Page images
PDF
EPUB

are undone undone indeed. Our fins crowd into view our folly and presumption, and we fee that an intereft in Chrift must be fecured, and that till then, we rifk dangers abfolutely infinite.-Men of common prudence muft, at an house of mourning, have thefe, or fimilar reflections, if they allow themselves to think. These are welcome to the real Chriftianthe truly wife man, and therefore his heart is in the houfe of mourning. But these are not his only thoughts.

In the house of mourning, the wife man is in an advantageous fituation to meditate on the triumph of Chrift, at the confummation of all things, over all his enemies, on his joy at feeing the abundant fruits of the travail of his foul, now prepared to enter into his prefence, and dwell with him for

ever.

crofs, and follow the Lamb whitherfoever he goeth, and are inspired with precious foretastes of the world to come: We learn to truft in God. The pious mourner obtains sweet refignation, comfort, and even the fpirit of praise, and pants for the bleflings of the invifible world; and in the mean time, leans on God, whofe fullnefs and excellency are fo impreffively brought into view. O how full, how furprifing, how precious the confolation! Death is contemplated as the gate of heaven, and attending a funeral becomes a means of fpiritual refreshment.

How naturally do these reflec.. tions enkindle in the hearts of the truly wife, a more earnest benevo-> lence for men, and a difpofition to labor and pray, that they may be all brought into the kingdom of Chrift?

But perhaps I have followed this train of meditations fufficiently. I am fure I have followed it, till every reader, who delights in fpiritual things, is ready to fay,

mourning, than to the houfe of feafting." The entertainments are incomparably more ufeful and fatisfying. And is there one, who is not convinced that it will be his own fault, if the next house of mourning he enters, is not profitable to him, beyond the ordina ry occurrences of life?

He contemplates the glory of the church, now redeemed from all fin, rifing from the grave, victorious over all its enemies, meeting its divine Redeemer, by whom it was ranfomed from fin"It is better to go to the house of and hell, entering into the joys of its Lord, filled with adoration and hymns of everlasting praife, and attended by all the angels to the manfions which Chrift has now gone to prepare for his friends. Wrapt in thefe contemplations, the glory of God appears, our fouls are overborne with a fenfe of his love, and of the compaffion of Chrift to fuch finful, unworthy creatures as ourselves. The habits of grace are strengthened by thefe meditations, fo natural to the houfe of mourning. The ftrength of corruptions is weakened, and temptations are driven away. If we are the wife, we rejoice in God, we enter with alacrity on duty, we are prepared to make any facrifices-to take up the

But we must leave thefe comforting reflections, and attend to one, which is truly melancholyto the character of those, whose hearts are in the house of mirth. God calls them fools; and a few obfervations will fuffice to fhow that he has given them their true character. Feafting and mirth are the well known expedients of men, who cannot endure reflec tions, and the profpects of futuri

BROTOS.

FOR THE CONNECTICUT EVAN-
GELICAL MAGAZINE.
Thoughts on 1 Theffalonians, iv.
16. laft claufe: "And the dead in
Chrift shall rise firft.”

T

HE apoftle having heard of

ty, to banish thought, and rid to the house of feafting, for that themselves of these profitable, but is the end of all men, and the liv to them uncomfortable medita-ing will lay it to heart." tations. It would not be wife, though it should fucceed to hufh confcience entirely, and keep themselves delirious with mirth, till they should awake in hell 1; or even, if their foolish merriment could laft forever; for it would exclude them from the rational and fatisfying enjoyments of the pious foul. However, their mirth while here, will not fave them from occafional returns of reflection, and painful forebodings of the miseries which are coming upon them. They will not ftay the hand of juftice. Bufinefs, diversion and every expedient will fail. Death, attended with infinite horrors to fuch, is on its way-they muft appear at the refurrection and stand before God, and receive their doom. Their mirth banishes useful reflections, furrounds them with temptations, hardens them against inftruction, makes occafional reflections full of horror, leads them to hate the fanctuary, the bedfides of the fick and dying, and the folemn admonitions of a funeral. They become hardened, and their cafe in a measure desperate, because they cannot bear to think as they ought, and they conclude that they muft run the risk of dying as they are. Hence they liften to, and frequently imbibe the poifon of lax and infidel opinions, by trying as much as poffible to difbelieve the painful truths. But alas, it will not be long, before the intoxication of vanity will be over, and they will be conftrained to think, and, dreadful indeed! to think forever. "Woe unto you that laugh now, for ye fhall mourn and weep. It is better to go to the houfe of mourning, than

