this mighty instrumentality, or by stimulating them with the desire of applause, they become interested in their studies, they labour without profit, and really have so much the less true improvement of their faculties, the more jargon they acquire. But on the due mode of procedure in cultivating the faculties of children, we refer, with much pleasure, to the sensible introduction of our author.

Having given her the due tribute of our approbation, we owe it to the religious character of our work, and indeed to the interests of children, to point out what to us seems a lamentable deficiency in the religious instruction which she presents. Concerning our Saviour, she says

"Jesus Christ was the Son of God. He says of himself, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life.' He means, my example is the way' of life you should follow ;-what I declare, is the truth-it is God's will.I am the life, that is, the virtues I recommend, will give life or enjoyment to your souls.”—p. 155.

Upon this extract we think many words unnecessary. No parent, who relies for his own salvation upon the Saviour, will be satisfied with what is here said, even as a general explanation of his character. The main article, his death for sinners, is omitted. In this article he will feel that his children have as deep an interest as himself. As he daily looks with an affectionate eye upon them, he observes corrupt propensities, sinful feelings, a faulty and deficient life, such as have already been found by himself a burden too heavy to be borne. And as he has obtained relief by believing on a Saviour who has died for sinners, he cannot fail to recommend him as a Saviour, with love and gratitude, to his children. To guide his erring offspring to Him, will be the business of his life. And that they will be received on terms of equal kindness with himself, he will be satisfied by the invitation and assurance of his Lord, "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

We are not satisfied with the moral of the parable of the Ten Virgins :

"This story was told to show, that people who would avoid much inconvenience and mortification, must provide for the future.”—p. 165.

This will seem a very feeble moral, we believe even to children, who have read the whole parable in the words of our Saviour, particularly if they have pursued the subsequent illustrations, which rise in solemn and awful climax to the end of the chapter.

Indeed in this parable we are evidently pointed to death and eternity, in the solemn words, "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." The next, however, closes in words still more explicit and terrible, VOL. VII. 2 P

"And cast ye the unprofitable servant into utter darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." But the last presents to our mind the awful solemnities of approaching judgment, when the righteous will be admitted to their reward, and the wicked receive the unalterable sentence, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."

Approving, as we do decidedly, of our author's plan, and of its general execution, we earnestly hope to see the omissions in the religious part of her work supplied in a future edition. She was right to devote a part of her labour to religious instruction, and she has been happy in the simplicity with which she has presented it. In our opinion, however, there would have been equal simplicity, and equal adaptedness to the capacities of children, had she supplied the deficiences which we have pointed

out.

Salvation by a crucified Redeemer, and the future punishment of those who reject that salvation, are not the abstruser points of theology, the reception of which requires maturity of intellect or extent of information. They are alike adapted to the learned and the rude, to the adult and the child. They will be enforced by the dictates of reason and the reproaches of conscience, if they are presented to the young in the first lessons of religion. Nay, they are peculiarly suited to affect the heart, and the child may receive them with love as pure, and with obedience and praise as acceptable as adorn the character of an aged believer.

Intelligence,

ENGLAND. BAPTIST MISSION.

The public services connected with the annual meeting of this mission, were commenced by a sermon at Queen-street Chapel, by Dr. Ryland, on Wednesday the 21st June. The venerable senior Secretary of the society made a very serious and affectionate appeal to the audience, from 1 Chron. xxix. 5. "Who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord ?" The appeal was enforced in an affectionate and lively address from Dr. Rippon, and the Rev. Joseph Ivimey concluded in

prayer.

In the evening a very large congregation assembled at Sion Chapel, when the Rev. John Mack, of Clipstone, delivered an interesting discourse founded on Acts xiii. 47. "I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth."

At eight, on Thursday morning, a prayer meeting was held at Eagle-street Meeting: the following gentlemen took part in the exercises-Messrs. Shenstone, of London; Tyso, of Wallingford; Saffery, of Salisbury; and Dr. Steadman, of Bradford.

"Soon after the prayer meeting had closed, the friends of the society met again at Queen-street Chapel, where a commodious platform had been erected, to hear the Report, and transact the usual annual business of the society. Prayer was offered by the Rev. Thomas Griffin of London; after which, Joseph Gutteridge, Esq. having been called to the chair, addressed the meeting, briefly stating the objects for which they were assembled, and concluded by calling on the junior Secretary to read the Report. "The Report was read accordingly by the Rev. John Dyer, comprising an interesting detail of intelligence from the various stations in connexion with the society."

Our limits will not admit the insertion of the numerous animating speeches delivered on the occasion, but we shall give two or three short extracts; and first from that of the Rev. James Hinton of Oxford.

