the use of Sunday School Teachers connected with the Church of England, and those who may be recommended by the Clergy of the parish; I should also wish to see a branch society established in every parish in the kingdom, under the presidency of the Clergy, but which might be governed by its own members.

Among the benefits derivable from such an institution, are a weekly payment during sickness, medicine and medical attendance, and a fixed sum in the event of death, to defray funeral expenses. Life assurances and deferred annuities may be effected in various offices, but I do not think they are applicable to the majority of the class referred to. It may be argued that Sunday School Teachers are a very respectable body of young men, sons of respectable parents, and above the requirement of a society of this description. I would ask, are we not training the elder scholars to become junior or assistant teachers, and to what class do these boys belong? Are they not generally the sons of working men, who in their turn are brought to trades, and therefore will ere long constitute the majority, if they do not at present? Then what is to become of them when they reach the age of twenty and upwards ? If they are trained to provident habits and desire to make provision for sickness, &c., they are, for want of

a society like this, induced (and easily at that age induced) to join an enrolled benefit society, or one of the secret societies, such as Foresters, or Odd Fellows; which being held at publichouses, subject the individual to a temptation not easily overcome, and if not resisted, may be the means of destroying the fond hopes that had been entertained of him.

It may be argued that he may avail himself of the Saving Bank, and provide something for sickness. I am prepared to show, that contributing to a society is preferable to a Savings' Bank. For example, sickness may arrive before the savings are considerable; or if considerable, they may be absorbed by a long continued sickness. But after a member has paid to a society a certain period, (say six months) he is secured his weekly pay, however long his sickness may continue, besides medicine and medical attendance.

I fear I have trespassed too long on your valuable time, but I consider the subject of vast importance, and hope shortly to hear of a meeting being called, to enter into detail and take into consideration the establishing a Benefit Society for Sunday School Teachers connected with the Church of England. W. H. Lavers.

35, St. Martin Street, Leicester Square.

SIR,

Having lately returned from Ireland, where I have been residing for some years, to this country, I was happy to find the Church of England Sunday School Institute established in London. Having read its Quarterly Magazines and other publications, I became a Subscriber, and most heartily do I pray, that the influence of the Institute may

be extended to Ireland. The benefits it is calculated to dispense, are precisely what that country require, viz., information as to the different and best methods of conducting Sunday schools, hints as to their management, examples in instruction of classes, and a means of intercommunication with Sunday school teachers on this side of the Irish Channel.

Perhaps it may be objected there is a Sunday school society for Ireland already. My reply is, it is not connected or conducted necessarily by members of the united Church of England and Ireland, though practically most of the Committee are so. In consequence of this, the Sunday School Society issue the Scriptures and Scripture Lessons, but none of the formularies of the Established Church.

Ireland however, shews England a good example respecting Sunday schools, which she would do well to follow. The excellent president of the Sunday school society in Ireland, the Earl of Roden, is, and has been for many years, a Sunday school teacher, nor is he the only member of the nobility there, whom I know to be engaged in the same manner. But what I chiefly admire in the Sunday schools in Ireland, is the attendance of the children of respectable persons, even the gentry, and almost invariably those of the Clergyman, and these are intermixed with the other children. If the Irish Sunday school teachers could impart to us some of their zeal, (fire if you will,) and we were to send them some of our regularity, method, and order in return, we should do each other good.

Your remarks in your First Volume,

page 257, are particularly applicable to Ireland. It is as it were, an isolated, or as it is called by themselves, a backward place. It much needs information, and its present chief sources are newspapers. There are 73 towns in Ireland without a bookseller's shop. There is but one such shop in the whole province of Connaught. I would urge upon the Committee, to act upon the suggestion in the Magazine, page 257, and appoint corresponding members of the Institute-I shall be most happy to give them the names of persons in different places in that part of the United Empire who, I am sure, would undertake that office.

Your president stated at your Annual Meeting in 1848, that there were nearly 3,000 Sunday schools in Ireland, the greater number of which were connected with the Established Church-the scholars numbered 245,604, and teachers 22,720.

I would further suggest that the Committee should send over to parties in Ireland numbers of their Magazines, and copies of their other publications for distribution.

I am, Sir,

Your obedient servant, Nauticus.

Sept. 4, 1849.

MORNINGS AMONG THE JESUITS AT ROME-By the Rev. M. Hobart Seymour, M.A., pp. 251, 8vo. Seeley's.

WE wish we could believe that there are many of our readers to whom the Romish controversy is, or will long continue to be, subject matter for the study alone, and not recurring to their notice in the daily walks of life; but the efforts now so unremittingly made to leaven all ranks in all places with popery and semi-popery, tend to force on every thinking man, and on well nigh every active labourer in the cause of pure and undefiled religion, the necessity of being prepared to meet and repel the attacks which he is almost sure to meet with.

