which the question of intrusion or non-intrusion is involved, have come before the Assembly, and the following is a brief account of the manner in which those cases have been treated.

The parish of Ceres, in Fifeshire. Here the presentee was Mr. Cook. His call was signed by 208 communicants. Objections were given in, signed by 127. The grounds of objection were three: That Mr. Cook's voice was too feeble:-that his pronunciation was not such as the congregation was accustomed to;-and that he was advanced in years. But on proof being gone into, the presbytery found, on trial, that his voice was sufficient ;-that the objection to his dialect arose merely from his being from Aberdeenshire;--and that he was only fifty years of age. Hence, after consideration, the presbytery sustained the call; the synod confirmed this decision; and on the case being heard in the General Assembly, the judgments of the presbytery and synod were affirmed by a vote of 162 against 78.

The parish of Killearnan. Here the whole question turned upon a point of form. The presbytery and the synod had disagreed as to a particular course of proceeding, and the General Assembly confirmed the view of the synod, and remitted the case to the presbytery, with instructions to proceed in it according to the rules of the church.

The parish of Kippen. To this church Mr. John Livingston had been presented. Objections were made by certain of the parishioners, "that the said Mr. John Livingston did not possess the requisite gifts and qualifications for the ministry; that his sermons and ministrations were not such as they behoved to be; and that his conduct and manner of life shewed him to be unsuitable to be their minister." The presbytery found that these objections were well-founded: the synod, on an appeal, confirmed this decision; and the General Assembly, without a division, finally affirmed the judgment of the presbytery and the synod.

The Tolbooth Church of Edinburgh had been presented by the corporation of that city to the Rev. George Smith. Objections were handed in, signed by thirteen persons, to the effect,-That Mr. Smith had been deficient in pastoral duty, in his former charge:-That his style of preaching was not level with the capacities of the parishioners of Tolbooth parish :-And that he was not a suitable person, considering all the circumstances. The presbytery of Edinburgh sustained these objections as relevant and well-founded, by 14 votes against 6. The synod of Lothian concurred with the Presbytery, on a division of 18 against 9. But the General Assembly, by 137 votes against 117, reversed the decisions of the presbytery and synod, and ordered Mr. Smith to be settled forthwith.

To Kirkcolm parish, the Rev. Duncan Blair had been presented. Objections were given in, signed by 128 persons, to the effect that his voice was not sufficiently distinct ;-that his pronunciation was peculiar and to many unintelligible;-that his devotional exercises were not such as the parishioners could cordially join in, or be edified by, &c., &c. These objections were sustained by the presbytery of Stranraer; and after a long discussion, the General Assembly, by a majority of 103 against 71,-affirmed the finding of the presbytery, and thus finally excluded Mr. Blair from the living to which he had been presented.

The parish of Insch was brought before the General Assembly on a point of form; and without any division, the presbytery were desired to proceed in the settlement according to the rules of the church.

St. Boswell's parish had received Mr. Somerville as presentee. There was but one objector, and one objection. Of course, after a very brief discussion, the General Assembly desired the settlement to be proceeded with.

"

The

The parish of Firth and Stennes was given by the patron to a Mr. Marshall. Objections were lodged by 29 communicants, on the ground, "that they could not derive any benefit from his preaching, that his sermons were cold, dry, and unedifying, "and his prayers lukewarm and unimpressive," &c. &c. presbytery found these objections relevant, and decided against the presentee, who appealed to the synod; which court referred the matter to the General Assembly. This body, the supreme court of the Church, without even coming to a division, affirmed the finding of the presbytery, and excluded the presentee.

Is not this the principle of Non-Intrusion, fully and satisfactorily carried out? If the parishioners, or even a small number of them, are at liberty to object to a presentee, that his sermons are "cold, and dry, and unedifying," and if this objection is sanctioned, pronounced valid, and made the ground of the presentee's absolute exclusion, has not the church all the liberty, practically, that she ought to have? Can we gravely maintain, that the still greater liberty, of objecting to a presentee without assigning reasons, is of such value and importance, that its denial is a justification of an immediate secession? We doubt it ;-and it is this doubt, with its natural consequences, which constitutes all the difference of opinion which exists between us and Mr. Noel,

THE VOICE OF THE GLORIOUS REFORMATION; or, an Apology for Evangelical Doctrines in the Anglican Church. By the Rev. CHARLES POPHAM MILES, B.A., Minister of St. Jude's, Glasgow. 12mo. pp. 563. London: Dalton. 1844. WE have great pleasure in introducing this work to our readers. It is a very valuable and a convenient summary of the sentiments of our Reformers on the leading doctrines of the gospel, which being most opposed to the natural man, have ever been the subject of attack, and are now violently assailed.

