there had some years ago been many pro-
selytes made from Popery by those most
successful of the Society's agents, the
Irish Missionaries, Jordan and Muny,
and by the instrumentality of Dr. Urwick,
who, during his ministry in that part of
the country, had been very useful. It
was necessary to the Priests to get some
of these proselytes back; and, accordingly,
a Friar undertook to prove the divinity
of the Church which sent him, by turn-
ing milk into blood. To the surprise of
many, such a change really seemed, in
several instances, to have been effected
beneath the hand of the holy Friar;
when, lo! an unbelieving heretic came
to look at the miracle, and, suspecting
that the milk did not change colour by
the Friar's prayers, seized his arm, and
found a case with red powder ingeniously
fixed beneath his sleeve. The Friar
decamped, and the people were dis-
abused. One poor fellow, however, by
the aid of whisky, was induced to recant,
and the Carmelites had him enrobed in a
white sheet, and placed upon the altar,
to give solemnity to his recantation of
heresy, and his restoration to the bosom
of the Papal Church. It would be said
by many liberal men, that the Govern-
ment system of education would remedy
these things. He knew how dangerous
it was to touch that question; but
though all the men of intellect and liberal-
ity in that Meeting were in arms against
him upon the subject, he must state the
truth fearlessly. The Government sys-
tem of education had done good; but it
was not effective, even for its purpose;
far less was it fitted to produce the mighty
changes which so many had expected
from it. In one-third of the schools the
Scripture extracts were not admitted. In
some cases the schools seemed to form
part and parcel of the Catholic establish-
ment. In Tralee, the boys' school was
at one side of the chapel, and the girls'
at the other. He went to examine them:
the girls were not receiving instruction;
and he had assigned to him as the rea-
son, that the nuns under whose superin-
tendence the school was conducted were
under a ban of silence from their Con-
fessor for fourteen days. This particular
school was but a specimen of many. Let
it not be forgotten that a grand and
powerful Ecclesiastic, Dr. M'Hale, the
Catholic Archbishop of Tuam, had de-
nounced the Government system of edu-
cation altogether, so jealous was he of
the amount of good it contained. He
had denounced the principle of Govern-
ment or guardians, parents or others,
having any right to give the children any

books, but such as came through his
hands, and those of his sacerdotal fra-
ternity. And whether the children did
or did not receive the Scripture extracts,
let it be considered that the character of
the books placed in their hands by their
Clergy was calculated to destroy every
element of good principle. In one book
extensively circulated, the distinction
having been taught between mortal and
venial sin; the former incurring spirit-
ual death, the latter only deserving from
God a temporary displeasure; the ques-
tion was put," Is a lie a mortal sin ?"
Answer: "No; unless thereby I greatly
injure God or my neighbour." They
should look at the moral evil resulting
from that one question and answer. Was
it not calculated to destroy every vestige
of respect for truth? Let them place
before them a rude English peasant :
would he not, however untaught, feel
that a lie was a disgrace, even before
man? He (Mr. Nolan) knew an edu-
cated Roman Catholic youth, who,
anxious to convert a Protestant lady,
assured her that he had seen his parish
Priest turn a disobedient parishioner into
a goat, and turn him back to a human
shape again. This could hardly be even
a venial sin, lie though it were; for he
did not intend to injure either God or his
neighbour, but to serve both, by making
a proselyte. Another question was, “Is
theft a mortal sin?" Answer: "No;
unless the thing stolen be of great value."
It was even so as he had quoted it.
Hence petty theft was so common in Ire-
land, they would steal from the rich man
matters of small value, with the good
intention of relieving the poor. Much
had been said at former Anniversaries of
the increased circulation of the Bible; and
they had rejoiced aloud that the Catholic
Bible was struck off in cheap editions
for the poor, under the authority and
sanction of the Catholic hierarchy. They
rejoiced at the event, although they knew
that Catholic Bibles were circulated, to
push the authorized version from circu-
Îation. He could not rejoice, so much as
he was once ready to do, in this distribu-
tion of the new editions of the Catholic
Bibles; they abounded in gross perver.
sions. The word translated "mystery
was translated "sacrament; " and the
word translated "Presbyter" was trans-
lated "Priest:" these were only speci.
mens out of the many. They must send
the Preachers of the Gospel through
every province of the land, and then
many would be won to Jesus. He knew
not what would be the result upon the
Irish Episcopal Home Mission of the

recent decision at Armagh; but the man who had been suspended was a devoted servant of God.

