tion eternal! Never more let me | Jefus Chrift, prevent us from fo give or receive the expreffions of natural kind affection! This would be indeed to "forrow as those who have no hope." Rather, who is not earnestly defirous to meet thofe deareft, thofe tendereft names, in the region of happy fpirits, and live with them forever? That we may be gathered to our pious ancestors, we must tread in their steps. We must follow them where they followed Chrift, and "go our way forth by the footsteps of the flock." We must afk for the old path, the good way, in which the faints of all generations have travelled to heaven. We muit walk in it, and the dreadful a doom! And may the awful idea effectually alarm every one, to fly from the wrath to come, and fay from the heart to each of his pious ancestors, "thy people fhall be my people, and thy God my God!" The labor of perfons, divinely enlightened, illuftrated, and the fub ject applied to the confcience, in four letters, from VIATOR to CHRISTIANUS. (Continued from p. 61.) LETTER II. DEAR CHRISTIAN FRIEND, end of our journey will be happy. Anated, have the moral image Plain is the path which leads to heaven. It is but to receive the truth in the love of it, and walk by the fame rule, and we fhall be fafely guided thro this wilderness, to the promised land. By faith we may behold it now, and when we shall be gathered to our fathers, we shall taste the milk and honey. Our prefent ftate is not without its troubles, among which, and far from being the smallest, is the removal of our dearest Chritian friends. But this will give additional felicity at the expected meeting. Small are the pains of feparation, compared with the pure and fublime joys of that blessed reunion. But fad is the cafe of thofe who have neither part nor lot in this matter, painful the day of feparation, but more painful, that day, when faints fhall be reunited, and they fhall fee them coming from the eaft and weftfrom the north and fouth, to fit down with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, with their pious ancestors, in the kingdom of God,-but they fhall be fhut out. May God of his infinite mercy, through of God restored; or a holy taste begotten within them, it is imagined that they labor to be accepted of the Lord,' in their temper, fentiments and conduct. 1. They labor to poffefs that temper, in which religion effentially confifts, thofe gracious affections, which God in his holy word approves. They are fenfible that if they were to have their deferts, they fhould perifh eternally, and labor to keep themfelves humble, under a fenfe of their great vileness, to be at the divine footstool, and daily to make the penitential cry, God be merciful to us finners. Altho' they hope for mercy through the Saviour, they find that they are very far from being what they ought to be, and pray that he who hath begun a good work in them, would perform it until the day of Jefus Chrift. We fee their pious longing verified in the conduct of king David: "Purge me with hyfop and I fhall be clean, wafh me and I shall be whiter than foMake me to 5048A hear joy and gladnefs; that the bones which thou haft broken may rejoice: Hide thy face from my fins and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." They realize, that "God refifteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble :" that the facrifices of a broken and contrite heart he will not defpife.' After all their prayers and pious fervices, they know that they are unprofitable fervants, and with the greatest fincerity fay, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he faved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghoft." Perfons divinely enlightened, labor likewife, to have their hearts fenfibly exercised in that love, in which is comprised the general nature of religion, and which indeed is the fubftance of all the Chriftian graces, by whatever name they are called. In like manner, they labor to rejoice in the rectitude of divine government, even when called to pass thro' the moft fevere trials. They well know God's right to govern that fuch are the per fections of his nature, that he can do no injuftice to any of his creatures, and that tho' there is no evil in the city which the Lord hath not done,' yet he never willingly grieves and afflicts the children of men' that he hath fome good end to answer by all the punishment inflicted on the wicked that the fharpeft trials which attend the truly righteous are only fatherly chaftifements, for "whom he loveth he chafteneth-all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose:" and that they :- will ultimately terminate in the glory of God, as it is faid to him are all things.' With these things in view, they labor" to re joice evermore :" to "let pa tience have its perfect work that they may be perfect and entire wanting nothing." We fee this