pear, that the leaft officer, or monitor in the Chriftian church, is greater than John? Does he, in fact, fuftain a higher and more dignified office than John did? Does his office, or any of the duties of it, imply a fuperiour honor to that of officiating in the baptifm of the Lord of glory, and inaugurating him into the higheft and molt facred office, that ever was or can be fuftained ?-An office infinitely too high and important to be fuftained by any but HIM, who thought it not robbery to be equal with God? This conftruction, to fay the leaft, may be liable to fome objections. Some confiderations tend to fuggeft the idea, that the leaft in the kingdom of heaven, here fpoken of, means Christ himself. It is evident, that the Lord of glory made himself the leaft-the fervant of all. He tells us, Matt. xx. 28, that he came not to be ministered unto, but to minifter, and to give his life a ransom for many. And, on obferving a ftrife among his difciples for pre-eminence, he fays, Luke xxii. 26. 27. "He that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth ferve. For whether is greater, he that fitteth at meat, or he that ferveth? Is not he that fitteth at meat? But I am among you as he that ferveth."John preached, "He that cometh after me, is mightier than I." Chrift, fpeaking of the greatnefs of John, fays, "notwithstanding, he that is leaft in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than he." John witneffed him, of whom he was the forerunner, to be greater than he. Chrift, who made himself leaft in the kingdom of heaven, and fervant of all, fays, he that is leaft in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than John. If we underVOL. I. No. 5. ftand the words to be applicable to Chrift himself, they afford a leffon of excellent inftruction to Chrif tians; efpecially to Chriftian minifters. It was the glory of Chrift, that he took upon himself the form of a fervant; and, in that form, executed the arduous work upon which he came into the world. For this it is, the Apoftle tells us, Philip. ii. 9, God has highly exalted him, and given him a name, which is above every name. It must be the higheft honor of a Chriftian minifter, moft nearly to imitate his Lord. This must be done by conftant, laborious application in his fervice-by confecrating every faculty and power, not to his own perfonal advancement and intereft, but to the promotion of the best good of others-condefcending to the lowest offices of real kindness and good will-and ufing the mildest and most humble intreaties, for the fake of the intereft and welfare of the fouls of others. This grace in Chrift was infinitely pleafing to God. The more nearly Chriftian minifters imitate his example, the more pleafing and acceptable to God. All the greatness there is for men, in the kingdom of God, confifts in ferving the moft, and doing the most for others. An Account of a work of Divine grace in a Revival of Religion, in a number of Congregations in New England, in the years 1798 and 1799, in a series of Letters to the Editors. [Continued from page 142.] LETTER VIII. Second letter from the Rev. JEREMI who were infidels are now among, to me, to animadvert on the ways the hopeful converts. I heard one of them fay, with trembling limbs, "I am the wretch who have murdered Chrift, I have talked a great deal against the gofpel; but there was always fomething in my breaft which faid it was true, even while I was talking against it." This poor man was almoft in defpair, and feeemed to think there was no mercy for him. But after a long ferics of diftrefs he found comfort. From another, who had been oppofing the divinity of the fcrip. tures, I received the following letter. "REV. SIR, If this of God's providence, and the authenticity of that which in itself looked like truth. But afterwards, doubts, and business, and loathness to part with my favorite fchemes intervened, or you would have had this letter before this time.t "The cause of my writing now is not on account of the prof pect of religion becoming fashionable in this place, or any extraor dinary conviction on my mind more than I have had for fome time, by fhort intervals, betwixt my doubts. Which conviction I think is nothing more than that it is my duty to ferve God in his appointed ways. I pray God he would guard me against doubts hereafter. I beg you to be affured of my efteem."" Here was the beginning of conviction on this perfon's mind. It on the whole appeared gradually to increase about eight months; until it became powerful, and he faw himfelf wholly depraved, and in the hands of a fovereign God; when as he hopes, he was made to partake of the joys of the penitent prodigal. I have faid the work was not noify, but rational. And one end I have in tranfcribing this letter is to give a fpecimen of it. I frequently hear you mention from your pulpit that there are numbers in this place, who are oppofers to Chriftianity. Doubtlefs you allude to me for one. be the cafe you have good reafon to make the allufion; for I frankly confefs (not without fome forrow) I have given great room for fuch fufpicion. It is nearly ten years fince I have entertained doubts respecting the truth of revelation; not without a mixture of neceffary belief in it, as the only scheme to bring glory to God, and happinefs to man. Could I convince you of my fincerity, I doubt not you would be glad, when I tell you There is another inftance among I renounce my doubts; and there- us, of one who fays, he has had fore I pray God I may never more no trouble for feven years paft, agive the world leave in truth to bout futurity, concluding that death call me an oppofer to religion. I was the total end of man, as much have often come to a partial refo as of the beafts. At first he made lution to make you fuch a confef- an open fcoff, and ridicule of the fion of my errors. The first time awakening, But at length, the I seriously engaged with myfelf to arrows of truth reached his condo it, was on hearing you read fome fcience. His conviction continuletters you brought from Gofhened and increased for fome weeks, and your remarks upon them.