MONTHLY RETROSPECT. in this aggression upon the kingdom of Satan. This is, as it should be, a resolution worthy of the Gospel, and we devoutly pray and believe that the Lord will bless it. The peace of the Church, and indeed of society too, continues to be broken by the silly Puseyite notions of the Rev. Bryan King, at St. George's-in-the-East. Since our last, the parish church has been opened again, as it was understood that the reverend gentleman had submitted himself to the judgment of his diocesan. It was afterwards discovered that the matters which the rector submitted to his diocesan's judgment formed but a small portion of the points in dispute, and related chiefly to the wearing of vestments; but as he promised to abstain from wearing those that had given offence, and as it was hoped that the lesson he had received would have some effect on him, the church was allowed to be reopened. It soon appeared how little he was disposed to obey. The offensive coverings and genuflexions were all restored; and though he did not appear in the coloured vestments, he took care to tell his congregation that the reason was not the bishop's order, nor from the spirit of conciliation, but because the church had been profaned by their unholy conduct, so that he felt he could never wear the garments of joy and gladness in it more. Of course these senseless diatribes drew forth fresh outrages; and now we have the unseemly spectacle, Sabbath after Sabbath, of seeing order enforced, and that very imperfectly too, in God's house, and during what ought to be His service, by the baton of the police-constable. One other circumstance is noteworthy. We referred in our last to the dangerously lax views of Professor Jowett, of Oxford, and the countenance afforded them by the Times newspaper. We observe that the same views held in another diocese are about to be grappled with by episcopal authority. The Rev. Duncan Heath, a clergyman in the Isle of Wight, who has just published a work entitled "The Human Kingdom of Christ Developed," in which the doctrines of Maurice, Jowett, and their school are inculcated, is about to be proceeded against on a charge of heresy by his diocesan, the Bishop of Winchester. In Scotland the revivals continue, and in Glasgow they recently led to a remarkable manifestation. Prayer meetings had been held, for some time past, in almost all the churches of the different denominations, and these led to a desire for a united prayer meeting to be held in the City Hall. The first meeting, convened by the Evangelical Alliance at the request of some of the different Presbyteries, was fitly presided over by John Henderson, Esq., of Park, and surrounding him, on the platform, were ministerial representatives of all the denominations into which the Church in that country is divided. But the scene on the platform, gratifying as it was, was far surpassed by the spectacle in the body of the hall. It was estimated that the area of the hall, which is calculated to contain, we believe, about 3,000 persons, would more than accommodate those who might attend; but when the hour of meeting came, it was found necessary to throw open the galleries as well, and even so it was with difficulty that the crowd could be accommodated. The service was throughout most impressive; and the meetings since held, have been commensurate with this inaugural one. But Scotland seems destined to be the battle-field of Church principles. The appeal of the Free Church clergyman, the Rev. Mr. M'Millan, late of Cardross, to the civil courts, in order to compel the Free Church to replace him in his pastorate (from which he had been deposed on a charge of contumacy), has not yet been heard on its merits, but in the meantime an important step has been taken. A conference was held in the beginning of the month between members of the Free Church and the leaders of the other Dissenting denominations-among whom the United Presbyterian Church were conspicuous-upon the subject, and the result of the conference was that the other bodies determined to make common cause with the Free Church in resisting any attempt of the civil power to reverse their acts or control the discipline of Church courts. Dissenters stood aloof from the struggles of this body previous to the disruption, for then it VOL. XIII.-DECEMBER. TT MONTHLY RETROSPECT. was felt by Dissenters that the State might assume a right to control a Church which it endowed; but now it is felt that the rights of all non-established bodies are struck at, and that the importance of the occasion calls for united action. The Scotch Episcopal Synod have taken a decided step against the Romish doctrines that were creeping in among them, by declaring that the Rev. Mr. Cheyne, who was proved to hold opinions on the Eucharist near akin to Transubstantiation, shall be no longer a minister in their Church; and it is anticipated that the same sentence will be passed in the case of Bishop Forbes, who sympathises with him. In Ireland we see more manifestly than elsewhere the powers of light and darkness developing themselves side by side, and manifestly preparing for conflict. Nowhere throughout Europe has the Pope of Rome, in this the day of his distress, more devoted adherents than the bishops and priests of his Church in Ireland, though it may be doubted whether the country go heartily in this matter with their spiritual advisers. Thus much is certain, that the demand for separate Romish education has met with but a cold response from the people, while the meeting of the clergy to sympathise with the Pope has only been followed by a single lay meeting in Ireland, and that one was a meeting of the Young Men's Catholic Society in Dublin-a society which, we need not say, is wholly under the direction of the priests. Still there are elements of danger both to the Church and State in the present condition of Ireland, and we cannot but regard i as of special significance in Providence that this has been the moment chosen for the won derful religious Revivals among the Protestant Churches, of which all England has rung for several months past. That Revival still continues, though not to such an extent, no with the same extraordinary circumstances which first startled the Church. Attention i now more directed to the stedfastness in the faith of those who were the first converts and on this head the most favourable reports have been received. Our readers wil remember that many