insist upon it, not only as a general truth, but in the detail of its application. What, if a Christian capitalist has ten or twenty thousand dollars' income above the wants of his family or his business, would you have him appropriate it all to benevolence? Yes, or fifty, or a hundred, or ten hundred thousand. Just as much so as the poorer man with his fifty, or a hundred, or ten hundred cents. If Luther or Wesley had deserted the Christian ministry for selfish ends, the "wo" upon them in the "last day" would be proportinate to their great talents and opportunities; the vast responsibility of the failure of the Reformation, or of Methodism would devolve upon them forever. The responsibility of the talents of the Christian business man is, we repeat, the same in principle. It is a disastrous fallacy which has led the Christian world to suppose otherwise. Stephen Girard and John Jacob Astor held their great property or business talents under the same moral responsibility which applied to those great men of the Church. That responsibility will confront them at the bar of their God. "How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God?" asked the incarnate God himself! And "his disciples were astonished at his doctrine," says the narrative. It is equally astonishing in these days when brought out thus into distinct contemplation.

But why should it be so hard for a rich man to be saved? Why, but that riches having this responsibility, are nevertheless beset with such peculiar temptations to forget it? We might "make to ourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, who, when we fail" on earth, "shall receive us into everlasting habitations." Wealth is indeed enviable, in view of its capacities for usefulness; it may scatter benedictions all along our pilgrimage through life; it may bring the blessings of those who are ready to perish upon our dying hour; or their welcomes at the gate of heaven. alas! a rich man shall "hardly enter into" that heaven, such is the perversion of the moral sense of even us Christians in respect to this noble yet perilous responsibility! Let him that has it upon his hands bethink himself! Let him beware of robbing his brother

But,

and his God! Let him be reminded that he is but a steward; and that the day comes on fast when it shall be said unto him, "Give account of thy stewardship!"

We have thus far shown that beneficence should be regarded by the Christian as a duty, and should be pursued methodically. But what method do we recommend? It would of course be impossible to prescribe any rule which would be applicable to every case. Nor is this a matter of much importance; once make charity a matter of conscientious duty, and it will not be difficult for the conscientious man to form his own plan. The following, however, seems to be the correct outline of a just course, viz. :—

1. Define well what is requisite for the comfortable support and education of your family, and the proper increase of your business-determining not to go beyond a certain point in the latter respect.

2. While advancing toward the maximum of

your capital, give away annually a certain percentage of your increase.

3. When you reach the maximum, give away all your increase, except what is requisite for the temperate expense of your family.

This plan has been followed by numbers of persons whose examples have been, recorded. The case of N. R. Cobb, Esq., a Baptist merchant of Boston, is well known. He resolved to give from the beginning one-fourth of his net profits; to give one-half when his capital reached twenty thousand dollars; three-quarters when it reached thirty thousand dollars; and all the profits when it amounted to fifty thousand dollars. He retained his generous resolution till his death, when he had already reached the maximum, and had scattered the blessings of his liberality in every direction."

John Wesley remarked in early life that he had known but four men who had not declined in religion by becoming wealthy; later in life he corrected the remark, and made no exception. He himself guarded scrupulously against the danger. When his own income was but £30 a year, he gave away £2; when it was sixty, he still confined his expenses to £28, and gave away £32; when it reached £120, he kept himself to his old allowance, and gave away £92. Besides giving himself wholly to the public good, and laboring as devotedly as any other man of modern times for the moral welfare of the poor, he gave away, it is computed, more than a hundred thousand dollars, the proceeds of his publications, &c. The last insertion in his private Journal, written with a trembling hand, reads thus: "For upwards of eighty-six years I have kept my accounts exactly. I will not attempt it any longer, being satisfied with the continual conviction that I save all I can, and give all I can, that is, all I have." John Wesley, July 16, 1790.†

Dr. Watts gave away one-fifth of his income; Baxter, Doddridge, Dr. Hammond, and Lord Chief Justice Hale, one-tenth.

