of Lake Alexandrina the emblematical grave. A brother was there and then buried with Christ in baptism, and on the same day received into the fellowship of the brethren here. I trust and expect some others will shortly follow in the same path. We still continue our meetings at Milang fortnightly, and I hope with some prospect of ultimate success."

Since my last we have had another addition to the church at Adelaide, in the person of my partner in business. He has been for some months past engaged in the investigation of the subject of Christian baptism, and other subjects intimately connected with the kingdom of the Lord Jesus, and has arrived at the only conclusion, I am convinced, every candid inquirer must come to, viz.: that the Lord's way is the best way; and that it is better and safer in these apostate days to take the Bible as the only rule of faith and practice.

Within the last few months the subject of Christian baptism has been largely engaging the attention of one of the principal churches in the city. Several members have been immersed, and no less than eight attended to the institution last Lord's-day. Most, if not all of these persons continue with their Pædobaptist friends, so that in course of time, if the unbaptized follow the example of their more enlightened and obedient brethren, the baptized members will be in the majority. It is to be regretted that many of those who have seen it their duty to enter the kingdom in the Lord's appointed way, do not turn their attention to other Christian duties as imperative as baptism, such as the breaking of bread each Lord's day, &c. Let us hope that the good seed of the word may find its way into many honest hearts, that it may bring forth fruit to the glory of God, and in the end everlasting life. Your's, in the one hope,

LETTER II.

H. HUSSEY.

ADELAIDE, November 6. SINCE my last we have had the pleasure of welcoming to our shores, to his family, and to his brethren, our much-esteemed brother, Thomas Magarey, who has not a little refreshed us by his presence, and encouraged and comforted us by his communications. We feel persuaded that the visit of our brother has created a stronger tie between you and us, and enlisted additional sympathies on our behalf, by those churches whom he visited; and on the other hand, hearing of your faith and love, we shall be bound to give thanks to our heavenly Father for what He hath wrought among you by His ever living and life-giving Word and Spirit, and pray that He will continue to prosper your works of faith and labors of love.

I heard to-day that Brother Warren, who has been to Melbourne for a short time, returned by the steamer this morning. The same vessel has brought us a long and interesting letter from the church at Auckland, New Zealand, in reply to one we sent them some time since. By means of letters and visits we have made, and hope to make, the acquaintance of many brethren scattered up and down upon the face of the earth-have been made aware of each other's difficulties and encouragements

have been called upon to sympathize with those in trouble, and to rejoice with those in prosperity-and to give and receive a word of advice or of exhortation as the case might be. What a perfect bond is that of peace and love, flowing from a union of Christ with his church, and Christians with one another! And how much is it to be regretted that schism and sectarianism has robbed the professed followers of Jesus of that which would make earth a second paradise, and give them here a foretaste of the joys to come!

I mentioned in my last the rage for bazaars, tea meetings, &c. for the purpose of raising funds for building chapels, and paying off debts on those already built. At one of our meetings shortly after I wrote, one of our brethren, in common with others, expressed his feelings on the evil tendency and baneful influence which resorting to such means as these to support Christianity, must have upon the church and upon the world; suggesting, at the same time, that we should devise some means to raise up our voices against them. The suggestion was at once acted upon, arrangements were made for the delivery of a lecture on the subject, a subscription list was opened, and the largest room in the city, if not in the Australian colonies, was hired for the purpose. The public announcements created some sensation, and at the appointed time the room was filled by a large and respectable audience: there was not, 1 should imagine, less than between 700 or 800 persons, including ministers and members of many Christian denominatious. The lecture was a masterly and scriptural production, was listened to attentively, and, with one exception, without interruption; at the conclusion the lecturer was loudly applauded by those present. I think such an address, to a professed Christian audience, cannot fail in producing some benefical influence. I hope I shall be able in my next either to give you a synopsis of the lecture, or the entire address, which I am sure both your readers and yourself would like to peruse.

In conclusion I might just mention that the Christian salutation of the church at Notting. ham, embodied in a resolution, favored by Brother Magarey, was read and received last Lord's-day with feelings, I am sure, of gratitude and brotherly affection. I remain, your's faithfully in Christ, H. HUSSEY.

MAYNOOTH WORK DONE AT

OXFORD.

