tions. It pours out invective on men of independent minds, and teaches the multitude to recoil from them with instantaneous horror. By these means the most galling yoke is imposed on men. Their understandings are enslaved. They dread to inquire. A tremendous account is to be rendered by those, who, instead of being clothed with humility and love, thus lord it over God's heritage, arrest the progress of the mind, and multiply obstructions in the path of truth. 5. Candid judgment of those who differ from us is another important habit, which all who feel their ignorance and fallibility ought to cherish. Surely beings so limited in views, and so prone to err as we are, ought not to hurl contempt and reproach on men, whose lives bear witness to their sincerity, and to whom we have nothing to object but this, that they cannot subscribe to our interpretations of scripture. Christian, what is the mighty crime, for which you denounce and exelude your brother? Is it difference of sentiment? But does he differ more from you, than you from him? Do you say, he is in error? But has he not capacity equal to yours? Is not his life as blameless? Is not your mind exposed as well as his to unfavorable biasses? How then are you sure, that you are not the wanderer, that you do not need from others the tenderness and forbearance, which you are so prone to withhold? But grant that your brother has erred in judgmentis this a ground of condemnation? Toerr is human. The best christian is not free from mistake. Good men have often adopted injurious opinions. Who that belongs to such a race will presume to take the seat of judgment, and pronounce on his brother, to whose heart he is a stranger, and whose life is irreproachable, that his errors are the fruits of a depravity, which deserves the vengeance of God, the censures of the church, and the abhorrence of christians? Lastly-Earnest prayer is another important habit, to which we should be led by a knowledge of onr blindness and errors. God is the father of lights, the source of wisdom, ever present to our minds, and able to guide us to the truth. In his word, he invites us to ask wisdom, and by an unseen influence he will enlighten the humble suppliant, and preserve him from all fatal error. Let devotion be united with all our studies. The conviction which devotion will cherish, that the operations of our minds are always naked and open to the eye of God, will do more than any other means to repress every corrupt bias, and to give uprightness to our inquiries. Thus I have endeavoured to unfold that humility, which should attend our pursuit of divine truth. May God dispose us to cherish and practise it. For want of this, the world is filled with error, the church is broken into factions, christians are alienated, and the gospel of peace becomes the instrument of enmity and discord. Let the words of the Lord Jesus be written on our hearts— "He that exalteth himself shall be abased, but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." EXTRACTS FROM "CHRISTIAN MORALS, BY HANNAH MORE.' "PREJUDICE, if not altogether invincible, is perhaps the most difficult of all errors to be eradicated from the human mind. By disguising itself uuder the respectable name of firmness, it is of infinitely slower extirpation than actual vice."— "Yet though it may incidentally be attached to a good man, there are few errors more calculated to estrange the heart from vital religion, because there are none under which men rest so satisfied. Under the practice of any immorality they are uneasy, and that uneasiness may lead to a cure; for the light of natural conscience is sufficiently strong to shew, that sin and peace cannot dwell together. But prejudice effectually keeps a man from inquiring after truth, because he conceives that he is in full possession of it, and that he is following it up in the very error that keeps him so wide of it. Or if, with the Roman governor, he ask "what is truth," like him he turns away for fear of an an swer. "Even probity itself is not of sufficient force to guide our conduct; we see men of sound integrity and of good judgment, on subjects where prejudice does not intervene, acting, where it does, below the standard of ordinary men, governed by a name, carried away by a sound. It makes lovers of truth unjust and converts wisdom into fatuity. It must therefore be an enlightened probity, or we may be injuring our fellow creatures, when we persuade ourselves we are doing God service. Paul does not appear to have been a profligate, but to have been correct, zealous, and moral, and to have earned a high reputation among his own narrow and prejudiced sect. His error was in his judgment. The error of Peter was in his affections. A sudden touch of selflove in this vacillating, but warmhearted disciple, made him dread to share in his Master's disgrace. But in this case, a single penetrating glance melted his very soul, brought him back to contrition, repentance, and love. To cure the prejudices of Paul a miricle was necessary." "We should not however very severely censure any for the mere opinion they form, this being a matter of the judgment, rather than of the will; the true object of censure is their conduct under this false impression, in acting as hostilely as if their opinion was founded on the best ascertained facts. If we are all more or less prejudiced, it does not follow, that the conscientious act upon the feelings which the prejudice has excited. The harsh and the intolerant, indeed, let loose upon their adversaries all the bad passions, which this disposition to prejudge opinions has stirred up; while the mild spirit, in which christianity governs, will conduct itself with the same general kindness, as if no diversity of opinion subsisted." Ch. x. The work, from which the foregoing extracts were taken, has recently been published in this country. This first American edition is however copied from the fourth London edition, which circumstance shows the celebrity of the work in Great Britain. The remarkable talents and industry of this female are not more to be admired, than the amiable spirit of piety and benevolence, which appears in her writings. We hope her "Christian Morals" will have