SOCIETY FOR PROPAGATING THE GOSPEL. At the late annual meeting of the Society for propagating the Gospel among the Indians and others in North America, the folio ving officers were elected.- His Honor WILLIAM PHILLIPS, Esq. Prendent; Rev. JOHN LATHROP, D. D. Vice-President; Rev. ABIEL HOLMES, D. D. Secretary; Rev. WIL- DONATIONS TO FOREIGN MISSIONS. May 26. From an anony mous friend of missions in Steuben County, (N.Y.) who states that he was formerly an idolater, supremely devoted to mammon From Mr. Nathaniel Wales, by the hands of the Rev. Jonathan Strong of Randolph By the hands of the Rev. Reuben Emerson of Reading, from five young persons in his Society By the hands of the Rev. Richard S. Storrs of Braintree, a contribution in his parish A quarterly contribution by a Society of females in his parish From the Merrimac Branch of the Foreign Mission. ary Society, transmitted by Mr. Richard Bartlet, the Treasurer From three individuals by the Rev. Dr. Austin, the Rev. John Cleaveland, and the Hon. Ammi R. Mitchell, Esq. From four females in the state of New York, by the hands of Mr. Samuel Parker, (towards the translations) 27. From individuals in Westborough, by the hands of the Rev. E. Rockwood 28. From a lady in Boston, by the hands of the Rev. Joshua Huntington, (towards the translations) 29. From the Saco and Biddeford Branch of the Foreign Missionary Society, by the hands of the Rev. Jonathan Cogswell From several females, friends to miss ons, by the hands of Mr. Cogswell From Gen. Huntington of New London, (towards the translations.) May 29-June 10. By the hands of the Rev. Dr. Morse, viz. Carried forward • This sum was inclosed in the following note to the Rev. Dr. Morse. Observing that you are one of the Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, and highly approving the object in view, of complying with the manifest indications of Providence, in sending the blessed Gospel to the dark corners of the earth, 1. take the liberty of enclosing you five dollars, out of my small annual income, to be applied in aid of the above pious and benevolent design. Respectfully and affectionately yours, A Friend to Missions." 1 Brought forward From individuals in New Bedford, transmitted by Rev. Sylvester Holmes From individuals in Stockbridge, a contribution, transmitted by the Rev. Dr. West.t From the students of Lenox Academy June 4. From the Foreign Missionary Society of Bruns. wick and Topsham, by the hands of the Hon, Benjamin J. Porter, the Treasurer 5. From individuals in West Stockbridge transmitted by the Rev. Alvan Hyde of Lee From the Rev. Jonathan Osgood, of Gardner, by the hands of the Hon. William Phillips, Esq. 11. From the Foreign Mission Society of North Yar- June 11. Monies received by Mr. Ezekiel Rich; viz. From Eleazer Peaks and his son, Scituate From the widow Hannah Cushing do. From a friend to missions do. From several persons in Hanover $20 25 $274 70 12.00 183 67 15 00-230 92 100 50 11 00 10 00 122 00 5. 00 10 00 10 00 10 00 7 20 10 07-52 27 20 00 7 50 From Mr. Levi Wild of Braintree 16. From individuals in the Rev. Daniel A. Clark's Society in Weymouth 18. Transmitted by Mr. Chester Dewey, Tutor in Williams' College (part of which being the avails of Dr. Woods's Missionary Sermon) 20. From Mr. David Fisher (towards the translations) 24. From the "Essay to do good Society," in Kingston From the Female Charitable Society in Sheffield, by the hands of Mr. Jonathan Lee From the Female Cent Society in Somers, (Conn.) by the same hands Monies received by Mr. John Frost, on his journey; viz. From friends to missions in Worcester, by the hands of the Rev. Dr. Austin From four persons in New London and Norwich From Joseph Skiff of Windham From the Female Foreign Mission Society of New London and the Vicinity, transmitted by Mrs. Charlotte Wolcott, the Treasurer 27. From the Foreign Mission Society of New London and the Vicinity, transmitted by Charles Lothrop, Esq. the Treasurer 146 00 194 00 $1,379 15 t This sum, added to $66,33 published in the March Panoplist, makes $250. We have heretofore published $21, as received from this place. FOREIGN MISSION SOCIETIES. THE following gentlemen were elected officers of the Foreign Mission Soci. ety of Brunswick and Topsham, Feb. 26, 1812. The Rev. JESSE APPLETON, D D. President. JOHN PERRY, Esq. Secretary. Hon. BENJAMIN J. PORTER, Esq. Treasurer. The officers of the Foreign Mission Society of IIallowell, Augusta, and the Vicinity, elected Feb. 26, 1812, are The Rev. ELIPHALET GILLET, President. Rev. BENJAMIN TAPPAN, Vice President. JOHN SEWALL, Esq. Treasurer, The annual subscription of this Society is about $150. The Foreign Mission Society of New London and the Vicinity was formed GUY RICHARDS, Esq 2d Vice President. CHARLES LATHROP, Esq. Treasurer. The following gentlemen are chosen officers of the Foreign Mission Society of Norwich and the Vicinity. The Rev. JOSEPH STRONG, D.D. President. ZACHARIAH HUNTINGTON, Esq. PROCLAMATION FOR A FAST. Vice Presidents: the bulwark of the Religion we profess: And whereas by this awful and alarming change in our circum stances the People of this Commonwealth are in a peculiar manner exposed to personal suffering, and the floss of a great proportion of their We cannot present our readers with By his Excellency A PROCLAMATION, HUMILIATION AND PRAYER. WHEREAS it has pleased the Almighty ruler of the world in his righteous Providence to permit us to be engaged in war against the nation from which we are descended, and which for many generations has been substance:-It becomes us, in imitation of our fathers, in their times of perplexity and danger, with deep repentance to humble ourselves before Him for our sins, and the ungrateful returns we have made to Him for His mercies:-To ascribe righteousness to our Maker, when He threatens us with the most severe of all temporal calamities, and to beseech Him to avert the tokens of his anger, and remember for us His former loving kindness and tender mercy. I do therefore by and with the ad vice and consent of the Council, and at the request of the House of Representatives, appoint THURSDAY, the Twenty-Third day