* I then reflected whether it belonged from which place I had come the week before. The letters and remarks here al- +I did not receive this letter till luded to were concerning the awaken-feveral months after my return from ing in Gothen, State of Mañachufetts, Godien. until, as we truft, he became re- | conciled to God through Chrift. He now appears to love the doctrines of the crofs. Formerly he had a tafte for books, and read much in novels, profane hiftory, and the like; but now he calls them trash, and makes the bible his ftudy, and feems to want words to fet forth how much it exceedeth all other books. But to proceed to an inftance or two more. I was at a certain conference in which the converfation turned on the doctrines of decrees, and election; which fublime doc. trines were not attended to now for difputation, but with fear and folemnity. They did not appear to be dry, uninterefting, difputable points, but divine realities, calculated to convict the finner, and refresh the faint. At the clofe of the meeting, a certain man asked a question to this import; "does a perfon who is truly feeking after God, feel a fraid that any of the decrees of God will cut him short of falvation?" This question was answer ed in the negative; that the decrees were no more against prayer, than an attention to common matters, and that the only reason why men brought the decrees againft prayer was their having no heart to pray. The person who put the question anfwered, "I am fatisfied." But knowing him to have long been an oppofer of these things; many marvelled at his answer. On the next fabbath, this man made a public declaration in writing to the congregation, which accounts for his appearing to be fatisfied with thofe very doctrines, which used to give him fo much offence. In this public confeffion he acknowledgeth his paft infidelity; his oppofition to God, and his religion, to the work of the fpirit, to the minifters of the gofpel, and all who profeffed to belong to Chrift. But that God had fhewed him his finful, wretched, helplefs ftate; and given him to hunger for the bread of life, and to believe (as he trusted) in Jesus. The writing which he publicly exhibited is in these words: "It having pleased the kind fovereign of the univerfe, to open my eyes, in fome measure, to fee the depravity and poifon of my own heart; to see my defperate fituation while oppofed to God, and to the way of falvation by a kind Saviour; to fee my total inability to rectify my own heart, or recover myfelf from the fatal difeafe of fin and death; to fee if I am ever relieved from the plague of a proud and vitiated heart, and made to rejoice in the falvation of Chrift, it must be wholly owing to the forfeited mercy, and unmerited grace of a compaffionate Redeemer ; with these things faftened on my mind, and I hope as long as I live, I would with to make fome communications to this religious affembly, which I hope may be kindly received by them. For feveral years past, my mind and affections have been much alienated, from the new and living way of falvation by Jefus Chrift. Í have fallen into the most uncomfortable doubts of his divinity; have doubted of the authenticity of the bleffed word; have embraced irreligious and hateful errors; have turned my back on the blessed Redeemer, while his friendly hand has reached out a pardon to me, and urged me to take it, even while his head was filled with the dew and his locks with the drops of the night. I have run away from the bleffed God, while his tender mercies were all around me, and with a sweet voice saying unto can be no exchange fo happy as this, to part with a proud and wicked heart for a humble and sanctified one; to refign our enmity for love, our selfishness for benevolence, our filthy felf-righteousness for the spotlefs robes of a glorious Mediator, and our love of fin and death for holiness and eternal life. With the foregoing confiderations on my mind, I will implore a pray me, turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die. I have lived in dreadful fecurity, and flopped my ears against the most melting invitations of the Saviour of the world. I have spent much time in reading books which were calculated to fhake my belief in that holy word, which had I fincerely believed, would have given me great comfort in God, and ferved in a great measure to smooth the rugged pather-hearing God to lend a liftenof life. I have been guilty of many errors in fentiment, and in practice. I have flighted the bleffed religion of Jefus Chrift, the minifters of the gospel, and profeffors of religion. I have fpoken lightly of the religious attention in this place, and have neglected to attend religious conferences, which by God's holy spirit are undoubt edly inftrumental of true conviction. I have been