utter astonishment, twenty-one persons came forward, and offered themselves as candidates for membership in our Church. Among those who thus surrounded God's altar, there were eight promising young men, who appeared before their Maker, in order to dedicate themselves to him in the morning of life. The sight was indeed such an one as was fit for angels to behold, and one on which heaven smiled with pleasure and delight. Since the period above mentioned, several more have been added to our numbers, who promise to be an ornament to the Church and a blessing to their country.

Since the 8th of June last, one hundred and sixteen members have been added to our Church, which with former additions make an aggregate of one hundred and thirty-one, since the 2nd of March. The work is still advancing, and we have the most sanguine hopes of seeing many more of our citizens the happy subjects of this gracious revival.

ACCOUNT OF CAMP-MEETINGS IN ILLINOIS.

DEAR SIR,

To the Editor of the Methodist Magazine.

As information respecting the progress of the Redeemer's kingdom, must be acceptable to the readers of the periodical work published under your superintendence, I forward the following communication which you can dispose of as you think

best.

A Camp-Meeting was lately held, about thirty-five miles from this place, in a south westerly direction, under the superintendence of brother John Stewart, the travelling Methodist preacher having the charge of Mount Carmel circuit. It commenced on the afternoon of Friday, the 20th day of last month, and closed on the morning of the following Monday. The congregation was not large, usually about three hundred souls; on the Sabbath, perhaps, six hundred. This meeting was remarkable for seriousness, solemnity, and good order. Such a sense of the Divine presence appeared to rest on the assembly, that those who might have been disposed to be rude, were restrained, and awed into respectful deportment. It was obvious that the ministers who addressed the people, were clothed, both in their sermons and exhortations, with power from on high; for their word fell upon the congregation in the demonstration of the Holy Ghost. Divine illumination seemed, at times, to flash, like lightning, upon the assembly, and produced the most powerful effects. The mild splendour of heavenly joy shone in the faces of the people of God; while the darkness of condemna

tion and the horrors of guilt hung, like the shadows of death, upon the countenances of the ungodly. The merciful power of God was manifested, in a particular manner, in the conviction of sinners, and the justification of mourning penitents; while believers were not destitute of its divine influence, by which they drank deeper into the spirit of holiness.

In the intervals of preaching, it was common to see a number of mourning souls prostrate near the stand, for whom supplications were offered unto a throne of grace. And they were not offered in vain. About twenty professed to be reconciled to God, through faith in the blood of Christ. Several joined our Church.

On Monday morning, under the last sermon preached at this meeting, we seemed to be in the very suburbs of heaven. The subject was, 'The inheritance of the saints in light. The preacher, apparently swallowed up in the subject, bore the congregation away with him into the celestial regions, in the contemplation of the glories of the world to come. It was a very precious time to the religious part of the assembly; and the irreligious part, I doubt not, received some very strong and deep impressions of the eternal world. I know not that there was one dry eye in the whole assembly.

On the Friday following another Camp-Meeting commenced in the neighbourhood of this place. In respect to numbers it was similar to the former one; nor was it less remarkable, in regard to seriousness, solemnity, and good order. In this respect, I can truly say, that, though I have been at many CampMeetings, I never saw such as these before. We had no guard; and at the last meeting no rules, for the regulations of it, were published-We needed none. God was our defence and sa!vation. He encamped with us in his gracious and glorious presence, to awe the wicked into respect for his worship, and to shed upon the children of faith the richest effusions of divine grace.

The latter of these meetings was different, in some respects, from the former. The preaching did not appear to be attended with so much power, and such displays of divine illumingtion. But the prayer-meetings in the intervals, were cre abundantly distinguished by the communication of justify g grace, in answer to the supplications of the people of God. About forty-five professed to receive the forgiveness of sin; and twenty-three offered themselves to become members of our church.

One circumstance is worthy of particular notice. A scotch family, remarkable for good breeding and propriety of deportment, attended this meeting. They were eight in number; the elderly gentleman, his lady, three daughters, two sons, and a VOL. IV.

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nephew. The female head of this family was not destitute of the knowledge of salvation by the remission of sins. This treasure she had obtained in her native country. But the rest were not in possession of this pearl of great price. However, in the course of a few hours, at this meeting, they were all powerfully convicted, and, I have reason to believe, truly converted to God.

This is a singular circumstance. Such a family as this was, is rarely found; and the conversion of seven persons out of eight belonging to it, under such circumstances, within the compass of a few hours, is, perhaps, almost without a parallel. It will not escape the notice of the pious mind, accustomed to reflect on the workings of nature, and the operations of grace, that the self-righteousness of such persons generally presents the strongest barrier against faith. But the power of divine grace broke down this barrier in them; then they sunk, in humble confidence, on the merits of the Redeemer.

The presiding elder who attended this meeting, informed me, that many Camp-Meetings had been held in his district, and that they had been generally blessed with great displays of divine power. Since then, I have received information, through another medium, that a Camp-Meeting held not far from Shawneetown in this state, was favoured with an abundant outpouring of the grace of God. More than thirty persons professed to obtain the remission of their sins.

