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gentleman of the independent connexion, they were compelled to relinquish possession at Midsummer, and must erect a temporary building for their future accommodation until the new chapel is ready for their reception.

Under these circumstances, they feel assured of the sympathy of the religious public generally, and of the baptist denomination in particular. And the committee trust that, with the divine blessing resting on their efforts, they will very soon be enabled to commence this important work.

COLLECTANEA.

POST OFFICE DELIVERY.

Chancellor of the Exchequer should have openly invited a public demonstration against the measure.-Patriot, June 24.

From the tone of some remarks which fell from the Chancellor of the Exchequer last night, and from Lord John Russell on a previous evening, as well as from the animus of these instructions, we fear that the Ministry are not acting in accordance with their high moral character-they are conniving at an attempt on the part of the Post-office authorities to render the alterations as troublesome and obnoxious as possible.-Christian Times, June 21.

REV. J. GIRDWOOD.

It reflects but little credit upon Her Majesty's ministers that after advising the Queen to comply with the Address of her faithful Commons respecting the closing of the Post Office on Sunday, and before putting their orders for that purpose in force, the-Nonconformist.

The Rev. J. Girdwood of Montreal has received a unanimous invitation to become the pastor of the baptist church, New Bedford, Massachusetts, and has accepted it.

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE WORKS OF JOHN CALVIN,

To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. DEAR SIR,-We will thank you to permit us in your pages to commend the publications of the "Calvin Society" to the attention of your readers.

About seven or eight years ago this society was formed, for the purpose of effecting a wider circulation of the writings of Calvin throughout the church of Christ in these kingdoms.

it would be a reproach to our times if this noble enterprise were allowed to languish and fail, when so large a mass of medieval and modern trash, of a professedly religious kind, is issued from the press and extensively circulated.

The works of Calvin now in the course of publication by this society, are specially recommended by the following considerations :

1. They are not a reprint of old translations, which are very uncouth, and otherwise faulty; but they consist of new translations, which have been made by competent persons.

2. They are got up in admirable style, The paper, type, and execution are what every lover of Calvin's writings could wish them to be.

3. They are surprisingly cheap. Four volumes, each on an average containing 500 pages, are furnished for the sum of one pound.

The works of such a man need no recommendation of ours; but we may, perhaps, be allowed to remark, that the general correctness and scriptural character of their theology, together with the broad and comprehensive view of divine truth which they give, afford an admirable safeguard against some popular errors of the age; while, at the same time, their felicitous elucidation of sacred writ, their masterly style of reasoning, and the 4. They are issued in a way which renders spirit of holy unction by which they are per- their purchase easy. Four such volumes as vaded, must commend them to the approba- we have just described are issued every year; tion of all the friends of taste and devotion. and thus, for a trifling annual outlay, a A large portion of his works consists of ex-library can receive so valuable an addition. positions of the word of God, and they are thus well adapted to ministers, students, and all who desire to "behold wondrous things out of his law."

And yet, we regret to know that this society has not been adequately sustained by the religious public, and is therefore struggling with difficulties. We are apprehensive that this edition of the works of so eminent a reformer, divine, and commentator-one of the brightest of the "burning and shining lights" of his age-has not received from our own denomination the support which might have been fairly anticipated. We feel that

5. "New subscribers" (we quote from an address of the society) " may still be admitted on the original terms, and obtain all the works, on transmitting the contributions ; or parties may take one or more year's books at a time, and pay up the remainder of the subscriptions at convenient intervals."

These works can be obtained through the medium of any bookseller; but the best method of procuring them would be by application to the depository of the society at Messrs. Sutherland and Knox's, booksellers, 23, George Street, Edinburgh; or to Robert Pitcairn, Esq., F.P.A., Calvin Office, 9,

Northumberland Street, Edinburgh; from whom any further information may be obtained.

We remain, dear Sir,

Yours cordially,

F. A. Cox, Hackney.
JAMES WEBB, Ipswich.

THE GREEK WORDS RENDERED ORDAIN.

To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. MY DEAR SIR, I am glad to see that you are calling attention incidentally to the practice of the translators of our English bible, in translating the same Greek word by different words in English. Your labours are appreciated both in the east and in the west; and your lists have been re-published in Calcutta and in the States. Allow me to suggest that in due time you proceed to notice the converse practice of translating different Greek words by the same English term. A specimen will explain my meaning: "ordain," in our New Testament represents various words in the original.

In Acts x. 42, xvii. 31-The original means determined.

In 1 Cor. ii. 7-fore-determined. In Acts xiii. 48; Rom. xiii. 1; Gal. iii. 19; 1 Cor. ix. 14-ordain, with the idea of setting in order.

In Acts xvi. 4-decided.

In Eph. ii. 10 (as translated in Rom. ix. 23)-prepare.

In 1 Tim. ii. 7 (as in 2 Tim. i. 8; Acts xiii. 47, xx. 28)-appoint.

In Heb. v. 1, viii. 3—constitute or establish. In Jude i. 4-to write up in the face of men,

i. e., denounce, or to write concerning a thing before hand.

