The Board cannot forbear to remark, that it is by no means an unimportant circumstance that the six great denominations of Christians in our city, have most harmoniously combined their influence in this glorious work, and delight to gather round the mercy seat, and pour out their united supplications to our common Redeemer. In this the Board have began to realize the hopes of christians, who are looking forward with delighted anticipations to the period which they see rapidly advancing, when the Shiboleths of party shall be merged in one common effort to send the gospel through the world.

The day too will soon arrive, when the traveller, as he crosses the ocean, will find in every vessel a Bethel of prayer, an altar erected to our Lord and Redeemer; and as he takes his circuit over the globe, will hail the disciples of Jesus in every clime, inhabiting every city and village in his course-every where churches consecrated to the service of the one living and true God, Father Son and Holy Spirit, will meet his rejoicing eyes, and hymns of gratitude and praise will vibrate on his ear. Yes, and much is reserved for Christian seamen in hastening on this happy day of sacred jubilee. They will become Heralds of the cross, and carry the glad news of salvation to foreign lands and distant climes. To thousands who are now living without God, to whom "Heaven presents no hopes and Hell no fears," they will be the honoured instruments of repeating the anthem chanted from the skies to the shepherds of Bethlehem. "Unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord."

Pious seamen are destined by the providence of God to act a distinguished part in that moral revolution of the world, which is to give unto the Redeemer "the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession." O, happy men! thus privileged to bear the blood-bought blessings of redemption to earth's remotest bounds.

A few more rolling years at most, will thus usher in the glories of the millennial Sabbath. Time in its eagle flight has brought us to the close of another year, and in its narrow compass, how many events interesting to seamen, and the friends of seamen, have crowded! How many of them have gone down to people the regions of despair! And many, we hope, of their immortal spirits, through the instrumentality of Bethel Union Societies, have ascended to shout unceasing hallelujahs to the Redeemer! In the review we have much to humble-much to gladden. We have seen the mighty system of means urging forward in a majestic and accelerated march the accomplishment of the divine purposes, publishing to all the world the forgiveness of sins. And whilst to us the Gospel clarion sounds in a louder and sweeter strain, urging us onward, does not this christian exertion commend itself to the best feelings and prayers of every renewed heart?

To-morrow and a new year will dawn on this apostate world. Oh, may it prove a rich season of mercy to every benevolent enterprise that concerns the soul !

Respectfully submitted to the Society by the Board of Directors.
HORACE HOLDEN,

Secretary.

GENERAL MEETING.

THE first anniversary of the Bethel Union Society was held on the evening of the thirty-first of December, at the Brick Church in Beekman-street. A large audience, composed of the various denominations of Christians, and of the different classes of society in our city, assembled to witness the exercises.

The 100th Psalm was sung in very solemn and appropriate music, which was followed with prayer by the Rev. Dr. Spring.

In his address to the Throne of Grace, Dr. S. prayed that the assembly would bless and adore the Father of Mercies, for his great goodness to the church and the world, from age to age; that he had always preserved a seed to serve him on the earth, notwithstanding the apostacy of man; for the vast and astonishing displays of Almighty power and grace, now exhibiting to the world; for the establishment and preservation of the many institutions of charity, with which the Christian world abounds, and especially for the establishment of this Society, whose first anniversary the audience had assembled to celebrate. That the assembly would bless God, for extending the means of grace to the poor seamen, those outcasts from Israel and society; for the prayers and the charities of Christians, towards this forlorn class of men, and for the merciful indications the great Shepherd had given, that the means now using were such as he would own and bless.

DIVIE BETHUNE, Esq. President, introduced the business of the meeting as follows:

We introduce this evening, for the first time in a public manner, new objects of solicitude to your prayers, to your Christian sympathies. Your charities have beretofore been extended to the spiritual wants of our brethren on the frontier settlements; to the untutored Indians in the surrounding forests; to the Hindoos in Asia, and to the sable sous of Africa; whilst the seamen of our own port, went out from us, and returned to us, without awakening in us that concern for their eternal interests, to which their perilous warfare so eminently entitled them.

