When the converts came forward to relate their experiences, and at other times when they have spoken in Conference meetings, they made a very modest and solemn appearance. Our meetings for baptism have been solemn and joyful; we have beheld youth and children of both sexes, from ten years old and upwards, go down into the water in cold days with the greatest cheerfulness; and when coming up out of the water, as soon as they had regained their breath so as to speak, they have frequently improved it, (like Zachariah of old when his tongue was loosed) in praising God. Means have not been excluded, of which we may reckon as the principal, the preaching of the word, relating of experiences, and the administration of the ordinance of baptism. Our worthy pastor has lived to see in his old age, the church arise once more in this place, and his labours owned and blessed to the building up of the cause of Zion. The work has been the most powerful in the neighbourhood where the Pastor resides, in which place it first made its appearance. One instance in particular we would specify, viz. the family of Mr. John Sargent, who is a member of our society, and his wife of the Female Missionary Society in New London. We trust they obtain ed some degree of hope of themselves in years past, though they have never made a public profession of religion; but the Lord has wrought a great salvation in their family, in the conversion of their six eldest children! from the age of 22 down to 14; all of whom are now members of the church. The pastor of the church has enjoyed the happiness of witnessing the good work of grace under his own roof, and of baptizing two of his children, and two of his household. Four of his children are members of the church, and another, who is settled in a neighbouring town, gives evidence of a change of heart. We acknowledge with gratitude the friendly assistance of Elder Robinson whose indefatigable labours from house to house in his repeated visits, have been much owned and blessed to the furtherance of the work. The shower, (though principally) has not wholly been confined within the bounds of New London; some mercy drops have reached the borders of some of the adjacent towns. Some who had embraced the Universal scheme, have been shaken from their false holds. One in particular we would metion, who has embraced the gospel way of salvation, and is now a member of our church. Upon being interrogated by his former companions for so doing, he made the following reply; that he had enjoyed more solid comfort and satisfaction in a single minute, since his conversion to God, than he had in all his life before. Since the revival commenced, three have been restored to the fellowship of the church, seventy-seven added by baptism, and two by letter; our total number is one hundred & ninety-eight. A considerable number have related satisfactory experiences, who have not been baptized. The ages of those who have been added by baptism are as follow; under 15 years eight; over 15 and under 25 thirty-nine; over 25 and under 40 twenty-four; over 40, six. A little more than one third are males, and 34 are heads of families. We have endeavoured to give a true statement of the late work among us, which we have abundant cause to believe is the work of God, and to his great name be all the glory. We have much cause to rejoice in the God of salvation, for what he has wrought here; but when we call to mind that a large proportion of the additions to the church are young in years and experience, and look forward to the many evils to which they are exposed, we rejoice with trembling. Our only hope and consolation, is in the great Head of the church, that he will keep them by his almighty power through faith unto salvation. a Since the work has nearly come to period, the Lord has seen fit to reverse his dealings towards us, and has mingled our cup with tears, in sending the messenger of death, and removing a number of the inhabitants from this to the world of spirits. In this number are included some of the members of the church. Our venerable Pastor has been called to part with his beloved wife; who departed this life (after a short illness of about one month,) for her peaceful and endless rest, April 27, aged 69 years. Signed by order and in behalf of the church. JONAS SHEPARD, Church Clerk. New London, June 12, 1819. Drdinations, &c. ORDAINED Sept. 9, 1818, over the Baptist Church and Society in Hallowell, (Me.) the Rev. Winthrop Morse. Introductory prayer by the Rev. Mr. Kendall, of Topsham; Sermon by the Rev. Mr. Chaplin, of Waterville, from Rev. ii. last clause of the 10th verse, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Ordaining prayer by the Rev. Mr. Houghton, of Readfield; Charge by the Rev. Mr. Kendall; right hand of fellowship and concluding prayer by the Rev. Mr. Drinkwater, of Mont Vernon. The services were both solemn and interesting. The Rev. Mr. Gillet cheerfully offered the use of his meeting house on the occasion. At Newburyport, December 9, 1818, Rev. Hosea Wheeler, to the pastoral charge of the Baptist Church and Society in that place. The services were attended in the Rev. Dr. Dana's meeting house. Introductory prayer by Rev. C. O. Kimball, Methuen; Sermon by Rev. L. Bolles, of Salem; ordaining prayer by Rev. George Keely, of Haverhill; charge by Rev. Dr. Baldwin, of Boston; right hand of fellowship by Rey. Ferdinand Ellis, of Exeter; and concluding prayer by Rev. Mr. Converse, Rowley. -On the 16th of December, 1818, Rev. Calvin Cruft was set apart to the work of the gospel ministry in New Salem, Mass & to the pastoral care of the Baptist Church in that place. Rev. Eli. jah Montague preached from Eccl. iv. 