to go upon plundering expeditions, as they had done before. Now I am well aware, that some will accuse me of having boasted. I confess the charge willingly, but lay all the blame upon those who have constrained me to commit that folly. I might have enlarged my account, but fearing that some characters would have suffered by it, I stop here. One thing, however, I affirm before God and man, that if Christianity, in its plain and undisguised form, was properly promoted, the country would not suffer, but be benefited by it. If Christians were employed in some important offices, they should, if they misbehaved, be doubly punished; but to reject them entirely is not right, and discourageth. The glorious God and our blessed Redeemer, has commanded his Apostles to preach the Gospel to all nations. The knowledge of God, of his divine perfections, and of his mercy to mankind, may be abused; but there is no other method of reclaiming mankind, than by instructing them well. To hope that the Heathen will live a good life, without the knowledge of God, is a chimera. The praise bestowed on the heathens of this country, by many of our historians, is refuted by a close (I might almost say superficial) inspection of their lives. Many historical works are more like a romance than history. Many gentlemen here are astonished how some historians have prostituted their talents, by writing fables. I am now at the brink of eternity; but to this moment I declare, that I do not repent of having spent forty-three years in the service of my Divine Master. Who knows but God may remove some of the great obstacles to the propagation of the Gospel. Should a reformation take place amongst the Europeans, it would no doubt be the greatest blessing to the country. These observations I beg leave to lay before the Honorable Society, with my humble thanks for all their benefits bestowed on this work, and sincere wishes that their pious and generous endeavours to disseminate the knowledge of God, and Jesus Christ, may be beneficial to many thousands. I am, sincerely, Rev. and dear Sir, your affectionate brother, and humble servant, 'C. F. SCHWARTZ. REVIEW. The Christian Father's Present to his Children. By J. A. JAMES. Boston: Crocker and Brewster. New York: John P. Haven. 1825. 2 vols. There is one thing for which we think the author is remarkable; it is a peculiar directness of address, which leaves upon the reader the impression of most transparent honWe are happy to give this little esty. You see that he feels deeply work, so far as we have examined interested in the subject, and you it, our entire approbation. It com- are convinced that he writes exactbines in an unusual degree all the ly what he thinks. You forget the qualifications which could be desir-writer, and reflect wholly upon the ed in a treatise of this sort. It subject. And this honesty pervades Whether is an address to the young on their every part of the work. religious and moral conduct through he address parents or children, his life. It is in the first place emi-course is the same, seriously and nently pious; in the second, unu-affectionately to tell them the truth. sually able; and in the third, it is plain and direct in style, and interesting in manner. It is, in a word, just such a book as a religious parent would desire first to read himself, and he would gain from it many an useful lesson, and then place in the hands of every one of his children, who was old enough to understand it. The author evidently understands, in no common degree, the human heart, and the bearings of religious principle upon it; and he has here given us the results of much meditation, and we have no doubt of many prayers, in a most interesting form. To interest our readers in a work of this kind, it will only be necessa viction of sin; for none can mourn over a fault, which he is not convinced that he guilt is one of the first feelings of a renewhas committed. A deep consciousness of ed mind, and is one of the first operations of the Holy Ghost. "When he is come, he shall convince the world of sin." We by an acquaintance with the spirituality, come to a knowledge of our sinful state, ry to mention the subject of several of the chapters. They are such as these "On the disposition with which we should enter upon an inquiry into the nature of religion;' "On the nature of true religion;" "The advantages and responsibility of a pious education;" "Deceitful-purity, and extent of the moral law; "for ness of the heart;" "Decision of character in religion;" 66 Amusements and recreations;" "On redeeming time," &c. We shall close this brief notice with an extract, which may serve as a specimen of the general manner in which the plan is executed. The first is from the chapter on the nature of religion. After showing at length, 1st. that "God is the primary object of religion;" 2d. that "Religion is a right disposition of mind towards God;" and 3d. that this disposition is implanted in the soul by the power of the Holy Ghost; the author proceeds in the 4th.place, to show how a right disposition of mind towards God will exercise itself in the circumstances of sinners. He proceeds as follows: “First.