zen, however humble his situation in life, or however he may have secretly offended; and for that purpose,

Resolved, That the above statament of facts and circumstrnces be laid before the American Republic, and that such statement be accompanied with a suitable address, calculated to call the attention of our fellow citizens throughout the United States, to these horrible transactions.

Ecclesiastical Chronicle.

ASSOCIATE PRESBYTERY OF CAMBRIDGE.-At Barnet, Vermont, on the 27th September, Mr. Thomas Goodwillie was ordained to the office of the holy ministry and admitted as assistant and successor to his father, the Rev. David Goodwillie, now in the 48th year of his ministry. An appropriate sermon from 2 Cor. ii. 16.-" Who is sufficient for these things?" was preached by the Rev. James Irvine of Hebron, and after being ordained to the work of the ministry by prayer and the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery, the charge to him was delivered by his father, and to the congregation by the Rev. Alexander Bullions of Cambridge; who concluded the services, by a sermon on Ephesians i. 22, 23.-" He gave him to be head over all things to the church." The assembly was very large, supposed to exceed fifteeen hundred, and conducted with great decorum. The day was favourable and all the services were in the field.

ASSOCIATE PRESBYTERY OF PHILADELAHIA.-Mr. William Easton was licensed to preach the gospel on the 1st of June, and Mr. John G. Smart on the 17th of August. Mr. Easton has since that time received a call from the united congregations of Octarara Oxford and Muddyrun.

Summary of Religious Entelligence.

EUROPE.

Our arrivals during the last month bring us very little intelligence, that can be called new, and as our room in this number is nearly occupied, we shall be very brief on this head. In a speech delivered at a late monthly concert for prayer, in behalf of missions, it was stated that though it is now only about thirty years since missionary exertions began to engage the public attention, there are already throughout the world, 300 missionary stations, 984 missionaries, (400 of whom are natives,) 40 printing presses, 130,000 scholars, and in the judgment of charity, 40,000 converts to Christianity and vital godliThe population of the world, yet strangers to Christianity, is six hundred millions. "There is yet very much land to be possessed."

ness.

SCOTLAND.-The Glasgow papers, received by late arrivals, give the names of nine or ten auxiliary societies, which have dissolved their connection with the British and Foreign Bible Society, and sent their funds to the Edinburgh Bible Society. They state, as a reason for their proceedings, that they are dissatisfied with the conduct of the London Committee, in permitting the Apocrypha to be circulated in connection with the Holy Scriptures. IRELAND.-About two years ago a proposal was made for uniting the Protestant Episcopal church with the Roman Catholic church. It is now propo sed to unite the former with the Presbyterian church of Ireland! What next?

CONSTANTINOPLE.-About seven hundred testaments have been distributed in this city during the past year, double the number of the year proceeding.

ASIA.

Ceylon. At this missionary post the gospel, for some time past, seems to have been attended with great success. At Oodooville, and Jaffna, on the 26th of July last, forty-one, some of them old, but most of them young, were fors mally admitted as members of the christian church. The season was pecul

iarly solemn and affecting: those of them who had children brought thent forward to be baptised, and eighty-six in all, sat down to the communion table in the presence of the heathen; these also, seem to have been deeply impressed with the solemnity of the scene.

A

BURMAH.-In our last we mentioned the safety of the misssionaries, Mr. and Mrs. Judson, and Dr. Price. Letters have been received from them, giving an account of their sufferings which, they say, appear to them upon reflection, more like a "horrid dream," than reality. They were received under the protection of the British army and treated with the greatest kindness. large field of labour is now open for them, in which they will labour under effectual protection. There is every reason to hope, that all that has yet happened at this scene of war, will turn out for the furtherance of the gospel."O Lord, how unsearchable are thy judgments!"

SANDWICH ISLANDS.-Copious statements have been recieved from this interesting field of missionary labour, under date of October 24th, 1825, and down to the beginning of 1826. They give a very cheering account of the success of the mission generally. The preaching of the gospel is well attended, the schools are in prosperous operation, the press is constantly at work, and the demand for books is very great. In December eight were added to the church.

