Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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We lately made a short extract from the charge of Bishop Mcllvaine of Ohio, to the clergy- of his Diocese. The following is frpdUhe same charge. It is the spiritual growth of the Church, which, in her special circumstances at this time, should receive the most earnest soli citiwle ?f her members. We are well built up, in many respects, as a visible body. We need to be more built up "a spiritual house, a holy preistiiood. to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." "God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us," hath greatly quickened the spiritual character of our Church. Her walls art much more composed of "lively stones.' She has become in a much greater degree "a habitation of God through the Spirit.* But is there no cause to apprehend a dead euing effect upon our further progress it spiritual attainment from the peculiar circumstances which we are placed' When so many causes are operating tc show the evil of a low estimate of the vahu of a fixed, well defined and palpable systen of external appointments in the Church? when attention to litis nelected subject is sc fast reviving, and wo all feel that much ol our immunity from the evil alluded to is at tribu'able, under God, to the firmness will which our communion has held on to sue! a system; is there no danger of our bcim led to concentrate too much thought and in terest on these things that are seen ant temporal, to a paralysing neglect of u thing: unseen and eternal V When all around there is so much t< turn our thoughts upon the great value o the institutions we have inherited from tin wisdom, piety, moderation and steadfastness of our parent C!lurch; is there no dangei of our contracting n self-complacency, i pride of privilege, a degree of satisfactioi with what we attained, which will as nuicl prevent that spirit of thankfulness, humility and prayer, with which we should a I way: look to (md for more grace, as it will pro mote just tiiat spirit of pharisaic ant offensive superciliousness with which w< ought never to look upon a fellow Chris tian ! While the name of revival of religion ii ^ O so grievously perverted, and elforts to pro mote what is called by it, have brought the purify, soberness, and vitality of genuine piety into such disrepute by the intemperance of their zeal, the fanaticism of theii measures, the insipidity of their professec fruits, and the ruinous evil of their more permanent consequences; while under the name of seeking the reviving influences ol the Holy Spirit, there is such boastful do. pondeuce upon machinery of man's contrivance, and in the preaching that vaunts a special faithfulness with the impenitent and ?IT ?^1 ? ni\J-utin] Tnol fur lilt: SVU-UCCCIYCU, auu il aj/wim lui more fervent piety, the plainest common sense perceives so vast a departure from all that is consistent in the truth, and lovely in the simplicity of the gospel; when under the name of fruits of the Spirit, as proceeding from certain special devices and instruments, we behold such presumption, such spiritual pride, such evil-speaking, such contempt of all rule ami authority, such "wrath, strifes,seditions, heresies/' is there no danger that these things will ailed the mind of our Church more powerfully to. wards a certain direction titan they ought ?that Satan will take advantage of the dire abuse of a noble object and a holy duty, to make us insensibly confound the good perverted, with the evil to which it is perverted, and cause such disgust with the re? I _ .1 _c i: vival 01 fanaticism, unutr me name vi ivugion, that we shall become less zealous tor a genuiue and general revival of religion, in place of fanaticism ? Is there no danger that we shall be moved by these evils to lay such stress upon sobriety, that dulness will ensue, and to feel such dread of intemperate efforts that we shall decline ?n zealous efforts?that while we are for etl to love more and more the " old ways," we shall not seek as we ought, for our whole communion, a new heart and a right spirit, nor set ourselves with earnestness, proportioned to the present abuse of the precious influences of the Spirit, to seek by n.ore zealous and faithful preaching?by more fervent and importunate praying, that the mighty power of the Holy Ghost may come on the Church of a truth, vindicating the honor of religion by the excellence of His fruits, and every where raising up wit nesses of the truth who " by well doing may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men." When, in addition to all these considerations, we remember the spirit of slumber which, in the