Mr. Adin C. Gibbs, schoolmaster, has also commenced a school, recently, in the neighborhood of Mingo Moo-sha-la-tubbee, in the S. D. District of the nation. Mr. Samuel Moseley, licensed preacher and missionary; Messrs. David Wright and David Gage, schoolmasters; Messrs. William Holland and Josiah Hemmingway, farmers; and Mr. Ebenezer Bliss, mechanic; are on their way to Brainerd, where they will receive such an ultimate destination, as shall appear to be best when the Corresponding Secretary shall arrive there, on his contemplated visit to the stations situated on this side of the Mississippi. 4. Mission Rev. Hiram Bingham, Rev. Asa Thurston, Rev. William Richards, Rev. Charles S. Stewart, and Rev. Artemas Bishop, missionories ;Dr. Abraham Blatchely, physician; Messrs. Samuel Whitney, Joseph Goodrich, and James Ely, licensed preachers and assistant missionaries; Mr. Levi Chamberlain, superintendent of secular concerns; Mr. Elisha Loomis, printer; and Thomas Hopoo, John Honooree, and George Sandwich, native assistants. VII. Mission to Western Asia. Commenced in 1820. At present, part of the missionaries reside at Malta, and part at Jerusalem. Malta.-Rev. Daniel Temple, among the Cherokees of Rev. William Goodell, and Rev. Isaac Bird, missionaries. the Arkansaw. Commenced in the year 1820. There is only the station of Dwight. On the west side of Illinois creek; four miles north of the Arkansaw river; and 500 miles from the junction of the Arkansaw with the Mississippi, following the course of the river. Rev. Alfred Finney and Rev. Cephas Washburn, Missionaries; and Messrs. Jacob Hitchcock, and James Orr, Farmers. Mr. Asa Hitchcock, Mechanic, is on his way to join this mission. VI. Mission at the Sandwich Islands. Established in April 1820. The principal station is Hanaroorah, on the island of Woahoo. Another station is at Wymai, on the island of Atooi. The present distribution of laborers is not yet known, as intelligence has not been received of the arrival of the reinforcement, which embarked at New Haven near the close of last year. Jerusalem--Rev. Pliny Fisk, and Rev. Jonas King, msisionaries. VIII. South America. On the 25th of July last, Mr. John C. Bridgham and Mr. Theophilus Parvin the former from the Theological Seminary in Andover, and the latter from the Theological Seminary in Princeton,- -sailed from Boston for Buenos Ayres. Their object is, to circulate Bibles and Tracts, and to ascertain the religious and moral state of the interesting countries, in the southern and western parts of that continent. IX. Foreign Mission School. Situated in Cornwall, Con. Established in 1816. Rev. Herman Daggett, principal, and Mr. John H. Prentice, assistant. Mis. Herald. THE CHRISTIAN MAGAZINE. VOL. I. FEBRUARY, 1824. No. 2. Emdrous ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. SAINTS DELIGHT TO KNOW WHAT THE psalmist says unto God, "Thy BIBLE CONTAINS. Saints have the spirit of their heavenly Father. They do, in some degree, possess that spirit of universal and disinterested benevolence, which God possessed from eternity, which he displays in time and which he will continue to display for ever. They are the real friends of God and heartily attached to his character and conduct. There is, therefore, reason to suppose, that they delight in the knowledge of divine truth. This supposition is confirmed by the character, which is ascribed to saints in the scriptures. It is written, "Blessed is the man, that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." The hundred and nineteenth psalm describes the excellence of the sacred scriptures, and the pleasure of saints in the knowledge of divine truth. The word have I hid in my heart.— Teach me thy statutes. I will meditate in thy precepts. I will delight myself in thy statutes.— Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors. Thy statutes have been my song in the house of my pilgrimage. The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth." The psalm, from which these texts are taken, was composed for the church of God, and designed to express the feelings of real saints. And it clearly shows, that they have a high degree of delight in the knowledge of what is contained in the scriptures. But it is my main object to show why saints delight to know what is contained in the Bible. Here it may be observed, 1. They delight to know what the Bible contains, because it reveals the true character of God. The works of creation and providence display the perfections of the divine character, but with less clearness than they are revealed in the scriptures. Mankind, for thousands of years, have generally been destitute of divine revelation. And the unhappy consequence has been, that they have also been destitute of the true knowledge of God. But they, who have been favoured with the Bible, have generally known God, though they have not glorified him as God. This proves, that the Bible clearly discovers the divine character. And all saints love the true character of God. They, therefore, desire the knowledge of the scriptures, which were designed to display the divine perfections. They desire to know all, that can be known of the power, knowledge, wisdom, goodness, justice, mercy, faithfulness, and sovereignty of God. And since God has, in the scriptures, given the fullest discoveries of his attributes, they desire to under stand his word, that they may learn his natural and moral excellencies. The sacred writers abound in the most animated descriptions of the Deity. And these descriptions afford peculiar inter which is so painful to sinners, is extremely delightful to saints.They love holy benevolence in all its branches, for its supreme excellence and beauty. By the light of divine truth they perceive, that the whole moral character of God consists in disinterested benevolence; and that such benevolence governs all his natural attributes and all his designs and conduct. The whole system of truth, which is revealed in the scriptures, gives the most glorious and delightful exhibition of the divine character, which is to saints the object of their supreme attention. And for this reason, they delight to know what the Bible contains. This 2. Saints delight to know, what the Bible contains, because it reveals the supreme and ultimate end of God in all his works. end could never be discovered by rational creatures, without a divine revelation. Though enlightened heathens have formed some proper conceptions of the natural and moral attributes of God; yet they never could discover his designs in the works of creation and providence. And it is easy to see, that it is impossible to discover what God intends, unless he reveals his intentions. God knows our intentions, because he can look into our hearts. But we cannot know his intentions by intuition. We cannot look into his heart, and discover his designs.