name of my Lord. And this I could not bear." Being invited to dine at the Rectory on sacrament Sunday, (as he had walked many miles to be present on the occasion,) he preferred eating his own dinner on a stile in one of the meadows; and to the remonstrance of his kind friend he replied, "Why, you see, Ma'am, the world talks. And if they said, 'Here's your sacrament-man coming for his good dinner!' don't you see the harm it would do to the Name by which I am called?"

One man had the first serious thought about his eternal salvation, when this courageous lady entered the supper-room of a beer-shop to invite the lodgers to attend the Church services. He afterwards went to her for an hour's earnest conversation. "A short prayer was then written in a Testament, and given to him; the words of which he pleaded that night :-O God, wash me from all my sins in my Saviour's blood, and I shall be whiter than snow. Fill me with the Holy Ghost, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.' From that time he continued to kneel down, night and morning, to pray its brief words, and then he read a few verses of his Testament.

"In three weeks," he added, with a thankful smile, "my little prayer had pulled me up so far, that I could not bear lodging at a beer-shop, nor to miss going to the house of God twice of a Sunday. But now, I do hope it is a-going to strike at my heart as well as my life. I think it has. I think God is hearing my prayer, and pardoning my sins, and making me wish to belong to the Lord Jesus Christ and His people."

James W, after a long illness, went to the Rectory for conversation. The writer remarks: "Seldom have I more enjoyed half an hour's communion of spirit. He said that, whilst he was laid by, with great suffering in his knee and leg, his soul was lifted up with joy in believing. I felt that Christ was my own, and that we two should never part— for He bought me with a price. now I have got back into life......I fear I may go right off from Jesus. I find my love to my good Saviour is so little, it a'most daunts me.'

But

"But would you give up that little for anything in this world?'

"Not to be a king! And, O, I do love Him dearly! only it is such pitiful love, by the side of His great love to me. Pray God give me better and more in my heart!'"

Drunkenness was the besetting sin of

these hardy sons of toil; and when, through powerful temptation, any relapsed, though but for once, into that old habit, the shame and contrition they manifested may be a lesson to those who have been favoured with advantages so much greater. Henry H. was one of these. He commissions his friend James "to break it" to their benefactress.

"He wanted to come and tell you on it, but he said he had not cheek enough. So I said, 'She won't scold you, Henry : 'taint her way with us.' And he said,

No; I'm not afraid of that. But it's them two tears I can't abear....And I said to myself, I'd never make them tears come again.'

999

"It's a

"I had

I told James that I must see Henry. He came accordingly, looking wretched -his eyes swollen with crying. bad business," he said at once. better not think of going to the sacrament to-morrow; but I did so wish it ;" and then came a fresh burst of tears. After a few words of mine, he replied, "Yes, ye see, that's just what I mind so bad. It brings a disgrace on the Name of the blessed Saviour, now I'm called after Him a Christian."

On the next Saturday night he came to the Rectory, and told me he thought he should never be happy again. "Ye see, the fellows have at me so about it and chaff so about religion; and, what is worse, I feel away from my God."

"Read the fifty-first Psalm to-night on your knees, Henry, and turn it into a prayer."

"I've done it every night since you read it on Monday at the cottage; but I'll try it again. I won't give up my hope, please God, without a pull for it."

On Sunday he had his joyous face again; only it was more seriously and humbly joyful in its expression than before. "Peace has come back to me," he said, "only with it a fear lest I should drive it away again. So I have asked God to keep it for me."

James W had likewise fallen, after beginning a religious course. Here is another example of the love that "never faileth:"

"At half-past seven the next morning, I walked to his cottage. Five minutes more, and he would have left Beckenham, never to return. His face was so changed, that it was difficult to recognise him. A possessing spirit had altered the expression of every feature.

"My heart sunk so low, that I could not speak at first. When I did, he would neither look up, nor answer a single question. No appeal to past experience had any effect. At last he said, I have given it all up. I have sold my soul for drink and all through rage and revenge. There remains no more pardon for menor would I seek it if there was.'

"Nearly an hour passed. There was no softening. Never before had I so learnt my own utter powerlessness to influence the soul of another. All the powers of darkness seemed leagued against my feebleness. There was but one hope left. I knelt down and poured out my heart in prayer that God the Holy Spirit would drive out the evil spirit, and take possession of that soul again. He would not kneel, but seemed somewhat touched. You have been like a mother to me,' he said. "If anybody could persuade another out of sin, you would persuade me. But it is done

past hope.'

The appeal of his weeping wife was also in vain.

