the one side to mere sermons or points of divinity, or, on the other, taking up secular questions in a secular spirit; we have wished to allow a considerable latitude to our range of topics, but to imbue the whole with a Christian spirit,-not to thwart the progress of information or intellect in the vain expectation of thereby promoting scriptural piety, but rather to make every kind of talent and knowledge subserve the cause of religion.

In pursuit of this plan, our readers will find, in every Number of our volumes, several articles of a devotional, theological, biblical, or ecclesiastical kind; followed by papers more miscellaneous in their nature, but intended generally "for the use of edification," while they present to the mind many amusing or informing topics. For most of these we are indebted to our respected correspondents; to all of whom we gratefully return our best acknowledgments. Our Reviews comprise a notice of various publications, chiefly, but not exclusively, theological, or connected with questions which appeared to us likely to interest or inform the friends of religion and of our church, or to give as it were a hallowed cast to matters of common interest. Our brief abstract of Literary and Philosophical Intelligence, without encroaching much. upon our limits, falls in sufficiently with our general design. But no department of our work appears to us of greater moment than the monthly record of Religious Intelligence; which, owing to the vast extension of Christian and philanthropic exertion throughout the world, and, without any thanks to us, except for the labour of selecting and abstracting, offers a more interesting periodical mass of information, connected with the progress of religion and its attendant blessings, than could ever have been presented in any other age or country. Our View of Public Affairs is designed to exhibit such a sketch of the chief passing occurrences of human society, especially in our own land, as may befit the contemplations of a reflecting Christian mind; and never was there a period which furnished more numerous or important subjects for practical inference, as well as religious and philosophical speculation.

We must leave our readers to glance over the contents of the present volume for themselves, to ascertain how far we have succeeded in our intended objects. As an illustration, we shall refer only to two or three political events, with their consequences. The first week of the year, opened with the recognition of South-American Independence by the British Government; and to how many topics of interest, moral, social, political, and religious does this important subject lead! The meeting of Parliament incidentally brought before the public, in connexion with Ireland, the state of Popery; and this likewise has opened before us a wide field-unhappily a field of painful controversy, into which, as far as religion is concerned apart from politics, we have repeatedly entered in the present volume. Next followed various events connected with the state of slavery in our Western Colonies, which also have demanded from us numerous references, and we fear will often call us again to the combat with this dire curse of humanity. In other respects we have had very little in the shape of controversy in the present volume; and we would hope, from the auspicious signs of the times, that hostile discussion will become less and less a staple of Christian conversation or Christian authorship, till that blessed period shall arrive, which we devoutly trust is hastening on, when that true millennium, so largely alluded to by us in one of our recent Reviews, shall be consummated, by the banishment from among mankind of vice and ignorance, of error and irreligion, and when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ.