enlarge the spirit of Christian charity, and to bind together in cordial sympathy the different classes of the people, that we should greatly deprecate any measure of alleged philanthropy, which should materially check the operation of voluntary liberality. It is only in the case of voluntary exertions falling short of the public necessity, that we would look for the assistance of the State.

The question, then, immediately occurs, whether in regard to public education this exigency is really upon us? What is the testimony of experience? what the opinion of those, who being above all suspicion of an undue dislike to voluntaryism, have looked fully into the question, and given us the benefit of their deliberate judgment?

I forbear to go into the statistics of the subject; -but there is a cumulation of evidence on this point which must satisfy even the most sceptical, that notwithstanding all the efforts of the National Society, and the British and Foreign School Society, up to the year 1834, and since that period, with the additional Parliamentary grants, there is still left a very large part of the population wholly without early instruction; and a still larger part without any such education as the moral and spiritual welfare of man, and the order of civil society loudly demand of us.

In citing authorities favourable to the inter

vention of the State, I shall content myself with referring to two documents, which may be considered as of a public character: the first, one of a series of petitions presented to the House of Commons on this subject in 1839, professing to be the petition of the deputies from the several congregations of Protestant Dissenters of the three denominations, Presbyterian, Independent, and Baptist, in and within twelve miles of London, appointed to protect their civil rights. It is entitled to particular attention; first, as recording the views and wishes of a class of Christians who are supposed to have a leaning to the voluntary principle-a principle which rejects all endowments for purposes of religion; and, secondly, as having been drawn up when the grants of Parliament had been in existence for some years. The petition commences thus :-"That your petitioners are deeply sensible of the lamentable and extensive destitution of both secular and religious instruction among the poorer classes of the community. -That your petitioners cannot exclude from their consideration, that the benevolent efforts of individuals and associations have failed in overtaking this general deficiency; nor do they entertain the expectation of its being adequately met without the interference of Parliament, to render existing resources more available to ge, neral utility, and to supply additional aid."

Toward the close of the petition they express deep gratitude for Her Majesty's most gracious wish that the youth of the kingdom should be religiously brought up, and that the rights of conscience should be respected; whilst they earnestly hope that the education of the population, Jewish and Christian, will be sedulously connected with a due regard to the holy Scriptures: they then proceed to hail the proposed plan for public education contained in the recommendation of the Privy Council, and conclude in these terms"Your petitioners therefore pray your honourable house to sanction such recommendations, by the grant proposed; and to extend further aid, from time to time, in accordance with the principle so recommended by the Privy Council, and graciously approved by the Crown."

I need not inform you that the Government, in extending the grants on the principle then approved, have complied with the prayer of this petition.

My next authority is one to which I cannot refer without expressing my cordial respect for the eminent individual whose name is subjoined to the paper, and my deep sense of the loss which the world has recently sustained by his death.

Dr. Chalmers, in a letter addressed to a gentleman who consulted him on the recent measures of the Government, has left to us what I may call

his dying testimony: he has distinctly expressed his opinion, not only that voluntary liberality has, in this matter, utterly failed; but, further, he professes his conviction, that without a powerful and well-principled support from the State, the sound education of the masses of the people is perfectly hopeless. "I cannot conclude," he observes," without expressing my despair of any great or general good being effected in the way of Christianizing our population, but through the medium of a government themselves Christian, and endowing the true religion, which I hold to be their imperative duty; not because it is the religion of the many, but because it is true." "I do not look for the general Christianity of the people, but through the medium of the Christianity of their rulers. This is a lesson taught historically in Scripture; by what we read there of the influence which the personal character of the Jewish monarchs had on the moral and the religious state of their subjects; it is taught experimentally, by the impotence, now fully established, of the voluntary principle; and last, and most decisive of all, it is taught prophetically, in the book of Revelation, when told that "then will the kingdoms of the world, (the Casa or governing powers) become the kingdoms of our Lord Jesus Christ; or, the governments of the earth become Christian governments."

With the view of promoting the education of all that need the interposition of the State, the grants of Parliament are, under one description or another, open on certain conditions to Christians of every name: among these conditions are the constant use in the schools of the authorized version of the Holy Scriptures, and periodical examinations by persons appointed by the Committee of Council, whose duty it is to report to the Committee the result of their inquiries. This subject of Inspectors, it is obvious, demanded much consideration. It might reasonably be concluded, that the different classes of Dissenters would no more be satisfied with inspection from Churchmen, than would Churchmen be contented with the inspection of Dissenters: and it seemed necessary, if the Government plan were to be really effective, that in the appointment of Inspectors, the views, and even prejudices, of different classes should be consulted. The course, therefore, was adopted to send to the respective denominations, without any distinction in favour of the Church, such Inspectors only as possessed the confidence of the several parties.

Among the matters to be reported by these Inspectors, is the religious state and progress of the schools; with a special regard to the teachers now introduced under the authority of the State. But here we observe a notable difference as to the mode of proceeding.