quotes these expressions, which are those of Newton, and points at them as instances where that great philosopher had deviated from the method of true philosophy. "Laplace, it is said, was asked by Bonaparte, why he never extended his views from secondary causes to the first great cause. That, it was replied, does not come within the field of our observation." ‡ - Having thus seen the meaning of philosophy and theology, let us hear their testimony in regard to some matters of great moment to men. Theology tells us that Christ rose from the dead after he had been crucified, and had lain in the grave for the space of three days; § philosophy tells us that, according to the established laws of physiology, the thing was impossible. Theology tells us that once, at a man's bidding, the sun and the moon were arrested in their course for the space of a whole day; || philosophy tells us that according to the established laws of nature the thing was impossible. Theology tells us that once the fire of a furnace, heated to the utmost intensity, had no power even to singe a hair on the head of three faithful servants of the Most High God who were cast therein; philosophy tells us that, according to the established laws of nature, the thing was impossible. And, finally, theology tells us that "the hour is coming, in the which all that are in their graves shall hear the voice of the Son of Man, and shall come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation;"** philosophy still repeats that, according to the laws of nature, the thing is impossible. Take a red hot ball of iron, suspend it over a magazine of gunpowder, and ask philosophy what the result would be were the suspended ball to be allowed to drop into the nitrous heap. Would philosophy not Dr Keith's Demonstration of the Truth of the Christian Religion, p. 170. Mat. xxviii. Josh. x. 12, 13. Dan. iii. 19, 27. ** John v. 28, 29. immediately reply, with the utmost confidence, that an explosion must instantly take place? But, suppose that theology were to return a different answer, and mention that the fiery ball would have no more effect on the gunpowder than if it were a ball of ice: and, on the experiment being made, no explosion were effected: would not, in that case, theology contradict the testimony of philosophy? It would not be theologically true, that the gunpowder would be ignited by the hot ball, but it surely could not be, at the same time, philosophically true. And was the preservation of the three pious Hebrews in the midst of the sevenfold heated furnace not as much contrary to the ordinary laws of nature, by which philosophy always judges, as the nonexplosion of gunpowder, though struck by a fiery ball? Look to the sea of Galilee. The voice of the tempest is there. See how the infuriated waves are tossing yonder little ship! Can it live in the storm? Hear the cry of the poor fishermen, "Master, master, we perish!" Ask philosophy what their master can do for them, and it will assuredly reply, "He can do nothing;" ask theology, and it will answer, can do all." Nor is the answer unjust. For, "then he arose, and rebuked the wind, and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, where is your faith? and they being afraid, wondered, saying one to another, what manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him!"†† I admit that, in one sense, it is philosophically true that the things, to which I have referred, could not take place: that is, they could not take place according to the established laws of nature; but it is not true that they could not take place in opposition to these laws. The laws of nature have again and again been suspended in their operations by the word of God; but the word of God, as revealed in the inspired volume, never has, and tt Luke viii. 24, 25. "He away."#1 arise ? never can be, contradicted by the laws time! Christianity has not failed to of nature : for He, who hath all power accomplish its end. Its awful language given unto him in heaven and in earth, is—" He that believeth shall be saved, bath said, “Heaven and earth shall and he that believeth not shall be pass away, but my words shall not pass damned.” The question, Whence arises the painful antagonism between the " The question," it is further stated, world and the Church ? may indeed " is forcing itself upon all thinking men, baffle the inquiry of those who seek for from what does the painful antagonism its solution, by the light of science, existing betwixt theology and philo- among dark sepulchres of fossil remains; sophy, betwixt the world and the church, but a single glance at the volume of There is no blinking the ques- Divine revelation will at once set the tion. A serious disturbance has long matter at rest. “ The carnal mind is been brewing in the world of thought. enemity against God; for it is not The church is declaiming upon the sad subject to the law of God, neither want of faith and spread of infidelity indeed can be.” “If our gospel be in the world; and the world is, by im- hid, it is hid to them that are lost; in plication, insisting upon a more rational whom the god of this world hatli system of theology, and a greater spread blinded the minds of them which beof philosophy in the church. lieve not, lest the light of the glorious Christianity, in order to acquire and gospel of Christ, who is the image of retain that beneficial influence it ought God, should shine into them.” to exercise over the mind of man, must It is also stated that " Unfortunately, minister to, and be in harmony with he is not the only clergyman whose his social and intellectual, as well as views seem to be lagging far behind religious wants, in every climate and the age.” The unfortunateness of such in every age, and in this respect it has lagging will depend altogether on whiunquestionably failed; hence the com- ther the age is running! All motion plaint of such a lamentable want of is not up hill. The most rapid is faith and the spread of infidelity. If generally downwards. Clergymen read the church has become powerless to in a book which they believe to be reform the world by its faith, the world without error, of a whole herd of swine, will assuredly reform the church by its about two thousand, under Satanic inphilosophy; and the earnest gaze of fluence, running violently down a steep many thinking men is turned