Presbytery felt it their duty, though with great reluctance, to accept the resignation. expressing, at the same time, their cordial affection and esteem for Mr. Duncan, who is soon going out, with his family, to Canada. Mr. Bell was appointed to preach at Warkworth, to announce this decision to the congregation, that measures may be taken, in due course, for a supply of preachers for them in their vacant state. The Rev. Alexander Henderson, also, at this meeting resigned his pastoral charge of the congregation at Hexham. His resignation was laid on the table; notice to be given to the congregation, that they may appear for their interests, by commission, at the next meeting of Presbytery, to be held here on the first Tuesday of April.

April 4.-The Presbytery again met, when a letter from Mr. Potter stated his acceptance of the call from the Fourth Congregation here. Mr. Henderson's resignation was now considered. Commissioners from the congregation expressed their eager and unanimous desire that their respected minister should continue among them; but as he still adhered to his resignation, the Presbytery regretted to find that their only alternative was to accept it. In doing this, they stated their warm affectionate regard for Mr. Henderson, and recommended his name to be placed on the Synod's roll of probationers. Mr. Macnaughten was appointed to preach

SURLY winter, with his ruffian blasts, has taken a timely departure with Baron Brunow for the cheerless North, and lovely teeming spring is casting from her prolific laps a charming profusion of green leaves and budding blossoms; the sweet and certain harbingers of a glorious summer. The vegetable world has now fairly awakened out of its long night of cold and death-like sleep; and from all sentient creation is demanded, by the bountiful

Of light more than vernal, The day-spring eternal, Which shall dawn on the dark wintry night of the grave."

This is the hope which Spring brings to the good man's heart; and the lesson which every season bears upon its bosom is one of love on earth and confidence in Heaven.

But I must turn from the world of nature to the world of business; although there has been but little going on during the last month of a very interesting or important nature. The "May meetings" have just commenced; but I shall defer noticing any of them till next month, when I shall be able to report of their progress in a batch. The subject of University Reform has largely occupied the attention of the Nonconformists of the country. It would seem that they do not in general expect derive much special benefit in the way of literary or intellectual distinction, by having confirmed to them the right of mingling with the high-church bigots, or the dissipated rapscallions of Oxford and Cambridge; but at the same time they loudly protest, and very properly so, against the forcible exclusion from those so-called "national" institutions. Petitions in favour of the admission of Dissenters, to the number of 200, and containing some 10,000 signatures, were presented to Parliament before its adjournment for the Easter holidays. There ciple is involved in this matter; and that the can be no question but that a great prinfull recognition of the justice of those claims which are put forth by the Volun taries would lead to the death and burial tions, which unfortunately obtain amongst of certain other false and preposterous nous, as the result of the erroneous and selfsh teachings of the upholders of a State-established system of religion. The adoption, lead to a reformation of character. It moreover, of right principles, generally would in all probability prove so in the present instance. If within a few years there should come to be a large infusion Cambridge, both the bigotry and immoof the Dissenting element into Oxford and rality engendered by the present system would inevitably decline, and, at length, wholly disappear. Now that the subject has been fairly mooted, it will not be allowed again to be lost sight of; and in the event of a government pressure, should a bill of enfranchisement be proposed, it could easily be carried. Lord John Russell himself would, even at the present moment, support such a measure if brought forward by an independent member. With

Church bill; and it is as unpalatable to the Scottish Episcopalians as to the Established clergy; but the schoolmasters of Scotland have also manfully raised their voice against its tyrannical provisions; while every friend to freedom of thought, freedom of conscience, and freedom of teaching, ought to unite in opposing the creation of a board with as despotic powers as the star chamber of other days, or as the Board of Excise in matters of taxation. But besides these three Minis. terial measures, the Parliamentary Oaths Bill will also be, in all probability, withdrawn; the odious system of Church Rates, will remain intact; and many useful measures of reform, which much need to be put in force, will be indefinitely delayed. It is not easy, verily, to calculate the cost of despotism; and it were devoutly to be desired that the present war might put an end to it at once and for ever on the continent of Europe, and thus hasten its final downfall in every portion of the world. It is to be feared, however, that the deepseated course of the evil which is about to be resisted by the weapons of war, will be suffered to remain much where it now is for generations yet to come.

