thing, to tell the poor heathen of Jesus Christ. In many places the monthly concert of prayer is totally neglected; and in how few places is it esteemed a privilege? Though missionary intelligence is within the reach of every family, it is not cared for, and tens of thousands of professing christians, know nothing about the missionary operations of the church to which they belong! Our dear brethren, when they leave us, beseech the churches and the people of God to pray for them; yet, it is true as it is painful that many thousands in the church never heard of them, till the grave has closed over them, or they are driven home in broken health, when they see these things noticed as items of news, in the political or commercial papers. In thus bringing to your view, dear brethren, the magnitude of the work, and the difficulties and trials, with which it is surrounded, abroad and at home, it is not to discourage you, or to weaken your hands; but it is, that you may have the truth before you, however dark may be its shading; that you may gird up your minds to the work, and look for help to him, whose cause it is, and who has promised to sustain you in it. Blessed be his name, whatever be the discouragements to the eye of human observation, to the eye of faith all is clear and bright; it is the Lord's work, and the word of him who made the heavens and the earth, stands pledged for the final tri. umph of his cause. "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."—ss. xl. 4, 5. knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."--Hab. ii. 14. "And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one."-Zech. xiv. 9. "But as truly as I live all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord."-Num. xiv. 21. "All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto the Lord; and all kindreds of the nation shall worship before him."--Ps. xxii. 97. "All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name." Ps. lxxxvi. 9. "Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up."Matt. xv. 13. "And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever."-Rev. xi. 15. "Who shall not fear thee O Lord, and glorify thy name, for thou art holy; for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest."-Rev. xv. 4. There are great and glorious promises; and they will all be fulfilled by the blessing of the Holy Spirit, on the divinely appointed agency of the church. For the means to be employed, the church has the whole word of God for her direction. Men full of the Holy Ghost and of faith must be sent to the heathen, to preach the gospel; to translate and print the bible; and to take such charge of the subject of education as that a learned and pious native ministry may be raised up to supply the churches among themselves, and assist in carrying the gospel to other heathen nations. This was the course pursued by the apostles, after they had been bap. tized by the Holy Ghost, when they went into different parts of the world to make known the Saviour's name. Where individuals were gathered into churches they instituted the stated preaching of the gos pel. Until this was done they adopted every practicable method to bring divine truth in contact with the conscience and the judgment of all those who would hear them. In these various labors we find them speaking to a few women, in a place where prayer was wont to be made. Acts xvi. 13. -disputing with gainsayers in the schools, in the synagogues with the Jews, and daily in the market-place with them they met, Acts xvii. 17 and xix. 9.-reasoning and persuading, Acts xviii. 4 and xix. 26.teaching publicly and from house to house, Acts xviii. 11, and xx. 20.-warning every one night and day with tears, Acts xx. 31. -and witnessing and testifying to the truth of the gospel, Acts xxi. 15 and xxiii. 11. In the days of the apostles the church had not the agency of the press. But we find them using the word of God in all their la bors; and the inspired epistles written by them were directed to be read in other churches, besides those to which they were first sent. Very soon translations of the bible were made into other languages, and copies were multiplied by the pen. find them also giving instruction to their missionaries, to ordain presbyters in every church, and to commit these things to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thus in all places, ensuring to the churches a supply of ministers from among themselves. All these various labors are included in the comprehensive term of preaching the gospel; and it is by the foolishness of preaching, that God will save them that believe. We Different branches of the church of Jesus Christ have thus engaged to some extent in the Lord's work. But, alas! in how feeble a manner! But the day is coming when the church will awake to this work; when she will arise and shine, her light being come, and the glory of the Lord risen upon her. The spirit of the Lord will be poured out upon all flesh, and the sons and daughters of the church, and those most distinguished for intelligence and influence, her old men, will rejoice to devote their wealth and talents, and every thing they have to the cause of Jesus Christ. Then there will be no want of gold and silver to sustain the church in all her efforts at home and abroad. 