year, when the standard of his grace was unfurled and shone bright around us, yet we have found the most precious effects resulting from our associ ation. Our meetings for prayer and conversation have been solemn and profitable; they have tended to impress our minds more deeply with our obligations as mothers. We have sown and watered in tears. Can we claim the promises? The seed cannot deceive our hope. May we believe this, and thus may our hearts be establish ed. Then will the cloud that hangs over us be dispelled, and the rays of the Sun of righteousness guide our dear children to that cross, by which the world can be crucified unto them, and they unto the world. Shed upon us, O Saviour, thine own light, and then shall we see light!

Our situation is indeed responsible ! God hath committed to.us immortal souls, and bound us to them, by the tenderest ties. Let us teach them the

fear of the Lord; this is the beginning of wisdom. Let us bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

There have been some indications of the Divine Presence. May these increase, that we may enjoy his smiles.

While we acknowledge with heartfelt joy and gratitude the divine goodness, and dwell upon the means we enjoy, we would lift up our hearts in prayer, and commit ourselves and our children to God, believing that we must labor as though their conversion depended upon our exertions, and yet that Paul may plant and Apollos water, but that the increase can come only from above.

operations, we cannot deny ourselves the pleasure of publishing it in the pages of the Magazine. We do most urgently bespeak the good will and the

generous cooperation of the churches to this object. Tracts have been instrumental of widely diffusing the savour of the gospel. They are still capable of exerting a more expansive influence. Let every church in our land constitute its minister a life member, and auxiliary Societies be formed in every section where they do not at present exist.

The Society is constantly issuing new tracts, and these would be greatly multiplied, were adequate means furnished.

Persons in the vicinity of Boston

may

of the Society, at the Tract Deposibe furnished with the publications tory of Lincoln & Edmands, 59 Washington Street.

Circular to the Baptist Denomination in the United States.

The object of this appeal to American Baptists, in behalf of their General Tract Society, is to urge attention to its wants, and solicit needed assistance. We cannot look back to the origin of this institution and trace its progress from the first small beginning in Washington city, seven years ago, up to its present state of increase in the beneficial results to call forth and usefulness, without finding much our gratitude to God, and excite us to still greater efforts to sustain and enlarge its operations. The Society owes its origin to no party feelings, or improper sectarian zeal, but to a sincere desire to do good, connected with a conviction of the necessity of this instrumentality, arising chiefly from the wants of our denomination. The same reasons that rendered its establishment necessary, still exist, and force in favour of its continuance and can now be urged with accumulated enlargement. Our numerous destitute churches, the many waste places in our new settlements, the peculiar circumstances of the denomination, the errors that extensively prevail, the want of union, of vital piety, of suit

able missionary effort, of apostolic zeal and devotedness-all these, with many other exigencies, loudly proclaim the necessity of an institution which shall direct its aims specially to the spiritual interests of our own people.

"Besides these considerations, there are others which call for the existence of a society whose operations shall be conducted with reference to the characteristic sentiments of the denomination, as well as its wants.

"We are all impressed with a conviction from which we cannot escape, that we are the only denomination of Christians in the land, which maintains the ordinances of the New Testament, as they were delivered to the primitive church. And as we do in our hearts believe, that our brethren of other denominations are in error on this point, we feel ourselves obliged, as we would preserve our consciences void of offence towards our sovereign Lord, to use our endeavours at least, so far as a candid and accessible statement of the reasons of our belief can go, to bring them to the knowledge and acknowledgment of the truth. Truth on this subject, as on every other, must be brought into collision with error, before she can achieve her conquests; and, as almost the only access we have to the minds and consciences of our brethren is through the medium of the press, we feel that it is a service required of us to the cause of truth, to publish and circulate, in the light and diffusive form of the tract, and in the spirit of meekness, our reasons for believing them in error, our justification of our dissent from them, and our admonitions to their relinquishment of a practice which has constrained us to decline their ecclesiastical fellowship."

