When Minifters have weighed the matter thoroughly, they will, they must come forward. But fhould they be affailable by no argument (an idea we cannot countenance), we muft of neceffity venture the cause of God in the hands of fuch pious men as are willing to take it up. Great is their faith and love. The Lord of Hofts is their Captain, and can teach them to do valiantly. Go then, ye faithful fervants, and may the wifdom and power of the Higheft direct and fupport your march! The prayers and bleffings of the Lord's people reft upon you. The Minifters of Chrift fet at your feet, and from you they will learn to ferve their Mafter. Stand but in that faith and love which prompted you to engage, and whether you live or die, whether you are crowned with victory or martyrdom, great shall be your reward in heaven, and your memories fhall be bleffed among men. Think not, if you are defeated, that the caufe is loft. We must and will fupport it with our lives. We fhall foon hear how it fares with you, and many who now blush in fecret to yield to you the honour of the attack, will follow after to thare your victories, or to mingle their blood with your's, and to lie in the fame honourable grave. As we feel a preffing demand for Minifters, fo we are fenfible of the neceffity of Minifters of ability, experience, and character, being placed at the head of our Miffions. Their example will give general respectability to the Society, influence young Minifters to engage, and afford confidence and alacrity to the Directors and fupporters of these Miffions. For many centuries fo great a call has not been made upon the Church. It demands our ableft chieftains; and its difficulties, dangers, and hardships are fufficient to call into action all their wifdom, courage, and fortitude. In undertakings hazardous as they are great, we fhould remember that much depends on the fuccefs of the first attempts. Weighty is that refponfibility which refts on the Directors in the choice of Miffionaries. Of this we are fully aware, and we would meet the reasonable wishes of our friends, as well as prevent every injurious reproach, by doing all in our power to engage the moft able and pious Minifters. If in fuch hands the undertaking fhould fail, we have reafon to hope it will reflect no difgrace on the Miflionaries and Directors of the Society; and when no difgrace is incurred, no difcouragement is to be feared. Inftructed by experience, we may yet depend upon the friends friends of religion to countenance efforts that may be more fuccefsful. There is infinitely more danger in thinking too lightly than too highly of this work. The first has a tendency to provoke God, difhonour Chrift, grieve the Spirit, depreciate religion, vilify Miffions, blaft our own hopes, and difcourage all future exertions. Careless obfervers, who haftily advance to unfounded conclufions, (and fuch are the greater part of mankind), will infer that where nothing is done, nothing can be done; and if once the tide of opinion fets against us, we fhall find it no eafy matter to ftem the torrent. (To be continued in our next Number.) THE DEADLY FRUIT OF INFIDELITY. HE mutiny among the feamen having had alfo a par tial operation in the ranks of the Marine Forces at Plymouth, hath induced an awful example of its ill effects in the punishment, by death, of three private Marines laft week under the fentence of a Court Martial. One of thefe unhappy and mifguided fufferers was a Mr. Lee, of Dublin, a man of confiderable natural and acquired talents, and who had reafoned himself into a difbelief of the principles of revealed religion from the writings of fceptics, and particularly from the pamphlet entitled The Age of Reafon. The fallacy of thefe principles, and their fad confequences, cannot better be defcribed than in the following letter, with which we are favoured from one of our correfpondents, who was an eye-witnefs of their flimfinefs in this man's inftance in the hour of death. We only detain our readers from the perufal with juft obferving, that, from the circumftances which attended the writer's behaviour in his laft hours, there is great reafon to hope that God's grace triumphed over infidelity in this inftance, and faved him as a brand from the fire through the fovereignty of his mercy. From From my Cell, Citadel Prifon, Plymouth, MY DEAR BROTHER, YOUR exertions to fave my life cannot now avail. Yesterday the order for my execution this day arrived. I have but a few fhort moments to live, and I trust that, therefore, what I wish to impart to you will be received by you with that seriousness with which it must come from the heart of a dying man. Like you, I have been mifled by the fophiftications of those who deny the truths of the Gospel, and deride the evidence of God's word; like you, I gave them implicit confidence; but the awfulness of my prefent ftate has induced a candid examination of them; and the arguments of the enemies of divine revelation appear now to me in the vileft colours. I have thought it neceffary to feek the aid of a Minifter of the Gofpel, who, I truft, is a witnefs to my converfion, to my regeneration, and will teftify it, as far as he can be fuppofed to place a confidence in the fincerity of it. On this fubject I have no time to add more, than to exhort you' to avail yourself of the opportunity you have to renounce thofe opinions, which were near proving fatal to my eternal happinefs hereafter, through the merits of his dear Son, Jefus Chrift, the Redeemer of mankind. The gentleman who has been confiderably inftrumental in producing my converfion, will, I prefume, at my request, take up the pen to offer you fuch arguments as his fuperior abilities and experience will dictate; and, I have no doubt, but if you inveftigate the truth with a due impartiality, your mind will foon acknowledge that conviction I do, and your foul will be filled with it. Whatever family claims I have, I transfer to my fif er Aldridge, and requeft you will do all in your power to render the evening of her days as comfortable as poffible.