REMARKS OCCASIONED BY THE DEATH OF A FRIEND. 5.-That by far the largest increase took place before government made any grants even for school buildings, and nearly the whole before government made grants to teachers. 6. That the principal increase has taken place in the unendowed public schools-namely, from 861 to 11,367 (and not in the endowed schools, or the private schools); which at once shews the power of voluntary zeal for education, and affords a presumption of an improved quality of education (these schools having superseded many of the inferior private schools). 7.-That the proportion of dayscholars is greater in the rural districts than in the large towns and manufacturing districts. 8. That the total number of dayschools is 46,114, of which 15,472 are public schools, whilst parliamentary grants have only been made (in the proportion of about one third of the cost) towards building, enlarging, or repairing, 3,474 schools, (being only about one fifth of the public schools, and one thirteenth of the whole number of schools). 9. THAT THE PEOPLE NEED NO HELP FROM THE GOVERNMENT FOR THE WORK OF EDUCATION. 309 These legitimate conclusions, and especially the latter, and the facts on which they are based, come abroad very opportunely, when Lord John Russell is about to introduce two measures for the advancement of Church of England (puseyite?) education at the public expense. In the rural districts and unincorporated towns not having more than 5000 inhabitants, it is proposed to pay so much per head from the public funds; and in boroughs, to levy a similar tax on the inhabitants. In both cases there is a provision for religious instruction, and though by clause 10 a child may be withdrawn by the friends "from any matter of instruction to which they shall on religious grounds object;" yet it is plain that the end and purpose of the whole is to bring the children under the control and influence of the established hierarchy. Lord John Russell has lately offended the Irish members of the Cabinet by stating that Popery was allied to despotism and unfriendly to civil freedom. What is be now proposing to do but to shew his resolute Churchism, by taking public money to help the clergy to indoctrinate our rising race? From many places petitions have been presented against these proposed measures, and deputations have waited on the Government, and it may be probable, as the census demonstrates that the people themselves do not need the help of government in this matter, that they will reconsider the question, and let the matter rest for the present. REMARKS OCCASIONED BY THE DEATH OF A FRIEND.* The scenes of mortality which this sees that the rational, irrational and world universally and successively pre-vegetable creation is subject to the sents, are truly affecting to every considerate person; for he plainly Mr. George Cooper. same law. Time, that brings all things upon earth to existence and advances them to maturity, also scatters the seeds of their future dissolution, and finally covers them with the pall of oblivion. The heavens themselves are included in this awful doom, for we are assured that they too shall finally be dissolved, and share in the general wreck of nature. It is obvious that man has no sooner begun to live, than he hastens to die. Disasters and sufferings, sickness and death, frequently visit all places, and traces of them are constantly visible in all parts of the globe. As vessels that have left their harbour, gained the mighty ocean, and are driven by strong gales, so all are perpetually drawing near the haven of eternity. For ever since the seduction of our first parents, death has reigned, without molestation, over all their descendants. The inhabitants of this world are constant witnesses, that one generation succeeds another, even as buds and leaves, blossom and fruit; all wind their way through the intricate and dangerous paths of infancy and childhood, youth and old age, till they have quitted the shores of mortality and gained those of eternity. The general mortality of man is a convincing proof of the dreadful nature of sin, and also of the inflexible justice of God; for if this evil and bitter thing had not constrained him, the Lord would never have suffered so many human creatures to fall the victims of cruel and insatiable death. We all know that this murderer has slain his millions, and converted this world into the receptacle of the dead, rather than the abode of the living. If death cut down the wicked and injurious only, we might regard his office, as a mixture of justice and mercy. But we constantly behold him inflicting mortal wounds on the best and the worst, slaying the build. ers as well as the destroyers of Christ's church, For without the least regard to character, he hurled his poisonous dart against Paul and Herod, Nero and Peter. The removal of pious persons from the world, and especially of aged and experienced officers of christian churches, is a great loss to the public. When such a bereavement has recently been sustained by a church, more is frequently said about the character and safety of the deceased, than the vacancy that has been made, and how it is to be usefully filled. If the departed was superior to his surviving brethren in gifts and graces, the want of him is quickly perceived and sensibly felt. And if he possessed extensive christian knowledge, solid experience, and great influence, the difficulty of choosing a suitable successor is greatly increased. The primitive church must unavoidably feel, when such an officer as Stephen had been taken from them by the malice of their enemies, a man full of faith, love and zeal. The most pious and discerning among the brethren were doubtless constrained to ask, "Where shall we find his equal? and how shall his important post be filled ?” Pious deacons are essentially impor. tant, both as respects the prosperity of religion, and the comfort of a minister; for