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"invisibility." True, this is a great draw little value there is set upon it. But before back; but we greatly increase the evil by going further I will tell you how our meetnot being uniform in name; for instance, in ing is conducted. As is usual, our minister South Shields we are the English Presby- opens the meeting by praise and prayer; he |terian Church; in North Shields, Scotch then gives out another psalm or hymn, and Church; in Sunderland, English; and on calls upon some one individual who has a the other side the river, Monkwearmouth, good flow of speech, and that speaks corScotch. As an individual, I care not whe-rectly, to engage in prayer; after this our ther we call ourselves Scotch or English; only I am convinced that if we are to take root and grow on English soil, we must be English in name, and that uniformly. We have our English College; our Supreme Court is the Synod of the English Presbyterian Church; therefore I maintain that that court should see to it that every congregation within its bounds bears the same name. I have no doubt our north country friends will see that we gain nothing by retaining the term, but, on the contrary, are great losers, not only among the English, but also among Scotch residents; I am sure they will willingly lay aside any little prejudices, so long as they give up no Presbyterian principles. As this view may not have occurred to the members of Synod, I crave the insertion of these few remarks in the "Messenger."

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minister gives us an address, to which we
pay attention, and then a Psalm or Doxology
and the Benediction concludes the meeting.
Now, my dear sir, I give you an idea of a
prayer-meeting conducted differently from
the one above. We established a prayer-
meeting to be held in a cottage one night a
week, in addition to our congregational
meeting. The plan on which we conducted
it was this: one of us took the presidency
"for a few weeks until we prevailed upon
our minister to come" and give out a psalm
or hymn, according to the state of our
minds, and made a short prayer, then called
upon another to do the same, which was
continued from member to member until the
hour was spent. And, dear sir, if you
could have been there, you would have ex-
pressed yourself like one of our young men
did "who is now in glory." One evening,
on our way home, he said to me, "I like
those prayer-meetings because we let our
hearts speak." "Ah! said he to me, Do
you think our hearts could send up those
aspirations, and wait while our tongues
adorned them with those round-about
words? Oh! no; the poor woman that
came to Christ did not linger in order to
place her words; her heart said, 'Lord help
me." "I often think," said he, "if I were
to place my words, as they call it, gramma-
tically, I should either have to stop the emo-
tions of my heart or I should be choked."
And I can assure you that these meetings
were not a little valued; for if one of us
were in darkness, or in distress of mind, or
in any of the many trials through which a
Christian has to pass, we were not all so;
some of us were enjoying God's smiles, and
could pray fervently for our weaker brethren.
And what I have said is not all, but I fear
I shall have trespassed too much upon you;
but if this should be the means of bringing
something from an abler pen than mine for
the opening of a healthiness in our congre-
and cry with the church at large:-
gational prayer-meetings, I shall rejoice,

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"Oh for a heart to praise my God,
A heart from sin set free;

A heart that's sprinkled with the blood
So freely shed for me."

A WORKING MAN.

Notices of Books.

The Leisure Hour. 1860.

The Sunday at Home: a Family Magazine for Sabbath Reading. 1860. RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY.

THESE noble volumes form the ninth and seventh respectively of the Leisure Hour and Sunday at Home. They are too well known over the length and breadth of the country to require any description or com mendation from us. In their establishment the Committee of the Religious Tract Society undertook a great and important work in thus attempting to stem the flood of pernicious, fascinating literature, which was threatening to deluge the land; and they have sustained the enterprise with an amount of energy and faithfulness worthy of their reputation. It is well known that, in addition to the direct benefits conferred upon the community by the dissemination of these healthy, attractive publications by hundreds of thousands every year, an important check has been given to the proprietors of immoral publications, who are ever ready, if unopposed, to pander to the corrupt tastes of the multitude.

We shall be happy if this brief notice should induce any of our readers to assist in extending the circulation of these excellent periodicals, which may be considered as the pioneers of the Christian missionary, and the property of the Christian Church, for whom

they have done, and are still doing, a great and important work.