And in Acts i. 22; and Rom. vii. 10; there is no corresponding word at all in the original.

I am not prepared to maintain that the meaning I have given in each case is perfect; but if it serves to show the difference between the words in the original, my end is gained.

Yours very truly,

J. A.

QUERY ON HYMNS SELECTED FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP.

portion of the devotional exercises, a part of the worship we offer to God, through the only Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are commanded to sing with the heart, and with the understanding also. But can it be consistent with this view to sing hymns addressed to sinners, which are neither prayer nor praise?

It not unfrequently happens that after a solemn address from the pulpit to unconverted sinners we have a hymn of this description given out

"Sinner, O why so thoughtless grown ?"

Or,

"Hasten, O sinner, to be wise."

I cannot, as an individual, feel it right to stand up and sing to sinners. If I am right in my feelings on this subject I should be glad to awaken in the minds of other Christians an inquiry also, but if I am wrong I shall be very thankful to be set right.

I cannot but think there are many hymns in our selections that are of a directly contrary order, that are perhaps equally inappropriate for public worship, such as convey longing for deliverance from this sinful world, the ardent feelings of deep piety and holy very sweet and refreshing for private devotion, but not suitable for a public mixed assembly, and yet frequently so used.

An answer to this Query will be very thankfully received by a constant reader of your Magazine, and

A FEMALE MEMBER OF THE CHURCH
OF CHRIST.

EDITORIAL POSTSCRIPT.

There

Christian strangers

The three orphan children of our late brother Moore need the kind consideration of those who respect his memory. are two boys, one aged ten and the other nine, and a girl aged about six, left among strangers at Sydney indeed, but strangers on whom they have no claim arising from knowledge of their father, or of his persevering and ill-requited labours. They are remaining with the benevolent friends who received him in his debilitated state and soothed his last hours, and it will be probably best for them that they should continue where they are; but it affords us pleasure to say that the committee who raised the fund for Mr. Moore's passage to Australia, when this was thought to be the

To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. DEAR SIR, Will you permit me through the medium of the Baptist Magazine to beg the thoughts of some of your able correspond-most ents on a subject which has long agitated my mind, and that at a time the most undesirable, disturbing the holy calm which the worship of God is calculated to inspire. It is with regard to the hymns proper to be used in the public services of the sanctuary.

We are in the habit (and I think justly so) of considering the songs of Zion to be one

promising means of saving his life, are making efforts on their behalf. Mr. Bowser of Catharine Court, Tower Hill, is ready to act as treasurer; and we trust that these fatherless and motherless children will be graciously remembered by Him who has all hearts and all resources at his disposal.

We are informed by the Rev. Thomas

Price of Aberdare, Glamorganshire, that he has been requested by the Committee of the Baptist Academy, Pontypool, to visit London on behalf of that institution, and that he intends to do so in the course of the present month.

It has been our custom for some years to present our readers occasionally with "Collectanea." The articles inserted under this head have generally been derived from periodicals conducted by brethren of other denominations, whose information on matters of general interest we found to be superior to our own. When there has been internal dissension among them we have seldom adverted to the fact; as, for instance, in the recent May meetings, when it was resolved, after much discussion, that the Christian Witness and the Penny Magazine should be no longer regarded as the official organs of the Congregational Union; respecting which we said not a word. But the recent attacks on Mr. Noel and Dr. Price, members of our own body, and principally we believed because they were of our body, we considered it right to notice or permit to be noticed in our pages. It never entered our thoughts that to quote from another magazine laid us open to the charge of conspiracy. Last month, however, we took a paragraph from a small periodical edited by four well-known baptist ministers in Yorkshire, relative to the treatment of Dr. Price by the British Banner-a newspaper which we are not in the habit of seeing-prefixing to the extract this sentence :-" From our small but respectable baptist contemporary, The Church,' we quote the following passage, because it relates to a subject on which many of our readers will wish for some information, and respecting which our personal knowledge is incomplete." This fact was followed by the appearance of an advertisement in the Patriot to the following effect: "The British Banner of Wednesday next, June 19th, will contain an Address to the Baptist Churches, with their pastors and deacons, upon articles which have just appeared in certain Baptist Periodicals, relative to the recent controversy on the subject of infidelity and the Eclectic Review. Let every baptist read both sides of the question: Strike, but hear!' Five Postage Stamps addressed to the British Banner Office, 69, Fleet Street, London." Accordingly, on the appointed day, a leader appeared in that paper, headed, "THE CONSPIRACY." It charges the editors of the Church and the Baptist Magazine with "a flagrant falsehood, a deliberate calumny, impacted successively in the columns of two periodicals devoted to the instruction of a Christian denomination." It declares that "the web of malice is woven with a double woof, and the decoction of hemlock has its mortal pungency indefi

