High Priest, to atone for our sins; and this especially when sin burdens our consciences. We must look to him as our example, and constantly seek to crucify the body of sin through him; arming ourselves with the same mind that was in him. We must look to him for strength for the conflict.

"Now," says Archbishop Leighton, "the way to be armed is this: How would my Lord Christ carry himself in such a case as this? And what was his business in all places and companies? Was it not this, to do the will and advance the glory of his Father? Thus ought it to be with the Christian, framing all his ways, and words, and very thoughts upon that model, the mind of Christ, and to study in all things to walk even as he walked. The pious contemplation of his death will most powerfully kill the love of sin in the soul, and kindle an ardent hatred of it.

.. It is, then, the only thriving and growing life, to be much in the lively contemplation and application of Jesus Christ; to be continually studying him, conversing with him, and drawing from him, receiving of his fulness grace for grace. Wouldest thou have much power against sin, and much increase of holiness, let thine eye be much on Christ; set thine heart on him, let it dwell in him, and be still with him. . Wouldest thou have thy pride, and passions, and love of the world, and self-love, killed, go sue for the virtue of his death, and that shall do it; seek his spirit, the spirit of meekness, and humility, and divine love. Look on him, and he shall draw the heart heavenwards, and unite it to himself, and make it like himself. And is not that the thing thou desirest?"

Nothing kills sin like a sight of the Cross. Here we learn what an evil and bitter thing sin is. Hence we learn its awful desert. How can we

sin, after beholding the blood of the Son of God freely flowing to expiate it. And it is from Christ that we receive strength to overcome sin. As he conquered sin, and death, and hell, when he expired on the cross, and when he arose from the dead, and ascended up on high, leading captivity captive, so now he conquers and kills the power of sin in the hearts of his people, when his throne is set up there. He is our shield, and he is able to save to the uttermost all them that come to God by him.

But alas! how irregular and inconstant are the soldiers of the cross, in looking to the Captain of their salvation Payson, in one of his happy illustrations, supposes all who profess the name of Christ arranged in semi-circles before his radiant throne. The innermost circle are so absorbed in holy rapture, gazing on their glorious Lord, that they notice nothing else. No sounds, human, unearthly, celestial, are sufficient to draw away their eyes from the object which engages so intensely their adoration and love. The next circle stand with their eyes partly turned away. They are not insensible of the excellence and loveliness of the Saviour; but other objects divide their attention so, that they obtain not those views of his glory which absorb and delight continually the innermost circle. Others are turned half way round, so that the rays of heavenly glory from the face of Jesus, only fall obliquely upon them. Others are turned so far around, that they only catch now and then a glimpse of the brightness which emanates from the mediatorial throne. Others, still, are turned entirely around, so that they see nothing of the glories that shine in the blessed Saviour's face, except the reflection which is returned from objects beyond.

You will find in China those who, though sent out by Christians bearing other names, do yet preach our common Christianity. And while

we yield to none in attachment to the Church at whose altars we have been reared, and have full confidence that you will ever remember that you are

missionaries of the Protestant Episcopal Church, that you will never violate any of her well-known principles; that you will always, in your worship, adhere to the order of the Church by which you are sent out; that you will most carefully train up all committed to your care or subjected to your influence, in an enlightened attachment to her doctrines, discipline, and worship; yet we also have no hesitation, from warrant of holy writ, to add, wherever you find the fruits of the Spirit exhibited in the life, acknowledge them as the result of the operation of the blessed Spirit of God-wherever you find those who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, hesitate not to pray that grace be with them-wherever you find Christ preached, refuse not to rejoice wherever, through such preaching, you find souls born anew to God, and the kindom of his dear Son enlarged, be not too ready to forbid the honoured instruments of such divine blessings; but remember, that in a similar case, the Lord hath said that they who gather with Christ, scatter not abroad.

On this subject we desire to refer you to the pastoral letters of the House of Bishops of 1823, 1832, and 1838, which are the most authoritative declaration of the sentiments of this Church.

In the pastoral letter of 1823, while urging the observance of those things which distinguish us from other Christians, we are exhorted to "put the most favourable construction on their acts, to rejoice in any good resulting from them, and scrupulously to avoid whatsoever may have a tendency to excite angry passions, either in them or ourselves."

In the letter of 1832, it is declared that "it ought to be a sufficient motive for a tolerating and conciliating policy of religious denominations to one another, that they may see before them an enemy in that spirit of infidelity which levels its arts at the root of their common faith. In consideration of this common danger," continues the pastoral letter, "there is the more reason to be gratified by the good which may be achieved by

our brethren of other denominations." "Our late venerable brother, Bishop White," observes the letter of 1838, "in his charge on the past and the future, which he then considered as his last advice to the people, under his pastoral care, has remarks on our feelings and conduct towards those of other denominotions, which merit the regard of all our Churches. Our endeavour should be to win souls to Christ, by showing that his Spirit dwells in us. According as we treat others with forbearance, kindness, and love, will his work prosper among us."

