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are religion and government, are owing merely to prieftcraft, and that they are but a delufion; they who think and conclude fo, are under a great and dreadful deception and will fooner, or later, find themselves to be deceived. PHILALETHES

The labor of perfons, divinely enlightened, illuftrated, and the fublightened, illuftrated, and the fubjea applied to the confcience, in four letters, from VIATOR to

CHRISTIANUS.

(Continued from p. 102.)

LETTER III.

make obfervations upon the conduct of the profeffors of religion. And I have found fome, who liv ed in the total neglect of family prayer, paid little attention to the fcriptures, profaned in many ways, the holy fabbath, neglected the public worship of God, unlefs in very pleasant weather, were often abfent upon facramental occafions, negligent in the religious inftruction of their families, upon fabbath days, and upon all other

occafions. I have found their examples bad, in feveral other refpects: I have feen fome to be light and vain, and in a degree profane in their converfation, flack DEAR CHRISTIAN FRIEND, in paying their debts, worldly N my two former letters I en-minded and covetous !-I have deavored to take a brief view feen others idle, profufe, fond of of that, for which, thofe per- taverns and places of public refort, fons labor, who have been divine- fond of ardent spirits, and of loose ly enlightened. and unprofitable company!!

IN

My prefent object is to help you and myself wifely to improve, what was then written. It is therefore worthy of remark, that if the obfervations which have been made, are juft, thofe perfons, who neither poffefs the Christian fpirit, embrace the gofpel doctrines, nor perform the common duties required of the faints, in the word of God, have never been favingly enlightened, although they may have had the common influences of the Holy Spirit, been the fubjects of great awakenings and comforts, thought themselves Chriftians, joined to the visible church, and for many years, ftatedly attended the Lord's supper!

There is, my dear friend, great reason to fear, that many perfons who profefs religion, have not the grace of God in their hearts!

In my travels, I have had confiderable opportunity, in different Bates, towns, and focieties, to

Many perfons conduct, as tho' they imagined nothing more neceffary to conflitute a Chriftian, than to belong to the church!

How many who profess religion, difcover no relentings of heart for fin, make no pretenfions to communion with God, lay no fpecial reftraint upon their appetites or paffions, and rarely or never speak about religion, unless it is to cavil at fome of its most effential doctrines? How many, instead of letting their light bine around them, fo that others by feeing their good works, might be led to glorify their father, who is in heaven, wound religion in the moft fenfible manner, giving great occafion by their deeds, to the enemies of God to blafpheme? And do it with impunity? For in this day of declenfion it is next to impoffible, fo far as I am acquainted, to fupport that ftrict difcipline, which would be for the honor of religion!

It is with extreme pain, I have mentioned the foregoing failings! I fhould never have done it, if they were of a private nature, but they are generally known, and in the mouth of every infidel. If it were poffible I would gladly hide them from the world! But it is utterly impoffible! It appears therefore to me, to be lawful and expedient, to mention them in this letter, for our warning, in as much as the apoftle has faid let us not fleep as do others: but let us watch and be fober. For they that fleep, fleep in the night, and they that be drunken, are drunken in the night. But let us who are of the day be fober, putting on the breaft-plate of faith, and love, and for an helmet the hope of falvation.'

We are always in danger, my Chriftian friend, of being injured by bad examples: Evil communications corrupt good manners :' And One finner deftroyeth much good.' We are particularly in danger, from the bad examples of the profeffors of religion, the light of the world, and ought to be on our guard. Were it once to become fashionable for profeffing Chriftians to have nothing but their profeffion, and occafional attendance upon the Lord's table, to diftinguish them from the world, we fhould be in danger ourfelves, of growing cold and carelefs, and of giving a deep wound to that bleffed caufe, we, profeffedly, with above all things to advance! I hope we fhould not finally apoftatize! I know we fhould not, if the fpecial grace of God has ever taken poffeffion of our hearts, for Chrift hath faidAnd I give unto them eternal life; and they fhall never perish, neither fhall any pluck them out of my hand.' But we might lofe

our first love, and wander far from the path of duty, and become for a feafon blind guides to our fellow-finners! We ought carefully to guard against a fpirit of apathy, and labor to keep our hearts glowing with love to God and good-will to men. Inftead of indulging ourselves in irregularities, we ought to walk circumfpectly, not as fools but as wife. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil -to poffefs that faith which is not dead-to have a hope different from that of the hypocrite's: which, fhortly will be as the giving up of the ghoft!' We ought to be looking for that bleffed hope, and the glorious appearing of that great God and our Saviour Jefus Chrift; who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and pu rify unto himfelf a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

