Every benevo

your substance for their spiritual benefit? lent feeling of your heart answers, Yes. Show them how much you commiserate their pitiable state. Home Missionary Societies or their Auxiliaries, will gladly receive your aid. These have afforded much assistance to a large number of feeble churches and societies in New England, and in the Middle, Southern and Western States. Though they have not extended their operations so far as they have desired, they have, nevertheless, done much to strengthen the hands and encourage the hearts of the desponding and enfeebled; much to revive and raise up languishing and decaying churches and societies. They have been instrumental in some cases, of establishing permanently the gospel ministry; and in others, of promoting revivals of religion, and thus turning many from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. Through the instrumentality also of Home Missions, the gospel has been preached in the new settlements, a large number of churches have been planted, and much good has been effected. To the different societies sustaining the cause of Home Missions, feeble churches are looking for aid with deep anxiety. And shall they look in vain? No, beloved in the Lord, they must not. While we would not in the least diminish the contributions to the Bible, Education, Foreign Missionary, Tract and other benevolent societies, but wish the charities in these channels increased a hundred fold; we would beg most importunely on behalf of Domestic Missions. We would listen to, and obey the call of these decayed and decaying churches and waste places, "Come over and help us." We would till these uncultivated fields. We would impart unto these, our famishing brethren, the bread of life. Say, ye who are bought by the blood of Immanuel, what will you do to raise up these foundations of many generations. I call upon you, not only as Christians, but also as men, as philanthropists, as

patriots; what will you contribute? "Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over." "Give not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver." Give in view of the woes and wants of perishing millions. God will witness, Christ will witness, angels will witness your sacred offerings. Does any one say, The times with me are hard? Admit the fact, and then let the Apostle speak. He says, addressing the church at Corinth, "Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God, bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; how that in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy, and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves; praying us with much entreaty, that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints." Can the disciples of Christ in the present day, do better than to follow the example of the primitive Christians? God grant that the blessing of him, that was ready to perish, may come upon you. 'O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock, look down from heaven and behold, and visit these languishing vines, ere they die.'

Appendix E,

DISSERTATION VI.

SUPPLY OF MINISTERS.

"BEHOLD! the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord." This passage of Scripture had special reference to the Jews, in whom it has been fully accomplished. It is true, however, that there is a famine of hearing the words of the Lord in the present day. The destitution of Christian instructors is deplorably great. "The harvest truly is plenteous," a whole world is to be gathered in -"but the laborers are few"-in comparison with the abundant work of God's vineyard-very few. To supply Pagans, Mohammedans, and Jews, also the Greek and Latin churches with proper Christian instructors, would require at least seven hundred thousand. This assertion is made upon the ratio of furnishing one minister to every thousand souls. Even among Protestants, there is a great deficiency of competent religious teachers. Passing over Protestant Europe, which, according to authentic documents, is far from being fully supplied, we will take a general view of the deficiency of Christian ministers in the United States,

In this country, there are now fifteen millions of people. Allowing one minister to a thousand inhabitants, (which is no more than a suitable proportion, and ninety years ago, there were as many as one liberally educated minister to every six hundred souls in New England,) it would take fifteen thousand ministers to supply the country. But, according to the most accurate calculation, it appears, that the number of efficient ministers in the United States, of all denominations, is only eight or nine thousand; and a considerable proportion of these, no evangelical Christian would consider as properly qualified to instruct. The Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Episcopalians, and Baptists, have between eight and nine thousand churches; and yet only between five and six thousand ministers. Three or four thousand are required to supply with settled pastors the destitute churches, connected with these different denominations. Though there may be a number of worthy, excellent, and, in a few instances, superior ministers of the gospel unsettled, who are able to supply some of these churches, and who, probably, will ultimately be settled, yet the deficiency of such ministers is alarming. There are no data before the public, by which to determine very accurately the destitution of ministers in the Methodist denomination; but from the fact, that one preacher is obliged to supply two, three, and sometimes four societies, it would seem, that there is a deficiency of ministers in that denomination. It ought to be considered, too, that the ministers are not scattered over the country in equal proportion, but quite the reverse. Even in New England, which is much the best supplied, there is still a great deficiency. In this section of our country, there is a great demand for able, faithful, and evangelical pastors. To this fact the destitute churches, and the different Home Missionary Societies can fully attest. But the destitution of ministers in New England is small, compared with that

in the Middle, Southern and Western States. The late Rev. Dr. Rice, of the Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, observed a few years since, (and the state of things cannot as yet be materially altered,) "I have heard a gentleman, whose word is as good as his oath, say, that in one district of our country, compact, rich, and populous, there were sixty thousand people, connected with no religious denomination whatever." Four years ago the following destitutions existed, and no very great improvement has probably taken place since. The single State of Ohio then contained a million of people, onethird as many as the whole United States contained at the time of the Revolutionary war; yet all the efficient ministers of the different Christian denominations in the State, were but about four hundred. There was, then, a deficiency, allowing one minister to a thousand souls, of six hundred ministers in that State alone, and a destitute population of six hundred thousand. There were twelve counties adjoining the State of Ohio, in which there was not a single settled Presbyterian or Congregational minister; and in the south-western part of the State of Indiana, there were eight counties, containing about fifty thousand inhabitants, in which there was but one. In Virginia and North Carolina, there were one hundred and seventy-one counties, of which one hundred and fourteen had no settled minister of these denominations. From Baton Rouge to New Orleans, in the State of Louisiana, the distance of one hundred and twenty miles, and the most populous part of the State, too, it is believed that the first sermon ever preached on the Sabbath in the English language, was preached within the last seven years. The Rev. Dr. Miller, in a lecture to the students of the Theological Seminary at Princeton, New Jersey, says, "Taking into view the missionary as well as the pastoral service, it is, probably, safe to affirm, that if we had a thousand able,