and to flee to the cross of Christ as the only refuge for perishing sinners; and hence arose an abiding conviction in his mind, that the preaching of Christ crucified was that which God would own and bless to his people. You yourselves can bear testimony to the clear and convincing manner with which he unfolded before you the secret lurkings of sin, with which he urged upon you the necessity of repentance; with which he pointed you to a crucified Saviour; with which he alternately persuaded, by the allurements of the Gospel, and alarmed by the threatenings of the Law; and with this clear exhibition of Scripture doctrine, there was the greatest caution in inseparably connecting with it the inculcation of Scripture practice. No importance whatever did he attach to a professed reception of divine truth, unless it were borne out by corresponding holiness of heart and life. "By their fruits ye shall know them," was the test to which he wished himself to be brought, and to which he led you, as the people entrusted to his care.. There was, indeed, a happy union of faithfulness and caution in the exercise of his public ministry.

Immediately connected with this faithfulness and caution in explaining and enforcing the word of God, was intrepidity in reproving sin, and persevering effort in restraining it, at least within the haunts of secrecy. Such have been the effects of his exertion, that the improved state of your parishes have called forth the astonishment even of the passing traveller. Indeed, not only have you felt the benefit of his firmness, but, as it respects the particular sin of drunkenness, the county at large is at this time possessing to a degree the benefit of his efforts, by the kind interposition of magisterial authority. Even his enemies were compelled to acknowledge, that what he did was not for himself, but for them: they could not but see the goodness of the intention, however they might disapprove of the action itself. But this intrepidity did not blunt the kindlier feelings of the heart. The tale of woe was never made known to him in vain; and often has he gone almost beyond his power, to relieve the wants of the afflicted; acting, as he' himself used to observe, on the faith of the promise" He that giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord.". "When the ear heard him, it blessed him: when the eye saw him, it gave witness to him; because he delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon him: and he caused the widow's heart to sing for joy." In these works of faith, and labours of love, he did not grow weary: they were not the occasional excitement of impulse, but the

DEC. 1823.

persevering effort of principle. With him, there was considerable ability to labour, from strength of constitution; and that ability did not remain unexercised. I have often been surprised at the fatigue he has gone through: and though exertion sometimes exhausted him, as was the case last Sunday after his three services, which led him to say "O these frail bodies!" Yet his strength was renewed day by day, and with it his efforts for his people. They were, indeed, ever near his heart; his interest was their interest, his good their good. Even in the late important step he took in his marriage, to have a help meet for him in his work, formed no small point of consideration.

But he is now gone; his wife is left a widow, and has changed her bridal for her mourning attire. Their mutual plans aré left unfulfilled: his projected and preparing habitation will never be occupied by him; and his distressed people can only look back upon the testimony he bore amongst them, without a hope of farther hearing his invitations, or sharing in his kindness. In less than one short week, we have seen him in full health, been rent by the sad tidings of his death, followed him to the grave, and are now assembled. to mourn over his memory, and to call upon each other to submission to the divine will under this mysterious providence.

The Rev. SAMUEL WALTER, A. M. Perpetual Curate of Slaithwaite, near Huddersfield, who died June 7th, 1823, was. born at Wellington, Shropshire, May 12th, 1764, educated by the Rev Dr. Robins at Bristol, and afterwards of St. Edmund's Hall, Oxford, where he took his degree of A. B. was ordained Deacon to the Curacy of Churchill, Somersetshire, 1785, where he remained four years, and then removed to South Petherton; and from thence to Madeley, Shropshire, where he laboured with indefatigable zeal twenty-three years, under a kind Vicar, and with a friendly people. June 24th, 1816, he came to Slaithwaite, as assistant-curate to the Rev. Charles Chew, upon whose resignation, in January, 1818, he was appointed by the Rev. John Coates, Vicar of Huddersfield, to the chapelry. Whilst health and strength were vouchsafed him, he laboured diligently in the cause of God. He was a zealous promoter of the Bible, Missionary, and Tract Societies in Huddersfield and its Vicinity; and his last moments were occupied in giving directions respecting a sermon to be preached in his chapel, for the Church Missionary Society. He was a kind father, a diligent pastor, and a sincere friend. Humble and unassuming in his manners, he gained the estimation of all who knew him; and his memory will be long revered by Christians of every denomination.

