The Committee of St. Petersburg have charged us, therefore, to desire you, Gentlemen, to present their most sincere thanks to the London Committee for their gift. The value of it is much enhanced, when we reflect upon the multifarious benefits you have already conferred on several of our infant Societies. As every letter and communication that our society receives from yours, breathes the most friendly concurrence in forwarding our common end, so your last letter, gentlemen, has caused the greatest satisfaction to our Committee; and all the Members of it were particularly affected by the expressions of that christian charity, which influences your actions, and induces you to propagate the Word of God in a country so far distant from Great Britain. We can do no less than imitate your humane and Christian undertakings; and therefore we exert ourselves to procure a sufficient supply of copies of the Sacred Scriptures, in order to distribute them, at the lowest rate, to our fellow-countrymen in the vast Empire of Russia. To this end, the Committee of the St Petersburg Society has already ordered the printing of the Scriptures in seven different languages, and the Committees of the smaller Associations are likewise advancing the printing of it in three other languages. We only desire that the success of these our undertakings, as well as the means to accomplish them, may answer the ardent zeal of our Commit tee. What you are pleased to say, Gen. tlemen, about the fundamental principles of the Bible Society, that "the circulation of the Scriptures, without note or comment, is the very life of the Institution, which proposes to unite, in one harmonious confederation, those who differ from each other in their modes of intepreting the Word of God," is such an undoubted truth, that it requires no enforcement among those who venerate the Holy Books. We can have no other guide in supporting our Institution than your example; and we shall be attentive to profit by your concurrence in every improve. ment. The St. Petersburg Committee has been informed that the Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society are desirous of having 1,000 copies of the Armenian New Testament, now printing by our Society; they have therefore unanimously resolved to present them with the same, which they hope will be received as a small token of acknowledgment for the many gifts for which we are indebted to your Society, and of our readiness to co-oper ate most cordially with you, in promoting the great work of salvation. Our Committee have also resolved to proceed to print the whole Bible in the Armenian language, to which they have been induced by letters from the Armenian inhabitants of Russia, who have subscribed liberally to this Society, and are earnestly desirous of obtaining the Scriptures in their verna. cular tongue The increasing demand for the copies of the Holy Scriptures makes it necessary for our Committee to request the Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society to send us, on ac. count, 3,000 copies of the (Modern) Greek New Testament. As for the Books in other languages, the Com. mittee have already given a commis. sion to the Rev. John Paterson, and they will write to him again about them. The blessing of the Lord, which you are pleased, Gentlemen, to invoke on the endeavors of our Committee, has largely and visibly manifested it self upon your Society, by manifold successes in all your undertakings; and we heartily wish and pray, that the same grace of our Lord may con tinue to rest upon the Patrons and Di. rectors of your Committee, and upon you, their fellow-laborers in this holy work, to make you all more and more the happy instruments of his goodness and wisdom, by circulating his Blessed Word throughout the whole world, and imparting it to all mankind. We are, Gentlemen, with due regard, most respectfully, your humble servants and fellow-laborers, From the Rev. William Milne. Batavia, Java, March 23, 1814. I left China in the ship James Drummond, on the 14th of February, with a Teacher, Type-cutter, and Servants. We had on board 456 Chinese emigrants, among whom I distributed 25 complete copies of the Chinese New Testament; and had the pleasure to see those Pagans reading in their own tongue the wonderful works of God! Perhaps these were the first twentyfive complete Chinese Testaments that ever were distributed. We touched at the Island of Banca, where the Chinese were landed. This Island is of considerable size; was formerly under the Sultan of Palembang; is now in the hands of the English, as one of the dependencies of Java, and at present chiefly valuable for its tin mines, in which the Chinese are mostly employed. The Chinese population in Banca, and at Palembang, may be upwards of 5,000 The English have a settlement at Palembang Captain Court, (whose name you are at liberty to mention,) Sub-Lieutenant Governor, received me with much kindness, and cheerfully offered to aid me in the distribution of the Sacred Scriptures among the Chinese. I left with him 23 copies of the Chinese New Testament. Three articles from the London Evangelical Magazine. “Jamaica. "By a letter from a gentleman at Spanishtown Jamaica, dated Feb. 21, 1815, we are informed that a proclamation has lately been issued by the House of Assembly, whereby any preacher or teacher (not a clergyman of the establishment) is made liable to a fine of 50% for admitting any Negro to be present at his meeting house; and for a second offence, 100%; and any Negro so offending, is to be punished with whipping for the first offence, and for the second, six months imprisonment." No. 284. p. 211. 