it gives distinctness to the conceptions. To the student of the Scriptures, it is indispensable. It causes his views of its doctrines, which are interwoven with facts and places, to be much more vivid and clear than otherwise they could be. And it is truly delightful to find this subject introduced to our Sabbath-schools, being at once an evidence of the advancing education of Sabbath-school scholars, and the diligence of their teachers. We trust the time is not distant, when Sacred Geography shall be introduced to all our Sabbath-schools. And Mr. Field has our most grateful acknowledgments for having presented it to them in a form so brief and simple, and, withal, so cheap, as to make it most suitable for such a place and purpose.

The ADVOCATE of MORAL REFORM. A monthly periodical, published at Belfast. Nos. I., II., III.

WE Congratulate the public on the appearance of this new periodical. It was imperiously called for by the wide-spreading vice which it is intended to check. Licentiousness prevails to an excess truly-alarming; and if strong and active measures are not used to put it down, it threatens to turn society into a mass of moral corruption. It is reckoned that there are 500,000 prostitutes in Scotland and England; and of these, between 70 and 80,000 are in London alone. By information from the best medical authorities, the average duration of life in this awful career of wickedness is but four years. And thus are we led to the conclusion, that halfa million of the female sex are brought to eternal ruin every four years. How should a Christian community contemplate such a state of things. The Editor of the Advocate has acted his part well. The Ulster Female Penitentary owns him for a father. And he has now undertaken this additional labour. He deserves our warmest thanks and best encouragement. And we earnestly entreat him to persevere in his good work.

RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

ORDINATION.On, the 10th inst, the Presbytery of Clogher, ordained the Rev. James Reid Dill, to the pastoral charge of the congregation of Dromore. The services of the day were conducted by the Rev. Mr. Arnold, of Omagh; Rev. Mr. Henderson, of Auchnacloy; Rev. Samuel Dill, of Donoughmore; and Rev. Mr. Hanna, of Clogher.

INSTALLATION. On Wednesday, the 11th inst. the Rev. John Knox Leslie, who had previously been ordained the Synod's Missionary to the South and West of Ireland, was installed as Pastor of the second Presbyterian Congregation of Cookstown. The services of the day were conducted by the Rev. John M'Gowan, the Rev. Robert Park, and the Rev. J. Denham.

THE SCOTTISH AND LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETIES.

THE Secretaries of these Societies beg to inform such as collect for their funds, and ministers who take collections for them from their congregations, that they may obtain Missionary papers, by inquiring for them at Mr. M'COMB's, No. 1, High-Street; or at Mr. REA's, Waring-Street.

THE

ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN.

No. LXXV.

DECEMBER, 1835. VOL. VII.

REFLECTIONS ON THE DEATH OF THE REV. THOMAS LESLIE, LATE MISSIONARY AT JAMAICA.

"The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart."-Is. lvii. 1.

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(THE SUBSTANCE OF A SERMON BY THE REV. JAMES MORGAN.) How just is the complaint of the prophet! Viewing it exclusively with reference to our own times, how many of the excellent of the earth have been called away, and yet how small the impression that has been made on the public mind. The faithful and uncompromising Thomson, the elegant Hall, the profound and erudite M'Crie, the sweet persuasive Belfrage, have been summoned away, by death, in close and rapid succession. It might have been thought, that, by the recurrence of such solemn events, society would have been arrested in its course, and men would have paused to think and inquire. But, no! all things go on as before, and we are left to bewail, with the prophet, "the righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart."

It is implied, in this complaint, that it is the duty of men seriously to consider the death of the righteous; and since a righteous man has fallen, in our respected and beloved brother, Thomas Leslie, we invite our readers to meditate with us, for a little, on the mysterious event. Of the many aspects in which it presents itself, we may consider the following:-that it was a dispensation of mercy towards himself in particular-that it was a judgment upon others-that it is a trial of faith to the church--a lesson of dependance, and a seasonable warning to candidates for the Missionary field.

I. The death of our friend may be viewed as a dispensation of mercy towards himself. "Merciful men," saith the prophet, "are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace; shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.' With respect to our brother, there are two considerations which

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enhance the mercy of the dispensation-the probable state of his mind at the time of his death, and the many distresses from which his early removal saved him.

It is reasonable to think his mind would be in a frame peculiarly favourable. He had resigned an important and respectable station at home, in which he was beloved and happy ; he had devoted himself to the arduous work of the ministry among the heathen; aud he had just entered on the field of labour. At such a time, the graces of the spirit would be likely to be in lively exercise in his soul. He would be animated by zeal for the honour of Christ, self denial for his sake, and love for the souls of men. And just as these filled his heart, and his spirit was ripe for heaven, the messenger of death beckoned him away. It is true, there is a sense in which the frame of the mind does not constitute preparation for heaven. That consists in union with Christ. "There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." Being in Him, they are ever safe, whether asleep or awake, happy or unhappy. Yet there is an important sense, in which the frame of the mind is a necessary preparation for heaven. There must be, in general, a conformity between the soul and heaven, and the greater that conformity, the more ripe the soul is for heaven. We are, therefore, commanded," let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning, and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord." We should not be satisfied merely with being in a state of grace, we should be careful to have the graces in lively exercise; and whatever presumption we have that it was so with our friend, so far is there evidence that his death was a dispensation of mercy toward himself.