Such men were increas

ing in the Irish Episcopal Church. He knew that Mr. Nixon, the suspended Clergyman, preached the Gospel, for he (Mr. Nolan) had often listened to him with delight; and yet this was the man suspended, and suspended in a country where there were eight hundred parishes, with not more than one hundred and fifty Protestants in each, and one hundred and fifty-one parishes without a single Protestant. He would appeal to the Chairman, if every heart in that mighty assembly before him was indignant that in such a country, while millions perished, a faithful Minister were silenced by the decision of power, would not his (the Chairman's) heart, as a professed Episcopalian Christian, be the most indignant of all?

dy," said a lady to a peasant, "will you come and hear my Minister preach ?" "I must go home and ask my wife," was Paddy's reply. "Well, and will your wife give her consent, Paddy?" again interrogated the lady. "That, ma'am, will depend very much upon the Virgin Mary." Thus the persuasion of friends was not always successful against their repartee. A Priest having reasoned very sophistically with a Methodist Preacher in favour of transubstantiation and the real presence, the Preacher inquired, "Was not John the Baptist the Virgin Mary's son ?" No," replied the Priest. "How do you know?" interrogated the Preacher. "Because," said the Priest, "he was not born of her." "Well," said the Preacher, "that is good proof; but what is the wafer made of which you consecrate ?" "Flour." "And was not the flour wheat?" As an instance of the power of the "Yes." "And did not the wheat spring Gospel when simply preached to the peo- from the earth?" "To be sure." "Well, ple, one of the Missionaries preached then, if it sprung from the earth, it was at a wake in the county of Sligo. not born of the Virgin Mary, and the Some time after he was met by a peawafer which is made from it cannot, on sant on the road, who reminded him your own showing, be her son." "Well, of his having preached at the wake. then," said the Priest, "to tell you the went," said the peasant, "with a blud- truth, if it were not for the bit of bread geon in my hand, to kill you that night; I eat, I would never say another mass." but the word of God was sweet to me, Let them send forth their agents to the and softened my heart, and I could not Catholic people, for they were needed. rest until I told you of it." Any man He could not concur with Professor who approached the people in love, and Vaughan, that there existed a large possessed any aptitude for meeting their remnant amongst the Catholics holding play of ingenuity and wit, would to evangelical truth. He knew no Catholics some extent be useful. The people who were the subjects of evangelical relipractised every little evasion when soli- gion; but let the blessed truth of Jesus cited to attend places of worship; but be preached every where amongst them, they would often go of themselves into and many would come out to the belief court-houses and market-houses. "Pad- and profession of the faith. (To be concluded in our next.)

" I

SPEECH OF M. GUIZOT BEFORE THE PARIS BIBLE SOCIETY. To the Editor of the Wesleyan-Methodist Magazine.

THE following is an abstract of a speech by M. Guizot, which I heard delivered at the Oratoire, on the 25th of April last, being the Anniversary of the Paris Protestant Bible Society. I shall not soon forget the impression it made upon my own mind; and also, as far as I could judge, upon the minds of the respectable audience assembled on the occasion.

when we met here for the first time, to lay the foundation of this Society, if we had then been told that, twenty years afterwards, it would have given birth to one hundred and fifty Auxiliaries, all engaged in the same work in France; caused the impression of 200,000 copies of Bibles and of New Testaments; distributed to the French Protestants 185,000 of these copies; and expended in this cause more that two millions of francs; how great would have been our surprise, and how profound would have been our joy at this anticipated view of our success, so far beyond our expectations! This success is a faint and feeble JUNE, 1838. 2 G

I send you a sketch of it for insertion in the Magazine, if you think it worthy of a place in that excellent periodical.

Paris, May 17th, 1838.

W. TOASE.

GENTLEMEN,-Twenty years ago,
VOL. XVII. Third Series.

But religion does much more than restrain and rule the human soul, it satisfies and nourishes it. There is in Christianity much more than mere discipline; there is in it a real inward and fruitful life. Our age has more need than ever of this life. It has required, it does require, of external and material life much more than it is capable of giving. It has had, and it will have, on this subject, immense dissatisfaction. Our work teaches man to seek and to find his happiness elsewhere; to seek and to find it in God. It calls men to the possession of religious enjoyments as well as to the observance of religious rules. Fear not now, gentlemen, religious zeal. Do not be alarmed at its return, though, in its return, it should excite some warm emotion among us. Religious fervour is indispensable to the success of religion. There can be no active and efficacious faith without fervour. It is not enough that faith enlighten the soul, it must warm and fire it. It is in

dispensable to our moral regeneration, to the spiritual nourishment of the soul. The soul must love God and his truth with fervour, in order to find in him what the world cannot give. There is no real danger of excess in our day, in the midst of all the guarantees of reason and liberty which prevent and regulate, as may be necessary, all aberrations of intellect, or the practical excess of religious zeal. And above all, you, the devoted friends of the National Protestant Church of France, do not be alarmed at the appearance of religious fervour among you. Wherever you meet with it, live on good terms with it; endeavour to attract it, and draw it into the bosom of your Church. The church should be a focus as well as a flame. And do not doubt this; for faith will always turn to the advantage of the church. It is for us that zeal labours, even that which works by our side.

