only arrest attention, they may introduce now and then something of the pure Gospel, and that, the ear once open to listen, the heart may also at length be moved to attend. Meanwhile, they give themselves to the one work of making their sermons lively, and the public service acceptable. They count nothing, perhaps, below the dignity of the pulpit.

All this is natural, only we all need to remember that it is possible in making sermons lively to take out all their life, and that in seasoning our preaching for the world's palate, we may be robbing it of all the pungency of the salt of grace. Need I say how prone the Church is to measure success by numbers, and to idolise it, however vain? how often the ministry that draws by show and noise is preferred to the ministry that is only spiritual and

THE MOTHER'S DAY-DREAM.

A MOTHER Sat at her sewing,

But her brow was full of thought; The little one playing beside her, Her own sweet mischief brought A book on the chair lay near her, 'Twas open, I strove to see, At the old Greek artist's story, "I paint for eternity."

So I fancied all her dreaming;
I watched her serious eye

instructive; how many churches there are where no mighty works are done, for want, as they think, of more attractive music, or, it may be, wider seats, or a nicer minister. In a day gone by, though still lingering in certain districts, we ran into the other extreme, and supposed that GOD was likely to bless us in proportion to our ignorance, or the meanness and discomfort of our places of worship. We ought to avoid both mistakes. We ought to make God's house attractive; but, on the other hand, we must remember that, while comfort and taste may draw men to the house of God and produce some impressions, it is only the Gospel that can save them. We have all felt that truth is mightiest when, forgetting all the circumstances of our worship, we think only of the SAVIOUR it reveals. ANGUS.

As the 'broidery dropped from her fingers, And she heaved a heart-felt sigh.

She drew the little one nearer,

And looked on the sunny face,

Swept the bright curls from the open brow, And kissed it with loving grace.

And the thought, "I too am an artist"; My life-work here I see;

This sweet, dear face, my hand must trace,
I must paint for eternity.

Hence each dark passion shadow!
Pain's deeply graven lines!
Her's must be the reflected beauty,
That from the pure heart shines.
But how shall I blend the colours,
How mingle the light and shade,
Or arrange the weird surroundings,
The future has arrayed?

O, life, thou hast weary night falls,
And days all drear that be,

But from thy darkness, marvellous grace
Wilt thou evoke for me?

Alas, that I am but a learner!

So where shall I make me wise,
Or obtain the rare old colours,
The Master's precious dyes?

I must haste to the fount of beauty,
Must earnestly kneel at his feet,
And crave, 'mid his wiser scholars,
The humblest pupil's seat.

Then hand and heart together,

Some grace shall add each day;
Thus, thus, shall her face grow lustrous
With beauty that cannot decay.
My darling! God guide my pencil,

And grant me the vision to see,

In the light of his love, without blemish or In the coming eternity.

[stain.

Then the mother awoke from her day-dream,

Her face grew bright again,

And I knew her face was strengthened

By more than angels' ken.

Her fingers flew the faster,

As she sang a soft sweet song;

It seemed like a prayer, for the child so fair, As it thrilled the air along.

THE BUTTERFLY'S WINGS. WILLIE had come to visit his cousin Ada, and they both were walking in the garden one fine morning, when a gay butterfly flew round them, attracting Ada's notice by its brilliant colours of various hues.

"Oh, what a beautiful butterfly!" she exclaimed.

"I'll catch it!" cried Willie; and instantly taking off his cap, he pursued it as it flew from flower to flower.

"Oh, Willie, pray don't! you will hurt

it," cried Ada, running after him, and laying her hand on Willie's arm. But Willie took no notice; like many other little boys, he thought only of gratifying his own desire, regardless of the pain he might cause the poor butterfly.

At length he brought it to the ground, too much injured to fly again, and then, taking it by its downy wings, he ran to Ada, exclaiming,

"Here it is! caught at last; look, Ada!"

"Poor little thing: what a pity!"

"Tush, Ada! don't make such a fuss. But, look, all the colour is gone from its wings, it's no use now," and he threw it on the ground impatiently.

"Oh, Willie, why leave it half dead? See, it is trying to crawl along. Poor little thing! I'll put you out of misery." So saying, Ada set her foot upon it, and covered it with gravel; then, taking her little hoe, she went to work at the weeds, sighing to herself, "I wonder how Willie could be so cruel."

