of falsehood with which she seeks to hide the blasphemy of her pretensions.

In the two points we have indicated, Dr Morison's volume is defective. It does not qualify one to meet an antagonist on the matters in dispute. The reader will rise from the perusal a more zealous Protestant; but would be much at a loss for authorities, if challenged to produce them. The work fails too in accommodation to the state of opinion in our country and in our day. It does not contain much that is new; and what is old is not brought forward in a way remarkably appropriate. It is a desirable volume for calm evenings of domestic reading, but not particularly a "book for critical times."

CRITICAL NOTICES.

The Mothers of England, their Influence and Responsibility. By the Author of the "Women of England." London: Fisher, Son, & Co. THE subject is discussed in twelve chapters, on the following topics:-A Mother's First Thoughts; Authority, Influence, and Example; the Use of a Mind; Elements of Character; Generosity and Affection; Individual and Social Happiness; Moral Courage and Worldly Mindedness; General Duties of a Mother; Hints on Education; on the Training of Boys; on the Training of Girls; on Religious Influence. Mrs Ellis has acquired a reputation as an elegant and useful writer, which this volume will fully sustain. It is indeed a work of surpassing beauty. In sentiment it is purely, sweetly feminine; it is rich and copious in practical instruction; while the views which it takes of human nature, and of society, indicate a mind of philosophical reflectiveness. The author affects nothing abstruse or profound in her analysis of character, and in her observations on the modes of social life; but there is much of sound sagacity in many of her most cursory remarks, and in the light and graceful touches with which she points attention to the moral effect of passing fireside incidents, and of certain maxims of nursery misgovernment which, too often sanctioned by the wisdom of aunts and grandmothers, are apt to pass without rebuke. There is, however, a grain too much of the caustic in her remarks on Colebs' alleged preference for the weaker-minded members of the female sex. It would seem, that the woman who writes so well on the duties and true happiness of the Mothers of England, has had no personal experience of the tenderness of a mother's care. Mrs E. makes allusion to her unremembered infantile bereavement in the following truly beautiful and pathetic terms :-" I speak not from experience, for to me the precious link was broken before I felt its power, or could appreciate its worth; but if an aching want of that which nature pines for, if a dim vision of unseen beauty haunting perpetually the path of life, if a standard of perfect though unknown excellence, imparting stability and form to the hope of its existence on earth;-if all these give a title to describe the value of a mother's influence, then, from the recollections of a desolate childhood, uncherished by maternal tenderness, surely I may speak, and not in vain."-Pp. 59, 60.

The Christian's Walk with God. By the Hon. Mrs M

John Johnstone. 1844.

Edinburgh:

WITHOUT repining at the " subjects of general controversy which at present agitate all churches," the author proposes "to speak to the

NO. HII. VOL. I.

S

believer's individual christian experience, and for a while to withdraw him from the excitement of conflicting opinions, to the still more necessary study of his own character as a child of God." With this object in view, the topics of this small work are wholly practical and devotional, such as the christian's springs of hope and action, prayer the source of his peace, &c. We regret to see it blemished by occasional inaccuracies of thought, some of which are a little startling. If the title of the section on prayer may be mentioned as somewhat questionable, what shall we say of the following statement? Is it merely unmeaning, or is it intended to recommend prayers for the dead? "At such moments" (in vivid remembrance of the friends of days long gone by,) "his soul will be raised in fervent prayer that their loved voices may now be singing the song of Moses and the Lamb."-P. 10.

RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE. FOREIGN.

United States.-The state and progress of religion among the churches of the United States must always present much that is interesting, and not a little which may be instructive and profitable to the churches at home. In their land every thing is seen on a grand scale-liberty, philanthropy, religious activity, missionary enterprize; and, on the other hand, bondage and oppression, fanaticism, infidelity. The religious bodies in the States of the Union, are many of them numerous; and, being all on a level in point of political standing and privilege, are free to exercise an honourable emulation in promoting their own interests and in doing good; and they do not fail to improve their advantage. From the more recent intelligence of the religious movements among them, we collect the following particulars :---In the annual meetings of the district Synods of the Presbyterian church, they prepare and bring forward very detailed reports of the state of religion during the past year, within their respective bounds-a kind of annual self-examination, which it would be well for other churches to imitate. The state of religion within any religious body, whether it be progressive or declining, ought to be known to it, that its superintending courts may, with paternal solicitude, take measures accordingly. And it requires very faithful and particular statements from congregations and presbyteries, to ascertain whether vital religion throughout the body be in a prosperous or declining condition. In the recent reports of several of the American Synods, which we have perused, the narrative given of the state of religion among them, is, upon the whole, favourablenot always so. They make mention of religious revivals very extensively enjoyed by their congregations; and followed by great accessions to the number of their members. These revivals were usually attained in the numerous congregations favoured with them, without any extraordinary measures, and simply under the faithful application, by their own pastors, of the ordinary means of grace. In several of these Synods they adopt and publish resolutions strongly condemnatory of slavery and slaveholding: one of them declaring it to be the duty of their churches to exclude from their pulpits and their communion all who practise the sin of slaveholding, and persist in refusing to put away this iniquity.

