eternity. But feeling that this finful father for their daily support. | time, and engrossed my precious While I laboured, acting in con- probation season of preparation for stant rebellion against God, to procure their fustenance, I neglected their fouls. Alas, the parents task was fufpended, and little thought was taken with regard to their precious and immortal fouls. They looked up to me for their daily food; they needed daily inftruction in religion, they needed the morning and evening prayers of a pious father, and to be dedicated to God, but were neglected. I have to recollect with aftonishment the time when I disbelieved the word of God and esteemed it nothing more than a cunningly devised fable. As a consequence of this, I had no conductor. I was therefore as you will easily conceive, fet afloat in the world. The bible, containing threatnings, made me despise it, and the man who should speak with a reverent refpect for it. Such being the condition of things, I became a great reafoner, and supposed I could confute any arguments in favor of religion. My reason foon became my God and the boastful mad philofophy of the Atheist, began to be a glorious thing to me. By this supposed fuperiority of reason above God's word, I hesitated notto esteem him foolish and infignificant who would admit any thing which came from the pulpit or press in favor of vital, experimental religion. Chriftianity now appeared a fophifm, regeneration a delufion, and any pretentions to religion enthusiasm, and eternal mifery was thoughtideal. My former belief, which my indulgent and honored father had impressed on my mind, was banished. Such being my state of mind, the shelf, and eternal realities were Paine's Age of Reason found left, without occupying any of my (though I was firstreluctant) an ad- attention. Thus I was left, in vocate in me, I read it attentively, perfectcarnal security. Six months it engaged my affections for a short ago an enemy to religion, I had And an idea that the gospel was of no | felf every thing that was necessary value, and confidered it vain to encourage a dispensation of it, and although I attended public worship pretty steadily; yet in heart I despised the awful, and fublime truths, which were communicated from the word of God. Heaven and hell, were mere sounds to me, I utterly despised the words, as they flowed from the mouth of a minifter. I thought there was something great in difapproving all religious pretensions. Thus a finner ripe for damnation, was permitted to live from one day unto another, and although, hell, opened to receive its victim, yet God who was boundless in compassion to my precious foul, kept me from deserved wrath. About four months ago God faw fit to make a discovery to me, of my calamitous situation. He showed me the vanity of my endeavors, to counteract his benevolent purposes, by opening my eyes, and giving me to see the strictness of his law. At this time human Philofophy made me to shudder, and I was brought to fee that eternal woe, was too folemn a reality to sport with, I faw I had lived in a state of perfect dependenceonmyelf, that I was under a most holy sentence of condemnation, that I had incurred the divine displeafure, by my constant rebellion, and that my situation was deplorable. I law a Godthat was incenfed a to constitute a hell. The dependence I had made on my morality vanished like the idle wind, I faw that I had ruined myself, and this without any hope of deliverance. I had heard of a Saviour, but alas! I had abused his mercy. In this situation I saw that I could not do any thing to merit salvation, and that if sovereign mercy did not come to my assistance, I must perish forever. O! what a hell is there prepared for sin-hardened despisers. " Behold ye despisers and wonder and perish." Tetal depravity I now realized, not by speculation but by feeling, I saw myself dead in tresspasses and sins, I saw the doctrines of the gospel were all against me, and that God might justly cast me off forever, and his character be very glorious. Loft to all hope of recovering my. self from the fatal disease of fin and death; I was, finally, as I trust, brought to lay afide my opposition to God and bow before his sovereigntyand holiness; acknowl. edging him to be God. Andnow what shall Isay, but God be merciful to me a finner. Father, I have fin. ned against heaven and in thy fight. Pardon my iniquity, O Lord, for it is great. Give me I pray, the fincere conviction and deep heart-felt repentance for fin. O give me a a deep self-abasement before thee. Humble me O Lord into the dust, and O may I never have the base gainst me, "the terrors of hellness to deny thee. Lay my fins laid hold on me." I saw a justice, that threatened destruction to ungodly men. A