between themselves and the sectaries around them. It was not till he pointed out, distinctly and emphatically, the nature and privileges of the Church, her close resemblance to the apostolic pattern, the many important and decided differences between her and other Protestant denominations,' that his congregation began to feel that they were a distinct and privileged people; that the matters in which they differed from others were not of small, but of essential moment, and that they manifested themselves no longer lukewarm in her service, but ready to contribute with their substance, as well as by their example, to the advancement of her holy cause. The change, indeed, so justly ascribed to these causes, is very apparent since my last visit, two years ago; the church has been enlarged and repaired, a large and commodious schoolhouse has been built, in which religion forms the basis of instruction, and the distinctive principles of the Church are impressed upon the minds and hearts of the rising generation. Mr. Burnham, with the ingenuousness which always accompanies true piety as well as superior abilities, confessed that he was afraid at first to bring forward, in a very direct or formal manner, the distinctive features of our church polity and order, and that even after the encouragement given to him and the rest of the clergy in my Episcopal charge, at my last visitation, to conjoin instruction upon these important points, with a faithful declaration of the great truths and exhortations to the practical duties of Christianity, he still felt apprehensive of the effect of preaching the Church,' as it is sometimes invidiously termed. But, feeling it his duty to make the attempt, and conducting it in that spirit of gentleness and affection which the Gospel inculcates, and the necessity of which was urged in my Charge, the beneficial results have been most rapid and striking, in a religious as well as practical point of view.

"Here, then, we have a proof, that the true way to succeed in any parish is to follow the order of the Church, by which means, all the leading doctrines of Christianity are brought prominently forward, while the people are instructed as to the ground upon which they stand, or ought to stand. It seems, indeed, a matter of positive unfairness, and dishonesty, to withhold from the people instruction upon all that concerns their spiritual weal; they have a right to be informed, not only of what constitutes the soundness of the faith, but of whatsoever also may serve to promote unity of belief, and uniformity of practice, whatsoever may help to keep them a united body, and cause them to shun those divisions upon which every apostle and apostolic man has pronounced so severe a condemnation. That Christian steward can scarcely be said to give every man his portion, to bring out of his treasures things new and old for the edification and welfare of Christ's heritage, if, while he is faithful in preaching a crucified Redeemer, he omits all explanation of the order, government, and discipline of that Church, which bears so near a connexion with the Saviour as to be called His Spouse, and in relation to which it is said, that they who are grafted into the Church are grafted into Him. The lawfully ordained minister of Christ may lament the religious differences which he perceives around him, and he may appeal to his flock to beware of such divisions; but they must be expected to listen to these monitions with indifference and without interest, unless a full explanation is afforded of what constitutes the distinction between order and latitudinarianism, between the apostolic rule and the inventions which men have substituted for it, between the Churchman and the Schismatic. When these points of difference are fully understood, when the members of a congregation are duly instructed in what constitutes the foundation of their ecclesiastical polity, when they know why they ought to prefer and adhere to the episcopal regimen, and that it is not a matter of indifference what form of church government we adopt, or under what ministration sit; when they are assured that our beautiful Liturgy, according to which we worship, is not a modern creation, but compiled from holy forms and services, which can in many instances be traced up to the apostolic times; when all these things are set before them earnestly and

faithfully, then may we appeal to them, in a voice of authority, to cling to the Church and to avoid those who cause divisions, because that voice will be no uncertain sound,' but its purport will be well understood. In that case, too, the arts of the Dissenter will fail in their effect, and it will be found as difficult to shake the Churchman from his filial affection and devotion, as the loyal subject of the throne from his allegiance. He will not then be thrown helpless, as it were, into the religious arena, and forced to yield to the first combatant who may assail him, but he will be fortified with armour to repel the attacks of his adversaries, and put them to flight."—(pp. 30-34.

RICHMOND." A large room at one of the inns was fitted up, as well as could be done on a short notice, and this was filled to overflowing. Many of the persons present had never witnessed a confirmation, and some had never been present at the ordinary service of the Church of England, and the effect upon them of the religious ministrations of the day was obviously very powerful. I preached on the nature and character of the Church-the body of which Christ is the head-and stated the necessity, that all who desire to be saved should belong to his body, as the means by which the spiritual nourishment of which he is the source is conveyed to them. After the sermon, fifty persons were presented for confirmation, many of them advanced in life, and all appearing to be deeply affected by the beautiful and affecting ceremonial. I addressed the persons confirmed, and the congregation in general, at more than my usual length, not only on the character of the apostolic ordinance, which they had just witnessed, but also upon the excellences and purity of our Church, as well as her high claims upon all who were anxious on the subject of their eternal salvation. From the deep attention of the audience, and the aspect of their countenances, it is evident that a great impression was made.”—(p. 43.)

