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them. In the fecond text, they are exhorted to cleave to the traditions which they had received: And in the laft, to withdraw from every profeffing Chriftian, who would not practically regard them.

From the fcriptural ufe of the word tradition, it appears that we are not to determine any thing to be true or falfe, divine or human, merely because it comes to us by tradition. To know whether any doctrine ought to be received as an article of our religious creed, we must first determine from whom it is derived, or whether it be fupported by divine authority. Eve ry fentiment is a matter of tradition; either from God, or man. If a doctrine come from the former, we are bound to receive it; but if from the latter, we are forbidden to receive it, whether it be ancient or modern.

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When I meet with one who attempts to deftroy my faith by crying out, tradition! tradition! I must be very weak indeed if I give up, without inquiring whence the perfuafion comes, which prompts him to endeavor to make me a convert to his creed. He is governed by fome tradition or other. For the fame reason that I ought to examine why I believe as I now do, I ought to examine why I fhould believe differently from what I now do. If I am forbidden to ground my faith on human authority in the one cafe, I am in the other.

There are fome perfons who feem to think, that if any one believe what his father, his grandfather, and a long train of ancefters believe, he can have no faith of his own, or must be in the wrong. Every one is indeed to blame if he do not impartially examine into the grounds of his

faith; whether he agree in opin. ion with his ancefters or not. But how can it be determined that any one is in an error, because he believes what had been believed by thoufands or millions before he was born? Is the truth but of yesterday? If it be, it may change to-morrow; and therefore it is folly to think of finding it.

What should we think of a farmer who fhould be laughed out of the practice of plowing, fowing and reaping, by being told that his father and grandfather, and ancestors had done fo, from time immemorial? There are not a few who conduct as foolishly as the farmer would in this case, with refpect to religious concerns. They renounce family prayer, public worship, and all serious religion, under the pretence of breaking the fetters of tradition. Let all fuch be convinced that "a deceived heart hath turned them afide;" and let them be affured that by laying afide one kind of tradition, they have fallen in with another kind. Let them ferioufly examine who is the author of that tradition, which encourages them openly to renounce the fear of God.

BENEVOLUS.

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fhould leave the world unnoticed, | early with a fenfe of the importanceand even unknown beyond the and excellency of the Chriftian relimits of their domeftic circle. ligion. Her mother being danAs a conftant reader of your Mag-gerously ill, fhe was called at the azine, permit me to exprefs a wish, age above mentioned, to the bed.. that more pains were taken to fide, to read fome pious book. bring into public view, the lives When fhe had finished reading, and deaths of Chriftians in priher mother, with great concern, vate stations. It is not in the made particular inquiry into the higher walks of life, we are to state of her foul; and asked the look for the most numerous or queftion, My dear child do you most eminent examples of faith in pray to God in fecret?" She Chrift Jefus. If the world de-frankly confeffed that she did not. rives advantage from a perufal of the lives and actions of the hero, the statesman and the fage; why may not the Chriftian church derive equal advantage from the lives of thofe fervants of God, who having been "faithful over a few things," are entered into the joys of their Lord; and be stimulated to "go and do likewise." To perpetuate the memory of a refpectable Chriftian, and propofe her example for imitation, is my object in the prefent communication. If you publifh this, I fhall forward one or two more as deferving of public notice. Yours, &c.

TH

I. H.

HE fubject of the following narrative was born at Woodbury in this ftate February 1719. Her name before marriage was Tabitha Hecox. Nothing appeared unufual in her life, until the arrived to the age of fifteen. At this period fhe was the fubject of powerful convictions of fin, and diftrefs of mind about the eternal interefts of her foul. It appeared from her own relation, that her mother and grand mother, were the humble followers of Jefus, and that great pains were taken to imprefs her mind

Matthew xi, 25, 26.

The duty was then enjoined upon her in a folemn and impreffive manner, and she was charged, as fhe hoped for a mother's bleffing, to make religion her firft and great concern. Retiring greatly alarmed and affected, fhe attempted to pray, but was much embarrassed. It occurred to her mind, that in order to obtain the favor of God, fhe muft keep all his commandments. This led her to a ferious inveftigation of their requirements. She proceeded to the fourth, when the thought ftruck her, that there was no God, and of course, that all her diftrefs was vain and her exertions fruitless. This dreadful idea remained altho' it was carefully concealed from her mother.

