friends, and the enemies of Chriftianity. ten in the mouths of both the | down by oral tradition for many ages, and were not committed to writing until after the Babylonian captivity. To thefe laws the Saviour refers, when he charges the Jewish Scribes with corrupting the divihe law by teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. With the divine law the oral traditions were at variance, and were, in many things, in direct oppofition to its fpirit. Of this any one may be fully convin ced, by an attentive perufal of Chrift's Sermon on the Mount. From the foregoing paffage, contained in the epiftle to the Coloffian church, it appears that "the tradition of men," is appli The Greek word Paradofis, is the only one which is rendered tradition, by our tranflators. It is always fo rendered, except in I Cor. xi. 2. This word is ufed but a few times in the Bible. It literally fignifies fomething which is delivered or handed down to us. It is applied first, to things which are handed down to us as divine truths or ordinances, when they are fanctioned only by human authority. In this way religion has been corrupted in all ages. It was by the Scribes and Pharifees of old: Hence Chrift charges them with "making the commandmented to "philofophy and vain deof God of none effect by their tradition."* This tradition is called "the tradition of the elders."+ The apoftle Paul, when reverting to his former perfecuting fpirit, faith in Galatians i. 13, 14. "For ye have heard of my converfation in time paft in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I perfecuted the church of God, and wafted it; and profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers." The apostle warns the Coloffian brethren, chapter ii. 8. " Beware left any man fpoil you through philofophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Chrift." The Jews held that there are certain laws which came from God, which were delivered to Mofes upon Mount Sinai, beside those which he was directed to write. Thefe laws were handed Matt. xv. 6. ↑ Matt. xv, 2. Mark vii. 3. ceit," as well as to the corruption of the Jewish Scribes. He who makes vain philofophy the guide of his faith, or receives his reli gion from philofophers, is govern ed by tradition, according to the fcripture fenfe of the word, as much as he is who follows pharifaical fuperftitions. The word tradition is fometimes taken in a good fenfe; r Cor. xi. 2. "Now I praise you brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances (paradofeis) as I delivered them to you." 2 Thef. ii. 15. "Therefore, brethren, ftand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epiftle. iii. 6. Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jefus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh diforderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us." It is unneceffary to comment on thefe texts. In the firft of them, Chriftians are commended by an infpired apoftle for obferving the traditions which he had delivered unto them. In the fecond text, they | faith; whether he agree in opin are exhorted to cleave to the traditions which they had received: And in the laft, to withdraw from every profeffing Chriftian, who would not practically regard them. From the fcriptural ufe of the word tradition, it appears that we are not to determine any thing to be true or falfe, divine or human, merely because it comes to us by tradition. To know whether any doctrine ought to be received as an article of our religious creed, we must first determine from whom it is derived, or whether it be fupported by divine authority. Every fentiment is a matter of tradi- | tion; either from God, or man. If a doctrine come from the former, we are bound to receive it; but if from the latter, we are forbidden to receive it, whether it be ancient or modern. When I meet with one who attempts to destroy my faith by crying out, tradition! tradition! I must be very weak indeed if I give it up, without inquiring whence the perfuafion comes, which prompts him to endeavor to make me a convert to his creed. He is governed by fome tradition or other. For the fame reason that I ought to examine why I believe as I now do, I ought to examine why I fhould believe differently from what I now do. If I am forbidden to ground my faith on human authority in the one cafe, I am in the other. There are fome perfons who feem to think, that if any one believe what his father, his grandfather, and a long train of ancefters believe, he can have no faith of his own, or must be in the wrong. Every one is indeed to blame if he do not impartially examine into the grounds of his ion with his ancefters or not. But how can it be determined that any one is in an error, because he believes what had been believed by thousands or millions before he was born? Is the truth but of yefterday? If it be, it may change to-morrow; and therefore it is folly to think of finding it. What fhould we think of a farmer who fhould be laughed out of the practice of plowing, fowing and reaping, by being told that his father and grandfather, and ancestors had done fo, from time