Ada was a loving, gentle child; and so she could not bear to see anything put to unnecessary pain. Willie was naturally lively and thoughtless, and often acted more from impulse than any vicious motive.

"Willie," said Ada, as though she wished to find some excuse for his conduct, "you did not know that what looks like dust on the butterfly's wings are feathers, did you?"

"No, indeed," exclaimed Willie, looking at his fingers. "Who told you that these are feathers, Ada?'

"Mother did. will fetch the magnifier, and we will go into the arbour, then you can look at the dust on your fingers through it."

"Oh, Ada! I had no idea that butterflies were so beautiful," said Willie, after he had examined them some time.

Everything God has made is beautiful, Willie; and don't you think He will be displeased with us if we destroy wantonly what He has made?"

"But a butterfly is such a little thing, Ada. I don't thing God cares for them." "Oh, Willie! I'm sure God cares for all His works! for in the Testament we read that not a sparrow falleth to the ground without His notice.'”

66

The boys at school don't think anything of chasing butterflies, Ada; they would laugh if you said it would hurt them. Do you really think they feel pain?"

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Certainly they do, Willie; don't you think it would hurt you if any strong man were to take you by the hair, and drag you about? Or, suppose some rough boy knocked down your dove as it flew, and then held it up by its wings and pulled

66

'Stop, stop, Ada!" interrupted Willie ; "if any boy dared to use my dove so, I don't know what I should do." And he jumped up and looked quite fierce for a minute. 66 But, Ada, my dove is much larger than a butterfly," argued Willie, not willing to be convinced by his cousin.

"Willie, you ought to know that everything can feel, however small; and, as God made His creatures to enjoy themselves, we must not put them to pain.'

Then said Willie with a sigh, "But how is it you know so much, Ada?

"Mother teaches me, Willie; and she often says it is the duty of every one to prevent suffering as much as possible, and by no means to give the least unnecessary pain. Do you remember those verses we learnt last week on kindness to animals?" "Yes; say them, Ada."

"The Lord, who gives us daily bread,
Supplies their wants, and hears their cry,
And every wrong which they endure
Is marked by His paternal eye.
And should you cruelly betray

Your trust o'er those who can't complain,
Beware, the measures that you mete
May be returned to you again.
Some sorrow, toil, or suffering,
Must needs be, in this world below;
But let your earnest life-work be
To soothe, to heal, to lighten woe."
"Isn't that beautiful, Willie?" said
Ada, when she had finished.

"Yes, very. I wish I had some one to teach me, Ada; but my mother is dead, and father is always out; so I never thought about these things till you told me. I'm sure I'll never chase another butterfly, Ada."

Little Gleaner.

GRANDPA'S PICTURES. "Grandma," said Willie, " see what a funny picture this is. I found it, and ever so many more, in an old box in the attic. I wanted Jane to tell me about it, but she said she was too busy cleaning the house, and that I wouldn't understand it if she did; that it was such an oldfashioned looking thing, she scarcely knew what it was herself.

"Won't you please tell me Grandma ? Jane said she guessed they all came from

some old book that was made before the flood; but I should think it would have been drowned, unless Noah took it in the Ark with him. Did he, Grandma ?'

"No, my dear," said Mrs Radcliff, "it belonged to your Grandpa, who is now in heaven; and I must first go and see that Jane does not disturb the box of books that were so precious to him!"

Soon Mrs. R. returned, and said, "Now Willie, bring me the picture, and tell me what you want to know."

66

Why, sce Grandma, here is a soldier! I dont know whether he is a rebel, or one of our officers, or what; for he's got the strangest clothes on that I ever saw-they look so stiff! There's a thing in his hand that looks like mother's silver salver, and there are words printed on his hat, his sword, his belt, and all over his vest."

"Let me see,' said Mrs. Radcliff; "O yes, that is the christian soldier. The Apostle Paul tells us to prepare ourselves with the same dress." (Eph. vi. 13.)

"Why, grandma, I'm sure I can never dress like that, for I have no such clothes, and I never saw any such to be bought in shops. What makes them look so queer?"

"Because they are made of steel."

"Of steel! iron do you mean? I never heard of such a thing. I shouldn't think he could bend his knees or arms."

