things above, and not on things upon the earth!" Soon you shall hear it sounded, "because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!" The friends and subscribers of this auxiliary are entitled to your thanks; they have merited them well; by means of the numerous little streams which have been directed to our reservoir by the friends of Missions, our "water-pots," if not always full, have never become dry: on this occasion, however, you look to have them filled even to the brim ;" and may He who can convert our base material to subserve his glorious purpose of saving men, "draw forth" therefrom that "wine of the kingdom which cheers the heart of God and man." J. SUMMERFIELD. I remain, my dear brethren, your fellow-labourer and servant, The balance in the hands of the treasurer, at the disposal of the Parent Society, is $380 83. American Bible Society-The seventh anniversary of this Society was held, May 8, in the City-Hotel, which was numerously attended, and the whole of the exercises were lively and highly interesting, and well calculated to enlist the feelings of the Christian community in favour of Bible Societies Who that witnessed that sweet overflowing of soul, that intermingling of spirit, and that sweeping down of sectarian partialities, could refrain from participating in the general joy, and of hailing, with the most pleasurable gratitude, an institution which unites in its counsels and energies so many of all parties! From the Treasurer's Report, it appears that the receipts during the past year amounted to upwards of fifty-four thousand dollars, and the expenditures to about fifty-three thousand dollars, leaving a balance in the Treasury of about one thousand dollars. The annual Report gave an encouraging view of the Bible cause in various parts of the world. Society for ameliorating the condition of the Jews-This Society held its second anniversary, May 9, in the City-Hotel; and among other speeches delivered on the occasion, all of which were calculated to awaken the mind to serious concern for the afflicted descendants of Abraham, was one by Mr. JADOWNISKY, a con verted Israelite from Poland, in which he detailed some of the sufferings of his brethren according to the flesh, and concluded with a very pathetic appeal to American Christians, in behalf of the Jews. So affected was this interesting young stranger, that, towards the conclusion of his address, his utterance was choked by the rising sighs, and he sat down suffused with tears. United Foreign Missionary Society-On the evening of the 7th of May, this Society held its sixth anniversary at the City-Hotel. From the annual Report, it appears that the receipts into the Treasury, during the past year, amount to 12409 dollars, and the expenditures, 15372 dollars. DEAR BRETHREN, Obituary. To the Editors of the Methodist Magazine. Having been recently called to mourn the departure of two of my much respected sisters, I think it a tribute due to their memory, to inake a short record of their virtues, thereby to exalt the grace of God which conquered the depravity of their natures, and enabled them to triumph in death. I therefore send to you the account of one of them, that, if you think proper, it may be in serted in the Magazine. By giving it a place, you will oblige your unworthy brother Utica, April 15. 1823, MISS MARY PECK, the subject of this memoir, was the daughter of Luther and Annis Peck, and was born in Middlefield, Otsego county, New-York, in the year 1801. Through a religious education she was early made sensible of the necessity of a religious life; and often, almost in infancy, showed signs of a concern for the welfare of her soul. But the vanity of her youthful mind in general frustrated her good purposes, and continued to lead her astray till the GEORGE PECK. age of ten, when she was made a subject of converting grace. The circumstances of her conversion were as follows:-That distinguished servant of God, Ebenezer White, being appointed to the Otsego circuit that year, commenced his labours in the spirit of reformation. In visiting and instructing families, he dwelt particularly on the subject of family religion. His discourse was very moving, and what seemed in particular to affect Mary was, on his inquiring of her parents whether their children had been baptized, he was told that several of them had never been dedicated to God in that ordinance, and that some of them had grown up in sin and vanity, and so rendered themselves unfit subjects of it without repentance. As Mary was one of them, this conversation set her to reflecting upon her condition. She entered more deeply into the investigation of her case than ever before. She found that she was not only unfit for the ordinances of God's house, but altogether unfit for heaven. She now began to mourn heartily before God for her sins. She read the