PAM. MISC. THE EVANGELICAL MIIISTEESAND CHURCHES IN THE UNITED STATES, COOPEKATING WITH THE AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY. Dear Brethren —With the hope of securing your aid in advancing the great interests of the Redeemer’s kingdom, the Committee and officers of the American Tract Society beg leave to call your attention to their present efforts for supplying our own country, and as far as practicable, all the accessible unevangelized nations, with a pure, evangelical liter¬ ature. The importance of the Christian press was never more apparent than at the present day, and in our own country, in awakening the attention of the people to the great interests of eternity; in enlightening the mind, quickening the conscience, and educating the heart of the nation; and in counteracting the influence of infidelity, false religion, intemperance, Sabbath-breaking, licentiousness, and a corrupt press. Every Protestant has rejoiced in the glorious developments of the Christian press in the great Reformation. The Head of the church, as is clearly seen in D’Aubigne’s History, himself prepared the soil, and then committed the choice seed to his servant Luther. Luther gave wings to 2 TO THE EVANGELICAL the seeds of truth, and scattered them as in a moment over the whole field of the church. The reformer had hardly nailed his theses—his refuta¬ tions of popery—to the door of the Wittemburg church, when the feeble taps of his hammer produced a thunder-clap, which shook the very foun¬ dations of proud Rome. For, by the mighty power of the press and a thousand Christian hands, those writings flew with the rapidity of light¬ ning. “ In a fortnight they were in every part of Germany, and in four weeks they had traversed near the whole of Christendom, as if angels, instead of men, had been their bearers.” Here do we not see one of the grand secrets of that Reformation which emancipated the world, in a good measure, from the midnight of a thou¬ sand years ? There was but a little band of the reformers to preach the great doctrines of the Reformation ; but holding in their hands the press, which perhaps imparts greater moral power to the church than the ancient gift of tongues, they could give rapid diffusion to Christian light and know¬ ledge, and carry the Gospel to millions who could never hear the voice of the living preacher. It is the high privilege of the American Tract Society to employ this mighty agency in endeavoring to scatter over our whole land, and, as far as possible, amongst all nations, the leaves of the tree of life. The thought cannot be too deeply impressed upon every friend of this cause, that the publications circulated by the Society are of a very high character —the choicest productions of Baxter and Bunyan, Doddridge and Venn, Fuller and Legh Richmond, of the old world; and Edwards and Payson, Nelson and Nevins, of our own country—men of different evangelical denominations, of powerful minds and devoted piety, whose writings have enlightened and blessed the world, and will be read, and revered, and loved, down to the end of time. Nor are the smaller Tracis, issued by the Society, less valuable, less ably written, or less adapted to do good, than the more permanent volumes; affording, in every form of interest and variety of illustration, the richest instruction to the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the parent and the child, the pastor and his flock; and while many of them are so short that they may be read in mo¬ ments of leisure, and by many not accustomed to read larger w'orks, it is the design of the Society that no Tract shall go forth wliich does not contain enough of practical Gospel truth to lead the sinner to Christ, if he should never have another warning. A characteristic excellence of these works, of paramount importance, is, that they contain the great distinguishing principles of evangelical truth, free from denominational peculiarities—those principles which con¬ stitute our common Christianity—in which good men of different names MINISTERS AND CHURCHES. 3 agroc, and which arc adapted to convert and sanctify the soul. The Society liavins: a Publishiiiij Committee of different denominations to select and publish such works, the deliglitful fact has been fully demonstra¬ ted, by more tlian twenty years’ experience of this Institution, that Chris¬ tians of ditferent names are one—one in feeling—one in aim—one in effort, in advancing the great interests of Christ’s kingdom ; and that they need only to come together to labor for God and the salvation of men, in order to draw forth the world’s reluctant commendation, ‘‘See how these breth¬ ren love one another.” The Society sustaining this truly catholic char¬ acter, its officers, agents, colporteurs, and supporters, are connected with thirteen different denominations; and the excellence of its publications, the neatness of their dress, and the benevolence of the object—giving to the poor, and selling to others at prices so low that the total sales yield no profit to the treasury—have together contributed to secure their circula¬ tion in every part of our American community. The Society have already issued more than one hundred millions of books and Tracts—of Alleine’s Alarm, 120,000 copies; Baxter’s Saints’ Rest, and Doddridge’s Rise and Progress of Religion, each 100,000 ; of Baxter’s Call to the Unconverted, 250,000; and in some efforts of late to supply our large cities, 10,000 volumes were circulated in Boston, 10,000 in Charleston, S. C., 17,000 in Philadelphia and vicinity; and in other cities and large towns of the United States, they have been circu¬ lated on a somewhat similar scale—showing the estimation in which these works are held by those who are qualified to judge of their real excel¬ lence. While the world is full of books nominally religious, and often of doubtful or dangerous character, is it not a matter of great importance that the Christian community can feel assured, that wherever they see a book published by