heart was softened to tenderness; I "thanked God and took courage." May the Lord reward you, and the patrons of your Society, an hundred fold, with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus!

How Congregations are weakened.

be useful, but some of them are very promising. Our Bible class and Sunday school were re-established on the first Sabbath of this month with a very fair prospect of usefulness. We are endeavoring to interest and include in this all the congregation, old and young, in the study of the Bible. The cause of temperance is on the advance, so far as an increase of members is concerned; but still intoxicating spirits can be had at two or three places in our village, and another place is in preparation de

a hundred.

This field is ample, and as much demanding all the time of a faithful minister of the Gospel, as perhaps any in the territory. The region suffering for cultivation extends widely on every side. The woods and prairies almost every where exhibit the log cottage, and living and enterprising immortals, who demand one half of a minister's time in visitation, the circulation of tracts, in preaching, &c.

During the past quarter we have been under the necessity of relinquishing entirely the only public place of meeting, the school-house, on account of frequent interruptions of our appoint-signed for the inhuman traffic. Our ments, by other denominations, who total abstinence society was formed seem to be jealous of our advance in soon after I commenced my labors here erecting the standard. We now hold it now numbers between eighty and our meetings in the private house of one of our elders, and occupy two rooms, while I stand at the door between them. This is a very poor accommodation, but the best we can obtain. I commenced the year with this congregation, being the only one on the ground, but during the year the Methodists and Episcopalians have raised the standard, and are doing all they can to increase their respective congregations. Their number however is small, notwithstanding they have each their minister. The Episcopal minister preaches nearly every Sabbath, and the Methodist once in two weeks. The Baptists will have preaching occasionally, and soon will organize a church, as they are much more numerous than either of the above named. We have thus, as you will see, the field divided, in an important sense, into four parts. We may add to these the Universalists, who have occasional preaching and are considerably numerous. Amongst us, also, are some who openly avow their infidelity, while there are a multitude of ordinary unbelievers.

From Rev. S. Smalley, Whitewater,
Wis.

The first Sabbath of the present month was our regular communion season, which was I trust a season of refreshing to us all as a church. Six persons were added to our number, five of whom were heads of families; five were received on certificate and one by profession. All I hope will

From. Rev. C. Nichols, Spring Prairie and Gardiner's Prairie, Wis.

A Prosperous Year.

Another year of my missionary life has gone; and it has been a year of special interest to this little church. Seven have joined it on profession of their faith as fruits of the late revival at Gardner's Prairie, and some professors have been brought to unite with the church and come forward in the discharge of duty. Our meetings there are well attended and solemn. Several hopeful converts have been so perplexed by the diversity of sentiment among Christians, that they have not joined any where, and I fear some of them never will. Both the mode and the subject of baptism has occasioned much discussion. In some instances it has brought the young converts to a happy result, in others they are still unsettled.

From Rev. Hiram Marsh, Wauwatosa, deed, these woods need traversing through

bers have a pleasant meeting-house, and want a minister. This also is an interesting field.

In looking at the desolations in Wisconsin and Northern Illinois, my heart bleeds, and I cry out "the harvest truly is

are not half drunkards enough in the county to elect him, so that he will sell his conscience for naught.

great but the laborers are few." "Lord, From a Missionary in Western Illinois. send forth laborers into the harvest."

Truly there is a great harvest to be gathered in, in all the length and breadth of this valley, and NO TIME TO BE LOST. For Mormonism, Romanism, Campbellism and Universalism, are making encroachments every day. Evidently, the church should be on the alert, with regard to the West. Some religion it will have; true Christianity should therefore be presented to every neighborhood speedily, lest while we sleep the enemy sow tares and great evil ensue. May God have mercy on the West, and prepare it to aid much in the

conversion of the world to Christ!

ILLINOIS.

From Rev. W. M. King, Plymouth, Ill.

We have just closed a two-days' meeting in Plymouth, at which we experienced a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. Four united with the church on profession of faith, and several more expressed a hope and

Crisis of Mormonism approaching.

