and pastoral duties. How are idle ministers-drowsy shepherdsgreedy dogs-here put to shame!

Mr. M'Cheyne was an admirable preacher, a good letter writer, and a tolerable poet. Some pretty specimens of his poetry are to be found scattered through these volumes; but we must refer our readers to the book itself. As a theologian we must merely take such exceptions to him as an orthodox Arminian would necessarily take to an orthodox Calvinist. The papers published in these volumes are almost entirely devoted to experimental and practical religion. But occasionally an expression occurs and a theological proposition is laid down, which is not according to our views of gospel truth. We shall, however, introduce no particular instances of this kind, as it would extend this article too far were we to do so, and especially were we to add such criticisms as the occasion might call for.

Occasionally Mr. M'Cheyne agrees with us upon a point upon which many Calvinistic divines do not. We give the following upon the knowledge of forgiveness.

"Never rest till you can say what John says, (1 John v, 19,) We know that we are of God.' The world always loves to believe that it is impossible to know that we are converted. If you ask them, they will say, 'I am not sure I cannot tell;' but the whole Bible declares we may receive, and know we have received, the forgiveness of sins. See Psalm xxxii, 1; 1 John ii, 12. Seek this blessedness-the joy of having forgiveness; it is sweeter than honey and the honey-comb. But where shall I seek it? In Jesus Christ. God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.' He that hath the Son, hath life, and he that hath not the Son, hath not life.' 1 John v, 10.”— P. 213.

We will close this paper with a notice of a sentiment which is contained in one of Mr. M'Cheyne's letters, which seems to chime in peculiarly with our present feelings. It is as follows:

"MY DEAR MRS. T.-You know how glad I would be of some such retreat as Elijah had by the brook Cherith, where I might learn more of my own heart, and of my Bible, and of my God, where I might while away the summer hours in quiet meditation, or talking of his righteousness all the day long. But it is only said of the dead in the Lord that they rest from their labors; and I fear I must not think of resting till then. Time is short, my time especially, and souls are precious; and I fear many are slumbering because I watch not with sufficient diligence, nor blow the trumpet with sufficient clearness."— P. 212.

The idea of "rest" is pleasant, but the thing seems to be as far from us as it was from the young Scotch preacher. We have often looked forward for a little relief; but every day has, so far,

brought its toils. At this moment it is possible that some of our friends in the city suppose we are enjoying the luxury of rest. But here we are in the chamber of a little parsonage in the north of Pennsylvania, delving on from day to day at an article, that we may not be deficient when we return and are asked for "copy." This is not just the mode of rusticating that flesh and blood would choose, but it is far better than none. For though we are obliged to absent ourselves from the society of dear friends, and work hard for a portion of each day, yet we have the advantage of pure country air, and cool, refreshing nights, neither of which could we have in New-York. But we must drop this strain lest we should be chargeable with occupying the reader's attention with personal matters. Thus much we hope will be borne without complaint. Waymart, Wayne Co., Pa., Aug. 6, 1847.

ART. VI.-Sketches of Matters and Things in Europe.

OUR object in these papers, as all will at once perceive, is not to give a complete view of the places and interesting objects which came under our observation. The limited time we spent in Europe, and the rapidity with which we were obliged to pass from one point to another, necessarily prevented our seeing all we wished to see, or having as perfect knowledge of what did come under our observation as we desired. Still we hope we may, from what we saw, and the incidents of our travels, furnish our readers with a few pages of sketches which will afford them a little entertainment, and which may, at least to some, be instructive. How far we shall proceed we can now give no pledge. We at present purpose to prepare for our next number a paper upon Scotland. Whether our temerity will be equal to an attempt to present anything further upon England, or to say anything in relation to our visit to the continent, is at present quite problematical. Small as is our undertaking, it is both delicate and hazardous. But we will at least venture on a little further.

We closed our preceding paper with a view of the British Conference which held its session in Bristol. This city, at least, demands a slight notice. Bristol is a very ancient city, as the appearance of many parts of it clearly shows. It was the Caer Brito of the Britons, and Brightstow of the Saxons. It lies upon an elevated peninsula formed by the confluence of the Frome and

Avon. Like Rome, it rests upon seven hills: these with the intermediate valleys give the city a most picturesque appearance. For a long time Bristol was, in commercial importance, only second to London. In this respect it is now far outstripped by Liverpool. The decline of trade, it is said, is owing to the policy of the corporation in relation to the docks. The population of Bristol proper in 1832 was one hundred and four thousand three hundred and thirty-eight. There are many fine specimens of antiquity still to be seen. Among these is a portion of the ancient mall. There is a gateway called "St. John's Gate," containing the grooves of the huge portcullis, the porter's lodge, &c., all in perfection. And on one side are the statues of Brennus and Belinus, with the insignia of royalty in their hands, who are said to have reigned conjointly after the death of their father. It is said that the city was built by Brennus, a prince of the Britons, three hundred and eighty years. before the Christian era. It now contains many noble structures, both ancient and modern, which would be well worth description did our limits permit. Among these is the old church of St. Mary Redcliffe, which is said to have been founded in 1292.

This old church is the place in which the famous young poet, Chatterton, professed to have made his wonderful discoveries of ancient records and drawings, and of several of the most splendid poetical productions which adorn English literature, which he ascribed to Rowley and others, but the whole of which he coined out of his own brain, when a lad of fifteen! And here, by the old church, stands his monument, though where his bones are no one knows, as, in consequence of cruel neglect, he committed suicide in London, and was buried among beggars.

