THE week of universal prayer, which is so close at hand, will, we trust, call
forth this year even greater sympathy and interest than it has done in past
years. There is, indeed, greater need for prayer than ever, as we survey the
many signs of the increasing worldliness and godlessness of the age. Infidelity
is increasing, not so much in its coarse and repulsive aspects, as in its more
refined and scholarly phase. The professor's chair and, alas, even the pulpit
are now the places from which we hear God's Word dishonoured, and His
truth denied. In the meantime, the fruits of such teaching are to be seen
in the general restlessness of society in its eager pursuit of worldly pleasures,
and in the formidable increase of lawlessness and anarchy amongst the
working classes. The gradually growing armaments of the nations threaten
a coming war on a scale fearful to contemplate, and so rapidly are the
passions of nations inflamed in this day of rapid communication of intelligence,
that any day some incident, in itself trifling, might precipitate a conflict,
which might involve the whole of Europe in a terrific struggle.

When we turn from the world to the Church-that is, the professing
Church-whilst we see much for which to be thankful, especially the many
signs of increased interest in missions to the heathen, there yet remains
much cause for grief and anxiety. In our own land the Romeward movement
seems steadily increasing, not, perhaps, as yet, manifesting itself so much by
perversions to Rome as by virtual acceptance of Romish doctrines and
practices by the Ritualistic party in the National Church. The Church
Intelligencer well exposes this evil by quoting from a book, specially commended

by the late Dr. Pusey, by Abbé Gaume. "What language of man can speak the dignity of priesthood and the greatness of the priest? Moses was great, who, by a word, divided the waters of the sea and made an entire people to pass between their suspended masses. Joshua was great, who spake to the sun- Sun, stand still,' and the sun stayed, obeying the voice of a mortal. Ah, well! there is one man greater still. He is a man who, every day, when he pleases, opens the Gates of Heaven, and, addressing himself to the Son of the Eternal-to the Monarch of the Worlds, says to Him : 'Descend from your throne. Come!' Docile at the voice of this man the Word of God, He, by whom all things were made, instantly descends from the seat of His Glory and incarnates Himself in the hands of this man and the man says to Him: Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten Thee,' 'Thou art my victim,' and He lets Himself be immolated by this man, placed where he wills, given to whom he chooses: this man is the priest."

That a book containing this outspoken blasphemy should be commended to members of the Church of England is a sad proof of how far the leaven of Romish teaching has pervaded the Ritualistic lump. It is surely high time for all her faithful members to clear themselves from complicity with what she well calls in her Articles, "blasphemous fables and dangerous deceits." If the person of the ever-blessed Son of God is to be thus held up to scorn as subservient with all docility to the will of a mortal sinner, how is it that men's eyes are blinded to the fearful dishonour done by such language to His Divine person as well as His finished work? We may surely humble ourselves in prayer before God and confess this national sin-for its being permitted in the National Church gives it this character,-although those who commit it are blind as to its terrible wickedness. During the coming Week

of Prayer, both Monday's confession of sin, and Tuesday's prayer "that the growth of error and superstition may be arrested," will afford opportunity for those "that sigh and cry for the abominations that are done in the midst of Jerusalem" to bear this matter on their hearts in confession and prayer before the Lord.

The "incredible excesses of the new criticism of the Old Testament," as the Cambridge correspondent of The Record well calls them, form another ground for deep humiliation and confession when we think of the teaching on this subject which prevails, especially at Oxford. When an Oxford professor of "the Interpretation of Holy Scripture" can deny that it has "yet been made probable that there was a historical individual among the ancestors of the Israelites called Abram," we see to what fearful lengths this so-called "Higher Criticism" is leading its disciples. Our Lord's words are treated as utterly worthless. Any one possessed of the smallest reverence for Him Who spake as never man spake, would regard such words of His as "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad," as for ever settling the question. Surely it may be said that from the national character of our Universities the toleration there afforded to such teaching is little short of a national sin, calling at such a time as this for confession as such, combined with supplication that our Universities may be delivered from such Christ-denying teaching, and that men of God may

be raised up to occupy these positions of influence, who are themselves believers in God's Word, and will treat it with the reverence and respect to which it is justly entitled.

Amongst the petitions for Wednesday in the programme for the Week of Prayer is one which is sure, at this time, to call forth much sympathy, and, we trust, to draw out many hearts in prayer. It is "that all religious persecutions may be stayed." No one who has at all followed the reports which we from time to time have given, or which have appeared in the public press as to the cruel persecutions carried on in Russia against the Stundists and Jews, can fail to sympathise with the subject of this petition. Prayer is the more called for as other efforts which have been made have hitherto failed to effect their object; and persecution, so far as we can learn, is as rife as ever. May much prayer ascend throughout this coming week that God would Himself interpose, and either touch the hearts of the persecutors, or overthrow their schemes of persecution. May much prayer, too, be offered for the victims of this persecution, that they be upheld and strengthened in their trial, and be kept faithful to that truth for the sake of which they are called on thus to suffer.