opinion of reflecting minds, is fast spreading over the Christian community of this country; that intense covetousness of worldly gain which has taken such possession of the business part of the population, **leading captivity captive;" that rapid increase of worldly-minded indulgence in the pomps and vanities of the world?in " the lust of the eyes and the pride of life" with which the sudden increase of wealth in the community has been attended; is there no reason to fear that we may go on to multiply churches and increase the external well-being of all ?.. and Pvdn rnntnhntf* a crront <leai uiore, because daily becoming a great deal more able, to ail enterprizes of benevolence, occasionally establishing a new post in the foreign missionary field, and God occasionally raising up an additional candidate for the toils and dangers of the enterprize, while such a spirit of slumber may come over the Church as will cause a lamentable decline in the purity of her zeal, the fervour of her love, the acceptableness of her whole character as a light in the world ? But we have not merely to. escape the danger of declension and hold fast that which we have attained; but greatly to increase in every grace of a n>iritual Church before we can be qualified tp occupy that place in the service of God to which we are called. It is not merely as a conservative society that the Church was instituted, but an aggressive host to go forth under the hand of the Lord and extend his dominion to the ends of the earth. According to this great principle, our Church has put herself in battle array as a Missionary Church. Iler array is excellent. In its chief features, it is just that of the days when Apostles led tiie advance and new victories every day crowned their banners. But their battle array was not their strength. The life of their host was the constraining ; love of Christ. The strength of their host, 1 was a lively faith that first in each soldier | overcame the world within, and so made | j the whole army mighty through God to . overcome the world without. Only let j such love be our life, circulating freely J! through our whole system; only let such 1 faith be our strength, binding in holy sub. ; j jeet:on each minister and member to a lite ! of faith in she i>on of God, and our array "! also will be " mightv through God." | # ?' But is this the spirit of our Church at ,! this time? I acknowledge with gratitude . I -I >1 (111., nrvioif in (lin I 'tinr/ili T f(IM* j inai uicru una aj'n>i in, ui<_ vuuiviii )! far it pervades the Church is anotlier ques. '* I tion. It has greatly increased within a few * ? j years. It seems to be now fast extending. "! It has raised up missionaries; it has taken ! I positions far in advance of the Christian j camp; it is increasing those means for * i their support, which man is expected to 1 { supply, and seeking the rest from God. 1 j All this is animating, but let us beware of 5 j too much congratulation. I am afraied we j are in danger of depending too much on the I arrangement for operations, and the men * i and means; as if the needful spirit of holy cnterprize to sustain them ami to carry \' them into full effect would follow of course. ; While I hear much of the language of just * j satisfaction with the plan; 1 would there ' ; were a deeper, humble, more universal 1 j sense of our need of a great deal more of 1 j the inind of Christ and of devoted love be1 ! fore that plan can be prosecuted with exI j tensive success. The general organization I of our Church for missionary movement, 5 admits, perhaps, of but little improvement. II But, brethren, what vast improvement must i be made in the spiritual elevation, the same '' j devotodness of our whole communion if " i we would make the internal qualification | of our Church for "the vocation wherewith ' ! she is called," in a good degree correspon" j dent to the completeness ot' her external ' i arrav. Considering her state in this re' i specf, by comparison with that of past times, ' i I see a great deal to comfort us. But .! when we think of the spirit which God ex] pects of his Church; and the holy pattern | j of His love, and zeal, and purity "who *; left us an example that we should follow his j stepswhen we turn to the world for ' | which he died and behold what must be '! done for its conversion; and then consider J i what God will have us to do, how many i messengers mus* be sent forth?what self! devotcdness and faith and holy boldness for 11 Christ is required in them, what consecration of wordlv substance by members ofthe i f'lintv-li cuvtnin thn met r?f wnr. and what V1UI1VII iw oiwmm IMV vvw? v. .. v.. j . a spirit of prayer must breathe