tween the general temper and thoughts of those, who, as we hope, have some grace, and the temper of the meek and lowly Lamb of God. What a mercy it is that Jesus tries his people. It is as needful that they should be tried with fiery trials, as that gold should pass through the fire, again and again, to be purified. By the way, have you read the account of Mr. Edwards's trials lately? He passed through difficulties somewhat similar to your own. What a blessed thing it is, that God has promised that every thing shall work together for good to those who love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. I wish to encourage your heart, my dear Sir, for I have such hope concerning you. Keep the word of Christ's patience, and he will keep thee from the hour of temptation. And What shall I say more? What more need be said, when Jesus has declared to his little, scattered, hunted, oppressed flock, Because I live, ye shall live also. will He take care of his little flock, and leave his under shepherds to perish? I am often thinking of worldly happiness. But this comes to mind: What! You complain for lack of worldly accommodations, when the Son of God had not where to lay his head. What! the servant expect to fare better than his master. Surely he does not deserve it. Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not. What will the possessions of earth do for a dying man? What will the applause of mortals be worth at the dread tribunal of Jehovah? Then I think of the blessed patriarchs and prophets. How much they labored and suffered. How awful and glorious the death of Abel. He fell a martyr to godliness, and ascended to the first seat of the redeemed. How laborious, tedious, and trying was the situation of Noah. Though a preacher of righteousness, he was obliged to leave off preaching to a multitude, to hold meetings with only seven souls besides himself. Probably he had some blessed little meetings, night and day, while he was shut up more than a year with the church of God. It was far better to be with the little family of God, than to be with the multitude out of the ark of safety. How righteous Lot lost his fine accommodations and wealth in Sodom; yea, many of those who were once his own dear family. When he went out and warned them, they treated him as a mocker. How must he have felt, when his poor children were about to be overwhelmed with eternal fire; and when his wife looked back and was made a monument of the Divine displeasure. How did he plead for little Zoar, that his soul might live among some of his old acquaintance. But he must escape to the desolate mountain. Now what could support his heart but his God and his religion? How did godly Elijah learn to live by faith, when God fed him by ravens, and by the poor widow. How should we, dear bro ther, like to live so dependently upon God? Behold the prophet in the mount, jealous for his God, and distressed for his cause. How poor in this world; how rich in faith! Surely he was poor when he left the world, for he had only his mantle to leave behind. Yet he was rich, ascending in a fiery chariot of state to the celestial city. How destitute, afflicted, tormented, were God's dearest friends of whom the world was not worthy. Behold them clad in sheepskins, and goatskins; wandering in dens and caves of the earth. Ah, this world was not their home; they were pilgrims on the earth. They sought a better country, that is an heavenly. How did the blessed apostles labor and suffer in cold, hunger, and nak edness; spending their time, property, health, and lives to honor Christ, and to promote his cause. O, what idle, heartless, cowardly creatures are we! But the Lord may call us into the field of battle; and then he can give us the whole armor, and cause us to endure hardness as good soldiers of Christ. Methinks, dear brother, you have enlisted; and your Captain calls you forth with him, to go out of the camp bearing his reproach. Be strong, and of good courage, and play the man for the cause of truth and righteousness; and the Lord will make you more than a conqueror. Yours affectionately, in the bonds of the glorious Gospel. FOREIGN MISSIONS. The following piece would have been placed more properly under the head of Miscellaneous Articies; but was not at hand in season. To the Editor of the Panoplist. I PERCEIVE Sir, from the information contained in your work, and in other publications, that money is wanted to send Missionaries among the heathen. And I find no evidence, that large contributions to this object are as yet made, or that there is much zeal awakened on the subject. I observe, too, that there is much wealth in the country, as is incontestably proved by the general style of living, as well as by the fact, that our country. men are able to patronize every public object with which they are highly pleased. What, then, is the reason that Foreign Missions are not patronized? This question I will engage to answer, if you will suffer me to take it for granted, that the public patronize objects ac cording to their real importance. And, surely, in this enlightened country and this liberal age, you will not be so uncharitable as to deny this position. The reason, then, why Foreign Missions are not patronized, is, that the object is comparatively unimportant. If I understand any thing of the matter, the objects proposed to be gained by the establish ment of Foreign Missions are only such as the following: The instruction of the heathen in the doctrines and duties of Chrisanity; their deliverance from the power of a debasing idolatry; the suppression of various kinds of cruelty, such as the burning of widows, and the drowning of infants; the discountenancing of idleness and vice and the promotion of industry and a course of active virtue; the institution of Christian schools; the translation of the Bible into languages spoken by millions of men; and the conversion of many souls. Now all these are very good things; but the question is, Are they sufficiently important? I suppose the American Board of Commissioners want ten thousand dollars at the present moment; and in order to obtain this sum they must make out a clear ease; they must prefer a strong elaim. Let us look at another object, which obtains a liberal allowance of money in every civilized country. I mean the theatre. Should any of your readers be so puritanical as not to allow the theatre to be an important and laudable institution, I intreat them to consider, that this species of amusement enables multitudes to spend those winter evenings pleasantly, which would otherwise hang heavy on their hands; that it improves the taste and elevates the imagination by the recitation of some of the sublimest passages in our best English poets; that