Having had occasion to notice the defects of the Scotch Episcopal Church in preceding numbers, it gives us the more pleasure to review, in the present number, such a truly valuable and decidedly evangelical work, by one in connection with that Church, who manifestly belongs to the good old school of Milner, Newton, and Scott. It should be understood, that in the ninety Scotch Episcopal churches, their objectionable communion-service is not used in more than thirty-one of these churches, and that faithful ministers like Mr. Miles, under Bishop Russell, have liberty not only to use the English Liturgy, and preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, but are also free from the unscriptural restrictions which have been attempted to be imposed elsewhere in Scotland.

The design of Mr. Miles, in this work, is thus stated:

"The Church of England, as established at the Reformation, has espoused fundamental articles, which are binding upon all her members. They are gathered from, and supported by, the word of God. The disciples of the Oxford Tracts depart, as many Christians consider, from the manifest import of these articles; and because the due understanding and reception of scripture doctrine is essential to the welfare of our souls, it is the design of the following pages to show, by quotations from the works of the Reformers, and from other accredited authorities, what really is-as distinguished from what assuredly is not-the language of the church which we profess to

revere.

"The errors of the Tractarians, which I desire to particularize as being highly detrimental to the spiritual interests of our country, are briefly, Tradition and Sacramental Justification; and the method whereby I hope to counteract these opinions, is the complete establishment of the following five propositions:

"1st. The sufficiency of holy canonical scripture;

2ndly. The entire corruption of mankind by original sin;

"3rdly. The will of man enslaved by inherent depravity;

"4thly. Justification through faith in the only merits of Christ;

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5thly. The doctrine of predestination, final perseverance, &c.

"I conceive that the above points are considerably at issue with the Tractarian scheme. It is well known that, in the examination of these subjects, we do not enter upon ground purely Tractarian; for, in what age of the church, have not similar topics been agitated? Still, the present movement involves a reiteration of the inquiry, and, since the contest has recommenced, it behoves us to ascertain in what terms the Church of England speaks to her children."-(pp. 12, 13.)

The larger publications of the Parker Society-Richmond's Fathers, and the selections of the Tract Society-are too bulky for the mass of our population. It is therefore rendering a great service to Christians at large, to give such selections as this volume contains, not merely from our Church formularies and standards, but from our earliest and best writers since the Reformation. Tindal, Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer, Hooper, Philpot, Frith, Bradford, Nowel, Jewel, Parker, Hooker, Sandys, Pilkington, Usher, Babington, Andrews, Reynolds, Perkins, Hall, Taylor, Leighton, and Hopkins are brought forward as faithful witnesses, confirming the truths now testified by evangelical ministers of the Church of England.

We had, in perusing this work, marked many passages as seasonable and useful to our readers. We can only here give a few of them.

The following extract from Bishop Ridley will show with what vigour of thought our Reformers repelled the idea of the insufficieney of the scriptures to guide any humble, faithful Christian in the way of salvation :

All popish things (for the most part) are man's inventions; whereas they ought to have the holy Scripture for the only rule of faith. When Paul made allegation for himself before Felix, the high deputy, he did not extend his faith beyond the word of God written: Believing all things (saith he) which are written in the law and the prophets: making no mention of the rabbins. Moreover, They have Moses and the prophets, saith Abraham in the parable; not their persons, but their writings. Also, Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. And again, Blessed are they which hear the word of God. The things, which have not their authority of the scriptures, may as easily be despised as allowed, saith St. Jerome.