in this place into the sea, and perishing in the direction." thinking men,” waters! But why all this everlasting the world of thought,” many think- disgusting cant about lagging behind, ing men,” are indeed high-sounding by those who, like chaff or straw strewn phrases, and may possibly appear to upon the waters of public opinion, mean something to such as know merely show how the tide flows, but nothing. It is not, however, in my have no power whatever in diverting opinion, a token that a man possesses its course ? Would it be seemly for any thought at all in reference to either the thousand worthless shrubs, which philosophy or religion, that he speaks the swollen river hurries to the ocean, of a serious disturbance between the in their destructionward journey, to world and the Church being only brew- taunt the firmly rooted oaks, that bid ing, when any child, who has read the defiance to the tempest's fury, as lagging Bible, well knows that the serious dis- behind ? Clergymen believe, and every turbance between the world and the true Christian believes, that life and Church began six thousand years ago, immortality have already been brought when Cain murdered his brother Abel, to light by the gospel; and they would and will continue down to the end of as soon think of asking the glow-worm for its feeble lamp to lighten the lustre # Mark xiii, 31. of the noonday sun, as to beg the lamp are, een indeed of mere human science to cast one ray shown, if he were able to show wherein more on the path that leads to heaven. they are fallacious, than merely to assert In fine, Sir, it is well known that I that few will admit their conclusions, am not one of those who implicitly without condescending to say what they follow either popular or long established He may, however, be apologised mere human authority. I have given for on account of the rapid speed of to the public my reasons for differing the intellect of the present age not even from Sir Isaac Newton himself allowing time either for thought or on some points of scientific discovery; reason, and mere dogmatizing may be and it would certainly have been more found sufficient to answer the end. in accordance with the true spirit of I am, Sir, yours, &c., philosophy for my opponent to have ROBERT WILSON. stated some of these reasons, and CONGREGATIONAL TITLE-DEEDS. Mr. EDITOR, --In the communication toria already mentioned. They are which I sent you last month on Congre- supplementary, so to speak, of what gational Title-deeds, I was of necessity should have been in their own titles if very brief, as the space you could allow these had been procured under the premé was small . Some things I entirely sent act of Parliament. I have, thereomitted. Might I, therefore, ask the fore, little to remark upon them. I favour again of a small portion of your think, however, that they give a power valuable Journal, to make myself some- to the trustees, as co-managers of the what better understood. church-property, along with the regular I confined my attention solely to the yearly-appointed managers, which is prescribed form of disposition to trusa scarcely consistent with the form of contees for a congregation. I had not stitution recommended at page forty-two space to make any remarks on the of the present rules and forms of church " Rules to be adopted by congregations procedure. It is said, for example, in whose title-deeds do not specify the the new forms as to the trustees, that mode of electing trustees." Here we “ the management, or repair, or occupahave a form of minute such as should tion of the said subjects, and the civil be adopted at the meeting of a congre- affairs of the congregation, shall (by gation on such an occasion. It is suffi- them) be done and performed by and ciently plain and explicit, only, I think, with the consent of any committee of express mention should have been made management (or the deacons) who may in it that the congregation had pre- from time to time be chosen by the con. viously put themselves under Act xii. gregation at their general meetings, and Vict., ch. 13, and the steps which in conformity with such rules and reguwere necessary for the accomplishment lations as the congregation have made, of it. To secure obedience to the re- or may think proper to make for that commendation of Synod to congrega purpose; and the said trustees or trastions who have not yet transmitted their tee acting for the time, shall be bound title-deeds to the committee for exami. and obliged, so far as may be required nation, to do so without delay;" something of them, to act along with, and give of this kind, I think, was necessary, that their sanction to, the acts and managethey may have some idea what is ment of such committee (or deacons) in likely to be done. all matters and things lawfully and reAs might have been expected, these gularly done by them, in the execution "rules" are an embodiment of the of the duty intrusted to them." principal matters of the disposition got “And lastly. It is hereby provided and by new churches under the Act of Vic- declared that the trustees, acting for the time, shall be bound and obliged to render a just count and reckoning to the congregation, of their intromissions and manangement under the trust; and that to a meeting of the congregation, to be held annually, on one or other of the lawful days in the month of -— Now, so far as I understand the relative duties of congregational managers and trustees hitherto acted on in the Synod, it is the managers elected for the time being that keep the subjects belonging to the church in repair, perform the civil affairs of the congregation, and render just count and reckoning to them, and not the trustees. The trustees, I think, should be mere legal holders of the property, immediately under the managers, who should give a yearly account of their intromissions to the congregation. The more the trustees, as a body, are kept in the back ground as a mere locum tenens, and the less they interfere with the annual civil proceedings of the church, the more will it conduce to peace in the congregation. I venture to state this for the consideration of other members of Synod. In looking over what I have said in the last Journal, on the form of disposition to trustees, and informing myself on the subject, I am ready to allow that the trust being for