ON THE LITTLE SUCCESS WHICH ATTENDS THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL.

(Continued from p. 34.)

I mention but one more cause with which ministers are connected; the want of a thorough earnestness, and entire devotedness to the work of the ministry.

Pious ministers are indeed the lights which are set upon an hill, but there are not so many of them as could be wished who are burning and shining lights; who appear with that lustre which we see in Herbert, in Leighton, in Brainerd, and some worthies of another day. Here I would use the language of the excellent Mr. Cecil:* "I am afraid," says he, "that there is too much of a low, managing, contriving, maneuvering temper of mind among us. We are laying ourselves out more than is expedient to meet one man's taste, and another man's prejudices. The ministry is a grand and holy affair; and it should find in us a simple habit of spirit, and an holy but humble indifference to all consequences." This want of simplicity prevents that zeal which nothing but success will satisfy; that heavenly-mind

edness which soars far above the applause of men; that "wrestling with God" in a course of fervent secret prayer, and on days of extraordinary devotion, which brings the minister from his closet to the pulpit like a soldier ready armed for the bat.

Vol. iv, p. 107, of his works.

tle, full of faith and of the Holy Ghost.

To these different causes affecting the nation, the church, and the ministers, we may in some reason attribute the want of more enlarged success in the preaching of the Gospel in the present day. As it is not with any view to censure, that these causes are pointed out-for that would ill become a private individual but from an earnest desire that good may be done, I would conclude the present pa per by suggesting a few of those means which, by Divine grace, might be useful for this purpose.

Ist. I would respectfully suggest to such of our legislators as have the cause of religion at heart, the propriety of using all ing our national sins, especially means in their power for removthose disgraces to our statute book, the frequent repetition of

oaths of office

upon every

trifling occasion, and the public gambling of the lottery.

2d. Let private Christians in general remember, that if they expect true religion to prosper, they should act up to their convictions; they should honor the Lord in private as well as in public; and especially they should habitually in their fami lies and in their closets, pray that the aids of the Holy Spirit may be granted to the church in general, and to their own minister and congregation in particular.

3d. Let the ministers of the Gospel, and to them I would speak with brotherly affection,

bear in mind St. Paul's words to Timothy: "Take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine; continue in them; for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee." Let them, therefore, use every scriptural means for raising their own personal religion. Let them when they meet stir up each other's minds by the most spiritual conversation, and by earnest prayer. Let them keep days of secret fasting and communion with God, and in those days especially plead for their people. Let them, when unsuccessful, not rest satisfied in the idea that they have no power to effect the work; but let them examine their spirit, their motives, their doctrines, and their lives. Let them suspect themselves and pray to the Lord to shew them the reason why they are not more successful. Let them maintain a constant dependence upon him, and a constant watchfulness over their own spirits, lest they should depart from a childlike humility. In short, let them be emphatically "men of God," having his name written as it were on their foreheads; going forth to their work, with heaven in their eye, the Bible in their hand, and their Savior in their hearts.

4th. Let the clergy throughout the land point out to their Congregations the necessity of the Holy Spirit's influence to bless the preaching of the Gospel.

Let both ministers and people humble themselves before God for those sins which may have in any degree withheld from them that influence; and let every Christian family unite in imploring that this

blessing may be granted. There is no blessing more distincly promised in answer to prayer than this. Our Savior not only makes the general declaration, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you!" but he reasons with his people: "If ye, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him." May the Lord pour out a spirit of prayer upon his people, and incline them earnestly to plead for this blessing: the happiest effects may then be expected to follow. Ian, &c. H.

LETTER FROM INDIA.

The following extracts from a letter to the Rt. Hon. Lord Teignmouth, President of the British and For. eign Bible Society, written by the Hon. John Herbert Harrington, Esq. a Judge in India, and Presi dent of the Calcutta Auxiliary Bi ble Society, are selected from the Review of Martyn's Appeal, &c. in the Christian Observer for Oct. 1811. It always gives us great pleasure to find men in high stations willing to aid, by their talents, influence, and example, the great purposes of benevolence which are formed and executed at the present day.

Ed.

OUR first attention will be given to the objects of a sermon preached by the Rev. Henry Martyn, at the commencement of the present year; and I may add that the interest excited by this excellent discourse, for the welfare of so large a number as nearly a million of our Christian brethren, in actual want of the Bible, has, under the direction of a gracious Providence,

contributed essentially to the formation of our society.

I understand, that, in addition to the liberal encouragement already given by the British and Foreign Bible Society to the diffusion of the Gospel in the languages of Asia, a further aid, for the same beneficent purpose, has been voted of two thousand pounds per annum for three years. Uncertain as we are at present what the annual amount of benefactions and subscriptions to the funds of the Calcutta Auxiliary Bible Society, may be, I feel reluctant to hazard the impeding, instead of promoting, the common object of our association, and that established in London by sugges ting that any part of this intended supply may now be dispensed with. Adverting, however, to the donations made last year for the purchase of Tamul Bibles, and to those already received this year, towards the object of our newly instituted society, I may venture to assure you, that a sum, at least equal to that intended to be sent from England, will, if it please God to bless our undertaking, be now raised on the spot, within the same period. I hope also, that our example will be followed by the institution of auxiliary societies for the same Christian object at Madras, Bombay, and Columbo; though, on this point, I have no authority to express more than a hope. You will therefore be able to judge, according to the calls upon your truly catholic benevolence in other parts of the world, whether it be proper to withhold any part of the pecuniary aid which you designed for India, or to

let the inhabitants of this extensive region still have the full benefit of your bounty to them, in addition to what they may receive from others.

