tion, had previously withdrawn from under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Exeter, and had formed a Free Church."* The Rev. Thomas Dodd, of Worcester, we believe was the first to use the phrase "The Free Church of England,"-in a letter which he wrote in the year 1848-under the signature of JAPHETH-in which he proposed "the amalgamation of the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion and the Free Church of England." The letter is as follows: "My dear Sir,-Permit me to direct the attention of the ministers and friends of Lady Huntingdon's Connexion to the present condition of the Free Churches of England. So far as I am aware they are but little identified with each other; and although at present their numbers are few, yet daily observation convinces us that they must increase. It would undoubtedly be desirable that these newly-formed churches should be identified with some existing denomination, without attempting to form a distinct community. With what body would they be at all likely to unite, but with that of the Connexion of the Countess of Huntingdon? So far as I understand their doctrines and government, there appears no other denomination who would at all sympathize with their distinctive views. Should we not, therefore, as a body, take the initiative in this matter, and embrace the earliest opportunity, either by deputation or some other means, of inviting them to unite with us, and thus extend our borders, our usefulness, and the glory of God by the amalgamation of the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion and the Free Church of England?-Yours sincerely, "JAPHETH."+ The next step towards the formation of the Free Church of England was the apprehension of the Rev. James Shore, A.M. a clergyman of the Church of England, after preaching in Spafields Chapel, London, on Friday evening, March 9, 1849. After he was apprehended, Mr. Shore addressed a letter to the Minister of the Chapel, which was embodied in another to the religious public-and with a true instinct taken off immediately to the Times. It was late, near twelve o'clock, the advertisement sheet was then being rolled off, and, if we remember correctly, 81. had to be paid for its insertion. It appeared next morning, Saturday, March 10, 1849. Here it is: "To the Ministers and Friends of the Gospel in London of all Denominations. "Rev. and dear Sirs,-I have just received the following letter, from which it will be seen the Rev. James Shore, A. M. was apprehended in Spafields Chapel, immediately after preaching there, this evening : 66 "London, March 9, 1849. My dear Sir,-I am just apprehended in your chapel, after preaching, and I write you a line before I enter my cell in the prison, at St. Thomas's, Exeter. "I am at last to be incarcerated for contempt of court-they say, for nonpayment of the Bishop's cost, but, really and virtually, for preaching the Gospel out of the Establishment. Indted, I have not the means of paying the costs; and, even The "Circular of the Free Church of England," No. 2, p. 81. if I were able to do so, I should still be under contempt of court for preaching the Gospel, and, therefore, may still be kept in prison. "I am happy, however, in the hope and expectation that my imprisonment may tend to open the eyes of my countrymen as to what they may expect, should unfortunately a certain party, now struggling for supremacy, ever obtain the ascendancy in this country. "I am sure it is quite time that the civil sword should be entirely wrested from the grasp of all ecclesiastics. To my mind, the only sword that ministers of the Gospel are justified in using is, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.— Believe me, my dear Sir, very sincerely yours, "JAMES SHORE. "The Rev. T. E. Thoresby.' "In consequence of this step by the Bishop of Exeter, you are hereby respectfully and earnestly requested to attend a provisional meeting, to be held at Exeterhall, on Monday morning next, at eleven o'clock precisely, to confer as to the best means of altering the law under whose power the Rev. James Shore, A. M. has been committed, and of effecting his immediate liberation.-Rev. and dear Sir, yours faithfully, "THOMAS E. THORESBY. We need not dwell upon the immense excitement which this act of the late Bishop of Exeter produced in London and throughout the country. The most enthusiastic public meetings were held; and one noble spirit declared "that, by God's help, there should be a Church in which the bishops would not be able to play such pranks." From that time he has worked incessantly, missing no fair opportunity for the establishment of "the Free Church of England." The decisive act by which "the Free Church of England" was founded, was by "a Deed Poll and Deed of Declaration, made the 31st day of August, 1863." This was ordered by the Conference of the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion, assembled in that year, after the reading of a paper, and the passing of a very long and elaborate resolution, in which were narrated the principal facts which related to the subject, and all the principles and provisions which were afterwards included in the Deed Poll. Thus was made good the declaration, uttered amidst the excitement of Mr. Shore's apprehension in Spafields Chapel, more than fourteen years before; and this was the origin of the Free Church of England. * Printed in full in the "Circular of the Free Church of England," No. 2, p. 51. [We think that we are justified in saying, that this Series of Papers will be afterwards published in a separate form as