the death of fome pious members of the church in Theffalonica,he sends unto his Christian friends, who were mourners, a meffage of condolence, a cordial for their bleeding hearts, to moderate their grief, and to wipe off their flowing tears and informs them, that their dear friends (tho❜ dead,) were not loft, but should, with all the pious dead, be looked up, and be raised at the general refurrection morning. For as Chrift died and rofe again, them alfo who fleep in Jefus will God bring with him to grace the triumphs of his appearance; for this we fay unto you by the word of the Lord, by immediate and exprefs revelation from Christ, that we who are alive and remain, that those Christians found alive on the earth when Chrift cometh to judgment, fhall not prevent them, the pious dead who fleep in their graves. Prevent, in the original, fhall not go before them, to meet the Lord, and be glorified. Then the apoftle with an infpired pen draws a folemn picture of Chrift's appearance. He fhall defcend from heaven, arrayed in the robes of a judge, and majefty of God. Then thefe words; and the dead in Chrift fhall rife firft. By the dead in Chrift is meant the pious dead, those who fleep in Jesus. Thofe dead fhall rise first. Unto what doth this refer? Not to the

Christian mourners over their pious deceased friends, may repair to these words of the Lord, and find strong confolation for their bleeding hearts, comforts adminiftered to them by the holy ghost the comforter!

With what anticipated joys may every true believer look forward to the great refurrection morning; when all that fleep in Jefus, fhall fpring from their beds of duft, and all the living faints be changed, clad with robes of glory-when all redeemed finners fhall meet in all the endearments of Chriftian friendship and affection, and in happy company afcend to meet the Lord, to fee him whom their fouls love, who redeemed them with his blood, and to meet the approbating fmiles of their judge, and Chrift at their head, with rapture wing their way to manfions in their heavenly Father's houfe ; and be forever with the Lord; and all the ranfomed of the Lord fit down on the banks of unceafing, flowing ftreams of heavenly blifs, and rehearse unto listening angels the everlafting ftory of redeeming love !-AMEN.

refurrection of the wicked; for | fhall rife before the wicked, is there is no mention made in this without foundation. place of their rifing, only of the pious dead; then the word firft muft mean, that the faints fhall arife from their graves, at the final coming of Chrift, firft in order, before the faints, who fhall be found alive, be changed. Then fays the apoftle, we that are alive, and remain, being changed, fhall be caught up together with them, the faints raised, and all join in one happy company to meet the Lord in the air, fo fhall we be ever with the Lord; fharers in glories, and happiness everlafting. Compare 1 Corinthians, xv. 51. 52. The apoftle having proved the refurrection of Chrift, and fhewed the neceffary connection between the refurrection of Chrift, and all his fpiritual feed, fays, behold I fhew you a mystery, a fecret, a doctrine hitherto unknown; we shall not fleep, all true Chriftians fhall not be turned into the grave, but we shall all be changed; both the faints who fhall be found alive, at Chrift's coming, and all that arise from the dead, be chang ed into the image of Chrift, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the laft trump, (for the trumpet fhall found) and the dead fhall be raised incorruptible, and we, that is thofe true Chriftians who are found alive shall be changed, and fashioned like the glorious body of Chrift, put on incorruption, and be prepared for the fervices and enjoyments of the celeftial world. This confirms the preceding expofition, that the dead in Chrift fhall rife in order firft, or before the change pafs upon the living faints.

If the expofition of the text in queftion be juft, then the inference from this text that the righteous

ALLELUIA.

Religious Intelligence.

Extrait of a Letter from the Rev. Seth Willifon, one of the Connecticut Miffionaries, dated WILLINGSBOROUGH, Penn. Jan. 24th, 1803, to one of the Edi

tors.