"The genuine and deep repentance of that poor young man," observes the narrator, of one of these,"brought up, as he had been, without a single religious advantage, taught me a lesson. When the balance shall be struck between small sins (so called) with great privileges, in the one scale, and crying sins, with few responsibilities, in the other scale, who shall say that infinite justice may not see deeper guilt in the unkind word, the uncharitable suspicion, the selfish act, and other manifestations of an unChrist-like spirit, in which Christians are too often tempted to indulge, than in the more glaring departures from the law of God of those who have but just begun to hear of a Saviour's love, and to know anything of its constraining power ?"

JEWS IN LONDON.-I called upon one of my acquaintances, Mr. L—, on a Friday evening. It was the last of the eight days of the Feast of Dedication. Mr. I was about to light the eight lamps, in commemoration of the victory of the illustrious Maccabees over the

wicked and tyrannical dominion of Anti

was

ochus, called, in the prayer for that Feast, the wicked Grecian Empire. According to tradition, when, at the cleansing of the temple, and the renewing of the altar, after the profanation by Antiochus, there was found one vial of consecrated oil in the sanctuary, only sufficient for one night, it was, by Divine interposition, made to last for eight days, until the olives were squeezed. The inmates of the house congregated, as well as some of Mr. L's neighbours, who were not provided for this ceremony at their own houses. As it happened to be Friday evening, the breaking in of the Sabbath day, the table was covered with a white cloth, and on it were the consecrated cakes for the Sabbath. Mrs. Llighting her candles, accompanied by a short devotional prayer; the performance of this ceremony being one of the only three positive commandments respecting women. I was about to leave, fearing my presence might disturb them, and thinking, also, that it was not the best opportunity to point Jesus cut to them, as the only Source of our salvation, when in the very act of encompassing their consciences with so many ceremonies. Mr. L, however, very civilly asked me to sit down, and to be present during the ceremony. After they had all muttered the blessing on the lights of Dedication, they manifested a desire to enter into a religious discussion with me. Mr. L said to me, "I suppose you are conversant in Talmudical knowledge. You will be aware that our Scriptures may be explained in various ways. wish, therefore, you could give me unquestionable proofs that Jesus is the true Messiah." I answered him, "I hope mine will be such; but you must first shake off every prejudice, both against my Lord and against myself." He assured me he was free from all such, otherwise he would not have entered into conversation with me at all. Mr. Land a female neighbour of his, paid great attention to all I said. They made a few remarks, and seemed to be impressed by the truth. Others said, "It is very hard to ascertain the truth here below: in heaven we shall know more decidedly." There was only one young man who spoke passionately. All of them, even the latter, accepted my tracts with pleasure, and asked me for my address.Missionary of the British Society.

I

SUNDAY-SCHOOLS IN FRANCE.— The Rev. J. P. Cook, of Paris, who has been appointed Missionary Agent for the Sunday-schools in France, has finished

his first tour among the churches in the south. He has visited seventeen Sabbathschools, and conversed with about sixty Pastors of different denominations. Mr. Cook has been enabled to add nineteen new schools to his list. Your readers may think these numbers very small; but they must remember that Sabbathschools are in this country of recent formation, and that, some thirty years ago, none were to be found, not even in Paris. But those times of darkness are gradually passing away; and, as a contrast with Paris in former days, you might now see in the school at Marseilles a Negro Monitor. The young man was bought in Egypt, and has attended the school several years as a pupil he is about fifteen or sixteen years of age, and expresses the desire of returning to his country as a Missionary. Let us rejoice in the Christian interest thus shown, and never forget the warning of Christ, "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father." (Matt. xviii. 10.)

CORSICA. The Protestant Propaganda has been going on actively for some time in and about Cervione. Bibles, tracts, and a number of these little pamphlets, in which anti-Catholic doctrines are presented in an insinuating and apparently inoffensive form, have been distributed. The copy of the Bible, which we have had in our hands, is a translation bearing the name of Martini. But it is Martini's translation mutilated. All the Deutero-canonic books of the Old Testament have been struck off. All the notes, also, that served for the elucidation of the text, have been suppressed. In this state, Martini's Bible is no longer the famous work which received the approbation of the Holy See: it is a dangerous and prohibited work. The pamphlets are stories which all come to one unvarying conclusion......There is always mention made of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the salvation which He has merited for us; and this is spoken of as a doctrine completely unknown to all those who have not read the Bible. Hell is never forgotten. As for justification, it is attained by faith in the merits of the Saviour. There is a moment in which the sinner feels that the Holy Spirit has descended upon him, and has made him pass suddenly from darkness into light from that moment he is assured of his

* That is, the apocryphal books.

salvation. But he must always begin by reading the Bible.-Corsican Observer. †

REVIVALS IN NEW-YORK, &c.— It is more than twenty years since NewYork was the scene of so general a revival of religion as is now in progress. Indeed, the present work of grace is already more extensive and more impressive than were the memorable seasons from 1830 to 1835. The weekly record of religious intelligence has kept our readers advised of the increasing interest of the daily prayer-meetings in this city, and the multiplication of revivals all over the land. The glad vision of the Prophet is realized, and converts fly as clouds, and as doves to their windows. Already the conversions of the past winter may be numbered by tens of thousands.