"When this society began, 28 years ago, our hopes were very small; but like every cause, this cause has proceeded step by step. Now that these 28 years have elapsed, there are some here who can remember them all, and feel a pleasure in retracing them all, and are ready to say, 'At each step let higher wonder rise,' while we praise the God who gave this society its birth at first, and has supported it ever since. I see there is one venerable character who was present then-our older Secretary, on the one hand of me, and Mr. Hogg on the other-who will retrace with gratitude the goodness of God to this society in its infancy. They will remember when two or three of them met together, and prayed to God to give them success, with the venerable Carey, whose life has been so long spared, and God grant that it may still long be spared; and I consider it as a proof that this work is of God, that he gave them at that time such a spirit of grace and supplication, when they wrestled all night like Jacob, and said, 'I will not let thee go except thou bless me ;' and thus they went on in their work. And when, in our native country, so many objections were made to the conveyance of our first missionaries, they still persevered till a foreign vessel appeared in the Downs, and a foreigner did what our own countrymen would not do a striking proof that God has the hearts of all men in his hand! Our two first missionaries heard with eagerness that there was a vessel that would carry them, not like Jonah escaping from his Master's work, but with a far different spirit, to publish his gospel; and when Serampore received them, and when after a while the first copy of the New Testament in the Bengalee was completed and sent to England, and presented by some respectable friends to our late beloved and pious monarch, he kindly took it, returned them his warmest thanks, and added his hearty prayer that God would prosper their labours. And shall we not be grateful to that God who has so prospered these labours, that there are now near forty languages in which his word, or part of his word, has been translated? Should we not be grateful on this

account? Heathens will reproach us-the very stones will cry out; for how often do these heathens now read in this book, salvation and honour, and glory and power, be to him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb, for ever and ever.

"On the whole, let us watch the operations of his hands, and not restrain our exertions. The motto with which I set out in life was, 'The liberal soul deviseth liberal things, and by liberal things shall he stand; and I would recommend this motto to all. I believe I never passed a plate in my life without putting in a halfpenny, if I had no more; the hand that loves to give, God will never suffer long to be empty. In the words of the apostle, I close this long address, 'Brethren, be stedfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; forasmuch as ye know that your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord.""

Benjamin Shaw, Esq. after remarking how frequently the Divine Being chose humble and unlikely instruments to advance his designs, proceeded :

"When the respected founder of this institution was sitting, a humble shoemaker in his stall, may I not ask, would it then have been thought by any person that this individual was to be the professor of Shanscrit to the East India Company; to be the soul of this mission; to be the means of translating the holy scriptures into 36 languages, and of employing 23 English missionaries, and double that number of native teachers and preach

ers?

"We cannot take up the New Testament without noticing how much that book has been elucidated from our acquaintance with eastern manners and customs. It was from the east the first testimony was borne to the Godhead of our Saviour, when the wise men of the east came and offered to him gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. We cannot return it to them, but we can say, the Saviour whom you came to worship, and to whom you offered these gifts, has caused his gospel to enrich the islands of the sea, and that nation which sends its ambassadors in vessels of bulrushes, brings you the gospel which that Saviour preached."

Mr. Shaw was followed by the Rev. George Burder, Secretary of the London Missionary Society; Divie Bethune, Esq. of NewYork; and the Rev. Jabez Bunting, one of the Secretaries of the Wesleyan Missionary Society. Mr. Bunting said

"I fully concur with Mr. Burder, respecting the utility and importance of Christian union. It has been said, that though we cannot break down the walls which separate us, yet these walls are lowered, and we have ventured to look over them and shake hands but not only so; by the mercy of God we have broken gates and entrances in several parts of the wall, and we can pay visits to each other's territories, and encourage the hand's of each other's workmen, and surely now these gates are providentially opened none of us will feel reluctant to pay such visits, and to promote the cause of piety and benevolence. A former speaker

alluded to different regiments, and said that, as Baptists, you were bound particularly to look to your own regiment. I will add, it becomes us who are not of this denomination to look to our own regiment, but at the same time to look with a kind and watchful eye to yours, and feel an interest in your concerns; and if at any time, and through any circumstances, you cannot raise funds enough for your purposes, we are bound then, while we care for our own regiment, to care for you, and to raise contributions for your cause, if you will do us the favour to accept of them."

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

From the Seventh Report of the Bath Auxiliary Bible Society. Since the last anniversary of your own society, the principal feature to be noticed is the Bible Association, which, it will be recollected, originated in the pious and laudable zeal of a few of the female friends of the institution. The city was divided into sixteen districts, and placed under the care of fifty ladies. Their labours, and the report of the very great and almost universal success they have met with, are most encouraging! The poor have every where been found to take a lively interest in the association, and appear not only willing to contribute their small weekly subscriptions for obtaining Bibles, but most thankful that they have thus an opportunity presented to them of purchasing and procuring for themselves, in so easy a way, the precious word of life.

The following extract from one of these Reports is so striking, and so much in point, that your Committee make no apology for its insertion. "A person called upon to subscribe for a Bible, when first asked, told the lady he did not want a Bible, or wish for one, for if he had one he should never read it. Upon being asked what place of worship he attended, he replied, he never went to any that it was ten years since he had been in a church! He confessed that he spent the greater part of the Sunday in bed, or in a public house. Before the lady left him, she got him to say that she might call again if she would, but that he felt no wish or care for subscribing for a Bible. The next week, however, when the lady called, he had sixpence ready for her, which, he said, having thought more of the subject, he had saved from beer. He continued regularly to pay sixpence per week, and very soon appeared anxious to have his Bible, but said he would not go to church till he found his mind that way inclined, for he should be a hypocrite if he did. Soon after he got his Bible he went to church, and was much delighted with the service. He now goes regularly to church, never enters a public house, and pays a free subscription. He is very attentive to the sermon, and gives a very clear account of it; and, on his return home, always finds out, in his Bible, the quotations which he has heard from scrip