prised, and answered, "How can you doubt it? It is for their interest to circulate the Scriptures." Upon this point, our sentiments were hardly in unison. However, we felt no disposition to contradict him. We have since called upon the Bishop. He also gave his consent, and said he would contribute in favor of the infant Institution. This disposition in the Catholic priests to favor the circulation of the Scriptures has very much surprised all with whom we have conversed on the subject in the oity. The priests acknowledge the nakedness of the land. Father Antonio gave it as his opinion, that we should very rarely find a Bible in any of the French or Spanish Catholic families, in any of the parishes. And the Bishop remarked, that he did not believe there were 10 Bibles in the possession of all the Catholic families in the state; and these families constitute three fourths of the population of the state, people of color excepted, as is believed by men of information. When we came to this place, we found a number of French Bibles and Testaments had been sent there for distribution, gratis; and bad been on hand some time. They are now all disposed of. and repeated inquiries are made for those books by the Catholics. I happened in at Mr. Stackhouse's store a short time since. ing my stay, which was short, five or six persons came in, inquiring for the Bible in the French language. The present is certainly a new and interesting era in the history of New Orleans. Mr. Stackhouse informs me, that if he had 50 Bibles, he could dispose of them at once to the Catholics. Dur "We expect to leave this place soon, and proceed on our way to Georgia through the Creek nation. We hope to arrive home early in the month of July." don. The following letter from the latter gentleman, enclosing the answer of Com. Decatur, we lay before our readers with pleasure. "New London, July 26th, 1813. "Gentlemen-Circumstances preventing a personal attendance, the contents of your letter of the 16th inst. was communicated to Commodore Decatur, who is with his squadron seven miles above the town. His answer follows: 'U. S. S. United States, July 22d, 1813. "Dear Sir-I have this moment received your letter containing the resolution of "The Board of Directors of the Bible Society of Nassau Hall," You will have the goodness to express to them the grateful sense I, in common with the officers of the navy, entertain of their having made "the navy of the U. States a particular object in the distribution of their Bibles;" my thanks for the liberal supply which they have proposed for the squadron under my command, and to assure them of my most cordial co-operation in effectuating their highly laudable design. The light in which the Board have considered me personally is the more flattering from the opinion I entertain of its source, and you will oblige me by making to them my warmest acknowledgments of their condescension and goodness. I am, &c. STEPHEN DECATUR. General Huntington.' "It will gratify me to be of any service to you. I devoutly pray you may be owned and blessed of the great Head of the church. I intreat an interest in your prayers; and remain with the sincerest affection and respect, yours &c. JED. HUNTINGTON. Messrs. Leverett J. F. Huntington, William Blair, and Henry Carrington. The society respectfully solicit the pat ronage of the friends of the navy. FOREIGN MISSION SOCIETIES. THE Foreign Mission Society of the Eas tern District of New Haven County (Conn.) held their annual meeting at Wallingford, May 26, 1813. The annual sermon was preached by the Rev. David Smith of Durham. The former officers were appointed. See Panoplist for Nov. 1812, p. 286. Agents were also appointed to solicit and receive donations in the several ecclesiastical societies. Females are entitled to a large share of praise for their benevolence and zeal in the missionary cause. God bestows on them peculiar honor in exciting their active exertions, and making them the means of conveying instruction to the poor heathen. A Foreign Mission Society is formed for Windham County, (Con.) the annual meeting of which will be held next month. DONATIONS TO FOREIGN MIS SIONS. BEFORE the insertion of new donations, the following errors of the press in the list published in our last number are to be corrected. From the Female Cent Society in Falmouth instead of $20 read 21. In the sums received from Mr. Gallaudet instead of $3 75 carry out $3 72. Th: footing will then be $423 87. The following donations have been received since our last: viz. Aug. 31. From the Foreign urer, $24.00 376 75 10 00 55 00 $465 75 The foregoing donations came into the Treasurer's annual accounts, which were closed on the last of August. The following have been received since; viz. Sept. 10. From indiv.duals in Bath, (N. H.) and the Vicinity, by the Rev. David Sutherland; viz. towards repairing the Serampore loss, $172 00 For Missions, * 5 00 -177 00 Carried forward $177 00 The following letter enclosed these donations; viz. "Bath, (N. H. ) Aug. 17, 1813. "Dear Sir, Mr. M. will deliver $177 into your hands to be appropriated, (with the exception of $5, which you will please to add to the funds of Foreign Missions, towards repairing the loss sustained by fire at Serampore. The items are as follows: From an obscure female, who kept the money for many years waiting for a proper AN Oration delivered on the 5th of July, 1813, in the north church in Salem, in commemoration of American Independence. By Benjamin R. Nichols. Salem; Joshua Cushing. pp. 24. An Historical Sketch of the origin, progress, and present state of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the University of the state of New York. New York; C. S. Van Winkle. 