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she has seen so many of the young gentlemen of her acquaintance so shamefully degenerate, that she wipes her tears for the sons she has buried, and composes her soul to patience and thankfulness, with one only daughter remaining. Perhaps God has by this stroke prevented a thousand unknown sorrows. Are your sons dead? But are all your mercies dead too? A worthy husband is a living comfort; and may God preserve and restore him to you with joy! Food, raiment, safety, peace, liberty of religion, access to the mercy seat, hope of heaven; all these are daily matters of thankfulness. Good Madam, let not one sorrow bury them all. Show that you are a Christian by making it to appear, that religion has supports in it which the world doth not know. What can a poor worldling do, but mourn over earthly blessings departed, and gone down with them comfortless to the grave? But methinks a Christian should lift up his head, as partaking of higher hopes. May the blessed Spirit be your comforter, Madam. Endeavour to employ yourself in some business or amusement of life continually, lest a solitary and inactive frame of mind tempt you to sit brooding over your sorrows, and nurse them to a dangerous size. Turn your thoughts often to the brighter scenes of heaven and the resurrection.

Forgive the freedom of a stranger, Madam, who desires to be the humble and faithful servant of Christ and souls.

ISAAC WATTS.

P. S. Madam, you have so many excellent comforters around you

that I even blush to send what I have writ; yet since the narrowness of my paper has excluded two or three thoughts, which may not be impertinent or useless on this mournful occasion, I will insert them here. You know Madam, the great and blessed God had but one Son, and he gave him up a sacrifice, and devoted him to a bloody death out of love to such sinners as you and I.

Can you shew your gratitude to God in a more evident and acceptable manner, than by willingly resigning your sons to him at the call of his providence? This act of willing resignation turns a painful affliction into a holy sacrifice. Are the two dearest things taken from the heart of a mother? Then may you ever set so much the looser to this world, and you have the fewer dangerous attachments to this life. It is a happiness for a Christian not to have the heart strings tied too fast to any thing beneath God and heaven. Happy is the soul, who is ready to remove at the divine summons. The fewer engagments we have on earth, the more we may live above, and have our thoughts more fixed on things divine and heavenly. May this painful stroke be thus sanctified, and lead you nearer to God.

I. W.

The following Extract from M. Massillon's Sermon on 66 MINISTERIAL ZEAL" is recommended to the serious and attentive perusal of those whom it may concern,

HAVE not ministers, animated with the Spirit of God, expe

rienced contradictions, in all ages? In succeeding to the zeal and ministry of the apostles, have they not succeeded to their tribulations and reproaches? It was not by temporizing with sinners that they converted them; it was by combating them; it was not by flattering the great and the powerful, that they induced them to submit to the yoke of Christ; it was by making them tremble, as Paul formerly did even kings upon their thrones, by the terrors of the holy word; by the frightful image of a judgment to come, and of the punishments reserved for the worldly-minded and unchaste.

We however flatter ourselves with succeeding better by adopting another method towards the great and the powerful; and this is a perpetual illusion, which conceals from us our prevarication and weakness. We hardly dare show them, even at a distance, truths which displease them, which yet alone can be useful to them. Their most public and most shameful vices are to us like sacred things; and we touch them only with circumspection, and with strokes so slight and tender that they are not perceived. Our great object seems to be, not to convert them, but to forbear irritating them; as if our ministry, as respects them, consisted in humouring them, not in converting them; and in preaching to them the words of salvation in such a manner, that they cannot find any thing that regards and interests them. We persuade ourselves that we ought not, by an indiscreet zeal, to deprive the church of worldly greatness,

which may be useful to it; as if the church had need of an arm of flesh to support it; as if men, plunged in sin, could be useful in the work of God; as if it was necessary to flatter the great, for the maintenance of a religion, which was at first established by combating their passions; in fine, as if it was indiscreet not to use flattery and collusion in our ministry.

My brethren, let us not seek supports of flesh and blood for religion. Let us unite fidelity in our ministry, with the respect and regard due to human greatness; what we owe to a love of the truth, with a proper regard to the rules of Christian prudence. Religion does not authorise excesses and indiscretion in zeal; it condemns only a fear of man, and the cowardly and interested views of self-love. Let us respect the great and the powerful, but let us not respect their vices and their sins; let us render to their persons the love, the homage, and the regard which are due to them, but let us not render the same to their vices; let us exhibit to the common people examples of submission and fidelity to the great, not of adulation and shameful meanness. The men of the world study enough to corrupt and blind them by the poison of continual flattery; let us not prostitute our ministry to so unworthy a use; but, by a wise and respectful sincerity, let us preserve for them a resource for knowing the truth. If, in consequence of our places and station we have free access to them, let us not be occupied in advancing our own fortune, but their salvation. The only means

of being useful to them is not to desire them to be useful to us. If we aspire at procuring their favour, we must begin by humouring their foibles. It is rare that their good graces are to be purchased but by weakness and base complaisance on our part. We should tremble when they load us with favours; the higher they elevate us, the lower, we have reason to fear, we are in reality degraded ; their gifts cost us dear, since they must, almost always, be purchased at the expense of truth, and of the dignity of our ministry. Not that the great are unsusceptible of the truth; on the contrary, by their being the less accustomed to it, it would make the stronger impression. Their ruin generally proceeds from this source, that there is no person near them, who dares to show them the precipice, and reach forth a hand to hinder them from falling into destruction.

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to put in a word, that may be to edification.