AMERICA.

LABRADOR.-The ship Harmony belonging to the United Brethren, which brings them their annual supply, arrived at Hopedale on the 13th of July.--The appearance of this vessel is ever greeted with feelings of peculiar interest, by the missionaries and their flocks, as she pays them her yearly visit. Mr. and Mrs. Stock, rejoined their fellow labourers in these inhospitable regions.

View of Public Affairs.

GREAT-BRITAIN AND IRELAND.-Parliament has been farther prorogued until the 14th Nov. Oats, rye, peas and beans, are to be admitted for a while. Accounts generally state that there is an improvement in the manufactures. The distress continues unabated in Ireland, and attempts are making to connect it with the Catholic question.

PORTUGAL. A conspiracy is said to have been discovered at Lisbon, the object of which was to overthrow the new Constitution, and establish the Queen's party, Five hundred persons of police are said to have been arrested.

RUSSIA. The coronation of the Emperor Nicholas took place at Moscow, on Sunday 3d of Oct. The preparations were very splendid. The Grand Duke Constantine assisted at the ceremony and walked in the procession. It is said that war had broken out between Russia and Persia, the main object of which, on the part of Russia, is to find employment for her troops.

GREECE.-Something like infatuation seems to hang over the interests of this country in other parts of the world. After immense treasures have been expended in fitting out steam vessels for her service in England, they are found to be nearly unfit for use, owing to defects in the machinery. And of the two frigates which were building at New-York, one had to be sold to complete the other, though more money had been expended than was sufficient to have completed both. There has, it appears, been shameful waste, both here and in Britain, of the money contributed to aid a suffering and almost expiring nation. It is said that the Pacha of Egypt has offered $20,000 to any person who will take Lord Cochrane alive.

CONSTANTINOPLE.-The plague that rages at Constantinople, together with the axe of the executioner, makes dreadful havoc among the inhabitants.

UNITED STATES.-In 1826 the amount of goods manufactured in the U. S. is estimated at $250,000,000, $25,000,000 of which, are exported. This is more than double the amount of 1816.

STATE OF NEW-YORK.-Governor Clinton has recommended the observance of Thursday the 7th December, by the people of this state, as a day of public prayer and thanksgiving.

THE GLORY OF MINISTERIAL SUCCESS, DUE TO GOD ALONE.

A Sermon, from MSS. of the late Dr. Shaw, on 1 Cor. iii. 6, 7. (Continued from page 258.)

"I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then, neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase."

III. The agents, even the most perfect of them, whose instrumentality Christ employs, possess no commanding, independent efficacy of their own. "I have planted, Apollos watered; but neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth.” It is a leading principle in Revelation, which besides being thus plainly asserted, is also clearly implied in the figurative allusion in the text. A vineyard may be planted, or a field sown with grain by the hand of man; but will these manual operations ever produce a crop of vines, or of grain, without the sunshine of heaven, or rain from the clouds? No such thing. What then, shall a man of Paul's rare and shining talents, of so cultivated an understanding, of so sound a judgment, of such a warm, affectionate and feeling heart, of such strong faith and fervent love, such a scholar, and such a Christian, adorned with such an assemblage of virtues, and such a constellation of graces; and shall such a minister as Apollos, so mighty in the scriptures," not much inferior in estimation to the highly gifted apostle himself, be able to accomplish exactly nothing at all? This is not exactly the thing meant or asserted. For if so, for what purpose were men of such great and gracious endowments given to the church?— Every instrument produces its own proper effect, according to the measure of its fitness. Paul and Apollos then shall do all that such instruments can do, but not a whit more. It is, as we apprehend, with means and instruments in religion, as it is with them in every other case. The patriotic statesman may take every VOL. III.

