NARIES will find it useful, and it is generally d of them, to keep journals of their proceedings. sess records of their past trials and successes ble them occasionally to refresh their memory emercies they have received. When recounting enezers, the memorials reared at every stage of rogress, and offering the tribute of praise to acious Lord who hitherto hath helped them . vii. 12), they will go forward with accele-nfidence in the continued protection, guidance, essing of Him who hath said, "Them that me I will honour" (1 Sam. ii. 30).

tility of a missionary's journal to the Society ich he may be connected, must be too obvious ire much explanation. They enter more into ils of his work than could be expected of him arterly or annual report of his proceedings. dical returns, little more could be looked for eneral statement of leading occurrences, which om half so satisfactory to committees, or inteto the members of the societies at home, as ement of each day's or week's transactions. means a Society's officers are enabled circumy to report to their constituents the progress several stations abroad. A general view, is usually taken of the whole in the annual

reports; but the aggregate amount of what has been done never interests the public mind like the details of a missionary's intercourse with the people around him. Each Sabbath's occupations, weekly or monthly reports of the schools, conversations with the heathen and others who may seek instruction,-in a word, every thing of a missionary character that employs a missionary's time should be entered on his journal. Incidents apparently minute often contribute to keep the public mind awake to the importance of the missionary cause, and their feelings active in the duty of promoting it. But many of these incidents will soon be forgotten by the active missionary, if not immediately committed to paper; or if remembered, the impression which they at first made on his mind will soon begin to wear away by the pressure of constant engagements; other incidents, perhaps equally interesting, will occur; until, feeling the want of time to record such an accumulation of matter, he will find no difficulty in persuading himself, that it is hardly worth while to send home an account of events which, when they happened, deeply engaged his feelings. In this way a most valuable part of his labours would be lost to the public, and the interests of his Society endangered. All this inconvenience might be prevented, and his time but little obtruded upon, if he would enter on his journal, as they arose, the proceedings and events connected with his missionary undertaking.

The contents of the Missionary's Journal, too, when circulated among the members of the Society with which he is connected, draw forth the sympathy and

of his brethren at home. This consideration July weighed, will be a sufficient inducement Missionary to be punctual in keeping and home his journal.

Such

more simple and business-like the journals, the atisfactory will they prove to sober minds. ese, after all, form the only part of the Chrisblic on whose steady co-operation you can . There are multitudes who are satisfied with ounts from abroad which do not keep their = in a state of excitement. They are little than the sauntering philosophers of Athens, spent their time in nothing else but either to o hear some new thing" (Acts xvii. 21). are perpetually shifting their patronage from ciety to another. To cater for a morbid taste s would injure both the missionary's own ind the cause he may think to promote. I that no missionary worthy of that honourable needs to be cautioned against the temptation ying to send home accounts merely to produce . To such a man I should be almost ashamed t on the deep importance of paying the closest n to truth in the substance of his reports, and racy in all their details. Exaggeration, not to representation, is almost sure to be detected; many would be found glad to magnify the evil, Id it up to public reproach as a designed im

there is a temptation against which it may be ry to put all missionaries on their guard. e likely to be tempted to neglect their journals

by the notion that they have nothing worth entering upon them. But in this they would be greatly mistaken. There may be nothing worth publication to the world; and those who are the most actively and faithfully employed, have sometimes the least information of this kind to give. But every thing which they may think of importance enough to do, it is of equal importance for their societies to know. Let them just sit down and give a detail of their proceedings, without bestowing a thought upon the impression which they are likely to make. In their journals, as well as in all other correspondence with their societies, they should write without the least reserve, treating them as confidential counsellors, kind and faithful friends.

Punctuality in the transmission of journals is almost as necessary as regularity in their preparation; that the executive officers of the society who have to prepare from them their periodical reports, may be able to show the simultaneous progress of their various stations. The preparation of these reports is an interesting duty, and performed with comparative. ease, when the journals are forwarded with regularity; but if delayed too long, and sent at uncertain periods, it must become a laborious task, and can hardly be fulfilled with the needful accuracy without encroaching upon other duties. In justice then to his own reports, as well as from regard to the time and engagements of those to whom they are sent, the missionary should be punctual in transmitting them at the seasons when they are expected.

ECONOMY.

we consider the sacred object for which misfunds are contributed, the difficulty with hey are raised, the self-denial which many ns, especially in the humbler walks of life, wn to practise in order to cast their mite into sury, every one must acknowledge the duty ving the most scrupulous economy in their ture. It is not too much to call these funds and this obligation imperative. Few objects duce a more lively interest in the Christian's an the conversion of the enthralled and beheathen to the light and liberty of the Gospel ; his purpose he esteems it a privilege to give bundance with which the Lord hath blessed ndeed, as once in the churches of Maceso also within the past thirty years in the of Britain, the deep poverty of many, rich and Christian love, hath "abounded unto es of their liberality” (2 Cor. viii. 2). These tions are made with entire confidence in nterested piety and discretion of the miss, who are to expend them. The Christian ve them credit for maintaining the spirit of A single rumour of extravagance, or providence, on their part would instantly he flow of Christian charity; and the con

al.