joined the worthy clergyman in exhorting us all to make the care of our souls the one thing needful.' Such a spending of Christmas, Madam, was truly Christian. He lingered a week longer, and just as the new year dawned upon us, he departed to take up his everlasting rest in the New Jerusalem, to which happy place may our Heavenly Father in his own good time bring every one of us for Christ's sake!" After Margaret had thus related the history of W. T's Life and Death, she and her auditor were deeply affected. With such scenes Mrs. was familiar; she therefore gave Margaret suitable advice, and the writer of this simple story has the pleasure to state that it was not lost upon her. The reader, however, will pardon me if I embrace this opportunity to ask him or her, what is his or her view of this account? It has not been written as an amusing tale, but as an admonitory lesson. Reader, are you like W. T. a plain mechanic? Strive, like him, to be a real Christian. Live well, then you shall die well. Reader, are you young and opulent? There is in this account a copy for you to follow. Some young wealthy persons conduct a Sunday School which is made a blessing to a parish. "Go," reader, "and do thou likewise!" Reader, are you a professor only? Learn from the example before you to practise as well as profess the Gospel of Christ. Reader, are you a sufferer? Look to God for strength. Reader, whatever age or sex, whatever rank or station, whatever state or condition, you are, remember, "One thing is needful." Attend to religion now. Seek the Lord Jesus as your Saviour now, for time is short-eternity is at hand! B-d, Oct. 21st, 1822. ANECDOTES. W. M. The Lottery.—I took the first opportunity to call again on poor Richard Sly. Although he had often, during my absence, broke out into the most violent fits of agony and despair; yet, on the whole, as I learnt from his attendant, he had been latterly more composed. As soon as he saw me by his bedside, he grasped my hand, exclaiming-O, Timothy, tell all my old companions to beware of the lottery! Here lies a poor miserable wretch, ruined in this world! undone for ever! undone for ever! by the lottery! It was the lottery, that made me drink to excess to drive away my misery, when hopes after hopes of obtaining a prize had been disappointed! It was the lottery, that brought me from a state of comfort and plenty, to wretchedness and want! It was the lottery, that made me abuse a kind master's confidence! that made me DISHONEST! that has made me my own tormentor! that has driven me from an excellent place, that has forced me to a workhouse-that would have sent me to a prison, and the gallows! Yes! and it has ruined my health-my character, and will bring me to a disgraceful, miserable end! And O, Timothy, there is, I know, an hereafter. There is a bell for sinners; and the lottery-yes, the baneful lottery, will send me there! O, tell my former friends-tell them all-tell every body, to beware of the lottery!!,. Judge, Mr. Editor, how my feelings were harrowed up, on hearing all this, spoken with the most thrilling emphasis, by this miserable and dying man. Every expression went with the keenness of a twoedged sword to my conscience, and a nameless horror ran through my frame, both on my own account, as well as that of poor Richard. But I felt it of the utmost importance to attend to him. "Your striking description of the sad effects of the lottery," said I, "is, alas! too true. But, my friend, do not give way to de spair." "O, how can I indulge a hope?" he exclaimed, "No, no, there is no hope for me." 66 Say not so," I replied, "we are all, while out of hell, prisoners of hope.' There is a hope set before us in the Gospel, for the vilest repenting sinners, who come unto God by faith in Christ Jesus. My former good old master at the parsonage often told his people so from the pulpit." "But," said he, "I cannot repent, I cannot come to God-I know nothing about faith in Christ-my mind is all dark-I cannot pray. O, no, I am ruined, through neglect of religion and the cursed lottery. I tried all I could to encourage and instruct him, but it seemed in vain. He became, however, somewhat more composed, and soon sunk into a state of lethargy, and in a few hours after died. O, what a warning did all this prove to me! I thanked God for his not having suf fered me to go to such lengths in the lottery; I praised him for having preserved me from so awful an end, and I felt a determination, by the help of his grace, to have nothing more to do with the lottery, and to seek by earnest prayer to become a partaker of true religion. My grace is sufficient for thee.