from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day." (Luke ii. 36, 37.) This holy woman, hke the venerable Simeon, literaily saw the Lord of glory in his own temple, and "spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." When the infant Jesus was presented there,

"Unmark'd by human eye

The latent Godhead lay;"

yet these his inspired servants beheld him in his real character, and pointed him out as the world's desire and hope. Having seen Him, they wanted nothing more. There was not another object upon earth that was worthy of their attention; and hence they were ready, at a moment's warning, to obey the summons that called them to their final home. "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation."

Corresponding with their piety, have always been the zeal and liberality of good men, in preparing places of religious worship. Many remarkable examples of this are upon record. To a few of these it may not be improper to call attention. When the Israelites were in the wilderness, and as yet had no fixed habitation, "the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering." (Exodus XXV. 1, 2.) The "offerings" which were required, in order to the erection of the tabernacle, were then specified; and the inspired historian goes on to describe the manner in which the divine command was obeyed. "And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for all the holy garments. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing-hearted, and brought bracelets, and ear-rings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold:

:

and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the Lord. And every man with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers' skins, brought them. Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the Lord's offering and every man with whom was found shittim wood for the work of the service, brought it. And all the women that were wise-hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom, spun goats' hair. And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breast-plate; and spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the Lord had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses." (Exod. xxxv. 20-29.)

The materials thus contributed towards the formation of the tabernacle and its furniture were put into the hands of skilful men, whom God had qualified to execute the plan which he had given, particulary Bezaleel and Aholiab; "and they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make. And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing." (Exod. xxxvi. 5-7.) Here was a fine exemplification of the "voluntary principle" in religion; and the people who thus presented their property, their labour, their ingenuity, to the Lord, in the assurance that He would accept their willing offerings, experienced a joy more rich and pure than the voluptuary or the miser ever contemplated

We see the same principle at work, and upon a scale still more magnificent, in the building of the temple. When David was brought to the close of life, addressing the heads of the Jewish nation, who were congregated before him, he said, "I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood: onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. Moreover because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house,even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal: the gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?" (1 Chron. xxix. 1-5.)

It was not possible that this example, and this appeal from the aged and dying Monarch, should be powerless. The people caught the infection of his hallowed zeal. "Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the King's work, offered willingly, and gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the Lord, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord: and David

the King also rejoiced with great joy." (1 Chron. xxix. 6-9.)

The gold which was contributed on this occasion has been estimated at £25,388,906. 5s. Od.; the silver, at £3,535,937. 10s. Od.; the brass at upwards of one thousand and twentysix tons; and the iron, more than five thousand seven hundred and three tons. What a noble collection!

The Holy Spirit, whose gracious influence induced the people spontaneously to lay all this property at their Maker's feet, filled them with sacred joy, subdued in them every inclination to boast of their liberality, and produced in them one general feeling of self-abasement. One of the most impressive and affecting scenes ever witnessed was that which the sacred historian immediately goes on to describe. The aged Monarch, just about to close his eyes upon every earthly object, with his youthful son and successor standing beside him, and the heads of the nation assembled around, presenting to God their united contributions, blessed the Lord before all the congregation: "And David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now, therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding. O Lord our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own. I know also, my

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expended in the erection of places of worship, some of which reflect the highest honour upon the science and taste of the men by whom they were constructed. The national houses of prayer, from the splendid cathedral, with its lofty aisles and columns, its rich tracery, its pealing organ, its ornamented windows, shedding a dim religious light," to the plain and humble parish church in an agricultural village, may not in every instance have been built by an enlightened Christianity; the motives under the influence of which they were begun and completed may not in every respect have been such as the Gospel will fully sanction; yet He who searches the heart will forgive many errors of opinion, and many practical errors too, the result of ignorance and inadvertency, when he sees a sincere and upright intention; and we are warranted in considering the venerable churches which adorn our land, and around which the ashes of our fathers rest, as monuments of the piety of former ages: a piety which, in its architectural expenditure, at least, puts to shame the calculating selfishness of the present age. It is not honourable to us that we attribute the erection of our fine old ecclesiastical buildings merely to the fear of purgatory, the desire of personal distinction, and the fallacious conception of merit; and thus ascribe to these imperfect motives a greater power in calling forth sacrifices in support of religion, than scriptural Christianity is able to exert.