Such liberal and methodical contributions are usually returned by increased prosperity, to the donors, in accordance with the divine assurance, that "he that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord, and that which he hath given will he pay him again."

A Prize Essay on Scriptural Benevolence, which now lies before us, says:—

"An anonymous writer says of himself, that he commenced business and prosecuted it in the usual way, till he lost $900, which was all he was worth, and found himself in debt $1,100. Being led by his trials, through God's grace, to trust, as he hoped, in Christ, he, at the age of forty, determined to take God's word for his guide in his business, and consecrated his earnings to the Lord. The first year he gave $12. For eighteen years the amount was increased above twenty-five per cent., and the last year he gave $850; and he says he did it easier than,

"By the grace of God, I will never be worth more than $50,000. "By the grace of God, I will give one-fourth of the profits of my business to charitable and religious uses.

"If ever I am worth $20,000, I will give one-half of my net

profits; and if I am ever worth $30,000, I will give three-fourths; and the whole, after $50,000. So help me God, or give to a more faithful steward, and set me aside."

"N. R. COBB."

† Dr. Adam Clarke gives, in his "Wesley Family," a fac-simile of this passage. It would be quite illegible without the doctor's rendering.

Besides,

during the first year, he paid the $12. though with nothing but his hands to depend on when he began this course, he paid the whole debt of $1,100 with interest, though it took him nine years to do it. Jacob went out from his father's home with his staff,' a poor man; but at Bethel he vowed to give God the tenth of all that God should bestow on him. Commencing thus, God blessed him; and in twenty years he returned with great riches."

"A distinguished civilian says: 'I have for many years adopted the rule of setting aside a portion of income as the Lord has prospered me." I have felt that more than a tenth was my duty; and I can testify to the blessed influence of the system. It enables us the better to discriminate between the various objects; to discover how far we have denied ourselves for Christ and a perishing world; and benevolence thus becomes interwoven with our Christian principles, our high and Christian duties.' A distinguished citizen says the system of laying by in store on the first day of the week, as God has blessed us,' I have practiced for several years, and found a blessing in it. It is God's own plan, and therefore better than any other. So every one will find who will but try it. It increases our charity-fund many fold, without our perceiving any diminution of capital or income; and the fund thus set apart being consecrated to the Lord, we are able to distribute it without grudging, and with a more unbiased judgment, as occasion arises. I am one of the witnesses for God, that in this matter, as in all others, he is good.' An eminent clergyman says, 'I have for many years had a fixed system of devoting from one-fifth to a quarter of my income to religious and charitable uses. I have laid out my plan at the beginning of each year, keeping a private account of all donations, and leaving nothing to mere accident or excited feeling at the moment. At the end of about thirty years, during which I have carried on this system, I find my property materially increased; and I am surprised to find, on looking over my accounts, how many hundreds of dollars I have thus been permitted to contribute to the cause of benevolence.' A prosperous merchant says: I have myself acted on this principle for many years; and have some faith to believe that spreading before the people the great principle of systematic giving is to be a mighty instrument in the hands of God for the conversion of the world.'"'

Such facts from real life are worth many arguments. We cannot forbear adding another, from the experience of an intelligent merchant, who says:

"In consecrating my life anew to God, aware of the insnaring influence of riches and the necessity of deciding on a plan of charity before wealth should bias my judgment, I adopted the following system: I decided to balance my accounts, as nearly as I could, every month; and reserving such portion of profits as might appear adequate to cover probable losses, to lay aside, by entry on a benevolent account, one-tenth of the remaining profits, great or small, as a fund for benevolent expenditure, supporting myself and family on the remaining nine-tenths. I further determined, that if at any time my net profits, that is, profits from which clerk-hire and store-expenses had been deducted, should exceed $500 in a month, I would give twelve and a half per cent.; if over $700, fifteen per cent.; if over $900, seventeen and a half per cent.; if over $1,100, twenty per cent.; if over $1,300, twenty-two and a half per cent.; thus increasing the proportion of the whole, as God should prosper, until, at $1,500, I should give twenty-five per cent., or $375 a month. As capital was of the utmost importance to my success in business, I decided not to increase the foregoing scale until I had acquired a certain capital, after which I would give one quarter of all net profits, great or small; and on the acquisition of another certain amount of capital, I decided to give half; and on acquiring what I determined would be a full sufficiency of capital, then to give the whole of my net profits. It is now several years since I adopted this plan, and under it I have acquired a handsome capital, and have been prospered beyond my most sanguine expectations. Although constantly giving, I have never yet touched the bottom of my fund, and have repeatedly been surprised to find what large drafts it would bear. True, during some months I have encountered a salutary trial of faith, when this rule has led me to