bible, prayed in secret, and wept bitterly. In the course of a few days at a prayer-meeting, she was observed by some to be on her knees weeping, and on being asked if she wanted religion, she answered in the affirmative. The people of God prayed for her, and encouraged her to believe in the efficacy of the blood of Jesus Christ to save her soul from sin, till at length she was enabled to testify with joy, that God had power on earth to forgive sin. She soon put herself under the watch-care of the church, and continued to maintain a life of sobriety and devotion, to watch against the evils of her heart, the temptations of the devil, and the allurements of the world, through the subsequent part of her life. As to her mental improvement, it may be proper to state, that as she advanced in years, she gave signs of a capacity of mind above the ordinary class. She possessed a taste for reading, and a talent to improve by it. Possessing a tenacious memory, she was enabled to prosecute her studies in the different branches which she entered upon, with uncommon facility, and to store up things which she learned from reading and observation that would be useful in practical life. Her zeal to learn was unconnerable, and her success in acquiring, gave to her friends the most flattering prospects of her future usefulness. But alas! how soon were all their prospects blasted, when God, in his wise providence, summoned her into the invisible world. With respect to spiritual things, it was evident to her acquaintances, that she increased both in gifts and graces. Though she had her particular besetments, yet it was her desire that she might overcome through Christ. Being naturally of a cheerful disposition, she was sometimes betrayed into levity, which always furnished her occasion for remorse and self-reproach. She had her low times in religion, and often complained of coldness in the service of God; but it cannot be said that she ever wholly backslid or lost her relish for the sublime pleasures of divine worship. Immediately before her last illness, she seemed to be impressed with a belief, that she had not long to continue on earth. She would frequently remark that she should soon have to part with her dear friends, that she thought she was doing her last summer's work, and the like. She had taught school several summers, and seemed to be well pleased with the employment, and to be contented to stay from home except the last summer, when she had visited her friends she parted with them with the greatest reluctance. Often on these occasions, she would embrace her sisters with tears, saying, “we must ŝoon part to meet no more on earth."-She attended a camp. meeting in September, which proved a great blessing to her soul; after which she was more than ever engaged after holiness of heart, without which she more clearly saw she could not see the Lord in peace The state of her mind is particularly expressed in two of her letters written to her brother Andrew, now in my possession, from which I have copied the following extracts.— The first is dated June 9th, 1822. "But let us turn our meditations for a few mo ments on the vanity of earthly things. Our situation in life is such that we are exposed to afflic tions and calamities on every hand. And what resource can this world afford us? It presents a dark and dreary waste where no consolation is to be found. But there is a balm which can soothe the troubled mind, and that balm is religion. "She points me beyond the dark tomb, . Where wreaths of bright glory eternally blooni, And whispers I soon shall be there." "This, my brother, is my comfort and satisfaction. This alone is my hope. My heart glows within me, and I am constrained to lay aside me pen and give vent to the feelings of my mind.” The second is dated Sept. 22. "Very dear brother,-Though an interview with you would be far more agreeable to me, yet I feel in a measure thankful that we are blessed with means of any kind whereby we can communicate to each other the various afflictions and blessings which we meet with in our pilgrimage my brother, that the Lord is visiting this land through this vale of tears. And must I tell you, with his afflicting providence? Numbers of people of our acquaintance are sickening and dying. Last Tuesday we attended the funeral of one of our neighbours. She had been about eight months married, and died with twelve hours sickness. Oh! how alarming to see a fellow creature enjoying health and laying plans for long life one day, and the next a lifeless corpse. Does it not speak loudly to us," be ye also ready?" The subject of religion of late has occupied my mind more than ever. While the bells of mortality are sounding through the land, I feel determined to make it my greatest business to prepare to meet death whenever it is the will of the Lord to release my spirit from this