THESE two works possess no ordinary degree of merit. They are the production of a powerful and highlycultivated mind, habituated to deep thought, and conversant with philosophical studies, while philosophy is so treated as to be made subservient to the interests of revealed truth. This is no small praise. Philosophy should ever be a beacon to lead to God, and not the malignant vapour that issues from the bottomless pit-the ally of religion, not the parent of infidelity.

Dr. Davies, the pious and learned author of the above works, is evidently of the school of Bacon and Locke. He justly observes of the former, "In him the philosopher never forgot the Christian; reason never failed to do homage to faith, and science was uniformly kept in its place as the willing handmaid of Religion." This is the object which Dr. Davies seems always to hold in view. His principle is to connect both literature and philosophy in closer alliance with Divine truth, and thus to render both more subservient to the confirmation of our faith, the improvement of the heart, and the moral amelioration of society. How often, alas! have both been prostituted to far different ends, the one to pander to the corrupt passions of our nature; the other to undermine the foundations of our faith.

"The Estimate of the Human Mind," the first of the above works, is characterized by great power and vigour of thought. It is a book which not every one could write, nor indeed what every one is qualified to read. JUNE 1849.

But among all intelligent and wellconstituted minds, it will not fail to be perused with delight and edification. One of its leading recommendations is its happy adaptation to the character and spirit of the present day. It is a book for the times. It takes up philosophy with all its modern discoveries, and admits its facts; but it enlarges the bounds of its reasoning, purifies its vision, and gives a more just and elevated tone to its conclusions. This is an important contribution to the cause of truth. The veil of nature is now, in many respects, lifted up by the hand of science. The agency of secondary or natural causes is more fully seen and developed, and recent discoveries have given rise to popular theories, which successively put in their claims to be received as so many recognized and established truths. Without entering upon these discussions, we cannot but express our deep conviction that there never was a time when it was a more paramount duty to stand upon the watch-tower, and to mark with a keen and penetrating eye every approximation to error, whether under the cover and guise of ingeniously woven systems, or the more open attacks of avowed infidelity. It is impossible that philosophy in its legitimate use can ever be adverse to revealed truth. Both have their distinct and specific province. The latter is a revelation of God's will, and the record of his mercy. The former is the investigation of nature, and the interpreting of her secrets. But both acknowledge the same Divine original, and therefore cannot militate against each other.

R

I WAS once a pastor, and, as I well remember, sometimes found it hard to make my weekly preparation for the pulpit-so often did the Sabbath return. One difficulty was, to adapt my discourses to the circumstances and spiritual wants of the people, so as to "give them their portion of meat in due season." Sometimes I would sit anxiously musing in my study for hours together, without being able, after all, to satisfy myself. But there was one expedient which hardly ever failed of furnishing me with a suitable topic, and which I venture to recommend to my younger brethren.

But

Instead of sitting half a day at your desk, in fruitless cogitations, take your hat and go out as a pastor among the people. They will be glad to see you, and in nine cases out of ten you will in an hour or two get a better subject for the next Sabbath, than you would have done in your study. One would hardly expect beforehand, to find the best sermons among the poor and unlettered members of the church. What do they know about making sermons? they know what their own experience, spiritual wants, and conflicts are, and in the course of conversation, rich practical trains of thought will be suggested to your mind, which you would have got nowhere else; and you will find no difficulty in making, out of these materials, some of the most profitable sermons that you ever preach. Try it, try it often, and tell me if you think I overrate the advantages of pastoral intercourse in your pulpit preparations.

I know by experience how difficult it is for a minister of a large congregation to find time for as much pastoral visiting as is generally required and expected. None but a pastor himself knows. But where is the pastor who would wish to be excused from this intercourse with his flockwho would not be glad to have more of it, if he could? The advantages are manifold. I do not see how any

pastor can keep his own mind in a suitable frame for the discharge of his sacred duties without it; and still less do I understand how he can in any other way keep himself so acquainted with the spiritual state and wants of his church and congregation as to make his public ministrations in the highest degree interesting and profitable. The sermons which he makes as he goes from house to house among all classes of his people -the aged, the invalid, the poor, the afflicted, the ignorant, as well as others may not be so able or so eloquent in the popular sense of the term, but they will often be more interesting and useful, because of their more timely adaptation; just as a stroke that "hits the nail on the head," is more effective, than a vastly heavier blow that falls somewhere near it. If any of my sermons were ever blessed to my church and congregation when I was a pastor, none, I believe, were more so, than those which came to me in my pastoral intercourse; and I can now see how I might have been relieved and benefitted more myself, and profitted my people more, by laying them under larger contributions for my weekly preparations. Were this the only advantage of such pastoral labours as a minister can find time for, it would richly repay him. He must have time in his study-time to "bring out of his treasure things new and old." This I earnestly insist on; and I beseech his people not to be unreasonable in their demand for pastoral attentions. He cannot bring "beaten oil into the sanctuary," unless you give him time to beat it. But if he had all his time for study, and no pastoral labours to perform, his preaching, however able in other respects, would not be so profitable as it is under the divine arrangement of coupling pastoral intercourse with it; because it would not have so much unction, nor be so well adapted to meet the religious wants of the church and congregation.