fovereignty, holy and gracious that I had difcarded. Mercy that I had abufed. My fins were of a crirafon dve. Alas! my foul was loft, I had forfeited ali mercy from God, I had refufed his calls, I had flighted proffered pardon, and now I found in my in order before my face, and for Jefus Chrift's fake, give me to be perpetually an enemy to fin, to those sins, which crucified my Lord, and make me truly holy, truly humble, truly refigned to thy will. May infidelity that poison of my fo foul be entirely removed; and may I trust in thee for increasing penitence, in creasing engagedness and conform. ity of heart to thy most holy and glorious Lord. O may I be clothed upon with the garment of a Mediator's righteousness, and be saved from every fin. And as the day of trial is coming, may I fo con its venom against the principles, duct, as to come off a conquerer | shall yet be preferved for a light o through the blood of Jesus Christ, Extract of a Letter from the Rev. Bath, Jan. 31st, 1801. Brethren beloved in Chrift, YOU 24th reached me only yefterday. It drew forth the warm effusions of thanksgiving to our common Lord. It is evident the ❘ different continents contain the same holy catholic Church, that the waters of the Atlantic separate not the communion of faints, ❘ and that the redeemed by blood, whose fins are forgiven them for Chrift's name fake, hold faft the blessed hope of eternal life and re- | joice in the profpect of meeting around the throne from every kindred tongue and nation, when we shall know even as we are known. Nothing will be more grateful to us than to hear your increasing progrefs; and that the cloud no bigger than a man's hand spreads over your firmament and portends abundance of rain. The glorious display of divine grace in many lands adds to our hope, that he whose right it is, will take to himfelf his great power and reign; and amidst the awful and increating calamities around us, we of this island draw favorable auguries from the diffufion of gofpei light and grace ; and tho, infidelity and itreligion lift up their banners as tokens, and bitter enmity breathes the Gentiles and to carry his falvation to the ends of the earth. Thus the wall is still built in a troublous time, and whilft we leave all events in his hands, we would be found in the path of duty, as the way of fafety. I fhali hay nothing of the increasing and wide fpreading ravages of war, deeply interested as I am in the welfare and profperity of the land wherein I dwell. We have a kingdom that never can be moved, a city whose maker and builder God is; and looking not to the things which are feen and temporal, but to those things which are not feen and eternal, we thank God, take courage and go forward. The intelligence you with will be gladly communicated by cur Secretary, to whom, being at a diftance, I have fent your Magazines and kind letter, and the Sa ciety will I am fure receive this token of your fraternal affection with delight, and return it with equal affurance of theirs. Meantime, I thought the most acceptable service I could render to my Rev. Brethren and their honor ble associates in the miffionary werk, would be to give them an epitome of our late proceedings and prefent state of the Mission with which they feem unacquainted. The intelligence we receive from Otaheite is highly encouraging,and the requests of the Misionaries there to be reinforced are urgent. We hope nine or ten, firmly, faithfully, devotedly living together, preach and teach Jesus Chrift, with confiderable attention from the in May, with four perfons, two Dutch and two English, to divide and join Dr. V. in Caffraria, and Mr. Kicherer among the Boshe-x men; another of three men and four women all Dutch, was forwarded in November. natives, and fome apparent im- What our two brethren in Canada have yet done I know not, you are nearer to them than we. The Miffionary at Twilingate, Newfoundland, sends very pleasing ad counts of his success and accept In my views the South sea still appears to hold out the great door of Missionary usefulness on the largest scale, and I truft he who hath begun the good work will car sign to be sent with Tomoteiti to the Marquesas, the poor lad is fince | dead. Only eleven, I hope, faithful men are now either on their way, or arrived at the place of their destination. I havegood accounts ry it on. Our difficulties are few from them dated August 20th, from Rio Janeiro. They are all well, but the convicts with whom they failed and to whom they have been greatly blessed have suffered a great mortality. I have furnished them with the choiceft English Books out of my little library for the common use of the brethren at Otaheite, hoping they may convey valuable information, where books must be a treafure to men in fuch