The Mormon farce is manifestly drawing to a close. They continue from time to time to assume still higher ground, and to utter more direct threats. They are rallying from every point to this county, for the purpose of carrying the elections, and thus getting all the public business of the county into their hands--and there is a state of growing excitement among the rest of the community. I am afraid the next August election will not pass by without bloodshed. I presume Nauvoo is as perfect a sink of debauchery and every species of abomination, as ever were Sodom or Nineveh. The excitement and uncertainty existing in consequence of this state of things, render it entirely doubtful what will be the result of our efforts to build up the church here.

But the Lord "reigneth, let the earth rejoice."

From a Report.

stand propounded for admission. God's A Table prepared in the presence of

people are awakened and encouraged, and sinners to some extent alarmed.

enemies.

I find that in my personal converse Our Sabbath school and Bible class with the people, I have no difficulty in are in more vigorous operation this presenting the claims of God, and in obsummer than ever before. The tem-taining a listening ear to the truth. perance reformation has lately received a strong impulse in all this region; and, as usual, the advocates of the bottle have come down in great wrath, because they know that their time is short.

There is a man in this neighborhood an anti-missionary preacher, and a candidate for the legislature, who is rallying around him all the devoted worshippers of Bacchus, and making a valiant stand against the temperance cause; but I think he begins to feel his mistake we are not quite as degraded a community as he imagined. There

There has been, it is true, great opposition, but from none of the enemies of the work have I met with unkindness. It is evident we have their consciences on the side of truth, while in heart they hate it. Still they were so much dissatisfied with the success of the Gospel, that even some who had subscribed liberally for it, joined with others, and sent for a Universalist to come and give them relief. Last Sabbath was the time fixed upon for his appearance. Before I knew of it, I had appointed our communion. Of course, they could not demand of us to give up the house till we

were through with that exercise. But they cursed and swore loudly about it, and endeavoured to make use of the circumstance, by misrepresentation, to car disadvantage. I regretted that our communion should have fallen on such a season of rage and commotion; but still, I knew I had done nothing to produce it, and the responsibility must rest on those who had gotten it up. I knew also that the Lord could make the wrath of man to praise him, and that the sacred ordinance was instituted in a season of rage and commotion among the enemies of Christ. Some of the church were startled a little, but I convened them by themselves at the intermission, and exhorted them to throw themselves on the arm of the Lord. We received four into the church on the profession of their faith, and communed in the presence of our enemies; and Christ's "banner over us was love." The Universalist followed with two sermons, neither of which did I hear, but I learn that the opinion of some, who I suppose would like to believe his doctrine, was, that he made a "splendid failure." He is said to be a man of popular talents, and yet we think he has fired his great gun, and has done us no harm.

From Rev. C. Dickinson, Peru, Ill.

gested to the people that they should form an ecclesiastical society on the plan of our New-England congregations. Thus suggestion appeared to strike their minds favorably, and a society was organized and incorporated. Among the benefits which followed this movement are the following. A much deeper interest was manifested by the people, in relation to the support of religious institutions. A more general, and especially uniform attendance on religious worship was secured.

A Mr. B- , the wealthiest man in the place, who is a member of the society, though not of the church, offered to build a stone church if the society would pay him 10 per cent. on the cost of the building, and he would charge them no rent. This offer was accepted, and the house was built, which will accommodate about 250.

A great change,

Since the date of my commission, nothing of very special interest has occurred among us unless we except our temperance movements. The Lord has been very merciful to us in this work. This place has been notorious for dissipation. It was not considered disreputable for any man to become intoxicated on any public day. Wine drinking was carried to great excess : those who were able to procure it. Inand was universally practised among

up" to the use of intoxicating drinks, in some form. And hence, it was with requested a hearing on this subject. many misgivings that I respectfully Sometime last January, I determined, in the strength of my Master, to see what could be done. The result of the lectures was most happy. Nearly every families, have united with the society. man in our congregation, with their Among these are several reformed drunkards. Some three or four "rum holes" have been abandoned.

