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NAPOLEON AND POPE.

Paris, Jan. 28, 1813.

On the 19th, the Emperor vis. ited Fontainbleu. He immediately repaired to the apartments of the Pope, and held a conversation of nearly two hours with the Holy Father. The next day his Holiness, accompanied by the Cardinals Bayonne, Daira, and Kuffo, the Archbishop of Tarro, and several Bishops, returned the visit to the Emporor, who received him in his great apartments. His Holiness then visited the Empress, who shortly after returned the visit of the Pope. On the 25th, after repeated conferences, his Majesty and the Holy Father signed the Concordat, which has terminated all the differences which have arisen respecting the affairs of the church. The act was signed in the presence of the Cardinals and Prelates.

CONCORDAT.

His Majesty, the Emperor and King, and his Holiness, desirous to terminate the differences which have existed between them, and to remove the difficulties which have arisen in several affairs of the church, have agreed to the following articles, to serve as the basis of a definitive arrangement.

Art. 1. His Holiness shall exercise the Pontificate in France and in the kingdom of Italy, in the same manner, and with the same forms as his predecessors.

2. The ambassadors, ministers, charge d'affairs of powers near the Holy Father, and the ambassadors, ministers, or charge d'affairs of the Pope with foreign powers, shall enjoy the immunities and privileges which are enjoyed by other members of the Corps Diplomatique.

3. The dominions which were

7. In regard to the bishops of the Roman states, absent from their dioceses from circumstances, the Holy Father shall exercise in their favor the privilege he has a right to bestow on bishops in partibus. He shall bestow on them salaries equal to those which they have formerly en

possessed by the Holy Father, and which have not been alienated, shall be exempt from every species of impost; and shall be administered by his agents or eharge d'affairs. Those which have been alienated shall be restored, paying a composition of two millions of franks revenue. 4. Within six months, follow-joyed, and they shall be nominating the usual notification of the ed to places, as they become vanomination by the Emperor, of cant in the empire or in the kingthe archbishops and bishops of dom of Italy. the empire and of the kingdom of Italy, the Pope shall ordain them, agreeably to the Concordats, and in virtue of the present indult. Previous information of which shall be given by the Metropolitan Archbishop. If at the expiration of six months, the Pope shall not have given the ordination, the Metropolitan shall proceed to the ordination of the bishop named, in the usual man

ner.

5. The Pope shall nominate, in France or in Italy, to ten bishopries, as shall ultimately be agreed upon in concert.

6. The six suburbicaire bishoprics are re-established: They shall be nominated by the Pope. Their remaining effects shall be restored; and they shall take measures respecting those which have been sold. On the death of the bishops of d'Anague & Rieti, their dioceses shall be united to the six bishoprics, agreeably to an agreement between his Majesty and the Holy Father.

8. His Majesty and his Holiness shall concert measures at a suitable time, for the reduction to be made, if necessary, in the bishoprics in Tuscany and the Genoese countries, as also for the bishoprics to be established in Holland and the Hanseatic departments.

9. The Propagande and Penetencerie, and the Archieves shall be established in the place where the Holy Father shall sojourn.

10. His Majesty grants a free pardon to all the cardinals, bishops, priests, laics, who have incurred censure in consequence of events.

11. The Holy Father agrees to the foregoing dispositions in consequence of the existing state of the church; and in the confidence which his Majesty inspires in him, that he will give powerful protection to the numerous wants of religion in the times in which we live. NAPOLEON, PIUS VII. Fontanbleau, Jan. 25, 1813.

LETTER FROM INDIA.

[It is with great pleasure that we offer to our readers the following letter from Dr. Marshman, a missionary in India, to Samuel Salisbury Esq. of Boston, acknowledging the re

ceipt of the money, which was subscribed about a year ago for the translation of the scriptures into the languages of India.]

Serampore, Oct. 20, 1812.

DEAR SIR,

"By our brethren, Mr. Johns and Mr. Lawson, we have been favored with the fruits of the regard which our American friends bear to the sacred scriptures the sum of 4640 dollars. So large a sum subscribed for the word of God, almost wholly by two towns, Boston and Salem, fills us with equal gratitude and surprise. Nor can we pass by unnoticed your personal exertions in this almost unprecedented effort of christian liberality, which you so much forwarded, both by your own liberal contribution, and, what was still more important to us, by your voluntary services in rendering the generous efforts of others efficient, through their confidence in your diligence and integrity in conveying the whole to us. We intreat you to add another favor to those for which we are already indebted to you, by conveying to our worthy friends with you, in any way you judge best, the deep sense we have of this their labor of love to the Sacred Word, and to the souls of the heathens, who are sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, for want of the light thereof;-and to acquaint them with a fact, which it would be

unjust to withhold from their knowledge, that by this exertion of Christain liberality two towns have sowed the word of life for a whole nation : this sum being fully sufficient to defray the expenses of translating and printing a first edition of the New Testament in almost any one of the dialects of India; so that the fruit of their christian love may, through the Divine blessing, (which we intreat them constantly to implore thereon) spring up from age to age in the coun try thus enlightened even to the day of Jesus Christ. Glorious thought! yet nothing less will be the fruit of this one effort of christian liberality, (perhaps begun and ended in a month,) if it be wisely and faithfully applied, which it shall be ours to do to the utmost of our ability. We inclose the last statement of the Translations in our hands, which you are welcome to communicate to the gentlemen to whom we feel so much indebted, in any way you like.

