HAD Relics been of any real use, the Apostles might easily have possessed themselves of such, and these of inappreciable value. There were the garments which our blessed Lord had worn, and chief of all, the coat "without seam, woven from the top throughout." For it was a double relic, the memorial at once of the Mother whose handiwork it doubtless was, and of the Divine Son who wore it. And there was everything to justify the belief that these garments possessed some virtue. Peter could not have forgotten his Master's earnest question-"Who touched my clothes?" The woman with the issue of blood had done so, and had been healed immediately. Nor could any of His disciples have forgotten the passionate entreaties of the sick to be permitted to "touch, if it were but the border of His garment, and how as many as touched Him were made perfectly whole." And it was only reasonable to think that the garments which could thus save the body, might do good to the soul also-that clad in the very vestments which had been worn by Incarnate Deity, men would be safe from the Devil and all his infernal power. And it would have been so easy for the Apostles to have possessed themselves of that precious raiment. The Roman soldiers had got it. Had some wealthy Christian who, after Pentecost, was pouring his money at the Apostle's feet, given but a tithe of it for our Lord's personal clothing, it would have come at once into the possession of the church. But, true to the great principle of their Master's teaching, the Apostles entirely neglected His outward raiment, as they did the raiment of St. Stephen-as they did the raiment of St. James, and went forth into the world with His words. They told men of their Master himself as the revelation of the Blessed One, at once in His life and in His death; they told them of His blood as cleansing from all sin; they told them of His resurrection and of eternal life as secured to man thereby. These words saved the world. Proclaimed in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, proclaimed from Jerusalem round about unto Illyricum, they gathered Jew and Gentile to God.

And throwing down the wall of partition which had so long divided these hostile races, they made them one family in Christ. These are the words to which we must cleave if we would save our own souls, the words which we must proclaim if we would save the souls of others. They alone are spirit, they alone are life.

This then is our quarrel with Rome. She has exalted the outward thing which "profiteth nothing," and she has done her very best all the while, and is doing it now, to suppress the words which "are spirit and life." The veneration of relics is not evil, if it be not carried too far. We do not blame the bereaved husband who gazes with eyes suffused with tears on some article of dress reminding him of his departed wife. Nor do we blame the bereaved child who gazes with fond memory on the chair on which a beloved father or mother were wont to sit. Nor do we blame the relics of friendship. The human heart consecrates such memories. Even literature inspires them. Go to Abbotsford and you will see, under a glass case, preserved with reverent care, the last dress which the illustrious Walter Scott wore before he lay down on that bed from which he rose no more. The coat, the cravat, the shoes, are all there, and men gaze on them with softened feelings. But the literary world would be rather surprised if they were told that these relics of the illustrious dead were all they were to possess of him-that his immortal words were to delight them no longer, that all his writings were to be put under ban, and, as far as possible, destroyed. Let us bring this home. Suppose yourself at Abbotsford. The man whose duty it is to show the garments, hesitates to do so. You ask him why? And he complains of the ungrateful return made to him by the last visitor. I found him afterwards, he says, I actually found him reading one of Sir Walter's volumes. He was encouraging others too to read it with him, commenting as he read, pointing out the truth of the sentiments, and the extreme beauty of the writing! Such audacity can scarcely be conceived.

The parable is but too plain. This

is the very thing which Rome has done in ages past, and is doing at this hour. She preserves the relics of Apostles, but suppresses their words. She will give any price for the relics. She has only the dungeon and the stake for the man who reads the words. Let us go to Rome and tell Pope Pius IX. that we are in possession of the very sandals in which St. Paul walked afoot in many of his weary journeys. If our relic can be proved genuine, there is no reward which we may not claim, none which we shall not receive. But let us be found reading St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, and encouraging others to read it with us, by commenting on its doctrines and showing the force of its arguments,-if born subjects of the Pope, there is only

GIFT OF TESTAMENTS TO WE have the pleasure to acknowledge four pounds, collected by a young gentleman-well known where he resides for his many deeds of charity and labours of love for the purpose of providing a number of children in the Irish Church Mission Schools with copies of the New Testament.

The complete accomplishment of his benevolent design was intercepted by

dungeon before us. Christ's faithful confessor MATAMOROS was consigned to that imprisonment, which afterwards occasioned his death, for no other offence than being found in one of the cities of Spain reading the Scriptures with a few friends in a private house. The penalty under the government of Isabella for giving away only one copy of the Sacred Volume was ten years at the galleys! Let this fearful edict never be forgotten; "let history engrave it on her most durable tablet." Rome indeed exalts the outward thing which profits not, while she crushes those words which

alone are spirit and life. The charge is truth, and no lie. And may be avouched fearlessly in the presence of the God of Truth.

OUR SCHOOL CHILDREN. death, but the Christian Knowledge Society have generously met the gift by a grant of Testaments equal in value to the sum subscribed, so that we have been enabled to send between 500 and 600 nice copies of the precious book for distribution, where they will be greatly valued. We could have profitably disposed of double or treble that number.

