votes with spirituous liquor has been carried out to an unusual extent. By this means the tide of intemperance has swept over our region with a force like that of the natural floods. We feel that we are called upon to betake ourselves anew to the temperance reform, or give up to total ruin. I am now making efforts to call a county convention soon to take measures to meet the evil. May the Lord give us success. Southern Illinois cannot be saved without more laborers. Others may say what they will on this subject, but it will be found that this is true. In the South we have the butt end of the log to lift, and but a few men to lift. From a Missionary. Sources of trouble. must be as wise as a serpent, and as meek as a lamb, or nothing prospers. Then again we have Campbellism upon the one hand, and on the other Mormonism-before us Armenians, and in the rear Antinomians. With these we have also Universalism, Deism, and Atheism. Notions imported from the East. To increase our difficulties we sometimes have an influence thrown upon us from the East. As the sun rises in that quarter, many of our people feel that no darkness can come from thence, while probably it is true that more than one half of our troubles have been gendered in that land, in spite of Bibles, colleges and benevolence. These "isms," when they have been formed by some creative genius, and worn out in their native land, are then sent to the West as some of the many wonders and blessings of the nineteenth century. We hear of these things first by means of the press. The sound is to us as the noise of a gathering storm at a distance; but before we have time to examine and ascertain the precise nature of the rumor, our attention is arrested by a company of young disciples descending from our rail cars, or coming up from our steamboats. They come, as they suppose, with light sufficient to dispel all our darkness and set us free. We had an illustration of this in the advocates of Mr. Miller, after having greatly alarmed many of our people by the new light upon the prophecies; so that one man seeing a balloon, which he did not understand, passing over his farm in the night, sprang from his bed, telling his family that the angel of death had now made his appearance to do his work, and, giving them directions to go to prayer, he flew from house to house, pointing to the angel that was visible in the heavens, and calling upon them to awake and pray, for that they would either be in heaven or hell before morning. This gentleman informed us that many of the orthodox already denied the doctrine of the resurrection. But whatever may be the result of all these things, it is joyful to know that the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 12 It seems to me that the churches in this region ought to feel that the time is coming, if not already at hand, when they must support their own worship, and their own institutions; and yet it is beyond my ability to see how they will manage to do it. Money is not to be had, our churches are mostly made up of farming communities, and they are almost all of them embarrassed, having come to this country poor, and being compelled to invest what capital they had in their land, and then to go in debt for something to sustain themselves and families, and to improve their homes. To discharge this indebtedness they relied upon the products of their soil and industry. The failure of their crops, the low prices of grain, together with the innumerable inconveniences and embarrassing affairs attendant on a new country, continue to keep them in a situation that but little can be expected from them. Connected with all this, we have come together from the four points of the compass, each one bringing with him his preconceived opinions; so that we are in some respects in the condition of the builders of the tower of Babel, our language is confounded. The disadvantages growing out of this are neither few nor small; the preacher VOL. XVII. The writer of the foregoing has set forth the difficulties, and they are at once real and very formidable. The only remedy is patience in using God's truth, and faith in his promise to make it effectual. "Apply the match.” Another says There is much that is discouraging in this part of the vineyard, and but little in appearances to stimulate the servant of Christ to hope for immediate success. The ground is so fully occupied by every variety of religious denomnation, that the influence which I can exert is, at most, but limited. And there are so many errorists who have long been exerting their proselyting skill upon the unwary, that almost every body has a hope, and belongs to some church. But such darkness of mind on the subject of religion one would scarcely suppose could exist in a land of Bibles. But if the plain truths of God's word will burn up these errors, I will try to apply the match. The flood. As an illustration of the state of things occasioned by the high water, a missionary writes: Once I was obliged, by high water, to remain four days longer than was anticipated, at the place where I had attended the annual meeting of the Fox River Association. I was made sick by swimming streams in getting home from the meeting of the Association. It took us, the first day, from 7 in the morning till 6 P. M. to travel 12 miles; and the next day, the same time to get on 15 miles, besides being wet several hours the second day. The last Sabbath I was interrupted also in consequence of high water preventing me from fulfilling my appointment. INDIANA. From the Rev. J. G. Brice, Winchester. At S., in Henry county, there has been more than usual solemnity among the people collected on the Sabbath to hear the Gospel. Some, who about two months ago were living careless and unconcerned about their souls, are now indulging a lively hope in the Redeemer, and are looking forward with no inconsiderable degree of interest to that one meeting, when they shall for the first themselves to God by covenant. Since