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I. Providence. Cranston & Marshall. pp. 52.

A Sermon, occasioned by the Death of the Hon. William Phillips, preached June 3, 1827, being the Sabbath after the Funeral. By Benjamin B. Wisner, Pastor of the Old South Church in Boston. Boston: Hilliard, Gray, & Co. pp. 52.

A Companion for the Book of Common Prayer, containing an Explanation of the Service, to which is annexed Questions. By John H. Hobart, D. D.

Utility of Ministerial Influence; a Sermon preached in Boston, May 29, 1827, before the Pastoral Association of Massachusetts. By Ebenezer Porter, D. D. Andover. Flagg & Gould. 8vo. pp. 36.

The Grand Theme of the Gospel Ministry; a Sermon preached at the Dedication of the Trinitarian Church in Concord, Mass., December 6, 1826. By Samuel Green. Concord. Allen & Atwill.

Letters on the Atonement, in which a Contrast is instituted between the doctrines of the Old and New School, addressed to a Brother in the Ministry. By J. J. Janeway, D. D.

The Light of Truth, in Four Parts. Milledgeville.

MISCELLANEOUS.

A Treatise on the Nature and Effects of Heat, Light, Electricity, and Magnetism, as being only Different Developements of one Element. Cambridge. Hilliard & Brown. 8vo. pp. 91.

The Epitome of History, with Historical Charts. By J. E. Worcester. Cambridge. Hilliard & Brown.

Sketches of the Ancient History of the Six Nations. By David Cusick. Lewiston, N. Y.

An Introduction to the Mechanical Principles of Carpentry. By Benjamin Hale, Principal of the Gardiner Lyceum. Gardiner. P. Sheldon.

Much Instruction from little Reading, or Extracts from some of the most approved Authors, Ancient and Modern. By a Friend to General Improvement. New-York. Mahlon Day. vols, 12mo.

A Visit for a Week, or Hints on the Improvement of Time. New-York. A. B. Holmes.

Mental Discipline, or Hints on the Cultivation of Intellectual and Moral Habits, addressed particularly to Students in Theology and Young Preachers. By Henry F. Bowder, A. M.

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consisting of a robe of black silk, or cotton, &c. with a high fur cap, or sometimes a hat. The beard is universally permitted to grow, and they religiously abstain from trimming even the corners' of it.

At present, one may, generally speaking, reckon three classes of Jews. First, the Kaufleuts, or mercantile class, who are often very rich. Secondly, the poorer class, who are mostly mechanics, or petty small traders, as in old clothes, beer, &c. or serve in the families of the richer Jews. Thirdly, the learned, some of whom are rich, though the greater part are poor. These are educated from childhood as learned, and their education and learning consists solely in committing to memory the Pentateuch, Psalms, Proverbs, and then as much of the Talmud as the duration of life permits.

The Polish Jews are bigotted to the Talmud and the Rabbinic institutions, and know nothing of the law except through these; nor, independent of these, has the law, or the Old Testament in general, any authority whatever. They do not offer sacrifices, because this is not permitted out of Palestine; instead thereof, they read in their daily prayers those portions of the Old Testament which relate to sacrifices, and so also on their Sabbath. Ten persons form an assembly or synagogue, and may choose one to read for all;-otherwise each repeats the prayers himself. They celebrate very strictly the three great festivals, of the Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles; in the latter, all live in booths, or tents covered with boughs, and these are often splendid. At the Passover they sacrifice no lamb, for the reason above given; but they are very strict to use only unleavened bread, and carefully put away all leaven out of their houses.

As indications of some moral change to be hoped for among them, may be mentioned, an universal desire to possess the Hebrew Old Testament Scriptures, and to understand them grammatically. They are every where willing, and perhaps curious to hear the missionaries: they receive the New Testament willingly, but are not in general eager for it. Very many Tracts have been distributed, and it is

known that several instances of conversion have taken place through their silent instrumentality. In the first three or four months of this year, more than two thousand Jews visited the rooms of the mission, in order to hear and converse with them; and the missionaries have sometimes been invited to speak to them in their synagogues; but this they have from prudential motives declined. Through the labors of the missionaries, seventy have been led to give up their former belief, and have been baptized, mostly in the Catholic church; and sixty others have a conviction of the truth of Christianity, though not yet baptized: some of these last are very useful among their countrymen, by conversing upon and defending the principles of the Christian religion. It is not to be understood of many, and perhaps most of these, that they have any thing more than a conviction of the truth of Christianity.