lay by the tenth while the remainder proved inadequate to my support; but the tide has soon turned, and with gratitude I have recognized a heavenly hand more than making good all my past deficiencies. This system has been of great advantage to me, enabling me to feel that my life is directly employed for God. It has afforded me happiness in enabling me to portion out the Lord's money, and has enlisted my mind more in the progress of Christ's cause. Happy privilege, which the humblest may enjoy, of thus associating the common labors of life with the grateful service of the Saviour, and of making that which naturally leads the heart from God, subserve the highest spiritual good. This system has saved me from commercial dangers, by leading me to simplify business and avoid extensive credits. It has made me a better merchant; for the monthly pecuniary observations which I have been wont to take, though often quite laborious, have brought me to a better knowledge of the state of my affairs, and led me to be more cautious and prudent than I otherwise should have been. I believe this system tends to enlarge the Christian's views, increase his disinterestedness, and lead him to shun the tricks of trade. My own observation also confirms the belief, that even warm-hearted Christians must determine beforehand on the system they will adopt, if they would secure the benefits of the gospel plan to themselves, under the grace and providence of God, or its happy results to the cause of Christ."

What has been thus practicable to these few men is practicable, in some modified yet definite and effective form, to all Christian business-men. What would be the result if these examples were extended into a universal habit of the Church? We may attempt to answer this question hereafter.

We request the attention of the reader to the notice of our publishers, prefixed to the present number. In a short time we shall have the issues of the year bound up in two elegant volumes, and hope they will find a ready demand among our new subscribers. It has been our design, in the selections of the past twelve months, to present articles worthy of preservation, and we think the reader will not find the work thus far unworthy of a permanent form.

While our original matter shall be augmented in the coming volume, we shall nevertheless continue to use freely the current resources of our foreign exchanges. These comprise the best literary labors of the age; they can hardly be excelled, for unquestionably the highest intellectual ability of Europe is now expended on its periodical literature. To pretend that the exclusion of this great resource from our American publications, or its entire substitution by indigenous productions, would be a merit, is sheerly preposterous. We present no such claim to the patronage of our readers. shall give a good proportion of original matter, but also, as heretofore, cull from the riches of transatlantic works, especially from the English periodical writers-writers whose productions are an essential part of our common English literature.

We

The progressive improvement of the “Nstional"-both in its literary and artistic merits -which has been so emphatically acknowl edged by the press, will continue. We have made extensive preparations to secure it increased interest during the ensuing year. We hope its friends will rally still as they have heretofore to its support, renewing their own subscriptions and extending its circulation in their respective spheres.

Hahn; the letter-press is in the beautiful "Porsonian" type, imported expressly for this work. Dr. Owen's notes mostly relate to philological exegesis; they will be prized by the critical student. The Lexicon is abridged from Robinson's New Testament Lexicon, but it is also improved in some of the definitions. The book is a valuable one in all respects.

A very able Missionary Discourse has been issued by Rev. Mr. Butler of Massachusets. It is full of missionary facts and stirring thoughts. (Geo. C. Rand, Boston.)

