you and worldly actions cannot give you reft. Moreover by these bring all forts of mifery on yourfelves; yea, and not only fo, but you do thereby trouble others alfo, fo long as you remain unconverted.' "Thus you trouble fuch as are magiftrates to rule and govern you, and by their penal laws to punish you." "Next you trouble fuch as are paftors, or minifters, while you hate to hear, believe and practife their doctrine. While your fin, and mifery is great, their trouble and forrow is fo too here in this world." "You do alfo trouble the common people by your fins, by bringing on them various fickneffes, and peftilential difeafes, and all other divine chastisements." "You do alfo hereby hinder and difturb the holy peace of God's praying people among the churches, and make thofe afhamed, that are religious; and you, who are ftill ungodly, laugh at it." "Alas! O Lord, how very heavy is my grief on the account hereof? Seeing we now have the gofpel preached to us, and have the light of God's word fhining on us; and he, in peace, giveth his fabbaths to us." "God is conftantly calling us to repentance, and has often repeated his chaftifements on us by grievous fickneffes: But this notwithstanding, how full of wickedness has he feen all our towns For both men and women, young men and maids do all delight in fin and do things therein greatly grievous." "People fhould all of them now forfake their fins, and turn to God; and they should come to their minifters, and make pen itential confeffions of their tranfgreffions to them; and entreat them to pray to God for them; then would God forgive their iniquities, and teach them to do that which is right all the days of their lives."" "Then alfo would God teach them to know Jefus Chrift, and believe on him; and then they fhould receive remiffion of all their fins, and fhould be caufed to walk according to the word of God to the end of their lives. Whofo heareth this, oh, let it put him Thefe are my Now fare you on confideration. laft words to you. all well. Amen." ANECDOTES. SARAH HANNIT, widow of Japhet Hannit, the hiftory of whom has been related in the preceding pages, was esteemed a very pious perfon-was particularly attentive to the religious educa tion of her children. Being attacked by a diforder, which fhe fuppofed would, (as it actually did) put a period to her life, fhe called together her daughters, and expreffed to them all a very deep fenfe of the many fins, and failures of her life; and told them, that what fhe now moît efpecially blamed herself for was, "Her not having taken fo much care for their eternal good as the ought to have done: For tho', said she, I have fometimes inftructed, and exhorted you, yet I fhould have done this more earnestly, and preffingly than I have; and fhould even have commanded you to love, and ferve the Lord your God: But having fallen far fhort of my duty herein in times paft, I muft now be the more earnest with you, being now about to leave appeared to die in the faith of the the world and you."'* Accordingly fhe did now, in the most affecting and preffing language of a dying mother, urge and command thefe her children to love the Lord their God with all their hearts and fouls, mind and ftrength; and did entreat them to avoid, and abstain from thofe fins, to which fhe thought them moft inclined, and from all other fins whatfoever. gofpel. Aferious perfon, (who died at the age of 16,) hearing fomé young people, when they firft awoke in the morning, entering into a difcourfe, which was improper, and vain, very seriously reproved them, telling them, "That the God of their lives, and of all their mercies ought to have the firft of their thoughts when they awoke in a morning; and declared to them, how unfit a thing it was, for perfons to begin the day with fuch vain and unprofitable difcourfes." She then declared, that as to herself, fhe had hopes through the mercy of God in Jefus Chrift the only Saviour of finful man, fhe fhould, notwithstanding all her fin and guilt, obtain everlafting life, and happinefs in the world to come. She clofed with a ferious exhortation to all about her to have continual recourfe to the blood of Jefus Chrift for party of many fins; yet I have hopes don and cleanfing. She evidently A little before her death, when hopes of recovery were given up, fhe fpake to this purport to her afflicted mother; "Be noť, my mother, overmuch grieved at my death; for tho' I have been guil rough repentance, turn to God, and truly feek and ferve him, you may yet again fee me with great joy and comfort. in the mercy of God, thro' Jefus Chrift, my only Saviour, that I fhall, when I die leave all my pain * If one, who gave fatisfactory evi- and affliction behind me,' and endence of an habitual concern for the fpir- ter into everlasting reft and happiitual good of her children, was ýetnefs: And if you do, by a thomuch affected, in the clofing scene of life, with a fenfe of her omiffions; what cutting refle&ions muft thofe parents, in a Chriftian land, be fuppofed to have at this awful period, who have never given their children any ferious inftructions in religion have never placed before them any weighty diffuafives from fin, and perfuafives to holinefs