About this time, her father arrived one evening from a neighboring town, with an account of two ftrangers, who had lately appeared there and were called Atheifts. They were defcribed as profligate and wicked men. As The had never feen an Atheist and knew not the import of the name, The embraced the earlieft opportu→ nity to ask her mother, what was meant by an Atheist, and was anfwered, " a wicked man or woman who believes there is no God." She retired in the utmost confufion and diftrefs of mind, repeating to herfelf, "what would

my kind mother fay, if fhe knew | punishment is greater than I can that her dear child was an Athe-bear." But the found by expe

rience that God is indeed a faithful covenant God, and that the bleffed Jefus carries his "lambs "in his bofom" and will not "break the bruised reed." After a violent conflict, her rebellious

ift?" Altho' fhe feared at the time that the believed there was no God, yet the agony of her mind impelled her to cry out for mercy and relief; and while thus engaged, it pleafed God to remove her doubts refpecting his exist-heart was humbled, the veil was ence, though she was far from be- removed; and in the light of truth ing reconciled to his character, and grace, fhe read the wisdom law and government. With fome and goodnefs of God in fending intervals of precarious hope and this affliction upon her, and could great ftupidity, her diftrefs offy with the Pfalmift, "It is good mind continued, until the arrived me that I have been afflicted." to the age of twenty-three, when Her repining thoughts were now the appeared to be called from turned into praise, and her distress darkness to light, and fettled up- | into gladness, and the experienced on an evangelical hope in the the truth of that fcripture, merits of Christ, which, with the interruptions common to many of God's people in this finful world, continued through a long and trying life, as an anchor to her foul fure and ftedfast. Soon after fhe obtained a hope of reconciliation to God, it appears fhe made a profeffion of religion; and was joined in marriage to Mr. Ezekiel Tuttle, with whom the lived in this relation, until his deceafe February 6, 1799, a period of fifty-feven years.

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Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." In this school of affliction, she learned much of God and of her own heart. It broke, in fome happy degree, her ties to earth, and prepared her, when she recovered, to be more heavenly minded in her life and converfation. But her faith was to receive another and more fevere trial. And here we may remark how a beneficent "Providence tempers the wind to the fhorn It pleafed God to vifit her lamb." If the trial, of which I with many painful and long conti- am now to fpeak, had taken place nued trials. At the birth of her before her faith had acquired a seventh child, fhe contracted a folid foundation, it would have weaknefs which confined her been lefs fupportable. A darling wholly to her bed, during the long child, in the bloom of life, was cut period of seven years. And while down in an awful and unusual manall around were ftruck with admi- Another equally promifing ration at her conftancy and pati- was fubject to fits, became delience, fhe was tried as by fire.rious, and continued fo twenty fix Viewing her cafe as fingular, and years until his decease, Dec. 12, feeing no end to her affliction but 1799. Although she had lived in death, her heart, the related, to follow her husband and fix, yielded to the fuggeftions of the which was half the number of her adverfary, and role againft the rectitude of the divine govern-ally a woman of forrows, and acShe thought his dealings quainted with grief, yet when hard, and was ready to fay," My fpeaking of this once promifing

ment.

ner.

children, to the grave, and was re

fon, the tear would fteal involun- | led one of Chrift's children. She appeared to have a foul-humbling view of the iniquity of her own heart, and the utter infufficiency of all creature righteousness for pardon and falvation. She dif carded all reliance upon her own works and trusted alone in the perfect righteousness of Jefus Chrift for juftification.

tarily down her furrowed check. She called it by way of eminence her living affliction." The two laft years of her life were tranquil. She was however feldom able to attend public worship, and when there, by reason of deafnefs, was feldom able to hear. She fometimes attended on days of communion, and fpeaking to me on the fubject, the faid "I love to be there though I cannot hear." But the period was haftening, when fhe was to be difmiffed from this trying world. She often expreffed an ardent defire to be gone and be with Chrift. In my vifits to her fhe wifhed me to pray only that the might be ready, and have an eafy paffage, adding, "what is there in this world to induce a moment's ftay." Indeed the feemed prepared to be with Chrift

"Clad with her ftarry pinions on, Drefs'd for her flight and ready to be gone,"

The friends of Chrift indulged a pleafing hope that her death would be triumphant; but it pleafed God, in her laft ficknefs, to take from her almoft the whole power of fpeech. She rapidly declined, the glimmerings of life gradually diminished, and on December 23, 1801, without a ftruggle, groan, or figh, fhe fell asleep, as we truft in Jefus.

