join his companions in Connecticut. It has been proposed to the Board to take under their patronage a young Chinese, now in New-York. It seems more probable, however, that he will be sent to England, where the London Missionary Society are paying particular attention to the education of Chinese youth.

The course of education in the contemplated school will be designed to prepare the young men for schoolmasters, and in some instances, for religious teachers, and will enable them, on their return to their native country, (whither they will be sent after their education is finished,) to introduce the improvements of civilized life, and the pure blessings of Christianity. We trust that this new and interesting object will receive a liberal support from the benevolent public.

The following gentlemen were re-elected officers of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions for the ensuing year:

Hon. John Treadwell, Esq. President; Rev. Samuel Spring, D. D. Vice-President; Rev. Samuel Worcester, D. D. Cor. Secre tary; Rev. Calvin Chapin, D. D. Rec. Secretary; Jeremiah Evarts, Esq. Treasurer; Chester Adams, Esq. Auditor.

PRUDENTIAL COMMITTEE.

Rev. Samuel Spring, D. D.; Rev. S. Worcester, D. D.; Rev. Jedidiah Morse, D. D.; Jeremiah Evarts. Esq.

1840

REVIVALS OF RELIGION.

The Editor has been long desiring to have it in his power to communiGate some detailed account of the late remarkable operations of Divine Grace among the inhabitants of the village of Troy, in this State, and its vicinity. He is indebted to a worthy and obliging friend for the following authentic and interesting narrative of a part of that extensive and heavenly work; and feels much pleasure in presenting it for the gratification of the readers of this publication.

To the Editor of the Christian Herald.

It has pleased almighty God in the riches of his grace, to visit this city with a remarkable effusion of the Holy Spirit, during the current year. At the commencement of it, our citizens generally were going on in their usual course; with the exception of an increased fervour among the members of the Church, and a few solitary instances of conviction and conversion. Among these, there was one of a peculiar character. It was a young woman in the morning of life, who had not reached the years of maturity. The death of her father, which had taken place some time before, had made a deep and lasting impression on her tender mind. It was sudden and unexpected; and he left behind him a disconsolate widow, with a numerous train of weeping and dependent children. In the midst of their sorrows, this child was comforted by a pious friend sitting at her side, with the consideration that God would be her Father, if she would put her trust in him. The impression then made was abiding; and her mind was some time afterwards aroused to a sense of the guilt and folly

of her past life. Her distress soon arose to such a height, in the view of her sins against her heavenly Father, that she was obliged to abandon her business, retire into her closet, and prostrate herself before him.

It was upon her knees in fervent prayer and supplication, acknowledging her transgressions, and imploring forgiveness, that the God of mercymanifested himself to her, as the Hearer of prayer, and one who pardoneth iniquity, transgression, and sin: and she rose rejoicing in the salvation of God her Saviour, her Father and Friend. What encouragement. is this for poor, overwhelmed, and distressed sinners to repair to the Throne of Divine Grace, and cast themselves on the Saviour of sinners?

She bowed a convicted and condemned sinner; and rose under a sweet sense of pardoning mercy; and soon became a transported saint!

After this period, the influences of the blessed Spirit began to be more generally diffused; and soon were distilled like dew, “and as small rain upon the tender herb, and as showers upon the grass." Among our children and youth, the work of Grace spread with the greatest rapidity. Numbers from eight years old and upward were deeply convinced of their guilt and ruin by nature; and cried out in distress, "What shall we do to be saved?" It was affecting to hear those little creatures speak of the vanity and folly of their lives-talk of the wonders of redeeming love and singing "Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."

Their exhortations and prayers for their young companions were crowned with astonishing success. They appeared to be the favoured instruments in the hands of God, of awakening, convincing, and converting each other; and in their little assemblies, they would all be melted in tears, in telling what God had done for their souls.

The effusions of the Divine Spirit now became general, and extended to all classes of citizens. The holy flame spread from house to house, and from heart to heart, until whole families felt its sacred influence. Husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants, all saw their lost state by nature, and the necessity of a change. Under the awful load of their guilt, they cast themselves at the foot of the cross, and begged and cried for mercy. And there mercy reached them, and raised them up, to rejoice together in the salvation of the Gospel. Their houses now became houses for God; their sorrows were converted into joys; and their tears into songs of praise.

By this time, almost every part of the city became more or less the theatre of illustrious displays of Divine power and grace. All denominations of Christians shared in the transforming and animating influence. Our public assemblies on the Lord's day were crowded. Our private meetings, which were now held every evening in the week, were solemn, and silent as the grave. The hearts of our clergy were fired. The prayers of our Churches were fervent; and the public mind seemed awed down before the majesty of Divine Grace, which laid the proudest sinner low. Infidelity was abashed--stood astonished-and shut her mouth. Scarcely a whisper was heard against a work in which the Divine Hand was so manifest. It was the almighty Redeemer riding forth in the midst of us, in the triumphant chariot of his Gospel, conquering and to conquer.

