SIR,

Enquiries and Correspondence.

Romans ix. 18.-Health.

1. Will you be so kind as to explain Romans iz. 18?

2. And also give me your opinion as to whether it is proper to engage in any duties (for instance Sabbath school teaching at some distance from home) when by performing those duties you incur sickness.

A reply in your Magazine next month will greatly oblige

AN INTERESTED Reader.

1. God is often said in Scripture to do that which he allows to be done. Seeing, as He does, the end from the beginning, He must of course know who will be the objects of his mercy, as well as who will become hardened in sin. But the great mischief is, that man puts himself in God's place, and pretends that he can know these things. As a practical question, man cannot be affected by what God only knows, so that there is nothing in this text or in any other, that favors the highly absurd and dangerous views held by our hyper-Calvinists and Antinomians.

2. Health is an important consideration, but not the most important one. For our own parts, we are decidedly of opinion that it is more frequently promoted, than injured, by such exercises as are referred to. But allowing that it suffers, is it quite clear that this indisposition is not the effect of an overweening care of it at home, by which it is rendered too delicate for active philanthropies?

We look upon it as one of the most grievous signs of the times, that our young people are so ready to sacrifice every thing to health, and in many cases to a mere theory respecting it, which their hard-working and active elders prove to be most visionary. The good old rule is after all our best answer. "The path of duty is the path of safety.”

Prayer for Sinners.

SIR, I should feel much obliged if you would kindly favor me with an answer to the following question :—

How far are we authorised by Scripture to expect a direct answer to intercessory prayer, when the individual for whom we pray is living in open sin? I remain, Sir,

Yours respectfully, M. F.

We do not think that our Saviour would have prayed for his murderers had he despaired of an answer. We are especially enjoined to pray for those who use us despitefully and persecute us, and who are consequently, in one sense at least, living in open sin. Peter enjoined Simon the sorcerer to pray for himself, and he does not seem to have repudiated his request that Peter would also intercede for him.

With regard to the answer to such prayer, it is for God to decide whether it shall be " 'direct" or indirect. We are, at the best, but poor, blundering interpreters of God's dealings, and may often mistake a favorable, for an unfavorable, token. But one duty is nevertheless plain,-to "pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit."

At the same time we should remember that prayer is not the only duty enjoined in such cases as our correspondent refers to. We should reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with all long-suffering and faithfulness, and use every other scriptural means to bring the sinner to a sense of his wretched and dangerous position.

It is, of course, assumed, that the party praying, is not the party prayed for. Our answer in such a case would be very different.

DR. JOHN TEODOR.

MANY of our young readers, perhaps, may have heard of the Sclavonian Mission, founded in London on the 25th April, 1846, and of its Missionary, the Rev. John Teodor, D.D. formerly a popish priest. In the metropolis and its neighbourhood, Dr. Teodor has been delivering lectures in aid of this mission, and of the great cause with which it is identified-the reformation now going forward amongst the Romish churches on the continent, and particularly in Poland.

Our readers who are anxious to further the good work, have now an opportunity of doing so, at an outlay, which will be reimbursed a hundred-fold in the deeply interesting information obtained, by purchasing Dr. Teodor's narratives entitled "Popery in Poland," and

"The Sclavonian Church of Christ," published by Mr. Blackburn, 903, Holborn Hill. As a specimen of the thrilling character of these little pamphlets we give some of the leading facts relative to the writer's conversion, trusting that they may create such an appetite for more, as will lead those who peruse them to purchase the original

account.

I do wonder how I could ever have been reduced from a reasonable being, into a barbarian, a misanthrope, a mean, cowardly tool of the most inveterate foes of truth and justice- the Church of Rome! I am astonished, indeed, at my former darkness, when according to the tenets of Rome, I thought myself capable to conjure my Saviour into a bit of wafer-to forgive the sins, which offended not me, but Almighty God-to perform a farce before glittering blocks made out of perishable stuff, and placed on the pagan altars of the Roman church, with the sole view to cheat the people out of their money!—to look upon every Protestant, as upon an unclean, everything polluting being -to consider it a duty, and even to believe that God would recompence me for the destruction of every one who does not believe in the abominable system of Romanism-and to look upon sinful, aye, depraved and incorrigible monsters, as upon infallible spiritual fathers.

It was only when I was admitted, by blind obedience and strict observance of priestly rules, into the higher orders, that the blind fell from my eyes, and I perceived to my horror that my office was either that of a depraved, heartless wretch—that of a consummate impostor-or that of an ignorant living machine. Previous to my becoming secretary to the Bishop Gutkowski, I was theological professor of the college at Janow; as such I had the privilege of access to a large library, and in the course of examining the volumes which it contained I met with one, which when opened, proved to be the Bible. I had seen large folio Bibles before, which are kept sealed up, fettered with chains, and shut up with locks, the keys of which are confided only to the care of the archbishops; but I had never before touched one, by far less could I have read it. I felt a sensation commingled with fear, curiosity, and surprise; my blood ran into my head, my heart began to beat quickly; I could not move from the place, nor dared I turn my head for fear that somebody should discover the cause of my agitation. I cunningly replaced the object so accidentally acquired into its place, and going from place to place, examining book after book, I ventured at last to turn round and to ascertain if there was not a person present observing my proceedings.

