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a more general import, and may nat- | tranfmitted to you, with a hope, urally imply, that God thus vifits the that if it meets your approbation, iniquity of parents upon their chil-you will diffute the knowledge of dren for several or many genera- it, by giving it a place in your Magazine. LEVI.

tions.

Or mentioning the third and fourth generation may be defigned to teach, that God does not generally, altho' he may in fome inftances, vifit children with evils down beyond the fourth generation, on account of the particular fins of their parents; if the children themselves are not guilty of the fame fins. And perhaps it is generally the cafe, that the children of thieves, drunkards, and other vicious characters, do not fuffer the evil confequences of their parents' mifconduct beyond the fourth generation; unless the children in the intermediate generations run into the fame vices. But if the children are permitted to follow the evil examples of their parents, and are given up to fimilar vices or wickedness; the iniquity of the fathers may be vifited upon their children, from generation to gen. eration for hundreds of years, and even to the end of the world; unJefs the fovereign mercy of God, fhould interpofe, and reclaim the children from the fins of their pa

This is ftrikingly exemplified in the Jewish nation. There are also other inftances, where vice and irreligion appear to defcend in families for many generations. What folemn warning and motives do thefe confiderations afford parents to avoid vice and irreligion; left they should ruin both themfelves and their dear children? HE.

(To be continued.)

MESS'RS. EDITORS,

THE following plan for the more effectual religious inftruction of Children and Youth, &c. is

A plan for the more effectual religious inftruction of Children and Youth, with an addrefs to Miniflers and Parents on the fubject. By the Affociation of Minifters in the County of Berkshire, and the Northern Affociated Prefbytery in the State of New-York.

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ACH minifter in the AfI. fociation and Prefbytery is advised to ufe his influence, to collect the children and youth of his church and congregation, in a body or in divifions, as local circumftances may require, as often as he fhall judge expedient, with a defign to imprefs on their minds the ferious and weighty things of eternity, by catechifing, inftructing and counselling them. And it is recommended that he begin and clofe his catechifing lectures, with prayer to God for his bleffing on his labors. It is thought moft proper to make use of the Shorter Catechifm of the Weftminfter Affembly of Divines; because it contains a compendium of all the leading and moft important doctrines and duties of religion, expreffed in an easy, and plain manner, fanctioned by long cuftom, and, by people in general, best known and understood.

II. It is recommended to the churches within the circles of the Affociation and Prefbytery, that are deftitute of Paftors, to appoint the Deacons, or fome other meet perfons, to go into the fame mode of religious inftruction, which is here propofed to Minifters.

III. It is recommended to Minifters and serious people, to ufe their influence to have the cate

Minifters, and Deacons of churches which have no fettled Minifters, call churches together to confult on the importance and duty of giving the rifing generation religious inftruction, and agree to come into the measures here prefcribed.

VI. That it may be known how far this religious attempt fucceeds, and whether it fhall be needful to take any further steps to give energy to this good work, the Minifters of the Affociation and Prefby tery, fhall, at their first meeting, after September 1, 1801, render an account to the body to which he belongs of the steps he has taken to promote this religious attempt, and the fuccess it has had, in his church and congregation, and in thofe in his vicinity, that are deftitute of Pastors.

chifm taught by inftructors of | schools; a practice, which of late, has grown into great difufe: alfo to have the Holy Scriptures read in fchools, at least once every day. IV. It is the opinion of the Affociation and Prefbytery, that the family concert of catechifing and prayer, fuggested by individual members of thefe bodies, and which has already been communicated to fome churches and congregations, ought to be warmly fupported, and all proper means taken to carry it into effect. To accomplish an event fo defirable, Minifters of the Gofpel, and heads of families, are advised to call to gether their children, and those under their care, every Lord's day, and spend an hour in catechifing them, and in folemn and fervent prayer to HIм who holds the hearts of all in his hands, and who dif. penfes bleflings according to his own fovereign will. The local diftance of fome families from the house of public worship, and the fhortness of the days in the feafon of winter, it is thought, may render it inconvenient, and even impracticable, to obferve a concert of this kind, without varying the time. It is, therefore, recommended, that from the zoth of March to the 20th of September, annually, the time of the family concert be the hour next preceding the fetting of the fun on the Lord's EVERY one, who believes day-and the remaining part of in the Chriftian fyftem, will readily the year, to be the hour next fuc- fay, it is important that inftruction ceeding the fettting of the fun, in the things of religion fhould be on the evening preceding the fab-communicated to mankind. God bath, for those who view that fent the prophets to inftruct Ifrael. evening as holy time, and the fame Chrift inftructed the Jews. He hour of the evening following the chofe feventy, and fent them forth, fabbath, for those who view that for the fame purpofe; and comevening as holy time. manded his difciples to inftruct both Jew and Gentile. The ferious, the wife, and the difcerning of mankind are univerfally of opin