With our warmest thanks to them and to you, I remain, dear Sir, (for my brethren) your obliged friend and servant in our common Lord,

JOSH. MARSHMAN. Deacon Salisbury, Boston.

Editorial Notice.

THE Editors of this work will gratefully receive communications adapted to its design, and free from expense. They wish their correspondents to keep distinctly in view the object of the work, and the pledge which has already been given, that it shall be conducted on the principles of christian candor and charity. As it is their wish not to wound the feelings of pious readers of any sect, so it is their design to treat with becoming respect, all their correspondents. It will be their aim to decide impartially on the comparative merits of such pieces, as shall be kindly communicated; yet, considering how few pages they have to fill in each number, and the numerous sources of supply, they anticipate some difficulty in making their selections, so as to give universal satisfaction. It is probable that many pieces, which will deserve a place in the work, must be deferred for a considerable time, and some finally excluded, for want of room. It is therefore hoped, that such occurrences will give no offence. To preclude as much as possible every occasion of displeasure, the Editors now give notice, that they shall not adopt the practice of publicly giving reasons, for declining to insert any communications which may be sent to them. If any writer shall be dissatisfied by the delay of publishing any thing of his, he may expect his manuscript to be returned to him, at his request, without any public marks of disapprobation. Short pieces, well written, will be most pleasing, and most sure to find a place in the Christian Disciple.

No. 3.

THE

CHRISTIAN DISCIPLE.

JULY, 1813.

VOL. I.

THE EFFICACY OF RELIGION AS CONTRASTED WITH INFIDELITY AT THE HOUR OF DEATH.

THERE is no period in the life of man, more important than its close; and there is none in which we stand in so much need of support and consolation. In a time of health, and amidst the busy scenes of life, the spirit of a man will often "sustain his infirmity," but at the awful hour of death, when health and vigor have fled, and earthly objects have lost their power to charm, the spirit must sink under its burden, unless supported by other comforts, and cheered by other hopes than this world can afford. Blessed be God! in, the gospel of Jesus Christ a remedy has been provided for the evils of life, and for the terrors of death. That divine religion, which can solace the heart when oppressed with affliction, and even render that affliction productive of real good, can also fortify the mind, banish its fears, and infuse into it serenity and joy, when the scenes of life are receding from before our eyes, when the king of terrors is approaching, and eternity, with all its awful realities, is opening on our view.

So important, indeed, is the in

fluence of religion, at that period, that there are few, however they may have despised its promises, its encouragements, and hopes in the midst of life, who are not desirous of partaking of its consolations at the hour of death. It is a natural sentiment of the heart, "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his." We can present a striking illustration of these remarks in a case which has recently occurred; a brief narration of which may be interesting and useful.

A female person of a strong and considerably cultivated mind, whose character was amiable, and whose life had been correct, was visited, by the appointment of Providence, with a severe, but lingering disease. She apparently sustained with patience the attack of sickness, and submitted without murmuring to the will of God. The prospect of death, however, occasioned apprehension, and the last enemy appeared, invested with many terrors. By the solicitation of her friends, she was led to seek for comfort in the conversation of a minister, and to inquire if he could not

suggest some method by which her apprehensions might be quieted, and the bitterness of death removed. When he came to her, he found her in the perfect possession of her senses, and capable, as it afterwards appeared, of close attention and patient investigation.

He addressed her, as he would have addressed any one in a time of sickness, with whose character he was previously unacquainted. He exhorted her to endeavour to profit by the dispensation of Providence, which had placed her in that situation, reminded her that the event of her sickness was uncertain, and, that as she was now unable to mingle in the society of her friends, and to engage in the active business of life, it was a time for serious reflection, and for humble, earnest prayer. He told her that such reflections and prayers would have no tendency to bring her nearer to the grave, but might inspire her with tranquillity, and thus promote the favorable operation of the means that were used for her recovery. He urged her to repent of her many imperfections and sins, spake to her of Jesus Christ, of his merits and mediation, his atonement and intercession, and told her that there was no other name given among men, whereby she could be saved.

She replied with great candor, that she believed in God, considered him as her Father, and her friend, and that she had endeavoured to discharge her duty with fidelity in the various relations of life; but that she had received early impressions unfa

vorable to the christian religion, that these impressions, from various circumstances, had been cherished and confirmed, and that she now derived no comfort from thinking of Jesus Christ, for she could not believe him to be the Son of God, or sent from God. She said, however, that she had never accustomed herself to ridicule religion, or to speak with irreverence of Jesus Christ; that she had occasionally read the Bible, thought it a good book, and that Jesus Christ was a good man.

She was congratulated on possessing so fair a mind, and was told that there could be no doubt she would become a believer in the gospel. "Perhaps I should be happier, if I were a believer," she replied, or in words to this effect, "for I feel a void, which that might fill, and a reluctance to die, which that might abate.

It was said to her, "you believe from a slight attention to the religion of Jesus, that its author was a good man, but do not believe that he was the Son of God. Does he not declare himself to be the Son of God, and to have been sent from God?" "Expressly," said she. "And do you think," it was asked, "that a good man would declare a falsehood?" She hesitated, "I do not know that he would. His object, however, was a good one, to improve mankind, and perhaps" "We do not believe," it was replied, "that the end justifies the means. There is certainly an inconsistency here. You must either relinquish the belief, that Jesus Christ was a

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