adventure a timid apology, or a whining regret, instead of making themselves acquainted with the facts, and meekly, but manfully, asserting the truth.

Some of your readers may stare at this statement, and deem it untrue; but I am speaking of Ireland, and can assure you, that this is only a small portion of what I could relate of the want of public spirit, and the moral cowardice, which have rendered our cause in many localities so contemptible. Let it not be supposed, however, that I mean to involve all our ministers, or the majority of them, in these remarks. We have our men of talent, learning, and literature— men who come fully up to the demand of the times, and would be the ornaments of any church in Christendom.

Another

The ambiguous features and feeble condition of Irish Independency may be ascribed to many causes: to the "catholicity" of our missions, the poverty of our ministers, and the time-serving caution or political servility of our people, yielding passively to the overwhelming pressure of the church party, backed by the landlords and gentry. cause may be found in our mistaken policy regarding the formation of churches. A few persons, mostly women, headed by some ambitious or crotchety gentleman or lady, have been prematurely constituted (or rather called by courtesy) a church, and then they have speedily assumed the absolute power of an independent democracy. But the male or female leader, having every means of wealth, influence, and contention, kept the rest in subjection, and made it the grand object of their existence to rule the minister; or, if he would not be ruled, to have him removed, to make room for one more pliant and manageable. Unhappily, this was not difficult, as some of our men were educated in the principles of passive obedience, and too often sacrificed their rights to their peace; while committees, whether in Dublin or London (for there was no difference in this), gave too ready an ear to tittle-tattle and complaint. How could our ministers evince manly independence in such a state of things? How could they be respected by other bodies, even if a due regard had been paid to their qualifications as candidates, which was not always the case?

It was from a praiseworthy regard to the liberties and privileges of a Christian church, however feeble and eleemosynary, that the Irish Evangelical Society allowed its agents, in so many cases, to merge the missionary in the pastor; and not only to waste their energies on little companies of sanctimonious malcontents thrown into juxta-position,— misnamed fellowship,-but to have their peace marred, their office lowered, their ministry frustrated, by a petty vulgar despotism ludicrously aping the style and authority of a church.*

* Severe as these remarks may seem to be, yet we fear that circumstances have occurred to justify them. Sufficient attention has not been paid to the necessary distinction between a missionary station and an Independent church. How can a society be truly independent, which derives its support from an extraneous source?

These evils are now to a great extent corrected; the people are learning their duties, and their pastors are, by association with one another, acquiring self-respect. But, still, there is a great want. Ireland is a most difficult missionary field. Intelligent and skilful antagonists meet us at every step. We must be well informed as to our own principles at least. I therefore beg earnestly to urge, that the directors of our missionary societies would take measures to have all their agents supplied, both here and in England, with our most indispensable denominational publications. Let inquiries be made as to the extent of this destitution among our ministers; and if poverty be pleaded as an excuse for total ignorance of all that is said and done, and written by the Congregationalists of Britain, and the friends of missions and philanthropy throughout the world, let some plan be at once adopted to remedy the evil. An ignorant pastor makes an ignorant people. Think of a Roman Catholic propagandist profoundly unacquainted with the current publications and proceedings of his own church! There is no such thing to be found. We want piety; but we cannot do without zeal and intelligence. How familiar to the congregation must be the ideas of a preacher, who never troubled himself with half-a-dozen new volumes since his tutors laid hands on his reverend head-a period of, perhaps, fifteen or twenty years. How "stale, flat, and unprofitable," must be such discourses, which people of education will attend, if they attend at all, more for example than edification!

Is it not a lamentable thing, Sir, that we have not a single organ of any kind to make known our sentiments, not even a penny sheet, to let the world know that we are alive? and this, too, among a reading people, who will go a great distance to borrow anything in the shape of a newspaper! But I am happy that a brighter day, a new era, seems to dawn on our cause in Ireland. Our men must be up, reading, thinking, and doing, or else others will run over them, and leave them behind. Let them be stimulated and aided to make the most of their abilities and circumstances; and I hope we shall soon reach a far higher standard of ministerial efficiency and adaptation. But we cannot have a proper public spirit without a periodical.

I have the honour to remain, yours very truly,

AN IRISH INDEPENDENT.

Besides, the theory of Independent church government presupposes that the people who are to administer it, have an intelligent acquaintance with the New Testament, the statute book of the kingdom, and are possessed of the graces of the Holy Spirit, to apply its enactments. Recent converts are not equal to honourable self-government, and they had much better be associated with the nearest church, though it be at a great distance, and have ordinances administered to them on the ground of that connexion, than be left in their ignorance and weakness to burlesque a system which, when efficiently administered, is decent, orderly, and edifying.-EDITOR.

CHRISTMAS PARTIES.

WINTER is the season for home enjoyments. The tide of living being, which poured through the length and breadth of the land, has rolled back again to its source: the bright sunny days of summer are gone; and with them are gone all the excursions, and trips, and gipsyings of the pleasurable months of the year: the watering-places are deserted, the quiet nooks, in which the citizen rusticated, are solitary, and the country looks stripped both of beauty and life: but man, the thoughtful and intelligent creature, finds new modes of passing his time; and when shut out from the beautiful scenery of nature, if his habits are domestic, he enjoys his long evenings in the society of home. The blazing fire, the happy family, the book of the day, the new periodical, the lively interchange of opinion, all furnish a pleasant evening, and are more than a recompense for a want of the wanderings of a summer month.

