Spirit of Beauty! thou teachest us sweetly; Pouring out song as the sun pours his rays." We suppose this is to be sung instead of "Come Holy Spirit come!" as perhaps he would have us give up"Captain of our enlisted host," for such downright and irreverent drivel as we find in hymn 55— I have a Captain, and the heart Has drunk in valour from his eyes He is most merciful in fight, Into a flame can fan. This is quite enough to shew the character of the volume, the rest is neither much better nor much worse. For a hymn book Mr. L's little volume has rather a curious ending. "L'Envoi," from which we quote three very self-complacent verses, speaking to his book, he says A sanctity is in thy page, That thou may'st cheer the pilgrimage For dusky earth can take a light Go forth, O Book! baptized with tears; With love thou shalt be blest; And meekly do thy best. Go like a bark, nor fear the sea; Of hearts with faith like thine; Heaven's smiles upon it shine. In this L'Envoi, three things strike us, first, that it sounds like a very loud cockle of a very small egg. Second, that the remark concerning the book being secure of the approval of those only whose faith is even as Mr. Lynch's, is very significant, and thirdly, that when the author deprecates or defies criticism, he may remember that some men are as much below criticism as others are above it. God grant that the day may never come when such pseudo-spiritualizings as these may displace the old songs of Zion! THE CONTROVERSY ON IMPORTANT THEOLOGICAL QUESTIONS, between the Eclectic Review, the Rev. Newman Hall, Rev. Thomas Binney, and other Ministers of the Gospel, on the one side, and Mr. James Grant, Editor of the Morning Advertiser, on the other. We are far from countenancing a disposition to condemn men of standing in the church for every act which may not quadrate with our own notions of propriety or rigid orthodoxy. Where the vitality of christian truth is preserved, we are willing to allow its various modes of development; and, in criticism of works of genius, we would be careful not to bind that which God has not bound. Had therefore the Author of poems to which this controversy refers appeared simply as a secular or morally sentimental writer of its rhymes, and not proposed the offerings of an agreeable though rather a feeble muse as a hymn book for the house of God as well as for the chamber, and as a contribution to christian poetry, a reviewer might, with impunity, have given him a qualified notice. The case however is greatly altered when the work assumes the form of a book of devotion to aid the christian in the acts of praising God his Saviour in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs. And the assumption becomes proper to be allowed, when fifteen ministers of high respectability endeavour to parry off the stroke which, we conceive, a righteous zeal for Evangelical religion and a sound judgment, would inflict upon it. So far therefore as we are able to determine we are compelled to thank the Editor of the Morning Advertiser for his exposure of an insidious evil, and to express regret, that fifteen of our esteemed brethren should by an excess of charity and personal affection attempt to force on the public mind, for christian worship, a book so defective, so copious in its negative bill of fare, as Dr. Johnson would say, so much more suited to the Pantheist than to the blood-bought eliever in the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. We feel much grieved as well as scandalized, at seeing the name of any one brought up under a minister of the Connexion, and educated in the College of the Countess of Huntingdon, and that of the successor of the Rev. Rowland Hill, laying themselves open to the suspicion of having the least tendency of kindly feeling towards the withering, freezing, deathly scheme of the pseudounitarian. We trust this error of friendship, not of calm judgment, will be acknowledged by all the parties whom it concerns. Our space forbids enlargement, or this work rendered notorious by the accidental kindness of his Reviewer and the friends, and which but for this accident would, like many a struggling plant, have hardly penetrated the soil and been visible. Passing by therefore all minor considerations we desire to express a hope that both the Reviewer and the fifteen will be more careful in future of their critical patronage. We tremble for the cause of the Gospel, as far as man is concerned, when we see any thing like neutrality on the great doctrines of Revelation-any attempt to present to a Righteous God, a sacrifice without blood-the more so as the National Church has already too great a supply of this kind of scepticism in her Universities and in many of her temples to need the aid of the Nonconformists-of men who in their writings and in their preaching should be valiant for the truth, as it is in Jesus, the Gospel which is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. Conceal or lower the characteristic doctrines of the word of life, so well stated in the British Banner in a series of able articles on Nonconformist theology,-and the moral