our brethren, ill instructed in the true principles of Independent Congregationalism, seem to be jealous even of the most scriptural and catholic efforts to unite union with liberty. Speaking of the remarkable consent and harmony of doctrine which prevailed at their meeting, they say:- :

"This accord of ours hath fallen out without having held any correspondency together, or prepared consultation by which we might come to be advised of one another's minds. We allege not this as a matter of commendation in us; no, we acknowledge it to have been a great neglect. And accordingly one of the first proposals for union amongst us was, that there might be a constant correspondence held among the churches for counsel and mutual edification, for time to come, to prevent the like omission.

"We confess, that from the first, every, or at least the generality of our churches, have been in a manner like so many ships (though holding forth the same general colours) launched singly, and sailing apart and alone in the vast ocean of these tumultuous times, and they exposed to every wind of doctrine, under no other conduct than the word and Spirit, and their particular elders and principal brethren, without associations among themselves, or so much as holding out common lights to others, whereby to know where they were.

"But yet whilst we thus confess to our own shame this neglect, let all acknowledge, that God has ordered it for his high and greater glory; in that his singular care and power should have so watched over each of these, as that all should be found to have steered their course by the same chart, and have been bound for one and the same port, and that upon this general search now made, the same holy and blessed truths, of all sorts, which are current and warrantable amongst all the other churches of Christ in the world, should be found to be our lading."

O that this confession of Owen, Goodwin, and others, entitled, with them, to be regarded as among the greatest lights of the age,— might be duly weighed by the present generation of Independents! We may be wiser than our fathers in some things; but we are sorry dunces in comparison with them on the duty and advantage of fraternal union and co-operation among churches.

The formation of the Baptist Missionary Society is not only entitled to grateful commemoration, as the measure which prepared the way for those numerous translations of the Scriptures into the languages of the East, which constitute the glory of the Mission, but is deeply interesting as it recalls the memory of the excellent men who founded it. The learned and zealous Carey, the sagacious, indefatigable Fuller, the amiable and holy Pearce, with Ryland, Sutcliffe, and others, their worthy fellow-labourers, were the founders of this Society. Their efforts preceded by three years those by which the London Missionary Society was established. We must refer our readers to the Life of Fuller, by Ryland and Morris, and to Fuller's Life of Pearce, as enlarged by Mr. W. H. Pearce, for fuller information respecting the efforts of Carey in particular to fan the missionary spirit among his brethren. The burden of his discourse before the Baptist Association at Nottingham on May 30, 1732-Expect great things,-attempt great

things, has become proverbial. The Society, like many other great designs, grew from very small beginnings. It "was actually formed," says Dr. Ryland, (Life of Fuller, p. 150,) "in Mrs. Beeby Wallis's back parlour, at Kettering, on October 2, 1792. As all the friends of the Baptist mission know, we began with a subscription of £13. 2s. 6d. but at a second meeting at Northampton, October 31, brother Pearce brought the surprising sum of £70 from his friends at Birmingham, which put new spirits into us all. Still we knew not how to proceed, whom to send, nor where to begin our operations." This was truly "the day of small things," but it was not to be despised. The "little one has become a thousand," and millions of idolaters have been supplied, through this feeble instrumentality, with the leaves which are for the healing of the nations. May their help still be in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth!

Our list records the birthdays of three men, for whose existence the world is the better:-John Janeway, Matthew Henry, and Jonathan Edwards. The last two benefited their fellow-men both by their lives and by their writings; leaving behind them works which posterity "will not willingly let die." Janeway had little or no opportunity to serve God with his pen but while he lived, he lived to the Lord, and when he died, he died to the Lord, and both living and dying he was the Lord's. Like Elijah, he ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire. Of his Memoir published by his brother, Robert Hall says: “it exhibits a life eminently formed on the example of Christ, and a deathbed scene of extraordinary elevation and triumph. It is next to impossible to contemplate either, . . . without feeling an increasing conviction of the reality and dignity of true religion." He had distinguished himself very remarkably in early youth as a scholar and mathematician, so that while at Eton he was accounted the glory of the school, and when at seventeen years of age he went to Cambridge, the electors of King's College contended for the patronage of him. But all his interest in human studies gave way to higher thoughts, when, as he perused Baxter's Saints' Everlasting Rest, the grace of the Saviour reached his heart, and when, to use his brother's quaint language, God "did convince him, what a poor thing it was to know so much of the heavens and never come there."

