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marked; he is not to be asked whether he subscribes to it; an indemnity act has been passed to admit him without qualification; the tender of his money is all that is required; and thus, after all this shew of purity, the matter rests virtually where it was, and where, after the present effervescence, the good sense and scriptural feeling of the great majority of the friends of religion will keep it. Societies which seriously mean to keep out any class of obnoxious persons, institute suitable inquiries; for example, the Christian Knowledge Society, and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, require a recommendation, stating that the applicant is duly qualified; and a ballot is also added in these, and most other societies similarly constituted, to prevent improper intrusion. If Captain Gordon's friends

mean any thing, let them go at once to this extent; but a test act, with a bill of indemnity of which the most obnoxious persons may avail themselves, will be found to be in societies, as it was in the state, an anomaly which requires prompt repeal. If a Bible Society were constituted upon the new notion, and a body of confederate Socinians and their friends chose to subscribe, and to outvote Captain Gordon and his friends, there would be nothing to prevent their causing the Socinian version of the Scriptures being admitted as the society's standard version. The Socinian might say that he breaks no faith, by becoming a member, any more than a Dissenter did by availing himself of the indemnity act as an admission to offices for which he was disqualified.

VIEW OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

NOTWITHSTANDING the large majority by which the second reading and committal of the reform bill was carried, it goes on more slowly in the house of commons than gratifies the impatience of the country. After tedious debates, however, the first clause for disfranchising all boroughs the population of which is under two thousand, is carried. The remaining details will be less important, till the clauses appointing the new constituency. There seems not a doubt of the measure being carried; and we cannot therefore but think that the long-protracted debates, night after night, upon every line and word, have somewhat the air of vexatious opposition. This was especially the case in one debate, in which the house was kept dividing again and again all night long till seven o'clock next morning, upon the same question, "That the speaker leave the chair." It was a scene, the record of which is as disgraceful to a dignified legis lative assembly, as a similar scene lately at the Bible Society was to that institution; and both, we are sorry to say, were caused mainly by the same individual, Captain Gordon, the new Member for Dundalk. The Honourable Member, it appears, having commenced a speech, and the majority of the members shewing signs of impatience, determined to divide the house on a motion for adjourning the debate. This was fair enough; but being negatived by a large majority, the matter should have dropped, each party having done its supposed duty; and the loss of Captain Gordon's intended speech being a far less evil to the country than such a scene as followed. Deeply do we regret such proceedings; and in this case more especially, on account of their inauspicious aspect

upon several great questions, respecting which we are quite as anxious as Captain Gordon can be we allude particularly to those connected with the moral and religious state of Ireland. Protestantism in that country needs able, judicious, and well-tempered religious advocates in the house of commons. We should also rejoice to see various kindred questions connected with Ireland, such as popular education, and the parliamentary grant to Maynooth, set in a right light, and argued on just and scriptural grounds. Much therefore could we have wished that all religious noblemen and others who have the power of sending members of their own selection to parliament, would exercise this privilege, not only with disinterestedness, but with discretion. Our reason for this observation is, that Captain Gordon, from being the nominee of Lord Roden, and from the part which he has taken in the Reformation Society, and on some Irish questions, is publicly stated to be the organ of what are called "the evangelical party;" and the consequence is, that new hostilities are engendered against all pious and benevolent efforts for the benefit of Ireland, and not only such men as Mr. O'Connell, but many of our highest Tories and country gentlemen denounce the efforts of the friends of Protestantism and religion in Ireland, in consequence of connecting them with the violent tempers and injudicious proceedings of individuals, who have no claim to be considered as the organ of what is called" the religious public." We are told that this is the age of journalism: where then,among thewhole range of our religious periodical publications, church or dissenting, with the single exception of the Re

cord newspaper, will Mr. O'Connell find one that would identify itself with the proceedings of the Member for Dundalk; one that has not lamented his conduct in the Bible Society; and those harsh invectives in his Reformation-Society speeches which have irritated the people of Ireland, and we fear impeded in no slight degree the progress of the reformation? We speak strongly; because, however conscientiously a man may hold his own opinions, and believe himself to be right, and the rest of the world wrong, he has no prerogative to domineer over every society into which he enters, and either to carry his point, or to throw every thing into confusion, and break up the institution.

