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When will thy tyranny o'er mortals end! Often, unthinking, in the midst of days, Thy helpless victims to the grave defcend.

3. None are exempt from thy prevailing hand,

All ranks are levell'd by thy equal ftroke;

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The Retrofpec-addressed to a Friend. HE tear of forrow oft bedews my check,

THE

And rifing fighs my fecret griefs difclofe; May I, my friend, your kind attention claim,

To the fhort, fad recital of my woes. 2. Once fickle fortune, on Amanda fail'd Her lavish'd gifts adorn'd my early youth,

Bleft me with parents amiable and kind, One gentle friend, my every care to foothe.

3. By education's foftering care refin'd, My bofom glow'd with friendship's ardent fire,

While youthful fancy pourtray'd scenes of blifs,

And fondly hop'd to realize defire.

4. But Ah! the fad reverse ! relentless death

Snatch'd from my bofom my beloved friend,

Diftrefs and forrow rent my bleeding heart,

While fadly mourning her untimely end.

5. Unpitying fortune not content with this,

Sent dire adverfity to wound our peace, Our friends forfook us with contempt

and fcorn

Infulting-added to our deep diftefs. 6. Where is the generous friend, whose gentle hand,

Nor youth, nor age, thy dreadful pow-Will kindly foothe the poignancy of

er withstand,

But feel alike thy agonizing fhock.

*

4. Once I was bleft with two dear virtuous friends,

Their worth I knew, perhaps too fondly lov'd,

By Heav'n refum'd, their fouls to blifs afcend,

I figh'd, lamented, tho' my heart approv❜d.

4. Why flow my tears, why fhould I not rejoice,

At their deliv'rance from this cambrous

clay?

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Donation to the Conne&icut Miffionary Society.

A friend of Miffions,

AMANDA.

100 Dollars.

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A REVIEW of times past, and contemplations on future profpects, humbly attempted for general inftruction, and to excite pious meditations, c. or, the Editors NEW YEAR'S GIFT, to their generous readers.

C

man.

his hands: That the hapless fparrow falls not on the ground without his notice ; and that the least as well as the greatest events, are entirely under his government. We must also realize that his government is abfolutely perfect : That he worketh all things ac(Contin. from Vol. II. p. 248) cording to the counfel of his own OMMUNION with the Fa- will; brings light out of darkther of our spirits, is the nefs and good out of evil: That duty, dignity and happiness of the wrath of man shall praise him; The more conftantly and and that the remainder of wrath univerfally we commune with him, he will restrain. Amidst all the the more perfectly fhall we per mighty revolutions, convulfions, form our duty, the more shall we violence, tears and disorders which affimilate into his divine image, are upon earth, he will caufe all and participate in the dignity and things univerfally to combine their bleffednefs of his prefence and influence, and operate together kingdom. That we may behold for the glory of his name, the him, and commune with him, not good of his church in general, only in his word and ordinances, and of those individually who have but in all his works, in all events, pleasure in him. In these views, in all the various grades and con- we may contemplate the years of ditions of creatures, we must be the right hand of the Moft High fixed in this great point, that his with peculiar advantage. Behold. kingdom ruleth over all: Thating his greatnefs, wisdom, power, he planteth the nations and pluck- goodness and faithfulness, eth them up: That our times, faith will be increased, our love and the times of all men, the bc-inflamed, our gratitude and adoginning, the number and the end ration enlivened, our fubmiffion, of our years, all their events and patience and contentment improvconcomitant circumftances, are ined, and we shall be prepared, with VOL. III. No. 7. Hh

our

the inhabitants of heaven, to fing, Alleluia for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.

With these views, and for thefe noble purposes let us contemplate the events of the paft year, and the aspects of providence with respect to future times, and prefent duty.

employed to maintain a balance of power, for the preservation of their liberties, repofe and fafety. But the negociators of the late general pacification, appear, either of choice or neceffity, to have abandoned all former principles and policy, and to have negociated a treaty which threatens the If we glance our eyes upon rights, peace and happiness of all Europe and the old world, fever- Europe and the world. These al great events claim our atten- are great and fingular events. tion. We have seen the prelim- They have wonderfully disapinaries of a general pacification, pointed the expectations of men, figned by the belligerent powers and fruftrated the defigns of the in 1801, the last year, terminating crafty. They fhow that the Moft in a definitive treaty; and peace High ruleth in the kingdoms of with her benign and cheering in- men, and giveth them to whomfluences once more bleffing the foever he will. They demonftrate, kingdoms of Europe, and glad- that as the heavens are above the dening the world. At the fame earth, fo his thoughts are above time, we have witnessed the great- our thoughts, and his ways above eft, the moft violent and bloody the ways of men. Though the conflict, profeffedly undertaken for general pacification be matter of the liberty and rights of men, joy, as it hath ftopped the flow which the world hath known, ter- of human blood, restored thou minating in the moft powerful, fands to their respective countries. confirmed and extenfive defpo- and friends, is friendly to literatifm which Europe hath ever ex- ture, commerce and a general difperienced. Another event, truly fufion of Chriftian knowledge; great and wonderful, is the re- yet the circumftances of it have eftablishment of popery by this beclouded our profpects, and extenfive and formidable power. greatly diminished the general The religion of thofe extenfive gladness. But with whatever countries, France and Italy, is darkness these events, in our imfubjected wholly to the fecular perfect views, may have covered arm. By the fame power, by the the prefent face of things, yet this fame man, by whom the pope ap- confideration, that they are parts peared to have received his deadly of his great plan, who is wonderwounds, we behold him, with af-ful in counfel, and excellent in tonishment, revived, fupported and in a measure healed. We fee a new kingdom erected and eftablifhed, many nominal republics formed, not to advance the liberties and happiness of man, but to extend the power and influence of one' nation, and of one man. For a century paft, the policy, counfels and arms of most of the kingdoms of Europe have been

