through sense, "glad tidings of great joy." Though they heard not, they loved to linger where erewhile was the place of hearing. But far greater the number of those whose exile on such occasions is "the dwelling of Jacob." Where now that class which in our boyish days crowded, in rural churches, the pulpit stair, there to hear, though imperfectly, the living word of "the great salvation?" Mothers in Israel were such—whose venerable mien lives in memory; and of whom thought now peoples the happy land across the Jordan. There also, and by times seated with the precentor, sat the aged man whose hoary locks were his crown of glory. His privations are now ended; his ear is now satisfied with hearing; for he too is

"Safe in the promised land."

THURSDAY, May 4.

FORENOON SEDERUNT.

The Moderator having opened the sederunt, the first hour was occupied with devotional exercises, conducted by the Rev. Mr. Cooper of Fala, and Rev. Mr. Johnston of Edinburgh, bearing on the solemn circumstances into which this country has been brought in consequence of war.

The Synod having appointed a library committee, and re-appointed the committee on scholarships, proceeded to hear the report of the committee appointed on Tuesday morning to consider the protest and appeal against proceedings of the Presbytery of Newcastle. The committee had agreed to dismiss the protest and appeal as ill-founded, and to sustain the decision of the Presbytery, and the Synod adopted accordingly.

DISCUSSION ON SUMMARY OF PRINCIPLES

RESUMED.

tures. The Synod resolved to appoint Dr. M'Farlane, Mr. M'Gill, and Mr. Johnston of Edinburgh, to devise measures for having the object of the overture carried out.

CORRESPONDENCE WITH FOREIGN

CHURCHES.

Dr. Andrew Thomson read the report, which mentioned that Dr. Merle D'Aubigné would have been the deputy this year to the Synod from the Evangelical Society of Geneva; but from his inability to be absent so long from his classes at this season, MM. Lavalle and Lefort, young pastors of great excellence, had been appointed deputies in his room, but had been prevented by indisposition from leaving home; and, for the same reason, M. Monod of Paris could not be present.

The churches in France must still be dependent on our aid, and certainly we will not withhold it. In Belgium, the opposition to evangelistic labours is increasing in bitterness, and one man who had opened his house to a Protestant minister, had died under circumstances which justified the apprehension that he had been assassinated by an agent of Rome.

In the mission stations of western France the cause of evangelical religion is steadily progressing; and, at the meeting of the Synod of the Union of Evangelical Churches in Geneva, to be held in August, the application for admission of five or six new churches will have to be decided on.

M.

The Rev. J. J. Audebez, the secretary of the Union of Evangelical Churches in France, having been introduced, stated that, though appointed in room of M. Monod, he regretted his absence, as he could speak English so fluently. Audebez, however, made himself quite intelligible, and stated that their churches were now twenty-two in number, poor as to the things of this world, but pretty rich towards God, thriving in increase of membership, and able to go on their way rejoicing. The virulence of persecution, however, at several of their stations, had been great. Some of their chapels have been forcibly shut. About ten months ago, twelve of their schools, containing 600 children, were one morning shut up, and every priestly artifice employed to seduce parents to give up sending their children to school, but in no one instance with success. The teachers are thus necessitated to go from house to house, visiting their scholars, and instructing

them, and in this way their numbers have increased. Another advantage resulting from this domiciliary visitation is, that many adults, who would have been ashamed to attend children's schools, have been converted.

M. Audebez gave interesting details of his trials, discouragements, and persecutions, throughout France, in prosecuting his missionary work, in consequence of the decree passed in January 1852, preventing more than three persons not belonging to the same family from. meeting to sing or read the Scriptures;. whereas, before passing this decree, twenty could meet; and concluded by saying, I am charged to return you our thanks for your affection and liberalityyour contribution of £500 reached Paris most opportunely. We consider it a great privilege to be united to you, and desire to continue in brotherly communion. I have also been charged to request that a deputy or deputies from your church attend our Synod in August next. And may God bless your dear church, pastors, elders, and people! May God preserve your privileges! May the blessing of Jesus Christ rest on this Synod in all its parts!

