the s Episcopal and other churches in Britain are in the habit of extending to the Moravians, and the aid which the Presbyterian church in this country has afforded to the Baptists, and especially to the A. B. C. F. Missions. The example of the English church, which in principle and practice is 330 far more exclusive than the Presbyterian, demonstrates decisively, that 100 a complete and continued separation from other churches, may still consist with contributing bountifully to the support of their missions: And Pas the Presbyterian church in this ed t country has already exhibited a liberality, similar to that of the English Episcopalians, there is no reason to fear that she will not continue to do peso, although she institute and supSport missions exclusively her own. To the A. B. C. F. M., we have not wa doubt she will, in the event of her od taking the stand we recommend, has continue to contribute munificently. Nor do we think that she ought to withhold occasional aid from several other missionary bodies. She is able, de and ought to be willing, to patronize every laudable enterprise. There is at no supposition more unfounded, than are that the sentiments we advocate are inconsistent with treating every other northodox sect in the most kind and fraternal manner. While we contend The that the church to which we belong should stand and act by herself, and not violate her own institutions, or attempt to mingle them with those of a heterogeneous character, we most sincerely wish she may set an exameple of genuine catholicism to all other churches. We have fully admitted, when treating on the nature and use of voluntary missionary associations, that they may be highly beneficial, and that it is not our desire that any thing should be done to destroy or restrain them, while they continue to exercise a salutary influence; and it is scarcely necessary to add, that we say nothing inconsistent with this, in maintaining that the Presbyterian church, as such, ought to conduct her missions without amalgamation or formal connexion with any other body. But in treating on the duty of the Presbyterian church in the great enterprise of evangelizing the world at the present day, we ought earnestly to insist on her obligation TO DO MUCH. What our Saviour declares in regard to individuals, must be equally applicable to churches."Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, of him will they ask the more." In view of this declaration, how great and solemn, in this day of awakened missionary enterprise, is the responsibility of a church consisting of sixteen synods, ninety presbyteries, thirteen hundred ordained ministers, two hundred licensed preachers, two hundred and fifty candidates for the gospel ministry, nineteen hundred and sixty-eight churches, one hundred and fifty thousand communicants-scattered over a region extending through twenty degrees of latitude, and as many, or more, of longitude? It ought also to be mentioned -and we desire to mention it with a freedom from all vain-glorious boasting-that the population of this great Presbyterian community may, without disadvantage, compare with any other of equal magnitude in the American Union, in the talents, learning, and piety of its clergy; and in the intelligence, improvement, property, and moral and religious character of its laity. How extensive and weighty must be the obligation of such a church, to take a leading part in executing the command of her glorified Head-"preach the gospel to every creature!" What reason has she to fear that her candle this statement is taken, were made at the meeting of the General Assembly in 1828, and were then admitted to be incomplete. On this account, and in consideration of the rapid increase of this church, a small addition has been made to some of the believed that, in every instance, the num numbers reported the last year; but it is ber mentioned rather falls short of the truth than exceeds it. The returns from which the most of stick will be removed out of its place, if she fail to render an exemplary obedience to the command which binds her! How much may she effect, if she will shake herself from the dust, and engage with true devotedness with holy and enlightened zeal, in the sacred cause of missions! We have said she might do more in this cause than is now doing by all the churches in our land. By these churches, we now remark, there is much reason to believe that a great part of the important and glorious work of spreading the gospel over the world is destined, in the purpose and providence of God, to be performed-and if so, how large a share must be assumed by the Presbyterian church, if she would escape having Ichabod written upon her! church, and for her service speciallyr if not exclusively-must be immediately revived, and pushed forward with a zeal that has never yet been manifested. No one thing is more important, or more immediately pressing, than this. Without some hundreds, and before long some thousands, of pious, talented, and well educated youth for missionary work, that work cannot be suitably performed. We want at least five hundred such youth in the Presbyterian church, at the present hour. The Macedonian cry is raised on all sides, and it wounds incessantly the ears of our Board of Missions. But what can they do? the men to send are not to be found.