MESS'RS EDITORS, YOU will please publish in your Magazine the following let ter, fhould you judge it useful to thofe under affliction, or in any degree contributing to the glory of God. DEAR FRIENDS, 66 great an affection on your beloved child. If fo ;-God has now removed her to teach you, that your truft, and dependence, and love must be fupremely fixed on that heavenly friend, who will never fail. Thus may the rod of God, be to you as the rod of Aaron, bloffoming with divine bleffings, and bringing forth holy and hearenly fruit.Truly our heavenly Father can make our bittereft afflictions to become the richest mercies. He hath promifed that "all things fhall work together for good, to them who love God." Happy would it be for us, if we could learn to depend more on heaven and lefs upon the earth. Happy would it be for us, if we would learn to take up the cross, and follow Chrift. The crofs is the way to the crown. Our Saviour hath travelled in this path, and hath left behind him this leffon for all his children, "If ye will be my difciples, ye muft take up the crofs and follow me." ESTERDAY, we heard the melancholy tidings of the death of your daughter, Mrs. If the compaffion of friends can afford the fhadow of confolation, you have my tendereft fympathy. You have, alfo, my ardent prayers to heaven, for divine fupport to be given to yourselves, and family; and very especially to the furviving hufband, the friend of whofe youth, the foother of whofe forrows, and the companion of whofe happiest days, is now no more. Our only confolation, in trials, like yours, when friends can only drop an unavailing tear, is the righteous fovereignty of God and his covenant mercy to the faithful. The cup which our heavenly Father giveth us, fhall we not drink?" God is now faying to you, by the voice of his providence, Son, daughter, loveft thou me, more than this child? May your hearts, by faith, reply, Lord thou knoweft all things: thou knowest that I love thee; and that, at the command of thy right-then, do our duty, and truft in eous fovereignty, I can give up my God. He has not fuffered all this child, my nearest friends, yea my to befal you by chance. It is the own life alfo. May God's will be ordering of infinite wisdom. The your will; May afflictions teach exact time, and manner, and ciryou to know no defire, but the cumftances of her death were all Lord's pleafure. You will fay, decreed by a holy, benevolent and perhaps," My fpirit is willing" righteous Sovereign. Surely this and refigned but the flesh is must be a confolation to a child of weak." Be it fo: yet it is writ- God. Could you now fee, as you ten "My grace is fufficient for will hereafter know, if you are found thee." "I will never leave thee, among the faithful, you will renor forfake thee." joice that every thing has been ordered as it hath taken place. You . Perhaps you have placed too To a Chriftian, the bitterness of the cup of forrow must be greatly fweetened by the confideration, that the friend of finners has taken it before us, and has given us a command to do as he hath done. The greater our trials are, the pleafanter will be the heavenly reft of the faithful at laft. Let us, will not wish that a fingle circum- | deceased? They must be a comfort ftance had varied, in all the trials, which your heavenly Father hath appointed you. to you, in the absence of their mother. They must be doubly dear to their furviving parent, under his prefent weight of forrow. May God fpare the little lambs to grow up and be bleffings to you on earth. May they, one day heighten the joy of your interview in heaven, and be found among the Saviour's jewels. N. B. To-morrow begins a New-Year. It opens with mourn ing, but may it close with joy abundantly proportioned to your prefent forrows. Το THE EDITORS OF THE CON- AZINE. GENTLEMEN, Believing, now, his infinite wif. dom, and goodness, fhew forth the fpirit of a dutiful, and childlike refignation If need be, we are afflicted. God fees when it is needful, and what is needful. "What he does, we know not now; but we shall know hereafter." Leave all things therefore to his holy guidance, look to him for fupport; and while every affliction ferves to break a link of that chain, which confines our affections to the creature, let us fo improve our trials, that they may advance us nearer to that world, where forrow and mourning fhall forever cease. The fcriptures give many intimations, that faithful fouls will fee and know each other in heaven. What a joyous confideration is this? In your Magazine fome observHow ought it to animate you, and ations have been made respecting the family, and the furviving huf- the usefulness of what is termed band of the dear deceafed, to wait, conference meetings. The inclofwith faith, and patience, for that ed are anfwers to feveral queftions day, when you hope to fee your which were put at fuch meetings. friend, in a better world, and re- The queftion was given at one new your affection, with heavenly meeting to be answered the next, purity, and without the most dif- in writing or viva voce. tant fear of a fecond feparation. fend you were written by a young Oh my friends! what comfort is woman of eighteen who had bethere in religion. Religious con- come a hopeful fubject of efficafolations are never more precious, cious grace. Poffibly they may than in time of earthly forrows. be thought to be only a fummary They are never more ready for our extracted from fome writer on the fupport, than when we most need fubjects. Should this appear to be them. Afflictions are precious fea- the cafe, I think a confiderable defons for the faithful. They ripen gree of ingenuity is discovered in our graces, they increase our joys, condenfing the fubject into fo fmall they advance us heaven-ward, they a compafs. But as there are anprepare us to taste the fweets of pi- fwers to feveral other queftions ety, and mature us for the fervice written by the fame hand, some of of that God," in whofe prefence which I know are original, and as is fulness of joy." I hear that I do not recollect any fuch phrafeyour daughter left two little chilology in any of my reading, I dren behind her, when she died. fully believe that