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nitively augmented." It says that "a lesson of malice has, by these Masters in the School of Defamation, been thus set to music for them" [their readers]; "and it is but too probable the bulk of their disciples will sing on as they are bid, asking no questions." In another part of the paper is the advertised Address, which occupies more than five columns. It speaks of "a lesson of spite and hate," unblushing falsehood," and "cunning malignity." These are specimens of the phraseology which the editor of the British Banner, the Christian Witness, and the Christian's Penny Magazine, applies to ministers of long standing in Yorkshire, as well as to ourselves; to them, for recording their opinion of certain publications, to us, for quoting it. There are some other paragraphs belonging exclusively to the editor of this Magazine. He has given offence by saying, "the fullest account of the baptist annual meetings in London that we have seen this year, has been given in The Christian Times." This, the editor of the British Banner has partially quoted; but he has suppressed the words "The Christian Times," putting a dash instead of them, that his readers might not know what paper was referred to; and he has altered the former part of our sentence, putting in two words of his own, so as to make it nonsense! Now, if any of our readers think that this is a style of writing that ought to be encouraged, let them by all means send the "Five Postage Stamps." As to ourselves, we have done our duty by Dr. Campbell. Five years ago we cautioned him respecting the consequences which would ensue from his habit of mis. quoting. When he had greatly misrepresented our language, we said mildly, "All this we deem incautious; but if he should persevere in this style of quotation in controversy, some day or other he will meet with an opponent who will take a harsher view of the case, and express it in other terms.' The correctness of this anticipation he has already realized, but as yet, alas! there is no amendment. In the same article, we ventured to intimate to some of our correspondents, whose ardour we thought it necessary to restrain, that we had had for some time a settled conviction that it was not the destiny of the editor of the Christian Witness to be. written down by any other pen than his own. And, now, as all further warnings would be out of place, and the united efforts of his friends to save him have proved unavailing, we can only say, Let him go on; the faster he writes the sooner he will destroy the remains of an influence which he misuses, and the more impressive will be the lesson that his history will teach to the Adonijahs of a coming generation.

Bap. Mag., April, 1845.

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TRINIDAD.

THE PITCH LAKE,

Among the most singular natural phenomena of the island of Trinidad, where our brethren Law and CowEN labour, is the lake Brea, or Pitch Lake. It is an area of about 150 acres on the north-west side of the island, and thirty miles from Port of Spain. It is thus described by a recent traveller :—

fish.

Imagine a black surface-a dreary, deso- | water fissures are quite deep, afford good late black-spread out to the length of nearly bathing, and are tolerably well stocked with half a mile, by an eighth in width-slightly varied by many fissures some of them but a step across, some just too wide to jump (as I found by trying) a few of these fissures filled with short shrubbery, but most of them mere ponds of water of water clear as the mountain spring; and then imagine the whole bordered by a thick growth of trees, and the graceful bending bamboo, and this whole border thickly hanging with a profusion and variety of beautiful flowers-I know not the spot elsewhere where the eye can rest on such a profusion of flowers at a glance -and this may possibly convey some general idea of the peculiarity of a general view. For a closer inspection of the central part of the lake I was obliged to repeat my visit the next morning, securing the services of a negro to carry a plank to bridge the unjumpable

fissures.

I then found spots where the surface of the pitch would gradually sink beneath my feet, so that in a few moments I stood in a cavity ankle deep. In other places it seemed to be boiling below; for the surface around me was bubbling and simmering like that of a pot over the fire, while the gas thus disengaged was very strong Though the surface of the lake is generally too hard to receive a footprint--just hard enough to cut readily with an axe- -there are places where the pitch oozes out in nearly a liquid form, so that one may dip it with a spoon. Some of the

Near the lake I found a coloured man engaged in boiling the pitch in several large bailers. A part of this he sells after boiling, in a pure state, and to the rest he adds a portion of lime, when it is shipped as mastic. He says he has cut from the lake a great many hundreds of tons, but he never penetrates more than ten or twelve inches below the surface, and the hole is always filled again within two days after the cutting. The supply is doubtless inexhaustible. But the pitch is not confined to the spot I have endeavoured to describe. There are masses of it extending miles inland, and at several points it extends to the sea beach. At the last place it is cut out in large quantities to ship to this city and some of the islands to use in building, and in flagging the streets. It is used by the steamers, being largely mixed with coal for fuel, and is recently coming into use in the manufacture of petrolium. But wherever these cuttings are made -on the lake, inland, or on the beach-the quantity is almost immediately made good, and in some places gradually increases. The neighbourhood is in motion, very slow to be sure, yet there is, as it were, a growing up of the surface in spots, so that the houses in La Brea are found now and then to have a side or an end raised a few inches above its opposite.

INDIA.

CALCUTTA.

In a brief note, under date of May 3, 1850, our brother WENGER in the following words gives us the highly important information of the establishment of religious liberty in India.

I write just a line to call your attention to the act passed on the 11th April by the Governor-General in council, of which the following is a copy. I omit the preamble.

"So much of any law or usage now in force within the territories subject to the

government of the East India Company, as inflicts on any person forfeiture of rights or property, or may be held in any way to impair or affect any right of inheritance, by reason of his or her renouncing, or having been excluded from, the communion of any

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