This weekly resembled a newspaper and its object was to present important religious news of every kind, as well as some non-religious material. Religious news included reports of Bible, missionary, and tract societies, both in the U.S. and abroad; accounts of revivals; and news on missions, on various churches, and on ordinations. Non-religious material included general news, poetry, book reviews, biography, and articles on history, education, and agriculture. Cf. American periodicals, 1741-1900.