happily, is by a faithful few in all our evangelical denominations,—they preach a cold, vague, heartless morality, which might have been taught with as much effect had Christ never come into our world to suffer and to die for sinners. The discourses of Socrates or Plato were quite as good in a moral point of view-and incomparably superior intellectually-as the majority of sermons which are delivered in our modern pulpits. Under such preaching it were, humanly speaking, an impossibility that any sinner could be saved. In the words of David Brainerd, the devoted and distinguished missionary to the American Indians more than a century ago, Solemn applications of Divine truth to the conscience tend directly to strike death to the root of all evil; while smooth and plausible harangues on moral motives and external duties, at best are likely to do no more than lop off the branches of corruption, while the root of all sin remains still untouched.' And such, Mr. Brainerd adds, he found to be his own experience among the Red Indians amidst whom he latterly lived and laboured, and such we find the fact to be among our civilized Christian congregations in Great Britain."

What we have thus said will enable the readers of the GOSPEL MAGAZINE to form some idea of a book which has, as we have already said, created a great sensation and, in some parts, consternation in the religious world. We are sure it cannot be necessary to add a single other observation of our own further than to say that it occupies 550 pages.

Notes of Sermons, Hitherto Unpublished.-By the late Rev. WM. PARKS, B.A., Rector of Openshaw, near Manchester. With a Brief Memoir of the Author, and Preface, by DAVID A. DOUDNEY, D.D. London: W. H. Collingridge, 117 to 120, Aldersgate Street.-We cannot too strongly recommend this work to the attention of our readers. The "Notes of Sermons," of which the book is principally composed, contain a rich variety of subject, so as to constitute the work itself a small body of divinity. The reader cannot but discover much thought and painstaking in these sermons, and their clearness, soundness, and experimental character render them invaluable.

The Present Crisis. By ENQUIRER. London: W. Macintosh, Paternoster Row. The author seeks to prove the present crisis to have been foretold. Alice; or, Deathbed of a Ritualist. London: Partridge and Co., 9, Paternoster Row. The hollowness of dependence on ceremony exposed. Pearls of Great Price; or, Words of Wisdom. London: S. W. Partridge. Texts of Holy Writ arranged under different heads, proofs of wisdom and power for God, and texts for meditation, warning, and precept and encouragement.

A Protestant Catechism. By Rev. G. C. HODGSON. London: Barret and Sons, 13, Mark Lane.-A contradiction of the statement that the Church teaches regeneration by baptism of water, &c.

The Hunchback Crossing-Sweeper. London: Boddington, Notting-hill Gate. -This little tract briefly narrates another instance of the despised of this world being blessed with the exceeding riches of the glory of God. Leaves from the Book, and its Story. By L. N. R.-Contains an account of the second period of the times of Judah and Israel from Elisha to Isaiah.

Passing Events.- Monthly Note.

"Can ye not discern the signs of the times?"-MATT. xvi. 3.

THE general election is over, and the nation must be very thankful that it is so. It has greatly interfered with business, and it has been marked by much ill-feeling, and many sad scenes of rioting and bloodshed. At the time at which we write we cannot be certain as to the results, but from the accounts which we have received there is much reason to fear that they will not be found to be as favourable to the cause of true religion and Protestantism as we could have wished. The great majority of the candidates returned are, it seems, still inclined to persevere in the old course of truckling to Romanism, and abandoning all the true interests of our highly-favoured land for the sake of a vain popularity. At the same time we are thankful that some of the most obnoxious characters have been rejected, such as the infidel philosopher Mill, and the violent mobleaders, Mr. Beales, and Bradlaugh. The Romanist party have, as usual, displayed all their energy and cunning. In Ireland of course their influence has been immense, and even in England they have made their power felt. The acuteness which they display is wonderful; e. g., in one of the northern towns (Carlisle), they possess about 400 votes; now there is no doubt whatever that they heartily agreed with the Liberal party, inasmuch as they have more to hope for from that party than from any other at the present time; but they were aware that on that side there were many excellent men who are strongly opposed to them; if then they had openly joined that side as a body, those good men would have become alarmed, and probably would have abandoned the Liberal party, and thus considerably weakened it. What course, therefore, did the Romanists take? They ostensibly joined the Conservative side, and they repeatedly assured that party that they agreed with them, and that they would give them a large number of votes. They were apparently so sincere in this profession, that the Conservatives admitted them into their confidence, and made several of them members of their Committee. This hypocritical courso the Romanists carried on up to the very day of the election, then they threw off the mask, and went over bodily to the Liberal side. Consequently, instead of the Conservative candidate having a large majority, he was defeated by 12 votes. We mention this as an illustration of the way in which Popery acts in this Protestant land. Far be it from us to intimate that the great majority of the Romanists in this case knowingly carried on this piece of deception with the intention to deceive; on the contrary we do not think that many of them were aware that it was deception at all; they, poor deluded men, were most probably kept in the dark up to the last moment; but their rulers knew all about it, and their rulers we blame for it. Their priests allowed them (very probably induced them) to ally themselves to the Conservative side, until the Sunday preceding the election, and then, with all the violent declamation and threats for which Romish priests are renowned, they forced them to go over to the opposite side. The Conservatives in this case were repeatedly warned, but they refused to accept the warning; they would not believe that their fellow-citizens and neighbours could act so perfidiously. Well indeed did the Dean of Ripon say the other day,-"Our honest English statesmen are no match for the crafty politicians of Rome;" and we may add,

