The Conftitution of the Maffachusetts Miffionary Society, with an Address to the Friends of Chrifiianity, a hiftoric Sketch of their Proceedings, and a fummary View of the prefent State and Profpects of the Society.

The Conftitution of the Society is as follows :

I. HE Society fhall be ftiled, The Maffachufetts Miffionary Society.

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II. The object of the Society is, to diffufe the knowlege of the gospel among the Heathens, as well as other people in the remote parts of our country, where Chrift is feldom or never preached.

III. The officers of the Society fhall be a Prefident, Secretary, Treafurer, and ten Trustees, chofen annually by ballot.

IV. It fhall be the duty of the Prefident to regulate the meetings of the Society, and, ex officio, to act as one of the board of Trustees, fix of whom fhall conftitute a quorum.

V. It fhall be the duty of the Secretary to keep accurate records of the Society, and exhibit them at every annual meeting.

VI. It fhall be the duty of the Treasurer to receive the property of the Society, arifing from entrance money, annual taxes and donations; to answer the orders of the Truftees; to keep a fair account of his proceedings, and exhibit it to the Society at every annual meeting.

VII. It fhall be the fpecial duty of the Trustees to examine candidates for the refpective miffions, to employ and direct the Miffionaries, and, if expedient, to recal them. The Truftees are alfo authorized to manage and difpofe of the Society's property, and to tranfact all the concerns of the Society, which require attention, between one annual meeting and another.

VIII. It is expected that the Trustees hold, at leaft, a femi-annual meeting, that the Society may reap every advantage by their reafonable and united attention. They hall alfo make report at the annual meetings of the la

bour and fuccefs of the Miffionaries, and exhibit a particular account of their own tranfactions.

IX. The Society fhall meet annually, at Boston, the Tuesday preceding every General Election of Maffachusetts, at 10 o'clock, A. M.

X. All questions before the Society, except those which refpect the amendment of the Constitution, shall be determined by a majority of the members present.

XI. It is the expectation of the Society, that the Trustees employ no characters as Miffionaries, except thofe who give credible evidence of being the fubjects of fpecial grace; and of that Chriftian zeal, wifdom, information, and diligence, which are adequate to the arduous work of Evangelifts in the most felf-denying circumftances.

XII. Any perfon may become a member of the Society, by fubfcribing the Conftitution, and paying two dollars into the hands of the Treafurer, for the use of the Society.

XIII. Every member shall be confidered as retaining his membership, and obliged to pay two dollars annually into the Treasury, until his defire to difcontinue his connection with the Society be properly expreffed to the Secretary.

XIV. It is refolved, that though this Constitution be fubject to any amendments and improvements, which the Society fhall judge proper to adopt; yet that neither any amendment fhall be accepted,, except by the vote of two-thirds of the members prefent, nor before the expiration of a year, after having been proposed to the Society at an annual meeting.

The above Conftitution being unanimously established as the basis of the Society, at Boston, May 28, 1799, it was foon made public, and the patronage and aid of the friends of Zion were folicited in the following accompanying address.

To all who are defirous of the Spread of the Gospel of our Lord Jefus Chrift.

CHRISTIAN BRETHREN,

WISHING that grace, mercy, and peace may be

abundantly multiplied unto you, through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we take the liberty to announce to you, that, impelled by a deep commiferation for the unhappy ftate of thoufands, who are perifhing through lack of thofe precious means of falvation which we enjoy; by a recollection of our folemn vows to devote ourfelves faithfully to the good of the kingdom of our dear Redeemer; and by the imitable examples of many others, both in our own country and in Europe, who have nobly stepped forward in the cause of Zion; we, a number of minifters and people of Christ, convened in Bofton, on Tuesday, May the 28th, in the year of our Lord 1799, for the purpose of attending to our duty in this regard, have deemed it expedient to form into a Society, in order to collect and combine our efforts, for the spread of the knowledge of the glorious gofpel of Chrift among the poor Heathens, and in those remote parts of our country, in which the inhabitants do not enjoy the benefit of a Chriftian Miniftry, and Chriftian ordinances.

