pose and they beg to urge on their absent brethren, similar efforts; that the extent of the Library may be in some measure proportionate to the growing importance of the College.

STATE OF THE METROPOLIS.

SIR,

I GREATLY rejoice that at length the attention of the Christian public appears in some measure to have been arrested by the spiritual necessities of the lower orders in this vast metropolis, and that through the medium of your Magazine appeals, have been made to the churches of Christ in London, on this important subject, which I most sincerely trust will not be in vain. The crowded courts and alleys in this city and its vicinity, where the poor have taken up their residence, for the most part, on the Sabbath day, present a scene truly appalling to the pious mind. Ignorance reigns throughout these districts, entailing upon the population the usual distressing consequences, and it appears as if no one had cared for their souls; but your several correspondents have already fully and ably descanted upon the subject, and I hope rendered it unnecessary to enlarge. In the Number for this month, your correspondent, "Publius," says " The Christian Instruction Society is calculated to do much good, if the several congregations in London will co-operate with it, otherwise its great object will not be attained." The Committee of the Christian Instruction Society have fully felt this, and have therefore made a call upon the pastors and churches of London for their co-operation, which they sincerely trust will not long remain unanswered. A plan for the regular and systematic organization of Congregational Associations has been matured, upon which some few congregations have already commenced operations, with gratifying prospects of success. These regulations will be found appended to the First Annual Report of the Society, which has been recently published, and which, for the sake of obtaining wider circulation, I shall feel obliged by your giving place to in your Magazine. They are as follow:

"1. That an Association be formed for the purpose of visiting the poor in the neighbourhood of to communicate Christian instruction; and that it be called the " Association, in aid of the Society for promoting Christian Instruction in London and its vicinity.'

"2. That the following streets form the boundaries of our Association:

That the neighbourhood be divided into sections, to each of which two visitors shall be appointed, who shall call on every family to request them to receive the loan of religious tracts and books; and subsequently visit them at least once a fortnight, to exchange them.

as superintendant; and that no person be admitted as a visitor without his approbation,

"5. That the visitors shall constitute a committee, who shall meet quarterly, in the months of February, May, August, and November, to present their reports of the number of families visited, with any instances of usefulness which may have occurred in their districts; that in February to be considered as the annual meeting of the Association.

"6. That subscriptions of 5s, a year be solicited, to purchase books and tracts: the surplus (should any remain) to be presented to the treasurer of the Society for promoting Christian Instruction.

7. That a Treasurer and Secretary be appointed, who shall correspond with the Committee of the parent Society, and transmit to them quarterly an aggregate of the returns of their respective visitors."

With respect to another part of the Society's operations-preaching in rooms in poor and crowded neighbourhoods. It is felt to be very desirable to multiply these places as much as possible; and in several neighbourhoods visited by the tract distributors, poor persons have been induced, by the payment of 1s. per week, to give up their apartments for this purpose, and from which good has already resulted; others have cheerfully afforded the use of their rooms gratuitously, and though at first an indifference to the subject has been manifested, and some difficulty has been found in getting a congregation together, yet perseverance, and kind persuasiveness, have generally prevailed with them.

Congregational Associations, by soliciting small subscriptions, will in most instances be able to support themselves; and many, it is hoped, may be so favourably situated as to be able to afford assistance to the other objects of the parent Society. The Society, in a few instances, have given to the Congregational Associations already established a small donation of religious books, towards the establishment of a gratuitous circulating library, and which, considering the present taste that has been given to mechanics, and others of the lower orders, for reading, they consider peculiarly desirable.