-They are yet to be educated; and no time surely is to be lost in commencing an education, that will require years to complete. Our impression of the importance of this education concern is such, that we verily believe the man who should now devote his life very efficiently to its promotion in the Presbyterian church, would serve his divine Master more effectually and extensively than he could possibly do in any other way: and all churches and individuals who take an active interest in this cause, and contribute liberally to its advancement, ought, in our deliberate judgment, to be regarded as coming "to the help of the Lord," at a crisis peculiarly interesting and decisive. What then, it may be asked, ought to be done? To answer the inquiry fully, would require time and space, which, at present, we have not at command. We can only say generally, that prospective measures, for a great part to be acted by our church, in gospelizing the whole human family, ought to be taken without delay. All practicable means ought immediately to be used, to enlighten our people in regard to their situation, their ability, and their duty; to show them clearly what they can do, and ought to do; and to stir them up to resolute and animated effort, in discharge of their solemn obligations. Our clergy and ruling elders ought, as becomes them, to take the lead in this truly holy work, and to feel, that on them has devolved, in this high concern, a duty, for the faithful discharge of which a fearful account must be rendered at the last day. All our men of influence, and men of wealth-those who have pens, and tongues, and purses, that may be moved or opened with effect have been raised by subscriptions and do-ought to feel that all their capa- nations, entirely distinct and separate from bilities are now put in special requi- those appropriated to the immediate obsition, by the command of God and jects of these charities. And we hope that the call of his church. this will be done in the case of an edifice The education cause-the education Boards. We think it would not be for the use of our Missionary and Educa tion of pious youth for the gospel right in itself, and we know it would be ministry, in and by the Presbyterian offensive and discouraging, if the funds Now is the time, also, when what may be called a complete missionary apparatus, ought to be not only contemplated but commenced. We ought to have the entire possession, or occupancy, of a large edifice,* in For the construction of similar edi. fices to that here recommended, for the use of the American Bible Society and Sabbath School Union, the necessary funds which there should be rooms for the meeting of the Boards of Missions and Education, and of their committees; and for the reception of missionaries, and of all who want to make inquiries on missionary subjects, or who take an interest in them -offices, likewise, for the secretaries and agents of both boards, where these, or other permanent officers, might always be found; and apartments, also, for bibles, tracts, maps, and all donations of clothing, stationary, and other articles, for the use of missionaries. All practicable economy ought certainly to be used in making these preparations, and every cent expended ought to be considered as the Lord's property, which it would be sacrilege to waste. But there must not be a narrow parsimony, or a suspicious jealousy, or an avaricious grudging, in relation to this business. The sin of this is quite as great, and perhaps the danger of it greater, than that of wasting or embezzling the contents of the Lord's treasury. In addition to all, and not less important than any or all other things, is the revival and cherishing of a spirit of fervent prayer, throughout the whole bounds of the Presbyterian church. The concert for prayer ought to be sacredly regarded in every congregation. It is in answer to prayer, that true revivals of religion are granted; by which missionaries are furnished, and missionary zeal and liberality fostered and promoted. It is by much, and earnest, and persevering prayer, that the influences of the Holy Spirit are to be called down, on all who are intrusted with the management and promotion of contributed for missions and education, should be drawn upon to build a house for the accommodation of the Boards we have mentioned. Yet all who know the nature "of these Boards, and the extent and variety of their operations, know that such a house is most urgently needed, and indeed must soon become indispensable. We hope that the men of wealth and liberality in the Presbyterian church, will soon add this good work to the many which they are already engaged in performing. missionary operations-on the Boards of Education and of Missions, and on their committees, secretaries and agents; that they may possess and exercise the wisdom, and zeal, and impartiality, and devotedness, which their hallowed trust requires: On all the missionaries of our church, and of other evangelical churches; that they may possess an apostolick spirit-the spirit of our own Brainerd, and of the best of those who have made him their model; a spirit of wrestling mightily with God, by fastings and prayers, for his blessing on their labours-while to those labours they give themselves with a perfect willingness to spend, and be spent in them: On all those to whom the missionaries go, in our own land or in other lands, whether they be nominal Christians or real heathen; that God may send down upon them the new creating energies of the Holy Ghost, without which not a soul of them will ever believe unto life everlasting: In fine, that the Millennial period, so long the subject of prophecy and prayer, may be hastened in its time, and that in the mean time, the faith, and prayer, and efforts, of the people of God, may not fail, but constantly increase. Such is the glance we have taken we could do no more-at what the Presbyterian church ought to do, and to begin to do, without any procrastination. We do not believe that the representation we have given ought to be considered as extravagant. We are convinced, on the contrary, that it falls short of what might have been stated, without any excess. If some of our readers think differently, we are persuaded it is because they have not had our means, and opportunities, and calls, to look at this subject in all its extent, and in all its bearings. FOR THE CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE. THE SABBATH QUESTION BEFORE CONGRESS FAIRLY STATED. It is the constant cry of those who oppose the repeal of that part of the post-office law, which requires the carrying of the mail, and the opening of the post-offices on the Sabbath, the first note of which was sounded by the sagacious Senator Johnson, in his sapient report to the Senate of the United States, that those who have petitioned Congress on this subject, are urging the national legislature to legislate on the subject of religion. This cry has now become in a measure popular, and the true state of the question ought to be clearly understood. The plain matter of fact then is as follows. The petitioners complain that the National legislature have actually, and to the petitioners most