Equally impossible is it to know the full measure of temporal misery endured by those, who dwell in the dark places of the earth, without some palpable evidence of this misery. To understand this, and still more to feel suitable compassion for the subjects of it, it is indispensably necessary that our knowledge be enlarged, and our sympathies excited. No other method of effecting this can be so successful as a personal acquaintance with those fellow beings whom we would rescue from their hopeless slavery to satan. As Christians cannot in great numbers, visit Asia, Africa, or the islands of the Pacific, why should they not avail themselves of their opportunities to know something of those, whom Providence casts upon our shores, apparently for this very purpose?

With these impressions, we cannot fail to consider it a signal favor conferred on the American churches, and on all who sincerely wish for the salvation of the heathen, that several young men from the islands of the Pacific Ocean, from India, and our western forests, have been brought to this land; that they received the attention and kindness of benevolent individuals, till their condition was known; till their capacity for improvement was ascertained; and finally till they were collected in a school, which promises so much good to its members, to the several nations to which they belong, and also to all their benefactors.

The decease of Henry Obookiah was on the 17th. of February 1818. To those acquainted with his history it is scarcely necessary to add, that his death was as peaceable and happy, as the life conducting to it had been devoted and ardent in the cause of Christ.

The discourse delivered at the funeral of Obookiah is worthy of the writer, and some passages are tolerably fair specimens of his manner. But it is to be recollected, however, that a hasty production, like a funeral sermon, does not present the best opportunity for the full exertion of a very powerful mind: especially for one of so much originality as that of Mr. Beecher. Our limits do not permit a complete analysis of the sermon, nor is it perhaps necessary.

The text is in Psalm xcvii, 1, 2. In the division of his subject the preacher notices 1. Some of the dispensations of Providence, which are in themselves considered mysterious. II. Some of the reasons why, notwithstanding the light which Revelation affords, they still appear mysterious."

Under the first of these divisions Mr. B. notices several of the examples of the mystery in which providential events are involved. The illustrations of the doctrine are arranged under the following particulars.

"1. The existence of natural evil is a mysterious event.

2. "The existence of moral evil is an event yet more mysterious than the existence of natural evil.

3. "The successful opposition to the Gospel, which God has permitted is mysterious.

4. The prosperity of the wicked and the afflictions of the righteous have always been mysterious events.

5. "The premature death of the pious and the useful members of society, while the profligate and mischievous are permitted to live, is a mysterious providence."

In pursuing the subject under the second head of the discourse, viz. the reasons why so many of the ways of God still appear shrouded in darkness, the truth of the position is shown

1. "In the comprehensiveness of the divine plan.

2. "In the distance of providential results, which take place in time, from their causes.

S. "In the contrariety between the immediate and remote consequences of an

event.

4. "In the multitude of ends which the Most High accomplishes by the same event, so that his providence is dark, often from our seeing but a small portion of the ends, which he brings to pass by it.

5. "In our incapacity to determine what will be even the more immediate consequences of an event."

Under each of the subdivisions the exemplifications are concise, and their application to elucidate the subject are generally obvious.

Among the inferences drawn from the several points established in the discourse, we present our readers with the following.

2. "The view we have taken of the Providence of God, illustrates the necessity of a Revelation, and the importance of extending it to all mankind.

"A revelation is needed to declare the benevolence of God and the immortality of the soul; to reveal the laws of his government with their appropriate sanctions; to announce to sinners a way of pardon which shall deliver from punishment and from sin; to explain the mysteries of Providence; to allay the fears of superstition, and inspire confidence in the ways of God, and resignation to his will; and to perpetuate an authorized system of instruction, which shall render revealed truths efficient principles of action.

"The man who denies the importance of knowledge on these points, is a madman and not to be reasoned with.

"Infidels assert indeed the sufficiency of nature's light. The volume of nature they say is open, and plain, and ample. Let them point us then to unequivocal evidence on its pages of the Divine benevolence, and bring to light the immortality of the soul. Let them make us acquainted with the will of God and its sanctions, and answer the question, "how can man be just with God," or cease from sin? Let them by nature's light, dispel the darkness about his path and explain the deep mysteries of his way; how natural evil can have place in a plan of perfect benevolence, and moral evil in a government administered by perfect holiness?

"The book of nature is a part only of God's whole plan: the mere alphabet of the volume, compared with what is yet to come; and who from the scattered letters and disconnected words can read the history of eternity, and see the relative wisdom of his administration. Reason without revelation is the powerless eye of infancy, gazing upon impenetrable darkness. The actual state of the heathen world confirms our theory; mankind without a revelation, never have understood from the Providence of God alone the great points of his character, law and Gospel. All heathen lands are, at this day, without God and without any correct system of worship or morals; or appropriate means of sanctification or pardon. They afford no evidence of holiness such as qualifies men for heaven, but rather unequivocal evidence of the unbroken dominion of sin.