In the grand missionary exertions which they are so zealously carrying forward, feeling, as missionary societies generally feel, that they are not realizing the amount of funds necessary, they are at present making strenuous exertions to have their congregations advanced to that stage of missionary zeal and organization, which will do away with the necessity of all agencies in agitating for money, and make their pastors and congre

gations willing of themselves, and ready beforehand with their bounty; which the power of religion diffused through their congregations, and all our congregations, will certainly accomplish. The churches of the saints appear to be yet but in the infancy of their devotedness to the cause of the Redeemer. Although they have entered the church, they have not yet brought "their silver and their gold with them unto the name of the Lord their God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified them."

The aberrations of religious doctrine at present attracting most notice in the United States, are our own Puseyism, and what are known among themselves by the familiar names of Millerism and Oberlinism. It is natural that the extravagancies of Puseyism should be caught by the more bigotted of the Episcopalians there as well as here. The peculiarities of prelacy have nothing but tradition to stand upon. And in the present age of light and inquiry, it cannot long retain its hold of the minds of the people, unless by some such expedients as Puseyism proposes, taking the authority of tradition in place of that of the bible, and regarding the erdinances of religion as having an inherent virtue, instead of being simply the means of conducting men to the knowledge and grace of the Redeemer. But this new modification of Romanism is really too gross to excite any fears; and, but for the worldly standing of the parties connected with it, so daring an insult to bible truth would never have received the measure of notice bestowed upon it, either in this country or in America, Millerism, so called from the name of its chief advocate, is a development of Millenarianism, which will speedily cure itself; having fixed the end of this world for a period, which properly is already past, sometime within 1843; only, they now think, it may be according to the Jewish computation, which places the termination of the year with that of the last quarter of the moon in April next. Some of them are wisely postponing it still further. Oberlinism, so called from the name of the theological institution from which it emanates, is as usual an old heresy revived; its leading error being "that a state of entire sanctification, or perfect conformity to the moral law, is attainable, and is now the privilege of some of Christ's disciples." It appears, however, to be rather a species of antinomianism; its theory of perfection being to this effect, that whatever obedience to the law of God, man is capable of in any stage of his being, is perfection in him; nothing short of this, and nothing above it; perfection is one thing in innocent Adam, another thing in his fallen posterity. This system has its printed organs as well as it public teachers; and is making its converts among ministers as well as the people, although to a very small extent.

Western Africa.-We shall at present give a summary view of the whole missions now in operation on the western coast of Africa. In the colony of Sierra Leone, the church of England society has fourteen stations and twelve missionaries, with many native assistants. They have laboured chiefly among the negroes who have been delivered from captured slave ships, and are settled in that colony in the secure enjoyment of liberty. The journals of the missionaries afford many evidences that the preaching of bible truth has been there countenanced by the spirit of God; and numbers of the simple-minded negroes made wise unto salvation. They have had opportunity this last year of opening communication with some of the tribes immediately interior to the colony; whose chiefs have expressed their willingness and earnest desire to have missionaries sent them, and schools established among them.

The Wesleyan Society has, in the same colony three stations; and on the Gambia, about 400 miles north, five stations or out-stations, and eleven missionaries in all. They have recently opened an institution for the training of native agents for missionary work, and another for educating the sons of native kings and chiefs. The former is peculiarly necessary,

the deadly influence of the whole of that portion of the African coast upon Europeans being such as, in a few months, to unfit the missionaries for their labour, and even to bring their service in the gospel to a premature close. In melancholy illustration of this we may refer to an attempt of the German Missionary Society at Basle to join the societies of Britain in the endeavour to evangelize Western Africa. In 1828 they sent out four devoted young men, who were all cut off ere their labours were well begun. Three others succeeded them in 1831, two of whom were cut off the following year. The survivor was in 1836 joined by other two, one of whom died in the end of that year, and the other shortly after; making in all eight missionaries of that society who were swept away so soon as they had entered on that hazardous field of labour. The surviving brother returned to Europe, but has since, with a noble heroism, gone back to the place where his companions so rapidly fell, taking with him some christian negro families from Jamaica, who may aid him in his work, and become the seed of a christian church in the land of their fathers.

About 200 miles to the south of Sierra Leone comes the American colony of Liberia, and 200 miles farther down the coast, at Cape Palmas, is the spot occupied by another of their colonization societies. In these two colonies various American missionaries are employed, not only among the negro population brought from America, but also for the benefit of the neighbouring tribes. We honour them, and desire their success, however unqualifiedly we are compelled to abhor the selfish policy on which these colonies are founded-a desire to drain off the coloured population from the American states, by the offer of that liberty, as a bribe, which the whites have no right to withhold.

