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abundance of water to follow them through the wilderness. Dr. Leander Van Ess, a Roman Catholic priest, of primitive holiness. During a single year, he has put in circulation 50,000 copies of the Scriptures, and more than 500,000 copies since the commencement of his exertions! Many of the Roman Catholic clergy encourage his labours, and aid him with all their influence. One of them took from him, at one time, 2300 copies, and afterwards sent an order for 5000 more, observing that the tears of the starving multitude kept constantly telling him of their hunger and thirst for the bread and water of life.'

"In France the Bible cause is flourishing in a most unexampled manner. The Protestant Society of Paris had an income, during its fifth year, of 55,495 francs. It has seventy-five auxiliaries and branches, besides a great number of associations.'

Massachusetts Bible Society.-There were distributed by this Society during the last year 1951 Bibles and 895 Testaments. Five hundred dollars were transmitted to the funds of the National Society. The donations to the Society were $703,18; the annual subscriptions, $580,60.

The Hebrew Settlement in New York.-E. H. Simon, recently agent for the American Society for meliorating the condition of the Jews, has published a circular, stating the grounds on which he withdraws his connexion from it. We had intended to publish it at length, but can only give it in part. The society had projected the settlement of a colony of converted Hebrews, and invited several distinguished Jews to join it. But it was fettered with conditions, which seemed so unreasonable, that they refused, since it left them no liberty to control their own concerns, either secular or religious, but subjected them to the mandate of the New York Board of Directors. The following is their reply.

'Murray Hill, May 21. 'GENTLEMEN,-We have received, through the medium of your Recording Secretary, an invitation to join the settlement, which you propose to locate on a leased farm, at Harrison, &c. together with the rules, which you have adopted for its spiritual and temporal government.

invitation, could we in conAfter mature consideration, painful but urgent duty of

"Gladly would we accept of the science comply with the terms of it. we are unanimously brought to the remonstrating against the conditions prescribed in some of your rules.

'We assure you, Gentlemen, that we are actuated by no sinister motives in desiring to have our Hebrew Christian church and * Messrs. Jacobi and Wolf, since the date of this, were induced to withdraw their names, and go to the farm.

community free. We hope thereby to be enabled to glorify our Redeemer, and meliorate the condition of our brethren, who seek these shores not more as a refuge from temporal than from ecclesiastical bondage.

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Our wishes relative to this important subject have long been before you and the public. Need we again repeat them? They are simply to establish a free community among ourselves, where we may unite, in the name of Christ, to labour for our support, and worship God according to his revealed will, and the dictates of our own consciences.

With respect to our spiritual concerns, you appoint a chaplain, and give directions for our mode of worship. Where is there, we would ask, a community to whom the privilege of choosing their own minister, and managing their own spiritual affairs, is denied? The Hebrew Christians, desirous of being in amity with all denominations, but called by none, require that their spiritual concerns should be conducted by their own brethren, in order that the Hebrew Christian church may not become a sectarian institution ; but this would inevitably be the case, or at least be considered so, should you appoint a clergyman of any denomination as its spiritual superintendent.

If an uncommon measure of love, zeal, and sympathy is required in ministering to the spiritual wants of this flock; if a thorough knowledge of their national character, and acquaintance with their language, together with their prejudices and objections against Christianity, are indispensable requisites in their teachers, you will admit, that Hebrew Christians are themselves fit instruments to give Christian instruction to their brethren. Moreover, a Hebrew Christian would neither as a minister nor teacher, exhaust by salary the funds of the society; like the other members, he would put his earnings into the common treasury.

With regard to your rules for the management of our temporal concerns, we request you to reconsider them, and then tell us whether they do not rather belong to the regulations of an almshouse or an asylum, than a free community,-for what well educated and enlightened Hebrew would wish to join the settlement under such

an aspect.

'We think it the duty of every true Christian to deny himself, seeking not his own but his neighbour's weal: we are willing to act on this principle. Can we do more? But you seem to exact a degree of self-denial above what the Gospel enjoins, in requiring that, as babes in their nonage, we should put the earnings, which some may acquire by the sweat of their brow, and others by the talents and attainments they possess, in your hands for your disposal, thus leaving ourselves dependent on your discretion for our very clothing.

We are providentially here not alone for ourselves, but in some degree as the representatives of those of our brethren, whom the Lord may send to partake with us of the dearest blessing of a free country, liberty of conscience. We are sufficiently acquainted with their sentiments to anticipate their agreement with our determination, never willingly to submit either to temporal or spiritual bondage. We are, Gentlemen, yours respectfully in every good work. ERASMUS H. SIMON,

BERNARD JADOWNISKY.'