immemorial? There are not a few who conduct as foolishly as the farmer would in this case, with refpect to religious concerns. They renounce family prayer, public worship, and all ferious religion, under the pretence of breaking the fetters of tradition. Let all fuch be convinced that " a deceived heart hath turned them afide;" and let them be affured that by laying afide one kind of tradition, they have fallen in with another kind. Let them ferioufly examine who is the author of that tradition, which encourages them openly to renounce the fear of God. BENEVOLUS. TO THE EDITORS OF THE CONNECTICUT EVANGELICAL MAG AZINE. GENTLEMEN, IF you judge the following biography calculated to promote the intereft of religion, you will please to infert it in your useful Magazine. It feems a pity that many fathers and mothers in Ifra el who have done worthily in their day, and who have been eminent for their truft and confidence in God, in the humble walk of life, hould leave the world unnoticed, and even unknown beyond the limits of their domeftic circle. As a conftant reader of your Magazine, permit me to exprefs a wish, that more pains were taken to bring into public view, the lives and deaths of Chriftians in private ftations. It is not in the higher walks of life,, we are to look for the most numerous or moft eminent examples of faith in Christ Jefus.* If the world derives advantage from a perusal of the lives and actions of the hero, the statesman and the fage; why may not the Chriftian church derive equal advantage from the lives of thofe fervants of God, who having been “faithful over a few things," are entered into the joys of their Lord; and be ftimulated to "go and do likewise." To perpetuate the memory of a refpectable Christian, and propofe her example for imitation, is my object in the prefent communication. If you publish this, I fhall forward one or two more as deferving of public notice. Yours, &c. TH I. H. early with a sense of the importance and excellency of the Christian religion. Her mother being dangerously ill, fhe was called at the age above mentioned, to the bed.. fide, to read fome pious book. When fhe had finished reading, her mother, with great concern, made particular inquiry into the ftate of her foul; and asked the queftion, My dear child do you pray to God in fecret?" She frankly confeffed that she did not. The duty was then enjoined upon her in a folemn and impreffive manner, and she was charged, as fhe hoped for a mother's bleffing, to make religion her first and great concern. Retiring greatly alarmed and affected, fhe attempted to pray, but was much embarrassed. It occurred to her mind, that in order to obtain the favor of God, fhe muft keep all his commandments. This led her to a serious investigation of their requirements. She proceeded to the fourth, when the thought ftruck her, that there was no God, and of course, that all her distress was vain and her exertions fruitless. This dreadful idea remained altho' it was carefully concealed from her mother. HE fubject of the following narrative was born at About this time, her father arWoodbury in this ftate February rived one evening from a neigh1719. Her name before mar- boring town, with an account of riage was Tabitha Hecox. No- two ftrangers, who had lately apthing appeared unufual in her life, peared there and were called Auntil the arrived to the age of theifts. They were defcribed as fifteen. At this period fhe was profligate and wicked men. As the fubject of powerful convictions he had never feen an Atheist and of fin, and diftrefs of mind about knew not the import of the name, the eternal interefts of her foul. fhe embraced the earliest opportuIt appeared from her own rela-nity to afk her mother, what was tion, that her mother and grand meant by an Atheist, and was anmother, were the humble follow-fwered, " a wicked man or woers of Jefus, and that great pains were taken to imprefs her mind Matthew xi. 25, 26. man who believes there is no God." She retired in the utmost confufion and distress of mind, repeating to herself, "what would bear." But she found by experience that God is indeed a faithful covenant God, and that the bleffed Jefus carries his "lambs in his bofom" and will not "break the bruifed reed." After a violent conflict, her rebellious heart was humbled, the veil was removed ; and in the light of truth and grace, the read the wildom and goodnefs of God in fending this affliction upon her, and could fay with the Pfalmift, " It is good for me that I have been afflicted." Her repining thoughts were now turned into praife, and her distress into gladnefs, and the experienced the truth of that fcripture, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." In this fchool of af 66 my kind mother fay, if fhe knew | punishment is greater than I can that her dear child was an Atheift?" Altho' fhe feared at the time that the believed there was no God, yet the agony of her mind impelled her to cry out for mercy and relief; and while thus engaged, it pleafed God to remove her doubts refpecting his exiftence, though fhe was far from being reconciled to his