the Susoos, assured me he should be very glad to receive Arabic Bibles, and would take care to distribute them where they would be read.

I gave three Arabic Bibles as follows: I stopped at the hut of a Mandingo man near Kacara, on the Rio Pongas. He told me he came there to get a little money by trade, but found the times bad, and meant to return. He said he could read Arabic, and had the Koran. I asked him a few questions about it, with reference to his business, and he said his book allowed him to get money by lies. I told him, white men had a book which they well knew came from God, and which told them liars went to hell. He then said, how is it so many white men tell lies? Ireplied, can you say that Missionaries, and those white men who love our book, tell lies? He said, You speak true palaver, and added, "Can you give me this book? I go home, and I like to take it with me to read." I said, I would think about it, and he might come to me at Canoffee in a few days. He accordingly came, and asked again for the Bible, which, after some further conversation, I gave to him.

The Headman of Kapparoo, a large native town near the Isles de Loss, teaches Arabic, and I gave him an Arabic Bible. Having first read the commandments to him, and pressed upon him the importance of reading that book, and observing its precepts as the only way to bring us to the knowledge of God, he gratefully accepted the Bible.

I went with our excellent Missionary, Mr. Nylander, to Madinia, a native town belonging to Dalla Modu, on the Bullom shore, and presented to him an Arabic Bible, with which he seemed highly gratified. His Mahomedan Priest was called in, and began to read it. After worship in their Mosque, at which between sixty and seventy men attended, Dalla Modu produced the Arabic Bible before his people, and handed it about among them. He then addressed me through his interpreter, and spoke at some length to me. The substance of his address was, that I had done him a great favour in bringing him that good book, which they were glad to have. I told him I was obliged by his favourable acceptance of that book. It contained the Law, the Psalms, the Prophets, and the Gospels; and to their belief and practice of that book, Englishmen owed all their happiness. I hoped, therefore, that they would read it; and it was my prayer to God to bless them in doing so.

THOUGHTS ON GOOD WORKS.

(Continued from page 236.)

The Christian who is zealous of good works, will delight in the law of the Lord, after the inward man. It will be his meat and his drink to do the will of his heavenly Father. O! How I love tby law!' will be the frequent breathing of his devout mind; it

is my meditation all the day!' The concern of his heart about making progress in practical religion, will be as sincere and steady as if his justification before God, and his title to life eternal, absoJutely depended on that progress. I count not myself to have apprehended, said the holy Apostle, after the most eminent attainments; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.' Cæsar's maxim, That there was nothing done while there remained any thing to be done, is a dangerous maxim in a mind like his, ambitious of power and possessed of splendid military talents. But it is a safe and invigorating principle in a renewed heart, and bears the mind onward, and onward still, in the hallowed career of mortifying, through the Spirit, the deeds of the body; of doing justly, of loving mercy, and of walking humbly with our God.

Wherever this pure zeal inflames the soul, it will discover its strength in the corresponding activity of useful life. The mind will not be satisfied with cherishing holy and benevolent feelings, and suggesting plans of goodness. Neither tender sensibilities, nor the tears of sympathy, nor purposes of heart, will clothe the naked, nor feed the hungry. They are only suitable preparations for deeds of substantial kindness. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath zeal and feeling, and have not works? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you, under the impulse of the tenderest meltings of sympathy, and in accents soft as the descending dew on a fleece of wool, taking him with a brother's affectionate grasp by the hand, whisper in his ear, Depart in peace, be warmed, be filled; -notwithstanding you gave him not, though in the power of your hand to do it, those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit? It is, therefore, to deeds of ripened goodness that we are to look for scriptural and satisfying evidence of the existence and vigour of this holy zeal in the heart.

This heavenly principle will also enable him to meet, manfully to oppose, and finally to overcome, difficulties in the performance of his duty. The authority of God and the love of his Saviour will constrain him, when his enemy hungers, to feed him; when he thirsts, to give him drink; and thus to melt down with coals of fire from heaven, the sullen stubborn corruptions of his heart. This zeal will induce him to deny to himself many of the comforts of life, and to shut up every unnecessary sluice of expenditure, that he may swell the little rivulet of beneficence to the widow and orphan. He will labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. The iningratitude of others will not damp his ardour. He looks for his reward to a higher source than the human heart; and commits not. his encouragement in doing good to man, for he knows what is in man. Like the tree planted by the rivers of water, his soul, a

tree of righteousness planted on the margin of that river, Redeeming Love, the streams whereof make glad the city of God, bringeth forth his fruit in his season, regardless of the hand that plucks it. -What difficulties are to be overcome in reconciling enemies,-in pleading the poor man's cause before affluent pride and covetousness, in preserving a pure conscience and clean garments in the midst of a polluting world,-in these exercises which our Lord denominates the plucking out of right eyes, and the cutting off of right hands, they only know who have made the experiment;. and they only will overcome who are zealous of good works.

In a word, this man will consider the great end of living as lost, while he lives not to God by obeying his holy laws. For this end, he knows that he was created; for this end, that he was re deemed; for this end, that he was renewed by the Holy Ghost; for this end, that the ordinances of religion were instituted, and have been preserved in the church; and that for this end are set before our minds the exceeding great and precious promises of future glory and blessedness. Should this end not be gained, he will consider his life as a blank, barren of improvement and blotted with guilt. If this object, therefore, on which his renewed heart is so passionately and steadily fixed, be not in the largest possible measure gained, life will lose its value, and what chiefly endeared it to his soul.

