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perfons. Were we however to

perhaps we may fay, that one great
end of the exifting of the church-look on the Million in this point of

es in America is, to fpread the glorious gospel among the heathens in their vicinity, It is faid, "He that believeth, out of his belly 'fhall flow rivers of living water." The faints individually are converted, that they may work for God, and glorify him; not merely that they may go to heaven when they die; fo alfo churches may be looked upon as little emcampments from which we are to fally out, in at tacks on the great enemy, or rathenon the kingdom of the great enemy of God and man. You, dear brethren, are now drawing up in battle array-Go forwardPerfevere-Redouble your efforts. Be not weary in well doing for if you don't faint, you fhall reap in due time. Undoubtedly you will meet with difcouragements : many profeffors of the gofpel may not at firft enter into the idea that Chriftians, and all which they profefs, belong entirely to the Lord, and confequently may for a time act as if the giving or withholding fupplies was at their option; others may tire, if they don't fee immediate fuccefs, and many may blame your measures, after you have done the best in your power; but it is your bufinefs to endure all things for the ele&'s fakes, that they may be faved.

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It is now, dear brethren, feven years fince we entered upon the work of the Miffion in this country, and it is uncertain to this hour, whether any of the heathens are truly converted or not, though there have been many very hopefal appearances, and fome which were fo much fo, that we believed God had begun his work in reality: and the evidences continued for a long time, but at last decayed. Yet we still hope of fome

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view, we should conclude that nothing had been done to any purpose; but when we compare the time of our firft arrival with the prefent, we cannot help concluding that fome very important ends have been accomplished. Our firft landing was a formal taking poffeffion of the country for God: it was fixing a colony in the strongest part of Satan's poffeffions. Since that we have been preferved and increased infomuch that the colony which at first confifted of only five grown perfons and five children, now confifts of feven males and five women, evidently on the fide of God (tho death has removed two of our brethren, viz. Grant and Fountain from us) befides the children in number feven. God has alfo been gracious in the converfion of fome Europeans, and others. The language has been acquired-the gofpel preached to many thoufands, and the bible tranflated into the Bengal language: part of the New-Teftament is printed, and the whole will be fo before you get this. Some hundreds of copies of Matthew's Gospel, and fome other fmall pecies have been diftributed and read by many. The fyftem of Hindooifm begins to totter, and even Bramans are in many inftances afhamed to avow that their Shafters are of divine original: fo that, notwithstanding all our difcouragements, and all our want of fuccefs, we are conftrained to fay that the Lord has done great things for us; and it is alfo in our hearts to expect greater. We are indeed rather ftrengthened than weakened, and though the much defired fuccefs has been delayed till now, yet we are all with one heart trusting in the Lord; and I

ners; the example of the Apof tles, who did not account their lives dear, fo that they might fin

believe are all difpofed to continue in our work till death, and not to be moved with any difcouragement. What can we fay, dear breth-ish their course with joy, and the ren, to encourage you to perfevere miniftry which they had obtained in the good work, and to abound of God, to teftify among the Gen in it? Two confiderations are of tiles the unfearchable riches of great weight with us, viz. 1. Ev- Chrift; the intrepidity of the mar ery foul is of more value than the tyrs, who loved not their lives unwhole world therefore no length to death; the promises that he that of time, or expenfe of treasure is watereth fhall be watered himself, too great to be devoted to the fal- and that Chrift will support his vation of fouls; and the effectual minifters in this important work calling of one to the fellowship of till the end of time; these-all the faith, is more than an ample thefe are arguments with us, and recompenfe for all that can be giv- we doubt not with you also, to en, done, or fuffered, to accom- perfevere in this work; and never, plifh it. 2. The Gofpel is the never to give it up-rather to conpower of God to falvation; and fider it as a work which muft not the publication thereof the ordina- be deferted; which must be perry means of delivering finners from fifted in; which must become more the power of fin and Satan. It and more common; and which would be prefumption in us to ex- must be finally fuccefsful, and terpect the falvation of finners any minate in the univerfal dominion other way; and the height of un- of our Lord Jefus Chrift over eve, feeling cruelty to refufe to the hea- ry kindred, and nation, and peo then world, that which we believe ple, and tongue. and know to be God's ordinance for the falvation of finners. The man who keeps that money in his purfe, or employs it in triflng gratifications, which is wanted to fend the gofpel to them, is guilty of the blood of fouls; and the man who is furnished with gifts for this work, if when encouraged by the Church to devote himself to this work, declines it through fear of danger, or love of eafe, is alfo guilty of the blood of fouls. Churches not feeking out and encouraging fuch gifts, are in the fame condemnation. So that this work is as incumbent on every Chriftian, as any of the divine commands are, and cannot be neglected without very great guilt.

But on the other hand, the example of our Lori Jefus Chrift, who fpared no pains or coft to fend the gospel of his grace to fin

Dec. 9. Capt. Hague, the bearer of this, has frequently vifited us, and has gone with us when we have gone out to proclaim the Saviour in the streets to the wretched Hindoos. Within the last two months our profpects and hopes have brightened up, and we hope the Lord has revealed himself to fome of the heathens. Five perfons, three men and two women, give us great hope. One has given himself up to the church by relating the experience of the grace of God on his foul; and we expect that the athers will foon føllow his fteps. We may be too fanguine in our joy at this event; but when you reflect on its vast importance, you will easily excufe

us.

We have felt the pain of disappointed hopes before, more than once or twice: but the first true converts muft appear fome time;

and appearances ftrongly encourage us to think that the prefent are the first fruits of Bengal to Chrift. We take the liberty to prefent to you a copy of the gofpel of Matthew in the Bengalic language, at the end of which are fome fmall tracts and hymns, which we have difperfed pretty widely. Our dear brother Williams, of New-York, will prefent it to you as a token of our hearty concurrence with you in your work, and as a motive of praife and thanksgiving to God on our behalf.

