and thirsting for the food of their souls, and they are not sent empty away. Their sweet experience tells them, that the Lord is not a barren wilderness or a land of drought. The wicked world may laugh at it; yet I think it ought to be acknowledged to the praise of our kind Redeemer, that much good has been done on such occasions in this country. Each of our ministers has the assistance of his brethren at the sacrament. There are always five or six of his nearest neighbours with him. The variety of gifts, when a number of ministers are met, I think is often a blessing. When any person wants to communicate, who has never done it before, he has to converse privately with his minister, who examines him as to his knowledge, faith, &c.; and if satisfied with him he reports the same to his session, to see if they are also satisfied, &c. All who communicate receive tickets (or tokens, as they call them here) from the session constituted. This prevents confusion. With us no persons immoral or scandalous are admitted. Every session endeavours, through Christ's direction, to separate between the precious and vile! and takes all possible care not to give that which is holy to dogs! But, alas! in the establishment they fail egregiously here. Among us baptism is never dispensed privately, but always in public, after teaching. No person can have his children baptized, but who, in the judgment of charity, we can admit to partake of the Lord's Supper. They are seals of the same covenant. All offences are considered in proportion to their nature. The session takes cognizance of a cause, and if necessary, then the Presbytery, from which, at times, there lies an appeal to the Synod, which meets twice a year.

There are two things, which I dare say may prejudice even the religious and sensible part of the people in the Church of England against our Scotch Presbyterians, their uniformly asserting the Divine right of Presbytery; and the aversion they have on all occasions shown to Episcopacy. As to the first, I assure you we do not (at least none of the sensible and judicious will) assert the whole form of Presbyterian government, as we exercise it, is of Divine institution. We only hold that the leading lines of it are warranted by Scripture, such as the purity of Christian ministers, the power of the church to convene in assemblies to oversee and regulate matters, and to preserve unity and harmony under their care. This I should think would greatly soften our principles on

that bead to the candid. As to the aversion to Episcopacy, common among religious people here, especially Seceders, I cannot say but they often carry it too, too far. But let it be considered what sort of an Episcopacy the Scots got a taste of in the last century. How much blood was shed. What dreadful tyranny was used to introduce and establish it! What profligate lives did both the bishops and lower clergy lead, and how bloody were they! With pleasure I except from the last my favourite Leighton. What a valuable, religious, sweet, and simple writer is he. I am quite enamoured with his works. By the by Bishop Leighton never could enter into the views of his brethren. He bore with them, prayed for them, tried to reclaim them, but at length was obliged to leave them. He entirely left them, I think, twelve years before his death. Indeed the West of Scotland is stored with marks of prelatic vengeance. I know many good and worthy men in your church abhor these cruelties as much as we can do, but it is hard to bring the common people here to think so. Another thing which helps to keep up, the aversion, is the account of our trading people, when they return from England. They bring down but sorry enough accounts of the lower order of your clergy. Now, to hear of a drunken clergyman, or one accustomed to swearing, appears (as it really is) a terrible thing to our people. Though many of our corrupt clergy here are very far from adorning the Gospel by their walk and practice, yet, except in rare instances, they preserve outward decency. They indeed act not like Christians, but, as we say, they act like gentlemen. The Episcopals who are still among us, are far from endearing the scheme or party to us. We have some meetings of them in our trading towns. They are here divided into Jurants and Non-Jurants. The Jurants qualify to the government, and are on the same footing with Episcopals in England. The Non-Jurants, so called, because they will not qualify, are avowed friends to the old wicked cause of the Pretender. They are rank Arminians, if not Socinians. They have little learning, and less holiness. I am very well acquainted with nine or ten Non-Jurant clergy, and never could leave their company without praying, From such ministers, may the good Lord always deliver Scotland. Providence seems to be working ruin to their scheme very fast.

But I must stop; I am running on without knowing whether you will think one word worth your reading.

You know not if any town of its bulk be equally favoured as Olney. In one respect I am entirely of that mind, for you are there. Paisley is very highly favoured of the Lord. There are two legally established ministers in it. Both on the Gospel plan. Each of them preaches three times on the Sabbath, and one of them every Thursday evening. The Burgher minister preaches three times every Sabbath. The Antiburghers as often, and always on Thursday evening. They visit from house to house, and examine their people publicly every year.

If you wanted particular information about any thing, you might mention it, and as far as lay in my power would endeavour to satisfy you. However, I heartily agree with you, when you say that we can employ our time and paper to better advantage than by disputing about these points of government, &c. Yes, let us begin, and try to write about Christ, and our subject will never be exhausted. He is the best subject for letters of friendship. You can never do me a greater kindness than commend Christ to me, and me to Christ.

