neglect to maintain that the only satisfactory and unanswerable evidence of our possessing this faith, is showing out of a good conversation, our works with meekness of wisdom. Now, we surely cannot be misunderstood. We do most unfeignedly believe, that the doctrines to which we refer are the doctrines of salvation,—that the doctrines of the Deity of the Lord Jesus, his vicarious atonement, the original and total depravity of our nature, justification solely by the righteousness of Christ, regeneration and sanctification by the Holy Spirit ; that these doctrines form the only sure, and solid, and immoveable basis of Christian morality,-that these have inspired whatever has been great in Christian character, or heroic in Christian achievements, that these are the doctrines uniformly maintained and enforced by all those distinguished servants of Christ, who, either in their own country, or in a country of strangers and barbarians, have been honoured as the instruments of turning sinners from darkness to light, or of building up the saints in faith and holiness unto everlasting life. But we would wish to have it ever remembered, that the great object of all doctrine, and of all preaching, is to bring men back to God, and to renew them in the Divine image, that obedience to the law is not a mere ornamental appendage toChristianity, but a solid portion of the fabric itself,-that it is only by a holy and consistent life and conversation, that we demonstrate our union to Christ, and our faith in his blood., We would, therefore, entreat our spiritual instructors to be frequent and powerful in their appeals to the heart and conscience, and turn a deaf ear to the advices and applauses of those who would rather hear a speculative discussion about high points of faith, than a close and searching application of practical truth. There are some persons who have a morbid appetite for doctrine, who declare, with high selfsatisfaction, that they will listen to no dry essays on morality, they must have the Gospel (by which they understand one or two doctrines of the Gospel,) preached to them. These persons like to hear changes rung upon words and phrases, with which they have been familiar from infancy, and without which they cannot conceive a discourse to be worthy of their attention; and they listen, as critics, not as disciples, as judges of the preacher, not as to be judged by the law, and provided they have heard him employ their favourite expressions, they leave the

sanctuary quite contented, although there may not have been one salutary impression made on their consciences, nor one abiding conviction of their own sinfulness experienced, nor one genuine feeling of repentance, nor one out-going of the affections towards the Saviour, nor one serious determination to be thenceforth more devoted to the service of God. These persons must be taught that faith without works is "dead, being alone,"-that the faith of the Gospel is a powerful and practical principle,--and that it is as direct an impeachment on the honour of God's character to suppose that heaven may be entered without holiness of heart and of life, as without faith in him who was offered up as a propitiation for our sins.

And not only in the pulpit, but in their each day visitations, should Ministers draw the attention of their people to a close and accurate inspection of their own characters and condition in the sight of God. Let them show the superiority of their creed by the superior impulse which it affords to every good word and work,-by the superior loveliness that adorns the life and demeanour of those by whom it is embraced. There is no more powerful argument for the truth of Orthodox doctrines, than the meekness and gentleness, the bumility and self denial of those who maintain them; nor any more formidable weapon with which the Arian can be armed, than a careless and irreligious, or arrogant and presumptuous character in his opponent. Let us all, then, both Ministers and people, endeavour to understand more thoroughly the nature and practical influence of those truths to which we profess so ardent an attachment. Let us all be stirred up to work, to plans and operations of enlarged benevolence and usefulness. Let Ministers devise measures by which every individual under their charge may be called on to do something for the Lord Jesus, to devote a portion of his personal exertion, or wealth, or influence, or intellectual ability, to the advancement of the Saviour's kingdom. For this purpose, the families attached to our several congregations should be brought more frequently together, in order to cherish and keep alive "that unity of spirit" which so effectually promotes holiness and strength in the Christian church. This important object may be attained even in country congregations, in which the families are widely dispersed, by means of a faithful and efficient eldership superintending separate districts, in which the

Minister should occasionally preach, by the establishment of prayer meetings, of sabbath schools, of missionary societies, of Bible classes, in which young persons, wherever it is practicable, may meet in distinct associations, for reading the Scriptures together, either with or without the Minister. There are other plans innumerable, which will suggest themselves to every one who feels the constraining love of Christ.