'Missionary intelligence will then be sought after, and earnest, united, and effectual prayer, made with the understanding and the heart, will ascend to God for his blessWhen he aning on the appointed means. swers the prayers of his people, how easily and how soon will every difficulty be removed? Does the man of sin shed his baleful influence over half the nation? "The mystery of iniquity will the Lord consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." The despotism of human governments, the cruel spirit of the false prophet,--every form of idolatry, are all plants that shall be rooted up, for they are not of the planting of our heavenly Father. The dangers of climate, and the difficulty of access to many parts of the earth, will in a great measure be removed, for a great company of native ministers in every land will be raised up, to engage in the Lord's work. The veil of unbelief shall be taken away from the Jews, they shall be brought home to Christ, and there inbringing shall be as life from the dead to the church. And what is the greatest blessing of all, preceding in part, and accompanying the others, the whole church will be revived, and shall rise up as one man to the great work for which she was instituted, the promotion of the glory of God, and the salvation of men. How glorious will the church then appear thus occupying the portion assigned to her in the word and purpose of God. Why, it may be asked, is she not now standing on the high ground? The wants and woes of the heathen are as great now as they ever will be. The church will never have another bible. No other system of means will be No other Saviour, no other instituted. Holy Spirit. These are solemn considerations, and it becomes every one to enquire for himself, why it is, that the cause of Christ receives so little of the care and the thoughts of his professed followers. But whilst we mourn over our unfaithfulness, let us be thankful to God that something is doing for the promotion of the Saviour's cause among the benighted heathen; and that amongst our ministers and people are men of God, men of faith and prayer, acting on the principles of self denial, as required by the Saviour from those who would be his followers. Let each one of us resolve, as in the pre sence of God, and relying on his assistance, that we will, as individuals, live more up to our privileges and our duty. Be it your determination, dear brethren and sisters, thus to devote yourselves to his service. Rest assured that although there is so much coldness among the churches, there is yet a great number of God's ministers and people amongst us, who will cheerfully join you in standing between the living and the dead, and in praying earnestly for the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They will follow you in spirit to your field of labor, and count it a great privilege to pray for you, and to deny themselves for your support. The scene of your future labors, dear brethren, if God shall spare your health, is India. There a great field of usefulness is opened, and loud and earnest are the calls for more laborers. The church to which we belong has taken possession of a part of this moral wilderness in the name of the Lord. We trust the church has acted in this thing in the fear of God, for the promotion of his glory, and with humble dependance on his assistance. Much preparatory work has been performed, and the prospects for the future are full of hope. The great work of the missionary brethren there is to speak unto the Gentiles that they may be saved; to call the millions of India away from the worship of their cruel and obscene idols, and to point them to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. In these labors, dear brethren, we have entire confidence that you will preach to the heathen, the same gospel held and believed by the Church at home. You have for your guidance the whole word of God;-you have also the confession of faith and form of government of the Presbyterian Church. While exercising ro unkind feelings, or exclusive bigotry, as regards sister churches, we may be permitted to rejoice in the pure and holy doctrines of our own. Our form of church government we believe to be in accordance with the word of God; and what heart amongst us does not rejoice that already three Presbyteries are formed in India; and that there the foundations of a Presbyterian Church have been laid, that is destined, with the blessing of God, to be far more numerous than the Church at home. We rejoice in this, because we believe that our beloved Church belongs to Jesus Christ. Our best and holiest feelings have been nurtured and cherished in her bosom. Many of our fathers, and