leaning on the hand of Provi dence, it has made fubftantial advances towards its object. And fuccefs in every respect, as to funds, proper miffionary charac ters, and the effect of the gospel preached, has far, yery far exceeded the expectation of thofe who at firft were thought over zealous. Multitudes through the new fettlements will have occafion, through eternity, to blefs God, that by this means they have tafted that the Lord is graci

made by means the most unlikely, and against all the enmity and all the power of the enemies of the crofs of Christ. The ways of providence are not ours; the Lord feeth not, he worketh not as man. His counfel fhall ftand, and he will do all his pleafure. The religion of Jefus among the nations, like the grain of mustard feed, hath fent forth its branches, laden with the fruit of life, and the Gentiles have fat down under its fhade, with great delight. Jefus was received up in-ous, that Jefus to their fouls is as to glory, to carry forward the glorious work of the falvation of finners; he has bleffed his faithful fervants; he does ftill blefs, and will continue to blefs them to fee of the travail of his foul and be fatisfied.

But I turn from objections to the favorable tokens of fuccefs. It is a time when the spirit of the Apoftles feems returning upon the friends of Zion. For the benevolent purpose of extending the religion of God manifeft in the fefh, to the new fettlements and the natives on our borders, new combinations of believers are yearly forming and gathering ftrength, from the prophetic promifes, from fearching the fcriptures, from examining the benighted state of the heathen and the value of their fouls, from more frequent and fervent prayer, and from a more general confent, that the fet time to favor Zion is come, In Connec ticut, under Providence, a good foundation has been laid for communicating to our white and red brethren of the weft, the gofpel of Jefus in a more effectual manner. Scarcely five years have elapfed fince the formation of the Miffionary Society, and though entering on its duties with the trembling fteps of a little child,

the fhadow of a great rock in a weary land, and as fprings of water in the defert. By means of this fociety the gofpel has been extenfively preached, many churches have been formed, the ordinan ces have been administered to thofe who might otherwise have fat in darkness.

Hitherto the Lord hath helped us, and we will be glad thereof. To the natives but one Miffionary with his family has been fent forth by this focie ty. To human view the prof pect has at times been difcourag ing; but in God's gracious work of winning fouls to Chrift, there is no difcouragement, my brethren. As minifters, as ambaffadors, wę muft implicitly follow his inftructions, and they are too plain to be evaded-Go, difciple all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghof, teaching them to ob ferve all things whatfoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world. Shall we for a moment, hefitate to go forward-shall we after a weak and inexperienced effort, not perhaps without being preparatory for fuccefs, fhall we give up the heathen, and leave them to perish, while we have the means of falvation in our hands, and Je

HE whole duration of time may be divided into three grand periods. The firft extending from Adam to Mofes-the fecond from Mofes to Chriftthe third and laft, from thence to the end of the world, or the gof-death; and was not found bepel age, called in fcripture, the caufe God translated him; for laft days. Each of thefe periods before he was tranflated, he had has been fucceffively marked, by this teftimony, that he pleased a certain fimilar and memorable God." event, conveying, with increafing

his tranflation in particular, is of his infinite love of righteouf much more copious and diffufe. nefs, and the confummation of It is full of affecting and inftruc-his mercy to the redeemed, by the tive incidents, all uniting to exhi- glorious rewards of his grace acbit the fame character of piety, tually beftowed. By these examzeal and faithfulnefs. Humility, ples he defigned to inftruct and patience, felf-denial, devotednefs comfort his poor afflicted people to God, zeal and fortitude, are travelling in this dark and dreary the prominent features in his cha-wilderness-to wipe the tear of racter. His whole hiftory is an affliction from the furrowed face uniform exhibition of thefe virtues of mourning piety-to dart a ray in exercife. Under the reign of of heavenly light through the wicked Ahab, in the midst of gloomy feene of mortality and the Pagan perfecution-in the moft grave, and by thefe affured tokcorrupted state of the public mor ens, to confirm the faith of the als; when the whole nation of faints in their future refurrection Ifrael, from the prince to the and eternal glory. peafant, from the throne to the cottage, had almoft univerfally forsaken the worship and fervice of the true God, and proftituted themselves to the groffeft fuperftition and idolatry; he alone ftood forth the champion of truth, an undaunted hero in the caufe of his God. By his timely and faithful exertions, he was inftrumental of reclaiming the nation from idolatry, and refcuing them from utter ruin.

upon

Thus in their lives, and their exits-intheirline of conduct the ftage of this world, and the manner of their departure out of it, these two extraordinary human characters exhibited a bright typical refemblance of the great head of the church; who was holy, harmlefs, undefiled and feparated from finners-rofe from the dead a glorious conqueror over death, hell and fin, and afcended in triumph to the right hand of the majesty on high. These were the men, in the feveral ages in which they lived and acted, whom God delighted thus fignally to honor. These were the chofen veffels, by whom divine wifdom faw fit to make fenfible manifefta tions to the intelligent univerfe,

By what God hath actually wrought in the perfons of Enoch and Elijah, his immutable purpose of grace towards all his faithful fervants is exemplified and declared, and all his precious promifes of glory to the faints, ratified and confirmed. Like the etherial bow in the cloud, the inftituted pledge of God's covenant with Noah, thefe glorified sons of Adam are ftanding monuments to the. faints in heaven and on earth, of his covenant faithfulness to the redeemed that they fhall all, in due time, be gathered into his heavenly kingdom, glorified together in the whole man, and made happy forever in the beatific vifion and enjoyment of God.