Such being the Society's objectaiming as it does to disseminate divine truth, to send the bread of life to the destitute, to enlighten the ignorant, to reform the vicious, to strengthen the weak, to confirm the wavering, and to arouse all to holy effort, it surely has a just claim to the kind regards and generous co-operation of every Baptist in the United States. And this claim is enforced by the fact that God has placed upon the Society the broad seal of his approbation. He has guided its measures, increased its neans, and blessed its publications.

Wherever our tracts have gone, they have gained to themselves friends. Wherever they have been received and read, they have exerted a most salutary influence, and in various ways proved a rich blessing to churches and individuals.

The advantages which may be expected to result from the enlarged operations of the Society, are so many and so great, that when duly weighed, it is to be hoped they will have a powerful influence on the mind of every member of our churches. It must be allowed that the distribution of relig ious tracts is likely to do good. "Is not divine truth the grand instrument which God employs for the conversion of sinners, and for the edification and comfort of saints; till they come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ? All the wonders of faith, holiness, and patience, which Christians have displayed, have been wrought by the influence of truth upon the soul. In the promulgation of truth by preaching, which was God's first way of making the gospel known, there are assuredly some peculiar advantages. But in doing it by writing, there are advantages also; and it has this recommendation, that it is God's chief way of making himself known to the human race from age to age, and of presenting truth to the minds of men from day to day, in every land where the revelation of his will is known." "Paul wrote often, and much, and preciously, and said; "When this epistle is read among you, cause it to be read in the churches of the Laodiceans, and that ye also read the epistle from Laodicea." "Peter also pursued the same happy course, that his brethren, and we also, as it is in this day," "might be able to have these things always in remembrance.” "Are there not thousands, and tens of thousands, now in glory, whose first impressions of religion, as well as their following improvement, were made by reading? What is a religious tract, but a select portion of divine truth, designed and adapted to make the reader wise unto salvation?"

Tracts, embodying those doctrines, and maintaining those practices, which constitute the faith and order of Baptist churches, are wanted not only for the destitute, but also for

the more favored churches, and for individuals of every grade and character and circumstance. It has been an idea too prevalent that tracts were only designed for waste places, or for the profane and ungodly; but surely they are also much required by the Christian, and through the divine influences of the Holy Spirit, they are happily adapted to promote self-examination-purity of walk and conversation-growth in grace-a spirit of active benevolence-and prepara

tion for heaven.

In connexion with these remarks relative to the necessity and aims of the Baptist General Tract Society, we shall now present a brief statement of its concerns.

When the successor of the late agent entered upon the duties of his office, at the commencement of the present year, the Society was nearly two thousand dollars in debt, principally for paper. Several numbers of the series of tracts were entirely exhausted, and of many others there were but few copies remaining, while the issuing of monthly tracts had fallen three months in arrear. In addition to these embarrassments, another obstacle in the way of discharging our debts was found to exist. The reduced prices of the publications of the American Tract Society had operated during the preceding year, greatly to our disadvantage. And in order to remedy the evil, the Board of Directors found it necessary to reduce the price of our tracts, so as to place our Society on an equal footing with the other in this respect. This measure was adopted in March last; and in consequence of it, we have been obliged to employ an additional press, and to stereotype 226 pages of covers, which, with the work of issuing our regular series, and that of printing several new editions of exhausted numbers, has somewhat increased the original debt. Since the commencement of the year, six new Depositories have been established and orders for tracts executed to the amount of about two thousand dollars. We have now a good supply of tracts on hand, and the demand for our publications is constantly increasing. But this demand cannot be supplied, unless our friends will give us the necessary pecuniary means. The receipts of the

Society, though they have exceeded
those of the past year during the same
period, have not been adequate to the
current and necessary expenses. Dur
ing a part of the time, four travelling
agents have been employed by the
Society, whose labors in the main have
been attended with gratifying suc-
cess, though they have added in
the aggregate but little
funds.

to our

We mention these particulars that the public may know the precise state and aspect of our affairs, and be able to estimate the exact dimensions of our wants.

