Two Rectors exhibits, there were so little to be feared on that score only, that it might be deemed useless our having spent our strength upon him. But when we remember how prone the heart of man is to evil, and how flimsy a sophism may serve to confirm in error a disposition already but too averse to the embracing truth; we would as CHRISTIAN EXAMINERS denounce a book whose direct tendency is to calumniate the most valuable among our Clergy; to belie the real doctrines of our Established Church; to bring into contempt the glorious efforts making for the diffusion of the blessed Gospel among the perishing heathen: nay, worse than all, to falsify Scripture; and turn if it were possible the sweet fountains of life into waters of bitterness. FOREIGN RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE. EAST INDIES. One of the Syrian Bishops in Travancore, near Dionysius, died lately, and another has very opportunely and unexpectedly arrived from Antioch. Our good Bishop was at Bombay when he arrived there, shewed him great attention and administered the Sacrament to him in the Government Church. He wrote a very affectionate letter to the Missionaries at Cottagam, apprising them of the Syrian Bishop's arrival. But indeed his heart is literally spiritually with us in every good work. As you are in the midst of Papists, I am sure you will be interested to hear of the conversion of one. A small family congregation assembles in my room every morning; two of them are Roman Catholics, who expressed a wish last Easter to receive the Sacrament, as they have no priest of their own on these hills. Suspecting that they did not understand the nature of the ordinance, I explained it to them, and cautioned them against receiving it unworthily, consequently they declined communicating with us, and objected also that I never prayed to the Virgin, or any of the Saints. I explained to them my reason for the omission, approved of their determination not to take the Sacrament in their present state of mind, but recommended them to continue their attendance at our morning service, which they have done. I was informed that one of these, a Portuguese, was a most bigoted Papist; judge then of my surprize and joy, the week before last, on The receiving from him his four ivory ima- CHINA. According to the latest statements of the Roman Catholic Missionaries, there are at present in China 46,287 Christians, with 26 Chinese and 3 European Priests. There are also 29 male and 45 female schools. There is also a seminary where 12 young Chinese, destined for the Priesthood, study Latin, Theology, &c. &c. GREECE. Mr. Defernex, a Protestant Clergyman, having been invited to Odessa to undertake the education of the son of the Count Kutchouby, found the inhabitants desirous of assembling for religious worship, under his ministry. He did not hesitate in complying with theirrequest, when they had made the necessary previous arrangements at a general meeting. Mr. Defernex is now permanently settled at Odessa, as the pastor of the Church; and not only the French and Swiss Protestants of the neighbourhood attend, but many Roman Catholics, Russians of the Greek Church, Greeks, and even Mahometans. There is every probability that this commencement will be blessed with the happiest results, in a country where the Gospel has not only to encounter the reproach of the enemies of the very name of Christ, but where the number of real believers among those who make profession of the faith, is awfully small. The Protestant part of the congregation have contributed 1,500 roubles, the Russians, Greeks, and Mahometans, 1000, and the Swiss colony, 500 roubles, towards defraying the expenses of the Church. MALTA. some An occurrence that has lately taken place at Malta, has excited conversation. During a late procession of the Host in that Island, a British Officer, unwilling to join in that idolatrous worship, did not, as is usual, salute it, for which one of the attendant priests struck him, the man of war however exchanged places with him who should have been the man of peace, and seeming not to notice the insolence of the priest, waited until he could inform the Authorities of the circumstances. The Authorities immediately ordered the Priest to he tried before the ecclesiastical tribunal, by which he was condemned to one year's imprisonment for his offence. Here the matter ought naturally to have been dropped, but His Holiness the Pope, having been informed of the whole circumstance, highly applauded the zeal of the culprit, ordered him to be immediately liberated from his confinement, and as a practical proof of his approbation, immediately promoted him to a cure in the Island. As a matter of course the ecclesiastical authorities obeyed, but the civil power, waiting until he had taken possession of his appointment, sent two of the police who conveyed him from Malta, by shipping him for Italy, desiring him to seek for what redress he could from his benefactor the Pope, His Holiness highly offended at so great a slight on his spiritual power, forwarded a lively remonstrance to our Minister Mr. Canning, who we are happy to say, treated this remonstrance of His Holiness with the contempt it deserved. And here the matter at present rests. GERMANY. Nuremburg. On the 31st of October last, the commemoration of the establishment of the central Bible Society of Nuremburg was celebrated in Saint Martha's Church, which was unusually crowded. Dr. Veillodter, the President, opened the business by an eloquent speech, in which he stated that "the establishment of Bible Societies was the most remarkable feature in the nineteenth century, which daily assumed a more important part in the history of the World, and gave evident proofs of the further extension of real Christianity. During twenty years, more than five million Bibles and New Testaments had been circulated in the different European, Asiatic, African, and American languages. In all parts of the earth, such societies flourished for bestowing on the poor, the inestimable treasure of God's Holy