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John Dyer, Secretary to the Parent Society, or the Rev. Thomas Griffin of London, will preach in the morning: service to begin at half-past ten. A question will be proposed for public discussion, by the ministers connected with the Society, in the afternoon; and in the evening the public business of the Auxiliary Society will be transacted. A sermon is expected on the Tuesday evening, by the Rev. William Giles of Chatham.

P.S. The members of the Committee are requested to be present on Tuesday evening. Put op at the Oak Inn, Ashford.

BAPTIST

MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

On Wednesday, Sept. 20, 1820, the Fifth Anniversary of the Baptist Auxiliary Missionary Society, for Oxfordshire, and places adjacent, will be held at Alcester, Warwickshire. Sermons will be preached morning and evening, and the business of the Society conducted in the afternoon. The attendance and co-operation of the friends of the Institution, are particularly and affectionately requested.

Poetry.

THE DEATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS.

CALM as the Summer's setting sun,

Let my last moments be;
And when my work on earth is done,
Receive me up to Thee.

Let no dark cloud o'erspread my mind,
When hence my spirit flies;
But let me heavenly comforts find,

T'allure me to the skies.

One favour more 1 humbly crave

Thy glory to extend;
Let me proclaim thy power to save,

Till Death my labours end.

And when my final breath draws near,
Permit my tongue to tell,
How saints, through Christ, surmount
their fear,

And conquer Death and Hell.

Around my bed, at my last hour,

O may my kindred stand;
And feel the gracious, saving power
Of thy Almighty hand!
May prayers oft offer'd then obtain
Acceptance at thy throne!
And whilst my friends salvation gain,
I'll make thy mercy known.

My soul releas'd from mortal clay,

And borne on seraph's wing, Shall the glad news to Heav'n convey, And Hallelujah sing.

B. H. B.

To the Memory of Miss M. Bowler of Oxford, who died June 12, 1819, aged Twenty-one.

OFT,when thro'Cherwell's vista-walk I've stray'd,
My eye has been delighted by the smile
Of the soft-blushing violet, whose beauty
Seemed enhanc'd and charm'd so much the more
By contrast with the thistle's gaudy form.
My walk renew'd, the violet was gone;
Some hand had pluck'd it, or the ev'ning breeze
Into the stream had borne the flower; while still
The thistle, with head erect, defied the blast.

Thus, with an anguish'd eye I late have view'd
A parent's hope cat off-an only child-
Whose filial love would bless a mother's heart,
And in a father's soul enkindle joy;
Whose mind, to virtue's chaste and hallow'd
beams,

Was like the lake at midnight to the moon,
When in it all her beauties sweetly shine.
Her Christian love diffusive as the dew,
Or like the crystal-fount, pour'd forth its streams,
Which as they flow'd, became the more refin'd.
One, in whose soul devotion's holy flame
Burn'd with an ardour so divine, so pure,
That all could see her Saviour's image there.

Relentless Death! who by the lovely corpse
Sitt'st like th' insatiate vulture o'er his prey,
Tell-tell us why--thy chilling hand is plac'd
On beauty's cheek; on her possess'd of all
That earth deems lovely,or that heav'n calls good.
"The sov'reign Arbiter of life and death
Sent the dire summons-the Omnipotent,
Who sways a boundless sceptre-holds the keys
Of hell and of the grave-whose arm directs
Contingencies, and guides with equal care
The flying sparrow, and the rolling world-
He spake, and it was done!" Teach me, my God,
Whate'er thy will performs, to be resign'd.
And ye, bereav'd, support your drooping minds;
There's latent mercy in the darkest cloud.
O could that virgin's happy spirit tell
What glories fill her soul-what songs she sings-
We all should willing die to taste her bliss.
Ægidius

Oxford.

Irish Chronicle.

Extract of a Letter from the Rev. J. Wilson. | ment! Then, natural beauty, and na

DEAR SIR,

Bellina, July 15, 1820.

