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venient season I will call for thee." This powerful sermon produced a yet more deep impression. All felt the faithful picture, which he drew to the life, of the man, in his infancy, his youth, his maturity, and his old age, and till he sinks into the arms of death--who puts off the great work of conversion.

A feeling truly awful seized the hearers, while he depicted this same man in hell, agonized with remorse in the remembrance of his unconverted state, and hearing the cries of his conscience, of devils, and of God himself, saying to him Too late! Too late!

At seven in the evening of the same day, a considerable number of Roman catholics attended; so that, together with the protestants, they filled the church. M. Laforgue, suffragan pastor, in an animated discourse, conceived and delivered quite impromptu, described by peculiarly interesting statements, the chief characteristics of real conversion, and its effects. Messrs. Enequits and Nogaret also delivered addresses, and M. de Félice concluded the services of the day, by an address the most urgent, impressive, and full of love; and then, especially addressing the Roman Catholics, he spoke with such a warmth of feeling, such assurances of affection, which he gave them in the name of the protestants, as will, we humbly trust under the hand of God, be of great effect, in overcoming many of their prejudices. He then pronounced the final prayer and the blessing.

This was truly a national as well as a religious festival. For more than a century past, this capital of Béarn, the native country of Henry the Fourth, and of his excellent mother, Jane d'Albret, the Queen of Navarre,-Pau, where the voices of the Calvins, the Farels, the Virets, the Abbadies were once heard-has been deprived of the precious privilege of having a temple in which the truth according to the word of God should be faithfully preached. Thus joy, hope, and gratitude filled every heart; the life of our fathers seemed to be renewed in their descendants; and many prayers, yes we are assured, many fervent prayers, on these blessed days, rose to the throne of grace, on behalf of this new monument of the Lord's goodness.

It was interesting to see the eagerness, with which persons flocked from all parts to this solemnity. Old men had walked all night, coming from distances of ten or twelve leagues, (30 to 36 English miles.) Whole families left their dwelling. Every city, every village, had its representatives at this feast of holy gladness. Even out of the deep bosom of the Pyrenean mountains, a faithful country-man, of the primitive protestant church of Osse, was conspicuous on the elders' bench.

It is our earnest hope that this account will edify those who shall read it, and lead them to pray for this town, in which the truth of God, which persecution had for so long a time banished, appears to be drawing to itself new witnesses of its power. Receive, sir, every assurance of my brotherly affection.

Sept. 14th, 1841.

J. L. BOSCARLET, Minister of the Gospel at Pau.

REGISTRATION AGENCY.-A very large collection of non-parochial registers from every part of the kingdom, legalized by the Act 3 & 4 Victoria, cap. 92, have been, agreeably to the provisions of the statute, deposited in the General Register Office. The regulations of this establishment allowing searches and granting extracts on personal application only, parties in the country have experienced great inconvenience in obtaining such certificates as have been required for the sale and transfer of property, life insurances, benefit societies, colleges, schools, apprenticeships, &c. &c. An agency is now established, to make searches, and to obtain certified extracts from the entire collection of records of births, deaths, and marriages, deposited in the General Register Office.

Applications are requested to be made to JOHN SHOVELLER, LL.D., Registration Agency, 50, Finsbury Square, London.

BRIEF NOTES ON PASSING EVENTS.

The journals during the past month have been relieved of the insipidity which had for many preceding weeks pervaded their columns.

The Eastern Mail brought news of the progress of the war in CHINA, and of the capture on the 26th of August, without the loss of a single man on the side of Britain, of the important city of Amoy, its very extensive and formidable line of batteries and fleet of gun-boats and war-junks, with 500 pieces of canon. These works, which the poor Chinese imagined to be impregnable, were carried in four hours, in the presence of the viceroy and other high officers, who witnessed, with consternation and dismay, the defeat of their soldiers, the dismantling of their batteries, and the entire destruction of their immense magazines which were full of the munitions of war.

The little island of Koolangsee, close to the city, was permanently occupied by a small detachment, and the expedition proceeded northward towards Chusan and Ningpo, which it was rumoured had also fallen before our victorious countrymen.

