F more need of aid than any they are now assisting. Where will this end? Christians, Patriots, think, where will this end? If our efforts are not increased ten-fold, what will become of our country From the Christian Mirror. TRAVELLING ON THE SABBATH. 2 Mr. Cummings-A late corres-, pondent in the Mirror, censures no occasion for such fears. Let be added to this country, 360 conthe population increase at the rate gregations, which will stand in of a thousand souls a day, for four centuries to come, and the wilds of the West are fertile enough and spacious enough to feed them all. But although we have nothing to fear on this score, there is one view of the subject, which we confess does excite alarm. When we think that every day adds to our number one thousand immortal souls-one thousand beings, who will be forever happy, or forever the practice of ministers in riding miserable, and then reflect that in the providence of God, their destiny is in an important sense placed in the hands of Christians in these Atlantic States, we do ask, and we ask with fear and trembling, what provision are we making for their spiritual wants? A new congregation is committed to our care every day. Is the American Education Society adding one to the number of faithful pastors every day? Is the Bible Society printing a thousand Bibles every day? Does the Home Missionary Society add to its list one more missionary every day? Alas! the whole number of young men assisted by the American Education Society, in all the various stages of education the last year, was only 156—and the number of their beneficiaries who will enter the field of minis on the Sabbath, to make exchan ges. His censures are passed without clear discrimination; and some may read his remarks who will condemn their ministers for doing what all serious persons would approve. All are reproved who ride on the Sabbath from home to make an exchange, and return home after meeting. In a great many instances, ministers do not have any further to go from home in making an exchange, than some of their own people have to go to reach the place of worship. Is it right then, for people to ride five or six miles in going to meeting and returning on the Sabbath, and is it Wrong for the minister? In some instances, a minister will have to ride but two or three miles to make an exchange. Shall he set out from home on Saturday, and tarry terial labour this year, is probably home by going a less distance than till Monday, when he can reach less than thirty-less than will be wanted for the souls added to our many of the people go to whom population in the last 30 days! he has been preaching? People The American Bible Society issu- readily make the distinction beed the last year,only 71,621 Bibles tween travelling for worldly busiand Testaments-less than one ness, and travelling for religious fifth part of the mere increase of worship; and they would never our population during the same think of applying a minister's cenperiod! The Home Missionary the professors of religion who sures against sabbath-breaking on Society have assisted since their formation, 196 congregations-in should travel home after meet-one year from this time there willing, five or six, or seven or eight miles. They would, doubtless, view in the same light a minister's thought until very lately, fortunate; travelling on the Sabbath. There are, however, limits, beyond which, it is not right to travel on the Sabbath; but these limits cannot be fixed in miles, they can' be ascertained only by circumstances. I should be pleased to see principles laid down which would assist ministers in determining when it is right, and when it is wrong, to leave home and return on the Sabbath; and which would enable people to judge aright of their minister's conduct; which would keep them from censuring a proper course, and from imitating a bad example. SECUNDUS. From a London Publication. THE DYING CONFESSION. The minister of but, Sir, it gives me no little disquietude to recollect, that I have not for more than twenty-five years once attended to the service of God in his church-that I have neglected his sacrament, and almost forgot to pray to him in private. A first my conscience cried out against such disrespect to the service of God: but I was not my own master, and what could I do?— Sunday was always my busy day; and the duties of my station engaged me entirely in preparations for dinners, concerts and card parties, on that day God appointed for oth er purposes. How far then is my neglect to be charged to myself; in what degree are employers answerable for the fatal consequences parish, for it for sorry am I to confess, in the metropolis, was sent for dur- that when the image of God and ing the course of this month, to at- futurity was no longer presented tend the couch of a man at the to my mind, my morals became point of death; after some prev- relaxed, and my habits depraved; ious conversation, and many fruit- and had it not pleased the Almighty less efforts to speak distinctly, the to visit me with a lingering disorpatient began as follows:-I took der, and thereby give me some time the liberty of sending for you, Sir, to recollect, and, as I hope, to rethat I might consult you on a subject that lies heavy on my heart, and which is the only circumstance that makes my present situation painful to me. By the care of my