You request a particular account of the present state of the schools, and of my preaching. The former I must defer till my next, as I have not seen many of the schools since my last.

say, that

With respect to preaching, I may truly have been fully employed; for while assisting Mr. West in collecting in Dublin, besides preaching at Swift'salley, I preached for several of the Independent ministers, with most of whom in town and country I am on terms of cordial and Christian friendship. On leaving Dublin, I returned through the southern part of the kingdom, and preach'ed at Ferbane, Burr, Thurles, Clonmel, Waterford, Youghal, Middleton, Cork, Tralee, and Limerick. In nearly the whole of this tour, the natural scenery | was remarkably interesting, luxuriant, and picturesque, and in these respects formed a striking contrast to the scenery in that part of the country in which my lot is cast. So forcibly was I struck with this, that I was almost tempted to envy the situation of my brethren who are labouring in those parts. But a little pious reflection is calculated to suppress such feelings, because it brings Him be. fore our view, who fixes "the bounds of our habitation." Besides which, I did 'not find that natural scenery, nor the rich products of the earth, effected any change in the human heart, dispersed any of the clouds of superstition and bigotry, or allayed any opposition to the promulgation of divine truth. All these seemed to prevail as much in that beautiful country as in the wilds of Connaught. Even the curiosity which is natural, and which is generally evinced, towards a stranger, did not produce larger congregations than are frequently obtained in these parts by those who are known. Oh that God would pour en larged measures of the influences of his spirit on the whole of Ireland, send more faithful labourers to her aid, and cause abundant success to attend every effort that is made for her spiritual improve

tural deformity, will both sink into insignificance; and subjects of the most sublime nature, and of the utmost im portance, shall absorb every inferior consideration. Praying that the divine presence may be enjoyed by the committee in all their deliberations, that the efforts, and that you, my dear brother, divine blessing may accompany all their may be long spared as the successful advocate of Ireland, I subscribe myself, Yours very affectionately,

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LAST week I visited your schools in this, county, and embrace this opportunity of making you acquainted with their present state. The first school which I inspected is in Newson's Town, about twenty miles from Cork. On my last inspection of this school about six weeks ago, there were seventy-four children in it; but in consequence of the curses pronounced upon the parents, it is now reduced to twenty-one. Most of that number belong to parents who know that "the curse causeless shall not come." I have reason to hope that this school will be revived, and that I shall again have the pleasure of seeing the cabin | well filled with happy-looking children. But even on the supposition that this shall not be realized, we have the satisfaction of knowing that the society has been instrumental in doing good to those who were once in the school. Fifty-three children have been driven reluctantly from the school; but while there, most of them had acquired the ability to read ; many of them had treasured up in their memories considerable portions of "the incorruptible seed of the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever;" and all of them had, to say the least, acquired a knowledge of the elements of reading. so that a foundation is laid for their fu ture pursuits, An appetite is created,

ety, and also to the 50,000 in the schools
of the "London Hibernian Society," and
to the 50,000 in those of the Sunday
School Society of Ireland. So that when
we contemplate the aggregate of the good
that is doing by different societies in
putting so many thousands in possession
of that which is the power of God to the
salvation of every one that believeth, we
will not be discouraged by a little opposition;
we will rather look upon it as a proof
that we are not labouring in vain; we
will bless God and take courage.

But I intended to inform the Com-
mittee, that I went to the priest who

the grounds of his disapprobation. His
behaviour was that of a gentleman, and
worthy of a better cause than that of
preventing poor children from reading
the word of God. All he told me, how-
ever, was what I was but too well aware
of before I saw him, viz. that there is a
rule in his church, by which poor chil
dren (and adults also) are prohibited from