Life at best is but a stormy sea; and the dwellers at home as well as they whose home is on the deep, must encounter storms, and piracies, and death. But the temporal life of the hardy mariner is peculiarly exposed to danger. How do we feel when the blustering snow storm rattles our casements, and whistles loudly in our ears, how do we feel for the bewildered crew, just driving on our coast. Ah! when we hear of the newly discovered wreck, the bodies frozen to death, some of them clasped in each other's arms, a scene not long since realized, how consoling would be the thought, that we had united in prayer with these men, and that they had committed themselves in faith to the care of Him, who is as able to save them in the hour of death, and to keep them safe through eternity, as to guide them in time. Why are not our floating ships become floating chapels? Why do not the family, shut up as it were in the ark, where only sea and sky are seen why do they not erect the family altar there, and worship, morning and evening, Him who preserves them on the whelming wave, and gives them to see his wonders in the great deep? How precious at such seasons might be to them the sacred volume which speaks of Jesus' love? Blessed be the Lord, his season of mercy to seamen appears to be come. This evening we hope to satisfy you, from our report, and other sources of information, that our seafaring brethren not only accept, but invite the cordial co-operation of their brethren on the land, to promote their spiritual welfare. Brethren and sisters, we have a gracious prayer-hearing God; the throne of grace is accessible to all who humbly and sincerely draw near to it. We ask your fervent supplications for this class of men, and for all who are engaged in their behalf.

I cannot conclude these introductory remarks more properly than in the words of the Christian Poet:

"Prayer was appointed to convey

The blessings God designs to give:

Long as they live should Christian s pray,

"Tis only while they pray they live."

The Report, which will be found in our present number, was then read by HORACE HOLDEN, Esq. Secretary; after which Capt. TнOMAS CARPENTER, of the Methodist church, made the following motion:

Resolved, That the Report just read be accepted, and printed under the direction of the Board.

Capt. CARPENTER, on offering this resolution, said, the condition of seamen had excited, and very justly excited, the sympathies and charities of Christians throughout the world; that the prayers of the pious, in Europe, in Asia and in America, were fervantly offered up on their behalf; that it was matter of surprise they had been so long neglected. They were a very deserving class of men: they increase our wealth; they fight our battles; they defend our country. Our farmers are under obligations to them; our merchants cannot do without their exertions, nor our liberties be secure without their valour and their power. He rejoiced at the successive and successful endeavours of the Christian community to elevate their character and better their condition. With joy he saw Marine Bible Societies formed; with joy he saw, after many years discouragement, the Seamen's Church erected and supported; and with additional joy, he now saw this Society instituted and prosperous. He had attended the Mariner's Church, and heard sailors expressing their earnest desire to serve the Lord, asking for direction and encouragement, and expressing their determination to lead a new life. He knew no reason why ships may not become sanctuaries, and why the promises may not extend to include within their life-giving influence, those who go down into ships, as well as those who remain upon land. He had frequently known seamen to express a desire to find a place of worship, he had seen their sorrow and their misery, and he knew sailors might be preserved from profanity and debauchery. He had been a seaman himself; his own experience contradicted the assertion that profanity is necessary to insure obedience from seamen. Commanders should be exhorted; they might do much for the moral and religious benefit of their crews; if they would use their exertions, they would find the passions of seamen might be softened and mitigated by the mild, yet mighty influences of the grace of God. A captain of a British chip (said Mr. C.) told me that there were 1,500 vessels engaged in the coal trade-that the crews would average 10 men, and that, by the use of means, one third part of the whole number had become praying men. What a sight! To behold seamen pressing forward on Sabbath morning to church, eager to engage in prayer, singing, and other devotional exercises! They would then be better sailors, better soldiers, better men.

"Let triflers say whate'er they can.

'Tis Religion only makes the man.”

We have great reason to rejoice in our prospects. Let us ask God for his blessing on our efforts, and let us wait in faith our final reward. The resolution was then read and adopted.

(To be concluded in our next.)

TO READERS AND CORRESPONDENTS.

WE must leave to our next number the other speeches delivered on this occasion, to make remark of our own, on a subject which, although forgotten until this moment, is really of some importance to-us at least. It is so rare a thing for us to hear from our distant subscribers, that when a letter came, a few days ago, post-marked "Knoxville, Ten." we opened it with avidity; but, to our great surprise, found it was not from any of our old patrons, nor an order from new ones, as the following extract will evidently show:

"Your predecessor in editing the Christian Herald, the pious CALDWELL," [wejrepeat his name with the deepest veneration,] "we presume was a Trinitarian. He loved his Saviour-God. Oh, if his departed spirit could mourn to see his Herald thus prostituted as to make a citation from a Unitarian Miscellany, it would have wept bitterly when your number of November 3d, 1821, appeared. When we read page 372, we began to suspect a defection from orthodoxy and truth, and determined no longer to support such a paper. As soon therefore as Tennessee money can be

changed for par money in New-York, our subscription to the Christian Herald will be discontinued."

(Signed)

"CITIZENS OF KNOX COUNTY."