Mr. Johnston of Edinburgh moved that the thanks of the Synod be tendered to M. Audebez, and that the mission board be instructed to give such aid to the churches in France as their funds will admit; and that, if necessary, an appeal be made to the congregations of the Synod, which was adopted; and farther, at the suggestion of Dr. Eadie, that the mission board do immediately take means, either through Lord Clarendon, or by direct correspondence with Louis Napoleon, to prevent the churches of the union from being oppressed, shut up, or destroyed by Popish persecution.

FRIDAY, May 5.

FORENOON SEDERUNT.

After the opening of the sederunt, it was agreed to instruct the committee on foreign correspondence to send a deputation to the Synod of the evangelical churches in France.

CASE OF THE SECOND CONGREGATION IN ERROL.

This case came up by reference from the Presbytery of Perth, from which it appeared that Mr. David Russel, the aged pastor, had been seized with an

other attack of mental infirmity, and that the congregation had de facto dissolved. The Presbytery craved the Synod to sanction this dissolution; but the Synod declined to give any advice, or to sanction such dissolution. Dr. McKerrow of Bridge of Teith moved, that in addition to the grant allowed Mr. Russel, £20 additional be voted; but it was finally agreed simply to renew the annual grant of £30.

OVERTURE ON SUPPLY OF PROFESSORS' PULPITS.

This overture came up from the Pres bytery of Falkirk, complaining that the supply of the professors' pulpits during the session of the hall, was laid on some Presbyteries too heavily, while other Presbyteries escaped. Dr. Jeffray was heard in support of it, and the Synod appointed which presbyteries should supply the pulpits of Drs. Brown, Harper, Lindsay, and M'Michael, during next

session of the hall.

ANNUAL STATISTICS.

Dr. Peddie reported that reports on statistics had been received from only 276 congregations, and that if so many congregations continued to offer resistance to the scheme, it should be abandoned. The following motion was adopted:"The Synod regret to find that a large proportion of the ministers of the Church have not made returns to the statistical queries; direct that schedules be issued as usual, and that a brief address be prepared to go down along with it, setting forth the important uses and advantages of accurate statistics, and directing special attention to the injunctions of last Synod.""

Mr. M'Coll of Partick, Mr. Ramage, and Mr. Paterson of Stonehouse, dissented from this decision..

PROVISION FOR MINISTERS INCAPACITATED BY AGE, OR OTHERWISE.

Dr. M'Michael gave in an interim report, as the committee were as yet only finding their way to some definite scheme.

"A fundamental question required to be settled. Should the Church, in its collective capacity, as a whole, undertake the duty and responsibility, upon certain conditions, of making provision for aged and infirm ministers, or should an engagement be formed with an insurance office? A scheme of the former character was proposed by Mr. R. Wardrop of Beith, a gentleman who has taken a deep interest in this matter. The plan

was this:-Supposing that five per cent. of the ministers are incapacitated from duty, impose an income tax of two and a half per cent. upon the ministerial stipends. This would raise an annual sum of about £1500, and would give an annuity of sixty pounds to every minister so situated. This plan was very simple. It makes provision for ministers who may be laid aside from duty at any period of their lives. It carries out the Christian principle of the strong supporting the weak. But, with all these advantages, the committee felt themselves under the necessity of not recommending it. It was deficient, they thought, in the vital element of security. Its success was dependent upon its universal adoption, and especially upon its adoption by those wealthy churches who stand least in need of assistance for their aged and infirm ministers. They supposed that there was not sufficient unity of action in our church to carry out a plan of this character, and that any attempt to make this incometax compulsory would be rejected. In these circumstances, the committee are compelled to depart from this scheme, and to have recourse to the plan of deferred annuities obtained from an insurance office.