a salutary effect on the minds and manners of christians in this land. As the subject is of great importance, and one in which all classes of people are concerned, it is a matter of regret, that the style> is not more adapted to the capacities of the unlearned. In recommending the work, we do not become responsible for the correctness of every opinion entertained by the author. The best writers and the best writings are not free from imperfections; and for a person to treat a pious book with disregard, because it happens to contain a few thoughts inconsistent with his own opinions, is a mark of an inconsiderate, disingenuous, illiberal, and unchristian temper. To my petition. Thou hast promis'd, Lord, That those who seek shall find. The broken heart And contrite mind, are welcome still to thee. Oh, look on mine! And if aught there be found Which bears the stamp of truth and penitence, Accept, for mercy's sake, the humble gift. Nor dare I doubt thy goodness. All that man Can ask, thou, Father, freely wilt be stow. All-gracious God! thou know'st my love to thee. Thou know'st that my sad heart, o'ercharg'd with grief, Seeks no resort but thee; and when around Each object a deluding aspect wears, Desirable, to thee I dedicate. Expression to declare thy wond'rous love. Sooth'd by this hope, I quit my anx ious fears, And trust in him, from whom I hold my life, That when eternity shall ope her gates, I too may join with saints to praise his name. MASSACHUSETTS BIBLE SOCIETY. THIS Society was instituted 6th July, 1809. From a Report prepared by the Executive Committee for the anniversary of the Society, June 4, 1812, it appears, that the following Bibles had been distributed from the establishment of the Society unto that time, viz. 344 Octavo Bibles, 8 Minion Bibles, 2711 Common Bibles, 664 Testaments, Making 3727 In that Report particular mention was made of a donation of 100 pounds sterling from the British and Foreign Bible Society; also of donations from the President of the Society, His Honor William Phillips Esq. amounting to 1500 dollars. At the last anniversary, June 3, 1813, was presented the following REPORT. THE Executive Committee of the Bible Society of Massachusetts, in compliance with the vote of the trus tees, appointing them to prepare a report for the anual meeting on June 3d, 1813, respectfully offer the following statement of the proceedings of the last year. Since the last anniversary, your Com. mittee have distributed 28 Octavo Bibles, 101 Minion Bibles, 1343 Common Bibles, 235 Testaments, Making 1707 These Bibles have been distributed very generally by settled ministers, who have inquired into the wants of their parishes, and who have had every opportunity of making a judicious distribution A number have been entrusted to missionaries, and have thus found their way into the most destitute parts of the country. A few have been distributed by private hands. Your committee have not considered themselves authorized by the state of the funds, to extend their exertions to a great distance. Very few Bibles have been sent beyond New England; most of them have been distributed in this state, and the remainder principally in Rhode Island. Some have been placed on board the United States ship Congress, and the prison ship near Charlestown. An application made to this Society from a similar institution in Ohio, stating the very destitute condition of that region. The trustees, after considering the difficulties of transporting Bibles to that distance in the present state of the country, voted a grant of a hundred dollars, as the best form in which their aid could be conveyed. was Your committee report, that, from the want of funds, they have been obliged to relinquish the distribution of Octavo Bibles, although it has been their earnest desire to obtain a supply of these, for the aged and other persons, who cannot read the common Bible. They lament, that they have not been able to furnish the poor gen. erally with books of a larger and clearer type, than those in ordinary use. They hope soon, however, to be furnished with a more legible impression of the scriptures from the stereotype plates, which the Philadelphia Bible Society have lately imported. Your committee have the pleasure to state, that the Bibles, which they have distributed, have uniformly been received with gratitude. A gentleman from Maine states, "The Bibles sent into this region have from great numbers met a grateful reception. I myself have heard families express their thankfulness to the Massachusetts Bible Society, and I have good evidence, that, after living for years without a Bible, it has become a family book and is read with a good degree of attention." Another writes, " Perhaps no other present so uniformly excites undissembled joy and gratitude, as that of the Bible. Many, who seemed unable to express the gratitude they felt, have said, "Thank the Bible Society," This eager reception of the Bible is one of the best rewards of our exertions, and a powerful motive to persever ance. We are not laboring in vain. Could we enter the dwellings of the poor, we hope, that we should discov. er not a few, who have been instructed, edified, and comforted by the word of life, which we have been permitted to impart to them. The motives for continuing our exertions are too numerous to be stated with any distinctness. One very im portant and affecting consideration is, that there is a great need of Bibles. To those, who have been accustomed to see the Bible from their infancy, and have considered it an assential part of a domestic establishment, this fact may appear doubtful. But no thing can be better supported. There is now a great number of families in this country, which have no Bibles, or only defaced and imperfect copies. Your committee have again and again received letters from ministers, expressing their surprize at the number of families in their parishes in which this want exists. They have heard of many settlements in Maine, in which only one or two Bibles could be found. An intelligent missionary in Rhode Island thus writes, "The 150 Bibles which the Society were pleased to commit to me, were not sufficient to supply half of the destitute families in |