forward to a period when, even here, we may yet meet still more agreeably, and co-operate still more cordially, than we were accustomed to do in days that we will ever look back to with pleasure; and should this expectation not be realized, we have a yet more "glorious hope," which we know will not make us ashamed, if on solid grounds we really cherish it, of meeting those brethren in Christ from whom, through imperfection cleaving to both sides, we have been separated for a season-in the world of perfect light, and love, purity and peace, where, if there is regret or shame at all, it will be, if when the Great Master inquires, "what was it ye disputed about by the way?"-we be obliged to reply, that it was "which of us should be the greatest."

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Meanwhile, to borrow the words of two of the ablest advocates of our cause, we will acknowledge with cordial delight every excellence that appears in the Established churches,-hail with joy every symptom of improvement which they exhibit, and pray for their prosperity, as we pray for our own. Doing homage to this divine appointment, whereunto we have already attained let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing,' we will co-operate with them, if they will co-operate with us in every good undertaking, which regard to consistency of principle will allow. And we will not suffer ourselves' to doubt that, although in the progress of the discussions that have begun, there will be, to a considerable extent, a collision of feeling, as well as of opinion; the Redeemer's prayer shall prove more powerful than the passions of his weak and imperfect followers, and the delightful consummation for which he makes intercession shall be accomplished, that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." "*" For a time it is to be feared there must be conflict and confusion, but from disorder, order will arise. The stream of public opinion, so tranquil in its onward progress, is originally formed of many opposing currents: But, as at the junction of two mighty rivers, though all for a time, amid the conflicting and intermingling waters, be uproar and confusion, at last they find a common issue, determined by the proportion of their respective forces, and with calm and unresisted majesty, form a passage to the sea."+

Heugh's Considerations on Civil Establishments of Religion, p. 96. Glasgow, 1833.

+ Douglas' Address at the Jedburgh Voluntary Church Meeting.

I am loath to turn away from such a delightful anticipation; but it seems desirable, before closing, to say a word or two about the Endowment question, which is now exciting so much interest,-respecting which

"Iliacos intra muros pugnatur et extra."

which is summoning the host of voluntaries to ward off the blow which, with heartier purpose than good aim, is directed against them, and which is likely, however settled, to try the stability of the existing Administration.

There is, there long has been, much spiritual destitution in this country. How did it originate-how has it been perpetuated? Principally by the unfaithfulness or moral inadequacy of the Established Church. Originally it was not the want of instructors, but of instruction,-in some cases of instruction altogether, in many more of wholesome instruction, that occasioned the evil, and this is substantially the true state of the case still.* It is not long ago when the evange

* A picture of the state of the Lowland country parishes of Scotland, as to their supply of the means of wholesome religious instruction, taken nearly twenty years ago, may be interesting to the reader. It will be found a likeness still.

"It is stated with perfect confidence, and with sincere satisfaction, that a considerable number of this class of parishes, are in a most enviable situation, as to the means of religious instruction. There are parishes, not a few, where the parochial clergyman is just what a minister of Jesus Christ ought to be, an example of the believer in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, and purity; watching over the souls of his flock as one who knows that he must give an account, preaching the word, instant in season and out of season, reproving, rebuking, and exhorting, with all long-suffering and doctrine.' There are such men in the Established Church, -we know them; and though we follow not with them, we bid them God speed, and esteem them very highly in love, for their work's sake.'

"But, are all such pastors? would to heaven all were!' The truth is, however, far otherwise. I say nothing but what every serious, well-informed member and minister of the Scottish Church must admit, with whatever regret, when I state, that the majority of the parochial clergy, even in the Lowland districts, come far short of what might be justly expected of them, as religious instructors and Christian pastors.

"At no period, perhaps, in the history of the Scottish Church, was gross error generally taught from her pulpits; and certainly, in this point of view, things are in a state of improvement rather than of deterioration. The instances are comparatively rare, in which the doctrines of Socinus, Arius, or Pelagius, are distinctly inculcated by any of the established clergy. But that, in some instances, these dangerous heresies are covertly taught, and

lical party of the Establishment would have very readily acknowledged that much more than a moiety of their clergy were not, either in doctrine or in pastoral labours, what Christian ministers ought to be.

What would have been the amount of this destitution but for the Dissenters? In many a dark district of our land, a few poor Christian men, finding that they could not comfortably exist without the bread and water of life, combined their scanty resources, built a humble place of worship, and a corresponding mansion for a pastor, and secured for themselves a regular administration of Christian ordinances. To their neighbours they said, You are welcome to enjoy the same advantages as we do, if you are disposed to cast in your lot with us;and if not, you are welcome to occupy seats in our place of worship, as long as there are any to occupy.

These places multiplied and filled the land,-and what was the Established Church doing all the while? Frequently opposing such attempts, which their neglect had made necessary, but, as a church, doing absolutely nothing to meet the evil which, from the growing population of the country, was every year becoming greater. A few Chapels of Ease were indeed established, but these were not the work of the Church-they were the work of individuals who had much difficulty, in many cases, to obtain permission from the Church to form communities so closely resembling Dissenting congregations.