Use no recreations or delightsof sense, but what thou canst at that very time desire of God, that it may be sanctified to spiritual ends.

Take your eye off from others, and turn it inward upon yourself; this will render you less sensible of their failings, and more observant of your own, both which consequences are desirable.

Use not animosity and contention in any matter, that may be brought to a good issue in the way of peace.

Engage not hastily as a party in a difference between others, but reserve thyself impartial and unengaged, that thou mayest moderate between them.

When thou hast an opportunity of speaking a word for the good of another's soul, defer not the doing of it till another time.

Watch against all bitter and passionate speeches, against malignant opposers of truth. For meekness of spirit and behaviour is more according to Christ, than wrathful zeal.

In thy zeal against the sins of others, be mindful of thy own exceeding sinfulness: call to remembrance thy great offences, which, though they be unfeignedly repented of, give thee to understand what cause thou hast to be meek, and humble, and patient toward all men.

INDIAN DUELLING.

NATCHES, July 1, 1807. The following very extraordinary circumstance occurred a few days since. If the advocates for duel

66

ling were compelled to settle their affairs of honour" in a similar manner; substituting a common hangman to terminate the scene, in place of a son to one of the parties, it is very probable that the practice would in a short time become less fashionable.

At about 2 o'clock, P. M. an Indian was discovered, by the family, entering the south end of Cirault's lane. He drew their attention, being painted in an uncommon manner; his whole body appeared red. He held in his right hand a gun, which he brandished with many gesticulations; in his left hand he held a bottle. He was attended by two other Indians, who advanced at a sober pace. At the opposite end of the lane, some more Indians were discovered, among whom was a man painted in like manner, but unarmed. He was held and detained by a woman; but when the one brandishing his gun came within about twenty yards of him, he burst from the embrace of his wife and rushed towards his antagonist. about four yards distance they both halted: when the unarmed man presented his naked breast to the other, who took deliberate aim, but, appearing to recollect himself, he suddenly dropt his gun, and drank from the bottle, which at the time was tied to his wrist; the other patiently and resolutely holding his breast open and presented all the while. Having finished his drink, he gave a whoop, and took fresh aim; and, in an instant, the other dropt dead almost at his feet. This done, he once more loaded his gun with all possible speed, and gave it to a by-stander (son

At

to the deceased.) He then in, turn, bared, and presented his breast, and was instantaneously sent into eternity.

The dead bodies were each carried the way they came, and by their respective friends interred, one at each end of the lane. The wife and relatives of the unarmed one, who was first killed, howled over his remains three days and nights, and then disappeared. On Friday last they returned again, fired several guns on approaching the grave, gave a general howl about a quarter of an hour, and retired.

We learned from some among them, who spoke broken English, that they had quarrelled over a bottle some considerable time ago, when the Indian, who was first killed, had his finger bit by the other in such a manner, that his arm became inflamed; he declared he was "spoiled," and that they must both die. They agreed, and formed the arrangement as related. [Panorama.

ANECDOTE.

MR. W. a respectable Calvinistic clergyman in R. being visited by a young candidate for the ministry on Sunday, invited him to preach. to preach. The young gentleman readily consented and delivered an ingenious Arminian sermon; though his prayer was very calvinistic. When the service was over, Mr. W. thanked him for his kindness, praised him for his ingenuity, but told him that, as they did not agree in sentiment, he could not invite him to preach again; but, continued he, I have a favour to ask of you; when you go home,

will you sit down, and write a prayer to agree with the sentiments you have this day been preaching; will you commit it to memory, go into your closet, and repeat it to God? The young man promised to do it. Accordingly, when he went home, he wrote the prayer, committed it to memory, went into his closet, and attempted to repeat it, but found, through the power of conscience, that he could not.

A few years afterwards he came again to Mr. W. Mr. W. soon recollected him and received him very cordially. The young gentleman offered to preach for him; Mr. W. at last reluctantly consented. Accordingly the young gentleman went

into the pulpit, and to the great astonishment of Mr. W. delivered a sound, sensible, calvinistic sermon. When the service was over, Mr. W. asked him why he had altered his sentiments; the young gentleman asked him, if he did not recollect a favour he had, a few years ago, requested of him; and being answered in the affirmative, he related the circumstances, and added, that, being greatly agitated as well as surprised, he had carefully examined his sentiments, and had reasoned thus with himself: Can it be proper for me to preach to a congregation what I cannot offer up in prayer to God?

Review of New Publications.

A Sermon, preached July 22, 1807, at the funeral of the Rev. Alexander Macwhorter, D. D. senior pastor of the Presbyterian church in Newark, New Jersey. By Edward D. Griffin, A. M. surviving pastor of said church. 8vo. pp. 52. New York. S. Gould. 1807.

If an able and faithful gospel minister be one of the most important characters in our world, then the death of such an one is a very solemn event, in the estimation of every thinking man, and a judicious history of his life is a valuable record. Such was Dr. Macwhorter, whose decease gave occasion to this discourse. He was indeed a burning and a shining light. He filled a large space in the Presbyterian church, for many years. And beyond the limits of that church, he was known, and revered, and his death lamented.

Being no strangers to the character of this apostolic man, and knowing also the high reputation of his surviving colleague and eulogist, we took up this discourse with no common expectations: And we are happy in being able to say that these expectations have been fully answered.

The text on which it is founded is Psa. cxii. 6. The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. After an appropriate introduction, in which brevity and feeling are remarkably united, Mr. Griffin proceeds to shew that the righteous "shall be long

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