Word. He observed that the report which had been just read, was the best proof of the liberality of the inhabitants, by whose means, 1927 Bibles, and 753 New Testaments have been issued during the past year." The business was concluded by a prayer from the Vice-President, the Rev. Mr. Seidel, and the singing of a psalm. Saxony. The lay members of the Roman Catholic Communion in this kingdom, are calling loudly for a reform in the public services of their church. They wish all unmeaning ceremonies to be rejected, the Sacrament to be administered in both kinds, images to be removed from the House of God, and to have every office of devotion performed in the language of the country, for the edification of the worshippers. In fact, they wish for a reformation in their Church, and it is well known, that a great number of the clergy in this enlightened kingdom, are promoting their views. This is another proof of the valuable labours of Van Ess, the Roman Catholic Priest at Darmstadt, who has for some years, been occupied in circulating the Bible among the Roman Catholics of Germany. Darmstadt.-The subscribers to the collection of Sermons, by celebrated German preachers, of the present day, (published by Dr. Zimmerman, for the pur ON THE ADVANTAGES OF AN UNION AMONGST IRISH PROTESTANTS. N In turning over the ponderous folio, which purports to contain "the whole works of the deeply learned and pious Joseph Mede," we have been struck by some letters addressed to different individuals on the subject of the union of Protestants, which was much agitated during part of the seventeenth century. Himself a sincere, but a cautious friend to the measure, he has marked wherein the union might really consist; points out the necessity of an agreement in fundamentals as being the grand requisite, and laments, that the prejudices of system and education, should impede the progress of a work, to the accomplishment of which, nothing seemed necessary but the simple love of truth, and an honest inquiry after her. In one of his letters, he speaks of the reception which his announcement of the plan met from many eminent men, and observes upon the gradation of feeling which it produced, from the high tone of scepticism which denounced its impossibility, to the querulousness which hoped, and scarcely hoped, that no evil would ensue from its agitation. Mede seems from the first, to have had but small hopes of its success, and though we would hesitate to give an opinion upon a question, which had not only the good wishes of such a man, but the earnest exertions of Hall, and Bedell, and Abbott, and Matthias; still we think Mede's opinion not only justified by the event, but by the very circumstances under which the indefatigable Apostle of Union, the excellent John Dury, (Johannes Duraus) brought forward his plan. It was too vague and too comprehensive; it embraced an union of too many discordant VOL. II. 2 G At an Ordination held at Raphoe o the 29th ult. the following Gentlemen were admitted to the Order of Deacons:Henry Cam, for the Diocese of Raphoe, and George Ashe, by letters dimisory from the Diocese of Derry. The following were at the same time admitted to the Order of Priests:- The Rev. Edw, Hamilton, Arthur Holmes, and Maiben C. Motherell, for the Diocese of Raphoe; and the Rev. Marcus M'Causland, Wm. R. Williams, and William Hughes, by letters dimisory from the Diocese of Derry, The Archbishop of Cashel has presented to the Parish of Bansha, vacant by the death of the universally and deserv Annual Meeting of the Kildare place Society. At 12 o'Clock on Thursday the Chair was taken by the Marquis of Downshire. Mr. Jackson, the Secretary, read the Annual Report, a very voluminous one. It stated the number of schools now under the direction of the Society to be upwards of 1,500; the scholars 100,000; the teachers, both male and female, 1,171. With respect to the north, the Report gave a satisfactory detail of the progress of the Society there, and mentioned, that on the Estate of the Noble President, there are 33 schools, containing four thousand scholars. (Applause.) Mr. Serjeant Lefroy, Mr. D. Latouche, Lord Cloncurry, Mr. Edward Scott, Mr. Warren, King's Counsel, Rev. Mr. Daly, and Mr. Commissioner Burrowes, severally addressed the Meeting, one of the highest class and highest respectability, which separated at a late hour in the evening, alter voting their particular thanks to the noble Chairman, for his truly dignified conduct in the Chair. BAPTISM OF JEWS.-A respectable Jew was baptized at Exeter, on Christmas-day last, and another at Bristol on Epiphany-day. In each cases due caution seems to have been used in admitting them to the Holy Ordinance. Both these persons it appears, had been quickened in the pursuit of Divine truth, by Mr. Michael Solomon Alexander, who had formerly been Reader in the Jewish Synagogue at Plymouth, who has himself been lately baptized, and is now a resident of Dublin. The Archbishop of Tuam.-We are rejoiced to learn that this most estimable Prelate is nearly quite recovered from his late severe attack. His grace is now so much restored as to be able to take the air on horseback, which he has done for the last few days. LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL INTELLIGENCE. UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE. TUESDAY, the 7th February, being commencement day, the following degrees were conferred ; Doctor of Divinity--Rev. William Henry Stacpole. Doctor of Laws- Rev. Thomas Philip Lefanu, Rev. Charles Warburton, and Rev. John Warburton, Doctor of Medicine-Thomas Mulock Molloy. Bachelor of Laws-Wm. Benn. ton Beatty, Thomas Sibthorpe, Edward Drought, Robert Sparks, Daniel Spillan, and James Egan. Master of Arts-Rev. Anthony Sillery, Rev. John Hewson Allpress, Rev. Samuel Alder, Rev. John Gavan, Rev. William Hearne, Rev. Fr. Chute, Rev. Edward Boyle, Rev. Robert Kenny, Rev. William Smyth Guinness, Rev. John Browne, Rev Joseph Stack, Rev. Wm. B Lewis, Rev. Wm. Maunsel, William Crofton Beatty, John George, Edward Martin, Athur Aylmer, Edw. Drought, |