which, we hope, will not be satisfied |
without suitable food. So that though
these children have been taken from the
care of the society, we may follow them
into future life with feelings which we
should not have had respecting them,
had they never enjoyed its benefit. If
we look at them as members of civil so-
ciety, now they have open before them
that book which will "put them in mind
to be subject to principalities and pow-
ers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to
every good work." Now they can read
the command, "Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself." Many of them
will be servants, and some perhaps serv-injured the schools, in order to ascertain
ants of men who now oppress them, and
then even they shall reap the benefit of
their knowledge of that divine precept,
"Servants, be obedient to those that
are your masters according to the flesh."
Not a few of them may be called to fight
the future battles of our country; and
who will say that they will be the less
courageous, for even their scanty know-
ledge of that word which makes the sol-reading the scriptures. In the applica-
dier valiant, and teaches him to "sanc-
tify the Lord of hosts himself, and to
let him be his fear and dread, who will
be for a sanctuary? But what is of more
importance than all this put together,
these children are brought, as immortal
beings, interested, deeply interested, in
all the awful solemnities of eternity, The
time, we hope, is not far distant in which
they shall begin to ask, "Where is God
my maker?"
"Wherewith shall I come
before the Lord, and bow myself before
the high God?" "How shall man be
just with God?" "What shall I do to
be saved?" "Who shall deliver us
from the wrath to come?" May we not
suppose that some of these important
questions shall in a future day be asked
by some of these children? Nay, we
know that some of them already begin to
be concerned about them. So that,
however we may lament the breaking
up of our schools, we have to rejcice
that the children carry along with them
answers to those questions, not ambiguous
and doubtful, but clear and satisfactory,
because drawn from the lively oracles of
God's word. So that considering life is
short, and our means so contracted, I do
not know whether those who are the
cause of breaking up our schools now and
then, are not helping us to give a wider
diffusion to the objects we have in view,
by dispersing the children as soon as they
have been taught to read the word of
life, and begin to acquire a relish for it,
and so making room for others. These
remarks will apply to your 8,000 children
remaining still in the schools of the soci-

tion of this rule he said he had "no dis-
cretion." All he had to do was, as soon
as he hears that the scriptures are read in
any school in his parish, to act as he has
done in this case, i. e. to give orders to
the priest nearest the school to prevent
the children from attending, by pro-
nouncing awful curses on the parents that
send them. I left this gentleman with
feelings of respect towards him for his
candour and politeness, but with utter
detestation of the principles that dictate
such a rule, and with gratitude to God
that I do not belong to a church that
leaves me "no discretion," and thereby
forces me to violate the command of the
Saviour, “ Call no man master upon earth."
I

may just add, that the gentleman in
question informed me, that in order to
remove the difficulty between themselves
and "those who have gone out from them,"
he has compiled small books from the
scriptures, and other sources, which he
thought I might introduce into the socie-
ties' schools, at the same time promising
to expunge any thing of which I might
disapprove, "that would not imply a
compromise of principle on his part." I
am afraid, however, that this latter part
of the promise would lead me into a
dilemma, which you will easily see. I in-
tend examining the books; and provided
there be nothing in them that is contrary
to the scriptures, I should like to try the
experiment of introducing them into this
school, if the Committee should think
proper.

But I must proceed to mention the state of the other schools.

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The second school is at Inch. The master of this school had not collected the children that day, in consequence of the illness of his own mother, with whom he was obliged to be; so that I could, not examine the children. I understood, however, from two or three persons on the spot, who often visit the school, that it is going on well. The clergyman of the parish takes an interest in its prosperity.

The third school is about four miles from the above, in the parish of Mahony. This school was opened on trial at the commencement of May last, instead of one near Clonckilly, which was given up in consequence of the master's dismission. There are 80 children in this school; as it was only on trial, I had not given out the requisite number of books. We are indebted to the Methodists for lending books from their reading room, for the assistance of the children, and also for occasional visits from some of the ministers of that denomination.

The fourth school is at Flaunbrack. There were 69 names on the list, 53 children present.

According to the number on the list there are

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The Committee will see, that there are six schools in the county of Cork, though four only are mentioned in the report. I have pressing applications to establish more schools near Dunmanevay; which I should be happy to comply with if the Committee authorize me.