True religion, we may be affured, has no tendency to make perfons truft in an old experience, nor careless in their manner of living; but defirous of fresh anointing from the Lord, of breathing the fpirit of real piety, of contending earnestly for the faith once delivered to the faints; and of adding to their faith virtue, and to virtue knowldge. And to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience, and to patience godlinefs. And to godlinefs brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity.'

Thofe perfons who are fatisfied with their prefent attainments in religion, it may be prefumed want religion, only as a traveller does a boat, to carry him over a river which he cannot ford, and if they could only be fafe, they would not trouble themselves about it! Chrift and his caufe would have no fhare of their affection hor fer

vice. Though they may now hope to be faved by his merit, they have no friendship to him. We may fafely conclude therefore that their hope,' is not fure and ftedfaft.' Thofe who have this hope, always love the object of their hope for his own fake; whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I defire befides thee;' and they labor to purify themfelves as he is pure.'

Religion is not a thing which lies dormant, but a living operative principle in the hearts of thofe in whom God hath fhined to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jefus Chrift ;' or it confifts in holy exercifes, and a correfponding conduct: He that believeth on me, as the fcriptures have faid, out of his belly fhall flow rivers of living water.'

It is totally in vain for perfons to pretend, that they profess religion, if they are deftitute of all the graces of the Holy Spirit, deny the diftinguishing doctrines of grace, and allowedly walk like the enemies of the cross of Chrift!" Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thiftles? Even fo every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit: A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit: nénuer can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.'

which I think all who love Chrift ought to do, but appeared to understand the holy nature of religion, and confcientiously to enter into the practice of it. They have faid, and appeared to say it, in the fincerity of their hearts: Wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantnefs and all her paths are peace. The ftatutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be defired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: fweeter also than hon ey, and the honey comb.'

I am yours, &c.

VIATOR. (To be continued.)

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HAVE read, with pleasure, the various accounts of the revivals of religion, in a number of towns, in this state published in your useful magazine.

When I reflect on the moral ftate of man, and the treatment which the gofpel of our bleffed Redeemer has met with, in our churches and congregations, I feel difpofed to join with my brethren, in devout admiration; that God fhould look upon us, and make

Notwithstanding the imperfections, which I have mentioned, of fome of the profeffors of religion, I muft fay, I have generally found more or lefs wherever I have travelled, who appeared notus fo gracious a vifit on the to love in word and tongue, but other hand, when I call to mind in deed and in truth: they have the covenant between the Father not only carefully attended to and the Son, the revealed mode the ordinances of the gofpel, of God's fupporting his churc VOL. III. No. 6. Ff

by bringing thofe who are of used, in fuch a manner, that dry bones began to shake, and many were hopefully made alive, as appeared, by their after walk and converfation. At this period, about forty perfons were added to the church.

to build the old wafte places, and to repair the breaches of former generations; that this is effected by the fpirit of the Lord, being poured out on the feed of his people, and his bleffing on their offspring; the promife of fuccefs to the gofpel, that the gates of hell fhall not prevail against the church of Chrift; that her fons are to come from far and her daughters from the ends of the earth; that Chrift is to have a feed that fhall ferve him, which fhall be accounted to the Lord for a generation; and as God has told his people that he will never leave Zion till all things which he has promised her be fulfilled. These things bring us to look for thofe difplays which God is now making, with reference to Zion: and, alfo to long and pray for greater things than have yet taken place, which tend to encourage the friends of Zion and confound infidels. From a conviction of these things I am induced to give a narrative of the late work of God in the fouth parish, in Killingly.