Our want of room, and the anonymous character of this communication, prevent us from making a longer extract, which we hope the writer will receive as a sufficient apology for omitting many of the excellent things which he has said. We think some of the Trinitarian Divines in our city (nearly all of whom* honour us with their patronage) will feel obliged to our western friend for the discovery he has made, since we doubt whether one of them, or the many others whose names are enrolled on our subscription list, have ever even suspected that the CHRISTIAN HERALD had become the advocate of the unchristian doctrines of Socinus or Unitarians.

While we, and our subscribers generally, we presume, feel satisfied as to the orthodoxy of our creed, we rejoice to find there is a jealousy on this important subject in those parts of our country where the awful heresy of Socinianism or Unitarianism is very likely to prevail, in the absence of those ministers who preach what we believe, viz.—“That there are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one true, eternal God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory :"-That "the scriptures manifest that the Son and the Holy Ghost are God equal with the Father; ascribing unto them such names, attributes, works and worship, as are proper to God only."

Now we do not think it worth our while to enter into any farther defence of our opinions, on account of this anonymous attack, than merely to request our readers to turn to page 372, where they will find that the only sin we have committed in the premises, is giving credit to the Unitarian Miscellany for stating the truth in the instance referred to.

We should be sorry indeed to lose any subscribers in Tennessee, or elsewhere, and feel confident, that on a more close examination, no Trinitarian would withdraw his name for the offence which gave rise to the communication from the "Citizens of Knox County.”

While on this subject, we would return our most grateful acknowledgments to our old patrons for their continued support; and to the many new ones who have favoured us with theirs. We assure them that we shall still endeavour to make our work interesting and instructive; and, although we shall not devote our pages to the interests of any sect or party, we shall contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints; and devote our every effort to the building up of that church, of which JESUS CHRIST is both the foundation and the superstructure."

To many Ministers and other friends, who have interested themselves in extending the circulation of our work, and to one member of the "Society for promoting the Gospel among Seamen," especially, who has procured upwards of thirty subscribers, since the commencement of the present volume, we are under great obligations, and to them we tender our sincere thanks. The circulation of the only work in this country devoted to the spiritual interests of SEAMEN, must be considered a most important object; and we hope the example of the gentleman above alluded to will stimulate others to go and do LIKEWISE.

"Y. C." and several other communications are received. In order to give the proceedings of the Bethel Union, several articles prepared for this number are unavoidably deferred.

Presbyterians, Reformed Dutch, Associate Reformed, Reformed Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Methodists, Baptists, Moravians, &c.

Memoir of Mrs. ELIZABETH SHEPHERD ALDEN, the late Consort of the Rev. TIMOTHY ALDEN, President of Alleghany College.

MRS. ALDEN was the daughter, and the only child, who lived to years of maturity, of Captain Robert Wormsted, of Marblehead, in Massachusetts, where she was born on the thirtieth of January, 1779.

Her father was one of the active and intrepid heroes of the revoluHe was wounded in the memorable battle of Bunkertionary contest. hill, and participated in the honour of capturing the Hessians at Trenton. During a considerable part of the war, however, he was engaged as an officer in some of the governmental vessels under Commodore Manly, or in privateering, and repeatedly signalized himself by feats of valour, which were long the subject of flattering eulogy. In 1782 he was lost at sea, in the twenty-eighth year of his age.

Her mother, originally Martha Shepherd, was a daughter of Captain John Shepherd, of Marblehead, who, in 1761, perished with all his crew and property, the latter consisting of the vessel and cargo, on Block Island, as he was returning from a prosperous voyage, designed, even if his life had been spared, to have been his last.

After the marriage of Mrs. Alden, which took place on the nineteenth of January, 1797, it added much to the happiness of her family, that Mrs. Wormsted made one of the number till her departure from life, which was at Boston, on the twenty-fifth of September, 1809, in the triumphs of the christian faith and hope.

One of her maternal ancestors, James Calley, Esq. became, in 1714, one of the principal founders and benefactors of the Episcopal church in Marblehead, in which she was a communicant at the age of seventeen years, and to which her family connexions had generally belonged, from its first establishment.

The subject of this article, although deprived of a father's tender care in the morning of her days, was favoured with the life, the pious counsels, and the edifying example of her excellent mother, and the unwearied religious instructions of her maternal grandmother,* than whom few

*For notices of this mother in Israel, as also of Captain Robert Wormsted and his wife, the reader is referred to Alden's Biographical and Historical Collection, vol. 1, Article 72, and vol. 3, Articles 525, 526.

VOL. VIII.

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