time come publicly forward, and give my last report, we have received three to the church. They bid fair to be humble and consistent Christians. Sabbath Schools greatly needed. Within the last two months I have organized two Sabbath schools. These schools are doing well. The scholars punctually attend, and the teachers appear to be much interested in their salvation. The one organized among the colored people prospers. The scholars who compose this school are from the youth of six years old, to the aged man and woman of sixty. I have been lately much impressed with the importance of supplying every destitute neighborhood in our county with Sabbath schools with a fresh supply of Sabbath school books. There are many places in this county where I might to great advantage organize Sabbath schools, under the direction and superintendence of pious persons. Many of the members of the church among whom I am laboring live at the distance of 10 to 16 miles from the house of public worship, at which the schools are located and taught, and of course, their children must and will remain for years without Sabbath school instruction, unless an effort is made to supply these destitute neighborhoods with well organized schools and good libraries. Revival of Temperance. For the two past months we have been endeavoring to revive the temperance cause amongst us. There was a society formed here some years ago on the total abstinence plan, but all interest on this truly benevolent subject had greatly declined, and those who had been the most active and zealous advocates of this great moral reform had grown cold and lukewarm; but within he last two months the friends of temperance are waking up amongst us. Our society now meets frequently, and interesting and able addresses are at each of these meetings delivered. Besides this, we have those who are traversing the country and lecturing on this subject, and forming societies. The number who have connected themselves with the society in the town during the past two months and signed the total abstinence pledge, is 108. I feel more and more the necessity of having the West supplied with a sound, evangelical ministry. Almost every species of error is to be found here, and the people as readily embrace it. My first visit to Winnemac was made last February. It is the county seat of Pulaski, and the place where the land office is located. Many of the inhabitants have been in the habit of spending the Sabbath in hunting and fishing. I am the first Presbyterian minister who ever preached in the place. We have now a flourishing Sabbath school of 40 scholars, a library of 200 volumes, and a temperance society of a large number of members; which latter was. as much needed as any thing else." The last time I was there I constituted a church of nine members. The truth seemed to make an impression, and when on Sabbath the little company gathered round the table of the Lord, the sight was affecting and charming. There is a settlement of Pennsylvania Lutherans, on the way from Rochester From Rev. Thos. S. Milligan, Rochester, to Winnemac, two miles from the latter, Indiana. "diocese" in Indiana Since the first of January I have been preaching one-half my time at this place; one-fourth in a neighborhood ten miles north of this, in which reside a few families connected with the church in this place. The remainder of my time I preach at Winnemac, twenty five miles west. In 1839 a church of a dozen members was constituted here by Rev. Mr. Wright, who preached a year and then left; since which time, until last fall, they had no preaching by Presbyterian ministers. We commenced a Sabbath School in March, which is well attended, numbering 50 scholars-all the children in the village, except those of one family, who are Roman Catholics. The library contains 150 books. This town is situ ated near the Tippecanoe river, on the outlet of the celebrated Manitou or Devil's Lake. Besides a flour and saw mill, we have an iron forge in active operation, which manufactures 600 lbs. good iron daily, from the ore which is found in the immediate vicinity. There is an abundance of water-power not yet occupied. The population is rapidly increasing, and the soil generally good, consisting of prairies, "barrens," and timbered land. to which I preach at 10 A. M., and then ride to Winnemac and preach in the afternoon and at night; my custom is to preach three times on the Sabbath, and sometimes address the Sabbath school besides. In addition to these regular places of preaching, I have preached several times in different neighborhoods, for the policy I have adopted is to carry the Gospel as far as possible to every neighborhood of my “diocese,” and as this embraces two counties entire, and part of a third, I have sufficient employment-for which I feel thankful. But O that I were better prepared for the work, especially in holiness of heart! In addition to preaching, I have supplied myself with several thousand pages of tracts, which I scatter abroad like the leaves of autumn wherever I go. I have also received some books from the A. T. S. to distribute. They go fast. How a mother feels. In connection with the statement of the way in which a minister is obliged to extend his labors, we give one example of the feelings cherished by some of the people of God scattered through the wilderness. Mrs. M., who is truly a "mother in Israel,” when she first moved to Indiana and found herself with a large family, where there was no stated preaching, was so deeply affected with the destitution, with the desecration of the Lord day, and the apparent indifference of the OHIO. God the only source of hope. There has appeared of late to be a stronger tendency of discouragement in this church, in view of the variety of influences exerted to destroy or distract them. But I have endeavored to counteract this tendency by directing their his dealings with his church in past attention to the promises of God, and ages. At times