whole congregation; other two verses are then read and sung in like manner, and this is continued so long as the elder thinks proper. There is little harmony in their song, but it is sung with their whole heart, and they appear to enjoy it greatly. They then kneel-the elder in the midst-and the others around, with their faces directed towards him, when the elder leads in prayer, commencing with the Lord's Prayer, and concluding with extemporaneous supplications. I asked one of them why they knelt around the elder at such times. His reply was, "Lest we should appear to any stranger to be praying to any image or painting, which may be upon the wall. We must," continued he, "abstain from the very appearance of evil.”

Other portions of Scripture are read, and brethren of approved Christian character give expositions of these, or exhortations founded upon them, according as their minds may be impressed with the subject. It is frequently the case, that in these exercises, several of the brethren take part. The numerous intervals are spent in silent prayer; and they unite in prayer before they dismiss.

A similar meeting is held on Sunday before noon; and many do not partake of food from the commencement of the Sabbath, till the close of the service. They do not consider fasting to be enjoined upon Christians, but they find it a help to devotion; and whenever it operates otherwise, they discontinue the practice. They fast frequently, and in doing so, abstain entirely from food-the men for a whole day, or half-a-day; the women, so long as they can without injury.

Meetings similar to those described above, are also held on the afternoon and evening of Sunday. One of them was asked, how they could engage in those services on the Sunday, after having been employed in worship till late on the preceding night? He appeared to be surprised at such a question, and replied to the effect, that when the heart is lively in spiritual affections there is no weariness.

They have, also, meetings for worship on other evenings of the week, when they can secure the assistance of an elder; and they cheerfully leave their work in the fields at whatever hour an elder, passing through the village, may propose to meet with them for worship. The old people, the females, and the children, moreover, frequently assemble to read the Scriptures while the men are at work in the fields.

In one village, in the government of Voronez, where there lived about two thousand of the Duehovnee Christianee, they used on the Sabbath, to meet for worship in the open air, as their assemblies were larger than any house in the neighbourhood could contain.

In that village, it was their custom in going out to the fields to their daily labour, to go in company, singing in concert. Those who lived at the farther extremity of the village, first left their houses, and commencing a hymn, proceeded through the village singing; other

villagers soon joined them, and they were joined by the rest in succession, as they passed their doors. They then proceeded to their labours in the fields, singing, as they went, the praises of God. In like manner they returned to their homes in the evening, singing songs of praise; and each left the band of choristers as they passed his dwelling. The females, who could not take part in the labours of the field, used likewise, when seated at the doors of their houses spinning, to sing aloud; and sometimes in concert, hymns, and songs of praise.

It is customary with many of the Russian peasantry to assemble in the evening at each other's houses in turns, when the men repair their implements of husbandry, while the women spin, and the youths, of both sexes, play at games of forfeits. In this village the same custom was kept up, with this difference: while the men made their repairs, and the women spun, the youths sang hymns and psalms, and other portions of Scripture in concert with their parents and seniors.

The majority of the villagers were Duchovnee Christianee; and as those who were not of their persuasion did not molest them, they lived in peace, and they appeared to be a very happy community.

All the testimony I have been able to collect, tends to prove that, as a body, "their conversation is as becometh the Gospel of Christ." The other peasants often say, "Look at these Molokauns! How they love one another! They are always filling each other's bags with corn!" A similar testimony was borne by a governor of Tamboff. He said that no Molokaun living in his government had ever been known to beg their wants were always supplied by their own people. As another proof of the interest which they took in each other's comfort, he stated, that it was impossible to recover Molokauns who deserted the army. They are supposed to be conveyed from cottage to cottage, and from village to village, but effectually concealed, though concealment is very difficult.

I had a conversation concerning this people with a Russian merchant, who resided in a district in which they are numerous. He said, that he considered them much too religious, and that he did not wish to have anything to do with them; but he bore a willing testimony to their good behaviour, and said, that in every respect they led exemplary lives. A friend who was present, asked, "Why then are they disliked ?” He said, "he could not tell; that he could assign no other reason than that they were religious." It was then asked, "Why are they persecuted?" He said, "he supposed that the persecution and annoyance to which they were at that time exposed, had been excited by the priests, in consequence of the Molokauns refusing to treat them with the deference offered by the other peasants."

We have no evidence, that in any body of professing Christians, the conduct of all the members has been uniform and consistent. It need

not then excite surprise to learn, that in this community there have been individuals whose conduct has grieved their brethren.

In the beginning of 1838, one of the Duehovnee Christianee, who appeared to be a truly pious man, in conversation with a Christian friend, lamented over some of his fellow-worshippers, whom he described as acting improperly in some particulars, but whom others were unwilling to exclude from their communion, because in many respects their conduct was consistent with their profession: they argued, that the exclusion of such persons from their society would be productive of evil, as the excluded would seek for society as bad as themselves; and that consistency, moreover, would require of them, if they excluded one, to exclude many of their friends. He said, that many of his friends kept the Sabbath as a day of sacred rest, but that others would not, saying, "they cannot, as it is a great market day in Russia." He lamented such conduct, and seemed desirous to learn the opinion of my friend concerning the propriety of accepting invitations to the houses of those who walked disorderly; he also desired to learn his opinion concerning the evidence of repentance upon which such persons should be restored, if excluded from the society.