have never urged them to flee from the wrath to come, to lay hold on eternal life, and fecure that good part, which will not be taken away from them? Efpecially, what keen remorse muft thofe have at this folemn hour, fuppofing they have the ufe of their reafon, and their minds have not become callous, whofe confciences accufe Anecdote of Foaf Panu and bis mother. When this Joafh was a little boy, a certain perfon put a little rum into his mouth, that he might have an early taste of that liquor, which Indians in general fo much admire: But it feems, that this fort of drink was too fiery for the tender palate of the lad; he therethem not only of conftant criminal neg-fore fuddenly cleared his mouth of lects, but, of having fet before their children an example of impiety and de- it, with fome indication of diflike. bauchery, and thus led them on to pur-H mother being prefent, and fue the path that leads to final perdition? obferving his actions upon the ocMay fuch unnatural, and abandoned cafion, fpake to this purport; parents repent before it be too late. ! "Is this too hot for you, and fə yery offenfive, as by your acting it feems to be? How much more would the flames of hell be fo? And yet for drinking this fort of drink, there are many, who go to that place of torment: Také heed therefore that you abftain from it-be fure to avoid the exceffive use of it.”—This seasonable word of caution and advice, which his mother thus gave him, made fuch an impreffion on his tender heart as was never effaced; nor did he, as far as the gentleman that wrote his life could under ftand, ever tafte any more of that fort of drink; neither did he make ufe of any other fort of drink, which was ftrong or spirituous.* Converfation between two Chriftian Indians. Yonohhumuh, a very ferious man, being near his death, received a vifit from Peter Ohquonhut, a Christian Indian, afterwards a minifter worthy of credit. Peter on this occafion put fome queftions to him, which, with the anfwers here follow : "Peter, Do you believe that there is a God? Yonohhumub. Yes, I believe, that there is indeed a great God, whose name is Jehovah; and that *If parents in general, in this land, were more faithful monitors, and more careful to keep their fons out of the infectious company of intemperate and enfaaring perfons, much moral evil might be prevented, and many a youth be preferved from ruin: But where parental inftructions, admonitions and reftraints are wanting, the bias of corrupt nature, accompanied by external temptations, will incline many a youth fpeedily to enter forbidden paths, and not unfrequently, in a fhort time, to run to an excess of riot, from which nothing but the grace of God, in an uncommon meafure, will ever reclaim him. VOL. III. No. 7. I r. Yes, indeed I do fo ; know I have committed many and great fins against him. P. Are you fenfible, that for your fins, you deserve to be tormented? r. Yes, I know that my fins have deferved that I fhould be caft into hell. P. Have you then any hopes of being faved? And if fo, by whom and how? r. I have been informed, that God fent his Son into the world, to redeem and fave finful men ; and that fuch as come to him by true faith and repentance are fa ved from wrath by him; and on this I ground my hope for falvation. P. Do you then repent of your fins, and by faith come to Christ, fince you hope for falvation in this way? r. Yes, I do; I come and come again to Chrift; and I mourn for my fins, and entreat him to pardon them, and cleanfé me from them.” Being now much affected-fhedding tears, and unable to proceed, the converfation was fufpended for a fhort time: The fick man, when the agitation of his mind was in fome measure calmed, refumed it, and asked a question in his tura; and having received an anfwer, clofed the difcourfe with this grateful and weighty re mark. "Oh the wonderful love af God, that having but one Son, he was willing to give him to fuffer and die for us miferable finners, that fo we might live through him!" K k God unchangeable in his purposes, in | ftows according to his counsel and the accomplishment of which, all the real good ever enjoyed by men, is effected and beflowed. Α AN N infpired penman of the fcriptures has affirmed, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James i. 17. defign from the beginning, in accomplishment of "the eternal purpose which he purposed in Chrift Jefus our Lord." The counfel, plan, or purpose of God refpecting all his works, which exifted in his mind from the beginning, or from everlasting, comprifes all the ways and means, by which the good and perfect gifts, which come from him, are effected, accomplished, conveyed A diftinct illuftration of every or obtained. Every mean, and evparticular afferted or clearly impli-ery circumftance, which hath any ed in these words, would contain relation to the good beftowed, contoo much for a place in the maga-veyed or obtained, intime, had juft zine. The following obfervations will, therefore, be principally confined to the laft propofition; yet keeping in view its connection with the other parts of the verfe. The propofition, "With whom is no variablenefs, neither fhadow of turning," imports, that God, the Father of lights, is unchangeable in his being and effential perfections. A neceffary felf-exiftent being muft neceffarily be the fame forever. There never was, and never will be, any alteration, change, or variation, in his great nefs, or power, or wifdom, holinefs, juftice, goodnefs, or truth. The propofition alfo imports, that God is without variablenefs or change in his counfels and defigns. A being who is ftrictly and abfolutely unchangeable, makes no alteration in his counfels, defigns, or purposes. He forms his plan of operation, and adheres to it, and carries it into complete effect, without deviating from it in any inftance whatfoever. "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.