Holy Spirit was evidently in our midst. | fully and earnestly appealed to his con in the populous village of Monks Kirby, where I had never preached before, the poople gathered around me in considerable numbers; while reading the Scriptures the thunder pealed above our heads, and the rain began to descend, increasing every moment; the people, nevertheless, stood; but, as we were getting wet, I was meditating a retreat, but the sexton of the church (episcopal), who was my hearer, promptly sent for the key of their large school-room, and invited me and the congregation in, which we readily embraced, when I, for the first time in my life, preached in a building connected with the Church of England. Standing behind the master's desk, I explained and applied the great truth-"For God so loved the world," &c., to about 200 people; the closest attention was given, and feeling was evidently excited. I was informed that the service had awakened a general interest, and was the subject of general talk in the village. At Stratford-on-Avon, with the consent of the mayor, we preached at the market-house, in an open space, where five streets converge. The attendance must have been some 400; many were working men and youths, with a sprinkling of those whose appearance and manner indicated they were gentleman; the greatest attention and order were manifest, while we sought to unfold God's love to a lost world in the gift of his Son. We both thought this service was an illustration that the good old Gospel, when faithfully presented, is able to chain the attention of a throng in the centre of a town. The earnestness of the people in seeking our tracts, and the respect paid us afterwards, were proofs that the service had made some impression, and we were encouraged to hope that souls would be our reward. At another open-air preaching, a farmer, who had heard us, came forward, and placed a small sum in the hands of Mr. Nichols, to replace the tracts he saw him giving away. At this service, though we were preaching till after nightfall to a considerable number, yet the silence and attention was truly cheering. As we held more preaching services in this tour than in any former one, so in no case did we fail to secure an audience. This, with the interest generally excited, led us to believe that our great Master approved and blessed these labours. We often felt impressed with the need of missionary conversation in the villages. The ignorance of saving truth we observed often pained us. One aged man gravely asked Mr. Nicholls, "Who made God almighty?" A farmer, in the course of our conversation, candidly acknowledged that he was "destitute of even a spark of religion." Mr. Nicholls faith science, and he expressed his thanks. In one case, we were appalled with the enormity of Mormonism; while conversing with a zealous woman of this creed at she stated, "that Jesus Christ had wives, and sons, and daughters," &c. We faithfully warned her of the fearful delusion she was under, and presented to her the plain Gospel. The value of Christian conversation and appeals will appear in the following cases. We have in conclusion to record with pleasure and gratitude, our deep sense of the kindness and sympathy we received from friends at Coventry, Stratford-on-Avon, and other places. Our prayer is, that their fervent wishes for success to attend these operations may be realized. The knowledge that we had a lively interest in their valued prayers often encouraged us. MR. WHITEHEAD'S JOURNAL OF MISSIONARY Having been accustomed as opportunities offered "to preach the Gospel in the regions beyond" my more immediate sphere of labour, I hailed with pleasure the request of the committee to engage for a few weeks in visiting the most destitute villages in these northern counties,-to make known, as I might be able, the way of life, by preaching the word, circulating tracts, and embracing available opportunities for conversation. The spiritual destitution of a great number of the villages and districts, which have been visited, indicative of indifference to eternal things, was frequently and painfully apparent. Commencing on the 7th September, I visited Butsfield, Cornsay, Tudhoe, Brancepeth, Beechburn, Billyrow, Towlaw, Ebchester, Lintzford, Heddon-on-the-Wall, Walbottle, Wylam, Oningham, Ovington, Corbridge, Juniper Dye-house, Slaley, Whittonstall Greenside, Barlow, Colliery Dykes, Annfield Plain, Happy Land, and Iveston. Some of these places were visited twice. Twenty-one times I was privileged to proclaim the truth as it is in Jesus, to very attentive congregations, ranging from 40 to 180 in number, attending at each place. The meetings were all held (it being too late in the season for the open air) in private houses or chapels, all spontaneously placed at your missionary's ser vice. About 1,944 tracts, kindly granted by the Religious Tract Society, have been circulated, and were, with some exceptions, most gladly received; in some of these places, tracts had never been, as far as is known, circulated before. The spiritual destitution, already hinted at, of several districts in these northern counties is fearful to contemplate. In many places "Satan" may truly be said to "have his seat," the multitude evincing so readily their gratification in gross sin; "the man of sin" holds thousands in complete vassalage. Many of his victims seemed wishful to