atmosphere of our churches will become more and more charged with pestilence and death, unpierced by the vivifying rays of the Sun of Righteous General Sutelligence. DAY OF THANKSGIVING. It would have been a sad termination of the eventful struggle in which we have been engaged, if the peace rejoicings had not been preceded by a day of national thanksgivings. Such a day was appointed; but there were circumstances connected with it which caused great dissatisfaction in many quarters. It was rather extorted from the government than freely and spontaneously given; the day was so hastily decided upon that it came upon the majority of the people by surprise; and the special forms prepared for the services in the Established Church were altogether unworthy of the occasion. The past disasters do not appear to have taught our senators the terrible lessons which they evidently inculcate on the nation. The hand of God can be clearly discerned in the various events which took place. As in the case of the Jews of old, their successes and disasters were just in proportion to their faithfulness to God; so our successes and disasters have been in proportion to our faith in God and obedience to his laws. When we fervently prayed for the divine blessing to accompany our troops, it was vouchsafed to us-and no enterprise could have succeeded more favourably; but when we became proud of our success and boasted of the prowess of our arms, an unseen hand paralyzed our efforts, and wasted our troops. When again we humbled ourselves, God smiled upon us, and brought order out of confusion and strength out of weakness, and at length gave us peace; but no sooner do we enjoy the blessing than we refuse to render thanks for the gift, or we present them in such a manner as can never render them acceptable to God. There is a disposition on the part of our rulers to follow in the same path which has brought the overthrow of mighty nations; and May God mercifully continue to us in the christian should never cease to pray increasing energy a ministry, which, that we may possess that righteousness blessed by the Holy Spirit, shall power- which alone can prevent us being intoxifully debase the sinner, exalt the Saviour, cated with pride and worldly prosperity, and promote holiness. May no amount and eventually becoming the prey of some of natural and acquired talent, no youthful power which is now rising. amiableness of manner, no worldly consideration whatever, be the price for which our Colleges, our Churches, and our literature shall sell the word of the truth of the Gospel. ness. THE SUNDAY BANDS. We have another indication of the temper and spirit of our rulers in the manner in which they have dealt with the question of providing music for the people on Sunday. It was in direct opposition to the expression of opinion in the House of Commons, that Sir B. Hall undertook to provide bands in Kensington Gardens. That was evidently but the first step towards the accomplishment of a great scheme to introduce a continental mode of Sabbath observance. Emboldened by his first effort, he presumed too much on the acquiescence of the nation, and extended his efforts to Hyde Park and Victoria Park; and there can be no question that if these had been passed by in silence, a still greater innovation would be attempted. The nation rose, and grew uneasy; the Archbishop of Canterbury interposed; Lord Palmerston, with his sagacious eye, saw the storm rising, and issued orders for the music to cease, and left the aged primate to bear the brunt of the popular rage which such a sudden stoppage was likely to occasion. The matter will not end here; but we do not expect that the decision of the Premier will be reversed by any demonstration of the people. The mob, strictly speaking, care little for music; but touch their beer and they will contend for it to the last. A few meetings a little angry correspondence -a final attempt to reestablish it-and then the people will see that the Sabbath which has been religiously observed in this country since the days of Cromwell, cannot be turned in a day into a time of pleasure and gaiety. The friends of religion must be on the alert, and watch carefully every attempt made to subvert the holy day of rest. THE MOUNT OF OLIVES. There appears to be a great desire on the part of some of the wealthy Jews to obtain possession of Palestine, and many are waiting for a favourable opportunity of returning to the land of their ancestors. The Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem, has been lately purchased by a Madame Polack, the widow of a wealthy banker of the Hebrew persuasion at Konigsberg in Prussia. This lady intends to beautify the place, and improve the whole neighbourhood at her sole expense. The first thing she has done has been to plant the whole area with groves of olive trees, and thus to restore it to that original state from which it derives The olive tree thrives well in that locality, and though it takes many years before arriving at a state of matu its name. rity, and sixteen years before bearing any fruit at all, it requires but little or no tending, and