PREFACE. a AT the close of another annual volume, it may be proper for us to look back upon the year past, and to examine soberly the tendency and the effect of our labors. Charged with the management of a religious magazine, which is pretty extensively circulated, we ought not only to exercise a spirit of candor and caution generally, but also to seize every suitable opportunity of re-examining our pages. Know thyself is an exhortation of great moment to every man; but upon the conductors of religious periodical works, and indeed upon all writers on religious subjects, it presses with peculiar obligation. Persons of these classes should carefully scrutinize their motives, their temper, their habitual feelings; and if these are pure, dispassionate, and benevolent, it may be inferred that they will not produce writings of a dissimilar character. May we ever feel the responsibility attached to our situation; and may the tendency of our exertions be as salutary, as the cause in which we are professedly engaged is sacred and interesting Our readers will not forget, we hope, their own responsibility. Should they find us teaching any false doctrine, or leading them astray from the path of duty, they are bound to reject our conclusions in every such instance. They will not, however, for a single error condemn a volume; nor magnify a mistake, or an inadvertency, into an incorrigible fault. Above all, they will not, we are ready to persuade ourselves, neglect any plain duty, which may have been urged in our work to their entire conviction, and which is forced home to their consciences by the most awful sanctions. The present age is really an age of great improvements, after making every reasonable allowance for prejudice in favor of our own times. It is to be remarked, however, that those who make the greatest boast of their supe. rior illumination are not always favored with the true light; and that the careful observer of Divine Providence, the studious, unobtrusive, prayerful reader of the Scrips tures, is much more probably in possession of genuine wisdom, than those who trust themselves to modern dis.. coveries and new inventions. Among the improvements of the present day, the in crease of able writers, and discriminating readers, is de. serving of particular notice. Perhaps our country does not yet come in for a large share of this increase; but in Great Britian no preceding age has seen one tenth part of the number of persons belonging to these two classes, which could now be enrolled and formed into a literary phalanx. On all great moral, religious, and political sub . jects, the most powerful minds are busily and continually engaged, and real knowledge is continually increased. The amazing events of the last quarter of a century seem to have given a new character to the human intellect. The fierce volcanic fires, which seemed to burst through the fissures of a world crumbling to ruins, have been succeeded by gentler flames, whose kindly influence cheers, enlightens, and blesses mankind. We are far from implying by these observations, that the great mass of literary productions are of so favorable a character. In the present state of the world, it iust be expected that the press will be throwing upon the public much corrupt speculation, and much spurious morality. No remedy will be found for this evil before the general prevalence of truth at the introduction of the millennium. Another great improvement is observable in the fact, that Christians dwell less upon the forms and more upon the substance of religion, than has usually been the case in preceding times. Hence results an uncommon union in promoting the cause of Christ both at home and abroad; a union which, we trust, will continue, and increase till the kingdom of God shall be established through the world. To our correspondents we cheerfully return thanks for their assistance, and resign to them their full proportion of whatever merit this volume possesses. Boston, May 20, 1819. U TAE ESSAYS, INTELLIGENCE, ko. &c. CONTAINED IN THIS VOLUME. ABASSINIA, account of the em- Asiatic languages, translation of 529 the Scriptures into, viz Afghan 299 337 298 Assam 304 118 259 Bugis 302 296 Calmuc 304 248 297 1 301 Chinese 289 299 259 Comarre 303 147,566 294 Hindostanee 264 Jaghatai 303 326 302 Mahratta 267 Malay, eastern 258 Malay, western 269 Malayalim 296 145 302 Nepala 304 224 268 225 269 Seek 295 227 291 Siamese 302 Tamul 256 Telinga 293 304 annual address of 249 the Scripiures into 304,525 98 chusetts Proper, an. 334 nual meeting of 82 address of 85 182 118 28.5 430 8 mation of burning of 421 [See Evangelical exertions in Bengalee language, translation of the Scriptures into 2:8 325 eign, 8th annual meet. . tee = 11. ey of |
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