the American Tract Society, that work has passed the revision of a judicious Committee, and is worthy of all confidence ? When it is remembered that God has been pleased to place the seal of his special approbation upon these works, and that some of them have evidently been the means of the conversion of hundreds of souls, who can estimate the amount of good done by this Society in the circulation of a hundred millions of publications—all breathing the spirit of civil and religious liberty ; all inculcating the purest morality; and all enforcing the great doctrines and principles of evangelical religion ? The extent and increasing importance of this work will be seen in the fact that, from small beginnings in 1825, the Society’s operations have gradually increased, till, in the last year, its receipts for books sold and donations, were more than $160,000; more than half a million of books 4 TO THE EVANGELICAL and five millions of Tracts v/ere circulated ; and 267 colporteurs, includ¬ ing 44 students for vacations, were in commission, in 27 States, for the whole or part of the year—-37 of them among the German, French, Irish, and Norwegian population—who visited 215,000 families, or a twentieth part of our entire population. Nearly one-sixth of these families were found destitute of every religious book; not more than one-half were habitual attendants on public worship ; and more than 30,000 families were Roman Catholics or other errorists. Fifty-seven thousand books and 3,000,000 pages of Tracts were distributed gratuitously to the destitute. The total value of grants of publications, including the amount delivered to Life Members, was $24,000 ; besides which, more than $40,000 was expended for colportage, and $10,000 for foreign operations. Such has been the scale of operations for a year. The Society now has on its list more than 1,200 different publications, including about 200 volumes in the English and other modern languages, besides which more than 2,000 publications have been approved for circulation in foreign lands, in nearly one hun¬ dred different languages and dialects. To give more extensive and systematic distribution to these works, at home and abroad, the Society now has the cooperation of several hundred American missionaries, of different denominations, in the foreign field; a much larger number of domestic missionaries, each entitled to 5,000 pages of Tracts annually for the destitute ; and thousands of voluntary colporteurs, or Tract distributors, supplying monthly the families of our large cities and towns with these publications. Foreign Missionaries regard the Christian press as an indispensable auxiliary to the most successful prosecution of their labors; and not being able to reach hundreds of millions of the benighted heathen, with the living voice, they appeal to American Christians for a large supply of books and Tracts; and it has been the privilege of this Society, for several years past, to appropriate from $10,000 to $20,000 annually, in carrying on this great work in foreign lands; by means of which, tens of thousands of wretched idolaters are now permitted to read in their own tongues the wonderful works of God. “ In one tour up the Ira- waddy river,” says Rev. Mr. Kincaid, missionary in Burmah, “I was provided with near two millions of pages of Tracts; and we visited and distributed them in every town and almost every hamlet, from the mouth of that mighty river to the Himalaya mountains, a distance of more than 1,000 miles. In more than one thousand towns and villages we have been permitted to place some portion of the word of God, or a Tract pointing to the Saviour,” The fact, that China, with three hundred and sixty millions of inhabitants, has been of late thrown open, almost as MINISTERS AND CHURCHES. by miracle, for the Christian press, and tiic fact, tliat the Chinese are found to be a reading people, impose special obligations upon the Society to furnish a large supply of its publications for that as well as other im¬ portant and promising fields. With such openings for the Christian press in the heathen world, witli Christ’s command pressing upon us to carry the Gospel to every creature, how great will be the guilt of the church if she withholds that Gospel! Shall not the philanthropy which fed the famishing Irish, speed our efforts to carry the bread of life to these per- ishina; millions ? In securing a wider circulation of these publications in our own country, the Colporteur enterprise has been successfully entered upon; and hundreds of thousands of destitute families have been sought out, and have received with kindness and gratitude the warm-hearted, affectionate, and instructive visits of the colporteur—have read with interest and profit, in “ thoughts that breathe, and words that burn,” the truth that maketh wise unto salva¬ tion ; and hundreds and thousands, it is believed, by this humble instru¬ mentality, have been brought to Christ. This direct and systematic effort to carry the Gospel to the destitute— to every creature—-is peculiarly in accordance with the spirit of the gi’eat Divine Missionary, who came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance—came to seek and to save them that were lost; who declared himself the friend of publicans and sinners; whose special pleasure it is that the poor shall have the Gospel preached to them ; and whose solemn command is, that his servants shall go out into the highways and hedges, into the streets and lanes, and compel the famishing multitudes to come in to the Gospel feast. Nor is this effort to reach and bless the unevangelized, by the labors of devoted colporteurs, less in conformity with the spirit and practice of primitive Christians, who, at the persecution of Stephen, as a church—-as a body of believers—to the number, probably, of 10,000 or 12,000, went abroad everywhere preaching the word, not ofRcially, but with warm hearts telling the story of the cross, leading sinners to Christ, and exem¬ plifying, in their own