Circuits, yet, fears were entertained as to whether there would be ultimately found a nett increase of the number of members; this fear was greatly increased upon the arrival, during the sittings of the Assembly, of a communication from Jamaica, announcing the painful fact, that there had been there a decrease of 133 members in the year: However, when the tabular view had been completed, the pleasing fact was ascertained that there had been a gratifying increase. There had to be made good the losses occasioned by 354 deaths, 1352 withdrawals from the Societies, and 1066 removals from the Circuits; a considerable portion of which latter number had to be added to the number of losses, in consequence of the many removals to places where the Association has no Societies, and therefore many of the members who have removed, have had to join other churches—yet, after making good all those losses, there was a clear increase of 670 members. To God be all the praise! It is proper here to observe, that the actual losses during the year by deaths, withdrawals, and removals, are greater than those we have given from the tabular view, because the returns from several circuits and containing a large number of members-are in these respects defective.

Notwithstanding the increase of the past year will occasion joy to all the friends of the Association, and ought to call forth our thanksgivings to the God of all grace, yet we think it needful to remind our friends, that there is danger of their joy and gladness being turned into grief and mourning. This danger being foreseen, may and ought to be guarded against, and, by the Divine blessing, may be averted. There is special danger as to the new converts, who under extraordinary circumstances have been awakened and brought to feel a deep concern for salvation. Where great numbers have in a particular locality been brought under powerful religious impressions, there is very much need of careful instruction and vigilant superintendance to guard and preserve them from the temptations to return to their former habits and companions; and to which they are likely to become subject when the peculiar excitement subsides. It frequently requires as much or more care on the part of ministers, and other experienced Christians, to keep new converts in the right way, than it did to bring them to consent to give themselves to Christ, and to become professed members of the church. Another source of danger exists in the disposition to relax efforts to do good when the church is enjoying a measure of prosperity. We are in danger of supposing that the tide is turned in our favour, and that it will continue to flow to our advantage; and thus to suppose that exertions are no longer requisite to our progress. If such an opinion is allowed in any degree to operate, apathy will be correspondingly produced, spiritual declension will take place, and our Societies will languish and diminish. Therefore, while we would exhort all the officers and other members of the Association, to offer their thanksgivings for the pleasing measure of success which has followed the labours of the past year, we would most earnestly urge the duty and necessity of renewed self-consecration to the service of Christ, and of zealous, united, persevering efforts, to promote peace and prosperity

in their Societies and Circuits, and to bring sinners to a saving acquaintance with "the truth as it is in Jesus." Thus the increase, with which we as a Connexion have been favoured, may be retained and augmented.

From the general prevalence of distress, during the past year, among the commercial and working classes, it was expected, that the financial difficulties of the Connexion would at the close of the Connexional year be considerably increased. This proved to be the case, but to a less extent, than had by some been, fearfully, anticipated. To meet the year's demands upon the Connexional and Mission fund, it has been found needful to add considerably to the Connexional debt. This, however, has been done in reliance upon the assurance generally expressed by the representatives, that in their Circuits such efforts will be forthwith made to raise special contributions in aid of the Connexional debt, as will more than meet the deficiency of the past year. If an addition had not been made to the Connexional debt many of the ministers must have been involved in very great difficulties, and the Connexion would have been thereby greatly disgraced. In many cases their claims have not been fully met, but it is hoped that their Circuits will make good those deficiencies. To prevent the accumulation of the Connexional debt, regulations have been of late years adopted which bear heavily upon some of the ministers, and nothing but stern necessity could justify their adoption. Surely, under these circumstances, the friends of the Connexion will more liberally, than heretofore, contribute to the Circuit and other funds for the support of those who are constantly labouring in the word and doctrine, and will exert themselves with increased vigour to obtain contributions to our Connexional and Mission Fund.

Many other subjects of considerable importance engaged the attention of the Assembly, for information on which we must refer our readers to the printed Minutes, which are just published. We subjoin, a list of the

1st London-Robert Eckett, Editor. 2nd London-Richard Abercrombie, Book-Steward. Part of Mr. Aber

crombie's labours are to be given
to the 1st London Circuit.
Lynn-William Hardcastle.*
Macclesfield-William Griffiths.
Manchester :-

Lever Street-John Peters, Joseph
Saul.

