pear to be very desirous. I have several irregular visitors, natives, in the same line of employment with myself, who seem anxious to hear the word of God, and listen with great attention when it is read to them. I find great consolation in the society of the pious people of the European regiment here, and I trust they will be the means of doing much good, and of saving many souls among their fellow soldiers. I hope, in the course of a short time, I shall be able to furnish you with some further account of this quarter. My hopes are great; but the Lord knows what is best to be done. Contributions received by the Treasurer of the Baptist Missionary Society, from August 20, to September 20, 1824, not including Individual Subscriptions. FOR THE MISSION. Legacy of Mr. Thomas Berridge, late of Northampton, by Michael Smith, Esq. Executor .... Oakingham, &c. Collections and Subscriptions Ensham, Weekly Collection, &c. by Rev. F. A. Cox Haworth, Subscriptions, by Rev. M. Oddy Chesterfield and Swanwick, by Rev. J. Jarman 63 1 52 16 10 Tewkesbury, Collection and Subscriptions, by Rev. D. Trotman ....... SCHOOLS. .Ditto.. 5 3 1 50 ...... 10 Lyme, Half-year's Subscription for the Female School at Digah, conducted by Mrs. Rowe, by Rev. J. Saffery 10 0 0 In addition to the Sums above mentioned, the Treasurer has received this Month a liberal Donation of ONE THOUSAND POUNDS from a Christian Friend, who wishes it to be entered as from "An Unprofitable Servant." TO CORRESPONDENTS. THE Thanks of the Committee are presented to Mr. Stanger, of Bessel's Green, for 14 Volumes of the Evangelical Magazine; to Mrs. Bousfield, of Peckham, for 219 Numbers Ditto; and 35 Numbers of the Baptist; and to Mr. Saunders, of Whitchurch, for Calvin on Isaiah, for the Serampore College. The Secretary begs to state, that a Supply of the Annual Reports has been forwarded to all the places, where monthly parcels are sent from the Society, as well as to several not included in that list. He is induced to mention this, lest any delay should occur in the conveyance of these parcels to their respective destinations. Speedily will be Published, THE CHRISTIAN SPIRIT which is essential to the Triumph of the Kingdom of God: a SERMON delivered in Great Queen-street Chapel, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, at the Annual Meeting of the Baptist Missionary Society, on 16th June, 1824. By CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON, Edinburgh. J. BARFIELD, Printer, 91, Wardour-Street, Soho. Baptist Magazine. NOVEMBER, 1824. ON THE PROPER SANCTIFICATION OF THE LORD'S DAY. WHAT can be a more delightful sight than to witness a little fa- | mily assembled in good order, without noise or confusion, upon the Lord's-day morning, to bend the knee together before God in social worship! To see them then walking together in company to the sanctuary of God, the children cheerfully leading the way, while the parents bring up the rear, until they all appear before God in Zion. To see the orderly demeanour of the whole family during worship; and, when it is over, to see them all retiring in the same becoming manner in which they entered the courts of the Lord. To follow them to their dwelling, and see them all assembled there, in the same lovely manner in which they appeared before their departure, while the sacred book is again read, and the various services in which they have been engaged are recalled to mind, that they may be strengthened in memory. To see them sitting down to a repast, prepared without disorder, and which is rather calculated to strengthen them for the future sacred exercises of the day, than to pamper the appetite, and make it impossible to sanctify the rest of the Sabbath aright. To see them returning again to the worship of God, in the same deliberate and pious manner in which they attended the first service, and to VOL. XVI. see the same conduct repeated when the service is over. To hear the scriptures again read in a proper manner, and to see the whole family uniting in the praises of God, until the day is closed as it was begun, with a solemn address to the great object, whose day it is. This is a sight at which the attending angels must rejoice. The divine Father must feel himself honoured, and behold them with complacency. The Lord Jesus Christ, will, without question, reveal his grace to them, and the Holy Spirit will communicate such a sacred satisfaction to their spirits, that they shall enjoy a heaven in their souls, even while they are tabernacling in this lower world. They will thus be fitted for the duties of the ensuing week; they will enjoy a sweet reflection upon the day that is gone by, and they will feel holy anticipation of that which is expected shortly to succeed; and, when, at length, the spirit of either of them is called to the skies, it will be to engage in the same delightful exercises, where the worship will be perfect, and Jehovah's face shall be beheld in righteousness, and the