— But as God has formed his deter est and satisfaction to the friends of God. They love to hear the character of God described, and are pleased to know that he is supremely great and supremely good. The very character of God, minations from eternity, he is able to reveal as many of his designs as he pleases. And it is happy for us, that he has, in the scriptures, revealed his original and eternal purpose, which he purposed in Christ Jesus. The Bible unfolds the purposes of divine wisdom and grace. By his word God lets us know the end, at which he aims, in all his conduct from the beginning to the end of time. This knowledge throws light upon ourselves, upon the world in which we live, upon all the objects that surround us, and upon the darkest dispensations of providence. Such light is exceedingly pleasant to every benevolent person; for such persons believe that God formed all his purposes in the exercise of perfect benevolence. Hence, they choose to know the designs of God, rather than to know the designs of all the courts of Europe, of all the nations of the earth, of all the angels of heaven, of all the intelligent creatures in the universe. For the designs of creatures are subjected to the designs of God, whose counsel shall stand, and who will do all his pleasure. Hence, saints had rather understand the Bible than all other books, which, without the Bible, would leave them in total ignorance of the most important and the most desirable knowledge. The divine purposes are the highest source of happiness to the friends of God. Nothing gives greater joy to the saints and angels in heaven than the knowledge of the divine decrees. And the same knowledge affords to saints on earth the highest and purest enjoyment. They love to have the Bible explained, and the supreme end of God in his decrees, and in his conduct, unfolded in all its greatness, and in all its glory. Their hearts are warmed with divine love and filled with holy joy in view of the supreme and ultimate end of God, in all the wonders of creation, providence and redemption. 3. Saints delight in knowing what is contained in the Bible, because it reveals the conduct of God. A great part of the Bible is historical, and gives the most complete and authentic account of the divine conduct, from the beginning of the world to the days of the apostles. This sacred volume relates the creation of the heavens and the earth, and gives us the only certain account of the commencement of time. It relates the conduct of God towards the angels of light and the angels of darkness. It relates the conduct of God towards mankind, both before and after the fall. It gives a comprehensive history of the providential dealings of God towards the world before the flood, and from that event unto the death of Christ. It informs us of the various methods which God took to prepare the world for the advent of Christ, and for his death on the cross. These were in themselves great events, but still greater in their connections. They were necessary to effect the great pur pose of redemption, and therefore displayed, in the strongest light, the power, the wisdom, the faithfulnes and the sovereignty of God. It is delightful to saints to trace the conduct of God in the execution of his gracious designs. Profane history gives an account of the views, designs and conduct of men. But sacred history informs us how God has ordered and directed all things in the course of his providence to answer his own designs, and promote the highest interests of the universe. Hence sacred history is vastly more agreeable to the friends of God than all other histories. Saints are delighted to see how God has smiled and frowned, how he has saved and destroyed, how he has exalted and debased kingdoms and nations, for the benefit of his church, and the accomplishment of his predictions and promises. In the sacred history, they see how floods and flames, storms and tempests, convulsions and revolutions, and all the great events of providence have concurred to promote the glory of God in the salvation of his people. The history of the divine conduct, which is revealed and related in the scriptures, most tenderly and joyfully affects the hearts of all pious persons. 4. Saints delight to understand the Bible, because it clearly describes the native character and condition of mankind. No philosophers, historians, nor poets, have fully unfolded the corruption of the human heart. Though they have told us how mankind, in different ages and parts of the world have acted; yet they have never told us how they have felt, nor fully described the moral depravity of the human heart. But God, who searches every heart, has fully revealed the human heart in his word. In his word, he has drawn the character and condition of mankind to the life. And pious persons desire to know their own hearts and to see the fountain of iniquity, which exists within themselves. They desire to understand what God has taught concerning the fall of man, the degeneracy of human nature, and the total selfishness of the human heart, that they may know how mankind appear in the sight of God, and what they deserve at the hands of his justice. Indeed, they desire to know the real character of all intelligent beings in heaven, earth and hell. And since God has drawn the character of all his moral subjects, they desire to understand the true sense of every passage of scripture, which delineates the character of any moral agent. They desire to know the truth, and the whole truth, respecting the hearts of moral beings. Yet the native character and condition of mankind, on account of their connection with the purpose and the glory of God in the redemption of sinners, are subjects of the deepest attention to saints. And they are highly gratified, as well as interested, by the knowledge of the truth, on these |