There is a great desire for hearing the gospel in the towns of Dunmanevay and Clonckilly; on which account, as well as on the account of the schools, I must go there again very soon; and as often as my engagements in Cork, and the means

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I am truly happy to inform you, that the Schools are in a more prosperous state at present than they have been these three months past. I have found from fifty to a hundred in almost every one of the Schools I have inspected, and the chil dren repeated their tasks with the greatest accuracy. Many of them repeated near thirty chapters in the New Testament, though some of them could scarcely speak a word of English when they came to our Schools.

I still continue, through much weakness, to declare the glad tidings of salvation as often as I possibly can. 1 recently preached in a place called Rathnamaugh, to a small congregation; the day following, in Crossmolina, in a public house; the greater part of the congregation were soldiers, who paid the greatest attention. We received no interruption, except from a few people who were calling for liquor.

The next day I preached in Mulifarry to about forty. I should have had more, but they had only an hour's notice.

In the Glen where I stopped, I have been deprived of the house in which I preached formerly. The gentleman to whom it belonged, seemed to think that enthusiasm, as he was pleased to call it, was spreading too much. But though this seemed to be much against us at first, we find it now to be all for the better, as the Lord has opened an extensive door for his word. I preach six or seven times each week, from house to house. The last time was in a Roman Catholic's house; his whole family are converted from Popery; but he himself continues under the dominion of sin,

I cannot devote much of my time to my own improvement; but it is well to be employed in a good work.

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I arrived here last night from the County of Clare, where I have been preaching the Gospel, inspecting the Schools, and paying the Masters and Irish Readers their salaries; for the early payment of which, at this distressing season of bank failure, they were very grateful to the Society. I send inclosed their receipts.

I have been to the Schools four times within these three months, as they require constant attention, particularly when under opposition, prejudice, and lying reports. They are attended with no small degree of anxiety, when their welfare, the prosperity of the Society, and the glory of our dear Redeemer, are at heart. Those, to whose care they are committed, require unwearied zeal, wisdom, and prudence, and particularly the prayers of the people of God. The priests have issued the most strict injunctions that the children shall only read the Scriptures once a week, and commit none to memory. But all this is overcome. The children, such as are able, constantly read the scriptures, and commit them to memory. In the Anghnist School, twentyone of the children have committed to memory, since the 1st of April, 172 chapters, and the other Schools have done the same in proportion.

I am happy I can say there is a great improvement in every thing. I have been highly pleased this inspection. The Schools are filled with poor children, who would, in all probability, be left to perish in ignorance and in sin, were it not for the Benevolent Society.

According to the Committee's desire, I have been to Lady O'B. I have established one School for her Ladyship, the 1st of this month, at Bodythe, where it

was very much wanted: there were eighty children in it yesterday. The gentlewoman under whose care Lady O'B. wished me to establish it, attends to it every day herself; and so does a Roman Catholic lady, (besides the master,) who does all she can to improve the children, and reads some of the best tracts for them.

The priest spoke against the School, and the lady's conduct, last Sunday, on the altar at mass. The lady got up, and defended the School, and her own conduct, before the congregation! The School is continued, and likely to pros per. It is kept at present in the Roman Catholic Chapel; but Mrs. O'C. (to whom Lady O'B. has given the School,) will, with her friends, build a schoolhouse immediately.

She

The other two Schools I am to establish for her Ladyship the 1st of July, according to her wish, as she could not till then fix upon the most important places. I intend going to-morrow to have them established by the 1st of July. Her Ladyship procured for me an unexpected congregation, principally Roman Catholics, and was very glad I came. was wishing, she said, at the time of my arrival, that the Lord would send some person. The people were very attentive. One Roman Catholic said, that "no person should prevent him from hearing the word of God;-for that, though the priests reproved them for this, they did not reprove them when they committed sin." Lady O'B. wishes very much for one, or more, Irish Readers. When I mentioned their usefulness to her, she was much pleased; and I promised her that I would request the Committee to send one into her neighbourhood. I am certain I do not mistake, when I say, there is not one nominal Protestant in the County of Clare, to six hundred, or a thousand Papists. In most of our Schools in that County, there is not a single Protestant child, and they are all in the most deplorable ignorance.

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