temper actually verified in the prophet Habakkuk : "Altho' the fig-tree fhall not bloffom, neither fhall fruit be in the vine, the labor of the olive fhall fail, and the fields fhall yield no meat, the flocks fhall be cut off from the fold, and there fhall be no herd in the ftalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my falvation." To the foregoing, out of the many, which might eafily be mentioned, may be added the example of Paul: "I have learned in whatever state I am, therewith to be content: I know how to be abased, and how to abound: Every where and in all things I am inftructed, both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to fuffer need." 2. Perfons divinely enlightened, "as new born babes, defire the fincere milk of the word that they may grow thereby." Poffeffing that fpirit, which guides “into all truth," they will labor to understand and cordially to embrace all the fentiments taught in the bible, however they may "ftain the pride of all glory." They know, from divine teftimony, that "every man's work will be tried, of what fort it is :" that nothing but truth can abide when tried by a perfect ftandard, that erroneous fentiments, can no more abide the final trial, than hay, wood and stubble, can withftand fire; they labor therefore, "to hold faft the form of found words," received from the apoftles, efteeming the modern cathol icism, that it is no matter what men | fpirit; ferving the Lord: Rejoibelieve, if they are honeft to them-cing in hope, patient in tribula felves, to be infidelity. In the view of thofe who are divinely enlightened, there are truths effential to religion. They labor to know what they are; and exceedingly dread the thought of being " carried about by every wind of doctrine." The interefting question with them is, what hath God revealed? Doctrines clearly taught in the fcriptures, notwithstanding all the difficulties attending them, they suppose to be important, and labor to embrace. The holy fovereignty of God, the doctrine of the trinity, the depravity of man, the divinity and atonement of Chrift, the neceffity of the new birth, the certainty that thofe who believe ball be faved, that those who believe not, fhall be damned-fhall actually experience interminable mifery, are doctrines fo clearly revealed, that they confider them effential to be received, and labor to be unwavering in the belief of them. 3. Perfons divinely enlightened, labor to walk according to the order of the gospel, to obferve the ordinances of the new-testament, baptifm and the Lord's fupper, and to maintain upon all occafions, propriety of conduct," to have always a confcience void of offence toward God, and toward men.' They have the law of their God in their heart, and it is the natural tendency of their new nature, to influence them to right conduct. If that were fully to prevail, they would perfectly observe the following, and all divine commands:" Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another, with brotherly love in hanor preferring one another: Not flothful in bufinefs; fervent in er. tion; continuing instant in prayer. Diftributing to the neceffity of the faints, given to hofpitality. Blefs them who perfecute you; blefs and curfe not. Rejoice with them who do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the fame mind one towards anothMind not high things, but condefcend to men of low eftate. Be not wife in your own conceit. Recompenfe to no man evil for evil. Provide things honeft in the fight of all men. If it be poffible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath : for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay faith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger feed him; if he thirst give him drink: for in fo doing thou shalt heep coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Selfish, unrenewed men, neither love to be bound by the foregoing, nor by any other divine rules, but to "walk in the fight of their own eyes!" Those perfons into whofe hearts, "God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath fhined, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jefus Chrift," love the divine law. They love to meditate upon it, and take great pleasure in obeying it. We fee this ftrikingly verifi ed in the conduct of the pious Pfalmift: "O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day." "Thy teftimonies also are my delight." Perfons divinely enlightened, believe that they and all men, "muft appear before the judgement feat of Chrift: that every (Continued from p. 69.) LETTER II. one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad." Their faith is not merely fpeculative, but it has an influence GENTLEMEN, Nong, vel a upon their conduct. They look I my laft letter, I proposed to the perfect example of their VIATOR. to give you fome account of particular exercises of