Among the excellent little twopenny books published by Mr. Henry J. Tresidder of Ave Maria Lane, there is a good new year's story for the young, entitled "All Things New;" the evils of forgetfulness, as seen in the affairs of this world and the next, are admirably pointed out by the Rev. Samuel Martin in a tractate called "I Forgot!" and there is an abridgment of the author's sermon preached at the anniversary of the British Society for the Jews, got up in the same form, under the title of "Dead and Alive Again;" they will well repay both purchase and perusal. In another our friend Mr. Alexander, of Chelsea, ably and earnestly enforces the important truth that we cannot serve two masters, under the appropriate title of "Single Service; or, One Master only Possible." From the prolific pen of the Rev. James Smith, of Cheltenham, we have a valuable little volume called "Watchwords for Christians," which we cordially recommend to the attention of our readers. The leading subjects dwelt upon are "Watch and Pray," "Fear Not," "Only Believe," "Son, go Work," "Wait on the Lord," and Behold, I Come Quickly." Every chapter is full of precious saving truth and practical instruction,

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Presbyterian Church in England.

THE "MESSENGERS."

THE present number concludes another volume of each of the "Messengers," and as it is the proper time for obtaining new subscribers to fill up the blanks which changes and deaths have made in our lists during the year, we anxiously solicit the good offices of all our friends. And we see no reason why we should be satisfied with merely filling up the blanks. Why should not the friends of the Church make, for once, an earnest effort to place

these periodicals beyond the reach of uncertainty and difficulty? We may have more to say on this subject next month; meanwhile we beg to press upon the attention of ministers the important help they can render us by a word of recommendation from the pulpit before the close of the year. In doing so, we hope they will not forget the " Juvenile Messenger," which is very helpful to the young, in stimulating them to missionary exertion, a fact abundantly proved by the financial results of this and the preceding year.

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387

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A Friend, per H. M. Matheson, Esq. . £1 00 Trinity Church, Newcastle-on-Tyne,

per Mrs. Archer

200

JAMES E. MATHIESON,

1 15 0

77, Lombard Street, E. C.,

Joint Treasurer.

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Canning Street, Liverpool

Belford

River Terrace, London

Collection

Association to 1st of Aug.

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0 10 6

Robert Barbour, Esq., Subscription

Birdhopecraig

Alnwick

John Knox, Stepney

North Shields.

John Knox, Newcastle-on-Tyne

Felton

Warrenford

Harbottle

Trinity Church, Newcastle-on-Tyne

Risley, Collection

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Association

Ancroft Moor.

Norham.

Southampton

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£0 17 0

£0 11 7

Regent Square, London, Association to

Michaelmas .

Greenwich

Salford

Bavington and Ryal

Chester

St. Andrews', Manchester

Grosvenor Square, Manchester

CORFU MISSION.

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London, 26th Nov., 1860.

Presbyteries' Proceedings.

PRESBYTERY OF LANCASHIRE.

THIS Presbytery met at Manchester on the 7th of November, the Rev. Dr. McLean, moderator pro tem. Present-Dr. Munro, Messrs. McCaw, Johnstone, J. C. Paterson, Lundie, Blyth, John Clelland, Blelloch, 8 7 Cromar, James Paterson, Brown, Davidson, Robinson, Henderson, Breakey, and Inglis, 300 ministers; and Messrs. Parlane, Clare, Brown, and Robb, elders.

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The Treasurer of the Ladies' Branch of the Corfu Mission begs to acknowledge the receipt of the following sums:

Miss Webster

Miss E. Webster

Psalm cxii. 6

.

Mrs. S. Fotheringham, by Miss Webster
Carlton Hill Missionary Association, per
Carstairs Dunlop, Esq.

St. George's Sabbath School, Sunder

land

Ladies' Auxiliary, Sunderland, per Miss Wake

Ladies' Association, Grosvenor Square Church, Manchester, per Mrs. C. Stewart

Ladies Auxilliary, Liverpool, per Mrs.

Crooks

Juvenile Missionary Association, Grosvenor Square, Manchester W. Ferguson, Esq.

Mrs. Ferguson

J. Ferguson, Esq., of Kinmundy

R. C. Williamson, Esq., per Mrs. Fer

guson

Mrs. J. Williams

Miss Williams.

Miss E. Williams

Miss Fector Mrs. Taylor

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The call of Chalmers' Church, Ancoats, Manchester, to the Rev. John Miller Ross, which had been moderated in at a meeting of the Presbytery on the 25th of September, was laid on the table, signed by seventyseven members and fifty-nine adherents; extent of £200 per annum. The call was and also a guarantee of stipend to the sustained and put into the hands of Mr. Ross, who accepted the same. was examined with a view to ordination, Mr. Ross and his trials having been approved, the Presbytery agreed to meet in Chalmers' Church for his ordination on the 22nd inst.

