RECOMMENDATION OF CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS. MR. EDITOR, AMID the calamities, which we have suffered, and the evils, which we apprehend, the benev. olent mind cannot but be delighted at the efforts, which are making to diffuse the sacred scriptures. To promote this great object some among all sects of christians, and in every nation of christendom, are uniting their exertions. In this glorious cause no scope is given to the malignant altercations of religious partizans. The only strife seems to be, which shall be the most forward in deeds of benef. icence. It is but a few years, since the "British and Foreign Bible Society" led the way in this benevolent enterprise. The spirit has already animated the breasts of thousands in every christian nation of Europe. A sia has caught a large portion of the same zeal; and its happy effects are beginning to be experienced by the Africans. What American christian does not rejoice at the consideration, that his own country has not been backward in this work of love? Already more than 30 Bible Societies have been form. ed among us; and every year adds to their numbers, their zeal, and their contributions. Still much remains to be done. There is sufficient scope for all our benevolent efforts. Among the means, which have been employed to increase the fands of our respective societies, there are none, with which I have been better pleased, than the project of cent contributions. These afford an opportunity for "the widow's mite," and the small benefactions of great numbers, who would otherwise be restrained from doing any thing. To carry such a plan into ef fect, there is no need of much. formality. Let two or three ladies, who live in different parts of a town, open subscription books, in which they may record the names of subscribers to a neighboring Bible society. Let them recommend to all, whom they shall imagine to be favora. bly disposed, to reserve a cent a week towards purchasing Bibles for the destitute. A short period before the annual meeting of the Bible society, let them go around, make the collections, and then apply to their minister, or to some other suitable person, to carry the amount to the Treasurer of said society, and take a receipt, which should be carefully preserved, as evidence of the faithful appropriation of what has been thus contributed. This mode can occasion but little trouble to any. The contribution of so small a sum will be felt by no prudent person. But its amount from all, who can spare it, will be of great utility. It will bless them, who give, as well as them, who receive. It may be the means of inducing some the more highly to prize these holy records, which others receive with so great thankfulness. It may lead to babits of munificence, which, without some such incitement, might be greatly neglected. Besides, how much better is such an employment of our time, than to be "busy bodies in other men's matters?" How much more useful is such a contribution of our property, than the purchase and distribution of uninspired, and inflammatory publications, which often provoke men to hate, rather than encourage them to love one another? How much more desirable is it to impart to the destitute "the sincere milk of the word,” in which, as protestants, we main. tain, that they may find every thing essential to salvation, than to circulate with party views the commentaries of fallible men. who often take more pains to bias people to their system, and excite them to the opposition of others, than to establish them in the truth, "as it is in Jesus?” PHILOS. THE BENEFIT OF AFFLICTIONS. THERE is no season, when the heart is more tenderly alive to the impressions of religion, when we realize more deeply the vanity of the world, or look more earnestly for a better, than in the season of affliction. Were we not sure, that this is only our state of probation, we should form but a gloomy pieture of our existence, and the most unjust conceptions of the character of God. For amidst the varieties of sorrow, with which life is clouded, who can say that he has been exempted? Whose heart has never been softened by grief? Who, that has been blest with beloved relatives and friends, has never been called to watch over their sick beds, or to weep over their graves? Besides the thousand mental sufferings, in which the soul only knows its own bitterness, losses and disappointments, sickness and death, pains in ourselves, or sympathies, still more painful for others, are among the common allotments of life. Sometimes the dispensations of Providence are so mysterious, as to demand the utmost exercise of our religious faith. Sometimes we see abundance heaped upon the selfish and unworthy, whose sordid souls could hardly imagine the pleasure of doing good; while another, whose heart had grown large with benevo lence, is stripped of his posses sions, and made dependent on the charity, which was once his delight. Sometimes the aged and the miserable, the children of poverty, whose every returning day is but a return of misery, are doomed to drag out a wretched existence; while the friends of the wretched, the happy and the good, are suddenly snatched away, and leave multitudes to mourn their loss. Here, a fond parent deplores an only child; and there the child weeps for a tender parent. Sometimes the aged saint, whose spirit is con fined within an aching body, passes years of darkness and infirmity, earnestly longing for his release; while the feeble infant, that had just entered upon existe ence, or the little child, that had scarce learnt to lisp of heaven, is. suddenly transplanted thither, as a flower, too fair for earth, but ripe for the paradise of God. And can such dispensations be appointed of God? Yes, they are a most important part of his wise and benevolent government. The prospect, so cheerless, when viewed only with reference to the present, becomes bright and glorious, when we look forward to the future. Our afflictions then appear as merciful appointments to prepare us for heaven. We see how salutary may be their influence in weaning us from earth, in teaching us the emptiness of the idols, that are so apt to fill our hearts; in leading from a world of disquietude and sin, to peace with God and ourselves; from riches that perish, from pleasures that weary, from friends that die, to an incorruptible inheritance, to an unfailing and eternal friend. If it be true, that this life is intended only as our preparation for a better, then whatever fixes our thoughts on futurity, should be esteemed our choicest blessing. If heaven held the place in our hearts, which it deserves, we should think nothing too dear, if it would only purchase for as a mansion there. And how highly should we prize afflictions, when we regard them as forming with in us those graces and virtues, which will make us meet for that inheritance? We should welcome them as the best gifts of God; and should praise him as well when he causes our eyes to weep tears of