I now hold communion with God as my Father, Jesus as my Savior, the Holy Spirit as my continual helper and sanctifier, with confirmed angels and men as my brethren. I value the communion of saints below. All is the doing of the Lord, and shall eternally be wondrous in my eyes. I am, reverend and dear sir,

Your affectionate friend and servant,

Closet, July 1, 1795.

HEMAN.

AN AFFECTIONATE ADDRESS TO A YOUNG CHRISTIAN.

[Every sincere lover of Christ must feel a peculiar pleasure in observing serious appearances among young persons. Mindful, how. ever of the difficulties under which the lambs of Christ's flock, usually labor, he wishes to give them every assistance of which he is capable. Such is the design of the following address, which is dictated, not in the spirit of pride and self importance, but from the warmest sentiments of love and affection.]

YOUR present profession of adherence to Christ, my dear young friend, arises not, I trust, from transient emotions of religion only; you are, in some degree, convinced of its truth and excellence, and are determined, by grace, to follow Jesus through every opposition. Your eyes have been opened to discern your natural, guilty, and depraved state. Sensible that you can do nothing to recover yourself, you place all your confidence in the atonement, righteousness, and grace of Christ, for complete redemption; and, are desirous of living as an eternal debtor to his free grace, glorifying him in your soul and in our body, which are his. If this be your character, I hope you will listen with attention to the advice of a stranger, who is unfeignedly solicitous of your spiritual comfort and improvement.

As it is by the word of God that we at first are made spiritually alive, so our progress in the divine life is pro

moted by the same means. Searching the scriptures, therefore, is a duty of great importance; nor is it possible to express the benefits derived from a judicious and com. prehensive knowledge of them. The assertions of the inspired apostle are highly interesting: The holy scriptures are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith, which is in Jesus Christ. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works, 2 Tim. iii. 15....17. Ponder seriously these words; and let your practice bear evidence that you firmly believe them. The real value of the word of God can only be known by a practical acquaintance with it. You cannot, therefore study your own happiness to better purpose, than by daily searching for wis dom in that inestimable treasure. If you come, in the humble spirit of a child, to God as your teacher, and, sensible of your natural inability to discern divine truth spiritually, look to him to guide you by his Spirit into all truth, you shall soon attain higher degrees of solid knowledge. Your difficulties and misconceptions shall gradually be cleared up. Nor will your understanding of the truth enable you merely to contend for it against adversa. ries; you shall possess that inward and invigorating power of it, which God only can give, and by which the soul is transformed int~ * image. From being a babe in Christ, feeding upon the .. ere milk of the word, you shall attain the character of a strong man, able to digest the most mysterious parts of divine truth, and shall even acquire the full assurance of understanding to the acknowl

edgement of the mystery of God, even of the Father, and of Christ.

Intimately acquainted with the duty of searching the scriptures, is that of maintaining the spirit of prayer. In vain do we otherwise hope to preserve the life of religion. With our knowledge we may please and edify others; but all must be cold and dark within. Backslidings from the ways of God usually begin in the careless performance of closet devotion; and, our spiritual prosperity may be judged of by our regard or aversion to private prayer. Be advised then, my dear fellow traveller, often to retire for the purpose of enjoying sweet fellowship with your heav enly Father. Fear not that he will refuse to manifest himself unto you. Remember his promise, Before they call, I will answer; and whilst they are yet speaking, I will hear. All the delights of the sons of men are no compensation for the loss of even one moment's real fellowship with God. Blessed are they who know the joyful sound; They shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day, and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. Certainly, they bid fairest to attain the highest degrees of spiritual delight and improvement, who are men of prayer and devotion. Let not any thing, then, hinder you from this high enjoyment; and endeavor to acquire a habit of lifting up your soul to God by pious ejaculations. Thus you shall go on your way rejoicing.

But, while I urge the propriety of conscientiously observing secret duties, public ordinances are no less useful and necessary. They have a mutual influence on each other. A lover of Christ loves also his tabernacles. His soul longeth, yea, even fainteth, for the courts of the Lord.

Young Christians, however, seldom need to be urged upon. this head. It is more reasonable to remind them, that they must be careful of the spirit in which they attend ordinances. From my own feeling, and that of many others, I would humbly warn you, my dear reader, to beware of placing too much confidence in means. Your soul will flourish under the gospel in proportion as you attend sim. ply upon the Lord himself. Sitting thus at the feet of Jesus, and receiving the truth from his mouth, it will ever be new, savoury, and refreshing to you. Sensible that the richest variety of means are ineffectual in themselves, you will look to Jesus for his presence and blessing. Thus ordinances become wells of salvation and pastures where our souls are nourished. Very different, however, must be the effects of that carnal manner of observing divine institutions, with which many are contented. Higher degrees of speculative knowledge they may attain indeed, but must remain strangers to its vital power and influence. Their ignorant admiration of men will probably be succeeded by disaffection and disgust; and their apparent love of ordinances converted into contempt, even into the form of godliness; so dangerous is it to rest satisfied with the means without enjoying the power of religion!

Sometimes you are perplexed, as is usual with young converts, with the many distinctions, which maintain among professing Christians. Let not this, however, in the smallest degree discourage you. You will soon learn, that a perfect agreement in lesser external matters, is incompatible with our present imperfect state. When our knowledge of the word of God is enlarged, you will discern no such differences among real Christians, as at first you imagined. Only be patient, humble, and teachable, and

God will guide you through every difficulty. You shall be directed to associate with that body of his people, where he hath determined to prepare you for glory; and shall, I trust, enjoy so much of the Spirit of Christ, as will determine you to love his members, however they may be dis tinguished from each other by names or parties.

Unexperienced, as you still must be, in the ways of Providence, permit me to suggest a few thoughts on that delightful subject. Settle it as an indubitable maxim, that the Lord hath appointed all your steps through this wilderness; and that it is, therefore your duty simply to follow him as he is pleased to lead you. Perhaps, in nothing does the true spirit of Christianity discover itself more evidently than in this. We are naturally selfwilled and hasty. Grace, as it gains the ascendency, subdues this propensity. Tired by numberless disappointments, the fruit of our unwarrantable frowardness, we at length become willing to submit ourselves implicitly to divine wisdom. My young reader, I hope, hath taken the Lord as his guide, and given himself up to his direction. O, let the reality of your haying done so, appear in your whole deportment! Pray that the Lord may check the impetuosity of your temper, and make you able to distrust yourself. However men, wise in their own conceits, may judge, such a frame of spirit is an inestimable blessing. If you acknowledge the Lord in all your ways, you discover the truest wisdom, and shall undoubtedly find that he directeth your steps. Follow this plan, especially when proposing any change in your lot, and you shall not be suffered to stumble. Let all your affairs be conducted by prayer, and by laying yourself open to the direction of God in his word. Comforts enjoyed in this way acquire a double relish; and, even crosses and