Go,............PREACH the GOSPEL............Mark xvi. 15.
How shall they PREACH except they be SENT?....Rom. x. 15.

VOL. IV.

MAY 1, 1831.

NO. 1.

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

The "HOME MISSIONARY AND AMERICAN PASTOR'S JOURNAL," occupies a place among the Periodicals of our country, which was not provided for in the plan of any other publication. It is mostly devoted to religious intelligence, derived from the different and distant parts of the United States, and is concerned more especially in the promotion of the work of Home Missions, while the Monthly Concert article directs the heart of the reader to the lost of other nations, as well as to the destitute in our own country, and reminds him, that the great work in which we are engaged, is but a part of that greater enterprise, which seeks the salvation of the whole world. It may be read, therefore, with profit by every Christian, in whatever department of benevolent effort he may be more especially engaged.

This publication, however, owes its origin to the necessities and claims of the AMERICAN HOME MISSIONARY SOCIETY, and is designed to bring before the religious public, from month to month, the doings of this important institution. While, therefore, it may be recommended as a rich source of information to all such as desire to be guided in duty, by the signs of the times, it is especially valuable to those who appreciate most highly the object for which the society has been instituted. It is pleasing to reflect, how many such have hitherto expressed a deep interest in its perusal and its circulation. More than 4500 copies of the three preceding volumes have been circulated, and the list of subscribers is now larger than it has been at any previous time. The fourth volume, therefore, is commenced under encouragements, which, we think, will secure to it a still wider circulation, and a proportionate increase of usefulness. Again, it is but reasonable to expect, that as the operations of the society are constantly be coming more and more extended, and its labourers multiplied, especially in the frontier states and settlements, materials of greater variety and interest will be furnished, to enrich the pages of this periodical.

The present volume will be conducted on the same plan as the last, excepting that we shall hope to give still greater variety and interest to the article adapted to the "Monthly Concert of Prayer," by occasionally furnishing an address for that occasion, on the plan adopted in the first two volumes of our work.

The ordinary size of each monthly number, will be 24 pages, though it will occasionally vary as heretofore.

That department of the work denominated the "AMERICAN PASTOR'S JOURNAL," is interesting and instructive in its materials, as it is novel in its character. VOL. IV.

1

It has hitherto been regarded by many as the most valuable part of our publication. But, as the kingdom of Christ advances, and revivals of religion are multiplied, the field from which the matter of the "Journal" is selected, becomes richer in religious incident, and if the pastors of our churches, and others, who are qualified to select from the mass that falls within their observation, will be faithful to communicate whatever of religious experience may seem important to be preserved, we may hope hereafter to present our readers, with a still greater and richer variety of those "sketches of real characters, conversations, and striking facts," which, we are sure, have hitherto greatly enhanced the interest and usefulness of this publication.

RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE,

SELECTED FOR THE MONTHLY CONCERT OF PRAYER.

FOREIGN.

SANDWICH ISLANDS.-The following is from the joint communication recently received from the Missionaries, in the Island of Oahu.

Progress of Religion among the Natives.-Public preaching has been maintained here, pretty uniformly, three times a week, since the summer of 1822.

Our congregation in general has been large; for the last nine months averaging, on Sabbath morning, between 3,000 and 4,000; Sabbath afternoon, from 2,000 to 3,000; and on Wednesday evening, from 500 to 1,000. A large proportion of these are pretty constant hearers, residing in the village or town of Honoruru; but many are less constant hearers from neighbouring villages, and a considerable number are occasional hearers from all parts of the island, and strangers from other islands.

Prayer Meetings of Males.-Five years ago, Karaimoku and eight or ten other serious men were formed into a prayer meeting, to be conducted chiefly by themselves; that number has increased to 1,587, of whom 1,137 belong to the village and valley of Honoruru.

Female Prayer Meetings.-Four years ago, we recorded 700 females in Oahu as members of the female prayer meeting; that number has been gradually increasing, and now the number is 2,100, of whom 1,500 belong to Honoruru, and 600 to the other districts, who meet at their own places. This makes the aggregate 3,689 in Oahu alone, who are members of a weekly prayer meeting, the rules of which require, that no immoral person shall become a member, or, being known to be immoral, shall continue a member.

The female prayer meeting has been superiutended by the females of the mission, residing at this station, who have attended in rotation from its commencement. When the meeting became so large, that the house which they had built for their accommodation would not admit more than half, and when a female voice could not be heard by all, either in reading the scriptures, or in prayer, or conversation, the meeting was divided into 30 classes, and placed under 30 native female leaders.

Temperance and Inquirers' Meetings. Another association, under the direction of the brethren of the mission, is composed of the members of the church, and those who have manifested special seriousness, and a desire to profess their attachment to the word and service of God, and their hope and confidence in Christ. One of our number devotes half a day in a week to conversation, besides many occasional interesting interviews with them. These, about 600 in number, are emphatically the temperance society of Oahu. But its principal design is that of an inquiry meeting, and as such it often has new accessions. About 400 belong to Honoruru, and 200 to the other districts.

AMERICAN INDIANS.-The New-York Female Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, recently held their anniversary meeting, at which, Peter Jones, a converted Indian, and now one of their missionaries, was present, and made an address, of which the following is a sketch.

He arose, he said, to shake hands with his Christian sisters in his heart, and to shake hands in his heart with his Christian brothers too. He was rejoiced in his heart to know, that the white man and the white woman were engaged in doing good to the poor Indians; rejoiced in his heart to know that the Great Spirit was blessing their labours. Had it not been for such labours, he now, instead of speaking to them, would have been roaming, a benighted, drunken Indian, through the forests. Thanks to God, he was on this night permitted to rejoice with them, and had, with his Christian hearers, the same hope that after his body was laid in the grave, he should rise again. Where he lives, God had done great things. He had done much for the Indians of Canada, not to mention the Creeks, and the Cherokees, and other distant tribes.

