of man.

delusion, or some other errors fatal to the well being With these views of the matter, what can be done? Where is the leaven to be found that shall leaven the whole lump? Is it in Christianity, and Christianity alone? Summon then, the whole world together to one meeting, and put the question to vote," Shall the Maker of this world govern it; and shall he, and he alone be the object of religious worship?" More than half the world would say, "We have never heard his name." Then let his name be sounded aloud, that every one may hear. The reply would be, "We know him not; Budhu, Vishnu, Lama, and Confucius, we know, but of Jehovah we know nothing." Then tell them that "there is but one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus," and then put it to vote, "Shall this God be your God, and this Christ your Saviour?" The Pagans, to a man, would say, "Give us the gods our fathers worshipped; as for this God, we know him not, nor desire the knowledge of his ways." The Jews would call for a division of the question. They would say, "The Lord Jehovah shall be our God; but as for the man Christ Jesus, we will not have him to reign over us." The Mahomedans would propose an amendment. They would say, "Let us have the God of heaven for our God, but Mahomet shall be our prophet, and the Koran our guide." Then lay before the assembly the Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments-read the prophecies concerning Christ in the Old Testament, and show their exact fulfilment in him, from the New, and then put the final question, "Shall the religion of Jesus

Christ be the religion of the world?" The Pagan would say, No,'-the Mahommedan and the Jew would say, 'No'-and the Infidel too would say, 'No.' Thus we should find ourselves outvoted by perhaps five to one.

Now, on the supposition that the Christian religion is the only one worthy of God, and of the acceptance of man, this is an alarming consideration; and what increases the surprise is, that we now live in nearly the six thousandth year of the world, and the two thousandth of the Christian n era. What has the world been doing for more than five thousand years, that so great a part of it does not even know the name of Him who made it? And what have the Christians been doing, that now nearly two thousand years have elapsed since the establishment of Christianity, and the world is not half Christianized yet?

If the apostles had lived to this time, would they have suffered things to be as they now are? Why, in less than fifty years from the resurrection of Christ, that lowly, feeble band, without the adventitious aid of wealth, and power, and worldly influence, and with but little of human learning and eloquence, carried the gospel into almost every part of the Roman empire. Hear the apostle Paul,"From Jerusalem round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ." In another place, speaking of the gospel, he says, "It was preached to every creature under heaven ;" and in another, speaking of the labors of his colleagues, he says, "Their sound is gone out into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." "So

mightily grew the word of God and prevailed,” in the days of those first heralds of the cross.

It must not be forgotten that the facilities for carrying the gospel into remote parts of the world, are now much greater than they were in the days of the apostles. The science of navigation has been greatly improved, and nations far remote are brought nigh by the improvements that have been made in the mariner's art. Commerce, also, has opened an intercourse with nations that were once esteemed so barbarous that it was considered dangerous to approach them; while, by the aid of printing, books may be multiplied to almost any extent, and knowledge diffused with wonderful rapidity. From accounts transmitted to us by those who have explored heathen countries, we learn that in many places "the fields are white already to harvest." The Rev. Henry Martyn, of the Church Missionary Society, has penetrated Persia. The Rev. Mr. Wolff, of the London Missionary Society has gone into Turkey. Messrs. Pliny, Parsons, Fisk, and others, of the American Board, have visited Palestine. A goodly band have gone to Ceylon and continental India, among whom the names of Ward, Wade, and Judson, of the Baptist church, are conspicuous. A Morrison has mastered the Chinese language, and opened the way for the circulation of the Bible in that vast empire, while a Gutzlaff, of the Danish Missionary Society, is availing himself of this propitious circumstance, and scattering the seed of heavenly truth in almost every direction. The Moravians have broken up the soil in Greenland, Labrador, Iceland, and the West Indies.

The Methodist Missionary Society in England has now about 230 missionaries in the field, scattered over a vast extent of territory in all the four quarters of the globe. This society expends annually from $230,000 to $240,000 in the missionary cause, and numbers about 40,000 church members, the fruits of missionary toil. The American Board of Foreign Mission's have purposed, with the leave of Providence, to send forth, as soon as suitable men can be obtained, 40 missionaries to Asia, Africa, and some parts of Europe, and 20 or more to the different tribes of Indians of this country. The Baptist and Episcopal churches are not only alive, but awake to this all important subject, and the Methodist Episcopal church have at last emptied their treasury and replenished it again, with a munificence worthy of the cause, and the age in which we live.

But while such exertions are making on the part of Christians, to enlighten and bless the world with the healing beams of our most holy religion, the enemies of the cross of Christ are as vigilant as the common adversary of mankind in sowing the tares of Infidelity-in poisoning the streams of literature -in diverting the minds of youth from the consideration of religion, and in endeavoring to shake the faith of believers. The Bible is denounced as an old and silly book, unworthy of God, and injurious to man. Too many, even in the Christian's country, are found to depart from the faith, "giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils." It is truly surprising to observe in how many forms. and fashions Infidelity appeareth. We may say of it as the late learned Dr. Barrow once said of Wit;

"It is a thing so versatile and multiform, appearing in so many shapes, so many postures, so many garbs, that it is not easily apprehended; sometimes it playeth on words and phrases, taking advantage from the ambiguity of their sense; sometimes it is wrapped up in a dress of humorous expression; sometimes it lurketh under an odd similitude; sometimes it lodgeth in a sly question-in a smart answer-in a quirkish reason-in a shrewd imitation-in a cunningly diverting, or smartly retorting objection; sometimes it is couched in a bold scheme of speechin a tart irony—in a stout hyperbole-in a startling metaphor—in a seemingly plausible objection, or in acute nonsense; sometimes it makes a whimsical representation of sacred persons and things-a.counterfeit speech-a mimical look or jesture; sometimes an affected simplicity-at other times a presumptuous bluntness is its true characteristic, at others, a crafty wresting of obvious matter to serve its purpose. Its ways are unaccountable and inexplicable, being answerable to the numberless rovings of fancy and turns of language. It raiseth admiration, as signifying a nimble sagacity of apprehension—a special felicity of invention, a vivacity of spirit, and reach of wit more than vulgar; it seemeth to argue a rare quickness of parts-a notable skill that can dexterously accommodate itself to the purpose in hand. It possesses a lively briskness of humor which is not apt to damp the sportful flashes of imagination. It also procureth delight by gratifying curiosity with its rareness, or semblance of difficulty, by diverting the mind from its road of serious thought-by instilling gaiety and airiness of spirits-by provoking to