later, in such a peaceful and sacred place, to be spoken of frequently on Sabbath among the groupes of which we used to be one, and our low burial spot to be visited, at such times, as long as there remains on earth any one to whom our face was dear! To those who mix in the strife and dangers of the world, the place is felt to be uncertain wherein they may finally lie at rest. The soldier-the sailor the traveller, can only see some dim grave dug for him, when he dies, in some place obscure-nameless-and unfixed to imagination. All he feels is that his burial will be on earth-or in the sea. But the peaceful dwellers who cultivate their paternal acres, or tilling at least the same small spot of soil, shift only from a cottage on the hillside to one on the plain, still within the bounds of one quiet parish they look to lay their bones at last in the burial-place of the kirk in which they were baptized, and with them it almost literally is but a step from the craille to the grave. Such were the thoughts that calmly followed each other in my reverie, as I stood beside the Elder's grave, and the trodden grass was again lifting up its blades from the pressure of many feet, now all-but a few-departed. What a simple burial had it been! Dust was consigned to dust-no more. Bare, naked, simple, and austere, is in Scotland the service of the grave. It is left to the soul itself to consecrate, by its passion, the mold over which tears, but no words, are poured. Surely there is a beauty in this; for the heart is left unto its own sorrow-ccording as it is a friend-a brother-a parént—ɔr a child, that is covered up from our eyes. Yet call not other rites, however differ ent from this, less beautiful or pathetic. For willingly does the soul connect its grief with any consecrated ritual of the dead. Sound or silence-musichymns-psalms--sable garments, or raiment white as snow, all become holy symbols of the soul's affection; nor is it for any man to say which is the most natural, which is the best of the thousand shows and expressions, and testimonies of sorrow, resignation, and love, by which mortal beings would seek to express their souls when one of their brethren has returned to his parent dust. My mind was recalled from all these sad yet not unpleasant fancies by a deep groan, and I beheld the Elder's son fling himself down upon the grave, and kiss it passionately, imploring par don from God. "I distressed my father's heart in his old age--I repented and received thy forgiveness even on thy death-bed! But how may I be assured that God will forgive me for having so sinned against my old greyheaded father, when his limbs were weak, and his eye-sight dim!" The old Minister stood at the head of the grave, without speaking a word, with his solemn and pitiful eyes fixed upon the prostrate and contrite mán. His sin had been great, and tears that till now had, on this day at least, been compressed within his heart by the presence of so many of his friends, now poured down upon the sod as if they would have found their way to the very body of his father. Neither of us offered to lift him up, for we felt awed by the rueful passion of his love, his remorse, and his penitence; and nature, we felt, ought to have her way. "Fear not, my son"-at length said the old man, in a gentle voice-"fear not, my son, but that you are already forgiven. Dost thou not feel pardon within thy contrite spirit ?" He rose up from his knees with a faint smile, while the Minister, with his white head yet uncovered, held his hands over him as in benediction; and that beautiful and loving child, who had been standing in a fit of weeping terror at his father's agony, now came up to him, and kissed his cheek--holding in his little hand a few faded primroses which he had unconsciously gathered together as they lay on the turf of his grandfather's grave, (From Richardson's Travels.) Ruins of Heliopolis. ABOUT five miles to the north of Cairo lies the village of Metarieh, close to the ruins of the ancient city of On, (the city of the sun,) of which Potiphe rah, the father-in-law of Joseph, was priest. The ruins are in the form of a square, about a mile and a half in circumference; they consist chiefly of houses of unburnt brick--of the same description with the ruins of Upper Egypt. In the midst of this square grew a crop of common beans, which showed that the doctrines of Pythagoras were not now acted upon in the place where he had learned them. In the midst of this field of beans stood a venerable obelisk, of large grained red granite, of the height of seventy feet; and, to the west of it, without the precincts of the inundation, are the fragments of an ancient colossal statue, and near to it a pedestal, but no substructions of any regular ancient building are perceptible. These are all the remains of the ancient Heliopolis, or the still more ancient On. The fragments of the houses and walls of the city, both from the