3,and12; Rev. David Goddard, of Wendell, offered up the consecrating prayer; Rev. Linus Austin gave the charge; Rev. Mr. Goddard gave the right hand of fellowship; Rev. Joseph Smallidge offered the concluding prayer. The services were peculiarly solemn and interesting, and witnessed by a respectable audience. On the 3d of June, brother George W. Appleton was ordained to the pastoral care of the first Baptist Church and Society in Lyme, Connecticut. Brother Collier, of Charlestown, engaged in prayer, and preached on the occasion from 2 Cor. iii. 12. "Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech." Consecrating praver by Elder Francis Darrow, of Waterford; charge by Elder N. Dodge, of New London; fellowship by Elder Asa Wilcox, of Saybrook; address to the church by Elder William Palmer, of Colchester, 151 Jonathan Ames, of Montville. The Conn.; concluding prayer by Elder services were appropriate and interesting. At Danvers, June 9, 1819, Mr. James A.Buswell, Pastor over the Baptist Church and Congregation in that town. The introductory prayer by the Rev. Mr. Nelson, of Malden; Serordaining prayer by the Rev. Mr. mon by the Rev. Mr. Grafton, Newton; Bolles, of Salem; charge by the Rev. Dr. Baldwin, of Boston; right hand of fellowship by the Rev. Mr. Williams, of Beverly concluding prayer by the Rev. Mr. Winchell, of Boston. Very good singing made a part of the interesting performances. Job B. Boomer, to the pastoral care of At Sutton, on the 9th inst. Rev. the Baptist Church and Society in SutWorcester, preached on the occasion ton and Douglass.-Rev. Mr. Going, of from 2 Tim. ii. 15. Rev. Mr. Fisher, of Bellingham, offered ing prayer; Rev. Mr. Boomer, of up the consecratCharlton, (father of the gentleman ordained) gave the charge; Rev. Mr. Barret, of Grafton, presented the right hand of fellowship; Rev. Mr. Nichols, of Thompson, (Conn.) made the cocluding prayer. DEDICATION. On Nov. 26, 1818, a new and commodious meeting house belonging to the baptist church in Attleborough, under the pastoral care of the Rev. Stephen S. Nelson, was dedicated to the service of Almighty God. The services were as follow: After the reading of a part of Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple, and a number of other appropriate passages by Mr. Nelson, the introductory prayer was made by Dr. Gano, of Providence; a well adapted sermon was delivered by Mr. Nelson, from Num. xxiii. 23. What hath God wrought? The concluding prayer was made by Rev. Mr. Benedict, of Pawtucket; Mr. Bird, of Foxboro', read the last hymn, and pronounced the benediction. Appropriate anthems and hymns were sung by an excellent choir of singers. The congregation was numerous, and cordially congratulated this church on the acquisition of such a commodious and elegant house for public worship. The house is 56 by 44, thoroughly and neatly finished throughout in modern style, with a steeple and bell Missionary Contributions, received by the Treasurer of the American Baptist Board, from April 19, 1819, to June 3, 1819. 1819. April 19. By Rev. S. Pillsbury, Meredith Association, N. H. 26. 29. 8 cts. 60,00 By Thomas hields, Esq. Philadelphia, from various sources, 310,00 By William Wilson, Esq. Baltimore, 30. By Mrs. Fleming, by Rev. Mr. Healy, Baltimore, May 3. By a collection at Rev. Mr. Healy's, Baltimore, do. do. do. 100 00 By 200,00 14. By Mrs. M. Hart, Sunbury (Geo.) Female Cent Society, lations, By Mr. G. W. Platt, Treasurer of the Junior New-York By Rev. Jas. Davis, collected for the Theological Institution, By Rev. L. Rice, Agent for the Theological Institution, 21. By Rev. E. Cushman, Hartford, (Con.) for the Theological May 31. June 3. By Rev. E. Cushman, Hartford Association, By do. do. Sturbridge Asso. for 4th Annual Report, do Montgomery Co. Md. Mr. Wiley Jones, By do. By Rev. J. Davis, for the Theological Institution, of which 50 dollars for translations, By Female Cent Society, Whittingham, Vt. Sailing of the Missionaries. On Tuesday, the 8th of June, the brig Indus, Capt. Wills, sailed from Boston, for Calcutta, having on board Messrs. Woodward, Winslow, Spaulding, and Scudder, with their wives, as Missionaries to Bombay. Prayer was offered up at the wharf by the Rev. Dr. Worcester, in the presence of a large concourse of people. New Mission Society. On Wednesday, the 2d of June last, a Society was organized at Concord, (N. H.) under the name of the New Hampshire Baptist Domestic Mission Society, designed to supply the destitute in that State To Readers and Correspondents. It is gratifying to us to be able to announce, that 500 dollars have been paid into the Treasury of the Missionary Society of Massachusetts, as profits from the sale of the Magazine during the two first years of the New Series. A considerable sum is yet due, which we are persuaded our patrons will be unwilling should be withheld from the funds; and we hope its speedy payment for the benefit of the Society. The Address of the Baptist Board, and other interesting extracts from their Fifth Annual Report, will ap pear in our next Number. Communications have been received from Dor and C, and are under consideration; also Obituary Notices of Miss Polly Sylvester, and Miss Sarah Carter. The intelligence of Revivals of Religion has rendered it necessary to defer the Review of the India Mission. A very interesting count of a conference on the subject of Baptism, between a Roman Catholic Bishop and an Engish Curate, will be inserted in our next. The characters of those who, during a dark age, contributed to sweep away the rubbish of ages from the professed church of Christ, are so extraordinary, that we seize with pleasure every opportunity of exhibiting them to the