had often wished to give it up, and return to his village in the interior. "But," said he, "I was prevented from so doing, by the recollection of the injunction, let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called;"" that he thought God must have had some purpose in placing him in that particular situation, and that, therefore, he must not forsake his post; that his master allowed him a small apartment for himself, where he might sit when there were no customers there to require his attendance; and he wished his new acquaintance, as he seemed also interested in religion, to come when he had leisure, and they would read their tracts and the Bible together. He now reads very well; and often, long after the servants are retired to rest, is a light to be seen in his little room, and he busily engaged in reading tracts, or the Holy Scriptures. On one occasion lately, as Mrs. M. was going to chapel, she opened his door, and looking in found other two men, apparently belonging to the better sort of peasantry, seated by him at his little table, one at each end; one with a list of passages of Sacred Scripture, the other with paper, pen, and ink, busily employed; while the doornich sate betwixt, now asking, "What chapter and what verse did you say?" and now reading the quotation, while the other wrote it fully out to his dictation. It appeared that, reading religious books at home, they had met with several references to the Scriptures; but not possessing a copy themselves, had marked the references, and come to him to obtain the quotations. ECCLESIASTES xi. 1. “Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days.” There cannot be a more striking fulfilment of this blessed promise, than what has occurred lately in the Island of Ziller, in the Tyrol, where 100 families, amounting to 430 souls, have been gradually awakened to the errors of the Romish Church, and become truly evangelical Protestants, by the means of Bibles and religious tracts, given by Christian travellers of other nations to the wandering Tyrolese, who brought them home to their native vallies, when the blessed truths contained in them, struck deep into their hearts, and made them wise unto salvation. For ten years had this been proceeding. They were persecuted, deprived of public worship and the sacraments, compelled to send their children to popish schools, held by the priests; were forbidden to marry, or to buy estates, or to travel out of the country; their dead were buried in the fields at night, without any decency or religious rite, a policeman and a mastiff dog forming the funeral escort there; and a thousand other cruel wrongs proved vain. "None of these things moved them" from their faith, and true religion increased in the Zillerthal. The Emperor of Austria then ordered it to be proclaimed to them, "that they must either return into the Romish Church, or abandon their country, but that it was left to their choice to emigrate to other Austrian states, in which non-catholic communions are established." The Tyrolese determined to emigrate, and God, whose Holy Spirit had taught them to cast their idols to the moles and the bats, raised them up a powerful protector in the king of Prussia, who after interceding for them at Vienna, dispatched his excellent chaplain Strauss, to Ziller, to ascertain their real character and condition. The report of that good man confirmed all that his king had hoped for, and the Prussian territory was thrown open to them, with an invitation to settle in the most beautiful and fertile part, The following letter, dated Berlin, Jan. 1st, 1838, gives an account of the journey of these interesting confessors of Christ: "When the approaching emigration of the Tyrolean Zillerthal Protestants was announced, in July last, a hope was entertained, that a longer delay before their departure would be granted, but it has not been extended to them by the Austrian government, though solicited by the Prussian: on the contrary, it was shortened by some means. They have however, against expectation, sold their lands and effects so advantageously, that they carried away with them a property of 200,000 Austrian florins (£20,000). Those men assuredly have abandoned their "father iand," purely and simply for the sake of their faith, neither driven to it by want, nor the desire of bettering their condition. Including the aged and the suckling, they are in number from 430 to 440. The oldest has 91 years upon his head. They passed through Upper Austria in several divisions, and experienced there, from their Protestant brethren, a welcome so friendly as they had not looked forward to, but which they can never forget. The Protestants at Rutzenmoss, between Saltzburg and Lintz, went as far as Volklabruck to meet them, on hearing that a division of them was passing that way, watched for them and took them to their houses for the night, and to their church the next day. Then for the first time in their lives, did the greater part of these Tyroleans behold a Protestant Church, or hear a Protestant sermon. The preacher threw aside his discourse prepared for the day, and began thus; this day is salvation come to thy house,' (Luke xix. 5—9.) and then preached on the 23rd Psalm. The emotion produced on the Tyroleans, and on the whole congregation was indescribable; all burst into tears. This was on the 8th of September. On the 22nd, of the 200 who travelled together, the greater part appeared at Efferding, near Lintz. In some cases two or three families had a waggon, drawn by horses, in common. Many of them drew themselves what property they had, in light two-wheeled cars. It may be supposed that their reception by the Roman Catholics was not flattering, nor devoid of mockery and contempt. To the threats of a priest that they would perish miserably in the desolate Giant