as well as our own, to other nations."—Sermon preached at Whitehall, April 19, 1618, from 1 Tim. i. 15. "My soul is much more afflicted with the thoughts of the miserable world, and more drawn out in desire of their conversion than heretofore: I was wont to look but little further than England in my prayers, as not considering the state of the rest of the world; or if I prayed for the conversion of the Jews, that was almost all. But now, as I better understand the case of the world, and the method of the Lord's Prayer, so there is nothing in the world that lieth so heavy upon my heart as the thought of the miserable nations of the earth. It is the most astonishing part of all God's providence to me, that He so far forsaketh almost all the world, and confineth his special favour to so few; that so small a part of the world hath the profession of Christianity, in comparison of Heathens, Mahometans, and other infidels; and that among professed Christians there are so few that are saved from gross delusions, and have but any competent knowledge; and that among those there are so few that are seriously religious, and truly set their hearts on heaven. I cannot be affected so much with the calamities of my own relations, or the land of my nativity, as with the case of the Heathen, Mahometan, and ignorant nations of the earth. No part of my prayers is so deeply serious, as that for the conversion of the infidel and ungodly world, that God's name may be sanctified, and His kingdom come, and His will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. Nor was I ever before so sensible what a plague the division of languages was, which hindereth our speaking to them for their conversion; nor what a great sin tyranny is, which keepeth out the Gospel from most of the nations of the world."Life and Times, book i. part I. sec. 23. He adds a remark highly to the credit of his candour and right feeling, and which shows how forcibly real piety and zeal for the salvation of men tend to overcome those sectarian feelings and prejudices which divide the visible church of Christ, and which were never stronger than at the period in which Baxter lived. "Could we but go," he remarks, "among Tartarians, Turks, and Heathens, and speak their language, I should be but little troubled for the silencing of eighteen hundred ministers at once in England; nor for the rest that were cast out here, and in Scotland and Ireland; there being no employment in the world so desirable in my eyes, as to labour for the winning of such miserable souls; which maketh me greatly honour Mr. John Elliot, the Apostle of the Indians in New England, and whoever else have laboured in such work." Entelligence. ENGLAND.-SUNDAY SCHOOLS. THE Annual Report of the Sunday School Union, for the year ending May 1, 1821, states : THE attention of your Committee has been particularly directed to the consideration of Mr. Brougham's Education Bill. Soon after the last Annual Meeting, they appointed a Sub-committee to watch this measure. After maturely deliberating on the subject, your Committee agreed to call a General Meeting of the gratuitous Sunday School Teachers in London and its vicinity, for the purpose of considering the bill. This meeting was held on the 9th of April, and resolutions were adopted, deprecating the bill, and agreeing to oppose it, as peculiarly calcu lated to interfere with Sunday Schools, and to abstract the children from their present means of religious instruction. Your Committee also observe that many of the Unions in connexion with your Society have adopted resolutions against this Bill, and have instituted investigations which satisfactorily show the great inaccuracy of the Parliamentary Reports, the data on which Mr. Brougham has founded his proposed legislative enactments. The measures thus adopted by these various united Societies strongly attest the value of such associations. Had there been no united Societies, who could have made the necessary investigations?-who would have informed the public mind? The following is a Brief Summary of the Returns received from the different Unions and Reporting Societies :- Four London Auxiliaries Unions in Wales Fifty-eight Country Unions and Societies 2,456 29,217 270,894 Schools in the Isle of Man Sabbath School Union for Scotland 160 46 14,683 310 344 2,861 Increase reported since the last year 789 3,890 90,030 Of which 388 are New Schools opened during the past year. CONTINENT.-JEWS' SOCIETY. (Continued from page 334.) THE following letter was addressed to Mr. Elsner by Mr. H. Gortz, at Komrau, December 11, 1820. "Of the Hebrew New Testament I have only four copies left. The rest, with the other small publications, were immediately disposed of, when the Jews had been informed of the arrival of Hebrew books. On the 1st of July, seven Jews met in my house. They asked all of them for Hebrew books, especially the Prophets. I asked them, whether any of them could read and understand Hebrew? They all answered in the affirmative. And when I had shown them the 53d of Isaiah and some other passages, I found that they not only could read, but also understand them, as they explained them without difficulty in the German language. While one of them read it aloud, the others listened with great attention. After a while, one of them took out of his pocket the Hebrew New Testament, which he already possessed, and said, 'It is curious that the prophets have so clearly foretold the facts related in the New Testament of Jesus: and he added, I for one must confess, that when I read the Prophets and then the New Testament, nothing can be more clear than that Jesus is the true and the real Messiah.' The other Jews looked upon the Christians who were present, with an eye of veneration, and then exclaimed, one after the other, ' But what shall