to make even the tongue of the stam merer to speak plainly. When we look back and retrace the events which have transpired within a few years past; when we reflect how much has been done to extend the blessings of divine revelation all over the world; and when we direct our eyes forward, and pursue the prospects which these events open up to our view, of the speedy extension of the knowledge of God through the whole earth, we are ready to adopt the language of the Divine Author of that sacred Book, when amidst the shouts and hosannas of the thousands of Israel, he exclaimed, If these should hold their peace, the very stones would speak. "Certain I am, that every one whose bosom is affected with true philanthrophy, every one who desires the amelioration of the temporal condition of man, every one who compassionates his ignorance and degradation, when destitute of this light of heaven, and who views him as a creature bound to an immortal destiny, must rejoice in what is done and doing in this age of Christian benevolence and enterprise, to elevate the species to its primitive rank, and to direct the hopes and energies of the soul from earth to heaven. "I need not at this time, or in this place, expatiate on the excellence, or attempt to prove the inspiration of the Bible, or the necessity of a knowledge of its truths, or a belief in its doctrines, to elevate the state of civil society, or to guide man as a moral and religious being. The impression of its truth as well as its power is, I trust, indelibly made on your heart, and on many a heart in this assembly. And I should no doubt only arouse a familiar recollection in many a bosom here, should I only retrace its operations on my own mind, when I call to remembrance that my first impressions of moral obligation were inseparably connected with its precepts; that the first ray of light which dawned on the darkness within, and shot away my hopes beyond this transitory scene, originated in its doctrines; and that the first emotion of ambition which fired my bosom, was that I might have the honour of proclaiming the salvation which it presents to man. "But there are scenes which occur in the every day's observation of one, the duties of whose sacred office lead him to be the frequent visitor of the abodes of poverty, and often to sit by the bed of sickness and death, to administer the consolations of religion to the distressed and the dying,-which set forth the excellence of the religion of the Bible, as adapted to the present state of man, in a way, which no powers of human understanding could unfold, and which the most captivating displays of human eloquence would fail to impress on the heart." The REV. EBENEZER BROWN, of New-York, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, addressed the meeting as follows: "MR. PRESIDENT,-This resolution which seems to have been dictated by sound policy, is in perfect unison with the feelings of my heart. It is well said in it, that the cause of the Bible is a "great cause.' It is indeed a great, since it is a common cause; and that it should be considered a common cause, appears from the Bible's affording the best security of obedience to human laws. "The general motive to the observance of human laws, is their fitness to secure the general interest; and they will, in most instances be observed, in proportion as the individual perceives their fitness to secure the end proposed, and the connexion between his own good, and the good of others. But the connexion subsisting between the interest of an individual, and the good of society at large, is by no means sufficient to secure obedience. For allow ing it to be in its own nature sufficient; still, the individual, to be stimulated by it, must have a clear and distinct perception of it, and certainly it is not selfevident; but it is involved in much obscurity, and requires labour, research, and profound meditation to apprehend it. Such being the case, this motive, however weighty in itself, can exert but little influence upon the generality of mankind-for few men are posssessed of powers adequate to investigation; and fewer still, evince an inclination to cultivate those they have. "But though all men were competent to examine, and ascertain precisely the force of final causes; we might still doubt of the general prevalence of this motive. For owing to the poverty and labour to which some are subjected, the hurry and anxiety of others, few have opportunity for thought and reflection-few are blest with that kind of education, and that degree of moral culture, which prepare for minute investigation-few have acumen of mind asserting the influence of the motive in question; for the good conduct of the young is not so much the result of fixed and abstruse principles, as the consequence of instructions which have been afforded them. to apprehend the subtle principles upon which society is instituted, and discover the union of distant and seemingly conflicting interests. And surrounded as men are by a vast variety, the probability is, that they would rather be affected by sensible objects which are known to "But it requires to be observed, that if contribute to their present enjoyment, men by mature age and experience are than be influenced by motives which more advantageously situated for appre fie beyond the reach of their intellectual hending and feeling the force of final vision. This motive, then, would weigh causes, they are also better qualified to nothing against the chance of present evade the force of the laws, undermine gain and pleasure; and in spite of it, the pillars upon which government men would violate the laws, trample stands, and produce disorder and misery upon