God has most wonderfully blessed the churches with the effusion of his Holy Spirit.

"The following list exhibits the name and income of the principal Religious Charitable Societies in the world.

"The income of the American Societies is that of the year 1828-9, except in the cases of the American Board and the American Baptist Board of Foreign Missions, in both of which it is that of the year 1827–8.

"The income of the British Societies is that of the year 1827-8, except in the cases of the Irish Education and Scottish Missionary Societies, in both of which it is that of the year 1826-7. In the case of the United Brethren, the income is that of the year 1826.

"Remark. From the above table, it appears that the income of all the principal Religious Charitable Societies, in Protestant countries, is a little more than $2,500,000, and that about one-half of this sum is given to Missionary Societies, and one-fifth part to Bible Societies."

(N. p. 290.)

Benevolent Agencies.

Questions in respect to the benevolent operations of the present day have been addressed by the Author of this work to a number of the most judicious and influential Clergymen in different parts of the country, most of whom have returned answers, containing the same views and breathing the same spirit. Extracts have been made from some of them in the Dissertation on Agencies. The questions proposed, and extracts from the answers of two of the gentlemen addressed are as follow:

Questions.

"Is there any better way of conducting the benevolent enterprises of Christians than the one now adopted? "If so, what is it?

"Can the present plan of religious efforts be improved? "If so, in what respects?

"Can the Churches do this work of benevolence alone? "If so, will they do it?

"Can the Ministers of the gospel carry forward these operations without the assistance of Agents?

"If so, will they do it?

"Must not Societies be formed embracing the different religious objects in order that the cause of benevolence be sustained and advanced?

"If so, must they not have Secretaries, Treasurers, Publications, Editors and Agents?

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First Answer.

"1. The benevolent operations of the day are indispensable to the prosperity and universal extension of the kingdom of Christ.

"2. That these operations may be sustained, each must have its own separate Society to be the heart and the sensorium, the seat of responsibility, and source of measures.

"3. The general societies thus organized must have, in the different congregations each an auxiliary.

"4. Between the parent and branch Societies there must be correspondence,-by writing, printing, and visitation.

"Hence Agents, general and subordinate, are in my view indispensable. These must be men qualified for the business, men of great zeal, firmness and discretion, of good address and spirit.

"By those agents every auxiliary and the people where it

is established must, after suitable intervals, be visited, be preached to, talked with, instructed, electrified, and put up to increased activity. Such a visit would do incalculable good.

"Not every Pastor is fitted to act as agent, even among his own people. No one is in circumstances to do the business in the best manner, and it is nearly impossible that any one should have on all points the requisite information.

"Were the Pastors to undertake the business, they would not secure for all the benevolent enterprises of the day more than well qualified agents would for one. The weakness of the church is its covetousness. This would be so promoted by this measure, that, in a few years the churches would scarcely be able to sustain their own weight.

"Those congregations that have fenced out agents, are, some of them at least, becoming unable to support their own Pastors.

"The present plan of religious effort is a good one. The main improvement of which it is susceptible, respects, in my opinion, its agents. These should be the best men that can be found."

Second Answer.

"1. That those benevolent operations which are the glory of the present age, having for their immediate object the distribution of Bibles, and evangelical Tracts, the education of pious youth for the Christian ministry, the support of Christian Missions at home and abroad, the extension and increased prosperity of Sabbath Schools, the reformation of prisoners and of seamen, the suppression of the sale and use of ardent spirits, all ultimately tending to one grand result, the conversion of the whole world to the faith and obedience of the gospel, must be continued and increased until the great era contemplated by them is fully attained, is a point that does not appear to me to admit of doubt.

"2. There must therefore be Voluntary Associations embracing severally all the great objects which the energies of the church and the world require us to aim at. Experience has shown most convincingly that a much greater amount of good can be effected in this way than in any other. Who will venture to affirm, that a tenth part of what has been accomplished during the last thirty years in benevolent efforts, would have been done without Bible, Tract, Education, and Missionary Societies ?