We should not write thus, but that, as before remarked, Captain Gordon is set forth by Mr. O'Connell as the organ of an alleged party. Mr. Wilberforce in his day acquired the same title, and we must say with better reason. He was the firm the uncompromising friend of every religious measure; and the unshaken opposer of whatever was sinister or evil: but then his meekness, his modesty, his amiableness; these were his arts. Let Captain Gordon pause on his doubtless well-intended but very ill-judged career; or at least let those individuals and societies who have connected themselves with his proceedings calmly reflect upon their results. His travels in the service of the Reformation Society were only followed by new exasperations on the part of the priests, and fresh resolutions to put down scriptural education; his invectives against Socinians in the Bible Society have magnified their numbers, and given them a name and an importance which they had not before; his denunciation of seditious and blasphemous publications in the house of commons, he was told to his face, had served the authors better than a month's advertisements; and even his attack upon Maynooth has been conducted with such a want of good judgment, that it has only tended to excite irritations on all sides in parliament, and perhaps to uphold for a time an institution which on no principle of justice, or even alleged expediency, ought the legislature to patronize one hour; more especially now that Roman Catholics are placed on the same footing as other Dissenters. It may be replied that Captain Gordon intends well, and only mistakes as to the right means of accomplishing his objects. This we do not deny; but whatever may be his wishes, we deeply regret the actual results; and may not other men mean well too, and perhaps be right in their meaning? Our advice to Mr. Gordon, speaking of him as a public man, is to avoid egotism. Why did he divide the Bible Society twice when every other person was satisfied? Why print and publish that an audience was packed to oppose him?

Why are we told again and again that his speeches are not listened to with due respect, and that they are not properly reported like other men's speeches? The Duke of Wellington, Lord Grey, and Lord Brougham, never complain thus. We speak with concern because we are most anxious that religion should find advocates in the house of commons; and we should have spoken with equal frankness if any other person had been pointed out in the house disparagingly as the organ of what are called-foolishly called-the evangelical party. Captain Gordon may be a very valuable and useful man; let him beware how he throws away his talent.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has brought in a bill for restraining pluralities, and another for leasing tithes for twenty-one years, the incumbent and twothirds in amount of the tithe-payers being willing. The first bill we have not yet seen. It will not, however, we are sure, be effective if it leave any thing to the irresponsible power of an individnal. The latter is excellent, so far as it goes; but it does not accomplish all that is desirable. The tithe demand will still occur every half year in the old form, and the same heart-burnings will result; but it is a judicious step to a composition, if not, at some future day, a commutation of this most unjustly reprobated species of property. But since it is reprobated, however unjustly, it is surely not in the present state of society the best mode of supporting a ministry whose object demands peace and good will.

We rejoice to state, that a bill is in progress for lessening the number of commercial oaths; but, as the bishop of London most justly shewed, it ought to go much further. We are glad also to find that the distress in Ireland is materially alleviated.

Taylor, the infidel, is undergoing his sentence of imprisonment for his blasphemous libels.

The new French chambers have met. They were elected under the recent regulations, which give to the people a much larger constituency than formerly, including all payers of direct taxes to the amount of two hundred francs. The king's speech speaks of France as in a most hopeful condition. We have not space to enter at present upon its topics, several of which are very important.

Prince Leopold having accepted the crown of Belgium, has been received, it is stated, by his new subjects, with much favour. We trust that the evils of war have in this case been averted, and that a general disarming of the nations will immediately take place, as urged by the king of France. Poland is the great difficulty; and we earnestly hope that renewed attempts will be made to stay the effusion of blood in that much injured land.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

A. H.; J. E. R; T. B.; T.; R. C.; A. M.; SCRUTINEER; O. B.; E. S. L.; M. A. R.; A. B. L.; and EDINA; are under consideration.

The letter inserted by G. F. B. in our Number for May, was not written by the late Robert Hall, but by his much respected father, Robert Hall of Arnsby; and has, we believe, been published before.

:

In reply to D., we respectfully state, that our not reviewing a work is never intended as any slight to the book or the author and with regard to volumes of sermons in particular, the number constantly published is so great, that our limits do not admit of our noticing one in several even of those which are sent to us for that purpose; but with respect to those of the dignified and much-respected individual alluded to, they never came to our hands.

