Nearest to me now was a circus, at the door of which I knocked, when a very genteel young man opened the door. I asked if he was Mr. the master. He replied, "No, sir but I am his son. What do you please to want, sir?" I begged him to call his father, when, drawing aside a curtain, I saw several persons sitting down reading newspapers, books, &c. A very respectable and well-dressed person came to me, to whom I introduced myself as the minister of the parish, expressing my wish to fulfil my duty towards them whilst they continued within it, and inviting them all to go to church. He replied, very politely, "Do you think us heathens, sir? No, sir, we are Christians-we cheat nobody-I allow no swearing or lying among my men-no one is permitted to drink to excess, or to smoke, or gamble. If any of my men is once guilty of such things, I discharge him." Having commended him for his strictness, I ventured to show him that a good deal more is required of a man to be a Christian; and drawing nearer to the young men, so that I could see what they were reading, I exhorted them all to go that afternoon to church. They all thanked me, but I could not get a promise from more than two of them, including the master. gave each of them a tract, and so I left them. I had the pleasure of seeing the master and three others at the church. When the service was over, he came to me to invite me and my family to see his horses the next morning. I thanked him for his invitation, and respectfully declined it. I walked afterwards to the caravan where a giant was exhibited. Here I found some difficulty to see him, because it was expected I should pay for such a sight. However, I was admitted into his presence, and I was agreeably surprised to find him with a Bible and Prayer Book, reading the Church service. He informed me that he had been brought up to the Church, and he wished he could go to church now, without drawing crowds after him; but as he could not go to church as another man, he always read the service morning and evening. I was much pleased with his conversation. I left him some tracts, prayed with him, and exhorted him. The next day I presented him with a volume of sermons. In two years afterwards he died, and from his friends I learned that he lived and died as a sincere Christian. His covetous father would have him show himself for money-the confinement killed him! The bells now chiming for church, I was obliged to discontinue my visits. After the service, I went to a kind of temporary tent, which was at the fair for the sale of sundry articles. There I found a motley group of men, women, and children, some asleep, some half drunk, some staring at me as if I were a monster. I was not long among them before I learned that they were Irish Papists. The greater part of them could not read; the rest would not receive tracts; none of them would promise to go to church in the evening. I spoke plainly and faithfully to them respecting their sins in breaking the Sabbath, and pointed out to them the only way to be saved. The master thanked me on myl going away; the others kept a sullen silence. O that the word spoken to them may be blessed! On Monday I visited John Pearson, who was recovering from his accident. It seemed that the blunderbuss was not loaded with a ball, or shots; it was only loaded with powder; so his cheek was not greatly hurt. His mother, a very respectable woman, from a neighbouring town, was with him. He had been a careless, disobedient lad, so he left her and became a showman. To all appearance he was penitent; and after he was discharged, cured, he went home with his mother. But in six months he was again in this town acting as a showman; his habits were fixed-he lived and died in his sins. Every succeeding fair I visit the shows, and now it is well understood by the showmen that I shall call upon them. I am astonished at the great variety of character among them. Some are very good scholars, sensible, shrewd, and well acquainted with the world. A few are well disposed to religion, and constantly attend church at every town-others are much depraved. The tracts I give them are almost invariably well received. None of them continue long, I believe, in their occupation-they do not generally live long. The same shows do not visit the same towns: there is almost an endless change, and a love to rambling to new situations. I cannot but think that they are a neglected set of people by the community. Probably I should never have thought of them if I had not been called upon to visit John Pearson; I am truly thankful that I was providentially led, in that way, to seek to do them good. Though I can record no well-proved instance of any conversion as the fruits of my exertions, yet I cannot doubt the certainty of God's word being a blessing to their souls (Is. lv. 10, 11). Should any of my brethren in the Church be led to adopt similar means for the showmen, or be at all encouraged to persevere in the use of means already tried, I hope this communication will be a blessing. Every soul is precious. No kind of men should be overlooked. "Preach the Gospel to every creature." Whenever it is preached, may God graciously bless it ! June 27, 1844. THE ENGLISH CATHOLIC CHURCH. W. M. Ir will be remembered that Christ established a Church on earth, the authorized pastors of which were the apostles. To these Christ delegated power.* * As he was authorized to send * John xx. 26; Acts xv. 22-30. them, so they were authorized to send others.* And they did send others: some as pastors and teachers, as deacons, and prophets, and evangelists; and some, with an enlarged power of rule like their own, to be overseers of the whole work-to be the commissioning officers of the minsters of the Church, without whose authority nothing could be validly effected. Such are the bishops of the Church of England-such of the Syrian Church, founded by St. Thomas-such the bishops in some of the Reformed Lutheran Churches-and such (but that their Church is in a state of apostasy) the bishops in the Church of Rome. And WHAT IS MEANT BY SAYING "I BELIEVE IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH."-When, then, I say, "I believe in the Catholic Church," I mean to say-I believe that there is a Church on earth, appointed by Christ himself, of which he is the Supreme Head, the ministers of which possess powers delegated by himself, and regularly transmitted from the apostolic age till the present time. I believe that Christ will be with this Church until the end of the world-that it is "the pillar and ground of the truth."