I need hardly observe, that this latter course the hypotheticals have not even attempted to adopt. Their arguments consist exclusively in clamour, abuse, ribaldry, misrepresentation, tyranny worthy of the worst days of the inquisition; and, with their characteristic anti-scriptural pertinacity, setting at nought the Apostolic pretext, "going to law with a brother, and that before unbelievers."

The question then arises, are the leading hypotheticalsthose eminent members of the religious world to whom I have alluded-with their bi-weekly oracle, really anxious (so far as we can gather from their practice) to promote that evangelical chastity in thought and word, as well as in deed, which we find so strongly enforced in the Scriptures of truth?

Here I must take the liberty to refer to the antecedents of certain well-known characters, at least at one time distinguished members of this party; who sturdily anathematised the ordinance of confession, but who regarded the holding of private prayer-meetings with the female members of their body, as realising all that they desired.

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Omitting all reference to the "man of God" (as Lord Palmerston has been designated by the Record), his noble relative and the Hyde Park bookseller, &c., and confining myself to clerical instances, the remarkable case, nearly twenty years since, of a Reverend Doctor, "Minister of an Episcopal chapel," one of the most popular of the Church of England divines in the Metropolis," and a writer in the Record, cannot have escaped the recollection of a large portion of your readers. Another sad instance, also in the metropolis, occurred much more recently, when a "star" of the first magnitude fell from its brilliant and greatly admired position. The town of Liverpool (where popular Protestantism reigns with well nigh undisputed sway) has lately furnished sundry awkward and painful disclosures in the congregation of one of "Prayer-book bracketing" notoriety, who has deliberately counselled the summary infliction of the extreme penalty of the law (I conclude after Lynch fashion!) on any minister of God's word presuming to listen to the special confession of a sinner, who, feeling his conscience troubled with any weighty matter, might open to him his grief. The neighbouring town of Rochdale could also a tale

unfold, too painful to dwell upon-one unquestionably not resulting from that sobriety and chastity of conduct which (whether successful or not) it is a leading object, in opening one's spiritual burdens to his pastor, to promote. The old Saxon parish of Dewsbury (where the sun of Puritanism shines undimmed by any interposing cloud) a few years since gave birth to a flagrant instance of hypothetical laxity; the evil results of which are not likely to expire during the existence of the present generation.

I could, only too easily, prolong this list; but examples sufficient for my purpose have been cited. Your readers, I fear, can supply others-alas! too many-with equal facility.

The question now occurs, how comes it to pass, why these violations of the seventh commandment are to be discovered so exclusively in or among the hypothetical party?

The answer is plain. Among those who assemble in high carnival during the "merry month of May," to celebrate their annual metro-political festival in Exeter Hall-that temple of human idolatry, where man is extolled and God is forgotten, where no self-denial is practised or enforced, where evangelic mortification is unknown, where there is no daily taking up the cross and painfully following after Christ. Protestant breakfasts, Jewish luncheons, hypothetical dinners, and De-tractarian teas-running after preachers and speakers (whether it be Spurgeon or Villiers) and bolting away from God, self-pleasing and self-display, frequenting those scenes of worldly dissipation and personal vanity termed "religious bazaars!" where charity is dressed up with amusement, gambling and folly, and money is made by the most disreputable tricks of trade, constitute the ordinary programme of this motley gathering of the "religious world." The pride of the human heart is thereby flattered, and puffed up, and fanned into a flame. The flesh is pampered, and the lusts thereof indulged. The pomps and vanities of life are not renounced, but are eagerly sought after and delighted in. And the world, that sevenfold fiend, takes undisputed possession of the unmortified hearts of these devotees of popular religionism, and sends them back to their respective parishes far more estranged from God than when they issued forth."

And what, then, is the prevalent aspect of the religionism of those who "sit under a dear Protestant minister?" Instead of daily prayer to God in his holy temple, there is the "weekly lecture," generally delivered on a Thursday in a school-room adjoining the Church. Instead of "meeting together," after Apostolic example, "to break bread on the first day of the week," and on the festivals of the Church the supper of the Lord, the true Christian's highest privilege, is not administered oftener than once in the month. Instead of the Church's holy seasons being devoutly observed as times of penitence and mortification, in order that the flesh may be subdued to the spirit, they are frequently passed with even more frivolity than other periods of the year; any approximation towards a religious observance of them being regarded as a "relic of popery."