Our restless Indian neighbours, the BURMESE, under Tharawaddie, having made military preparations that threatened war, the government at Calcutta promptly prepared for the attack, and sent a formidable armament to the frontier, which with the news of our progress in China happily awed his mind, and he returned to their capital without daring to open his meditated attack.

The relations between this country and the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, we regret to perceive are far from satisfactory. An incident has occurred which has added another element of jealousy and heart-burning between the two countries, connected with that most ticklish of all questions, slavery-we mean the affair of the ship Creole. The case is this: In the State of Maryland, slave labour has happily become unprofitable in consequence of the great increase in the number of free labourers. The same change we are glad to believe is slowly advancing in Virginia. This induced a Virginian slave-holder to sell one hundred and thirty-five of his victims to "a trusty brother of the trade," who shipped them on board the Creole, bound from Richmond to New Orleans. On the high seas nineteen of these poor captives rose against their oppressors, overpowered the crew, killed the supercargo, wounded the captain, seized the vessel, and ran her into the harbour of Nassau, New Providence, a dependency of Great Britain. On her arrival the American consul complained of the criminal offence to the British authorities, who took cognizance of those engaged in the mutiny and murder, but liberated all the other slaves on the glorious fact, that in the British empire, a slave is unknown. The correspondence that has passed in consequence of this affair is very angry and threatening, and we trust that our brethren in America will see that the national crime of slavery, if not renounced by the States, is likely to excite the hot-blooded slave-holders to rush into a conflict that can only end in a servile war, which of all domestic struggles must be most ruinous and bloody.

We grieve to record the failure of the benevolent expedition to the Niger. A malignant and unique fever visited the ships engaged in this noble enterprise, and was so fatal in its effects on the lives and health of the officers and crews, as to baffle the united efforts of sound judgment and scientific skill, and to repel from the shores of Africa an expedition undertaken "not to destroy men's lives, but to save them." Our DOMESTIC AFFAIRS continue to be of a most depressing character. Distress, which has well nigh famished thousands of our poor operatives, is, we fear, slowly but surely reducing multitudes of a superior class to the same sad level. In such

a state of things, the ceremonials of laying the foundation of the Royal Exchange, and the christening of the Prince of Wales, with all their pomp and festivity, have not deeply interested the public, who look forward with intense anxiety to the approaching assembly of parliament. Domine, dirige nos! is a prayer that ought to be on every statesman's heart, for prompt relief must be obtained, or speedy ruin will assuredly follow.

The storm that has been raging within the University of Oxford respecting the election of a professor of poetry, and which has agitated the Episcopal church to its centre, appears to be lulled by the withdrawal of Mr. Williams, the candidate who had the support of Dr. Pusey and his friends. This is accounted a great triumph over "the Catholic party" in Oxford; but when it is known that two-fifths of the electors who had promised their votes were prepared to support Dr. Pusey's friend, there is no room for exultation, but rather of humiliation, that a university professedly Protestant should be so nearly divided upon questions which involve the principles of the reformation itself.

The question of the Corn Laws continues to be pressed upon the attention of Christian ministers with great earnestness. The conference of Christian ministers held at Carnarvon has been followed by one in Edinburgh, at which 800 ministers and delegates were present, including some of the most influential men in Scotland. There is an important section of dissenting ministers, especially in the metropolis, who have not made up their minds so promptly as some of their brethren on that question. Our gifted friend Dr. Vaughan has published a letter on it, which cannot be read by any thoughtful Briton without the deepest solicitude.* Neutrality cannot, we conceive, be maintained with satisfaction; and we therefore hope that our readers will take means to inform themselves upon a subject that will be discussed at every hearth, and will agitate every circle, till relief is obtained for our country, now in the crisis of its commercial destiny.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Favours have been received from the Rev. Drs. Jenkyn, Henderson, J. P. Smith. Rev. Messrs. D. Ace-W. P. Lyon-W. Campbell-W. Owen-D. R. CampbellT. Loader-J. Carlile-A. Wells-Samuel Roberts-G. Smith-A. Blackburn-T. Lewis - Thomas Davies-W. Upton-T. Weaver - D. W. Jones-Evan JonesC. Brake.