OUR State Church has been often charged with supporting Popery, and has often pleaded" Not Guilty" to the charge. When, however, Rome presents her grateful acknowledgment, and looks to the Anglican church for firstclass clergy, surely that church ought to admit that she is guilty of the not unnatural crime of lending a helping hand to her predecessor, to whom she owes her existence. The Irish Quarterly Review, speaking for Roman Catholics, with much moderation and considerable candour, gives the state of the

case :

"We feel bound to say, that our preference inclines to what in England is called the Churchman rather than the Dissenter. There is more consanguinity, more family likeness, however faint, between Catholic and Anglican than between Catholic and Dissenter. The very pretensions of Churchmen, though we ridicule them; their usurpation of our name and orders, extravagant as it is; their efforts to graft themselves upon our stock; their clumsy affectation of our air and carriage; these things alone have a spice of incense in them, not displeasing to our pride. But if, in addition to this, it be taken into account that the whole circle of Catholic doctrine is to be found in the works of English divines; that the Establishment in England is for us a nur. sery of clergy more accomplished than any we can afford to educate at home; that while Oxford is spared, we can laugh at the disendowment of Maynooth; that the Prayer Book flows from the Missal, and that many of its students act upon the aphorism of Lord Coke, "Melius esse petere fontes quam sectari rivulos." If all this be taken into account, it will easily be seen that our hostility is not to the Anglican religion, nor even to the Anglican Establishment in England, but solely to the

same Establishment in Ireland. Although agreeing with Mr. Miall as to the superior merit of the voluntary system, especially in an empire such as ours, we are not such abstracts of virtue as to anticipate with any degree of pleasure the fall of the Establishment in England; and if it be a consequence of the fall of the Irish iniquity, we shall rather regret it, notwithstanding our determination that the latter must fall, at any risk and at any cost. On the contrary, we rather hope that the ex

tinction of the Establishment in Ireland will conduce to the prosperity of the Establishment in England, by the removal of a scandal which connects her name with an institution more incurably vicious than any which is known to civilization. Assuredly we have no particular hostility to Anglican Protestants."

Hostility to English State-Church Protestants! Most assuredly not. Hostility to that church which prepares the people to embrace your name and orders" whose divines publish" the whole circle of Catholic doctrine" which maintains a manufactory for your clergy, and sends them home better finished than you could do them for yourselves - that has a prayer-book from the missal," and students that are yours to all intents and purposesimpossible! But not only does our State Church supply from the Oxford depôt any reasonable number of Papite clergy, but it gives them a little practice before they openly cross the line (a very faint one.) The Bible alone" is said to be, with Protestants, the only rule of faith and practice, which is either not true, or our State Church is not Protestant. "The Bible and the Church," if you please, and not the Bible alone. The Bible without the minister is an insufficient book, if not a dangerous one, say the Papite priests of the Anglican church. They say it, too, with zeal they go to the homes of the poor they print it in the language of the poor, and while the Evangelicals are kept fighting against altars, candles, and crosses, they gain the sympathies of many by 66 open churches" and certain other apposite arrangements. We say they print for the poor, and from the Church for the People, (a monthly state-church paper, price 1d.) part of an article headed " A Cobbler's we give the following sample, which is Notion on Church Matters." After describing the illness and death of a mill-hand, and repeating the "solemn words which were all said by Mr. Austin (the vicar) slowly," and informing his readers that "Mr. Austin was in his surplice, for he never said any of the offices of the church without it," and also that the bell tolled for the poor

man while he was dying and after his death, he adds

"The bell tolled from the moment the funeral left the cottage, and at the church-gate, all down the church-yard, there stood Mr. Austin, bareheaded, and six or eight of the choristers-for they made no difference betwixt high and low, rich and poor, at St. Alban's; the service was sang, and anything more beautiful and touching I never saw or heard. When all was over, there was one short peal from all the bells, and then we left our friend in his narrow bed. By the following Sunday the grave was planted with flowers, and there was a small wooden cross at the head, with this inscription (put up at Stephen's own wish)—

Here resteth the Body of
STEPHEN HARKER,

A PENITENT.

The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day.-2 Tim. i. 18.

"Some folks, who knew no better, ridiculed both the cross and the words; they said it was all Papistry, and that Stephen had died a Papist, but the widow didn't mind a pin; she said the cross was Stephen's hope, as it is mine, and I pray God we may all find mercy in that day.' I'm happy to say that the solemn event left a good impression. It did the vicar a deal of good, in making folk understand and know him, and in doing away with prejudices against him. Amongst others, it set Jaques a thinking. I should like to die as happy as Stephen did,' he said one day to Mr. Tomkins.

