sessions and presbyteries, preached, addressed Sabbath School children, met with and counselled Sabbath School teachers; and, wherever a door of entrance was opened to these deputies, we know that they were the means of giving a new impulse to Sabbath School agency. The new measure which is now contemplated, will be a proper following up of these past arrangements. The lectures are, in the first instance, to be delivered on Sabbath evenings, in the Synod Hall; but we anticipate that arrangements will be made for their redelivery in Glasgow, and other central places; and that, where the whole course cannot conveniently be given, one or more of the lectures will be repeated. We subjoin a syllabus of the intended course, which only roughly indicates the train of observation that is to be followed,-its design being rather to suggest to the lecturers than to control them; and, having presented the plan, we shall take the liberty of subjoining one or two remarks: Syllabus of Lectures on Sabbath Schools, to be delivered by Ministers of the United Presbyterian Church. 1. Introductory.-Importance of the Sabbath School. The Congregational Sabbath School-its Relation to the Family-to the Pastor-to the Church. The Missionary Sabbath School-Reasons why it should be kept distinct from the Congregational, at least in our cities and larger towns. Some account of the origin and progress of the Sabbath School in this country-on the continent-in America-in the United Presbyterian Church, &c. &c. 2. Means of extending the Number and increasing the Efficiency of our Sabbath Schools. There is much yet remaining to be done-Facts which prove this- Work of the Church not done while there remains a single uneducated child. The Sabbath School should obtain more attention from ministers, sessions, presbyteries, &c. The injurious fallacy must be dispelled, that it is only the work of the young and inexperienced. Churches should not be satisfied with having merely one School, but clusters-Cultivate a district. Trace the history of your pupils. Appeal to church members to give themselves to this work. Immense importance of the senior class 3. Qualifications of the Sabbath School Teacher.-Reasons for regretting that in this country all the teachers are young persons. No one should be invited to this work but those who have made a public profession of religion. Mistake of supposing that every church member is qualified for this work, or that no preparation necessary. Intellectual qualifications. Religous, General habits, &c. 4. Discouragements. Little fruit - no time-inattention of scholars-ingratitude of parents-little countenance from the church. Motives and Encouragements.Evils that the Sabbath Schools have the means of preventing or diminishing-positive fruits-conversions-latent seedsfacts-dying testimonies, &c. 5. Advices.-Care of your motives. Regularity. Careful preparation. Intercourse with parents of pupils. Text-books. Helps. Sabbath School Teachers' Library. Lives of eminently successful teachers. 6. Temptations.-Spiritual pride. Cabals and combinations against the authorities in the church. Mere official piety-weariness in well-doing, &c. &c. Conclusion. Such is the proposed train of illustration, which we cannot doubt will interest, not the Sabbath School teachers merely, but sessions, and all the zealous and intelligent members of our denomination. The first of the series, we understand, will be delivered by Dr Young of Pertli, some time in November. We shall not, of course, presume to anticipate the lecturers by any observations of ours; we would merely notice a few things which we are glad to see in the syllabus, and to the discussion of which we earnestly hope due prominence will be given by the lec turers: 1. We are gratified to observe, that the distinction is carefully marked between the congregational and the missionary Sabbath School. The practical value of this distinction is great. To intermingle the children of our church members with the children of those that are without, and to expose the former to all the evil influences of children whose depravity has grown up utterly unchecked, is to incur an imminent hazard without any compensating advantage. In rural districts the proportion of such children is not so great, and the distinction is of less moment; but in our cities, and towns, and manufacturing villages, it ought to be most systematically and scrupulously observed. The neglected children should be assembled under another roof, or at least at a different hour of the day, and trained under a distinct agency. But, then, this ought to be done, and on a large scale; and therefore it is that we are pleased with one clause in the syllabus:·- "Churches should not be satisfied with having merely one school, but clusters; cultivate a district." This is the correct view. There must be a generous system stretching forth its hands to the children of those "that are without," until the whole juvenile population of a neighbourhood has been overtaken. Congregations should be ashamed to speak merely of their Sabbath School. An enlarged benevolence will not be satisfied with units. The Sabbath Schools of a congregation will thus become a great and efficient Home Mission; in themselves accomplishing incalculable direct good, and certain to drag along with them in due time, and concentrate on their chosen sphere, every other form of Christian agency. 