Many districts, and those the most de

* The pastor, or one of the respectable and active members of the church, would of course be desirable.

plorable, have no immediate contiguity to any place of religious worship. These the Society would on no account neglect or overlook; but to carry their benevolent designs into effect in such neighbourhoods, they stand in need of both agents and friends. In one of these deplorable districts attempts have already been made. Those who are unable to read have been invited to hear religious tracts read to them, and crowds have surrounded the reader with marked attention. The Gospel has been preached in their neighbourhoods, to many who were entirely unaccustomed to attend the house of God; between twenty and thirty agents are statedly employed in systematic visitation, and distribution of religious tracts, and there appears a very gratifying prospect of success attending their labours. In other districts of the same character, agents are employed in circulating tracts and hand-bills on the Lord's Day, and rooms have been opened for prayer meetings, and conducting religious worship; but for want of a sufficient number of active labourers, the plan of systematic visitation has not yet been adopted. The Society, however, is as yet but in its infancy; it looks to the churches of the Saviour in London for encouragement and support, anxious to be able fully to employ the declaration of the Master, and to say, 66 the poor have the Gospel preached to them." I am, Sir, Your obedient servant, JOHN PITMAN.

Pentonville, Sep. 4, 1826.

BIBLE SOCIETY.

WE observed, with pleasure, in the Monthly Extracts of the British and Foreign Bible Society (July 31), an acknowledgment of the kindness of two SHIP-OWNERS, who generously refused the freight chargeable upon packages of the Bible conveyed to South America in their vessels. "Freely they had received the Scriptures, and freely have they sent them to other shores." This is as it should be; and we hope the time will arrive when the carriage and postage of the Bible, and all Missionary concerns, will be free from costs and charges.

NOTICES.

Dr. Styles has accepted the Sabbath Afternoon Lecture, at Hanover Chapel, Peckham, and commences his duties on the first Sabbath of this month.

The Third Anniversary of the opening of Holland Chapel, Kennington, will be held on Wednesday, the 25th of October instant, when two sermons will be preached, that in

the morning by the Rev. W. B. Collyer, D.D., F.A.S., and that in the evening by the Rev. Andrew Reed, of the Commercial Road. Service in the morning to commence at a quarter before eleven, and in the evening at half-past six.

PROVINCIAL.

CHESHUNT COLLEGE, HERTS.

THE Autumnal Meeting of the Subscribers and Friends of the above Institution will be held at Spa-fields Chapel, on Friday evening, the 20th instant, when a sermon will be preached on its behalf, by the Rev. Edward Parsons, jun., and one of the senior students will deliver a short discourse on Repentance. Service to begin at six o'clock,

NOTICE.

The Independent Benevolent Society, meeting in Gloucestershire, will hold its Annual Meeting in the Independent Chapel, at Gloucester, on Wednesday, October 11, There will be an open Committee on the preceding evening, at Mr. Bishop's house. The Association to promote the preaching of the Gospel in the County, will be held at the same time and place.

ORDINATIONS.

On Good Friday, March 24, 1828, the Rev. Thos. Williams, late of Neuaddwyd Academy, was set apart to the pastoral office over the Independent church at Pembroke Dock; in the morning, the Rev. Mr. Davies, of Fishguard, commenced the service by reading and prayer; Rev. J. Bulmer, of Haverfordwest, delivered the introductory discourse; Rev. P. Harris, of Pembroke, proposed the usual questions; Rev. W. Warlow, of Milford, offered the ordination prayer; Rev. J. Griffiths, of St. David's, delivered an impressive charge to the Minister, and the Rev. B. Evans, of St. Florence, addressed the people. The service was interesting, numerously and respectably attended, and gave unusual satisfaction.

On Wednesday, July 12, the Rev. W. Tait, late of Homerton, was ordained Pastor of the Independent church at Ashby-de-laZouch; Mr. Webb, of Leicester, delivered the introductory discourse; Mr. Mitchell offered up the ordination prayer; Mr. Alliott, of Nottingham, gave the charge from Rev. ii. 10, and Mr. Gawthorn, of Derby, addressed the people from Phil. ii. 12-16; Mr. March, of Mill-Hill, preached in the evening from Eph. vi. 19, 20, and Messrs. Bromiley, of Burton-upon-Trent, Cooke, of Uttoxeter, Goodby (General Baptist Minister), of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Pritchard, of Barrow. upon-Trent, and Newton, of Ibstock, en

gaged in the other parts of these important and interesting services.