"Therefore, whether it be of Christ, or of his church, or of any other manner of thing, which belongeth to our faith and life, I will not say if we, saith St. Augustine, which are not worthy to be compared to him that said, 'If we,' but that also which forthwith he added, ' if an angel from heaven shall teach any thing, besides that ye have received (in the scriptures of the law and gospel) accursed be he. Our Diotrephes with his papists are under this curse. But how are the scriptures, say they, to be understood? St. Augustine answereth, giving this rule: The circumstances of the scriptures,' saith he, 'lighten the scriptures; and so one scripture doth expound another, to a man that is studious, well willing, and often calling upon God in continual prayer, who giveth his Holy Spirit to them that desire it of him.' So that the scripture is not of any private interpretation at any time. For such a one, though he be a layman, fearing God, is much more fit to understand holy scripture than any arrogant and proud priest, yea, than the bishop himself, be he never so great and glistering in all his pontificals. But what is to be said of the fathers? How are they to be esteemed? St. Augustine answereth, giving this rule also; that we should not, therefore, think it true, because they say so, do they never so much excel in holiness or learning; but if they be able to prove their saying by the canonical scriptures, or by good probable reason; meaning that to be a probable reason, as I think, which doth orderly follow upon a right collection and gathering out of the scriptures.

"Let the papists go with their long faith; be you contented with the short faith of the saints, which is revealed unto us in the word of God written.

Adieu to all popish fantasies. Amen. For one man, having the scripture and good reason for him, is more to be esteemed himself alone, than a thousand such as they, either gathered together, or succeeding one another. The Fathers have both herbs and weeds; and papists commonly gather the weeds and leave the herbs. And they speak many times more vehemently in sound of words, than they did mean indeed, or than they would have done, if they had foreseen what sophistical wranglers should have succeeded them. Now, the papists are given to brawl about words, to the maintenance of their own inventions, and rather follow the sound of words, than attain unto the meaning of the fathers; so that it is dangerous to trust them in citing the fathers.”— (pp. 59-61.)

The same truth is well proved in the following quotation from Nowell's Catechism :

"Master. Dost thou then affirm that all things necessary to godliness and salvation are contained in the written word of God?

"Scholar. Yea; for it were a point of intolerable ungodliness and madness to think, either that God hath left an imperfect doctrine, or that man were able to make that perfect which God left imperfect. Therefore the Lord hath most straitly forbidden men, that they neither add anything to, nor take anything from, his word, nor turn any way from it, either to the right hand or to the left."-(pp. 78, 79.)

The holy earnestness and the power of conscience in our Reformers, when maintaining the same truth, are very visible in the following extract from Bishop Jewell:

"Let us not be wedded too much to our own wit: let us not be wedded too much to the fathers and forefathers. Let us not unadvisedly think that men are so luckily born, that whatsoever they say, they cannot err. When we shall be placed before that dreadful judgment-seat, when all things shall burn, and the angels of God shall tremble, to what fathers, to what decrees of our forefathers shall we wretches then appeal? We shall then have refuge to Christ alone, then shall we use the aid and word of Christ alone. Wherefore let us not be of so secure a mind in so great a matter. Our life, our soul, our salvation, is the thing in hand. The heavenly Father offereth himself unto us, and of his own accord meeteth us: Jesus Christ crieth out, and calleth every one of us, Come unto me, all ye which are grieved, and I will refresh you. How blind be we if we see not, how blockish if we understand not, how miserable if we run from this? Where shall the word of Christ be heard, if it cannot be heard among Christians? If it cannot be heard among Christians, where shall it be heard? Let us once yet open, brethren, let us open our eyes, that it may not be spoken against our stubbornness, Therefore you hear not, because you be not of God: and that that saying of Isaiah be not conveniently applied against us, The heart of this people is waxen gross, and they have hardly heard with their ears, and they have closed their eyes, lest they should at any time see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and they should be converted, and I should heal them. And what I should speak more before Christian men and the children of God, concerning the word of God, I see not. (Ibid.)"— (pp. 83, 84.)

On that all-important doctrine, Justification by faith, Mr. Miles gives copious testimony. How simple, clear, and beautiful is that of Archbishop Cranmer, that much-wronged and to this day reviled, but really faithful and blessed, martyr for the truth:

"First, by faith we be justified before God, (for faith maketh us partakers