-He worketh all things after the counfel of his own will." All the good gifts, and all the perfect gifts, which he beftows, he be the fame relation to and connection with the event in the divine plan from everlafting, as it hath at the time the effect is wrought, or the good beftowed. If God purpofed or decreed to fave the individual perfons, compofing the church of the Theffalonians, whom Paul addreffed in his fecond epistle to them, through fanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, and to call them to the obtaining of this ineftimable good, by means of the gofpel which the apostles preached; then they could not be faved in any other way, or by any other means, confiftently with his counfel or decree. The gofpel preached to them, and their hearing it, and believing it, had precifely the fame relation to and connection with their falvation in the eternal purpose of God, as at the time when they actually heard and believed; and in the eternal purpose of God their falvation was as much dependent on and as much the effect of their hearing and believing, as it was at the time when it in fact took place. The like might be observed with refpect to every beneficial effect, for the accomplishment of which, means are employed. The counfel or purpofe of God, according to which he worketh all things, primarily refpects his own conduct. He hath formed a complete plan of all his own works or operations, embracing every act and operation of his, from everlasting to everlafting. All that he hath done, and all that he will do, is according to the plan or counfel of his will from the beginning. He never did and never will do any thing, which he did not always purpofe or intend to do. And every thing which he always intended to do, he doeth or will do. Not one of the infinite variety of things comprifed in his original plan, will fail or be left undone. And by thus fixing the plan of his own operations, and deciding or determining what he will do, in every inftance from everlafting to everlafting, the univerfal fyftem of events, comprising every exiftence, and every action, and every enjoyment, and every fuffering of creatures, became fixed and certain. For the whole hath fuch relation to, and dependence on, and connection with, what God doeth, that the determination of his own acts in every inftance, from everlafting to everlafting, renders the whole fixed and certain. he once intended to do, or the grant or performance of any thing which formerly he did not purpofe to do, evidently implies fuch a, change of mind, as cannot be reconciled with his ftrict, eternal immutability or unchangeableness. And why should any wish God to change his mind, or to alter his purpofe, or to do or omit any thing which once he did not intend? Or what objection can they reafonably make, against his forming in the beginning the whole plan of his operations, and carrying it into complete effect, without any the leaft alteration? Do they fecretly imagine that he, like creatures, improves by age and experience, and can better determine now, what it is most wife and proper and best for him to do, in fome cafes, than he could in the ages of eternity? Do they think he hath now a clearer view and more perfect knowledge of all creatures, cafes and circumftances, than he had before the actual exiftence of creation commenced? Surely none will dare pretend to this. The thought is impious, and implies a denial or disbelief of the abfolute eternal omniscience and infinite knowledge of God. If God hath obtained any new That God hath thus deter- ideas fince creation began; if mined the plan of his own works, things have happened which he acts or operations, and in the be- did not expect, or otherwise than fowment of every good and per- he expected; if he now fees any fect gift which comes from him, thing in a new and different light accomplishes his own purpofe, from what he once did, and would according to the counfel of his not from the beginning have formwill, and doeth nothing but whated his plan in all refpects just as he from everlasting intended or he did, had he then viewed every determined to do, is clearly and thing juft as he doth now; if any fully implied in the propofition, thing like this bath taken place; that with him there is no variable- then furely there is a very materinefs neither fhadow of turning. al change in his view and knowlFor any alteration of his purpofe, edge of things, and he was once or the omiffion of any thing which ignorant of what he now knows, |