DUNDAS, ANCASTER." At Mr. M'Murray's desire, I visited a sick man this morning, about three miles from Dundas, who had been long ill of consumption. He had expressed a strong anxiety to be confirmed, but was unable to leave his bed. He complained of little or no pain, and conversed freely and calmly about his latter end; as from the nature and progress of his disease, there could be no hope whatever of his recovery. He was much gratified with my visit, and said repeatedly it was the greatest comfort that could have been afforded to him in this world. I conversed with him in a kind and consoling manner, and, finding him well instructed, and in a very hopeful state of mind, I administered to him the rite of confirmation. The sick man became animated, and expressed himself greatly comforted, and when I gave him my blessing at parting, his look of grateful thankfulness is not to be described, and can never be forgotten."-(p. 57.)

We repeat, that statements like these which form the staple of the Bishop of Toronto's communications, are not to us satisfactory, and glad should we be to know distinctly what he means by preaching on the necessity and importance of belonging to the true church of Christ: and pointing out, with as much plainness and simplicity as he is able, the marks by which the true church may still be found, notwithstanding the great variety of denominations into which Christians are divided." "This," he tells us (we quote an earlier journal chiefly filled with reports of confirmations), "this is a subject to which I frequently recurred in the course of my visitation, and, I trust in God, with considerable effect." We are quite aware of the peculiar position of the colonial Church in

the Canadas as regards dissent; but the more dissent abounds, the more important it is to inculcate sound Church principles, and not to unchurch those who by a true faith may be one with the mystical body of all true believers. Hence," says Bishop M'Ilvaine," the pains taken by our old Anglican divines, of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, to make plain the distinction between the church visible and invisible, for lack of diligent observance of which (says Hooker) the oversights are neither few nor light that have been committed;"" adding that he "has observed in many ministers of our Protestant Church of the United States, a great lack of the diligent observing of that difference and he thinks that the oversights which have ensued, and do still increase, are neither few nor light, but so many and weighty as to affect in a very important degree the great interests of gospel truth. The whole matter concerning regeneration and justification, as connected with the sacraments, and all the language of the scriptures, the early fathers, and the early Anglican divines, would be much more correctly and easily understood, were that difference well seen and forcibly fixed on the mind." Whether Dr. Strachan, the good bishop of Toronto, is a diligent observer of this important distinction, we much doubt. We fear rather that he is deeply imbued with the taint derived from his American brethren, and which Bishop M'Ilvaine has here so clearly indicated. The greater or less prevalence of similar views among our colonial bishops must occasion no slight anxiety to the sincere friends of an unadulterated Christianity.

3. But, again, the independence of the colonial bishops is another occasion of anxiety. This, however, in the view of a large class of Churchmen, is its greatest recommendation-its real strength, the best guarantee for the success of our missions. "If Missionary Societies," writes Dr. Hook, "acting on primitive principles, instead of assuming a kind of episcopal authority, and sending out clergy to act in subordination, not to these bishops, but to committees at home, would enable the English prelates to send out independent missionary bishops to foreign parts, who might create a church around them, missionary labours would doubtless be attended with primitive success." We need not repeat the parallel sayings of Archdeacons Manning, Grant, and others, or remind our readers of the depreciating terms in which the Church Missionary Society is still spoken of, as no Church society,' though patronized by almost the entire bench-or of the little accession there has been to the ranks of its supporters in consequence of that patronage. The truth is, the individuals in question are worshippers of a theory-a theory baseless as

the "fabric of a vision!"—and which has no claim whatever to be received as a primitive principle.' But upon this principle it is that the said party rally around the colonial scheme, and are intending, if we mistake not, to work it against the Church Missionary and all similar societies. We must however conjure the conductors of that society in particular, not to recognize the dangerous principle, the unscriptural theory, of episcopal independence

The Bishop of Oxford, though entering, we need not say, with much sympathy, into the views of the stricter class of American Episcopalians, has deliberately censured those members of the first American Convention who would have deprived the laity of that power of co-ordinate deliberation and assent, which appear to have been in the earliest times their Christian birthright." The pleas of the Eastern churchmen," he observes, "would have excluded from conventions all lay deputies, and confined deliberation on things ecclesiastical to those in holy orders." (History of the Protestant Episcopal Church in America, p. 212.) We quite agree with the bishop that there is a certain independence which belongs to the bishop's office and position of right, and the maintenance of which is highly important. All we contend for is, that the bishop's independence should not absorb that of the other constituent members of Christ's body the Church, and the birthright of one and all be absolutely sacrificed at the shrine of episcopal supremacy. Till matters therefore can be adjusted, lay societies, as certain institutions are sometimes contemptuously termed, must be allowed their just claims, and bishops demean themselves (as we are persuaded most of them desire to do) with a due consideration of the present anomalous state of the Church, and a sincere concern to use their power for edification and not for destruction. We observe that the Bishop of London, in speaking of societies as the Church's instruments, does not invidiously distinguish one from another, but very properly seems to regard them as alike (to some extent) anomalous and peculiar in their constitution. Whatever may be the true theory as to religious associations in the existing state of things (and we are sure none can plead above another binding prescription or authority), there is much in the following remarks of the bishop which deserves attention. We quote from his lordship's speech