authority, and invariably follow in every department of society. And their own inclinations. he who has had the slightest acquaintance "But, Sir, not only would this motive with the world, who has not exceeded not be apprehended;-in a great many the limits even of his own neighbourinstances its very existence would be hood, must have seen in men such a disputed. Human society is at first a tendency to vice and immorality, as to state of equality. What right, would one infer, that society has as much to fear say, have men who are only my equals, from the knowledge and experience of to control my person and property? the old as from the ignorance and passion What right have they to thwart my in- of the young; and that something more clinations, to lessen my enjoyments? is requisite to secure the obedience of What right have they to subtract a part both, than barely the authority of human from the sum of my happiness and give laws. Nothing is more difficult, and it to others? In fine, what connexion consequently, nothing more rare, than is there between my misery and their for a man to forego a present pleasure, happiness? Such would be the argu- upon consideration of a promised and ments urged against its very existence; future enjoyment. And it is not to be and viewing man in relation to this life expected that he who would not do it alone, I confess it is not easy to show for himself, would do it for another, and them unreasonable. And under these perhaps distant and unknown person.circumstances, what hope could there be It is evident from hence that the idea of of obedience? Every man would do inseparable interest would not be an that which seemed right in his own eyes. adequate basis upon which to found "Finally, allowing this motive to be morality-that in order to secure obelevel to popular apprehension; still it would be insufficient to secure obedience. For many are known to act against the clearest convictions of judgment, and sacrifice the principles of their understanding, to the passions of their hearts; and surely, it requires as much force to curb the perverse as to restrain the ignorant and that which would not subject the one, could not control the other. "It might, however, be presumed, that on persons of mature age and experience it would have its due influence-that it would restrain them from vice, and prompt them to virtue and obedience. But admitting even this, there is not the slightest probability that it would equally affect the young, whose minds are not yet formed, whose reason is not yet matured, and who are actuated almost altogether by passion. And should any one be found in a proper observance of the rules of morality and respecting the authority of human laws, we are not surely to account for his conduct by dience, not only the understanding must be instructed but the most forcible appeals must be made to the heart; and what, Sir, can make such forcible, such efficacious appeals as the Holy Bible ?— which discloses the God of the universe, armed with vengeance against the unrighteous, and exhibits the connexion between private and public good, between the interests of time and eternity. "It is the best security of civil liberty. Liberty is the boast and glory of our nation; every true American considers the value of liberty next to that of his life, and would readily hazard the one in defence of the other. Few nations have bought it more dearly-none enjoy it so eminently: but the men who achieved our liberty were men of morality, they revered the Bible, and we can retain it only by an emulation of their virtues; for immorality is the bane of liberty. To immorality we may trace the ruin of the republics of Greece and Rome. Numerous conquests made way for luxury, and this for all kinds of excess and indulgence. The republics fell, and liberty which had been purchased by the blood of the brave, was wantonly sacrificed upon the altar of the vicious. That liberty may be secured, then, restraint must be imposed; and as the Bible best commands the attention of moral agents, to give it an universal circulation is the best means to perpetuate it among ourselves, and introduce it to nations deprived of its benefits. "This appears again from the influence it exerts upon learning. To the Bible we owe the preservation, the revival, the encouragement of learning. The Bible would have been universally respected had not this been forgotten. Infidel philosophers ambitious of distinction, have rejected the Bible and set up themselves as the source of illumination; and unfortunately too many have paid them the homage of credence and confidence. The effect has been enjoyed, but the cause has not been sought. But, Sir, is it not a fact that infidels in common with Christians are indebted to the Bible for much of the learning and information which distinguish the age? If so, then the Bible demands from them a tribute of gratitude; and they are under equal obligation with us, to promote its circulation. To the Bible we owe the preservation of the Greek and Latin languages, and the books which were written in them. The Septuagint is the manifest cause of transmitting a knowledge of the Greek—and the Latin translations of the Bible prevented the loss of that elegant language. The writings of Josephus were carefully examined, being in part, a history of that very time in which Christianity took its rise; and being found to corroborate some of the Gospel narrations, were guarded with the utmost care and vigilance. The New Testament having been written in Greek, was a means of bringing that into daily use for whoever would know the doctrines it contained, must also know the language in which they were stated. the