the advocate, smiling in his sleeve at the solemn farce, which yet has its uses, he imagines, in awing the vulgar herd; and many, many others likewise, are there, with motives and thoughts different as the lineaments of their features; but all marshalled in godly order, in defence of a uniformity of mind, which admits not of slightest curve or minutest difference!

And what is all this display of earthly glory and worldly sovereignty? That of a kingdom which cometh not with observation! Why all this exhibition of the "pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war?" To show the parties to be the faithful disciples of the Prince of peace! Why the presence of mimic Majesty-the King of Britain, the Defender of the Faith, the Head of the Church of England and Ireland, holding his court in Scotland by proxy? To prove that Jesus Christ is alone the Head of the Church of Scotland! Yes, this is the scene which ushers in the annual meeting of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; a church which is sometimes asserted not to be in union with, or to be dependant on the State-to have no other head but Christ, though the King always sits at its meetings by his representative-though the King himself, the representative and head of "black prelacy," presents the clergymen to between two hundred and three hundred of the livings of that Church-though Acts of Parliament have been passed in its defence, and people who believe not its doctrines, are forced by the civil law to pay for its support! Who, on observing such a scene as this, can avoid recollecting the language of the Saviour, "the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."

The proceedings of the General Assembly, have this year admirably corresponded with this preparatory exhibition. They have exercised the power of "the keys" tolerably effectively, and doubtless they think they have shut up the kingdom of heaven quite securely. Mr. Scott doubts the power of a Presbytery to impart to him the Holy Ghost, by "the imposition of hands"-and he is deprived of his license to preach the Gospel according to Calvin! Mr. McLean talks of the "peccability" of Christ, thinking this "peccability" to be only a hard word for "common infirmities" and "essential properties" of humanity, of which the Confession speaks and he must seek his bread where he may, for from Dreghorn he is

cast out! Mr. Irving prophesieth of a millenium-and he is forbidden to seek it in Scotland-nay, if he return from English exile, the first Presbytery he ventures into, is to deal with him as he deserves, and no Scottish pulpit shall dare open its hallowed door to one who presumes to expect "better things to come!" Mr. Campbell believes God's love to embrace the universe, and makes his appeal to creation and Scripture for the proof; but creation and Scripture are matters not cognizable by the General Assembly-they go by the Confession, and as that testifies of God's wrath with the many, and blood-bought love merely to the few, he is branded as a beretic, thrust out from the Church, and deposed!

The manner in which this was done, was worthy the deed. After the vote for Mr. Campbell's deposition had been taken, and it was nearly unanimous, a prayer was offered up by Dr. Muirhead of Cramond. Of the purport of that prayer, we know not; but we do think, under all the circumstances, it savoured much more of mockery than adoration. Here were professed disciples of Jesus, who had just deprived a brother of his bread, and fixed the stigma of opprobrium on his name, and who were about to listen to their president pronouncing sentence-at prayer! I cannot give you a farthing, said the priest of the fable, but I will give you my blessing. The blessing was worthless, because it sprung not from true charity. Would the prayer of bigotry be more acceptable?

Prayer being ended, the Moderator thus spoke: "It is now my painful duty, painful indeed beyond expression, to pronounce the solemn and deliberate judgment of the General Assembly, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the sole King and Head of this Church; and by virtue of the power and authority committed by him to it, I do now solemnly depose Mr. John Macleod Campbell, Minister of the parish of Row, from the office of the holy ministry, prohibiting and discharging him from exercising the same or any part thereof, in all time coming, under the pain of the highest censure of the Church; and I do hereby declare the church and parish of Row vacant, from and after the day and date of this sentence."

And this is the year 1831!—and this is a Protestant land! It is well we are assured of these facts; for the doings of the General Assembly, may well induce us to dispute the points. "By virtue of the power and autho

rity committed by him to it"-by Christ, to the Church of Scotland! When?-where? We deny the power, we dispute the authority. It is an usurpation of human rights -an infringement on Christian freedom. Christ is the sole Head and Law-giver of his Church. All his disciples are brethren; and to no Presbytery, Synod, or Assembly, has he delivered up their privileges, or delegated his own authority. It is He, not they, must reign till all enemies are subdued to the power of his cross. And the individual, be he who he may, who trenches on Christ's prerogative, or who gives up his liberties as Christ's freedman, to any earthly bidding-does by that act erase from his mind the superscription of God, and inscribes in its stead the detested and degrading epithet "Slave." "Slave." And will the people of Scotland, clamouring as they are for political freedom, still sanction this religious thraldom? Shall Calvinism still bind them in chains, as galling as those feudal fetters from which they are about to be emancipated? We hope not. The political serf might well be also the religious bondman. The enfranchisement of the one, will be the freehold of rejoicing to both, and all.