a fituation. They will touch at Port Jackfon, and having landed the convicts proceed to Otaheite. The wars which have broke out and defolated Tongataboo, have driven the Miffionaries from thence, and three who were under the protection of the vanquished chief were flain. From the Cape of Good Hope we have received very pleasant inteiligence, as the Magazines will inform you. I last week heard from Dr. Vanderkemp, whose life is preferved in the Caffree country amidst many dangers. The Boshemen feem ripe for harvest, the Society have fent two embarkations of Miffionaries to the Cape, one er, and ourprofpects more confirmed, and evidently nothing wanting to accomplish the work with efficacy, but perfeverance, and a firm establishment in one central place, with which we may maintain regular communication, and from whence the light may be diffused. It is afferted by those who are on the spot, that a commercial intercourse would probably repay the expense of vifiting them. The particulars I cannot detail. The present hateful state of war has been so injurious already, and is such a hindrance that we figh for peace as a Miffionary body. Were I an American I would have a fhip laden for the fouthern Ocean before the present year expired. hope however that at this prefent moment twenty or more are firmly fixed at Otaheite, and unwearied exertions are making to increafe their number, whenever a providential opening shall be made. We I have haftened to communicate these particulars knowing they will be interesting to you. Our fecre tary will, I doubt not, fulfil your wishes. Mr. Eyre is a man of fingular excellence and to whom the miffion is in an especial manner indebted. Shall I beg a kind remembrance in the hearts of my brethren, and a mention in their prayers of their affectionate friend and brother. T. HAWEIS. Report of the Trustees of the Miffionary Society of Connecticut. ftituted, they would give him all the glory, and be humble from the confideration that their zeal has not been greater in his service, and that their hearts have not been more warmed with love tohim and to the fouls of their fellow-men... As the general concerns of the inftitution are entrusted to their management, the Trustees not only feel themselves accountable to God for the faithful discharge of their trust, but alfo bound in duty to communicate to the Society, whose agents they are, a particular To the MISSIONARY SOCIETY of CONNECTICUT, to be convened at LITCHFIELD, the third Tuesday of June instant, the TRUSTEES beg leave to fub- account, from time to time, of the : I er. mit the following REPORT, with the papers therein referred to. N this their annual report the Trustees feel it to be their duty, first of all, to acknowledge the good hand of God in so far seconding their feeble efforts, to advance the cause of the RedeemIn answer to the prayers of his people, and in tender pity and compaffion to perishing sinners, he has been graciously pleased to increase a missionary spirit, to open the hearts of many to contribute generoufly to the support of mis sions, and to crown the labors of his missionary servants, in various places, with great success. Never did there appear to be so much need for faithful, zealous Missionaries as at the present time, and never have so many circumstances conspired to ftimulate the exertions and excite the prayers of the people of God for the furtherance of this defirable object. The Trustees would arrogate nothing to themselves. If God has enabled them to be in any measure faithful to the important trust committed to them, and if he has fucceeded any of their attempts to promote the great objects for which the Society was inVOL. II. No. 1. E manner in which the important concerns committed to them are conducted. The narrative, published by direction of the Trustees, last winter, and fent to the several parishes in the state, a copy of which is herewith transmitted to each mem ber of the society, contains a general view of their proceedings and of the labors of Miffionaries to the close of the year 1800. To repeat in this report what is therein contained will not be deemed necessary; as reference can be had to that for any information which is desired. In that narrative the following persons are mentioned as Missionaries then in the service of the foci ety, viz. the Rev. Messrs. Seth Williston and Jedidiah Bushnell and Mr. Amasa Jerome in the western counties of New-York. state; the Rev. David Huntington in the northern counties of New-York and Vermont; and the Rev. Jofeph Badger in NewConnecticut, all appointed to continue during the pleasure of the board of Trustees. The Rev. Ira Hart is also mentioned as appointed to a mission to the settlements on Black riverand other places in the vicinity. |