ravages of time, and the numerous revolutions of states and kingdoms, that language remains pure to the present day. "To an age which has very properly been called an "age of darkness," to an age of violence, when every thing valuable was menaced with destruction, we are to trace the origin of Abbeys, Monks and Monasteries. A few men fled to lonely cells to give themselves wholly to study and devotion. In these solitary places, their books were collested; here only for a time, the lamp of science shone. And though monachism for many reasons deserves our censure, and by an unrighteous policy, defeated at last its first designs-yet we obliged to confess, that it has transmitted the knowledge of many important events which happened in later times, and handed down to our day the learning of antiquity. This, however, was but a secondary cause the Bible was at the bottom of it; and had not the Bible existed, a monk had not been cloistered. are "Then the progress of science was exceedingly slow-oral communication was almost the only method of instruction. Some would have made an effort to enlighten the world, but wanted courage to resist the opposition of the times in which they lived. Others, too much like Alexander, who was angry at Aristotle for making known the secrets of science, were satisfied with the prevailing ignorance, as it secured to them an unbounded influence. "Manuscripts were scarce; and from the time and labour requisite to transcribe them were likely to be so-the paucity of their number enhanced their value, and consequently hindered the advancement of science among the people in general.-Christ had indeed said that he was the light of the world,' but gross darkness still covered the earth." But, Sir, it was since the incarnation, and where the Bible was known, that the art of printing was discovered. What influence the Bible exerted upon, or what connexion it had with that invention, is unknown; but surely, the invention has such a manifest bearing upon the accomplishment of the Almighty's purposes, that one cannot but conjecture that some how or other it had an important influence. As to the Hebrew, the single fact of the Bible's having been written in it, is, perhaps, the only cause of its existence at present, any where upon the face of the earth. Whoever reflects upon the history of the Jews, their numerous captivities their frequent dispersionstheir banishments to every part of the "How admirable is the progress of world their consequent mixtures with the divine administration! The time nations of other tongues, must perceive had arrived for the reduction of the pathat the Bible is the most probable means pal power and the eyes of the world to of its preservation-must consider it a be opened. But for some method more singular incident, that notwithstanding expeditious than that of writing, to then, surely, the cause of the Bible is the cause of humanity; for this is concerned in every effort to remove the misery and promote the happiness of mankind. Let us then send the Bible abroad-and in conformity with the principles of this institution, I will add without note or comment.'-Its cardinal truths are easy of apprehension. It is only to read to understand. 'The way-faring man though a fool need not "Let us send the Bible abroad-' an excellent spirit is in it.' It resolves our doubts, removes our fears, promotes our joys. scatter the sentiments of Luther, ages the best security of obedience to human would have been requisite for their dis- laws-to civil liberty-and learning, semination. But, typography, recently invented, gave them a ready, a rapid and extensive circulation-and the powerful hold which they took of the minds of men, produced the Reformation. Since that time learning has been transferred from private places to more public schools and colleges. Books without end have been multiplied, and science and literature have been making prodigious advancement; and when you look abroad and calculate the number of err therein.' literary institutions-when you witness the knowledge and information which are disseminated through all orders of society, and are led to inquire what mighty cause has produced these grand events, your answer is, the Bible-and should you, elated with the view of this state of things, inquire what means are requisite to its continuation-your answer is again, the Bible.-The Bible has put the intellectual world in motion- proaches-man-made gods are confoundand the Bible will keep it in motion. And surely, Sir, if Theuth among the Egyptians, and Hermes among the Greeks, obtained divine honours for their invention of letters, can language express the gratitude we owe the Bible, which has transmitted to modern times the sentiments and learning of past generations, and communicated to man the ideas of God? And if the Bible afford "Let us send the Bible abroad—a divine power attends it. Bearing the characters of simplicity and majesty, all opposition falls before it. The one excites men to admire it-the other revere it. Pagan temples tremble as it ap ed-the horrid rites of infanticide and human immolation abolished, and hosannas shouted to the living and true God. "Let us send the Bible abroad-the Lord of all approves it; and those who engage in it with pure hearts fervently,' shall hereafter "shine as the brightness of the firmament, and as the stars for ever and ever.'" GRAND-RIVER MISSION. Leller from Rev. THOMAS DEMOREST, to Rev. THOMAS MASON, Corresponding Secretary to the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. REV. AND DEAR SIR, circuit, in order to supply the settlements FOR the information of the Missionary with preaching. This addition increases Society, I