we do? We cannot help being Jews.' I replied, So you are now. But whenever you begin to believe in Jesus, and to receive him as your Redeemer, you cease to be Jews, and enter into the Christian church. I advised them to pray to God, that he would give them a true spirit of repentance for their sins, and enlightened understandings, to read the Scripture which testifies of Jesus; then he would reveal himself to them, as Joseph revealed himself to his penitent brethren. They were much surprised and affected. I then showed them some small publications, and now they all surrounded me closely, and began eagerly to ask, Pray give one to me; one to me also!' and they had scarcely received hem, but they began to read them, and with the Tracts in their hands, and reading, they left my house, after having expressed their most cordial gratitude. These Jews were from - about ten (German) miles (fifty English miles) from here. On the 5th of July, two Jews came to me from - seven (German) miles (thirty-five English miles) from here, to tell me, that they heard from other Jews that I had Hebrew books to sell, which they wished to see. I showed them the New Testament; after having looked into it, they said, That we have already;' and opening a bag, they took out a copy of it, whose outward appearance showed that it had not laid there idle, but been frequently read. They now asked for the Prophets, and were much rejoiced when I presented them a copy of them. Upon their question, as to the price, I replied, They might pay for the book, according to the value in which they held it. They said, The value is high, for it is an important book, but we are poor; yet we will not have it for nothing,' and paid sixteen groschen (one crown and a half) for it. I asked them now, What is the state of your nation? Is there in many, among your people, an earnest desire after the redemption of Israel, or are you all in a state of indifference about it? They replied, 'No: we are not indifferent; there is a great emotion in our town also. The New Testament is read in many families, and a doubt begins to become more and more prevailing, whether Jesus of Nazareth is not the Messiah; and many who are convinced of it, are only kept back by the fear of men, from coming openly forward. But we really believe, that if our rabbins were convinced of the truth of the New Testament, and would confess Jesus to be the Messiah, of one hundred Jewish families, who live in the town, not ten would remain Jews; all would gladly receive Jesus.' They appeared to be very concerned that their rabbins were so hostile, and that they dared not to open their minds to them. We do not know,' added they, what will happen. A general apprehension is gone abroad of something new; and there is none who will tell us what it is. Our learned men tell us, The time cannot be distant, when the Jews will be relieved. But in what way? that is a question to which they have no answer.' I advised them to pray to God for the light of saving truth, and so they went their way." 6 Your Committee have already mentioned Frankfort, in connexion with Mr. Elsner's labours; they proceed now to lay before you some very gratifying facts, which have been communicated to them from their correspondents, resident in that great commercial mart. They continue to receive the most satisfactory testimonies to the piety and zeal of Mr. Marc, a Jewish convert, the Society's Missionary at that place. Mr. Senator Von Meyer, a gentleman whose name your committee cannot mention without again expressing their grateful sense of the services which he has rendered the Society, says of him, in a letter to the Foreign Secretary, dated June 6th, 1820, "Mr. Marc continues in his useful and unostentatious activity, spreading abroad a seed, which cannot fail to bring forth fruit." In a subsequent letter, Mr. Von Meyer writes, "Mr. Marc . . . exerts himself with the most cordial activity in promoting the conversion of the Jews." The testimony of Mr. Lix, a lay member of the Moravian church at Frankfort, to whom also your Committee are under great obligations, is not less honourable to Mr. Marc. "That our friend Marc," says Mr. Lix, to the Foreign Secretary, is a lodger in my house is known to you. He is very active, and he labours in the true spirit. And what affords me the greatest pleasure is, that he himself lives by that grace he preaches to others, and therefore his residence here will surely not be without the desired point. He is often visited by Jews, and it appears that some of them have already caught the infection, if I may so express myself. For one communicates it to another, whereby Mr. Marc's labour is continually increasing. O what a gratification to converse with a truly believing Israelite, whose heart is burning in love to Christ." Mr. Friedenberg, having visited Frankfort, writes thus of him in his Journal; "I had an hundred evidences that Mr. M.'s stay at Frankfort is blest, and that the choice of the Society in placing him there has been providentially overruled for good. Both from Jews and Christians the testimony concerning Mr. M. is uniformly satisfactory. With so many disadvantages from ill health, we must regard it as a most evident mark of God's favour, both to the cause, and to Mr. M. individually. that he is enabled to do so well as he does. He is very much visited by Jews, both by such as are persuaded of the truth of the Christian religion, and by such as seek the truth. His whole heart is engaged in the matter, and the Moravian brethren there are faithful and zealous fellow labourers with him." Your Committee have the satisfaction of adding to this written evidence, the oral testimony of Dr. Steinkopff, who saw Mr. Marc at Frankfort, during his late journey to the Continent, and speaks most highly of his excellent conduct, and of the usefulness of his exertions. SOUTH AFRICA.