2. We are pleased to see that due prominence is to be given to the senior or adult class, as essential to the proper development of the Sabbath School, not only in the congregation, but in the missionary district. Follow the boy into his apprenticeship, and the girl into her place of service; keep hold of them; watch over them, should they be removed from your neighbourhood; invite correspondence with them, and never think your work done until that soul is saved. Such is the rule we would lay before every teacher; and the neglect of it accounts, to a great extent, for the comparative unfruit fulness of much Sabbath School agency. The instruction and influence have been withdrawn at the very moment when most needed. The pilot has left the helm when he was approaching quicksands, and when the storm was rising, and the very crisis of the vessel's destiny had come. 3. There is one other point to which we are happy to observe that the attention of the lecturers is specially, and at a very early part of the course, to be turned; we mean the relation of the Sabbath School to the pastor and the church. It is time that this were more accurately defined. For our own part, we think our very presbyterian constitution defines it; but a seasonable service will yet be done by the lecturer who brings out the matter clearly. The children of the congregation are a part of the pastor's charge, a part of the congregation; and though it is only in rare instances that he can teach them all personally, yet should it be distinctly understood that the teachers are to be appointed by him, or by the session along with him, and to be subject to his superintendence and control. Any other system than this introduces an undefined element into our congregational polity; an element foreign to the very spirit of Presbyterianism, and hostile to congregational order and peace; whose effects, where such an imperium in imperio has been borne with for a season, have repeatedly been most perplexing and disastrous. We do not suppose, however, that such a system is at all usual in the United Presbyterian Church. There are several other things on which we might have remarked in this contemplated scheme of lectures, from the delivery of which we augur much and permanent advantage. But we pause; once more reiterating the appeal we have once and again addressed to pastors, and sessions, and church members generally, on this most vital part of our christian agency. Under God, beloved brethren, you have your permanent and advancing prosperity in your own hands; and, as we have often reminded you before, the Sabbath School of the present is the Church of the future. Many are standing and looking up to heaven, as if some new machinery were needed for the development of the church in these times. They are mistaken. It is not new machinery that is needed, but a new spirit, with which to inspire and propel the machinery that is already in your hands. A system of Sabbath Schools commensurate with our numbers, and vigorously wrought, would soon increase our strength and efficiency twenty-fold. THE CONTINENT. We have already expressed our opinion on the importance of the step taken by the Synod at its late meeting, in its liberal vote of L.500 to the Evangelical Society of Geneva, in aid of the evangelization of France. Most seasonable in itself, both on account of the new era of religious liberty and inquiry on which we believe that great nation to have entered, and on account of the temporary pecuniary embarrassment which a revolution necessarily brought upon the various benevolent societies; we trust that that vote is the precursor of a permanent agency, and will open the way to closer alliance, and more regular and extensive intercourse with the continental churches, We are confirmed in these impressions by the contents of certain documents that have been put into our hands by an esteemed friend and benefactor of the suffering brethren on the continent, and feel that we are bestowing a favour upon our readers in presenting them with a few extracts. It will be recollected that the Committee on Foreign Correspondence strongly represented to the Synod, that unless immediate and liberal aid were extended to the Geneva Society, they would be constrained to withdraw the greater number of their Evangelists from the French territories, and literally to put out the only gospel light that was shining in so many regions; and their statements were strongly confirmed by Professor La Harpe. A circular to this effect was actually sent forth to all the Evangelists, and the following interesting extract shows its effect in one instance: "In consequence of want of funds, we were compelled about the end of March to take the resolution of dissolving our connexion with all our agents (Evangelists or Colporteurs), for the maintenance of whom we had no special funds, received or promised. We decided to send a circular to all our agents, to inform them of the state of the society, even to the very few we might hope to maintain, adding to these a postscript, to explain that they were exempted from this measure, and for what reason. "This circular was lithographed, and occupied three pages, at the end of which was my signature; the postscript was on the fourth page of the sheet. M. Vautier received this paper, like all others, and reading attentively with his wife as far as my signature without turning over the leaf, believed that he also was dismissed. His sorrow was great; they passed the night almost without sleep, but much in prayer, being chiefly afflicted by the distress of our society, and the idea that the holy work of evangelization in France would be altogether abandoned, in a moment when it was more needed than ever. "They thought over various plans in order to gain in some manner their livelihood, without completely giving up the work they had undertaken with so much zeal and devotedness. The next morning M. Vautier rose early in order to read the circular again, with the hope of finding consolation in the parts of it which expressed the affection of our Committee for our labourers, and the desire he expressed of resuming at some future period (if it pleased God) our connexion with them; when, in taking up the paper, he read to his astonishment the lines added on the fourth page, informing him that the sad measure did not concern his mission, a generous friend in Scotland having given us the means of continuing him at Valence. Great was his joy and surprise, and his first action was to kneel down with his excellent wife in praise and thanksgiving to God, with which, amidst tears of joy and gratitude, were mingled fervent prayers for their unknown benefactor. May the love of God,' says he, 'rest abundantly upon this christian brother, and may he increase to