"They are terrified by the character, and corrupted by the example, and destroyed by the worship, of impure and sanguinary divinities. They are tormented by their own vices, by their religious worship, and by the vain fears of superstition. The Gospel is the only remedy which God has provided, and the exertions of those who are blessed by it, are the only ordinary means he condescends to employ to extend it to the destitute.

3. "Temporary disappointments and great trials in our attempts to extend the Redeemer's kingdom, furnish no evidence that our ways are not pleasing to God or that we shall not ultimately prosper.

The temporary success of the wicked is no proof that the Most High approves of their ways, or that they shall ultimately prosper; on the contrary, we know

that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and that by prosperity, they are only set on slippery places, to be cast down as in a moment.

"But, it accords with the past analogy of the Providence of God, and with the character and state of man, that he should try the faith of his people, and humble their pride and cause them to feel their dependence, and to cry unto the Lord, before he consummates their benevolent desires.

"He intended to give the primitive Christians a complete victory over Pagan Rome; but what fiery trials and protracted opposition did he first permit.

"He intends to put an end to the delusions of Mahomet, and to the empire of the man of sin: but what obstacles have intervened, and still remain, baffling the efforts, and deferring from age to age the hopes of the pious.

"He had determined that the Islands of Otaheite and Eimeo, should receive his law, but not till twenty years of faith and patience had prepared the Missionaries, and the Christian world, to feel that the change was accomplished, not by human might, but by the Spirit of the Lord

"It was the purpose of God to give our Missionaries in the East a firin establishment, but not till their patience had been severely tried, and we had been brought to put our trust only in the Lord.

"You have perceived, doubtless, that this discourse has been conducted with a particular reference to the occasion, which has convened us in this place.

"The death of Henry Obookiah, is one of those ways of God, about which are clouds and darkness.

"We did not expect it, and we should not have ordered events thus, to glorify God, and extend his cause.

"We thought, surely this is he who shall comfort Owhyhee. We saw so plainly the hand of God, in bringing him hither; in his instruction, his conversion, talents, and missionary zeal, that like Samuel, when he saw the eldest son of Jesse, we were prepared undoubtedly to say, "This is the Lord's anointed." But all our hopes of his agency, in the Owhy hee Mission, are dashed. His work is done: Those feet will not traverse the shores of Owhyhee, that tongue will not publish salvation to those, for whom it uttered so many supplications. We behold the end of his race, and bury with his dust in the grave, al; our high raised hopes of his future activity in the cause of Christ.

"And to some it may seem, as if God were frowning upon this Institution, and was warning us after so much needless expense, and labor lost in the education of this youth, to cease from our vain expectations of sending the Gospel to Owhyhee, and give up our labor of love.

"But we do not thus interpret the voice of his Providence which speaks to us this day, but rather hear him saying to us, more audibly than ever, "Go forward." "It must be confessed that we have had fears, unbelieving fears, doubtless, in part, and such in part as resulted necessarily from the novelty of the undertaking; and had we suitably regarded the analogy of Providence, we might have had fears from our uninterrupted, and uncommon prosperity, whether our work was the Lord's, and would be owned by him, and blessed. But from this darkness we hear the voice of our God saying unto us, "Be not afraid, for I am with yoube not afraid, it is I." And we are not afraid. Instead of his frown, we behold in this his Providence, cheering evidence, that this Institution is taken under his protection, as his own, and that he will by trials so discipline us, and the members of this school, for future usefulness, that himself shall not be robbed, nor we be destroyed, by the salvation of Owhyhee.

"Nor do we feel as if our labor had been lost, did our work terminate this day. If any are disposed to think so, let them behold the dying scene of Henry Obookiah; witness his heavenly smile; trace his bright path to glory; behold his immaculate spirit before the throne of God-his astonishment at the Provi dence which brought him from Owhyhee, to fit him for heaven, and his rapture at the glory revealed in him. Behold his humility, while he veils his face, and casts his crown at the feet of Jesus, his rapture while he cries amid the myriads of glory, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain." Let them calculate the amount of moral evil prevented by his sanctification, and natural evil, by his exemption from the plagues of sin and the wrath of God.

"Think of his growing knowledge and expanding thind; his increasing holiness, and his joy, destined to increase forever, and then decide, whether they would recal the prayers, and the substance given to him, if by doing so it would

recal his spirit from heaven, renew in his heart the reign of sin, and send him back to weep unheeded, where he once wept "because no one would give him learning," and at last to go back to the darkness of Owhyhee, and die unsatisfied among the heathen.

"Who would dare to stop the song which he sings, to extinguish the rapture` which he feels, to eclipse by his removal from heaven the glory of God, which his redemption illustrates, or rob angels of their joy at his conversion, and their augmented joy at his arrival in glory." pp. 25-31.