'The nineteenth Anniversary of the Unitarian Fund, was held in London, on the 25th May, at the Finsbury Chapel, and after religious services had been performed by the Rev. Messrs. Chinnock and Berry, J. T. Rutt, Esq. was called to the chair, and the committee's report was read by the Rev. W. J. Fox, Secretary. The Report was unusually interesting, especially that part which related to Christianity in India. It appears that very liberal subscriptions have been made towards the support of the Rev. Mr. Adam, a Unitarian Missionary at Calcutta, and to the erection of a Chapel in that city.'

Mr. Wright being alluded to, rose, and among other remarks said, that "he had not feared to preach the Gospel of Christ, when in England, he was liable to fine and imprisonment, and in Scotland to be hanged by the neck till he was dead. Happily, through the exertions of the Chairman, Mr. Smith, that danger no longer existed; and through the exertions of the Society, truth had marched on victorious."

The meeting was also addressed by the Rev. W. J. Fox, from whose speech we give the following extracts.

'After acknowledging the kindness with which on each anniversary of the Society, they were in the habit of expressing their approbation of his labours, Mr. Fox proceeded to observe, that it was probably the last time this Society would ever meet, as on the morrow it was likely to change its state of being; but it was not sinking into the grave from decrepitude, but expanding into a more enlarged existence, to become the instrument of still more extensive usefulness. On that day nineteen years, that Society had been formed by seven persons. It then undertook a good work, under much discouragement; it persevered; it prospered and triumphed. Daniel Eaton, a name honorable for perseverance in support of truth, was its founder. Tomorrow, he might look on it with the same feelings the Indian did on his dead son, when he said "he never told a lie, and never turned his back upon an enemy." The Unitarian Fund Society, had never sought to deceive, and had never shrunk before power from publishing the truth (cheers.)-The Society had done much, but the Association,

by embracing every subject connected with the Unitarian cause, would be enabled to effect much more. It was gratifying to all his hopes and feelings, to have the establishment of a mission in Calcutta secured by the liberal subscriptions, that had been made for that purpose the last week.'

'British and Foreign Unitarian Association.-At a general meeting of the Friends of Unitarian Christianity, held at the London Tavern, on Thursday, May 26, 1825, T. Gibson, Esq. in the Chair, the following resolutions were passed:

1. That a general Society be formed for the promotion of the principles of Unitarian Christianity at home and abroad; the support of its worship; the diffusion of biblical, theological, and literary knowledge, or topics connected with it; and the maintenance of the civil rights and interests of its professors.

2. The Society shall be denominated, The British and Foreign Unitarian Association.

'It shall consist of district Associations, communicating with the central body, and sending representatives thereto; of congregations of fellowship funds, communicating in like manner; of individual subscribers; and of honorary members.

'An explanation of what is intended by District Associations; Congregations on Fellowship Funds, and the qualifications of individual members, follow these resolutions, which our limits will not permit us to transcribe.'

It is worth remarking, that the American Unitarian Association was formed the day preceding.

Unitarian Miscellany.-The intelligence which we have received from the West, shows the importance of Periodical Publications, and how necessary it is that Unitarians exert themselves in diffusing their opinions. Every day discloses the good, which resulted from the establishment of the Unitarian Miscellany; it extended the principles of Unitarianism more generally than any other publication in our country, and has made an impression, which will not be easily erased.Ch. Ing.

Theological School in Cambridge.—The annual visitation took place in the Chapel of University Hall, on Friday, 19th of August. Dissertations were read as usual by members of the different classes.

The Annual Discourse before the Society for promoting Theological Education in Harvard University, was delivered on the evening of August 21, by the Rev. J. Brazer, of Salem. The Society met on the following Tuesday, for the choice of officers, and received the Reports of the Directors and Annual Committee on the affairs of the Institution. Further particulars will be given in a future number.

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A SHORT VIEW OF THE HISTORY, AND PRESENT STATE, OF CHRISTIANITY IN SOUTH INDIA.

THERE are few who have not heard of the Syrian Christians in India. A strong sensation was excited throughout christendom, when Dr Buchanan announced, that he had 'ascertained that there are upwards of 200,000 Christians in the south of India, besides the Syrians, who speak the Malabar language; that these Christians asserted, that they had existed a pure church of Christ from the earliest ages; and that, in addition to other valuable manuscripts, he had obtained from them a Syriac copy of the Scriptures, engrossed on strong vellum, of which the Bishop of the Syrian church, in presenting it to him, said, 'we have kept it, as some think, for near 1000 years.' 'My own church,' said Buchanan to this Bishop, 'scarcely knows of the existence of the Syrian church.'t That christianity had long existed in this part of India was, indeed, known; and that there were many Christians of the Roman communion upon the Malabar coast. But few records of them were possessed in Europe. No means had been employed to learn the early history of christianity in this country; and now, whatever authentic documents may have been possessed on the subject, are lost. The Syrian Christians,

* Buchanan's Christian Researches, pp. 160, 161. 168.

† Ib. 162.

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