of Moses to be no other than a ) be understood in the same sense prayer for himself-that his sins in the prayer, and in the answer; which might stand charged against and the latter explains the former. him in the book of God, might be Oh! this people have sinned a blotted out, however God might greal sin—l'et now, if thou wilt, deal with Israel. forgive their sin; and if noi-it “ Sins are compared to debts, thou wilt not forgive their sipwhich are written in the creditor's blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book, and crossed, or blotted out, book, which thou hast written. And when paid.* The Lord said unto Moses, whoMan's sins are written in the SOEVER hath sinned against me, book of God's remembrance, or ac- Him will I blot out of my book: counts, out of which all men shall | TNEREFORE now go lead the peobe judged hereafter. And when ple unto the place of which I have sin is pardoned, it is said to be spoken unto thee. blotted out. $ And not to be found The passage thus presented to any more, though sought for."'S our view, seems scarcely to need When a debtor hath paid a debt, a comment; but such sad work we are at no loss for his meaning, hath been made of this text, and if he requests to be crossed, or such strange conclusions been blotted out of the creditor's book ; drawn from it, that it may be pronor would doubt arise should one per to subjoin a few remarks. to whom a debt was forgiven, pre- That God had threatened to fer like petition." You will please destroy that people, and blot out to blot me out of your book.” their name from under heaven “ Though Moses had taken no that Moses had prayed for thempart in this sin of Israel, he knew and that the Lord had repented himself a sinner; and when pray of the evil which he thought to do ing for others, it is not likely he unto them,” we have seen above. would forget himself. The occa- And here Moses is ordered to resion would naturally suggest the sume bis march, and carry up the value, yea the necessity of for tribes to the promised land, and giveness, and dispose him to ask the reason is assigned—whosoit of God. When others are punever hath sinned against me, him ished, or but just escape punish- will I blot out of my book: therement, we commonly look at home, fore, now go lead the people to the and consider our own state; and place of which I have spoken unto if we see ourselves in danger, take thee.” measures to avoid it. To a sinner, When we thus view the subject, the only way of safety is, repairing can a doubt remain respecting the to divine mercy, and obtaining a sense of this text? But (keeping in pardon. That Moses would be view the reason here assigned for excited to this by a view of Israel, the renewed order given to Moses at this time, is a reasonable ex- to conduct the tribes to Canaan, pectation. namely, God's determination to That such was the purport of blot out of his book whosoever had Moses' prayer for himself, is clear- sinned against him, in this affair) ly indicated by the answer which let us try it in the different senses was given to it-for the blotting which have been put upon it. out of God's book, is doubtless to I. We will suppose blotting out * Matthew vi. 32. + Revelations xix. of God's book, to mean destroying 12. Isaiah xliv. 22. 'S Jeremiah 1. 20. soul and body in hell. The divine Vid. Cruden's Concord. under Blot. determination to shew no mercy 1 to Israel, is then the reason as- march, and lead them to the place II. Suppose blotting out of God's lustrate the subject, and confirm gold Yet now, if thou wilt, forIII. Suppose with Mr. Henry, give their sin. That he was heard and Doctor Hunter, that it is to and obtained his request, appears. be understood of destruction in the not only from the history containwilderness, and the answer stands ed in our context, but from Moses' thus-My wrath shall wax hot rehearsal of it just before his death. against Israel and consume them- He recounted the dealings of God they shall all die in the wilderness with Israel, when taking his leave -THEREFORE, now go lead them of them on the plains of Moab.-to Canaan! In that valedictory discourse he The whole people, save Moses reminded them of their sin on this and Joshua, seem to have partici- occasion-of God's anger against pated in the revolt. We have no them-his threatening to destroy account of another exception; and them, and how he pleaded with whosoever had sinned, God would God in their behalf, and the sucblot out of his book. Surely had cess which attended his interceseither of these been the meaning sions for them—“ I was afraid of of blotting out of God's book, it the anger and hot displeasure would not have been given as the wherewith the Lord was wroth reason for Moses' resuming his with you to destroy you, but the march and carrying up the tribes to Lord hearkened unto mé at that the land of promise. Cominon time also.