The Conftitution of the Society we have offered to your confideration; and we beg permiffion to obferve to you, that the adoption of this Conftitution, and the measures taken in the commencement of this Society, have been accompanied with fuch peculiar fmiles of Providence, as awaken within us the moft pleafing hope, that it will enjoy the divine benediction, and be greatly inftrumental in diffufing the greateft of all bleffings, the falvation of finners. To God's omnipotent care and grace we commit our efforts in this hope.

To exclude all mifconftruction and prejudice, we folemnly declare, that it is totally foreign from our views, to weaken the evangelical influence of any Society of a fimilar complexion already exifting; that we renounce all -party objects, and utterly refuse to fuffer any political intereft or confideration whatever to have place in the defign or operations of the Society.

Having thus offered ourselves as the Maflachusetts Miffionary Society to your notice, we take leave to addrefs you on the vaftly interesting subject we have in view.

By thofe, who cordially fubfcribe to the divine autho rity of the holy fcriptures, and candidly admit the leading doctrines which they contain, as all real Chriftians must be supposed to do, it must be conceded, that the whole human race is in a ftate of apoftacy from God, under the curfe of his violated law, and expofed to the eternal punishments of his government; that the glorious gofpel of Chrift is the adequate and the only medium of recovering loft finners to God and happiness; and that this gospel must be known, received, and obeyed; in order to the fecurity of the unbounded good which it furnisheth to the miferable tranfgreffor; that the virtue and happiness of mankind are really always in proportion to the influence which the gofpel has upon them; that it is life from the dead to every believer; and that that glory of God, with which it is fo largely predicted in the fcriptures, that the world fhall fhortly be filled, will effentially confift in the universal and legitimate influence of this gofpel. On these grounds evidently, the grand commiffion, which Chrift gave to his primitive difciples, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature; he who believeth and is baptized, fhall be faved; but he who believeth not, fhall be damned," was delivered. On these grounds, the apoftles of the Lord exhibited all that fidelity and zeal, in obedience to this charge, which are related in the New Teftament; and, on thefe grounds, zeal in every believer for the spread of Chriftianity has an adequate

fanction.

With these confiderations before your minds; with the perifhing, and, therefore, very compaffionable ftate of every impenitent finner; with your own immenfe indebtedness to redeeming grace, your folemn covenant vows, your accountability, and your hopes in view, be intreated to caft the eye of attentive obfervation upon the condition of thoufands and millions of our guilty race, in other countries and our own, particularly among the heathen tribes, and on the frontiers of the United States, forming a vaft line of new fettlements, peculiarly embarraffed with refpect to their religious interefts by local cir

cumstances; and afk, whether, when their danger is fo great, when their fpiritual wants are fo urgent, when there is fo much zeal on the part of wickednefs, infidelity, and atheism, counteracting the gospel, there be not reason for us to put forth every exertion, for the spread of that precious gofpel which is the grand charter of

our eternal inheritance.

Have we not, dear brethren, been too long and too deeply flumbering, with refpect to our duty in this great affair? What fhall we not be willing to do? What shall we not be willing to facrifice? Is not the intereft of Chrift our intereft? And have we, as his people, any thing to do but to promote it? May we not, then, hope that our inftitution will meet with your warmeft approbation; and that we shall have the benefit of your joint co-operations, your influence, your prayers? Will you become united to our Society? If this be inconvenieht, will you not, as the Lord has furnished you with the means, open the hand of a generous charity, and contribute to the fupport of the great object before us? As the ftate of the world is, the utility of the Society will depend much, very much, upon its pecuniary means. The Society holds itfelf refponfible for the moft faithful appropriation of all monies, which may be contributed and forwarded to the Treasurer, who will give receipts, and enter fuch contributions on the accounts of the Society.

In a word, dear brethren, we would fecure your attention, your hearts, your prayers, your influence, your exertions and your pecuniary abilities, to the benevolent object we are pursuing.

That God may incline your hearts to that which is pleafing to himself, and prepare us, with all the, redeemed, for his coming and kingdom, is the fervent prayer of your brethren in Chrift.

In behalf of the Society,

NATHANAEL EMMONS, Prefident.

Done in Bofton, May 28, 1799.

Attest.

VOL. II. No. 4.

SAMUEL AUSTIN, Secretary,

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