him we can do nothing aright in this matter. Let him take of the things of Christ, and show them unto us, and graciously guide us into all truth. O convince us of our sin and misery, enlighten our minds in the knowledge of Christ, renew our wills, and persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ as he is freely offered in the Gospel. These things we ask in humility and faith, through Jesus Christ our strength and our Redeemer; to whom, with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, be glory everlasting.—Amen.

RIGHTS AND PROPERTIES OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES IN ENGLAND.

[WE hasten to lay before our readers the following most interesting document, which we have extracted from the pages of that powerful periodical, "The Edinburgh Christian Instructor," for October. The letter and resolutions convey a most important lesson to the Orthodox Presbyterians of Ulster. We rejoice in the calm yet determined spirit exhibited by our Orthodox brethren in England and in their appeal to the laws of their country, for a restoration of their undoubted rights and congregational properties, we heartily wish them success.-EDIT.]

TO THE EDITOR OF THE EDINBURGH CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTOR. "MR. EDITOR,

You would perform an essential service to a portion of the Presbyterian Church, if you would insert the following short statement, and the subsequent resolutions, in your valuable periodical, which has so often and so fearlessly contended against corruption, for the faith once delivered to the saints.

"There is a body known by the designation of the general body of the three denominations of Presbyterians, Independents, and Baptists, meeting at Dr. Williams's Library, Red Cross Street, London. It has existed ever since the Revolution, and has had various and important privileges conferred upon it. It is generally regarded as a sort of demi-official representation of the English Dissenters.— The party which style themselves Presbyterians, are Independents in church government, and Antitrinitarians in doctrine; and, for the sake of some temporal advantages, Orthodox Independents and Baptists unite in one body with those deniers of the Lord that bought them. This union has grievously injured the truth, and the false designation assumed by one member of the body, and given by the others, has, in particular, been exceedingly detri

mental to Presbyterianism; which, in consequence, is, to the south of the Tees, generally believed to be synonymous with Socinianism. To protest against this most unhallowed alliance, and against the assumption of our appropriate designation, by men who have not the shadow of a claim to be so styled, was the meeting, whose sederunt is subsequently described, convened, and the first series of Resolutions passed.

"But those Pseudo-Presbyterians have assumed of what belongs to Presbyterianism in England, something more than the name. The name is, indeed, retained for the purpose of in part concealing their retention of the property. Upwards of 150 chapels built, and many of them amply endowed by Orthodox Presbyterians, are at this moment occupied, and their endowments drawn by men who are Independents in church government, and Antitrinitarians in doctrine. In 1704 and 1707, Dame Sarah Hewley, of York, who was an Orthodox Presbyterian, and the succourer and consoler of the ejected and perse. cuted Puritans, created a trust, chiefly over lands, for the purposes specified in the second resolution of the second series. The original trustees were good and faithful inen, and administered the trust reposed in them with all fi delity. But, in the course of time, the trust became Socinian, and the consequence has been, that for many years a large proportion of this charity, the yearly proceeds of which amount to nearly £4000, has gone to keep alive the Antichristian doctrines of Socinianism, which, but for this perverted fund, and the endowments of the stolen chapels, would, I believe, have long ere now become defunct and been forgotten. His Majesty's Commissioners for Charities, were so struck with the grossness of this perversion of Lady Hewley's intentions, that they recommended a suit in Chancery against the present trustees. The suit has been filed, and the Presbyterians of England, to whom, with the Calvinistic Independents and Baptists, the benefits of this fund ought without doubt to be exclusively appropriated, are endeavouring to recover their rights. With a view to this, the meeting above adverted to, passed the second series of resolutions; and I have to request that you, Mr. Editor, would assist in giving them publicity, that the readers of your most excellent Magazine may have another instance of the moral effects of Antichristianism, and another evidence of the value of main

taining Presbyterian discipline, through the relinquishment of which, within so many of its provinces, the Presbyterian Church in England has been reduced to its present weak.. ness, and that some of them may perhaps be induced to assist their brethren in England to recover from supporting damnable heresies, property which was left by the wisest and best of the Presbyterian Church, for the support and extension of the truth as it is in Jesus.

"I am, Sir, with respect and esteem,
"CHARLES THOMSON.

"NORTH SHIELDS, 22d Sept. 1830."

"ST. JAMES'S CHAPEL, NEWCASTLE, Sept. 21, 1830. "At a general meeting of the Ministers in Durham, Northumberland, and Berwick, that adhere to the communion of the Church of Scotland, convened by circular for the purpose of disclaiming, in the most public and efficient manner, all connexion whatever with Antitrinitarians, of expressing their sentiments respecting the general body of the three denominations, and of seriously considering what steps ought to be taken with reference to the present condition of Lady Hewley's fund :— Present, the Rev. Robert Fergus, Newcastle; the Rev. James Richardson, Hexham; the Rev. Charles Thomson, North Shields; the Rev. James Reid Brown, Berwick; the Rev. John Wood, A. M. Monkwearmouth; the Rev. John Lockhart, A. M. Newcastle; the Rev. Robert Kirk, Newcastle; the Rev. John Anderson, Sunderland; the Rev. Matthew Brown, A. M. Morpeth; and the Rev. William Anderson, Newcastle.

"The Rev. J. R. Brown was unanimously called to the chair.

"The Rev. J. Richardson opened the meeting with prayer.

The Rev. C. Thomson was appointed Clerk, and detailed the purposes of the meeting: he also read letters from several Ministers, expressive of their regret for their unavoidable absence, and of their concurrence in the ob jects of the meeting.