— For ever farewel, dear Brother, (here).-Remember my laft dying advice, and confult your eternal welfare.-Recommend my affection to my fifters and brothers, and all friends. Your fincere Brother, ROBERT LEE. OBJECTIONS TO BECOME MISSIONARIES OBVIATED. I' SIR, To the Editor of the Evangelical Magazine. PRESUME that fuch hints, as tend to the advantage of the Miffionary Society, will be acceptable in your publication. It has frequently occurred to me, and I have heard it mentioned by others, that it feems generally taken for granted, that every perfon engaging as a Miffionary, must take a final leave of his country and friends, without the profpect of feeing them any more. This idea, however prevalent, appears to me groundless and hurtful. Groundless because many Miffionaries have actually returned to their original connexions, and closed their lives among their Chriftian friends at home: And, if I am not mifinformed, this is ufual among the Moravian Brethren. Nor do I fee any reason why it may not, in most cases, be fo among ourselves. All, indeed, who engage in a work of this nature, fhould be fo devoted to God, as to be perfectly willing to die in the service: And they who go to the moft remote parts of the world (as for inftance, to the Iflands of the Pacific Ocean), cannot, perhaps, entertain very ftrong expectations of returning, at a future period, to England; though it is by no means impoffible that they fhould do fo. But they who go to Africa, to Canada, or to the Eaft or Weft Indies, may probably, after spending some years abroad, return home, improved in their knowledge of religion and the world; they may expect, after a faithful and diligent difcharge of their miffion, to be kindly welcomed by the church of God at large; and their labours of love for Chrift, and fouls abroad, will prove the highest recommendation to useful and honourable stations in his fervice at home. The idea of a feparation for life, has, I fear, alfo proved hurtful to the caufe; and deterred fome, who might be useful in the work, from offering themselves to it. It seems like a perpetual banishment, and operates uncomfortably on the mind, in a cafe which needs every reasonable support and encouragement. As I do not recollect any paffage in the Sermons, or other publications of the Miffionary VOL. V. Society, Z z 330 OBJECTIONS TO BECOME MISSIONARIES OBVIATED. Society, that counteracts the fentiment I have pointed out, I am constrained to fuggeft these hints, from a conviction of the importance of the fubject; and I fhall be glad to fee the apprehenfions, that have been entertained, effectually removed. Í have heard of another impediment to the work of miffions, chiefly affecting Minifters, who, although married, and having children, feel a difpofition to engage in the fervice of Chrift among the Heathen. I know that fuch, inftances are not uncommon, notwithstanding that few have offered themselves to the Miffionary Society. In feveral cafes they have profeffed themfelves difcouraged, folely by the difficulty of fecuring fupport to themfelves, and those whom God has committed to their care, in a heathen country; where they could not, like their mechanical brethren, whe have readily come forward, obtain provifion by the labours of their hands. This objection appears fo natural and reasonable, that I doubt not, when made generally known, it will engage the attention of the Society. If through your Magazine, to which the public look for Miffionary information, or by fome other fuitable channel, the minds of pious and devoted men are fatisfied on these difficulties, I am perfuaded that beneficial effects will speedily appear. Your early notice of these hints will oblige Your conftant Reader, HUMANUS. The Conductors of this Magazine, from their familiar acquaintance with the views of the Miffionary Society, can reply with the fulleft confidence to the hints of this confiderate Correfpondent. The offers of Miffionaries have never been underitood by the Directors as engaging them in the work, neceffarily, and at all events, for life; but only for fuch a feafon as the fervice they undertake may require, and as the various circumstances of usefulness, climate, and health may admit. Attention is due to the comfort, as well as the ufefulness, of the dear fervants of Christ who devote theinfeives to his caufe; and their feelings and inclinations are confulted as far as poffible by the Directors. Of this, the accounts already received from the Duff afford the ftrongeít proof; and if any of the Missionaries, on their arrival at the South Sea Iflands, find occafion to return with the fhip, they have full liberty to avail them |