press its gratitude to God in advancing the interests of his kingdom.

"True piety, confiding in God, is never backward to confess him; declines no duties to which he calls, and no trials into which he leads it it is ashamed of nothing but its imperfections in his service and afraid of nothing in comparison of his displeasure; is solicitous above all things to maintain its character, and to live in the world as a servant of, and dependent upon God; as entrusted by him with ten talents; as indebted to him for ten thousand comforts; as an heir of his promises, and an imitator of his glory.

"In the character of Jesus you have the fairest and most perfect portrait of the piety which ought to distinguish your eonduct to the world. Can any thing be more reasonable, than that you, who through him have such glorious displays of the perfections of God, and such liberal communications of his love, should not live as being without God and without hope in the world? Can any thing be more reasonable than that you should live to his glory who gave you life? Can any thing be more reasonable than that your religion should express itself in your conversation? Can any thing be more absurd than that the followers of Jesus should show no more of piety in all their conduct than those who have no knowledge of him or of his Father? Can any thing be more unnatural or in excusable, than that there should be no more traces of reVol. VI.-No. 2.

8

ligion in your commerce with mankind, than if you had wilfully shut your eyes against the light of gospel truth, turned away your ear from the voice of reason, and perversely laboured to eradicate from your heart those sentiments of religion which spontaneously spring up there? Can any man acknowledge you for Christians, if with all his searching he can find no piety about you, or no more of godliness than the form? You cannot suspect that it would hurt you with your Maker if you lived godly, as well as soberly and righteously, in the world religion, would not hurt you with the great object of religion. Do you think, then, that it would hurt you with the world? If you thought so, and if that thought were true, dictated by reason, and established by experience, yet who could hesitate between two such unequal masters as the world and God; and between two such unequal periods, as the life that now is, and that which is to come ?

But in truth, religion will not hurt you with the world, any more than with its Maker. "Godliness hath the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." According to the ordinary course of divine providence, piety enjoys the happiness of both. For superstitious fancies, for fanatic flights, for the empty forms of godliness, for the high-strained affectation of religion, it is probable you may suffer, if in no other way, yet at least in the esteem of the wise and good; and it is just that for these

things you should suffer in their esteem, But pure religion, a genuine and unaffected piety,

will endear you to the best of men, and render you respectable even to the worst."

Thou'rt growing old, thy head is gray,
Life, like a spectre, glides away;
The evening shades are gathering fast,
Thy fleeting day will soon be past!

Then on the verge of life's decline
Be solemn Recollection mine!
Review the hours forever gone ;
The hour of death comes hast'ning on.

Ah has improvement, Conscience, say,

Kept pace with life's advancing day? Have all the hours thou hast enjoy'd To the best purpose been employ'd?

How much has pass'd in airy dreams, In idle visionary schemes?

But though this time was spent amiss How much was spent much worse than this?

Has not thy breast with anger burn'd,
And ill for ill how oft return'd?
Nay, hast thou not misunderstood;
And evil oft return'd for good!

Hast thou been thankful to the Power
Which sav'd thy life in danger's hour?
With blessings who has crown'd thy
days,

Say what returns of grateful praise?

When he chastis'd, think, hast thou then

Submissive to his chastening been? Say, didst thou not aloud repine When Heaven had cross'd some fond design?

Or, if thy speech has been restrain'd, Has not a secret murm'ring pain'd?

THE PRUDENT MAN'S FRIEND SOCIETY.

Ar Bristol, England, a Society has been formed under the name now before us. The following extracts from their Report, December, 1816, will show the character and object of the Society.

"To raise the labouring man from the degraded state into which the poor laws and injudicious charity have a tendency to sink him; to cherish the honest independence of spirit, which would lead him to refuse the aid of others in the maintenance of himself and family; and to teach him that industry and prudence are a more certain and inexhaustible resource than the bouuty of the rich; appears now to be the aim not only of enlightened individuals, but of a large body of men assembled in the benevolent hope of lessening those distresses which war and a peculiarly unfavorable season, have brought upon us."

Before such just views of the real interests of the laboring classes, every impediment to the growth of the moral and social virtues among them must quickly disappear, and especially that monstrous system, by which one man's family is suppor:ed by the labor of another man's hand. Indeed to tax industry and foresight for the support of idleness and improvidence is an anomaly in legislation which cannot long be tolerated in the 19th century."

"There have been deposited in your fund of savings 7,3981. 163, 3d,

of which sum 4,3611. 16s. 7d. have been received since the last annual meeting.”—4191, had been loaned to 1,200 persons. 2,453 vagrants and travellers had been relieved by the bounty of the society. On account of the great scarcity and distress, the Committee had established soup shops at which they distributed a comforta ble meal daily, to about 1000 persons. The Committee add,

"That at a time when the utmost exertions of benevolence are barely sufficient to keep famine from the houses of our poor, it is impossible to prevent the mind from continually recurring to the loss, which this society, in common with every distressed individual and every association for the good of others, within what he considered as his sphere of action, have sustained in our venerable and respected vice-president, RICHARD REYNOLDS. The views of this truly great man, in the science of political economy, were as enlightened as his benevolence was extensive. Το teach the idle, the thoughtless, and the improvident, the value of industry, prudence, and economy, were, in his opinion, in the attainment of the object of the labors of his long life, the happiness of his fellow-creatures; and though he never turned from suffering, whether the consequence of imprudence, or the result of misfortune, he knew that, important as is the duty of relieving distress, there is one still higher, that of preventing it. As the friend of the prudent man, therefore,

this Society might be called his adopted child; without his approbation of the plan, the original promoters of it would hardly have ventured to make it public. From the first meeting,

which was held with a view to its establishment, to the day on which it received the sanction of the citizens of Bristol and inhabitants of Clifton, in the Guildhall, his attention to its interests was unremitted; he was among the most bountiful of the annual subscribers to its support, he endowed the loan fund, with the noble donation of 100 guineas, and his venerated name, seldom pronounced by the poor man without a blessing, gave to the bank of savings a stability in the eyes of those for whose benefit it was iutended, which the wealth of the city would not have imparted. When the name of REYNOLDS appeared, experience had taught the laboring man that there was good in store for him.