"He now thought Mr. Bolton had some reason on his side when he said, 'Give me the most magnificent, glorious worldling, that ever trod upon earthly mould, richly crowned with all the ornaments and excellences of nature, art, policy, and preferment, or what art can wish besides: yet without the life of grace to animate and ennoble them, be even to the eye of heavenly wisdom but as a rotten carcase stuck over with flowers, magnified dung, gilded rottenness, golden damnation;' he began now to be of Anaxagoras's mind, that his work on earth was to study heaven and to get thither; and that except a man might be admitted to greater preferment than this world can bestow upon her favourites, it were scarce worth the while to be born."-Life, by James Janeway, ch. 1.

His rare spirit was very early exhaled and gathered up to heaven. Baxter's reflections on this providence are full of pathos. "I confess," says he, in the address which he prefixed to the memoir, "such instances are very sad to my thoughts, while I am desiring the welfare of mankind on earth." But Baxter, amidst all his sadness, beautifully justifies the ways of God.

"We think it great pity," says he, "that he lived to preach but two sermons in the world: that some poor, ignorant, dull congregation, had not been instructed and awakened by his doctrine: and his spiritual fervour had not, by dispersed writings, inflamed the souls of thousands with the same heavenly love and zeal. But who knoweth yet but that this our narrative of his holy exemplary life and death, may do as much as more numerous or voluminous writings? The many volumes of holy lives of ancient doctors, martyrs and later divines, philosophers, and others, in Germany, England and other lands, have done much good, and are still very useful, pleasant and profitable recreation-oh! how much better than play-books and romances !— but experience tells us that God still poureth forth as large measures of his Spirit as heretofore he did."

We forbear enlargement on the excellences of Janeway's character, his wise and happy, because lovely, humble, and prayerful efforts to do good, or his "abundant entrance" into God's everlasting kingdom. Our wish is to induce our readers to peruse his brother's narrative. This has often been reprinted under the title: Invisibles-realities: demonstrated in the holy Life and triumphant Death of Mr. John Janeway, fellow of King's College, Cambridge. We would that every reader of these times might, according to Baxter's recommendation in the preface, "learn by this history to place his religion in love and praise, and a heavenly life-to thirst after the good of souls, and fill up his hours with fruitful duty."

From this month's list we also see how variously the deaths of God's people are ordered. Zwingle died upon the field of battle,-Latimer and Ridley at the stake,-Doddridge and Martyn, worn out with consumption, on a foreign shore. We believe that God was honoured in them all, not even excepting Zwingle's, -for Zwingle was adverse to the war in which he died: he went not of his own will, but in conformity with the requirements of the law; and with his dying breath bore testimony to the truth which he had preached. He had been directed to accompany, as chaplain, a body of seven hundred men, who were despatched to support an advanced corps which had been posted at Cappel, and was attacked by the troops of Lucerne.

"In the battle which ensued, the Zurichers, though greatly inferior in number, animated by his exhortations, for a time defended themselves valiantly, but at length they gave way to superior force, and were entirely routed; the first ranks died at their post, and the rest sought their safety by flight. Zwingle, while encouraging the troops, received a mortal wound at the beginning of the action, and falling, remained senseless on the field. He recovered enough to raise himself up, and crossing his arms on his breast, he lifted his languid eyes to heaven. In this condition he was

found by some Catholic soldiers, who had not joined in the pursuit, and who, without knowing him, offered him a confessor. He made a sign of refusal, when the soldiers exhorted him to recommend his soul to the Holy Virgin. On a second sign of refusal, one of them in a fury exclaimed, 'Die then, obstinate heretic!' and pierced him through with his sword. His body was found and recognised the next day, and a group of spectators assembled around it, attracted by the celebrity of his name. One of these, who had formerly been his colleague at Zurich, after intently gazing on his face, thus uttered his feelings- Whatever may have been thy faith, I am sure thou wast always sincere, and that thou lovedst thy country. May God take thy soul to his mercy!' Very different were the emotions of the savage herd: after exulting over the corpse of the leader of heresy, some voices exclaimed, 'Let us burn his accursed remains.' The proposal was instantly applauded; a military tribunal ordered the execution, and the ashes of Zwingle were scattered to the wind. Thus at the age of forty-seven he terminated his career. His death was deeply lamented by all the friends of the Reformation."

