which ended in a final separation. And the contention was so sharp BETWEEN THEM, that they departed asunder the one from the other.

3. The ground of quarrel was not any fundamental article of faith; but merely the particular manner in which the great object of their ministry was to be accomplished. The whole quarrel was about the propriety or impropriety of taking John, whose surname was Mark, along with them in a projected visit of the churches. "And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do. And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who had departed from them at Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; and Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.— And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches." Both were heartily convinced of the necessity and propriety, of visiting at this time, the churches which they had planted. To both this visit would, without doubt, appear extremely agreeable. There does not appear to have been any dispute about the order in which these churches were at this time to be visited. Nor had they any dispute about the particular services, which they were to perform to the churches in this visit. In all those things they were agreed. The only difference was about a fellow-labourer, whom Barnabas proposed, and whom Paul did not very cordially approve.

It is doubtful whether it would be much for edification to make any attempt to discover whether Paul or Barnabas was in the right at this time, or whether both were not in some measure to blame. It is worthy of notice, however, that this dispute happened, when they were, comparatively speaking, easy and prosperous, and were full in the prospect of making an agreeable and not likely a very dangerous visit. They now proposed to go and visit their friends, and places with which they were already well acquainted. A sense of common danger and common distress frequently keeps men united, when ease and honors cherish pride and contentions. Mark, it seems, had deserted them when they were braving dangers in planting the church; Paul, therefore, thought it not very good to take him along with them to share of the pleasure which was to be enjoyed in the fruits. It has also been observed on the passage, that Barnabas appears to have been rather rash and selfwilled on the occasion. It is said, that Barnabas was determined to take &c. determined previous to his having consulted his fellow labourer Paul. The order in which the sa

cred historian has related the matter, leaves it also probable, "that Barnabas was the first who separated." Barnabas took Mark and sailed unto Cyprus, and then Paul being left alone, chose Silas, and departed. In short, it is left upon record, that Paul and his new companion, in departing, were recommended by the brethern to the grace of God. Something like the same ceremony was used at this time with respect to Paul and Silas, which was used when Paul and Barnabas were sent forth on their former mission; but with respect to Barnabas and Mark, no such notice was taken. This at least intimates, that their departure at this time, was not altogether with the approbation of the church. Be that as it may, this is the last that we hear of good Barnabas. There is no doubt but that he continued to be an active and useful apostle of our Lord; but of his labors from this time forward, the sacied historians have given no account. *

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Thus then these intimate friends, these

zealous and active, and extensively useful servants of our Lord, were parted. So far as we know they never again met, nor had any intercourse with one another, till they met in glory.

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[The practical reflections and uses which we ought to make of this separation may prehaps be given in another No.]

From the New-York Observer.

SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTION OF CHRISTIAN UNION.

At a meeting of several gentlemen of various denominations, called on the 9th of May, at the Tract Committee Rooms, for the purpose of devising and adopting a plan to unite Christians of different denominations in a more intimate and friendly alliance, the Rev. Dr. Knox, of this city, was called to the chair, and the Rev. John Marsh was appointed Secretary. The Divine blessing was invoked; and, after a statement of the object of the meeting, by the Rev. Dr. Schmucker, of the Lutheran Church, it was unanimously resolved, That it is expedient at this time to form and organize an American association for the promotion of Christian Union on apostolical principles, according to the general plan proposed in the "Fraternal Appeal" to the American Churches.

The following Constitution was adopted:

ART. 1. This Society shall be called the American Society for the Promotion of Christian Union on Apostolical principles.

ART. 2. The design of this Society shall be, not to form a new sect, but to establish more amicable relations between the several orthodox Christian denominations.

ART. 3. The officers of this Society shall be a President, &c., to be chosen annually.

ART. 4. The business of this Society shall be, to discuss the subject of Christian Union in all its relations; to circulate information concerning the Plan of Union presented in the Fraternal Appeal to the American Churches; to raise funds for the circulation of publica-tions elucidating this plan, and to adopt such measures as may be calculated to call the attention of the different denominations to this subject, and induce them to accede to the Union.

ART. 5. Associations for the promotion of Christian Union, coinciding with the general object, and adopting the fourth article, shall, on application, be acknowledged as auxiliary to this Society.

SANDWICH ISLANDS.