"MR. TOMKINS: So you may, if you'll only go the right way if you'll only go to your Heavenly Father, like the prodigal son, and ask Him to forgive you if only you'll give up what's sinful, and try with His help to live as a Christian should do.

JAQUES: I've a good mind to have a bit of talk to Mr. Austin about my soul.

MR. TOMKINS: I'm sure you could not go to a better man.

JAQUES: Well, I'll think about it. "MR. TOMKINS: Only don't put off. I do believe God's Spirit is speaking to you now; if you obey at once all will be right.

"I didn't see Jaques till some weeks after this, and vastly grieved I was to see that he had stopped short of his good intentions. Unfortunately, just about the time there was a meeting of the Bible Society in Mr. Flower's parish. Lots of the speakers, jealous I'm afraid of St. Alban's, and what Mr. Jones had done, began to rail at puseyism and priestcraft and the like. They told the poor ignorant folk that was there, that they'd nothing to do with creeds and such like human inventions; that

a thousand different minds

as if the Bible had never said one word about

6

a man had nothing to do but read his Bible and pray to God, and he would be led into all truth, just as if their own common understandders who won't hear the Church, just come to ing could'nt have shown 'em, that Bible reaand just don't agree in any one thing. There was one chap, he made out that a man might pick his faith an Irishman, who outdid 'em all in folly-for for himself, and choose his own Church, just the Church as the pillar and ground of the truth,' and the one faith and one baptism— just as if we were not indebted to the Church alone to tell us what is the Bible. How Church people could sit and hear such rubbish, and flat denial of their own doctrines, I can't make out; and little do folks think of the mischief of all such talk. How many infidels are made, I don't pretend to say, but I can speak for the harm it did poor Jaques. It just put it out of his head to go the vicar, and so he set himself to read his Bible, and to find out something for himself-just as if he couldn't have learned of Saint Philip and the Eunuch, in the Acts of the need of a spiritual guide from the history the Apostles, and just as if he could point out any one case in the world where the Bible was ever sent to convert folk, without a visible church and ministers."

The above speaks for itself. Romanists certainly should not put themselves in hostile array against the State Church, but every Christian should buckle on his armour and give it battle -every Christian, not every Dissenter -for many Nonconformists (in some things) conform sufficiently to lend considerable support to State-Churchism. Let such ponder well their position.

LUTHER ON MINISTRY AND PRIESTHOOD.

"LET that rock stand to you unshaken-that, in the New Testament, of priest externally anointed there is none, neither can be: but if there be any, they are masks and idols, because tion of this their vanity, nor any word they have neither example nor prescripin gospels or epistles of the apostles ; but they have been erected and introduced by the mere invention of men, as Jeroboam formerly did in Israel. For a priest, in the New Testament especially, is not made, but born; not ordained, but erected; and he is born not by the nativity of the flesh, but of Spi

rit, that is, of water and the Spirit in the laver of regeneration. And all Christians are altogether priests, and all priests are Christians; and let it be anathema to assert that there is any other priest than he who is a Christian; for it will be asserted without the word of God, on no authority but the sayings of men, or the antiquity of custom, or the multitude of those who think so. ....Christ was neither shaven nor anointed with oil to be made a priest wherefore neither is it enough for any follower of Christ to be anointed to become a priest, but he must have something far different; which when he shall have, he will have no need of oil and shaving. So that you may see that the bishops err sacrilegiously, whilst they make their ordinations so necessary, that without these they deny that any one can become a priest, although he is most holy, as Christ himself; and again, that a priest may be made by them, although he be more wicked than Nero or Sardanapalus. By which what else do they, than deny Christ is a priest with his Christians? For whilst they discharge their abominable office, they make no one a priest unless he first deny that he is a priest. And so by that very circumstance, while they make a priest, they in truth remove him from the priesthood; so that in the sight of God their ordination is most ridiculous, and yet a most serious degradation; for what is it to say, I am ordained a priest, but in fact to confess, I was not, nor yet am I a priest... .Now the first office, namely, the ministry of the word, is common to all Christians, besides the passages already cited, that one (1 Pet. ii.) establishes it: 'Ye are a royal priesthood, that ye may show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.' I beseech you, who are they called out of darkness into glorious light? Are they only anointed and ordained priests, or are they not all Christians? But Peter not only gives them the liberty, but commands them also to declare the praises of God, which certainly is nothing else than to preach the word of God. Let those, therefore, say, who pretend a double priesthood, one spiritual and common, another special and external, and would make Peter here to be speaking of the spiritual priesthood-let them say what is the office

