powerful advantage, and they will be an unfpeakable fecurity, fupport and comfort to you.

5. The Eftablishment of Schools for Children. This will require your early and unintermitted attention. By inftructing children, or rather youth, in the English language, the way will be prepared for preaching the gofpel hereafter with fuccefs, and there will be an opportunity of inftilling found principles, and gradually gaining them over to civilization and religion. Were no other prefent advantage to offer than this, the next generation might fee the most extenfive and beneficial effects. Wherever a fchool or fchools can be established, it will be the duty of the perfons employed to teach, diligently to attend to this business; and while the children are taught the most common branches of learning, to teach them the principles of the Chriftian religion, and to lead them, morning and evening, in prayer and finging praifes to God,

6. Obfervations on the language and cuftoms of the Indians; and on the profpects of making fettlements, and extending the gospel among them. Every thing which relates to the Indians, is an object not only of curiofity, but of real utility. By their language and cuftoms we are moft likely to arrive at their origin. A vocabulary of English words, prepared and already fent out by a Gentleman engaged in inquiries of this kind, will be put into your hands,, and you are defired to mark the Indian names for thefe things, that fo the number of languages and the different dialects may be afcertained. The Directors will make inquiry as to the affiftance which is to be expected from the tranflations which. have been made into fome Indian languages of parts of the holy fcriptures, and, if found ferviceable, means will be taken to fupply you with them.

On the fubject of obtaining land, and forming a fettlement among them, you are to be extremely cautious, as they discover jealoufy and oppofition. We advife that you do not folicit it, but wait for the propofal to come from them; and that you fhow them that you

are not actuated by ambition or avarice, and defire no farther footing or property among them than is neceffary in order to your ferving them in their most valuable interefts. In this delicate affair, and one which may be attended with fuch ferious confequences, we think it our duty to inftruct you, that no grant of land is to be accepted by any miffionary for his perfonal emolu ment; that if any offer be made by the Indians, it fhall be fent by you to the Directors of the Society, and accepted by them, if judged proper, for the general benefit of the miffion. Whenever a fettlement is formed, it will be your duty to attend, at proper feasons, to the cultivation of the land, and to the practice of mechanic arts, in order to benefit the Indians, and affift in your own maintenance. Implements will be given you by the Society for this purpose.

You are carefully to remark what profpects appear of propagating the gospel among the nation you firft vifit, and other nations around; what Miffionaries are needed and might be usefully employed; and what things are neceffary to give fuccefs and permanency to miffions. These, and every thing proper for the information of the Society, together with the copy of an exact journal which you must keep of all your proceedings, you are to tranfmit to the Secretary once every fix months, and oftener if occafion requires. We recommend that every perfon in the miffion keep a particular diary of his own; that you unreservedly communicate to one another every material occurrence; and that you appoint one of your number to arrange a general diary of the whole, a copy of which is to be tranfmitted, and to conduct your correfpondence.

Finally, be affured, our beloved brethren in the Lord, that nothing in our power shall be wanting to contribute to your fupport, your comfort, and your fuccefs. Do not faint, or be difcouraged under the difficulties with which you may have to ftruggle. Endure hardness as good foldiers of Jefus Chrift. Count not your lives dear unto your felves, fo that you might finish

your courfe with joy, and the miniftry which you have received of the Lord Jefus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. Your work is moft honourable." I had rather die a miffionary," faid one, "than live a monarch, for fuch stars must differ from all other fars in glory."* We commit you to the guidance and protection of God. We shall bear you continually in our minds to his throne of grace in our private devotions, and in the affemblies of his people. The faithful in every part of the world, daily offer up prayers in your behalf. Be encouraged, above all, by the promife of him to whom all power is given in heaven and in earth, and who hath faid, Lo, I am with you alway. May you be inftrumental in turning many of the heathen to righteoufnefs, who fhall be your hope, your joy, and your crown of rejoicing, in the prefence of our Lord Jefus Chrift, at his coming.

*The Rev. Edward Parsons, in his charge to the missionaries going to Africa.