* sense revolts at the idea. Sentence of death in the wilderBut if we understand blotting ness was afterwards denounced put of God's book in the sense we against those sinners, and executhave put upon it, we see at once ed upon them, but not to punish the propriety of the order given to this sin; but the rebellion which Moses, founded on this act of grace, was occasioned by the report made God's having " repented of the by the spies which were sent to evil which he thought to do unto search out the land. On that octhem.” If this is the meaning of casion Moses prayed fervently for the words, the answer to Moses' his people, and not wholly withprayer amounts to this— I have out effect. God had threatened to heard and hearkened to your pray 66 smite them with the pestilence, er, and pardoned the sin of this and disinherit them,” but reced . of people; proceed therefore in your *Deuteronomy ix, 19. ed from his threatening, through There is therefore no doubt rethe prevalence of that intercessor specting the sin which shut that in their behalf—" the Lord said, I generation out of Canaan. Nor do have pardoned according to thy we apprehend more occasion for word;' but at the same time de-doubt relative to the prayer of Monounced an irrevokable sentence ses, to be blotted out of God's of death in the wilderness against book. those rebels. Then Moses was But though the sin of Israel on not ordered to “ lead the people this occasion was pardoned, and to the place of which God had Moses ordered to lead them to spoken,” but commanded to go Canaan, some temporal chastiseback into the wilderness which ments were in flicted, to teach the they had passed—“turn you, and evil of sin, and serve as a warning get ye into the wilderness by the to others to keep themselves in the way of the red sea. fear of God; of which Moses was At that time the exception from notified when ordered to advance the general sentence, was not in with the pardoned tribes.-“ Nev. favour of Moses and Joshua, who ertheless, in the day when I visit, had been on the mount, and taken I will visit their sin upon them. no part in Israel's sin in making And the Lord plagued the people the golden calf, but in favour of because they had made the calf Caleb and Joshua, who dissented which Aaron made.” The manfrom the report made by the other ner in which this is mentioned, spies; though no intimation is giv- shows that their sin in that affair en that Caleb was not with the was forgiven, and only some lightpeople, and did not sin with them er corrections ordered in consein the matter of the golden calf. quence of it; which is common af* Numbers xiv. ter sin is pardoned. Neligious Intelligence, REVIVALS. a confirmed infidel, who avoided Ectract of a letter from a Minis. all religious meetings, and would ter in Worcester county. not suffer his family to attend, who " In Douglas a good work com- often spit on the bible, stamped it “ menced about two months since, under his feet, and cursed it, and which is very powerful; about one its author, after deep convictions, hundred have obtained hope, and has obtained a hope of acceptance the revival is as promising as at with God, and now esteems the any former period. It has extend bible his chief treasure. Another ed into the towns of Uxbridge, instance, still more evincive of the Sutton and Northbridge. Appear-efficacy of Divine grace, is that of ances promise a good work in each | eight or ten young men, from a of them. It embraces persons of neighbouring town, who went to all ages, from the very child, to the Douglas, for the avowed purpose of man of gray hairs. Several in breaking up the revival. They stances are quite remarkable; one hired their board at a tavern, ator two of them I will mention. Atended the numerous meetings held man of 60, who had been for years I in various parts of the town, for five or six days, and sometimes persons had presented themselves appeared to be seriously disposed, to the church'for examination, and while at others, they greatly dis- fourteen were baptized on the Sabturbed religious service. At the bath of the preceding week. . tavern, they asked a blessing on their meals, often prayed, and Connecticut. Haddam, Burlingpreached in mockery of religion, ton, Harwinton and Bristol, are At length, after drinking deeply, said to be favoured with a very they sacrilegiously administered interesting work of grace. the holy communion, and after choosing two or three of their pum- AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY. ber as leaders and speakers, they The receipts of the