would have been otherwise wholly neglected, have been induced to attend the Sabbath-school, and are now under instruction. 66 Balmaghie.-Yes; we have visited from house to house for this purpose. "Banff.-The school in the Old Market-place is of this description-gathered from all quarters-poor neglected outcasts. "Coldstream.-We have a Sabbathevening meeting in a school in a destitute district of the town, kept up by the United Presbyterian minister and myself, in which we gather the careless and neglected youth to give them religious instruction, and in our efforts we are meeting with encouraging success. "St. Andrew's, Glasgow.-There is one school for the children connected with the congregation, and eleven schools (territorial) specially intended for the careless and neglected young of the district in charge of our Society. "Girvan.-We have a district, a fourth part of the whole town, which we have adopted as peculiarly our own, to which we now exclusively confine ourselves, and from which all our scholars are now drawn. 66 Kingston.-Printed notices have been distributed in a district around the church, containing about 200 families, intimating the existence of the school, and requesting the attendance of the children. "Larbert.—The parish of Larbert is very extensive and populous. I have, however, begun with Larbert district, where I reside, and, so far as I have gone, I may almost say that all the neglected children have been got to attend the classes. By the establishment of another school, which I hope will be immediately, provision will be made for all the children of the village; we can only overtake the village by degrees. In all our schools, children of other denominations attend indiscriminately. "Maybole.-No effort has recently been made, with the exception of opening a district Sabbath-school, the success of which has been so encouraging, as to warrant an attempt to open additional district or local schools. "Ochiltree. We have a Ragged-school, attended by about nineteen or twenty of the class, who also meet on Sabbath mornings for religious instruction. 66 Rutherglen.-Our schools are all, with one exception, conducted on the territorial principle, and our endeavours are chiefly directed to the bringing in of the careless and neglected young of the district attached to the school." "Query 13.-Has your whole parish or district been thoroughly visited with this view since last Assembly, aud how often? 66 Bervie.-Every family in the parish, with few exceptions, is visited weekly by the tract distributors, almost all of whom are also Sabbath-school teachers, and a part of whose duty it is to bring out the children to the Sabbath-schools. Nearly all the children of the district have thus been brought to attend one Sabbath-school or other. "Bruan.-The minister frequently visits families, and once a-year catechizes all the families connected with the congregation publicly, which consists of between thirty and forty diets of catechizing, attended by a number from 100 to 300 persons, when from eight to twelve families are catechized, until the congregation is gone over in this way; while those present and not called upon to be examined have an opportunity of being edified and taught the doctrines, &c., of our Christian religion, many of whom attend from twelve to fifteen diets beyond their own districts, and the minister is thus engaged in the winter season, when the people are at home from three to four months, two days in the week, and ministers have had to testify that this method has furnished them with a more thorough acquaintance of the knowledge or ignorance and necessities of their people than any other they can adopt. "St. Peter's, Glasgow.-The teachers simultaneously visit the district once a-year, in the month of October, and ascertain the number of children in it, the number attending Sabbath-schools, and the number not attending them. They are required thereafter to visit those children not attending any Sabbathschool, until they get them to attend. In addition to this, the teachers are expected to visit their districts several times a-year when they may find it convenient; and some of them require to be almost weekly in their districts, or, from the carelessness of both scholars and parents, many of the scholars would not appear in their places in the Sabbath evening. "Girvan. Of this district, every teacher has his own portion, which he visits once a-month in his capacity of tract- distributor and Sabbath - teacher. By this means, though larger numbers are not obtained, yet a greater work is 66 Bridge-of-Weir.-Yes; there have been very encouraging statements from different parts of the world, and there are several at home here. "Clunie.-Several have become the teachers of others, some office-bearers and trustees, and, at a recent election of elders in the congregation, two of them stood at the top of the list given in by the people. "Hilburn. - Nine of our present teachers were scholars in our school. Four or five are students of Divinity connected with the Free Church. Three or four are preachers of the Gospel, one of them abroad. Several are teachers, and in other ways rendering service to the cause. "St. Clement's, Aberdeen.-Almost the whole of the present teachers were at one time under instruction in the Sabbathschool, and are also collectors of either the Ministers or Schoolmasters' Sustentation Funds. Many of the senior scholars are likewise so engaged." "Query 20.