solemnities be without termination to eternity. All that is necessary to the enjoyment of such a Sabbath as this is the spirit of faith, and a little prudent management. If the 2 x hearts of the parents are one, to serve God, it may be accomplished with the greatest ease and satisfaction. It only requires to look forward a little, and to take care that the things which are necessary to the due sanctification of the day, shall be attended to in proper time in the week; and who, that considers his obligation to keep the Sabbath-day holy to the Lord, would be unwilling to do this? Only let the heads of families be serious, and affectionate, and uniform, and their families may, with the divine blessing, easily be brought into proper order, and the Sabbath will be, to their children and servants, as well as to themselves," a delight, holy to the Lord, and honourable." And if, when this duty is begun to be put in practice, they have those about them who appear to be untractable, they will generally be wrought upon by a proper conduct more easily than they may imagine. "Them that honour me, (saith God,) I will honour; while those that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." It is folly to drive off to Saturday night what might be better attended to before; and, if any thing is wished to be done, that cannot, without hindering the proper sanctification of the Sabbath-day, it is, surely, much better to leave it to the following week; and nothing should, upon any account, be left to be attended to on the Sabbath morning, except sickness, or other absolutely unavoidable cause, renders it indispensable. It should, also, be constantly remembered, that the Sabbath is not intended to be a rest of sloth, but a spiritual rest! therefore, the morning of the day is not to be spent in slumber, to such an undue length that it will be impossible to attend to all the spiri tual duties which we should then regard, or indeed to any of them, except in a hurried and irreverent manner. God hath said, "Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, or negligently!" But, if the necessary preparations are driven off to the last moment, and are to be made when we ought to be occupied in some of the spiritual exercises of the day, it is impossible but that we should come under this tremendous denunciation. Neither should we suppose, that all that is required of us is to bring our bodies, in any manner that may be, to the public assembly; and that it will do, if we are in time for the text! Alas! this is an awful sign that the heart is in a most unsanctified state, and it will not be surprising if such are left to give up the worship of God altogether, and are judicially hardened against his fear. Rehoboham "did evil, because he prepared, or fixed not his heart to seek the Lord!" and, if we imitate him, we shall do evil likewise, and, sooner or later, we shall discover it, if grace prevent not, to our awful cost. Some persons complain, that they get no good by public ordinances. How should they, when God has not been in all their thoughts, and the whole of the time before their appearance in the public assembly has been occupied about any thing rather than the concerns of religion? Such persons, certainly, are not in a fit state to hear to any advan. tage; but, if it is the gospel that is preached where they are accustomed to attend, such should consider who hath said, "Is the spirit of the Lord straitened; are these his doings? Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?" Let us, then, con sider our ways, and, as the Apos- | tle said to the Hebrews," Let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear." If we have offended, in times past, it is meet to be said unto God, "I have sinned, but I will do so no more." There is a "fountain opened for sin and uncleanness," and God delighteth to "multiply pardons," for his sake who suffered upon the cross: "He will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints, but let them not turn again to folly." bread and water for his constaut fare, where he can sanctify God's holy day according to his divine will, to the choicest delicacies the world can produce, when they are only to be obtained at the expense of his disregard to the holiness of the Sabbath-day. Some persons plead that they are prevented by their children from sanctifying the day as they feel that they ought. Those who have not servants to look after such of their children as cannot be kept in the order that is desirable, are certainly to be sympathized with, though, even these will not find it so difficult as might be imagined, if the heart be really under a right influence, and they are capable of managing their children in a proper manner; but, where there are servants to look after the children, such an excuse can scarcely, at any time, be considered admissible, for, if they are determined to keep the day holy to the Lord, they will take care not to be prevent Some of the principle