The Wesleyan Reformers of the metropolis and elsewhere are again upon the move. They have been holding several large and very stirring meetings in the chief places of popular resort; and have uniformly carried with them the sympathy and judgment of the people. The Rev. Dr. Leifchild is said to be the only minister out of their own denomination whom the Conference party are able to secure to represent the catholicity of the body over which they rule with a rod of iron, at their forthcoming annual meeting. The venerable doctor was a Wesleyan himself in his early days; and it is not therefore surprising that he should be willing to testify his continued regard to the beloved object of youth; although it is much to be regretted that even one man should be found willing to lend the sanction of his presence to such scandalous conduct as that of which the Conference are so deplorably guilty. The man who has only a decent respect for his own character, and the least spark of love for the sacred principles of Christian liberty, ought not to commit himself to such a system of godless tyranny-no,not even so much as by a hair's-breadth. I observe that the Rev. George Steward, who lately resigned his connection with the Methodist body for conscience sake, has accepted the pastorate of an Independent church at New

castle-thus following the example of the Revs. Samuel Dunn, John Mauly, W. L. Horton, and others, who have either been expelled or have seceded.

Ministerial settlements, collegiate education, chapel building, and kindred matters, are at the present time engaging a considerable share of attention in the Congregational body. It is affirmed that out of the 2140 Congregational churches in Britain, there are no fewer than 423 which do not possess the privilege of the labours of a stated pastor, while there are 423 vacant pastorates; while the total number of students in the colleges belonging to this body is but 194; only some 40 of whom have completed their educational course. On the other hand, there would seem to be above 300 ordained Congregational ministers without pastoral charge, by far the majority of whom have received a college education. This state of things is supposed to be accounted for in a large measure by the miserable stipends given by the masses of the churches to their ministers, who are frequently obliged to devote a considerable portion of their time and energies to other employments in order to find bread for themselves and their families. The demand of the age for educated men keeps back numbers of individuals in the lower walks of life, who would regard £80 or £90 per annum as a goodly sum; and at the same time effectually prevents many, who would prove efficient pastors, from all idea of serving the Church in that capacity, or tends to drive them into more remunerative, though, it may be, less congenial occupations, after their college course is concluded. The Rev. J. A. James, in a recent letter upon the subject of Ministerial Education, suggests the propriety of reverting very largely to the old system of "domestic institutions;" that is, the training of young men for the ministry by "some saintly men, such as Cornelius Winter, William Jay, and John Griffin," apart altogether from the colleges of the country. Mr. James observes:-"As a general principle, I hold that we should aim to have a learned as well as a pious and evangelical ministry. But is it absolutely necessary that all our ministers should be trained to classical and philosophical pursuits? Do all our churches need such men? Are there not men with ardent piety, zeal, and desire to be useful in the conversion of souls, who answer to the description set forth in the

following letters, and who are too far advanced in life to enter upon a lengthened college curriculum with any rational hope of supplementing, even by the greatest diligence, the disadvantages of their early education; but who, with good natural talents, might, under short appropriate training, become good and useful ministers of Jesus Christ?" And again:-" Why should students, whatever their taste, capacity, and aptitude, all be drilled after the same fashion, and kept four or five years dogging at the languages, of which they are never likely to make anything; and are thus, in some cases, prevented from becoming good preachers, by being made bad scholars. I do not write thus to depreciate sound learning, for I contend for this wherever it can be obtained; but to show that it is not, in all cases, necessary for great usefulness. It is an unquestionable fact, that many of our most popular and useful ministers in the present day, as well as in past times, have made no pretensions to scholarship. I am not quite sure that the London University has proved an unmixed good to our ministry. Without some vigilance on the part of the professors and committees of our colleges, and of the pastors of our churches, there is some danger of making scholarship and academic degrees of more importance than adaptation for usefulness. He considers, however, that the Indepedent churches" are wise enough and holy enough to perceive, and I hope they ever will be, that philosophy is a poor substitute for warm-hearted piety, classic literature for evangelical doctrine, and academic degrees for the physical qualifications of a public speaker. It becomes all of us who are pastors to be abundantly more cautious than we have been in sending young men to college, and to be especially attentive to the spiritual and physical, as well as the intellectual qualifications of those whom we recommend. There are scores, if not hundreds, whom the churches reject, not because these young men do not know languages, mathematics, or philosophy, nor because they are not good men, nor because they have not competent talents, but because they have neither voice nor manner that make them agreeable and acceptable in the pulpit." Another gentleman, Mr. Joshua Wilson, who is well entitled to speak upon this subject, says: "It has long been my deliberate conviction, that the Congregational body urgently needs, not

