gregor, Hon. Secretary of the Protestant Alliance, was the next speaker, and, in a humorous address, he contrasted the state of foreign countries with our own, which, he declared, was so great because of its Protestantism. The Rev. Dr. Begg then spoke, and Principal Cunningham pronounced the benediction. On Wednesday there were devotional exercises in the forenoon, and the Rev. Dr. Lindsay Alexander read a most interesting paper on "The Culdees," and the Rev. Jos. Smith one on "The Causes of the Reformation." The Rev. Professor Lorimer, of London, then read a paper on "The Precursors of Knox," and the Rev. Dr. Wylie on "Knox" himself. The meeting then divided, one part meeting in the Free Assembly Hall, and another in the Free High Church. The following are the names of the succeeding speakers, and the titles of their papers:In the Assembly Hall, A. E. Macknight, Esq., advocate, Edinburgh, “The Influence of the Reformation on Literature and Education;" the Rev. John Gemmel Fairlie, on "Knox's History;" the Rev. Dr. Lorimer, Glasgow, on "The alleged Services of Popery to Freedom;" the Rev. Professor Hetherington, on "Toleration." In the Free High Church, papers were read on "The Church of Scotland," "Tractarianism," "The Early Irish Church," "The Temporal Power of the Pope," &c.

on "The Errors of the Age of the Reforma-
tion ;'
;" and by G. R. Badenoch, Acting
Secretary of the Scottish Reformation
Society, on "The Protestantism of the
British Constitution."

On Thursday evening addresses on the "Revival of Religion" were delivered by the Rev. Mr. Dill, Moderator of the Irish Presbyterian Church; the Rev. Dr. John. ston, of Tullylish; Major Straith, of the Church Missionary Society; the Rev. Thos. Toye, Belfast; Mr. Gall, junior; the Rev. R. Knox, Belfast; and the Rev. Hugh Hanna.

On Friday papers were read by the Rev. James Young, James Dodds, Esq., author of "The Scottish Covenanters," and by other ministers and gentlemen. On the same day the foundation stone of the Protestant Institute was laid in the Cow-gate. At the evening meeting the celebrated Father Chiniquy, the recently-converted Canadian priest, gave a most interesting account of his conversion. It would be impossible to give even a vidimus of the interesting and deeply instructive papers that were read at the various meetings. Altogether, the Scottish Reformation Society have reason to be satisfied with the success of their preparation for this im portant series of meetings in honour of our great deliverance from Romish darkness and slavery.

THE OPENING SERMON

was preached by the Rev. Dr. Guthrie, in the Free Assembly Hall, which was crowded to excess. The Doctor's text was taken from the Gospel of John,-"The truth shall make you free," and formed a noble and eloquent illustration of the fact that to the truth we owe both spiritual freedom and secular freedom. The following is an abridgement of the second part of his discourse :

On Thursday J. C. Colquhoun, of Killermont, presided, and papers were read by Principal Cunningham, on "The Principle of Protestantism not the Cause of Heresy ;" the Rev. Professor Lorimer, of London, on "The Learning of the Reformers;" the Rev. M. Cohen Stuart, of Utrecht, on "The Reformation in Scotland," and a short address by Hi Koener, Esq., Secretary of the Royal Academy of Science, Amsterdam. In the afternoon papers were read by the Rev. Mr. Binnie, of Stirling, on "Scottish Church Discipline;" the Rev. W. Fraser, of Paisley, on "the Hold on Public Instruction which Rome is obtaining in Britain and Ireland," and the "To illustrate this truth, that to the Bible Rev. Robert Gault, of Glasgow, on "The we owe not only spiritual freedom, but secuRomish Establishment at the Time of the lar freedom, my first remark is, that to the Reformation;" and addresses were also Bible we owe mental freedom. There is given by the Rev. John Munro, of Nova not a man here to-day who not only does Scotia; A. Sutherland, Gibraltar; and not know this, but who feels and admits Wm. Miller, Australia. In the Free High it. Your minds' fire, expatiating, on airy Church, papers were read by Mr. J. M. wings, and every subject which the mind can Porteous, of the Protestant Institute, on comprehend, got their wings on that day "The Necessity of Special Prayer for Ro- that spiritual freedom was proclaimed over manists;" by the Rev. Dr. Brown, Agha- this country. I would like to know what doly, Ireland, on "The Religious Claims state the human mind was in before Chrisof Scottish Soldiers;" by the Rev. D. tianity was born,-what the state of the McCallum, Arisaig, Fort William, on human mind was before the Reformation? "Popery in the Highlands;" by the Rev. I am not speaking of Socrates, or Solon, or Eneas MeRate, Falkirk, on "Jesuit Po- Cicero, or a few distinguished men; but licy;" by the Rev. Dr. Lorimer, Glasgow, I am speaking of the mass of mankind. I