-—Reverence, veneration, and awe, are due from us to that great and glorious Being, who is the author of our existence, the fountain of our comforts, the witness of our actions, and the arbiter of our eternal destiny. How sublimely grand and awful is the character of God, as it is revealed in his word! Acknowledging as you do, my children, his existence, you should make him the object of your habitual fear and dread. You should maintain a constant veneration for him, a trembling deprecation of his wrath. A consciousness of his existence, and of his immediate presence, should never for any great length of time be absent from your mind. The idea of an ever-present, omniscient, omnipotent Spirit, should not only be sometimes before your understanding as an article of faith, but impressed upon your heart as an awful and practical reality. Your very spirits should ever be labouring to apprehend, and apply the representation which the Scriptures give us of the Deity. A desire to know him, to feel and act towards him with propriety, should be interwoven with the entire habit of your reflections and conduct. Secondly-Penitence is indispensably necessary. In order to this, there must be deep con sin is the transgression of the law." Until we know the law, which is the rule of duty, we cannot know in what way, and to what extent, we have offended against it. The exposition which our Lord has. given us of the law, in his sermon on the Mount, informs us that it is not only the overt act of iniquity which makes a man a sinner; but the inward feeling, the imagination, the desire. An unchaste look is a breach of the seventh commandment; a feeling of immoderate anger is a violation of the sixth. Viewing ourselves in such a mirror, and trying ourselves by such a standard, we must all confess ourselves to be guilty of ten thousand sins. And then again we are not only sinful for what we do amiss; but for what we leave undone that is right, and ought to be done. If therefore we have a right disposition towards God, we must have a deep feeling of depravity and guilt; an impressive sense of moral obliquity;__a humbling consciousness of vileness. To the charges of the law, we must cry guilty, guilty. We must not only admit upon the testimony of others that we are sinful, but from a perception of the holiness of God's nature, and the purity of his law, we must discern the number, aggravations, and enormity of our offences. We must do homage to infinite holiness, by acknowledging ourselves altogether sinful. Sorrow is essential to penitence. We cannot have been made partakers of penitence, if we do not feel inward grief on the review of our transgressions. We read of "godly sorrow, which worketh repentance unto salvation." If we have injured a fellow-creature, the first indication of a right sense of the aggression, is a sincere regret that we should have acted so. How much more necessary is it that we should be unfeignedly sorry for our innumerable offences against God. Sorrow for sin, is not however to be estimated only by violent emotions and copious fears. The passions are much stronger in themselves, and much more excitable, in some than in others; and therefore, the same degree of inward emotion, or of outward grief, is not to be expected from all. The degrees of sorrow, as well as the outward modes of expressing it, will vary, as belonging more to the sensitive nature than to the rational; and for avoiding all scruple and doubtfulness, on this head, it may be laid down for cer tain, that the least degree of sorrow is sufficient, if it produce reformation; the greatest insufficient, if it do not. The next step in penitence is confession. Real sorrow for sin is always frank and impartial, while false or partial sorrow is prone to concealment, palliation, and apology. There is a wretched proneness in many persons, when convinced of sin, to offer excuses and to endeavour to think the best of their case. They cannot be brought to admit the charge in all its length and breadth; but they attempt to hide its magnitude from their own eyes. This is a dangerous disposition, and has often come between a man's soul and his salvation. All the great and precious promises of pardon are suspended upon "If we conthe condition of confession. fess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." Confession must be in detail, not in generals only; it must be free and impartial. Abhorrence of sin is also included in penitence. There can be no real grief for an action, which is not accompanied by dislike of it. We shall unquestionably hate sin, if we partake of godly sorrow. This indeed is the true meaning of the term repentance, which does not signify grief merely, but an entire change of mind towards sin. Abhorrence of sin is as necessary a part of repentance as grief. Our hatred of transgression must be grounded not merely on viewing it as an injury to ourselves, but as an insult to God. For penitence, on account of