Another work on the Spirit Rappings has appeared, from the pen of Professor Mattison. We shall have a "Spiritual" literature soon. Books, pamphlets, papers, are dropping from the like the leaves of autumn. Mr. Matpress tison goes at his task "hammer and tongs." Besides a great deal of learned argumentation, he brings to it the instrumentality of satire, and cuts scathingly right and left. His book will take. Its engravings, though not the best specimens of the art, are strikingly characteristic. The young folks can read this book without getting frightened, the old ones will shake their sides at it. How far it will be admitted to be a solution of the new mystery is, however, a question. So many solutions are now offered, that we are getting confounded

with their multiplicity. One thing is clear to us, that if there is preternatural agency in the matter, the devil has a hand in it, and we think the chief hand in it, whatever good spirits may have to do with it.

Swormstedt & Poe, Cincinnati, have published The Life and Times of Rev. Allen Wiley. The volume is valuable as affording data for the ecclesiastical history of the West, especially for the history of Methodism. It contains sketches of early Methodist preachers in Indiana, and abundant notices of the history of the denomination in that state. Appended to the narrative are specimens of Mr. Wiley's "skeletons" of sermons, and an essay, in the form of letters, "On Ministerial Duties." This work is from the pen of Rev. F. B. Holliday, who has performed his task with skill and good taste. Carlton & Phillips, New-York.)

Rev. James Porter has published a pamphlet on "The Spirit Rappings, Mesmerism, Clairvoyance," and kindred marvels. It shows the usual ability of his popular writings. Admitting some of the occult scientific mysteries of these subjects, Mr. Porter argues against their preternatural claims, and furnishes an impressive warning against their moral liabilities. All will admit the book to be a thorough one, whatever may be their opinions on the subject.

Ar a recent meeting of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, Rev. G. W. Wood, Secretary of the Board, read a paper setting forth the operations of the agents of the society in different quarters of the globe. It appeared, according to the report of Mr. Lyons, of the Sandwich Island Mission, that there had been a sad defection among those under his charge, attributable, in a great measure, to the use of rum among the natives. From the Syrian mission, at Abeh, Mr. Calhoun reported encouragingly. Among other things reported from the eastern missions is the completion of the Syriac edition of the Bible. Encouraging reports have also been received from the Indian missions. The receipts of the Brooklyn and New-York society for the past year were $22,911 51: the expenditures for the same period amounted to $144 50.

The fifth anniversary of the emancipation of the Vaudois, or Protestants of Piedmont, was lately celebrated in the Valleys and at Turin. The occasion called forth a lively enthusiasm toward the present monarch and his father, Charles Albert, who, on the 17th of February, 1848, restored to his Vaudois subjects all their religious and civil rights.

The Watchman and Reflector says, that out of one hundred and ninety Baptist Pastors in Massachusetts, during the four years ending April 1, 1852, one hundred and seventy changed places, six died, leaving but fourteen stationary. For the same period, sixty-one out of seventyone Baptist pastors in New-Hampshire changed their fields of labor, three died, leaving seven,

the remainder, settled over the same people. It is believed that Connecticut, Maine, and Rhode Island, would present a similar table of facts.

An immense Roman Catholic Church for Italians is about to be erected in London. Ground for it has been purchased for $37,000, mostly Gualandi, of Bologne, is to be the architect raised by the Church in Italy. Francesco

This Church is to have confessors to hear confessions in all languages.

The Free Presbyterians of Scotland have builtsince their separation from the Established Kirk-six hundred and ninety places of worship, a college, four hundred schools, and nearly five hundred manses, or parsonage houses. For these purposes the people have contributed nearly fifteen millions of dollars.

The missionaries at Madagascar, in 15 years, taught in schools more than 10,000 children, formed two congregations at the capital, and admitted to the Church nearly 200 persons, estab lished preaching stations in various towns, reduced the language to writing, and prepared and circulated 25,000 tracts and elementary books, printed a dictionary of the language in two volumes, and translated and printed the whole Bible in their native dialect.

The thirty-seventh anniversary of the NewYork Female Bible Society was recently held at the American Bible Society House in Nassaustreet. The attendance was quite large, and the services of a deeply-interesting character. The annual report of the treasurer was read by Joseph Hyde, Esq., from which it appears that