say that the great mass of mankind lay in profound slumber, and that the human mind was never awake till then; or, if it did move, it was within a very narrow circle, within the range of such questions as, what shall we eat, and what shall we drink, and wherewithal shall we be clothed? Read the old ballads, and you will see that the great object of admiration in man was muscle, brute-force and brute-bravery,-and the object of admiration in woman was beauty; but as to the mind, you never heard a word of it. The mind was no more cultivated than those upland districts where we see a green patch beside a house, but all around barren heath and moor. I want to know where literature was; I want to know where science was; I want to know where politics were ; I want to know where the arts were in this land before John Knox was, and his compeers, and the noblemen around him. I say it is to this, to the truth that sets men's minds free, that we owe our mental freedom. The Bible came and set the whole wheels of the human mind in motion, and priests nor tyrants could not keep them from moving. The wheel, once set in motion, was like one of those great wheels set agoing on Sabbath, which continue going during the week until they receive a new impetus. Men that in religion were taught to think for themselves, were determined to think for themselves in everything else. A man that feels himself free in things eternal will never be a slave in things temporal. No devout student of the Bible can be a bigot; or rather, I correct myself and say, no devout and intelligent student of the Bible will ever be a bigot. A bigot is the man that won't think. He will never be a slave or a coward,-that's the man that daren't think; he will never be a fool,that's the man who can't think. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.' 'In thy light shall we see light.' 'The truth shall make us free.' In regard to this secular freedom, I would remark, in the second place, that while we owe to mental and religious freedom, science and the progress and advancement of the arts, the blessings of peace, and the diminished horrors of war, and a thousand other things of which the world vaunts itself, forgetting the voice from which they came-we owe also to this truth our social freedom. The Bible inculcates precepts which appear to me as inconsistent with social slavery, or with anything but social freedom, as prayer with sin. It has been well said that sin will put an end to prayer, or prayer will put an end to sin; and so to me it appears that the blessed Gospel will put an end to slavery, or slavery will put an end to it. What saith the Lord? God hath made of one blood all nations.' 'Do unto others as you

would have others do unto you.' 'Love thy neighbour as thyself.' You think there is nothing beyond that, but there is still a higher thing. 'Love one another as I have loved you.' I will sit in judgment upon no man; but I hardly think that the devil himself has sophistry enough to make any man, not given over to believe a lie, believe that these truths-glorious, humane, celestial, blessed truths-are for one hour consistent with a system of slavery. It is the invisible source of many cruelties, oppression, adulteries, seductions, robbery, and murder, or, as worthy John Wesley said of it, it is the sum of all villainies. What doth God require of them-I am speaking of what the Bible requires-to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before your God.

"My dear friends, it appears to me, that from this and other passages, we are taught that there is sin in slavery, as there is slavery in sin. Take the last words of our blessed Lord, I have quoted, 'Love one another as I have loved you.' If I saw a man running for his liberty, I would open my door to him; and, more than that, if I did what was right, I would wash his blistered feet. My Lord set me the example of that; for when he had gone round and washed the circle of his disciples' feet, he said, 'I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.' Don't tell me that the crime is old. The older it is, the more horrible. Like a dead body, the older it is, it is the more disgusting. Age is no excuse for the crime. Murder is older. Rocks, and trees, and man himself, grow venerable with age; but sin never. Don't tell me that men have lost their rights. Lawyers say that crown rights are never proscribed. Well, I don't know but these are better rights; they are my birthright, and cannot be proscribed. Don't tell me that it is an inferior race. Grant that it is, though I deny it, not only as a philosopher and a physiologist, but as a believer in Paul's inspiration. You say an inferior race; Paul says, 'God hath made of one blood all nations.' I say that the man who tampers so with the Bible is a worse enemy to Christianity than an infidel. But grant that they are an inferior race,-I have learned for the first time that it is right to trample upon the weak, to oppress those who cannot defend themselves. Inferior race! Weakness may tempt a man, but cannot justify him for oppression, but rather aggravates it. I have spoken of this social freedom, because I feel it my duty to do so. Men may keep silence on it, and serve their own purposes; but God forbid that I should do so. Men talk about courtesy, and so on; but God forbid that I should ever make the pulpit anything else than the vehicle of truth. I will just conclude my remarks by saying, that any man who loves the Saviour, and