-Be good enough to give any hints or suggestions on the subject. "Bon Accord, Aberdeen. In the return which I made last year (but which I think was not received), I suggested that a deficiency in the present system of Sabbath-school teaching is, that the use of the Proverbs of Solomon is almost altogether neglected. Formerly, it was not unusual for children to commit a great part of them to memory; and they contain so much, in so few words, that I think it would be desirable to restore the practice. In the Session-house school, they are used, in alternate months, with John's Gospel. Auchtermuchty.—A plan has been tried, since last Assembly, with good results, once a-month, on Sabbath evenings. The minister has publicly catechized the school in the church, taking up several chapters of the Old Testament history. This has not only proved interesting to the young, but to their parents and friends. "Craigmyle, Kincardine O'Neil.-I think elders and deacons should assist their ministers, by calling at every house in their districts in which there are young people, inviting them to attend the Sabbath-school, and also visiting the children who absent themselves from school. This might be done in each district, with little trouble to the elders and deacons, and it would be of great advantage to Sabbathschools. I am of opinion that officebearers in the country generally put the whole burden of the Sabbath-school on the minister, and overlook their duty to the young. "Dumfries. Could the Committee procure the services of two or three of the ministers of the Free Church who are peculiarly adapted to preaching to children, and send them to various places? Some ministers can't preach intelligently to the very young. Α stranger would be listened to with more attention than one more familiar to them. It is thought this should be done to a far larger extent than hitherto. A stranger might stimulate the teachers too, and stir them up to greater diligence. "Dr. Chalmers' Territorial, Edinburgh. Our itinerating or locomotive schools are doing very well, and promise to be the means of doing much good. "Errol. Having been accustomed, for many years, to catechize in large meetings in every district, but finding this now impracticable, owing to the wider separation of families of the same communion, I have this year introduced the practice of catechizing in church for half the afternoon diet on the last Sabbath of every month. The system appears to work well, and to be interesting to the congregation. The catechizing is confined to those attending the Sabbath-school or minister's classes, but is in the hearing of all. "Foveran.-There is only one thing I could suggest in addition; and that is the necessity of teachers keeping constantly before their minds the great aim of their work as Sabbath-school teachers, viz., the conversion of the young. We are too apt to stop at the communication of the Rome, now Pastor of the Evangelical Italian Church at Geneva, gave an interesting and encouraging statement of the pro 66 truth. We ofttimes regard our work as "Gartmore. Every Sabbath-school should be examined once in a year at a regular diet of worship on the Sabbathday, in presence of the congregation. This would tend to deepen the interest of the members of the congregation generally in the Sabbath-school, call forth the prayers of God's people on its behalf, and show to parents the advantages children may derive from such instructions. "St. Mark's, Glasgow.-I would recommend that means be taken to interest the office-bearers of the Church in the duty of looking after the Sabbath-school instruction of the young. "Lesmahagow. Any plan to benefit the young must be combined with corresponding efforts to benefit the parents. It is uphill and almost hopeless work to instruct children in the truth of the Gospel, and then send them home to see all that is disgusting in drunkenness, or reckless in profanity. The wicked one cometh and catcheth away that which is sown. POPISH OPPOSITION TO THE TUSCANY. A DECIDED Evangelical work is silently going forward in Italy. The thousands of copies of the Scriptures put into circulation, along with Evangelical tracts, during the brief period of the Revolution, have not been without fruit. Subsequent persecutions and trials have not extinguished the seed; they have only deepened the roots. At a recent Meeting of the Evangelical Society of Geneva-where the Rev. Dr. Hamilton and the Rev. Mr. Macdonald, of Blairgowrie, who are there in search of health, were present,-Signor de Sanctis, formerly a Professor and Inquisitor at VOL. IV. "The religious movement in Italy," he says, commenced in Tuscany three years ago. A small tract, thrown into the midst of Tuscany, like bread upon the waters, is multiplied by millions, has forced the their eyes, and there are Christians by Italians to read the Bible-has opened hundreds. They assembled together, they edified each other, plained the Word of God, made progress in every Christian exthe Word of God--prayed; and there are small flocks formed by the teaching only of the Word of God. These brethren turn towards the Vaudois Church because they think it necessary to have an organized Church. Two Vaudois brethren go there, and the result is, that they are imprisoned, banished, and chased from Tuscany. But the Church of Jesus Christ continues to flourish in the midst of persecution. The Churches of Florence and Tuscany have, you know, furnished zealous confessors. Every one knows what has happened to our dear Madiai. You know that after ten months' imprisonment, brother Madiai has been condemned to fifty-six, and his wife to forty-five months' of hard labour. You have the edifying letter which this dear sister wrote to her husband-a letter which has caused many tears to flow. You know that when before his judges, brother Madiai said, 'Behold my chains; these are chains of gold. I like better to be here with these chains, than to be there seated on the tribunal of