Dr. Munro reported that he had visited the congregation at Bradford according to appointment. After many trials the con800 gregation seemed to be rallying, and might give a call to a minister if, for a year or 700 two, liberally supported by the Home Mission Committee. The Presbytery re23 3 0 solved to recommend the case for a liberal grant from the Committee, and gave thanks 1 o o to Dr. Munro for his diligence in the

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that the Clerk be instructed to reply to the Professors, to state to them that the Presbytery had received their letter, and returned them thanks for their explanations; that as regards Messrs. Blake and Edwards they had applied for subjects of examination to the Committee of Presbytery, so that the Presbytery had a right to expect their attendance; and that in the case of Mr. Dickinson the Convener of the Committee had given to him notice of the subjects of examination, but that in the circumstances of the case of the last-named student, the Presbytery agree to waive their right to examine him at this time agreeably to the request of the Professors, considering that they have sufficiently vindicated the cause of order in this matter.

At the request of Mr. Lundie, it was resolved that John Morgan, Ph.D., residing at Birkenhead, be taken on trial, with a view to be licensed to preach the Gospel, | and the Clerk was instructed to request | him to appear before the Presbytery at its next meeting.

Mr. Lundie called the attention of the Presbytery to the fact that the interest accruing to the endowment referred to in the minute of the 7th of March last, instead of being divided between Trinity Presbyterian Church, Princess Park, and Toxteth Independent Chapel, had been handed over for this year wholly to the latter. The Session of Trinity Church was instructed to watch over this matter with a view to an equitable division of the said fund. The Presbytery adjourned to meet at Liverpool the 2nd of January next.

PRESBYTERY OF LONDON.

THIS Presbytery met at 29, Queen Square, on the 13th of November at three p.m. The following members were present-Dr. McCrie (moderator), Drs. Hamilton, Weir, and Lorimer; Messrs. Chalmers, Fisher, Kimmitt, Duncan, Keedy, Burns, Ballantyne, Fraser, Walker, and Scott, ministers; Messrs. Ritchie, Bell, Scadlock, Anderson, and Gillespie, elders.

The formuli was signed by Mr. Walker, lately inducted to the pastoral charge of the congregation at Rochester, by Mr. Fraser, lately ordained over the congregation at Maidstone, and by Mr. Scott, ordained to the pastoral charge of the congregation at Harrow Road, Paddington, on the 25th of October.

Mr. Ballantyne reported that Mr. Afflick, a student from the University of Edinburgh, had passed the examination preliminary to admission to the Divinity Hall with great credit; and he was authorised by the Presbytery to enter as a student in divinity.

The Rev. Gavin Carlile laid on the table

a certificate of his license as a preacher by the Free Presbytery of Edinburgh, and he was admitted a preacher within the bounds.

The Presbytery received two reports as to openings for the formation of new congregations in the country.

Dr. Lorimer intimated on the part of himself and Dr. McCrie, that they were willing to put their services at the disposal of the Presbytery with a view to the establishment of additional congregations in the metropolis. The intimation was gratefully received, and, after a lengthened discussion, a committee was appointed for the purpose of making inquiry respecting localities in which preaching stations may be opened, with power to confer with the London Committee of the United Presbyterian Church in Scotland, with a view to the prevention of mistakes and collision in the selection of districts and procurement of sites for churches.

PRESBYTERY OF NORTHUMBERLAND.

Alnwick, Oct. 30th, 1860.

A pro re nata meeting of Presbytery was held at Alnwick on the 30th October, and duly constituted. Sederunt the Moderator, Mr. Douglas, Rev. Dr. Anderson, Mr. Davison, and the clerk ministers. The moderator stated that he had authorised the clerk to call said meeting, to receive a call and relative documents from the Dalston congregation, and dispose of the same. The Presbytery approved of the moderator's conduct. A call, duly attested, was then laid on the table, from the congregation at Dalston, signed by sixty-two members and sixty-six adherents, in favour of the Rev. Matthew Davison, minister of Birdhope Craig, accompanied with extract minute from the Presbytery of London, to the effect that they had sustained said call, and directed the ordinary course of procedure to take place thereanent. The same being read, and the moderator having put the call into Mr. Davison's hands, he declared that in all probability he would close with the same, and state his reasons for so doing at next meeting. The clerk reported that no rea sons for the translation had been forwarded, whereupon the Presbytery ordered the whole papers to lie on the table till next meeting, and having resolved to take the usual steps towards the translation, the Presbytery appointed the minister officiating at Birdhope Craig on Sabbath first to serve the edict, communi forma, summoning the minister, members of the Kirk session, and communicants to appear at next meeting of Presbytery, and state their reasons, if they have any, why the translation of Mr. Davison may not be proceeded with.

