nience which the wicked people at the building of the tower of Babel had occasioned us. He hoped that our united counsels under the divine blessing would greatly tend to the promotion of the kingdom of Christ upon the continent of Europe.

On Thursday during the sittings, Mr. Hinton, Mr. Earp, and myself were called upon to address the meeting. A beloved young friend, son of the Rev. Mr. Lehman, was our interpreter. They were told that our body, numbering nearly 19,000 persons, and identified with the Baptist Union of England, deeply sympathised with our persecuted brethren on the continent, and that we had left our homes and christian friends to give expression to that sympathy.

Here were ministers from Denmark, Sweden, Hanover, Prussia, the borders of Russia, and from nearly all the lesser States of Germany. Each gave an account of the work of God in his own sphere of labour, and in the most christian manner delivered his views as to the best means of promoting more extensively the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. A Dane was present who knew no more of German than we did. His statements were given in Danish, and a brother minister translated it into German, while our young friend gave it to us sentence by sentence in English; he put it down upon paper and handed it to the English friends. Another friend from England, who understood Ger man, was busily engaged in the same work, so that all the friends from Albion were thoroughly acquainted with what was going on. I ought to have said that Mr. Hinton and I preached two very short sermons, which were translated to a mixed congregation. Mr. Oncken's chapel is very neat and clean; it will seat four or five hundred persons. You pass through a large gateway and enter upon an open court, partly planted with trees and partly in grass. On one side stands the chapel, on the other the garden. Many a weary day Mr. Oncken laboured to secure a place in which to worship God. At last his hopes were realised. There was a time when he was literally closed within prison walls for preaching the gospel. The whole of the civil and ecclesiastical authorities were against him. Now he may worship God in what way he pleases. The Established Church, both in Hamburgh and throughout Prussia, is Lutheran. They take the general view of the atonement; but I have been told that many of their ministers are intolerant.

In Hamburgh might be seen whole families sitting out of doors enjoying their tea and coffee. What amused me very much was a scene which I witnessed in a garden. Beneath the spreading branches of trees were placed small tables, round these might be seen persons from six or seven to seventy years of age, all sipping their coffee or tea and smoking their cigars. There was no drunkenness, no rude behaviour, and every person appeared respectably dressed. My friend and I walked quite round the garden to look at the little groups enjoying themselves, at the same time with as much order and decorum as if they had been in an English drawing-room. A large number of children attend the public schools. These little men and women might be seen trudging along the streets with knapsacks strapped to their backs, as if they were mimicking soldiers.

Before leaving the subject of the Triennial Conference, I must say that more fraternal affection toward each other, and more deference to the presiding brethren, I never witnessed on the part of any body of men, met for the purpose of free discussion. We took a kind and formal leave of these dear friends, hoping, however, to see some of them again in the capital of Prussia.

The statistics of the German churches are most encouraging. During the last three years they have increased fifty per cent.

There is a young man, a Swede, whom God has raised up to be a burning and a shining light. He is now twenty-four years of age. He had been a wild random youth. He left his home and went out to New York as a sailor. There the Saviour found him, and there he found the Lord Jesus. He returned home to Sweden to be a missionary to his countrymen, and within the last year we were informed that God had given him more than one hundred souls. We spent many an hour together. He is a noble youth both in mind and in appearance. On Friday morning we left for Magdeberg on our way to Berlin.

(To be continued.)

Correspondence.

To the Editor of the General Baptist Magazine.

Castle Donington, 10th Sept. 1857.

DEAR SIR,-Will you allow me space to call the attention of your readers to what I regard as a very important subject:

It is well known that the education of young men at our college entails considerable expense, but that expense is cheerfully met by the subscribers because the young men there trained are expected to be our future ministers; the exponents of our great and glorious principles to succeeding generations. Now, when young men, so educated, at the end of their term go into business, become clerks or secretaries, take commercial or other situations, (for which, some of them at least, have been mainly fitted by the course of instruction they have received), or, as reported in your last number, page 356, accept an invitation to join Mr. George Dawson, ought they not to make ample compensation for the expense they have incurred, to say nothing of the disappointment they cause to the connexion. I think they are bound by every moral and religious tie to re. fund, at the earliest possible moment, every penny they have cost the Institution. Ministers, good and efficient ministers, are scarce, nor can we afford, after a careful and costly training, to lose one who is likely, among us, to serve his generation well. One young man is referred to in the last Academy Report who appears to have been conscious of his obligation. I know nothing of his sentiments; but I admire his integrity.

I am, dear Sir, yours sincerely,

SOLOMON S. ALLSOP.

LETTER FROM AN EPISCOPAL CLERGYMAN.

To the Editor of the General Baptist Magazine.