American went into an enquiry meeting, and Bible Society during its eighth placed themselves among those year, have been $42,416 95. It who were to be conversed with; has printed 34,000 Bibles, and when the minister asked one of 42,875 Testaments, exclusive of them wbether he wished to con- 2000 printed from the plates by verse relative to his moral state, he the Kentucky Bible Society; and answered in the affirmative, and issued from its depository 31,590 proceeded to vent his opposition Bibles, and 88,849 Testaments. in the most indecent, malignant, and blasphemous manner! The Massachusetts Missionary Society. others were not disposed to con- This Society was formed on the verse. After the meeting, they | 23th of May, 1799. Its object is all returned home; but the next to spread the gospel among the evening they went back, when it destitute in our own country, and appeared that nearly all of them among the heathen. were under deep conviction, prin- To accomplish this object, it has cipally from the horrid language employed, at different times, two of the one, whom they had deput- hundred and twenty-four missioned for the very purpose, in the aries. These missionaries have enquiry meeting. Nearly all of generally been employed from them have since obtained a hope three to twelve months each.in Christ. The circumstance ex- They have laboured in destitute cites much attention in the place places in Massachusetts, Maine, where these late profligate young Rhode Island, New Hampshire, men, but now hopeful disciples of Vermont, New York, PennsylvanChrist, reside. And it ought to , ia, Virginia, Tennessee, and the produce gratitude in every believ- various States west of the Alleing heart; and also to strengthen ghany Mountains, from Lake Erie the faith of saints, as an evidence to the Floridas. They have also that the Lord's hand is not short- visited and laboured among seveened that He cannot save. Ver-ral of the tribes of Indians within ily He taketh the wise in their ) the limits of the United States. own craftiness. Their term of service, it is sup“I ought to add, that twelve or posed, has been, upon an average, fifteen have recently obtained hope about six months each. Upon this in Millbury, where a powerful supposition, they have rendered work appears to have begun." 1344 months missionary service, Bos. Tel. amounting in all to 112 years.Maine. The Boston Recorder | The present efforts of the Society of the 8th of May states, that a are particularly directed to the revival of religion in Winthrop is supply of destitute churches in increasing in interest. Forty-two Massachusetts and Maine. XY. 2. ORDINATIONS AND INSTALLATION. 1824. May 20th. Ordained Pastor of Installed, as Pastor of the Congregathe Congregational Church in Manches. tional Church in Hampton, Con. Rev, ter, Ver. Rev. HORATIO A. Parsons.- DANIEL S. SPRAGUE. Sermon by the Sermou by Rev, Alexander Proudfit, of Rev. Mr. Dow, of Thompson, from Rer. Salem, N. Y, from Eph. iii. 8. 1824. May 26th. Ordained, at Conway, N. H. as colleague Pastor with the Rev. [In the notice of Mr. Paton's Install. Dr. Porter, of the Congregational church ation, in our number for March, it should in that town, Rev. BENJAMIN WILLEY. have been mentioned, that Rev. Toomas Sermon by Rev. Asa Cummings, of Nor. A vprós, of Berkley, gave the Charge. Yarmouth, Maine. Al the ordination of Mr. Clarke, Ordained, as Pastor of the Baptist tioned in our last, the Charge was given Church in Wrentham, Mass. the Rev. by Rev. WILLIAM PATTEN, D. D. of Jous Alles. Sermon by Rev. Mr. Hall, Newport ] of Attleborough, from 1. Tim. iv. 16. men SELECTED POETRY. Winils of heav'n, propitious smile ! T. HAPPINESS. Oft in my gay and thoughtless youth, I've drank at pleasure's stream ; As waking from a dream. Smooth was the current, but the ray That shoots from folly's eye, At evening it must die. And often dimm'd at pleasure's stream, Is youthfid fancy's eye ; It springs from joys on high. There is a stream, the youthful heart Oft dreams a bitter sweet ; Say, if there springs from earthly rill, A joy so pure as this? And give us solid bliss! Oh! there's a boon, of worth untold, To man, lost mortal, given : Roll, Pacific, roll thy billows, And reason bids us there behold Proudly to the whisp'ring wind; The path to peace and Heaven. On thy bosom floats a treasure, ELLEN. Richer than remotest Ind ; Maine, April, 1824. TO CORRESPONDENTS. 3-CN1, and the remainder of Parlo-Hopkinsian, will probably appear in our next. A. B. C. is received and shall appear in our next, It will be recollected that Si 50 is now due from those subscribers, who have not paid in advance. Payment will be acceptable to the Printers. |
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