3 T

After

THE Abstract of the Proceedings of this Society, recently published, contains, among other very interesting matter, a letter from the Rev. Mr. Mill, Principal of the Mission College at Calcutta, of which the following are extracts. referring to the lamented death of Bishop Middleton, Mr. Mill reports the attention which himself and Mr. Alt, his colleague, had paid to the Hindustanee, Bengalee, Sanscrit, Arabic, and Persian, which he terms the five necessary languages; and then proceeds to describe a journey undertaken, by the approbation of the late Bishop, to the coast of Poonah and Malabar.

"I embarked at the end of October last year, and arrived at the former port in November, with the intention of visiting the Christians of St. Thomas, as they have been very generally called, in the interior.

"I trust I shall not barely be excused, but considered as performing a duty to the Society, in enlarging a little on the subject of that singular communion. For a church subsisting like theirs, if not from the apostolical age (a tradition justly suspected), at least from the ages immediately succeeding, whose members have been recognised as a distinct and respected class of the community, in the very heart of Hinduism, for more than fifteen centuries, is a phenomenon which cannot but claim the attention of every one engaged in the propa gation of the Gospel in this country, and is itself a most satisfactory answer to the many who contend, that its permanent reception by any class of respectable natives is an impossibility. The Christians of St. Thomas, though evidently Indian themselves in origin, as in complexion and language (which is the Malagalim), have received their orders, with their liturgies and ecclesiastical traditions, from the more ancient parent church in Syria. Accordingly (notwithstanding the inaccurate later rumours concerning them, which seem with many to have superseded the excellent and laborious accounts of their former history, given by Dr. Michael Geddes, and by La Croze), they resemble, in their form of government, every other ancient church of which we have any knowledge, by which Christianity has been planted in the midst of idolaters: neither in the three orders (to which they have superadded many of confessedly inferior authority) do they differ from the Western Church, except that the deacons exercise fewer of the proper functions of the Catanas or presbyters, than custom has allowed them among us. It were happy if, with this

apostolical regimen, of which they are most carefully tenacious, they had preserved uniformly unimpaired the fundamental articles of the Christian faith; but the unhappy disputes respecting the person and natures of our Lord, which, beginning with verbal questions, ended with dividing the oriental churches into two opposite erroneous confessions, have extended their evil influence to the church in Malabar. It is evident, from the accounts that La Croze has detailed, with his usual candour and sagacity, that at the time when the Portuguese were forcing the Romish usurpation, with all its novelties, upon them; they were, like the see of Babylon to which they adhered, Nestorian. And it is evident, also, that those bishops and priests from Syria, by whose assistance, half a century after, they were enabled, for the greater part, to throw off that usurpation, and recover their ancient ecclesiastical independence, were from the see of Antioch, the most opposed to that heresy being Jacobites. And this is accordingly the creed of all the independent part of the Syro-Malabaric Church at this day, who are under a metropolitan bishop of their own nation. These correspond with the church in Antioch: like them have the anti-catholic expression (to say the least) in use, of the two natures forming one nature, and unanimously hold the Nestorian duality of persons in the utmost detestation. The other great division of this church, who remain under that forced subjection to the see of Rome, though they have still priests of their own nation, and their liturgy in Syriac, printed at Rome for their use; have all their superior governors sent to them from Europe, and are in a singular state of schism: the Portuguese Archbishop of Cranganore, a suffragan of Goa, still claiming them as his charge; while this right is denied by the Propaganda Society at Rome, who have constantly sent out Italian vicars apostolic, and now latterly an Irish bishop, residing at Verapoli, to rule them. These unfortunate churches, still sufficiently proud of their ancient character to feel their present degradation, yet under the terror of the exclusive pretensions to catholicism and infailibility, submit partly to the one, partly to the other, of these opposite claimants.

