Farmer, Samuel Wisner and Asa Hitchcock, Mechanics; and their wives; Ellen Stetson, Teacher; Cynthia Thrall.

The school for boys, and the school for girls have made very encouraging progress. The children are contented, and their parents are satisfied. Nearly one fourth of the pupils were so far advanced, as to have commenced the study of geography about a year since. Many read the scriptures intelligibly. The pupils, in general, are docile in their dispositions, quick in their apprehension, prompt in obedience, active in their sports, and diligent in their studies.-These children were, but a little while ago, wandering in the forest, totally without mental or moral cultivation.

THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.

A group of islands in the Pacific ocean--extended in a direction W. N. W. and E. S. E. The estimated length, breadth, and superficial contents, of each island, are as follows:

TAUAI.

Waimea.--Samuel Whitney, Licensed Preacher and Missionary, and Mrs. Whitney; George Sandwich, Native Assistant.

MAUI.

Lahaina.-Rev. William Richards, and Rev. Charles Samuel Stewart, Missionaries, and their wives; Betsey Stockton, colored woman, Domestic Assistant.

HAWAII.

Kairua.-Rev. Asa Thurston, and Rev. Artemas Bishop, Missionaries, and their wives; John Honorii, Native Assistant.

Waiakea.--Joseph Goodrich, Licensed Preacher and Missionary, Samuel Ruggles, Teacher; and their wives.

Kaavaroa.-James Ely, Licensed Preacher and Missionary, and Mrs. Ely. Thomas Hopu, Native Assistant.

Eight churches have been erected for the public worship of the true God, principally by the native chiefs. In some of them large congregations assemble.

The schools flourish. Fifty natives, who have been taught to read and write by the missionaries, were, at the latest dates, employed as school-masters. Between two and three thousand individuals, of both sexes, and all ages and ranks, were receiving regular instruction in the schools.

MALTA.

An island in the Mediterranean, 20 miles long, and 12 broad. It is about 50 miles from Sicily. On this island, anciently called Melita, the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked, while on his way to Rome. Commenced in 1821. Rev. Daniel Temple, Missionary, and Mrs. Temple.

SYRIA.

Syria is said, by writers on geography, to be bounded, S. E. and

Mr. Ide, of Medway, gave the right hand of fellowship; Rev. Mr. Noyes, of Needham, made an address to the people; and Rev. Mr. Wood, of Upton, made the concluding prayer.-Communicated.

Jan. 4,-Rev. HARLEY GOODWIN was ordained in New-Marlborough, North Parish, as Colleague Pastor with Rev. Dr.Catlin. Sermon by Rev. Mr. Yale, of New-Hartford, Con.

Jan. 6,-Rev. ROYAL WASHBURN was installed Pastor of the First Church in Amherst, Mass. Sermon by Rev. Prof. Stuart.

Jan. 11,-Rev. JOSHUA BARRET was ordained Pastor of the Second Congregational Church in

Plymouth, Mass. Sermon by Rev. Enoch Pratt, of Barnstable.

Jan. 18,-Rev. ERASTUS MALTBY was installed Pastor of the Trinitarian Church in Taunton, Mass.; and on the same occasion Rev. GEORGE COWLES was orcained as an Evangelist. Introductory prayer by Rev. Luther Sheldon, of Easton; sermon by Rev. B. B. Wisner, of Boston; consecrating prayer by Rev. Elisha Fisk, of Wrentham; charge by Rev. Thomas Andros, of Berkley; right hand of fellowship by Rev. Daniel Huntington, of North Bridgewater, and the concluding prayer by Rev. Calvin Hitchcock, of Randolph.Communicated.

1 Cor. vii. 29, 30, 31.

VOL. III.

For the Christian Magazine.
ON DIVINATION.
Concluded from page 39.

THIS subject, as illustrated in a preceding paper, naturally suggests several remarks, which are of a practical nature and merit a serious consideration.