DEAR SIR,-If you think the following letter from the late Incumbent of this parish worthy of a place in the Magazine, its insertion will be esteemed a favour. It will sufficiently explain itself. The spirit which it breathes has been manifested by the rev. gentleman towards all who fear God during his two years residence among us.

I have, on more than one occasion, been invited by him to an united prayer meeting, over which he has presided; while he has manifested his truly christian spirit by contributing to our Missionary Society. I had previously sent him Mr. Pike's Memoir, the reading of which, he has frequently said, was a rich treat.

Rocester, Sept. 7, 1857.

I am, yours truly,

JOHN SUTCLIFFE.

Rocester, July 21st, 1857.

MY DEAR MR. SUTCLIFFE,-I was much affected on receiving this morning your very kind note, breathing so christian a spirit from yourself, and other dear christian friends, and I could not have had a more valuable or valued token of your and their christian regard than the memoir of that eminent servant of God, the Rev. J. G. Pike, which accompanied your note. Please to accept yourself, and present to them my deep sense of the kindly feeling expressed towards myself and family. I thank you very much dear brother, in the Lord, for the encouraging thoughts you have put before me, and my earnest prayer is, that the seed so (alas!) unbelievingly cast upon the waters may be found after many days.

I shall always look back upon my intercourse with yourself and the few of God's people who are here with pleasurable remembrance. May his gracious presence be with you and with me and mine. May we have a continued interest in each others offerings at a throne of grace. May we find that blood that cleanses from all sin increasingly precious. And may we look forward to that bright and glorious meeting above, where, with one heart and voice we shall for ever sing that song of eternal praise "unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and the Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever." Amen.

And, dear friend, may the Lord ever accompany, by the power of his spirit, the word spoken by your mouth, that you may be the honoured instrument in the Lord's hands of warning many souls to that Saviour whom you love.

Farewell! Follow me with your prayers. Thus will you help me when we no longer meet in the flesh.

I am,

Yours affectionately in the hope of the Gospel,

L. MOORE.

I shall value very, very much the truly sweet book you and the friends have presented me with. Give them my love and thanks.

ON THE ANNUAL ELECTION OF DEACONS.

To the Editor of the General Baptist Magazine.

SIR,-In your last number, page 355, your correspondent wishes to know if it is desirable that church officers should be chosen annually. As it regards deacons, certainly such a question is not unworthy of notice; but in these days of worldly accommodation, the servants of Christ may well fear lest every fresh step should merit that solemn inquiry, and that divine reproof: "Who hath required this at your hand?" Would, sir, your correspondent ask himself, from whence was the appointment of deacons first derived? Perhaps he will say, from the first twelve apostles of the Saviour, as we read in Acts vi, 3. Truly; and does he suppose the experience of these devoted men defective or insufficient in this matter, or that they forgot to tell us how long these officers of the church should serve, and that annually they should be re-elected? Surely not; for he will remember that this act of these first apostles was not so much an act of their own as it was the direct influence of the Holy Spirit, that divine agency by which Jesus promised to aid his servants when gathered together in his name; and it must be evident that in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, and the twelve called the multitude and advised them upon this business, that they were indeed gathered together only in the Saviour's name, and the result was, he fulfilled his promise: "Lo, I am with you;" his spirit was poured out; the number of the disciples was multiplied greatly, and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. Who can say it would not be so in our day if we were but as faithful as they? Such was the result of this first appointment of deacons. Had it been needful to re-appoint them at the end of every year, or every two or three years, let us be assured, the Holy Spirit would not have neglected to give us that important information. We read, also, the injunction of the Apostle to Timothy, and here, too, we find no re-appointment or annual reelection. The exemplary deportment, and holy life of these men, was quite sufficient to determine this matter; and be it for us to carry out the plan in all our church business as we have it laid before us in the Word of God; and to be satisfied, not wishing to introduce any new fancies, or to imitate those of our erring fellow-men. It must be clear that to have recourse to some new invention, without regard to the institutions of the Holy Scriptures, makes such institutions our own, and not the institutions of him who appointed them. The Apostle writes to the Corinthians: "Now I praise you, brethren, that ye keep to