There is a period in the winter season which is especially characterised by social parties, and which gives the colouring to this time of life, as rambling does to the summer. Christmas is the gathering time of relatives and friends. It is with the world a thorough merrymaking time. But ought it to be such with the Christian? Whether Christmas is right or wrong; whether the descendants of the good old Nonconformists ought or ought not to keep this day, we do not pause to inquire. Constituted as society now is, they cannot but be involved in the circumstances of the age and country in which they live; and it is for them, therefore, to be careful, if they keep this festive season, that the parties should be such as become those "professing godliness."

The family party is one of the most delightful which assembles on these occasions. The ancient sire, with his children and children's children around him, enjoying a green old age, sitting and recounting to them "the way in which the Lord has led him," is a sight enchanting beyond description. How refreshing to hear him tell of his childhood, and boyhood, and youth; his entrance on the great ocean of life, and the providence which formed his connexions, furnished his business, built him up into a family, supplied his wants, and permitted him to see the third and fourth generations; while many of his youthful contemporaries have "dropped off like the leaves in autumn;" and that, in addition to this, God has given him the riches of grace, and enabled him to live to his glory, is a thing which thrills through the feelings, and does good to the soul. This, too, is heightened when a numerous family meet, and the greater number are partakers of the fellowship of the saints; the Christian family party is, in such a case, a delightful meeting, and a happy close of the fleeting year.

The social party is another group, which meets at Christmas. This is not select, as the former, and has none of its attractions. The large parties which are formed at this season are, indeed, not always unexceptionable; and Christians ought to consider seriously whether such parties are consistent with the piety they profess. What a mixture they present! The mere professor of religion, and the true believer, are seated side by side, and often know very little of each other, except that they go to the same place of worship, or may belong to the same religious denomination. This leads to desultory conversation: there is no religious sympathy, and no interchange of thought, beyond the politeness of society, or the business and politics of life, and the evening passes with tediousness and unprofit ableness. It sometimes happens in such circles, that there is one of the company that will be heard, and has a favourite topic, and this, perhaps, some business transaction, some city affair, some debate "in the House," or to be "brought into the House" that night, and, saving the last thing, perhaps not an idea advanced worth listening to; while the time passes without benefit. In such a case a good man should put on a bold front, and intersperse a wise and holy remark, that men may not speak as if the world was governed only by a cabinet council, and that Providence had ceased to care for us.

The social parties are often very large, a thing which of itself renders it difficult to make them profitable. It sometimes happens, that the pastor of the family is invited; and then, if it be that they are all Christians, upon him is imposed the burdensome task of speaking loud enough to edify twenty persons at once; or else the company is frittered into two or three separate bands, each talking of trifles; and he has to go from one little group to another, to show kindness to all, and say what he can to each. Such parties often leave the mind barren, both intellectually and spiritually. The number is too great to spend the evening profitably; and it is more than probable, that each expected from the visit more than was realised; and all this for the want of that interchange of pure, intelligent thought, which might have been obtained in a smaller party.

There is, too, a great evil in large parties which savours much of the world. They are almost always "dress parties." In this silent way the fashion of the world creeps into the private life of the wealthy or the respectable believer. The splendour of the dress and the table, which is sometimes seen, is a sad indication of the vanity of the heart: while, perhaps, in the midst of all this, the godly and the ungodly servants waiting on the company catch some sentences, and wonder at the religion of those about them.

Juvenile parties are a third class, which meet at this season; and who would break them up? who would check the buoyancy of youth?

who would rigidly exact a thing which is unnatural and unsuitable? This ought not to be done, but they should be well regulated. It is to be regretted that many Christian families practise private dancing, and the Christmas parties of the young are often of this description. Is it, therefore, a matter of surprise, that the youthful part of the congregations of dissenters become worldly and church-going, when there is so much of the world permitted in their associates and their amusements? But it is often said-Young persons must have their pleasures, and what harm is there in a dance? Without reminding those who ask this, that the first dance we read of was round a golden calf, and produced the anger of God; that the next, through a holy joy, produced a quarrel between the husband and wife; and that another issued in John the Baptist losing his head;-we may say, is there no harm in coming so close to the world, as to create an improper love to it? is there no harm in an amusement which produces undue levity? is there no harm in that which unfits for devotion? If the direct evil could not be pointed out, yet the indirect tendency to draw the heart from God is enough to deter every Christian parent from allowing his children to mingle in such amusements. How can you expect a dancing son to become a member of the church of Christ? How can it be supposed that a daughter who is fond of dancing, will love the sobriety of godliness? If Christmas is to be kept, either by the aged or the young, it should be by a careful avoidance of the spirit and amusements of the world.

There is one thing which frequently attaches to parties of each kind, and that is, the late hours at which they break up. Christians should be circumspect in this matter. How many families are by this very thing deprived of family worship! The servants, except one or two, are retired to rest; the master and mistress return home, and the evening ends without the holy and beneficial close of the day; and, recollect, this is not a solitary thing: that very evening there may be twenty other families, with whom you have met, who are just doing the same thing;-so that the late hours, and the worldly party, or the half worldly, have caused this neglect of family worship in twenty houses. It is a grievous thing. If religion is to flourish in our souls, our families, and our churches, we must have consistent piety: then when Christmas presents us with the long wintry evening, whether we meet the family party or the social party, the cheerful close of the year will be in perfect keeping with the Christianity we profess.