The writer of this communication has remarked for a number of years past, that a large proportion of those who are brought to the possession of the life and power of godliness, are found among the rising generation. This was particularly so, at the meetings above-mentioned. Does this not strongly portend, that God is about to effect some great and glorious purpose in favour of his church, by the generation which is to succeed us? Thanks be unto his name for what he has done-But he has more in store for our world, than we can readily conceive. May his goodness be manifested in such gracious displays of Almighty power, as will bear down all opposition. Amen. WM. BEAUCHAMP.

Mount Carmel, Illinois, Aug. 15, 1821.

SUMMARY OF RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

From the London Methodist Magazine for May last, it ap pears the missionaries are successfully proceeding in their work in CEYLON, in NEW SOUTH WALES and in SOUTH AFRICA. Mr. Shaw, the Missionary to South Africa, in company with several others, had arrived to the institution called Bethany, where Mr.

Schmelen has been for some time employed as a missionary. He gives the following account of his arrival.

"When two or three furlongs off, our people fired a salute, which put all the people upon the settlement in motion. On hearing the first report of our muskets, brother Schmelen and his people were in the Church, offering their morning sacrifice of prayer and praise. No Christian Missionary having before visited brother S. he was almost overcome with joy at our arrival; and when we came to bow at his family altar, he seemed indeed lost in love and praise. It is now forty days since we left Steinkopff, during which we have not seen a single dwelling house of any description, nor even so much as one inhabited hovel. The country we have travelled is a complete wilderness, in every sense of the word, and, with the exception of a few Bushmen and Namacquas by the Orange River, is entirely destitute of inhabitants. None but he who has travelled through such a desert can form a correct idea of our joy, ou arriving at this station, which led to reflections of that better country," where the followers of JESUS, from every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people," shall meet together;

"Where all their toils are o'er,
Their suffering and their pain:
Who meet on that eternal shore,
Shall never part again."

About seven this morning, the trumpet (a beast's horn) was sounded, and the people assembled in the church. Mr. S. having read a few verses from the New Testament, proceeded to ask questions on each subject contained therein. When any seemed at a loss to give an appropriate answer, he assisted them, lest they should be discouraged. The place in which religious worship is held, is spacious, but in a state of decay, in consequence of which a new one has been proposed, the walls of which are already about two feet in height. The new dwelling house lately completed is built of stone, and is a very strong, substantial building. The fountain is by far the strongest we have seen either in Great or Little Namacqualand, and its streams are led over a considerable piece of ground which has been cultivated for gardens.-Around the place, and in its vicinity, there is plenty of grass, and the people are possessed of numerous herds of cattle, on which they chiefly subsist. Two solid masses of iron were brought to the Institution, by one of the old Namacquas; the least of the pieces might be reckoned at six or eight hundred weight; the other almost twice as heavy. The Namacquas cut off such pieces as they need with chisels, and it being perfectly malleable, they work it up according to their proficiency in the smith's business, of

which most of them are remarkably fond. The Namacquas were reminded this evening of the Missionary Meetings in England.

I spoke to the congregation of the glad tidings of salvation by JESUS CHRIST, and baptized the daughter of brother Kitchingman. In the afternoon we commemorated the sufferings of our dying LORD with the church, and in the evening brother K. spoke of the joy experienced by Barnabas on witnessing the grace of GoD in the city of Antioch. Many of the people had never seen a white female before, in consequence of which our European wives had many admirers."

From the same number we extract the following account of the

BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

Batavia-Mr. ROBINSON writes: "The time is come, when I much need a fellow-labourer: my work increases, and my strength diminishes. I do not say, that there is a great door open, but it is high time for us to attempt something on a larger scale, and to make, if possible, a regular and well-directed attack on Muhammedanism. We must, if you will assist us, make a strenuous effort to establish schools; we must go all round the country, where the Malay language is spoken, and preach and disperse religious tracts. Other tracts must be written; school books, and books containing the first principles of useful knowledge, must be prepared and circulated; and, in short, every effort must be made to enlighten the public mind, and to prepare the way of the LORD. Muhammedanism is, I believe, Satan's strongest fort; and our post seems to be on the most impregnable side of that fort. We must not expect an easy victory; the siege will be long, and success will long appear doubtful; some of us shall most likely die in the attempt, but others will live to hear the shout of victory.

"We have now, at Batavia, four members, who have been baptized in Java; and we have besides them, five men of hopeful piety, who pray in turn at our prayer-meetings. There are also a few women, who seem to be pious; and two persons, if no more, appear to have died in the LORD; to say nothing of a poor Chinaman, who says he will die under the feet of JESUS. Add these together, and you will find them more than ten, the number for which Sodom might have been saved; and shall Java then be rejected?"

Samarang. This Station affords greater facilities than Batavia, for intercourse with the original inhabitants of Java. Mr. Bruckner writes:-"One day I went to some villages, where I intended to converse with the inhabitants on the Gos