Nothing but schools and instruction can penetrate the thick darkness of ignorance which hangs over the minds of the Jews. It is the common belief with them, that the idolaters of Canaan, whom their forefathers were to exterminate, were Christians! and that the Christians of the present day are descendants from those Canaanites.

As soon as a Jew is baptized, he is entirely cast off by his nation, and is looked upon as more irreclaimable, and as an object of greater contempt, than the Christians themselves.

It follows, of course, that Jewish converts, generally speaking, can not exert much influence on their unconverted brethren. Still, Jewish missionaries, of good address and talents, are received better than Christians.

Most of the Jews expect the literal return of the nation to the Holy Land; very many make pilgrimages thither, or go thither to die; others have earth brought from that country, by which their graves are famed at home. The greatest body of Jews now in Palesfine are Polish, and considerable sums are collected every year in Poland, and transmitted to the East for their sup port. The converted Jews in general abandon the belief in a literal return; the missionaries, however, appear to believe in it.

Some Intelligence, and the list of Ordinations, deferred for want of room.

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THE OBLIGATION OF PIOUS YOUNG MEN OF PROPERTY, TO DEVOTE

As these instances of the rejection of the sacred ministry by persons

THEMSELVES TO THE CHRISTIAN apparently fitted to be useful in it

MINISTRY.

LEST the sentiments advanced in this paper should be thought to have a bearing upon Education Societies which is not intended, I beg leave to state explicitly that I am a decided friend of those societies which educate indigent young men, possessing the requisite qualifications, for the ministry. I rejoice in their success; and it is my fervent prayer and hope that their resources and efforts will continue to increase, until every spot upon the globe shall be furnished with a faithful minister of the Lord Jesus. During a period of many years' observation, I have seen a considerable number of young men, pious and liberally educated, refusing to enter the ministry; and choosing in preference some secular profession. During the same period, I have seen a still greater number of young men, in whom talents and piety were apparently united, and who possessed ample means of obtaining a literary and theological education, neglecting to avail them selves of their advantages for becoming ministers of the gospel, and comparatively burying their talents in the active pursuits of business. VOL. I.-No. XI.

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have successively taken place before my eyes, I have felt the deepest regret-a regret which I doubt not has been felt in common by all who ardently desire the prosperity of the kingdom of Jesus. That it is the duty of all pious young men, possessed of property, irrespective of circumstances, to devote themselves to the ministry of the gospel, is not pretended. But that it is their duty generally, and always, where circumstances do not indicate that some other mode of serving their generation according to the will of God should be chosen in preference, I shall attempt to show. The considerations to be adduced will apply alike to those who have already obtained a literary education, and to those who have not, but possess the requisite means; and that too, whether they are in actual possession of property themselves, or have parents who are able to furnish it. It is admitted, however, that in those cases where they are dependent upon their parents, the parents themselves are primarily responsible.

The services which these young men may render in the ministry are needed. Much, comparatively very much, is doing for the diffusion

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of the blessings of the gospel. The a layman in the midst of a Christian number of ministers commissioned population, as he would be if he to preach the gospel, consisting filled the post of a minister of the partly of those who have defrayed gospel which would otherwise be the expense of their own education, unoccupied. To this question it and partly of those who have been is believed that only one answer educated by the assistance of char- can be given. itable funds, has for some years progressively increased. But additional ministers, and that too in great numbers, are still needed. For the field of labour is very ample. At this very time, villages are multiplied in our land more rapidly than ministers, while very few of the millions of the heathen have ever heard of Jesus of Nazareth-that only name whereby they can be saved. Even if ali the pious young men in christendom, both rich and poor, were to be set apart to the ministry, we should still have occasion to pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth more labourers into his harvest.