On Wednesday, Aug. 2, Mr. Miale, late a student in Hoxton Academy, was ordained to the pastoral office over the Independent church at Framlingham, Suffolk: Rev. Mr. Sloper, of Beccles, commenced the services of the day, by reading the Scriptures and prayer; Rev. Mr. Ward, of Stowmarket, delivered the discourse explanatory of the constitution of a Christian church, and asked the customary questions. Rev. Mr. Atkinson, of Ipswich, offered the ordination prayer; Rev. W. Harris, LL. D. gave the charge from Coloss. iv. 17. "And say to Archippus," &c.; Rev. Mr. Alexander, of Norwich, addressed the church and congregation from John iii. 4, “I have no greater joy," &c., and Rev. Mr. Pearce, of Debenham, concluded the services of the day by prayer.

CHAPELS OPENED.

On Thursday, March 16th, a new Independent Chapel was opened at Barnesley. For several years a congregation has been convened in a room; but the want of adequate accommodation, and the imperative claims of an immense and perishing population, rendered it necessary that a more suitable erection should be provided for the worship of Jehovah. The services connected with the opening of the Chapel were of a most encouraging and auspicious nature. The Rev. R. W. Hamilton, of Leeds, preached in the morning, from Acts v. 38, 39; the Rev. E. Parsons, jun. in the afternoon, from 2 Cor. ii. 14; and the Rev. Dr. Raffles, in the evening, from John, ix. 35. On the following Lord's-day, three sermons were preached by the Rev. T. Scales. The collection amounted to 667. 13s. 64d..

June 27. A new Independent Chapel, capable of seating between three and four hundred persons, was opened at Inglewhite, a village near Preston. The Rev. J. Speakman, of Yockholes, preached in the morning, and the Rev. L. Forster, of Blackburn, in the afternoon. The devotional parts of the service were conducted by the Rev. D. Edwards, of Elswick, and the Rev. D. T. Caenson, of Preston. The above Chapel has been erected by the executors of Mr. Birch, out of a sum of money bequeathed by him for that purpose, and likewise to aid in the support of a Minister of the Independent denomination, to preach the Gospel in the Chapel.

July 9th. A new. Independent Chapel, measuring 60 feet by 54, situate in Cannonstreet, Preston, was opened for public worship. The Rev. R. S. M'All, of Macclesfield, preached in the morning and evening of the Lord's Day. On Monday evening Rev. J. Ely, of Rochdale, preached. The devotional parts of the service were

conducted by Rev. R. Slate, of Grim-shaw-street, Preston, and Rev. R. M. Griffiths, of Kirkham. Collections made after the services amounted to forty-three pounds. The above Chapel has been erected for the accommodation of the church and congregation formerly assembling in Fishergate Chapel, which for some time past was unable, not only to afford pews to accommodate such as applied for them, but even to accommodate the scholars of the Sunday Schools connected with the place. Notwithstanding the great exertions of the church and congregation, a considerable debt remains upon the place, to liquidate a part of which an appeal must be made to the benevolence of the Christian public.

On Thursday, August 31, a new Independent Chapel, in Rusholme Road, Manchester, was opened for divine worship. Sermons were preached by Messrs. Parsons, of York, and Thorpe, of Bristol; and devotional exercises were conducted by Messrs. Roby, Pridie, Coombs, Doney, and Birt.

On Tuesday, 8th August, 1826, a new chapel was opened at Newnham, in the county of Gloucester. An event long desired by many saints now in glory, and hailed by many still living on earth, and whose attendance on that delightful occasion marked their sympathy and joy.The Rev. Messrs. Leifchild, Bishop, and Davies, preached upon the occasion; Dr. Philip, from the Cape, delivered an interesting missionary address after the afternoon sermon; Rev. Messrs. Pain, Richardson and Fry, and other ministers who were present, conducted the devotional services. The Collections at the doors amounted to thirtyfive pounds, which, with a sum already sub. scribed, will enable the trustees to pay 1207. for the ground; but for a sum of 5007. incurred by building this chapel, an appeal must be made to the public, which, when the whole case is considered, it is confidently hoped will not be made in vain. This chapel has been erected under the direction of the Independent ministers of the county, and in connexion with the Home Missionary Society; whose labours, in the person of Mr. Prain, their Missionary, it has pleased God to bless to produce this and other desirable results.