Grosvenor Street-Thomas A. Bay-
ley; Aaron Weston, Supernu..
merary.

Tonman Street-James Edgar.
Salford-Henry Breeden, President.
Nantwich-Edwin Watmough.
New Mills-Samuel Sellers.
Northampton-Thomas Swallow.*
Northwich-George Robinson.
Nottingham-Emanuel Pearson.

Joseph S. Nightingale, Supernu

merary.

Oldham-William Jones.
Overton-Jabesh Harris.*
Penzance-C. R. Hopper.*
Prescot-John Faull.*

• Preston Samuel Lambrick.
Redditch-Robert H. Dignum."
Redruth-Thomas Ellery.

Rochdale Joseph Townend, William

R. Brown, George Chesson.

Scarborough-Thomas Rix.
Sheffield-Edward Wright.

South Shields-S. S. Barton.*

Stockton-Edwin Green.*

UNITED STATES.

The Ministers whose Names are marked thus * are Missionaries, appointed and removable by the Connexional Committee,

REVIEWS AND LITERARY NOTICES.

LECTURES, Illustrating the Contrast between True Christianity and other Systems. By WILLIAM B. SPRAGUE, D.D., New York. 12mo. 309 pp. WILLIAM COLLINS.

REASON testifies, that among all the systems relating to religion, which claim the homage of mankind, that which is divine in its origin, must be most conducive to the welfare of those by whom its teachings are rightly embraced and obeyed. Therefore, by subjecting them to a proper examination as to the influence which they severally have upon the intellectual, moral, physical, social, and civil, condition of their votaries, we may ascertain which of them is most entitled to be regarded as of divine authority. This is not the only mode by which the truth of a system is to be tested, but it is one that is highly important, and as it proceeds upon the principle of induction, is eminently rational and philosophic.

In the volume now before us, the highly gifted author has employed this method of investigating the claims of Atheism, Paganism, Deism, Mahomedism, Romanism, Unitarianism, Antinomianism, Formalism, Sentimentalism, and Fanaticism. Each of these he has ably contrasted with Christianity, in a great variety of particulars, and demonstrated their irrationality and injurious tendency. Evangelical Christianity is clearly proved to be pre-eminently and alone adapted to the intellectual and moral nature of man, and in all respects calculated to bless and dignify him here, and to prepare him for, and bring him to, that blissful immortality which it reveals. The following extract will enable our readers to form an opinion of the style of our author, and of the method he has employed.

THE EVIDENCES OF DEISM AND CHRISTIANITY CONTRASTED. 1. Deism appeals to abstract reasoning; Christianity, to tangible facts.

To show how little the deductions of Reason are to be relied on in connexion with this subject, it is only necessary to advert to the various and contradictory conclusions to which Deists themselves have arrived in respect to the question, what constitutes the Religion of Nature. Some of them have acknowledged the moral perfections of God; others have denied them altogether. Some have recognised an essential difference between virtue and vice; others have maintained that the only distinction between them has its origin in human law or custom. Some have professed their belief in the soul's immortality; others have strenuously contended that the soul is annihilated in death. All these agree that Reason is a sufficient guide; and yet she guides them to directly opposite conclusions. And if Reason can do no better than this where she is highly cultivated, and surrounds herself with the honours of philosophy, what can she do when she happens to have her dwelling in the bosom of the untutored peasant, or where her faculties have scarcely ever been exercised but upon material objects? If Herbert and Hobbes, Hume and Bolingbroke, could not reason out a system of religion which bore the impress of uniformity or consistency, can we expect anything more, rather ought we not to expect much less, from the great mass of the world, whose capacities are generally greatly inferior, and whose time is chiefly and necessarily occupied by other matters? And is it not true that very few uncultivated Deists ever think of doing anything more than collecting and retailing the dogmas of the master spirits of the school; and that, however they may contend for the sufficiency of reason in matters of religion, they are satisfied in making very little use of their own reason? I say, then, if facts furnish any just ground for an argument, the deductions of unassisted reason are to be received with great caution; and as Deism places her sole reliance here, her evidence is proportionably feeble and unsatisfactory. Christianity founds her claims upon palpable facts. She does indeed, in several ways appeal to reason, and always with triumphant success; but the office which she prescribes to her is that of considering and estimating facts, rather than framing theories and settling principles. When the Mosaic dispensation was introduced, God commissioned Moses to perform a series of the most stupendous miracles, as evidence, not only to the people of Israel, but to the surrounding nations, that the religion which was thus proclaimed was from above. When Jesus introduced the new dispensation, he too authenticated his heavenly commission by performing works which, at least, proved that the hand of God was with him, and which it were utterly impossible that an impostor could successfully counterfeit. And these deeds of power and mercy were performed in the light of day, and in the presence of a competent number of witnesses, and were frequently repeated during a period of several years. And after our Lord's personal ministry had closed, he commissioned his apostles to go forth preaching the same Gospel which he had preached, and endued them with power to prove the divinity of their mission by performing, substantially, the same wonderful works which he had performed;