Let us cherish in our bosom this sacred principle of zeal for primitive sanctity. The Pharisees were a popular body of professors in the Jewish church, and distinguished for their zeal. But our Lord hath assured us, that except our righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, in purity of motive, and in zeal for the weighty matters of the law, we shall in no case enter into the kingdom of Heaven. The authority of God our Creator and Redeemer lies upon us; and his law, which is holy, just, and good, requires that we love and serve him with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind. This is the hallowed ardour which will inspire evangelical obedience,-obedience which is universal, reaching to every statute of the divine law, and engaging every faculty of the human mind; combining, regulating, and sustaining all their energies.The matchless love of God our Saviour in our redemption, should our hearts with zealous attachment to his holy commandments. Standing before his cross, and while we muse on his love, the fire will burn within us, and in David's impassioned words we shall exclaim, O Lord, truly, we are thy servants, thou hast loosed our bonds.'-The honour of God and the credit of our holy religion are closely connected with our zealous promotion of true holiness. Herein, said Jesus, is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. Let your light so shine. before men, that they may see your good words, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.-A slothful and lukewarm spirit is very

warm

offensive to God. Thou wicked and slothful servant'-wicked because slothful. The sentence of the Saviour against the church at Laodicea, strongly marks the loathsome nature of a dull and listless mind in his service.-The recollection of the zeal and activity by which we were hurried on in the way of folly and sin, should arouse our minds to fill up the few years, if years yet remain, with works of faith and labours of love.

BIBLE SOCIETIES.

The Bible Society of Lexington, (Virginia) recently instituted-an Auxiliary to the American Bible Society.

The Female Juvenile Auxiliary Bible Society of New-York was formed in October last. It is auxiliary to the New-York Female Auxiliary Bible Society. The payment of twelve cents monthly constitutes a member, who must also learn a portion of Scripture, which is allotted at each stated meeting, and recited at the next, to the Directress, or to any young lady appointed by her for that purpose. The stated meetings are held on the second Saturday of every month at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Absentees from the stated meetings of the Society to pay a fine of 12 1-2 cents; and a manager refusing to attend for three successive months, without giving a reasonable excuse, forfeits her seat in the board. All unnecessary talking and light behaviour are prohibited during the time of the meeting.

OFFICERS-Miss Margaret Rankin, Directress; Miss Mary J. Borland, Treasurer; Miss Isabella J. Kirk, Secretary.

MANAGERS-Miss Susanna Marsh, Miss Eliza Thorburn, Miss Margaret Rose, Miss Isabella M'Hinch, Miss Margaret Rich, Miss Sarah Rich, Miss Frances Shelton, and Miss Eleanor Boyd.

OBITUARY.

Within less than three weeks the Christian public have been called to mourn the loss of three eminent ministers of the Gospel,-the Rev. Dr. Nathan Strong, of Hartford, Connecticut, who departed this life on the 25th ultimo, in the 69th year of his age, and 43d of his ministry ;---the Rev. Dr. Asel Bachus, President of Hamilton College, in this state, on the 26th ult. aged 51;---and the Rev. Dr. Timothy Dwight, President of Yale College, Connecticut, on the 11th instant, in the 65th year of his age and 22d of his Presidency.

These were all celebrated for learning, piety and usefulness. It is hoped that some competent pen will before long furnish the public with a just portrait of each of their characters, and the history of their lives, which may embrace a number of facts interesting to the Christian and literary world.

The loss of a useful minister of the Gospel is always a lamentable event for our sinful world; and in a country where there are so many pastoral charges vacant, and where the population is fast outstripping the new supply of ministers, such bereavements are peculiarly to be deplored, and ought to be subjects of solemn anxiety and prayerful consideration to those who feel an interest in the cause of religion.

The losses to the two Seminaries of learning above named, will also be deeply felt, and the vacancies occasioned by this stroke of Divine providence cannot be suitably supplied without depriving some of the most important stations in the Christian Church of some of its most useful pastors.

Under such afflicting dispensations it behooves Christians to be humbled under the mighty hand of God in his sovereign but righteous dealings with our sinful race, and to be earnestly engaged in supplicating the Lord of the harvest to send faithful labourers into his vineyard.

The Rev. Mr. Frey delivered his first Lecture to the Jews on last Lord's day evening in the North Dutch Church, from Genesis XIII. 8. Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee-for we be brethren.

These lectures will be continued as before mentioned.

CHRISTIAN HERALD.

VOL. II.]

Saturday, January 25, 1817.

[No. 18.

MISSION TO THE CAFFRES.

[IN No. 15, we gave some interesting intelligence from South Africa, contained in two short letters from the Rev. J. READ, mentioning a missionary journey which he, in company with others from Bethelsdorp, had made into Caffraria in April last,--the joyful reception they met with from the people of that country,-and the design of establishing a mission among them, with the most encouraging prospects of success.

We now insert the continuation of that correspondence, in which Mr: Read gives a narrative of the above mentioned journey.

The details of this correspondence are considered by the conductors of the Evangelical Magazine of such importance, as to justify the occupying a whole sheet of the commencement of their November Number with them, to the exclusion of the usual matter.]

Narrative of the Journey of Mr. Read and others to Caffraria. Bethelsdorp, May 21, 1816.

Honoured and dear Brethren,

I HASTEN SO give you an account of our excursion into Caffraria; which, I doubt not, will be interesting, and cause every heart to glow with holy admiration at what the Lord is doing upon the earth. Surely the time is not far distant when all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.' You must bear with me in my details, and make what abridgments you think proper, before you print them.

We left Bethelsdorp on the 1st of April, and took a new route to Theopolis, by a road which our people were cutting, through immense woods, on the banks of the Sunday River, which was to make about six hours difference in the distance to that new station. We arrived at the New Ford at sun-set, and got safely through, though the water was so high that it came into the waggon; but the road being unbeaten, we spanned out*, to stay till the morning.

* The phrases spanning in and spanning out, signify putting their oxen to the wagons, or taking them off.

VOL. II.-No. 18.

S