Among other fruits of holy zeal and benevolence, produced by the Wesleyan body, the building of so many chapels, in almost all parts of the land, is worthy of special notice. They have been rendered necessary by an augmented population, by the distance of other places of worship, and by the inadequacy of the religious instruction already provided for the people. The Methodists, generally speaking, are not rich. A few wealthy persons belong to their societies, and adorn their profession; and a considerable number of the middling classes-tradesmen, farmers, and

others are associated with them; but the great body of their people are poor. They are indebted for their means of subsistence to their daily labour; yet not a few of them, by diligence and frugality, the principles and habits of which their religion has taught them, live in honesty and comfort. The societies and congregations support the ministry which they conscientiously prefer, maintain many local charities, keep in active and healthful operation one of the most efficient Missionary institutions of the present age; and their chapels are scattered through the land. Many of these, especially in country villages, are small and unexpensive; but others of them, in the large towns, are among the most spacious of modern erections; and not a few of them present quite as much ornament as the simplicity of John Wesley's Methodism will justify,—and perhaps rather more. While the population of England has far outgrown the provision made for its spiritual wants by the national Establishment, Wesleyan Methodism has provided religious instruction, and accommodation for public worship, for at least a million of people, without any expense to the state. That a large number of the chapels, which are thus beneficially occupied, are in easy circumstances, is matter of grateful acknowledgment; yet this not the case with them all. Some are burdened with heavy debts, the interest of which. the Trustees and congregations are unable to meet; and their difficulties and embarrassments are annually increasing. To relieve these cases of distress, the General Chapel-Fund was formed several years ago; and, as auxiliary to this, at a later period, the Loan-Fund; both of which have been of incalculable benefit to the Connexion. It is an important object, by annual grants, to assist the Trustees in meeting the claims for interest upon the moneys borrowed on their respective trusts, and thus prevent the accumulation of debt; but the great benefit resulting from these Funds has been the calling forth of the exertions and liberality

of Trustees and their friends, for the purpose of reducing the debts upon their respective chapels to a manageable amount, by meeting their proposals with a handsome final grant. Many most interesting cases of this kind have occurred, and are recorded in the annual Reports, in which chapels that had for years been burdened with debts are now freed from all inconvenient encumbrance, to the great and permanent advantage of the work of God. The liberality manifested in many particular cases, by Trustees and other friends, is really munificent, and worthy of the highest praise.

The grand object to be desired at present is the extension of this plan. Many bodies of Trustees are anxious to relieve the chapels under their care; they are willing to make large sacrifices for the attainment of this object; the congregations worshipping in those chapels are ready to afford liberal aid; but they have not the power to accomplish their wishes, without such assistance as the General Chapel-Fund is designed to give. Were this Fund supported by the friends of Methodism generally, as it is in some places, every distressed chapel in the Connexion would be effectually relieved in the course of a very few years. We want a united, a liberal, a simultaneous, a persevering effort, which might be put forth without injury to the body; and then one of the greatest hinderances to the work of God would be effectually removed. And is this too much to be expected? Were the requisite means employed, and could the people every where be induced to turn their attention to the subject, it cannot be doubted that the income of this Fund might be vastly increased. The congregational collections, and the subscriptions both from individuals and chapel-trusts, ought indeed to be augmented. I have a proof of this in my own case. For many years I have wished well to this Fund, and rejoiced in its success; but have cherished a sort of general impression that I could not afford to be an annual subscriber. The heartless and wicked attempt which has recently been made to in

duce the Methodists to withhold supplies from this and similar charities, I confess, has roused my pity and indignation. I am ashamed that any heart should have been base enough to conceive the thought; still more, that accomplices in such a guilty scheme should be found; and Ï will, from this time, become an annual subscriber of one guinea. I wish it were in my power to pay the arrears of subscription from the commencement of this Fund; but this I cannot do; for I have not so much money in the world. We contemplate with horror the demolition of chapels by lawless and infuriated mobs, in times of great excitement; but what must be thought of men professing godliness, who will congregate together, and deliberately recommend to three hundred thousand Christian people, a conduct which must inevitably. bring ruin upon the families of many worthy Trustees, and scatter several worshipping assemblies, by depriving them of their sanctuaries, and of the means of religious edification ? And the authors of this most iniquitous project gravely offer themselves to the Connexion as the reformers of Methodism; and propose to supersede the plans of John Wesley, by schemes of their own! Rather let the very name of Methodism perish for ever. The impiety of such a recommendation is only equalled by its effrontery and impudence.

On the importance of the General Chapel-Fund, as connected with the progress of the work of God, little need be said. Heavy debts upon chapels are evils of the most serious magnitude. They are a source of continual uneasiness to the Trustees and their families, and often an occasion of bickering and strife in the societies connected with them. Strangers are afraid to connect themselves with the congregations worshipping in such chapels; and should the congregations be large, the Trustees are under a continual temptation to encroach upon the space allotted to the poor, by increasing the number of pews; till perhaps scarcely any accommodation is left for the indigent and the casual hearer. It was the special design of our Saviour,