"Rev. and dear Sir,

"I HAVE almost finished a miffion of eleven weeks, in the

counties of Luzerne and Wayne. | The greater part of the time I have been permitted only to fow the feed, and leave it without knowing whether it would come up: But the laft part of my miffion has been more evidently owned and bleffed of GOD; and to his name be the glory. I came to a fettlement called the Nine Partners, in Nicholfon's Townfhip, five weeks ago to day, intending to preach a lecture or two, and then pafs on. But God determined otherwife. I came here "at supper-time." The firft text which I preached upon, was 1 Pet. i. 12, concerning the gofpel's being preached with the Holy Ghoft, fent down from heaven. This feafon feemed to be an illuftration of the text. This was Monday evening they urged me to ftay thro' the week. I agreed to ftay and preach again the next day. I now agreed to ftay over the Sabbath. The Sabbath was a remarkably folemn day. I believe God was in the midft of the affembly, of a truth. The fermon in the afternoon was concerning the folly and wickednefs of men's not improving the little fpace of life to repent of their fins, make their peace with God and prepare for heaven. Sabbath evening we had about as full a meeting as in the day time, tho' | there was no moon to make it light. The next day I bade them farewel, and rode this week down the Wyalufing Creek. I fpent a little more than two weeks up and down the Creek. The people at the Nine Partners lay foment, whofe attention is much much on my mind, that I concluded to return and fee them again. I returned to them a week ago laft Friday. I found that the work of God had fpread during my abfence. From that time

till to day I have been with them. They have not feemed to think it a burthen to attend fermons day after day, and conferences in the evening. Yesterday, there were 170 people at meeting, which is a great number for fuch a fettlement. Several have obtained a hope of their interest in Chrift. Among these there is one man who was firft a univerfalift, and then a deift and an open scoffer at religion. God faw fit to make ufe of his own wickedness to awaken him. The Sabbath before I came there, brother Woodward administered the Lord's fupper to the little church, which confifts of eight members, and this man made game of it, and endeavored to turn into ridicule this holy ordinance. But the grace of our Lord has been exceeding abundant towards him. It appears, that for this cause he has obtained mercy, that in him firft Jefus Chrift might show forth all longfuffering for a pattern to others. The great alteration which has taken place in this man, has appeared to be a great mean in the hand of the Spirit to awaken the attention of other stupid finners. He now declares, that the contemptuous language which he used with refpect to the facrament was made ufe of to awaken his fears. Thus was Goliah flain by his own fword. There is another man, who has been an open deist, whose mouth is ftopped. He believes that Jefus is the Son of God, and hopes he loves him. There is a confiderable number in the fettle

called up to things of the greateft importance, and fome are under deep concern and conviction. They appear fully convinced they have never done any thing but fin against God all their days. Some

of them alfo fee clearly that all | feveral parishes in Middlefex coun. ty in this State. They hope foon to be furnished with further information refpecting this work of God and to be able to affure the public that God is in very deed carrying on a glorious work in that part of the country.

THE Editors take the liberty to remind the good people of Connecticut that the firft Sabbath of May next, their charitable contributions will be again folicited for the fupport of miffions. The intelligence publifhed from time to time in this Magazine, respect

they are now engaged about is to fecure their own happinefs. The doctrines of grace are believed, and apparently loved by thofe who have obtained a hope-they are believed and hated by thofe under legal conviction. The old profeffors appear to have been, in fome measure, waiting for this confolation to Ifrael. They rejoice in what they fee—they are aftonifhed at the goodness of God. It exceeds their hopes. The work has been very rapid, and is yet increafing; and at the fame time very still and orderly. There is an unbounded defire to hearing the benefit which has accrued "The word of the Lord is pre- from former contributions, it is cious in these days." They thank prefumed will induce the pious God for his marvellous grace; and benevolent to continue their and they exprefs their thankful- liberal donations for the promotion nefs to the miffionary focieties, of fo important an object. and all who have been inftrumental in fending laborers into their harvest.

"We afk your prayers and the prayers of our christian brethren in Connecticut, that thefe hopeful beginnings may iffue in a glorious harveft in thefe deftitute fettlements. Pray for your un

I.

POETRY.

COMMUNICATED AS ORIGINAL.

1. Recovery from Sickness.

worthy and obliged friend and LORD, thou haft rais'd my faint

brother,

SETH WILLISTON.

"P. S. Since the date of this letter, I have feen a man from the Nine Partners fettlement, who mentions to me feveral new inftances of awakening. He alfo tells me of feveral families, where the morning and evening facrifice has, within a few days, been introduced.”

THE Editors are very happy to inform their readers, that from accurate intelligence recently received, there are hopeful appear ances of a revival of religion in

ing head,

And lengthen'd out my days;
And while thou giv'ft me breath to fing,

My lips fhall found thy praife.

2. As parents with a meiting heart,
A wayward child reprove,
So thou in mercy doft chaftife
The children of thy love.

[blocks in formation]
« PreviousContinue »