"The following resolutions were then unanimously adopted, of which the first series were ordered to be published in The Record and World Newspapers, and both series in The Edinburgh Christian Instructor, and The Congregational Magazine, and The Evangelical Magazine.

1. "That we believe, own, and receive the whole doctrine contained in the Westminster Confession of Faith, and Catechisms Larger and Shorter, as being accordant with the Holy Scriptures, and acknowledge the same as the confession of our faith.

2. "That we are persuaded that the Presbyterian discipline and government by Church-sessions, Presbyteries, and Synods, are founded upon, and agreeable to, the word of God.

3. "That such being the creed not of ourselves only, but also of those churches over which the Holy Ghost hath made us overseers, many of which have for generations, and all of them from the very beginning, adhered steadfastly to the principles, both doctrinal and disciplinary, of the old English Presbyterians, we publicly and earnestly protest against any class or party of Arians, Socinians, or other Antitrinitarians, arrogating to themselves the venerable name of Presbyterians, or being accounted, or set forth as the representatives of the ancient English Presbyterians, or of other Trinitarians, seeing they not only have abandoned altogether the Presbyterian discipline and government, so that there is not a vestige of Presbyterianism amongst them except the mere name, but have also rejected that doctrinal faith in which the ancient English Presbyterians placed all their hopes, and for the support of which they liberally devoted their property, and would, if called upon, have also laid down their lives.

4. "That the union of Trinitarian Ministers with Socinians or other Antitrinitarians, in what is styled the general body of the three denomi nations, meeting at Dr. Williams's Library, Red Cross Street, London, eminently tends to support and give increased influence to that, doctrine, which consists in denying the Lord that bought us,-to repress the candid and manly avowal of the doctrines of salvation, a mournful evidence of which is furnished by the late address of that general body to the throne,―to deceive the court and nation respecting the true principles of English Presbyterian and other Protestant Dissenters, and is in many other ways contrary to the Scriptures, and must consequently be hateful to the Father, grievous to the Holy Spirit, and derogatory from the honour due to the only Lord and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

"Resolutions respecting Dame Sarah Hewley's char

ities.

1. "That where a trust is created for the purpose of maintaining religious worship or doctrine, the trustees are bound to carry into execution the manifest intention of the founders in so far as it is consistent with the law, whether that intention be expressed in the instrument creating, the trust or whether it appears aliunde though not expressed in the instrument.

2. "That Dame Sarah Hewley of York, founded by two deeds of set. tlement, dated in 1704 and 1707, charities, for, among other objects, the relief of poor godly preachers of Christ's holy gospel-the relief of poor widows of poor and godly preachers of the gospel-the encouraging of the preaching of the gospel in poor places-and exhibitions for edueating young men for the ministry, or preaching of the gospel.

66

3, That a large portion of the proceeds of Lady Hewley's charities is at this present time, and has, for many years, been dispensed among Unitarian, Socinian, or, other Antitrinitarian ministers,, and devoted to the educating of Unitarians or Antitrinitarians for the ministry, or preaching of Unitarian or Antitrinitarian doctring:

4. "The Lady Hewley was a Calvinistic Presbyterian, and therefore could not possibly consider what is called Unitarian or Antitrinitarian doctrine, as being Christ's holy gospel, nor the preachers of any species of Antitrinitarianism, whatever their personal character might be, as being godly preachers of Christ's holy gospel.

5. "That as the teaching of that doctrine which consists in a denial of the Trinity was illegal, and had been made subject to penalties by an act passed but a few years before the establishment of Lady Hewley's charities, her ladyship could not in law, even though she had been so disposed, have left any property for the support of sucli doctrines.

6. That therefore the application of any part of the revenues of said charities in favour of ministers who entertain or preach Socinian or Antitrinitarian doctrine, or in the allowance of stipends to widows of such ministers and exhibitions to students to be brought up in those sentiments, is plainly illegal, and a violation of the trust under which those charities were established.

7. "That those ministers and churches in England that adhere to the Westminster Confession of Faith, and Catechisms larger and shorter, and that maintain the Presbyterian form of ecclesiastical government, and that adhere to the communion of the Church of Scotland, (seeing that a deputation from that church formed part of the Assembly which met at Westminster, and drew up the Confession of Faith, and Catechisms larger and shorter, which were received by both the English and the Scottish Presbyterians as their common standard, and seeing that no other body of Presbyterians was then in existence,) are the only genuine representatives of the old English Presbyterians, of whom Lady Hewley was one, and that, therefore, they, with all the other Calvinistic Presbyterians, Independents, and Baptists in the Northern Counties of England, and in Berwick-upon-Tweed, are solely entitled to the benefit of Lady Hewley's charities.

"Signed by authority, and in presence of the meeting, "JAMES R. BROWN, Chairman,

"Minister of the High Meeting, Berwick.

“NEWCASTLE, 21st Sept. 1830.

"To these resolutions the Rev. Charles Toshach, South Shields, the Rev. Marcus Dods, Belford, and the Rev. James Bryce, Wooler, have given their adhesion.

James Ministers of Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland,

"The

and North Shields, were appointed a committee, with power to add to their number, to watch over and further the objects of this meeting.

"The unanimous and cordial thanks of the meeting were given to the Rev. Charles Thomson of North Shields, for his great exertions in convening this meeting, and ob-taining much valuable information respecting its objects, "The meeting was then closed with prayer. "Extracted from the minutes by

"

E

CHARLES THOMSON, Clerk."