on this subject, or appreciate the nice relations and duties of the Christian master and Christain servant. None but those who are masters can rightly instruct the servant."

It was also contended, "that it has been regarded a disqualification for ordination-and rightly so regarded-if a man was himself, a slave. It was so in the ancient church. [Coleman Anc. Christianity, pp. 207.] If a servant was prepared for ordination, it could not take place but after an act of manumission. The slave cannot be employed to instruct the slave, except in subordination to other teachers, themselves having the authority and interests of freemen." This sprung the question, how far the coloured people themselves, and especially the watchmen, should be permitted to take part in religious services? Should they be allowed to read and explain the Scriptures and exhort their brethren, at meetings held for their instruction? Upon this point, the following views were presented. Our religious feelings meet their full and legitimate scope alone through the gratification and developement of our social constitution; and as it is a well known fact, that the coloured race is eminently distinguished by strong social impulses, as well as by the possession of a large share of the religious instincts of our nature, it would be unwise to impose too severe restrictions upon the exercise of these propensities. Accustomed, moreover, to feel the pressure of authority in the ordinary duties of life, they naturally expect to find somewhat more liberty in those relations which are strictly of a religious character, and will, consequently, seek those communions in which such an expectation is not disappointed. Under certain conditions and limitations therefore, they should be allowed to meet and gratify their social impulses in the exercises of religious worship, in praise, prayer, and mutual exhortation. At the same time it should never be forgotten, that provided these restrictions are just and moderate, they should be observed with firmness, lest a temperate and regulated religious liberty should degenerate into a licentiousness in worship, the prevention of which, our church has ever sought to effect; and which, when connived at, too frequently perverts the services of religion

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into a poisonous aliment, maddening the spirits and producing spasms of nervous excitement, where "peace and joy in the Holy Ghost" should be the result. Especially should municipal regulations and the laws of the State, be observed with care; thus will we, while attempting to compass the highest religious well-being of the slave, commend ourselves to the community in which we live, as the lovers of law and order.

2. In regard to the second point, the mode of instruction, what was said assumed the form of a detailed account by the respective members of Presbytery, of the plan actually employed by each, as well as a discussion as to the method which should be adopted. It may be interesting to note these details as they were furnished.

The Pastor of the Walterborough Church made the following remarks: "That when a student at Andover, he was greatly interested and encouraged by the perusal of a document,-so much interested as to record it in his memorandum book, for future use, which mentioned the fact that in some of the Parishes of Ireland, at that time, destitute of churches-of public worship, and almost of the Scriptures, a band of devout Christians formed into a kind of society, went out in little groups, gathering together the poor, illiterate, ungos pelized, to read to them the Scriptures, and to pray and sing with them; and that the effort was by a gracious, covenant-keeping God, crowned with most signal success. He then based upon this interesting fact, the great importance, in the way of religious instruction, of the simple, solemn reading of the Word of God; and stated it as his sober conviction, that even if nothing more than this were done in the way of communicating Divine knowledge to the coloured people, it would, with the blessing of God, issue in untold good. He stated, that in his own experience, he could testify to as fixed and solemn attention to the devout reading of the Scriptures as to the preached Word, and expressed the apprehension that this mode of instruction, is not adequately regarded by those who have the management and instruction of the coloured race.

He then continued to say that if in the Providence of God, he should be laid aside from the ordinary and higher duties of the ministry, yet should retain the abil

ity to go and read the Holy Scriptutures to, and pray and sing with, the coloured people, he would delight to spend the remainder of his brief, mortal existence, in such employment; and that, being incapable of doing more than that, he would consider his life as not altogether useless, confident that the Lord would graciously accept and measurably bless even that partial effort to do good. His mode of instructing the coloured people, he proceeded to state, was, together with such catechetical information as he was able to give, to take up the fundamental doctrines of the Gospel, and explain and enforce them in as simple a manner as he could, employing such familiar illustrations as the subject would admit, and as were calculated to strike the minds and touch the consciences of the hearers; and that he had found the exposition of the Parables and the historical parts of the New Testament to afford matter of great interest to the audience.