These islands are the present wonder of the world. Extracts were read from a letter of Mr. Coan, dated Hilo, Sept. 6, 1838. The revival still continued. Mr. Coan preached from seven to twenty times a week, and often to congregations of 5,000, 6,000, and 7,000. On the first Sabbath in July, 1,705 persons were received as members of the Church, and the Lord's Supper was administered to 2,400 communicants. The number received since the commencement of the year was 3,381; the whole number of members, about 3,500, and about 500 stood propounded for admissions.. Besides all these, there was a great multitude of candidates for baptism. Mr. Coan thinks the converts appear quite as well, and afford as good ground to hope for their final perseverance, as converts in the United States. The house of worship at Hilo, holds 5,000 hearers, and they were about to build another, to accommodate those who cannot find places in the first. The Missionary Herald will doubtless give the particulars more at length.

A considerable number of Missionaries are to sail in a short time for various parts of the heathen world.

N. Y. Obs.

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

TO THE PUBLIC.

Ir has been at the repeated desire of a few friends, that the Undersigned have issued to public notice, the first No. of THE PEACE-MAKER. How long, and to what extent the plan may be continued and carried out will depend on circumstances, over which human arrangements have in the most of cases very little control.

The design of the publication is honestly, what its title is,-to be a peace-maker, and not to be a sower of discord among brethren. "Blessed," says our Lord, "are the peace-makers; for they shall be called the children of God." The Gospel is a message of peace to our fallen and rebellious race. The incarnation of the Son of God was announced by the heavenly host saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men.

We are indeed to love, and to hold fast the truth; and we are to " contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints." But the truth, and the faith, and the peace of the Bible, are closely and inseparably allied both in theory and practice. Nor can we maintain or encourage any one or any two of these, while we neglect or oppose the other one, or the other two. He who is born of God, and who is living according to his new nature, has a regard to all God's commandments, and is growing up in all things" to him who is the head, even Christ.”

The best of men, it is true, are very imperfect in Christian knowledge, and in the exercise of the peculiar christian graces: but all who are united to the Lord Jesus Christ are more or less under the sanctifying influences of God's good spirit; and they are all in their respective places aiming at farther conformity to God's will, as given to men in the Holy Scriptures. They are commanded also to "consider one another, and to provoke to love and to good works," and while they all need the forbearance and sympathies of all with whom they are connected in civil and religious society, they are to exercise forbearance and sympathy towards all men, and especially to all who give any evidence that they love the Lord Jesus Christ. Every honest man knows and readily admits that he has often been mista

ken, and that he has often acted very improperly, and that he is still liable to be mistaken, and to act inconsistently with his profession and his privileges. Hence the Psalmist says, "Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties. Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities."

The great and leading points in which all who love the Lord Jesus Christ, are substantially agreed are many; and they are essential to the christian character, and show their influence wherever they exist, whatever may be the weakness or imperfections with which they are connected. Some of these essential and universal agreements in the christian character are these. All genuine christians know and feel that they are lost and helpless sinners, and that they owe all what are called their good feelings, as well as all their hopes of eternal happiness to the unmerited love of God manifested to men through the Lord Jesus Christ. They all love the Bible, and desire to yield implicit obedience to the authority of God speaking to men in the Bible. They are all men of prayer. They know what it is to confess sin, and to make acknowledgments, and to supplicate pardon, and the fulfilment of the promises. They all know the value of divine institutions, such as the Sabbath, and the Lord's Supper, and the public reading and preaching of God's word. And they all feel and readily acknowledge that they are under peculiar obligations to love God, and to la bor for God; and that the world lying in wickedness is to be converted, and saved, and the moral character of the whole human family is to be changed by the appropriate and united action of the genuine friends of the Redeemer.

But while they are thus agreed, it is equally plain and greatly to be lamented that they differ very much, occasionally at least, even in what they call their christian profession, and christian practice. It is not at this time our design to go into any specification of these differences. We only repeat what have often been acknowledged as facts, viz:-that all these differences are in themselves evils,-that they are all evidence of very different degrees of christian knowledge, and christian attainment, and that however numerous and diversified they may be, they ought never to be urged as a reason why any of the good things in which all good men are agreed ought to be neglected. Much less ought the bare existence of these differences to be urged as a reason why they ought to be cherished and continued.