notice of our readers. The subject of this Memoir was a foreign divine, contemporary with Luther, and his illustrious colleagues, and, with them, adopted the principle of the sufficiency of the scriptures in all matters of religion. In our opinion, he acted much more consistently than those who, by retaining a practice which had no other foundation than the authority of the church, left their work very imper fect. MENNO SIMON rejected all human tradition in religion, and became the Founder of the Dutch Baptist Churches, which, from his name, are still called Mennonites. THIS celebrated Reformer was born in the year 1496, in the province of Friesland, (one of the United Provinces,) in the village of Witmarsum, not far from Franeker, between Harlingen and Bolswaert. No particulars are related concern ing him, during the period from his birth, till he entered on the ministry, in the Popish Church, in 1524, any farther than that his education was such as was generally adopted in that age with persons designed to be priests. In his 28th year he entered on the ministry, in a village called Pinnington, the residence of his father, where he found two other young men, of the same age with himself, and engaged in the same profession: one of them, the pastor of the village, possessed a tolerable share of learning, and both had some slight acquaintance VOL. II 20 with the sacred volume; but Menno had never touched a bible, fearing, to use his own expression, lest he should be seduced by the perusal of the scriptures. "What a preacher," says he, "must I have been for the space of two or three years!" After he had been engaged in the ministry about that period, he began to entertain scruples respecting the Popish doctrine of transubstantiation. Whenever he celebrated mass, he was deeply impressed with the thought, "This bread and wine cannot be the real body and blood of Christ." He imputed the im pression, however, to the agency of Satan, who, he thought, thus endeavoured to seduce him from the faith of the holy church. He therefore resisted with all his might he prayed, he confessed, he groaned, but his resistance was in vain ;-the impression that this doctrine could not be true, remained with unabated force on his mind. No moral change, however, at present appeared. In company with his two clerical friends, his days and nights were spent in sports, drunkenness, and the vain and unprofitable amusements common to young people of a dissipated turn. On these occasions, the scriptures were frequently introduced for purposes of sport. Menno never mentioned them but to ridicule their contents: yet so great was his ignorance, that he was unconscious of the folly and wickedness of his conduct. In the mean time, conscience was not silent, but admonished him that he was in a wrong path. His restlessness increased; and he at length resolved to give the New Testament a serious investigation. He had not proceeded far in the interesting task, before he discovered the errors of Popery, and that transubstantiation had no foundation in the word of God. All this was effected by the instrumentality of the Bible alone, without any human aid. He acknowledges, however, that he was indebted to the writings of Luther for a more clear and decided conviction of one important truth, namely, that the omission of the commandments of men does not render a person subject to eternal death, however it may expose him to temporal punishments, and temporal death. Menno made a daily progress in the knowledge of the scriptures. He continued to discharge his duties as parish priest, and possessed just that degree of religious feeling and conduct which led all men to speak well of him. He all at once became, in the public estimation, a preacher of the gospel, without the least tinge of heresy or fanaticism. His society was generally courted. He was admired as a preacher, and commended as a religious man. The world loved him, and (it is his own declaration) he loved the world. About this time, a person named Sicke Snyder, one of the thousands who suffered under the name of Anabaptists, was beheaded at Lewarden. Till now, Menno had heard of no other baptism than that of infants; and it was with no small surprise that he heard of the firmness with which the martyr adhered to his sentiments, and of his preferring an ignomious death on the scaffold to the dereliction of this article of his creed. The insight into the word of God, which Menno already possessed, and the light which had shone upon him, whilst searching the divine oracles upon the subject of the mass, had freed him from the trammels of Popish bigotry, and had destroyed his resistance to the force of truth. His mind was become open to conviction; and the fact which had occurred before his eyes, of a person suffering martyrdom for sentiments on baptism different from those generally maintained, suggested an immediate and sedulous investigation of the scriptures respecting that ordinance. The issue may easily be conjectured: he could find no trace of Pædobaptism in the Bible; and was thus convinced that two of the sacraments of his church were unscriptural. He immediately held a conversation with the pastor who has been already mentioned. The subject underwent a long discussion; and our young advocate for baptism, although entirely ignorant of the arguments employed by the Baptists of that age, in support of the practice, but with only the New Testament in his hand, obliged his friend to confess that pædobaptism had no foundation in the Bible. Afraid, however, of placing too much dependence on his own judg ment, though supported by the word of God itself, he searched the writings of some of the ancient fa |