But how plain do the Scriptures make it to every obedient and willing mind, taught by the Holy Ghost, that the punishment of sin is and must be eternal, such as could not possibly be turned away from sinners but by the substitution of an eternal Person in their stead, even the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by His obedience unto death, hath for them abolished death, and "brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel."

*

W. T.

THE BISHOP OF LICHFIELD ON THE CAUSES OF NATIONAL DISTRESS.

THE Bishop of Lichfield has issued a letter to the Archdeacon of his diocese, sanctioning the use of a prayer for fine weather. His lordship, after referring to the widespread depression both in trade and agriculture, and the succession of wet and abnormal seasons, says :

"Is it not true that, as a nation, for many years past we have been more and more denying and dishonouring God, by depriving Him of his rightful place in our national life? We have practically ignored Him in our national education, alike in our ancient universities and in our elementary schools. By the facilities afforded for divorce we have already made one disastrous breach in the safeguards by which He has surrounded the sanctity of married life, and we are proposing, it would seem, to make another. As a further step in the same downward course, it is now proposed to abolish in the Legislature itself the oath which recognises God, and this for the scarcely disguised purpose of admitting to the national councils one who boldly proclaims a disbelief in His very existence.

The

tendency of all our legislation is to get rid of the religious element, or, in other words, to do without God. The recognition of God is felt to be not a duty, but a difficulty; and, accordingly, as a matter of political expediency, it is dispensed with. The will of the people is accepted as the ultimate authority-the vox populi instead of the vox Dei."

SOME Christians may not even yet appreciate the greatness of the issue involved in the Affirmation Bill. Men who refuse to acknowledge the existence of God are not equally ignorant. Speaking at a Positivist assembly recently, Mr. Henry Crompton

leaves us in no doubt as to his intelligent appreciation of the approaching struggle. He said :—

"What I wish to point out is, that this struggle is by far the most important work that has been done in Parliament for many years, because it has been gradually instructing the mass of the people, who had never thought on the subject, what the real nature of the transition is. The lesson is being taught throughout the kingdom and throughout Europe that all theological restrictions and theological rule have almost ceased to be; that theology henceforth has nothing to do with government, either industrial or political-nothing, in fact, to do with the direction of human activity. So far from wishing for a speedy settlement of the question, the prolongation of the struggle has been most desirable, as preparing and ripening the public mind for the great changes that lie before us in the future."

If it is right to be taught by an enemy, we may advantageously ponder these words.

ROME AND THE BIBLE.

THERE are two deadly combatants in the world, Rome and the Bible. Rome hates the Bible, and we may say that the Bible hates Rome. One of these two combatants must eventually fall. Rome is too shrewd to always show her hatred, and nowhere will you hear more eloquent words spoken in favour of the Bible than in the Romish Church. She says "the Bible is the Word of God. She puts it into her pulpits, and into the hands of the priest when he is ordained, who is made to swear that he will read it." This may be thought grand, but it is a cunning affair. Here is the trick. The priest is made also to swear that he will never interpret the Bible according to his own conscience, intelligence, or judgment, under pain of eternal damnation, but will only explain it according to the Church of the Holy Fathers. Now, the Holy Fathers consist of 250 volumes, and cost from three to four hundred dollars, and would take fifteen years to read through; consequently, very few priests have them, and those who do read them find that they contradict one another, and very frequently a Holy Father will contradict himself, writing one thing at one time and contradicting it at another. So the Scriptures are given up; and, as they must have an infallible guide of some kind, they make the Pope infallible. There are some honest men amongst them, but blind. They have great zeal for their faith, which Protestants have not for the truth. It would be well if they were as earnest.

If an Irishman were to ask his priest for a Bible, he would be told that he could not understand it if he had one, and it would be pointed out how those who have the Bible are all disagreeing one with another, and fighting like cats and dogs, the confusion amongst them being so great that it is like another Tower of Babel, while the Church of Rome is all one. But let us remember what Christ says: "I am the Vine; ye are the branches." Look at the vine-no two branches are alike; some large, some small, some straight and others twisted; some grow up and others down; but all bear fruit, and all are in the vine. So Protestants may differ in some things; and we know that they only are one who abide and unite in Christ. But is it not an insult to say that Peter, and Paul, and Christ Himself, could not speak plain enough for their words to be understood, so that their sayings must only be received through the medium of the priest, who has received his instruction from the perusal of the Holy Fathers, if he happens to possess them ?-From a Lecture by Pastor Chiniquy.

[And does not the Church of Rome, and do not many Protestants also, greatly dishonour the Holy Ghost, who teaches and guides believers into all truth, by setting human agency before and above His almighty power? Men will talk of and seek after any agency rather than the Holy Ghost, and we need not look for a better state of things in the Church of Christ while the Holy Spirit is so little honoured and desired. May praying souls be led to implore the outpouring of the Spirit upon Zion.]

