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occasionally been managed by the few persons who formed the church in a manner by no means likely to give respectability or influence to our denomination in their localities. One reason of this probably has been that very small churches have been organized including no persons of such eminence in godliness, or of such standing in society, as to give them moral weight enough to influence and control others. It appears most desirable that infant causes should continue a branch of the church from which they spring till they can acquire sufficient knowledge and grace, numbers and character to sustain themselves, to the honour of Christ, and of the principles they have derived from his Holy Word.

Fidelity requires that some observations should be made upon the loss which the Congregational body has been called to sustain by chapels

devoted minister of Christ, to the Farm House which was his father's home, and how the people flocked to hear him, and with eager attention and streaming eyes listened to the truths which fell from his venerable lips. Many persons were impressed, and requiring more frequent instruction, obtained a building which was fitted up as a meeting-house, and in which Mr. Berridge's lay preachers were accustomed to minister. A fire, about fifty years ago, having destroyed this place of worship, with a great amount of other property in the village, the congregation were thankful to meet in a building which formed part of a brew-house that was kindly lent them, and which, in 1794, was made over to trustees for the use of Protestant Dissenters. From that time the people began to seek a pastor, and one or two individuals were chosen, but their stay was short, and no very cheering progress was made till in 1829, when, in consequence of the successful labours of the Rev. W. H. Woodward, a new chapel became necessary, and a very commodious and substantial building which was reared, on the 29th of April, 1830, was opened, for the service of God. Disease, which ended in death, compelled Mr. Woodward to resign his pastoral charge, and he was succeeded in 1834 by the Rev. D. Richardson, the present pastor. Amongst other of Mr. Woodward's efforts to do good, he obtained in the neighbouring village of Guilden Morden the use of a room for a cottage lecture, which he fitted up for public worship, and where he regularly preached every week.

The present pastor followed the example of his predecessor, but the cottage was soon too small to accommodate the people who were anxious to hear the Gospel. In March, 1835, a piece of ground was purchased, and during the summer a neat meeting-house was erected, which was opened for public service in the autumn. A Sabbath-school was established which soon contained a hundred children.

The people now required public worship on the Lord's-day, and Mr. Richardson consented also to preach to them on the Lord's-day evening, but they soon felt the need of an afternoon service: their pastor, however, much to his credit, was unwilling to resign the oversight, till he could leave them in good hands. At length the Cambridgeshire Association adopted it as their station, and success has attended their efforts, for a new chapel, containing double the number of the former place, has been built. The Rev. J. Stockbridge, of Homerton College, was invited to labour amongst the people. In September last a Congregational church was formed, five of its members being dismissed from the church of Ashwell to strengthen this infant but very hopeful cause. Thus in a neighbourhood where for years a single congregation struggled for existence, two respectable chapels have been erected, and two faithful pastors now labour. Let us then not despair of unpromising village stations.

which have been erected for its use passing into the hands of other denominations. When individuals build a chapel at their own risk, and find it necessary afterwards to sell it, we can only regret that necessity; but when places have been erected to which the contributions of our churches have been given, it requires a strong case to justify their transference. When other denominations possess themselves of places that were not built for their use, and thus exclude those who have the right to occupy them, the transaction becomes still more questionable.

The following pithy notes have been sent us, which will illustrate this matter:-"Sold, and pulled down by the Church party."—" Passed into the hands of the Baptists."—"Sold, and now a church.”"A new chapel, particular Baptists, formerly an Independent place."-" Built for Pedo-Baptists, and in trust for them; but their present minister has become an anti-Pedo-Baptist."-"Occupied by "Occupied by a Unitarian." Surely, facts like these should teach our brethren caution in erecting new places on an equivocal tenure; and we respectfully but earnestly call upon county associations to see that the intentions of pious donors are not thus perverted.