-The late Rev. T. W—, as appears from some memoirs of his life, was one evening preaching in Bristol from these words-My grace is sufficient for thee; when he took occasion to relate the circumstance of a pious young woman's labouring under a strong temptation to put a period to her life by drowning herself, from which she was delivered in a manner strikingly providential. She had gone to the river in order to comply with the enemy's suggestion; but as she was adjusting her clothes to prevent her from floating, she felt something in her pocket, which proved to be her BIBLE. She thought she would take it out, and look in it for the last time. She did so, and the above-mentioned text caught her eye. Through the Divine blessing attending them, the words struck her with peculiar force, when the snare was instantly broken, the temptation vanished, and she returned home, blessing and praising Him who had given her the victory. It is stated, that the relation of this circumstance was blest to the conversion of a man and his wife who were present, who had lived in an almost continual state of enmity, and whose habitation exhibited a terrifying scene of discord and confusion. In one of those unhappy intervals of sullen silence, which both parties were accustomed to maintain after their quarrels, the wife came to the dreadful determination of drowning herself. She accordingly left her house for VOL. IX. 74 that purpose, and approached the river; but owing to its being too light, she apprehended that she should be detected before she could accomplish her design. She therefore deferred the fatal act till it should have grown dark; and, in the interim, wandered about not knowing whither to go. At length, she espied a place of worship open, and thought she would go in to pass away the time. Mr. W. was preaching, and she listened to him with attention, especially when he related the matter above-mentioned. Instead of drowning herself, she returned home after the sermon, with a countenance, which however expressive before of a malevolent disposition, now indicated that a spirit of gentleness had taken possession of her breast. Struck with her appearance, her husband asked her where she had been. On her telling him,the immediately said, " And did you see me there?" She replied, "No." He rejoined, "But I was; and, blessed be God, I found his grace sufficient for me also!" Instance of Negro Fidelity and Attachment.-The following is a singular and authentic instance of fidelity and grateful attachment in a Negro. A gentleman of respectability, Dr. L-, was lately confined for some time in the King's Bench prison, while his fortune, involved in a Chancery suit, was unjustly withheld from him. During this distressing period, he was obliged by poverty to tell his Negro servant, that, however repugnant to his feelings, they must part; his pecuniary difficulties being now such, that he was unable to provide himself with the necessaries of life. The Negro replied with affectionate warmth-No, massa, we will never part; many a year have you kept me, and now I will keep you. Accordingly, he went out to work as a day-labourer; and at the end of every week, faithfully brought his earnings to his master, which proved sufficient for the support of them, until the recent decision of the Chancery suit, by which the Doctor obtained an award of thirty thousand pounds. Very much to the Doctor's honour, he has settled a handsome annuity for life on this faithful and affectionate Negro. A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE NUMBER OF JEWS IN THE PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES OF EUROPE. 2. Prussian Poland IN Poland before its 1. Gallicia division, 500,000, viz. 3. Russian do 300,000 The Russian Polish Jews reside chiefly in the following places, Wilna, Kanen, Grodno, Pinck, Mohilow (in this place are two Synagogues) Bizesk on Bug (here is the famous Jewish University.) The Austrian Polish Jews reside in Leonberg, (here is a famous School and Hebrew Printing Office) Brody, Lublin, Cracow, Tarnow. The Prussian Polish Jews reside chiefly in Warsaw, Thorn, Paren, Lissa, Kalish, Rawitz, Petrikan, Rielsh. In Hungary, viz. Presburg, Newratz, Miskolz, In Germany, viz. Frankfort on the Main, Prague, Furth, and Berlin, In Holland In England 76,000 200,000 20,000 14,000 SERMONS, by the late Rev. HENRY MARTYN, B. D., Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, Chaplain on the Hon. East India Company's Bengal Establishment; and late Missionary in Persia. First American from the original Calcutta Edition. Boston: Published for the benefit of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. 1822. 8vo. pp. 386. To those who love the Gospel of Christ, and who honour enlightened zeal in its cause, the name of HENRY MARTYN will ever be dear and sacred. Such meekness of self-denial, dwelling with such enthusiastic ardour for the well being of others; such humility of pretension, united with such extent of knowledge and eminence of acquirement; such efforts, with so feeble a frame; such spirituality, amid surrounding corruption; such a holy, heavenly spirit, have rarely been exhibited to the wondering eyes of the church and the world. His course, like that of some passing angel, has left a long track of light behind it. Already have the pages of our work been occupied with a "brief memoir" and character of this "man of God." Those who have read these, and the larger Memoir," which has already passed through many editions, must feel some curiosity to know how such a man would preach, and we can now recommend to them a volume that will gratify this desire, so far as respects his style and usual strain of composition. Respecting his manner in the pulpit, those who had an opportunity of hearing him preach, say-" he was distinguished for a holy solemnity, always suited to the high message he was delivering and accompanied by an unction which made its way to the hearts of his audience. With this was combined a fidelity, at once forcible by its justice and intrepidity, and penetrating by its affection. There was, in short, a power of holy love and disinterested earnestness in his addresses, which commended itself to every man's conscience in the sight of God."