Mountain, or on their way through Bohemia, a Zillerthal replied, Well, then, whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.' Their reception at the Efferding, where particular places were reserved for them, was highly affecting. They saw, for the first time at Rutzemoos, the baptismal rite, and at Efferding the administration of the Lord's Supper, though they did not partake of it. There was every where a rivalry between the clergy and their flocks, in showing kindness to these Tyroleans, in taking them under their roofs, and in making them abundant presents of all sorts. In the way to Lintz, the wanderers were every where hospitably received into the peasants' houses. Amongst them was a man 83 years old, of singular vivacity, and a woman one year older, a true Hannah, who, in sterling purity of language, expresssed her happiness and joy in living long enough to hear the Gospel preached in a Protestant Church, and to possess the word of the Lord. At Lintz, the Tyroleans were received by the Protestants with great hospitality, and collections for them were made in some of their churches in Upper Austria." It appears, by a letter from Schmiedeberg, in Silesia, near to which town they are settled, that every bosom is animated with the liveliest sympathy for these strangers, of whom Countess Reden, at Birchwald, has taken charge, as to their temporal and spiritual concerns, with motherly fidelity and care, at the express wish and desire of his Prussian Majesty. It is affecting to see these manly mountaineers, of lofty and herculean frames, humble as lambs, and full of lively and animating faith. They ask for nothing but an apostle as their teacher and pastor. words sufficient to express their sense of the kindness of their reception every where in the Prussian States, and now in Schmiedlberg. They find no On the 29th October they attended the celebration of the anniversary of the Reformation at the church at Tischback, at which the family of his Royal Highness Prince William (brother of the king) was present; as it was also at the same church on the 12th November, when the different members received the sacrament with the Zillerthalers. These different acts of worship are described as being peculiarly interesting. The letter adds: “No one can think or speak but of these people." What an encouragement is this account to those who distribute tracts, and the word of God! May it stir up all who read it never to lose an opportunity of sowing the good seed, especially among the many wandering foreigners who penetrate into the most remote parts of our land; and let them also lift up their hearts in prayer to Him who alone can give the increase, and can make this scattered seed spring up to eternal life, resting on his assurance: "My word shall not return unto me void;" and even should God, in his wisdom, see fit to withhold the increase, still may the Christian distributor comfort himself with our Lord's gracious declaration respecting Mary of Bethany, "She hath done what she could." AMIE. ON THE BLESSINGS OF A NATIONAL ESTABLISHMENT. An established Church, a Church established on Christian principles, is this that it provides an edifice sufficiently spacious for the assembling of the people in every parish; that it provides a spot for the interment of the dead; that it provides a priest, or teacher of religion to officiate in the edifice, to go to the homes of the inhabitants, to administer comfort to the distressed, to counsel the wayward, to teach the children their duty towards God, their parents and their country; to perform the duties of marrying, baptizing, and burying, and particulary to initiate children in the first principles of religion and morality; and to cause them to communicate, that is to say, by an outward act of theirs, to become members of the spiritual church of Christ: all which things are to be provided for by those who are the proprietors of the houses and the lands of the parish; and when so provided, are to be deemed the property for these uses belonging to the poorest man in the parish, as well as the richest. THE NEGRO'S PRAYER. OFFERED UP BEFORE THE MISSIONARIES LEFT HIM TO GO TO ENGLAND, AND THE SABBATH THEY RECEIVED THE SACRAMENT. "Oh! God, the high and beloved Jehovah, we praise thee for all the goodness thou hast wrought towards us: and now that we are assembled round this table, do thou be with us. While we see the bread broken in our presence, may the eye of the heart be looking at the body of the Lord Jesus, as broken upon the cross for us: and when we see the wine poured into the cup, may the ear of the heart be listening to the voice of the Lord Jesus, saying-This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which was shed for the remission of sins. Let not what the Apostle says be applicable to us; never may we eat and drink condemnation to ourselves. Forbid that we should take nails, and fasten the Lord Jesus again to the cross; once he has been put to pain for us, may that suffice; may we never take the spear of sin, and pierce again his side, thus crucifying him afresh, and putting him to an open shame. In partaking of this sacred feast, may our hearts be warmed, may our love to the Savi. our be made greater, and may our faith be made stronger. Oh! God, tell the winds about the missionaries, that they may not blow fiercely upon them; command the ocean concerning them, that it may not swallow them up: conduct them in safety to their far dis tant country, and give them a happy meeting with their relatives, and then conduct them back again to us: but should we never meet again around the table of the Lord below, may we all meet around the throne of glory above." UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE. BY BISHOP HEBER. Beneath our feet, and o'er our heads Above us is the heaven! |