that of the Rev. JAMES LAURIE, at Brampton, the Presbytery were under the necessity of making several pecuniary grants to the congregations in these towns, which proved highly beneficial, and at present they have undertaken to supply a Presbyterian Chapel at Wigan, where the preacher, at least for some time, must be entirely supported from the Presbytery's fund, and they only want funds to enable them to open and supply with active and pious preachers, many such stations for the eventual formation of churches. And they would earnestly press their claim for pecuniary aid on those individuals and societies who appreciate the paramount importance of evangelizing our own neighbours and countrymen: and they at the same time entreat such in the words of an Apostle-Brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified.'"

NOTICES OF BOOKS.

"THE FAMILY TEMPERANCE MEETING."

Gallie, 1832. P. p. 166.

Glasgow, George

PUBLICATIONS on the subject of Temperance now present themselves in a great variety of forms. The Ulster Temperance Society alone has issued between two and three hundred thousand publications, of from two up to ninety-six pages: and what manifests the deep interest taken by the public in these works is, that, though issued by a charitable society, a very considerable proportion of them has been sold.

The great evidence, however, of the firm hold which the principles of Temperance Societies have taken on public approbation, is to be found in the support given to them by such an overwhelming proportion of the public press.

Temperance Societies are now advocated, not only by all the American religious newspapers and periodicals, as well as those of our own country, with scarcely an exception; but in many of the most influential political papers, their cause has been maintained with spirit and effect, as the cause of patriotism and humanity, as well as the cause of God.

The history of Temperance Societies has in fact been a part of the history of benevolence; and their extensive operations have already taken a place in the history of kingdoms. The Congress of the United States are labouring most suc cessfully to induce the sailors of the American Navy to renounce the use of ardent spirits; and the experiment in progress by our own Government, of withdrawing the rations of spirits from soldiers, has already been productive of the happiest results.

Temperance Societies are, however, presented in the most

interesting point of view, when occupying a place in the history of the church. Already have the General Assembly of America and the Synod of Ulster congratulated each other on the success of Temperance Societies within their bounds; and it is to be hoped, that when, as has been the case already, our American brethren tell of Temperance Societies having been the breaker up of the way before the preaching of the Gospel, the General Synod will continue to reply as they have done, that God is glorifying himself by carrying forward the same blessed work among them.

There is now abundant evidence before the world, that distilled spirits are, for men in health, not only useless, but noxious ;-that even the most moderate use of such a substance is not merely throwing a temptation in the way of those engaging in it, and of their brethren, but giving the weight of their moral influence to the support and perpetuation of a system of delusion which has in times past slain its thousands and tens of thousands, and which, till the establishment of Temperance Societies, was rolling over the world a wider and a deeper flood of death and ruin.

The small publication now before us has especially as its object a recommendation of Temperance Societies to the understandings and hearts of the young; and certainly among such the cause may be expected most extensively to flourish. Prejudice, and ignorance, and bad habit, and an opposition to every thing new, may induce some of the old to hold out against the progress of improvement; but to the warm, uncontaminated hearts of the young the subject will come home with all the force and efficiency of truth. Let but the rising generation be trained up with such a salutary fear of distilled spirits on their minds, as to adopt for their motto, "Touch not, taste not, handle not'-and oh, what blessings are yet in reserve for our unhappy country!

The author of the Temperance Family' has also the benevolent desire of engaging females in the great cause of Christian Temperance; and he appeals with affecting tenderness to the hearts of mothers on behalf of those whom God has given them in charge, and for their care of whom God will one day call them to account. He is very far, however, from representing Temperance as every thing; but on the contrary, not only urges the duty by Gospel motives, but puts it in its proper place; and entreats most affectionately those who have gained the one Christian grace to press onward for the attainment of others, remembering continually that Christ

is all; and that if a man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.' The little interesting work to which we have thus briefly adverted, is well calculated to serve the great cause which it so successfully advocates; and we trust that it will be the means, in God's hands, of making many a 'Temperance Family.'

LECTURES TO YOUNG MEN ON THE FORMATION OF, CHARACTER, By JOEL HAWES, D.D. Glasgow, George Gallie; Belfast, William M'Comb. P.p. 160.

THE present may be denominated the age of inventiveness. The truth of this remark will appear, not only from the numerous and valuable discoveries which have been recently made in the arts and sciences, but also, and especially, from the numerous means which have been employed to ameliorate the temporal and moral condition of our species. Plans of usefulness have been devised, tried, and accomplished, which, until recently, "it entered not into the heart of man to conceive." In these "labours of love" our transatlantic brethren are confessedly taking the lead. With them we find a pleasing confirmation of the truth- "the liberal soul deviseth liberal things."

Many of the plans of usefulness recently employed with so much success in our native land, are American in their origin. Among them we may place the effect which has been (as yet partially) made for promoting the intelligence, virtue, and piety of the young men of our country. America has discovered and, in her zeal for the welfare of other lands, has published the truth, that the virtue and intelligence of its YOUTH, and especially of its YOUNG MEN, constitute, under God, the strength and the safety of any community.