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measure that human prudence can suggest for the good of his country-nations struggling for freedom may do all that gallant men can perform-the farmer may cultivate his fields with the utmost skill and industry-and so the devoted minister of the gospel may "spend and be spent in the service of Christ"-but the issue will in all cases depend on God, the success is such as the Great Supreme dispenses to each. The cause, indeed, in which a servant of Christ is engaged, is by much the noblest of all causes -its end, the salvation of the soul from death, is the most sublime object of all human ambition, and should stimulate to action all the noblest energies of man, whose honour, and whose office it is to "watch for souls," for, in unceasing care, effort and watchfulness lie the very life and soul of the ministry. But that grandeur of aim and object imparts no supreme, sovereign efficacy to means and instruments, the utmost extent of whose operations is limited by heaven's decree, saying to them, "hitherto shalt thou come, but no farther." In operations within those fixed bounds, according to their natural fitness and perfection, effects of various kinds are produced upon the hearers of the Word, without any saving results. The gospel is adapted as a means to act upon all the principles of human nature, and without any measure of special or saving grace, its action as a natural, welladapted instrument, is often productive of effects suitable to a certain extent upon the whole intellectual and moral constitution of man. The history of its dispensation abounds in proofs, and that in every age. Thus of Ezekiel's hearers God said "lo thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one who hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.” Ezek. xxxiii. 32. Thus the stony ground hearers "receive the word with joy, and for a while believe, but in time of temptation fall away." Luke viii. 13. And Felix trembled while "Paul reasoned on temperance," &c. and thus Agrippa was "almost persuaded to be a Christian." And their natural effects are produced in proportion to the powers and perfection of the instruments employed in wielding the divine armour of the gospel. Abstracting from this consideration of efficacious grace, one preacher, by acute and irresistible argument, may stimulate and convince the understanding; another, by a faithful description of the sublime scenes of revelation, may regale the imagination of his hearers; solemn and affecting images may afford play and amusement to the fancy of a third; fascinations of style, the voice, the manner, the loveliness of the song, may rivet the attention, tickle the ear of another, and send him away mightily pleased with himself, and fancying that he is pleas

ed with the gospel too, merely because he likes the tones of the preacher's voice, or the enticing words of his wisdom. A representation of the majesty of God may elevate the soul to some sublime conceptions; or when we hear the uttering of his voice, and see the lifting of his hand on high, as he marches through the land in indignation, threshing the nations in his anger, we may say and feel with the prophet, "When I heard, my belly trembled, my lips quivered at the voice, rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself." Hab. iii. 12-16. Emotions of joy, and fear, and delight; or sensations of pleasure or pain, may be awakened, and thrill through the whole man-the homeliness of unadorned truth, or the pungency of plain truth, will sometimes partially refine and reform, and in other cases provoke and torment those that dwell on the earth. Thus, you see the judgment may be informed and directed, the imagination regaled and feasted, the passions moved, the conscience stung and roused, the faculty of taste gratified, and the life in some degree reformed by the representation of the intellectual scenes and moral pictures of the Bible; but all these effects may very well be, and every day do take place, and yet the hearer leave the preacher and his performances, really the same man as he came, with all his earthly and unsanctified affections cleaving as tenaciously to him as ever, as practically indifferent to God and eternity as always before. The religion of many people is the easiest thing in the world; they come to and go from the house of God; and that is all. But indeed these results deserve not the name of religion, they are the mere accompaniments of it, without a particle of its essence, spirit or habit. Does that deserve the name of religion, which leaves the soul as profoundly drenched in spiritual slumbers, as if hushed by the insensibility of death? Does that man deserve the name of religious, who, though orthodox, is a liar, a drunkard, a swearer, an adulterer, a slanderer? Nay, but such characters are a heavy load and curse on the earth, and a burden on the patience of God. In all the best and happiest effects which the mere agency of means produces, and that in their utmost extent, there is no casting down of lofty imaginations, no renovation "in the spirit of the mind," no' grafting into the true vine, no subduing of the pride and enmity of carnal nature, no turning of the current of the affections, no doing away of all old things, nothing of the new birth, of the sanctification of the spirit, of victory over the world, of a life of faith, love and new obedience. When we come to this class of effects we find that we have before come to the end of nature's strength; for here we meet a barrier obstinate and impenetrable, neither to be broken down nor