given to many open immoralites, and have not been circumfpect in my behaviour, to fet a good example before thofe who took knowledge of me. And now in every inftance wherein I have offended my heavenly fath er, and mankind, I would freely acknowledge my great fin, and numerous tranfgreffions, imploring the forgivenefs of that almighty being, against whom I have unreafonably, and without the leaft provocation, fo often tranfgreffed, and whe only can beftow pardon and eternal life on the chief of finners. It appears one of the moft diftinguished mercies, that when people have run into error, and marred themselves by fin, that there is a being to whom they may apply, with broken hearts, and who will blot out their fin with his own blood, and give them to eat of the bread of life. He that covereth his fins fhall not profper, but he that confeffeth and forfaketh them fhall find mercy. Certainly there ing ear to my request, which I pray God to help me make with fincerity. O God, my first defire is for a rectified heart, to have fin flain, and a principle of true holinefs and love to God implanted in its ftead, and a heart of conftant repentance and unfeigned forrow for fin. I pray God to grant me all my life, a deep fenfe of my own unworthiness and ill defert; I pray to realize it as long as I live; to lie in the very duft, at the feet of the great fovereign of the univerfe; to extol, magnify and glorify the riches of his moral rectitude, his glorious attributes, his infinite perfections; to intreat of him for Christ's fake to give me his bleffed fpirit, to lead and guide me into all truth, to make me ftedfaft in a life of religion, to fave me from unbelief, from backtliding, and apoftacy, and finally to engage me to refolve, in the ftrength of the great Redeemer, to take his yoke on me which is eafy, and his burden which is light, and learn of him who is meek and lowly that I may find reft to my foul. I hope that God, by his great mercy and rich grace, has given me to hunger for the bread of life, and thirst for living waters; that he has given me to fee that Chrift is the way, the truth, and the life, and that there is falvation in no other way. And now before God and this folema affembly, and I hope with a bro- | your total neglect to instruct them ken and fincere heart, I renounce in religion, be doomed to a dreadthe heart-tormenting and heaven-ful hell; will they not fhriek out provoking principles of infidelity, fo difhonoring to God and pernicious to mankind. But before I clofe this writing I mult drop a few hints to thofe, with whom I have affociated in infidelity for fome years past. thefe heart-rending words, with horrid emphafis, "Father you never told me of this dreadful place, you never told me of a glorious efcape, a glorious relief by Jefus Chrift, and must I lie in this dif mal burning lake! O unhappy, that you was ever made an inftrument of my existence !" Now will you come to the loving Saviour, and bring your whole families with you? There is bread enough in our father's houfe. I pray God that he will in great mercy be pleased to open your eyes, to dif cern wondrous things in that law which you have rejected, and to fee ineffable beauty in that Saviour which you have difowned." The above communication was exhibited Lord's day, April 14, 1799, to a numerous audience. Many of them were much affected You will not view me reflecting on you for I fincerely pity you. I tremble for the fatal mistake you are making. Is Deifm a good fcheme to embrace in death? Is there comfort in it of a happy immortality? Will it make a dying hour ferene and joyful? Can you expect to find a fmiling God out of Chrift? Can you be fatisfied that infidel principles are calculated to humble the proud and rebellious hearts of mankind, and to exalt the Most High? Will you not be perfuaded to abandon a fcheme, which excludes prayer and fhuts out all heavenly contemplation? Can you bring up your dear children, and never pray to God for them, nor mention a word concerning religion and the great God, for fear their minds may be prepoffeffed in favor of a fcheme, of which, if they had come to riper years, they would discover the fraud, and difbelieve it for themselves? When the little innocents, your offspring, come before you, with wishful counte-between people of the fame connances, afking for bread, does it never turn in your minds about the bread of life? that their fouls, are famifhing while their bodies are nourished? I will mention but one more confideration, and that a dreadful and awful one. You must meet your beloved children before God's bar, and there anfwer how you have conducted towards them.Should they, in confequence of and most of the infidels alluded to were also present. The author of the above com. munication, faith, that being at meeting on the Lord's day, a number of months after the reli gious revival had began, on hearing the names of ten perfons called, who were propounded to join the church, his mind was ftruck at the cutting idea, that an eternal feparation was about to take place gregation, neighbourhood and fam ily. And as there was room enough, he could fee nothing to hinder him from coming to Chrift too, but his own unwillingness. Thefe were about the first of his impreffions. In the evening it turned on his mind to go to the conference; but as he had never been to any of the conferences, and had even spoken against them, he felt many objections. Yet he conclu |