tenfive utility. Like a young tree, planted in a good foil, it will rapidly grow, and extend many great and spreading branches, which will furnish the most excellent fruit. AMICUS. MEETING OF THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY. MA AY 28, 1805, the MASSACHUSETTS MISSIONARY SOCIETy held its Annual Meeting in Bofton. A large proportion of its Members were prefent on the agreeable occafion. The interesting business was introduced by prayer by the Prefident. The Rev. Jotham Sewall, one of the Society's Miffionaries, employed in the District of Maine, exhibited the following fummary of his labours in that region: "From July 5, 1804, to May 24, 1805, I have spent 36 weeks in the service of the Society, in the District of Maine. In this time I travelled 2334 miles, preached 295 times, vifited 146 families, befides the places where I lodged; baptized 4 adults and 57 children; administered the facrament of the Lord's Supper 15 times; admitted 17 members to church fellowship; vifited 5 fchools, and a number of fick perfons; heard 6 fermons, attended 8 funerals, 9 church meetings, 12 conferences, 8 prayer meetings, and 3 affociations. Collected 2 fmall churches; opened one town-meeting with prayer; addreffed and prayed with one company of militia, and obferved 3 days of private fafting and prayer. Received for the use of the Society, from Vaffalborough, 10 dollars, 18 cents, Canaan 9 dols. 49 cts. Norridgwalk, 4 dols. Bath, 7 dols. Rev. Daniel Merril 2 dols. $32.67. "Although I have not spent fo much time this year as laft in the employment of the Society, nor preached fo often in proportion; nor met with fo much fuccefs; yet I have gone through more difficulties. In fome places, where I have reafon to think my labours the year before had been the means of calling up the attention of the people, I have found the Baptifts and Methodists have divided the spoil and fermented divisions. In fome of the little churches, that I have helped to gather heretofore, difficulties have arose that call for difcipline. Some things of this nature have been attended to, and have happily iffued. Some places where there has been fome prospect in times paft for the fettlement of the gofpel, oppofition has increafed to that degree, that the friends of truth are difcouraged. These things, together with the wideness of the field, my inability, both natural and moral, while the calls are so many for help; the unfavourable effects that have followed the trav elling of fome other miffionaries; the cares of an absent family; the perishing condition of fo many precious fouls; the withholding of divine influences, has, at times, fo far funk and discouraged me, that I have been almoft ready to give up the important work, and speak no more in the name of the Lord! But again the thought that God reigns and is able to do every thing, and that the cause is his, and he is a God hearing prayer, gives me fome encouragement. Notwithstanding the many difcouraging. circumstances, there has been fome fuccefs attending the last year's miffion; the profpect is encouraging in fome places and in fome refpects. At any rate, the deftitute places in the District of Maine, are in a very needy fituation, and call for help. That the Lord would direct the Miffionary Society to the choice of fuch men, as may be better qualified, than any that have been hitherto fent into those needy parts, and abundantly pour out his Spirit and bless such exertions, is the ardent prayer of the Society's unworthy fervant, JOTHAM SEWALL." Meffrs. Smith, Riddel, Powers and Waldo, Miffionaries in the service of the Society, gave fatisfactory accounts of their labours, in the departments affigned them. A variety of important matters being difcuffed, and arranged, the Society proceeded to the choice of the following officers for the enfuing year. The Rev. NATHANAEL EMMONS, D. D. of Franklin, The Rev. SAMUEL AUSTIN, of Worcester, SECRETARY. THE PRESIDENT, ex-officio. The Rev. Meffrs. DAVID SANFORD, Medway, DANIEL HOPKINS, Salem, JOSEPH BARKER, Middleborough, TRUSTEES. In the evening divine fervice was attended at the Old-South meeting-houfe. The Rev. Paul Litchfield, of Carlisle, preached a fermon appropriate to the folemn occafion, from Haggai i. 8. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house ; and That they cannot make a statement perfectly accurate. They find, however, that fo many of the Magazines are actually fold, as will defray all the expenfe of publishing and diftributing; and yield a net profit of at leaft 400 dollars. Befides which, there will remain at the command of the Society fix thousand fix hundred Magazines of the fecond volume on hand, to be fold or diftributed gratis as they pleafe. There are alfo a confiderable number of copies of the first volume, part of them bound, to be difpofed of as the Society fhall direct. On the whole, the Magazine, befides anfwering the purpose of diffeminating ufeful inftruction, furniflies the Society with confiderably augmented means of extending the charitable ends of its inftitution. The Truft are of the opinion, that the contributions to the Society are more liberal this feafon than they have ever been at any preceding period; that its refources generally are extending, and that the Society has no reafon for difcouragement, but are addreffed with increafing inducements to proceed with zeal in the good work in which they are engaged. NATHANAEL EMMONS, Prefident. ATTEST, SAMUEL AUSTIN, Secretary. EXTRACTS FROM MR. ABBOT'S DIARY. (Continued from p. 453, vol. 2.) No. VI. His manner of Beginning and Clofing the Year with God; and the religious notice he used to take of his Birth-Day. 1730, the mercies of God to me, efpecially in the year HIS being the last day of the year, I reflected on Dec. 31. paft, and praised him for them; for perfonal, for family and relative, and public mercies. And I did confefs, and defire to repent of, all the fins I could call to mind, that I had committed this year, and in my whole life; and did earnestly beg of God the pardon of them, for CHRIST's fake, and ftrength against them for the future And I did earneftly beg of God, that I might remember from whence I am fallen, and repent, and do my first works: And might have more delight in his fervice, and a greater zeal for his glory than ever.