In an interesting address, he welcomed to the west of England the Rev. John Kentish, whose presence was indeed a pleasure to the many who love and honour him, either from personal friendship, or from a knowledge of his many virtues and well earned reputation. Mr Wreford made some observations on the utility of Book and Tract Societies, dwelling particularly upon that the oldest of them all, which now celebrated its fiftieth anniversary; he spoke of the gratification which it afforded him to meet in his native county of Devon, that fairest of all England's provinces, on so interesting an occasion, so many valued friends, and especially his former estimable colleague at Birmingham, the father of the Society, who had now come back to this county of his early ministrations, to sanction with his presence and his counsels those plans and principles which he had advocated in youth. He alluded to the founders and first members of the Society, among whom were his own near relatives. He congratulated the Society on its present flourishing condition, contrasted the present auspicious circumstances with those under which the society was founded, and called upon his audience to promote the continued prosperity of the Society.

Charles Bowring, Esq. in conjunction with the Chairman, then proposed a special vote of 66 thanks to the Rev. John Kentish," not only for the valuable services which he had rendered to the Society that day, and on so many important occasions during half a century, but for his able and enlightened advocacy of the cause of scriptural Christianity and Christian benevolence throughout his long, useful and exemplary life.

Mr Kentish, with strong emotion, acknowledged the candour and kindness with which he had always been received by the Society, expressed his gratification at having been spared to see this day, and his thankfulness for having been favoured with any ability to serve the cause of truth and righteousness.

The chairman then proposed the subject of "Religious Liberty," and the Rev. G. Armstrong and the Rev. R. Gibson, both of Bristol, who for conscience sake had seceded from the ministry of the Established Church, were called on to address the meeting.

Mr Armstrong, at some length, entered on the subject so all important at the present crisis,—the authority claimed by the Church. He concluded an eloquent address with urging us to make our worship, in all its external circumstances, venerable and attractive, letting architecture, ornament, psalmody, &c. have due place in our regard. Thus, having truth within, and solemnity and dignity without, we should exhibit that vitality from the joint effect of both, from which great benefit would result.

Mr Gibson made some valuable observations on the present state of the Unitarian body.

The Rev. E. Whitfield made some seasonable and sensible remarks on the next sentiment "The cause of Unitarian Christianity."

"Our brethren in other countries," was responded to by the Rev. R. E. B. Maclellan, who spoke with much fervour, and instanced the noble exertions made at Geneva, in America, and in Ireland, for the extension of the rights of conscience, and the propagation of scriptural knowledge. He noticed at some length his proposed edition of the works of Channing.

"Our departed worthies," was feelingly and impressively dwelt on by the Rev. John Kentish. He spoke of his fathers and brethren in the ministry, who, fifty years ago, had united to form this valuable society, and gave a brief outline of its origin and history. To two honoured and beloved names, that of the late Rev. Timothy Kenrick, the first secretary, and one of the founders of the Society, and that of the late Dr Toulmin, he alluded with great feeling.

"The pious memory of the late Rev. Dr Carpenter," was then proposed from the chair, with powerful and touching effect, and was received, as desired, in solemn silence.

Dr W. B. Carpenter, of Bristol, spoke on the subject of "Liberal Education," and alluded to the great danger to be feared from the unceasing and widely extended efforts of the Church of England to monopolize as much as possible the education of the people. He pointed out the many ways in which this end was being steadily pursued, and expressed his earnest conviction, that, unless equal vigilance were shewn by the friends of free inquiry, that sacred cause would be very greatly retarded in its progress.

The evening was now far advanced, and it was necessary to close the proceedings, though several other gentlemen were expected to be called on. The Rev. H. Solly of Yeovil, however, in conclusion, addressed the meeting at some length, and with great earnestness, on various topics connected with our religious body, and urged the importance of adopting more popular measures for the propagation of our sentiments.

The business of the evening then closed; the thanks of the meeting being cordially given to Mr Acton for his excellent conduct in the chair. A fuller report of the interesting speeches delivered on this occasion would have been given, had notes been taken at the time.

Thus closed this memorable and interesting day, the proceedings of which gave general satisfaction, and afforded ample cause to every one present "to thank God and take courage.'

ANNIVERSARY OF THE MAlton and Welburn UnitARIAN CONGREGATIONS.-The anniversary proceedings of these two congregations were this year celebrated at Malton. The Rev. W. Duffield of Doncaster, conducted the religious services in the chapel at Malton, on Sunday the 7th August, preaching in the afternoon on the common Christianity of the different denominations of the followers of Jesus Christ; in the evening on the peculiarities of Unitarianism. On Monday the 8th, many friends from Welburn, York, Barton and other places, joined the Malton congregation, and the Rev. C. Wicksteed of Leeds preached in the afternoon. Above one hundred and sixty members of the congregations and their friends took tea together in the spacious Hall of the Mechanics Institution. After tea, Mr Duffield officiated in the chair, and availed himselt of several opportunities of addressing the meeting. The other speakers were Mr Wicksteed, Mr J. H. Fox, of York, Messrs D. Smith, Read, Watson, Kingston, and Frankland of Malton. The discourses on the two days, and the speeches after the tea meeting, were of a very instructive character and were heard attentively by large audiences. It is hoped and believed that the strong prejudice formerly felt in this neighbourhood against Unitarianism is considerably mitigated.