things that hinder the proper sanctification of the Sabbath, are negligence in making due preparation in time for the day, a fondness for a display of finery in the assembly of God's, people,-too great concern for the feasting of the body, and keeping company with those who do not fear God. And all these evils may be traced to inconsideration; for it is most clear, that the day is not our own, to be spent according to our owned, and the children shall not be pleasure: it is THE LORD'S DAY! neglected notwithstanding: and, Nor is that part only his that is to if a steady uniform course of be devoted to public religious ex- piety is observed in the family, it ercises, but the whole day is God's, is surprising at what an early age from the time we open our eyes children may be brought into due in the morning, until the season subjection, and to love the exreturns for us to go to rest at ercises in which they are initiated; night; and, if we spend any part whereas, if the worship of God of the day improperly, we have is given up, or merely performed no reason to expect otherwise as a sort of task that is irksome, than that God will reject the ser- and the parents are out of temper vices of the whole of it! while they are engaging in it, or glad when it is over; what is to be expected, but that such children will presently imbibe a rooted aversion to the worship of God, and give it up altogether as soon as they obtain the opportunity? This is not meant to discourage those who are in such circumstances of life, that they cannot keep the day as they desire. God respects our dispositions and motives, and " a man is accepted according to that he hath, and not according to that he hath not." But a Christian, in a right frame of mind, would prefer And why cannot plain wholesome food suffice for the Sabbathday when God is to be worship ped, as well as on the days when the world is to be attended to? "Oh, but we have not time to sit and enjoy ourselves on the week days so well as we can on the Sabbath!" Then, it seems, the Sabbath is our own day, to seek our own pleasure! and, though it be only the seventh portion of our time, God is not to be served in an equally diligent manner with the world on the week days! If to worship in the public assembly were all that is required for us, and there were no duties to be attended to in the closet, or the family, there might be some reason in this; though it is no hard matter to judge whence it is that some persons sleep so much at an afternoon or evening exercise; but such an exeuse savours very little of delight in God, and his holy worship; and it will certainly be given up with abhorrence, in proportion as grace prospers in the soul, and the heart is drawn upwards to God, and assimilated to the heavenly world. "But some of our servants must stop at home, and they might as well be employed in dressing food, or doing other things for our comfortable accommodation, as to be left to spend the time in idleness." But how readest thou? "Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy, -in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy gates!" Surely their consciences must be seared who can listen to this commandment and repeat after it," Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law," while their servants and cattle too are at work with their allowance, if not by their directions! We should convince our servants by the consistency of our conduct, that there is a reality in our religion, and we should take care that their souls' ruin is not chargeable to their serving us on God's holy day. Another method by which the proper sanctification of the Lord's day is too often effectually hindered, is the immediate introduction of idle and trifling discourse with our acquaintance as soon as the public worship is closed. Instead of retiring immediately to their own houses, and proceeding to the sanctification of the day of God there, too many persons neglect this altogether, and banish every thought of religion for the remainder of the day, or until the next service commences. The profession of such persons must be of very little value, and it is not surprising if the field, or the road for å pleasant walk, when the service is over, gives them more real pleasure than the exercises at which they were bodily present. Alas! how many ways Satan has contrived to prevent men from honouring God as he requires and deserves, and to cheat them of their soul's salvation! That such persons should expect to be happy in heaven, when they are indisposed to the worship of God upon earth, can only arise from their not properly considering the nature of the heavenly felicity. Heaven is Jehovah's TEMple, and all its inhabitants are unceasingly worshipping in it. There are no lookers on there, but all are engaged, with every power they possess; and though the characters of the "redeemed from among men" are only completed wheu the spirit quits the body, we must previously possess a si |