not, the Society will soon be obliged to drop a part of its designation. It will become only a British Bible Society, for in consequence of the reduction in the prices of a certain class of books, the whole amount of its free money will very likely be exhausted in supplying our own country and the colonies with the cheap Bibles and Testaments. How then will its Foreign operations be carried on, and what will the Missionaries do? How are they to supply their converts with the Word of God? and how are they to educate the children of their schools in the knowledge of the Scriptures of truth? Hitherto the Bible Society has supplied them, but it will be compelled to withdraw its aid, unless the Christian public will promptly and vigorously support it." Our space is so limited, that we are prevented from saying much that we wished to have said, but we hope that all the friends of the London City Mission will do their utmost to help the Bible Society in its present circumstances, and to make it an increasing blessing to Great Britain and the world.

X

EXTRACTS FROM THE MONTHLY REPORTS OF THE
MISSIONARIES.

A VISIT TO A UNITARIAN.

In this house I had a long conversation with a man who is an Unitarian (if he is anything). Among other remarks he made, were the following: He pitied the Christian world for their ignorance and superstition, in supposing that the wrath of God could only be appeased with blood, and that too the blood of an innocent person; he thought it a grovelling idea. The doctrine of atonement was not to be found in the Bible, and was only taught by narrowminded men. He then inquired if I had ever heard Mr. Fox preach, or read any of the productions of Channing, the American writer? I told him I had heard Mr. Fox lecture many times, and thought him a very clever, though a very mistaken, man: that I had also read some of the productions of Mr. Channing with much pleasure, and I hoped also with some profit, especially his popular tract on self-culture; but I had also read my Bible, and my astonishment equalled his in seeing men with common sense read that book, without immediately discovering the doctrine of atonement; that to me the arguments used in opposition to the atonement, resembled the arguments of some special pleader, rather than the sober, humble inquiry of a guilty sinner, after reconciliation with an offended God. I then read the fifty-third of Isaiah, and the twenty-seventh of Matthew, and asked him what it could mean, if we attached any meaning to language at all? I inquired if he had ever read any portion of the ceremonial law, and the apostle's plain and decided statement in the Epistle to the Hebrews, "Without shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin ?" and I reminded him of the last

ascription of praise to Christ in the Revelations, viz., to the Lamb in the midst of the throne. I found the man very ignorant of his Bible, and advised him to imitate the noble conduct of the Bereans, who searched the Scriptures daily. I have called several times since this interview, and the man has received me very kindly; and I have much pleasure in observing, that he has read his Bible more frequently than formerly.

WESTMINSTER ASYLUM.

About three weeks since, the matron of this institution informed me that she had reason to hope that the visits to the Asylum had been blessed by God to two of the inmates, and she wished me to see and converse with them; she had noticed the change about three months, but thought it prudent not to mention the circumstance before, choosing rather to observe their conduct than pay any attention to a profession of religion from such a class of character too hastily, without seeing its fruits. On the following morning I called, and conversed with them separately, and the following is the substance of that conversation :-The first, a girl about seventeen years of age, told me that about three months ago, she heard me give an exposition of the words, "If one man sin against another, the Judge shall judge him; but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him?” "And I remember," said she, "you then told us what a dreadful thing sin was; that if a man cast a stone at another, it was called a case of assault, but if the same stone was cast by the same hand at the Queen, it was high treason; that God was not only infinitely great, but infinitely good; and that every sin we committed was an act of rebellion against the best of friends and the kindest of fathers. I cannot now tell you how I felt then when I remembered my sins, and how I determined to read my Bible, on my knees; how sorry I was I had neglected that book so long, it seems quite a different book to me now-especially when you told us that the Gospel furnished us with the ready and the only answer to the question, 'If a man sin against God, who shall entreat for him?' and I read the text you quoted from John, If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,' many times. Since that time, Sir, I have never gone to bed without prayer, nor began the day without it; and I often talk to my poor sisters in the establishment about their neverdying souls. I find my temper, which is very bad, often makes me very unhappy; but I pray against it, and hope God will enable me to overcome it, and give me grace, so that I may show by my actions what God has done for me." I am happy in stating that the matron has confirmed this statement, and says her temper is much improved of late, and that she has often observed her go from her work for a few moments, and retire up stairs to prayer; she is more willing and obedient than formerly, and always anxious for devotional exercises. She has a mother living, who is a praying

woman.

The other case is that of a young woman, nineteen years of age, who has had much conversation with the former, and whose statement varies very little from her companion's case, with this exception, that she was decidedly the subject of religious impressions before she heard me speak at the institution. She is a more intelligent girl than her companion, and much more familiar with religious conversation. I am happy to state the matron speaks well of her.

THE DEATH OF A YOUNG MAN.

The next case is that of a young man, twenty-four years of age, residing at No. I called to see him at the request of a brother Missionary, and found him in the last stage of a consumption. After a little conversation, I perceived but two things occupied his mind, viz., his own sins, and the salvation which is in Christ Jesus, I saw he was dying fast, he was almost past conversation, but the visit appeared to be very acceptable to him. I addressed his sister, who had nursed him with much tenderness during his illness, and who, with her husband, kneeled down to pray with me. They both entreated me to call again, which I did on the following morning early, he had been dead about five minutes. I then spoke to the weeping friends around his bed, and proposed prayer, to which they readily assented: the room was nearly filled with people.

A VISIT TO A JEWISH FAMILY.