parents, I was educated a Christian, and imbued at an early age with religious principles-the duties I owed to my Creator and Redeemer were for many years my delight as well as my study; and I cannot charge myself with any great offence or wilful neglect, for the first thirty years of my life. At that period I became butler in a nobleman's family, and have since served several different families in the same capacity:-my situations have been good-my profits have been great, and my lot, as I always cover myself I had surely been lost; and must have dated my de struction to that heathenish depravity which has fixed on God's holy day, as a day of intemperate mirth, or scandalous levity." From the Boston Recorder and Telegraph A VALUABLE EXPERIMENT. Mr. Phineas Whitney, of Winchendon, Mass. has a large farm; cuts about 150 tons of hay annually; employs four or five men dur ing the year, and nine or ten in harvest. He was in the habit of purchasing rum by the barrel, in Boston, for his labourers, and used annually about five barrels. He saw the habit of using it was gaining strength in himself and in men. He therefore resolved to use no more; and offered his men one dollar monthly, in addition to their former wages, if they would dispense with it altogether. They readily acceded to this proposal; and during the last five years, he has neither used it himself, nor furnished it for his men. His work has been done quicker and better than ever before. He has saved, he says, more than one thousand dollars in money. Five or six of his neighbours, having large farms, have seen his success, and imitated his example. A society was formed, about two years ago, to promote temperance in that town; and though they have not seen the drunkard reclaimed, they have seen - the progress of intemperance checked; and he has now taken home with him some of Dr. Chambers' medicine, to try the effect of it on an individual who became a confirmed drunkard before the respectable inhabitants of the place, began to feel themselves accountable for holding the bottle to the mouths of their hired men. Mr. Whitney is well known in this city as a man of truth. D. FROM THE ALBANY REGISTER. MR. EDITOR-The Review which I berewith send you, was written immediate ly on the appearance of the SermonEvents, however, occurred about that time, which encouraged the hope that its publication would be unnecessary; and it would not now appear, had not a review of Mr. Nettleton's Remarks, and some other kindred publications, recently evinced a disposition on the part of the friends of the Lew measures, to defend and sustain the sentiments of the sermon. NOVANGLUS. REVIEW. A Sermon preached in the Presbyterian Church, Troy, March 4, 1827, by the Rev. CHARLES G. TINNEY, from Amos 3, 3. Can two walk together except they be The revivals in Oneida county and the vicinity, during the past year, have attracted much attention. They have been hailed by many, as the commencement of a new era in revivals; and the measures understood to have had the most prominent place in their promotion, have been denominated the new measures, and thought by many to be a wonderful improvement.Some have intimated that the measures which were successful in promoting revivals, in the days of our fathers, had now lost their efficacy, and would no more be blessed to that end: and others have gone so far as to say, our fathers did not know how to promote revivals, they did not know how to pray, nor did they know how to preach. Others again, have thought, that they saw nothing new in these measures, nothing but what they had seen among other denominations in their own times, and had read of frequently in the history of the church in past ages. They have recognized, or thought they recognized, in these new measures, all the leading features of those which were pursued by Davenport and others,during the revival in New-England, in the days of President Edwards, and which are pointed out in his Thoughts on Revivals, as among the things which are to be avoided. The author of this sermon has been considered the most prominent agent in the introduction of these new measures, so that they are often called by his name; though it is known by many that they had begun to be used in that region, among Presbyterians, in some degree, before he entered the ministry. These measures, have not, indeed, been adopted in every place in that vicinity, where there tion by the enemy. And though have been revivals during the past those gentlemen expressly say, year. It has been understood that that they have derived their insome ministers aud churches have formation from the friends of the been opposed to them, and have new measures themselves, and endeavoured to keep them out, as from what has come under their far as possible; and that others own personal observation, this have admitted them only in part.