their judgment to be against all authoritative decisions on human tests of orthodoxy,

The following proceedings respecting Mr. Haliday and his congregation are recorded in the minutes.

"Upon reading the Pacific Act, inquiry was made whether all the Presbyteries have observed the said Act. It was alleged by some that the Presbytery of Belfast has broken in upon said Act in the installment of Mr. Samuel Haliday in the Old Congregation of Belfast and after much reasoning on this head, it was moved that the Committee of Overtures frame an overture in this case,

and bring it into this Synod."

After an adjournment,

"The Committee of Overtures report that they have not come to any resolution in the affair of Belfast, committed to them last sedederunt.

"The affair of Mr. Haliday's Installment in the Old Congregation of Belfast being resumed, and the case being reasoned at great length, it was moved that Mr. Haliday's testimonials may be read and accordingly his testimonials from the Presbytery of Convoy, from Leyden, Rotterdam, Basil and Geneva were read; also a letter from some ministers in London giving testimony to Mr. Haliday's soundness of faith was read; also Mr. Haliday's own letter from London to the Presbytery of Belfast was read; also a letter from the Presbytery of Down to Colonel Ferguson and Mr. Isaac M. Cartney was read; (this letter declares their satisfaction with the soundness of Mr. Haliday's faith ;) also a certificate from the Old Congregation of Belfast subscribed by a great number of hands attesting the orthodoxy of their minister's faith was read; and after long reasoning upon this matter, adjourned to ten mane. * * *

"Belfast affair being resumed, the select committee appointed to frame an overture upon that affair, brought in their overture, which was read, and the case was reasoned a long time, and many debates being raised about said Overture, a motion was made, that whereas Mr. Halliday assented to the Westminster Confession of Faith, as the confession of his faith upon his being licensed at Rotterdam ; the Moderator should ask him if he adheres to the said assent now? It was again moved, that the vote should be put, Whether we ask Mr. Haliday that question or not? and then it was further moved, that the previous question should be put, whether that vote should be put or not; and the previous question was put accordingly, and it carried by plurality of voices, "put the vote ;" and then the vote was stated, "Ask Mr. Haliday the above question or not?" and it carried by a great majority, “Ask Mr. Haliday the above question.”

"Then the Moderator asked Mr. Halliday, if he now adheres to the assent he gave to the Westminster Confession of Faith when he was licensed; and Mr. Halliday gave his answer in the following words: My refusal to declare my adherence to the assent I gave to the Westminster Confession of Faith when I was licensed, does not proceed from my disbelief of the important truths contained in it; the contrary of which I have oft by word and writing declared, as this venerable assembly can bear me witness. But my scruples

are against the submitting to human tests of divine truths; (especially in a great number of extra essential points, without the know ledge and belief of which men may be entitled to the favour of God and the hopes of eternal life; and according to the laws of the Gospel, to Christian and ministerial communion in the church;) when im posed as a necessary term of such communion. The reasons of such scruples I am now ready to lay before this assembly, and shall always be open to conviction.'

"It was then moved that Mr. Haliday should now lay the reasons of his scruples before this Synod. Mr. Haliday replied, that seeing he hopes this Synod will indulge him in those scruples, he is willing to conceal the reasons of them, that there may be no heat or altercation in this synod about them. This synod taking into their serious consideration Mr. Haliday's answers, does utterly disclaim all power of imposing on the consciences of men of which God only is the Lord; and therefore declare themselves ready to receive and seriously to weigh the reasons Mr. Haliday has for his scruples; and shall be as open for conviction as he is, and consequently cannot charge themselves with the guilt of sinful imposition.

"Then the Rev. Commissioners from the Presbytery of Dublin proposed to this synod their earnest request, that considering the whole matter completely, they would please to come to this resolution, that this Synod do entirely drop it; and the vote was stated, Drop this whole matter or not?" and it carried, "Drop it entirely," nemine contradicente."

At the same meeting of Synod, Mr. Haliday having stated that he designed to submit himself to the body "in all things where conscience is not concerned; which he explained farther, in all things lawful, where the laws of the Gospel and the laws of society are not broke in upon" the Synod declared the intention of its former vote to be "that they resolved not to resume any consideration of this affair, but to receive Mr. Haliday as a minister of the Synod, overlooking any irregularities in his installment, provided always that this be no precedent." A motion, however, was made, tending to effect a division in his congregation, by erecting those members who were dissatisfied with him on account of his refusal to subscribe, into a separate congregation. This project, though not immediately carried into effect, was ultimately executed; and those who on this account withdrew from the first and second congregations, in Belfast, laid the foundation of the present Third Congregation. The great majority of the members, however, adhered with remarkable firmness, to the principles of religious liberty; and to the ministry of Mr. Haliday, by whom that glorious cause was most strenuously advocated. There is no doubt that the constancy

of both the pastor and flock in such trying times, and the example which their conduct afforded, of successful resistance to human creeds and ecclesiastical impositions, contributed powerfully to disseminate the knowledge and love of the true principles of Christian freedom, in other quarters of Ulster.