the judges.' Afterwards the persecution continued, and still continues. Let us put these dear friends under the protection of the Lord. "Shall I tell you of other localities? One of our brothers had his eyes opened by reading the Bible. He discovered the errors of the Romish Church, found his Saviour, and was baptized with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Newly become a Christian himself, and feeling within him the action of that Spirit, he began to evangelize his wife, his daughter, and his servant, and immediately there were Christians in his house. He set himself to evangelize his friends, and a little Church is formed without the instrumentality of a pastor, a minister, or a priest, but only by the Word of the living God. Fifteen brethren of this Church have lately taken the sacrament at the table of the Lord in the Vaudois Church. There are fifty who go to be edified every Sabbath, who read the Word of God, who assemble several times; and here is the dear brother who presided over them, persecuted and imprisoned, who con U fesses the Word of God and is not ashamed of it, and who experiences that the Gospel is the power of God to those who believe. "What would I tell you, were I to speak of the Church which is at present in course of being established at G- or of the Church which is already established at? Within these last months (I say it without scruple), several hundred Christians have given evident marks of conversion. I shall say nothing to you of the work of evangelization which goes on here among the Italians, and of the conversions which take place. But, dear brethren, I know that the converted Italians have been accused with mingling religion with politics. It is a calumny. Latterly, in the unhappy process of Tuscany, the Government wished absolutely to find wherewith to justify her persecution. "We have been accused, further, of having a liking for Plymouthism (spiritual Quakerism, denying the ministry, the Sabbath, &c.). It is a calumny; and what I have just told you with regard to our Italians, who have turned their eyes to the Vaudois Church for pastors, proves sufficiently that the accusation is false. Yes, dear brethren, Italian Christians, lately converted, have a great aversion to the Roman Church. They would not recognise a minister merely because he had received the imposition of the hands of a bishop or a presbyter. But they do not reject the ministry, they desire those ministrations, but that they should come from God. They wish that the minister should be, as Aaron was, called of God; that he may manifest to the Church his gifts, and the calling of the Lord; that he may show that the Holy Spirit is in him; that he has been regenerated, baptized by the Holy Spirit; that he himself is a Christian, and has a Christian life to communicate to souls. Then he is recognised as pastor and minister. See, then, dear brethren, what the religious movement is. Oh! it is very interesting. If persecution comes upon these little flocks, let us pray, dear brethren. We can do nothing more. It is not money that we ask, it is only prayer. We have not to combat so much against the powers of this world in Italy, but against the arch-minister the archpriest of Satan, and against Satan himself, -against him who shall be destroyed by the coming of the Lord, and by the power of his word. Let our armour, then, be prayer. Let us all join, every one in his own house, and in his own country, and let us all pray for this dear Church, that the work of the Lord may be manifested, and that every one may echo this cry, Come out of Babylon, my people, lest ye be partakers of her plagues."" FLORENCE. The Madiais. "I have only time at present to write you a few lines," says the Tuscan correspondent of the "Christian Times," "to intimate the result of the appeal in the case of the poor Madiais at Florence. In the beginning of June, after ten months' imprisonment, their trial before the Corte Regia came on, when, as your readers are already aware, they were charged with impiety and blasphemy, because they had forsaken the Church of Rome, and had attended some of the prayer-meetings held by the converts in Florence, and were sentenced, the one to about five, and the other to four years' imprisonment at Volterra and Lucca, establishments which have taken the place of the galleys, and in the former of which there is maintained the most rigorous system of solitary confinement and silence I ever met with. From this decision of the Corte Regia they appealed to the Court of Cassation, and, after a delay of two months more, their case was argued before the judges last week, and on the 7th inst. an elaborate judgment was delivered, with a considerable degree of bitterness, confirming the former judgment. This took some of their friends by surprise, as it was understood the Superior Court would gladly have washed their hands of it, if they could, and that the judges were generally favourable to the case of the prisoners. That, however, even had it been the case, would not have ensured their escape, because the police prefects have the power of condemnation too, and use it, as illustrated by Guicciardini's case last year. "There remained but one more step to take on their behalf, and that was to appeal to the Sovereign, not to pardon, but simply to commute the punishment, and to banish them from his kingdom. It is right to bear in mind that the poor Madiais are not accused of any crime whatever, but that of being converts from the Church of Rome; no Republican leanings, no political intermeddling is laid to their charge! The Grand-Duke, when a Petition was presented to him this week on their behalf, PEREMPTORILY REJECTED IT, saying it was a matter