similes of two inscriptions, which I sometime ago very carefully copied from two Bells, whilst on a visit in Hampshire; the church in which they are placed is supposed to have been erected in the reign of the successor of William, commonly called the Conqueror :

VIRTVS CAMPANE: FACIAT: NOS:
VIVERE SANE SIT: NOBIS OMEN:
TOVZEYNS: CVM: SIT: TIBI: NOMEN:

May the virtue of the Bell make us live well.-As thy name is Touzeyns [all saints] may it be to us a token of good!

O, great Augustine, be kindly present I pray thee, that while this Bell is ringing the holy Lamb may speedily chase away all evil!

These inscriptions, which I believe are all, except one, now in existence, on the bells where they were inscribed, appear to me direct and positive evidence of some of the mischiefs that have arisen from attempts, alas! too successful, to graft Christianity upon the old stock of Paganism, by the Romish church.-Nor is improvement to be expected within her pale, since the same superstition remains in the countries under her influence; and no longer ago than the year 1819, one of our country travelling through Italy, observed it customary to jingle the church Bells whenever there was a thunder storm, and upon enquiring of a peasant on one occasion, the meaning of such disturbance, he was answered, "that it was done to drive away the devil." 1 And a Bell has, within these few weeks past, been exhibited to the Society of Antiquaries, called the Bell of St. Caenon (St. Kinnon), of whose sanctity the people of that part of Ireland whence it was brought, think so highly, as to imagine that the breach of an oath taken upon it, would be followed by instant death!

If such be the sentiments infused into the minds of the unlettered, by those who have the care of souls, over so large a part of what is called the Christian world as the church of Rome embraces within its dominion, how thankful ought we, as Protestants, to be, that, by the blessing of God, we are, in some measure drawn from the atmosphere of its influence. How dreadful must be the situation of those, who, in matters of comparatively small importance, teach such diabolical opinions; those who ought to watch over the church of God for good and not for evil! Let us take them as examples to avoid their practices, which are calculated to enslave the mind in ignorance and idolatry, and to call down the vengeance of heaven on those who follow their wicked devices.

D. B.

1 Blunt, ut supra, p. 164.

SCRIPTURE PHILOLOGY.

THE EDITOR will oblige one of his readers and friends by inserting the following queries, to which satisfactory replies are solicited.

1. What are the precise and just claims of the Holy Scriptures upon mankind? 2. Are they to be regarded as composing an entire system of Divine revelation, and is every portion of them entitled to the same respect from Christians?

3. Have we internal evidence of the whole of them having been Divinely commanded to be written?

4. Do they comprise all varieties of subject, as well as of style and composition? 5. Is explicit testimony in all instances to be required; or may we be satisfied with inference and example?

6. What authors, British or Foreign, have satisfactorily discussed these particulars of Sacred Philology?

INDEX FOR THE BIBLE.

The Editor, or any of his Correspondents, would much oblige me by the mention of any other Indexes to the Scriptures, in addition to the following:

Affixed to Barker's Bible, of 1606, are

"Two right profitable and fruitful Concordances, or large and ample tables alphabetical. The first containing the interpretation of the Hebrue Caldean, Greeke, and Latine wordes and names scatteringly dispersed throughout the whole Bible, with their common places, following every of them. And the second, comprehending all such other principal wordes and matters, as concerne the sense and meaning of the Scriptures, or direct unto any necessary and good instruction," &c.

"A Rational Concordance, or an Index to the Bible; wherein are given the proofs of all the Scripture duties and doctrines, by referring to the several texts relating to each subject; with references also to the historical passages, in an alphabetical order. By Matthew Pilkington, LL.B." Nottingham: 1749.

"Index to the Bible; in which the various subjects, which occur in the Scriptures, are alphabetically arranged; with accurate references to all the books of the Old and New Testaments, designed to facilitate the study of these invaluable records." London: 1811.

Chorlton Row.

ENQUIRER.

[To the above, our Correspondent may add, Bernard's "Thesaurus Biblicus," &c. in which the subjects are "all alphabetically set down, throughout the Bible." Folio, second edit. 1661.]

ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE OF THE WALDENSES.

ON reading Gilly's late Narrative of an Excursion to the Mountains of Piedmont, I discovered, to my astonishment and regret, an account of festive dances as now practised among that interesting people. The following is extracted from p. 238. of this writer's narrative.

"I was interested in observing how much M. Best entered into the spirit of the amusements of the evening. Austerity forms no part of the religious character of the Vaudois; and this worthy minister thought it not at all inconsistent with his sacred profession, to be present at an assembly of his flock, where music and dancing were admitted. Formerly, dancing was prohibited among the Vaudois; but it was in those dark and dismal times, when these poor people were scarcely ever secure of their lives, and when any indication of merriment agreed but ill with their miserable condition.-Upon this occasion, every body had a smile, or a salutation, or an expression of affection for their benevolent pastor, and seemed to derive additional pleasure from his presence."

Such is the statement of the Rev. W. S. Gilly, relative to the practice of the Waldenses, who, I had always previously understood, had been distinguished for their nonconformity to the world. To what extent the present deterioration of their morals prevail, I know not; but is it not a matter of surprise that they should be thus vindicated and applauded by an English Clergyman?

With best desires for their reformation, and the return of others also to the apostolical standard of primitive and exemplary Christianity,

I am,

Mr. Editor, Yours,

March 1st. 1826.

NON CON.

Note.-Much valuable information relative to the Piedmontese churches will be found in Jones's History of the Christian Church; the last edition of which, contains some Strictures on Mr. Gilly's Narrative.-EDIT.