Page images
PDF
EPUB

the Union, we have the disposition, or ability, to obtain 4 or 5,000 copies of the Scriptures in the French Language, to bestow as a partial supply for the 40 or 50,000 French Catholics who are destitute; many of whom are ready and anxious to receive such a treasure. Four thousand copies of the Scriptures for this purpose, printed in this country, would cost, perhaps, 6,000 dollars. The same number of copies might be obtained, it is likely, at a lower rate by applying to the Directors of the British and Foreign Bible Society. This supply of Bibles might be printed here, or obtained from abroad, as should be thought expedient. At the present time, to accomplish our object, we have to go or send to the several Bible Societies from Maine to Georgia; and to wait until we receive information from the directing Committee. Four, five, or six months must elapse, and perhaps a year, before we are able to make a report. And by this time the most favorable opportunity for distributing the Bible may have passed by. And although it may be found, that we are possessed of ability to effect the desired object, yet if we are obliged to conduct in this way, we shall be very liable to be defeated; and, after all our efforts, we may have to send to the Directors of the British and Foreign Bible Society, requesting that they would make a donation of Bibles for the supply of the destitute within the limits of the United States.

The American Churches are, at the present time, called upon to favor the destitute, in a certain section of our country, with

[ocr errors]

the Bible: Although these people are called Christians, they have not the Bible in their possession; and of course are not acquainted with its contents. Wc may reasonably expect, that applications of a like kind will be made, if not from within the limits of the United States, from other parts of our own continent. A large extent of country will probably be opened in New Spain for the circulation of the Scriptures, in the Spanish language; and, no doubt, pressing applications from that quarter, will shortly solicit our attention; even before we have suitably noticed those which are now before us.

To the writer it appears a perfectly plain case, that as a Christian nation we are not likely to labor at all according to our ability, (I would charitably hope we shall not want a disposition,) for the relief of the needy in our own country and abroad, until we have some general bond of union; and can, upon an emer gency, as circumstances may direct, bring some portion of the resources of our several Bible Societies to one point. By this mean we may be enabled to accomplish with ease, that which in our present disjointed state, costs us so much labor, and is attended with so much delay, and perhaps, eventually, with a disastrous defeat.

At this time, Sir, permit me to present to you, and through you to the public, the sketch of a plan, which, it is hoped, it adopted, will enable Christians of the different religious denominations among us to act in char- acter upon the subject under consideration

I would propose the formation of a General Bible Society, open for the a mission of all persons, of wh tever religious denomination, in the United States, who are disposed to take an active part in this good work. A day should be appointed for the formation of the Society, and delegates be requested to attend from the several religious denominations.

It would, most probably, be thought expedient, that the Society should be formed in Philadelphia, or, at least, that the Directing Committee should be long to that city.

The time for the first meeting might be in the month of May, at or near the time of the sitting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, which place and time would accommodate many of the delegates, who might be appointed to attend.

The Institution now contemplated should not interfere with any Bible Societies already established, though it is hoped, should it succeed, its funds would be increased by donations from these societies.

It might be provided that delegates, after the formation of the Society, should be sent annually from the several Bible Societies in the different states.

I will now enumerate some of the reasons, which have occurred to me in favor of the proposed plan.

1. The destitute portions of our own country from the northeastern to the south-western extremities of the Union, would be more fully known to the religious public; as the information would be contained in the Re

ports of the several Bible Societies and included in the Report of the General Society.

2. By means of this information, funds might be collected to a greater amount, and a more general distribution of the Bible be effected.

3. Bibles might be obtained at a lower rate, and executed in a better manner, by combining our efforts for this purpose.

4. Should an opportunity present itself for the distribution of the Sacred Scriptures, in any other than the English language, either within or without the

limits of the United States, we should be able to ascertain our ability, by applying to the Directing Committee of the General Bible Society.

I would hope, that as a friend to the kingdom of the Prince of peace, as a friend to the immortal souls of my fellow-men, their temporal as well as their eternal felicity, I have been constrained to offer the preceding thoughts upon this greatly interesting and important subject.

For the Panoplist.

ABUSE OF THE LATE HARVEST.

WHEN I wrote the paper which was inserted in the last number of the Panoplist, on the late harvest, I was not informed of a most enormous abuse of the fruits of the earth, which had then but just begun to be practised on an extensive scale, and which has now excited the alarm of all considerate persons especially of the pious and conscientious. The abuse alluded to will be anticipated by every reader to arise from the distilla

tion of grain and other valuable productions of the soil into noxious ardent spirits.

The first reflection which occurs to the mind is, that such an abuse is a heinous act of ingratitude to God. It will not be contended. I suppose, that rye and potatoes are converted into whisky as a medicine, and from a pure regard to the health of the community. If this should be urged, it will be admitted by all that the quantity necessary as a medicine is extremely small; so small that a single distillery would supply all the apothecaries' shops in the United States. It follows, then, that the distillation of immense quantities of baneful spirit from grain, which was bountifully given to support life, is an act of heinous ingrati tude to God Whatever might be said of conducting distilleries of grain on a small scale, it is beyond all question extremely pernicious, when the business is carried to such an extent, as to raise the price of provisions, fill all our retailers' shops with a noxious liquor, and furnish the vicious with the means of ruining themselves and their families. What can be done to remedy this evil is not so easy to specify, as it is to estimate the magnitude of the evil itself. In its first beginnings, the price of several most important articles of food was nearly doubled. If it should progress as it has begun, a very large proportion of the industrious and temperate members of society will be severely straitened to procure bread for their families; and all this after one of the most abundant seasons which this country ever experienced.

