New York, 5th mo. 4th, 1816. MY GOOD FRIEND,

I scarce know how to begin this letter, as I feel
ashamed and mortified that I have so long neglected
replying to thy last very acceptable communication.

I rejoice to find such a number of your good people
in England

are engaged so devotedly in improving
the condition of the lower classes in society; your
Bible Society, and the immense sums raised for the
poor, who have suffered by the calamity of war on
the continent, is truly astonishing, and I sincerely
trust and believe, will procure the blessing of Divine
Providence on your nation. The communications of the
British and Foreign Bible Society, show that genuine
religion is held in veneration, in many parts of the
continent, to a much greater extent than many here-
tofore believed. I trust it will yet appear more fully
in France, notwithstanding that deluded nation seem-
ed to have been dead as to any sense of it. As the
spirit of our most holy religion spreads over the
world, the condition of mankind will be meliorated—
the minds of men will be softened, instead of being
filled with bitterness, revenge, and hatred—they will
learn of Christ to love each other, and thus, in God's
own time, an end be put to war and bloodshed.
Owing to the late war, the morals of the people of this
country have been (as was reasonably to be expected)
much injured. Notwithstanding this, there is a ge-
neral religious improvement evidently increasing
amongst all denominations of Christians—so that I
entertain a hope, which, I trust, is well grounded,
that, on the whole, we are growing better. Bible
Societies are established in all directions of the United
States, except Virginia, and other slave states,*
* In most of these states, Auxiliary Bible Societies have since been estab-
lished. and
great attention is paid to schools, and otherwise to
improve the state of the common people.