The account that Brother C. gave of himself to Brother SCHRADER, (his yoke-fellow, for as such the writer used to term them) at the meetings, was to this effect:-" At the time that I was a child my father impressed upon me and all his children, the propriety of secret prayer. This was done urgently and in such a manner as not well to be evaded. When I grew up to man's estate, I married; he also then impressed upon me the propriety of taking up family prayer. To secret prayer I had strictly attended, but this was a cross too heavy for me. However, to meet my old father's requests and get along with the cross as well as I could, my wife and I would kneel down by the bed side, and sometimes I prayed vocally. My wife," continued he, "had embraced religion at an early period of her life, and she too impressed upon me the propriety of family prayer. I still thought myself too weak to undertake it; but after I heard Mr. STEWART read the discipline and rules of the Methodist Society, and make the appropriate remarks in relation to family prayer that he did on that day, on my return home I took up the cross, and from that time have strictly attended to it." I have remarked that this has been general with the family. They take it by turns, and are the most praying people that I ever saw. Once, twice, perhaps thrice a day you may hear prayer and supplication "vocally" poured out from the fulness of the heart by the young men, from out-houses or different parts of the farm, addressing a throne of grace; they indeed were in secret, but to hear the voices of persons thus engaged in prayer, produced the most solemn sensation ! These youths, (Bro. CORRY's son JOHN and his two cousins) have ever continued very zealous. JOHN, though quite young, has been licensed to exhort, and may yet be a preacher of the gospel. In the month of September, 1822, Brother JOHN CORRY'S Brother WILLIAM CORRY, his wife and six children and son-in-law (Mr. JOHN MILLIGAN) arrived from Scotland. All of them, except the old gentleman, soon after their arrival, embraced religion and joined the society, and are patterns of piety.What people could stand against such praying relatives! The society thus planted by these two venerable Europeans, one from Germany, the other from Scotland, has flourished very much; both of whom had opened their houses for preaching and prayer meetings their sons alike zealously engaged in the cause of God. They have now upwards of sixty members in that class. What an interesting scene, to behold them congregated from various and remote parts of the earth, and some of different languages, here in the wilderness, worshipping that God who hath said that, "from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord." Isa. lxvi. 23. The writer has now to turn his attention to a more serious part of the subject. On his return from Ohio and Kentucky, sometime about the first of December last, he was informed of his VOL. VII. 19 friend's indisposition. Repeated requests were sent to him to visit him, but from the complicated concerns in which he was engaged, he was prevented from doing so, till some time in March or April last, he sent on an appointment at the request of the circuit preacher, (Bro. HULL,) and was desired to sift out some little disturbance that had taken place among some of the members of the society. He then called on his friend CORRY, preached at his house, and found him labouring under great debility from a severe attack of the dyspepsia. His disease had baffled the efforts of his physician to remove it. Though emaciated and much worn down, his soul was devoutly engaged in the cause of God. His most anxious care now was for the prosperity of Zion. Brother CORRY was a man of a weakly constitution, yet of an unusually fine personal appearance: his countenance manifesting a free, open, and benevolent disposition, possessing a heart touched with all the finer feelings that adorn the Christian, or the man of taste, whilst modesty and humility, the characterestic of both the families, appeared to give him particularly so prepossessing a deportment, that we would be led, irresistibly led to grant him, on all occasions, a high place in our esteem and affections. He lingered on for some weeks in May-every occurrence that broke in upon that sweet harmony that reigned in his society, went like daggers to his sensitive soul. The last time he rode out, as one of the brethren informed me, was on one of those "errands of love;" and one of his last efforts on his dying bed was to exhort some to keep and maintain peace and tranquillity in the society. How blessed is the office of peace makers, for they are verily “the children of God." On Wednesday morning before he died, Brother CORRY called his son, "his only son" JOHN to his bed side, and in the most affectionate manner addressed him, told him that he was about to die, and committed to his care and charge, his family; and exhorted him to live in the fear of God. At times he appeared a little restless, but when asked by his tender family and watchful companion if he experienced any pain, he replied that he felt none. Physicians from a distance were called in, but all to no purposethis he did not desire. Our dear Brother CORRY was now about moving fast to a land of rest, "where weary Pilgrims sleep," free from care, where sorrow, sighing, sickness and death can never come, and where tears are wiped from the weeping eye. Oh! "Blest Jesus! what delicious fare! How sweet thy entertainments are." Early on the morning that Brother CORRY died, Brother SCHRADER called to see him as he had hitherto done, and with all the sincerity of a Christian brother, asked him if he was fully resigned to die? He replied that sometimes he thought that he was fully resigned, but that at times his family laid with weight upon his mind. Brother S. then told him that he must give up all to the Lord that his family was grown up, and his children had arrived to years of discretion, and were well provided for-that they could help one another, as they had been ever disposed to do so. Soon after this the family sat down to breakfast, when Brother CORRY broke out into great transports of joy, and praised the Lord. Those present then joined in singing, (for he kept them much employed in singing and praying) and frequently joined them in this holy exercise, sometimes a verse, or a part of a hymn, as strength would permit. He sang, and as the verse would suit his case, he would join and sing in an audible voice, whilst his whole countenance was beaming with the joys of heaven. Thus expired our beloved and highly esteemed friend and Brother JOHN CORRY, without a sigh or groan, about 8 o'clock of the morning of Friday, the 16th of May, 1823, in