66 "Captured Slaves. According to law, all slaves taken in slave ships by our cruisers, are car. ried into the free settlement of Sierra Leone; where those who do not join the army or the navy, are placed in villages and have lands alloted them. Eight such villages have already been formed, containing about 2000 Negroes, including children. All these we trust will receive religious instruction." P. 212. "War, Horrid War! "In a German publication, the loss of men, during the late war, from 1802 to 1813 in St. Domingo, Calabria, Russia, Poland, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, &c. including the mari. time war, contagious diseases, famine, &c.; is stated to amount to the dread ful sum of five millions eight hundred thousand!!!-O when, when will the time come that the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth, and men shall learn war no more! Hasten, O Lord, this golden age." No. 282. For the above articles we are indebted to a friend of humanity, who has assured us that they were correctly transcribed The first must excite the pity of every christian reader. But it may be a question, whether the poor negroes who are treated as brutes, are more to be pitied than their tyrannical masters; for there will be a day in which the oppressor, must stand at the tribunal of that God, who hears the cries of the oppressed, and in which those will have judgment without mercy, who have showed no mercy. In the second article we find much to commend, But with respect to those Africans who are persuaded to "join the army or the navy," we sincerely doubt, whether their being captured and placed in such situations, to spend their days in killing their fellow beings, is really preferable to being New-Hampshire and Vermont and sold as slaves. The third article fills the mind with horror. Admitting the correctness of the German calculation of the sacrifices made by war, in eleven years-the average daily sacrifice was 1444 human beings;—the average weekly sacrifice was more than 10,000; the average annual sacrifice was 527,272. At this horrible rate human victims are sacrificed by war, in those nations which are called Christian! The average yearly sacrifice, exceeds the last census of the whole population of Rhode Island by17,986. The amount of sacrifice for the eleven years, exceeds the whole population of the United States in 1800, by 494,334. Yet these Christian nations can reproach the Pagans for offering human sacrifices! In view of such blindness on the part of christians, intelligent deists must either smile or weep. For it may be doubted, whether the whole habitable globe can furnish an instance of more palpable, or more deplorable delusion. Ed. Norfolk Musical Society. Rev. John Pierce, of Brookline, Pres. Rev. Samuel Gile, of Milton, V. Pres. Rev. Ralph Sanger, of Dover, Sec. Rev. Josh. Bates,of Dedham, Chorister. Rev. John White, of Dedham, ViceMaj. Asa Gowen, of Franklin, ChorMr. Eben. Hunt, of Braintree, Sisters. At two o'clock, P. M. the Society met in the house of public worship, where, after a prayer and discourse by the Rev. John Pierce, of Brookline, a number of tunes and anthems of standard excellence in sacred music were performed to the gratification of a large and respectable assembly. The object of the Society is to correct and improve their own and the public taste in psalmody. Their plan is to have a meeting for recitation at Dedham, the shire town of the county, annually. At this meeting they agree, where the annual meeting shall be holden, which is to be in rotation in the several parishes connected with the Society according to the number of members from these respective parishes. The more effectually to carry their purposes into effect, they recommend to separate the Society into divisions of two, three, or more parishes, as shall be most convenient, who may meet at stated intervals between the annual meetings to attend to the objects of the Society. The Rev. Thaddeus M. Harris, D.D. of Dorchester is chosen to deliver the discourse, the next year. It is confidently believed, that by a more general formation of similar societies, the public taste in sacred music might be greatly corrected, and es. sentially improved; this delightful part of divine service might be performed to incalculably greater effect; and some hopeful progress might be made toward banishing from our religious assemblies those light, unmeaning, irreverent airs, which have been too long both tolerated and encouraged among us, and substituting others more favorable to piety and less offensive to lovers of correct psamody. Ordination. IN Gloucester, Rev. Levi Hartshorn. Sermon by the Rev. Dr. Dana of Newburyport: other services by Rev. Messrs. Abbot of Beverly, Bar nard of Amherst, N. H. Parish of By. field, Jewett of Gloucester, and Thurston of Manchester.