"With a view to such an arrangement, several facts have been obtained, in relation to the value of ministerial lives in our church. The average age at ordination is 28. The average age at death is 61; the average period between ordination and death being thus 33 years. The average age of all our ministers at present is 44. Having true data before them, and remembering also that the pension is most required by the smaller and poorer congregations, the committee came to some conclusions. 1. That the annuity should be £50; 2. That it should not Commence till 65; 3. That, in the event of death before the commencement of the annuity, two-thirds of the premium paid shall be returned by the insurance office to the family of the deceased; 4. That two-thirds of the premiums should be paid by the congregation, and one-third by the minister; and, also, 5. That the annuity should become the property of the minister on his arriving at the prescribed age, whether he continue his pastoral labours or not;-the question now returns, on what terms can such an annuity be obtained? A person at the age of 25 can purchase an annuity of £50, commencing at 65, with having two-thirds of the pre

miums returned, should death intervene at an earlier period, by the annual payment of £5, 9s. The congregation's share would be £3, 12s. 8d. and the minister's £1, 16s. 4d.

"Little difficulty would be experienced with regard to young lives or new settlements. The Presbytery could make use of their influence at each ordination as they do in the case of stipends, and endeavour to affect an arrangement. The difficulty lies in the case of ministers who are somewhat advanced in years, and that the number of those is not small is apparent from the fact formerly mentioned that the average age at present is 443. What is to be done with them? The premium required to secure them an annuity of £50 would, in numerous instances, be far beyond the ability of the congregations and the ministers. A dividing line was thought of; the dividing-line being thirty-five years. Up to thirty-five years, the payment of an age tax calculated from twenty-eight presents no serious embarrassment. A little effort would raise the requisite funds, and the premiums to be henceforth paid would be based upon the age of twenty-eight. An annuity of £50 would thus be secured for all under thirty-five. It was the opinion of the committee that it was scarcely practicable to provide an annuity of £50 for persons above this age, and that a smaller sum should be contemplated; and it need scarcely be added, that this conclusion was not come to without great reluctance and pain. In what proportion the annuity should be diminished will depend upon circumstances; the two chief elements of calculation being the age of the minister and the means of his church and of himself. To meet such cases a general fund would require to be raised. Some strong aud special efforts should be made; the liberality of our more wealthy members should be appealed to; and it was supposed, and apparently upon good grounds, that such an appeal would not be made in vain. This general fund would receive donations and legacies.

"This general fund might be applied to the following purposes:-1. It would meet the cases of the more advanced ministers where age prevents them from taking advantage of the proposed scheme -and whose number would diminish every year until they cease altogether. 2. It would meet the cases of ministers who become incapacitated from pastoral

duty before they reach the age of 65; and for whom no provision is made by an insurance office. This would relieve the Synod Fund of a burden which is now upon it; and (3). It would aid poorer congregations and ministers in the payment of the annual premiums, and when the annuity has been purchased at the period of ordination. Cases of this kind would occasionally happen; and assistance should be given to the most necessitous, and with a prudent liberality, in order to encourage them to make provision for the infirmities of advanced years.

"It is manifest that in the working out of this scheme, should it receive the sanction of the Synod, many matters of detail will require to be considered and adjusted. But these are the general principles to which the committee have now arrived. They are satisfied that the report is meagre; but they respectfully request the Synod to re-appoint them; and they think they are now in such a condition as to promise that they will send down to the Presbyteries and Sessions, by the first of October, a report explanatory of their views, and accompanied with tables, which they trust will furnish churches with sufficient materials for coming to an intelligent conclusion."

The report was received, and the committee re-appointed, with Dr. Baird added to it.

THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD OF AMERICA.

Dr. Andrew Thomson, on behalf of the committee on Foreign Correspondence, gave in the following report: "Having received and considered a letter from the General Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, inviting correspondence with this Synod, the committee were gratified to find that there exists such harmony in respect of doctrine, discipline, and government between that church and our own; moreover, as the letter contains so decided an expression of the testimony of the General Synod of the West against the sin of slavery as to justify the commencement of a fraternal correspondence, they agreed to recommend to the Synod accordingly. Dr. Thomson said, the letter they had received showed that this church in America had 1 General Synod, 3 subordinate Synods, 15 Presbyteries, 140 ordained ministers, 34 proba