the fifty-first year of his age, whilst his corpse after the spirit had left its earthly tenement, appeared as if it yet slumbered in the embraces of the blessed Jesus. His funeral sermon was preached on Sabbath following, by Rev. ROBERT DELAP, from 2 Cor. v. 1, to a numerous, respectable and weeping congregation, and his last remains on that day committed to its mother earth, "And there to slumber in the ground, Mount Carmal Falls, Wabash, July 2, 1823. Miscellaneous. THOMAS S. HINDS. RELIGIOUS THOUGHTS OF A DEAF AND DUMB MAN. THE following thoughts were dictated by Mr. HAZIEL SMITH of this city, to his mother, who wrote them down at his request. This young man has never spoken nor heard a word. He is, nevertheless, a professor of religion, and gives every scriptural evidence of his having a genuine experience of divine grace in his heart, as far as can be collected from his general deportment, and from the communication of his thoughts and feelings by signs. New-York, Jan. 1, 1824. THIS first day of the year I meditate on the purity and holiness of God. Then I view sinful man. How exceedingly sinful and depraved! not one good thought of his own can he claim! but he is wicked by his very nature, and more, and more, by practice continually; his very will is corrupted, and an enemy to God and his holy law. I consider that we poor miserable sinners, should know nothing of salvation only as it is written in the book of God, and revealed to those who read it, and pray too. Then the Spirit of God shows it unto them; but all the rest of mankind who do not read it, or do not seek by faith and prayer, are all wicked and abominable in their ways and practice, to the eyes of a holy God. I find that those who have been blessed by the knowledge and practice of this blessed book, the bible, and fall into sin again, and are entangled, if they look again in the book with attention, and are sorry for their sins, that they will again find virtue, and be restored to God's favour! O what a blessed record the holy scriptures must be, to be attended with such power! But there are some men that have not been contented with the virtue of the bible, but would have added some of their own wisdom to it; by constructing the useof images in their places of worship which they must have imagined would bring an awe on the minds of their audience. Such have not made a good use of the bible; they have laid it aside, and compiled other books, and distributed them among their people; but they have failed in their attempt. Very few, if any, have ever learned the lessons which the bible teaches, and no wonder the Holy Spirit will not attend with its divine efficacy any other book but the bible, to reform men's lives and correct their vicious habits. I understand that wheresoever this blessed book is deposited and read with attention, whether in the church or in the house, people of every description will be blessed and instructed in the salvation of their souls, and in their duty one towards another. It needs no invention of men; it is perfect in itself. All the good that has ever been found out in this world, comes out from the knowledge of this blessed book. All the good books are mixed with portions from this holy book. It appears to me that every other book is blank in comparison. It corrects all errors, settles all disputes; it unites churches together. All the good that is done, is completed and confirmed by its holy precepts. One little portion of it will serve a man for years for instruction and direction. O how precious it must be for one to know the value of it properly. God has given wisdom and knowledge to some of his faithful ministers to unfold and open some of its treasures, but will it ever be all unfolded? It is a spring of life, and the little streams run out and give life to all who drink of them; and all those who are deprived of the benefit of those streams, either by their wilfully neglecting, or for want of knowing it, are dead and barren, and cannot bring any fruit of righteousness acceptable to God. 15th. I consider again that this gift of God, the holy bible, is wonderful in its operation on the minds of men in general; for they read it over and over, and many learn whole chapters and repeat them, and yet are none the better in their lives or manners. The understanding of it to edification for the salvation of the soul, is a second gift of God, in order to receive a full fitness to dwell with him in his glorious kingdom hereafter. All the kings and nobles, the great men of the world, who despise this precious book and its holy precepts, and continue so to do to the end of their days, will be as chaff. Although they have been so great in the world, their grandeur on earth will avail them nothing, because they did not adhere to the book which God sent to instruct all the world. The poor have an equal share in it, and the good man who makes it his daily study, gains wisdom for all things. It makes him happy in his mind, steady and contented in his daily employment, firm in his faith, and he does prosper in his undertakings, because he daily remembers the commandments that God has given him in his book; and this man is blessed in the morning and in the evening; and he will be blessed in a better life after death. HAZIEL SMITH. ON THE CIRCULATION OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, AND THE PAPAL BULLS AGAINST BIBLE SOCIETIES. By the REV. JAMES TOWNLEY. (Concluded from page 111.) 2. Bull addressed to the Archbishop of Mohilow, or Mohiloff. "POPE PIUS VII. "To our venerable Brother STANISLAUS, Archbishop of Moghiley, (or Mohiloff.) "Venerable Brother. Health and Apostolic Benediction. "1. We are borne down with poignant and bitter grief at hearing of the pernicious design, not very long ago entered upon, by which the most holy books of the Bible are every where dispersed in the several vernacular tongues, and published, contrary to the most wholesome rules of the Church, with new translations, and these craftily perverted into bad meanings. For we have perceived, from one of those versions which has been brought to us, that it tends to destroy the sanctity of purer doctrine; so that the faithful may easily drink deadly poison, from those fountains whence they ought to draw the waters of salutary wisdom. "2. But we were still more deeply grieved, when we read certain letters signed with the name of you, our Brother; wherein you authorized and exhorted the people committed to your care, to procure for themselves modern versions of the Bible, or willingly to accept them when offered, and carefully and attentively to peruse them! Nothing, certainly, could more aggravate our grief than to behold you, who were placed to point out the |