throughout ' our congregations, to hold up the hands of j a missionary ministry and draw down upon ' I their efforts that increase which cometh j only of God; when wc consider what indifference to the world and " holiness to the ; Lord''is required of "all sorts and condi! tions of men" in the Church, for these ends; i is there any thing to bid us feel as if we j had done more than just make a good he. ginning! Is there not every thing to make ; us feel the necessity, and to animate us I with the earnest desire of a very great and universal growth of our Church in the life and power of a fervent love and a living faith ? Oil! did we only enjoy this | most precious blessing; could we receive ' the reviving influences of the Holy Ghost j descending 44 as rain upon the mown grass i ?as showers that water the earth," reviv-1 . ing every where the face of the Church; j quickening all her powers to newness of life; causing a general growth in the personal holiness ami the living faith of our I ministry, and setting the affections of our laity upon a much higher standard of at. tuinment in the hidden life and unreserved j devotcdness of genuine piety?then what new beauty would spread over our external institutions: what a new impulse would be given to our sacred entcrprizes; how many more of our youth would consccra;c their talents to the ministry; how many . more of our ministry would rejoice in the sacrifices of the missionary; how much more of the worldly possessions of our people would be held in solemn consecration to the glory of God; how many more of our laity would be willing to labor in self-denying services for the salvation of souls; what an increase of divine blessings upon every effort of the Church for the promotion of the gospel would descend, in anj swer to the great increase of the spirit of j humble, importunate supplication to God. ! Is not this the great thing, the one thing | needful for the Church; Does not every ; Christian heart acknowledge and deeply feel that in view of the dangers to be escaped, the talents to be improved, and the great work to be done, the chief want of the Church is the far higher elevation of her Christian character that she may walk by a noble standard of single-hearted and zealj ous devotedness to the Lord, and this in all 1 ranks of the ministrv and all classes of the j IU11J. j Vcs, brethren, in these times of all kinds of excitement and of impulse, when there is such impatience for present etFcct, and comparatively so little "patient continuance i is well doing;" when the demand for a wider extension of the surface of Christians influence, without a corresponding attention to the increase of the supply, while it has made the stream more noisy, has alone made it more shallow; when the old fashioned way of seeing to the root of the matter by entering into one's closet and shutting the door, and trying "the ground of the heart," before Him "who seeth in secret," has so much given place to things less quiet, more stimulating and more "seen of men;" when the exercise of a simple, steady, child-like love to God, as sufficient for all good works, is so much overlooked amidst the variety of temporary expedients for exciting Christians to action; when so much of the religion c the day, instead of being as "the tree plan tod by the rivers of water that bringeth lortl its fruit in due season, whose leaf also dot not wither," is rather as the seed that "fe upon stony places, where it had not muc earth ; arid forthwith sprung up, because. , had no deepness of earth; and when the sui was up was scorched; and because it ha no root, withered away;" assuredly in sue I times, the chief thing to be sought for th | Church is not greater numbers, but nior | grace; more holiness; a deeper implantatio of the love of God; less exposure to the ag | tations of this open sea, by having a strong'I hold upon that hope which as "an anchor c j the soul entereth to that within the vail; ; and by having more of that deep fastenin | of godly principle, which, whether the tic! | be high or low, the tempest lulled or ragin< J "abideth continually," fixed on Ilim "wh ! is the same yesterday, to day, and forever, j Such is the chief want of the Church i i the present time. j From the New-York Observer. j REMINISCENCES OF DR. MORRISON. i His countenance bore the impress of tli eflect of grace on a mind and temperamer I naturally firm, and somewhat haughty.j There was a mixture of dry sub-acid hi ! mor which lurked beneath the almost satui | nine exterior, and which was easily wake J up by any thing ludicrous, and at the sam j time contemptible. lie spoke with the at ) cent of the west of England. His mannc 1 was