of the early converts were at the time not only living i profligacy, but making a trade of it. These evil practices were of cours abandoned; and the reports of visitors now abound with touching instance of the privations to which these converts cheerfully submit, rather than return t their former wickedness. With regard to the physical prostrations, of which so muc has been said, a new light is thrown on them, in a remarkable letter which appear in the Record, a few days ago, from Dr. Carson, of Coleraine. The father of th gentleman, who, in a small country town in the North of Ireland, was the pastor a Baptist Church, was distinguished by his high attainments as a biblical scholar ar his close logic as a controversialist; and there is no reason to suspect that his son, w follows the medical profession in Coleraine, in the heart of the Revival districts, is an i competent observer of the phenomena on which he reports. Yet this is his testimony, addressed to the editor of the Record: "The fact is, that without one single excepti that I ever could hear of, the parties prostrated have had visions, during which th have supposed they held converse with Christ in His personal bodily presence; and, addition, have generally had a real sight, in their estimation, of heaven and hell." It Impossible to doubt Dr. Carson's sincerity; and his strong testimony on this subj adds another element to these remarkable manifestations which we do not remember have seen noticed elsewhere. Two letters are lying before us which we have receiv during the month, one from the Bishop of Down and Connor, and the other from Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, from which we give the following short gratifying extracts: "The work (says the former) is every day developing itself in beauty and holiness. That which marred its early growth, and gave occasion to enemy to speak against it, is passing away, and we are now reaping more spirit benefits." "The Revival (writes the latter) has very considerably added to the num of our students this winter. We are observing this day (November 15) as a da thanksgiving generally with reference to it throughout our Church. We hear from MONTHLY RETROSPECT. quarters that the work continues to prosper. I assisted a brother a few Sabbaths since at the dispensation of the Lord's Supper in a country congregation, when there was an addition of no less than 150 new communicants. I see also that our friend Mr. Canning, of Coleraine, has had in his Church 100 additional, and the other congregations there a proportional increase." On the Continent there are various matters of interest to which we would briefly advert. The unsettled state of affairs in Central Italy may perplex politicians, but it leaves the path of the Christian clear. There is, while the present interregnum lasts, an open door for the introduction of the Word, and we are glad to learn, even from the tes timony of men not remarkable for their Evangelical leanings, that it is taken advantage of to a large extent. Evangelical preachers, too, find their way through the country, and here and there in the large towns a solitary "temple" may be found, where the Italians may hear in their own tongue the wonderful words of God. The precious seed is, indeed, borne forth with weeping-in much fear and uncertainty as to how long the liberty may last. Let us hope that as the condition of the sower is realised, the promise to him may be abundantly fulfilled, and that he may come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. We noticed in our last the disposition of the Hungarian Protestants to insist on more freedom of action than the Austrian Government was willing to give them. Affairs have become more serious of late. The Government, which was willing to allow of liberty to a certain extent, forbade the Protestant Church Courts to go further or to criticise its measures; but the Protestants show no disposition to comply. Spain persists in the war with Morocco, from which we anticipate God will so order it that the light of Christian truth may penetrate into that intensely Mohammedan country through the invasion. Of course, we expect nothing from the direct action of the Spaniards themselves, who are as bigotedly attached to the Pope as their adversaries are to the Prophet. It was but the other day that the whole action of our Foreignoffice was obliged to be brought into requisition to prevent the priests from seizing upon the dead corpse of an Englishman's child, upon the now fashionable Popish plea that it had while living been baptized in the Romish faith. And at this moment M. Escalante, whose imprisonment we noticed last month, still lies immured in the common gaol of Cadiz, charged with the crime of distributing and selling copies of the Holy Scriptures. From America there are one or two matters that deserve mention. It will surprise many of our readers to learn that the celebrated Dr. Cheever has been nearly driven from his chapel, in New York, in consequence of his having strongly denounced slavery and slaveholding. What must be the state of the American Churches on this question, when a man like Dr. Cheever cannot command a congregation, for his anti-slavery opinions, in a city like New York! We have just received a copy of a very important primary charge delivered by the Bishop of Calcutta in September. His lordship's views on the Bible in schools will not be satisfactory to the Evangelical Christians of this country. But on the general subject of Christian education this charge contains a great deal of what is valuable, and breathes a conciliating spirit. We expect to be able to notice the subject fully next month. PROJECT OF AN ARABIC NEWSPAPER. We are happy to comply with the request of the Rev. John Wortabed, by giving publicity to the emphatic statement he sends us, that he has not come to this country with any view to the "Project of an Arabic Newspaper" referred to in our last; of which, he says, he only as yet knows anything by report. We spoke with the utmost respect and regard for the Rev. John Wortabed; while we regretted that his name had been made use of and mixed up with this affair. We trust, therefore, that his denial of past knowledge of it, amounts to a statement of his determination to have nothing to do with a project, which, on the grounds stated, we think is to be deprecated by Christian men conversant with the state of missions in the Turkish Empire.-EDS. |