CIRCULAR LETTER FROM THE DIRECTORS OF THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY TO THE DIVINITY. STUDENTS IN THE VARIOUS BRITISH SEMINARIES. Beloved Brethren, THE HE Directors of the Miffionary Society, formed for the fpreading of the glorious Gospel in heathen and other unenlightened countries, falute you with much affectionate refpect. We venerate the heaven-born piety of your ininds, while, declining to enter the path to which the love of this world's wealth and honour would lead you, we behold you confecrating your powers and faculties to the fa cred caufe of God and of Jefus Chrift, whom he hath fent. Our prayers afcend before the throne of grace in your be half, that the Eternal Spirit would enrich your underftandings with profound knowledge of the mystery of godliness; that he would animate your hearts with ardent love to the Son of God; and that he would infpire you with well-directed zeal for the extenfion of Chrift's fpiritual kingdom among men. This object, fo defervedly near to your hearts, hath alfo united ours; the churches of the faints have entrusted, in liberal measure, to our management their filver and their gold: we feel the high refponfibility in which their confi dence hath placed us; the inhabitants of extenfive regions fitting in darkness, and in the fhadow of death, lift up their eyes, and demand of us the means of instruction, of spiritual health, of falvation. In the populous countries of Indoftan, in the kingdoms beyond the Ganges, in the fouthern parts of Africa, in Canada, in the British Weft India colonies, and in the numerous islands of the Pacific Ocean; in all thefe places, the profpect of introducing or extending the knowledge of Chrift, is encouraging: in feveral of them, the Soci ety has miffionaries, who are now engaged in the facred work. But their numbers are neither equal to their fituations, nor to the means of exertion which the Society poffeffes. We feel it to be our duty, therefore, beloved brethren, to come forward, and, in the bowels of Jefus Chrift, to address ourTelves to you. The command of our exalted Lord is not confined to apoftolic man. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gofpel to every creature." Its obligation lies on the church, till, in the fulleft fenfe," the kingdoms of this world be come the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Chrift;" till, from the rifing of the fun, even unto the going down of the fame, his name fhall be great among the Gentiles; and in VOL. IX. 3 R every place incenfe be offered unto his name, and a pare offering." But hath the Chriftian world duly felt the weight of God's authority in this command? What proportionate efforts have been made, efpecially among Proteftants, during these two laft centuries, to carry the word of life beyond the boundaries of Europe? How will men, to whom the God of nature hath imported rich endowments; men, whom the Spirit of God hath fitted, and called to the christian miniftry; men, to whom Divine Providence has opened fair helds of extenfive ufefulnefs in unenlightened countries, answer to the Son of God for their fupinenefs and neglect of his facred command ? Have you, beloved brethren, yourselves paffed from death to life? Do you enjoy peace with God, through our Lord Jefus Chrift? Do your fouls triumph in the prospect of immortal bleffednefs? Hath God beautified your minds, dignified your characters, with the lovely difpofitions and tempers of Jefus Chrift? Turn your eyes to the deplorable ftate of human nature in heathen lands. "Their underftandings darkened; alienated from the love of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; paft feeling, given over to lafcivioufnefs, to work all uncleannefs with greedinefs; changing the glory of the un corruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beafts, and creeping things; filled with all unrighteoufnefs; taken captive by the Devil at his will." Are not all the fympathies of your renewed hearts awakened? Doth not the fire burn while you mufe on the neglected miferies of millions of your fellow men, who "have no hope, and are without God in the world" Do not your fouls feel a generous ardour to impart to them the means of that bleffednefs of which you yourfelves fo richly partake? The Son of God left the realms of glory, funk into our nature, and in that nature encountered poverty, fatigue,* the fcorn of proud men, and the infults of the mean; reproach, virulent oppofition from carth and Hell, and at last all the fhame and pain of death on the crofs. Thefe ills be encountered and endured, from a principle of love to your fouls. Is there any return then which he may require of you; any facrifice of care, of earthly profpects, of friendThips, of the charities of dear and valuable relations, too great to be made for him? Are there any dangers from forms and tempefts, from a vertical fun, or a howling wildernefs, from the unbridled paffions of men, or the fnares of the Devil, too formidable to be met by you, for his fake, who, who, in the cause of your falvation, fet his face like a flint againft all oppofition, remained fted faft and immoveable, till, in triumph, he exclaimed "It is finifhed!" In truth, a life of antediluvian extent, of apoftolic activity, and darkened by all the gloom of prifons, banifhments, tortures, and deaths, which diftinguished the ages of perfecution, would be but a poor return on your part to the Son of God, for what he endured in your behalf. Confider, beloved brethren, the importance of the object to which we would draw your attention; the introduction of the light which came from and leads to Heaven; the tranflation of men from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God's dear Son; the laying of the foundation of a building, which fhall grow into an holy temple in the Lord; the fowing of the feed of the word in fields, which may produce harvefts of chriftian tempers and good works, in per petual fucceffion, till the confummation of all things; the falvation of immortal fouls, for which the Son of God laid down his life, in which the Spirit of God deigns to dwell, and for which bleffednefs is in Heaven prepared, confum mate in its nature, and everlafting in its