"It is the former and happier division of this singular people, to whom we look with the greatest interest and hope; as those whose recovery and rise to their early primitive character, will, as we may confidently expect, bring with it the emancipation of the rest. From their venerable metropolitan, Mar Dionysius, who is ex

erting himself in various ways for the improvement of his clergy and people, I had the happiness of hearing very warm expressions of respect and attachment to the Church of England, and our late regretted Bishop, whose interviews with himself, and mutual presents, he evidently remembered with great satisfaction. I received, both from him and several of his clergy, copies of the New Testament, and other works, in Syriac, which I hope, at no distant time, to deposit in our college library. The readings of these copies (of which I collated many more at different churches for seven of the more remarkable passages) add but little to the information published by Professor Adler on this subject; they are chiefly remarkable for a gross interpolation in some Nestorian copies, in Heb. ii. 9; and a careful expunction of this, with an omission equally unauthorized, though not so impious in meaning, by the opposite party: and they curiously exemplify the effect of contrary heresies in preserving, as well as indirectly confirming, the general integrity of the sacred text. The want of 1 John, v. 9 (except in one copy interpolated by the Romanists), and of the history of the beginning of John, viii. is common to all. The persons to whom I was chiefly indebted for my intercourse both with the priests and laity of this extraordinary people (of whose Indian language I was wholly ignorant), were three clergymen of the Church of England, resident at Cottayam in Travancore, and actively employed in superintending the college and the parochial schools: the former of which, by the grant of the Heathen government of that country, the latter, by the desire and contribution of these Christians themselves, have been recently established in their community. Singular as such a superintendance may appear, and almost unprecedented, there is nothing in it, as exercised by these clergymen, which opposes the order, either of that Episcopal Church they visit, or, as far as I am capable of judging, of that to which they themselves belong. For the former, they certainly do nothing but by the express sanction of the Metropolitan consulting and employing them: their use of the Anglican service for themselves and families at one of his chapels, is agreeable to the catholic practice of these Christians (who allowed the same, two hundred and fifty years ago, to the Portuguese priests, as to persons rightly and canonically ordained, even while they were resisting their usurpations), and is totally unconnected with any purpose of obtruding even that liturgy upon the Syrian Church; while their conduct, with respect to those parts of the Syrian ritual and practice, which all Protestants must condemn, is that of silence, which, without the appearance of

approval, leaves it to the gradual influence of the knowledge now disseminating itself to undermine, and at length, by regular authority, to remove them. For the latter, which involves the more immediate, and far more sacred, duty of the two, though no opportunity for the display of this has yet existed in this native government, without the company's territory, and the limits of the operation of our Indian Church establishment hitherto, yet I believe they fully acknowledge that episcopal relation and jurisdiction, to which they, equally with myself, or with any chaplain of the company, are spiritually subject. What

ever suspicion may arise on this head, from the avowed ecclesiastical principles of too many who support their respected Society (the Church Missionary Society) in England*, I cannot, if I may be allowed the expression of my own judgment in this way, extend the same suspicion to them. For it appears plainly impossible, that men of piety and integrity (such as I am persuaded these are) should thus support and act upon the ancient principles of unity and order in another church, without at least equally regarding them in their own." -Pp. 184-190.