Prayer gives place to preaching; and the reading of God's word is superseded by the perusal of the "Religious Society's," Ryle's, or other dissenting tracts, and of course the homiletics of the Record. The sermons are not earnest exhortations to the practice of mortification and self-denial -to renounce the world and the flesh, but are couched in the tone and the temper of the Pharisee in the temple, puffing up the deluded hearers with an overweening conceit of their own self-sufficiency, fostering a narrow and exclusive spirit of bigotry, uncharitableness, polemical rancour and slander, and inculcating principles just the opposite of those productive of evangelical holiness, and the personal purity of these followers of the religion of the day, with Punch and the Times, and the licensed victuallers, and idle clergymen on their side, is still further deteriorated by constantly recurring "tea-fights," where slander, gossip, tale-bearing, match-making, or discussions upon those likely to take place, or that have been broken off, form the staple subjects of conversation. Rollicking games are oftentimes introduced at these evening partis, affording, as is well known, a licence for wanton and inbecoming familiarity which no ball room ever presented. While the intermeddling obtrusiveness of numerous "Mrs. Ellens," with all their key-hole listening propensities, thereby encouraged an obstrusiveness that will be deterred by no means however false and disreputable, so that only a ful charge can be trumped up, which may lower the

character or blast the reputation of a faithful minister of Christ.

Is it, then, any marvel, that the hypotheticals, as a party, should raise so loud a protest against the ordinance of Confession, the authority for which is to be found in the Bible, and the practice of which is, under certain circumstances, enjoined by the Prayer-book of the English Church? They cannot but see that such a modified course would serve to deprive them of their existing popularity with the men of the world and the publications of the world; for without fail, saith the Redeemer, "the world loves its own." It is abundantly clear that the occasional habit, if blessed by him who died to redeem us from all impurity, would powerfully tend to curtail their carnal and other sensual gratifications, It would promote the conversion to God of multitudes now halting between the religion of Christ and the traditions of men. While it would effectually further that branch of pure and undefiled religion which consists in keeping ourselves "unspotted from the world."

Faithfully yours,

THE SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL SYNOD.

M. C.

THERE was little room to doubt the result of Mr. Cheyne's appeal from the judgment of his own bishop to the Episcopal Synod; but it was not to have been expected that the sentence would have again been postponed till the second day of December next. This course was adopted in order to give Mr. Cheyne an opportunity of revising his opinions; a course which we sincerely wish he may adopt: but with which, as he is supported by the Bishop of Brechin, it is not probable that he will comply.

Like the custom of the Scottish law courts, the Scottish bishops each severally delivered their opinions on the doc trine propounded by the apellant; which doctrire the Synod declared to be erroneous and subversive of tle doctrine of the Church, both in England and Scotland The following is the sentence of the Court :

"The College of Bishops, having resumed consideration of the appeals at the instance of the Rev. Patrick Cheyne:

Find that the teaching of the appellant complained of in the presentment is erroneous, and more or less in contradiction to, and subversive of, the doctrine of the Church, as explained in the opinion of the majority of the Court now delivered; but considering that the appellant did not take part in the discussion of the merits of the cause during its dependance before the Bishop of Aberdeen, and being desirous of still affording him an opportunity of retracting the said teaching, if so minded, after having heard the opinion now delivered, direct the clerk to furnish him with a copy of that part of the opinion of the majority in which the said teaching, so held to be erroneous, is specified; and in the meantime, and before further procedure, adjourn the Court to the second day of December next.

From this judgment the Bishop of Brechin dissented, and`

said :

"I consider it my duty to state that I do not concur in the opinion now delivered and judgment pronounced by the majority of the Court, in regard either to the doctrine of the appellant, or to any of the consequences which may follow therefrom; and therefore I protest against the same, and desire that this statement and protest may be recorded in the minutes of the Court."

The Court was then adjourned till Tuesday, Dec. 2nd, at twelve o'clock.

THE COMMON CROW OF INDIA.

(From the Catalogue of the Birds in the Museum of the H.E.I.C.)

THE common crow of India is an abundant, very noisy, familiar, and impudent species; it frequents the vicinity of human abodes, alike in the villages and in the crowded streets of large towns. About the latter, they walk and hop like domestic birds, wherever food is to be picked up, just stepping aside out of the way of the passers-by, and regardless of the ordinary throng; but they still retain all the craft and wariness of their tribe, and are ever vigilant, making off on the least suspicious movement, or even on the fixed glance of a stranger. They require but small encouragement, however, to be most troublesomelv bold, and