A Charge to the Rev. Mr. Jofeph Bullen, firft Miffionary to the Indians, from the New-York Miffionary Society for propagating the Gofpel among the Heathen; delivered by Appointment of the Society, in the New Dutch Church, March 21, 1799. By John Rodgers, D. D. fenior Minifter of the United Prefbyterian Churches in the City of New-York, and Prefident of faid Society.

REVEREND AND DEAR BROTHER,

THE

HE character in which you stand before this affembly is highly important, and peculiarly interefting to all who regard the fouls of men, and the profperity of the Redeemer's kingdom.-You ftand here as the first meffenger employed by the New-York Miffionary Society, to carry the glad tidings of falvation to the heathen on our borders, who are perishing for lack of knowledge.

VOL. I. No. 1.

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You have the honour to be the firft in entering upori thofe labours which the liberality of our Chriftian brethren has enabled us to commence, and to which we hope others, provided by the great Lord of the harvest, will foon follow you. Every pious heart within these walls feels a tender intereft in your undertaking, and beats high with anxious hope for the refult of your miffion!

You are entering upon a new and untried scene of labour. Though you have been for fome years clothed with the honourable character of an ambaffador of Chrift, you cannot but be fenfible, that the field of minifterial exertion to which you are haftening, is widely different from that to which you have been hitherto accustomed. You are going to a region which the joyful found of the gofpel has never yet reachedto a howling wildernefs, where the arts of civilized life are almost unknown-to a people covered with the gloom of ignorance, fuperftition and barbarifm. You are about to take upon yourself the mighty task of claiming the good news of falvation through a crucified Saviour, to those who never heard of his name, and of carrying the light of the Sun of Righteousness to thofe who are fitting in the region and fhadow of death. Who can tell the confequences of this folemn undertaking! Who can calculate how deeply the glory of God-the intereft of the Redeemer's kingdom-and the falvation of millions yet unborn, may be involved in this miffion!

pro

Permit me, therefore, my dear brother, before we bid you adieu, permit me, with all plainnefs and affection, in the name of the Society to which you are engaged, to offer you a few words of parting council, and to commend you, by prayer, to the great Head of the Church.

And, in the firft place, Let me entreat you to maintain an holy jealoufy, and an unremitted watchfulness over your own heart. This is of the utmost importance, whether you regard your comfort or your useful

nefs. Irkfome indeed will the labours of the wildernefs be, unless you have grace in lively exercife-unlefs you are habitually animated by ardent love to Chrift, and by a tender concern for precious and immortal fouls. Nor can it be reasonably expected, that the duties of your miffion will be difcharged with fuch diligence and zeal, as to promife much fuccefs, unless you are careful to keep alive in your own breaft, a deep fenfe of the importance of the trust committed to you; and unless an holy ambition to advance your Mafter's kingdom, fire your bofom, and daily ftir up the energies of your foul. And here, let me remind you, dear Sir, that the circumftance of your being far removed from your brethren in the miniftry, and from the Christian fociety which you have hitherto enjoyed, will render peculiar attention to this point neceffary. You have been accustomed to the animating converfation, and the confoling intercourfe, of Chriftian friends: But in the dif tant region to which you are going, you will be in a great measure cut off from thefe fources of improvement and confolation. The moft you can expect from the objects of your miffion, will be the kindness of favage barbarifm, and occafional miniftrations to the wants of your body; you can expect to find no fpiritual helpers among them-no gracious heart that will anfwer to your own, as face anfwereth to face in a glass. In this fituation it will be your intereft and your duty to be more than ordinarily engaged in communing with God, and with your own heart-See that proper motives animate all your exertions, and direct all your labours -Guard equally against that felfifh ambition which may lead you aftray, and that criminal floth which will tempt you to fhrink from the toils of your important embafly. Make it your daily study to live near to God, and to endure as feeing him who is invifible. Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. Seck after a continual increase of that precious faith which raises the foul more and more above the vanities and the difficulties of this world-Study to grow in that holy love which