V. To accomplish thefe reli gious purpofes, it is conceived that it would be a wife ftep, fhould

VII. The Affociation and Pref bytery agree that this plan of inftruction, and the addrefs which follows, fhall be printed, and that copies of them fhall be distributed to minifters and churches, to be read in all the churches and congregations, in the circle of the Affociation and Prefbytery. A committee fhall be chofen to procure the printing, and to distribute the copies.

THE ADDRESS.

BRETHREN AND FRIENDS,

ion, that religious inftruction is friendly to the interefts of men, in this world, and the world to come; and for the glory of Him, who has condefcended to reveal himself in the Holy Scriptures. Thoufands have laid hold of the opportunity to teach the doctrines and precepts of God's word: Millions have rejoiced to hear them.

If religious inftruction be important, it cannot be thought that children and youth are to be neglected, and fuffered to grow up in ignorance of God, of their finful ftate, of the atonement, of their accountableness to God, and of their obligations to abstain from vices, ruinous to their prefent and future welfare. The early period of life is the best time to lead them to the knowledge of these things. In that period their minds are retentive, and more easily impreffed with the folemn and weighty things of eternity, than after they have hardened themselves more in fin, and imbibed deeper prejudices againft religion, and adopted erroneous principles. The twig is eafily bent; but the matured oak is inflexible.

Many of the pious lament the growing neglect of catechifing and inftructing the rifing generation.Pious parents and godly minifters reflect with painful fenfations on their own finful neglect of this duty; and wifh and pray that they themfelves, and heads of families, may open their eyes, and fee their fin-may repent, and fet about the duty they owe to the rifing generation, with ferious earneftness.

The fouls of children are, in an important fenfe, committed to parents, and if they neglect their duty to them, and their dear children perish, and fuffer the endless pains of Hell, they will be terrible wit

neffes against their parents, in the day when they fhall meet them at Chrift's tribunal. Some youth, now in the world of total and endlefs defpair, are probably curfing their parents, who are yet living, for ruining their fouls. What an aching heart must a parent have, when he reflects that he has been inftrumental of fending his dear child to fuffer the endless pains of Hell!

Minifters and parents, awake from your flumbers, and attend to the folemn fubject. Teach your children and enforce your inftruction by an exemplary life; and let the God of all mercy hear daily prayers for a bleffing on your at tempts to lead your children into the knowledge of the interesting truths of the word of God.

Religion will make them dutiful, wife and happy in this life: Religion, and nothing elfe, will prepare them for Heaven.

The precept of God to parents in Ifrael, which stands on facred record, is applicable to you."Thefe words which I commanded thee this day fhall be in thine heart and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and fhalt talk of them when thou fitteft in thine houfe, and when thou walkeft by the way, and when thou lieft down, and when thou risest up."

It is now a time in which God is pouring out his Spirit in plentiful showers. Awake, and attend to your children. There is a fhaking in the tops of the mulberry trees. God is gone forth. Beftir yourselves.

Many people, fome old, fome young, have been brought into Chrift's Church. And, bleffed be God forever, fome in the congregations within the circles of the Prefbytery and Affociation,

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a difficult tafk; that our children are vain and thoughtless, and we are but indifferently qualified to inftruct them, and we have neighBegin

in the fear of God, and he will

have been arrested in the mad ca-
reer of wickedness, and brought
by Omnipotent grace, to bow to
the fovereign God; Chriftians
are enlivened and animated; peo-bours that will ridicule us.
ple are more ferious, and attentive
to religion, than they were former-help you. The more fenfible you
ly; it is, therefore, a more fa- are of your own infufficiency the
vorable moment for Minifters to better you are prepared to under-
engage in the pleafant work of teach- take the work. Put on authori-
ing the lambs of the flock. The ty, mingled with meekness and
ferious part of their congregations | love, and call your children to-
will aid and encourage them, and gether every Lord's day to cate-
many others will be more willing to chife them. When you shall rife,
fend their children to their catechi- after having inftructed them, to lift
fing meetings. And parents, it is up your hearts and voices to God in
hoped, will be more ready to hear- prayer, will it not be animating to
ken to advice, and go into the think thousands of parents, who
mode prefcribed of catechifing and belong to the family concert, are
praying with their children. rifing to join in offering prayer to
him, who hears the prayers of his
people?