§ And now that it has escaped from the apostasy of the latter times, I believe that it will never be allowed, as a Church, to fall into vital error. I believe that the mode of admission into this Church is by the sacrament of baptism, and that there are in it tares and wheat, i. e., true spiritual members and merely nominal Christians-that the formal separation of these is forbidden to the ministers of the Church, and reserved for the angels at the great day. I I believe that, in order to salvation, it is not merely sufficient to be a nominal member of the Church, but to be a spiritual one to be born again of the Spirit of God, so as to possess "the inward and spiritual grace of a death unto sin and a new birth unto righteousness." In which state the Christian has communion with the world of spirits" with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ, "** and enjoys a fellowship, or unity, or community of supernatural feelings, with all God's true people,++ which the world cannot know, nor feel, nor understand, and which it calls fanaticism or enthusiasm.‡‡ In a word, the world is deluged with sin, and the mode of escape is being securely lodged in the ark which God hath appointed for the refuge of his people, even his holy Church. AUTHORITY OF MINISTERS.-Connected with the principle laid down on this subject is the authority of the ministers of the Church. These doctrines should have a decidedly practical bearing on their conduct. If a minister do not feel that * John xx. 21. + Eph. iv. 11. Rom. x. 15. 1 Tim. i. 3; 2 Tim. ii. 2; v. 12-22. § Matt. xxviii. 20. 1 Tim. iii. 15. Matt. xiii. 47, 50; xxvi. 30, 32, 43. 1 John i. 3. 1 John i. 7. Tit. 1. 5; iii. 10. 1 Cor. ii. 14, 15. he is lawfully sent of God-that he has been divinely appointed to deliver his message-with what face can he stand up to denounce divine vengeance against sin-to offer assured acceptance to the truly penitent-to promise full pardon to returning rebels? With what face can he command observance of divine laws-reprove, rebuke, and exhort? But if he feel that he is divinely commissioned that thereunto he is sent of God-he is lifted above the fears or frowns, the contempt or disregard, of those whom he addresses. He comes to them, not because they choose him, but because God sends him. He enters into the houses of those committed to his charge, unasked and uninvited. He may be received, or he may be expelled. If he be received, well: if otherwise, he knocks the dust off his feet at the threshold, and it is a matter for the judgment-day." He is warranted to expect support from the people,† or from the general body of Christians. If they support him, well: if not, he must still perform the work of his mission, and labour with his hands, that he be not burthensome to any. Such is the actual practice of thousands of most meritorious ministers of the Church of England, who, in keeping of schools for their support, seem to be acting precisely on the warrant and example of the apostles and primitive Christians. WHETHER MINISTERS OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND SHOULD BE CHOSEN BY THEIR FLOCKS.-This view of the case will at once show how groundless the fancy of those is who imagine that ministers of the Church of England should be chosen by the people, and be dischargeable at their pleasure, or that of any of them. Our Lord sent his apostles into those places whither he himself would come, not to those places which would condescend to give each of the apostles a day of trial, and then confer upon the favourite candidate the pew-rents of the church and the privileges of the pulpit, durante bene placito i.e., until the people were tired of him, or the interests of the Church required a fresh man. What should we think of Elijah, or John the Baptist, or Peter, or Paul, or the Boanerges, appearing as rivals before a company of ladies and gentlemen, to have their election determined, in all probability, according to the opinion of the majority, as to the relative oratorical attainments of these solemn personages? We beg our reader's pardon. What we wish to say is, that this plan of proceeding runs quite counter to every notion that we in the Church of England are taught to entertain, and that it would seem to us to involve a compromise of power, and dignity, and authority, on the part of the minister, which (however much it might flatter the feelings and gratify the pride of the people) would be anything but consistent, as we think, with the true interest of their souls. * Luke ix. 4, 5; x. 4, 8, 11, 12. 2 Thess. iii. 8, 9; 2 Cor. xi. 7-9. SABBATH MEDITATIONS.-No. I. BY J. F. KITCHING. LOVE NOT THE WORLD." "IF any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." How much calmer and happier would be our passage through this world of trouble, in which we are surrounded by so much to allure and draw us aside from the path of holiness, and to which our natural hearts so frequently incline us, did we constantly bear in mind the injunction of our blessed Lord to his sleeping disciples-" Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation." And oh! how much less should we suffer, if our souls were strengthened against temptation, by watching our hearts, and carefully avoiding all those things which might lead us into sin, especially "the sin which doth so easily beset us ;" and by earnest prayer to Him, who "is not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities;" "for in that he himself suffered, being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted ;" and who has said "I will be with you in the hour of temptation" "Sin shall not have dominion over you"-"Ask, and it shall be given unto you"-" Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name he will give it you." And yet, with such promises as these, and numerous others, the natural heart is so hard and stubborn that it refuses to rest or trust in them, and instead of pleading them in prayer to God, in time of severe temptation, it too often gives way, and tries to deceive the conscience into the belief that the temptation was too strong to be resisted. It is this practical unbelief-this absence of that constant and continual leaning upon Christ, and habitually looking to him for support and guidance—this want of childlike dependence upon him who alone is able to help our infirmities, and who has said, "Without me ye can do nothing"-which is the cause of our wandering from the paths of peace, and following those things which are inconsistent with a Christian walk and conversation, and which, if continued in, would carry us swiftly down "the broad road which leadeth to destruction." But oh how blessed and happy is he who (whatever may be his outward circumstances) is able, by God's grace, to exercise this habitual faith in him "who loved us and gave himself for us." He has a sure refuge from the storms and troubles of life-a safeguard against temptation. Lord, increase our faith!" Talk of faith having a tendency to encourage laxity and immorality of conduct; those who can hold such a doctrine never knew what true faith is. The stronger faith we can exercise in the promises and pardoning love of God in Christ, and the clearer our hopes of forgiveness and eternal life through the merits |