a greater number of men trained to elassieal and philosophical pursuits,' but an accession of men of ardent piety, zeal, and devotedness, making no pretensions to scholarship or extensive literary acquirements, but well instructed in Biblical theology, who might be fitted to take the pastoral oversight of smaller churches, and who would be specially adapted for doing the work of evange lists, and thus raising new congregations, or reviving those (not a few I fear) which have fallen into decay. I fully admit the value of sound learning, and the importance of colleges intended to prepare a learned as well as a pious and evangelical ministry,' especially for churches in the metropolis and larger towns; but so far from its being absolutely necessary,' I greatly doubt whether it is even desirable, that all our ministers should be scholars and philosophers.' The men we now chiefly need are powerful and impressive preachers of the glorious everlasting gospel-men possessed of the requisite physical as well as spiritual and intellectual qualifications, who, by a warm, lively, affectionate manner of address, and by earnest tones, and pathetic appeals would beseech, and by the blessing of God, effectually persuade, sinners to be reconciled to God; always urging their appeals by the great motive embodied in that cardinal fact of doctrine, He hath made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.' Another gentleman suggests that "there are undoubtedly numbers of young men whose early disadvantages, or whose years, form an absolute bar to their entering the colleges of the body, but who would yet be most useful pas tors; I say not in the rural districts and small towns only, but whose abilities as preachers of the Gospel and pastors of churches might be highly appreciated by the congregations of more important places.' A graduate of the London University, while putting honour upon learning, has come to the conclusion that some change in the present system is absolutely necessary:"In the first place, there are not a few of our churches where no action on this subject is taken. They neither help to support our colleges, nor seek out alumni for them. Occasionally, perhaps, some pious mother who has set her heart on making her son or nephew a minister, induces the pastor to recommend him to the college

council, and the lad goes (in not a few cases literally) from school to the college for ministerial students. What can be expected in such cases? Failure is not only probable, but extremely likely. The lad has been all along tenderly nurtured -every difficulty carefully renioved from his path. Where can he have obtained the experience and judgment so largely required in the pastoral office? It would be a question worth asking, too, as to the number of ministers' sons, who, as such, have been trained at our Dissenting colleges, and who have since become literati. Of the 270 Congregational ministers unattached, how many would have become ministerial students, had they not been either ministers' sons or the proteges of persons in good circumstances in our churches." I must not pursue this subject, however, but have been thus copious in setting forth opinions, because it may so happen that some of the thoughts suggested are worth consideration in reference to the Presbyterian as well as Congregational pastorate.

In the meantime, the necessity for efficient ministers is becoming more urgent than ever. This is especially shown in the progress of chapel-building. London Society, for this purpose alone, has in five years assisted in building or preserving no fewer than thirteen places of worship. Of these nine are now opened, and four are in the process of erection. In addition to its own direct efforts, it has not been without its use in stimulating others, Within the same period eight large and handsome edifices have been built, at an expense of some £52,000. It is considered that the aggregate amount which has been thus expended, inclusive of the operations of this society and those whom it has aided, must amount to the sum of £80,000. The Society for Lancashire, and the "English" Society, are also at work on a corresponding scale.

Among the ministerial changes which have taken place of late, is the removal of the Rev. Newman llall, B.A., a young man of superior talents and indomitable energy, from Hull to Surrey chapel, London, in the room of the Rev. James Ghorman, whose declining powers of body has necessitated retirement to an easier sphere at Blackheath. things are expected of Mr. Hall. The Rev. Dr. Leifchild is about to retire so soon as a suitable man shall have been found for the pulpit of Craven chapel.

Great