1813. pp. 52. Catalogue of the members of the Connecticut Alphá of the BK. Published by order of the Society. New Haven; Oliver Steele. 1813. A Masonic address delivered at Wiscasset before the officers and members of the Lincoln Lodge, on the festival of St. John the Baptist, June 24, A. L. 5813. By Freeman Parker, A. M. Chaplain of Lincoln Lodge, and Minister in the town of Dresden. Hallowell; N. Cheever, 1813. A Sermon preached at Litchfield, (Con.) before the Foreign Mission Society of Litchfield County, at their annual meeting. Feb. 10, 1813. By Bennet Ty ler, A. M. Pastor of a church in Southbury. New Haven; Eli Hudson. Minutes of the General Association of Connecticut, June, 1813. Hartford; P. B. Gleason and Co. A Sermon delivered before the Maine Missionary Society, at their sixth anniversary, in North Yarmouth, June 23, 1813. By Kiah Bayley, Pastor of the church in Newcastle, (Me.) Hallowell; N. Cheever. Christian Economy: A Sermon, delivered before the Massachusetts Missionary Society at their fourteenth annual meeting, in Boston, May 25, 1813, by Joseph Emerson, pastor of the third Congregational Church in Beverly. Boston; Samuel T. Armstrong. 1813. A Discourse delivered at Bath, May 11th, 1813, before the Society for discountenancing and suppressing Public Vices. By Jesse Appleton, D. D. Presi dent of Bowdoin College. Boston; Printed for the Society. 1813. A Collection of Sermons, which have been preached on Various Subjects, and published at various times. By Nathanael Emmons, D. D. Pastor of the Church in Franklin. Volume III. Boston; Samuel T. Armstrong, 1813. Volume the first will be reprinted shortly. WORKS PROPOSED AND IN PRESS. THE Rev. Gardiner Spring, Pastor of the Brick Presbyterian Church in the City of New York, proposes to publish by subscription, Essays on the distinguishing traits of Christian Character. 8vo. pp. 300. $2. Christian Psalmody, by the Rev. Samuel Worcester, D. D. is going soon to press. The Explanation of the Symbolical Types and Figures of the Holy Scriptures, by Aaron Kinne, will also soon be in press. A new edition of Park Street Lectures, by the Rev. Dr. Griffin, will be out in & month. A new edition of Smith on the Prophe cies, enlarged and amended, will be published shortly. The four last by Samuel T. Armstrong. OBITUARY. DIED, at Salem, Maj. Gen. STEPHEN ABBOT, aged 64. At Weston, on the 11th ult. Mr. ISAAC FISK, a graduate of Brown University. At Scituate, Mrs. ESTHER THOMPSON, aged 99, relict of the late Rev. Mr. Thomp son of that place. At Bradford, on the 5th ult. the Rev. EBENEZER DUTCH, aged 62. On the 7th ult. the following persons were killed by lightning; viz. Mr. CHARLES ELLMES, of Scituate, aged 41; Mrs. MAR'Y EATON, of Newburyport, aged 36; and a Mrs. Oncurr, of Weymouth, aged 41. TO PATRONS. We are happy to find, that the great majority of our subscribers, who have expressed an opinion on the subject, (and many have done so,) are gratified with the plan of having the current volume close with the month of December next. It has been satisfactorily ascertained, also, that many of our subscribers are de sirous that the size and price of the Panoplist should not be increased; though some have eagerly expressed a contrary opinion. We seize the earliest opportunity, therefore, of declaring, that the price and the number of pages of the ensuing volume will not be increased. Whether we shall be able to add to the size of the page, and present our readers with an increase of matter at the same price, or not, must depend upon our subscription list for the next volume. If every subscriber, who approves of our work, should exert himself to aug. ment the number of subscribers, we should certainly be able. Let it be remembered, however, that scarcely a single work, (with the exception of different editions of the Bible, which is happily beyond all comparison the cheapest book in the world,) has been published in this country at so cheap a rate, according to the quantity of matter, as the Panoplist in its present form. Agents are requested to give notice of the number of copies which they will want of the ensuing volume, so that the notice may reach us by the first of December. Those subscribers who wish to discontinue their subscription, are respectfully urged to give notice of their intention, so that it may reach us by the day above-mentioned. All who do not give such notice will be considered as bound to take the ensuing volume, according to the invariable terms of the Panoplist, and of other similar publications. Nothing can be more reasonable, than that every subscriber should be bound to take a volume printed expressly for him, at his own request; and this is the case, according to the explicit and often repeated terms of the work, in relation to every subscriber who does not give the stipulated notice of his wish to discontinue his subscription. As comparatively few of our subscribers have hitherto discontinued their subscription, at the