time was spent in fervent prayer. He said: "I find it best with me when I can have communion with God.". "When I can read my title clear," &c. During the night, he frequent ly wrestled most powerfully his own sins, and pleading the with God in prayer, confessing exceeding great and precious promises of the gospel, besides uniting with his friends in vari ous and successive acts of de votion, often repeating: "O for an overcoming faith! To cheer my dying hours, In the last hour, several mi Two days before he suffered, his friends met for prayer in the condemned room in Newgate. After five ministers had severally prayed, Harland kneeled down, and offered his fervent and solemn supplication to the Father of mercies. His manner was peculiarly affecting and impressive. On the following afternoon, they met again for the same purpose. These were seasons of remarkable solemnisters were admitted to be with nity; every heart appeared deep-him. They found him, still ly affected, and every mind devoutly engaged with God. His relatives now, (painful task!) took their final farewell, a touching scene, Clasping the hand of one, he said, When you see my wife, let all your conversation be about Christ." To a friend"Pray for me that I may not be deceived." cleaving to the Saviour, and trusting in him for present support, and future happiness: af ter a little interesting conversation, he was requested to engage in prayer with his friends At this time, he confessed his highly aggravated sins, and, adverting to his former attendance at the house of God, begged most affectingly, that the Lord would pardon the injury that his wicked conduct had done to the cause of Christ. He also besought God, most earnestly, to search and try his heart, that, if he had been deceiving him would, even then, come and take full possession of his soul And, with great fervour, pleaded that gracious promise, which had often encouraged his mind; At ten o'clock that evening, a minister and another friend came to spend the night with him. As soon as the cell door was locked, he expressed a wish to pray. They kneeled down, and he poured out his soul to God in a very feeling and fer-self until that hour, Christ vent manner, and appeared to hold intimate communion with heaven. He rose from his knees with a more comfortable assurance of an interest in Christ Jesus than he had previously" Him that cometh to me, I possessed, and, at the same time, will in no wise cast out." He exclaimed," Blessed be God afterwards appeared in a state for this opportunity: I feel he of pleasing serenity, and united is with me." Soon afterwards, with his friends in presenting contrary to all his former feel the following prayer to God, ings, he proposed a hymn, and in very solemn sounds, (Old selected the following: 100th.) Free me from death's terrific gloom, May death conclude my toils and tears, for which he suffered, had borne a good character. But his transgression, brought an ignominious death upon himself, shame upon his relatives and friends, and involved his family (consisting of an afflicted wife, in a state of pregnancy, and two young children) in the utmost distress. . It is hoped, that this awful When the ordinary, announ- case, will produce a due effect ced the arrival of the sheriffs, on the minds of all who read Harland lifted his hands and it, and that youth, in particular, eyes, saying: "Lord Jesus re- will watch against pride-a member me, now thou art in worldly spirit-and the first thy kingdom" adding, " my soul appearance of evil, for, "Beis open to receive Christ," Rev. hold, how great a matter a iii. 20; and, turning to his little fire kindleth." Rememfriends, he said, "I am very ber who hath said: "God rehappy." With a mind, sup- sisteth the proud, but giveth ported by the grace of Christ, grace unto the humble." he proceeded to the scaffold," Those that walk in pride, he which he ascended with a firm is able to abase." step, and then offered his last prayer, in a very audible voice, saying: "Lord Jesus, thou didst once hear the prayer, and forgive the sins of a dying thief!! hear my prayer, and forgive my sins, now thou art in thy kingdom. Lord Jesus, art thou not exalted as a Saviour! Oh! save me, a wretched sinner! didst thou not say, when on earth, him, that cometh- to me, I will in nowise cast out,' Lord, I come to thee, now receive me to thyself ---The drop fell.--Truly, "sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." Jos. BROOKSBANK, A. AUSTIN, T. WOOD.... The above-named ministers, also, particularly recommend the affecting, and very distressed case of Mrs. Harland, to the kind attention of every humane person. See the Cover." ANECDOTE OF COLONEL GARDINER. IT is said Colonel Gardiner always gave up two hours in a morning to the word of God . Thus terminated the life of and prayer. He determined E. W. Harland, in the thirtieth that nothing should rob him of year of his age. He was a his precious time for devotion; young man of pleasing ap-if his regiment had to march pearance, and extraordinary en- at six, he rose at four; if he dowments of mind; and previous had to march at four, he rose at to the commission of the crime, two. Miscellanies. The Bishop of St. David's on the British and Foreign Bible Society, and on Mr. Norris's Attack upon that Institution; as contained in his Work, entitled, "The Bible, and nothing but the Bible, the Religion of the Church of England," and extracted from Mr. Dealtry's Vindication of the Bible Society from the Aspersions of Mr. Norris. The members of the Bible So ciety ought to be better judges than others, who do not belong to it, upon what principle the Society is founded, and upon what principle they act. The rejection of the Common Prayer Book never could come within the view of the Society. And this will be the more obvious, if we bear in mind the general objects of the Society for promoting Christian Know ledge. That ancient and venerable Society distributes Bibles, Prayer Books, and other religious tracts, that are in conformity with the doctrine and government of the established church. would be desirable, if the whole Christian community of these do minions could be united in for It I HAVE declined a topic, to which the general subject of my tract, and the obligation of a former promise, invited me-the vindication of the Bible Society, from what I hold to be a most unjustifiable attack, by the Rev. H. Norris. The immediate purpose of these pages occupied me too fully to allow me to enter on a subject which deserved a larger consideration than I could here give it. I cannot, however, dis-warding these plans. But it was miss this tract to the public, without, in some degree, acquitting myself of my promise. The