at the Mansion House:

"The truth is," he observes, "that in the present condition of society in this country, much as we may object to the agency of other associations than the great association of all, the Church of Christ itself, as a means of accomplishing some of the duties laid upon us by its Divine Head, we must be content to accept their services, as substitutes for that which has not the means, however much it has the will, of doing its duty in that respect And when I said that an objection might be raised, as indeed it oftentimes has been raised-an objection not entirely without foundation in principle-to availing ourselves of the assistance of associated bodies, for the purpose of carrying into effect the great designs of the Church itself, I ought in fairness to state, that, practically considered, the great Church societies, which have in view the diffusing of the light of spiritual truth over the world, are to be considered, at all events, its most important auxiliaries, if they are not members of the Church. But they are, in truth, the arms by which she is executing her missionary purposes; for the Church is, in fact, the great missionary society. The first commission given to its apostles was that of missions. Go, teach all nations,' &c. And in the execution of that task no difficulties, which do not involve insuperable objections in point of principle, are to be permitted to interfere; and therefore I call upon you with confidence to assist this society, and tell you, that in so doing you will most effectually assist the Church itself, of which you are members, diffusing to others those principles which, I trust, by the mercy of God, you have been led to profit by yourselves."-(p. 5.)

While adverting to the powers of bishops, and the independence now-a-days assumed for them, and grounded on primitive sanction, it occurs to us just to give the following quotation from Bede, touching the state of things in Iona at a period somewhat nearer the times and specimens of primitive practice than our own. This venerable historian, writing of that island of saints, says: Habere autem solet ipsa insula rectorem semper Abbatem Presbyterum, cujus juri et omnis provincia, et ipsi etiam Episcopi, ordine inusitato, debeant esse subjecti, juxta exemplum primi doctoris illius (scil. Columbæ), qui, non Episcopus, sed Presbyter, extitit et Monachus." Bed. Eccles. Hist. lib. iii. c. 4. There have always been anomalies, as we call them, and probably always will be.

in the distant field of colonial and missionary labour. Their respect for a just episcopal jurisdiction we can entirely trust: the colonial episcopate would have had no warmer supporters than the friends of the Church Missionary Society, if established at the very outset of its career and we believe that now they will be found to pay it more respectful deference than many of their traducers: but we trust they will never worship an idol, or sacrifice the just claims of the entire body, out of a false deference to one branch, of the Church--or with the design of compassing ends opposed to the very being of the Church as a true spiritual communion. It is no primitive doctrine that bishops are independent nor can anything be more arrogant than to unchurch Christian societies because they do not admit this hollow theory— or to claim the sole credit of Churchmanship and orthodoxy for societies of their own, which have no one attribute to constitute them authoritative Church-societies. The assertions too in regard to the failure of past missions are as baseless as is the theory in question; and equally so is the assumption that an independent colonial episcopate will be the most likely means to secure the success desired. But we must not enter upon this wide field. We had wished to do so, but must reserve ourselves (should we resume the subject), and be satisfied for the present with entering our protest against episcopal independence in the sense intended by its advocates-as also against the deceptive cry still so loudly raised against one of our most laborious and useful institutions, because its conductors and friends will not concur in the slavish unqualified cry"Scire debes episcopam in ecclesia, et ecclesiam in episcopo, et si qui cum episcopo non sit in ecclesia non esse." The day be far distant which shall hear this as the general war-note either at home or in the colonies. We believe it to be one of the subtlest devices of the devil--the earliest germ of that awful apostacy which has so long hid

than that of a self-styled Infallible. "That vision," we had hoped, was "passing by "--but, alas, we have fears; and hence our solicitude to lift up a warning voice against the theory of episcopal independence. At home it may be comparatively harmless in practical operation; for though our ecclesiastical position is truly anomalous, and the episcopal powers but imperfect and limited, through the abeyance of all ecclesiastical synods, yet the counteracting influence of circumstances is on the whole sufficiently effective. It would be too much to expect a similar state of things in