"But they are all jointed, and some parts made of small pieces and linked together. Long ago they were worn in times of war, so that if the enemy struck with a sword, or pierced with a spear, the person wearing this coat of mail was protected. The metal cap upon his head is called a helmet, and upon it, in the picture, is written Salvation. The part that you

call a vest is a breast-plate; the word upon it is righteousness. That which the soldier has in his hand is a shield, to hold before him when the darts of the enemy are hurled towards him, and it bears the word faith; and upon his belt is inscribed the word truth."

'Well, grandma, what about our wearing it?" said Willie.

"I do not mean that Paul really wanted us to wear that very dress; but as a soldier is in this way prepared for war against an enemy, so he taught us to be prepared against Satan, the worst of all enemies. We are told in the Bible that he sends forth temptations like fiery darts; and lest they injure us, we should have on the whole armour of God: the helmet of salvation-the breast-plate of righteousness-our loins girt about with truth, and the shield of faith. (Eph. vi.) As this soldier has a sword, we are told to carry with us the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, we need not fear what Satan tries to do. It will not do to have one or two parts of this armour only; it must be entire, or wherever it is wanting, Satan will there send a dart which will pierce us.

"Now Willie," continued Mrs R., "you said you could not buy this dress. You could not my boy; but if you are led by the grace of God to seek and pray for it, he will give it you without money and without price. Many who have heard of this armour, think there is no danger to them, and they go forth into life without it; but Satan overcomes them and makes one a drunkard, one a thief, one a Sabbathbreaker, one a murderer, &c., Put on therefore, the whole armour of God."

on

Christian Churches. By WILLIAM NORTON.

DR. ANGUS says many good things in this address, things which we believe he would not have said ten years ago, things too that have greatly offended some of his Pædobaptist friends, and even some of the Loose Baptists, who, if any thing is uttered against Infant Sprinkling, are ready to faint, and "die of a rose in aromatic pain." We deeply regret however that his severity, if it may be so called, seems like that of a disappointed lover. He, in common with

many others, has been wooing Pædobaptists for many years, but they won't come into their embraces--they are very coy, and stand aloof; at any rate they won't hear any thing about marriage, except on their own terms, which like a Bridgenorth election are all one way. The deeds of settlement must all be in their favour, and the naughty, to them knotty, subject of Believer's Baptism kept in everlasting abeyance, or buried in eternal silence. Much as the good Doctor would like the alliance, the terms may be too hard. It is possible to drive even an enthusiastic lover to desperation, and lead him to say hard things of her whom he once thought almost perfection itself, or to begin to think a little about his own dignity, and claims. Under these circumstances Dr. Angus says some hard things about Pædobaptism, and some good things about Baptism as a PRESENT NECESSITY, &c. But he, of course, has not yet seen the folly of his former overtures, nor the wisdom of their entire repudiation. If these failures should open the eyes of Dr. Angus and others to the real truth as brought out in Mr. Norton's able pamphlet, we shall most heartily rejoice in the issue. Mr. Norton's pamphlet is calm, clear, logical, and convincing. We have not seen any thing equal to it since Dr. Howell's unanswerable work on Communion, to which, as far as we know, no open communionist has attempted a reply. We hope Dr. Angus will give this pamphlet a candid examination. That he may find some things to which plausible objections may be raised is quite possible, that he can fairly refute it we believe impossible, as its main principles are founded on a

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rock. Mr. Norton, referring to Dr. Angus's own sentiments, says, "As to Christ's right to rule in his own kingdom," it is an inconsistency to maintain that "the government" and "the constitution of christian churches are simply the supremacy of divine law," (Dr. Angus, p. 39, 68,) and yet to make it a rule that God's subjects are to be "free" to set aside and violate every positive rule which he has instituted with respect to the constitution and government of his churches; thus making error supreme, and the will of Christ subordinate to the will of Satan, p. 55.

Open Communionism as certainly sets the church above Christ, as Popery and Puseyism do. The real church is not a legislative, but an executive body. It is not hers to make laws, but to obey them. When she eliminates the essentials from the non-essentials, she assumes the functions of a judge, as Mr. Norton shews, which in such a case is equivalent to a lawmaker, while her true position is that of a law-doer.