character, law and government. With fome intervals of precarious hope and great ftupidity, her diftrefs of mind continued, until fhe arrived to the age of twenty-three, when the appeared to be called from darknefs to light, and fettled upon an evangelical hope in the merits of Christ, which, with the interruptions common to many of God's people in this finful world, continued through a long and try-fliction, the learned much of God ing life, as an anchor to her foul fure and ftedfaft. Soon after fhe obtained a hope of reconciliation to God, it appears fhe made a profeffion of religion; and was joined in marriage to Mr. Ezekiel Tuttle, with whom the lived in this relation, until his deceafe February 6, 1799, a period of fifty.feven years. and of her own heart. It broke, in fome happy degree, her ties to earth, and prepared her, when she recovered, to be more heavenly minded in her life and converfation. But her faith was to receive another and more fevere trial. And here we may remark how a beneficent" Providence tempers the wind to the fhorn lamb." If the trial, of which I am now to speak, had taken place before her faith had acquired a folid foundation, it would have been lefs fupportable. A darling child, in the bloom of life, was cut down in an awful and unufual man ner. Ít pleafed God to vifit her with many painful and long continued trials. At the birth of her feventh child, fhe contracted a weaknefs which confined her wholly to her bed, during the long period of feven years. And while all around were ftruck with admi- Another equally promifing ration at her conftancy and pati- was fubject to fits, became delience, fhe was tried as by fire.rious, and continued so twenty fix Viewing her cafe as fingular, and feeing no end to her affliction but in death, her heart, fhe related, yielded to the fuggeftions of the adverfary, and rofe against the rectitude of the divine governShe thought his dealings hard, and was ready to fay,. "My ment. years until his decease, Dec. 12, 1799. Although fhe had lived to follow her husband and fix, which was half the number of her children, to the grave, and was really a woman of forrows, and acquainted with grief, yet when fpeaking of this once promifing "The memory of the juft is bleffed." fon, the tear would steal involun- | led one of Chrift's children. She tarily down her furrowed cheek. appeared to have a foul-humbling She called it by way of eminence view of the iniquity of her own her "living affliction." The two heart, and the utter infufficiency laft years of her life were tranquil. of all creature righteousness for She was however feldom able to pardon and falvation.^. She difattend public worship, and when carded all reliance upon her own there, by reafon of deafness, was works and trufted alone in the feldom able to hear. She fome- perfect righteoufnefs of Jefus times attended on days of com- Chrift for juftification. munion, and speaking to me on the fubject, the faid "I love to be there though I cannot hear." But the period was haftening, when she was to be difmiffed from this trying world. She often expreffed an ardent defire to be gone and be with Chrift. In my vifits to her she wished me to pray only that she might be ready, and have an eafy paffage, adding, "what is there in this world to induce a moment's stay." Indeed fhe feemed prepared to be with Christ The friends of Christ indulged a pleafing hope that her death would be triumphant; but it pleased God, in her laft ficknefs, to take from her almoft the whole power of speech. She rapidly declined, the glimmerings of life gradually diminished, and on December 23, 1801, without a struggle, groan, or figh, fhe fell asleep, as we truft in Jefus. Her appearance and converfation were fuch as uniformly commanded attention, She was a pleasant companion for the aged; a guide to the youth; and looked to with refpect by all. Religious Intelligence. TO THE EDITORS OF THE CON- GENTLEMEN, I enclose to you an extract of a letter from the Rev. Mr. Floyd, as published by the Congregational Society of South Carolina-as it contains an account of the ope rations of divine grace in a part of the country farther fouth than were included in the accounts which have been published in the Magazine. As articles of religious intelligence, perhaps none can be more important or better authenticated, than those which have been received from the western and fouthern parts of the United States; they have already been the means of arrefting many in their way ward course, and obliging them to confefs, that verily there is a God who ruleth in the earth. The hearts of devout worshippers have been encouraged in their addreffes to the throne of grace, and their hands have been strengthened in what foever they did to do it more to the glory of God. Although Mrs. Tuttle was viewed by her most intimate friends, who had witneffed her trials and patience, as a perfon of unufual attainments in religion, the fpoke of herself in the humbleft terms, as unworthy to be cal-gelical Magazine is fubmitted to Under thefe impreffions, the infertion of the letter in the Evan VOL. III. No. 8. Rr |