Such, dearly beloved friends, are the wise and charitable counsels of the House of Bishops of our Church, counsels put forth with great deliberation and with all authority. And, if deemed necessary to our Christian household at home, they are especially deserving the attention of missionaries abroad. We ought to remember that it is Satan's grand object to divide those who seek the subversion of his kingdom. Our missionaries should be fully and constantly aware of this, and should resolutely and pertinaciously oppose this his grand object. The heathen should see that all your things are done in love, and that nothing is done through strife or vain-glory.

And, to produce this excellent fruit, the ground must be prepared by deep humility, by the complete mortification of self-wisdom, selfrighteousness, and self-will; of ambition, vain.glory; love of preeminence, or human applause; by genuine poverty of spirit, deep contrition before God, and unaffected modesty before men.

It is thus that when you challenge the attention of the heathen, saying to them, "Arise, shine, for thy light is come," they shall be compelled to exclaim, under the most sensible impression of the blessedness of your character, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings—that publisheth PEACE!"-Missionary Instructions to the Right Rev. Bishop Boone, and his Clergy, proceeding to China.

CHRISTIANITY AND HEATHENISM.

In the London papers we find a long narrative of the adventures and sufferings of a Mr. Clark, who, whilst engaged in the pearl fishery, was driven off into the ocean in an open boat, with a party of natives. These latter, after dreadful sufferings from total want of food, all died. It pleased God, however, that Mr. Clark should survive (after drifting about upwards of forty days), and we give the closing portion of the narrative, because it so beautifully illustrates the blessed effects of the establishment of Christianity amid the far off islands of the Pacific:-"I was ruminating one evening what my end would probably be, when I heard something leap by the side of the boat, and knew them to be fish, and found they were jumping at a little end of the mat-sail trailing in the water; I immediately threw over three pearl hooks which I had brought from the Chain Islands, when they were caught at greedily by a fine albacoa, which I thankfully hauled on board, and caught a second and third in the same way; I eagerly drank their blood, and took out their eyes, which I ate, but their flesh I could not manage, as my throat seemed stuck together; I sliced them, and laid them on the seat of the boat to dry; I sank down again in my usual place, and fancied what } vidence would send next, for something within now began to tell me I was not to die, and I remembered I had brought my violin, this I unstrung, and eat all but the fourth string; but what I wanted was something to allay my excessive thirst, under a sun in the tropics. It was now four days since my last native died, and brought me to the fortieth day, and on looking overboard, I perceived, right a-head, land! What land it was I could scarcely imagine, but supposed it must be the Navigator's Islands. Towards mid day, it fell calm, leaving me in the same uncertain state, and so continued for two days; but on the forty-second day at break of day, I

raised myself to look over the boat, and saw ten canoes pulling towards me. I sank down in the bottom of the boat from excitement and exhaustion, thanking Providence for hope of deliverance. I now heard, from their conversation, that they had approached pretty close, and putting my head over the side of the boat, they raised one cry of horror and surprise at the wretched object I looked, and immediately pulled away, crying out, Ole Pope! O le Pope!' (the Priests, the Priests,) meaning the French, for these natives cannot disconnect the idea of there being priests without necessarily being Frenchmen. I beckoned them to approach, and intimated I wanted to drink by the usual sign, when they handed me a cocoa nut, the only one they had. They now had more con. fidence, but still alarmed at my appearance, my beard being nearly seven weeks old, and the shadow of a man they saw. After some consultation, one of the chiefs, being heathen, proposed that I should be killed (this I understood, from the great similarity the language possessed to that of the Chain Islands), but the majority were Christians, and said, No, that it was contrary to their religion; they ought to be good Samaritans; this being the case, eight of them jumped into my boat with their paddles, and we went on shore. The arrival of a stranger at any time at the little island of Manua (the most windward island of the Samoan group), is treated with no little importance, but now a herald preceded us in one of the canoes, and raised the whole population who reside on the sea shore, with the words, 'they are bringing the papalangi nai le vasa' (the white man they had found on the sea): so that consequently, when I was carried on the shoulders of four stout natives we were followed by all who could walk, to the number of about two to three hundred, crying out, Arva, Arva!' this being a word expressing astonishment. I was thus borne along

My

to the residence of a Tongateacher, and laid down on the best bed they could find a few mats laid on the ground. While some were preparing these, others procured some food and cocoa nuts; but I was exceedily cautious, lest by eating heartily it might produce that which providentially I had just been released from. thirst continued unquenched for three days, and I was still very weak; in fact, so weak that I kept my bed for three weeks; during this time an incessant levee was held at the house of my kind host; natives came from far and near to see me and shake hands, even while I slept: the screen was frequently raised that they might be allowed the pleasure of seeing me. At the end of three weeks I began to move about, and found myself on an island differing from most others, from there being no outer reef, and the sea breaking with terrific violence on the windward part, so that had I not been becalmed I should have, no doubt, been dashed to pieces, being too weak to steer the boat with certainty. I now felt a desire to return to Tahiti; but the natives insisted on my not leaving them yet, that they wanted to pay a visit round the island to their friends, and take me with them. I had almost forgotten to mention that just as I was recovering I received a kind visit from the Rev. M. Harbutt, the agent for the London Missionary Society at Manua; he shewed me great attention, and impressed on the natives the necessity of doing likewise. There being no harbour at Manua, and having been there now three months, I proposed to visit Tortilira, an island about seventy miles distant, to see if there was any opportunity of returning to Tahiti. Accordingly I left and took with me fourteen natives from Manua, and arrived at Tortilira the same evening; we found that at the harbour of Apia, Island Upolu, another of the same group, was the harbour most frequented by shipping; but unfortunately we were detained from proceeding there, from westerly winds, for nearly three weeks. This island is about 40 miles from Tortilira. On arriving at Apia, judge my surprise in finding a vessel, the