freshness and the quantity of burnt brick among them, appear to be of a more modern date, and are probably Roman. Yet these simple relics deeply affect the mind, and carry it far into the postern of time long elapsed, when Joseph served an officer of Pharaoh, languished in prison under an unjust accusation, or ruled in power by the appointment of the sovereign, and fed the starving nations out of the stores which his foresight had contrived. We are naturally tempted to inquire, Where was the land of Goshen? But history is silent, and conjecture is of little avail. Two cities have been stated by critics as being the capital of Egypt in the days of Joseph-Memphis, and Zoan, or Zanis. Whichsoever of the two it was, Goshen was near it, as we learn from the sacred record.There is a considerable proportion of the name in the word Gheeza, which is the district that contains Memphis: there is also near it a town called Ramasi, lying between it and the pyramids of Gheeza; this was the name of one of the towns which the Israelites built for Pharaoh, and the name of the place from which they took their departure on going out of Egypt. Gheeza is near to On, which corresponds with the statement of Joseph to his brethren, "Ye shall be near me." Abstract of the Journal of the Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the State of Massachu→ setts. (From the Gospel Advocate, for July, 1822 THE annual Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the State of Massachusetts, assembled in Trinity Church, Boston, on the 19th of June, 1822, at which were present 10 clergymen, and 17 lay delegates, the representatives of 11 parishes. Hopkinton, Greenfield, Ashfield, Springfield, Great Barrington, Lanesborough, Lenox, Quincy, and Cambridge, were not represented. The Bishop not being present, the Rev. James Morss, rector of St. Paul's Church, Newburyport, was elected president, and the Rev. Titus Strong, rector of St. James's Church, Greenfield, secretary pro tem The Convention, being organized, proceeded to celebrate divine service, when morning prayers were conducted by the Rev. Isaac Boyle, rector of St. Paul's Church, Dedham; the Convention sermon was preached by the Rev. Calvin Wolcott, rector of St. Andrew's Church, Hanover; and the communion was administered by the Rev. Dr. Gardiner, rector of Trinity, assisted by the Rev. Dr. Jarvis, rector of St.Paul's, Boston. In the afternoon session, the following reports, on subjects referred last year to the clerical members of the standing committee, were read and accepted: "The clerical members of the standing committee, having been directed by the last Convention to revise the constitution and canons of the Church, in this state, to determine whether any, and if any, what alterations are necessary therein, and to report on the same to the present Convention, respectfully represent "That in consequence of a proposition made at the last diocesan Convention, held at Newport, September 27, 1820, to consolidate the diocess more effectually, by providing for annual Conventions of the same, to be composed of all the clergy, together with lay delegates from all the parishes in the diocess; which proposition is to be acted upon at the next diocesan Convention, to be held at Portsmouth, in September: your committee have been of opinion, that it would be unadviseable to take any measures on this subject at the present Convention; they beg leave, however, to submit to the consideration of the Convention the following resolution : "Resolved, That the clerical members of the standing committee, appointed by this Convention, be directed to revise the constitution and canons of this Church, and to make such alterations therein as may be rendered necessary or expedient to render them conformable with such regulations of the diocess as may be made at the ensuing diocesan Convention, and to re port thereon at the next annual Con vention. JOHN S. J. GARDINER, "The clerical members of the standing committee having been appointed to inquire into the state of the Journals of the Convention of the Church in this state, and to have all, or such of them printed, as they may think proper, respectfully report 66 That they have examined the Journals, and find that in many respects they are unsuitable for publication.They are of opinion, however, that an abstract of the state of the Church might be profitably published for the purpose of contributing to a more perfect view of the origin and growth of the American branch of the Protestant Episcopal Church. They beg leave, therefore, to offer the subjoined resolution, to be acted upon by the Convention: "Resolved, That the delegates appointed by this Convention to represent the Church of Massachusetts in the approaching diocesan Convention, be, and they hereby are directed to propose, that an abstract from the Journals of each state composing the eastern diocess, be formed under the direction of the