Let us seriously consider how odious and abominable it must appear in the sight of God, that the rich supplies of his bounty should be immediately converted into the means of sinning against him-into the means of increasing and perpetuating sin and misery without limit and without end. The sound part of the community should see and lament this ungrateful and unnatural conduct; they should regard it as a national calamity of no ordinary magnitude, and as a national sin which sheds a melancholy gloom over our future prospects. From a share in the guilt no individual can be free who does not engage zealously in every promising scheme of counteracting and suppressing so great an evil. It is difficult, as has been intimated, to prescribe adequate remedies for so dangerous a malady. The following are suggested as the only practicable means of effectuating a change for the better, which have presented themselves to my mind.

If a

1. All who regard this evil in the same light with the writer should unite in petitioning Congress to lay a heavy tax on domestic distilled liquors. tax should be imposed, it would operate to some extent at least to suppress the evil. I take it for granted, that the tax now imposed upon stills is so extremely small, as to have scarcely a perceptible effect. If the petitions should not be successful, they would at least awaken the attention of the public to the nature of the subject; and this would of itself be a great achievement.

2. Moral Societies should be formed, wherever they can be

formed, with an express intention to discountenance and prevent drunkenness and every approach to it; and particularly to discountenance the manufacture and the use of domestic spirits. 3. Every method should be adopted, which promises to expose to public view the greatness and odiousness of the evil. It should be pourtrayed in all periodical publications; tracts and sermons against it should be published and extensively circulated; and no expe

dient should be left untried to represent its true character.

4. Christians should earnestly intreat, that God would bring about a national repentance and reformation; that all our evil passions may be subdued; that no abuse or perversion of the Divine bounty may be found among us; and that we may not provoke our merciful Creator to withhold from us those supplies which are necessary to our comfort, and even our existence.

REVIEWS.

XLIX. A Sermon delivered in Boston, Sept. 16, 1813, before the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, at their fourth annual meeting. By TIMOTHY DWIGHT, D.D. L.L.D. President of Yale Collège. Published by request of the Board. Boston; S. T. Armstrong, pp. 34. Price 25 cents.

WE are peculiarly happy to announce the publication of this, discourse; a discourse heard from the pulpit with profound attention by a very large and respectable audience, and calculated to make a lasting impression in favor of missions. As a deliberate and solemn testimony to the truth on this important subject, borne by a highly respected minister of the Gospel who presides over one of our most favored literary institutions, it is extremely valuable; as an exhibition of superior and cultivated mental endowments, employed on a noble and most delightful theme, it is entitled to

A. B.

[blocks in formation]

him as

was one of the great duties of his office; that when he calls, they will know and acknowledge their Shepherd, and cheerfully obey the summons; that there shall then be one fold, a single church, a single assembly of his disciples, one in their character, their life, and their destination; and that he will be the good, the only Shepherd.' pp. 4, 5. In dwelling on this explanation, and after stating that the "visible and glorious union of Christians," which had been previously described, "will not, indeed, be perfectly accomplished, until the heavens shall be no more, the preacher expresses himself as follows:

"Still, the period is advancing; it is hastening; in which Christians will be most honorably united in the present world. The morning is even now approaching towards the horizon, and at no distant period will actually rise upon this dark world, when all distinctions of party and sect, of name and nation, of civilization and savageness, of climate and color, will finally vanish. The day is approach ing, when the traveller, who takes his circuit over the globe, will find Christians in every clime, inhabiting every city, and village, in his course. Churches will every where gladden his eye; and Hymns of praise vibrate upon his ear. From Zembla to Cape Horn, from Calrnia to Japan, the heralds of Salvation will repeat to astonished audiences with an enchanting voice the story, brought from heaven to the Shepherds of Bethlehem: "Unto you is born in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Throughout this vast extent, the happy race of Adam, united in a single, solemn response, will exclaim, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of them, that bring good tidings; that publish peace; that bring good tidings of good, that publish salvation; that say unto Zion, "Thy GoD reigneth"!" pp. 7, 8.

The other sheep of Christ are then represented as being, in Scriptural language, a great multitude which no man can numVOL. IX.

ber, and the gathering of this multitude into the one fold is exhibited as being the very end for which Christ was constituted head over all things unto his Church. The plan of the sermon is next developed by proposing these three questions: What things are to be done to complete this glorious end? In what manner are they to be done? and By whom are they to be done?" p. 9. In answer to the first of these inquiries, the preacher very eloquently discusses these propositions. "1. The views of mankind concerning religious subjects are to be extensively changed. 2. A mighty change, also, must be wrought in the disposition of man. 3. The change will not be less in the conduct of men."

We quote the whole of what is urged, under the first of these heads.

"It will not be questioned, that Truth is invariably an object of the Divine complacency; and Error, of the Divine reprobation. As GOD rejoices in his works; so it is impossible, that he should not be pleased with truth; which is only a declaration of the state of those works, of his agency in accomplishing them, and of his character, displayed in that agency. Error, which falsifies all these things, must, with equal evidence, be odious to him. As little can it be questioned, that truth is the instrument, through which we are sanctifd, and mude free from the bondage of corruption. Beside the passages of Scripture, to which I have directly alluded, there are others, too numerous to be mentioned at the present time, which are equally express and decisive. "The Gospel," says St. Paul, "is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth." "Of his own will begat he us," says St. James, "by the Word of truth." "Who were born," says St. Peter, "not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of

GOD.' Hence, to know the truth, to walk in the truth, to be of the truth, to believe in the truth, to receive the love of the truth, and to abide in the truth, are

46

« PreviousContinue »