persons, the blessedness and power of Christianity. Why should not every private modern as well as primitive Christian be a missionary, andybeZ hound to make direct and personal efforts in all the circles where they move, to guide men to the Saviour ? Can professors of religion, now, have primitive piety without primitive practice ? Can they have the spirit of Christ, without sympathy and cooperation with him in the great work of the world’s salvation—without going about, as he did, continually doing good ? Is there not a special demand for this kind of labor in the newly settled 6 TO THE EVANGELICAL portions of our country, where the population is sparse, composed of dif¬ ferent nations, languages, and religions; where the people are just strug¬ gling to erect their dwellings, school-houses, and churches; have very little united strength for the support of the Gospel ; are surrounded with seductive error and vice; and where tens of thousands of families are without the Bible, (500 families in a county being sometimes found with¬ out the Scriptures;) without the preaching of the Gospel; without the Sabbath and the day school; growing up in ignorance and vice; and who will inevitably perish unless speedily reached in some way by the Gospel ? In what way can they be reached more speedily, more econom¬ ically, more efficaciously, in the absence of the stated ministry, than by the colporteur system, carrying the messages of eternal life by the lips of the intelligent, judicious, and warm-hearted colporteur, to every dark corner and habitation, waking the attention of the people to the great con¬ cerns of the soul; instructing the ignorant, warning the wicked, bringing hope to the dying, counteracting the influences of infidelity and false religion, enkindling the desire, and preparing the way, for the settled min¬ istry ; and then stationing in every destitute dwelling such a preacher as Baxter or Bunyan, to preach from day to day, and from year to year, to the present generation and the next, and to deepen and follow up the im¬ pression which has been made by the personal appeal of the colporteur ? The character of the men emfoyed as colporteurs, as well as the adaptation of the work to the destitutions of our country, is such as to inspire confidence in the enterprise, and hope of its extensive usefulness. Adopting it as a first principle, that the success of the colporteur work must depend, under God, upon the character and qualifications of the men employed, the Society have taken great care in their selection, and have in general been successful, as they believe, in sending forth intelligent, judicious, pious, and efficient laborers—self-denying and laborious men— aiming to do good ; and who usually receive but $150 a year for their self-sacrificinff labors. o While the self-denial of these men will call forth the admiration of all, we trust the benevolence of some of them, who have contributed from their scanty support $50 at one time, to aid in the support of more colporteurs, will encourage many of the friends of the Society to go and do likewise. The Society feel great confidence in bespeaking, in behalf of such labor¬ ers, the warm-hearted sympathy, the earnest prayers, and the hearty Co- Operation of the friends of Christ. While many students from our col¬ leges and theological seminaries have engaged, for a season, in this work, it is worthy of special remark, that they have uniformly found this daily contact with the souls of men one of the most important means of grace, MINISTERS AND CHURCHES. 7 one of the best scliools of liunian nature, and one of the best prepara¬ tives for future usefulness. Another fact worthy of special notice, in the operations of this Society, at home and abroad, and especially in its colporteur department, is, that it becomes an auxiliary to all the other branches of benevolent effort. If there be any honor to which this Society, amongst the great sisterhood of benevolent institutions, aspires most ardently, it is that recommended by the Saviour : He that will be greatest, let him be the servant of all. It desires no higher privilege than to cooperate in every way to augment the usefulness of every laudable agency for doing good. And first of all, where there are pastors, the Society, its agents, and colporteurs, make it a special object to hold up the ministry before the people, as God’s special agency for the conversion of the world to Christ —an agency as indispensable in the moral world, as the sun and rains of heaven in the natural world. The grand aim is, to help the living min¬ istry ; and we believe that pastors and missionaries so regard this influ¬ ence. The Society’s agents and colporteurs are generally welcomed in the churches, both for the raising of funds and the distribution of its pub¬ lications ; and we believe that it is the prevailing conviction of pastors, that a better thing can hardly be done to render the members of their churches intelligent, warm-hearted, benevolent, and useful Christians, and to awaken a religious interest among the impenitent, than to have them cooperate with the devoted colporteur in supplying every household with those evangelical works, which, if prayerfully read, cannot fail deeply to impress the heart. The Domestic Missionary., also, who sometimes has a whole county, at the West or South, for his field of labor, and who feels the want of a more general diffusion of truth among the people, hails the colporteur as a most important helper in his work, and feels that he can greatly augment his own usefulness by having every house supplied with the word of life, and the standard works of this Society. Multitudes of missionaries, who have enjoyed but small advantages for study, and have but few books suitable for a minister’s library, have rejoiced to have these works brought to their doors, and have given abundant evidence that, by frequent com¬ munion with such men of God as Baxter, they have imbibed more large¬ ly his spirit, and learned more of the grand