The martyrdom of Latimer and Ridley is too familiar to our readers to need to be related here. It is especially memorable for the reply of Latimer to Ridley. When the former had said, "Be of good heart, brother, for God will either assuage the fury of the flame, or enable us to abide it," the brave old man replied, "Brother, be of good comfort: to-day we light such a candle in England as, I trust, shall never be put out." We trust it never will. But religious indifference, the pride of life, and making haste to be rich, appear so deeply to possess the heart of the nation, that our Lord might, and perhaps will, say to England as he did to Ephesus: "Thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent."

Of the learned, virtuous, and, to sum up all her excellences in one, truly Christian female, Olympia Fulvia Morata, we regret that we have not now time to draw up even a slender notice. Bred amidst the luxuries and splendour of a court, she retired without repining to a private station; and it is difficult to say for which she was most fitted. But though "the observed of all observers," while surrounded by the noble, the learned, and the gay, the discipline of Providence caused her to adorn with a yet richer and costlier example of virtue the privations and afflictions of a life of exile. She has been justly placed at the head of those distinguished ladies of the sixteenth century, who united the proficiency of the scholar to the accomplishments of the gentlewoman. Yet her genuine, humble, devoted piety was her crowning recommendation. She died of consumption at Heidelberg, (where her husband, Andrew Grundler, was professor of medicine,) in the twentyninth year of her age. Her writings, which consist of letters, versions of Psalms, and a few other pieces, have been several times reprinted, and a memoir of her in English, which includes translations of some of them, and a notice of the times in which she lived, has passed through three

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editions, the last of which appeared in London, in 1836. It is unfortunately much too diffuse and immethodical to do justice to its admirable subject; still it is impossible to read without interest the facts which it narrates, or the beautiful letters which are appended to the Memoir. Her life is, beyond all question, one of the most beautiful studies of female excellence, which her sex has the privilege of imitating.

Peter Paul Vergerio was, before his conversion to Protestantism, Bishop of Justinopolis, in partibus. It is not the manner of his dying, so much as that of his conversion, which has induced the mention of him in our list. From his conspicuous talents he had been employed in several ecclesiastical affairs of importance, and among other services had acted as the nuncio of the pope at the court of Ferdinand, King of the Romans. Having, in 1535, been recalled to Rome by Pius III., to convey to him exact information concerning the state of religion in Germany, he was again commissioned to confer with several of the Protestant princes, in the course of which he had an interview with Luther at Wittenberg. At the close of 1540, having in the mean time visited Italy again, he was at Worms as a deputy to the King of France. Returning from Worms, the pope, it is said, designed a cardinal's hat for him, but did not confer it, in consequence of insinuations that, while in Germany, Vergerio had imbibed some of the doctrines of Luther. Out of this circumstance, a train of events proceeded, which completely changed the course of Vergerio's life.

Vergerio, when told the circumstance, was quite astonished; and in order to clear himself completely from all suspicions of that sort, he commenced the composition of a book which was to bear this title, 'Adversus Apostatas Germaniæ— Against the Apostates of Germany. To qualify himself for the prosecution of the work he had undertaken, he began diligently to investigate the opinions of the Protestants, and read the books of Luther, that he might lay the axe to the very root of heresy, and strike with a surer aim the most decisive blows. But by these means, Divine grace was preparing an event the least expected by him, even his own conversion. He found himself overcome and vanquished by a careful perusal of the writings which he had designed to confute and explode. He saw the corruption and impiety of that church, whose interests it had been the main business of his life to support and defend. In the utmost perturbation of mind, he went to confer with his brother, John Baptist Vergerio, Bishop of Pola, in Istria, which territory is a part of the Venetian state. This brother, in the last degree of astonishment, began to bewail the condition of Vergerio's understanding, and seemed rather at a loss what to do with himself, than how to give advice to another. At length they agreed to apply themselves together in searching the Scriptures, particularly to settle their minds on that all-important article-the justification of a sinner before God. While thus employed, the Spirit of God set home his word on both their hearts; and they became brethren in grace as well as in blood. They saw in the pure glass of revealed truth, the error of the Church of Rome upon the grand doctrine above referred to, as well as the absurdity, fallacy, and impiety, of many other tenets which it maintains. This was a new era of their life, full of deep interest, from the conflicting passions which agitated, and the terrors which threatened them. No sooner had the beams