In the year 1776, it pleafed God to fend down the divine Spirit, on the people, like gentle rain, which lafted, by its convincing and converting influence, though not in any extraordinary degree, for more than two years. In which time, there were about fifty perfons received into the church. From this time, the friends of Zion gained ground, which was not wholly loft, for twelve years. In the year 1788, it pleafed God, once more, to look, in mercy, on a people who had abufed his kindness, and were ripening faft for divine judgments. By the fovereign influence of the Holy Spirit, he fet home his word preached and means enjoy!

I would here note, that, from the firft mentioned time, of the revival of the work of God, there has been a conference meeting kept up, in the middle of the fociety, for the most part, weekly, till the prefent time. In which, the children of God have had comfort, in praying for the peace of Jerufalem, and have found that they do profper who love her.

For a number of years, after the laft mentioned revival of religion, there was great harmony both in the church and congregation; till an unhappy dispute arofe, about removing the meeting house; which was very prejudicial to the peace and harmony of both. This difpute lafted for a number of years and it is to be feared that, with fome individuals, it will laft, as long as they live. It is likely that prejudices in fuch things, are, in many inftances, a means of Satan's making the bands of finns ftrong; and, that they never find out their fatal mistake, till they are loft. As there were many removals,. from the church, by death, and fome to distant parts of the country, it was greatly reduced in numbers, and those who remained, had in some meafure, left their first love. Thus, from the foregoing unhappy circumftances, it feemed, for a feafon, that the church and congregation were like a ship, at fea, toffed in a ftorm. At the fame time, while these contentions opened a door for the increase of vice, finners were not backward to improve their opportunity. But a

merciful God, in fome degree, calmed the tumult of the people; the body of the church became comfortably united, our meeting houfe decently repaired, and there was a little more profpect of enjoying a degree of peace and order among us. But, after all, it was painful to obferve the low ftate of vital piety, family religion and practical godlinefs.

However, notwithstanding all thefe embarraffments, God was pleafed to appear on the fide of truth. In the beginning of October 1800, there were fome appearances which began to encourage the praying faint. About the fame time, we were favored with a vifit, from a young man, in the miniftry, from the ftate of New-Hampshire, who was formerly from this parish, and was one, who appeared to be a fubject of religion, among us, in the forementioned revival, in the year 1788; having been abfent almoft twelve years. At the close of a fermon, he gave the people an account of the work of God, among the people, where he refided. He then addreffed thofe who were his former companions, by enquiring of them, the ftate of their fouls, &c. This deemed to be a means of rendering the whole affembly very folemn. In the evening a conference was attended and a larger number of young people were prefent, than ufually met, on fuch occafions. At the clofe, the people were informed, that our weekly conferences, would be attended, at my house and as there appeared to be a degree of thoughtfulness taking place, on the minds of fome; they were admonished not to ftifle the motions of the Holy Spirit, but to meet with their Chriftian Liends, the next Friday, to confer

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further on the important fubject. In the courfe of the fame week, I called at a houfe, to converse with a young woman, whom I found before, under fome awakening. When I came to converfe with her, I found her under deep impreffions of foul: her mother, coming into the room, was fomewhat affected, knowing that fomething affected her daughter, but did not know that it was a concern for her foul. I found the mother was in the like cafe. On Friday, the time for our conference, inftead of a few, as formerly, my houfe was filled; and folemnity fat on the countenances of many; while a few were pricked in their hearts. It foon began to appear that many had been under ferious impreffions, for fome time, and kept it to themselves; but nów, were under neceffity of making it known.

From this time, our meetings for preaching and conference were crouded and folemn. We were under neceffity, for want of room, of leaving a private house and the fchool houfe, and of repairing to the meeting houfe. For a number of months, in the winter season, it feemed that eternal things engroffed almoft the whole attention of the congregation. All appeared to be interefted in the truths, doc. triges and duties of religion.Thus, they were anxious to hear and know what they should do to be faved.

My houfe was frequently reforted to, by enquirers, and the fcenes were truly affecting. Perfons, from twelve years of age, to forty, and fo on to fixty, juft beginning to know that they were finners, against God. They, who had often heard of their dreadful ftate, while ftupid, now began to confeis, with tears, that they were

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