Currency Lass, bound direct to Tahiti, to sail in two or three days. There being no mate on board, I was offered that situation, and eagerly accepted it; we took with us two passengers, the Messrs. Evans, from Apia, and sailed from thence on the 30th of January, 1845, and here again we did not escape privation from exceeding light and contrary winds; our provisions and water were soon expended, so that until we made the island of Atiui, we had then lived 12 days on yams alone; after a long passage of 43 days to accomplish one thousand two hundred miles, we arrived at Tahiti, just twelve months from the day I left to superintend the

shelling.' I found on my arrival that the oars and raft from which my boat had parted were driven on shore on the south end of Tahiti (Tairaboo), and recognized by Mr. Henry, who had consequently given us up for lost My sorrow was soon turned into joy; on my arrival at Tahiti, I found a letter had long been lying there from England, and on opening it I read that property to a considerable amount had been left me, and was ordered home to secure it."

CLAIMS OF THE CONTINENT.

"I AM unable," says Dr. Heugh, "to account for the fact, that the religious condition of the European continent, and its claims on the zealous interest of Christians in this country, attract the regard of the friends of evangelical religion to so small a degree, comparatively, as they seem to have done hitherto. Far from me be the wish to abate exertion for the diffusion of the light of the Gospel over those populous regions, in the east, in the west, and in the south, which Divine Providence has subjected to the empire of Britain, or in any other quarter of the world. My fervent prayer is, that it may please God to augment those efforts a hundred fold. Nor do I wish to overlook, or undervalue, the influence of individuals, and of some societies, whose benevolence has been directed to various parts of the continent. But what enlightened Christian can hear of the desolations of most of the reformed churches, with

out deep emotion, without cherishing the desire of becoming instrumental in their spiritual resuscitation? that, in place of appearing in small and feeble groups, scarcely preserving the existence of religion in their little communities, they may be inspired with new life, may lengthen the cords and strengthen the stakes of their tabernacles, and soon be enabled to proportion their efforts for the evangelization of their respective localities, in some due measure, to the necessities demanding them. And who can estimate the amount of accession which Christian effort for the approaching extension of the kingdom of Christ over the world would receive, were these foreign churches awakened to new zeal, augmented by many converts, and enlistened with cordial energy in the service of the Gospel?

"Would any concentration of British influence be too great for the realization, under the blessing of God, of such objects? If we are inert, Rome is not; and if she advance with as gigantic strides for a few years longer, as she has done for the few years past, the ground may soon be too exclusively occupied, and too securely guarded, for us to attempt it. Would that the zeal of Rome might provoke Britain to jealousy!"

CLAIMS OF ITALY.

"ALLOW me," says M. Merle D'Aubigne, "to say a word about Italy, from which we are only separated by the Alps. It was at Geneva that a great number of Italian families took refuge in the sixteenth century, when they fled from persecution; ought it not also to be from Geneva that the Gospel should be taken back to them? In Provence, in Dauphine, in Geneva, and the rest of Switzerland, a great number of work-people, who come in crowds from Italy, are evangelized and provided with the Scriptures. Last summer we discovered in one place 1,500 of these men employed in erecting great buildings; I went myself, another friend went also;

we established an Italian evangelist there, who sold a great number of Bibles to them. As to what is done in Italy itself, it is a delicate affair. I cannot enter into many details. It is enough to say, that quite lately a student of our school of theology, himself an Italian, has just gone to an Italian population to carry on a work of importance. There are already Christians in Italy who have given their hearts to Jesus Christ, and with whom an evangelical Christian can shake hands with joy. I will add a request, either of this assembly, or of the Religious Tract Society, or of other friends; it is, that an interest should be taken in the translation and publication of good Christian writings in Italian. There are so many English who travel in Italy. Will they content themselves with admiring its Apollos and its cathedrals? Will they not also try to do some real good to this people, who need it so much? Would it not be possible to engage Christian tourists to unite in companies, each to furnish funds for the translation of a work? There is much of vanity in these Italian tours! Let us put therein a little of reality. These travels have been hurtful to many English, let them then be the means of saving some Italians. We have the means of procuring excellent Italian translations, and the pope himself is helping us. This is not said in joke. You know that in his last Encyclical Letter against the Bible, he had the kindness to insert a paragraph against my History of the Reformation: that work was not then translated into Italian; and I don't know how the pope heard of it. The immediate effect of this prohibition was, that some friends set about a translation of the History of the Reformation into Italian. The work is now finished, or very nearly so, and measures are taken for its publication. You see, therefore, that I have reason to be very thankful to the pope."