civil rather than affable; serious an thoughtful, breathing a devoted piety, Goi don was a diminutive man, of obscquiot manners and feeble mind. Lee was dar i and forbidding, with a sinister cast of on ! eye; his wife, a pious woman, from rath( I low life; Mrs. Gordon was in every sens i a lady, tall and beautiful, of an elevated an polished mind, though not possessed of c i much of the missionary spirit as her lef J gifted companion. The interview \vz 1 cnlnmn hut nlonsnnt. Strantrcrs. born 0 ! "Y*" i . , different sides of the Atlantic, there was hi j one bond between us; yet the divine natui ! of that one "ni)stic tie" was speedily recoj ! nized, as communion unlocked the hiddc ! treasure of the heart; and when, at the clos< j we bowed our kness in social prayer, tl: tears which fell on every side were witness* of that strange affection to an unseen Bein and to all who love Him, which knows notl I ng of oceans, ior separating mountains,j nothing of distance, or of time. { In a day or two Dr. Morrison was seize j with sudden indisposition. As I sat by h ! bed, he took my hand, and adverting to tl: ! uncertain issue of the attack, expressed, i ! language which told of a mind at ease an 1 prepared for every event, his resignation I j the divine will. After urging me to great< devotedness to the cause of Christ's glor he closed with these words, which I afte wards found were ever on his lips, "Dec j brother, look up?look on." | As the notice had been very short, li i was placed, for the first night, in our ow i chamber. By the side of his head stood J crib, in which slept my little child. 0 j awaking, in the morning, she turned, a j usual, to talk to her mother. Seeing stranger, where she expected to have foun j her parents, she roused herself with a loo ; ofalarm, hut living her eyes sadly upon hi ! face, she inquired, "Man, do you pray I I God?" "Oh yes my dear, said Mr. Morr j son, every day. Cod is my best friend. I At once reassured, the little girl laid he | head contentedly upon her pillow, and fe i fast asleep. She was e\ cr after a great ft | vorito with him. lie did not seem very favorably impressed with America. Though avoiding an offensive comments, he would occasional! drop a word to his companions which scald ed as it fell. I do not wonder he was nt ! much in love with the ministers: for so di! ferent was the feeling then entertained te ward missionaries, that during the whol time of his stay, which was several week: he was asked, I think, hut once, possibl twice, to preach for anv of them. He sai I i_?. ! UlllOUl UJ15 UCgJCOl, UUl liu luiu II uti.jM? . On unpacking his books, to air them, al tcr the voyage, he showed me two lbli volumes in manuscript, written with his ow hand. They were in the Chinese charac I ter, and consisted of laborious copies ( j two MSS. which had been discovered, j think, in the Bodleian library in Englanc j one a Harmony of the gospels prepared i j Chinese, by one of the Jesuits, the other ! vocabulary. On inquiring of him how h | learned to write the character, he related t j me the following very striking tact. Som j time after lie had devoted himself to th j work of missions, and had fixed upon Chin I as the field of his future labors, lie was walk i ing the streets of London, and observe approaching, in an opposite direction, a ma | in the garb of a sailor, but who had a ver j peculiar countenance and air. Struck b j his strange outlandish appearance. Dr. M I accosted him. and enquired who and whenc ! he was; when, to his great surprise, he foun (the man was a Chinese. lie asked hij | whether he was acquainted with the tar ; guagc. The stranger smiled and said | was his native tongue. "And would yo i be willing to teach it, if properly compel j sated?" "Oh yes: me love catch gon ! profit." "And can you teach me to wrii I the character? Do you write it yourself] j Aha! me schoolmaster in Chinese country. Here is a wonder for the christian to coi template. A Chinese schoolmaster, coi ducted by the invisible hand of Providenc from Canton to the streets of London, thei i to meet a missionary of the cross and th ; future translator of the Bible into Chinese I Let infidels enjoy their cheerless creed whic | shuts out God from his own world and a | tributes all events to a blind fortuity; bt i give me the blessed faith | O " that sees a God employed In all the good and ill which chequer life." It is needless to say that he engaged tli man upon the spot, and at once put himse under a course of tuition. The modeadoj ted by the Chinese to teach his pupil to wrii | was, he said, the same as he pursued wit | his young countrymen. A page of tli thin -paper, through which ew?ry strok f could