But your views of universal good are not confined to the limits of India, which, for a time at least, until the whole of its Christian inhabitants are supplied from their local source, must be the principal, if not exclusive, field of our exertions. It will be a work of years to supply the demand which now exists for the word of God amongst the different denominations of Indian Christians; and it must be our constant duty to watch for, and meet, any future demand, as it may arise. Whether we shall ever attempt more than this, must depend on circumstances; and especially upon the continued zeal with which our institu tion may be supported.

Were I authorized to offer an opinion, it should be, that the stream of your charity be still allowed to flow towards the East, and especially to fertilize those countries which have not an appropriate spring. The wide and populous empire of China appears in particular, to call for your continued aid to the praiseworthy missionaries at Serampore, who, by zealous perseverance, have overcome the difficulties of acquiring the Chinese language; have already published a dissertation on the characters and sounds of that language, with a volume of the works of Confucius; and are engaged in a Chinese translation of the New Testament.

I will not attempt to give you any particular information of the progress made in the great work

of publishing correct editions of the Scriptures in the Asiatic languages. Mr. Brown, who corresponds regularly with Mr. Owen, and who, you will be glad to see, is secretary to our society, has, I doubt not, anticipated every thing I could say on this subject; and his communications cannot fail of being satis factory. The correct and idiomatic Hindostanee version of the New Testament, made by the united labors of Mr. Martyn and Mirza Fitrut, will be an important acquisition to literature, as well as religion; and I am happy to hear that it will be immediately printed.

I will only add, that, with a view to assure the Governor General in Council of our strict adherence to the defined object of our institution, and to furnish him, at all times, with full information of the proceedings of the society and its committee, it was wished to invest the chief secretary to the Government with the office of president; but the entire occupation of his time, by his important duties, prevented his acceptance of that trust, which has consequently devolved to me. You will observe, however, that Mr. Edmonstone is one of the vice presidents; and he has undertaken to keep the Government regularly informed of our proceedings. This precaution was not perhaps necessary, as duty and interest must equally preclude the adoption of any measure not perfect

ly consistent with our political safety, But it will be satisfactory to ourselves, as well as to others, that the whole of our proceedings are known to the Government; and it will, I hope, stifle the voice of objection from those who are ready to take alarm at every attempt, however legitimate and unexceptionable, to propagate Christianity in India.

Whether the persevering and zealous endeavors of our filial association will ultimately contribute, in any effectual degree, to the primary object of your parental and fostering society, must depend upon a higher Power than that of man, or of combinations of men. We know, from Divine authority, that "except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it;" and that although "Paul may plant, and Apollos water, it is God that giveth the increase." I feel persuaded, however, that, by his grace something will be done in Asia as well as in Europe, towards the spread of the glad tidings of his Gospel over the earth; and if no other good should proceed from our Auxiliary Bible Society at this presidency, it will, I trust be blessed, to render the members of it more sensible of the inestimable value of what Mr. Martyn emphatically calls, "next to the Savior, God's best gift to man,” for their own salvation and hap piness.

XXXVI. Memoirs of the Life of Martha Laurens Ramsay, who died in Charleston, (S. C.) on the 10th of June, 1811, in the 52nd year of her age. With an appendix, containing extracts from her Diary, Letters, and other private Papers; and also from Letters written to her by her father, Henry Laurens, 1771-1776. By DAVID RAMSAY, M. D. Second edition. 1812. pp. 270 12 mo. 75 cents. S. Etheridge, jun. Charlestown, S. T. Armstrong, Boston.

We intended to have given our readers earlier' notice of this interesting and useful little volume. A small part of our work is all that we have been able, for some time past, to devote to reviews; and the pressure of religious intelligence will.compel us to be brief, on the present occasion, in the notice which we shall take of the work before us.

The author is well known in this country by various literary productions. Here he has described the character of an affectionate and beloved wife, with a dignity and simplicity rarely equalled in a similar case. The Life of Mrs. Ramsay forms less than a fifth part of the volume. The Appendix contains some of her devotional exercises, and some of her let ters to several persons.

The subject of these memoirs was the daughter of Henry Laurens, celebrated in the history of our revolution as having been president of the American

Congress, minister to Holland, and a state prisoner in the tower of London. He was a descendant of French Protestants, who were compelled to leave their native country on the revocation of the edict of Nantz.

Martha Laurens was distinguished by early indications of uncommon talents. "In her third year she could readily read any book, and, what is extraordinary, in an inverted position, without any difficulty." She soon acquired a knowledge of the French language, and of all the common branches of education. When sixteen she went to England under the care of an uncle and aunt, (her mother having been dead several years,) and, two or three years afterwards, passed with the family

over to France where she residfrom the world, till the close of ed, at Vigan, much secluded the revolutionary war. In 1785, she returned to America, and two years after was married to Dr. Ramsay. In the course of sixteen years she became the mother of eleven children, eight of whom survived her.

Mrs. Ramsay was a diligent, faithful, industrious, affectionate wife; and, judging from the pages before us, (to which we give entire credit,) she was one of the most excellent mothers, of whom our country, or any country, can boast. Let it not be understood that Dr. Ramsay makes this comparison. deals not in general panegyric, as is too frequently the case with those who write the lives of

He