and in accordance with this injunction, and under these miraculous endowments, they went forth promulgating the great truths of Christianity, and enforcing them by the exhibition of a superhuman energy. These miraculous gifts have indeed long since ceased from the Church; but they were continued long enough to answer the end for which they were bestowed, the establishment of Christianity: and not only an authentic but inspired record of them has been preserved; so that we may appeal to this record of the miracles with as much confidence as the early Christians could appeal to the miracles themselves.

I may mention also the evidence derived from prophecy, as not only partaking, in a great degree, of the same palpable character with that which I have just considered, but as constantly gathering strength from the lapse of ages. There are prophecies in existence designed to authenticate Christianity, which were delivered several thousand years ago, some of which have already received a complete fulfilment, the record of which is to be found in the history of the world; while others are gradually fulfilling in events that are passing before our eyes. It is indeed an easy matter to turn away from this branch of the evidence, and not come to the light which it affords; and yet it is evidence of the most conclusive kind, and which it is fairly within the province of any mind to appreciate. If it be admitted, as no doubt it must be, that the evidence from miracles is somewhat less impressive now than it was at the time they were wrought, yet the opposite of this is true of prophecy, for each succeeding age, with each succeeding year, furnishes materials for a history which is a striking, and, in many instances, a literal, counterpart to Scriptural predictions. If the whole future is spread out only before the omniscient mind, then he who predicts with perfect accuracy a long train of events which at the time scem most improbable, ages before the period of their occurrence, gives the highest possible evidence to those who have an opportunity of comparing the predictions with the events, that he has been counselled from above; and the conclusion is irresistible that that system of religion, with which such prophecies are connected, bears the stamp of truth and divinity..

I must not omit to say in this connexion that, while Christianity appeals to higher evidence than Deism for her own peculiar truths, she places Natural Religion in a much brighter light than the best efforts of reason have ever been able to shed around her. While she takes certain great and essential truths for granted, as the basis on which she erects her superstructure, she disentangles each of those truths from the mazes of error into which they had been thrown, and presents them clothed with new beauty and surrounded with clearer evidence. I am aware that an objection may be raised on philosophical grounds against admitting miracles as an evidence of natural religion; and yet I appeal to you whether, if an individual were to come among us preaching natural religion and nothing more, and were to authenticate his mission by performing works which manifestly involved a suspension of the laws of nature, I ask you whether common sense would not acknowledge his authority, even though philosophy might choose to dispute it? Suppose an individual were predisposed to believe the truths of natural religion, and yet had not been able fully to satisfy himself concerning them, and the Christian revelation containing a republication of these truths were to be put into his hands, do you not believe that this would contribute greatly to resolve his doubts and to establish his faith? Is it not more than probable that he would henceforth receive these doctrines with an unhesitating and confident conviction?

2. Deism makes no pretension to any authoritative publication of her doctrines; Christianity claims that her truths are embodied in a perspicuous, permanent inspired record.

Ask the Deist where his system is to be found, and he will tell you with an air of triumph that it is inscribed on the very elements of man's nature; and yet, as we have already seen, there are scarcely two individuals who interpret this record in the same manner. At any rate, it is something which lies too much in the region of doubt and abstraction to satisfy common minds: the very constitution of human nature seems to require something beyond it;