- does not free those in that region And this backwardness of minis- who have been known to disapters and christians to admit them, prove, from the suspicion and the has been the subject of much ani- charge of being the source of that madversion, both from the press misinformation. From the best inand otherwise. It is well known formation I can obtain, I conclude that some of the old and tried that those ministers and Chrisfriends of revivals in that region trans who have not approved of have been much blamed on this the new measures, have been the account, and have been represent most silent on the subject of any ed as opposed to revivals, hinder- class of people in the vicinity; ing the work of the Lord, and and I fully believe, that when the strengthening the hands of the truth shall be known, it will be enemies of religion. Yet it is beliey found, that the friends of the new ed that they have generally borne measures have themselves done these reproaches in silence, & have more to spread the knowledge of been backward to make known them abroad, than all other clastheir objections. Indeed, some of ses put together. Some that did there have been so backward to not approve have been silent, lest make known their objections, that they should be thought to speak their friends abroad have not against the work of God, and be known that they felt any, and proclaimed as enemies to revivals in some cases have been led to and some have thought that the believe that they had adopted prejudices of many were so strong, thes new measures in full and there was so little disposition The friends of revivals abroad, to make distinctions, that if they have at length become alarmed should attempt to correct any at the evils which have begun to evils, their intentions would be reach then from the West, and misunderstood, and they should have began to communicate their only lessen their own usefulness, fears," and to state their object without the prospect of accomtions in letters to their friends on plishing any important good. But the subject. But so persuaded those who have not approved are are sume, that these new meas- beginning to condemn themselves ures must be riglit, and that all for the silence they have mainthe real friends of revivals must tained, and to acknowledge it as approve of them, that they are an error, that when they have ready to conclude, that those seen the evil, they have suffered who are the known friends of any considerations to deter them revivals ˇabroad, must have been from raising the warning voice. nisinformed, and grounded their It is to be hoped, that the publi objections on exaggerated reports cation of this sermon will relieve wluch have been put in circula-them from any remaining stru• sinners, and they are either hyp ocrites, or so cold hearted and dead, that there is no present difference in moral character, between them and the impenitent world, and they ought to be so ples they may feel, and lead the way to a full discussion of the subject. It is certainly creditable to the author, that he has thus publicly taken the field, and given so fair a challenge to those who object to his measures. No ob- considered, and treated accordjection can henceforth be made ingly. by their friends, if they are made the subjects of the closest scrutiny; for the sermon is so open and direct an attack upon all those ministers and Christians who do not approve of the new measures, that it will be ascribed to cowardice, or the consciousness of guilt, if they do not speak in their own defence. The object of the sermon evidently is, to account for the opposition which is made to the new measures, by ministers and Christians, as well as others, in such a way, as to make that opposition a proof that those measures are right, and that all who oppose them are wrong; and especially that those ministers and professed Christians who oppose them, give evidence by their opposition that the state of their hearts is the same as that of the impenitent world. This appears through the whole discourse, and will be seen in the following extracts: Page 6. “ We see why lukewarm professors and impenitent sinners have the same difficulties with means in revivals of religion. We often hear them complain of the manner of preaching and praying. Their objections are the same, they find fault with the same things, and use the same arguments in support of their objections. The reason is, that at that time, their affections are nearly the same; it is the fire and the spirit, that disturbs their frosty hearts. For the time being, they walk together, for in feeling they are agreed." Page 7. "We see why ministers and Christians visiting revivals, often at first, raise objections to the means used, and cavil, and sometimes take sides with the wicked. While their hearts remain wrong, they will, of course, cavil; and the nearer right any thing is, the more spiritual and holy, so much the more it must displease them, while their affections grovel.”Page 12. "That excitement which does not call out the opposition of the wicked and wrong If ministers and professed hearted, is either not a revival of Christians oppose the same things religion at all, or it is so conductthat sinners do, and make the ed that sinners do not see the same objections to them, they finger of God in it. The more must feel just as sinners do; but pure and holy the means are, that ministers and professed Christians are used to promote a revival of do oppose these new measures; religion-so much the more, of therefore the state of their hearts necessity, will they excite the opis the same as that of impenitent position of all wrong hearts. If The sum of the argument is this: Sinners must be opposed to that which is nearest right: But they are more opposed to these new measures than they are to those which others use; therefore these measures must be nearest right. And, |