OPENING OF A METHODIST CHAPEL AT DRUMKERIN.
To the Editor of the Wesleyan-Methodist Magazine.

ON Sunday, May 13th, a neat, com-
modious chapel for the use of the Wes-
leyan Methodists of Drumkerin, in the
Manorhamilton Circuit, was opened for
divine service, when the Rev. T. W.
Doolittle, of Sligo, preached two most
appropriate and impressive sermons.
both occasions the chapel was well filled
with very respectable and deeply-attentive
congregations, who felt heartily thankful
for the privilege of having a suitable

On

place wherein they and their families can meet and worship God agreeably to the usages of the Connexion. And from the accommodation thus providentially provided for the permanent ministration of "the word of life," they anticipate much moral and spiritual good will result, through the blessing of God, to the whole neighbourhood.

JAMES HENRY.

METHODIST QUARTERLY FAST-DAY.

*The next Quarterly Fast for the Wesleyan-Methodist Societies, according to the Rules of the Connexion, will be Friday, June 29th, 1838.

MISSIONARY NOTICES,

Relating principally to the FOREIGN MISSIONS carried on under the direction of the METHODIST CONFERENCE.

ANNIVERSARY OF THE WESLEYAN-METHODIST
MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

ANOTHER Anniversary has been celebrated, and under circumstances altogether so gratifying, with results so beneficial, and with such unequivocal indications of the divine favour and blessing, that never, it is believed, had the friends and supporters of this institution, and of the great cause which, in common with other Missionary Societies,

it is engaged in prosecuting, more abundant reason to "thank God, and take courage."

On Wednesday evening, April 25th, the Annual Meeting of the Auxiliary Society for the London District was held in Great Queenstreet chapel. William Tooke, Esq., presided, with the same distinguished ability and kindness with which he had filled the chair three years ago. The Report was read by the Rev. A. E. Farrar; and the Cash Account by Walter Griffith, Esq. The several Resolutions were moved and seconded by the Rev. George Osborn, the Rev. J. H. Bumby, the Rev. Edward Fraser, Joseph Carne, Esq., the Rev. George Steward, the Rev. Thomas Waugh, the Rev. Frederick Jobson, Mr. H. Armstrong, from Antigua, the Rev. Dr. Bunting, and the Rev. Robert Alder.

On Thursday evening, April 26th, the first of the three annual sermons was preached in the City-road chapel, by the Rev. George Steward, of Manchester, from Revelations x. 7.

At Great Queen-street chapel, on Friday morning, April 27th, the Rev. James Parsons, of York, to whose most able and zealous exertions on a similar occasion the Society was deeply indebted in the year 1829, renewed his advocacy of its cause, by preaching on Romans xv. 16.

In the evening of the same day, the Rev. Joseph Beaumont, M.D., preached in Southwark chapel, on Matthew vi. 10, first clause.

On the following Sunday, April 29th, the usual sermons were preached in the various Wesleyan chapels in London and its vicinity by the Rev. Messrs. Newton, Steward, Waugh, and others.

On Monday, April 30th, the General Meeting was held in ExeterHall. The Society had again to lament the unavoidable absence, in consequence of a severe domestic bereavement, of its expected Chairman, J. P. Plumptre, Esq., the excellent and highly respected Member for East Kent. But his place was most acceptably supplied by John Hardy, Esq., who, by the promptitude of his compliance with the request of the Committee, and by the manner in which he discharged the duties which he, for the second time, kindly undertook, has laid the directors of the Wesleyan Missions under additional obligations to his long-tried friendship.

At no former Anniversary of this Society were the pulpit services, connected with it, of a more hallowed and satisfactory character, or better attended by congregations not only increasingly numerous, but evidently very deeply and devoutly impressed by the discourses to which it was their privilege to listen. The General Meeting, also, was eminently marked by religious feeling, by Missionary ardour, and by a single-minded devotedness to the one great object for which it was assembled,—to the almost entire exclusion of those minor and irrelevant topics, which, however appropriate at other times and in other places, would only have tended to produce desecration and distraction, if introduced on an occasion so superlatively important and holy.

The following account of the proceedings and speeches at the Meeting is chiefly extracted from "The Watchman" of Wednesday, May 2d.

At eleven o'clock, the REV. EDMUND GRINDROD, President of the Conference, gave out the psalm, beginning," From all that dwell below the skies," after which he engaged in prayer.