Rector of Whittington.

"AND what shall we say? Will any one deny that Popery is making a grand effort at this moment? Blessed be God, we know the eventual doom of the man of sin; but still he may die with a hard struggle, and I believe we witness it.

Look at the chapels increasing in all directions!