We would, therefore, call upon our Ministers to begin the new year with new exertion. The first impulse, under God, should come from them. It is surely high time to awake out of sleep. There has been a lamentable coldness and insensibility about us hitherto we have done nothing as a church worthy of being named. If it be true, as is generally believed, that we have now, by the separation of the Arians from the Synod, gained an immense increase of power for the accomplishment of any object connected with the glory of the Redeemer, and the advancement of our church, let us remember the proportional responsibility that accompanies our superior advantages. If, hitherto, we have been able to effect nothing, because our efforts have been always directly or indirectly impeded, we are now bound to show that we are able to affect some-thing, since much of this counteracting influence is removed. We would remind our brethren, that union is strength, and holiness is the bond of union in the church. Let them, therefore, cultivate a closer intimacy among themselves, by personal and epistolary correspondence,let them impart to each other the means which experience has individually taught them, to be most efficacious for advancing the common cause-let them meet as frequently as possible, to pour out their hearts together before the throne of grace, humbly and fervently to implore, that the great High Priest, who walks in the midst of the churches, may not remove our candlestick out of its place, but send forth a rich and effectual supply of heavenly unction out of his own infinite fulness, to restore its fading and expiring lustre, and cherish it into a burning and shining light, that shall guide the feet of thousands, and of tens of thousands, into the way of everlasting peace.

More especially would we call upon the young Ministers of the Synod to bestir themselves. They have no rooted and deeply fixed habits to pluck out-they have no jealousy of novelty-their hearts should be warm, as

their bodies are active. Let them remember, that their bodies and spirits are not their own, but bought with a price.” Let them consider the age in which they live, an age of amazing and unparalleled privilege. Let them consider the claims of the church to which they belong, a church which, although once so gloriously distinguished for life and power, has, in this country, fallen away from her former glory. Let them consider, that now is the season for activity; now when means have been taken to give unity to our councils, and vigour to our operations; now when the attention of the Empire is fixed upon our proceedings. Let them consider, that it is for them to carry forward the work which has been so nobly begun. Surely they will hearken to our call; surely they will not ingloriously shrink from their post in the day of conflict, but will feel ambitious to raise the Presbyterian name to a higher elevation than it has yet reached in this country; and with all the ardour and energy of mind and heart with which God hath blessed them, they will show forth their gratitude for advantages so unspeakably superior to those enjoyed by many of their predeces

sors.

If such be the feelings and dispositions with which we enter upon another year-if Ministers and people, from the oldest to the youngest, will prostrate their bodies and hearts before God, and send forth the united voice of earnest supplication, that he may, for Christ's sake, forgive our past insensibility, and unworthiness, and send down upon our dry and withered frames, the dews of his quickening, sanctifying, and invigorating Spirit,-our prayers heing followed by one simultaneous, energetic, and persevering effort of the whole body of our Orthodox brethren, God will yet arise, and have merey on our church. He will strip off from her the memorials of spiritual poverty and desertion,-He will array her once more in her beautiful garments, and place her in a station of honour and of dignity, and hold her up to the wisdom and admiration of the land; and multitudes will acknowledge and reverence the mighty hand that raised her from the dust, exelaiming, "Truly this is the great power of God. Truly He is reviving his work in the midst of the years."

117

THE GENERAL SYNOD OF ULSTER AND ITS
PRESBYTERIES.

THE appointment of the Theological Examination Committee by the Synod in the year 1828,-one of the most important and beneficial measures ever adopted by our church, has excited the most strenuous opposition of the Arian Ministers, and has given rise to very animated and long-protracted debates, both in and out of our ecclesiastical courts. Amid the many imposing, but unsubstantial ar guments urged against this measure, it has been represented as an infringement on the rights of Presbyteries, and as a consequent violation of the fundamental principles of our church. This specious, though puerile sophism, founded on palpable ignorance of the constitution of Presbytery, as a church, we so completely demolished in our first number, (pages 13-15,) that we are confident it will never again be pressed into the service of the sinking cause, which it was ingeniously enough constructed to support. To expose its fallacy, we distinguished between Presbytery as a form of church goverhment; and a Presbytery as merely a subordinate court, which we described as "the creature of human convenience, which may be erected or demolished, diminished or extended, according as these changes may contribute to the easy and successful discharge of local duties, or the general accommodation of the church." From this unassailable position we thus pressed the subject home to our opponents:-"Whenever, therefore, it shall come into the mind of any one to speak or write concerning 'the inalienable rights of Presbyteries,' meaning thereby, local or geographical Presbyteries, we would request him to inquire, whence any particular Presbytery obtained its name, its extent, its jurisdiction. And, provided the general meeting of the eldership were minded to change that name or extent, or to merge the whole into some other locality, we would request him to prove, from Scripture, the inalienable right to name, extent, and permanence."

The case which was here supposed,, we shall, in this paper, show, has been repeatedly realized in the history of our church. The local Presbyteries, into which the general eldership of our body is divided, for the sake of order and convenience, have been undergoing perpetual