-Preface. The preface informs us that this volume was originally published at Calcutta, by the "Corresponding Committee of the Church Missionary Society," to which institution the avails of its publications there were appropriated. And by the advertisement we learn, that “certain friends to the missionary cause [in Boston] have taken on them all the pecuniary responsibilities" of printing this edition, and given the profits to the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. The volume consists of twenty sermons, of unequal excellence, on various important subjects; and except the last, entitled "Christian India," were not intended for publication. The ten first in order were preached in the Old Church, Calcutta, toward the close of 1810; and the others were selected from a parcel of his manuscript sermons in the possession of the authors' friends. * See Christian Herald, vol. VII. pp. 41 and 65*. The editors bespeak the indulgence usually granted to posthumous works, and every feeling of our heart inclines us to concede more in this than in almost any other case. Their task was doubtless a difficult one, but we apprehend a little more labour bestowed upon their melancholy office would have freed the volume from some inaccuracies which mar it pages, if indeed this is the best selection that could have been made from the materials which his remains afforded 66 As a specimen of these sermons we shall extract a part of the eleventh, On the New Creature." The text is 2 Cor. v. 17.— After a suitable introduction, in which our author adverts to the imperfect manner in which Christians understand the doctrines of their religion, and the obligation we are under to make ourselves acquainted, not merely with the facts recorded in Scripture, but to discern the distinguishing features of that way of salvation which it points out, he considers, first, the state of a real Christian, and, secondly, the evidence of his being in that state. "I. The state of a real Christian, or his situation in reference to God, is thus expressed by the apostle, he is in Christ. To be a Christian is not to have been born in a Christian country and of Christian parents-to have received the sacramental ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper-and to live a moral and honest life, but it is to be in Christ; the strength and peculiarity of which expression suggests the idea of a state very different in nature and importance from the mere external possession of Christian privileges, or the performance of relative duties. To illustrate the meaning of this expression let us contrast it with our state as we are in Adam, partaking of his guilt, and inheriting his corruption. God in his covenant engagements with Adam, treated with him as with the head and representative of mankind. Adam fell, and with him fell the whole human race; every individual as he comes into the world being now considered by God as involved in the first transgression. Hence the natural condition of men, whether their lives be more or less stained with actual wickedness, is a state of guilt, as well as depravity, at its very beginning. We are by nature the children of wrath."" Such is our state in Adam."-pp 187, 188. "Those who do not attend to the Scripture account of this subject are more accustomed to consider God as dealing immediately with ourselves than as in Adam. It will be of use, therefore, to contrast our state in Christ with what may be called the being in ourselves. In whatever degree we depend on our own works for recommending us to the divine favour, or imagine the ability to be holy is originally in ourselves, in that degree a mediator becomes unnecessary for us. We transact our own affairs with God-we stand on our own foundation; and God deals with us accordingly. He beholds us under that law of works which requires perfect obedience, and when once we fail of absolute perfection passes sentence on us as condemned criminals. Alas! how sad and pitiable is the condition of natural men! chiefly pitiable because they know not their case. He that keepeth the whole law and offendeth in one point is guilty of all. One act of dishonesty brands a man a thief; and one transgression of the divine law exposes to its condemning sentence, though they will not believe it. "The state of those who have fled from this danger, to be found in Christ, is to be contrasted with the former, in this particular, that God no longer deals with them immediately in their own persons. The whole method of his proceedings towards them is changed-he regards them in a new light-adopts, and adheres to a new system respecting them He always thinks of them as in Christ-overlooks what they are in themselves-all he gives to them, all he receives from them is through Christ, who is now the sole channel of grace, and the repository of spiritual blessings. Once he looked to them for merit; now he looks for it in Christ-once he remembered their sins, but he has now forgotten them-former Eph ii. S. |