not in a carnal sense; because Christ Himself said, speaking of this sacrament (as you own) and to solve that "hard saying" at which many were offended, of giving them His flesh to eat; but He made it easy to them by this explanation. It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh forfeiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit and they are life. (St. John vi. 63.) May we not therefore take His words in a spiritual sense?

R. N. But you would have the words of institution taken figuratively; as when Christ said, I am a vine, I am a door,

&c.

C of E. There is not one man in your communion, but must own that the words of institution are figurative; for example, This cup is the New Testament in my Blood which is shed for you. Here is first, the cup for the wine by a metonymy, called continens pro contento. Then the cup being the New Testament, I suppose you will allow is another figure. And it is another, to say "which is shed" for which "shall be shed;" for His blood was not then shed. figure you have boldly avoided in your mass, where it is put effundetur, shall be shed, instead of effunditur or effusum, according to the Greek, However the two former figures stand unalterable.

This last

But to show that the words were figurative, and that the elements did not lose their nature by the consecration, they are called by their own names after the consecration, as the wine is called the fruit of the vine after the consecration. And it is called bread which they ate in the sacrament. And we are called bread because we partake of that bread. We are bread by the same figure that bread is flesh. R. N. We beleive that there is no bread in the sacrament; but we are sure that we are not bread.

C. of E. You are no more sure of one than of the other. But see now the arbitrariness of your interpretation; when it is said of bread, this is flesh, it is so plain that it must be taken literally; but when it is said of the bread in the sacrament, this is bread, the expression is so obscure, that it must be taken figuratively! Is not this to destroy the meaning of all expressions, to take the words figuratively or literally just as you think fit and contrary to the common usage as understood in all other things?

but as the ancient Here we stick.

R. N. No, it is not as we think fit; church and fathers did understand it. C. of E. And to this we appeal.[Leslie then cites several of the fathers; but we shall be contented with the above extract, which we hope will be read, marked, learned and inwardly digested by the Denison school of theologians. E. C. W.]

SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

IN the following letter of Dr. Guthrie "on the Organ question," who we believe is a Free-kirk minister, we discern the gradual advance of Presbyterians towards an approximation to that church which they are sworn to extirpate by the material sword. In the Aberdeen presbytery some attempts have been made towards improving the mode of conducting their public worship; and this we consider as signs that the "time of the end" is approaching; that "the fulness of the Gentiles" is coming in, when "all Israel shall be saved;" and when it is devoutly to be hoped the Lord's controversy with the Scottish nation will cease; and that He will plead with His people; for, notwithstanding their longcontinued and obstinate heresy and schism, He has much people among the Scottish Presbyterians,

"Dr. Guthrie, in a letter to the Witness, says that he had been at the meeting of the Edinburgh Presbytery, at which the organ question in connexion with Presbyterian Churches in England was introduced, he would have given his cordial support to Dr. Hanna's motion. I cannot, says Dr. Guthrie, regard the worship of God as impure, because an organ is employed to lead and guide the psalmody. There is nothing in the New Testament to warrant such a judgment; and I shrink so much from it, that I confess that I am anxious to wash my hands, before the Churches, of having had anything to do with a deliverance which seems to pronounce so harsh a condemnation on the devotional services of Christians who are as sound in the faith and as devout as we. The Directory for Public Worship of our own Church does not forbid the use of an instrument in conducting the praises of the sanctuary. And although it did, why might not the same liberty of departing from the Directory be allowed in that, as in other

things? It forbids prayer at funerals, yet we all do pray on these occasions. It also forbids private baptisms, yet to a certain extent almost all of us do administer that ordinance in private. Although organs may be abused, so may those other means which we employ for directing the psalmody. It is a vulgar error to suppose that the principles of Presbyterial Church Government are to any degree mixed up with this question about organs. Although an organ, it is not an organic question, so far as Presbytery is concerned.