be distinctly seen: and then, with c . small brush or pencil of stiff hair set in c 1 reed handle, and held virtically (by the mid 1 j die finger against the first and third,) ever} 1! line was carefully and repeatedly trace< i until it became familiar. After much o t this drudgery, Dr. M. sat him patienth i down to the Jesuit Harmony, and copiet J out every syllable of it for his own futur< i use. This accounts for the otherwise sur s prising facility with which he subsequenth e | acquired the language on his arrival in Chi ti j na. What an impressive spectacle mus .! this man have presented, as he sat at hi: r j solitary task in the Bodleian, to a being ac if I quainted with the design God was about t< " ! accomplish by his hands. Is it too mucl g | to believe that angelic eves sometimes look e j ed over his shoulder, beholding with grow r, | ing admiration both the wisdom and good o ! ness of God in thus training the man whi " ; was to unbar the gates of life to the million it: of the east? I . u: i w ncn ne came 10 uns cuuuuy, ms c-.\ ; penses, of course, were paid by the Societ j which had sent him out, and the societ; i were pledged to place him on the Chines' c i shore: but here their pledge terminated.? [t ! They could not promise anything certaii _ i as to his subsequent support; and so ver u j uncertain were the means of that suppoi | in his eyes that he gladly accepted the gil j , of a large and well finished brass penta c ' graph, as it might possibly a (lord him th j means of taking profiles, in aid of his fund r j in a strange land. The thought was sun j ; gested by the success which had then ri | cently attended the labors of some artist {in that time in this country; profiles hap j. ! pening at that time to he much in vogue.? j On so slender a prospect had this believei strong in faith, gone forth like Abrahar _ ; from his home and his country, "not know 0 1. v j I ing whither he went." lie truly and liter ! ally "trusted in God," and in God alone ! And no less remarkable is the manner i J which his faith was rewarded. For s _ j eminent were his attainments soon foun lt to be in the language of the country, that i e a short time after ho had been in China, h r_; received an appointment under the Britisl ' j Government, as their translator of officir ^ ' documents with a salary of ?500 sterling ' a year. e i J !s Increased Observance ok the Sabbat: g in France, i- A correspondent ofthc New York Churcl - man, after giving a melancholy view of th j deseeration of the Lord's day in Franct d | especially in the city of Paris, adds the fo is | lowing statement of facts, as affording som e | relief to the moral picture, n I "The number of those who now atten d ; public worship among the English iscertair o ly greatly on the increase. The generall tr ! moral and domestic character of the couj y i of France also, under the present royt family, is also highly honorable; and canni ,r fail to be greatly influcncial in directing c controlling public opinion on these points c The queen and the princesses arc regula n attendants at their parish church, in th a most unostentatious way. The number c n places where divine service in the Englis s language is performed in Ptfris now amount a to six; a few years ago there were but twe d and though the whole, together, will *c k ! accomodate, perhaps, a twentieth part c s i the residents and visiters, they are well ai o tended, and doubtless a wide moral influcnc i-1 is diffused over society by their means. " ! "Of the four or five English journals no^ r published in Paris, and which, of course 11 :.i?KK. ,? II 1111151 COUSluuiiluiy ninuuin-u p uuno Iiivnii . and taste; it is pleasing to observe that th , greater number are not published on Sun . 1 day." ^ From the Boston Recorder. y J " CHURCHES?PREACHERS?SMART MEN." - i Mr. Editor?I hear much said in th j churches about smart men?men of talent! ; great men, powerful preachers, &c. &c 1 and this more particularly in reference t ! candidates for settlement. The questio asked by churches in want of pastors, ar y not, is the candidate a good man ? soun J j in the faith ? eminently pious, devoted, an i active I?but is he a smart man ? a man c 1 talents? a popular preacher ? This has be 0 j come universal, fom the aristocratic cit 11 1 congregation with its salary of two or thre ( O w / i thousand a year, down to the feeble societ 'f j with its stipend of two or three hundre 11 Indeed the feebler the church, the more ui !