they are not exPrecious remembrances of the dear tracts but original compofitions on Those I the fubjects. They are fubmitted | world, in praifing and glorifying to your judgment. Yours, ALANSON. Queftion. What is it to fee fin as fin? To fee fin as fin, we must fee that it is an infinite evil-contrary to a holy God, and an enemy to ail his glorious attributes. Sin is contrary to the law of God and the good of our own fouls. It ftrikes at the nature and being of God-it fets us dreadfully diftant from a conformity to, and delight in the glorious perfections of God. It is vile and odious as against the infinite grace and mercy of God in Jefus Chrift-To fee the horrid nature of fin let us view the fufferings of our Saviour, when fin was imputed to him-He hung-bled and expired on the cross. Queflion. What is the condition of thofe that are out of Chrift? God, in loving, admiring, and adoring him to eternity. Alfo that our fouls may be perfectly freed from all fin, and perfectly conformed to God, and a full enjoyment of him—that we may there join the angelic hoft in admiring and adoring, the infinite beauty, love and condefcenfion of our glorious Redeemer, viewing of him with everlafting furprife and admiration, as an object ever new, and infinitely entertaining, throughout a boundlefs eternity. Religious Intelligence. ORDINATION. On Wednesday April 21ft, the Rev. Jofiah B. Andrews was ordained to the paftoral care of the fecond Church and Society in Killingworth. The Rev Jofeph Waf burn of Farmington made the introductory prayer; the Rev. Abel Flint, of Hartford preached the Sermon, from Acts xxviii. 31.The Rev. Thomas W. Bray of North-Guilford made the confecrating prayer; the Rev. Cyprian Strong, of Chatham gave the Those that are out of Chrift are in a very deplorable state. Every moment in danger of death-are unprepared for eternity, and at an awful uncertainty of what will become of them forever-They have no refpect to the glory of God in any of their performances, but are continually going off from God-charge; the Rev. David Selden at enmity with him-loving fin and of Middle-Haddam gave the Right hating holiness. They are expof- hand of Fellowship; and the Rev. ed to the dreadful penalties of the Nathan Perkins, D. D. of Weftdivine law-and to have the wrath Hartford, made the concluding of almighty God burft forth in fu- prayer. ry upon them, and fink them into the regions of everlafting defpair, there to spend an awful eternity with the damned in hell. Question. What fhould we defire to go to heaven for? That we may be perfectly holy, and perfectly exercifed in the holy employments of the heavenly MISSIONARIES. The Rev. Solomon Morgan lately returned from a miffion of a few weeks to the northern part of Vermont. The Rev. Alexander Gillet is about to enter on a miffion to the fame fettlements. POETRY. COMMUNICATED AS ORIGINAL. The Birth and Kingdom of Chrift. LT comes, a from no hell; Th' angelic hofts their God attend, And with him from his throne defcend. The fignal given, the theme divine, His wifdom vaft, immenfe his love! Behold the faints, in glad amaze; His government fhall peace extend, The New Jerufalem, BORNE by the Spirit to a mountain's height, Where boundless space lay ftretch'd before the fight, Fair in my view the heavenly Salem ftood, Array'd in beauty like the Bride of God Her form was fquare-a wall of jak per role, To guard her fubjects from external foes, Around her, gates of pearl in fplendor fhone, And her light mock'd the radiance of the fun. Beneath her, glowing streets lay ftretch'd immenfe, And pav'd with gold, reflected light intense, On every fide the pureft gems were found, And dazzling diamonds sparkled on the ground. Before the throne feven lamps refulgent glow'd, And from the midft a living fountain flow'd. There cloth'd in white the great Af And fhouted praifes to the Lamb of Crowns of pure gold their radiant And palms of triumph in their hands are borne. High in the midft, and circling round the Throne, "All life, all foul," four living crea tures fhone; Around, the Saints their ceafelefs ap- And God's almighty voice thro' heas- By day no fun difclos'd his feeble light; Donations to the Miffionary Society of Connecticut. 5 Dollars. FOR THE CONNECTICUT EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE. Attempts to propagate the gospel among the Indians in New-England and parts adjacent. (Contin. from p. 370.) NUMBER III. Concerning the propagation of the gofpel among the Indians, particularly on Martha's Vineyard, by the miniftry of the Rev. Thomas Mayhew, jun. Sc. BSTACLES being, in fome degree, removed, the gofpel inade much greater progrefs, than it had done before. In each year, for many in fucceffion, natives of the island were coming in, and making profeffion of the Chriftian faith; in fome years a very confiderable number, till at length, very few fpeculative infidels remained upon this, and the neighboring iflands. We have already taken notice of Mioxoo, and Tawanquatuck; the former, a man of diftinction; the latter a principal Sachem in that part of the island where he lived. Thefe appear to have been the firit Vol. II. No. 12. converts among men in power.Their example was followed with only embraced the gofpel themhappy confequences: They not felves; but encouraged others, particularly their dependents, to attend upon the means of inftruction, that they alfo might be led to the truth: Like good Cornelius, they called together their relations, intimate friends, and neighbors, that they alfo right partake of thofe important bleffings, which they themselves were deûrous of enjoying. In the year 1648, there was a general meeting of all who were. inclined for Christianity, to confirm, and aflist one another in adhering to it. This affembly was held in Mr. Mayhew's prefence; and he obferved, that twelve of the young men went and took Sacochanimo, the eldest fon of Tawanquatuck, the Chriftian Sachem, by the hand, telling him, they loved him, and would go with him in God's way; and the elder men encouraged them, and defired, that they would never forget these promifes; and fo after they had fung part of a pfalm, in their own language, they returned home with Hhh |