a sort of Manual of the Constitution and practical working of the Free Church of England.] The Fulness of the Spirit. Together with some Aspects of His Work as dwelling within the Believer. By the Rev. ARCHIBALD M'MILLAN, Minister of Cravenhill Congregational Church. London: Kent and Co., Paternoster row. THIS elegant little volume fulfils the design of its author, which is "to awaken increased attention to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, together 1 with some special aspects of His work in believers." Having "been led to examine the place which has been assigned to Him in the teaching of the Epistle to the Ephesians, in relation to the everyday life of the Christian," and having confirmed this by a reference to some others of the Pauline letters, he gives us seven chapters of very instructive matter, and of immediate practical bearing on the business and the pursuits of human life. The relation of the Spirit to the Saviour and His work of mediation, is a subject of transcendent interest; and scarcely less important is the fact of the Spirit's presence and power in the Church which Christ hath purchased with His own blood. This is the dispensation of the Spirit, in which He has a work to do of infinite magnitude and grandeur; and just as He was given to the Saviour without measure, so does every member of His redeemed body stand in need of being filled with the fulness of His light, and life, and power. Hence we look for the fruits of the Spirit in those who are the subjects of His grace. These fruits must cluster in the life, and adorn the character. It is thus that the outward conduct becomes an index to the inward principle; and it is in virtue of the reality of this inward principle that the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. Between His work in the heart and His teaching in the Word, there is a perfect correspondence; and only so far as our moral consciousness agrees with His revealed will, have we the evidence of our regeneration and QUILL. spiritual life. This life once produced in the soul, is nurtured and matured by the indwelling of the Spirit, by whom we are sealed and set apart as Christ's purchased possession; and in whom the Spirit becomes the earnestthe pledge and certainty of our final redemption. Hence the duty of watchiing and keeping far away from everything which would either grieve that indwelling Spirit, or quench His holy influence within the soul. Such is the ground occupied by our author with confidence and success. The idea of selecting one single Epistle-and that the most doctrinal of St. Paul's writings-and then of tracing out the work of the Spirit in all its relations to and bearings upon Christian life, was most happy; and we congratulate Mr. M'Millan upon the effort. He has well performed his task, and has given to the Church of God a book of great practical worth. When treating of prayer and the study of God's Word as the true methods of cherishing the influences of the Spirit, he says "We pray for him when we ask him to come into our hearts and bring more grace; to reveal Christ in us in the beauty of His character, in the agonies and the triumphs of His death, in the completeness of His redemption, in the splendour and royalty of His gifts, and in the prevalence of His intercession for us before God in heaven. So to serve and see Christ is to have the fire stirred up into a flame. . . . "The fuel to the fire is the Word.. To study the living oracles, lingering long and expectantly over them, as the heathen were wont to linger at the shrine of some pagan idol, would be as if you shook the branches of some richly-laden fruit-tree in autumn, when the ripe fruit would fall covering the ground around you." We could have wished that the author's style were more purely English. Our Anglo-Saxon tongue is rich enough, and has fire and force enough for any subject. Nor can we but demur to his interpretation and application of certain texts of Scripture. We should in every case keep to the one meaning of the writer, or else let it be known that we are using his words in a sense different from what he intended. In referring to the works which have been published on the Spirit, he says"The great and good Dr. John Owen has throughout his voluminous writings, several chapters, and many single passages on the work of the Spirit." Is he oblivious of the fact, that Dr. Owen devoted an entire volume to this great subject? Having said thus much, we commend the volume to the devout study of every professing Christian. Sermons preached in Auckland, New Zealand. By SAMUEL EDGER, B. A. London Yates and Alexander, Chancerylane. THIS work differs widely from the preceding. That is intensely orthodox: this repudiates the language of the schools. It is no common-place production. It has in it a good deal of fresh thought, felicity of illustration, and beauty of style; but there is a marked absence of the Evangelical, a studied avoidance of all distinctive truth. As a volume on Christain Ethics it may be safely commended, but as a volume of Sermons it lacks those characteristics which give to the pulpit its attraction and its power. The Book of Common Prayer. Prepared for use in the Evangelical Churches, by Ministers and Members of the Established and Nonconformist Churches. Introduction to the Book of Common Prayer. By one of the Ministers engaged in the Preparation of the Book. W. J. Johnson, 121, Fleet-street. THIS "Introduction," from the pen of one of the Presbyters of the Anglican Church, gives a very short but comprehensive history of the Book of Common