The controversies of our times have called forth bitter hostility against our body, which high-churchmen regard as that which is most to be dreaded "of all the sectaries." Hence, in many places every agency is set in motion that may thwart our efforts and ruin our churches. Tenants are intimidated, tradesmen threatened, and the poor bribed not to enter our places of worship. These circumstances render the present position of some of our congregations very trying, as the stipend of the pastor is lessened and his energies repressed. Let it, however, be remembered, that this is no new thing in the history of our churches, or of any community that is resolved to bear testimony to the purity and spirituality of the kingdom of Christ. Before the Revolution of 1688 our fathers maintained their allegiance to Christ at the peril of their lives. Within half a century the dissenting churches have had to endure the reproach of being political again and again. Because they could not sanction the war against the liberties of America and France, therefore high-church and King mobs were employed to insult them, a proud aristocracy strove to impede them every where, and a servile press heaped obloquy upon their names. They, however, survived those attempts to crush them, and have continued to make progressive advances to the present day.

The addition of 528 chapels since 1835 is a striking evidence of the vital and irrepressible energy of our system; and for that progress we should "bless God, and take courage." This, however, is but one, of several cheering facts relating to the position of our body, to which we propose to direct the attention of our readers on future occasions.

REVIEWS.

Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai, and Arabia Petræa. A Journal of Travels in the year 1838, by E. Robinson and E. Smith. Undertaken in reference to Biblical Geography. Drawn up from the original Diaries, with Historical Illustrations, by Edw. Robinson, D.D. Professor of Biblical Literature in the Union Theological Seminary, New York, Author of a Greek and English Lexicon of the New Testament, &c., in Three Volumes, 8vo. Vol. I. pp. 571. Vol. II. pp. 679. Vol. III. pp. 723. London: Murray.

We are here favoured with a work, the promise of which had excited no ordinary expectations on both sides of the Atlantic. The well-known character of Dr. Robinson-his profound acquaintance with Biblical literature in general, and his long prosecuted study of Biblical geography in particular; his indefatigable industry, his love of research, and accuracy of representation, fully justified such expectations; and if we are not greatly mistaken, the volumes which we have just announced, will be found not only to sustain, but, in no ordinary degree to raise his reputation.

In the course of the last twenty years, several interesting additions have been made to the means which we possessed, of obtaining fuller and more accurate information respecting the land, round the name of which are grouped the principal local associations of our faith. Enterprising travellers have visited regions in and about Palestine, which had seldom or never been trod by the foot of an enlightened European. Still, however, they were not sufficiently prepared, by a thorough previous study of the subject, to furnish us with much of that specific kind of information which was so much wanted. So far as personal narrative, and cursory remarks on presenting objects go, their statements are valuable, where we feel certain that they are not depicting scenes of the imagination, or retailing in new forms what had repeatedly been advanced by persons who had never been in the country; but what was most needed, if presented at all, is presented as it were incidentally, and rather whets than satisfies curiosity. It was, therefore, desirable that one should visit and describe the country, who had in some measure already familiarised himself with the various objects which were likely to attract his notice, and who otherwise possessed the requisite qualifi cations, as a scientific and Biblical scholar. That the subject treated of in these volumes was not new to Dr. Robinson, and that he prosecuted his travels under very auspicious circumstances, will appear from the following introductory remarks:

"The following work contains the description of a journey, which had been the object of my ardent wishes, and had entered into all my plans of life, for more than fifteen years. During a former residence of several years in Europe, from A. D. 1826 to 1830, I had hoped that a fit opportunity for such a journey would have presented itself; but for much of that time Syria was the seat of war and commotion, and this combined with other circumstances, dissuaded me from making the attempt. In the year 1832, the Rev. Eli Smith, American missionary, at Beyrût, made a visit to the United States, having recently returned from a long journey with the Rev. Mr. Dwight to Armenia and Persia. He had in former days been my pupil and friend; and a visit to the Holy Land naturally became a topic of conversation between us. It was agreed that we would, if possible, make such a journey together at some future time, and the same general plan was sketched out, which we have since been permitted to execute. I count myself fortunate in having been thus early assured of the company of one, who, by his familiar and accurate knowledge of the Arabic language, by his acquaintance with the people of Syria, and by the experience gained in former extensive journies, was so well qualified to alleviate the difficulties, and overcome the obstacles, which usually accompany oriental travel."-vol. i. p. 2.

Passing in 1837 through England and Germany, and proceeding by way of Trieste, Corfu, and Athens, (the latter of which he particularly describes,) Dr. Robinson reached Alexandria on the 30th of December. While waiting in Egypt for his friend Mr. Smith, he performed a voyage up the Nile, as far as Thebes. His observations on the hoary and magnificent ruins of the temples of Luksor and Karnak will be read with interest.