We, the Ministers, call on ourfelves and one another to be faithful in this work. We call on Parents to allift us, and to teach their offspring. With pity and tender concern, we call on children and youth to attend to parental and min

catechifm, and give them inftruction. We call on the God of mercies, in the name of his dear Son, the Lord Jefus, to vouchfafe his bleffing, and make the attempt fuccefsful.

Should the prefent favorable moment be neglected, the opportunity may in a measure be loft. Say not that nothing can be done. Attempts, with the bleffing of God, may be followed with great and good confequences. You may fow feed, which may fpring up after you are laid in the grave. Attempts to promote religion are fre-ifterial attempts to teach them the quently bleffed, and made fuccefsful. If no attempt fhould be made, it is certain nothing will be done. But if attempts fhould be made, who knows but a rich fund of knowledge may be inftilled into the minds of many of the youth, and be ever after a guard againstinfidelity, erroneous fentiments and vice. Say not, ye Minifters of the Gospel, the work will be dif ficult and arduous, and attended with oppofition and difcourage. ments. Did you not undertake the work of the miniftry expecting difficulties? If you should be inftrumental of guarding one youth from unbelief and vice, it will be a rich compenfation for all your labors, however great.

Say not, ye parents, it will be

Berkshire, Oct. 22, 1800.

Recommendation of the foregoing plan.

AT a meeting of the Confocia

tion in the western diftri& in the County of New-Haven, convened by letters miffive, at the houfe of Mr. Irijah Terrel in Salem (Waterbury) December 3d, 1800.

A plan was communicated from the Affociation in Berkshire county, State of Maffachusetts and the

Northern affociated Prefbytery in, the State of New-York, for the more effectual religious instruction of children and youth:

Voted Unanimously,
That this Confociation do cor-
dially approve of the fame, and
will unite their efforts to carry faid
plan into effect in this district.

BENJAMIN TRUMBULL,
Moderator of the Confocia-
tion of the Western Dif-
tric of the County of New-

Haven.
Atteft, IRA HART, Scribe.

An Account of a work of Divine grace in a Revival of Religion, in a number of Congregations in New England, in the years 1798 and 1799, in a feries of Letters to the Editors.

[Continued from page 272.]

A

LETTER XIII.

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afk the way of falvation. She now reviewed her past finful life with a foul filled with horror, un. der the awakening fenfe of her guilt. Her prayerlefs life,-her many mifpent fabbaths, her form er wrong motives in attending upon public worship, and the prevailing wickedness of her heart, filled her with great remorse. Lamenting her former mifimprovement of the fabbath, the said, "I now wish for the return of the fabbath more than I ever did for any amufe ment Thus impreffed, the embraced all opportunities of publie and private inftruction, while her At length convictions increased. hearing a fermon from thefe words, "What meanest thou O sleeper? Arife, call upon thy God," the was much affected, with a fenfe, that she had been no ingre awak ened to call upon God, for his par. doning mercy. Sleep fled from her eyes, and her foul was the moft of the right lifted up in cries She continued in this God. ftate of diftrefs for about a fort night. She had thought her preceding convictions as great as na ture could endure; but now the found they were not to be com pared with the prefent agonies of her foul.

to

Second letter from the Rev. WitLIAM F. MILLER, of Windfor, Wintonbury Parifb. GENTLEMEN, CCORDING to what I intimated, in the clofe of my general narrative of the late work of divine grace, in this parith, I It feemed that nature fend you the particular experiences of the following perfons, to muft fink under the heavy burden, exemplify the nature of the work, while fhe felt the weight of her in its rife and progrefs in the foul. guilt, before God. In this diftrefs, A young woman, who, for fev- one day, while at prayer, her mind eral weeks, under the preaching of appeared to undergo a change, the word, had been confiderably which was followed with fuch a awakened and alarmed, under a delightful view of the holiness, convincing fenfe of her fin and juftice and goodness of God, as danger; and who, by ftrong temp-filled her foul with unspeakable tations, had been befet, and pre-love to him; and as the related vailed upon to ftrive againit the her exercises, brought her to refign conviction in her mind, accounting herself wholly up to his fovereign it a delusion, was at length, prick difpofal Upon this ravishing ed in the heart with fuch diftrefs, view of the holiness and justice of as took away all peace of mind, God, which broke in upon her and compelled her in earnest to foul, till then unfubdued, withous VOL. I. No, 8.

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