Convention of each state; that the same be entered on the Journals of the next diocesan Convention; and that the whole be printed for the in formation of the Church in the United States. All which is respectfully submitted. JOHN S. J. GARDINER, The following report from the standing committee was read, and on motion of Dudley A. Tyng, Esq. recommitted to the standing committee of the pre sent year : "The standing committee appointed by the last annual Convention having been requested to furnish each Church in the state with one or more copies of the constitution, canons, and journals of the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States, and of the diocesan Convention, and that of this state, to be purchased with money to be raised by contribution in the several churches, and to be placed in their hands, report, "That they have received no money for that purpose, but have made inquiries of Messrs. R. P. & C. Williams, booksellers, from whom they have received the statement herewith presented, which will enable the Convention to take order upon the subject. Respectfully submitted, JOHN S. J. GARDINER, Chairman of the Standing Committee.” The clergy present gave in their parochial reports, of which the following is the result:--Families in nine congregations 563; baptisms in eleven do. 218; marriages in nine do. 69; funerals in eleven do. 119; communicants in twelve do. 661; catechumens in four do. 255. In Greenfield there is a parish library, principally founded by the pious benevolence of the late Shubael Bell, Esq. consisting of about 320 volumes. In Ashfield a library has been begun, and a small number of books collected. We regret that the returns to the Convention were not made by all the parishes, and that among those presented so many are defective. It is of importance to have an accurate statistic account of the Church every year : and we cannot but hope that more at tention will be paid to this subject, not only in this state, but throughout the whole Union. The following gentlemen were nominated and chosen the standing committee for the ensuing year :---Clergythe Rev. John S. J. Gardiner, D. D. the Rev. Samuel F. Jarvis, D. D. the Rev. Isaac Boyle. Laity--G. Brinley, S. Codman, and T. Clark, Esqs. Delegates to the Diocesan Convention:-Clergy-the Rev. Dr. Gardiner, the Rev. Mr. Morss, the Rev. Dr. Jarvis, the Rev. Mr. Boyle. Laity--D. A. Tyng, Stephen Codman, Joseph Head, and William Woart, Esqs. Delegates to the General Convention:--Clergy--the Rev. Dr. Gardiner, the Rev. Dr. Jarvis, the Rev. Mr. Eaton, the Rev. Mr. Morss. Laity-Gardiner Greene, Joseph Head, William Appleton, and George Sullivan, Esqs. The standing committee were empowered to fill vacancies in the abovementioned delegation to the General Convention. The following representation respecting the Massachusetts Protestant Episcopal Missionary Society, and Trustees of the Bible, Prayer Book, and Tract Society, was read :-- "To the Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Massachusetts. "The Directors of the Massachusetts Episcopal Missionary Society ask leave respectfully to represent to the Convention, the objects, condition, and prospects of this Society, and to solicit their countenance and co-operation. "This Society was incorporated by an act of the Legislature, in 1815, by the name of the Massachusetts Epis copal Missionary Society, and Trustees of the Massachusetts Episcopal Prayer Book and Tract Society.' It was soon after organized, and has since been continued in existence by an annual election of officers on Easter-Tuesday. But little else has been done until the present year On the 4th of February last, a meeting of the friends of the Church, called at the request of the Society, was held in this town, at which, and at an adjourned meeting, the sub Yol. VE ject was fully discussed; and measures were adopted to provide means to enable the Society to go into operation. Subscriptions were opened, from which a considerable sum has already been obtained; and more it is expected will be received. The sum of $565 has been subscribed in this town, to be paid annually, and more than $300 have been given in donations to the Society.* "At the same meeting, a committee was appointed to correspond with all the Episcopal Churches in the commonwealth, for the purpose of procur ing the establishment of an auxiliary society in each church. A circular has accordingly been addressed to each church, stating the objects of the society, with a request for assistance. It is not yet time to expect a full return from all the churches; but very encouraging accounts have been received from several, of the exertions which are making in behalf of this Society. "The objects of the Society are to assist the destitute churches in our own Since the commencement of the present year, about 70 subscribers have been obtained, who have agreed to pay an nually 565 Donations have been received from