Among those Christian ministers who have practically recognised this truth, we must place the talented and devoted man whose name stands at the bead of this article. Dr. Hawes first preached, and then published a series of lectures to young men on the formation of character. We have read these lectures with pleasure and with profit; and we consider them eminently calculated to accomplish, instrumentally, the benevolent design of the author. We like them, not only because the style in which they are composed is perspicuous, manly, chaste, and natural, but also because they appear to us admirably fitted to excite in young men a strong desire a fixed resolution to excel in intellectual attainments, in active usefulness, and in the pursuit of every noble enterprise which

seems likely to promote the glory of God, and secure the best interests of man.

We admire the prudence of the author in the arrangement of his subjects. He wisely commences by endeavouring to convince young men of the strong claims which society has upon them, and of the manner in which they should be prepared to recognise these claims. He then reminds them of the danger to which young men are peculiarly exposed, and of the importance of established principles in meeting and overcoming these dangers. Having gained their confidence, he commends himself to every one's conscience, by a successful effort to prove that religion is the chief concern of each.

Finally, we strongly recommend these lectures to the rising youth of our country, because of the importance of the object which they appear so obviously intended, and so well fitted to accomplish. There is certainly no object of deeper interest, whether contemplated in itself or in its consequences, than the formation, on right principles, of the character of the rising youth. To themselves personally, it is unspeakably momentous, involving results which affect their happiness in time, and their destination for eternity. It has a bearing moreover on all the scenes, present and perspective, of domestic life-those scenes in which, from their necessary universality, the largest amount of human pleasure must be enjoyed, and of human woe endured. Its connection is close and manifest with the strength, and honour, and prosperity of the civil community, of which a well-informed, welldisciplined, moral, and religious youth is at once the present ornament, and the future hope. And it is associated not less intimately with the prospects of the church of God, which, in her anticipations of the future, cannot but look to those who are in the dawn and the advancing noon of life, as the instruments in preparation, either for the fulfilment of her gladdening hopes or the verification of her desponding fears.

We had marked several passages for insertion in our columns, but we cannot refrain from indulging the hope that our readers will render this unnecessary by procuring the book. There are few more valuable presents which Christian parents could present to their sons on leaving the parental roof. And, after what we have written, we need scarcely say, that to all young men we most cordially recommend these interesting lectures. It may be proper to add, that the present edition is enriched by a recommendatory preface from the elegant pen of Dr. Wardlaw, of Glasgow.

RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

THE crowded state of our pages has, for a considerable time, precluded us from laying before our readers several articles of intelligence with which we had been furnished from various quarters. We have often, indeed, regretted that our narrow limits prevented us from giving that circulation to religious intelligence, which we conceive it one chief object of a religious periodical to afford, and which, we know from experience, constitutes one of its chief attractions. This little work, we are confident, would make its monthly visit to the firesides and families of our kind friends with increased acceptance, provided it brought along with it the current news of the religious world-noted the signs of the times-and exhibited the triumphs of Christ's power, and the advancement of his kingdom at home and abroad.

Under this impression, we purpose setting apart a portion of each Number during the year that has now commenced, for the reception of such articles of religious, and missionary, and ecclesiastical intelligence as may be most important in themselves, most interesting in point of locality, or may best illustrate the progress of the truth. For the present we trust we shall be excused for our beginning at home,-by noticing various matters connected with the state and prospects of our own section of the Christian church, to which the attention of our readers ought, long ere this, to have been directed.

In a former number (see pages 340-2 of vol. III.,) we gave a very brief summary of the proceedings of the last meeting of Synod; and we shall now give the sequel of several occurrences which we then noticed.The first matter referred to was the case of Mr. M'Claine, of the united congregation of Criggan and Newtonhamilton, who, though suspended by our church, was so far received and countenanced by the Arian party, that they appointed a committee, consisting of all their choice spirits, who had proved themselves able revilers of the Synod and capital hands at exciting the passions of a multitude by mob harangues about tyranny and persecution, to visit one of the congregations in which Mr. M'Claine had officiated, and put him to a mock trial. The committee accordingly met at the place appointed; but no notice of their proceedings appeared. We thought at first that they were busy concocting a flashy paragraph to go the rounds of the Northern papers, complimenting the purity of the injured Mr. M'Claine, and eulogizing the independence and spirited conduct of his deluded partizans, in renouncing their connexion with the "Synagogue of Satan," (the ipsissima verba of one of that meek and charitable party, when speaking of the Synod) and attaching themselves to all that is pure and Christian in the Arian body. Nothing of the kind, however, met our view. Their newspaper and their periodical were ominously silent on the subject. At length, however, the truth appeared; and never, truly, were such disgraceful proceedings terminated by so signal a discomfiture. The Arian committee, though led on by the redoubtable champion of the party and the head of their church, could not induce the plain people of that congregation to come under their tender care. Their principal object appeared to be to secure possession of the congregation, and abstract its house and endowments from the Synod. But in this they were entirely defeated. The people very naturally wished to know what were the religious principles of their new friends, who pro