We rejoice in the spirit displayed by Mr. Norton. Differing as we do from Dr. Angus, it would have pained us to find him treated in any other way than in true courtesy. As a scholar, a gentleman, and a christian, he deserves well of mankind, and especially of his fellow christians, though we regret that his fine and powerful mind, like many others, has been warped by Hallism. We earnestly trust that if the controversy continue, the same spirit will be continued. We heartily commend this pamphlet to every Baptist in the three kingdoms, and indeed throughout the world.

sight to perceive that it is its "last time," for other projects of violence, of a like nature, were only nipped in the bud by the vigilance of the civil authorities. The towns of Reggio, Rimini and Brescia were thus marked for attack. On the doors of Protestant places of worship in Florence where the ominous word "Barletta 99 was found inscribed, the government ordered guards to be stationed at them as a precaution against violence.

PARLIAMENTARY OATH.--The following is the exact form of the uniform oath to

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be taken by the members of both Houses of Parliament under the new Act: "I., A. B., do swear that I will be faithful, and bear true allegiance to her majesty Queen Victoria, and I do faithfully promise to maintain and support the succession to the crown as the same stands limited and settled by virtue of the act passed in the reign of king William III, intituled 'An act for the further limitation of the crown and better securing of the rights and liberties of the subject, and the subsequent acts of union with Scotland and Ireland.'" If any member sits or votes without taking this oath, he is liable to a penalty of £500, to be recovered by action; and, if a member of the House of Commons, his seat will be vacated in the same manner as if he were dead.

THE QUALIFICATION FOR OFFICES BILL, by which Dissenters are freed from the obligation to take oaths relative to the Church of England, on taking certain offices, has passed through both Houses of Parliament and is now law. Thus, one after another, those ecclesiastical turnstiles which the church has been so fond of setting up in front of offices and privileges which should be open to the nation at large, are being removed, not by violence, but by the force of public opinion in the direction of complete religious freedom and equality.

The Bill introduced

CHURCH-RATES. by Mr. Hardcastle, the principle of which was assented to by the government on the second reading, has now been superceded by a Bill emanating from the government itself. It was introduced by Mr. Gladstone on Tuesday May 8th, in a generous speech. Its purport is, first, to abolish compulsory rating; second, to enable churchmen to raise funds among themselves in the old form; third, to require Dissenters to renounce any interference in the ecclesiastical affairs of the parish, while yet retaining all their secular parish rights. The Bill appears likely to pass the House of Commons by a large majority, in which case the House of Lords, which has lately been singularly conceding in ecclesiastical matters, may interpose no further obstacle to a settlement of this long agitated question. Mr. Bright has made a very sensible proposal that the abolition of Easterofferings should be included in this

by his friends to present him with a testimonial for his long services to Nonconformists generally. Accordingly, at a breakfast meeting held at Radley's Hotel, on Monday, May 13th, a cheque for £3,000 was presented to him. Mr. S. Morley presided, and Messrs. E. Miall, H. Allon, T. Binney, Dr. Raleigh, John Sloughton, Newman Hall, C. E. Mudie and others spoke in congratulatory and eulogistic terms of Dr. Vaughan's character and

career.

The

THE CONGREGATIONAL UNION held its sittings on May 8th and 11th, at Weigh House Chapel, and discussions took place of a very significant character. question was mooted as to the right of "Union Churches," i.e., churches based on the principle, (or no principle) of declaring baptism to be an open question," should be allowed to unite with the Congregational Union. This raised another point, viz., whether individual ministers taking the same view of Baptism should be admitted as members of the Union. Mr. E. White, of Hawley Road Chapel, has stated the result of his application to be thus admitted, and his views on the subject generally, in a remarkable letter to the Patriot and Non-conformist newspapers, in which he forcibly argues that the only logical basis for the separate existence of Baptists, as such, is the principle of strict communion.

DEAN STANLEY was entertained at a breakfast given by the chairman of the Congregational Union, Mr. Newman Hall, at Surrey Chapel, on Saturday morning, May 12th, together with many other celebrities, literary, political, and religious. This is the last, but not the least of the many fraternizations that have taken place of late.

CHAPEL DEEDS.-We have before called attention to Mr. Hatfield's act for the enrolment of certain deeds, including Chapel Deeds. All such deeds not enrolled before the 16th May just passed, will be declared invalid.

A CANADIAN BAPTIST HISTORICAL SOCIETY has been formed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a library, or depository of books, pamphlets, periodicals, manuscripts, portraits, views, &c., pertaining either to the past history, or present condition of the Baptist Denomination generally, and in Canada in particular, and to collect and preserve all works written by Baptists, either for or against Baptist Faith and practice. A very wise scheme, deserving imitation in England.