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was due to our young friends for the pains they had taken in preparing, and for the ability with which they carried out their preparations.

Some of the younger scholars recited both in poetry and prose, and evinced their proficiency to the evident satisfaction of the audience. All appeared to spend a pleasant and profitable evening. It is extremely gratifying to those connected with Saint Stephens' to know that so many of the young are regular in their attendance both at church and school, and to feel assured, moreover, that the general consistency of their conduct is such as to indicate more than a mere attendance on tho means of grace. We make this record with heart-felt gratitude to the Father of mercies, and pray that 'our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; and that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace."

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SPA FIELDS CHAPEL.-On Wednesday, January 9th, the new and spacious school room at the rear of this chapel was opened by a soiree which was numerously attended. The room is seventy-five feet long and thirty-two feet wide, and of proportional height, and does much credit to the architect, Mr. Constantine, to whose indefatigable attentions the committee feel much indebted. Decorated with various banners, and suitable inscriptions, the Countess' arms being most conspicuous over the platform, the whole appearance of the room was gay and animating.

Mr. Alderman Challis, M.P., presided, and referred to his former connexion with the chapel, and the interest he still felt in its welfare. He observed that in his opinion no subject was of more grave moment than the education of the people, and the conviction was strengthening among politicians of all parties that the evil of ignorance must be put down by agencies commensurate with its magnitude. He was glad to see the stigma was about being removed from Clerkenwell. The census revealed that that district exceeded all others in neglect in this particular. Mr. C. also urged the importance of making so noble a room available to the working classes, by useful lectures, and a lending library.

In a merely pecuniary point of view, they could not engage in a more valuable or necessary undertaking. Crime was the necessary result of neglect and igno

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rance. He had been one of the principal means of causing the erection of a new prison for the City, at Holloway, which had cost £100,000, because he felt that our old places of imprisonment were neither proper for punishment nor reformation. But the expense did not end there-it cost many thousands a-year to maintain the prison-and though they were introducing measures, by means of which the prisoners would partly repay the cost of their maintenance, still there must always be a heavy burden on the community, from this source, so long as they did not go to the fountain-head, and provide a sound and useful education for the rising generation. He felt, therefore, that in raising that spacious edifice, and devoting it to educational purposes, they were doing the proper work of a Christian congregation, and doing their part to abate the great and manifold evils which were to be traced to the ignorance in which large masses of our people were involved. In no district of London was such an institution more urgently required, and he augured the very happiest consequences from its establishment, both on the minds and the morals of the swarming population by whom it was surrounded. (Hear, hear.)

Mr. F. W. WILLCOCKS, Treasurer, having read a letter from S. Morley, Esq., enclosing a donation of £50; from T. S. Duncombe, Esq., M.P., stating his warm sympathy with the object, but regretting his inability to attend; and from E. Ball, Esq., M.P., Mr. Joseph Payne, &c., to the same effect, briefly stated the circumstances under which the new schools had been erected. There had been a desire to erect larger school-rooms some years ago, but, as the former lease terminated in 1842, and the lease that succeeded was only for a few years, it was not advisable to do so. They had now, however, procured from the Marquess of Northampton a renewal of the lease upon exceedingly favourable terms, and the result was that they had thoroughly repaired and decorated the chapel, built those spacious schools on the site of the old garden of the Countess of Huntingdon, erected a new committee and class room, and a minister's room, at a cost in all of £2,250. (Hear, hear.) A great portion of that had been already subscribed for by Christian friends, and friends to education generally, and he trusted that the share which the congregation had to make up would be willingly and promptly given.

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The sixty-third annual conference of the ministers and members of the churches belonging to the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion, Sierra Leone, was held at Zion chapel, Freetown, on the 5th of July, 1855.

The following account of the meeting is extracted from "The New Era," published in the Colony.

"We experienced much pleasure in being present at the sixty-third annual Conference of the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion, held at Zion chapel, which was well attended, by several of the Clergy of other denominations, and a number of gentlemen, who took an active part in the proceedings of the evening. "The chair having been taken by the Honourable J. F. Smyth, the Colonial Secretary, as on several previous occasions, the meeting was opened by an appropriate hymn; after which the honourable gentleman in an elaborate speech explained the original establishment of the Society, by its noble and benevolent founder, testified to its importance from its high position as a branch of the evangelical church, and recommended the Society to the assistance of all true Christians.