him the means of multiplying and extending to others his works of christian charity!" We introduce our next extract, both with the view of giving our readers an idea of the labours of a French Evangelist, and of illustrating the intuitive readiness with which a mind that has itself found "peace in believing," hastens to bring others into the same happy circumstances: - "On Sunday," says M. V., "I have three services in our little chapel; in the morning a Sunday school, at two o'clock a sermon, and in the evening a more familiar kind of meeting, which is well attended. During the week I hold meetings in seven or eight other villages, and could find ready access in many others, if my time allowed me to visit them in a regular manner. In the long days and hard-working seasons, our meetings take place at a late hour (nine o'clock in the evening), as it is necessary to give the friends time to come back from their work and take some food; their habitations are also often not contiguous, but disseminated over a large space, and time is required to gather together a certain number of hearers. At other times we are obliged to meet at twelve o'clock, after their mid-day meal, and during their time of rest. In general women come in greater number than men ; yet in many places the male hearers are numerous and regular in their attendance. “Our largest meetings are those of Beaumont, frequented by 200 or 300 persons, and sometimes many more; amongst them are many Roman Catholics, and our friends do all they can to induce them to come. This zeal to bring others within reach of the joyous sound of the gospel, is not confined to Protestants alone; two Romish families living in a suburb of Valence, who, although they have not yet outwardly abandoned catholicism, are regular hearers at our meetings, show the same ardour in bringing their acquaintances there also. Others, especially females, are constantly watching an opportunity of introducing us into the families who still entertain prejudices against the Evangelists, and they inform us whenever sorrow or sickness has entered one of them, and thus opened a way for the preacher of the gospel. Yet it must not be supposed that all those who frequent our meetings are converted; for even among the christians many are still very weak, and their walk is full of frailties and difficulties, yet they lead an honest life before the world. Besides the regular meetings at stated times, we have a great many occasional ones; where I go to visit some of our friends, they frequently collect their neighbours in their room, in order that they may all together profit by the reading and expounding of the scriptures, and join in prayer. In this part of France women never preachi or explain the word of God, but they frequently pray aloud in family worship and small familiar meetings, and the spirit of prayer is remarkable in many of them. "If in this country there is a revival, it does not show itself by any noise or outward signs. Polemic is avoided by us. Did we seek controversy, attack in a direct manner and openly the errors of popery, we should readily gather hearers around us; but it is chiefly by establishing the truth as it is in Christ, that we undermine the fortresses of bigotry and superstition. No great change is visible for the present, but light is gradually diffused amidst the dark places, and will in time dispel Romish obscurity." The following brief passage will fitly close our extracts, and remind our readers of the spirit of Paul the tent-maker: 66 We have had hitherto three evangelists at Valence, it being a very important centre, but now M. Vautier is alone; one of those we formerly employed, a colporteur of the name of Monnier, is so well gifted, that he was chosen as preacher of a church for three months, whose minister died some time since. This church is in the mountains, several leagues from Valence. When Monnier heard of the embarrassment of our society, he found means of placing himself in a silk manufactory, in which he employed one half of his time, whilst the other was given to our society, and thus receiving but half his former salary: later, hearing of our growing distress, and of the necessity in which we found ourselves of sending away so many labourers, he gave all his time to the manufactory, and reserved only the Sundays, which he employs in evangelization without salary on our part. This good and modest man has lately visited some parts of the field where he had formerly been employed, and was much afflicted at the progress made by the doctrines of the Plymouth brethren ; he found there a new pamphlet by Mr Darby, in which he surpassed all his former assertions. According to him, it is no longer the church of our days alone which has apostatized, but the apostles themselves, or at least the greater number of them!. For my part, I do not regret his publishing such absurdities, as it is: the surest way of opening the eyes of many sincere believers who have been misled by him, and who will recoil from following him in the logi cal consequences of his system," RESURRECTION OF OLD CALUMNIES AGAINST DISSENTERS ON THE PART OF JAMES A. HALDANE, ESQ. SOME years ago, the pastor of a Baptist very feeble and incoherent—and, church in Edinburgh, feeling aggriev- as an argument against voluntaryism, ed at some references to himself and his might have been safely left to perish published sentiments which Dr Brown in its contemptible insignificance. had made in his book on "Tribute," But it did not confine itself to the issued a letter with the following theme announced on its title-page. It title: "The Voluntary Question compassed 66 sea and land" in its Political, not Religious. A Letter to eagerness and vanity. The author's the Rev. Dr John Brown, occasioned own denominational peculiarities are by the allusion in his recent Work to dragged with little tact or purpose the Author's sentiments upon Na- into the fray; though certainly the tional Churches. By J. A. Haldane." publication was weak and watery The production is certainly a silly one enough without being plunged into |