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MESS'RS. EDITORS.

YOU are requested to communicate, in your Magazine, the following letter to the good people of Connecticut. If my defire is granted, I fhall trouble you with a fecond, and perhaps with a third letter of addrefs on the fame fubject, MINORIS.

A

ture spread and power of religion will be effected, by the bleffing of heaven on means used by Chriftians to communicate truth to their brethren of mankind. Bleffed be God that the attention of pious people is awaking to this important fub. ject; that their hearts are warm. ing with love; and their hands beginning to communicate! This Friends and Fellow-Chriftians. is a happy omen that a gracious S the feafon is again approach- God intends to enlarge the limits ing in which you will be of Zion, and bring many to recalled to contribute, for the fup-joice, who are now ignorant of his port of Miffionaries to our new glory. fettlements and the Heathen tribes, it cannot be improper to folicit your attention to fo important a Chriftian duty. Thofe, who love our Lord Jefus Chrift, muft defire the spread of his kingdom and the converfion of fouls. They cannot expect that the benefits of the gofpel will be received without Christian inftruction: neither can they rationally expect, that, in this day, inftruments will be miraculoufly raised up and fent abroad to preach the glad tidings of falvation. The reafons, which induced infi-eral parts of Europe, to do much nite wifdom to take this method, at the first propagation of Chrif tianity, have ceafed; and the fuVOL. I. No. 9.

It is the duty of Christians every where to pray, and to communicate liberally of what God has giv. en them, that the gospel may be preached to fuch as are ignorant of their own ftate; alfo to thofe, who cannot procure inftruction nor bear the expense: but there is, in the prefent ftate of things, a greater obligation on Chriftians in America, than on any others in the world. Hitherto we have been free from thofe judgments, which render it impoffible for pious people, in fev

more than bear their own burdens. Although they are in the furnace of perfonal affliction, their forvent

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feelings, which are occafionally communicated, ought to fhame our formality, and our want of love to fouls which are perifhing. The few poor Chriftians in Switzerland, who by the revolutions in their country are principally defpoiled of their earthly goods, are contribu. ting more freely than many of us, who have peace, plenty, and profefs to be disciples of Chrift. Muft God corre&tus alfo to make us confider our duty!

The Heathen are placed near to us; from the Christians of Europe they are at an immenfe diftance. Multitudes of them are on our borders, and within our national limits. Thefe Heathen have never heard the name of Jefus. If natural confcience, at any time wounds them, they know not the phyfician and the healing balm; they look with uncertain dread on all that is beyond the grave; they know not the gofpel law of holiness, nor the grace which fanctifies and prepares for eternal life. We all have the fame father by creation, and they are children of immortality. He who died on the crofs to comfort us with the joys of religion under the pains of life, and give us hope in death, hath commanded us to fpread the joyful news from land to land, until it fills the earth; but we have not done it, and fcarcely can it be faid that we have tried to do it. Many from among us, have poifoned the Heathen on our borders by the communication of our vices, and the vicious have been diligent in corrupting, fo that many of them think the name of Chriftian to denote the most unprincipled of men. This hath been done by fuch as difobey the gofpel; while thofe, who profefs to love the truth and to have received the benevolence of Jefus,

have been fleeping, and made ne effectual exertions to prevent the evil, to inftruct them in real Chriftianity, and point them to the holy and bleffed immortality of the gofpel.

Christians, you must meet those Heathen before the bar of your Redeemer; and although you may be faved by fovereign grace, will it not then appear, that thro' your neglect they have failed of eternal glory; and will not your own heaven, be lefs bleffed and glorious forever, for having been fo indolent in your Lord's fervice? In feafons paft there was an excufe for negligence in this duty, which now fails. The fubject of this Chriftian obligation was strangely paffed over in filence; but now it hath become matter of difcuffion and general information; fo that ignorance and inattention to the duty cannot be an excufe. If only the fmall number who read this Magazine, were to give to fo bleffed and glorious a charity, what they might without any injury to their common conveniences, it would furnish the means for more general exertions, than have ever been made in this country. This obligation is on all Chriftians, except it be thofe in most indigent circumftances. The little fums of the fincere poor are an acceptable offering to Chrift, and plead with him for the falvation of perishing fouls; and perhaps it is the inftruction furnished by fome Widow's mite, that he will deign to bless, for bringing a Heathen foul to a crown of glory, and the eternal joys of heaven. O poor but happy Chriftian, whose offering is thus bleft by fovereign grace, how wilt thou delight to meet in eternal bleffednefs, that foul faved through thy little bounty, and join thy voice with his, in praifes a

round the throne of God and the inftruction, all purchased by the Lamb. Many fuch happy meet-blood of the cross, what have you ings there will be in heaven between thofe, who from diftant . climes are redeemed by the blood of Chrift.

done? Doth your example, your love and bowels of compaffion refemble his? Have you given evidence of a higher regard for the fouls of men, than for your earthly emolument, when you have already more than fagacity can apply to the increase of human happiness, unless it be in acts of liberality? Compare yourselves with the divine example, go and warm and melt your hearts at the foot of the crofs, and then determine your

Chriftian obligation.