>! willingness is often manifested to take u 11 : with a sound, pious, faithful minister & of ordinary talents. This feeling is doin e immense mischief both among the wealth 3 ! and feeble congregations; but more cspt c j cially the latter. I have a few things t c I say to small churches and feeble congregt j tionson the subject. I am not about to d( tract an iota from the smart men. Woul J : to God all the Lord's prophets were te j times more gifted, provided they were a Y I more pious than smart. But then tliei Y i arc evils connected with having one of oi j present race of smart men, of which fecb! 0 | churches little dream. Wealthy congregt 1 i tions can afford to bear these evils perhap 'i ! because they have great men at all event j though some of them are dying under the d j popular preachers. But feeble churchc u should look well to this matter, ror i- 1st. Many who pass for smart men, ai d I more showy than sound?more brilliant the 0 deep. They can let oil'a few sermons ar ' speeches wonderfully well, and their por is out. i- 2. Smart men are often more learnc than pious, and by their levity, and worldl e conformity, and want of spirituality, spoil s c their Sabbath ministrations. e 3. If your preacher is a smart man, vei ' possibly you will bo proud of him, and w h worship your preacher more than God; ai: 1- then God will blast both him and you. it 4. If you obtain a smart man, most prob; bly he will be ambitious, and soon think, th; such talents as lie possesses ought not to b confined to such a humble sphere, e 5. If your minister is a smart man, ar If has the reputation of it abroad, then the larg >r churches and colleges will most prob; e bly entice him away. He will have ca h upon call, till at last he becomes sati e ficd that the providence of God rails hii o ! to !oav". And thni i 6. You will find that having once had a ; i smart man, von will not ho willing to take J I up with any thing less than just such a ! r j smart man again. These smart, strong 1 i men, make churches fastidious. I know i f j a small church that is now dying from this j /! cause. It has had one or two smart men 1 J and they have broke away suddenly; & now j 3 this church is not willing to take up with - any thing much less than Dr. Becchcr. >' 7. Many of our smart men (I grieve to - to say it) do not preach the gospel plainly, t pungently, fully. They sacrifice sound s doctrine and faithful dealing to popularity. They wreath the sword of the spirit with so 3 many rhetorical flowers, that it does not n " pierce even to the dividing asunder ofsoul - and spirit." This sacrificing at the shrine - of popular applause is killing the orthodoxy - and piety of many congregations. The d poor leave the church because they arc not s : fed. And when God's poor ieave aehurch | j for such, or any other cause, orthodoxy and -1 piety will soon follow. y ! &. Smart men make churches fastidjous v : Like children fed on condiments, they have e j no relish for sound, wholesome instruc. -. tion. Their gospel must come to them n ! through a richer tube. They spurn at the y ! "sincere milk of the word," unless it is dealt ' * 1 #1 i i i l t j out witn a silver spoon nigniy omameiueu, it j and from a silver bowl set round with gems j and brilliants. No preacher is popular c j with them, whose ministrations enlighten s: their understanding, mortify their vanity, ; j humble their pride, correct their bad ternj pers, reprove their sloth, exalt their Savior, s and make them forget their preacher in their i- love and admiration of his Master. But | - | a minister is sure to be very popular with j i them, respecting whom they can say, "what n i a fine speaker, "what a fine voice," "what r-' beautiful figures." "what eloquent senten1 ces," " what correct taste," " what powerful ! i reasoningin short, " what a charming j n ! man and preacher he is"!!! Thus the man o. is loved, praised and followed, instead of his d i divine Master. 0 how some of these smart n | men, swollen by breath of human flatten*, e | will shrivel up, when they come before the h j judgment scat! Feeble churches, can you d | afford to have a smart man? Paul. ? ' Daniel Wilson, the present Bishop ofCalcutta,is one ofthe lights of the English church. 11 His evidences of Christianity, if less learn. ed than Paley's,are far more spiritual and bet-j l" tor adapted to interest common readers. ^ The following paragraphs are from his Prij* mary charge, delivered at Calcutta 1834. g j Labor in the Preparation, and Earn. estness in the delivery of sermons.? ' . 