our honest English Protestants are no match for them either. It needs a long residence in a Popish country, or some such actual experience of their acuteness, to enable an open-hearted Protestant thoroughly to understand their manœuvres.

How many eminent and excellent men have been taken from amongst us lately! They seem to have been taken in mercy away from the evil to come; how sweet their rest must be after their arduous labours! True, indeed, is that Scripture still, "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace.' We have been especially reminded of this in the case of two of the departed-the late Bishop of Peterborough and the Archbishop of Canterbury. In a sermon preached by the former some years ago, before the University of Oxford, the following striking passage occurs: "Let me hear, when I am on the bed of death, that Christ died in the stead of sinners, of whom I am chief; that He was forsaken of God during those fearful agonies, because He had taken my place; that on His cross I paid the penalty of all my guilt. Let me hear, too, that His blood cleanseth from all sin, and that I may now appear before the bar of God not as pardoned only, but as innocent. Let me realize the great mystery of the reciprocal substitution of Christ and the believer, or rather their perfect unity-He in them, and they in Him,— which He has expressly taught. And let me believe, that, as I was in effect crucified on Calvary, He will in effect stand before the throne in my person;-His the penalty, mine the sin;-His the shame, mine the glory-His the thorns, mine the crown ;-His the merits, mine the reward. Verily Thou shalt answer for me, O Lord my righteousness. In Thee have I trusted; let me never be confounded.''

It may be that some thoughtless ones who listened to those solemn words were inclined to say, "Ah, it is all very well thus to speak when you are in health and strength; but how will it be with you when you actually come into the position of which you speak? how will you do in the swellings of Jordan'?" We can now answer the question. When that good man came to his deathbed we are told that "his faith and love and his exemplary patience were throughout wonderful;" and the one wish that he expressed was that he “might depart, and be with Christ." Just before he departed he made a short confession of his faith, asserting that he died "in full reliance upon the perfect atonement of the Lord Jesus," and then fell asleep. Similar, too, was the departure of the excellent Archbishop, Dr. Longley. We know that he had his faultswhat good man has not ?-but we cannot regard the amiable, kind-hearted prelate who has gone from amongst us otherwise than with feelings of deep interest and Christian love. We are informed that he anticipated his end from the commencement of his illness, and, in a paper written three or four days before his death, when speaking had become difficult to him, he said, "I commit my soul into the hands of my God and dear Saviour. I have had proofs enough of His love in the past, and I am well assured that whatever sufferings or trials are permitted to befall me are visitations of love. Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.'' His last intelligible words were those of the Communion Service, "Glory be to God on high, and in earth peace, goodwill towards men. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee, we glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory, O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty." "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end

be like his."

During the time that the late Lord Palmerston held the reins of government, so many bishoprics became vacant that it might almost have been said that he created anew the episcopal bench. And the appointments which he made were on the whole so satisfactory, that it seemed as if the Lord was especially smiling upon the Established Church, and making use of that great statesman as the instrument in His hand of conferring signal favours upon her. The same, we think, may be said of the present premier's administration. An unusually large proportion of appointinents has fallen to his lot; and we are thankful, on the whole, for the manner in which he has exercised his prerogative. The appointment of Dr. Magee (for many years known as an eloquent preacher and a zealous clergyman) to the bishopric of Peterborough is, especially at the present time, a graceful recognition of the claims and abilities of the Irish Protestant clergy; and the appointment of Dr. Jackson, bishop of Lincoln, to the bishopric of London, and of Archdeacon Wordsworth to the bishopric of Lincoln, is especially encouraging to the Protestant cause; for they are both well known as most faithful Protestant champions, and at a time when the name of Protestant is in many quarters regarded as a term of reproach, such appointments are of unusual significance. We trust that the elevation of the Bishop of London to the vacant see of Canterbury will prove equally wise and desirable. Dr. Tait has not always shown the decision of character which we could have desired; but we hope that in his new sphere of duty he will meet with fewer difficulties than he has hitherto had to encounter, and that he will be found earnest and faithful. We have also heartily rejoiced at the recent appointment of Dr. M'Neile to the deanery of Ripon, a tardy recognition of great merit and eminent services.