To that people, too, as a class amenable to authority and to penalties in case of disobedience, and conscious of such accountability and its results, he remarked, the presentation of the very solemn matters connected with the bar of God, can hardly be too gravely or too frequently pressed; it is good to take them often up, with all their dread responsibilities upon them, to the judg ment-seat of Christ, and make them feel, if possible, their condition as prisoners for solemn trial."

The Pastor of the Edisto Island Church, spoke to the following effect: "That almost at the commencement of his ministry he had adopted the plan of preaching to the coloured people attending at the church of which he had charge, apart from the white portion of the congregation. Those applying for church-membership, were particularly instructed and catechized, the doctrines and duties of religion being explained in the most simple language he could employ. From the time he took charge of his church he had pursued the following course as soon as the whites of the congregation had retired, he began a regular service for the coloured persons, consisting of reading and explaining the Scriptures, (principally the New Testament,) prayer, and singing. Frequently the psalm or hymn was explained before it

was sung, and their attention called to the importance of feeling, as well as understanding what they sung. He observed their countenances closely, and if they appeared not to comprehend his meaning, he repeated the idea in plainer language, with some familiar illustration. The applicants for membership, have been regularly assembled about one hour before the morning service, and orally taught, catechized from Jones' catechism, to which, he added questions of a practical and experimental nature. This course was continued for a year or longer, until satisfaction as to their state, views, and knowledge, was obtained.

At the commencement of the above course, a certificate of character, and permission from the owner to be instructed, was required. When any were about to be propounded to the session for admission, another certificate was required, stating (as far as the owner knew, and was willing to declare,) whether the applicant's conduct and character were such as appeared to be consistent with those of a Christian. The candidates for membership and the members also, have been encouraged to visit the minister at his house, for instruction or advice, whenever it could be done without a violation of the rules of the plantation."

These narratives may serve as specimens to some extent, of the sort of work which has heretofore, been performed by the Pastors of our churches, apart from the duties which are demanded by the care of the white congregations. It will be observed, that besides preaching and other religious services, particular attention has been paid to catechetical instruction, especially of candidates for admission into the church.

But, in addition to these labours of love in behalf of the slave, some of the Pastors of our country churches have been in the habit of going round to the plantations in regular rotation, and there preaching the Gospel and catechizing old and young. This plan is attended with fatigue and exposure, as we have known some ministers after the labours of the Sabbath, to be kept out on account of the distances to be travelled, until a late hour of the night; but it is also accompanied with peculiar advantages to the coloured people. By this means, the

aged and infirm who are unable to reach the church, receive at their own doors, the precious consolations of the Gospel; the children are collected and instructed, and as the white families almost always attend these meetings, the relation between master and servant is rendered more tender by association at home, in the services of a common religion.

The accomplishment of the ends proposed by such a plan must, however, be necessarily imperfect on account of the multiplicity of duties, and duties too, of no ordinary hardship, which are thus made to devolve on a single man. Hence the obvious necessity for the missionary exclusively devoted to this department of labour; and would that all our planters would adopt the course, generously pursued by not a few, of concentrating their means, in order to secure the services of men for this work, in every community. The church at large, too, in prosecuting the great purposes of Domestic Missions, might do well to consider whether a fund should not be raised to assist in the support of such men throughout all her bounds. It is a subject well worth the attention of our Presbyteries. The Methodist Church has long acted on this plan, and no just reason can be urged why our own church should not institute a similar scheme of Missionary enterprise in the coloured field. We cannot but be persuaded that if such effort be made, the requisite labourers will not be wanting. Let the church be faithful in prayer to the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers into His harvest, and the waiving grain will not long remain unreaped. It is not intended by these remarks to disparage the past exertions of our church; in a great measure she hath done what she could," and, considering the number of her ministers, nobly done it; but it cannot be denied that a more effective scheme of Missionary operations than that which now exists, is needed to meet our growing light and increasing responsibilities. In this connection, the fact has been mentioned by the Pastor of the John's Island Church, and we hail it as an indication of an interest in this subject which is beginning to be felt,-that the requisite amount for the support of a Missionary to the blacks, within the bounds of his congregation, has already been cheerfully