lasts for several hundred years. Perhaps the example of this Jewish lady will be followed by other wealthy Jews, who, as they have an opportunity, will purchase parts of the Holy Land. DISCOVERIES IN JERUSALEM. A Scotch gentleman last year was visiting Jerusalem, when a Hebrew informed him that there were extensive quarries beneath the city, and that there was undoubted evidence that the stones employed in the building and rebuilding of the Temple were obtained from these quarries. His informant offered to guide him to the spot where the opening was, about 150 yards to the east of Damascus gate. It seemd like the burrow of some wild animal; there was no rubbish above the opening, but some tall grass and weeds. The party, among whom were some ladies, were furnished with candles and descended the opening with considerable difficulty. Mr. Douglas says, "When fairly inside we found ourselves in an immense vault, and standing upon the top of a pile which was very evidently formed by the accumulation of minute particles from the final dressings of the blocks of stone. On descending this pile, we entered, through a large arch, into another vault, equally vast, and separated from the first by enormous pillars. This vault or quarry, led, by a gradual descent, into another and another; each separated from the other by massive stony partitions which had been left to give additional strength to the vaulted roofs. In some of the quarries the blocks of stone which had been quarried out lay partly dressed; in some the blocks were still attached to the rock; in some the workmen had just commenced chiselling; and in some the architect's line was distinct on the smooth face of the wall of the quarry. The mode in which the blocks were got out was similar to that used by the ancient Egyptians. The architect first drew the outline of the blocks on the face of the quarry; the workmen then chiselled them out in their whole thickness, separating them entirely from each other, and leaving them attached by their backs only to the solid wall. They were then detached by cutting a passage behind them, which, whilst it separated the blocks, left them rougly dressed, and left the wall prepared for further operations. We remarked the similarity between the stones chiselled out in these quarries, and the few blocks of stone built into the South-east corner of the wall of Jerusalem, which are so remarkable for their size, their weatherworn appearance, and the peculiar ornamentation of their edges. We spent between two and three hours in these quarries. Our examinations were, however, chiefly on the side towards the valley of Jehoshaphat. Our guide stated, that more to the westward was a quarry of the peculiar reddish marble so commonly used as pavement in the streets of Jerusalem. From the place where we entered, ths descent was gradual; between some of the quarries, however, there were broad flights of steps, cut out of the solid rock. I had no means of judging of the distance between the roofs of the vaults and the streets of the city, except that from the descent the thickness must be enormous. The size and extent of these excavations fully bore out the opinion that they had yielded stone enough to build not only the Temple, but the whole of Jerusalem.' The situation of these quarries, the mode by which the stones were got out, and the evidence that the stones were fully prepared and dressed before being removed, may illustrate the scripture, 2 Chron. ii. 18. "And he (Solomon) set three score and ten thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and four score thousand to be hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people a work." And again 1 Kings vi. 7. "And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither; so that there was neither hammer nor axe, nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building." Connexion Intelligence. TO THE EDITOR OF THE HARBINGER. Sir,-One wise man says there is not only a time to be silent but "a time to speak." Another says, "O that mine enemy would write a book." Both these remarks have been very forcibly impressed upon my mind by perusing "The Annual Report of the Trustees of the Connexion. I could also "report" as to several of the stations included in their Trust, where to my mind there savours strongly of "death in the pot," but a few remarks on the Trustees' address and the balance sheet, will probably occupy as much space as you can spare in your valuable Magazine. 1st. Preston Chapel. Was not this chapel purchased partly by shares, and by the donations of friends, with the view of its being a Connexion chapel? If so, Have the Trustees a right to sell at all. If they can sell one chapel, why not sell all the chapels, and begin with Sion? which appears, by their statement, to cost about £250 per year. But even if they have a right to sell, surely they should scarcely wait for the question, "Tell us whether ye sold the land for so much." The transaction should explain itself in the balance sheet, instead of being explained away by the mysterious phraseology used in the address. After the "little affairs" of A-1 P-1 and L-e one would imagine the Trustees would remember the old adage, "Cæsar's wife should be above suspicion.' 