After giving an account of some classes of Roman Catholic Christians, frequently confounded, through ignorance or a worse motive, with the Syrian Christians, Mr. M. gives the following particulars concerning Goa:

"The city of Goa now presents a most remarkable spectacle. Its splendid cathedral, churches, convents, &c. now stand insulated as in the country, no remnant existing of that populous city with which they

were

once surrounded. The new city, Panjam, is a comparatively mean place: the inquisition, too well known for its atroci ties in the cases of F. Ephraim Neves, M. Dellon, &c. is now mouldering to ruins, without the least prospect of recovery. It is said, that all the European Portugueze, who refuse to take the oaths to the new government, which is a government of half castes, will be banished the country; and in this number the Archbishop Primate is included.

"From Goa I proceeded by sea to Bombay, and thence to Poona. At this latter place, which was the principal object of my journey, I had the happiness of assisting at the commencement of a work, which forms the principal official intelligence I have now to communicate to the Society;, I mean the Persian version of the Old Testa ment, undertaken under their auspices, by my friend, the chaplain of that station. * We do not exactly understand this remark we apprehend that it is founded in some misconception of the learned Professor, or is the result of some erroneous information.

Address of the Rev. G. Bushe to his Roman

Catholic Parishioners.

MY DEAR ROMAN CATHOLIC BRETHREN,

I TRUST, that by my assistants in the ministry of this parish, as also by myself, all our intercourse with you, on every oecasion wherein we have come in contact in the discharge of our professional duty, has been carried on in the spirit of Christian love. I feel, that with the higher and middle classes among you, our communication has never been otherwise than a mutual interchange of kindness; and I can safely say, that the poorer sort among you have not been neglected in our daily ministration," but that the objects assisted by the contributions over which we have had any controul, have ever been relieved without any other difference than a melancholy superiority in the scale of poverty. But we feel that this is but a small part of the love we bear you, or the duty we owe you. "Being affectionately desirous of you, we are willing to impart unto you the Gospel of God." For this reason, we invite your attendance at St. George's Church on stated evenings; when we shall discuss the doctrines of your communion, and try their truth by the infallible word of God. If we are sincere in the profession we make, of believing those doctrines to be true, which we preach as the tenets of our Church, it follows of course that we cannot admit those to be true also, which you maintain, when in many points they so vitally differ-and following the revealed word of God for our guide, we must proclaim many of those doctrines which you hold, to be pregnant with error. We wish, therefore, to break through that awful and melancholy silence which we have too long maintained and endeavour, under the Divine assistance, to disabuse you of errors, which we cannot but consider fatal; as being subversive of the hope of salvation, as that hope is presented to us in the "Scriptures of truth.”

These are our reasons (and you cannot but allow them just and anxious reasons,) why we intend publicly to preach against

the doctrines you maintain. You yourselves are most intimately interested in this discussion. Your salvation is at stake; for

if the grounds upon which you build that salvation are false, the hope which you entertain must be ruinous. If you consider yourselves right in your views, you cannot fear a comparison of them with that which must be allowed by us all to be the standard and test of all truth-" the Oracles of God!" and, therefore, on every account, we may expect your serious attention. We would expect you to "consider the things that belong unto your peace, before they are for ever hidden from your eyes." We would beseech you, not to "forsake your own mercies."

We trust that you will find the controversy carried on upon that principle, and with that spirit, which should ever characterize the Christian ministry; and that we shall be found "speaking the truth in love." We shall have no reference to political circumstances, to individual characters, or to the private or public conduct of any of your communion of past or present time. The question of our controversy is only a question of souls; and our only quarrel, a quarrel with those doctrines which we believe "to war against the soul." The doors of the Sanctuary shall be thrown open to you, and we earnestly entreat your attendance and attention. Try our arguments, investigate our principles, weigh our doctrines; but in order to do so, fairly and fully, come and hear them, that you yourselves may from yourselves judge of them. We invite you in the spirit of love; and may the Lord Jehovah manifest his power and glory in the Sanctuary! May He, " in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," be present in our assemblies, and may his Holy Spirit" guide us into all truth." Believe me,

My dear Roman Catholic Brethren,
Yours, with truth and affection,
WILLIAM BUSHE,

Rector of St. George's Parish.