The Presbytery adjourned to meet ad hunc effectum, at Framlington, on Tuesday,

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13th November, in the Church there, at with Messrs. Hardy, Heddle, Falconer, twelve o'clock. Closed with prayer. Brewis, Freeman, and Burnop, elders.

Framlington, Nov. 13th, 1860.

Which day an adjourned meeting of Presbytery, ad hunc effectum, was held here and duly constituted. Sederunt, the Moderator, Mr. Douglas; Rev. Mr. Hoy, Dr. Anderson, Messrs. Catheart, Fergus, Forsyth, Davison, Benvie, Fotheringham, and the clerk ministers, Messrs. Bell and Waddell, elders. The minutes of last meeting were read and sustained. The Presbytery then proceeded to take up the call from the Dalston Church in the Presbytery of London. The edict was returned, duly endorsed, and the relative documents were read. Parties being called, there was no appearance for the Presbytery of London. The Rev. John Reid, of Blyth, appeared, and produced his commission for the congregation at Dalston. Messrs. James Waddell, George Waddell, and Anthony Robson, elders, appeared for the session at Birdhope Craig. Mr. Davison appeared for himself. Parties having been heard, and removed from the bar, and Mr. Hoy, at the request of the Presbytery, having implored Divine light and guidance in the matter, the moderator called upon the members present to state their views upon the subject, when the Presbytery unanimously expressed their opinion in favour of Mr. Davison's translation. Whereupon the Presbytery did and hereby do loose Mr. Davison from his present charge, but enjoin him meanwhile to discharge the pastoral duties at Birdhope Craig, and to wait for the commands of the Presbytery of London as to his induction. Parties being called in, the moderator intimated to them the decision of the Presbytery, in which all parties concerned acquisced. Mr. Reid, on behalf of his constituents, took instruments and craved extracts, which were allowed. The Presbytery then appointed Mr. Blythe to moderate in the session at Birdhope Craig during the vacancy, and on receiving intimation from the clerk of the London Presbytery of Mr. Davison's induction, to preach at Birdhope Craig on the Sabbath thereafter, and declare the Church vacant in the usual way. Closed with prayer.

PRESBYTERY OF NEWCASTLE.

THIS Presbytery met in the John Knox Church, Newcastle, on the 13th November, and was duly constituted. Present the Rev. John Jeffrey, Moderator; Messrs. Miller, Mackenzie, Brown, Dinwiddie, Black, Farquharson, Anderson, and Blake, ministers;

In the absence of the clerk, Mr. Blake was appointed clerk pro tem. The minute of last meeting was read and sustained. Reasons of absence from the clerk and Mr. Dods, elder, were read and sustained.

Session records and communion rolls, from Gateshead and St. George's, Sunderland, were laid on the table, examined, found correctly kept, and ordered to be attested. The session record from Falstone was also laid on the table, and attested as regularly kept from November, 1859, to October, 1860. And Mr. Anderson stated that he was in communication with the former Moderator of the Falstone session, with a view to filling up the blank that exists in the record.

A committee was appointed to examine the records and rolls of North Shields, St. John's, South Shields, and Trinity, Newcastle, and report.

The overture sent down by the Synod, relative to the formula, having been read, it was moved and seconded that the Presbytery approve. It was also moved and seconded that the Presbytery disapprove of the overture. On a division, the latter motion was carried by seven to three, two members declining to vote.

The treasurer of the Presbytery fund gave in an interim report, which was approved.

There was then laid upon the table, and read, a communication to the Presbytery, through the Moderator, from Dr. Hamilton, convener of the Foreign Mission Committee, relative to the case of the Rev. John Kelly, recently ordained by this Presbytery as a missionary to India. Mr. Kelly being present, was requested to state the reasons of his resignation. It was then resolved that Dr. Hamilton's letter be kept in retentis, and further consideration of this matter delayed till next meeting.

In connection with the appointment of synod for the observance of the tercentenary of the Scottish Reformation, in December ensuing, a committee was appointed to arrange for a week-day meeting in each of the congregations within the bounds, to be addressed by several of the members of Presbytery on the principles of the Reformation. The committee to consist of Messrs. Thomas Duncan, P. L. Miller, C. A. Mackenzie, and J. Jeffrey, ministers; with Messrs. Freeman, Falconer, and Hinton, elders; Mr. Mackenzie, convener.

The next meeting of Presbytery was ap pointed to be held in this place, on Tuesday, the 8th day of January, 1861, at 11, a.m. The meeting was closed with prayer.

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