At last, however, when the Dissenting places of worship had, during a century, grown to nearly eight hundred, and the Established Churches during that period had, in certain districts, if not over the country generally, rather diminished than increased in number,some wise men of the Established Church made the discovery, that,

that, in many others, an extremely extenuated system of doctrine and morals, takes the place of the whole counsel of God,' there is no room to doubt. There are not only many parishes, but there are large districts of country, where a full, and pure dispensation of divine truth, from the pulpits of the establishment, is unknown; and when to this is added, as it must be, that the duties of pastoral inspection, visitation, and catechising, are either entirely neglected, or very perfunctorily performed; while the minister, exhibiting few evidences of personal piety, if not marked by positive immoralities, is entirely occupied by secular pursuits, it is easy to perceive that if this state of things prevail in many of the Lowland parishes of Scotland (and whether it does or not, we are willing to refer to the decision of any wellinformed and candid man, of whatever persuasion), a large portion of their inhabitants must, so far as the established system of religious instruction is concerned, be in a very destitute condition indeed."

if government would but furnish them with funds, they could soon so multiply ministers as that, without any assistance from the Dissenters, the population should at least not want a sufficient number of instructors, forgetful apparently, that unless means could be found for permanently improving the quality of these instructors, the increase of their number would be but a very questionable benefit. That their design is rather to multiply instructors-than to increase instruction, is obvious; for instead of confining themselves to those portions of our land which, from a variety of circumstances, are still but imperfectly supplied with the means of religious instruction, they have turned their attention first, to those places where dissent chiefly flourishes; and have, in many situations, fixed on a site for a new church, where no probable reason for the choice could be assigned but that it was in the neighbourhood of a Dissenting place of worship.

The scarcely concealed object of the plan is to put down dissent,— that is, to supplant a system of religious instruction which their own criminal neglect made necessary, and which, without burden on the public, is answering in a degree fully equal to every reasonable expectation, its great ends,―by a system which, judging from the past, cannot be relied on-a system which, while it involves the country in a permanent heavy expense, cannot be established without injuring the property of those who, to promote the spiritual benefit of themselves and their brethren, have expended large sums in buildings and otherwise, and cannot be established in the desired extent without materially trenching on the comforts of ministers who have devoted themselves to the service of Christ in the Dissenting churches.

A plan more replete with injury and insult to a set of men who, by their assiduous labours, have deserved well of their country, and who are guilty of no crime but that they are not of the Established Church, was never formed. Some who assisted in the formation of this scheme, and many who have taken a part in forwarding its execution, looking so entirely at "their own things," as completely to overlook "the things of others," have been, I am persuaded, but partially, if at all aware of some of its tendencies; but with regard to others, we do them no wrong when, believing their own avowal, we assert, that the annihilation of dissent is their object,-an object which cannot be extensively prosecuted, much less gained, without an amount of unprovoked personal injury, and irreparable public disadvantage, which it is impossible to calculate. The Voluntaries never dreamed of doing any thing like this. Though persuaded, on the testimony of their own brethren, that more than a half of the clergy of the Establishment

Y

were not efficient Christian pastors, they never thought, even had they the power, of depriving one of these clergy during his life of the emoluments of the office, whose duties he had never performed; but only proposed that as they dropped, another system, less expensive to the country, and more effective for the purposes of general Christian instruction, should gradually take place.

'But a great reformation has taken place in the Church.' We are glad to hear it we trust that, to a certain extent, it is so. But fear and anger are suspicious principles of reform, and cannot at once transmute a careless ininistry into exemplary Christian pastors. Even though we had no conscientious objections to the extension of the Establishment, we would be disposed to try this new-born zeal for a few years, before we reposed additional confidence in those who have already so strangely disappointed reasonable expectation.

The power of the Voluntary principle within the Established Churches, is a most cheering consideration. Let it become somewhat more energetic, and let it prove itself steady, and additional endowments will soon be seen to be utterly unnecessary. This is one of the pleasing symptoms that Providence is ripening the Churches burdened with Establishment, for emancipation; and that a crisis, which every one who is not blind, sees fast approaching, may likely pass without even temporary injury, while it must be followed by great permanent advantage to both these religious bodies.

In the mean time, we feel not only warranted but bound to oppose by all constitutional methods, the measure which the mistaken

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* Among these constitutional means, petitioning the legislature is one, and I think it right to insert here a petition presented by the congregation of Broughton Place, in the year 1835, as containing within narrow limits a view of the whole case of Endowments.

"To the Honourable the COMMONS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, in Parliament assembled, the PETITION of the Subscribers, the Minister, Elders, Members, and Hearers, of the United Associate Congregation, Broughton Place, Edinburgh;

"Humbly Showeth,

"That your petitioners having heard that application has been made to your Honourable House for a grant of money from the public revenue to build and endow New Churches in connexion with the Establishment in this country, beg leave respectfully to express their strong conviction that the proposed measure is unnecessary, unjust, and impolitic-and their earnest request and confident hope, that your Honourable House, by refusing to sanction it, will prevent the evils which must result from its adoption.