They will probably be more useful if they enter the ministry than they would be in any other situation. Viewed in the light of eternity, all other employments except that of promoting the eternal salvation of men, are comparatively unimportant. This will be admitted. But then it will be said, pious laymen are as necessary in the church as clergymen. I am by no means disposed to undervalue the services of pious laymen, gifted with talents, and judiciously employing those talents in promoting the interests of the Redeemer's kingdom. I have known many such men. I greatly honour them. And I am sensible that the prosperity of Zion can never reach its destined height, until many such men are found in all the churches of our Lord. But let it be remembered that to this day, the greatest portion of the world is destitute of the Word of life. And the question now at issue is, whether a young man of talents and piety is likely to be as useful, if he establishes himself as

Pious young men, by sustaining the expense of their own education for the ministry, contribute largely to the fund of Christian benevolence. He who gives five hundred or a thousand dollars to educate an indigent young man for the ministry, is justly esteemed a liberal benefactor of the church. But it is perhaps not considered, though sufficiently obvious, that the young man who expends his property to educate himself, or the father who educates his son, for the ministry, does in reality aid the great cause of Christian benevolence to precisely the same extent. Nor let it be thought that this aid is unnecessary. For although much has been done, the efforts of Christian benevolence have hitherto been very inadequate to the exigencies of this dark and sinful world. And even if Christians generally should exhibit a liberality commensurate with their obligations, it is not believed that the aid in question could well be dispensed with. It forms, or rather it might form, one of the largest items among the receipts into the treasury of the Lord. And great as would be the amount thus given, it would be given under such circumstances that it could hardly be viewed in the light of a personal sacrifice. The time may indeed come when the demand upon the liberality of Christians shall be lessened And when it does, this certainly is not one of the contributions first to be struck off from the list, as a case entitled to peculiar indulgence.

The young men referred to would probably be happier in the ministry than in any other sphere. It is by no means uncommon to hear those

his sphere of action upon earth, presents himself before the throne of the Eternal, in company with the redeemed ones converted by his instrumentality-and now his joy and crown of rejoicing!

Pious young men of property by devoting themselves to the ministry set a beneficial example before their irreligious acquaintance. The men of the world are ever prone to flatter themselves that Christians act from no higher motives than themselves. It is desirable, therefore, if possible, that examples of Christian self denial and devotedness to the cause of Christ, too manifestly disinterested to be misunderstood, should be continually exhibited before them. Such an example can be but partially exhibited by indigent young men educated for the ministry. For however disinterested they may in fact be, they are necessarily precluded in a great measure from the privilege of exhibiting it, by the circumstance of their being elevated by their education to a higher standing in the community. But when the men of the world see a young man voluntarily relinquishing distinguished

of them who have engaged in secular business, expressing, when it is too late to rectify their mistake, their deep regret at the unwise choice they have made. And probably the greater part of them are through life more or less harassed with the reflection that they have put it out of their power to be as useful as they might have been. There is a painful conviction upon their minds that they have done wrong. To those who are looking forward to a life of ease and of selfindulgence, or who are hankering after the riches or the honours of this world, and who thus hope to be happy, I would say expressly, the ministry is no place for you. I would go farther. I would call in question the sincerity of their Christian profession. For although I am prepared to maintain to its utmost extent that ministers should be men of self-denial and of deadness to the world, I have yet to learn that a less degree of self-denial and of deadness to the world is allowable in private Christians. But to those who are sensible of the vanity of the world, and whose faith presents unseen and eternal objects to the mind in all their real-worldly advantages apparently withity, the ministry of the gospel may be safely recommended, as furnishing the richest sources of enjoyment. It is true they may have trials and hardships which peculiar. But who would not endure them all with joyfulness, when he knows that he has the high approbation of his Lord! Who upon earth ever tasted a gratification so intense and pure and exalted, as the faithful minister when he brings back a lost sheep to the fold of Christ! Who on the bed of death has so much to look back upon with gratitude and joy, as he who has spent his life in extending the kingdom of Jesus! And on the great day of reward, who will occupy a more desirable situation than the faithful minister, who, however obscure

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in his reach, and cheerfully consigning himself to a situation which debars him from that course of worldly gratification so generally coveted, they are constrained to admit that there is in Christianity, a disinterestedness, a purity, and an elevation of motive to which they are themselves strangers. And while contemplating this phenomenon, such a conviction of the reality of religion is fastened upon their minds, as sometimes ends in their conversion to God.

Pious young men, possessed of considerable property, may, by entering the ministry, be the means of rendering peculiarly important services to the cause of religion. I have no desire to see an affluent ministry. I fully believe, all things

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