of their special and external one; is it not to show forth the praises of God? But Peter here commits this to the spiritual and common priesthood. But, in truth, these sacrilegious teachers have another external priesthood, whereby they show not forth the praises of God, but the Pope's impieties and their own. But as there is no other showing forth of the praises of God in the ministry of the word than that common to all, so there is no other priesthood than a spiritual one, also common to all, which Peter hath here described........ Another office is to consecrate and minister the sacred bread and wine : and here these priests triumph and reign; this power they concede neither to angels, nor to the virgin mother. But, setting aside their ravings, we say that this office is common to all, as well as to the priesthood; and this we assert, not on our own authority, but on the authority of Christ: saying, at the last supper, "This do in remembrance of me.' By which, also, these shaven priests would have priests to be made, and the power of consecration conferred. But this word Christ spake to all his, then present and future, who should eat that bread and drink that cup; whatever, therefore, was then conferred, was conferred on ALL. Nor have they anything to oppose to this, but fathers, councils, custom, and that most strong article of their faith, which is, We are many, and thus think; therefore, it is true.'

Testament generally, no doubt, have fallen into this mistake, and many will be surprised to hear that no less than eight different Greek words (certainly not synonymous) are translated 'preach' -a word which does not reach the meaning of the original terms, and is associated with an exclusive and technical notion utterly foreign to their primitive signification.

"Jonah was charged to go to Nineveh, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee' (chap. iii. 2,) and the preaching was this, 'Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.' Jonah simply did the duty of God's herald; the proclamation was contained in that short sentence, but the word used to describe it (knpúσow) is the same as Christ used in his commission, 'Go preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

"It is said John the Baptist came 'preaching (knpúσowv) in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand' (Matt. iii. 1, 2.) The cleansed leper went out and began to publish much' (kŋovoσew Toλlà) the fact of his miraculous cure. In the Apocalypse (chap. v, 2.) it is said, 'I saw a strong angel proclaiming (kηpúσσovTa) with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book and loose the seals thereof? This word, in these instances translated 'preach,' 'publish,' 'proclaim,' is one and the same word, and is that which is most frequently used in the New Testament to describe the oral communication of God's message to

man.

It will be seen at once that the modern notion of a set discourse delivered from a pulpit to an assembled congregation, is not sanctioned by this term.

"We will now inquire into the use of another word also, with few exceptions, translated 'preach'-evayyeλisw.

"The angel said to Zacharias, 'I am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings' (evayyeλioaobai σol Taura.) This is the same word which is translated 'preach the gospel' in Luke xx. 1, leaving the impression on the reader that a sermon' had been delivered. It is said of the Apostles (Acts v. 42) 'Daily in the temple and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ; and it is said of the church of Jerusalem, when they were scattered abroad, except the apos

tles,(mark the exception) 'they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word,' i. e. communicating the glad tidings, as Christ had done in the temple, and his apostles had done also in the temple, and in every house. Philip, it is said, 'preached to the Eunuch, and this private communication between two individuals, as in that case and the other case of the angel and Zacharias, is described by the word usually translated into the formal and technical word 'preach.'

In the Acts of the Apostles there are six different Greek words translated by that one word 'preach'-we give them, with the English meanings, as taken from Donnegan's Lexicon :

:Translated in

Occurs in Acts. New Test. κηρύσσω

In Donnegan. 10 Preach. To be a herald or public crier.

evayyeλiço 12 Preach. To bring or an6 Preach. To announce. nounce good news

Karayeλw alew appηorías

dialéyoμai

5 Preach. To talk.

1 Preach To speak freely. boldly.

2 Preach. To discuss-dis

We can understand why translators who were directed by King James "to retain the old ecclesiastical words," should have rendered words not synonymous into an ecclesiastical term, which would give colour to a prevailing usage, and sustain a superstitious reverence for preaching, as the grand ordinance of God for the salvation of mankind.". We believe the technical and exclusive idea associated with "preaching" has been and is very mischievous, tending to the undue exaltation of one mode of instruction, and the depreciation of other methods of oral communication simpler, but not less likely to be efficient and we are not sure that this