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392

Intelligence,

Upon the cross for sinners, such a light
Would kindle in his eye, and he would strive
So for our soul's salvation, that we blest
His holy tenderness. But he is gone.
They took him from us.

Men who would not heed

Our misery, did hang a heavy chain
About his neck, and o'er the rocky road
And through the storm of darkness, led him on
To lock him in a prison. Side by side,

With the blood-shedder and the thief, he toils,
Clad in coarse garments, and with no fond smile
Months have fled,
Of wife or babe to cheer him.
Yet he hath done
And they release him not.

No harm, except to teach the Cherokees

Their bible duty and the hope of heaven,

That glorious home from whence no foe can drive.
Each night I weep, and ask the white man's God
To give us back our teacher. Pray for us,
White children! happy children! you know
Far more than we: Oh! when you kneeling ask
Pity for those who mourn, beg God to bring
Our blessed teacher from his prison house,
That we may listen to his words again.
Hartford, Feb. 16, 1832.

INTELLIGENCE.

L. H. S.

MORAL.

OUR VILLAGE.-The population of Sandy Hill comprises about 730 inhabitants, twenty-seven of whom, it seems, are downright drunkards, occasional or habitual. This number constitutes one twentyseventh part of the whole population; and supposing drunkards to be as numerous throughout the Union as at Sandy Hill, this ratio would give, as the aggregate number of drunkards in the United States, four hundred and eighty-one thousand, four hundred and eighty-one!!! Is Sandy Hill-a village with 300 pledged temperance How is this? men, out of a population of 730, and an excellent temperance paperis such a place in a worse condition than others, or have the estimates heretofore been far too low? One of these conclusions is unavoidable. Since writing the above, we thought we would make an inquiry or We asked the first man we met to two respecting "our village." name over all the drunkards in the town whom he could recollect. In the course of five minutes, with the aid of a neighbor who happened to be present, he gave us the names of FIFTY NOTORIOUS DRUNKARDS The list might have been greatly enlarged, had residing in the town. we thought it necessary. Each of our informants, concerning whose veracity there can be no question, gave it as his opinion that there were at least two hundred persons of this description in the town of Andover.

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We talk of the glorious temperance reformation, and if we consider it as the commencement of effort, we talk justly; but if it is to stop here-if we think the work completed, it will prove the veriest mock

ery. Christians yet tolerate the evil in the churches; public sentiment suffers its murders to be legalized; the drunkard is considered a freeman, rather than a fit inmate for a lunatic asylum; he is permitted to put his hands into the ballot box, when they ought to be confined in a strait jacket. These things are a disgrace to the nation.-Journal of Humanity.

INCREASE OF CRIME.-The Sing Sing Prison is running over. The present number of prisoners in that prison is not far from 1000. Sixty convicts from there arrived at this prison a few days since. Our excellent penitentiary system is the subject of frequent remark, and much may very justly be said in favor of the successful exertions for a few years past for its improvement; yet the careful observer cannot fail to notice the daily increasing evidence of its inefficiency. Crimes and criminals multiply, if we mistake not, in a much greater ratio, than our population-The same individuals being convicted two, three, and four times. The Recorder of New York, on a recent occasion, after sentencing ten individuals to the State Prison, expressed his opinion that the present penitentiary system is inadequate, and that its only effect is to take up those whom the concurrence of unfortunate circumstances have made vagrants, and pass them through a variety of processes until they came out felons. The philanthropist is ready to inquire, what is the remedy? We can think of none better or more certain, than an increased attention to the moral culture of our youth. The efforts of the wise and good should be turned with increasd energy towards our primary schools in their various grades; this will be striking at the root, and is, probably, the only effectual remedy.-Auburn Republican.

[We love common schools, and are ready to promote their extension. But we feel assured that schools will never reform a community. Revivals of religion can alone produce a moral reformation. The utmost that mere intellectual improvement can do, will be to check the progress of declension. If professors of religion will leave off selling rum, and the church will lift a decided voice against it, and then labor for revivals, such as shall change the face of society, there may be a reform. Mere education may stay the progress of declension, or, as in France, it may cover up the grossness of vice with a hollow, hypocritical decenty. Religion alone, changing the fountain of human conduct, can effect a real reform in the state of society.-N. Y. Evangelist.

[In the preceding observations of the Editor of the Evangelist, we fully concur.]

SECULAR.

ECONOMICAL FUEL.-A good fire on a winter day, at a mere trifling expense, is of importance to a poor man. One penny worth of tar or rosin water will saturate a tub of coal with triple its original quantity of bitumen, (the principle of light and heat,) and of course render one such tub of three times more value, than it was when unsaturated.— English paper.

We believe that the additional value said to be acquired by coal, prepared as above mentioned, must be greatly exaggerated. Bitumen is not the only principle of light and heat; it furnishes more flame, but less heat, in proportion to its weight, than some of the harder sorts of coal, of which carbon is the principal constituent. But something may be gained, and we wish the experiment may be tried, and its results made public.-Editor New Eng. Farmer.

TREATY WITH THE CREEKS. We learn from an official paper, that a Treaty has been concluded with the Creeks, in which this tribe cede all their lands within the State of Alabama, for lands beyond the Mississippi, and upon similar terms with those stipulated in the Choctaw Treaty. All the tribes have now agreed to emigrate from the bosom of the States, with the exception of about 4,000 Cherokees.N. Y. Gazette.

