perity of the Redeemer's kingdom, which had so long occupied his thoughts and his prayers, and in which he had taken so large a share. Subsequent to his attack in April, he had no doubt that his course was nearly finished. In the short period of life that remained, he anticipated no relief from pain and suffering. It was his most fervent prayer, that he might be able, through the consolations of the Holy Spirit, to bear them with the submission and fortitude which were due from him as a Christian, and a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. At the end of the spring vacation, he resumed his duties in the academy; and being unable to go from home, he devoted all his leisure hours to preparing and arranging the matter for the magazine. He gave himself, perhaps, too closely to this favourite employment, and thereby hastened the progress of his disease. Notwithstand ing the severity of his sufferings, the press was in no instance delayed from a want of punctuality on his part. It was a rule with him to keep at least one month ahead of the press, and by that means, though his labours were occasionally interrupted, he was always able to forward the articles for each number in season. On the 1st of June he found himself so infirm, his strength so much wasted, and the progress of his disease so certain, that he addressed the following letter to the members of the convention, tendering them his thanks for their long-continued expressions of confidence, and declining a re-election to the offices with which he had been so often honoured. That letter is here inserted for the gratification of those friends who may not have seen it on the journals of the convention. "To the Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church of Connecticut, in session at Newtown. "Next October will complete forty years that I have been in the ministry. During the whole of which time, I have been blessed with such a measure of health, as never to have been absent from convention through bodily indispostion-rarely from any other cause; and never more than on three or four occasions, from the public service of the church, until within a few weeks past. At this time, there is but one clergyman in these states, whose letters of orders, from the American Episcopate, are dated earlier than mine. During twenty years past, just one-half of my clerical life, I have been honoured with the confidence of the convention, in their choice of standing committee. It is thus full time I should wish to retire from the trust. To this I am loudly admonished by increasing years, and more by a bodily infirmity which threatens to render me incapable of discharging the incumbent duty, It is therefore my earnest desire no longer to be considered as a candidate for any appointment in the gift of the convention. With all proper sentiments of respect and gratitude for the past, I beg the acceptance of my best wishes and prayers, for the harmony, peace, and prosperity of the church and dio. cese, in which I have so long ministered. May the spirit of divine grace pervade all the deliberations of the convention, to the breaking down of satan's kingdom in men's hearts, and the enlargement of the Redeemer's reign upon earth. And may the church in this diocese continue, as heretofore, a sound member of the church universal, until the time shall come when all the nations of the earth shall bow submissive to the heavenly kingdom of the Lord Christ. Though absent in body, believe me present in mind and desires. "TILLOTSON BRONSON. "Cheshire, June 5th, 1826." To this affecting communication the convention returned the following an swer: "Newtown, June 8th, 1826. "REV. AND Dear Sir, "Your communication to the con vention now in session, has been received. The convention regret that your present indisposition prevents your attendance upon their deliberations. But while they lament that the providence of God has deprived them of your counsel and advice, which you have so cheerfully and faithfully rendered for more than forty years; they fervently pray that you may be sup ported under all your trials. May God have you under his holy keeping; and when you shall have completed your services in the church militant, may the great Head of the church welcome you into the church triumphant. Be pleased to accept the thanks of the convention for the many and great services you have rendered the church, and their prayers for your temporal and eternal happiness. "In behalf of the committee, The writer of this article had the pleasure of seeing this venerable father in Israel about this time, and the feelings which the interview produced, can never be effaced from his recollection. He considered his days as nearly ended, and the few that remained as days of severe suffering. Nothing, however, can exceed the calm and placid frame of his mind, the clearness of his hopes, and the strength of his assurance that the Saviour, in whose power, wisdom, and goodness he had from his earliest years placed his confidence, would support him through all the scenes of distress which he foresaw remained for him while in this