Sunday School Teachers are under especial obligation to master the subject sufficiently to enable them to give a reason for their faith, with gentleness indeed, and patient instruction of "them that oppose," but with an intelligent, decided and unwavering protest, for Scriptural truth, against antiscriptural error. Instances are not wanting to prove that the controversy descends even to the children in our schools, and that unless we furnish them with a reason why they should not go to the Romish school, the bribes so lavishly employed will lure away a large number of the lambs of our flock, into the barren deserts of idolatry and superstition.

We appeal to all Teachers, whose sphere of labour is invaded by the emissaries of Rome, (and, as we said before, we fear but few are exempt from the danger,) to take it into their serious consideration, whether the negative and silent Protestantism so common, is not a sin against their little charge, a fearfully guilty neglect of the means they

possess, of warning them against false teachers, wolves in sheep's clothing.

The book before us will be found a valuable addition to the works which enable the sincere Protestant to understand and grapple with the giant forms of error, which have attained such fatal ascendancy in the Romish church. Mr. Seymour has long been known as an energetic champion of Protestantism, and he has now again rendered good service to the cause.

The peculiar usefulness of the work, is that (as its title sets forth,) it is a kind of inspection of the enemy's camp, the arguments of Romanists at Rome. This is, of itself, no slight recommendation,

for, chamelion-like, Romanism adapts itself to the circumstances, the wants, and even the prejudices of the different races of people, or various classes of society, which she seeks to influence, and whilst certain great principles (great errors as we consider them,) remain unaltered, not only is there a vast amount of shifting ceremonial and less weighty doctrine, but even the great principles alluded to are presented in very diverse lights, and supported by very diverse arguments, whilst misrepresentation and downright denial are freely used where exposure is difficult or impossible. Popery, in truth, is the religion of human nature in its fallen state, and it is made to suit the various phases of human nature in its outward developments, whilst remaining substantially the same in its

essence.

For this reason a peculiar value at taches to the exhibition of Romanism in Rome, and that large proportion of our readers who cannot have the evidence of personal observation, will feel grateful to Mr. Seymour for having done what (under any circumstances) com

paratively few others could have done, investigated at head quarters the doctrines and arguments of that body which has so often saved the papacy from ignominious defeat, though only at other times, by its monstrous excesses, to draw down on itself the Papal Anathema.

Mornings among the Jesuits at Rome! We associate in our minds at once the utmost polemical skill, the most unscrupulous use of any sophistry, together with the most bland courtesy and well sustained appearance of sincere candour, and of friendly feelings.

These "conversations" had their origin in the notice taken by a Roman gentleman, of Mr. Seymour's extreme attention to the various Religious Services, and his consequent offer to introduce Mr. Seymour to some priests; an offer gladly accepted, as coinciding with Mr. Seymour's desire to know, from as high a source as possible, the ground taken up by the defenders of Romanism. Two gentlemen were at first commissioned by the Father General of the Jesuits, to call upon him, who soon introduced him to others, including the Professors of the Collegio, Romano, the Professor of Canon Law, and the Professor of Dogmatic Theology, so that we may fairly expect to have here the authoritative and strongest defence of Romanism.

The conversations commenced with an expectation on the part of the Jesuits, of finding Mr. Seymour imbued with Tractarian opinions, and so of persuading him to follow others, who have found that system, when honestly carried out, to end in Rome. This mistake originated with the gentlemen who first introduced the Jesuits, but was at once cleared up by Mr. Seymour, and we doubt not that, in the end, that sanguine individual (at whose visions of proselytism our readers will smile) was considered to have established a very doubtful claim to the gratitude of his Church Superiors, in leading to an

attempt which proved so thoroughly futile.

Mr. Seymour candidly adds, that he considers his opponents to have laboured under a disadvantage, in supposing him to be in a great degree unaccustomed to controversy, and really inclined to view their doctrines with a favourable eye; whilst he, on the other hand, was restrained from a full use of those controversial weapons which he so well knows how to use, by the knowledge that any display of what might be considered a proselytising spirit on his part, would lead to his being informed that he must quit Rome. His visit occurred, it should be added, previous to the Roman Revolution. We will now endeavour to lay before our readers a slight abstract of the work, trusting that they may be induced to read it for themselves, and more fully to appropriate the very valuable matter it contains.

The first point discussed was Absolution, which came under notice through Mr. Seymour having witnessed the Ordination of some young men to various religious orders, and having observed during the ceremony, what appeared to him an omission of the laying on of hands as the act of ordination.

The Jesuit, after explaining their reason for this, went on to say, that there were two distinct powers conferred upon a priest, one inherent in his priesthood-the power of transubstantiation, the other "ceded" by the Bishop and, without his sanction, null and void-the power of absolution; in other words, the priest could celebrate mass of his own inherent power, but could not absolve from sin without the Bishop. But, objected Mr. S. there can then be no efficacy in the absolution which, by the canon of the mass, the priest must read, that absolution being yet part of the mass, which you allow he can of inherent power celebrate. This difficulty produced the startling admission, that the absolution involved