the liberality and zeal evinced by the society by their donation of $1250" -a payment, they add, which has enabled the committee to make good the engagements into which they had entered.

Indeed, it is evident that this society, and its auxiliaries, are soon to become the chief reliance and support of the missionary service; and while the rapid increase of our Church, which is in great part the consequence of that service, makes necessary a large increase of expenditure, it furnishes at the same time the best reward for our past exertions, and the highest motive and encouragement to excite our future efforts.

A steady and generous support of the system at present established will, in a short time, produce the most beneficial and extensive results. Our missionaries have now reached the farthest limits of our state, and are fulfilling their ministry, some at a distance of 500 miles from this spot; and if the ecclesiastical authority shall be enabled to fill up the intermediate spaces for a time with occasional services, these will become regular and permanent, as the population become more dense and fixed in its character; and will be the means, at no remote period, of spreading the ministration of religion, and the blessings of a primitive worship, over the whole extent of our diocese. The settlements which have already been formed, are made very beneficially to serve as central points, around which the light of the gospel doctrine may be dispensed; and the employing of clergymen already settled to organize and establish new churches in their respective vicinities, affords a more economical and practicable mode of advancing the object in view, than any other which can be devised in the present limited state of the means to be applied.

To our present report we annex a document,* submitted to the Conven. tion of the diocese by the Committee for Propagating the Gospel, detailing

This document will appear in our abstract of the Journal of the last Convention, which we expect to publish in our number for Febru

the several missionary stations, and giving the names of the missionaries employed. Nearly all the parishes to which those stations are annexed, may, in some degree, be considered as depending upon the missionary fund, inasmuch as the amount allowed for that special duty is generally about onethird of the whole support of the clergymen; and if that were withdrawn, even the parochial settlements themselves must, in many instances, be abandoned. This fact, while it shows the propriety of such a distribution of the fund as is at present practised, gives a new view of the great necessity of those exertions to which we are pledged.

The missionary committee, we are informed, are about adopting judicious arrangements, by which the results of the service to which we contribute may be more distinctly ascertained, and more perspicuously stated. We hope hereafter to be enabled regularly to annex these results in the form of an appendix to each of our annual reports.

The evidence thus presented of the advantageous application of the means which are put at the disposal of the committee, will, it is believed, not merely gratify those who have long taken an interest in their accumulation, but will likewise stimulate many to give their aid, who have never yet perceived the necessity of doing so.

To know that by our instrumentality the blessings of religion are freely and widely extended; that the dark places of our own land are more and more enlightened by the beams of the gospel; that thousands of careless and long neglected, but accountable beings, are duly excited to repentance, and faith, and obedience, and in communion with the Church on earth, fitted for that life and immortality in heaven, which were purchased for them by the Saviour's blood; to know that these blessings are procured to our fellowmen, in consequence of that aid which, almost without observing it, we contribute, and the want of which we never feel, is a most animating reflection-one which would seem to make it culpable in any to keep back, or to

4

withdraw the small sum required from each, while it is sufficient of itself to repay, an hundred fold those who cheerfully impart it.

The board appeal for continued and liberal support to the reflecting and pious members of their Church. And when it is recollected that the preaching of the gospel is the great and divine ly appointed means of bringing men to the knowledge of the truth, and of saving them that believe, they are confident that, in the list of religious charities, the claims of this society must ever occupy the highest place; and that, while any are found, influenced by the love of God, to pray in sincerity, "thy kingdom come," this institu tion, devoted to the interests of that kingdom, will not be destitute of friends, who will cheerfully and liberally contribute to prosper the event for which they pray.

Sentiments of the African Converts.

We find in the Missionary Register for August the following evidences, in their own words, of the influence of religion on the minds of the converted natives of Western Africa, communicated to the Church Missionary Society by Mr. Taylor, the Society's missionary who has charge of the settlement at Charlotte, Sierra Leone.

"I hear my master read, in God's word, Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: I say,' Ah, that's me! So I stand. I hear God's word, and cry, Lord, Lord, but I don't believe God's word.' I fear very much that I shall be a castaway, for I hear God's word every time. I am so sinful, I can do nothing good-nothing but sin. But again I consider that word that Jesus says, Fear not, little flock: it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom: I feel comfort from that word. I hope Jesus will save me, or I shall be lost!