"In the Pope's Chapel at Rome no instrumental music is employed, while the grandest organ in the world is in the Presbyterian Church of Haarlem; and it is an undeniable fact, that the number of Presbyterian Churches throughout Christendom which use organs, is much larger than the number of those which don't use them. In these circumstances, although I have no desire to introduce organs into our Churches, and would, for reasons of expediency, vote against their introduction, I think that every Christian congregation is entitled to judge in this matter for itself. Paul allowed differences both of opinion and of practice in the primitive Church, on matters far more important than any involved in this organ controversy; and it appears to me that the Churches of Christ cannot be too careful not to multiply unnecessarily, tests, terms of communion and causes of division. Impracticable attempts at uniformity, and tyrannical attempts to enforce it in matters non-essential, have been the bane of the church, and have exposed her and good men in past ages to the scorn of the world. Think of the good old Seceders splitting into two parties on the question whether the bread at the Lord's table should or should not be lifted up, before it was distributed to the communicants, and forming themselves into two Churches, called Lifters and Anti-Lifters. And think of some of our own Free Church congregations, to say nothing of other bodies, who would be almost as much shocked by the sight of gown and bands in the pulpit as by the bumming of an organ, or even the bursting of a shell. If the Free Church should go afighting about organs, after the noble battle she has fought so well for high and holy principles; what a fall will be there! What a descent from keeping the field around the old time-honoured banner of Christ's crown and covenant,

to an organ controversy! From such a sin and shame we heartily pray, in the words of the Service Book, 'Good Lord, deliver us.'

A WATERSPOUT AT SEA.-A passenger in a large American ship which left England in the autumn of last year for Melbourne mentions, in a letter to his friends, the following extraordinary phenomenon :-" Sunday, the 11th October, was a memorable day to us all. It had been exceedingly hotthermometer at 94 deg.-and we were all lying about in the cool, previous to having tea, when C. drew the captain's attention to the peculiar appearance of the sky to windward. With the glass he soon made it out to be a tornado or waterspout; his looks at the time sent a chill through us all. Instantly all hands were at work shortening sail, barring one to steer by (in case we should be so fortunate as to feel the wind that drifts them along). Mr. C. and I helped to haul down the royals. By this time we could plainly see it drifting towards us; it had at first the appearance of a dense cloud of steam, but as it approached it seemed to condense itself into a long, low, black cloud, hanging more down towards the middle. When very near T. felt the wind and shouted to the man at the wheel to 'heave the wheel up,' which just turned us leeward, and caused it to pass astern of us. A few minutes after it burst, dashing the waves about us for at least a quarter of a mile. The end of the cloud burst over us, and came down in the most extraordinary showers of rain that anyone on board ever witnessed. From the time that the men had eased the ship to its bursting (about twenty minutes) not a soul had spoken; we all stood looking as if fascinated, and there were men amongst us with pale faces who had laughed at many a gale. It was the most awful suspense I ever endured. Many a fine Indiaman and other vessels reported as missing, have foundered from these waterspouts bursting over them. We spent the evening in conversing upon the wonderful laws of God, and before we retired I read aloud the first one of Robertson's sermons on 'God's revelation of heaven,' not without mutual benefit." Australian and New Zealand Gazette.

Notices of Books.

CYCLOPEDIA BIBLIOGRAPHICA, Parts VI. & VII. (Darling.) — The first of these Parts commences with Sermons on the fifth chapter of St. Matthew's gospel, and gives a long list of Homilies on the different verses of that chapter by preachers of celebrity in ancient and modern times; and that Part concludes with the second chapter of St. Luke which is continued in Part VII. to the eleventh chapter of St. John. We continue to recommend earnestly to our readers this most comprehensive work, which is superior to all similar works that have preceded it. The eighth part will be published on the first of July.

THE CURE OF SOULS. (J. H. and J. Parker.)-This useful little volume is compiled by the Rev. G. Arden, author of the "Breviates from the Holy Scripture," which we have noticed in a former number. It is intended to assist the parish priest in visiting and ministering to the sick members of his flock; and it contains suggestions for opening the way to free and unreserved communication between the sick man and his spiritual adviser. It contains also the office for the communion of the sick. It is of a convenient size for the pocket; and in visiting the sick, clergymen will find the Cure of Souls a useful and convenient book.

CONFIRMATION AND THE HOLY COMMUNION. (J. H. & J. Parker) is a course of lectures on the above subjects by the author of the Cure of Souls; and we can with safety recommend this small tract to those who are training young persons for confirmation and their first communion.

WHY ARE OUR CHURCHES CLOSED? (Parker) is an argument against churches that are closed during six days in the week; and an appeal to those in authority to open the houses of God throughout this Christian land, by a layman. It is very brief; but it is very convincing; and we hope that his earnest appeal will be responded to by those in authority where the churches are not opened during the week. St. Pancras parish church is open every week-day from eight a.m. till four p.m.; and one of the curates is always there some part of the day. We hope that "those in authority" will read this pamphlet, and attend to the prayer thereof.