secret of his usefulness. The pastor and missionary, moreover, often see multitudes, in their respective fields, living in ignorance and error, and seldom or never visit¬ ing the house of God, whom they cannot reach, and who may be left to perish, unless reached by some other agency. If the pastor and mission¬ ary would bring beaten oil into the sanctuary, perform pastoral labor, 8 TO THE EVANGELICAL visit the sick and the dying, preside over the cause of education and be¬ nevolence, and attend ecclesiastical meetings; can they also be expected to look up and take care of all the ignorant and perishing beyond the limits of their own congregations, even if they have the zeal of mar¬ tyrs ? If, then, it shall no longer be said, by perishing multitudes, to the reproach of the church, “No man careth for our souls,” laymen must feel that they have an important agency to perform, in cooperation with the ministry, and colporteurs must be sent forth, in far greater numbers, into the highways and hedges with the Gospel message. Besides cooperating with the pastor and missionary, the colporteur has the privilege of aiding the Sunday-school cause, by occasionally or¬ ganizing and resuscitating Sabbath-schools, and furnishing them with ap¬ propriate books. He aids the Temperance cause, by occasional lectures on the subject, by establishing Temperance Societies, and by scattering thousands of the most powerful temperance appeals over the field which he occupies. The colporteur is permitted, also, frequently to aid the Bible cause, in carrying the word of life to the destitute, wherever no Auxil¬ iary Bible Society is now doing, or is about to do the work; and while he thus deposites the sacred volume in destitute households, he accompanies the heavenly gift with such an advocate and preacher as Baxter, Bunyan, or Nelson, to call up the attention of the people to its high claims; to explain its divine mysteries ; to ward off the cavils of infidelity; and to press its holy principles upon the conscience and the heart. The wide circulation of these publications by the colporteur, greatly aids and encourages the private Christian, in his personal efforts to do good : sometimes by furnishing him with a circulating library, to be lent through his neighborhood; sometimes by securing the monthly distribution of Tracts over the same field; and often by imparting to him such enlightened views of truth and duty, that he can cherish the Christian hope only as he finds himself engaged in advancing the great interests of Christ’s king¬ dom on the earth. An humble Christian in Western New York, some time since, procured Tracts and faithfully circulated them through his neighborhood, and soon had the happiness to see a religious interest awak¬ ened amongst the people—about sixty were hopefully converted, and, on uniting with the church, twenty ascribed their first religious impressions to the reading of those publications. The distribution of these works over our country exerts a permanent influence. Every-well-bound volume of standard character, and of ac¬ knowledged worth, may be considered as a kind of circulating and neigh¬ borhood preacher, visiting from house to house, often from one town to another; and not unfrequently will such preachers live to preach the MINISTERS AND CHURCHES. 9 Gospel with poM’cr and success for generations to come. Two such ven¬ erable preachers, wlio had evidently seen extensive and hard service, both in the old world and the new, were recently found in the great val¬ ley of the West, who had been inducted into the ministry by Luther him¬ self ; had fdled their high vocations for 300 years; and had preached to the men of nine generations. What Christian would not exult in the honor and privilege of planting such a preacher on the walls of Zion ? It is worthy of special remark, that the increase of intelligent piety in the church is greatly promoted by the extensive diffusion of these soul- inspiring works. Such an elevated, manly, and scriptural piety as char¬ acterized primitive Christians, and soon overspread the civilized world— such a piety is now the great desideratum in the churches—the main¬ spring which, under God, must give life, and power, and success to all the movements of Christian benevolence. Of numbers, learning, wealth, and general resources, we have enough amongst the two and a half million of Christians in this country, to say nothing of tlie millions in other lands, speedily to carry the Gospel over the earth, if all those Christians were but baptized with the spirit of Brainerd and of Martyn, of James B. Taylor and Harlan Page. And what means is more effectual in producing such a spirit in others, than bringing their minds and hearts directly in contact with these men of God, that they may feel the warm pulsations of their souls, drink largely of their spirit, learn the secret of their power and usefulness, and take hold by strong faith, as they did, of the hand that moves the world ? Such a spirit of identity with Christ and his cause, associated with the extended circulation of these works over our whole land, would hardly fail to be connected with those gracious outpourings of the Holy Spirit w'hich are the hope of the church, of our country, and the world. Sucli revivals of true religion have seldom been enjoyed beyond the reach of evangelical truth, and have been limited in their extent; while large por¬ tions of our land, being unsupplied with such truth, have been like the mountains of Gilboa, on which there was neither rain nor dew. Let evangelical truth but come into every dark corner and habitation of our land, in such works as Edwards on Revivals, and others of kindred char¬ acter, the circulation of which God has blessed in many revivals of re¬ ligion—let such works be everywhere diffused, and may we not hope that the Divine Spirit will make his own truth efficacious in producing such pure and glorious revivals as this nation has never yet seen ? Nor is the perpetuation of our lilerties unconnected