world.. He seemed anxious to have done with the world, and ready to depart and be with Christ. At this period, his mind was in a delightful frame. It was a calm and rational repose of the soul upon God and Christ-a hope unostentatious indeed, but full of glory and immortality. About the 15th of August, his disease again assumed an alarming appearance -for a few days his distress was extreme. It was soon followed by a paralytic shock, which at once prostrated his strength and greatly impaired the powers of his mind. Another attack of palsy, about the 1st of September, removed all hope of his recovery: on the 4th he became insensible, and died on the 6th, in the 65th year of his age. Thus terminated the active and useful life of this excellent and venerable man. He has taken his departure to another world better adapted to his pure spirit, we trust, full of hope and full of immortality. It was the plea sure of God to throw a dark cloud over the last days and hours of this distin guished servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, which hid from our view those emanations of light, and hope, and joy, which might have been expected to cheer the death scene of a man so universally amiable and excellent, and who had served his divine Master with such steady and unbending fidelity, for so many years. But the light of a whole life of faith, piety, and virtue, of confidence in the power and goodness of the Saviour, and of hope in the great salvation which he procured for mankind, concentrates its splendour on this dark scene, and affords ample reason for belief, that the rod and staff of the Shepherd of Israel did not fail him, in his conflict with the last enemy of man, and that his comfort and defence illumined before his pure spirit, the dark valley of the shadow of death. His funeral was attended on the 8th of September. The corpse was carried into the church where he often ministered the word of reconciliation, and an appropriate discourse was delivered by the Rev. B. G. Noble. His body was committed to the ground by the Rev. Mr. Ives, his associate in classic scenes, and the companion and friend of his early and later years. We should do injustice to the memory of our departed friend and brother, did we not, at the close of this memoir, dwell for a few moments upon the virtues which were exhibited through the whole period of his life. He possessed a capacious and active mind, and strong and tender sensibility of heart. With all his great attainments and the long-continued confidence of the church, he was equally distinguished in his public and private conduct, by simplicity, modesty, and sincerity. He was guileless and modest almost to a fault. His principal characteristics were integrity and sincerity of purpose, and firmness and inflexibility of conduct. Though he was most competent to form just opinions, and his were always revered, yet no man entertained them with more meekness, or was in general less disposed to urge them upon others. He was lenient, kind, and amiable in his disposition. In domestic relations he vas kind and affectionate, tender and indulgent, but diligent and faithful. In his public deportment he was grave and dignified: his conduct towards his brethren was marked by every manly and Christian expression of tenderness, affection, and friendship. With his amiable qualities were combined the graver characteristics of rectitude of principle and integrity of conscience, which would never bend, and of firmness and decision, which eminently qualified him for the various offices to which he was appointed. He never acted on any measure without mature deliberation, and when he had fixed his judgment (and no man ever came to the decisions of his mind in a manner more disinterested, or under the influence of purer motives) he acted on that judgment with a firmness and perseverance so steady and inflexible, as sometimes to subject him, on the part of those who would not, or could not appreciate the high motives which governed his conduct, to the charge of obstinacy-a charge which was always abundantly repelled, by his uniform meekness, his conciliatory disposition, and his constantly forbearing to urge his opinions on points indifferent, or unimportant in their nature. It was this combination of grave and amiable qualities, which made him so much beloved and respected by his brethren, and procured for him, through the long period of his ministry, so large a share of their confidence. As a scholar, this good man deservedly sustained a high reputation. He was sound rather than brilliant. He was profound and correct, rather than polished and elegant. His favourite department of science was mathematics and natural philosophy; but he read with ease, and appreciated the beauties of the Roman and Greek classics; and taught them for a series of years, with a degree of success which in this country has seldom been equalled. He succeeded in gaining the respect and affection of his pupils in no ordinary degree; they will ever hold his amiable and excellent qualities in grateful remembrance. As a divine, few have ranked higher than Dr. Bronson. Previous