"3. The different societies must have their officers, and some of these officers must devote their whole time to the transaction of the business intrusted to them, for this plain reason that the business cannot otherwise be performed.

"4. In what way shall these societies obtain the means of

prosecuting their several objects? Must they employ agents to solicit donations, or can their treasuries be replenished in any other way? Can the ministers of the gospel, carry forward these operations without the assistance of agents? and if so, will they do it?

"As to the efforts of ministers, there is here or there one who comes forward on behalf of the operations of the day efficiently without the assistance of agents. But, in general, I seriously doubt whether without this assistance much would be accomplished by them. Most of our evangelical ministers do feel, I trust, an interest in the various enterprises of Christian benevolence, and are in some good degree acquainted with the leading facts relating to them. But it cannot be expected that they should have that minute acquaintance with each great object, or should take that deep interest in it which is found in the agent whose time and thoughts are almost exclusively devoted to the object. The agent then in all probability will plead the cause intrusted to him with more ability than the minister, and of course with more success. Even the ministers who are most efficient will often derive material assistance from the visits of an agent, and their people will be stirred up to efforts far beyond what they would have been if addressed by their own Pastor.

"Can the churches do the work of benevolence alone? If so, will they do it? They cannot do it to the best advantage but through the medium of Voluntary Associations, nor will they, as it seems to me, without agents.

"As things now are, I do not see that the benevolent enterprises of the day can be conducted in any way essentially different from that which has been adopted. It is however, desirable, that the Pastors of churches should act more efficiently in relation to them than many of us have hitherto done, and that churches should make it more of a regular, systematic business to contribute statedly according to their ability to the several objects to which their attention is called. Could a plan be devised appropriating one portion of the year to the Bible cause, another to Domestic Missions, another to Foreign Missions, another to the Education Society, another to the Tract Society, another to the Sabbath School Society, &c., and a pledge be obtained from ministers and churches that at the several specified seasons they would in the way which might be thought most judicious, take up the claims of the several Societies, and contribute what they could respectively raise in aid of them, it might be an improvement of the present plan.

"The desideratum is, in what way can the wheels be made to move and continue moving to the best advantage, at the least expense of time and money? Probably we have not as yet had sufficient experience to solve this problem, but so far

as past experience does go, it seems to me to lead to the following conclusions.

"1. At present it will not be safe to leave the cause of benevolence to the spontaneous exertions of ministers and churches. It would languish in their hearts, and be neglected in their efforts. They need to be acted upon ‘ab extra.'

"2. Appeals to the Christian public from the press are not sufficient. Something may in this way be done. Some minds will be nerved, but no general movement will be effected.

"3. The most effective method, is the employment of living, speaking agents, men of judgment, men of zeal, deeply interested in the subjects for which they plead, and able to plead for them intelligently, and impressively.

"4. Some discretion is needed in the selection of agents, and of the proper times and places, when and whither to send them. Much evil has in several instances been done by injudicious management.

"5. Great good is likely to result in several departments of Christian beneficence from permanent agents. By securing the continued services year after year of a judicious, devoted, enterprising, persevering man, in aid of a particular object, within such limits as may be sufficient to give him full employment, you take probably the surest course, as things now are, of promoting these objects.

"6. It should be a leading object with the Directors of benevolent societies so to marshal the Christian host, that the divisions, regiments, and companies of which it consists, may act systematically in concert, and if possible, spontaneously, in carrying forward the great end to which their Commander is calling them. And the time may come when so much light will be communicated through the whole body, such a state of feeling will exist, that all will go forward, doing with their might, whatever their hand findeth to do without solicitation, and needing no other guidance than that of their ordinary leaders."

(O. p. 299.)

The kind of Agents needed to sustain Benevolent Societies.

The former part of the following list of Societies is taken from the London Christian Magazine, and includes only British Societies; the latter part has been obtained from various sources. The history of these institutions shows that they succeed in accomplishing the object they have in view, in proportion, ordinarily, to the amount and quality of the agency employed. This most surely is the case in reference to the Societies of this country.