individuals, &c. Received from the scholars belonging to the Salem-street Sunday school, being the fruits of a missionary box, kept in said school 10 71 Received, through the exertions of a female member of St. Paul's Church, profits arising from the sale of Bishop Donations, which are promised by two inWilson's Treatise on the Sacrament dividuals of this city, of one hundred dollars each 55 200 Making the sum total $902 71 "A large proportion of this sum has been al ready received by the treasurer, say between 5 and 600 dollars, of which about 50 dollars has been invested in Prayer Books. "It will be observed that all the above subscriptions and donations have been obtained this year, excepting about 25 dollars included in the donations from individuals,' &c. which was the avails of a collection taken at Christ Church some years since. There is little doubt that the Society will realize the sum of 1000 dollars er more, before the close of the year. 32 B. HOWARD, Treasurer" state, in providing themselves with the means of religion, and, as we shall be able, to extend the same assistance to other destitute portions of our country, and hereafter, if sufficient funds should be provided, to other countries. It is also a prominent object, to provide Prayer Books for the poor, either to be sold to them at a very low rate, or in some instances to be distributed gratui tously. The funds now in hand will enable us to begin the prosecution of these objects, although on a very limited scale. "At the last annual meeting, in Easter week, the by-laws of the Society were revised, and provision was made that each of the several objects of the Society should receive their due share of attention. The directors appointed a standing committee on the subject of missions, and another for the purchase and distribution of Prayer Books and tracts. The committee for Prayer Books have procured a supply for inmediate use, and will probably be al. ways prepared to furnish them as they may be needed. The committee for missions have not as yet been able to do more in the prosecution of the design intrusted to them, than to collect some information as to the portions of our Church, which stand in the most urgent need of aid from the Society. They have been prevented from doing more by the want of clergymen to act as missionaries. They do not find that there is a clergyman of our Church in this diocess, who is so disengaged as to permit his being employed in the service of the Society. We trust, however, that this obstacle will soon be removed, by an application to the Bishops of some of the other diocesses. "Under these circumstances, the directors look with confidence to the Convention for their support and assistance. .To build up the waste places of our Church, and to extend the blessings of our holy religion to those who are destitute of its privileges, are objects so important, that they cannot be regarded with indifference. We trust that what we have done will meet with the approbation of the Convention, and that they will concur with us in the hope, that the subscription which has been begun in this town will prove but the commencement of a system of Christian liberality, which shall extend through all our churches. For the Directors, JOHN T. WINTHROP, Secretary. Boston, June 17, 1822.” Whereupon, on motion of the Rev. Titus Strong, seconded by the Rev. Dr. Jarvis, it was "Resolved, as the sense of this Convention, That the organization of á missionary society, with a view to the necessities of destitute parishes in our own commonwealth, and in distant places, is an event of the greatest im portance to the welfare of the Church, and one which deserves, in the accomplishment of the object intended, the co-operation of all her members. "Therefore, voted, That it be recommended to the Episcopal parishes in Massachusetts, to establish auxiliary societies, and to adopt all such means as their respective circumstances may warrant, for the purpose of giving constant and vigorous effect to the exertions which have been so happily commenced by an association, whose labours are to extend to the needy and forsaken, the bread of everlasting life." It was then moved by the Rev. Mr. Eaton, seconded by the Rev. Dr. Jarvis, that the thanks of this Convention be, and they hereby are, returned to the Rev. Calvin Wolcott, for his sermon preached this day before the Convention, and that be a committee to request a copy to be inserted in the Gospel Advocate. On motion, to fill up the blank, the names of the Rev. Dr. Jarvis, and the Rev. Mr. Eaton, were inserted. The committee withdrew for a short time, and returned with their report, informing the Convention, that the Rev. Mr. Wolcott would comply with their request. The Rev. Isaac Boyle was appointed to preach before the next annual Convention; after which it was adjourned for one month, to meet at St. Peter's Church, Salem, the third Wednesday in July. |