values Protestantism,--who loves the free-
dom of the mind and the welfare of souls,
-is, in my humble opinion, bound, in the
face of God and man, to take that, and
preach from it the truth about social freedom,
as I have done. We are bound to blow the
trumpet. What does the prophet mean by
saying, 'Cry aloud and spare not'? Does
he mean to have us to forbear, and be
generous, and not hurt people's feelings?
'Cry aloud and spare not,' says your bearded
old prophets; 'cry aloud and spare not; '
proclaim from shore to shore, and from sea
to sea, God's fast,-the true fast. Go and
tell what is meant by 'Love thy neighbour
as thyself!' Who is thy neighbour? I will
give you a definition of it, which I cut from
an American newspaper :—

'Thy neighbour-'tis the fainting poor,
Whose eye with want is dim,
Whom hunger sends from door to door,-
Go thou and succour him.

'Thy neighbour-'tis that weary man,
Whose years are at their brim,
Bent with sickness, care, and pain,-
Go thou and comfort him.

"Thy neighbour-it is them bereft
Of every earthly gem;

Widow and orphan, helpless left,—
Go thou and shelter them.'

Shall I go on? Shall I give the full description of the neighbour? Thank God that I live in a country where I can do so with safety.

the Sovereign that reigns over us, and for the happy attachment of our people to that Sovereign; and for our determination, as lately shown in this city, to stand by the liberties we enjoy,-I say I challenge the world to produce any nation that ever had such a constitution till Christianity came in,

a constitution where citizenship is free to all men, whatever their caste or colour,-a constitution where the tribunals of justice know no difference between the king and 'the beggar, the prince and the peasant, the rich and the poor,-a constitution where, take it all in all, society is a ladder on which the humblest man at the foot, with a strong arm, a good head, and a bold heart, may climb unto the topmost bough. The like of it was never heard of till Christianity came into the world. The Bible is the mother of it all, God's truth the parent of it all. I know men tell me about the Greek and Roman republics. Republics! How many slaves were there in these republics? 'What's in a name?' It would not ease the limbs of a Greek or Roman slave to tell him that he lived in a republic. It's a mockery, and more than a mockery, to talk of liberty in republics like Greece or Rome, where slavery is really the tyranny of the many, in place of the one. This multiplied oppression; and it was a hydra-headed monster, if I may so speak. If there is only one despot, you have only one head to cut off; but where there are many heads to cut off, the work is more difficult. I am speaking, of course, figuratively; but I say it increased the difficulty, instead of making it less. What has Christianity done for us? I once heard a great French philosopher "I now remark, in the third place, that say that Great Britain owed all her greatness truth is also the parent of political freedom. to her inexhaustible mines of coal and iron, Those masters who wish to keep their ser- which lie not at a great distance from each vants in social bondage, and those monarchs other, but in the same tract, and often in who wish to keep their subjects in political the same field. It was all he knew about it. bondage, and those ministers or priests, by Coal and iron! What had coal and iron whatever name they are called, who wish to done for Britain? Have they made her hold their people in religious bondage, these Great' Britian,mother of nations, and three classes,-in other and plainer words, mistress of the seas,-the home of liberty, slaveholders, despots, and Popish priests, and the asylum of the oppressed,-where a goodly company, and well tied together, peace sits crowned with plenty, and where I say, the slaveholders, the despots, and the the Sovereign has not the swords of the priests, in discouraging the spread of edu- army, but where she has the hearts of her cation, a free Bible, and the bold preach- subjects? Coal and iron make Britain great! ing of God's truth, are wise in their genera- But what had coal and iron done without tion. They know that the Word of God the mind that has evoked their powers,and these things cannot stand together, and without a people, moral, educated, and relitherefore they oppose its circulation. You gious, without a deep appreciation of our will observe their policy; self-interest sharp- liberty! We owe our greatness to the ens men's wits, and they know best what Bible. It set the wheels of our people's sustains their system. Liberty was born minds in motion; thought gave them that night on which Christ was born,-true liberty in all its senses and shapes. I would like any man to produce to me any nation that until then ever did enjoy a constitution like ourselves. God be thanked for it, for

'Thy neighbour-'tis yon toiling slave,
Fettered in thought and limb,
Whose hopes are all beyond the grave,-
Go thou and ransom him.'

muscle; and so I hold that our greatness and our liberty consists in our reading our Bible. I believe that there lies our moral, our mental, our political, our religious liberty, and these are the foundation of our

THREE HUNDRED YEARS AGO the mind broke communicants. The number of communierror's galling chain,