working, fhould give us entire fatisfaction, that they are beft, and will finally advance his glory, and the perfection and happiness of his great moral kingdom. He who looks through all caufes and their confequences, may have feen that the most defpotic government would afford that protection and fafety to millions, which never could have been enjoyed under

the reign and violence of the Jacobins; and that it would give fuch a check to the atheism and infidelity of illuminatifm, as could have been effected by no other means. He may have forefeen that popery in its prefent debilitated and dependent ftate, with the establishment of a toleration for proteftants, might better ferve to prevent a total forgetfulness and abolition of the Lord's day, and of the word and ordinances; and to preferve and protect a remnant of the holy feed, through extenfive countries, than to have left them without any religious eftablifhment. But be thefe as they may, that the Lord hath effected thefe events, fhould command our perfect fubmiffion; and while we ery like the fouls under the altar, How long, O Lord, holy and true, doft thou not judge, &c. it fhould improve our patience, and awaken us to greater importunity and fervency in prayer, that the fet time to favor Zion might come on. There is really no occafion for difcouragement, nothing to diminish our hope, or check our zeal, in the events which we have been contemplating For although Roman Ca-ed fcenes deeply humiliating and tholicifm has been once more eftablished, after it feemed to have been nearly abolished, yet the pope and his clergy have fuffered a wonderful diminution of their wealth and influence, and are wholly dependent on the will of another both for their existence and fupport. On the whole the man of fin is greatly fallen. The weak and distracted ftate of the Turkish empire portends its approaching fall. So that both thofe capital enemies to the Saviour and his people, are evidently progreffing to perdition.

| whole exhibit, in a forcible and ftriking point of light, the futility and danger of new theories: The impoffibility of enjoying liberty, civil or religious, without morality: That no truft can be put in rulers nor fubjects, who have no moral principles: That America fhould afcribe all glory to the Supreme Ruler, that her revolution terminated more favorably than that of France, and thofe of other countries. Who maketh thee to differ from another? And what haft thou that thou didst not receive ? They alfo fhow how little our modern feers, who predicted the immediate, or fpeedy commencement of a millenium of liberty and religion, knew of the times or feafons which the Father hath put in his own power; and what prayerfulness, caution and modefty become thofe who attempt an explanation of the divine predictions.

The events in Europe, on the

While Europe hath generally repofed in the arms of peace, war hath hung out her bloody flag, and raged with uncommon violence and deftruction in the WeftIndies. Efpecially, St. Domingo and Guadaloupe have exhibit

afflictive to the benevolent mind. We have feen a formidable fleet with between thirty and forty thousand veterans, employing all their skill and prowefs to conquer and deftroy the miferable inhabitants of those islands. On the other hand, we have feen the inhabitants, in their own defence, and to

avenge themselves on their invaders, maffacreing the white people, burning their towns and plantations, and laying waste every thing before them. In their turn, hard we view the French, in many fought battles and skirmishes, killing and captivating thousands of

foreknowledge? And not receive irresistible conviction, that the fcriptures, whose antient predictions are thus punctually fulfilled, are indeed a divine word?

them. Others we fee them hang-erence and wonder of the divine ing, and shooting in a moft wanton and extraordinary manner. In their victorious career, we fee the hand of heaven interpofing; and by the peftilence, in a wonderful manner, mowing down their generals, captains, and mighty men, like the grafs of the field; and fo animating the blacks that they have driven them from the field, obliged them to take refuge in their fortifications, if not wholly to abandon the principal ifland; and they have fo harraffed and preffed them on the other, that they have with great difficulty been able to maintain their ground. Not less than thirty thousand lives have, probably, been loft in this bloody conteft.

Can we contemplate how the former French inhabitants were plundered, murdered, and driven from the WeftIndies, by their own flaves and natural children, the fruit of their debaucheries, and the deftruction and distress of the French armies, and not be ftruck with ftrong conviction, that the Almighty is awfully teftifying his displeasure againft their wickednefs, and avenging their fins, in enflaving and oppreffing their fellow men! Do they not teach what all men of this character may reasonably expect from his avenging hand? Who can read thofe antient predictions, uttered between four and five thousand years ago, Curfed be Canaan, a fervant of fervants fhall he be unto his breth

ren.

In America, the events of the paft year have been peculiarly merciful. Peace, general health and plenty have pervaded our country. Our diftinguishing privileges, civil and religious, have been continued to us, notwithftanding our unprofitableness, ingratitude, and other numerous and aggravated provocations. In New-England the bleffings of the gofpel have been moft amply enjoyed. In no part of the world is the gospel more generally or more faithfully preached, nor the ordinances more conftantly and folemnly administered.* The state of literature and civilization has been flattering. Our colleges, academies and fchools were never better endowed, better regulated, nor more flourishing.

years

On the feveral miffionary focieties, inftituted within a few past, in Maffachusetts and Connecticut, the divine fmiles have in a peculiar manner rested even from their commencement. They have fent a confiderable number of miffionaries into the new and vacant fettlements in the northern, weftern and eastern borders of the United States. They have preached the gofpel through a vaft extent of country; in the wilderness

*In Maffachusetts and Connecticut

there are more than seven hundred regular churches; and between fix and

God ball enlarge Japhet, and he fhall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan fhall be his fervant; and view the enflaved confeven hundred ordained minifters, befides candidates. In the other parts of dition of so many hundred thouNew-England there may be nearly fands of his pofterity in the West-two hundred more, nearly a paftor to Indies, and not be filled with rev

† Gen. ix. 25, 27.

every thousand fouls. Including the Epifcopalian and Baptift paftors, there are more than one to every thoufand

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