The Society is owing two thousand dollars for paper and printing, which must be paid before the close of the current year, or our operations must be greatly restricted, if they do not enAside from this pecutirely cease. niary embarrassment, the Society's prospects for usefulness were never brighter and more encouraging than at present. And will the friends of the Redeemer suffer the fair prospects of usefulness to be blighted and all the energies of the Society to be paralyzed for want of means? The time has come when in the providence of God more liberality and zeal in this cause are required. The pecuniary embarrassments of the Society call for immediate relief. Its wants are pressing and urgent. It solicits pecuniary assistance of every Baptist in the country. Will not those then, who understand this necessity, and have the ability, send us seasonable relief? If twenty individuals would each enclose a $100 note, or a draft to that amount in a letter, and send it to the Agent by mail, it would free the Society from debt and infuse new energy into all its operations. It would be an instance of liberality honorable to the denomination—and by no means dis. to the importance proportionate the necessities of the object, or of the case. Brethren, consider your obligations to Christ, the luxury of benevolence, the importance of your Tract Society, the urgent nature of its wants, and the value of souls to whom God can make the tracts an endless blessing.

On behalf of the Society,

I. M. ALLEN, Gen. Agent.

For the American Baptist Magazine.

BROWN UNIVERSITY.

The sixty-second annual Commencement of this venerable seat of learning was held at Providence, Sept. 7. The exercises were held, as usual, in the Fist Baptist meeting-house; and that spacious and elegant edifice was thronged by several thousand spectators. After a prayer by President Wayland, the following exercises took place, interspersed, at suitable intervals, by music:

1. Study essential to Poetical Excellence, an Oration, with the Salutatory Addresses. David King, jr. Newport, R. I.

2. Consecrated Talent, an intermediate Oration. Edward Otheman, Dorchester, Mass.

3. Literary History, an Oration. William Eddy, Middlebo.ough, Mass.

4. The Bible a Classic, an intermediate Oration. Francis W. Bird, Dedham, Mass.

5. Causes of the Superiority of Modern Society, an Essay. Joseph M. Church, Providence. 6. The Christian Statesman, an Oration. Henry Waterman, Providence.

7. The Spirit of Chivalry, an Essay. William F. D'Wolf, Bristol, R. I.

8. An Oration on the Political Character of Milton. Nicholas Hoppin, Providence.

9. Character of Bishop Heber, an Oration. Francis Peck, Bristol, R. I.

10. Natural Science, an intermediate Oration. Walter S. Burges, Rochester, Mass.

11. An Oration on the Influence of the Scholar on the advancement of Political Freedom. Joseph L. Jernegan, Edgarton, Mass.

Candidate for the Degree of Master of Arts.

12. The Power of Conscience, a Poem. Mark A. D'W. Howe, A. B. Tutor in Brown University. 13. Conferring the Degrees. 14. An Oration on the Causes

of a Diseased Imagination, with the Valedictory Addresses. William Gammell, Newport, R. I.

The degree of Bachelor of Arts was conferred on the young gentlemen whose names follow:

Francis W. Bird, Walter S. Burges, Joseph M. Church, Luther Crawford, William F. D’Wolf, William H. Eddy, William Gammell, Nicholas Hoppin, Joseph L. Jernegan, David King, jr. Edward Otheman, Francis Peck, Henry Waterman.

The degree of Master of Arts was conferred on six young gentlemen; the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity, on Rev. William T. Brantly, of Philadelphia; that of Doctor of Laws, on Hon. William Baylies, of Bridgewater, Mass. and that of Master of Arts on Mr. Eleazer M. P. Wells, of Boston, Rev. Bartholomew T. Welch, of Albany, and Mr. William T. Grinnell, of Providence.

The exercises of the Commencement were very respectable. They fully sustained the claim which may be made for this University, that it now furnishes the means of acquiring a thorough education. The graduating class was small, or death of some of its original in consequence of the sickness members. The succeeding classes class is stated in the catalogue of are larger. The present senior 1830, to consist of 28; the junior 29; and the new freshman class, class, 28; the sophomore class, it is estimated, will exceed 30. These facts prove that the University is rapidly regaining public confidence. The President is

highly popular with the stu- to increase their friends, rather dents; and there is a cheering than to give to the denominations