1 -I , A j i we may, ana ougnt to Destow me utmost labor in the preparation and delivery of our Sermons. Sermons have ever been the ^ chief instrument, under God, of the converxj sion of souls and the recovery and growth )t in grace of his faithful. We are social creatures. Every man has the power, though . not in an equal degree, of touching the " hearts of others. Every man does this, | ' when ho is interested deeply in other concerns : and the reason he does not do it in ^ the pulpit, is, either because he is not interestcd, or because some prejudice or ill habit obstructs the flow of his affections. Natu^ ral defects are no reasons against this; p strong feelings work through them every 1. <% c What the Apostle indeed calls the words of ,man's wisdom, is hateful. Affected elov qitence is disgusting. The hunting for 1 popular favor is base and degrading. The * preaching and setting forth of ourselves, in^ - T .1 1 1 X* 11 _ c stea'l oi L iirist Jesus mc ijoru, is ioiiy,?un- j ' faithfulncss,-prcsumption,'-treachery against; the King of Heaven. But the affectionate, | laborious, persuasive discharge of our high ' message, to the very best of our power and with all the means of reaching the heart which God has given us is what St. Paul eminently did. It its one of the main designs of the insti0 tution of a standing Ministry. The Priest " is to be the living messenger, the awakening j herald, the busy and diligent householder, j . the faithtiil, and eager watchman, the wise . steward of the mysteries of Christ. Nothing more is wanting to render a Clergyman i 111 Knn fA nA/YOtlVO?Aflf) whfi UlilUllIIIUI lllllli |W UV/ llbgUU/v V?v ^ docs not take pains, does not exhibit Christ clearly and prominently, does not put forth ^ all his powers to save men, does not apply his doctrine warmly and closely to their con" sciences. That silent and earnestness, f which God has established in the moral or^ dcr of things, is thus lost. The Minister's ? duty to take up the Written Word, and give I it a voice, and impregnate the neglected, j unknown doctrine of the Sacred Book with ? vividness and life, is thus lost. St. Paul could never have said that he was purefrom j the blood of all men, if he could not have said, .So being affectionately desirous of you, j. were willing to have imparted to you, not the Gospel of God only, but also our own L souls, because yc were dear unto us. tr J le The following is an extract from the report of the delegate from the General Conferance I of Maine to the General Convention of Ver mont which we find in the New York Evangelist. It shows a praiseworthy activity and liberality in the churches ot that siate. re The Maine Branch of the American Eduin cation Society is in a healthful state. It was id organized in the year 1319, and has already id assisted 180 indigent young men while preparing for the ministry, 50 of whom are now id preaching the gospel. At present it has [y under its care 81 beneficiaries. Of these ill 27 are in the Theological Seminary at Bangor?28 members of Bowdoin and y Waterville Colleges?and 2G are pursuing ill a course of study preparatory for admission id i?to college. And to sustain these without expense to the parent society between $5000 i- nnd $0000 have been contributed by our at churches during the past year. ,e , H the Maine Missionary Society is perhaps more than any other benevolent instiid tution the favorite ofChristians generally in ;c our section of the country. This naturally l- results from our local situation and from U the circumstances in which our churches are s- placed. For a population ofnearly halfa mill, n ion. scattered along the sea coasts of about 1 M00 miles, and over a territory larger than that of all the other New England States, & increasing too with great rapidity, can scarcely fail to open to the eye ot Christian philanthropy a wide Held of benevolent enterprise. Many of our settlements are yet in their infancy. Families are scattered here and there in the wildernces. And so. ciety is in a great measure uninformed. Of course multitudes must for years remain destitute of a preached gospel unless it is sent tojthem by the older and richer churches. But to meet these wants the State Society has during the past year raised about 11,000 dollars and employed 90 missionaries, the whole amount of whose labors has been a little more than 30 years. By these missionaries 147 destitute places have been visited, supplied more or less, and encouraged to assist themselves. And as the result of these operations, 23 places have been favored with revivals of religion?