To this consideration we must add his deliverance from many troubles. We are far from thinking the Missionary life is an unhappy one. Its trials are many, but its promises are gracious. "There is no man, that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the Gospel's, but he shall receive an hundred fold now in this time, and in the world to come eternal life." At the same time, the promise, large and free as it is, does not exempt from trials. Our brother must have reckoned upon many. How many in his own person-prosecuting a laborious profession under an enervating climate; in his family-suffering the deprivation of many comforts they would have enjoyed at home; in his church-the sins of ungodly members, the falls of hypocrites, and the inconsistencies of sincere professors; and in the Mission generally, its hindrances and difficulties, and failures. He

could not but have anticipated a life of toil and trouble. But his heavenly Father cut it short. "His sun went down while it was yet day." The work was, indeed, in his heart, but he was not permitted to execute it, like David with the erection of the temple, in old time. He was saved the toil; but, inasmuch as it was in his heart, he should enjoy the reward. Surely, then, mysterious and painful as his death might be, we cannot but regard it, to the praise of the glory of the grace of God, as a dispensation of mercy toward himself.

II. It was a judgment upon others. What an affliction to his family! A young widow, with an infant child, left in a land of strangers, sickness, and death, bereaved of an affectionate husband and a tender father. What a loss to the Mission! Our friend was admirably calculated to promote its interests. He possessed a cultivated mind and a good understanding. There was in him nothing striking or startling; but his mind was well balanced, carefully formed, and under entire controul. A sound mind was his prominent characteristic, the very qualification most essential to the well-being of the Mission. And what a deprivation, in his death, to the society of the Island! A few such men would soon give it a new tone. They are the salt of the earth any where, but how much to be desired in such a society as that of Jamaica. Truly, while the Lord filled a cup of mercy for him, in his death, it was that of judgment to others.

And now are we permitted to inquire into the reasons of this judgment? It is delicate ground, and we must tread with caution, uttering nothing in the spirit of dogmatism, yet asking, with Job, "wherefore doth the Lord contend with us?" Among other reasons, we suggest the following: The death of our brother may be regarded as a judgment on the unfaithfulness of the church from which he went out. When the overwhelming intelligence was announced, this was the first thought that rushed into our mind. He was the first Missionary to the heathen from his native church. That church has been planted in the land upwards of two hundred years-is rich, large, and prosperous-yet had it never furnished one Missionary before. Now, the very design of erecting a church, next to the edification of its members, is to extend its principles, and carry the truth through the world. Yet here is the anomalous fact of a church, reckoning towards a million of people, and, in the space of two hundred years, never yielding a Missionary. How must its great King and head regard such a state of things? At length one arose, who said, “send

me." He was sent, and even he not by his own church: he entered the field; but no sooner had he introduced his sickle, than the Lord of the harvest called him away, to impress the church from which he went with a sense of its unfaithfulness and neglect. The child of David died, to make him feel his sin; and the church has been deprived of this honoured son, to teach it how guilty it has been.

Another cause of this visitation may have been, the spirit of worldly exultation that is apt to arise, on the departure of a Missionary to the heathen. The church from which he goes is proud of it. He may be the humblest man, but others exult in his self denial. What a contrast between the feelings entertained toward a merchant and a Missionary, on their departure to a distant land. The merchant goes to prosecute his worldly interests; it is understood that his prospects are good; the world count him a fortunate man, and many would rejoice to have the privilege of embarking with him, while none imagine that he submits to any hardship. But let the departure of a Missionary be announced, and all society is moved. The man is gazetted, and lauded, and flattered, until he is in danger of thinking himself an object of adoration. What selfdenial! is the cry all around. Oh! how hateful must such conduct be in the estimation of Jesus Christ. Shall merchandize have attractions so far beyond the salvation of souls? Will a man of the world submit to any thing, for the purpose of amassing wealth, while society must ring again with acclamations, if a minister of Christ proposes to set out as a Missionary in quest of the souls of men. What did an Apostle think of traversing the most inhospitable climes? Shame on the heartless churches of the day. May a better spirit soon animate them. We do not, indeed, pronounce how far the spirit we condemn may have prevailed upon the departure of our brother; but we know it is common, and, so far as it existed, may it be alleged as one reason for the righteous judgment of God, in his removal.

Nor should we omit to notice, that it may have been caused by the want of prayer for him. It deserves to be remarked, how much the Apostle reckoned on the prayers of the churches for him. See 2 Cor. I. 8-11, where he traces to this instrumentality his prosperous journies and preserved health, and spared life. But how little is this felt among us. True, when a Missionary is about to part, we assemble and pray with him, and dismiss him in the name of the Lord. Perhaps we remember him while he traverses the dangerous deep,