"The report was then read by Mr. J. B. Elliott, the Secretary, and one of the lay-ministers of the Society, which was highly satisfactory, shewing the success that had attended the Society's labours in Freetown, several of the adjoining villages, and in the Sherbro and Timmanee countries, in the dissemination of the gospel, and in the establishment of schools for religious instruction. The state of their pecuniary resources were, however, far from encouraging, by which, also, much of their usefulness had been prevented in the wide field of labour that laid before them; but unlike many other self supporting religious associations, their financial statement showed that they had generally contrived to keep out of debt, tho' the balance in hand was certainly very small.

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The report, having been read, a collection was made in aid of the funds of the Society, after which the following resolutions, prefaced by appropriate addreses, were moved and seconded, and severally adopted: :

"Moved by the Honourable J. T. Commissiong,seconded by the Rev. Scipio Wright," That the report now read be adopted and published, under the direction of the Trustees."

"Moved by the Rev. G. Nicol, seconded by Mr. James Quaker,-"That this meeting desires to return thanks to Almighty God, for his mercies vouchsafed to the Connexion in this Colony, and resolves, by earnest supplication, to seek for a more copious outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the labours of its servants."

"Moved by the Rev. J. Reay, seconded by Mr. Ezzedio,"That this meeting desires to express its devout thankfulness to Almighty God for the openings which have presented themselves to the Agents of this Association in the Sherbro country, and resolves to encourage the Society to occupy that field of usefulness, in conjunction with other servants of the cross, already established there."

"Moved by the Rev. Mr. Dillon, seconded by Mr. J. B. Johnson,-"That an earnest appeal be made to the Ministers and Trustees of the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion, in England, for further support to enable the Association to continue with hope in the struggle which it has long had to maintain, in order to preserve its position, and pursue a course of usefulness, as a section of the Church of Christ."

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To the Countess of Huntingdon's Missionary Society.

Ashbourne, per Mrs. Hollis.

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Mr. Evans

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Mr. Beaumont Miss Phiffard Miss Lisset Miss Clark Miss S. Clark

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Sunday School

Cheltenham, per Miss Wake.

Yarmouth, per Rev. John Meffen.

Miss McVico

A. B.

1 11 2

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Sion Chapel, London, per Miss Dorvill.

Collected by Miss Price.

Mrs. Bowles Mr, Deffer Mr. Johnson

Mrs. Powell

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Mrs. Lisset

Mrs. Tipper

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Mrs, Deffee

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Spa Fields Chapel, Rev. T.E. Thoresby.

Ladies Auxiliary, per Mrs. Thoresby.. 10 7 2

Per Mrs. Willcocks.

Mr, Dix

Mrs. Dix

096

Mr. Willcocks

Collected by Miss Herring.

Mrs. Willcocks

Mis.Mears, 2 quarters

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Mr. Newling

Miss Roberts

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Mrs. Smith

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Collected by Miss Phiffard.

Worcester, Rev. T. Dodd.

Mr. Mann

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MARCH, 1856.

THE PERSONAL REIGN OF CHRIST AT JERUSALEM.

Zechariah xiv. 16.

TRUTH has nothing to fear from discus- | tabernacles, as it is stated in Zech. xiv. sion. While error seeks to hide itself in its own native darkness, truth courts the light, challenges the most searching investigation, and comes out of the ordeal, like gold out of the furnace, only purified of its dross. Like the noble-minded Bereans, let us search the Scriptures in simple dependance on the promised aid of God's Holy Spirit, prepared to embrace whatever is truth, and to renounce whatever is error.

But it will be said, there is no one error in Christendom, which its advocates have not sought to authenticate by some text of Scripture, even the absurdities of Mormonism are all attempted to be built upon the word of inspiration. But we invariably find that, the quotation is either one of acknowledged difficulty, or that it is viewed apart from its immediate connection, and from the general teaching of Holy Scripture. We need to bring not only honest but sober minds to the study of the Word of God, and to guard against deducing important conclusions from some tiny passage, forming a part it may be of one of the least understood portions of Holy Writ. It should also be borne in mind that, though we are necessarily called upon to receive many things on the authority of Scripture which are above reason, yet never that which is contrary to reason. Let us then test some views on prophecy by these sound, and only safe principles of interpretation.