many of our dearest friends, have gone from her communion, to join, as we trust, the general assembly and church of the first-born, which is written in heaven. There all who love the Saviour, by whatever name called, shall meet and rejoice together, for there remaineth a rest for the people of God. To that rest, dear brethren and sisters, let your thoughts be direeted. You may go there by the way of India; and our next meeting may be round the throne of the Lamb. The circle of our friends here is daily becoming less, but the circle there is constantly enlarging; and none who meet there will regret the self-denying labors they have been called to endure here, for the sake of the Lord Jesus. In this warfare, trials may be before you, and much tribulation; but look not at the difficulties with the eye of human reason, but with that faith which overcomes the world. This will sustain you and cause you to rejoice, when outward things have the darkest aspect. As you go on the Saviour's errand, you have a right to the Saviour' spromise"Lo I am with you." When preaching his gospel, throughout the palmy plains of India, when visiting the benighted heathen upon her ancient rivers, his presence will sustain you "That man no guard nor weapon needs Whose heart the blood of Jesus knows, But safe may pass where duty leads, Through burning sands or mountain snows." In parting with you, dear friends, we say to you, on behalf of the church, whose missionaries you are,-Go, in the Saviour's name, rely on his strength, live near to him, and fear not to trust him in life or in death. "Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." "Wherefore it is written in the Scriptures, Behold I lay in Zion a chief 1841.] corner stone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded." "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you." Sailing of Missionaries. The Rev. Levi Janvier, of the Presbytery of West Jersey, and the Rev. John Wray, of the Presbytery of Philadelphia, with their wives, embarked at New Castle, Delaware, on the 13th of last month, on board the ship Washington, Capt. Taylor, for Calcutta. Mr. J. will proceed to Lodiana, and Mr. W. to Allahabad. A farewell religious service was held on Sabbath evening, the 5th ult., in the Rev. Dr. McDowall's church, Philadelphia, which is spoken of as a meeting of deep interest. Addresses were made by the missionaries, and the Corresponding Secretary read the farewell address of the Executive Committee, which is inserted above. These Missionary brethren and their great work we would commend to the fervent prayers of all our readers. The blessing of God rest upon them in their voyage, and through many years of missionary labor! Mission to the Chippewa and Ottawa In dians. For several years Mr. Henry Bradley has been stationed among the Iowa and Sac In receive any kind of religious instruction, and were even unwilling that their children should be taught to read. Finding this field of labor so discouraging, the Executive Committee, early in the summer transferred Mr. and Mrs. Bradley to the Chippewa and Ottawa Indians, and they joined Mr. Dougherty, at Grand Traverse Bay on the 10th of July. There, his assistance was greatly needed; he took charge of the flourishing school there, and the prospect for his future labors is quite encouraging. The Sac Indians are still under the care of the brethren at Iowa, Messrs. Hamilton and Irvin, who besides their labors for the lowas, will do every thing that is practicable for the Sacs. News from the Missions. From the Iowa and Ottawa stations, we have letters, mentioning the general good health of our missionary brethren: they are steadily prosecuting their usual labors: From India our advices are to the 3d of June. The circumstances of the brethren at the different stations, and their missionary labors, had undergone no change of special interest. Letters from Missionaries. OTTAWA MISSION.- Mr. H. Bradley, Aug. 28. Rev. P. Dougherty, Sept. 10. IOWA MISSION.-Rev. W. Hamilton. July, 30. LODIANA MISSION.-Rev. W. S. Rogers, dians, west of Missouri. One part of his la-May 29, June 1.-Rev. J. Porter, June 2. bors was assigned to the Sac Indians. From ALLAHABAD MISSION.-Rev. J. Wilson, the first, however, they were unwilling to May 4. 1,301 20 64 00 coll. 18,66; Smithtown ch. L. I. 6,34; Moriches ch. L. I. 5,60. Pby. of New York. New-York 1st ch. a friend' for salary of officers of the Board, 1,250; 8th ch. mo. con. 25; Duane st ch. mo. con. August, 16,20; Brooklyn, N. . 1st ch. Fulton st. sab. sch. ed. M. W. Jacobus and Anna F. Sanford, in N. India, 10. 2nd Pby. of New-York. New-York Scotch Presh. ch. mo. con. for Augt, 34; do. M. Scott 2; Canal st. ch.' a member,' 25. SYNOD OF N. J. Pby. of Elizabethtown. Woodbridge, N. J. 2nd ch. 14,75; Chester and Mt. Olivet chs. N. J. 27,38. Pby. of New Brunswick. N. Brunswick, N. J. 1st cl. mo. con. 30; do. Fem. miss. soc. 100; do. Miss Hubble's sab. sch. class, 6; Cranberry, N. J. 2nd ch. 36,95. 42 13 172 95 1536 |