On my arrival I found three different organized churches, besides the Catho-deed, the place appeared "wholly given lic church. Two of these churches, the Presbyterians and the Baptists, had occasional preaching; the Methodists, semi-monthly. The people, moreover, had built a house for the Methodists. We commenced our meetings in a private dwelling, the congregation numbering about 40; a large portion of the people appearing to care but little about religious worship. They very soon however began to attend church, and it was but three months before I found myself with a congregation of 150. The people then began to feel the need of some more convenient place for worship. But how were they to build a house? was the question. Much feeling was manifested on the subject, but the want of means was the difficulty. In the mean time I sug-charge of myself.

Our Sabbath school has been re-organized this spring, which is flourishing though small. The congregation has increased since the spring has opened. It numbers about 200. I have also organized a Bible class which I take

On the whole, I think that we have reason to be encouraged. I flatter myseli, that the Lord has good in store for this people. The temperance reform here, I look upon as the forerunner of a glorious ingathering of souls to Christ.

We cannot suffer this report to go forth to the public, without a special expression of thanksgiving to God for his blessing on the labors of our missionary. When we contrast the moral aspect of that place, as given us by many correspondents and visiters, with the present hopeful appearances, we receive new views of the power of the Gospel to bring light out of darkness and order out of confusion, and are encouraged to a still more resolute experiment of its sovereign virtue, in other places, now almost given over by the friends of religion.

The wicked forsaking their way.

Who can read, without emotion, the following account of voluntary advances, made towards the kingdom of heaven, by men who are destitute of religion? How cruel will it be, if amid the hundreds who might go to such a place, no devoted, able minister shall be found willing to go and seek the wanderers, who have already come, as it were, more than half way to meet him! What guilt will rest on the churches of the East, if they furnish not the means immediately to send the Gospel to such a people.

At O, the county seat, they have a flourshing temperance society. They have also formed an anti-swearing and anti-immoral society, agreeing to go to meeting on the Sabbath, and if they could not obtain preaching, they would appoint one of their number to read a

From Rev. Geo. Gemmel, Buffalo Grove Sermon or lecture on some moral sub

and vicinity, Ill.

THE TEMPERANCE REFORM.

ject. They had not had a religious meeting in the place for six months previous to the formation of that society. The movement was entirely among We have truly had a general revival those who were not professors of reli on the subject of temperance, not only gion. It is truly an interesting field. here, but throughout the whole country. If some suitable man were willing to At Elkhart Grove, 7 miles from here, plant himself there, he might exert a they have a large society. Before that, controlling influence on the place: it was said that there were only two They would support him, and would men in the place that did not drink. even now pay half his salary. On the At this place also, we have a flourishing last Sabbath, I preached for them; and temperance society of nearly 200 mem-when I left, they begged me to do somebers. Two taverns and one store have thing for them; for, to use their own discontinued the sale of ardent spirits: language, "they felt that they were too it now cannot be had in the place at all. wicked." At Grand Detour, we have also formed. a large society; the whole influence of the place is enlisted in the cause. So also at Oregon, Dixon, and all the villages in this region.

Happy results.

The marked effects of this movement cannot fail to be noticed by every person having any knowledge of these places. We look to the temperance reform as the precursor of something even more noble. Indeed, in all places where there has been a general movement on this subject, the change in the

Estimate of the country.

I am much pleased with this country, and now intend to make it my home. Would that I could see some of my fellow students at the seminary, here. They ought to come here. There are difficul ties to be met, but, by the grace of God, believe that more good can be done they can be overcome. And I fully here, in the same circumstances, in one year, than in two at the East.

morals of the people is also remarked From Rev. J. G. Porter, Lockport, Ill.

by every observer. Sabbath breaking and profaneness, to a great extent, cease when intemperance ceases.

Trophies of the Gospel.

The present is a peculiarly trying