the former sustains a similar relation to the latter, that Aaron and Hur did to Moses, holding up his hands. Deacons can, and they most certainly should, assist their pastors in every way in their power; and they are frequently able to manage difficult matters in a church with much greater effect than any other member. difficult and delicate cases they should voluntarily and cheerfully come forward, rally round their spiritual instructor, and preserve him from the mortal bites of those wolves that too often appear in sheeps' clothing. In Members of churches, sustaining this important and honourable office, from their frequent intercourse with their pastor, know more of his natural disposition, troubles and trials, than the rest of the brethren; they therefore may occasionally give him a word of consolation, or a look of sympathy, that will not be lost upon REMARKS OCCASIONED BY THE DEATH OF A FRIEND. him. The opinion of Solomon applies here with more than common emphasis, for he exclaims, "a word spoken in due season, how good is it." If fitly spoken, he says, "it is like apples of gold in nets of silver." The duty and great importance of comforting persons in their trying circumstances, will appear, if we reflect on the striking command given by God to Moses respecting Joshua, his successor, which is, "encourage him." Where officers of churches act in such a manner as to pull down instead of lifting up their minister's hands, confusion and every evil work, must of necessity ensue; the enemy is sure to prevail, and religion must inevitably decline. Much of the respectability and prosperity of any society depends upon the character and conduct of its leading members. A prudent, devoted, and active deacon is often very useful to his official companions, for the latter cannot hear his judicious remarks, and witness his zeal in maintaining and promoting the honour and interest of christianity without admiring and being constrained to copy his example. We have an instance of this sacred influence in the case of Elijah and Elisha. Experienced and devoted officers of churches, though dead, often speak in the conduct and conversation of those survivors, whose mind they have enlightened, and in whom they have contributed to produce a holy ardour, that warms the heart of every one with whom they are connected. Moreover, the beneficial influence of consistent deacons is not limited to any particular society or denomination to which they may belong; for the God of heaven prospers the work of their hands so remarkably, that the locality plainly sees, that he will not suffer such faithful servants to labour in vain. On this account the most pious persons of every name are strengthened in their faith, and quick 311 ened in the improvement of their privileges; and the result is, that pure and undefiled religion before God spreads in every direction, and he abundantly enriches the neighbourhood, with peace and joy, prosperity and happiness. Happy is it for our churches and for our ministers, when all those who are called to bear office are men of this order! How careful should all parties be that such men only should be called to bear "the vessels of the Lord"! Mr. George Cooper, whose death has occasioned the preceding remarks, was a member of the G. B. chapel, Duffield, towards forty years, and a deacon more than twenty. He had received little benefit from education, when young, and he could not lay much claim to that vis animi which some persons possess. Though he lived several years in a public house, as hostler, he was not overcome by strong drinks. He was humble, peaceable, and possessed less of that unseemly arrogance which some persons in a similar situation would not hesitate to manifest, A few months prior to his illness, to the surprise and satisfaction of his friends, he appeared more lively than formerly, which induced him to take a deeper interest in the prosperity of the church. He was confined with affliction a considerable length of time, in which he exercised great patience, and often expressed his thankfulness for the visits paid him, and for the particular hymns and select portions of Scripture read to him. The Lord was very gracious to him. He departed this life, in hope of a better on the 26th of Jan. 1853. On the next Sabbath after his interment, his death was improved by the writer, to a numerous and attentive audience, from 2 Peter i. 1. He left an aged widow, who followed her husband on the 8th of June, T. SMITH. Newton Grove, near Todmorden. THE UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE. LOGICAL reasoning does not become needful to convince one of the uncertainty of life, since occurrences a thousand times more impressive are transpiring every day we live. overthrow of Pharaoh and his host in the sea, and the destruction of Korah, and his company for their rebellion, and from the fact that 185,000 of the Assyrian army were smitten by the angel of the Lord, and thus lodged in death's embrace in a single night. "Death enters, and there's no defence: His time there's none can tell." In our view that individual must have been a careless observer of human events who has never, from his own observation, been deeply impressed with the thoughts of the uncertainty of life. How can any one repeatedly witness the death-scene of kind neighbours, loved relatives, and tender children, and yet be not at all impressed with the idea of life's uncertainty. Stoop down my thoughts that used to rise, destroyed and that without remedy. Converse awhile with death," 66 and be not over anxious to soar away to the regions of fanciful delights, where the imaginations would range in forgetfulness of the solemn realities of death itself. Various are the ways by which life may be brought to a close. Accident may be termed an instrument by which the death-harvest is success fully conducted. Probably not a single day passes which does not witness the death of