Bristol is remarkable for having connected with its history some of the most illustrious names. Among these are Bishop Butler, Southey, Coleridge, John Foster, Robert Hall, and Hannah More. And here Methodism made its first permanent stand. Here Mr. Wesley erected his first chapel, and here he dated the Preface to his Notes upon the New Testament.

We made a most delighful excursion to Clifton, a mile or two below Bristol, and constituting the aristocratic portion of that city. Clifton is situated upon a high cliff on the north side of the Ayon. The cliff is terraced and variously ornamented, and presents a most picturesque appearance. At the foot of the cliff are "the Bristol Hot Wells," to which Mr. Wesley resorted when under the influence of a pulmonary affection which greatly alarmed his friends. We ascended the steep, and, from the observatory, had a most enchanting view of Bristol and the surrounding country.

Here are the "Giant's Cave," "the old Roman Wall," and a great number of splendid mansions, a botanical garden, and other objects of interest to attract the attention of visitors.

We have made a general reference to the antiquities of Bristol. These are numerous and of great interest; but to us, the most interesting relic of 'past times was "Mr. Wesley's Chapel." It was the first chapel that he built, and is now nearly as he left it. We have the history of the erection of this chapel, and its subsequent improvements, in Mr. Wesley's Journals, and also some curious facts with regard to the manner in which it was settled. It was first deeded to trustees, in such way as to give them the control of the pulpit. Mr. Wesley, perceiving that this would interfere with his plan of appointing and changing preachers, resolved to have a change effected or to abandon the chapel. The change was effected by mutual consent, and from that period Mr. Wesley held the right, during his life, to supply the pulpits of all the chapels erected; and when he died that right was transferred to the conference.

The old chapel is now in the hands of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists, having undergone no other alteration except the erection of pews in the body of the house instead of the original benches, and a clerk's desk on each side of the pulpit. The chapel will hold, perhaps, five or six hundred people. The galleries are wide and low, and under them are arranged in order the very old benches with which the house was first seated. They are simple benches without backs, strongly constructed; and, though considerably worn, appear as if they might last another century or more. There is a stairway from the pulpit into the gallery, and thence into a suite of rooms above, fitted up for Mr. Wesley's accommodation. There is an opening through the ceiling, of about eight feet square, surrounded above by a railing, through which you can look down into the chapel. We surveyed the parlor, the bed-room, and the library, or study-built by the directions of our venerated founder, and occupied by him-with deep emotion; but, we trust, without anything like idolatrous veneration for the place or its former occupant. We could not but regret that this chapel, and the ground upon which it stands, had gone out of the hands of the connection. The place where the first experiment was made to give substantive existence and stability to Methodism-the location where the farreaching policy of the great modern reformer was first tested by experiment-ought to have been kept sacred, and have been occupied by a structure settled upon the foundation so wisely adjusted by Mr. Wesley, that, as yet, no material alteration has been found

necessary. By the way, we would refer that class of high Wesleyans, or true Wesleyans, or whatever else they may be called, who find so much tyranny and ministerial assumption in the plan of settling our churches, to the paper which Mr. Wesley drew up to meet the same complaints in relation to the Bristol chapel. Nothing is more clear, as Mr. Wesley here most explicitly and earnestly declares, than that if boards of trustees-and the same may be said of congregations-control our pulpits, our itinerant system is at an end. But this merely by the way.

It will not be out of place to observe before we take our leave of Bristol, that we were politely invited by Mr. Dando to partake of the hospitalities of his house. He resides in a most beautiful mansion on "Ashly Down," a fine elevated situation which overlooks the city. Here we had a most quiet and comfortable resting place during most of our stay in Bristol. Mr. Dando has three interesting daughters, one of whom, in particular, is a great admirer of Robert Hall, and has in keeping a hat which he wore, and which she did us the honor to place upon our head. Mr. Dando, the younger, was our guide to the wonders of Bristol; and, together with his excellent lady,-who, by the way, is a Philadelphian,showed us and our fellow-travelers much attention, for which they are entitled to our gratitude. But for all these kindnesses we ought to confess our obligations to our old friend Stephen Dando of NewYork, who was so kind as to herald our coming to Bristol to his respected brother and nephew.

On Friday, August 7, at 5 P. M., we took our passage for Dublin, on the steamboat Shamrock, lying in the Avon. Our vessel was evidently constructed more with reference to strength and safety than beauty and convenience. Our company had as good berths as the boat afforded, but they were not remarkable for comfort, except in the probable contingency of a storm. In that case, we were so thoroughly boxed up, that, unless the vessel should be capsized outright, we would not be likely to roll out upon the floor. When night came on, we were fairly out in Bristol Channel, which happily was as smooth as a mirror. On Saturday we crossed the Irish Sea, with only a breath of air--just enough to make sailing pleasant. This stormy sea, for once, was perfectly calm. One of the passengers remarked, that he had crossed the Irish Sea many times, and this was the first passage he had ever made "without a brush."

About 4 P. M. we passed between a small rock-bound island, surmounted by a martello tower, and the shore of the Emerald Isle. * See Wesley's Works, vol. vii, pp. 326–329.