expiration of each volume, it is surely more reasonable that notice of discontinuance should be given, than that all other subscribers should be put to the trouble of giving express notice every year of their desire to continue subscribers. Very considerable disappointments have lately been experienced by our distant subscribers, in consequence of the numbers having been delayed. We very sincerely regret this delay; but must state, in justice to ourselves, that it has been owing solely to the neglect of stage-owners and others, to whom bundles have been committed for transportatton. Disappointments of this kind have been experienced, more or less, in relation to every long continued enterprise of man; and though ever so much regretted, can never be altogether avoided, but must be occasionally submitted to, as incident to all human affairs. While we stand clear of blame as to the delay above referred to, yet we admit, that our work has been sometimes a day or two later than the time fixed upon for its assumg from the press; but delays of this sort have been occasioned either by sickness, or some other cause which could not be provided against. In making this statement, we do not ask for any indulgence in any voluntary neg lect. On the contrary, we assure our pat rons and subscribers, that all practicable diligence shall be applied to the seasonable publication, and the safe delivery, of the work to order; and that every facility, which we can furnish, shall be furnished, to insure the safe and speedy transmission of the numbers to our distant subscribers. As the numerous embarrassments, occasioned by the present war, tend to diminish the patronage of literary and religious works, we take this opportunity to ask our friends, if the times do not require increased efforts to support all laudable and benevolent undertakings; and among them a publication, which is pretty extensively read, and which aims to promote the present and future welfare of mankind. To the steady, punctual, subscribers, who have supported our work hitherto, we return thanks; and express a hope, that, with the blessing of Providence, the tenth volume will be found not less worthy of their patronage, than any of its prede cessors. To those who have written for our pages we owe more than thanks, though thanks are all we have to bestow. They will enjoy the satisfaction of having labored in some degree successfully in the cause of Christ and their fellow creatures. We respectfully solicit a continuance of their favors, and invite all, who have the talent of writing for the public, to lend us their aid. TO CORRESPONDENTS. WE have received a second communication from BETH, urging the insertion of the first. The writer had not seen, we presume, the communication of ALPHA, on the same subject, in our number for August, part II. With that communication he will probably be satisfied. His manuseript is at his disposal. 1 THE PANOPLIST, AND MISSIONARY MAGAZINE. No. 6. SEPTEMBER, (PART H.) 1813. VOL. IX THE MISCELLANEOUS. PROFES MISCONDUCT OF SING CHRISTIANS MUCH EXAGGERATED BY THE ENEMIES OF THE GOSPEL. The following well written essay is taken from the Edinburgh Christian Instructor, (an able and evangelical work,) for Aug. 1810. IT is objected to Christianity, that many of those who profess to be regulated by its spirit and laws, instead of being better, are often much worse than other men; and that even some of its ministers, who have studied it most, and should know it best, are themselves addicted to the follies and vices of the world. This objection, indeed, is seldom proposed in a formal way by the more honest and rational opponents of our religion; because they could hardly do so, and at the same time hope to preserve their reputation as philosophers. But the objection is, nevertheless, substantially contained, and artfully urged, in those sneering attacks which they delight to make on the character of misguided zealots, and in that illdissembled eagerness and affected regret with which they proclaim the failings of the righteous. It is employed, as a triumphant answer to all our arguments in favor of Christianity, by the ignorant, the thoughtless, VOL. IX. and the profligate, who are either incapable of reasoning, or unwilling to reflect deeply upon the subject, and who form a large proportion of the unbelieving class of mankind. And it will frequently obtrude itself on the notice, and distress the feelings, of well-intentioned Christians, when they see the unsanctified deportment of those who call themselves by the name of Jesus, and from whom they are naturally led to expect the virtue. On these accounts, it brightest examples of piety and will be proper to consider the objection somewhat particularly, that we may be satisfied how much reason our adversaries have to be ashamed of it, and how very little reason have to yield to its influence, or to be afraid of its effects on the issue of the great controversy in which we are engaged. At present, however, I shall confine myself to a preliminary point of considerable importance in such a question. I shall state some circumstances which tend to render the fact much less formidable than it is usually represented to be. we 1. Allow me, then, to propose to the candid reflection of the reader, whether the persons by whom the objection is stated, de 31 |