duration. Thefe are objects great and good, calculated to arouse and ftrengthen every active principle of the renewed mind. In the contemplation of thefe objects, we eafily enter into the juftnefs of St Paul's feelings, when he thus fpake: "Yea, and if I be offered up on the facrifice and fervice of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all. From Jerufalem, and round about, unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the Gospel of Chrift: yea, fo have I ftrived to preach the Gofpel, not where Chrift was named, left I should build upon another man's foundation." The men of the world, in the mere profpect of obtaining wealth or fame, leave, without a figh, their native fhores, encounter ftorms and fhipwrecks, go to the uttermoft parts of the earth, rifque their lives in unhealthy climates, or in the' field of battle; and all for an object, the obtaining of which is as uncertain as the enjoyment of it, when obtained, is unfatisfying! Shall then a difciple of Jefus, who, like you, has devoted himself to the cross, hefitate to follow the Captain of Salvation, in making inroads on the territories of Satan, where the dangers are unfpeakably lefs, the advantages infinitely fuperior, the honours unfading, the reward eternal, and altogether fatisfying? Can the world believe us to be ferious in our profeffions, if we thus indolently "abide among the fheep-folds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks," 3 R 2 which which, under a plenitude of paftoral care in this favoured land, "lie down in green pastures, or are led by the ftill waters," and fear to "jeopard our lives unto the death, in the high places of the field," in behalf of the other sheep not of this fold, for whom Jefus bled and died? If we are flothful and covetous minifters, and grow pale at the fight of the crofs, and greedily "look every one for his gain from his quarter," fhould we not liften to the fol lowing denunciation, as if feven thunders uttered their voices: Curfe ye Meroz, faid the angel of the Lord; curfe ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof, because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty," The character of a Miffionary is defervedly held in high honour in the churches of the faints. The names of Elliot, Brainerd, and Swartz, will be transmitted to pofterity amiḍ the esteem and yeneration of all good men. Generations. unborn will rife up in the wilds of America, and in the plains of Indoftan, and call them bleffed. Why, beloved brethren, fhould not you cherish in your bofoms laudable emulation of the unwearied activity and exemplary patience of those great men? After ferving the Lord Chrift for a few years among the heathen, you may return to the embrace of your native country, covered with honour, and fitted for eminent usefulness in affifting the Society in future miffions. The Directors have no worldly objects, by which to bring into their fervice able and holy men; a decent competency, with fuch accommodations as the nature of the place will admit of, are all they can promife. The Miffionary muft not feek great things for himself in this life: he must not look at the things that are feen: his expectations must be fpiritual and divine. But affiftance on the part of God is promifed, and a glorious reward provided. A field is opened to him, in which the beft principles of religion in his foul may be profitably employed, and, by being employed, will be carried onward to perfection. We befeech you, beloved brethren, to fet apart a reafonable measure of your time, in which, leifurely, and with becoming folemnity of fpirit, to turn this important fubject in your minds. Implore light and direction from God, who hath promifed "to lead the blind in paths they have not known; to make darkness light before them; and crooked things ftraight." Realize in your thoughts the day of your death, and enquire what is the path which, it is likely, you will the approve of, and wish you had chofen. In this folema folemn deliberation, we fhall not ceafe to pray for you, that *the God of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father of glory," may enlighten the eyes of your underflandings, that you may difcern the path of your duty; may diftinguifh the voice of Chrift from the voice of a tanger; may become of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord; and be enabled (whether called to minifter at home, or to the fons of the ftrangers abroad) "willingly to spend and be spent" in building the tabernacle of God with men upon earth. LETTER VI. ON THE PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. My dear Friend, THE HE unexpected interview which I had with you laft week, afforded me peculiar pleasure. If the Lord has been pleased to blefs any thing to your foul which I have either fpoken or written, I defire to unite with you in bleffing his holy name for it. An earneft defire to be further ufeful, leads me again to addrefs you. My former letters have been principally confined to the, divinity of our Lord Jefus Chrift. It is my intention in this letter, to ftate to you my views of the perfon and work of the Holy Spirit; not fo much with a view to convince your judgment, which I truft the Lord has done, as with a view to endeavour to eftablish and confirm your foul. Many confiderations evince the importance of this fubject. It was under the influence of the Eternal Spirit that the facred Scriptures were pennd. "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God fpake as they were moved by the Holy Ghoft*:" and his divine and gracious influences are abfolutely neceffary to enable us fpiritually to understand the word of God; "For the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishnets, unto him; neither can he know them, because they are fpiritually difcerned." It is the Holy Spirit who quickens the veffels of mercy, when dead in trefpaffes and fins; enlightens their minds to fee the fpirituality of the law of God, the evil of fin, and the danger to which, as finners, they are expofed. It is the Spirit who gives precious faith, leads the awakened foul to Chrift, and glorifies the bleffed Redeemer. It is by the exceeding greatnefs of his mighty power that believers |