Prayer of the various sources from which it was compiled; the changes and modifications which have been introduced at different times; the laws en joining its observance; the penalties imposed for non-obedience; the opposition of the Reformers; the persecution of the Evangelical clergy; the objections to the imposing of certain ceremonies; the attitude of the Ritualists in Romanising ministers and members of the Anglican Church; the Evangelical party and the Nonconformist communities. We have then some thirty pages devoted to the chief alterations which have been made in the Book of Common Prayer. The lessons from the Apocrypha, the word 'priest," the absolution, the words, "He descended into hell," the Athanasian Creed, with All Saints' and Saints' days, have been omitted; and very radical changes have been effected in the offices of Baptism, the Lord's Supper, Matrimony, the Visitation of the Sick, the Burial of the Dead, the Catechism, and Confirmation. 66 The Prayer Book, thus expurgated and improved, is offered for use in all Evangelical churches. It is well and cheaply printed; and the best thanks of the public are due to the gentlemen who troduction" will be found an excellent have so carefully prepared it. The "Inaccompaniment. A Rhymed Harmony of the Gospels. By FRANCIS BARHAM and ISAAC PITMAN. F. Pitman, Paternoster-row; I. Pitman, Parsonage-lane, Bath. THAT there are many of "the finest sentiments and images" to be found in the Gospel record, and that it "abounds in the divinest wisdom," may be quite true; but to say that it embodies "the most exquisite poetry," is not so obvious. And though the principal aim of the Author is, "to impress the divine truths of tho Gospel on the minds of the lovers of poetry," we are mistaken if they do not prefer our plain Saxon prose version. Nor can we say that we are much in love with Mr. Pitman's "admirable system of phonetic shorthand," although recommended by a most learned bishop. Tastes differ; and there are many, no doubt, who will value such a volume, and to such we commend it. ECCLESIASTICAL THE Free Church of England has made an appeal to the public for 50,000l. for its Extension Fund. Up to the present time 7,500. have been subscribed for local, and about 1,000l. for general purposes, to which Samuel S. Marling, Esq., M.P., has added his name for 504; and J. Denny, Esq., has sent 257. Applications for the establishment of Free Churches have been received from the West End of London, Bromwich, Bradford, Slough, and other important localities. The fields are ripening unto the harvest. Ar a recent meeting of the Council of the Free Church of England several ministers, all of whom have congrega. tions, were approved, and it was agreed to recommend them to be received into the Free Church of England. Other names are before the Council. The Church Catechism was submitted in its revised form and ordered to be printed, to be considered again at the next meeting. It was suggested for the serious consideration of the Council whether the importance of employing candidates as assistant ministers to stated congregations with a view to active service might not be entertained. THE REV. H. Thomas, B.A., formerly of Homerton College and the London University, has accepted the unanimous invitation of the congregation to become the minister of St. James's Church, at Hollingwood, near Manchester. Hollingwood may be congratulated on obtaining a minister of experience and ability. THE Rev. A. B. Attenborough, formerly of Cheshunt College, has accepted the unanimous invitation of the congregation of St. James's, Kilburn, London, to become their minister. St. James's Church was placed in trust under the Poll Deed of the Free Church of England a few years ago, and presents a noble sphere of usefulness. REGISTER. THE Rev. S. J. S. Dicksee, of Catford, in Kent, who has been labouring there for the spread of the Gospel for some years, both earnestly and successfully, has applied to unite himself and his work with the Free Church of England. PERSONS who may be disposed to help the Free Church of England movement in Birmingham, either by subscriptions or personal co-operation, are requested to communicate with the Rev. D. S. Donovan, A. M., 13, Moseley-road, Highgate. Mr. Donovan ought to be sustained in his laudable endeavours to promote the movement in Birmingham. FREE CHURCH PROTESTANT HALL, WILSDEN, NEAR BRADFORD.-Two sermons were preached on Trinity Sunday, at this Hall, by Mr. Wreaks, of Girling. ton, to a good and attentive congregation; in the afternoon from John xiv. 26, and in the evening from Philippians iv. 13. He advocated the Free Church movement, and encouraged the reformation now taking place in Wilsden. On Monday, in Whitsuntide week, the Sunday school children, with their teachers and other friends, connected with the Protestant Hall Free Church, Wilsden, numbering nearly 200, walked in procession through the village, accompanied with a good band of music, to a field, where they were served with tea. The teachers, superintendent, and friends had tea in the Hall, and the day was ended with great satisfaction to all. LEAMINGTON.-On Wednesday, June 18, the annual meeting in connexion with Lady Huntingdon's Church, was held at the Public Hall, Windsor-street. About 230 sat down to tea. At seven o'clock, the Pastor took the chair, when several ministers addressed the meeting, also the Rev. T. E. Thoresby, of London, whose account of the Free Church movement was heard with interest and pleasure. MOLD, FLINTSHIRE.-The Rev. D Burford Hooke, formerly of the Taber |