For seven years the Synod of Ulster was distracted by beats and animosities arising from the attempts of the majority to impose their own unscriptural terms of church communion on the few who had then openly declared against any human articles or tests of orthodoxy. It is no part of the present object to give a history of these transactions; farther than to remark that throughout the whole of them, Mr. Haliday consistently adhered to the great cause to which he had devoted his life. In all the debates and struggles in the Synod he took a leading part in defence of charity, mutual forbearance, and the rights of Christians: and in 1724 published a valuable statement of the Reasons of Non-subscription; in which the question is argued with admirable logic, eloquence and temper. This tract is brief; but it contains the substance of the whole discussion. There is scarcely an argument to be found in subsequent publications upon this point, which has not been anticipated by Mr. Haliday. It is scarce; and well deserves to be re-printed. On the expulsion of the Non-subscribers from the Synod in 1726, Mr. H. and his people, of course, adhered to the Presbytery of Antrim. Thus, after an arduous and protracted struggle, were the religious liberties of the congregation finally secured.

There are no records of Mr. Haliday's pulpit services; but if we may judge of those performances from the ability and eloquence which he displayed on other occasions, they must have been of a very high order. In his principles, he was decidedly anti-calvinistic; though a believer in the doctrine of the Trinity. His congregation has never swerved from those maxims of freedom and toleration which he so ably inculcated; and his posterity in the third generation, still continue to associate the cultivation of science, the practice of virtue, and the steady support of religious freedom, with the venerable name of HALIDAY.

(To be continued.)

REVIEW.

Persecution sanctioned by the Westminster Confession. A Letter addressed to the Clergy, Eldership, and Laity of the Synod of Ulster; showing from the History and Proceedings of the Westminster Divines, and the Public Records of the Church of Scotland, the Doctrines of Intolerance, to which the late vote of unqualified subscription has committed the General Synod, &c. &c. By a Member of the Synod of Ulster.-Belfast, John Tate, 13, High-street.

WE are tempted to take some notice of this pamphlet by its intrinsic worth, containing as it does very valuable historical information-by the independence of its spirit, proving that all the members of the Synod of Ulster have not bowed the knee to Baal, or kissed the toe of their new Pope;* and above all by its powerful tendency to rouse the lethargic spirits of that Synod to step forward and defend the breach before the citadel of their independence has been basely surrendered by some wily spirits for their own aggrandizement. In one point we differ from the author. He says, p. 70, that "Unitarianism will exult in the fulfilment of its prophecies as to your prospective degradation." That degradation we certainly do foretell; but we deny that we shall rejoice in seeing our prophecy fulfilled. We have too sincere a regard for the sober-minded, steady, and independent Presbyterians of the North, to wish to see them degraded. The existence of such a race has been our honest pride-differ from them as we may in doctrinal views, we rejoiced in that steady adherence to their own opinions, and that liberal comprehension of their brethren who differed from them, that were so conducive to the respectability and the moral influence of the Body, and deeply have we regretted that this lustre has been dimmed--that this spirit had well nigh fled: that a few individuals to make themselves a name, and to obtain an intermeddling influence in the affairs of congregations, have been successful in lowering that high and dignified tone, and have brought so many to cringe and bow, and patiently bear to be so browbeaten as they have been.

*Note-Let it not be supposed that we forget or undervalue the spirited exertions of some of the younger members who give promise of one day restoring the character of the body.

We rejoice, therefore, to see this pamphlet, because we think it is a timely warning, and we think it will have a powerful effect. If we were selfish, we might curse the man that attempts to stay that course of things that would bring ruin upon those who have wished to ruin us. But we wish him all success. We are fully aware that all this negotiation about a union with the church of Scotland, or, more truly, this attempt to degrade the independent, self-governed Presbyterians of the North of Ireland to be a mere appendage to the church of Scotland—has its origin in the self-interested ambition of a few. That same faction that have exerted themselves with such fatal success to introduce the demon of intolerance among us, are determined to go on with their work. But their principal object seems to be, to open a door for themselves into the Scotch church; that if they become tired of their situations here, or their congregations become tired of them, or if a more lucrative offer were to be made them, there might be no impediment to their being received. But is it not scan

dalous that for such considerations the religious independence of such a population should be sacrificed; and that, from being their own legislators, they would have to submit in patience to whatever the General Assembly may dictate! For it is idle to talk of going back. Once fairly in for the connexion, they cannot recede. And under such circumstances it becomes peculiarly important that the whole case as to the intolerant enactments and requirements of the same Assembly that adopted the Westminster Confession, should be laid before the public, that they may not be led blindfold to their destruction. On this point the pamphlet is very full and also very happy in proving that the same persons who have made themselves so conspicuous in exposing the exploded persecuting tenets of Peter Dens, are endeavouring to entrap the liberal minded Presbyterians (and many such we know there are among our orthodox brethren) into an adoption of the very same principles, even to the form in which they are propounded. For farther information we must refer to the pamphlet itself, as we have not room to extract enough to give a just idea of the contents. We repeat that we rejoice at its appearance, and that it is brought before the public at the moderate price of one shilling.

We said that we would give no extracts, but on se