-

Mr. T. Davidson.

Our esteemed correspondents who have referred to the dates of the Chapels in our Supplemental List are reminded, that they were transcribed from those supplied with the Registers to the Commissioners of Non-Parochial Registration.

* This eloquent and instructive letter appeared in The Patriot newspaper, January 13, 1842.

THE

CONGREGATIONAL MAGAZINE.

MARCH, 1842.

PROFESSOR THOLUCK ON THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM.

Dr. F. A. G. THOLUCK, Professor of Theology in the Royal University of Halle, is one of the ablest advocates, and most consistent and influential friends of evangelical religion in the kingdom of Prussia.

He was born at Breslau, the capital of Silesia, on the 30th of March, 1799, and being the son of a goldsmith, it was the intention of his father to train him up to his own business, and he was therefore removed from school in his twelfth year, to enter upon secular occupations. The love of letters, however, wholly indisposed him for trade, and his father consented to his return to the Gymnasium, and in 1816, he entered the University of Breslau. The state of his mind at that period may be learned from the following passage of a communication to a friend in North Britain." In early boyhood, infidelity had forced its way into my heart, and at the age of twelve I was wont to scoff at Christianity and its truths. Hard has been the struggle which I have come through, before attaining to assurance of that faith in which I am now blessed. I prove, however, in myself, and acknowledge it with praise to the Almighty, that the longer I live, the more does serious study, combined with the experiences of life, help me to recognize in the Christian doctrine, an inexhaustible fountain of true knowledge, and serve to strengthen the conviction, that all the wisdom of this world is but folly when compared with the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ."*

He had not long entered the University, before he formed a strong attachment for oriental literature, and obtaining some generous patrons

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he went to Berlin, to prosecute his favourite study. During the whole period of his residence at the Gymnasium, he was so decided in his infidelity that he dared to choose as the theme of his valedictory oration, "The superiority of Mohammedanism to Christianity."

In the last year of his university term, that important change took place in his religious sentiments, to which we have referred, which was greatly promoted by the friendly counsels of the venerable and devout Baron Von Cottewitz, and Professor Neander, of Berlin. He now gave himself to the defence of that faith he had laboured to destroy. How widely Neological opinions were then diffused throughout Germany, may be learned from the following passages of a paper we have already quoted.

"The prodigious schism which divides the theologians of our German church," says Tholuck, "is not unknown to your countrymen. The rationalism of Germany is the terror of the greater part of Christendom where the English tongue is spoken; although, if I am accurately informed, there are in England, Scotland, and North America, a number of persons who are casting longing eyes towards German rationalism, as towards a forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil, desirous themselves to taste its fruits, and therewith also to make their countrymen wise. Permit me then to present you with a brief compendium of this system: the majority of the books of the Old Testament do not proceed from the authors to whom they are ascribed. Several, such as Daniel, have been by a pious fraud, fathered upon the prophets. Christ and the Apostles were fallible men, who, though possessed of many good moral principles, were swayed by gross Jewish superstition. Our accounts of the history of Jesus are full of Mudo, which a love of the miraculous tempted the Jews of the first century to frame. Even the declarations of Christ himself have not come down to us precisely in the form in which he delivered them; his disciples put much into his mouth which he never spoke. Besides, the gospels of Matthew and John are probably spurious. What Jesus of Nazareth really taught can now no more be known with certainty; but it is unquestionable, that his originally simple doctrine has been greatly corrupted by Paul, who engrafted upon it the important articles of original sin and redemption, which he had borrowed from his own Jewish theology; and these came afterwards to be regarded as Christian doctrines, although nothing can be more contrary to the understanding.

"Such is the relation in which the system stands to Christianity. Neither must it be supposed, that these opinions were only in a cursory manner enunciated or maintained. On the contrary, since the year 1770, in which Semler, the true father of this system, but who yet was far from going the length of the rationalists of the present day, first propounded it, the strenuous industry of the greatest part of the theologians, philosophers, historians, and even naturalists of Germany,

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