FOREIGN.

NEW ENGLISH CHURCH AT HAMBURGH.

ON Sunday, July 16, 1826, the English Reformed Church in Hamburgh was opened for Divine service. On this long-expected occasion, the Rev. Dr. Raffles preached to large congregations, in the morning and evening; and owing to the Rev. Mr. Waterhouse, of Dewsbury, being by domestic afflic

tions prevented from taking the part he had engaged, Mr. Mathews preached in the afternoon. A dedicatory address was delivered in the morning by Dr. Raffles previously to his sermon, which was founded on Ps. xliii. 4. The discourse in the afternoon was from 1 Chron. xvi. 29; in the evening from 1 Tim. i. 11. There were present a deputation from the Senate, other public officers of the State, some of the city clergymen, as well as a considerable number of British and other seamen in the gallery, which contains 150 seats, and is set apart for their accommodation permanently. After the services collections were made to the amount of 851. Under the same roof with the chapel is built a house for the minister: the ground was generously granted by the Senate of Hamburg. The Directors take this public opportunity of returning their most sincere and affectionate thanks to their many friends, of various denominations of Christians, in England and Scotland, for their liberal assistance to the building of this House of God.

The accounts of distributions given in our last Number, do not include the balance above stated, which the Committee are waiting to apportion, as soon as they shall receive the necessary information. They are greatly disappointed by the delay of the expected communications, which they have, by repeated letters, urgently requested from their coadjutors at Paris. They suppose that this hinderance is produced by the difficulties experienced in arranging the emigration to New Orleans, which has been proposed to some of the exiles. Of any further information upon the state of the Canton of Vaud, they are thus left destitute. The following facts they have derived from the Archives du Christianisme.*

An excellent and truly Evangelical Magazine, published at Paris, and which would be a very useful and pleasing work for French readers in this country. Why should not this, and other French works founded on the best religious principles, which have been lately published at Paris, Geneva, and other places, be employed in our ladies' and other boarding schools, instead of the tales and stories, often of an injurious moral tendency, which are generally used? They may be obtained in London of Treuttel and Wurtz, or of Black and Youngs; and the prices are very moderate. The Archives require to be subscribed for by the year, 9s.

VOL. IV.

The Monthly Missionary Prayer Meeting, held at Bex, on April 3, was invaded and broken up by the police; and it was expected that prosecutions would be commenced against those who were principally engaged in it.

"The Society at GENEVA, for Evangelical Missions to Heathen and Mahometan Nations, held a general meeting in one of the churches of that city, which had been granted for that purpose. Mons. Peschier, one of the pastors in the established church, and a professor in the Academy, presided. A very numerous assembly attended; and. a considerable number of ministers from the Canton of Vaud bore a part in this Christian solemnity. Messrs. Peschier, Coulin, and Gaussen, pastors of the church of Geneva, delivered animating addresses in favour of this best of causes."—Archives for June.

The persecuting rage of a petty Protestant Republic has drawn forth exclamations of reproof and detestation from the subjects of a mighty Popish kingdom! In the Archives for July, we find a long and energetic "Declaration against the Intolerance of the Canton of Vaud," drawn up by Mons. Gardes, one of the pastors of Nismes, and followed by the signatures of twenty other Protestant pastors in the south of France, of whom five are presidents of Consistories. For the Committee,

London, Sept. 12, 1826.

J. PYE SMITH.

STATE OF RELIGION AT STRASBURGH.

SIR,

AMIDST the varied and interesting intelligence which has rendered the Evangelical Magazine, more especially under its present management, the most valuable of all our Dissenting periodicals, there is an article in your September Number upon which I beg to make a very few observations, in the spirit of Christian love and faithfulness. I allude to the article (No. 4) which relates to the state of the continent.

Most sincerely do I wish that the flattering accounts of your correspondent respecting the state and prospects of religion in the Foreign Protestant Churches could be considered as generally correct. But alas! Sir, I fear that there must be a greater effusion of the Spirit of God upon the nominal Christians abroad, and greater zeal displayed on their behalf and that of the Catholic population of Europe, on the part of the people of England, before the pleasing result is realized. But it is not my object to enter into general remarks on this subject, I confine myself to your correspondent's observations on the state of religion at Strasburgh, or rather on the proofs by which he attempts to invalidate the accuracy of some statements of an opposite tendency.