Speaking of Lord Palmerston reminds us of a remarkable prediction mentioned in a speech which he delivered in 1829. Alluding to the possibility of Roman Catholic aggression, Lord Palmerston said: "Supposing, for the sake of argument, that they move in one compact mass, directing all their efforts to the attainment of this particular object, by themselves they would be powerless. They must then bargain with some great Protestant party, and barter their aid in the contest for the concession of their object, when the victory should be gained. Now, I know well that, in a popular constitution like ours, when conflicting parties are nearly balanced, when all the passions of the mind are roused, and the prize to be fought for is nothing less than the direction of the affairs of a great and mighty empire, men may be led to make large sacrifices at the shrine of political ambition. The history of the country, unfortunately, is not without such examples. But, whatever may be the error of individuals, I never can bring myself to believe that there would at any time be found in this House a sufficiently powerful and numerous Protestant party so profligate in principle, so dead to everything which would be due to themselves and to their country, as to barter away the religious Establishment of any part of the Empire for the gratification of political ambition. But supposing, again, this combination of probabilities to occur, and such a vote to be extorted from this House, I trust that there would still be found in the other House of Parliament, and, above all, in the indignant feeling of a betrayed people, barriers amply sufficient to protect the Protestant Establishments of the Empire from profanation by such sacrilegious hands." Does it not seem as if the first part of this statement was become literally true? The papists, to all appearance, have

actually bargained with a great Protestant party, and bartered their aid for the concession of a dearly-desired object, viz., the destruction of the Reformed Established Church in Ireland. And, contrary to Lord Palmerston's expectation, a numerous Protestant party has been found in the House of Commons to accept the offer and agree to the bargain. What the Romish priests do when they get the education of the youth of a country in their hands we are warned, as in many other respects, by the example of the United States. A correspondent of the Nashville Christian Advocate writes to the editor of that paper: "Any Protestant father, who, with the facts before him, will send a child to a Romish school, ought to be dealt with by his Church as guilty of one of the greatest of crimes, viz., that of conspiring with the agents of Satan to ruin the soul of his child. Two instances of the kind have come to my knowledge within the last twenty-four hours. In one case the parents are both Methodists; they sent a daughter, some fifteen or sixteen years of age, to the Catholic school at Pascagoula, taught by Sisters of Charity,' I think. In the course of a few months they received a letter from the daughter, expressing a desire to join the Romish Church! This opened their eyes, and the father hurried off for his daughter forthwith. In the other case, only the mother is a member of our Church. Having a rather backward son of fifteen or sixteen, the parents thought they would try the Brothers' School,' also at Pascagoula. The mother accompanied him, gave him a Bible, with a mother's charge to read it, notified to the 'Brothers' that she did not wish her son taught the Roman Catholic religion, but his books; and received the fullest assurance that her wishes should be strictly observed, &c., &c. But certain things coming to her knowledge after awhile, she became dissatisfied, and went for her son before the scholastic year expired. Now for the result. She found that her son had been taught almost nothing in his proper studies-that his Bible had been kept from him, and that he had not been allowed to read it-that he had been thoroughly drilled in the Romish faith and usages, had been required to be up and in the chapel for their peculiar services before six in the morning, had had history perverted and falsified to him, and his young mind so worked upon, that the boy can now hardly shake off the idea that he must be in the Romish Church in order to be saved! Nor was this all: she learned, to her great grief, that her son had not been required to observe the Sabbath, only long enough to get through with the Romish ceremonies in the morning-say until about nine o'clock-that the rest of the day was devoted to fishing, sailing, or any other amusement the Brothers' and priests felt like engaging in. Such is Romish faith-such are the hands in which Protestants place their children to learn piety-such are Romish schools— and such is the 'Brothers' School' at Pascagoula.”

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W. II. Collingridge, Printer, 117 to 120, Aldersgate Street, London, E.C.