"I cannot tell the mercies of Jesus which are behind (meaning those already received), and those before I don't know them; but goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of

my life. I know that Jesus is the Sa+ viour, the only Saviour.

"I am in trouble, but where can I go? Suppose I do bad to you my master, and I come to your gate for my rice when others come— alluding to the government rations which they receive;) you call me, and I run away; where can I go to? If I go to Leopold, my master does not live there, and they will give me nothing: I must come back, for nobody else will help me: so, though I do sin against my God, where must I go to? If I leave Jesus, I have no other master where I can go to: I must come back to him, for he only can do me good.

"If a man have a shirt and trowsers, and go wash them at the brook, can they always keep clean? No, they will want washing again. So I stand. I want washing in the blood of Jesus continually. I cannot help myself, but I trust to the Lord Jesus Christ to eleanse me from all sin.

"I am not worthy to speak; for I am so great a sinner, if God was to rehere this time only, I should be cast ward me for my doing since I have been into hell, where the fire shall never be quenched: but I trust in the Lord Jesus Christ he is my all in all. I stand like a man who live in the ship on the wahave nothing else: if that ship break, ter: he put all his trust in the ship: he he must go in the water. So I stand: I trust in the Lord Jesus for all: if he no save me, I must perish for ever, and then it would have been better for me not to have been born."

Of one of these native converts Mr. Taylor writes

"Being confined by sickness, he came to see me, and asked me WHERE I was sick. I told him it was fever. Immediately he kneeled down without being asked, and prayed for my recovery. Some of his petitions were to the following effect- O Lord, have mercy upon our poor servant whom thou hast sent to teach us! O Lord, we have no other to speak thy word to we. O Lord, make him well, that we may hear thy word from his mouth! O Lord, what we now do? No more him one live here to teach we. O Lord, make him

well, that we may hear joy and gladness, and heal our broken bones!" " On other occasions Mr.Taylor speaks as greatly refreshed by the prayers of this Christian native; in which he would dwell on all things, past, present, and future being known to God; and would call down blessings on those who came among them to teach the people. On one occasion his petitions were to the following effect

So

"O Lord, bless this watchman, whom thou hast put in this place! Enable him to cry to sinners, and to warn them to turn from their sins! O Lord, make them to hear thy word from thy watchman! Make him to call them that are asleep, and may they hear the watchman's voice, and deliver their souls!" Of the same man Mr.Taylor writes"He bought a bull, which died in less than a week. His conduct under this loss, which was a very serious one to him, was truly exemplary, and very clearly manifested the influence of the grace of God whereby he had been enriched. He said that those who have to run a race were very foolish to load themselves with stones: by this means they were hindered in their race. he stand: he bought a bull, but now it was dead; and he thanked Godthat it WAS dead; for the Lord gave, and he was sure the Lord had taken it away, and therefore he would say, Blessed be the name of the Lord. The Lord had done great things for him, and he could still trust him to do greater things than these." I said that God had declared in his word, that all things should work together for good to them that love God. He answered-" Ah, he done do it;" adding that God, if he saw fit, would give him strength to work; and so prosper that work, as to enable him to repair his loss. One of those present on this occasion had been saying and doing very improper things, for which he was called to account; during which this christian native would act as an advocate for him, and begged very hard in his behalf: he has himself had a great deal of trouble and distress of mind, and therefore was a very feeling advocate.

While writing to the society on one

occasion, Mr. Taylor asked this native if he had any message to send: he said,

"Tell them 1 thank them for the

good thing they do in sending the gospel to we poor people. First time, I was in darkness, ignorant of the true God and the way of salvation: but now, by God's blessing on the word since ĺ have been here, I can say, I thank the and intercede for sinners; and, though Lord Jesus Christ-he die, rise again, I am poor and needy, and got nothing to send to them, still I remember them, to pray for them to God to bless them, to comfort them, and do good to them and their children and their children's children. Tell them not to vex themselves because plenty of their people die in this country; but they must arise, and put on new garments, and send out more people to preach the gospel to sinners: they must not tire: they must not be afraid to go and do God's will, and fight their king's enemies. I am sorry because Mr. Johnson die; but I am not sorry too much, because God take him away."