By

As I came out of the house in which the young man had just died, I saw a coach at the door, with a young woman in it, apparently dying, a Jewess, about thirty years of age. I thought that, notwithstanding all the prejudices of this people, I might perhaps say something to her about her immortal soul; and, addressing myself to an aged Jew, who stood at the coach-door, her father, I observed, "that coachmen were rough nurses, and I was probably more accustomed to sick beds than either of them, if he would allow me I would help his daughter up stairs." The old man thanked me very politely, and I helped the invalid up stairs. this means I gained an opportunity of speaking to her. After she had recovered a little, I learned she had just returned from the hospital incurable, her complaint, an enlargement of the heart. "It is hard work to die," I observed. "It is indeed," she replied, "and serious work too: God help me, it is." "God will help you, if you pray to him; he helped your father Jacob, when he wrestled so successfully on the plains of Mamre. You are familiar with the account, I suppose ?" "Not so much as I ought to be." "You know what I mean by prayer, not the mere repetition of words. I have often been in your synagogues, and observed the men apparently very earnest in their devotions; but the moment that part of the ceremony ceases, they immediately converse about their gains with an ardour at least equal to their devotions, and I am afraid much more sincere." "Oh, I know it, said the dying woman; I

have seen it many times." "You cannot," I observed, "think this worship fit for the God of Abraham, who, although he asks for nothing more than the heart, will take nothing less." The father acquiesced in this sentiment. "You may not respect the person, but you must the sentiment, where the treasure is, there will the heart be also.' I asked the dying woman, if I should pray for her? "Yes," she replied, "if you please." I knelt down, as did also a sister who was in the room; but the father and mother did not kneel. After prayer, I asked "if I should call again?" to which she immediately replied, "Oh, do, do." The sister accompanied me down stairs, when she said, "You will call again and see my poor sister, won't you; you have promised, you know, and real Christians keep their word. I shall be glad to hear you read and pray again, for I have many doubts on my mind respecting the Nazarene.' I came away much impressed with this visit, and in the evening called again, when I found the sister had been inquiring for me several times of the woman who keeps the house. The moment she opened the door, she said, "Oh, Sir, I am glad you are come; you are wanted up stairs to pray with the Jewess." By degrees I introduced the "Son of David" into our conversation. The father spoke of the ancient privileges of his people, and the many promises God had given them of a return to happiness and independence, of the treatment they had met with from persons calling themselves Christians. I told him I was sorry to find that the terms Jew and vagabond were still but synonymous in many minds; but it was a part of the curse pronounced upon the nation for their rejection of the Messiah: they were to be a nation peeled and scattered-a proverb and a by-word; and though I believed that the period would arrive when they should again plant the olive on their native hills, and reap their corn in the valleys of their fathers, yet I still thought it would be with their reception of the testimony God had given of his Son. I alluded then to many prophecies respecting the Messiah, especially the fifty-third of Isaiah, -and to the expression of the Psalmist, "They pierced my hands and my feet," before such a punishment as crucifixion was known; and also the remarkable fact, that though they expected their deliverer from the tribe of Judah, yet they had entirely lost that tribe; the circumstance of the lawgiver departing from between his feet when the Shiloh came; in the Jews submitting to a Roman tax, &c. He said nothing in reply to this; and, at the dying woman's request, I knelt down to pray. After parting with her, the sister came down stairs and blessed me for calling. "What a providence," she observed, "it was that you should ever come to this house, and that my sister should that moment be at the door: do not cease to pray for her, for I am convinced that the religion of a Jewess will not take her to heaven." I inquired the cause of this departure from the faith of her fathers? She replied, it was reading and comparing the Old and New Testaments, and the want of that religion of the heart and the conscience I had spoke to her sister about on

my first visit. concerning them.

I continue to visit them, and shall again report

SANCTIFIED AFFLICTION.

I have visited Mrs.- who received the visits and instructions with great thankfulness; she has attended the meeting for reading and expounding the Scriptures and prayer for some time, and seems to have profited much. I read a portion of Scripture and engaged in prayer with her. On parting she said, that she would be glad if her husband would attend to family worship, and requested me to speak to him the first opportunity: this I promised to do. In a few weeks after he was confined to his room by sickness, when I visited him, read, conversed, and engaged in prayer; he listened with attention, and thanked me for the visit. On a subsequent occasion he said, "I can see now that I have been all in the wrong; what a great sinner I have been. It is good for me that I have been afflicted." I endeavoured to explain the plan of salvation to him, and exhorted him to trust the salvation of his soul to the finished work of Christ, at the same time I pointed out his duty in relation to his family. He listened with attention, and seemed very much impressed. Soon after he recovered from his illness, and has attended public worship on the Sabbath, and the prayer-meeting on Monday evening ever since. On a recent visit his wife informed me that he regularly maintains family worship, which is a very great comfort to her and a blessing to the children; she could not be thankful enough for what the Lord had done for her and her husband. He has lately engaged in prayer at the meetings, and seems very much inclined to make himself useful, and so far as I can learn, he has a walk and conversation becoming the Gospel of Christ.

YOUTHFUL DEPRAVITY.

lives at No. 1,

Mr. court; his wife died and left him with two girls, who have been sadly neglected. He has married again. The elder girl is fourteen years of age; she is a thief and guilty of many vices. A short time since she brought home an old man with her, while Mrs. was absent. She has been before the Committee of the Magdalene Society, who declared they had never met with such a girl before. The sister is only eleven years old, and has recently come home from the hospital, having been confined there three months with a loathsome disease. I am sorry to say Mr. is a very bad man, and Mrs. A similar scene presents itself at · children, reside at the top of the house, who prostitution.

woman.

a very ignorant Two girls, quite get a living by

HELP TO THE IGNORANT AND AFFLICTED.

When I entered upon my labours I found a poor woman residing

at No.

of the name of

She was very ignorant, and