hundreds by accident; and in numerous instances individuals thus called into eternity are taken without warning, and unprepared to meet God in peace. Of this class both sea and land will give up a large number when the nations of the earth are called forth by the sound of the last trumpet, Are any boasting of to-morrow, and saying it shall be as this day and much more abundant? then think for a moment of the fate of the Old World. Its population, doubtless, amounted to many millions of souls, and yet forty days are not required to seal their fate and cut them off forever. Nor, touching the point in question, is the lesson wanting in impressiveness to be derived from the And of this all may be well convinced, as they read of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Tyre and Sidon, and of Babylon, Nineveh, Jerusalem, Carthage, and still other cities, which in their pride and boasting of strength have been suddenly Cruel, relentless death! what hast thou done, and what havoc hast thou made among the families of earth ?— Thou art the common destroyer of human life, and in the triumphs of thy sway thou hast borne millions of mankind to eternity. But while this life is uncertain, the life to come is sure. No death-chill will be felt by the inhabitants of heaven. No weeping over departed loved ones in the realms of everlasting blessedness. There will be no disease nor separation in that bright world. "The inhabitant shall not say, I am sick, and the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity." "They shall hunger no more, thirst no more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." There will too be no death in the world of woe. They have "no rest day nor night, and the smoke of their torment ascendeth for ever and ever." Certainty, permanency, and unchangeableness are the characteristics of the blissful and the baneful future. ANON. SKETCH OF THE LATE PROFESSOR EDWARDS. Professor Edwards was a strongly marked specimen of a certain phase of New-England character. The interest of the present volumes is derived from this circumstance, rather than from any extraordinary manifestations of intellectual power in their contents. Beyond the immediate circle of his profession, he was not known to any considerable extent. He has left no prominent mark on the public mind. His name is not identified with any of the great movements of the day. He has thrown no new light on questions of practical or speculative interest, by the force of original thought. With a sensitive modesty, which would seem out of place in these rough-and-tumble days, he shrunk from notoriety. He feared to give out the whole force that was in him lest it should expose him too conspicuously to the public gaze. An ordinary degree of ambition to give vitality to his talents and cultivation, would have made him superior both in position and influence, to many inferior persons by whom he was eclipsed. His leading characteristics were love of learning, truthfulness of thought and action, simplicity of purpose, stern conscientiousness, and an absorbing sense of religion. He was a genuine Puritan, with a vein of softness and refinement, that blended in beautiful harmony with the graver elements of his nature. The birth-place of B. B. Edwards was at Southampton, in Hampshire county, Mass., where he was born July 4, 1802. This little town in the valley of the Connecticut has become famous for the number of young men whom it has furnished for the ministry of the Gospel. In the year 1840, with a population of but little more than one thousand souls, and not quite one hundred years old, it had sent forty-seven students to the various colleges of the country, of whom thirty-two were ministers. Mr. Edwards was descended from a long line of Puritanic ancestors. His father and mother were devoted Calvinists, with whom religion formed not only the predominant, but almost the exclusive interest of their lives. He was cradled in New-England piety. His passion for books was shown at an early age. He would read when other children played. Poring over a volume of history, he would often forget the summons to his field-work and to his meals. While his companions amused themselves with a sleigh ride in the evening, he would read by the kitchen-fire. In his earlier, as in his later years, his favourite studies were history and poetry. Nine At the age of fourteen, he began to prepare for college. The last summer of preparatory course, was spent under the care of Rev. Mr. Hallock, of Plainfield, Mass., whose obscure parsonage among the mountains was a favourite place of resort for young men intended for the ministry. In 1820, Mr. Edwards entered Williams College, and at the expiration of his freshman year, followed President Moore to Amherst, where he graduated in 1824. months of the year after he left college, he had charge of the academy in Ashfield, Mass., and in 1824, at the age of twenty-three, he entered the Theological Seminary ot Andover. Here he enjoyed the Elysium of his life, devoting his hours to the study of the Scriptures in the original, and deriving a perpetual feast from their simple and artless idioms, and their mysterious and exhaustless suggestions. At the close of the first year in the seminary, he received an appointment in Amherst College, and for the next two years discharged the duties of his office with characteristic self-devotion. Here, he cherished a deep interest in the religious welfare of the students, and several ministers of the Gospel ascribe their conversion to his counsels. He was the tutor alluded to in Abbot's "Corner Stone," as making an affective address to a circle of irreligious students, who had invited him to meet them, ostensibly for their improvement, but really for their sport. In the twenty-sixth year of his age, he had become so well known to the religious community by his active christian sympathies, that he was invited to several stations of high re |