In regard to this work of grace, several points should be noted for the encouragement of Christians. It was preceded by the awakening of conscience, and the humbling of pride, with respect to those public sins which had alienated from us the blessing of heaven; namely, oppression and luxury. Months ago we predicted that the general awakening of conscience, against the aggressions of slavery, would be followed by a general revival of religion. As a people we had grown torpid under that crime for which God so often visited Israel with judgments; but the atrocious doings of the slave-power at Washington and in Kansas aroused the people of God to repentance, to watchfulness, to prayer, and thus prepared the way for God to visit us again with mercy. The sin of luxury He rebuked by the mysterious Providence that subverted our commerce; and so the pride of man was humbled that the grace of God might

enter.

In this city the ground was prepared for a rich harvest, by the systematic visitation of families, conducted under the auspices of the New-York Sunday-School Association. The religious wants of the city were thus brought distinctly into view, and the prayers and efforts of Christians were directed towards these. But the most efficient agencies in the present work of grace have been the prayer-meeting, and personal conversation with the impenitent by private Christians. No grand machinery of effort at revival has been set in motion; no professed revivalists have been employed; no combinations for union have been framed : but Christians have come together with one heart for prayer and praise; and

A Romish print.

those who have heretofore laboured for Christ only by proxy, have begun personal effort for the salvation of souls. This new development of Christian activity, and of the resources of the churches in the piety and zeal of their individual members, must be of lasting benefit. Indeed, if these efforts shall continue in the spirit of humility and faith, we see not why the scenes of Jerusalem, of Samaria, and of Antioch, should not be renewed in New-York. God presses home upon every Christian his personal responsibility for the conversion of souls to Christ. Are you doing your duty?

The first manifestation of the present general awakening was in New-England, particularly in Connecticut and Massachusetts, from which the spirit of the revival spread rapidly through the Middle and the Western States, or rather broke out almost simultaneously in all. Everywhere the number of conversions, and of additions to the churches, has been unprecedented. No similar revival has passed over the country since the "Great Awakening" in New-England, in the days of Jonathan Edwards. And the present far exceeds the former, in the extent of the work. It is not marked by the same intensified enthusiasm and excitement that followed the preaching of Whitefield, or the revivals at the beginning of the present century, in which various physical convulsive demonstrations were witnessed among persons under conviction of sin. On the contrary, the present awakening everywhere gives evidence of calmness, and freedom from wild and unregulated excitement. An unusual enthusiasm prevails; but we hear of no violent and extraordinary demonstrations anywhere.

In this city the progress of the work is most encouraging. The Methodist churches, particularly, have been greatly stirred. A Christian of this denomination remarked to us recently, that there was hardly a Methodist church in NewYork or Brooklyn that was not in the full tide of a revival. Their Ministers say that they have never witnessed an equal work of grace. In the Congregational churches, extra prayer-meetings are held in the Broadway Tabernacle, in this city, and the church of the Pilgrims, and Plymouth church, Brooklyn; and in Dr. Cheever's, services are held every night in the week. Nineteen persons have been propounded to be received into this church next Sunday, on profession of faith. In the Reformed Dutch churches, revivals are in vigorous progress, with

fruits already gathered. Among the Old-School Presbyterian churches, we have heard of no special indications of awakening, while in several of the NewSchool large numbers of conversions have recently occurred.

On Sunday last-though not a general day of communion-large accessions were made to a few churches in both cities. In the North Presbyterian church, NewYork, (Rev. Dr. E. F. Hatfield, Pastor,)