. It may reasonably be expected that very few of our readers need be informed, that the Rev. Herman Daggett was inaugurated as Principal of the Foreign Mission School, on the 6th of May, 1818. The sermon delivered on that occasion, by the Rev. Joseph Harvey, being enclosed in the same little volume which now lies before us, the sincere pleasure we feel in calling the attention of the public to an article so worthy their notice, would be greatly increased, were the supposition to be allowed, that this sermon would be generally and carefully examined, both by the friends, already engaged in the cause, and by those who have as yet done nothing for its advancement.

This discourse, founded on those words of the Psalmist, "And in the name of our God we will set up our banners,”—contains a variety of illustrations of the great warfare of the Christian, its duties, its toils, and its dangers.

After a short introduction, where it is remarked, that "the pagan world is the fortified camp of Satan," in which he reigns unrivalled and unmolested," the preacher proceeds to inquire, what it is to set up a banner in the name of God; whether the indications of Providence have been followed, and his voice obeyed, in erecting this Seminary for the instruction of the heathen: whether the patronage of heaven may be expected; and whether there is a rational prospect of enlarging the interest of Zion in this enterprise.

"While then we claim that this Banner is set up in the name of our God, we propose to give a brief and unconnected view of the evidence by which we support this claim; and the reasons why in the transactions of this day, we confidently and joyfully adopt the language of the text as our motto.

"An enterprise, that it may have a legitimate claim to the patronage of God, must bear the following distinctive marks.

"It must in nature and design accord with the revealed will of God.

"It must be clearly pointed out in his Providence, and it must present a rational prospect of success.

"By these marks, then, let us test the character of our present enterprise. p. 5,

Having glanced at some instances, in which a pretended zeal for the religion of Jesus Christ has served as a cloak for "the enterprises of ambition and tyranny," in which the Papal power has been exerted to secure the dominion of the beast, by pretending to convert the heathen, Mr. H proceeds to examine the character of a legitimato attempt to convert the heathen, and to show some of the discriminating marks, by which it may be easily distinguished from all the hollow pretences of fanaticism. He next shows that "the call of Providence to any particular duty must be learned from a coincidence of circumstances, pointing the same way, rather than from an insulated fact." In the third division of the subject the writer discusses the proposition, that "an enterprise, which may properly claim the patronage of God, must present some rational prospect of success in doing good

to our fellow-men." Here allowing the indispensable necessity of missionaries from civilized and Christian countries "to commence the operations of Christian instruction among the heathen," he goes on to show the superior advantages, which a native, once converted to the faith of the Gospel, will possess for instructing his own countrymen, beyond those of a foreigner. The most obvious circumstances, in which a native teacher must excel all others, are well enumerated in this part of the sermon before us. Such are his knowledge of their language, acquired in his childhood, his acquaintance with the customs, manners and prejudices of his countrymen, the adaptation of his constitution to the climate of his native land, and his relation to some of the inhabitants by the ties of consanguinity.

In concluding these remarks, which have already far exceeded the limits assigned to this paper, we venture to express a desire, in which we have doubtless been anticipated by many others. It is this; that those professors of Christianity, who pretend to believe in the divine origin and authority of the Scriptures, but still object to missions, and every other attempt in behalf of the heathen-that all others, who imagine that they desire the most permanent temporal good of the human family; who fancy that they could rejoice in the progress of civilization, and yet spurn at the only practicable means of effecting it,that all these could take one unprejudiced view of the Foreign Mission School, and examine the present condition and prospects of its members. On comparing the present state of these young men with that in which they quitted the soil of their nativity, observing the fair promise they give of carrying to their miserable countrymen the means of earthly comfort, and the good news of salvation,-if the enemies of the missionary, and scoffers at his labors, still persist in their opposition, it is not easy to imagine any method of acquiring their co-operation.

PUBLIC-SPIRIT has always been applauded; but it would not be difficult to show, that most of the performances, to which the epithet has been applied, had but slender claims to it. Those actions, which have been most entirely dictated by a desire of benefiting the human family, are sure to meet a reward; but not always of the kind anticipated, nor is it always bestowed on this side the grave. An expectation of receiving immediate compensation for our efforts to do good, is often of serious injury: it unfits the mind for meeting disasters, leaves it a prey to severe disappointment, and discourages future attempts to perform similar duties, however urgently demanded. Probably, very few of those, who have labored most abundantly for the happiness of states and nations, ever yet considered themselves sufficiently rewarded. On the supposition that their motives have, in some cases, been perfectly pure, a temporal reward equal to their merits would be almost impossible. But whether money or fame have been most frequently the prize sought, one or other of these bas unquestionably been a very promi nent object to the imagination of politicians; though the whole chase