The latter gentleman acknowledged in the name of the local Committee the very great assistance which they had received from friends of other denominations in the town. He said he believed they had had as many beds from friends of other denominations as they had had from their own body. There had been no distinction; for Churchmen, Presbyterians, Independents, and in fact every body of Christians in the town, had opened their houses and received the brethren. In conclusion, Mr. Tilly expressed a hope that all the churches would receive spiritual benefit from this gathering of the Baptist Union.

A meeting of the Board of Education was presided over by Mr. L. Jenkins at four o'clock when the Rev. Dr. Evans read an interesting report.

In the evening several services were held, all of which were attended by crowded congregations. The Rev. J. H. Hinton preached at Bethany Chapel; the Hon. and Rev. B. Noel in the Tabernacle; the Rev. W. G. Lewis in the Stuart Hall, while Messrs. Varley and Wall addressed some thousands in the streets.

Such were some of the numerous meetings and services held in connection with the Baptist Union at Cardiff. It is impossible here to mention them all, or to detail the long roll of worthy names of those who travelled there to take part in the movement, to do honour to the principles we follow, and to sustain the interest in our great cause.

In conclusion, we would quote a few passages from The Freeman:

"The meetings throughout were so eminently successful -had so much genial religious feeling in them-were pervaded by so much earnestness, and were characterised by such sober enthusiasm, that they were thoroughly enjoyed by all who had the good fortune to be there. The fears of those who almost doubted whether the session would be well attended, must have been dispelled on walking through the town on Monday night, when hosts of ministers were taking a "constitutional" in the streets. Never was there a more enthusiastic missionary meeting than that of Tuesday night, and on the following morning,

the crowded galleries and the closely-packed floor of Bethany Chapel soon revealed the interest which was being felt in the meetings in the town, and indeed throughout the Principality of Wales. The majority of the ministers were, without doubt, from Wales, but yet the attendance of English ministers and delegates was numerous.

"The Cardiff friends have, indeed, done nobly. With exceedingly little time at their disposal, with some extraordinary and unusual difficulties to contend againstdifficulties which grew to a serious head about a week before the meetings were advertised to commence, they have worked manfully, and we most heartily congratulate them on the results. Much praise is due to the Revs. Rees Griffiths, A. Tilly, J. Bailey, and N. Thomas, for their incessant labours to make the session a complete success. Nor must we omit to say that the frank, generous conduct of all our Baptist friends in Cardiff, was in the highest degree praiseworthy; and as for the noble hospitality of the members of other denominations, who welcomed the brethren into their homes with a heartiness which could not be exceeded were they Baptists, no commendation is needed. We believe that more than one-half of the provision for accommodation was given by members of the Episcopalian, Wesleyan, Presbyterian, Congregational and

other bodies.

"We trust this unsectarian spirit will lead us all to appreciate more than ever the real union that binds Christian hearts, irrespective of external differences. May our brethren of other denominations in Cardiff prosper as they desire and deserve!"

A BRIEF VIEW OF THE CHURCHES

ASSOCIATED IN THE UNION.

A PAPER READ BEFORE THE BAPTIST UNION OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND,

AT

CARDIFF, OCTOBER, 1867.

IY

BAPTIST W. NOEL.

A BRIEF VIEW OF THE CHURCHES

ASSOCIATED IN THE UNION.

BRETHREN,-Allow me to offer you some practical suggestions, which, containing nothing new, may be only the more important because they recall old-established truths and duties.

There is a constant tendency in the world to lower the terms of discipleship to Christ, and a general propensity in ecclesiastics to exalt themselves. From these two evils combined has sprung the doctrine that all those who are sprinkled with a little water by a priest become members of Christ, children of God, and heirs of heaven. No language can exaggerate the value of these distinctions. A child of God is one whom God loves, protects, teaches, guides, and keeps, who has access to God at any moment, can obtain from Him all blessings by prayer, and will live in His house above for ever. A member of Christ is one who is connected with Him, as the members of our bodies are with us, one whom the Lord cares for, nourishes, and protects, as we care for our limbs, and from whom He never will be separated; and an heir of heaven is one who will have a perfect nature in a perfect home, among perfect friends, and being, after the resurrection, at the return of Jesus to judgment, made like Him in body and in soul, will be blessed with His presence and share in His joy through eternity. All this, falsely said to be the result of priestly sprinkling, is really obtained by faith in the Lord Jesus. Those only who trust to Him as their Saviour, relying upon His atoning sacrifice and His prevailing mediation, upon His merit, power, and love, to the exclusion of every other ground of confidence, become His members, children of God, and heirs of heaven. "If any man have not the