individuals. shall begin with the case of a young woman, a profeffor, who had been induced to attend a place of amusement, which fhe afterwards became convinced was improper. The circumstances will be mentioned mostly in her own words, as communicated to me in a letter. "In compliance with your requeft, I give you my opinion and experience of the impropriety of a profeffor's attending balls. Permit me however, in the first place, to relate fome particulars in an earlier part of my life. At the age of 13, I was admitted into company, as an equal with thofe of 20, and 25. At 16, the Lord was pleased to stop my career of folly, and to call my mind from the world, by a deep sense of the importance of religion to the present and future happiness of my foul. After a painful conAf-viction of, the awful depravity of my heart, the amazing distance I was at from God by nature, my defert of everlafting punishment, and the total inability of helping myfelf by any works of righteoulnefs which I could do; I was brought, as I believed, to throw down my weapons and submit to God. The beauty, excellency and propriety of his character and government, produced a calm ferenity of mind, to which I was before a ftranger. The converfation and fociety of the serious gave me more fatisfaction in one hour, than all the vain amusements, which I could call to mind, from my cradle until that time. A narrative of a revival of religion in Middlebury, a parish of Waterbury, in the years 1799, and 1800, communicated to the Editors by the Rev. Ira Hart, paftor of the church in faid place. I met with many trials from the gay company with which I had always lived in harmony; but for the moft part was enabled to encounter them with lefs difficulty than I expected. Returning from fchool, I met with a gentleman who had been abfent during the time of my ferious impreffions. He accofted me in the following manner. "How do you do Mifs ? I hear you are ferious and have done dancing-Is it fo ?" I replied that I had indeed refufed to attend balls, for I believed that I had already spent too much time in that folly; but feared I was not fo ferious as had been reprefented. Well, returned the gentleman, "you have got a fit, but I am not much concerned, it will foon be over. I never knew an inftance fail, but that in a fhort time, thofe ferious perfons would be as gay as ever. I fhall fee you foon at fuch and fuch a ball room; and you will dance as fprightly as ever. I fhall then remind you of what I now fay, but you will tell me, I don't feel now as I did then." He left me, for I was unable to anfwer. As foon as his face was turned, the tears flowed without control. I exclaimed to myself, Oh is it poffible! Is it poffible! Can it be that I fhall be left to that miferable refort for happiness! I tryed to believe that he prophefied falfely; but ftill I knew that it was not impoffible. For fome time I was much diftreffed, left I fhould be left to difhonor the caufe of religion, and bring contempt upon its profeffors. About the age of nineteen, this over anxious concen, as I then thought it, left my mind, by degrees, and I loft much of the fenfe of my dependence. heard too much of the applaufe of my fellow worms, which gave I a fpring to pride and felf conceit, till alas! they gained an unhappy afcendency. I was now frequently in company with thofe, who were indeed civil but not ferious, and joined in their trifling amufements. Their attention and politenefs concealed the danger, and led me to be more and more converfant with fuch fcenes of folly. At the time of your ordination, when I was about 20, I was folicited by a near relation, out of politenefs to fome refpectable acquaintance then prefent, to attend a ball, I knew he would not advise me to do any thing which he judged at all inconfiftent with my profeffion. After confiderable converfation, and with much reluctance, I confented to go; and I affure you, fir, there was not a perfon in the company, but what faw me. After the interefting fervices of the day, and the folemn confecration of a minister to feed my foul with the bread of life and the waters of life, here I was in the ball room, amid the thoughtlefs and the gay. Nor was this the laft time. I was again where there was mufic and dancing. My Chriftian friends were alarmed and reproved me, but with little effect. I had liftened to the voice of adu lation, and God had left me to reap the reward of my folly. I had almoft loft fight of God and was fwiftly gliding down the ftream of fpiritual declenfion. But in mercy God was pleafed to ftop me, open my eyes, and bring me to confideration. Oh! the diftrefs, anxiety, fears and doubts which now harrowed up my foul!* Darkness without and darknefs within! I fincerely thought that if I could have recalled the laft 12 months, and have removed in*This was at the beginning of the late revival, |