We know nothing of the book mentioned by I. S. D.

SUPPLEMENT TO RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

HAVING already alluded in a former page to the pending controversy, relative to the constitution of the Society, and purposing to take up the question, if necessary, at some length, we present the monthly extracts without comment. The interesting accounts furnished by the Society of the circulation of the word of God are the best practical illustration of the value of the institution.

ANTI-SLAVERY REPORTER. (Nos. 83 & 84.)

The statements in these papers, taken from documents laid before parliament, strikingly display the actual condition of slavery, with all its accumulation of injus tice, cruelty, and misery, not in times past, but at the present moment of boasted improvement. We might consent to rest the whole question of the necessity of abolition upon the very first two cases here mentioned, that of Mr. Wildman's estate, and that of Lord Combermere. Mr. Wildman, we presume, is the gentleman of that name whose benevolent exertions were expressly mentioned at the anniversary of the Church Missionary Society, in reply to some remarks which went to state that even the efforts of the most anxious and conscientious proprietor are thwarted on his own property by the existing system. Yet upon the estate of this very gentleman it now appears that his utmost efforts are vain to protect his slaves against the most atrocious cruelty and injustice. We implore this gentleman, therefore, by his Christianity, and his zealous and conscientious efforts to benefit and protect his slaves, to open his eyes to the plain simple truth, and to labour for the utter extinction of so nefarious a system. We say the same of Lord Combermere, who cannot protect his poor victims against his own blood-thirsty agent, or punish the criminal, notwithstanding both himself and Lord Goderich have strained every nerve to do so, and expressed (see the papers before parliament) the deepest regret at their want of success. The efforts of Sir George Rose were also mentioned at the Church Missionary Meeting, in connexion with those of Mr. Wildman; but our readers will not have forgotten the painful facts relative to Sir George Rose's own estates in the Anti-Slavery Reporter, appended to our Numbers for last September and October (No. 66. p. 383, and 69. p. 445). We mention these cases in particular, because the efforts of such religious and benevolent proprietors as Sir George Rose and Mr. Wildman are quoted in reply to the statements of the abolitionists; with how little weight let the impartial reader decide.

PEACE SOCIETY.

Though not members of the Peace Society, we are as Christians friends of peace; and we gladly present its interesting statements for the calm consideration of our readers.

The Report of the Society for the Conversion of the Jews, and other documents promised, will be appended to future Numbers. We cannot, in mentioning the first of these, refrain expressing our deep concern at the loss it has sustained by the decease of another of its most zealous and valuable friends Mr. Hawtrey; who has survived his late brother secretary Mr. Basil Woodd, only about three months. We say nothing of the character of our departed friend, and occasional correspondent, at present, as a more fitting occasion may occur for that painfully pleasing duty. Our readers will find in our present Number a paper from his pen, and which he wished to appear with his name rather than with his usual signature, H. S. C. H., upon a subject which greatly interested him. Seeing such friends taken-it may be from the evil to come may this society and all of us work while it is called to-day, seeing that the night cometh in which no man can work. Our deceased friend, we are sure, does not now regret his prayers and exertions for the welfare of Israel, even though they perhaps tended to shorten the days of his earthly pilgrimage.

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To the Editor of the Christian Observer.

By the kindness of the same friend who permitted me to communicate the extracts from the papers of Miss Hill Boothby, Miss Beresford, and the Countess of Huntingdon, inserted in your Number for January, I am now able to enclose copies of three letters addressed by Bishop, afterwards Archbishop, Secker, to another of the ladies alluded to in those Dr. Johnson's papers namely, much-respected friend Mrs. Fitzherbert, at that time Miss Meynell, it being before her marriage. The letters relate to the death of her mother, Mrs. Meynell. They are faithfully transcribed from the original manuscripts, now lying before

me.

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It might have been judged expedient to omit such portions of these documents as are least instructive, and indeed inconsistent with the context of which their writer was partially aware-but the transcript is sent entire, and shall be left to the judgment of the discriminating reader. There is, however, little difficulty in discerning a want of symmetry in the religion of Mrs. Fitzherbert's correspondent; as well as his deep consciousness of the strength of that lady's intellectual and devotional character; although she must, at that time, have been only in the vernal season of life. CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 356.