with the diffusion of divine truth. The grand experiment of civil and religious liberty now going forward in America, it is well known, can never be conducted 10 TO THE EVANGELICAL to a successful issue, but by educating the heart, as well as the intellect, of the nation. We may boast of our national literature, of our bound¬ less resources, and our national prowess; but none of these can save us. Nothing short of the great principles of God’s government, as de¬ veloped in his word, and brought into contact with the conscience and the heart of the nation, can preserve us from that grovelling sensuality, that luxurious effeminacy, and that political corruption, which have been the ruin of all former republics. If this almost boundless country, with its vast resources, is capable of sustaining four hundred millions of in¬ habitants, equal to one half of the present population of the globe; and if, with our present ratio of increase, we are to have, by the close of the present century, one hundred millions of souls; if millions of our popu¬ lation are now without the Gospel; and if all our efforts for the intellect¬ ual and moral improvement of the people do not keep up with the increase of our population, who can estimate the importance of speedily filling our whole land with Christian light and knowledge ? And if our patri¬ otic forefathers cheerfully poured forth their treasure and blood like water, to achieve our liberties, shall not the sons of the patriots, inherit¬ ing the spirit of their noble ancestors, cheerfully contribute all the means which are requisite to make this nation wise and good, great and happy, and perpetuate our institutions to the latest posterity ? The great question of our national liberty is rendered the more in¬ tensely interesting at the present moment, and the necessity of employing the mightiest energies for the diffusion of Christian truth is rendered the more urgent, by the vast nunibers and rapid increase of our foreign popu¬ lation. Though many of our most intelligent, refined, and worthy citi¬ zens are from the old world, yet eveay one knows that this is by no means the general character of the foreign emigrants. While four millions of foreigners, now on our shores, are inviting their friends to come to this land “flowing with milk and honey,” no one can doubt but the tide of emigration will roll in upon us in a deeper and broader flood from year to year. And as we cannot shut the door upon them, and ought not if we could, is it not an enlightened and Christian policy, as well as duty, to open wide the arms of national friendship to receive them, so that we may gain their confidence, and exert an influence over them for good ? Re¬ membering that our fathers were foreigners, let us have a heart to feel for strangers, and instead of meeting them, as has too often been done, with coldness and distrust, let us meet them with the warm heart and the genuine benevolence of the Christian—invite them to evangelical churches, furnish them with Bibles and religious books, gather their children into the Sabbath-school, preach Christ and him crucified to them, and may MINISTERS AND CHURCHES. 11 we not confidently hope that the Gospel will become the power of God and the wisdom of God to tlieir salvation ? It has been diflicult, in former years, to exert a direct influence over emigrants, for want of a medium of communication. But, for the last few years. Providence has furnished this Society with foreign cjlporteurs— German, French, Irish, and Norwegian—men of warm-hearted piety and good education, numbers of them converts from the Roman Catholic religion, deeply interested for the salvation of their brethren; and, being well acquainted with their habits and national peculiarities, and carrying them the Gospel in their own tongues, they are able to exert a powerful influence over them for good ; and hundreds who, on coming to this country, were buried in the darkness of rationalism or the superstition of popery, have, we trust, been brought into the glorious liberty of the chil¬ dren of God. More than one hundred different books and Tracts have been published in the German language, with a view of reaching the two millions or more of Germans now in our country, who are generally able to read, and receive with interest and gratitude our evangelical publications. One German colporteur in Ohio has recently reported near one hundred hopeful conversions amongst Catholics, in connection with his labors and the cir¬ culation of books, on his field; and another German laborer has reported more than one hundred foreigners, in the southern counties of Indiana, who have given evidence, as he thinks, of real conversion. Do not such facts show that the hand of God is in this work; that Roman Catholics, as well as other men, may be converted ; and that the same Gospel which was mighty in the hand of Luther, in overturning the deep foundations of*papal darkness and superstition in the old world, will be powerful in this land of Christian light and knowledge, in the conversion of our Cath¬ olic emigrants ? In view of the progress of the work already made, may it not be confidently hoped, that God’s benevolent plan, in bringing them by millions to our doors, is not, as we have sometimes feared, to destroy this nation, but that we should bless and save them ? Special importance is given to the colporteur enterprise, from the fact that it admits of speedy and extensive application to our whole country. Such are the exigences of our country, that we need immediate, as well as powerful Christian action in its behalf. With the best efforts that can be made, it will take a considerable number of years to get day-schools, Sabbath-schools, academies, colleges, churches, and ministers established in every part of our newly-settled territory. In the mean time, until these great orbs of day can be brought to shine fully upon our nation, we need some other sun that can more quickly pour its life-giving beams upon the 12 TO THE EVANGELICAL