Malton, August 18. 1842.

TRIBUTE TO THE REV. ROBERT E. B. MACLELLAN.-The members of the Christian Unitarian Church, Bridport, lately presented their pastor with a massive and elegant Silver Tea Service, as a token of their esteem and attachment. The articles bore the following inscription :- "To the Rev. R. E. B. Maclellan, a Tribute of affectionate regard from his Bridport congregation.-August, 1842."

FATHER MATHEW'S VISIT TO GLASGOW.-It having been announced that the Very Reverend Theobald Mathew of Cork, was to preach on the opening of St Mary's new Catholic Chapel in Glasgow, August 15, the friends of Total Abstinence in that city resolved to do honour to this great advocate of the Temperance Reformation, by various public meetings. Tuesday, August 16, being the day appointed, the friends of this moral movement, in other places in Scotland, joined their Glasgow brethren. A special railway train conveyed about a thousand persons from Edinburgh and other places on the line, and a similar number were brought by the Ayrshire railway. The day was beautiful. Though opposed to processions, as vitiating to moral principle, by fostering in the people a love for gewgaws and pageantry, and consequently not joining in this

parade, yet we must confess, apart from some vain and useless frippery which was introduced on the occasion, the sight of several thousand individuals, in decent apparel, and of healthful appearance, testifying their advocacy of the abstinence principle, was very heart-cheering. Numerous bands of music were interspersed among the people, the procession, with Father Mathew at its head, extending upwards of a mile. After passing through the principal streets of Glasgow, the friends assembled on the Green, where hustings had been erected, on which it was intended to present addresses from various towns and societies to Father Mathew, and from which it was expected he would deliver his reply. At the time the procession arrived on the Green, a glorious spectacle was presented. The numbers present have been estimated by several of the newspapers as not fewer than forty thousand, and some consider they reached sixty or seventy thousand. The Argus newspaper states, "The hustings were densely crowded, and among those present, we observed a number of the Catholic clergymen from a distance; Rev. P. Brewster of Paisley, Rev. George Harris, and other friends of Temperance."

The meeting, however, was destined to experience grievous disappointment. The Captain of Police, who marshalled the procession, pronounced it to be impossible to obtain access through the crowd for Father Mathew to the hustings, and his carriage at length drove off to another part of the city, where thousands had congregated to receive at his hand the Abstinence pledge. We think there was no insurmountable difficulty, and lament the deficiency of arrangement on the part of the Glasgow brethren, in this and other portions of the day's proceedings. After a few brief addresses, the crowd dispersed; and it was afterwards stated, that, between this period and that of the assembling of the party in the evening, the pledge had been administered to about ten thousand people.

At half-past five, about eight hundred persons, male and female, sat down to tea in the City Hall. We take the following account from the Argus newspaper, of August 18: "The Chair was occupied by Mr Anderson, and on the platform were seated Father Mathew, the Rev. P. Brewster, Rev. George Harris, Rev. Mr Enraght, Rev. Mr Mason, and various other gentlemen known for their adherence to Temperance principles. After a few observations by the chairman, an Address from the West of Scotland Temperance Union to Father Mathew was read amidst the loud plaudits of the meeting, and Mr Mathew replied. [We had intended inserting the reply in this Number, but must defer it to our next].

THE

CHRISTIAN PIONEER.

No. 195.

NOVEMBER 1842.

VOL. XVI.

THE URGENT DEMAND MADE FOR THE DISSEMINATION OF ENLIGHTENED AND EARNEST VIEWS OF CHRISTIANITY BY THE PRESENT STATE OF OPI

NION.

WHILE SO many great and important changes in opinion are going on around us, it becomes a question of paramount importance, in what situation do they place us as Christian philanthropists? That they are uniformly of such a kind as to encourage the hopes of the benevolent, very few will maintain. Two movements, of a widely different description, and both to be almost equally regretted, must be very obvious to all. The withering influence of atheism is spreading its baleful effects on the one hand; while the benumbing power of a gloomy theology is again asserting its ancient sway over the minds of the timid and fearful, whom a prevailing unbelief has driven under its dominion. In the crisis which seems approaching, one of these contending forces must for a time prevail, if the friends of rational Christianity do not hold it up to guide the doubting, and cheer the desponding, and enlighten the bewildered, and arrest in their onward career the maddened and the impious. There can, in such a conflict as appears to be pending, be no middle course; we must either enlist heart and hand in the ranks of those who hold their allegiance firm to their Maker, and use manfully those polished and tempered weapons wherewith we are furnished; or, standing by idle, though no unconcerned spectators of the strife, we may be borne unnoticed back by the retiring and broken bands of our discomfited, because mistaken, fellow Christians.