an

interesting scene was witnessed. Seventy-four persons were publicly received into the church, sixty-eight of whom made a profession of faith. Of the latter, twenty-seven were heads of families, and twenty-two under twenty years of age, many of whom are connected with the Sabbath-school. Since the new house of worship belonging to this church was completed, (about eleven months ago,) one hundred and fifty additions have been made to the membership, eighty-five being on profession; and, in all, three hundred have united since the Pastor began his labours two years ago. In the first Baptist church of Brooklyn, in Nassau-street, on Sunday evening, twenty-two persons were baptized. The building was crowded to its utmost capacity, and the scene, during the performance of the ceremony, was one of unusual solemnity. In the Methodist church in Sands-street, Brooklyn, of which the Rev. Dr. John Miley is Pastor, about fifty were received on probation. In the Hansom-place Methodist church, Brooklyn, there have been more than a hundred recent conversions; in St. Paul's Methodist church, Jersey city, about an equal number; and in the Methodist church at Harlem nearly the same. In the Five Points, the Mission chapel, under the care of the Rev. N. Mead, has for some time past been crowded by the inhabitants of that district, more than twenty of whom have professed penitence and conversion. In Brooklyn a whole family of Jews recently embraced Christianity. In New-Bedford, three hundred young people, recently converted, have united with the various churches in the place. Religious meetings, and also Temperance meetings, have been for some weeks past held on board of the United States frigate "North Carolina," at the Navy Yard; at one of the former of which fifty sailors came forward to be prayed for.

Nearly twenty extra prayer-meetings, confined to no particular church, are now held at different places in New-York and Brooklyn. Of these the most prominent

no

is that at the "Old North Dutch church," in Fulton-street, which has become wellknown over the whole country. This meeting was begun in October last, and was first held weekly, on Wednesdays, until it became so largely attended that a general desire was expressed for a daily session. The change was then made, and, after being publicly announced, a single room was soon found insufficient to accommodate the great numbers that crowded into it to participate in the exercises. A second room was then added, and afterwards a third. All three are now not only filled to their utmost capacity, but would be still more largely attended if there were sitting or even standing room to be offered to the multitude. On Saturday last, more than two hundred persons were compelled to go away, unable to get a place in either of the rooms. A placard is posted on the outer gate, inviting persons to enter, though such an invitation seems longer necessary: "Step in for five minutes or longer, as your time permits." Inside, notices are hung on the walls, to the effect that prayers and remarks should be brief, "in order to give all an opportunity," and forbidding the introduction of "controverted points," for the purpose of preventing theological discussions. These precautions are taken, in order to give as much variety as possible to the exercises; for it is always unpardonable to render a crowded meeting dull. frequenters of this meeting come from all classes in society, and are invited as such, without regard to their differences. Many Clergymen of the city churches, and many prominent laymen, including merchants and gentlemen in the legal and the medical professions, are seen there every day as they ought to be seen-side by side with the mechanic and the daylabourer, and even the street-beggar. Draymen drive up their carts to the church, and, hitching their horses outside, go in with the crowd, and are as welcome as any.

The

A similar meeting is held at the same hour in the old Methodist church in John-street, which is every day crowded.

In addition to the numerous meetings advertised in the newspapers, and by placards around the city, many others are held in more private circles, such as by the young men or the young ladies of particular churches, and also by the Sunday-schools; and all these lesser meetings partake, more or less, of the same enkindling spirit of the larger, and are proportionably well attended.

Such a general awakening has never before occurred in this city, and its progress is watched with increasing interest every day.—Independent.

LABRADOR. Our congregation here, numbering three hundred and six souls, is another proof that the Lord regardeth in mercy that which is despised among men and of low estate, and has chosen it as a recompense for His sufferings. To the praise of God, I can testify of our Esquimaux, that they are grateful for His goodness, by which His word of salvation has been brought even unto them. During the spring, summer, and autumn, they are obliged to be absent from us, partly on land hunting the reindeer, or on the water in their kajaks in pursuit of seals. At such times they are a real nomad race. Only in October they begin to live near us; and from December to Easter we have the whole congregation around us. From October on we have service and school every day. If the seal-hunt has been tolerably successful, and they have enough to eat for the long winter, we daily see almost the whole congregation in church. When the bell rings, they emerge from their turf-huts in long lines, the adults on the road to church, the children to school, which is kept both in the morning and afternoon, The Lord's Supper is generally celebrated every four weeks. The number of communicants is one hundred and twentytwo. Before each communion we sock occasion to speak to every one of our members, and thus we remain in intimate acquaintance with them. In this way we have the very best opportunity to remind and admonish them, and to beg them to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. The Lord's Supper is a privilege highly prized by our people; and, in order that it may be a blessing to their souls, there is always a preparatory discourse, in which they are earnestly reminded of the Apostle's admonition, "Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of this bread, and drink of this cup." In church the organ is played alternately by two of our Esquimaux; and on festivals the choir sings anthems, accompanied by the violin and flute.

The spiritual condition of our congregation during the last year was cheering: which, next to the influence of the Spirit of God, is to be ascribed to the circumstance that they had less of outward distress to contend against than the year before. That outward suffering_and_privation often do not lead to the Lord and