cumbrous clay. We attended a camp-meeting the 5th of this month, where the Lord manifested his presence in a wonderful manner. The preachers insisted on the necessity of holiness of heart. The members ral professed to experience the blessing, some of whom are our acquaintance, and my prayer to God is that the same spirit of holiness may revive and flourish through the connexion." drank into the spirit, and Sabbath morning seve Nov. 1st, she was attacked with the illness which terminated her mortal existence. She soon signified that she believed this sickness was unto death. On one of her sisters saying to her, "Mary, I think you are not dangerously sick-I hope you will soon recover.” She replied, "I shall not recover. No! I shall die. The warrant is signed, and the angel is commissioned to summon me away.' This was not a flight of a distracted mind. It was a fixed principle which had a powerful influence on her feelings and actions. She now looked back upon her past life, and saw that in many instances she had come short of her duty and privilege, that she had never experienced that entire sanctification which is indispensably necessary to qualify the soul for heaven, and that nothing short of this would prepare her for the important change that awaited her. She anxiously solicited the prayers of the people of God, and for about twenty-four hours groaned and agonized with all her powers for liberty. For two or three hours she cried aloud for mercy, and at length experienced relief while pouring out her heart to God in these plaintive strains. "Oh! that I could believe that Jesus would go with me through the dark valley." She immediately added, "I do believe!" Oh! he will go with me, glory! glory! glory! She then repeated the sublime lines which end, grave where is thy victory! O death where is thy sting! and would repeat, at intervals, with peculiar emphasis, Oh death where is thy sting. Her disorder (which was a putrid typhus fever) soon assumed an aspect exceed ingly threatening, which caused great alarm to the family, and finally baffled every effort of the physician. After she experienced liberty from sin and fear, she spent her time in prayer, praise and exhorting every one who visited her to prepare by a life of holiness to follow her. On being visited and conversed with by some Christian friends, she with great solemnity repeated the following lines: "Then come, thou king of terrors; And with thy weapons lay me low; 1 soon shali reach that region, Where everlasting pleasures flow. Now Christians, I must leave you, A few more days to suffer here; Through grace I soon shail meet you, My soul exults, I'm almost there.“ She said to one of her younger sisters, "do warn sinners for me. I shall not be able to do it but a short time longer. Follow not the fashions of the world, nor go into rude company. Do not for "I see a world of spirits bright, They all are rob'd in spotless white, Though her pain was sometimes ertreme she did not complain. She endured it, all with the utmost patience and fortitude. The law of kindness was written upon her heart. She desired the happiness of all. "Oh!" said she, "how I love Christians. I love every body." She now longed for the period of her deliverance, and would often express a degree of anxiety to be gone. When visited by one of the preachers of the circuit, through whose prayers and instructions she received great comfort, she clasped her hands, raised her eyes towards heaven and exclaimed, "Oh! how I want to die." As it was now evident to her friends and to herself that she was rapidly verging towards eternity, she called the family together and gave them her dying advice, exhorted them to faithfulness and perseverance and charged them to meet her in heaven. She sent particular word to her brothers who are labouring in the ministry. Thus tell George and Andrew to be faithful to the charge committed to them, and prepare to meet me in glory. The following lines she very frequently repeated. "Cease my heart this mourning, crying; But the time at length had arrived when they looked for the hour of her departure. She now prayed most fervently that her friends might have grace to support them under the trials which awaited them, and exhorted them not to mourn immoderately for her. On observing her sister Betsey weeping over her, she raised her trembling hand, and wiped off her tears, saying, "hush, trust, my dear, I am but going to fall asleep." While she was fast sinking down into the sleep of death, being scarcely able to speak so as to be heard, she repeated these lines: "On the cold cheek of death, smiles and roses are blending, And beauty immortal awakes from the tomb.” Soon after she added, "I shall soon be at rest;" and then quietly left the world without a struggle or a groan. Thus died our dear sister Mary on the 14th of Nov. 1822, in the twenty-second