66 car tion; continuing inftant in pray- fame mind ove towards anoth- icism, that it is no matter what men | fpirit; ferving the Lord: Rejoi believe, if they are honeft to them-cing in hope, patient in tribulafelves, to be infidelity. In the view of those who are divinely enlightened, there are truths effential to religion. They labor to know what they are; and exceedingly dread the thought of being ried about by every wind of doc-with them that weep. Be of the trine." The interefting queftion with them is, what hath God revealed? Doctrines clearly taught in the fcriptures, notwithstanding all the difficulties attending them, they fuppofe 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 shall be faved, that thofe who believe not, fhall be damned shall 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 obferve 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 honor preferring one another: Not flothful in bufinefs; fervent in ble, 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!" Thofe perfons into whofe hearts, "God who commanded the light to fhine out of dark nefs, 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 verified in the conduct of the pious Pfalmift: "O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.' "Thy teftimonies alfo are my delight." Perfons divinely enlightened, believe that they and all men, "must appear before the judgement feat of Chrift: that ever 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 N (Continued from p. 69.) LETTER II. GENTLEMEN, upon their conduct. They look my laft letter, I proposed to the perfect example of their VIATOR. I to give you fome account of particular exercises of individuals. fhall begin with the cafe of a young woman, a profeffor, who had been induced to attend a place of amufement, which she afterwards became convinced was improper. The circumftances will be mentioned moftly 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 au earlier part of my life. At the age of 13, I was admitted into company, as an equal with those of 20, and 25. At 16, the Lord was pleafed to flop my career of fully, and to call my mind from the world, by a deep fenfe of the importance of religion to the prefent and future happiness of my foul. After a painful conAf-viction of the awful depravity of my heart, the amazing diftance I was at from God by nature, my defert of everlasting punishment, and the total inability of helping myfelf by any works of righteoufnefs which I could do; I was brought, as I believed, to throw down my weapons and fubmit to God. The beauty, excellency and propriety of his character and government, produced a calm fo renity of mind, to which I was before a ftranger. The converfation and fociety of the ferious. gave me more fatisfaction in one hour, than all the vain amufements, which I could call to mind, from my cradle until that time. A narrative of a revival of religien la Middlebury, a parifb 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 school, I met with a gentleman who had been abfent during the time of my serious impreffions. He accosted 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 represented. 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 aufwer. foon as his face was turned, the tears flowed without control. I exclaimed to myself, Oh is it poffi- | ble! 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 fill I knew that it was not impoffible. For fome time I was much diftreffed, left I fhould be left to dishonor the caufe of religion, and bring contempt upon its profeffors. About the age of Lineteen, this over anxious concen, as I then thought it, left my mind, by degrees, and I loft much of the fenfe of my dependence. I heard too much of the applaufe of my fellow worms, which gave As 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 scenes 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 advife me to do any thing which he judged at all incontent 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 thoughtless and the gay. Nor was this the la 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 adulation, and God had left me to reap the reward of my folly. A had almoft loft fight of God and was fwiftly gliding down the ftream of fpiritual declenfion. But in mercy God was pleased 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 darkness within! I fincerely thought that if I could have recalled the lait 12 months, and have removed in * This was at the beginning of the late revival, to fome diftant land, where I could never behold a face which I ever faw before, I fhould have chofen it, rather than to have brought the disgrace, which I then felt I had brought upon the church of Christ. My diftrefs was unknown to any but myself, and nothing fhort of experience can conceive it. All my former feelings, with the gentleman's prediction, were brought fresh to mind, and every reflection tended to aggravate my crime and enhance my diftrefs. A compaffionate Saviour at length brought me to feel and fay, "His ftrokes were fewer than my crimes, "And lighter than my guilt." "I think, fir, I can fay from experience that the amufements of the thoughtless, are exceeding ly detrimental to the Chriftian's