For the Christian Journal.

Wandering Pastors and wandering Flocks. A good rule which works both ways.

Extract from a Charge, delivered at his primary visitation, in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, on Thursday, the 24th of October, 1822, by William Magee, D.D. F. R. S. M. R. I. A. &c. Archbishop of Dublin.

THERE is one important respect, in which these evil consequences are so glaring at the present day, that I must beg to direct your attention to them, in that reference, at somewhat greater length. And I must notice them in a twofold view, both as they concern the laity, and as they concern the clergy.

The former, exercising their right of private judgment, too generally inagine, that they are at perfect liberty to frequent what place of worship they choose, and to attend whatever minister they like. And, the latter, exercising the same right, too frequently hold themselves free to officiate where they please; satisfying themselves, that if the clerical duty be discharged, it matters not, whether it be discharged by the regularly appointed minister or not. Hence,

as the layman wanders from church to church, so do the clergy indulge a like rambling and a vagrant disposition: both forgetting, that there is a pastoral relation, that binds the clergyman to his flock, and the flock to their clergyman. And, indeed, it is not to be wondered, that if the clergyman loses sight of this relation, the layman should be come insensible to it likewise.

Churchmen are not perhaps aware, that, in deserting their parish church, to seek out some minister agreeable to their taste, or even one, from whom they imagine they receive most edification, they are departing from the true spirit of the church, and adopting the principle of the dissenter, who contends for the sovereign exercise of his will in the election of his minister. The same feelings also, which lead the individual from church to church, will naturally lead him from the church to the conventicle. The young persons of his family, likewise, are trained up in the same course. Thinking meanly of their parish minister, and exercising a premature judgment upon the merits of different teachers, they are taught to bring with them to their place of worship the feelings of a critic, not the docility of a learner: they are to judge their minister by their own doctrines and opinions, not to receive instruction from his lips. And thus, the members of our church, instead of looking to their parish minister as their pastor and guide, instead of yielding to him the reverence that is due to his office, and affording to him by their regular attendance on his ministrations the fair encouragement and reward of his exertions, humbly hoping on their parts to receive a blessing through his labours -openly mark him out to others as insufficient to their instruction, discountenance the duty of attending the parish church, and recommend by their example the spirit of wandering, and the love of novelty; feelings, which are in direct opposition to the steady sobriety of true religion; which excite the desire of what is new and striking, rather than of what is just and useful; beget ting a principle of partizanship; leading to a dissatisfaction with things as they are; and which, amounting in fact

to a spirit bf secession, seldom fail to end in sectarian separation, if not in the individuals themselves, at least in their families, who have been trained up from childhood under such powerful influences of alienation.

But, it is most carefully to be considered by the parochial clergy, how far their practices may contribute to generate such a spirit: how far their negligence, or frequent absence from their appropriate station, or their substitution of others for the discharge of duties properly their own, may have produced this evil, by undermining the respect and interest, with which the parish minister should always be viewed; by rendering it in some degree necessary to seek instruction and edification from otliers; and by familiarising their hearers to that variety, which, whilst it distracts, is at the same time in its own nature too apt to present injurious attractions. Nay, it is well worth the consideration of the pious and well disposed parish minister, whether he also does not afford encouragement to this spirit, if he wanders from the post allotted to him, even for the purpose of conferring a temporary benefit in another place by his exertions. To such men, I know, I shall be intelligible, when I recommend it to them to consider well the danger of preferring imaginary to known duties.

Such is the beauty and excellence of the system of our church, and such the perfection of order which it enjoins, that within it each minister has his own proper station assigned to him by the due authority; from which station he is not at liberty to depart, nor to it has he any power to depute. Every clergyman may rest assured, that he is contributing most to the advancement of Christianity, when he confines his exertions to his own allotted sphere of action: the curate to his curacy; the rector to his parish; and the bishop to his diocese.

Thus is formed one great chain, which binds all to their duties.

The true relation of the clergy to the people (it cannot be too often repeated) is a pastoral relation. It is not by the parish minister's securing the ostensible discharge of the Sunday's duty, that he properly exercises his func