Castelkerke.-I am thankful to say that the school has been most successful during the past month. A lady who came to live here for the summer months, gave a school feast, and expressed herself in every way satisfied with the school, its management, proficiency, and instruction. She has been very emphatic on the benefit and necessity of sound, honest controversy. The school examination, by Mr. Austin, also took place on the 18th. The answering was far superior to anything we have yet had at any previous examination; the lady above-mentioned and her children were present for nearly three hours; a Dublin friend came in just then, and asked Mr. Austin to put a few questions for his benefit, the few, however, insensibly expanded to another hour's examination. The numbers at divine service, Sunday-school, etc., have also 'greatly increased. The Irish teaching has made

satisfactory progress, and the Reader reports a favourable reception among the people.

He was

Tuam.-When last month ended I was unable to send a report, having been much occupied preparing several classes for confirmation. During the month one of our converts died; he was a very interesting young man. master of an endowed school in the north of Ireland, and much respected by his patron. He caught cold, which settled on his lungs and obliged him to return to Tuam, where he got worse, and after six weeks suffering here was removed to his heavenly home. During his illness he showed great faith and witnessed a good confession before many. Nothing could exceed the attention paid to him by his two Christian sisters; several respectable Roman Catholics showed great sympathy for them in their sorrow.

Owing to a placard about St. Peter,

posted at the people have been much excited; a respectable miller called on the landlord of the schoolhouse, who is himself a convert, to have it removed. The landlord said that no doubt such

placards must annoy many Roman Catholics, but they tell the simple truth, and must, therefore, be kept up. The priest was then appealed to; accompanied by about thirty persons he came to the schoolhouse, read the placard, made no remark, and walked away. This surprised the people. Since then the placard remained posted up. The placards in, drawing attention to the difference of opinion on the doctrine of the Pope's Infallibility, have been well received, and the handbills on same subject asked for and well read by hundreds.

Seven converts were confirmed by the Bishop; one of them a very intelligent, educated man, son of a captain in the army.

A respectable Roman Catholic states in the district round him, numbers of his co-religionists are now studying the Bible. A young woman in his district got a New Testament for one of her neighbours.

We have many difficulties to contend with in this district, but we are not left without many signs that there is at present much inquiry after the truth, and numbers who feel assured that the truth is not to be found in the Roman Catholic church,

Killery. Our missionary work has gone on quietly during the past month: both the Reader and myself have had most interesting conversations with Roman Catholics, and were permitted to bring before them the great truths of God's Holy Word, contrasted with the errors of Rome. A few evenings since I had an extremely interesting conversation on religion with a group of fishermen. They all sat down around me and listened most attentively for a considerable length of time. I have not met with a single Roman Catholic who believes in the new doctrine of the Pope's Infallibility. All seem ashamed of it, and most indignant about it. An intelligent man made the following remarks, in the hearing of a number of other Romau Catholics :-"This old l'ope will bring down God's curse on himself, for daring to put himself on a level with Christ. Surely this is the worst job our church ever did, to declare a poor man infallible. I never can believe it."

Many of the Roman Catholics evince a very friendly feeling towards us. One of them remarked the other day: "I see more signs of God's love in one Protestant than in a hundred Catholics." An old woman, who was listening attentively to the Reader speaking of the love of Christ, asked him who he (the Reader) was, and on learning, she said, "I might have known at all events that you were a Protestant, for no one else would tell me so much of Jesus."

At a fair which was held in this neighbourhood last week, the Reader argued with two National-school Teachers for a length of time in the presence of a number of people, none of whom uttered a single angry word; on the contrary, one of the wealthiest farmers in the neighbourhood joined in strongly on the Protestant side.

Mr. Austin has just been round and examined the schools, and expressed himself much pleased with the proficiency of the children in both of them.

North Mayo and Sligo.— Many of the poor people in this district continue for the present apparently afraid to speak to us in consequence of the warnings of the priests, who represent us as their bitterest enemies, because we assail their religion. In some cases, however, we are very willingly received, and freely spoken to upon the differences between the teaching of the Church of England and Church of Rome. Our new school is well attended, notwithstanding the determined and bitter opposition of the priest. Intelligent men have expressed to me their abhorrence of the manner in which the priests are going, making us, and our temporal affairs, and any service which any of the people may render, the subject of their discourse on Sunday, instead of preaching the gospel as they ought, and giving some reason for their condemnation of us and our creed. Amongst the families of mixed marriages, I observe an encouraging change, the Protestant members seem awakened to a sense of the value of Protestant truth, and evince anxiety to have their children well instructed in the Scriptures; and in some instances the Roman Catholic members have come openly to church. I have very cheering accounts of several of the converts who have left the district, and are working their way creditably, and most of them manifesting an earnest missionary spirit.