growth in grace, calculated to keep the foul in leannefs, and to render the perfon unhappy in a religious profeffion and difcontented with the world. Confcience is continually fmiting and reproving; and as the Chriftian has more light than an infidel, he is of courfe more unhappy in the neglect of duty. To undertake to ferve God and Mammon is a fure way to render life miferable, for both fcripture and experience tell us we cannot do it. If you judge what I have written will be of ufe as a warning to my yonng brethren and fifters in Chrift, you may dispose of it for that purpofe." Several profeffing Chriftians were fhaken and greatly diftreffed, left they had trufted in the hope of the hypocrite. The awakening was of great service to them, and indeed to the whole church. We had sweet seasons of communion, at the Lord's table, and feemed in fome degree to realize that Jefus was prefent in his church, "I had little or no religious inftruction until about the age of twenty-one; and except a few feafons of conviction which were foon gone, my youth, and indeed my life has been spent in ftupidity. I was perfuaded that I must and could do fomething of myself, but continually put it off for a more convenient feafon, and lived without hope and without God in the world. I was much opposed to the Calvinistic doctrines of grace, and wanted to ask minifters and others whether they were really Chriftians according to their fcheme of juftification by faith alone. I offered my children in baptifm, because it was fashiona ble, and fuppofed I had fo far done my duty. After fome thought upon the doctrines of religion, I concluded that if elec tion was true, I was not to blame. Here I fettled down at ease, and was in this fituation when the religious attention began. I had a curiofity to hear and fee, but felt no uncommon concern until I heard a fermon from these words "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you reft."* The word was * Matt. ii. 28. a ferenity of mind, for which I could not account. I was foon engaged in contemplation on this fcripture," For whofoever will fave his life fhall lofe it; and whofoever will lose his life for my fake, fhall find it." My mind immediately explained it thus, "Whofoever will fave his life by refting on his own works of the law, fhall lofe it; but whofoever will renounce all dependence upon himself and truft alone to grace in Chrift fhall find it." In a moment, the fabric I had fo long and fo obftinately endeavored to rear, tumbled in pieces. I wondered at the ignorance and fol fet home with power, and my fins appeared as a thick cloud. I determined to fubmit myfelf to God, I thought I did; yet I felt unaccountably diftreffed. I thought I had done enough, but found no relief from my agony of mind. My finfulness appeared greater than I could before have belieyed; it lay upon me as an infupportable burden, until the anguish of my mind impelled me to cry out for mercy. One day, being alone in the fields, I could not contain my diftrefs, but for fome time on my knees cried aloud, "Lord have mercy on me! Lord have mercy on me I had hitherto neglectedly of all my former attempts, and family prayer, but now I refolved to begin the next fabbath morning. The time came, but I could not pray. My distress was foon increased, by reflection on this text, "No man having put his hand to the plough and looking back is fit for the kingdom of heaven."* The word came with power, and I said "Woe is me, if I don't pray in my family." In the evening I attempted. I had many trials, fome of them perhaps uncommon and not profitable to relate. Still I was determined to be faved by the law. My heart rofe against gofpel doctrines, efpecially election, which I hated. Yet I could find no reft in the law. That I had broken the law was manifeft, and this fcripture was directly against me, "Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." I could fcarcely eat, drink or fleep; concluded there was no mercy for me, and approached the gates of defpair. All this time I was feeking falvation by works of the law. One morning I felt better and enjoyed • Luke ix. 62. Galatians iii. 10. VOL. III. No. 3. I that I fhould miftake effentially in fo plain a cafe. The difficulty was foon removed by this text, "The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishnefs unto him, neither can he know them, because they are fpiritually difcerned.”* My mind dwelt upon thefe and other paffages as upon a rich treafure newly found. feemed really to come from darknefs to light. The words I had often read, but there now appeared an heavenly beauty I had never known before. I felt a defire to glorify God, who had contrived fuch an excellent fcheme of falvation, and revealed it so plainly to men. I found the bible had been a fealed book to me, and that with all my gettings I had never got a true understanding of the way of falvation by Jefus Chrift. The whole fcheme of gofpel doctrines, especially election and divine fovereignty, which before made my heart rife up in emnity against God, now appeared glorious and lovely doctrines. I faw, that all I had done to obtain falvation was wholly felfifh; that I was totally Matt. xvi. 25. Corin. ii. 14. |