-GRIQUA Town. London Missionary Society. Mr. HELM, in a letter to Dr. Philip, 26th January, 1821, represents the church at Griqua Town as continuing in a low state, no addition having lately been made, while it was found necessary to exclude some. Yet the place of worship, which is not small, continued to be well attended, and he entertained hopes of seeing better times. Our School, he says, consists of 103 children, of whom 55 can read, and a few write and cipher. The external state of the mission is rather prosperous, and it would be still more so, if proper regulations were established; and we expect such will be made by government, in March next, when the market (fair) will be held at Graaf Reinet. Agriculture is increasing, and though the crop of the present year has not been so abundant as the last, yet we have had more rain than in some former years. More wagons arrive from the colony, from time to time. But as to building, they are too slow. Since Andrew Waterboer has been made captain, they have gone on better than before. One of the Griquaas said to Mr. Helm, "I see more and more, that a mere literal knowledge of Christ and his word is not enough for me, I must have the saving knowledge, which I labour to obtain." Another asked, "How it is that many cows, sheep, and goats, who have no understanding, may be kept in order by one good herdsman, and that men, who have understanding, will not be kept in order by the preaching of the word of God ?" Some Griquaas hunted a lion, which they succeeded in killing, after he had bitten J. K. very dangerously. It is remarkable that the lion, when he attacked J. K. passed by two other men, just as if he had sought him in particular. The unhappy man died of his wounds five days after, without giving any proof of conversion. It appears that, about three years ago, J. K. met a Bushman in the fields, who was driving a cow which he had stolen. After retaking the cow, without any resistance from the Bushman, he shot him. No notice of this cruelty was taken by the Griquaas, but though men are unjust, God is righteous. PACALT'S Dorp. Mr. Messex, in a Letter dated December, 1820, says, In my diary you will find how the work of Grace goes on amongst us. Hottentots, who for many years appeared to be as hard as a stone, now come and bow their knees at the foot of the Cross. Notwithstanding we are bitterly opposed by various classes of people, God, who has always pleaded his own cause, has heard the voice of our supplications, and has not forsaken us. This year we sowed more wheat than ever, and had the prospect of a good crop but in consequence of a dreadful blast, in less than a fortnight all was destroyed. Now we are obliged to look out for bread, but corn is so very dear, that the poor Hottentots can scarcely purchase any. They have done so much work that you would be surprised to see it, particularly in making the large sod walls round Pacalt's Dorp, in the streets, the gardens, &c. Now when they see that you will make them a present, they will be encouraged to proceed with additional vigour. It has pleased government to give us a piece of land, in addition to what we had before, for our cattle; and even there we have sustained a great loss in cattle and sheep. Our gardens were exceedingly well planted, and every thing looked so well, that it presented a most pleasing prospect; but by a long continuance of drought, and afterwards by a terrible storm of wind, the fruit trees and plants were greatly injured. If it please God to spare us till next March, I intend to proceed with the enclosure of the corn-field also (which is large) with sod walls; but at present I am unwilling to set the poor things to work, they are so much reduced by want of food and other necessaries. I would earnestly entreat you to have the goodness to collect some old clothes, or whatever else you think proper, for my poor destitute congregation, because they are much, very much in want this year. Pray for us, that we may all be strengthened in faith, and that God may look upon us in mercy. It is true that this year we have a great and heavy trial, but we believe that God, according to his promise, will never leave nor forsake us. My whole congregation join in cordial salutations to you, and to all our dear friends in England.” UNITED STATES. For the Christian Herald. SYNOD OF NEW-YORK AND NEW-JERSEY. A Narrative of the state of Religion within the bounds of the Synod of New-York and New-Jersey, during the past year. THE reports, which have been made to the Synod of New-York and New-Jersey, of the state of religion in the churches under their care, have excited us to praise, adore, and also to mourn. From the Presbytery of Long Island, little has been heard which is encouraging;-they represent their churches to be generally in a languid state. Within the Presbytery of Hudson, God has been pleased to pour out the influences of his spirit, with convincing light and power. The churches of Westown, Greenbush, Hempsted, Forrestburgh, Nyack and Chester, have been especially visited. In most of these congregations, the revivals commenced in the latter part of last year. In some they were preceded by a season of lamentable lukewarmness; in others, the way appeared to be preparing for some time previously; the people of God were awakened to more zealous and prayerful exertions, to advance the Redeemer's kingdom. The church of Westown, which eleven years since consisted of only eight members, tells the wonders of redeeming love, in the hopeful conversion of 196 souls. This refreshing from the presence of the Lord, was not preceded by either unusual lukewarmness, or ushered in by any remarkable providence-their meetings gradually became numerous and crowded, and a |