to the organization of the General Seminary, no clergyman in the United States had prepared so many for the ministry. He was deeply read in the writings of the Fathers and Reformers. His doctrinal views were the result of laborious investigation, and decidedly those contained in the articles and liturgy of the church. His sermons were always good. Their leading characters were unity, clearness, and fulness: they were more learned than elegant. They were argumentative rather than eloquent. He sought to convince by the art of reasoning, but he never condescended to study the arts of declamation. As an officer in the convention, he was fearless and faithful in the discharge of the duties which devolved upon him; always exhibiting the same clear judgment, the same firmness, decision, and integrity, which characterized him in every other situation. As a member of the standing committee, he took a noble stand on the subject of qualifications for the ministry. He considered literary attainments necessary to the respectability of the clergy, and on this point was often obliged, for a long period, to yield his opinion to the majority of that board. The stand which he then took, and is now generally maintained by the clergy, created at the time some unpleasantness of feeling; but his firmness, in this respect, was so blended with mild and amiable qualities, that he continued to possess the confidence of the whole body of the clergy and laity. He has gone to receive the rewards promised to such faith and such virtues as he possessed. His course has been finished, we have no doubt, with joy. He rests from his labours, and, his works do follow him to the scene of their future glorious recompense.Henceforth his pure spirit is associated with saints and angels, and employed in the admiration and praise of that Redeemer whom he loved and served, and in the contemplation of the nature, perfections, and works of that God, in the manifestations of whose power, wisdom, and goodness, so many of his deepest reflections were occupied, and which kindled in his soul exalted sentiments of love, gratitude, and veneration. For the Christian Journal. New-York Protestant Episcopal Missionary Society. THE annual meeting of this society was held in St Paul's chapel, on the evening of Wednesday, the 19th December, 1826. The tenth annual report was read and accepted, and ordered to be printed under the direction of the board of managers. This report states, that they "account it a subject of pleasure to be able to say, that since the last anniversary this society has not, upon the whole, lost ground, either as it respects the amount paid into its treasury, or the general interest manifested in its prosperity. The feeling, however, with which they state this fact, falls far short of the emotions they would have experienced, could they have congratulated the members on any visible increase of its efficiency, in promoting the great object of missionary operations. When we look at the wants of this extensive diocese, we feel as if nothing short of a regular advancement in our funds could yield us any hearty satisfaction; and accordingly, compelled, as we are, to see ourselves barely maintaining our station, and exhibiting the same condition at each successive anniversary, the disappointment we experience may easily be imagined by every member of our communion." The report then takes a view of the receipts of the two last years, and by contrasting the one with the other, shows, that though, from auxiliaries, the society received, in 1826, about 120 dollars more than was received from the same source in the preceding year; yet, from annual subscriptions, only 147 dollars and 50 cents were received, leaving a deficiency from this source of 173 dollars, and making the whole receipts of the year about the same as they were in 1825. On the subject of this delinquency in annual subscriptions, the managers in their report remark "Here then is the reason why, notwithstanding the strenuous efforts of the auxiliary societies, our annual revenue is almost precisely the same as before; and indeed, if it had not been VOL. XI. for the unusually large amount of the collection derived from the annual sermon, and from a liberal donation of $100 from one individual, to whom we here tender our warmest thanks, the amount placed within the disposal of the managers would have been considerably less than that of the preceding year. The board are well aware, that the commercial depression of our country has very much diminished the ability of the community to aid works of benevolence like that whose cause we plead. Yet, notwithstanding this fact, we are persuaded that there are them to give something, however little, to the cause of Christ and his Gospel; and also that there are many whose contributions to this, and similar institutions, are sadly disproportioned to the extensive opportunities of useful few whose situation does not enable ness which Divine Providence has placed in their possession. We would beg leave, therefore, most earnestly to call the attention of the friends of religion within our