the use and behoof of a United Presbyterian congregation, in connection with, and under the inspection of, the different courts of the United Presbyterian Church, the trustees and the congregation itself by a majority, can only regulate matters falling within the scope of such trust, and that the vote of a majority cannot be extended to include a power to alter or pervert the trust itself. Still, allowing that this may be found to be the case in a court of law, such a limitation should have been expressed in the words of the trust, so as to put it beyond all dispute, and that the plainest individual might understand it. I still think that in case of a "split taking place in the congregation, or of a division in the Synod," it should not be mere members that should carry the property with them, but that it should even then be in some way connected with the principles of the body. And, at all events, if a split does take place, then there should be a division of the property, the minority getting out their share as they have contributed to the setting up of the institution. It would be a hard thing indeed, if three-fourths of a congregation should become Socinians and strip the other fourth part of their property, while this fourth part held by the original principles for which the church was set up and all its debts paid off. Even in the "act 1844, for the regulation of suits relating to meetinghouses in England and Ireland," which prevents a suit from being raised on a general allegation of a change of doctrine, if the same kind of opinions have been taught "in the meeting-house for twenty-five years," it is provided that if the deed by which the meeting-house was set up declares in express terms what doctrines or opinions are to be taught therein, it must be so employed, "any usage of the congregation to the contrary, notwithstanding." It is deeply to be regretted that this act was foolishly opposed in its application to Scotland. It would have been of essential service. Besides, if the two articles (seventh and eighth) on splits in congregations and in Synod are omitted as indirectly recommended, I can see nothing but a process at law which can extricate who has a right to the property, and yet, by shutting out all reference to doctrinal principles, and the connection of property therewith, this seems to be the thing over-scrupulously guarded against. The Free Church in their titles seem, from their proceedings, to go to an op posite extreme, but a middle course, I humbly think, would be wisest and safest. After thinking a month over it, I still consider there is great danger in allowing a meeting, for example, of the congregation to be called on Sabbath, held on Monday evening, and that the acts and deeds of the said meeting "shall be held valid and binding as the acts and deeds of the said congregation." At such a meeting, the trusteeship of the church, and all its laws and regulations of management, may be changed, and the courts of Presbytery or Synod, or even the majority of the congregation, know nothing of the matter. This appears to me to be a door for factioning. It seems also to be contrary to the fifteenth rule, originally recommended by the Synod to be adopted into congregational constitutions, namely, "that when a proposal for any alteration in the constitution is made, it shall not be competent for the meeting to adopt it, but a second meeting shall be called for the purpose, not earlier than three weeks thereafter, and, before taking effect, it shall be submitted to, and receive the sanction of, the presbytery." In the "act 1850, for rendering more simple and effectual the titles of Dissenting congregations in England and Ireland," and which seems to be of a kindred nature with that passed for Scotland, it is enacted, "that for the purpose of preserving evidence of every choice and appointment of a new trustee, or new trustees, in whom the property from time to time becomes legally vested, some deed under the hand and seal of the chairman of the meeting, shall be made and executed in the presence of the meeting, and attested by two or more credible witnesses." A schedule or form of such minute is appended to the act. This makes the thing very formal. In the new general directions given by our Synod concerning the election of trustees it is also very properly recommended "that each congregation should have a book in which should be inserted a copy of the rules or regulations fixed by the titles, or which may be adopted by the congregation, to regulate the matter of the election of trustees or office-bearers, and the successive minutes of their election duly attested." But why should not the Synod have ordered that duplicates of all such minutes should be lodged with the Presbytery of the bounds, and engrossed in its records for preservation, and as evidence which could be produced in any questions arising as to the property. There is, 'I think, a palpable neglect here. The Independents in England have no such general records, but why should not Presbyterians take advantage of theirs? I know it may be said that congregations are jealous of submitting their civil concerns to the inspection and scrutiny of ecclesiastical courts. But the fault is with the cclesiastical courts themselves. Our Synod will hold no intercourse with the court of managers in our different churches. I have repeatedly brought this subject before the notice of Synod, but my observations have been received with such manifest disrelish, that I have ceased to make a remark upon the subject. Our managers are not called by the Greek word, deacons, which signifies ministers, servants, or stewards. And are not our managers stewards of the church in its civil concerns? yet because they are not called by a Greek name, though they hold and perform the office, they are ignored, and hence they are shy of recognizing a court which does not recognize them. I speak what I believe to be a fact, and of which I have pretty wide experience. AN ASCENT OF VESUVIUS. EXTRACTED FROM AN MS. JOURNAL. We left our carriage at Portici, and walked to Resina, about a mile distant, where the ascent of Vesuvius commences, and mounted on horseback. It is always better to make the ascent by night, not only because it is cooler, but because you receive in the dark a more vivid impression of a burning mountain. When |