their fouls with the fins of his pro feffing people. While the finners' hearts are hardening and preparing for deftruction; God calls the backflider, he returas, condemns his fhameful apoftacy, and by mak Since the work of God revived, in this place, fixty-four perfons have been united to the church; and ninety have been baptized, on their own, or on their parents' account. On one fabbath, fix houfholds were prefented and bap-ing confeffion, he brings glory to tized, containing twenty-three children. This circumftance, accompanied with a fermon, on the duty of parents to their children, under the divine agency, was made a mean of good to many. It was noticed by children. In one inftance a child asked her mother, who made no profeffion of religion, Mamma, why am not I baptized?" This went to the mother's heart. We hope the wound was healed by the blood of Jefus, and the enabled to give herfelf, her children and all that the had into the hands of God. Thofe who have made a profeffion of religion, in this time of attention, have appeared to adorn their profeffion, by their obfervance of the commands of Chrift; but should it be the cafe, that in a fhort time we fhould have exceptions to make, becaufe fome return, like the " dog to his own vomit again; and the fow that was wafhed, to her wallowing in the mire," it ought not to be noticed as any thing againft religion; but an evidence of the depravity and treachery of the human heart. Tares are often found among wheat, and falfe profeffors among real Chriftians. God has feen it needful to leave fome of his own children to fall, to try them, thereby to make them more fit for their master's ufe and fervice. And if fome poor hardened finners are wifhing that those who have deferted their company may turn back; God may according to his word fend them this delufion, and let them try to feed God and fhame upon finners. Sinners, in a day of divine grace, fhould fear, left while they are watching others and neglecting their own fouls, the Spirit should be quenched, and that come on them fpoken by the prophet to Ifrael in their rebellion; "that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and fnared, and taken." Though we fear that fome who have appeared to run well, for a feafon, will apoftatize, and thereby grieve the generation of God's children; yet we hope better things of many, who have appeared to embrace the truth, in this joyful feason, and things that accompany falvation. We have raifed expectations, that God who has exerted the power of fovereign grace, in changing their hearts, will put forth the fame exertions, in keeping them, through faith, to eternal life. There are many, who cavil at the fimilarity of the accounts given of the work of God, in various places, and the likeness of individual narratives; and would fain fuggeft that these things were learned from each other; but if fuch perfons would call to mind, and carefully attend to the following things, they would be conftrained to fay, that their likeness was an evidence of the truth of them, viz. The natural hearts of all men are alike, in the fame state of total moral depravity.All men have to do with the fame God. All men have a fimilar monitor or confcience within them; are under the fame law; hear the fame gofpel; enjoy the fame bible, and means of religion. All men are called, or moved by the fame fpirit; are in the fame world and are bound to the fame eternity. From thefe confiderations it is not ftrange, that perfons who never faw or heard of each other, when born again by the fpirit of God, should speak the fame things; and when met, fhould converfe as though they had been born of the fame parents and educated under the fame means. This, inftead of being an argument against religion is a clear proof that it is from God. And now, may the God of hope fill us with all joy, and peace in believing; and grant that we, who have named the name of Christ, may depart from iniquity. Amen. From yours, &c. ISRAEL DAY. Killingly, Auguft, 1802. felves, but to him who died for them and rofe again." The pious pfalmift fays, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I defire befides thee"" God is the ftrength of my heart, and my portion for ever." The pfalmift alfo addreffing his own foul, fays, "Return unto thy reft Omy foul" -"Cleave unto the Lord your God"-O taste and fee that the Lord is good"-" In thy prefence is fulness of joy, and at thy right hand there are pleasures forever more." It is alfo afferted in Gal. vi. 16. "As many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them." The word of God, my dear fon, is the rule to direct us in all our walks in life. And that person who chalks out a rule for himself by fabricating a theoretic fcheme, founded on his paffions, or on fome vifionary phantom, exifting no where but in his own diftorted imagination, muft float very loofely, and precariously on the tide of life. "In vain will you fearch for happiness," as you exprefs it, "by plowing the tracklefs ocean, or roaming in folitary wilds." No perfon can be happy in this world when he avoids his duty, and no one is fo wretched as he who takes himfelf out of the divine protection. You further fay, in your letter, "Can we enjoy this life without ftrictly adhering to this principle of felf-love? Certainly we cannot." Alas! my fon, what an inference! what a conclufion !-I acticularly afferted in the holy fcrip-knowledge a perfon is to regard tures. I Cor. x. 31. "Wheth-himfelf and to feek his own happier therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”—In another place it is faid, "the love of Chrift contraineth us, that they who live fhould not henceforth live to them-joyment of him. The good man, Letter from a Father to his Son. YOUR August 2, 1801. "DEAR SON, OUR letter, of the 20th ultimo, now lies before me-I have perused it with fome conflict of feelings. You well know my fentiments in moral things. "In the name of common fenfe, with confidence, with boldness and affurance," you afk, "what we were made for, if not to live to ourselves?" I fhall not fearch for arguments, a priori, I fhall take for granted what is par nefs; but he is to do all this in God's appointed way-God is the chief good in the iverfe, and the happiness of all created intelligencies confifts in the en in feripture, is reprefented, as feeking not his own." I Cor. vi. 19, 20. "Ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price-therefore glorify God in your body, and in your fpirit, which are God's."