It appears from the nature of divination, that it never implied any league or covenant with evil spirits. It is often supposed, that all, who practise any species of divination, must have made a league or covenant with some invisible evil spirit, in order to gain his peculiar favour and assistance, either to foretell future events, or to produce strange and supernatural effects. But if we have given a just and scriptural account of divination, it does not require the peculiar assistance of any evil invisible hand. Men might make arbitrary signs, and perform arbitrary rites or ceremonies, without assistance from the great diviner. They might be diviners, soothsayers, magicians, and wizards, without any league with Satan, or assistance from him. But could any deal with familiar spirits, without some league or covenant with them? Undoubtedly they could. All diviners were of the same character, and those who dealt with familiar spirits were only a

No. 3.

different species of diviners. Magicians, enchanters, and dealers with familiar spirits, differed from other diviners only by using more dark and secret rites or enchantments. But all their rites and enchantments were, at bottom, only arbitrary signs, words, or actions, which they devised and adopted, without any aid, direction, or assistance of any malignant spirit. According to the scripture account of divination, it was a plain, foolish, wicked practice. It consisted in making arbitrary signs, and performing arbitrary rites and ceremonies, which any one could do that was foolish and wicked enough to undertake it. It required no superior knowledge, nor foreign assistance. The notion, therefore, of leagues and covenants with Satan, and of his special aid and assistance to any species of diviners, is entirely groundless. It seems to have arisen from what such deluded persons pretended; and they made such delusive pretensions to excite admiration, and lead men to expect more from them, than they were able to perform. But there are two considerations, which ought to put this matter beyond a doubt. One is, that the scripture is wholly silent, in respect to diabolical leagues and covenants.

Though it says much concerning divination, and those who practised it, yet it says nothing about their making leagues with evil spirits in order to obtain their invisible influence and assistance, which is strange, if such leagues were known, or even pretended. The other consideration is, that reason forbids the supposition. Reason tells us, that the Devil has no power to lend his aid to any, who should make a league with him. For he has no power to do supernatural things, by virtue of a common providence; for if he had, he would doubtless do ten thousand times more mischief in the world, than he actually does. If he were restrained by moral motives only, as wicked men are, it would be but a small restraint. If wicked men could act invisibly, what enormities would they not commit? But Satan, we know, can act invisibly in this world, and therefore he must be under some natural as well as moral restraint. And this natural restraint must hinder him from acting with, as well as without, a league; for whatever he cannot do without a league, he cannot do with a league. If he cannot assist diviners without a league, he cannot assist them with a league. Besides, no pretenders to divination have ever done so much mischief in the world as they would have done, if they had actually obtained an invisible and powerful influence from Satan. The king of Babylon did not so much evil in the world as he would have done, if he had secured and obtained the invisible and powerful assistance of the prince of devils. With such aid, he might have conquered any, or every nation he pleased. The Romans freely practised di

vination and consulted invisible spirits; but we have no account, that they ever gained a single victory by it. And all the benefit that witches, wizards, and fortunetellers have ever gained by their pretended art, they have gained from the hands of those whom they deluded, and not by any foreign, invisible power, to take and conceal the property of others, for their own use.

We perceive from the nature of divination, that the evidence of it is as plain and intelligible as the evidence of any other crime. The evidence of it consists in what the pretenders of the secret art, do, and profess to do. They do make signs and cast figuers, by which they profess to foretell events, and produce effects. Whoever, therefore, makes and observes arbitrary signs, and professes to divine by them, is a diviner, sooth-sayer, magician, or dealer with familiar spirits, in a scriptural sense. The king of Babylon was a diviner; and the evidence of it was as plain and intelligible as the evidence of his being a general. He stood at the parting of the ways, took his arrows, and divined by them. What he did, and professed to do, was the evidence of his being a diviner. Balaam was a magician or diviner, and this appeared from what he did and said. He used enchantments, and attempted to curse Israel. The evidence against the witch of Endor was of the same nature. It arose from what she did and said. And this is the evidence we have of any crime. The evidence of murder arises from what it appears a man has said and done. As any crime consists in the intention and exertion of any agent; so the evidence of the crime, must