As in all the works of God, and in all revivals of religion, there is a great variety; so there was here in the mode of divine operation. Convictions, generally, were pungent and short; and transitions from guilt and horror, often sudden and rapturous. While some were aroused by the terrors of the Law, others were allured by the Grace of the Gospel, while one was called with a still small voice, another trembled under the thunders of Jehovah.

Were it practicable, I could detail many encouraging and remarkable instances of conversion which fell under my own observation during the progress of the work.

I knew one little girl of twelve years of age, whose mind became deeply affected with a sense of her sins at the commencement of it, and so continued for several weeks without any relief. She uniformly returned from almost all the meetings, overwhelmed in tears, and seemed bordering on despair. She saw her other little companions snatched as brands from the burning; and heard them. admiring, with raptures of joy, the grace and glory of the Gospel. But she was left under hardness of heart, and looked up in impenitency of soul. At length, she lost sight of herself, and was overwhelmed with the boundless love of the Son of God, in dying for such guilty creatures. Eventually this love absorbed her whole soul, melted her into deep contrition for her sins, and brought her at the feet of Jesus. 66 "Now," she exclaimed, "I am happy in the love of the lovely Saviour. He has taken away the load of my weighty guilt, and brought me out of darkness into marvellous light. My soul rejoices in him; all things around me praise him; the world is new.'

Another instance, more remarkable still, was a young woman of about fifteen, whose distress for sin had been deep and affecting for several weeks, without obtaining any hope of pardoning mercy. At length, her whole life appeared unveiled to her view; and she seemed placed on the verge of destruction, with the torments of the damned spread before her, into which she felt she was just plunging. With her sins pressing her down, and the flaming gulf of eternal misery before her, she cried aloud for mercy, mercy, mercy, to her compassionate Saviour, or she must perish for ever. She cried until she lost the power of utterance, and then sat supported, trembling for about one hour, speechless, over the pit of destruction. At the close of this awful scene, which struck horror through the whole family, she suddenly burst out in raptures of joy and praise, that she had obtained deliverance. She was perfectly sensible, as she afterwards informed me, during the suspension of her bodily powers, and knew distinctly all that passed.

It was a sight of the Lord Jesus, she said, the almighty Saviour of sinners, that gave her instant relief. He was presented to her view in all his mediatorial glory, as able and willing to save to the uttermost; and her shuddering soul clasped him in the arms of faith, and he bore her away as a brand from the everlasting burning.

Her liberated tongue now broke out in unknown strains, and her transported soul seemed rather in heaven than on earth for several weeks, And she is now a joyful little Christian, with but few intervening clouds between her and her great deliverer-pressing on after him to the realms of immortal glory.

The only remaining instance which I shall mention, was a venerable father rising eighty years of age. He had been remarkable for his integrity and uprightness through the whole course of his life; and probably stood as high for his morality as any citizen in this country. But when he saw, by the illuminating influences of the Holy Spirit, that he had neglected his God, however honest he had been towards men; when he saw that he had loved and served the creature more than his Creator; when the sins of his heart as well as his life were unveiled to his view; he was disrobed of all his righteousness, and sunk into anguish and despair. Oh, it was then his God whom he had dishonoured! his great, his gracious, his good God, who had fed and clothed him all his life long, whom he had insulted. It was his condescending, bleeding, dying Saviour, whom he had slighted. He was an old sinner, just on the verge of time, ready to launch into eternity; there was therefore no hope for him. Such was the

language of his horror and guilt, accompanied with groans of tormenting despair, which continued for several weeks. The sympathy and tears of his friends could not comfort him. The prayers of the ministers of religion and of the Church, could not deliver him. The encouragements and promises of the Gospel, were not for him. He had slighted the everlasting joys of heaven; and hell seemed yawning for his eternal fall. He was, reader, one of the most affecting monuments of distressing guilt; whose streaming eyes, and wringing hands, and groaning heart, would have stung thine inmost soul. A venerable and affectionate father, dear to a large and respectable family, and esteemed and beloved by all-tottering on the verge of time, and all before him a dreadful eternity! In this hour of sad extremity, when every heart ached, and our united cries ascended to the throne of God for his interposing mercy, the God of mercy came down for his deliverance!