sorrow, as when he makes our hearts to sing for joy. We need afflictions. The best are apt to grow careless and forgetful in an uninterrupted suc cession of prosperity. The world' seizes upon our affections, engrosses our pursuits, and the very blessings, that should have led us to God, and to obedience, only rivet our chains to the earth. It is when our heaven. ly Father takes from us these blessings, that we look up and remember from whom they came; that our hearts are softened; and we learn, that our best and only refuge is religion. Perverse indeed, and ungrateful is man, that seldom thinks of his God, but when the world is failing him; and must have his blessings taken away, to make him remember their giver. Ask the humble christian, whom affliction has improved; and he will tell you, that he remembers his hours of sorrow as among his choicest hours; that in these he has possessed the clearest views of himself, and seen the character and perfec tions of God in their brightest lustre; that at such seasons the world with its seductions has been forgotten; he has most ar dently aspired after holiness, and has enjoyed some anticipa tions of that pure felicity, for which his sorrows were designed to prepare him. If such then be the necessity, and such the peaceful fruits of affliction, shall we not adore the merciful God, who sends them? Who, when we are spiritually sick, restores us by such salutary medicine; and changes the diseases of our souls to moral puri ty and health. These are the reflections, which all our trials should excite; and if we submit with resignation, and endure with patience, they will work our eternal good; and when we are rive at heaven, we shall remem ber, with fervent gratitude, that they have helped our passage thither. May 16, 1815. . ON MINISTERIAL EXCHANGES. THE freedom with which the congregational clergy in this part of our country have been accustomed to interchange their weekly labors, has formed a very pleasing part of the religious intercourse among christians. By this practice each minister has seemed in some sense to belong to most of the societies in his vicinity; and when any one of them has been called to suffer bereavement, it has had the previlege of enjoying an administration of the most solemn and affecting ordinances of our religion from the hands of those, whom they could not regard as strangers. A more friendly and intimate union has thus been cherished among different church es. The bitterness of sectarian feelings has been allayed. The truths of religion have been presented in more interesting forms by the variety of illustrations and of manner in different preachers. The clergy have been preserved from those negligences, which the indulgence to be expected from one's own society might produce. And what is better than all, that harmony and fellowship have been cultivated and increased, which ought to subsist among those, who ac knowledge the authority of the same Master, and draw their faith from a common source. This intercourse however, which seemed to be so pleasing and useful, has of late been par tially interrupted. I have inquired very anxiously into the cause of this unhappy effect, The chief reason assigned by those, who decline to continue this practice with the freedom and liberality which we have been accustomed to witness, I find to be this: That there exist important differences of sentiment among different ministers, and it is wrong to permit what we esteem to be error to be preached to our people. The good effects of our labors is counteracted; the minds of our peo ple are unsettled, and the cause of truth must necessarily suffer. I must freely own that I think this objection a very serious one; and if the consequences of freedom of exchanges be really that which is stated, I cannot, for one, condemn those ministers, who discontinue it. Since reli gion is necessarily with so many minds a business of authority, it is of great importance to the usefulness of a minister that an unity of impression should be preserved. It is true, that if erFor is preached to a minister's people, he is at liberty to show that it is error, and to disprove it by argument. But if what is preached one Sabbath is contradicted the next, the minds of men will be apt to become wavering and perplexed; Christ appears to those, who do not think deeply, to be divided; his cause is dishonored and the interests of truth unavoidably suffer. prac There is however a very simple expedient by which these painful consequences may be avoided without breaking up the tice of exchanges, which seems so interesting and useful. Nothing more is necessary than a general agreement among ministers to avoid to preach on those topics in each other's pulpits, on which they entertain different opinions. A general understanding, or a simple verbal pledge to each other on this subject would be all that is necessary. It will perhaps be objected to this plan that no minister ought on any occasion to shun to deelare what he believes to be the whole counsel of God. He who does this when properly called on, undoubtedly is unworthy the sacred office, and eriminally betrays his trust. But he is not called on the thing is evidently impossible to declare at all times every thing that he believes on every subject in divinity. He is at liberty therefore in each discourse to select that topic for illustration, which he thinks best adapted to the circumstances of his hearers, so as most effectually to promote their christian edification. When he goes into the pulpit of a brother minister, he is to remember that he is speaking to those who are not peculiarly under his spiritual charge. He is not responsible for the opinions they may enter tain. He is bound indeed to preach to them nothing but what he believes to be true; but he comes as the friend, and not the censor and judge of his brother, He is called to express his sympathies with them in the great truths and hopes of our common christianity, and not to indoetriuate them into the peculiari. ties of his sect. He goes among them as he would go into the family of a friend in the absence of its father and head; not to give to the children new theories of education, or to insinuate into their minds distrust of his teaching and government; but to unite with him in inculcating and impressing those all import. ant maxims, which he knows they hold in common. But there are some, who will say that no faithful minister cau avoid introducing the fundamental truths of the gospel into every sermon that he preaches. In one sense and to a certain extent But if it There are this is no doubt true. means that every sermou should be chiefly occupied with those questions about which christians differ, I think the sentiment a very erroneous one. no sermons, I believe, so generally unprofitable as those, which are employed in ringing the changes of sectarian sentiment. If a minister thinks it his duty to preach only such sermons as these, he had better stay at home. But the great body of |