-400 hopeful conversions have been reported?27 meeting houses have been built or are now hoin" built?4 new churches have been or. o dained?and 21 pastors have been settled, 11 of whom are under the auspices of the Society. Many of our benevolent operauons, however have been retarded by a want of a suitable number of well educated and efficient ministers. Ofsuch men there are not enough in the State, nor can enough be obtained from abroad. To supply this deficiency has of course led the churches to feel the importance of sustaining the Theological Seminary at Bangor. And at the meeting of the General Conference a year ago the subject of placing it on a better foundation was introduced, and a resolution was adopted to rasie within six months 100,000 dollars for that purpose. This was accomplished, and the amount subscribed within the time was indeed a little more than 113,000 dollars?an effort unprecedented in the history ofour churches, and to use the words of another, "a noble monument of the liberality and energy of the friends of learning and religion of Maine." But before this ei fort was made a large and commodious edifice had been erected?two professorships had been endowed?new professors had been appointed?and a standard of classical and theological education had been established equal to that of the older Seminaries in other States. And now the friends of the Institution are looking forward to the j time and that not far distant too?when its advantages for a theologicai education will ... be in no respec- inferior is those of Andovcr or Princeton. The Union Annual for 1837?Published by the American Sunday School Union. Annuals designed for presents and 1 . i KeepsaKes, are now in general request ami their number has become quite multiplied. It is desirable that a good proportion of them should sustain a religious character and be adapted not only to entertain, but also to promote religious instruction and edification. The religious community should extend their patronage to such. We arc pleased to see that in addition to the 44 Religious Souvenir," formerly edited by the Rev. Dr. Bedell, and now by the Rev. Dr. Colton, President of the Bristol College, which is already issued, a new religious annual is proposed to be issued at Philadelphia, named/44 the Christian keepsake, and edited by the Rev. John A. Clarke. Wo are particularly gratified with the Union Annual, by the American Sunday School Union. It is fitted to fill a place not occuliv nnvnflinr ns rw?.nlinrlv nrpnarftd for j r ? v. , J r.~r --and adapted to the youth in our city churches, who are cither engaged in conducting Sabbath School instruction, or who arc growing up under its auspices. Ever)' parent, in presenting an annual as a gift to his children, should select this iirst. The articles it contains are well written, and some of them have peculiar interest, as **the i thoughtful child," " the broken rosebud," ! &c. Its execution as to type and paper is J excellent, and is bound in elegant embossed I morocco. It contains six beautiful engra! vings, besides the vignette title. Its price is $1 50.?Christian Intelligencer. From the S. C. Herald. A GOOD RESOLUTION. To my Overseer I pay annually four hundred dollars. To a Physician, for services rendered a few weeks only, I paid last year one hundred and fifty. My bill with a Carpenter for putting up a small house was two hundred and twenty dollars. In the settlement of a small law-suit I paid a Lawyer fifty dollars for speaking thirty i minutes and thinking not much longer. The annual expenses of one of my Son's now in college are at least four hundred dollars. For a Daughter at a boarding school I pay five hundred. While two smaller Sons at home cost me in our academy sixty-four dollars for tuition alone. I took a pleasure trip last summer with my family during which I expended six. hundred dol1 u mtr lamiltf tn coa tfu ' I UIIS. 1UI Ull?lli? in J luuiu^ Neighbors and to Church, I have invested in carraige, horses and boy, two thousand dollars. I keep for my own conveyance a sulky and horse worth at least fourhundredbesides a saddle, bridle &c., which cost me forty. I wear a gold watch, for which I paid a few years since one hundred and seventy five dollars. My eldest Daughter also wears a gold chain around her neck which cost ine fitly. In social parties also at which I entertain my friends, I expend not less than some hundreds annually. I live in a House worth five thousand dollars. My whole estate I suppose is about tifty thousand. In the mean time, I have rcluclantly paid 3 ten dollars for repairing our Church; (for I am a member!) and as rclunctantly paid twenty to the support of our minister. [Poor man!?both he and his family are almost starving!] For benevolence I have sub. scribed five!! Aroused from my guilty ignorance 011 this subject, and fearing lest the | case of Dives be mine, I do solemnly, resolve, to contribute forthwith to the crec- j tion of a comfortable Church five hundred <, dollars. To my neglected Pastor one hundred annually and, to the cause of benevo- . . ' lence one tenth of my annual income. "(70 AND DO LIKEWISE. ** \j