year of her age, after spending eleven years of her short life in the service of God. Let me die the death of the righte ous, and let my last end be like his. THE Methodist Magazine, FOR JULY, 1823. Divinity. A DISCOURSE ON FUTURE PUNISHMENT. Delivered (by appointment) before the New-England Conference, holden in Bath, Maine, June, 1822. BY THE REV. TIMOTHY MERRITT. (Continued from page 210.) BEFORE I give our author's views of atonement, I would remark that here, as in other parts of his work, he takes great pains to confute a system as absurd, and but little less dangerous than his own. With that system I have nothing to do at present. I now proceed to notice the views of atonement which are given in the Treatise before us. And here the commonly received doctrine is misrepresented, when it is exhibited "by the likeness of debt and credit." (p. 58.) It is worthy of remark, that this writer has in several instances exhibited the same views, and raised the same objections to Christianity with the deist. Mr. Paine has said that the Christian doctrine of atonement has for its basis, an "idea of pecuniary and not moral justice." The author of the Treatise says the same. But a greater man than either has observed, "That sin is called a debt, and the death of Christ a price, a ransom, &c., is true; but it is no uncommon thing for moral obligations and deliverances to be expressed in language borrowed from pecuniary transaction. The obligations of a son to a father, are commonly expressed by such terms as owing and paying: he owes a debt of obedience, and in yielding he pays a debt of gratitude. The same may be said of an obligation to punishment. A murderer owes his life to the justice of his country; and when he suffers, he is said to pay the awful debt. So also if a great character by suffering death could deliver his country. such deliverance would be spoken of as obtained by the price of blood. No one mistakes these things by understanding them of VOL. VI. 31 pecuniary transactions. In such connections every one perceives that the terms are used not literally, but metaphorically; and it is thus that they are to be understood with reference to the death of Christ. As sin is not a pecuniary, but a moral debt; so the atonement for it is not a pecuniary, but a moral ransom. There is doubtless a sufficient analogy between pecuniary and moral proceedings to justify the use of such language, both in scripture and common life and it is easy to perceive the advantage which arises from it; as besides conveying much important instruction, it renders it peculiarly impressive to the mind."* Mr. Paine says, "moral justice cannot take the innocent for the guilty, even if the innocent would offer itself. To suppose justice to do this, is to destroy the principle of its existence, which is the thing itself. It is then no longer justice: but is indiscriminate revenge." The Treatise before us holds the same sentiment. "It is scripture, reason, and good law, says the author, never to condemn the innocent, in order to exculpate the delinquent." (p. 71.) This is true in a limited sense as it relates to men; because they have not an absolute right to lay down, or to take life. Besides, were the virtuous and good universally to die for the wicked, the loss to society by their death, would be greater than the gain from the lives of the others. To prevent this loss to society, and to give security to the lives of his creatures, God has reserved to himself the right to dispose of life. But can we in this case argue from the dependent condition of man to the independent condition of the Deity, and say because he has not given to man the right to give, or to take life when he pleases, that therefore he does not possess this right himself? Has he not told us, that he "will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them who hate him?" And do we not frequently see those who, in the sense of the objection, are innocent, involved in the punishment of the guilty-swallowed up of earthquakes, and devoured by the sword? With such objectors I have nothing to do: he that reproveth God, let him answer it. "If a dignified individual, by enduring some temporary severity from an offended nation, could appease their displeasure, and thereby save his country from the destroying sword, who would not admire his disinterested conduct? And if the offended from motives of humanity, were contented with expressing their displeasure by transferring the effect of it from a whole nation to an individual who thus stepped forward on their behalf, would their conduct be censured as indiscriminate revenge?' The truth is, the atonement of Christ affords a display of justice on too large a scale, and on too humiliating a principle, to approve itself to a contracted, selfish, and haughty mind. *Fuller's Gospel its own Witness, p. p. 175, 176. |