About 450 miles to the east of Cape Palmas, the Wesleyan Society occupy three stations on the coast, and one in the capital of Ashantee; 300 miles further on they have commenced a mission in Badagry, and have also been exploring the interior, with the view of stationing other missionaries wherever a favourable reception is offered them. In this field two missionaries have fallen during the past year. From the native kings and chiefs, they have not only every encouragement, but the most urgent solicitations to send them missionaries. "We know not," they remark, "what reply British christians can make to the native chief, who in the bitterness of his soul complains that spiritual food is provided abundantly in England, but that he and his people are not allowed to taste it. Our readers, we are persuaded, cannot remain unmoved at such appeals as this. Gladly would the committee send without delay a host of new missionaries to succour those who are as yet bearing, but who are in danger of sinking under, the burden and heat of the day, and to press onward to Central Africa itself, to which a favouring providence now clearly points the way; but they can advance no further in the present state of the society's funds."

The Baptist Missionary Society has several missionaries on the island of Fernando Po, off the mouth of the river Quorra, whom they have provided with a steam vessel, to assist them in visiting the different coasts of the island, and the adjoining coasts of Africa.

Roman Catholic Missions.-Much has been recently heard from protestant missionary stations of the appearance, in their neighbourhood, of Roman Catholic missionaries, both bishops and priests. The renovated missionary zeal of that church appears to have originated with an "Institution for the propagation of the Faith in the two worlds," which was formed at Lyons, in France, upwards of twenty years ago, and is now drawing its funds with increased liberality every year, from all countries where the Romish faith has its adherents. The entire funds of this institution in 1842 amounted to L.149,656, being an increase of L.14,231 above the income of the previous year. With the increase of their funds, there

is as rapid an increase of their missions. In their "summary view of the missions for the year 1842," they say: "In 1842 twelve dioceses or vicariates-apostolic have been added to our disbursements. We shall immediately have four bishops, and more than sixty missionaries in the islands of Oceanica. A vicar-apostolic and twelve priests are about proceeding to the coast of Guinea. China now opens five of her ports to the commerce of Europe. Heresy is accumulating its pompous preparations in London and Calcutta, to proceed to exercise a cautious propagandism there within reach of the cannons of vessels of war. Shall we, then, do nothing? Numerous missionaries are ready to depart; they are only in want of the provision of alms." Such is the zeal with which they are hastening to spread their emissaries over every quarter of the world; and apparently seeking to intrude themselves first into those places where protestant missionaries have begun to christianize the heathen. As they have their liberty, it is vain to repine at the use they make of it. Our work is to oppose truth to error, and to endeavour that our zeal in spreading the one shall as far outstrip theirs in spreading the other, as truth excels error. Protestant missionaries have nothing to fear. That bible and pure gospel which can meet and dispel the darkness and superstitions of heathenism, can as easily confound and put to flight the equally childish and irrational inventions of popery.

RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.-DOMESTIC,

UNITED SECESSION CHURCH.

PRESBYTERIAL NOTICES.

Annan and Carlisle. The presbytery met at Lockerby on the 6th Nov., when Mr Andrew Weild having completed his course of study at the divinity hall, was examined, and had trials for licence appointed him. The next meeting was held at Chapelknowe, on the 5th December, when Mr Weild's trials were received and sustained, after which he was licensed in the usual mode, and suitable exhortations addressed to him. The last was held at the same place, on the 6th Feb., when a petition from Mr David Inglis, student in divinity of the fourth year, was laid before the court. In his petition, Mr Inglis stated that he was about to emigrate to Michigan, N. A., and prayed the presbytery to take him on trials for licence, that, if it shall be judged proper, he may have the authority of the court to preach the gospel in that distant and destitute region. After deliberate consideration, it was agreed to grant the prayer of the petition. Mr Inglis was appointed to attend next meeting to undergo the preliminary examination. Subjects of trial were appointed him to be proceeded with after his examination, if the court shall so decide. In compliance with their petition, the Rev. James Dobbie was appointed to dispense the Lord's Supper to the congregation of Wigton, Cumberland, and to fix the day.

Cupar.-This presbytery met at Cupar on the Tuesday after the last Sabbath of January,-Mr Gray of Freuchie, moderator. The committee appointed at last meeting to hold a friendly conference with Mr Ronaldson, gave in their report, which was ordered to lie on the table. The presbytery then entered on consideration of Mr Scott's letter, as referred to in the report of last meeting, when the following deliverance was unanimously adopted :-"That the presbytery, having resumed consideration of the article entitled 'Secession Heresies,' published in the Fife Herald of 28th