accept of tracts, but were afraid to do so, because of the priests; sabbath profanation Beems everywhere shockingly prevalent. Secular labour on that one day in seven divinely set apart for sacred purposes, is the curse of many of these villages in the north, especially where iron works and cinder ovens are established. There the vilest things are done there the "workers of iniquity" are most unblushing-there the manifestations of indifference to spiritual things is most complete, and God's cause at the greatest discount. The drinking system, as the radiating source of the aggregate of crime, is poisoning the very fountains of moral purity, and inflicting injuries that neither time nor law can repair. Thousands are living in utter ignorance of Divine truth, and altogether regardless of a future and an eternal state. Yet the interest excited warrants me to believe that if there were such aggressive labours on the out-field population of our various districts, more frequently better sustained-more systematically and extensively carried out-great results in answer to prayer and in dependence on the aid of the Divine Spirit, might confidently be expected. But for three things I should have been happy in being enabled to carry forward the work intrusted to me by the Committee much more extensively than I have the lateness of the season, September being in the north too late on account of harvest work then being so general, and on the return of the labourers from the field it is too dark for open-air workshould the Committee again require my services in this way, I recommend that the time in this part of the country should be in June, July, and August, and then I should be able to avail myself largely, if not entirely, of the open air;-then being necessitated to return every week for my own work here on the Lord's day, where I have regularly three services, not having been able to make arrangements for the supply of my pulpit, the extent of my In journeys and the amount of service rendered were not such as were contemplated when I assented to the request of the Committee;—and lastly, heavy family affliction and bereavement prevented a few weeks' longer efforts. However, the little that was done convinces me of the necessity of greater things being attempted, and that each auxiliary to the Home Mission should arrange for, sustain, and superintend such efforts in their several districts. In every one of the places I was privileged to preach, I was urgently solicited to come back again as soon as possible, with the assurance of larger congregations still; and many were but too glad to have me for their guest. In visiting from house to house in some of these villages, I found many sick persons, who, but for these visits, would have been altogether neglected, to whom the word of counsel was given, and the way of salvation through a crucified Redeemer was explained, and in each case with great apparent acceptableness. one case a working man followed me and invited me in to see his wife, who had long been ailing, telling me that she was most concerned about her inability to attend to domestic matters rather than to those which pertained to her "better being," he himself having been once greatly awakened to deep anxiety about his soul; finding all to be so as he said, I gave a tract suited to the case, and urged home on the acceptance of each the Gospel of salvation. With tearful eyes and throbbing hearts they bent the knee with me in prayer, and when I left them they seemed much affected, and earnestly invited me to visit them again if ever I came that way. In none of these places is there a Baptist cause; but at Juniper Dye-house (where the father of Robert Hall was baptized in the year 1752), there were at one time regular services; now there are no Baptists, yet I obtained a very good congregation of very attentive hearers, and an earnest wish was expressed that I should ere long pay them another visit. May the good seed of the Word thus "sown in weakness," be raised by quickening power, in glorious fruit to the praise and glory of God. Donations and Subscriptions will be gratefully received on behalf of the Society, by the Treasurer, GEORGE LOWE, Esq., 39, Finsbury Circus, E. C.; or by the Secretary, THE REV. STEPHEN J. DAVIS, 33, MOORGATE STREET, LONDON, E. C. Much trouble will be saved, both to the Secretary and his Correspondents, if, in making payments by Post-Office Orders, they will give his name as above: or, at any rate, advise him of the name they have communicated to the Post-Office authorities. HADDON, BROTHERS, AND CO., PRINTERS, CASTLE STREET, FINSBURY. THE BAPTIST MAGAZINE. FEBRUARY, 1858. THE BIBLE-ITS FANCIED DEFECTS, AND ITS MANIFOLD ADAPTATIONS. BISHOP BUTLER, in the introduction to his "Analogy," has ingeniously commented on the supposition, how very different a world ours might be, both the outward creation, and the moral arrangements affecting mankind, if it had been framed in accordance with the varying wishes and requisitions of speculatists, even if they were not perverse cavillers. The universe as it is, even viewed apart from moral ill and suffering, does not, at first, quite please the Inquirer-Man ; and still less satisfaction would he profess with respect to its moral rule. The system of Providence seems too little obvious in its interpositions and evidence, and much too severe in