"Your Committee with pride and pleasure remind you, that he who gave medicine to the sick; was eyes to the blind; fed the hungry; clothed the naked; bade the prisoner and the slave be free; supported the rising fabric of your Society on his shoulders, till its completion.

"Our central stay is gone; another single pillar of equal strength and equal beauty we cannot hope to raise ; but let united efforts, like a clustered column, continue to support the building, which, may prove a shelter from the storms of adversity to generations yet unborn."

"It is now proposed that an establishment on a limited scale be formed by way of trial, and if successful, of example.

"That a fund be raised by subscription of the nobility and gentry, applicable in the first instance to promote and sustain the primary institution ; and ultimately to give general extension and permanent security to such establishments throughout the kingdom.

"That with a view to the immediate furtherance of the object, an association be formed of Ladies, among whom a certain number will act as patronesses and superintendants of the undertaking; and that a managing committee be appointed to establish the primary institution.

"That a lady approved by this. Committee be appointed as superintendant of the establishment, and that the regulations of the household be placed under her direction.

"That one of the managing Committee be annually elected President; and, as head of the establishment visit the house and direct the due observance of all the regulations.

The plan is published under the sanction of the Queen who has made a donation of 3001. and signified an intention of subscribing annually 1001. Five Princesses have given 501. each. One Duchess 2001. The contributors and subscribers are from the nobility and gentry;—the names given are numerous, and the contributions of large amount. The Society has 4 Patrons and 13 Patronesses; the Patrons are the Lord Bishop of Durham, the Lord Bishop of St. David's, the Lord Bishop of Meith, and the Earl of Sheffield.

LADIES ASSOCIATION.

To the Editor of the Christian Disciple.

66

DEAR SIR,-In the summer of 1816 I was at Bath in England; and was much interested by an account which I heard there of "The Ladies Association" on a Plan for improving the situation of Ladies of respectable character and small fortunes." This plan had then, I think, been in operation a few months, and the Association consisted of nine or ten ladies. From the lady to whom I was particularly indebted for my information on the subject, I have recently received the papers which I enclose to you. If you think any part of them will be interesting to the readers of the Disciple, you are at liberty to publish them.

Yours affectionately.'

The papers referred to in the above note, have been perused. The object

is of the benevolent character; but at present we have room only for a general view of the plan, and a few facts. The following are extracts from the printed proposal of the "Plan for improving the situation of Ladies of respectable character and small fortune.

"It has been anxiously wished that a plan could be effectually brought forward, which should induce Ladies of rank and influence throughout the

kingdom, to unite for the purpose of affording assistance and protection to females of reputable families, who are, by the death of parents, or by other calamities, much reduced from the state of comfort to which they had been accustomed.

A School for teaching Girls, CHILDREN of the indigent poor, to read, write, and sew, was established at Guildford, in Surry, about a year ago, by some of the inhabitants, who contribute towards its support by donations and annual subscriptions upon the most liberal plan; it being open to all, without distinction or exception as to religious professions.

The children, between 70 and 80 in number, were invited lately to the house of a subscriber where, on a convenient adjacent lawn, tables were spread with various small articles of clothing, &c. which were distributed

among them as rewards, according to merit, adjudged by the managers and weekly visitors present. These little scholars made a decent appearance, conducted themselves with propriety, and seemed to be highly gratified; doing their governess credit, and affording general satisfaction to the company.

One circumstance I cannot well omit noticing, for the introduction of which, without the author's permission, I hope to be excused as no name is mentioned. A small box was provided, and placed on one of the tables, having the following appropriate lines neatly inscribed on the lid, with an aperture between, to receive donations; they were composed for the occasion by a respectable female decidedly attached to the Institution. M. R.

Letter from a Kalmuck Prince to the President of the Russian Bible Society.

To our highly exalted Lord and Emperor's privy Counsellor, member of the Council of State, General Director of the Spiritual affairs of foreign fellow believers, President of the supereminent Bible Society and Knight of many orders, the most noble Prince Alexander Galitzin; the Prince of the Choschooten, Tumen Dschirgalang reports in all humility.

On the 19th of the 1st Tiger month, I received with joy your letter written on the 1st of the Mouse month of the last wooden Swine Year, together with two copies of the history of the merciful God, Jesus Christ, translated into our Mongolian language, one in yel

Philanthropist, Oct. 18 15.

low and the other in red binding-and read therein.

You request me first to read, myself, for my own salvation, the word of God contained in this book, and also to afford my subjects opportunity to hear the same and acquire knowledge therefrom.-2ndly to grant assistance to the two men who came to us from Sarpeta the last Spring to learn our Mongolian language, viz. Gottfried Schill and Christian Hubner, for that purpose, and to intcrest myself in their protection and aid of their other wants and necessaries.

In pursuance of your first order I not only read myself the doctrine of the infinitely merciful God Jesus Christ, but I have also presented our Lama with a copy which he reads