-I hope I clof ed ed this year with God. O that as I have ended this, I might begin the next! Jan. 1. 1730.] I hope I defired to be truly thankful to God for all the mercies of the last year, as well as my whole life; and to be humbled for all my fins and begged his gracious prefence with me this year.-I begged that if it were his blessed will, he would fpare me this year alfo: And if he fhould, that he would prepare me for all the duties of it, that I might be more lively and upright in his fervice than heretofore: That I might fpend his Sabbaths better, and profit more under all his ordinances-That I might be enabled to difcharge faithfully all my duties to God, and man, and my own foul; and have my whole converfation as becomes the gofpel of Chrift.-And I defired to be fitted for all the afflictions I might meet with, and might carry it aright under them-I prayed that God would pleafe to give me a comfortable portion of the good things of this life, or a heart fuited to my condition. But if the fovereign and glorious God fhould fay concerning me, This year thou shalt die; I earnestly prayed that he would fit me for a dying hour; that he would not take me out of this world, till I have by faith feen the Lord Chrift, and heartily embraced him, and fhould be able to fay, Now let thou thy fervant depart in peace, for mine eyes have feen thy falvation. I prayed, as I have often before, for an easy, peaceful, and TRIUMPHANT DEATH. For a glorious refurrection, and a part in the bleffedness of that world, where I fhall be freed from all fin,-fhall no more be tempted to fin,-no more be inclined to fin,-neither fhall it be ever poffible for me to fin any more-But I fhall be perfectly holy, and completely happy, in being made like to CHRIST in a glorious manner, and in the enjoyment of GOD and CHRIST, forever and ever. Amen, Amen! August 3, 1731.] I am twenty years old this day. And that I might spend the day well, I propofed to do these things, viz. (1) Call to mind as many as I could of the favours of Heaven that I have received in the whole course of my life, that I might blefs God for them. (2) Bring to my remembrance as many of my fins as I could, that I have been guilty of, whereby I have abused and forfeited thefe favours, that my foul might be humbled within me. (3) To pray earnestly to God for his gracious prefence with me, and blefling upon me, throughout the remainder of my life. (4) To praife and thank our most gracious God for his favours to my dear and near relations, and to pray particularly for them. (5) To examine myself, whether I have indeed a work of grace wrought in my foul, and am a new creature or not. (6) Solemnly to renew my covenant with the glorious God, and devote myself afresh to him. For For my affiftance in the first of these, I made use of Mr. Flavel's difcourfe on Providence. For my help in the fecond, I made ufe of Mr. Vincent's expofition of the commandments. For the third and fourth, my own confideration. For the fifth I made ufe of fome rules mentioned in Mr. Gearing's life. For the fixth, I had regard to Mr. Alline's covenant. I spent about five hours in fecret this day, in performing these duties.And having in the clofe of all, renewed the dedication of my felf to the Lord Jehovah, in an everlafting covenant, I at the fame time humbly said before the glorious God, That unallowed mifcarriages, contrary to the fettled bent of my foul, fhall not make void the covenant: For fo thou haft faid. August 3, 1733.] I hope I spent this my birth-day acceptably, in the exercises of piety fuitable therefor. I clofed the day with examining myself concerning the new birth, (which I hope I have experienced) and with renewing my covenant in a folemn manner before the Lord. O Lord, make my heart upright with thee, and ftedfaft in thy covenant! (The year 1733 was the laft that he lived through; he closes that, and begins the next, which is the prefent and his dying year, with more than ordinary folemnity.) 1733. Dec. 31, Monday.] I fpent this day moft fenfibly in the fear of God. My foul was humble, devout, and ferious in confeffing and bewailing the fins of my life, efpecially of the year palt; earneft in its cries for pardoning mercy and fanctifying grace: It felt a holy joy in admiring and adoring the bleffed God, for all his benefits to me in the whole courfe of my life, and more especially this year; in that my life has been spared, notwithstanding the bodily weaknesses and languishings I have laboured under. That my relations have been fpared, and made bleffings to me; and that my life has been brightened and fweetened with many comforts and delights. But I defired above all to magnify the Lord and praife him, for the measures of reftraining grace I have experienced, and for the fweet influences of his Holy Spirit upon my foul, both in providences and ordinances. And especially for the reason I have to hope, that he hath begun the good work of his grace in me, which he will perfect to the day of CHRIST'S appearing. I offered praises to God for favours conferred on relatives, entreated their continu、 ance, and a fanctified improvement of all. I defired to mourn for public fins, (for my fhare in them efpecially;) and prayed for reformation, and the bestowment of all needful public bleffings.My family offerings were fuited to the day.I had much warmth and affection in these exercises of piety, fo that I went on cheerfully in them.-Was of a calm and compofed frame in the intervals of my devotions; fome of which time I spent in religious converfation. Thus I clofed |