of conscience with him, and justice must have its course! This is the same man who some months ago made it a matter of conscience to have the Leopoldine laws abolished, in order that the Jews, who enjoyed certain privileges by means of them, might be brought once more into the same state of bondage in which Holy Mother Church keeps them in Rome! "By this time, the two poor disciples have been taken to their separate prisons at Volterra and Lucca. Francesco Madiai has behaved throughout most beautifully; his resignation, and composure, and peace, have been exceedingly edifying, I learn, to those who visited him; and, what is still more interesting, his conduct and his conversation had such an effect upon one of his gaolers, that he was suddenly removed from his situation, under the fear that he might become a convert. Let us hope that his may prove a like case to that of the gaoler at Philippi. With the same composure and holy resignation Madiai prepared for his journey to Volterra, where he is, like Paul, to wear chains for the Lord's sake. "His wife has all along been in very delicate health; and it was feared that, if the appeal failed, it might have the most fatal effects upon her; but strength has been given for the day of trial. She had shrunk from the idea of her hair being cut off short, and the prison dress being put upon her; but when the time came for her to undergo these indignities, the way seemed easy, and she sent this touching message by a friend to the brethren still at liberty, and who might be obliged to tread the same path: 'Tell the brethren who may have to come after us in this way of suffering, to wear anything rather than forsake their God; and let them pray for us, not that we may be liberated, but that we may have grace given us to bear the cross, and to attain to the triumph of faith.' What mixed feelings must arise in the minds of God's people in England on reading this case! Gratitude to God for his faithfulness in never failing his people in the hour of need ; admiration of a faith so simple, and a trust so confiding as theirs; indignation at a Government which can thus treat its most respectable and unoffending subjects at the instigation of the cursed Apostasy; and fear lest the Romish Antichrist should ever so interfere again with the liberties of Britain! Be assured all the will and the hazardous daring exist on Rome's part to bring it about; and England's policy now, as in Elizabeth's day, when the Spanish Armada threatened her shores, is humiliation and prayer to God. Nothing else will keep the monster back." FRANCE. "You will be very glad to hear," says the wife of a missionary labouring at FONTAINEBLEAU, in a letter to a friend in London, "that our school, which was established last October, prospers; the Lord's blessing most evidently rests upon it. When it first opened it was crowned with a success which surpassed our most sanguine expectations; in the course of ten weeks, we had gained ten Roman Catholic children; we already foresaw the necessity there would soon be of providing a more spacious locality; but a trial was in store for us-the Evil One was busy at his work-and for some wise and good purpose, which is not yet made clear to us, the Lord permitted him to succeed in his wicked devices, and six of our little dears were withdrawn. The poor people are so ignorant and so superstitious that the denunciations of the priests are to them appalling, until their hearts open to the Gospel. Bribery, intimidation, and persecution are the arms of our adversaries; but how shall these hold good against the children of God, who go forth to the battle clad with the shield of faith, and whose weapon is the sword of the Spirit? * "The priests, the nuns, and the ladies of charity are exerting every nerve to counteract the good that is being accomplished. "I could fill several sheets of paper in merely recounting the falsehoods, artifices, and cruelties they resort to to attain their end. They have, as I just now said, succeeded to a certain degree; but of those who have already been blessed by the attainment of a certain portion of Gospel truths, their attempts are vain; thus, four of our little Roman Catholics remained to us when the onset was made, and since, two others have been added to these, and four more are to come to us shortly. We have eight little Protestants, so that shortly our school will number eighteen; and I have no doubt, during the year we shall increase this number considerably. We have been most fortunate in our schoolmistress, who is eminently adapted for the mission she fulfils. She is a zealous and truly pious Christian, and her little flock love her tenderly." We lost two nice little creatures last week (the children of the water-carrier of the town). The mother of the children, when she brought them to us, begged that they might be brought up in our faith, exactly as if they were born of Protestant parents. As soon as this was known about town, the priests and the sisters of charity assailed the poor people, who turned a deaf ear to all their threats and entreaties, upon which they changed their mode of attack, and sent the ladies of charity, and some of the most bigoted Papists to them. It is a fact, that one day no less than twentyfive ladies went to these people, and finding all other means useless, they said: "If you do not instantly withdraw your two children from the heretics, we have come to the determination to purchase no water from you (speaking to the husband), neither shall any of our friends. It is our firm intention to choose a man to do your work, whom we will provide with a barrel, a barrow, and pails-in short, all that is requisite; and you and your wife and chil more |