People of Scotland!-look to yourselves. Ponder well these acts of the General Assembly. Seriously reflect on that rational and enlightened love of liberty, which evidences its desire to enforce, in the nineteenth century, the exploded absurdity of uniformity of thought. Shall the attempt succeed? Never. Variety is the law of God's creation, and vainly will human effort strive to alter the fiat of Omnipotence. People of Scotland!—your fathers battled to the death against Popery. See that ye be not delivered up to the tender mercies of Protestant Popery. "It is said of Papists, that they ascribe an infallibility to the Pope; so that if he were to say one thing and the Bible another, his authority would carry it over the authority of God. And think you that there is no such Popery among you? Is there no taking of your religion upon trust from another, when you should draw it fresh and unsullied from the fountain-head of inspiration? You all have, or you ought to have Bibles, and how often is it repeated there, hearken diligently unto me! Do you obey this requirement, by making the reading of your Bibles a distinct and earnest exercise? Do you ever dare to bring your favourite minister to the tribunal of the Word, or would you tremble at the presumption of such an attempt-so that the hear

ing of the Word, carries a greater authority over your mind than the reading of the Word? Now, this want of daring, this trembling at the very idea of a dissent from your minister, this indolent acquiescence in his doctrine, is just calling another man master; it is putting the authority of man over the authority of God-it is throwing yourself into a prostrate attitude at the footstool of human infallibility-it is not just kissing the toe of reverence, but it is the profounder degradation of the mind and all its faculties; and without the name of Popery-that name which lights up so ready an antipathy in your bosoms, your soul may be infected with the substantial poison, and your conscience be weighed down by the oppressive shackles of Popery. And all this in the noontide effulgence of a Protestant country, where the Bible in your mother tongue circulates among all your families, where it may be met with on almost every shelf, and is ever soliciting you to look to the wisdom that is inscribed upon its pages.

"We tremble to read of the fulminations that have issued in other days from a conclave of Cardinals. HAVE WE NO CONCLAVES, AND NO FULMINATIONS, AND NO ORDERS OF INQUISITION, IN OUR OWN COUNTRY? IS there no professing brotherhood, or no professing sisterhood, to deal their censorious invectives around them upon the members of an excommunicated world? There is such a thing as a religious public. There is a little flock on the one hand, and a world lying in wickedness on the other. But have a care, ye who think yourselves of the favoured few, how you never transgress the mildness and charity and unostentatious virtues of the Gospel, lest you hold out a distorted picture of Christianity in your neighbourhood, and impose that as religion on the fancy of the credulous, which stands at as wide a distance from the religion of the New Testament, as do the services of an exploded superstition, or the mummeries of an antiquated ritual."

People of Scotland!-listen to this voice of warning, of instruction, of freedom. It is the voice of Dr. Chalmers. It is more. It is the voice of reason and the Bible. Disregard it, and you dishonour yourselves. Disregard it, and you disgrace your venerated fathers. Obey it, and you redeem your country. Obey it, and you dignify humanity, reverence your Saviour, and glorify your God.

THE CHRISTIAN PIONEER.

GLASGOW, JULY 1, 1831.

Hull, East Yorkshire, and North Lincolnshire Uni- . tarian Association. This Association held its Spring Meeting, at Lincoln. On Thursday Evening, March 31, Mr. Worsley of Gainsborough, conducted a religious service in the Chapel; and Mr. Beard of Salford, preached from 1 John iv. 14-" The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world." On Friday morning, April 1 (Good Friday), Mr. Richard Wright of Kirkstead (late Unitarian Missionary), led the service, and Mr. Beard preached on "the decline of Trinitarianism," from Rev. xiv. 15—“ Thrust in thy sickle and reap, for the time is come for thee to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." The members and friends of the Association dined together after morning service, to the number of 47, of whom 13 were ladies; Mr. Philp the Lincoln minister, was in the chair; and appropriate sentiments were appropriately introduced to the meeting. In the evening, Mr. Duffield of Thorne, introduced the service at the Chapel; and Mr. Higginson of Hull, preached from the words "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God," 1 Pet. iii. 18. It was peculiarly gratifying on this occasion, to see friends of Unitarianism present, not only from the various quarters of the district included in the Association, but also from Boston, Fleet, Lutton, and Kirkstead. The North-Eastern Association came to shake hands with us on our borders; and we returned, wishing each other God speed.

HULL, May 23, 1831.

E. H.

THE annual meeting of the British & Foreign Unitarian Association, was held at Finsbury Unitarian Chapel, London, on the 25th May. Rev. E. Chapman of Deptford, and Rev. H. Acton of Exeter, conducted the devotional services; and the sermon was preached by the Rev. H. Hutton of Birmingham, from Mark xii. 29–31. In the evening, the meeting for business was held at the same place. The congregation in the morning was large, and at night the chapel was filled to overflowing. Among the audience were individuals from France, Transylvania, and America. The Rev. R. Aspland of Hackney, presided.