it teaches the knowledge of human nature; that it furnishes a school of graceful and accomplished speakers; that it brings fashionable people together; and that it furnishes topics of conversation to many, who might otherwise have little or nothing to say. Are not these very important things? Accord ingly we find that great expense is incurred for the sake of possessing them. From an estimate which I made long ago, it appear ed,that probably not less than for- little doubt, that money enough will be spent at the Boston theatre this very season to support sixty Missionaries with their families a year in the heart of the Birman empire. BETA. The following lines were contained in a letter with the Salem post-mark, addressed to the Editor of the Panoplist, and inclosing a ten-dollar bill. SIR, To evince that the hint, suggested by a subscriber to the Panoplist, in the number for November, respecting the setting apart of a certain sum from our annual income for Missionary purposes, was not thrown away upon all your readers, I also have enclosed ten dollars, which I wish to have applied to the support of Foreign Missions. SELECTIONS. *** *** EXTRACT FROM JAY'S LIFE OF WINTER, pp. 299–303. "WE are led to reflect", says the biographer, "on the advantages of evangelical religion. It must VOL. IV. New Series. be allowed that the deceased discovered the spirit, and exemplified the life of a Christian in no 40 common degree. But it may be contended, that the character we have pourtrayed was independent of the principles which he had adopted; and that he was so excellent, notwithstanding his sentiments, rather than as the result of them. Such an insinuation can only arise from an unhappy indisposition to admit evidence in favor of what are called, the doctrines of grace! nor is there any plausible ground for the supposition. Every man that deserves the name of a character, and in proportion to his excellence, lives not accidentally, but by rule: he moves not uncertainly, but is governed by some fixed views and motives: he does not leave the vessel to the current, or the wind; he has a port in view, a rudder, a compass. Hence you know such a person; you can rely upon him; you can determine previously the course he will take in such an occurrence of circumstances. otherwise with a man who has no principles. He is the creature of whims, and of events. You have no hold of him; nor can he rely upon himself. It is No person could exhibit more consistency than was to be found in the character of Mr. Winter. There was the most exact conformity between his actions and his sentiments; and from the seed sown, you knew the grain that was to spring up. The doctrines he professed, he most firmly believed. He originally embraced religion in the form of them; he habitually viewed it through no other medium. These doctrines with him were not distant and occasional speculations; they were brought into daily use; they mingled with all his devotional exercises. He was concerned to advance in the life of godliness; he knew what it was that most favorably impressed him; he was incapable of avowing influences which he never felt, and advantages which he never enjoyed; but such, living and dying, were his acknowledgments in honor of the sentiments which he had embraced and examined. He was alive to the welfare of others; his design was not to make them proselytes to a party, but real, and practical, and useful Christians; and had he not been persuaded that the adoption of these religious views would have the most salutary influence, he would not in public, and in private, and in his correspondence, have recommended them. It will be observed for what purpose I here mentioned these things; it is only to prove that these doctrines were in him not opinions, but principles. For if principles are operative causes, if they are grounds of action, if they are leading motives, his religious sentiments were principles of his character; they were at once the springs of his consolation, and of his conduct too. But if this be allowed, surely it follows that they are not deserving of the treatment they have so often encountered. They have indeed frequently been reprobated, as of the most pernicious tendency with regard to ourselves, our fellow-creatures, and above all, God himself. But I here see a man under their governance; with regard to God, full of love and of confidence, always concerned to please him, and always rejoic ing in him; thankful for his fa 1811. vors, and resigned to his corrections: with regard to others, universally benevolent as to their welfare, full of pardon as to their faults, and of pity as to their miseries; pleading their cause, and relieving their wants: with regard to himself, neither inclined to licentiousness, nor selfconceit; nor trusting in his own righteousness, nor despising others; as watchful as prayerful: abhorring merit, but delighting in obedience; delivered from the tyranny of unhallowed appetites and passions; exercising self-denial; possessing peace of conscience; relishing with moderation the enjoyments of life, but willing to leave them, viewing death with solemnity, yet raised above the fear of it. If persons will not trace by reasoning the connexion there is between these principles and this practice, they may appeal to fact, and learn that these truths have had the best influence over the heart and life. The conclusion is obvious. "Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?" It is natural to suppose that Divine truth will have a powerful influence over those who truly embrace it: we know that the Gospel is a doctrine according to godliness: we are sure that when it was originally delivered, it awakened in men a supreme concern for the salvation of the soul, induced them to forsake the present evil world, and filled them with zeal to be useful to others; it turned them from dumb idols, to serve the living God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, even Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come; to worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no con- GOOD WORKS. IT is a matter of admiration to me how any one, that pretends to the use of reason, can imagine that he should be accepted before God for what comes from himself! For, how is it possible that I should be justified by good works at all before I be first works, when I can do no good My works cannot be son be so; nor can my person be accepted as good, until my peraccepted by God, until first engrafted into Christ. justified? Bishop BEVERIDGE. ON EVANGELICAL PREACHING. case may be, HOWEVER the therefore, with the few who are gifted with powerful and sensitive minds, with habits of moral sensibility and reflection, it will be found, we believe, that men, |