Chriftians, think not to say these Heathen are never to be christianized; the obstacles are infurmountable, they cannot be civilized and therefore cannot receive the gospel. But are the obstacles greater than they were at the fall of man to the exercise of any grace whatever? yet wifdom and grace then triumphed, and the fame wisdom and grace are now on the throne. Are the obftacles greater than they were

Ye rich and affluent, an indulgent God hath favored you with abundance. You can give, yea liberally, and not perceive your abundant fuperfluities leffened. Doubtlefs, your bounty fupplies the table of many who are poor; and while you compaffionate the poverty of a few days, will you not alfo contribute to feed the fouls of men, with the bread of eternai life? Is not the foul of more value than the body; and eternity more interefting than time? Confider who made the difference, in circumstances, between you and the perishing Heathen; who gave you plenty, and the bleffings of civilization; and the divine inftruction concerning moral fubjects, the riches of redeeming love, and the glory or woe of the eternal world, with which they are wholly un-in your own hearts? But you hope acquainted? It was the diftin- that fovereign power hath renew. guishing, fovereign grace of God ed them by your fanctification. which made the difference. Are The obftacles are great, but the you not stewards of the divine promife is fure "I fhall give thee bounties, and can you anfwer be- the Heathen for thine inheritance.” fore the Lord, if you deny a lib- The obftacles are great, but one of eral offering for the purpofe of fa- the greateft is the coldness of our ving the benighted fouls of your hearts and of our prayers on this Heathen brethren? Perhaps, you fubject; and if these were remoprofess to be Chriftians indeed, and ved we might trust in God for an to be warmed with the love of effufion of his fpirit, and the Chrift; if fo, are you not warm- bleffings of his providence to teach ed with the love of fouls? Confid- the unchriftianized tribes of men. er the love of your Redeemer ! How he lived, agonized and died that you might hear the gospel and be delivered from the curfe! Com-ged. pare yourselves with his example. In poverty he went about doing good, and being innocent he died for the guilty; while in affluence andeafe and gladdened with gofpel

Christians, think not to fay we have given already, and not having feen the defired effects are discoura

Remember, that this is your perpetual duty, and to be often repeated; a duty incumbent on your whole lives. Souls will always be precious. Syftematic measures and the perfeverance of years are

neceffary to communicate inftruction to Heathen people. Say not then we are discouraged; be not difcouraged while the promise endures, but remember there must be means for the accomplishment of the promise.

they are expofed to the feduction of infidelity on one hand, and the enthusiasm of ignorant pretenders to religion on the other; they are gradually forgetting the religious habits and truths received in their youth; and in many places becom

for time and eternity, which flow from eftablishments for pious inftruction. And who are those thus fituated? They are our old neighbours; our brothers, our fifters, our children. We were the inftruments of giving them life; we drew our nourishment from the fame breafts; our childhood and youth were paffed together, and we called them our friends and our dear ones. By our mouths they were firft taught; by our hands they were baptized; by our pray

and doubtless we do fometimes yet pray for them; but shall we reft in this? Ought we not to give evidence of the fincerity of our prayer to God, by furnishing them the means of inftruction fo far as is poffible to our power? It was their lot to go into the wilder nefs; ours to remain on the old feats of our common ancestors, and

But it is not the Heathen onlying infenfible of the benefits both who claim our liberality. Perhaps the state of our new fettlements is a higher call to Chriftian exertion; and indeed, we cannot overlook either of thefe objects with a pure confcience. The American church is placed in a new and interefting fituation; and there is a new and more folemn obligation, than was ever found on Chriftians before, in any part of the world, arifing from the removal of our children into the wilderness, where many of them cannot enjoy the hearing of the word and the adminiftrationers they were confecrated to God; of ordinances, without our affiftance at the prefent moment. It is eftimated that there are in the wil derness on the back part of the United States, between two and three thoufand fettlements which are un. able to fupport teachers of religion. The inhabitants pitched in a wilder nefs, on fmall farms purchafed from the more affluent dealers in new territory; few of these afflu-under the bright funthine of gofent people are with them; fome of them, alfo, are regardless of religion, and indifpofed to Chrif tian doctrines in their purity. We never can depend on the great land dealers to pay much attention to this fubject. Thefe induflrious in-up their babes, who are born in habitants, who have good profpects the wilderness, in the ways of after a few years are patt, are now God? Reader, remember, that ftrugling with the roughnefs of the by the Millionary fervices furnished wilderness; they are yet poor; through thy liberality, thou art their numbers are not fufficient to communing with thy old neighbours, fupport a religious inftructor; mul- thy brothers and filters and thy titudes of them have little induce- children, in the things which perment to convene on the fabbath; tain to the kingdom of heaven. there is among them a great fcar Say not in thine heart these people eity of pious andinftructive books; do not need fuch affiftance; for

pel means; and fhall we not confider their fituation? Shall we not help them to remember God; to feek and ferve a glorious Saviour; to form and organize churches; to obtain pious inftructors and train

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