2 T

In order to prove that the Committee of the Bible Society at Strasburg is not under an infidel jurisdiction, two extracts are made, the one from the Report of that Society, and the other from a speech of Dr. Haffner. Now, Sir, although there is not a syllable in either of these extracts which might not have been written by a mere philanthropist, without a spark of genuine Christianity, yet, had your correspondent been at the trouble of referring to the publication whose authority he impugns, he would have found reasons amply sufficient to convince him that neither the Report nor the Speech were the productions of individuals whose names ought to be introduced with approbation in the Evangelical Magazine.

To begin with Dr. or Professor HaffnerHe is notoriously a scoffer at vital Christianity, and does not even pay respect to the externals of Christianity. It is true that he joins in the circulation of the Bible, but he does so on mere philanthropical grounds, while he boldly publishes his disbelief of its inspiration, and is anxious that it should not go forth without some addition in the way of notes, which may explain away what he conceives to be its objectionable parts! I could quote much in proof of these assertions, but I content myself with a few lines taken from an Introduction to the Bible, which he wrote a few years ago, and which he and his friends have been circulating with the utmost zeal, on the ground that it is calculated "to disarm opposition to the Scriptures." Of the book of JUDGES he says, "Much of this book breathes a warlike spirit, mixed with an immovable and sometimes superstitious confidence in God." Of the book of Psalms, among other remarks, which I spare your readers the pain of reading, he says, "David curses his enemies, Christ teaches us to pray for them." Again, "The Prophets were clear-sighted men," &c. Once more, and I have done, for I will not revolt your readers by further details-" Jesus had conceived, for the good of humanity, a plan which no sage had ever conceived before him. He had also a PREBENTIMENT of his death. His moral system, as, among other things, the danger of riches, was, in a great measure, only for his own time."

Now, sir, I will ask you, as a lover of the Lord Jesus Christ, whether you think that it is not disloyalty to Him to introduce the name of the unrepenting author of such a publication into the Evangelical Magazine, in order to prove that the state of religion abroad is better than is generally supposed. Of the Strasburgh Committee I will say no more than this-that in spite of every remonstrance from this country, they persisted for more than two years in circulating this infidel Preface along with the Word of God -that when they were forced by our Bible

Society to abandon it, it was purchased by one of their own number, and circulated by Professor Haffner and his friends with extraordinary zeal.

To introduce therefore the Speech of Dr. Haffner, or the Report of the Strasburgh Committee, as indicative of the state of religion, would be as absurd, and I will add, as injurious to the cause of our Redeemer, as it would be to recommend the writings of Chesterfield or Rousseau on account of the remarkable testimony, which both the one and the other of these celebrated writers have borne to the truth of Christianity and the divinity of our Lord.

Let us hope for brighter days for the fallen Churches of France and Germany, and let us, in some way or other unite our efforts, by prayer as well as active exertion, to rekindle that lamp of Divine truth which once burned so brightly on the continent of Europe. I am, Sir, your's, &c.

Αληθεια.

We think it but fair to give insertion to the above letter, although we do not pledge ourselves to an entire agreement with the esteemed writer. We can assure him that the correspondent whose article on the State of the Continent he has impugned, yields to few living men in devout piety, in unbiassed judgment, in attachment to the doctrines of grace, and in varied and profound erudition. EDITOR.

BUENOS AYRES.-When Mr. Thompson left that city, in 1821, there were eight schools for boys and one for girls, within the limits of the city, and about an equal number in the surrounding villages, all under the protection and countenance of the civil magistrate. The Society which gave birth to these schools held its first meetings in the Franciscan Convent, a circumstance which strongly evinces the liberal and enlightened feeling which obtains among the Catholic priesthood in that part of the world. Mr. T. mentions the great civilities and even assistance which he received from Don Hipolito Solez, the provincial of the order, the

• See Appendix of the Report of that Society for 1826, page 112.