moral darkness of our land. While vve are now rapidly laying the foun¬ dations of a great nation; while millions of our inhabitants are without evangelical preaching, and hundreds of thousands of families are desti¬ tute of the word of God and of Christian books; while organized infi¬ delity is putting forth new efforts to blot the sun of revelation from our heavens; while false religion is fast preoccupying the recently-settled portions of our country, and intrenching itself against the future attacks of the Gospel; while intemperance is rolling its burning wave over our land; while a corrupt and licentious press is poisoning the mind and cor¬ rupting the heart of the nation; while a deep and broad tide of foreign emigration, with its corruptions and anti-republican tendencies, is rolling in upon us from the old world; while the large cities of our country, the great centres and fountains of influence, are manufacturing and stereo¬ typing the vices of the nation—we say, that while these and other mighty evils, to which we might allude, are abroad in our land, are now sapping the foundations of our liberties, and calling to heaven for vengeance upon us, we need some mighty influence, which can be applied quickly, to roll back these floods of ungodliness. Such an influence, in some good meas¬ ure, as we believe, is the American Colporteur system—a system pre¬ eminently adapted to bless the unevangelized masses, to supply, as far as possible for the time being, the lack of ministerial service—combining, as it happily does, the power of prayer, a sanctified literature, and personal eflbrts for the conversion of the destitute; and all rendered efficacious by the operations of the Holy Spirit. Here, then, are the destitutions and dangers of our country fully be¬ fore us, to excite our sympathies, to awaken our fears, to call forth our benevolence. Here are our steam presses, issuing the volumes of heav¬ enly truth. Here are hundreds of the sons of the church, burning with desire to go forth and bear the precious treasure to the perishing, and invite sinners to the Saviour. And here are thousands of evangelical churches, blessed with an overflowing prosperity ; and nothing is wanting but a liberal appropriation of that treasure, in order to double quickly the number of our laborers, and carry the Gospel to every dark corner and habitation of the land. With such appalling destitutions before us ; witq the perils of our nation staring us in the face; with such wonderful facil¬ ities for doino; the work, should the friends of this Institution be satisfied with having only about two hundred colporteurs in the field ? It is confidently believed that nothing is needed to call forth the requi¬ site interest, sympathy, and resources of the evangelical ministry and churches, but to spread the subject before them, which it has been our design in some measure to do in this communication. O MINISTERS AND CHURCHES. 13 Owing to tlio limited luimljcr of agents in tlie field, it is impossible for them to visit and address thousands of churches, which would be deeply interested in this cause, and cheerfully contribute for its advancement. The respected and beloved ministers presiding over these churches who feel a deep interest in this great work, it is hoped, will take pleasure in bringing the subject fully before them at some convenient period. And in order that the subject may not be overlooked, amid other numerous claims, the Committee beg leave to suggest that a collection or subscrip¬ tion be taken up for the American Tract Society as soon as may be practicable after the reception of this document. A small contribution of $5, $10, $20, or $50 from each of the churches which would rejoice to take part in this work if the claims of the Society were brought before them, would greatly aid the Institution in the effort to extend, as speedily as possible, the blessings of the Colporteur enterprise over our land, and especially over the destitute regions of the West and South. A liberal collection will be the more certainly and easily obtained, if the pastor will give notice of the same on a previous Sabbath, with a brief state¬ ment of the object, and an announcement that he will preach a sermon in behalf of the Society; or where a sermon cannot be preached, this communication, or parts of it, may be publicly read, and accom_panied by such remarks as the occasion may suggest. We are aware that the objects of benevolence are now so multiplied that ministers feel some delicacy in bringing them before their people j and yet it has been almost uniformly found, that whenever this cause is presented to evangelical churches it awakens a deep interest, and many are ready to exclaim, “ The Colporteur enterprise is a noble work. It begins at the right point. It reaches the masses who most need the Gos¬ pel. We will cheerfully aid that cause.” We confidently believe, dear brethren, that you will find such to be the feelings and language of your churches, and that they will bless the Lord, and the Society, and you, for having the cause brought before them. If your congrega¬ tions are weak, and in debt, as is often the case, $5, or $10, or $20, for this cause, instead of making them poorer, may, as you know, only be scattering seed which, by the divine blessing, will not fail to bring them an abundant harvest; so that while watering others, they will themselves be watered. If your church is feeble, and in special need of publications, the amount contributed may be remitted to procure such books and Tracts as may be desired. The Evangelical Family Library, of 15 volumes, may be had, for the minister or the church, for $6 50 ; and the Christian Library, of 45 volumes, for $20. Some churches find it a pleasant mode of aiding the Society, to constitute their pastor a Life 14 TO EVANGELICAL MINISTERS AND CHURCHES. Member, by a contribution of 820, or a Life Director, by the contribu¬ tion of 850, and thus entitle him annually to draw from the Society, Tracts or other publications, to