during the past quarter I have felt not a little encouraged, from the very fact that I feel that there is no hope in our case except in God, and from being led to the throne of grace with entire reliance upon him. All my Poverty abounding to rich liberality. encouragement is derived from the cha A good man was once accustomed to say, when in pecuniary difficulty, "I must subscribe myself out;" that is, he looked upon his embarrassments as the indications of Pro racter and promises of God. There is nothing in the state of things here to afford much encouragement to those who would walk by sight, unless it be in the application of the truth that "when the rage of Satan is peculiarly exhibited, he may be regarded as on the eve of defeat." vidence that he had not been as liberal as he ought to have been in contributing to charitable objects, and he must immediately do works meet for repentance. Similar to this The Trumbull Presbytery on Home appears to be the feeling and conduct of the man referred to in the following extract: One of the members of our church, pledged to give to the Lord, some time since, and on some occasion, the circumstances of which are unknown to me, fifteen dollars. He came to me last week and wished to have me forward the amount of five dollars paid over to the Foreign Miss. Society, (American Board)-five dollars to the American Tract Society, and five dollars to the American Home Missionary Society. This man has had some severe reverses of fortune. The Lord has taken away of late much of his property; but I trust he is a godly man, and all this is working for his good. He seems determined to do something for Christ. How differently the loss of property operates on many professors, who, instead of having their hearts enlarged, avail themselves of their adversity as an excuse for withdraw ing entirely from the support of missionary and other charities. Missions. From Rev. C. Osborn, Farmington, O. At the annual meeting of the Presbytery of Trumbull, the anniversary of this branch of the A. H. M. S. was held. It was an interesting season. Four interesting addresses were made upon two resolutions, one of which was, "That we regard the vigorous prosecution of the enterprise of the A. H. M. S. in the West, as vital to the best interests of our country and the world." This was ably sustained by showing the absolute necessity of the stated preaching of the Gospel to save our country from the destruction with which it is threatened by the combined effort of every species of error; the dependence of every other benevolent operation upon this for permanent success, and the impracti cability of securing the stated preaching of the Gospel throughout this western country without the assistance of this Society, or some other to occupy its place, &c. Eight of the churches within the bounds of this Presbytery are aided by some missionary society, and could not, without great effort, sustain the Gospel ordinances without that aid. The above propositions are capable of abundant proof, and yet they are not generally made the basis of a consistent practice. Even in the West, the evangelization of that part of our country is a cause far from being sustained by a steady pecuniary support. MICHIGAN, on my hands, what shall I do with them? I have already taken one Sabbath in eight, from Portland, to go to North Plain, and half of every fourth Sabbath from Barton settlement, to go to East Plain. I would come down to preaching once in three weeks in each place as formerly, but I have to preach in the same houses with other denominations who preach once a fortnight, and there would be interference. I have no doubt if I could preach once a fortnight at North Plain, I could gather quite a church in a very short time. From Rev. L. M. S. Smith, Lyons, Oh that God would send help! Ionia Co. I rejoice to be able to say that we have manifestly the presence of the Spirit of God in the midst of this community. Soon after Mrs. S. commenced her Sabbath school, a year ago last winter, in our house, there were indications of good, in the conversion of two young females, and from that time till the school was transferred to the school-house, in the summer, there was, and indeed has been ever since, an evident seriousness on the minds of some in the school and out. The Methodists held a camp meeting in June last, while I was gone to the Cleavelend convention, and there were more conversions from this place, and mainly from the Sabbath school, than in all the rest of the circuit. From that time and at present, there have been frequent conversions here. I think God has blessed my public efforts some, but my private ones more. I have spent a good deal of time in visiting, and I have no doubt that by the blessing of God, the results are good. I have the names of 14, who have professedly passed from death unto life, and I hope the most of them are truly converted, perhaps all. Two of them are wives and mothers. The remainder are young people. In one family are a mother, daughter, and hired girl; in another, two daughters and a son; in another, two daughters. A number are yet in an interesting state of mind, and I hope for a yet mightier effusion of the Holy Spirit. After mentioning that he expected to organize a little church, Mr. S. continues The above is from a very new and still destitute portion of Michigan, and yet what a preparation for good has been made in the last year. Who can look upon so many lights ing darkness, without thanking God for what shining forth for the first time upon surroundhas been accomplished? But there is another view of the subject. If so much may be done so easily and so soon, why should not other similar enterprises be attempted? There are many such spots in the West, still unblessed by the labors of a resident pastor. Why may they not have them? Who will furnish the means? Almost any christian merchant or farmer could sustain one labourer without trenching on his comforts. How many will try? |