Thursday is the day devoted to the subject of "Foreign Missions," and we doubt not that praise will be the keynote of this day's meetings, calling to mind "the great success which has attended missionary enterprise in recent years, and the revived interest of the Church in the work." It may be well to recall on such an occasion the many tokens of blessing which have of late been given, of which not the least has been the enthusiasm which Dr John Paton's visit to our country has everywhere called forth. His meetings have been crowded, and the interest shown in his simple recital of the wonders of God's dealings with him in his work has been most encouraging. The late Mr. Spurgeon used humorously to call him "the King of the Cannibal Islands!" and truly his writings as well as his narrations point to his having been used in effecting so marvellous a change in those who were aforetime savage cannibals, that one cannot but see that a greater King has been at work of whom it was written of old "Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee."

Many particular spheres of missionary work will suggest themselves as calling for special mention in prayer on account of the difficulties which at present are expérienced by those who are labouring in them. Such are Uganda on the East of Africa, and the Niger on the West, not forgetting the Congo and the regions of Matabele and Mashonaland, soon, it may be, to be added to the South African territories. China, too, calls for special mention since the late murder of the Swedish missionaries has shown the hatred felt towards the work of the Gospel by those still under Satan's power. Much, too, do the missions to the Mohammedans call for special remembrance, both in India, Asia Minor, and in North Africa. The spirit of opposition to the Gospel so lately shown in Asia Minor is felt more or less wherever it is sought to bring the truth of God before the followers of the false prophet. The recent reports of the Parliament of Religions at Chicago may, perhaps, suggest to some as a fitting subject for prayer

that in India and elsewhere Englishmen may not prove such stumblingblocks to the natives as they seem to do from the native point of view. It may, perhaps, be well to pray that our missionaries may be more faithful in drawing the line between professing and real Christianity, so that the natives may have no excuse for supposing that the wickedness of Englishmen may be laid to the account of Christianity.

The National Protestant Church Union is doing a good work in organising lectures at Exeter Hall, delivered by able speakers on subjects of interest, which tend to spread useful information on Protestant matters. Of one such, delivered early last month by Canon McCormick, Vicar of Hull, with Sir William Willis in the chair, on the subject of "The Siege of Derry," The Record says: "The room was again full, and the enthusiasm of the audience was most marked." Another followed in the next week by Dr. C. H. H. Wright on the subject of "The Real Presence" at which the Bishop of Worcester consented to preside. It is well to stir up the apathy with which, till lately, it was customary to regard Protestant topics. Happily, the zeal of Rome in propagating her pernicious errors has provoked a reaction, and now we rejoice to note a gratifying revival of interest in Protestant truth, for which, amongst many other workers in the same field, special thanks are due to the two Archdeacons of London and Westminster, Dr. Sinclair and Dr. Farrar, whose zeal has provoked many.

We learn from the pages of The Review of Reviews that a full report is about to be published of what it calls "The World's First Parliament of Religions," held this year at Chicago, which it describes as "the most ecumenical council ever held." The proceedings will fill two volumes, each of 800 pages, so that the reader will have a formidable task before him. Dr. Pentecost, who took part in it, has been writing a series of papers in The Christian descriptive of its chief features, and rather defends it on the ground of its being "a good thing and a grand thought for believers in Christ to summon by invitation the representatives of all religious beliefs to a Christian country to hear what we have to tell them of Christ, and to bid them consider the message of the Gospel." It would seem, however, from his own report, that many of them came not so much to hear of Christ as to attack Christianity, and to uphold their own religions; so much so, that Dr. Pentecost says: "While, upon the whole, the members of the Parliament maintained a wonderful spirit of patience and charity throughout towards each other, the Christian portion of the Assembly was called upon to exercise its grace in this direction more largely than those members of other faiths, who were, in a sense, our guests; and who seemed to feel it was a part of their mission to show up the inconsistencies, and even wickedness, of the followers of Christ. Christian missionaries and scholars in the East were openly charged with hypocrisy, violence, dishonesty, and deliberate misrepresentation of the faiths of the Orient."

There does not seem to have been much readiness on the part of the Orientals to hear what Christians had to say in reply. Dr. Pentecost ventured to answer some of these attacks on Christianity, but says: "These gentlemen called my courtesy in question in the Parliament, because I ventured to