ordinances as I delivered them unto you;" and the blessed Jesus says: "If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book." If it should be contended that the election of deacons is not an ordinance, neither is it an addition; I reply, that to elect them annually is an alteration, and a departure from the simplicity of the Divine Word by which is established the great truth, that in all our religious services we are under the most solemn obligations to conform to the will of our great Master, so far as we know it, "without any addition, diminution, or change. Our forefathers presumed not to introduce such an alteration in their day, and for us to do so is high presumption, if not extreme folly. Your correspondent does not ask if ministers and members of churches should be re-elected annually; but surely we have as much scripture, and in many cases there would be as much propriety in one case as in the other. May he, and all who name the name of Christ, be as the "salt of the earth, and as the light of the world," ever well pleased to take the Word of God only as their rule of faith and practice. I have not referred to the Association Letter on this subject some years ago, but it is well known that this annual or re-election practice has been treated upon by both the General and Particular Baptists, and both have rejected it, although, since then, some few may have acted contrary to their own principles. Should he still contend that these remarks are not to the point, and wish to know what the results are where the plan is carried out, I beg to add that wherever this new scheme is carried out, the results are bad; they cannot be otherwise, for we have no precedent in the Bible. It may please the fancy of some of our fellow-servants, but it cannot please our Lord. His divine commission we know; and mark his words, "teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." Now, who will not admit that the election of deacons is not amongst the all things here enjoined, that is if it be done in his name, and if we have deacons or others not acting in harmony with the Master's will, let us deal with them honestly, and see to it that we are faithful, observing the pattern, and obeying the rule, lest He should say, "why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which Í say." I remain, Sir, yours respectfully,

JAMES GOODSON.

MILFORD CHAPEL.

To the Editor of the General Baptist Magazine.

DEAR SIR, Contributions being invited towards the enlargement of the above chapel, may I beg to ask for the information of those who may be disposed to give: whether the chapel premises are vested in trustees, or, what is the position in which the church and connexion stand in relation thereto ?

I am, my dear Sir, yours faithfully,-W. B. [We are informed that Mr. Ellis, of Belper, is one of the trustees, and has just, in connection with others, signed the trust-deed.—ED.]

DANCING PARTIES.

Query-Should professors of religion sanction these by their presence ?-A CONSTANT READER. Answer-Decidedly not.-ED.

MORMON BAPTISM.

To the Editor of the General Baptist Magazine.

Query.-Is it desirable, or right that persons who have been baptized by the Mormons, on a profession of their faith in Christ, and of whose piety we have no doubt, should be re-baptized if they seek admission into our churches?

T.

Intelligence.

CONFERENCES.

THE NORTH DERBYSHIRE CONFERENCE met at Hucknall Torkard, on Monday, August 3rd. Owing to some unknown cause, or causes, the attendance was not large. After the usual devotional services, brother W. Calladine was chosen to preside. As far as reports were received, it appeared that four had been baptized since last Conference, and that thirteen were waiting for that ordinance. After singing a verse or two, one or two friends prayed, and the minutes of the last meeting were read. No report having been received from Belper relative to their intentions in reference to obtaining a minister, nothing more was done in this case.

At the suggestion of a friend, the Conference resolved to urge on the churches the necessity of a small Conference Fund, to meet incidental expenses, to be raised in the following way:

A church of fifty members to contribute one shilling per annum. Above fifty and not exceeding one hundred, two shillings, and so on in like proportion, payable at the Good Friday Conference.

The next Conference will meet at Crich, on Good Friday next, and brother Yates is requested to preach in the evening. After tea, in the absence of brother Yates, the secretary preached to a good congregation."

W. GRAY, Secretary.

THE LINCOLNSHIRE CONFERENCE was held at Gosberton on Thursday, September 3rd, 1857. In the morning brother J. H. Wood read and prayed; and, in the absence of brother J. C. Jones, the Secretary preached from John i. 29. Brother Wood preached in the evening. In the afternoon written or verbal statements were received from an unusually small number of the churches, and very few were consequently reported as having been added by baptism. Resolved::

1. That, as the friends at Whittlesea have again sought the advice of the Conference, we recommend them to procure the best ministerial supplies they can during the next three months.

2. That this Conference feeling deeply for our brethren and sisters in Orissa, in their present trying and dangerous circumstances, would affectionately commend them to the sympathies and earnest prayers of the churches.

3. A conversation having been held as to the importance of increasing the funds of the Home Mission, some additional aid was immediately promised; and it was resolved, "That this matter be deferred till the next Conference."

4. The next Conference is appointed to be held at Wisbeach, on Thursday, December 3rd, 1857. Brother J. H. Wood to preach in the morning. T. BARRASS, Secretary.

THE MIDLAND CONFERENCE met at Barton-in-the-Beans, on Tuesday, September 15. Mr. Hunter, of Nottingham, being in Prussia, and no substitute having been provided, Mr. Gill, of Melbourne, kindly consented to preach. His text was, Mark xi, 22. Mr. Bott, of Barton, presided over the afternoon meeting, and Mr. Cholerton, of Coalville, opened with prayer. Mr. Preston having resigned his office as Secretary of the Conference, a vote of thanks was passed to him for his services, and Mr. J. J. Goadby, of New Lenton, was elected to fill his post. Eighty-six were reported as baptized since the last Conference, and seventy-nine remain as candidates. It is greatly to be regretted that from up wards of twenty churches there was no report.

The minutes of the last Conference were read. After a painfully interesting discussion on affairs in Hindostan, it was resolved :

1. That this Conference recommend the churches in this district to set apart a day for special prayer to Almighty God for India; that the lives of our mission