I think I would give all the world for such a measure of faith as you have attained; but why say that, since I ask it so little of Christ, whose gift it is. Alas! I have a sad, deceitful heart; it is peculiarly deceitful. I often own my wickedness and worthlessness, but am not sure that there is not a great deal of pride in my seemingly humble acknowledgment of unworthiness. But I still wish to pour out my heart to you, just as if I had known you all my life. Pardon my freedom, my worthy Sir. I like you very much, and very much like to confide in you. I am constantly doubting whether I have an interest in Christ. Unbelief is strong, and I dare say aided by Satan. Complain of these enemies to your, and, I humbly hope, to my God and Father.

THE REV. JOHN NEWTON TO MR. WM. BARLASS.

My dear Friend,

I hoped to have answered your favour of the 5th November sooner, but even now I break through almost indispensable engagements. Were I only to consult my inclinations, I could almost weary you with letters. Whenever I delay, I wish you to impute it to any cause rather than negligence.

Your farther account of the state and aims of the Secession is very acceptable to me. Be assured my heart is with you and your brethren, and more especially with those, who, like you, can look over the pales of an enclosure, and rejoice in the Lord's work where he is pleased to carry it on, under some difference of forms. For myself, though I am sure I am where his own hand of providence placed it, and had reasons which I trust he approves, for exercising my ministry in our establishment, yet I do not consider myself as appropriated to any party; and had the openings of his providence so guided me, I believe I could, with equal cheerfulness, have served him either in the Church of Scotland, or among the Seceders, and been very well content, without either hierarchy or surplice. My chief difficulty would have been to join with any, who are for confining the church of Christ within their own limits. From the imperfect accounts I had of the Seceders, before I was pleasured with your correspondence, I was led to think they were blameable in this respect; but I have now abundant reason to be satisfied, that some of them, at least, are far otherwise minded. I suppose it may be on your side the Tweed as it is on ours. We have bigots (good men I hope in the main) of all denominations, and a few of a more enlarged spirit, who, while they follow their light, and wish to approve themselves to their own Master, are willing to receive others, as He receives themselves, without doubtful disputations, and consider the exercise of mutual love and forbearance, as among the brightest evidences, and fairest fruits of grace.

I do not wonder that Prelacy appears in a very unfavourable light in Scotland, as the principal characters who laboured to settle it there, and the general strain of their conduct, would have disparaged the cause of the truth itself. And even at present, the general appearance of the established Church in England, can have

nothing in it very inviting to spiritual persons, who have not acquired some previous good will to it by education. But I believe this is not owing to its outward form, but to the want of the Gospel, and to the absence of the Holy Spirit, whose influences are only found concurring with the declaration of his own truth. I believe if all our bishops were such men as Leighton or Bedel, and all our parochial ministers experimental preachers of the grace of God, the constitution of the church would be found noway to interfere with the general edification of the people; and without the influence of the good Spirit, and ministers filled with faith and grace, it signifies little whether the outward administrations of church matters be in the hands of bishops, or synods, or general assemblies. The Jewish church service was formed upon a confessedly Divine institution; the place, the temple, the seasons, the sacrifices, the priesthood, were all, by express direction from the Lord. But when they lost sight of spirituality, and rested in outward services, in vain they said, The temple of the Lord are we, when the Lord of the temple had forsaken them, and declared himself displeased with his own appointments.

At Olney, (and it is much the same in all the parishes where the Lord has placed awakened ministers) we are Eccelesia intra Ecclesiam. I preach to many, but those whose heart the Lord touches are the people of my peculiar charge; and though I have no authoritative jurisdiction over them, yet the Lord gives me that weight by the word of the ministry, that they are, in general, as much unwilling to grieve me, as if I was armed with the plenitude of ecclesiastical power. Indeed I desire no power as a minister, but what 1 derive from the power of the word upon their consciences. I do not seem to rule them, but when my desire is known it is seldom crossed, and I believe many of them could not sleep in their beds if they thought they had displeased me. And though I have not a positive right by my office as a clergyman, to exclude any from the Lord's table, yet he has been pleased so to enforce what I have said from the pulpit, that few come thither without my approbation. Perhaps there are not many assemblies in the kingdom where there are fewer come to that ordinance, whom the minister would wish absent, than at Olney. So that without any explicit discipline, the end which discipline should aim at is, in a tolerable degree, answered. On the other hand, my superiors in the church,