OREGON COLONY.-The Baltimore Patriot of Saturday says, "Twenty-two emigrants, on their way to the Oregon territory, arrived at Baltimore last evening, in the brig Ida, from Boston. They have with them their necessary travelling and camp equipages, and are about to take up their line of march through the west to that far distant land."

THE CHOLERA.-The whole number of cases of Cholera which had taken place in Great Britain, at the last date, was 6064; of deaths 1490. In London, only a few cases remained.

AGENTS.

RHODE-ISLAND. Providence-William Marshall & Co. No. 12, Market-square. Pawtucket, (North Providence)-Joseph McIntire, Bookseller.

MASSACHUSETTS. Boston-Dea. James Loring, Bookseller, No. 132, Washington-street. Taunton-Deacon John Reed. New-Bedford-Stephen Potter. Reading-James Weston Jr. Amherst Thomas Hervy. Falmouth-Capt. Silas Weeks.

CONNECTICUT. Ashford-Rev. Israel G. Rose.
NEW-YORK. Paris-Charles Simmons.

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All those ministers, who receive the Magazine, are authorized and requested to act as agents.

Published at Rehoboth Village. Mass. by Rev. Otis Thompson, Editor and Proprietor.

POSTAGE OF THIS PAPER.-Under 100 miles, 1 cent: Over 100 miles 1 1-2 cents.

CORY

ORY & BROWN, 17 Market-street, have for sale a general assortment of religious books, among which are Daily Food-Mrs Rowe's Devout Exercises-Comforts of Piety-Daily Piety-Gems of Piety-Gems of sacred Poetry-Dew Drops-Daily Crumbs-Directions to, Persons just commencing a Religious Life-Daily Scripture Expositor, &c. &c. together with a variety of new and standard Theological works.

Providence, March 26, 1832.

Tracts.

W. and Doctrinal Tract Societies, and have a general assortment

& H. REED, Taunton, Mass. are agents for the American constantly for sale at their store nearly opposite the Taunton Bank.

Printing.

EDMUND ANTHONY, Taunton, Mass. will execute BOOK

PRINTING in good style and on reasonable terms. Office a

few doors west of Taunton Bank.

April, 1832.

HOPKINSIAN MAGAZINE.

VOL. IV.]

May 31, 1832.

SERMON.

[NO. 7.

Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.-MATTHEW xi. 28.

OUR Saviour preached to large assemblies, who came from different cities, towns and villages, to hear him. And though their principal design was to become acquainted with him, yet his principal design in preaching, was to make them acquainted with themselves. Accordingly, instead of preaching to the multitude in general, he appeared to preach to each individual in particular. There was something peculiar and pointed in his mode of addressing those who flocked to hear him. On the same occasion, and in the same discourse, he would describe and address a great variety of persons. While he was preaching to the multitude, he would address his own disciples in particular; then addresses the scribes, the pharisees, the publicans, the sadducees, the rich men, the poor men, in particular; and among these classes of people, he would particularly describe and address the poor in spirit, the pure in heart, the meek, the merciful, the self-righteous, the hardened,* and self-condemned. This is exemplified in the chapter which contains our text. We find Christ preaching to the multitudes who had come from all quarters to hear him. And in his discourse, he instructs, he upbraids, he threatens, and he invites, according to the various characters of his hearers. He addresses those whom he knew had heard John, and demands of them the motives of their conduct in attending upon his preaching. He instructs them with respect to the character of John, and the design and success of his ministry. He addresses those who had come from Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, and upbraids them for their impenitence and stupidity under his own preaching, and threatens them with an awful ana aggravated destruction. He next teaches the whole assembly the amiable and awful doctrine of divine sovereignty in en

lightening and blinding the minds of sinners. And before he concludes his discourse, he speaks to those whom he knew were in deep anxiety and distress, in the most tender and melting language: "Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." It is probable, he saw some deeply impressed with a sense of their lost and perishing condition; and though their number was small, yet as a kind and compassionate Saviour, he invited them to come to him for life. What I propose is, to consider

I. What is implied in sinners being weary and heavy laden. II. What is implied in their coming to Christ. And, III. What is implied in the rest they find, by coming to him. I. Let us consider what is implied in sinners being weary and heavy laden. I use the word weary, instead of labor, because labor in the text is derived from a word which signifies that fatigue and wearisomeness which follows hard labor, rather than labor itself. And had the text been rendered, as it is often quoted, it would have been more agreeable to the original. It is often quoted thus: "Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The persons described in the text, are those who are weary and heavy laden. But the question before us is, what we are to understand by persons being weary and heavy laden. Here I would observe,

1. This implies their having a sense of their sinfulness and ill-desert. Sinners are naturally stupid, and blind to the corruption of their own hearts. This was the case with the scribes and pharisees. They trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others, and viewed Christ as reproaching them, when he described the depravity and malignity of their hearts. He preached much upon total depravity, and represented sinners as serpents and a generation of vipers, and as destitute of the love of God as Satan himself. This representation was then, and is now, a just description of sinners. But sinners now, as well as then, are apt to disbelieve this representation. All secure sinners are blind to their sinfulness and guilt in the sight of God. But when they are awakened, and constrained to look into their own hearts, they discover nothing but sinfulness and guilt. All their fancied goodness vanishes as the morning cloud and early dew. They find that they have not the least spark of that love to God and man, which the divine law requires. They find themselves under

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