many of its results and sanctions! The inventive and unsatisfied mind of man would wish, or deem itself competent, to alter the state of things here and there in the universe ;-to inscribe its physical laws, perchance, more on the front of things, so that there might not be the lapse of ages before they should be discovered; and to make the moral government of the Deity more palpable, and at least greatly more indulgent! The reply to all these vain imaginings is, that besides being presumptuous, they are quite unavailing, and are a mere waste of human thought and time; and that if any of them had been realised, the world would not then be God's world-would not be what He in His infinite wisdom has thought fit to make it. Necessity, even-if not piety-dictates acquiescence with the system as it is, and conformity to its resistless laws, physical and moral. The part left for man is humbly to investigate what is, and to see whether progressive research shall not issue in discoveries of a profounder wisdom being concerned in its arrangements, than could be predicated of any created intelligence; and a divine prescience displayed even in those very portions of the system, which have sometimes been arraigned and cavilled at. Such, or something to this effect (for no strict conformity has been attempted), is the manner in which the profound writer above named, meets, and turns aside, the petulance of cavil, whether philosophical or vulgar, in regard to the works of God in creation, and the way of God in providence. VOL. II.-NEW SERIES. H The tendency to presumptuous fancies regarding what might be the best form of the universe, is sufficiently and immediately repressed by the manifest folly of such a pursuit. Men have at length learnt, not to imagine, but to inquire; not to date their philosophy from preconceived fancies, but to attain it patiently by the methods of research and experiment on what is before them. And this confidence in the result of patiently applying to inductive examination, has been, and continues to be, richly rewarded. Laws are found in the descent of falling bodies, beauty in weeds, and sermons in stones. 2. Whatever may now be thought of the deviation of human wishes, or fancies, in quest of what the physical world, and the moral system touching on man's condition, might be, or ought to be, there is no doubt that a similar tendency to dissatisfaction, cavil, vain wishes and imaginations of better possible modes and methods, has been felt to arise in relation to the Other great divine Vision, which is placed before the mind of man, the impress of the thoughts of God, if we may say so, regarding man's state, his destiny, and his duty. The truth revealed in Scripture, if it be what it assumes to be, is, notwithstanding its human modes of conveyance, and the resulting human aspects and forms of the communication, something from God, something of truth, which has issued from the unapproachable glory and mystery of the divine nature, and been placed outward and low, within the sphere of human thought, within the reach and adapted to the grasp of human apprehension. It is the expression and the unveiling-the Bible is-of truth, otherwise not to be attained or attested, which has proceeded from God, and been embodied in human modes of conception and language, for the enlightening and renovation of man. These are feeble and merely tentative statements, in relation to its etherial character, its divine source, and imperishable glory, to which, in fact, no language can do justice. If we believe the Scriptures to be divinely inspired, we have therein admitted a fact, which, however familiarly before us, involves the grandest wonder of our universe, the presence in it of the utterances of the Deity, still vocal and imperishable; the manifestation, if we may change the figure, of the over-arching illuminations of our moral system, all significant and resplendent with the thoughts of the Deity, and these the thoughts of truth, mercy, and grace. Thus, on the supposition made, God is not silent in time. His determinations, on every matter important to man, are represented forth in intelligible statement; and while men are left to make out for themselves the problems of the physical universe, being provided with adequate means of observation and experiment; all the difficult, and to our unassisted inquiries, insoluble questions, touching on our moral condition and on that condition endlessly, these are unravelled, and their issues made patent, by express declaration given forth from the Author of the universe. 3. But if such be our view of the source and the high functions of revealed truth in the Sacred Scriptures; in very proportion to our conception of its divine glory, and its infinite importance to erring, fallen man, is the tendency to look for something in these Scriptures very unlike what we find there, not as regards the moral element which pervades the whole, but in respect of the forms of communication in which divine truth is embodied. Cavillers, who hate the truth therein contained, might be expected to take exception to such truth under any forms. But also, devout and intelligent believers in the Scriptures are tempted, at first view, at least, of the fact, to wonder that etherial truth was not given forth in a manner more accordant with perhaps the highest intellectual requisitions, so as to |