He plucked him as a brand from the burning--led him to the Ark of safety, the Lord Jesus Christ-and enabled him to put his trust in him for salvation. Now his despairing grief was assuaged, his flowing tears were dry, and his sighs and groans were converted into praises. His trembling hands were raised to the heavens, and his faltering tongue shouted aloud for joy. And we all joined in thanksgiving and praise to almighty God, for such wondrous love, such boundless grace, such astonishing mercy.

But he was too rich a treasure to be left long on earth. His grateful and overflowing soul soon matured for heaven. Having had an opportunity of publicly dedicating himself to God, and obeying the dying command of his redeeming Lord, whom he felt bound to serve, and holding communion with his people, he was laid, in the course of a few weeks, on a bed of illness. There he languished for about ten days, under excruciating distress, with all the composure of a child of God, and with brightening prospects for the realms of glory.

When his dissolution drew nigh, in the full possession of all the powers of his mind, he called his beloved wife and numerous train of children and grand children around him, and gave them his patriarchal benediction. Having bid them all an affectionate farewell, and commended them to his heavenly Father by fervent prayer and supplication, like the good old Patriarch Jacob, he gathered himself up in the bed and expired, with the full prospect of a joyful transition to fairer and brighter worlds on high. Oh, Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!"

From these interesting private occurrences, which took place during the triumph of Divine Grace in the midst of us, you will permit me to lead you to one of the most public joyful scenes which were displayed. It was on the 1st Sabbath in May last, the first Communion of the Presbyterian Church, after the revival commenced. The day was fine, and a large congregation, of perhaps fifteen hundred or two thousand people, crowded the house. The services were appropriate; the attention was profound; all was solemn. When the morning exercises were closed, about one hundred persons came out from the congregation, approached the desk, and arranged themselves in columns before it. In these ranks of grace were found husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants. All descriptions of characters, high and low, rich and poor, bond and free, here met together; all monuments of the same rich and sovereign Grace. From the lisping child of ten years old, to the venerable patriarch of eighty-two, with a large proportion of our finest youth, com, posed this rare assemblage of ransomed souls.

Thus arranged, they made a public profession of their faith, and solemnly entered into covenant with the Lord their God-to be his now, and his for ever. After which about thirty of them were baptized in the

name of the Sacred Trinity, and the whole sat down together at the table of their glorious Lord, and commemorated his dying love.

The whole Church, which now conststs of between three and four hundred members, followed at different tables in succession until they had all communed with their exalted Head. They joined in the general joy of the wondrous triumphs of redeeeming love, and sealed their engagement to be the Lord's.

It was remarked by some who were present, that never before had they seen and felt so much of heaven on earth. All was serious and solemn. Nearly two thousand people gazing on the wonders of redeeming love; and almost one fourth of that number feasting at the table of mercy, admiring and adoring the condescending God who had rescued them by his precious blood from everlasting ruin.

Surely the Lord was in this place: for the Divine Glory seemed to awe down our Spirits, and fill our souls. It was to us the house of God; it was the gate of heaven.

In the afternoon the parents brought forward their children, and dedi cated their households as well as themselves to God, according to his divine command; and about fifty children were initiated into his kingdom, by the holy ordinance of Baptism.

"O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

وو

From that period to the present, the work of Divine Grace has more gradually progressed. I am not in possession of the exact number which have been added to the various Churches; but I presume it is fair to calculate, that between three and four hundred persons have been made the hopeful subjects of Divine Grace, and have connected themselves with one or the other denominations of Christians among us.

This is a rich harvest of immortal souls, and demands our highest gratitude and praise. It has had the most happy effect in meliorating the state of society; in abashing immorality and vice; in cementing us together in the bonds of unity and love; and in combining our exertions in promoting the glorious kingdom of our exalted Lord.

A generation is growing up in the midst of us to serve him, who are the hope of the Church and the world. They may be instrumental in transmitting this fair inheritance to future generations, when we are gone off the stage. It may reach to thousands unborn; and its final result can only be measured by the immensity of eternity.

"God's

"This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes!" Nor is Divine influence, as yet, entirely removed from us. arm is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither is his ear heavy that it cannot hear!" One is awakened here, and another there, to the interesting concerns of eternity; and encouraging additions are still made to the

Churches.

We rejoice to state that what has been done here, as great as it is for one little city, is but a small specimen of the great goodness of God throughout our land. We have marked the triumphs of the Prince of Peace in many other parts of our favoured country; and have united our humble gratitude with the general burst of thanksgiving and praise.

We hail the dawn of the rising glory of the Church universal. The mighty efforts of the whole Christian world presage the approach of her happier days. May her millennial period be speedily ushered in, and the light of the knowledge of the glory of God shining in the face of Immanuel, shed its effulgence over all the benighted nations of the earth, until the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ. Amen. AN OBSERVER.

Troy, Sept. 25, 1816.