The letters, also, discover incidentally the source whence, under the Divine blessing, she derived her principles. It will appear, in the sequel, that her father not only had no spiritual sympathy with her, but treated her with great virulence for her religion. Both Mrs. Meynell and her excellent daughter Mrs. Fitzherbert, it appears, were united to husbands who, in the estimate of all parties, were undisguisedly men of the world.

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It may be recollected, in connexion with the materials of this communication, that a predecessor of Secker in the see of Canterbury corresponded with a lady of eminent piety-Lady Russell-and, in this instance also, Tillotson, Burnet, and Fitzwilliam condoled with one who surpassed them. Her letters," says Mrs. H. More," by their sound and sober piety, strong sense, and useful information, eclipse all those of her learned and distinguished correspondents *." We have not, indeed, any written illustration, on Mrs. Fitzherbert's side, of the superiority now attributed to her; but the proof appears, to me at least, to be developed by the Archbishop himself. His very endeavours to correct what he regarded as errors, indirectly shew what those errors and they were on the The letters themselves are as follows.

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* Letters towards forming the Character of a young Princess, ch. vii.

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"Cuddesden*, near Tetsworth, Oxfordshire, Sept. 3,1740.-Madam, Having heard a few days ago, with great concern, of the loss it hath pleased God you should suffer, I beg your permission to be one of the many condolers with you; and the rather, as I was hindered, partly indeed by my own forgetfulness, from seeing Mrs. Meynell and you, before you went out of town. I am sensible so good a daughter cannot but suffer a great deal on the death of so good a mother. You must needs feel yourself very destitute in the midst of a comfortless world: nor doth religion, which requires us to cultivate every virtuous affection, forbid us to grieve, when so just an object of affection is taken from us; but, then, it mixes with our grief such other sentiments as moderate and compose it, first into a tolerable state of mind, and by degrees even into a pleasing one. A short and painful life, in such a world as this, cannot be all which the Wisdom and Goodness that made it intended for such persons as she was: and therefore, with respect to her, madam, you have cause to be thankful, as unquestionably you are, for the happy change she hath made. And with respect to yourself, since it can be but a few years before you are happy with her, you will support yourself by that prospect, under whatever might else make you miserable in the mean time. We have no right to any other blessings, from the Sovereign Disposer of all things, than such as He, who knows best, thinks proper to give and whenever He thinks proper to take them away, it is ungrateful to murmur at parting with them, instead of being thankful we have had them so long. The happiness and advantages of such a mother have been greater to you, in a short time, than others are blessed with in a much longer. Heaven hath now called you to shew

Secker was then Bishop of Oxford, and Rector of St. James's, Westminster.

the improvements you have made by those advantages; and I doubt not but you will find them very much greater than you think. You have learnt, by the good effects of dutiful love to a wise and kind parent upon earth, the reasonableness and benefit of implicit resignation to our common Father in heaven. He knows you will be able, not only to bear this affliction, but to improve by it; to raise your thoughts with warmer desires to that invisible state to which she is gone before; and yet to wait with patience all the days of your appointed time, till your change shall come. Be assured, therefore, madam, vhatever the first appearance of things may be, you have strength sufficient in God, for whatever condition he hath assigned you. Exert it only with humble confidence, and you will feel it increase continually. Such as you were intended not only to practise religion, but to recommend it; and I beg you to consider how great and how effectual a recommendation it may prove, to shew all persons around you, that, at the same time that its precepts encourage the tenderest sensibility of mind in every relation of life, its comforts inspire the most rational firmness and constancy under every suffering. Yet, permit me to add, that perpetual attention, even to these best motives of consolation, is capable of overpowering our weak frame; and therefore it is as truly your duty not to dwell on serious thoughts too much, as it is the sin of most persons to dwell on them so little. Turn yourself, therefore, a little at present, madam, from a view which you cannot as yet look long upon without being overcome by it. Apply your thoughts as well as you can to whatever concerns of life are incumbent on you. Think the care of your health and spirits one concern, which you are in conscience bound to look after by the use of proper relaxation. Try but to do thus, and I take it upon myself to promise you the time will come

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