We take our leave-pray for us -we pray for you. May we all be ftedfaft, unmovable, always

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abounding in the work of the Lord,fhown them a bible, a few days forafmuch as ye know that our labour will not be in vain in the Lord.

We are your affectionate brethren in the kingdom and patience of Christ.

Signed in behalf of all the Mif fionaries, and by their defire,

WILLIAM CAREY.

Our readers will recollect we informed them that the Rev. David Bacon, foon after his ordination laft winter, commenced a journey to detroit with a view of laboring there as a Miffionary, and of learning the Chippeway language, that he might go as a Millionary among

the western Indians. No intelli

gence has been received from him till within a few days. He got no further than Bloomfield, in the State of New-York, by fleighing. There he was detained feveral weeks and then proceeded on his journey with his wife and her brother, a young man who is to learn the Chippeway language, that he may qualify himfelf for an inftructor among the Indians. After a

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before which she said he gave her. Recollecting that Mr. Brainard 'visited the Delawares, and that these Indians were a part of that nation, I credited the report; and was pleased to find that fome of his Indians were not only in the land of the living, but in the very neighbourhood where I was. I immediately fent for the one 'who lived the neareft. She came to fee me, and appeared very de'cent, fenfible and clever. She was confiderably advanced in years, but did not know her age, dians. She fpoke pretty good as is commonly the cafe with InEnglish, obferved that the was very small when she was baptized by him; and putting her hand

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out about three feet and a half

from the floor, obferved that the 'was not more than fo high when 'fhe faw him laft. As the left the place about that time the knew of none of his Indians, but the Squaw that was with her. I had not much opportunity to know whether he gave evidence of grace; but the Moravian minifters fuppofe them both to be 'Chriftians; and that they were

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converted under Mr. Brainard's

miniftry. May God be praise for his merciful care of them!"

Mr. Bacon is now at Detroit where he preaches to the people of that place, and will probably be very useful as a minifter, there being no Prefbyterian Minifter within feveral hundred miles. There is a probability that a church will foon be formed in that place. Mr. Bacon alfo keeps a school, and un der the instruction of the public interpreter he and the young man with him are learning the Chippeway language. He has frequent opportunities of feing fome of the Indian chiefs, and there is a pleaffing profpect that he will foon be made an inftrument of communicating the light of the gofpel to fome of the poor benighted Indians.

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no rest:

Loathfome difeafe my stiffened garments bind,

In filth and duft my former glories end. To fill complete my cup of pain and grief, My heavenly Father to my cries is deaf, I feel thy heavy hand, thine angry frown Like wind pursues and melts my fubstance down.

Soon o'er my head fhall death's dark ftandard wave,

Soon this weak frame fhall moulder in

the grave; That land of filence and perpetual peace, Where all my woes fhall end, my forrows cease;

Did not my heart with tenderness o'erflow,

And weep refponfive to the fighs of woe? I look'd for good but countless ills enfue, For light I waited but the light withdrew,

My bowels boil with keen difcafe op prefs'd,

I mourn in darkness with no comfort blefs'd;

The lonely wood I roam, my fpirit faints, The owland dragon echo my complaints. My skin is black my bones are fill'd with pain,

And naught but fore calamitiesremain; Once harp and organ caufed my joys

to flow,

But now are tuned to melodies of woe.

Donations to the Miffionary Society of Connecticut. From Rev. Dr. Trumbull,

Two Strangers,

Mary Stone,

Dolls.

II.

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THE

Connecticut Evangelical Magazine.

[PUBLISHED ACCORDING TO ACT OF CONGRESS.]

VOL. II.]

A

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On the Scriptural foundation for cel- | ebrating the first day of the week, as the Chriflian Sabbath. LTHOUGH Chriftians are generally agreed, in the belief of a divine warrant for the obfervation of the Chriftian fabbath, it is apprehended that a view of the leading evidences of this duty will be ferviceable both to confirm their faith, and promote their edification.

The following brief-statement of the arguments is, therefore, prefented to their confideration.

fe

The obfervation of every venth day, as a feason of religious and holy reft, to man, was inftituted from the beginning, as amemorial of the completion of the work of creation, and the divine well-pleafedness with it.

When the work of the fixth day was completed, "God faw every thing which he had made and behold it was very good. And on the feventh day, God ended his work which he had made, and he refted on the feventh day, from all his work, which he had made. And God bleffed the feventh day and fanctified it; because that in it,

VOL. II. No. 5.

he had refted from all his work, which God created and made."*

From the Mofaic relation refpecting the manna, it appears that the holy reft of the fabbath was known to Ifrael before the promulgation of the Sinai law. That it was known to other nations, is e vident from feveral ancient writers.t

This divine inftitution was renewed in the Mofaic law, and the ground and reafon of it again af certained, in the following words:

"Remember the fabbath day to keep it holy. Six days fhalt thou labour and do all thy work. But the Lord thy God. In it thou the feventh day is the fabbath of fhalt not do any work.-For in fix. days the Lord made heaven and earth, the fea, and all that in them is, and refted the feventh day. Wherefore the Lord bleffed the

fabbath day and hallowed it."‡ In the facred writings of the old teftament, we find frequent refertution of God, and the proper celence to the fabbath, as an instituebration of it, as an effential part

* Genefis ii. 2, 3. In particular Hefiod, Homer, and Linus, fee Pol. Synop. on Genefis ii. 2, 3. + Exod. xx. 8, 9, 10, II.

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