It is only by the manifestation of the truth that such evils can be remedied; and the following testimony, corroborative of much that has been stated in the preceding pages, will show that the Duchovnee Christianee have not been neglectful of this correction for errors of doctrine and practice :

"In March, 1822," says Dr. Pinkerton, in his work on Russia, "I met with a most interesting spiritual Christian, the minister of one of their assemblies, in St. Petersburgh, and had a long conversation with him at the house of a Russian noble. His name was Isaiah. He was

a man about sixty years of age in appearance; a simple, bearded peasant, dressed in coarse wide russet garments. I conversed with him for nearly three hours on the essential doctrines of the Gospel, and found him, in general, very sound. His knowledge was taken solely from the word of God, of which he was one of the most powerful quoters I ever conversed with. His views of the faith and practice of a Christian, drawn from this source, were beautifully simple and harmonious. But, like the Duehobortzee, he rejected the external ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper. He seemed to insist much upon the evidences of a living faith; and that nothing would entitle a person to the name of a Christian, but christianity in practice. As he had no acquaintance with scholastic theology, nor any systematic form of faith, I was astonished at his skill in illustrating one part of Scripture by another, comparing spiritual things with spiritual, and the wonderful facility with which he applied the whole force of truth to the regulation of the heart and life. In this poor peasant I saw an illustrious example of the power of the Divine word, under the

blessing of God, to make even the simple, and those who, in respect of human learning, are babes, truly wise. His congregation, he said, consisted of about five hundred souls, who formed a village near Mosdok. They had five elders to labour among them in spiritual things, who are chosen from among themselves, and ordained to their office by the laying on of the hands of the whole church, and prayer. He spoke of their brethren as being very numerous, and scattered over all the provinces of the empire. They were also known under the name Molokani, but were not all equally pure in doctrine and practice. He said, that he had been sent forth by his church for the express purpose of visiting the brethren, and ministering to their spiritual wants by doctrine and conversation. Many of them, he added, were becoming purer in faith and practice. He stated, that the great body of Molokani entertain superstitious ideas respecting the kiss of charity,' or form of salutation used among them; that, on saluting each other, they pay a kind of mutual devotional respect, by bowing themselves to the ground, as before the image of God, and the temple in which the Holy Ghost dwells; that they therefore look upon the kiss of charity as one of the most sacred acts. In some provinces, he said, he had found them denying the last judgment, saying, that it was already come, and the second advent of Christ already past: it was one object of his travels to purify them of these errors; but he regretted that some of their congregations had unworthy teachers. In his views of the invocation of saints, the use of images, prayers for the dead, &c., he held pure protestant principles. He said, that in public worship they use no books but the Bible. They practise no vows of celibacy; he himself had a wife and children at home; their ritual, he said, consists chiefly of extemporary prayer, and exposition of the Scriptures in a familiar and easy manner by their ministers."—Pinkerton's Russia, 185-187.

THE APOSTLESHIP OF MATTHIAS DEFENDED, IN REPLY TO G. P.

EVERY one who has an opinion and publishes it, must calculate on having it examined. If he does not, he is very foolish. And he who acts the part of an examiner of opinions must expect to be examined in turn himself: this is fair, equitable, right. Every Christian, and especially every Christian minister, should be prepared to encourage free discussion with a view to the eliciting of truth. Without free, calm, and candid discussion, much truth may lie concealed, and much error may pass current for the beauties of Divine revelation. I therefore welcome G. P., who, I know, is a brother in the Gospel ministry, to the examination of the views I have advanced respecting the

Apostleship of Matthias, assured he will not take it amiss if I very freely examine his positions, and endeavour to show that they neither meet my arguments, nor are based on correct views of the transaction to which this discussion relates.

1. G. P. at the very outset, has fallen into a misconception of a portion of my argument. The quotations from the Syriac and the Vulgate do not relate, as G. P. asserts, to the "mode of voting" observed in the election of Matthias. They were adduced to confirm the accuracy of our version in translating the Greek word σvykate¥ndiobn by was numbered. No stress was laid on the mode of voting observed, for none could be laid on it. It cannot affect the question one way or the other. But considerable stress is laid, and ought to be laid, on the fact that Matthias was numbered with the eleven Apostles. Dr. Bloomfield says that σvykate❤npišew properly signifies to choose by common suffrages, and then to number with or into. Dr. Robinson says that "etymologically" it might also here signify to be allotted or voted with the Apostles, but assigns to it the same meaning that our common version does. And this must be the meaning here, first, because the selection of one out of the two candidates was left to God, to be decided by lot. When the "lot fell on Matthias" all voting was at an end; indeed, before this-it was at an end, when the decision was left to God-"Lord, show whether of these twain thou hast chosen." This they expected to be shown by the lot. When therefore the lot fell on Matthias, they regarded him as chosen by God to be an Apostle in the place of Judas. To say then, after this, that he was voted or allotted with the eleven Apostles, would be pure tautology,-hence numbered is the correct version. Secondly, the Peschito Syriac and the Vulgate confirm this version. But G. P. admits he "was numbered with the apostles." He adds, however, "whether on Divine authority is the question we now propose to consider." Why this is the very question I. J. had considered; and this is the very question, here settled by Divine authority. I. J. has always considered that the Book of the Acts was written, like all other Scriptures, by Divine inspiration. He has always thought the facts of Scripture are as really recorded by the theopneustic influence as the doctrines of Scripture are taught. If so then, it is an inspired statement, a Divinely recorded fact, that Matthias was "numbered with the eleven Apostles." Does G. P. imagine that the Holy Spirit would state, at least thirty years after the election took place, that he was numbered with the Apostles, if it were true, that the election was null and void, the fruit of the rashness of the "hasty, quick, and zealous Peter?" The Holy Spirit does not say that he was so numbered by the Apostles themselves only, or that he was so numbered merely for a time, but absolutely that he was numbered with the eleven Apostles. And the same infallible Teacher tells us, incidentally, in the next chapter, and after the full