feemed much disappointed at his giving them no answer. Recollecting, at last, that the lad did not understand Dutch, Mary haftened to her minifter, Mr. Kicherer, brought him to the boy, requesting him to put the queftion to him in English. He did fo. The queftion which they had, with fo much concern, been addreffing to the negro boy, was, "Do you love the Lord Jefus Chrift? Do you love the Lord Jefus Chrift?"---The poor boy who, may be, had heard little of Jefus Chrift, fave in the blafphemies of nominal profeffors, looked blank, confused, and gave no answer. Their mortification was extreme; their countenances fell; they were grieved to find a native of Africa, who had enjoyed the privileges of this country, unacquainted with the Redeemer.-Reader, thou haft long enjoyed these fpiritual privileges! How ftands thy heart affected to the Son of God?-Liften to the following awful words, as if feven thunders uttered their voices :-"If any man love not the Lord Jefus Chrift, let him be anathema maranatha." WORLDLY ATTACHMENTS UNNECESSARY. T is reported by the Rabbinical writers, that Melchifedec, that he had yet 500 years to live,-answered, That for fo fhort a time it was not worth the labour. Whether this story be true or false, we may learn from it the exceffive folly of modern worldlings, who muft calculate their lives, not by hundreds of years,-but by the day, by the span, by the inch, and yet are as folicitous about worldly matters, as if they were fure of ages to come! "Lord! make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is, that I may know how frail I am!" ANECDOTE. THE Gospel having been fent, by Lady Huntingdon's influence, to a place of public refort, it pleafed God to bring nearly all the domestic fervants of a noble perfonage under ferious ferious impreffions. Their converfion was not merely to opinions; they lived under the influence of the gofpel, and became diftinguished for their exemplary conduct and zealous endea vours to promote the falvation of their neighbours. Their noble master was jeered by some of the company, upon the revolution which had taken place among his fervants by a change of their religion. His Lordfhip replied, "As to the change of their religion, or what their religious fentiments are, I cannot tell; but one thing I know, that fince they have changed their religion, they have been much better fervants, and fhall meet with no oppofition from me."-How happy is it for hearers and profeffors of the gofpel, when their good conduct puts to filence the ignorance of foolish speakers! BLASPHEMOUS ABUSE OF SCRIPTURE. REPROOF to thofe who lightly and irreverently A make use of Scripture-phrafes in common converfation may be of use. This should be restrained in time, or persons may go as far as a wretch in the island of Jersey did. He was a notorious drunkard, he would often drink half a pint of neat Holland's at a time, and with these words in his mouth :"Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excefs, but be filled with the Spirit." On other occafions, when drinking off a small glafs, he would profanely quote thefe words: "Take heed that ye defpife not one of these little ones." I mention this fad inftance, to warn others againft perverting and abufing that facred book, which is able to make us wife unto falvation. The Inattentive Worshipper. "MYRTILLA does, 'tis true, repair Myrtilla may the trouble fpare, Her portrait let her fend. POETRY. POETRY. THE HIDING PLACE. "The Hiding Place, I am informed, was occafioned by an incident in our revolutionary war. A British officer, in the time of an engagement, fecreted himself under a bridge to avoid the danger to which he was expofed; and when in that fituation, or foon afterwards, found our bleed Redeemer as his fure HIDING PLACE. Thefe lines were written by a poor, unfortunate, but pious man, of but a com mon education, who, after this event, besame acquainted with the officer. I know the writer, he is still living, and an object of charity. His parents I well knew. They were poor, but pious; his mother eminently fo. She died like a Chriflian in the full hope of eternal glory.” Extract of a Letter from a worthy Correspondent. H 1. AIL fovereign love, which firft began A fcheme to refcue fallen man! Hail matchlefs, free, eternal grace, Should feven-fold ftorms and thunders roll, IX. A few more rolling feas, at most, If you think the following extra& from a letter, written by a youth, worthy of a place in your Magazine, you have liberty to publish it. DEAR FRIEND, ANY of our youthful companions, who were united to us by the most endearing ties of friendship, have been feparated from us by the gloomy veil of death. We faw them laid in the dreary tomb, wept, departed, and among the living forgot the dead. But muft we die alfo? Yes; the sentence is paft, and cannot be reverfed. We must feel the agonizing pangs. But a few more revolving days and nights, and the places, which now know us, will know us no "more again forever." Thefe bodies, which now engross so much of our care, will foon become breathless corpfes; our eyes dim; our tongues filent in death! The cold clods of the valley must conceal ⚫ur diffolving frames from the view of a thoughtless world. Thus time is wafting us fwiftly through our probationary ftate, and our characters are forming for eternity. Can we let our fleeting moments pafs unimproved, and treat the great things of another life with coldness and indifference? Be it remembered, that "without holiness no one fhall fee the Lord." Religion is a vital, active principle in the heart. It defpifes the gratifications of time and fenfe. It harmonizes the paffions, exalts the affections to Heaven, and engages the whole foul in the fervice of God. This is the religion, which we must embrace and inculcate. Without this, little will the dull forms of morality or the most extensive knowledge of No. 8. Vol. II. M M divinity |