sin, is altogether a different feeling to that which we experience over a fire, a shipwreck, or a disease which has diminished our comforts. Our tears then are not enough, if not followed by abhorrence. If we are sincere in our grief, we shall detest and fly the viper which has stung us, and not cherish and caress the beast, whilst with false tears we bathe the wound we have received. Thirdly, Faith in Jesus Christ is no less necessary. Faith is a very important, and most esFaith in sential part of true religion. Christ is a firm practical belief of the Gospel testimouy concerning Christ, a full persuasion of the truth of what is declared, and a confident expectation of what is promised. The testimony is this. "It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners." "God so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." Hence then, faith is believing that Jesus Christ died as a sacrifice of atonement to divine justice for human guilt, depending on that atonement firmly and exclusively for acceptance with God, and expecting eternal life according to God's Faith is most obviously as much a part Fourthly-A willingness in all things to obey God, completes the view, which ought to be given of a right disposition towards him. There must be a distinct acknowledgment of his right to govern us, and an unreserved surrender of our heart and life to his authority: an habitual desire to do what he has enjoined, to avoid what he has forbidden. Where there is this desire to please, this reluctance to offend God, the individual will read with constancy and attention the sacred volume, which is written for the express purpose of teaching us how to obey and please the Lord. Finding there innumerable injunctions against all kinds of immorality and sin, and as many commands to practise every personal, relative, and social duty, the true Christian will be zealous for all good works. Remembering, that Jesus Christ is proposed there as our example, no less than our atonement, he will strive to be like him in purity, spirituality, submission to the will of God, and devotedness to the divine glory. Nor will he forget to imitate the beautiful meekness, lowliness, and kindness of his deportment: so that the love, which a right view of his atonement never fails to produce, transforms the soul of the believer into his image. Finding in the word of God many commands to cultivate the spirit, and attend on the exercises of devotion; the true Christian will remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, will maintain daily prayer in his closet, and unite himself in the fellowship of some Christian church, to live in communion with believers, and with them to celebrate the sacred supper." Reciprocal Duties of Parents and || rising generation wiser and better. Children. By MRS. TAYLOR. As such an attempt, we cheerfully Author of Maternal Solicitude, Practical Hints, &c. Boston: published by James Loring, 1825. pp. 144. recommend it to the perusal of our readers. We insert, as a specimen of the general spirit of the work, the following extract: "We never appear to advantage but when we act in character; when we THIS is a work of a less pretending character than that which we have just noticed, but yet of great cheerfully conform to the situation in practical utility. Its subjects are which we are placed. That modesty, humility, and diffidence are peculiarly ap somewhat less grave, and its man-propriate to the young, the general sufner less solemn. The difference is frages of mankind sufficiently testify. such as might be expected from the These virtues ensure love and approbadifferent. pursuits of the authors; tion wherever they are found; while obthe one, we believe, a zealous and of contradiction, which is their almost instinacy and positiveness, and that spirit devoted clergyman, and the other separable companion, produce corresponda modest, pious, and observing lady. ing effects, and keep such unhappy temIts object is to unfold specially, pers in a state of perpetual warfare with all around. A tenaciousness of opinion, some of the reciprocal duties of pa- the result of a vain self-complacency, is rents and children; of course it an unequivocal symptom of ignorance. treats only of those on which the Genuine wisdom, founded on experience, principle of reciprocity has a bear-is seldom positive; with a true dignity, it leaves the self-conceited to the enjoy ing. Yet though thus limited, evment of opinions, which, indeed, are rareery one must be aware of its impor-ly worth contending for. tance; for every one must have seen There is not a greater, nor a more unthat the most frequent cause of un-happy mistake, than that of imagining we happiness between parents and chil-way: our humours, and passions, and dren, results from a disregard of the duties which the one owes to the other. Faults in children are very frequently, would it be too much to say generally, the fruit of faults in parents. And on the other hand, the foibles of parents would produce comparatively little uneasiness, if children had learned