church to the condition of this important and interesting society, and to suggest to them the propriety of enlarging our annual revenue by their own increased contributions, if they are subscribers already, and by coming forward to join our list, if they have hitherto withheld, or have with drawn their names. Let us redeem our character, and let us glorify our God and Saviour!" Although the report itself must be in the hands of many of our city readers, yet from its interesting nature, and for the benefit of distant subscribers, we add the concluding remarks: "The annual sermon, to which we have already adverted, was preached in St. Paul's chapel by the Rev. Mr. Duffie; and the sum of $366 75 was collected upon this occasion. The thanks of the board are particularly due to this gentleman, for the zeal with which he pleaded our cause, and represented our great necessities. "Amidst the discouragements which the board have received from the view of the diminished subscription, list of the society, it is with peculiar pleasure that they are able to say, that the per6 manent fund is regularly, though slowly increasing. It amounted in the former year to $817 53; and has now advanced to the sum of $1090 54. Be sides its own interest, and the payment of $50 from the Rev. Roosevelt Johnson, to constitute himself a director for life, it has been enlarged by two contributions of a most generous and gratifying nature, within a short distance from each other. The vestry of St. George's church have given the sum of $50, for the purpose of making their rector, the Rev. Dr. Milnor, a director for life; and the ladies of St. John's chapel, with a feeling that does them lasting honour, have paid in the sum of $120, to constitute the Right Rev. Bishop Hobart, the Rev. Mr. Berrian, the Rev. Dr. B. T. Onderdonk, and the Rev. Mr. Schroder, members for life. Both these instances of respect, affection, and zeal, are exceedingly pleasing; but we think that there is a particular interest connected with efforts originating with individual members of a congregation. Such acts as that of the ladies of St. John's, are at once an advantage to the missionary fund, and a testimony of personal attachment; and tend to draw still more closely that bond of intimate union which ties a pastor to the people of his charge. We earnestly pray, that the statement of the above facts may operate as an incitement to other parishes to adopt a similar course. "The sum of $1250 has been paid to the missionary committee; the same with that of the preceding year. We have suffered the loss of $22 in bad money; and have paid for the engraving of certificates of life-membership, and for other contingent expenses, $108 33. The balance in the treasury is $371 13. "Such is the statement of affairs, which the board have to submit to the members of the society, and to the friends of our church throughout the diocese. We call upon all that profess and call themselves Christians, to show, by their efforts for the promotion of this blessed work, that they in deed love the Lord Jesus in sincerity. The field for missionary exertion is large and growing; and it is to you who are able to give, that many a congregation, yet in a struggling and incipient state, looks for the sympathizing heart and the helping hand. Do something now, and they will one day no longer need your assistance; lay the foundation-stone, and they will build the superstructure. We need not urge our cause. The day is coming, when the kingdoms of this world are to be the kingdoms of God and of his Christ; and it is for us, as individuals, to help on, as instruments in the hand of Je hovah, so happy a consummation. Let us eagerly step forward to the work, and, with all the ardour of persons impressed with the value of immortal souls, send to the destitute the consolations and blessings of the Gospel of peace." For the Christian Journal. Sixth Annual Report of the Board of Managers of Christ Church Missionary Association: read at the Anniversary Meeting, Tuesday evening, January 2d, 1827. THE return of another anniversary brings with it but a repetition of former regrets for the declining condition of the society; rendered still less encouraging by the diminution in both the number and relative amount of contributions. When presenting their last annual report, your board had flattered themselves that a candid representation of the comparative insignificance of the aid furnished by the male members of this parish in furtherance of the cause we profess to promote, would have at once elicited the warm co-operation of such as were friendly to the extension of the Redeemer's kingdom, and of such as might be influenced by no higher motive than jealousy to sustain the once-deserved reputation of the congregation's bounty. But another year has elapsed, and instead of the anticipated succour, we are called upon to lament a further deterioration. The amount paid over to the treasurer of the parent institution has, it is true, nearly equalled that of the former years; and so far we ac knowledge with gratitude, that the generosity of a few has left our exertions |