work alluded to is, indeed, so destitute of the demonstration which it professes to give, so defective in its premises, so inconclusive in its inferences, and so reprehensible in its calumnies, respecting the Church Members of the Society, that I might leave it to its own refutation, and spare myself the trouble of making any reference to it, if I was not desirous of obviating two objections, which are frequently brought against the principle of the Bible Society, viz. that it is founded on a systematic rejection of the Common Prayer Book, and that the universal distribution of the Bible supersedes the regular ministry of the church, or (as it sometimes expressed)" discards the ministry from the word.” VOL. VII. obviously impossible, that the dissenting part of the public should co-operate in all the ob jects of the Society. Nor, indeed, would it have been consistent with its constitution to admit such associates. But, in the distribution of the Bible, the first and great object of the Society, all Christians could concur without being members. This first principle of the Society for promoting ing Christian Knowledge, is the ground of the Bible Society, and has succeeded beyond all calculation or hope. It is a principle which militates against no form of church government: it neither advocates nor interferes with any peculiar interpretations of scripture: it accepts the scripture as its own interpreter. But it rejects nothing, it undervalues nothing, it discourages nothing that can serve to explain the scriptures: 3 E it proceeds on the principle of | R. Hepburn, Esq. of Clarkington, the authorized version, and distributes the Bible without note or comment; but it does more: it upholds the authority of that version by confining itself to it. With the first great principle of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, it co-operates most powerfully it promotes Christian knowledge, by distributing the pure word of God to an infinitely greater extent, both at home and abroad, than could have been done by any society, not acting upon the single principle of distributing the Bible. one of the vice-presidents, in the chair. The report of the committee was read by the Rev. James Peddie, one of the secretaries ; from which it appeared, that the following donations had been voted during the past year, viz. Hibernian Society of London Gaelic Scriptures, through the medium of these schools. The above donations, being 22501. are independent of the sum paid The four last-mentioned sums were voted, to further the circuThe Bible Society does not pro-lation of the English, Irish, and fess to sell the Common Prayer Book: it was impossible that all Christians should concur in such a purpose. But, by not selling the Prayer Book, it no more re-in the course of the year, on acjects it, than it rejects the Homi- count of Bibles and Testaments lies. Before the publication of the for distribution in Scotland, which version of King James's translators has not been less than 9837. 4s. 6d. the authorized versions were usu- Among the receipts, the annual ally accompanied with notes. Eras- subscriptions, donations, and colmus's Paraphrase was ordered to lections, amounted to above 550/. be kept in churches. But the And it appeared, by this report, omission of notes, by king James's that there had been received, translators, was not a rejection or since last annual meeting, 105 doreprobation of notes and com- nations from 59 distinct auxiliary ments; nor was the discontinu- societies, amounting to24197.10 d. ance of Erasmus's Paraphrase, a viz. 875ĺ. 17s. from those in Edincensure on the Paraphrase. burgh, and 15431. 3s. 10 d. from those in the country. The objection, that the universal distribution of the Bible supersedes the regular ministry of the church, is, I am persuaded, the very reverse of the fact. Our reformers had certainly no such apprehension. EDINBURGH BIBLE SOCIETY. THE sixth Annual Meeting of this Society was held, May 30, in the Assembly Rooms, George-street; The total amount of the Society's donations, since its commencement, was stated to be above 89007. sterling, viz. MUNGO PARK GIVING COPIES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT TO THE MAHOMETANS. MUNGO PARK's last mission to the interior of Africa, was undertaken in 1805. The biographer of this celebrated man informs us, that " we must be content to re main in ignorance of the precise circumstances of his melancholy fate. But that he was attacked by the natives, on his voyage, from Sansanding, eastward; that he was overpowered by numbers, and that he perished on his passage down the Niger, cannot reasonably be doubted."-Life of Park, p. 86, In a letter to Earl Camden, dated November 17th, 1805, he says, "I am sorry to say, that of forty-four Europeans, who left the Gambia in perfect health, five only are at present alive, viz. three soldiers (one deranged in his mind,) Lieut. Martyn, and myself. My dear friend, Mr. Anderson, and likewise Mr. Scott, are both dead; but though all the Europeans who are with me should die, and though I were myself half dead, I would still persevere; and, if I could not succeed in the object of my journey, I would, at last, die on the Niger." P. 80. The following extracts will gratify those who are anxious to have the scriptures circulated: 1805. June 4. "Baniserile is a Mahometan town. The chief man, Fodi Braheima, is one of the most friendly men I have met with. I gave him a copy of the New Testament, in Arabic, with which he seemed very much pleased. June 11. "Went, in the afternoon, to see a brother of Karfa Taurai. He had a very large collection of Arabic books; and I made him quite happy by adding an Arabic New Testament to the number." June 16. "Just as the people and asses were gone, the good old schoolmaster, whom I mentioned in former travels,* came my up. Gave the schoolmaster. five bars of scarlet, one bar zaloolo, (fowling-piece,) ten bars of beads, fourteen of amber, and two dollars, which made him completely happy. I likewise gave him an Arabic New Testament, which he promised to read with atten tion." BEING, very lately, in company with a young gentleman, son of a pious and able minister, of your denomination, deceased, it was with considerable regret I observed, that he had received impressions unfavourable to religion, and adopted, in its stead, the more fashionable dogmas of deism. Being informed, that my young friend was intimate with, and frequently visited, the well-known Peter Pindar, I conceived myself no longer at a loss to account for these impressions. My object, therefore, in requesting a place in your Magazine for the follow. ing queries, is, that it may, if pos sible, excite in the mind of the |