-Centinel. Candidates for the ministry in Cambridge and its vicinity. Mr. Francis Jackson, Cambridge. Mr. David Reed, Mr. Joseph Allen, do. do. Mr. Thomas Prentiss, Cambridge, do. do. Mr. Rufus Hurlbut, do Mr. Jonathan P. Dabney, do, Mr. Samuel Gilman, do. Dr. FRANCIS JUNIUS was born at Bourges in France, A. D. 1545. Under a kind and learned father he received the rudiments of education. In his twelfth year he was sent to a public school, and was subjected to petulant and tyrannical preceptors, who seemed to have delight in punishing their pupils. But so great was the ardor of Francis to obtain an education, that he forebore to complain of the treatment he received. After considerable time he was removed to Lyons. While in that city he had many advantages and many temptations. Among other temptations, he was under the influence of a man who avowed atheistical principles; and Junius was persuaded to adopt them. He became as complete an atheist as his impious counsellor, and was so frank in avowing his principles, that they were known by all who were acquainted with him. For more than a year he was in this perilous state of Atheism. But at length a tumult happened in Lyons, and the life of Junius was preserved in a manner for Vol. III. 45 which he could not account bat by the agency of God, or an overruling Providence. This led him to serious reflection on the dangerous principles he had adopted. His father, being informed of the state of his mind, sent for him; and with the utmost tenderness requested him to read the New Testament with attention. He obeyed his father, and God appeared for him. On reading the first chapter of John the scales of atheism fell from his eyes. The account given by Junius of this event is as follows: "I read part of the chapter, and was so impressed with what I read, that I could not but perceive the divinity of the subject, and the authority and majesty of the scriptures, to surpass greatly all human eloquence. I shuddered in my body with horror at myself; my soul was astonished; and I was so strongly affected all that day that I scarce knew who, or what, or where I was. But thou, O Lord my God, didst remember me in thy wonderful mercy, and didst receive a lost ' and wandering sheep into thy flock! From that time when the Lord had granted me so great a portion of his holy spirit, I began to read the Bible, and to treat other books with more coldness and indifference, and to reflect more upon and to be more conversant with the things that relate to salvation." His father was rejoiced at the happy change; he wished his son to be religious, but did not wish him to become a clergyman. His desire was that Francis should study the profession of law: but to this the son could not consent. Divinity was now his object, and he obtained leave of his father to go to Geneva. He was furnished with but a small sum of money, which was soon expended. His modesty forbad him to borrow; and he formed the plan of labor ́ing one day on the fortifications to procure subsistence, that he might pursue his studies the next. Thus his faith in God was brought to the test. It was not however long before he became acquainted with a man whose widowed mother had often been relieved by the father of Junius. This man was disposed to show his gratitude by favoring the son of his mother's benefactor. But through fear of burdening his friend, Junius lived so sparingly that he greatly injured his health. In this situation God provided for him, raised up other friends to help him, and by adopting a different mode of living his health was restored. In 1565, he became a minister of a church at Antwerp. This situation proved to be afflictive and dangerous. The Spaniards were then in possession of the Low Countries, and were about to establish the Inqusition in that quarter. The Reformers held a meeting to consult on the best methods to prevent the establishment of the terrible tribunal. At this meeting Junius took an active part; but he was inclined to moderation and pacific measures. After the meeting he published some "Political Admonitions," which gave great offence to the Papists. From the style and manner of this publication Junius was suspected to be the author, and narrowly escaped the designs of his enemies. At that period the Protestants as well as the Papists, were under the influence of a persecuting and violent spirit, to which Junius was opposed in his own party as well as in the Papists. He wished well to the interest of those who were called the Reformers; but he did not think that a good cause should be promoted by violent measures. He was not for opposing a persecuting spirit with the spirit of persecution. And as he felt bound to set his face against this spirit in both parties, he incurred the displeasure of both; and many of the Reformers joined the Papists in persecuting Junius. ́ "Men of peace and moderation," says Mr. Middleton, “and truly religious men must be such, may expect such treatment in all ages. If they will not espouse the interest of a party with the rage of the party, the furious partizans will not thank them for a sober adherence and advice; but perhaps will be the first to condemn them."-This judicious remark has often been verified both in politics and religion. |