He had been a witness of the degraded state of the Indian women. He had seen the load of misery under which they groaned; all the burdens were put upon them; they brought the wood, made the fires, carried the wigwam on their backs when moving from place to place, brought home the deer and the bears, which the hunters killed, roasted the meat, and were looked upon by the war. riors and hunters, as a much lower grade of beings than themselves, and invariably had to bear the most brutal treatment when their husbands were drunken, which was often for weeks together. But now what had God done! The Indian man now took the Indian woman by the hand like their white brethren, and she was now well treated and happy. He had often told his native sisters, to remember how much they owed to the gospel of Jesus.

He would relate one instance to his Christian sisters who were listening to him, of the conduct of a Huron woman, who knew nothing about religion, to show them what God had done for the Christian Indians, and from what great abominations they had been saved. He felt bad in his heart to tell the story. It happened last winter. This Huron woman, driven by desperate hunger, had killed and eaten up her own husband! and then to avoid death, which would have been the punishment of her crime, fled away to the Christian Indians at Lake Simcoe. She was a poor, frightened, miserable outcast. He had seen her sitting day after day on a log in the woods, sometimes in great fear 'hiding under it, and would from time to time poke up her head, as if looking to see if the avenger of blood was coming after her. The gospel, had it only been preached to the Hurons, would have saved her from so horrid a deed.

to say."

66

He exhorted his hearers to go on in their good enterprise, and God would bless them more and more. "I shake hands with you all. This is all I have Revival among the Indians.—A letter of December 26, 1830, from Rev. Evan Jones, Missionary at the Valley Towns, states, that at a church meeting the same morning, ten Cherokees gave a clear relation of the work of the Holy Spirit on their hearts, and were baptized.

UNITED STATES.

Revivals. The joyful tidings of the existence of revivals is now received from so many quarters, that it becomes quite impracticable to notice them all in detail, in our department of selections for the Monthly Concert. Jesus is riding forth in the chariot of his gospel, "conquering and," we believe, long "to conquer." In addition to the notices of literary institutions, which we published last month, as visited with the reviving influences of God's Spirit, we learn that in the Ohio University at Athens, a more than usual attention to religion is manifested by some of the students. Hamilton College, N. Y., is also

receiving the genial influences of this heavenly rain, and about twenty have been mentioned as indulging hope; while others are inquiring.

A member of Yale College writes to a friend as follows:-"The revival is still advancing in college, and with as much interest as at any former time. Within the last ten days, a number who had resisted the influences of truth and of the Spirit too, for a long time, have, as we trust, yielded their hearts to the Saviour. The work commenced principally in the senior class, and has been more powerful in that and the junior class, than in the two lower classes. In the junior class, there are about six or seven who do not give evidence of a change of heart. The number of such in college, I suppose does not vary much from 100, perhaps 8 or 10 over. The whole number in the academical department, is about 350. I do not know the precise number of those who hope that they have passed from death unto life, within a few weeks. Among them are many of the first scholars in their respective classes. Those who have, since the commencement of the revival, attended a ball, are now rejoicing in the Saviour. The junior ball is given up, and probably the senior will be. If Christians felt the force of that expression of the Saviour, according to your faith be it unto you,' the work would soon be accomplished in college.

"In regard to the work in the town-it has been so rapid and powerful, that it has filled us all with wonder, and we are almost literally standing still, and beholding the salvation of the Lord. It is in all parts of the city, and among all classes the rich as well as the poor, the learned and ignorant, the old and young, the moralist and profligate, all are more or less interested in it." (Of the four days meeting held the week previous, he says,)" It was a time of God's power, such as I never before witnessed. How many were converted during the meeting is known only to Him, who searcheth the heart, and whose Spirit evidently moved on the hearts of the multitudes."

Amherst College is now to be added to the number of favoured institutions; twelve in all. Six of the students are hoping; and more are deeply impressed. Boston.-We think we may now say, (says the Boston Recorder,) that a cloud of mercy is resting over this city, and that many souls have felt its reviving influence. Several churches have observed days of fasting and prayer, and others are doing the same. These and other meetings are full; and the number of inquirers is multiplied, with tokens of deeper anxiety, and clearer conviction of sin. We understand that the orthodox congregational, baptist, and methodist denominations, all share in the work.

Ware, Ms. We are now enjoying an extensive revival. Its commencement among professing Christians took place as early as the first of December last; and for about two months its influence appeared to be confined to the church. Many professors of religion had seasons of thorough searching of heart, and in some cases Christians had deep and pungent distress of mind. And there was during this time a gradual and very perceptible increase of fervour and spirituality in the church. About the first of February, there were a few cases of inquiry among impenitent sinners; and since that time, cases of conviction and hopeful conversion have been numerous. We never have had a season of more joyful interest. The revival has been remarkably still in its progress, and at the farthest remove from mere animal excitements. Scarce any addition has been made to the usual means of grace. The work has gone forward in such a way, as most effectually to show it to be the work of God; and there has been no time, when the prospect of a continuance and increase of the work were better than at the present moment.

In Rhode Island.-The Rhode Island S. S. Magazine, mentions the existence of a revival at the village of Albia, in that state, embracing perhaps about fifty subjects of conversion, with a greater number of inquirers. The writer adds the following:

"Among the factory population are some very striking instances of the power of grace, and the force of religious impressions. We hear from Warwick and