The first journey of our travellers was, by way of Suez, to Mount Sinai. As might have been expected, it was impossible for them to leave the Gulf of Suez without having had their attention directed to the subject of the passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea. After determining that the Goshen of Scripture lay along the Pelusiac arm of the Nile, on the east of the Delta, and formed the part of Egypt nearest to Palestine, Dr. R. shows, that the three days which the Israelites journied must have brought them to the western side of the Gulf, in the vicinity of Suez, where both he and his companion agree in fixing the passage; being of opinion, that they crossed from the shore west of that place, in an oblique direction, a distance of three or four miles from shore to shore. The regions between this place and Mount Sinai are very minutely described; but we hasten to the description given of the mountain itself-a mountain only surpassed in interest in the history of the Hebrews, and of true religion, by that of Moriah. After advancing up several of the Wadys, and ascending some of the high regions which form, as it were, the breastwork of the lofty central mountains, they at length came to a plain at the southern termination of the Wady Sheikh, which they could not but regard as the locality in which the Israelites encamped at the giving of the law. It is enclosed by rugged and venerable mountains of dark granite, stern, naked, splintered peaks and ridges, of indescribable grandeur; and terminated by the bold and awful front of Horeb, rising in frowning majesty, from

twelve to fifteen hundred feet in height. The name of the plain is Wady-er-Rahah, which is estimated at two geographical miles in length, and ranging in breadth from one-third to two-thirds of a mile. This space, however, is nearly doubled by a large recess on the west, and by the broad and level area of Wady Sheikh on the east, so that, taking in the innumerable adjacent valleys, it must have been amply sufficient for the Hebrew encampment. At the south-east termination of the plain, rises the front of Horeb, so perpendicularly, that one can approach the foot, and "touch the mount."

"The name of Sinai is now given by the Christians to this whole cluster of mountains; but in its stricter sense, is applied only to the side lying between the two parallel valleys, Shu'rib and el-Leia. It is the northern end of this ridge which rises so boldly and majestically from the southern extremity of the plain (above mentioned;) and this northern part is now called by the Christians, Horeb; but the Bedawin do not appear to know that name. From this point the ridge extends back about S. E. by S. for nearly, or quite, three miles, where it terminates in the higher peak of Jebel Musa, which has commonly been regarded as the summit of Sinai, the place where the law was given."-p. 140.

Having reached the summit of Jebel Mûsa, or the Mountain of Moses, which has been ascertained to be 7035 feet above the sea, Dr. Robinson thus speaks of its claims to be regarded as the spot where Moses received the law.

"My first and predominant feeling while upon this summit, was that of disappointment. Although from our examination of the plain er-Rahah below, and its correspondence to the Scripture narrative, we had arrived at the general conviction, that the people of Israel must have been collected on it to receive the law; yet we still had cherished a lingering hope or feeling, that there might, after all, be some foundation for the long series of monkish tradition, which for at least fifteen centuries, has pointed out the summit on which we stood, as the spot where the ten commandments were so awfully proclaimed. But Scripture narrative and monkish tradition are very different things; and while the former has a distinctness and definiteness, which, through all our journeyings rendered the Bible our best guide-book, we found the latter not less usually, and almost regularly to be but a baseless fabric. In the present case, there is not the slightest reason for supposing that Moses had any thing to do with the summit which now bears his name. It is three miles distant from the plain on which the Israelites must have stood, and hidden from it by the intervening peaks of the modern Horeb. No part of the plain is visible from the summit; nor are the bottoms of the adjacent valleys; nor is any spot to be seen around it where the people could have been assembled." "Indeed, in almost every respect, the view from this point is confined, and is far less extensive and imposing than that from the summit of St. Catharine."-pp. 154, 155.

He afterwards gives the following account of the prospect from the summit of Horeb, which he takes, and to all appearance, justly, to be "the mount of God."

"The extreme difficulty, and even danger of the ascent was well rewarded by the prospect that now opened before us. The whole plain er-Rahah lay spread out beneath our feet, with the adjacent Wadys and mountains; while Wady Sheikh on

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