the amount of one dollar, if a member, or two dollars, if a director. Are there not some wealthy gentlemen and ladies in your church, who, on reading this circular, would be glad to make themselves Life Members, or Life Directors ? And may there not be others who will esteem it a privilege to pay 8150 for the salary of a colporteur, as many benevolent individuals have done ? May not half a dozen friends of this cause, or the members of a single church and congregation, unite in the support of a colporteur? It may be mentioned as an occasion of gratitude to God, and of encouragement to effort, that a benevolent gentleman in the South, having recently received special benefit from an evangelical volume, became deeply interested in having such works widely diffused over our whole country, and generously pro¬ posed to the Society to pay the salaries of twenty colporteurs, for four years, 812,000 ; having paid 83,000 for the first year. And will you not gladly introduce among your people the American Messenger, a monthly newspaper published by the Society, which now has a circula¬ tion of 100,000, and is furnished at six copies for 81? twenty copies for 83, and forty copies for 85 ? Besides thus aiding the Society by your contributions and efforts, will you not also, dear brethren, aid us by your prayers—that God will give divine efficacy to the truth diffused—raise up and send forth more laborers into the whitening field—make all the officers, agents, and col¬ porteurs of the Society men of God, mighty in the Scriptures, full of the Floly Ghost ? And may you not aid us further in looking out intel¬ ligent, judicious, pious, and efficient colporteurs—in cooperating with those already in the field—in giving us facts in regard to new and desti¬ tute fields—in bringing this cause before other churches besides your own, or before ecclesiastical bodies—inducing them to raise funds for the support of a colporteur, and perhaps recommending some quali¬ fied person for their field ? And finally, by causing this circular to be read by warm-hearted Christians, especially the wealthy, may not indi¬ viduals be found who will give liberally themselves, and induce others to give to this sacred cause ? In thus cooperating in this blessed work, we pray God, that the blessing of many ready to perish may descend upon you, and that having been wise to win souls to Christ, and having turned many to righteousness, you may at last shine as stars in the firma¬ ment of heaven for ever and ever. VOLUMES OF THE AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY. VOLUMES 12MO. Poffcs. Sheep. fD’AubigiK^’s History of the Eefomia- tion, a new translation revised by the Aiitiior. I vols., each 450 pages, elotli c.xtra, $1 7r>cts.1823 50 Baxter’s Saints’ Host, larfrc type, cloth. (in 8vo, 12.i lialfcalf,).540... .62.^ Jay’s Morning E.xcreises,.G04-75 Elavd’s Method of Grace,.560.... 56 $ I'Tavcl’s I'onntain of Life,.559.... 5> ^ Mason’s Spiritual Treasury,.528.... 56 Ilall s Scripture History,.516....56 Gregory’s l.etters on Intidelity,.480....56 President Edwards on llevivals,.446-50 Hopkins on Ten Commandments,.......442... .50 Memoir of Mrs. Graham,.440.... 50 Venn’s Complete Duty of Man,.430... .50 ^ Owen on Forgiveness, Psalm 130,.429. .• .50 t Mem. of Mrs. Sarah L.H. Smith,.396. ...50 f Ahbott’s Young Christian,.395....56 Nelson on Intidelity,.352....44 Dr. Spring’s Bible Not of Man,.319_44 Sheep. Sacred Songs, (Hymns and Tunes,).380.... 56 Do. (Patent Notes,).380....56 Pafjes. cloth.pap.coT- James’ An.xious Inquirer,.199-25.... 10 Mason on Self-Knowledge,.191... .25.... 10 Child’s Book on the Sabbath,.201....20 ...10 .James’ Young Man from Home, . .187... .25.... 10 t Gallaudet’s Child’s Book on Re¬ pentance, .147....20....10 Henry on Meekness,.158.... 15.... 8 Baxter’s Dying Thoughts,.132... 15.... 6^ “ Life, chiefly by himself,. .144... .15.... 6^ y Alleine’s Alarm,.164.... 15.... 8 Keith’s Evidences of Prophecy, 144.... 15.... 6^ t Life of Rev. Samuel Kilpin, .... 156.... 15 ... 8 Fuller’s Backslider,.122.... 15- 8 $ Flavel on Keeping the Heart,.. .108-12^... 6| § Flavel’s Touchstone,. 96....12A... 6^ Redeemer’s Last Command,.112.... 12A... 6;J: Sabbath Manual. By Dr. Edwards. Temper. Manual. By Dr. Edwards, 90.... 12^... 6^: Beecher on Intemperance,.108.... 12^... 6| Memoir of Normand Smith,.72.... 12^... 6,^ Self-Deception,. 72.... 122... Scudder’s Appeal to Mothers. 65.... 12^... 6^ Social Hymns, (large 32mo,).468.... 31 sheep. Hymns to S. Songs, (large 32mo,).304... .25 do. VOLUMES 18MO. Pages, cloth. 1 Memoir of Dr. Payson,.486.... 37| t Memoir of Mrs. H. L. Winslow,.480... .37| t Memoir of James B. Taylor,.444.... 37^ § Memoir of Rev. Dr. Buchanan,.478... .37^- $ Guide to Young Disciples,....465.... 37^ f Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress,.464_372 Elijah the Tishbite,.458....372 Volume on Infidelity,.456... .37^ Doddridge’s Rise and Progress,.452... .37^ t Life of Martyn,.444_37^ Baxter’s Saints’ Rest,.444... .37J Edwards’ History of Redemption,.446....37^ Pike’s Persuasives to Early Piety,.438... .37^ Reformation in Europe,.432....37^ Practical Piety, by Hannah More,.412... .37^ Anecdotes for the Family Circle,.408....37^ Jay’s Christian Contemplated,.380... .37^ J Spirit of Popery,.378-37^ f $ Wilberforce’s Practical View,.375... .37^ i § Life of David Brainerd,.360... .31 Melvill’s Bible Thoughts,.354... .31 Mammon, or Covetousness the Sin of the Church. By Harris,.291... .25 t Life of Samuel Pearce,.288.... 25 t ^ Edwards on the Alfections,.276... .25 cloth, pap.cov. Universalism not of God,.258.... 25.... 12^ t Memoir of Hannah Hobbie.252... .25 -... Ifife of John Newton,.244... .25.... Gurney on Love to God,.242... .25.... t Memoir of H. Page,.230-25_12J t Nevins’ Practical 'Thoughts,-2.30-25_12^ t Abbott’s Mother at Home,.177... .25.... 