-Now, my fon, put your truft in God, and fubmit on gofpel terms, and your mind will be calm; the rugged road of life will appear to be fmooth and delightfome in the difcharge of duty. "Thofe doctrines which you moftly oppofe, are, the decrees, election, and the divine fovereignty. But permit me to affure you, that' they are connected with the atonement by Chrift, and are the moft comforting and confoling doctrines in the bible; in fhort, they are the only hope of the true child of God. "I now proceed to take notice of another fentence in your letter. "I do not wifh by argument to convince you that I am right, but it must be more than human wisdom and forefight to convince me that I am wrong, the reafon is, I don't intend to be convinced." O my fon, what an aftonishing determination is this! Bring arguments as many as you please, but don't make affertions I am always willing to lay myself open to conviction, by coolly and candidly difcuffing a fubject, and why had you not better fufpend your opinion, for a while, in things that you cannot comprehend, than to make a rash conclufion at the age of fixteen. When you speak on political fubjects, you totally turn the tables; you fay, "But before we form our judgment, we ought to examine it more minutely." Why, my fon, ought we not in our moral concerns to examine the fubject ftill more minutely? Do not rafh conclufions in matters of infinite moment denote an obstinate, and perverfe temper of mind, or a heart totally oppofed to holiness and all moral good? Paufe a moment, and ponder, fift your fentiments-retire alone in your clofet, fubmit yourself to God, through the merits of Chrift, and ask the divine aid and direction. To be really virtuous is the great leffon before us, and every accomplishment, and every acquirement to the exclufion of moral goodnefs, are comparatively lefs than nothing and altogether vanity. "You alfo remark, that the paffage which I quoted concerning the ancient Hebrews, "does not apply in the prefent cafe, becaufe mankind (you fay) at the prefent day are totally different from what they were centuries ago." Why, my fon, does it not apply; the human heart has been the fame in all ages. Envy and malice were confpicuous in Cain-intrigue and fycophancy in Abfalom--blafphemy in Rabfhekah-murder in Hazael-enormous pride in Haman, and cruelty in Herod. What can be the difference? Surely nothing, only mankind in the prefent period of declenfion, are more refined in wickedness. But the divine government is the fame, and God will not deviate from his ordinary courfe, in the difpenfations of his providence, and in his dealings towards mankind because of their refinement in fin. I confider you, now, my dear fon, in that dangerous period of life, when you are moft exposed to the allurements of temptation; I have many an anxious hour, fearing that you will indulge habits of thinking, that will lead you to infidelity. In my remarks to you from time to time, on the fubject, you have withdrawn from him. It is rare for perfons who have had a reli gious education, not to have fome fober reflections, and bitter remorfe of confcience for their fins, but by frequent relapses, after repeated calls and warnings, their hearts become more and more hardened, their confciences become feared and callous, till finally God gives up fuch finners to judicial hardness of heart, or as it is expreffed in the language of holy writ," He fwears in his wrath, that they shall never enter into his reft." After the repeat ed warnings, and visitations of God's Holy Spirit, and after as many rejections by the finner, with what fitnefs, with what pro priety, may Wisdom utter her voice and fay-"Because I have called, and ye have refused, I have stretched out my hand," yes repeatedly, and in the most pathet ic and tender manner have "I ftretched out my hand, and ye have not regarded"-Yes, "ye have fet at nought my counfel and would none of my reproof, I will now laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh." Yea, when the terrors of death fhall feize upon you; when the ftings of an abused and affrighted conscience shall pierce your very foul on a death bed, I will be fo far from affording you any comfort or confolation that I will laugh and mock.Alas! how terrible, and awful is the ftate of the dying finner, bereft by an avenging and holy God of a fingle gleam of hope! In the common courfe of God's dealings with finners he omits nothing, on his part, to withdraw them from evil; he is ready to and grant them freely his grace Holy Spirit, and God does not forfake them till after they have G g thought me too fevere and illibe- I "I fubfcribe with the utmoft tenderness, your very affectionate father." Extracts from the Son's letter, in re "THE thus repeatedly defpifed his coun- "Towards the conclufion of your letter, from a consciousnefs that you had fuggefted wrong fentiments, you fuppofe that your letter would be unentertaining to me; "if fo," you fay, "destroy it." No, my fon, I don't deftroy letters, and I hope you will not be fo ungrateful, and unfilial, as to deftroy thisRead it over and over again, and think of it-and I pray God to give you a heart to know the things that belong to your peace before they are forever hidden from your eyes. O my fon, let not the fafcinating charms of a delufive and tempting world lead you aftray from duty, for in refufing to obey the calls of wifdom, and by fetting at nought counfel and reproof, the heart ftrangely becomes at variance both with religion and principle. year fince I received your HIS day completes one letter dated Aug. 2d, 1801, fince which time various events have oc curred, which may not be unin terefting or unentertaining to you. When I received your kind and affectionate letter, dated as above, it excited fuch emotions in my mind, as ought never to be indul ged by 'a fon, towards a parent. At that time I thought you to be exceedingly cruel towards me, and that you were unreafonably fevere, in urging and preffing me to attend to thofe things, which then appeared to me calculated only to render my life unhappy, if not completely miferable. Your letter, together with fundry other letters which you wrote before and afterwards, was replete with fuch ideas and fentiments, that my reafon compelled me to yield to their truth, while my heart was totally opposed to every thing you fuggefted for my confideration. At the fame time, I ftudioufly employed myself to find out fomething either from fcripture, or from the fophiftry of Voltaire, or other infidel writers, which would in fome measure obviate your remarks and quiet me in my own fentiments. In combatting the fubject with you, you will recollect that I quoted the following texts of fcripture, viz. Eccl. vii. 16. "Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyfelf overwife: why shouldeft thou destroy thyfelf?" or as it is expreffed in |