obedience to that saying, "Honour thy father and thy mother," which is the first commandment with promise. The work of Mrs. Taylor abounds with piety, meekness, & good sense, on all the subjects upon which she treats. Parents and children will derive from it many a valuable lesson. Its style is simple and unaffected, and it bears on every page the strongest of all recommendations, the evidence of being a work, written with no other object than that of rendering the present and the are sent into the world to have our own propensities must be thwarted in the very nature of things, in a world where there much clashing of interests. No sooner is such a diversity of tempers, and so does the human being begin to discern objects, than it grasps and cries to possess all it beholds; but some of it would destroy, some would prove destructive to itself, and some are the property of others, with whose rights it is as yet unacquainted; as it increases in knowledge, the objects are changed, but the propensity remains; and it is well when parental discipline co-operates with an overruling Providence, to curb those exorbitant desires; well, especially, when the subject is enabled to discern the hand crossed in his pursuits; he will then befrom whence, and the reason why he is come patient, submissive, and thoughtful: but when, regardless of such wholesome discipline, the mind revolts from instruc tion, and when self-gratification continues to be the primary object, mortification and chagrin await it at every turn. He has commenced a warfare with his fellow creatures, in which he must eventually be thwart his unwarrantable, and to frustrate vanquished: God and man unite to his vain hopes" MISSIONARY INTELLIGENCE. INDIAN MISSION. VALLEY TOWNS STATION. EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM THE REV. Rev. and dear Sir, Valley Towns, Oct. 4, 1825. work was real. You, my dear Sir, will easily believe that the conversion of a dear child must occasion to her mother and myself the most lively feelings of gratitude to God, and humiliation before him. There are now several others, on whose minds the Spirit of God appears to be at work. We have now applications for the admission of more pupils than our limits allow; several from 90 or 100 miles dis tant. forbid water, that she should not be baptized. The other is our own little daughter, aged twelve and a half years. We have reason to believe, that she has experienced a change of heart for more than a year; but on account of her youth, we judged it prudent to give the most ample room for showing, by her walk and conI feel more than ordinary pleasure inversation, the fullest evidence that the addressing you at this time, as I know you will rejoice with us in the triumphs of redeeming grace, manifested in the restoration of two more of the lost sheep whom the Great Shepherd came to seek, and on account of whom, 1 trust, joy has already been excited in the presence of the angels of God. One is a white young woman, who came to assist for a short time, in the household business, while her sister, who is engaged with us, went to see her friends. Soon after she came, I had occasion to relate an account of the death of our dear brother, John Arch, who was known and beloved by almost all our pupils and family. The account of his death, and a few thoughts in which we indulged on the glorious change which he had now realized, appeared to melt the whole of our little company under a sense of the unspeakable love of God in Christ, in providing mansions so glorious, for creatures so unworthy, so deeply fallen, and so completely depraved as we all seemed then to view ourselves. The thought of a full Indian, with whom we were all acquainted, who a few years ago was enveloped in gross heathen darkness, now admitted into that city, in which "the Lamb is the light thereof," appeared to have a powerful effect on the minds of the Indian youths, and at the same time, conviction fastened so effectually on the mind of our young sister, that she resolved to seek the same Saviour that had done such great things for our departed friend. Last week she related to the church God's dealings with her soul, and no one could, had they been disposed,vember and December contains several The friends of the children who are capable of judging, express much satisfaction with their improvement. And I trust, the friends of the Indians to whom we have forwarded specimens of their improvement, will feel encouraged to give the Board that support, which will enable them to extend their operations in disseminating light in the midst of darkness. AMERICAN BOARD OF COMMIS SIONERS. We sincerely rejoice in the pleasing prospects which are opening before our brethren of the American Board in several of their missionary stations. The happy success of their exertions among our American Indians, has been a cause for gratitude to every one who has visited them. In Ceylon, and in the Sandwich Islands, the blessing from God has also in a peculiar manner accompanied their labours. The Missionary Herald for No |