2nd. Why should a hard-working pains-taking brother like S. T. Gibbs, be dismissed from the Trustees Connexion, because he has in the course of providence been called to sojourn for a time a few days' journey from London? Almost his last wish expressed to his brethren at the Conference was to remain always a minister in the Connexion. This summary and unjust way of dealing with a christian brother is somewhat startling when we still perceive in the list of so called Connexion ministers the names of J. W. James, W. Lucy, W. A. Hurndall, all of whom have officially requested their names to be withdrawn from the Conference list; two of whom have ceased all connection with us. 3rd. New Trustees. What is meant by position and character? Mr. Arundell and Sir J. D. Paul were supposed to possess both. Alas! 4th. Scripture Readers in Ireland. From the accounts which are published, without auditors, it appears that the Funded property is fast diminishing. 5th. Balance sheet. At some future time, doubtless, attention will be called to the unique method of Trustees being their OWN AUDITORS. One item in the accounts is worthy of notice-"Interest on loan" £160. Did Dr. Ford intend his money to go in that way? Mr. Flanders, our late treasurer, used to explain this transaction as follows. Some 30 years ago one of the present Trustees accounts showed an advance of £3000 at interest, which he agreed with his CoTrustees to dispose of by his receiving £150 per annum for his life, and after his death £1000 to be paid to his Executors. Mr. Flanders always expressed his conviction that this was an improper transaction, and that in the eye of the law it was null, questioning if Trustees had a right to be beneficially interested in funds which they administered. Up to the present time about £5000 has been paid in the shape of interest. 6th. Provident Fund. When this fund was established, and during the time it was accumulating by Connexional means to its present amount, was it supposed that a clause would subsequently be introduced which would exclude bona fide Connexion ministers, such as Revs. Hollis, Lewis, Thoresby, Mitchell, cum multis aliis. 66 JUSTITIA. Sir, I was much pleased with the sensible letter signed Abel," in your magazine for February, by which it appears there is some misunderstanding existing between the Trustees and Ministers of our Connexion. This is to be regretted, but if these gentlemen are attempting to aspire to any undue power, I am not surprised that the ministers should oppose their claims. The age of ecclesiastical despotism is, I trust, rapidly passing away, and anything like a return to such a system either in civil or religious matters, must be at once resisted. My apprehensions that such is the case are somewhat confirmed in looking through the Trustees' Report, which appears in last month's Harbinger, where I find their accounts (if I mistake not) are audited by themselves. Now, Sir, in worldly matters, this is what we never allow, and I am not sure that a Court of Equity would permit Trustees to audit their own accounts. Let the ministers and laymen in the Connexion therefore be firm in keeping the Trustees right on these and other points, and all, by God's blessing, will go on well. "I remain yours respectfully, AN OLD SUBSCRIBER. THE CORONET & THE CROSS. Sir, I am happy to see by the announcement in the Harbinger that a cheap Memoir of Lady Huntingdon is about being published. This is a work which has long been wanted; the present Life and Times of the Countess, however excellent, is not suited to the generality of readers, and is by far too expensive for most people to purchase. Will you permit me to suggest the propriety of the monthly numbers at about sixpence each, forthcoming work being published in to be completed in some ten or twelve parts. I have no doubt but this plan would meet the views of many of our friends, and be the means of obtaining be quite prepared to take some fifty copies monthly in our schools and congregations here to begin with. for it an extensive circulation. We shall I remain yours obediently, ASHBOURNE. The annual sermons on behalf of the Sabbath School connected with Sion Chapel, were preached on April the 27th, 1856, by the Rev. H. Ollard, of Derby. The subject in the Morning, was taken from Philippians iv. 19. And in the Afternoon, from 1 Chronicles xxviii. 9. And in the Evening from Numbers xx. 22-29. The attendance was good, and the collections amounted to over £8. BRISTOL. Mr. Eastmead, Student of Cheshunt College, has accepted an invitation to settle at the Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel, Bristol, and will enter on his duties in July. It gives us much pleasure to find one of our own Students appointed to this important sphere. Most sincerely do we wish our young Brother success in this his first charge, and let him rest assured that he will go with the earnest prayers of the Ministers of the Connexion, that he may be made eminently useful in winning souls to Christ. |