10 t Abbott’s Child at Home,.173_25_10 OallaudeVs Scripture Biography — Price ^1 75 a set of seven vols. t Vol. 1, Adam to Jacob.200_25.... i Vol. 2, Life of Joseph.210_25.... i Vol. 3, Life of Moses, Parti, 216... .25.... j Vol. 4, Life of Moses, Part 2,268 _25.... j Vol. 5, Joshua, Judges,.288-25_ j Vol. 6, Ruth and Samuel,..198_25_ j Vol. 7, Life of David,.299... .25.... $ Gallaudet’s Youth’s Book of , Natural Theology,.231... .25.... Nevins’ Thoughts on Popery, ... .216.... 25.... 12^ Religion and Eternal Life,.250.... 25.... Bogue’s Evidences of Christianity, 2.52... .25.... Dibble’s Thoughts on Missions, .. .225... .25.... Baxter’s Call, large type,.220-18.... “ “ small type,.135...- —.... 64 Morison’s Counsels to Young Men on Modern Infidelity,.201... .25... .10 BOOKS FOR THE YOUNG. Pap.cov. + Peep of Day,.228 - 25-12^ j Line upon Line,.258-25 ...12.A + Precept upon Precept,.256.... 25.... 12| t Mem. of Nathan W. Dickerman, 140.... 15.... 8 t Memoir of Mary Lothrop,.108.... 15.... 6^ t Memoir of John Mooney Mead,.. 118.... 15.... 8 t Memoir of Henry Obookiah, .... 124... .15.... 8 t Gallaudet’s Life of Josiah,.108.... 15.... 6^ i Dairyman’s Daughter, etc.,.185... .20... .10 i Trees, Fruits, and Flowers of the Bible.120....20....10 t Shepherd of Salisbury Plain, etc., 98.... 15.... t Fool’s Pence, etc.,. 94.... 15.... 6^ t Spoiled Child, David Baldwin,etc.117-15.... 6:j: i Village in the Mountains, etc.,. .108... .15.... 6| i Little Henry and his Bearer, etc., 108.... 15.... 6| I The Widow’s Son, etc.,.108.... 15.... 6^ j; Eliza Cunningham, etc.,.108... .15.... 6:^ Charles L. Winslow,.108.6j t Amelia, the Pastor’s Daughter,. .100.... 12^... 64,- t Elizabeth Bales. By J. A. James, 89....12|V... 6^ I Newton’s Letters to an Ado])ted Daughter,. 86.... 12.A... 6^ t Emily Maria,. 72....12|... fij: Memoir of Caroline Hyde,. 72. ...12^... 6^: Raising of Lazarus,.80.... 12^... 64 Foster’s Appeal to the Young,.69.... 12^... 64 t Letters to Little Children,(13cuts,)108... .122-. • • ^ i Peet’s Scripture Lessons,(27cuts) 122... .25.... i Scri[)ture Animals, (16 cuts,).... 98... .20.... The Withered Branch Revived,... 72 ...12.|... OJ t Children of the Bible, (8 cuts,).. 52.... 15.... j Child’s Book of Bible Stories, (16mo,) .91-15- POCKET MANUALS, 64MO. Pages, cl’h gilt. M. tk. Daily Food for Christians,.192.. .10.. .15_25 Mason’s Crumbs,.176.. .10.. .15.. .25 Heavenly Manna,.128.. .10.. .15.. .25 Daily Texts,.128.. .10.. .15.. .25 Diary, (Daily Texts interleaved,) 256.. .12.^. .18.. .30 IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES. In German, 31 volumes of various sizes. In French, 12 volumes. In Welsh, 3 volumes. Also upwards of 1000 Tracts and Children’s Tracts, separate, bound, or in packets, many of them with beautiful engravings—in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish and Welsh. t With steel engravings. J With wood engrav¬ ings. § Abridged. FACTS RESPECTING THE AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY. The American Tract Society consists of members of different evangelical denomi¬ nations, united to diffuse the knowledge of Christ and him crucified, by its pub¬ lications, associated with personal Christian effort, at home and abroad, wherever the way of access is opened. The Board of Directors embraces members of thirteen denominations. The Publishing Committee consists of a member from each of six communions, and no work is issued unless unanimously approved. More than 1,200 publications, of which about 200 are volumes, have been stereotyped, in ten languages, besides more than 2,000 approved for publication at foreign stations. The services of the Board, Committee, and Treasurer, some of whom have been the largest donors to the Society, are wholly gratuitous. The Society’s house was pro¬ vided by means of donations for that object, from New York City, in 1825, and the proceeds of rents of parts not yet occupied by the Society, without drawing any thing from contributions for the general purposes. The prices of the publications are intended to be such that the Society shall merely receive back by the total sales the amount expended in issuing such as are sold, a discount being made to Auxiliaries which sus¬ tain Depositories, and to merchants and others who buy to sell again—the cost of books granted being borne by donations to the Society. The donation of ^20 at one time constitutes a Life Member ; the addition of ^30, or ^50 at one time, a Life Director. Members may draw, annually, Tracts or vol¬ umes, not in extra printing or binding, to the value of ^1, and Directors to the value of ^2,if applied for within the year. The usual salary of a Colporteur for the destitute parts of our country is ^150 ; besides which, books to not far from the same amount must be furnished for the supply of the destitute, and his necessary travelling expenses be borne, which are generally small while in the field of labor. ^4 a page perpetuates a Tract; ^3 a page a 12mo volume ; ^2 50 an 18mo volume of less than 200 pages ; ^2 an 18mo of more than 200 pages. The Executive Committee, to conduct the business of the Society, consists of the members of the three following Committees: Publishing Committee, Rev. John Knox, D. D., Rev. Justin Edwards, D. D., Rev. Charles G. Sommers, Rev. James W. Alex¬ ander, D. D., Rev. John S. Stone, D. D., Rev. Erskine Mason, D. D. Distributing Committee, Dr. James C. Bliss, William Forrest, William Winterton, James W. Dominick. Finance Committee, Dr. John Stearns, Moses Allen, Richard T. Haines, Thomas C. Doremus, Richard S. Fellowes. Secretaries, William A. Hallock in the Publishing and Foreign Department; O. Eastman for the raising of funds; R. S. Cook for the diffusion of publications by Col¬ porteurs, Agents, and Christians generally; O. R. Kingsbury, Assistant Secretary and Treasurer ; J. A. Ackley, Depositary ; to either of which, or to “ the Secretaries” of the Society, all communications may be addressed, at 150 Nassau-street, New York. Drafts should be made payable to O. R. Kingsbury. Rev. Seth Bliss, Secretary American Tract Society, 28 Cornhill, Boston. PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 150 NASSAU-STREET, NEW YORK. 1 848.