THE MAY MEETINGS.-The May Meetings for this year have been exceedingly well attended, and the reports of the various religious societies call for much devout gratitude to God, who has been pleased to stir up the liberality of His people in a time of great commercial and agricultural depression. On this subject we quote the remarks of the Record:

"One circumstance inviting remark, at this particular season, is, the remarkable increase of pecuniary means, in the aggregate, with which God has been pleased to aid and bless the efforts of the various Societies which are labouring to promote his glory. Considering the alarm, distrust, and commercial depression which have prevailed during the last twelve months, the large augmentation which is now ascertained, is justly a matter of thanksgiving. The Church Missionary Society, after raising a Jubilee fund of £53,000, finds its ordinary income-not diminished, which might reasonably have been expected -but actually increased by a further £2,000. The Jews' Society, we believe, reports about an equal advance. The Church Pastoral-Aid Society about £6,000 more than last year; the City Mission about £3,000; the Scripture-readers' Society, and the Ragged School Union, both a considerable increase. And to all these must be added the large contributions to Mr. Close's new Training Schools, and the £9,000 raised for the London Society having a similar object. Bringing all these into one view, we may calculate that very nearly £100,000 was raised last year over and above the usual sums raised year by year for such purposes."

CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY ABSTRACT OF REPORT. — The Committee state that it was with some misgivings and with much solicitude that they began their arrangements for the Jubilee commemoration. The commercial and manufacturing interests of the country were under severe

depression. The political horizon all around was convulsed with storms, and even the sky of England was overcast; yet the Society, having been brought by the good providence of God through the perils and difficulties of forty-nine years, deemed it meet to consecrate the fiftieth year to a special commemoration of the mercy of the Lord, and to a special effort for furthering his holy cause. The Committee, after much deliberation, ventured to put forth a proposal that some day within the Jubilee year should be observed by all the associations at home, and by all the missionaries, teachers, and congregations at the several missionary stations of the Society throughout the world, as a special commemoration of the epoch, and the 1st of November was selected for this purpose. The result is a ground of unfeigned thanksgiving. The appointed day was observed by the assembling together of large congregations in the house of God, and in many cases the other days of the week were set apart for Meetings and lectures. The day was thus observed and consecrated by Christians in various parts of the globe and under every variety of circumstances, viz., in the cathedrals of England, in our village churches, and in our universities; in Holland by the members of the Dutch Reformed Church; in Basle and at Mangalore by our friends of the Lutheran Churches; by Christian Israelites in Europe, who were forward to express their joy at the conversion of the heathen; and in Jerusalem, upon Mount Zion, by the Christian company who there maintain a witness for the truth. In our various missionary stations throughout the world the day was dedicated to solemn devotion and holy joy; the same missionary hymns and prayers which were used in England were translated into many tongues and flowed from many thousand grateful hearts. The Jubilee was celebrated at sea on board a vessel conveying a company of missionaries to their destination; and by a few pious sol

The first head of income out of which the general establishments of the missions are supported exhibits a small advance upon last year. The expenditure out of the General Mission Fund has amounted during the year to 87,4417. 8s. 2d., which exhibits a surplus of income over expenditure to the amount of 2,3257.19s. 3d. The Jubilee Fund is not yet closed, and contributions will still be received. Up to this time the amount has reached 53,1277. 10s.

The experience of another year has confirmed the Committee in their sense of the importance of increasing the Capital Fund beyond its present amount in order to secure the Society from all risk of embarrassment through the fluctuations of its income. They therefore propose to set aside the legacies which may be received for this purpose.

Institution at Islington.-The Principal's report of the Institution at Islington for the last year is highly satisfactory. He bears testimony to the progressive improvement in the general spirit of the Institution, which he has been permitted to witness since the year 1839, when he first entered upon his office.

North India.-The work has been steadily pursued by twenty-eight ordained missionaries, twelve European, or superior East India catechists and schoolmasters, and 240 native teach

ers. The native Christian flocks have received few accessions, the number of converts actually baptized during the last year not amounting to fifty; but there is abundant evidence of a steady progress in their Christian knowledge and attainments.

At Calcutta the Lord Bishop held a confirmation in October; 160 young persons were confirmed, fifty of whom belonged to the Church Missionary Society. The Committee notice a growing desire among the native heathen youths for Scriptural instruction. Great numbers of these youths flock from all parts of the adjacent country to the colleges and schools in Calcutta. The number of these youthful applicants for the Word of God, who have been supplied at the Mission premises during the last three years, is 2,500. At Kishnaghur, the whole number of converts is about 4,500. The communicants are 543. At Benares, the preaching of the Gospel to the heathen in the city and the surrounding country has been carried on with success.

The Committee are compelled to pass over the other stations in North India, in which the labours of the missionaries have been continued, as in former years, with encouragement, though no striking events have marked the progress.

South India.-The Committee have the unfeigned satisfaction of reporting that Madras, which for so many years was in a lamentably feeble and contracted state, is now beginning to assume a vigorous and cheering aspect. Four ordained missionaries, two of whom were educated in the Society's Institution at Madras, and ordained last year, have been zealously labouring on this Mission, and meeting with an encouraging measure of