Thefe, doubtlefs, were fome of the principle points of inftruction taught to the old teftament church, by the translations of Enoch and Elijah: But under the gofpel difpenfation, in this third and laft period of the militant church, the fame things are more eminently expreffed and confirmed by the refurrection and afcenfion of the Lord Jefus Chrift-by the glorified humanity of the great head of the church. In him, all the promifes of God are yea and

ámen. And of him both Enoch and Elijah were but the pre-figuring types. Behold, a greater

than either is here! He is the refurrection and the life, and because he lives, his people fhall live alfo. "But now is Chrift risen from the dead, and become the firft fruits of them that flept." Now the idea of firft fruits, neceffarily implies that of a fucceeding harveft. "And he is the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the first born from the dead." If then the head be rifen, what is this but an affured token that the body shall not always moulder in the duft, but that the whole church fhall affuredly arife, and follow their afcended Lord to the bright manfions of eternal glory? Yea, fuch is the vital and indiffoluble union between Chrift and his people, that in the strong, metaphorical language of fcripture, the body, the whole church are repeatedly represented as being actually rifen, afcended and glorified with their divine head. What an inexhauftible fource of confo

lation is here prefented to the fuffering people of God? An anchor indeed entering within the vail. Let faith brighten into triumph and fay, O death where is thy fting! O grave, where is thy victory!

"Saints fhould be joyful in their king,

L'en on a dying bed,
And like the fouls in glory fing;
For God fhall raife the dead."
ASAPH.

The days of youth are the most privileged and convenient period in life to attend to the duties of religion.

IDING, the other day, into a diftant part of the country, I fell into company with VOL. IV. No. 1,

a minister of Jefus, who informed me that, for fome time paft, there had been among the people of his charge, apparently more than a common attention to religion, which he hoped was the dawning of a special revival. The people attended on weekly lectures and conferences with apparent delight, and the concerns of eternity feemed to claim a general attention. He urged me to go home with him, and preach a lecture which had been appointed in confequence of these pleafing appearances. I went. The people affembled. A deep folemnity appeared depicted in the counte nances of the whole affembly. It evidently appeared, that they had not affembled merely to fhew themfelves; but to hear, and to hear the gofpel, as revealing to them the awful end of the wicked, who die in their fins, uninterested in the blood-bought pardon of the Redeemer; and as pointing out the only way of efcape and falvation, by a regeneration of heart, and cordial acceptance of the Lord Jefus. The affembly was not large; but it was as numerous as was expected. A number of youth of both fexes were prefent. Their vain and trifling airs were laid afide; their countenances fixed and deeply impressed; and the ftarted in their eyes. They feemtear, expreffive of deep concern,

ed to feel convinced their fouls would never die; but exift eternally, beyond the grave, in the celeftial paradife of God, or in thefe impreffions will be lafting or the dark region of hell. Whether not, I pretend not to know; nor do I know, whether they will bring them to an habitual and perfevering attention to the allimportant concerns of the foul, or in a few days, as is unhappily E

and to fear him who is able to destroy both foul and body, in hell, forever!-But, I was faying, youth is the most privileged period in life to attend to the duties of religion; and who can a moment doubt it, that knows the human character? The young are not hardened by long habits of fin. Is not the mind in youth peculiarly tender and foft, and eafily moulded into good habits? Is it not all alive to feeling, and eafily impreffed with whatever

the forrows, the pains, the weak-, neffes and the infirmities of old age. to deftroy its ftrength and activity; while animal nature moft readily lends its affiftance, in the feet to walk, the eyes to fee and read, the tongue to fpeak and afk, and the ear to hear and receive instruction. But, in old age, all will be the very reverfe. A long harden

fometimes the cafe, be caft away for fcenes of diffipation and carnal mirth; nor whether they will be duly encouraged, till God fhall in the riches of his grace renew their hearts, and fill them with the bleffed confolations of religion. Of this I pretend not to judge. I leave it with him who has the refidue of the fpirit; who maketh fore, and bindeth up: who woundeth, and his bands make whole. But, in whatever manner thefe tender impreffions upon the heart and the confcience may be treat-greatly interefts it; having none of ed, by those who were then the fubjects of them, one thing, in particular, from the interefting fcene, forcibly ftruck my mind; and it was this, That the days of youth are the most privileged and convenient time to attend to the duties of religion. This is often denied. Inconfiderate youth put far away the evil day; and their forced excufe is, that youth is neither aed, corrupted tafte will not eafily privileged nor convenient time to attend to the duties of religion, pot confidering, to-morrow they may die, as thoufands have died before them; nor laying to heart, the folemn warning given them, by an infpired preacher, in thefe words, Eccl. xi. 9. "Rejoice, young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the fight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment."-fons of Belial to corrupt them, Will God, then, O young man, have been more or less the fubjects or young woman, who may chance of the bleffed work. to read these pages, bring thee into judgment for all these things? Art thou, while thus indulging in fin, fowing the feeds of forrow, which thou must reap, either in this or the eternal world, or perhaps in both? Surely, then, it be comes thee to confider thy ways,

be fubdued; habits of fin, long indulged, urge on to continued indulgence, in defiance of reproof; the terrors of hell having been of ten refifted, cease to alarm the guilty wretch; and he is ashamed to renounce his diffolute conduct for a life of prayer and religion.I have lived to fee the mighty power of God, in the riches of his grace, difplayed in the revival of religion, in feveral different towns; and have observed that the young, where there were no

That the days of youth are the mot privileged and convenient feafon to attend to the duties of religion, appears, alfo, from the forcible manner in which king Solomon has preffed upon the young mind a remembrance of God. But, fince his arguments