offensively, ALREADY legislated on the Sabbath, and they humbly pray that Congress would undo, what they have thus unadvisedly done. The petitioners do not ask for one jot, or tittle, more than this. They are the very people who most earnestly remonstrate against an impropriety in the National legislature, which they are falsely charged with urging that legislature to commit. The legislature, without being petitioned, have legis lated on the subject of religion; and all the petitioners ask is, that an act of this kind of legislation may be repealed. We have had opportunity to know the petitioners, and we do know them well; and we know that they want nothing more than that Congress should not touch the Sab. bath at all, in any of their legislative acts or doings; but leave this whole subject to be disposed of by the legislatures of the several states, as each of them shall see fit. Congress has broken through the state enactments, and the local usages and regulations in regard to the Sabbath, by ordering the mail to be carried and the post-offices to be opened on that holy day. The petitioners say that Congress ought not to have done this; ought not to have made a hu man law contravening the law of God, and the good laws and usages of the several states that had a previous existence; and all their wish is that Congress would retrace their steps, place the subject exactly where they found it, and never meddle with it, in one way or another, any more. This is the true and fair statement of the matter at issue; and it will appear to be so to every one who examines the petitions presented, or who even candidly considers the nature of the case, as it has been presented to the publick, in the papers not decidedly hostile to the prayer of the petitioners. We do not believe our opponents can show, from any one of the 446 petitions presented to Congress, that in a single instance, more has been asked for than we have here stated-The very truth is, that the infidel and irreligious part of the community in the United States, are rejoicing and openly exulting in the melancholyfact, that by a law of Congress, the Sabbath is, and may be, violated without restraint: and to hinder a repeal of this law, they affect a wonderful zeal to prevent legislating on a religious subject-the thing precisely, which the petitioners show, and all the world knows, has already been done. Congress, it seems, may legislate on religion to the injury of religion; but not otherwise not even to repair the injury which they have inflicted. A few misguided and hoodwinked religionists, have become auxiliaries of the infidel corps; but the parties, as such, are clearly marked, distinct, and opposite; and it remains to be seen which of these parties will ultimately prevail. If infidelity and irreligion shall triumph over the law of God, and the enlightened friends of Christian piety and morals, we shall tremble as well as weep for our country. Review. We have been induced to fill the very limited space which we are able to spare for a review in our present number, with the following article, taken from the London Evangelical Magazine for March last. The author, to whose latest publication this review refers, is well known in this country, and is, we believe, a favourite with many of our readers. By this republication we hope to gratify them, by inducing some American printer to republish a work so highly commended by competent judges, and the production, as they affirm, of "the first preacher of his age." We think that of such a book there can be no risk in the publication-The impost on imported books is so enormously high, that few copies of this work will ever be brought from Britain. MORNING EXERCISES FOR THE CLO SET, for every Day in the Year. Those who remember and value Mr. Jay's "Short Discourses," will be prepared to understand and estimate the character of these "Morning Exercises." The only two differences that we perceive are, 1st, greater brevity, and 2d, a spirit of more profound devotion. We quite agree with Mr. Jay's enlightened correspondent (pray is not this correspondent Mr. Wilberforce?) whose opinions are quoted in the preface. "I have a sincere veneration for the intentions of Bogatzky, and other similar authors; but there is such a paucity of thought, such a poverty of expression, such a narrowed range of ideas, such a ringing of changes incessantly, on a few topics, without gracefulness or variety; as to render the books exceedingly unattractive to the present rising generation. In these cases, I conceive we are bound to provide, as far as we can, that the food presented to their minds may not disgust, by the manner in which it is served up; and that, when we put important truth in their way, it should be encumbered with as few external obstacles as the case will admit." These remarks are certainly most just and weighty. It is really a sorrowful thing to look into the closets of our friends, and see how sadly they are furnished in the department referred to. What with self-righteous potions on the one hand, and antinomian cordials on the other, the meditations of the closet have been sadly deteriorated. And even where these errors have been avoided, a meagreness almost insupportable runs through the class of works in question. Mr. Jay has performed an acceptable service to thousands of devout minds, by the publication of his "Closet Exercises." They are full, without being tedious; illustrative of the sacred text, without any thing of dry criticism; deeply devotional, without one sentence fitted to minister to a depraved sensibility; impressive alike in sentiment and diction, without the slightest departure from the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus. In one feature this work stands pre-eminent. Each meditation is an express illustration of a particular text, and not merely a motto, as is too commonly the case. It may also be observed, that the variety preserved by this method is very great,-greater by far than in any similar work in the English language. With many, the mere circumstance that Mr. Jay, the first preacher of his age, has furnished three hundred and sixty-five more short discourses, chiefly upon devotional subjects, will operate as a sufficient inducement to prompt an |