Her appearance and converfation were fuch as uniformly commanded attention. She was a pleasant companion for the aged; a guide to the youth; and looked to with refpect by_all.

"The memory of the juft is bleffed."

Religious Intelligence.

TO THE EDITORS OF THE CONNECTICUT EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE.

GENTLEMEN,

I enclose to you an extract of a letter from the Rev. Mr. Floyd, as published by the Congregation* al Society of South Carolina-as it contains an account of the ope rations of divine grace in a part of the country farther fouth than were included in the accounts

which have been published in the Magazine.

As articles of religious intelli gence, perhaps none can be more important or better authenticated, than those which have been received from the western and fouthern parts of the United States; they have already been the means. of arrefting many in their wayward courfe, and obliging them to confefs, that verily there is a God who ruleth in the earth. The hearts of devout worshippers have been encouraged in their addreffes to the throne of grace, and their hands have been ftrengthened in whatsoever they did to do it more to the glory of God.

Although Mrs. Tuttle was viewed by her moft intimate friends, who had witneffed her trials and patience, as a perfon of unufual attainments in religion, Under thefe impreffions, the inhe fpoke of herfelf in the hum- fertion of the letter in the Evan bleft terms, as unworthy to be cal-gelical Magazine is fubmitted to

VOL. III. No. 8.

Rr

your judgment and difcretion, by a friend to the great caufe in which you are engaged. Providence, R. I. Dec. 20, 1802,

Extract of a letter from the Rev. L. FLOYD, Miffionary, employed by the Congregational Society of the fate of South Carolina, for promoting the interefts of religion, to the Chairman of the Board of Diretors of faid Society. Pub lifhed by order of the Board.

"IN Auguft I took the liberty of leaving, for a few weeks, the diftrict affigned me, in order to attend fome large facramental meetings in the upper part of the ftate. I had the pleasure of attending three of these meetings, where the multitudes collected in the open woods, and the extraordinary exercifes which I faw and heard, opened to me a scene entirely new, and in the highest degree interefting. Every thing which I could fay in defcribing this truly wonderful work of God, has no doubt been anticipated by thofe who have previously correfponded with you on the fubject; but you will permit me to indulge myself in a few obfervations on what I faw and heard.

"The defigns and ways of God are indeed unfearchable. The important purposes of his wisdom and grace are often effected, not in the way which human wifdom would dictate, but according to the incomprehenfible counsel of his fovereign will.. The bodily exercises which take place in the prefent revival, may prefent a ftumbling block to the wifdom of man ; but if God, by this, accelerates the progrefs of his work, we ought to be not only fatisfied but thankful.

"The work is indeed extraor

dinary, and feveral appendages of
it may be very far from congenial
to the prevailing fentiments of the
polite world. I think it proper,
however, to obferve, that I have
found fewer difagreeable circum-
ftances than I had previously con-
templated. The minifters used
their utmoft endeavors to preferve
order among the people, and in-
ftead of terrific declamation, their
chief aim appeared to be to de-
clare the important truths of the
gofpel with plainnefs, fimplicity
and rational energy. And it was
very obfervable, that while the
conciliating voice of the gospel
was calmly proclaimed, the work
appeared greater than at any other
time. Those who could fit un-
moved while the terrors of a brok-
en law were founded in their ears,
felt their ftony hearts melt into
penitential forrow, under the
force of this interesting truth,
that "God was in Christ, recon-
ciling the world unto himself."
The gospel was indeed preached
with an animated pathos, which
evidently declared the pious zeal
of the clergy; but this must be
admitted to be very correfpondent
to the fpirit of the apoftolical.
Miffionaries, who, constrained by
the love of Chrift, befought fin-
ners to be reconciled to God.

"Another circumftance, in which I was agreeably disappointed, was the manner of the exercise of thofe who became affected. I had expected to hear loud outcries from the fubjects of the work, which where they are fo numerous, would be a great difadvantage to regular preaching. But where I attended, the dif courfes of the preachers were fel dom difturbed by any noife. Sometimes, indeed, thofe affected feem constrained to cry out, but much more frequently, especially in

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