It is said that the time is coming when all the nations of the world will go up from year to year to Jerusalem, to worship the Lord and to keep the feast of

16. But the difficulties involved in such a view of the passage are insuperable. For, in the first place, how could any one city contain within it all the nations of the globe? Think of the millions in Europe only, all congregated together within the walls of the Holy City! and then add to these the millions in Asiain Africa-in America-in the far distant isles of the sea! The answer probably will be, "The Bible says it, and that is enough for me." Now, it is clear that either this which we have been supposing will take place, or, that the passage is not rightly understood. One or other of these propositions must be the true one. But the first one is a positive impossibility, while the latter is by no means impossible. We are therefore bound in all reason to accept the possible rather than the impossible alternative. escape from this difficulty has been sought by saying that probably the nations will be represented by delegates. We reply first, this supposition is entirely without foundation, no mention whatever of delegates being made-secondly, who ever heard of any one being delegated to "worship" for another. This being a matter of personal religion could not be delegated; the benefit would be all on the side of the delegates-thirdly, this is not the teaching of Millenarians-it is a mere subterfuge to which few have recourse.

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But supposing it possible that Jerusalem could contain so vast a multitude, is it likely that God, our Heavenly Father, would ordain a law by which his children would be required, once every year to

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THE PERSONAL REIGN OF CHRIST AT JERUSALEM.

leave their far distant homes, some of them thousands of miles away, and traverse sea and land that they might spend a few days in worship at Jerusalem, and then to return? We have not so learnt the God of the Bible. We read of only one who had any notion of this kind, and whose thoughts were all about the place" where men ought to worship. “Ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." But Christ taught Samaria's daughter that "God is a Spirit," every where present, and therefore there is no needs be that people should undertake long and difficult journeys in order to worship"

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Him.

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Again, How can we account for the entire silence of the New Testament on this subject-with one remarkable_exception, our Lord's words," Believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain, NOR YET AT JERUSALEM worship the Father." Strange, that neither Christ nor his Apostles should have uttered a word on a subject of so much interest and importance. This is one of the strong pillars of Millenarianism-take it away, and the whole fabric falls. How comes it to pass, that if this be a good and wholesome doctrine for the church in our day, the Apostles did not think the same in regard to the church in their day? If it becomes the Christians in London, Edinburgh, and Dublin, to know these things, did it not also become the Christians in Rome, Corinth, and Ephesus, to know them?

What then is the meaning of the words in Zechariah? We cannot tell. The chapter throughout is allowed to be one of those scriptures which are "hard to be understood;" and therefore a positive conclusion cannot be fairly drawn from this passage, much less one involving an absurdity. That the meaning must be sought in a literal fulfilment, we have no doubt. The prophecy was delivered previous to the return from Babylon, and it may be that it primarily refers to events which were to take place after their return from captivity. Of the keeping of the feast of Tabernacles after the return we have a particular account in Nehem. viii. The " every one that was left" may refer in its primary sense to the "families" mentioned in the following verse, and which were "left" in Judæa (frequently called "the earth") by the nations that came up against Jerusalem. Now we may readily conceive of God

manifesting his care of these "families" who had become settlers in Canaan, by directing that they should be trained up in the knowledge and worship of the one true God. That the passage is also capable of a higher and spiritual sense, I think may be fairly inferred from the comment of the Apostle, though upon a different part of the history of ancient Israel;-"All these things happened unto them for ensamples (types) and they are written for our admonition."

Scripture is its own best interpreter, and therefore it is important that the Old Testament should be studied as much as possible in the light of the New. Not a few of the predictions of the former are clearly and definitely explained to us in the latter, and these again aid us in a right understanding of others. The comments of our Lord and his Apostles, being infallible truth, should be our starting points, and accepted, on all hands, as established facts and principles, upon which we may safely and confidently build. Our views of a particular passage may be mistaken,-Christ's never can. We do well, therefore, in reference to any Old Testament prophecy, first to enquire, what has Christ or his Apostles said about this? and thus going forth with the lamp of truth in our hands, we shall be much more likely to arrive at a correct conclusion than by following the glimmering light of our own feeble understandings. How many, through not taking heed to the "more sure word of prophecy" contained in the New Testament, have lost themselves in the labyrinths of human systems. Take an illustration :We read in Malachi, " Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, &c.," and our thoughts turn at once to John who was Christ's forerunner. But before laying it down as a settled fact that he is the person referred to by the prophet, we judge it safer first to enquire, what our Lord said about it? And we find him saying,-"Elias is indeed come' "This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger &c." Similar is the testimony of Matthew, Mark, and Luke;— likewise of Zacharias, and of the angel who appeared to him ;-and lastly of the Baptist himself; "and these are written that ye might believe." With such clear and unequivocal statements, who can doubt that John was the predicted forerunner? But O, the blinding and enslaving influence of system!—the Millenarian tells us that

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