Having looked behind the doors, under the tables, and into every corner, and being convinced that I was quite alone, I ran to my Bible,

took it under my arm among other books, and carried it unseen into my private room: however, I did not forget to fill up its place in the library with another book. I began to read with avidity, and discovered in the Old Testament nothing which would lead me to believe, at that time, that the rites and ceremonies of the Church of Rome were idolatrous. On the contrary, when reading about the rites, ceremonies, and symbols of the Levitical priesthood; of the building of the temple; of the construction of the tabernacle; of the different offerings of fruits and animals; of the celebration of the Jewish passover, and other festivities; I could compare with all those external proceedings of the Jews, almost all the performances of the Church of Rome, and even to discover in them a close relationship. I wondered then why the Protestants, whom I knew believed in the Bible, and worshipped God accordingly, dared to condemn our Roman Catholic exhibitions?

But when I began to study the New Testament-when I began to perceive that what was prophesied in the Old, was accomplished in the New Testament-when I began to compare the sayings of the prophets with the precepts of Christ-when I read that the only mediator of the New Testament is Christ (Heb. ix. 15,) and not the Pope-when I read that even Christ has not ventured to forgive sins by his own power as man, but said only to every one, "thy sins are forgiven according to thy faith "-when I read Christ's commandments, "Call no man your master, father, or king"-when I read "that we are all called to an eternal priesthood"—when I read, "that we ought to be all brethren, equal with the angels "-then, and only then, I came to the conclusion that the whole show and pomp of the Roman rites is but a partial imitation of the Jewish ceremonies, yet a complete imitation of the golden calf festival, and other pagan observances.

But when I perused the eighth and ninth chapters of the Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews, and learned "that the temporal covenant with the fathers of the Jews is abolished by the eternal covenant of the Gospel of Christ, just so as by the eternal priesthood of Christ the Levitical priesthood of Aaron is abolished for ever"-then I was thunderstruck how the Church of Rome dared to act quite contrary to the precepts of Christ, when pretending at the same time to do everything according to the commandment of God and our Saviour.

My mind was so full of the Scriptures, that I commenced a course of lectures to the young students upon various parts of the New Testament, called the Evangely, by the Romanist. This was soon detected, and several of the professors in consequence, denounced me as unfit for my office, and sought means for my dismissal. Bishop Gutkowski treated the matter lightly: he attributed it to overstudy,

considered my mind a little disordered, and agreed to remove me from. my professorship, and take me under his own charge as his secretary I was not dissatisfied at the change. The bishop behaved kindly; and I had more opportunities, as I made many visits with him, of diving more fully into the mysteries and secret doings of the higher orders, whose real god is power and revenue, whose means are intimidations and deceptions, and whose sole aim is temporal enjoyment and animal gratifications.

One evening in the month of March, 1839, the bishop, who long ago suspected my studying some serious works, surprised me over my Bible, when I thought him to be fast asleep in his own apartments. He reprimanded me for having broken the prohibitory laws of the church, saying "that the Roman church in her wisdom, to spare the trouble to her children, who very often may commit sacrilegious blunders, or form false views out of scriptural texts-has resolved to be the sole interpretress of the Old and New Testaments, and propped upon her infallibility to explain them more clearly through the medium of her statutes and catechisms;" and to my great grief, he at once, and in my presence, consigned it to the flames.

This was a severe trial to me, but I determined to watch every opportunity to procure another Bible; in the meantime my mind was much disturbed, it dwelt constantly upon those passages I had read, so much so, that I had frequently by mistake written scripture texts into the books of my office. The bishop, observing my disquiet, took me out more frequently, and it was in one of these visits to an old priest, that I found, in the corner of his library, another Bible, when looking over his books. O, how I rejoiced at my good fortune! I took it directly, unobserved, into my handkerchief, and managed secretly to convey it home. In virtue of my office, I had a right, not only to confiscate any prohibited book, but to punish the offender; but then the Bible would have been destroyed, or sealed up by the bishop, and the proceedings entered in the archives; I preferred, therefore, to seize it secretly. My spirits revived, my countenance became cheerful, and although it was some days before I could venture to open my Bible, still the possession of it caused me much joy; and fortunately, the bishop attributed my gaiety to the more frequent change of air and excursions which he induced me to take. On the first night's reading I took particular care to have my window well screened and the keyhole of my door covered, so much afraid was I of again losing my treasure. I ran over the same chapters of the New Testament as I did before, confirming my former conclusions once more, but it was not, however, till I met with the Epistle of Paul to the Romans, from the