write to report the state and the number of preaching places to thirty, progress of the Mission in the new settle- which each of us attends once in four ments, to which I was appointed at the weeks, thereby affording an opportunity last session of the Genesee Conference. to the inhabitants of ten townships to On my arrival at this station the 19th Aug. hear preaching once in two weeks. In I met with Brother R. HEYLAND, a young a circuit of three hundred miles, through preacher who had been sent on to my new and incomplete settlements, it canhelp by the presiding elder. Immediately not be expected that we should have in we proceeded to an enlargement of the every place large congregations. At one circuit, by extending our route into the appointment our congregation is made new townships of Nassigowa, Eramosa up of two families, seven in number, and Caledon. We soon found it neces- and to reach them we ride considerable sary to add twelve appointments* to the distance. But these are all who are found * In mentioning an enlargement of the Mission, few being very desirous of the means in this part of the township, and these no reflection is intended on our predecessors. The hardships Brother Smith endured by tra- of grace, and more families being exvelling on foot, through wet and cold, were un- pected soon to increase the settlement, doubtedly the occasion of several attacks of illness, which necessarily prevented his enlarging we do not consider our visits to these as he would have otherwise done. His labours, solitary families to be entirely lost. To and those of his worthy colleagues, laid the foun- be sure it is not so agreeable to ride ten dation for much lasting good, and their faithful services will long be gratefully remembered by the or fifteen miles to visit a few, as we do people. to visit some English families in Albion. But when, on our arrival, we witness the joy and friendship of the people and their eagerness to hear the word preached, we are recompenced for our toil. Here females have travelled to preaching three or four miles on foot, through the woods, bearing young children in their arms; so desirous are they of attending the means of grace. Beside our regular tours, we have reached out to a settlement about twelve miles from any other inhabitants. This is in the township of WOOLWICK, on the falls of the Grand-River. Four years ago, four families from the city of London commenced this settlement. It now consists of ten families. In this place they never heard a sermon till my In CALEDON we have three congrega- visit on the 17th of December last, and tions; two of Scotch, and one of Ger- such is the difficulty of the road from man, neither of whom are supplied by this part of the country, that our visits ministers of their own persuasion. The here cannot be very frequent. I was Highland congregation consists of about hospitably entertained by the principal nine families. They speak the Gaelic, inhabitants, who expressed a wish that understanding the English but imper- we would visit them when convenient. fectly. Yet they attend our meetings The preacher now, extending his labours regularly, having been in the habit of between this and Brother TORRY's Misconstantly attending public worship in sion, will more conveniently visit this their own country. Custom will render settlement, the road being better from English preaching more and more fami- that part of the country. liar, and we hope these honest, destitute At certain seasons of the year, we find it strangers in a foreign land, may receive difficult to keep up the Sabbath Schools, the friendly offers of the Saviour, whom partly on account of bad roads, and partly we endeavour to recommend to them for want of persevering teachers. Those in terms as plain and familiar as possible. The Lowland congregation consists of about ten families. These understand the English, and are remarkable not only for their careful observance of the Lord's day, and a strict attendance on the hour of preaching; but also for memorising the substance of the sermon, and then repeating it to their families and friends on their return home. A practice this, to which they are said to have been accustomed in their native country A circumstance in confirmation of the above I had lately an occasion to remark: I called at the door of a cabin, and said to the woman do you attend the preaching to day? "No Sir, said she, my husband is gone from home, and I can't leave my children. But when I can't attend, my neighbour is so kind as to relate to me the substance of the sermon on his return from the preaching." The preacher in addressing such a people is not a little encouraged in his labours, being assured that his instructions will not be forgotten by his hearers, on their leaving the place of worship. After their meetings on the Sabbath, their ehildren are regularly instructed in a Sabbath School. The principles of their religious profession having been those of the Kirk of Scotland, they at first appear ed distant, but their prejudices are subsiding, and they are becoming more friendly to our ministry, which encou rages us to hope they may yet be made the happy partakers of the free and full salvation offered in the gospel. schools which are faithfully attended to, Thus far through the year we have been toiling in this wilderness, and that without seeing that abundant fruit of our labours, which we hear of in other missionary stations. On this account, we have had painful reflections and depressions of spirit. Then again, we * From the falls, the Grand-River winds its course southerly, about one hundred miles, and empties itself into Lake Erie, between Fort Erie and Long Point. |