"UNDESIRABLE COLONISTS."

UNDER the above heading, the Melbourne Age and other Australian papers just received contain the following statement:

"Among the passengers by the Austral, lately arrived in our port, were twenty-two Roman Catholic priests, including a bishop and his chaplain. The conduct of the clergy, with the exception of the bishop, was most distasteful to the other passengers, and also to the crew of the vessel. Upon any toast being drunk to the health of Her Majesty the Queen, the most marked disrespect was shown by the Catholic priests referred to, who would remain seated and covered. The same course was also pursued when the National Anthem was being played. On one occasion, the bishop, who always rose and uncovered at either toast or loyal anthem, called upon a priest near him to do the same, but was point blank refused compliance; whilst a young priest, who did remove his hat, was openly rebuked

by the others. Nearly all these clerics were from Maynooth, and their disloyalty was a subject of conversation amongst all the passengers and crew of the Austral, the latter being so exasperated as to threaten, but were deterred from inflicting, summary punishment upon the offenders. The twenty-two priests are a contingent to reinforce the Roman Catholic staff in the colonies."

A FAIR RETORT.

REPLYING to the charges that the Church Association acts the part of a persecutor, the Rock writes :

"Now let us see how the other side have acted. Deliberately they have resisted every legal authority, and refused to obey any court, as well as their own bishops. They base their objection to obey on the constitution of the courts, which, say they, are purely secular. Now granting, for argument's sake, what we have often disproved, that the courts are purely secular, and that the Church ought not to be bound by them, let us see how much honesty there is in our opponents' tactics. What are we to say to the present state of affairs at Miles Platting? The Bishop of Manchester, in exercise of his solemn functions, and as a spiritual power, declines to institute an unsuitable nominee to a benefice, and lo! these virtuous gentlemen, who would go to prison rather than obey a secular court in matters affecting the Church, immediately apply to a secular court on the purely secular point as to a layman's right of property to overrule the spiritual chief's decision on a spiritual question of the fitness or unfitness of an avowed law-breaker to undertake a spiritual charge! This has always been the way. Whenever the Ritualists thought they could gain the smallest advantage, they would rush to these much-abused courts at once. When they knew they had not a leg to stand upon, they defied the courts, and villified them and all who desired to see the majesty of the law sustained."

LETTERS FOR THE YOUNG.-No. XXXVI.

[A sequel to the narrative, "Special Providence," in February SOWER, page 47.]

DEAR SIR,-On reading in the SOWER for February the narrative, "Special Providence," which was written by myself about fourteen years ago, it struck me that I had never given any account of dear little Tommy's death, and that perhaps the Lord had so ordered it that it might be blessed to some (I trust many) of the readers of the SOWER now.

Tommy's father is still alive, and, on reading the account in the SOWER for February, he said it brought every circumstance before him as vividly as ever. He then went on to describe how the dear little fellow lingered, sometimes better and sometimes worse, and the many blessed hours he had spent in conversation and communion with him. The father, from the effects of the injury to his spine, was obliged to sit indoors a good part of his time. He usually sat on one side of the old-fashioned country fireplace, and Tommy, in his little arm-chair, on the other; and here, unseen by, and practically unknown to, the busy, bustling world outside, but not unknown to God, these two sufferers sat and mutually helped and comforted each other.

His

At last, one Tuesday morning, on his father approaching his bed-side to see if he was ready to get up, Tommy, with a face radiant, as from the presence of some heavenly vision, said, "Father, I shall spend my Sunday in heaven this week." father said, "What makes you think so? You have been dreaming, Tommy; and being, as he expresses it, "touched close home," he became visibly affected, which Tommy observing, said, "Father, you can spare me for a little while. You have been a kind earthly father to me, but my heavenly Father wants me to spend next Sunday with Him, without this suffering body, and you will join us soon." His father was too much affected to continue the conversation, but, like Mary of old, he hid these sayings in his heart.

During that and the following day, Tommy seemed about as usual, and his father began to hope that his stay would still be prolonged; but on Thursday, the wounds in his side appeared irritated, and during the day inflammation set in. From this time till just before his death, on the following day, his sufferings were very great, and, during every interval of ease, he begged his father to pray for patience, saying, "Oh, father, I thought I could bear to die; but oh, pray for patience for me to bear the pain !"

On the Friday morning, on his father re-entering the room, after being absent a short time, Tommy called out, "Oh, father, can you help me a little-only a little?" His father replied, "No, my dear boy, I am afraid I cannot. I would willingly bear part of the pain for you if I could; but the Lord can and will help you to bear it." Tommy then, looking up into his father's face, said, "Oh, father, if this is not dying, how can I die?” His father replied, "I believe that, before you die, Tommy, mortification will set in, and your sufferings will abate."

For some time after this he sat by the bed-side, earnestly wrestling with the Lord in prayer, that He would give the dear boy some relief from pain; when presently Tommy said, "My pain is all