of July next, to be observed by the people of this State, as a day of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer, that with penitent hearts we may assemble in our places of public worship and unite in hum ble supplications to the GoD of our Fathers, who was their defence in danger and to whom they never sought in vain; and beseech Him through the merit of His Son, that He would forgive our ingratitude, and the innumerable transgressions of which we have been guilty:-That He would give wisdom, integrity, and patriotism to our national and State governments, that the leaders of the people may not cause them to err:-That He would inspire the President and Congress, and the Government of Great Britain with just and pacific sentiments; that He would humble the pride and subdue the lust and passions of men, from whence Wars proceed, and that Peace may speedily be restored to us, upon safe and equitable terms. That He would guard the lives of our Soldiers and Mariners, and protect our commerce and navigation from the dangers with which they are encompassed;-that He would preserve us from intestine violence and foreign invasion: That He would dispose the people of these States to do justice to the Indian tribes, tu enlighten and not to exterminate them: And that He would protect our fron tier settlements from their ravages: That He would preserve us from en tangling and fatal alliances with those governments which are hostile to the safety and happiness of mankind:That He would regard with tender compassion the nations whose most essential rights have been wrested from them by fraud and violence, and who are groaning under the cruel hand of oppresssion, and that He would break in pieces the power of the oppressor, and scatter the people that delight in war. That the inhabitants of this State may be the objects of His peculiar fa vor: That He would take them under His holy protection, and hide them in His pavilion until these calamities be overpast:- That the chastisements with which He may think proper to afflict us, may serve to humble us, and do us good; and that we may not be like those who are hard. ened by His corrections, and who in the time of their trouble mul tiply their transgressions against Him:-That He would save us from the baleful influence of party spirit, and that whatever enemies may rise up against us from abroad, we may have peace and mutual confidence among ourselves, and know by experience, how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. That He would accomplish the promises of His mercy concerning the future repose and prosperity of the human race, when men shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and learn war no more; when fraud and violence shall cease for ever, and righteousnes and peace prevail through the earth; when the Kingdom of the Redeemer shall triumph over all cpposition, and the heathen shall be given Him for His inheritance; and when the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. And the people are requested to abstain from unnecessary labor and recreation on the said day. GIVEN at the Council Chamber in Boston, this twenty-sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight bundred and twelve, and in the thirty-sixth year of the Independence of the United States of America. CALEB STRONG. By his excellency's Command, with the advice and consent of the Council. ALDEN BRADFORD, Secretary. God save the Commonwealth of Mas. sachusetts. ΤΟ READERS AND CORRESPONDENTS, We intended to have presented our readers with a Review of the Memoirs of Mrs. Ramsay. It may be expected next month. The communication of MIKROS on Pastoral Visits will be inserted; as will, aiso, the Memoir of Dr. Oliver Brewster. We had not room for the pecuniary accounts of the Massachusetts Missionary Society in this number. They will be published in our next. THE A FEW REMARKS ON THE WANT OF ECCLESIASTICAL TRIBUNALS IN MASSACHUSETTS FOR THE TRI AL OF OFFENDING MINISTERS. It is a deplorable fact that there is no tribunal in our churches competent to try an offending minister without his own consent. If any, it is his church, or it is a mutual, or an ex parte council. Not his church. Though this power is nominally claimed by some churches, it is pointedly disclaimed by others, and is never exercised by any. No church in the serious and ultimate trial of its pastor, practically claims to be any thing more than his accuser before a mutual council, an office which it might just as well perform without the least pretension to jurisdiction over him. In those districts of New England where no such claim is set up, any member of the church may accuse a pastor before the tribunal to which he is amenable. Certainly the accuser is not the judge, the informer is not the court. The responsibility of a pastor to his church, whatever may be our theory,' is then in fact merely nominal. Not a mutual council. That, it is manifest, cannot exist without his consent. Not an ex parte VOL. V. New Series, council. That he can easily avoid by agreeing to a dismission without a council, or without one empowered to investigate his character. If a pastor is willing to depart without a recommendation, what church would insist on calling an ex parte council to censure him? what ex parte council would feel authorized, against his protest, to do this act? Indeed who has given them the power? The church could not give it, as I shall show presently. Thus he escapes, if without recom. mendation, at least without censure, certainly without deposition. He is in form a minister still, however depraved, and attaches to the ministry all the reproach of his future immoralities. If he is re-settled, he can escape again in the same way; if he remains unsettled, he can not be deposed by any power on earth, however degraded he becomes. In either way he must continue a minister in form to the end of life. Say that some will not employ him, yet others may. He gathers a church; he administers sacraments; and when his communicants, and those whom he has baptised, apply in future years for admis sion to our churches, we can scarcely help acknowledging the 7 |