yourself as incurring awful guilt by pre are no lefs important than when you paid them attention. I fear that you have grieved the Spirit of God, so that he has departed from you, no more to return. You have great reason to be alarmed at your cafe. Arife, and call upon thy God that thou perish not. Since you have fuch unequivocal evidence of my regard to your hap pinefs, you cannot fuppofe that I would recommend or urge upon you any thing,but what I know and feel to be important. Without the fpirit of Chrift I confider you as loft forever. Therefore fuffer me to exhort you, by all that is facred in religion, by all that is dear to yourfelf, and by all that is folemn and interesting in eternity, to make your peace with heaven thro' the blood of reconciliation: And I pray God to have mercy upon your foul, and make your wife unto eternal life. Your's affectionately, Religious Intelligence. Extract of a letter from one of the Connecticut Miffionaries in Vermont, dated August 14, 1801. "In a tour of eight weeks I have rode nearly 800 miles, and have aimed where I did not fail of giving notice, to preach daily, fometimes three times on the fabbath, and in moft places attend a conference, and in places where there is an awakening to pay private vifits. There is a fpecial call for laborers in this part of the vineyard. The cloud evidently moves this way. It is to be acknowledged efpecially as to feveral places, that the Miffionaries of this year have to enter into the labors of the The views you had of the ftate you was in, were in fome meafure according to truth; but while you are at eafe in a state of impenitence, your views and feelings are as far from the truth as poffible. You are in the fame danger of eternal mifery as ever. And I wish you to realize it. Although you have difmiffed the concerns of foul your and the things of religion, yet they Miffionaries of last year. There has been fince last year apparently a gradual work of grace, which has this feafon greatly revived and fpread. The work has been, fo far as I have been able to judge, remarkably free from wildness and enthufiafm. There are inftances of perfons who have been strongly oppofed to the great doctrines of grace and falvation, who appear to be greatly changed, and ftrongly advocate the faith which once they endeavored to destroy. I had need however to guard, left I lead your mind to view the work great er than it is. The number in any one town under deep conviction is not great, but there is in feveral towns a folemnity fomewhat general. The number of hopeful converts does not I believe, in many if any towns exceed 30. It is difficult to get accurately the number. been made monuments of faving power, how refreshing fuch a revival must be to those who have had their hearts fo much on this great defign. If but a small number fhould be converted what a reward to the godly! what gems in a crown of glory! "The people in general, whatever may have been faid to the contrary, entertain a high fenfe of gratitude to the state of Connecticut, and particularly to the Miffionary Society, for their benevo lent attention to the interests of religion here. In the towns in general they have expreffed their grat itude to the Society, and in fome towns they have requested me, by a Committee, to return the thanks of the town." Extra of a letter from Rev. Da vid Bacon, dated Dotroit Auguft 25, 1801. 1 "I still continue to preach at this place, though only in the forenoon of each fabbath. As my meetings were thin here in the afternoon, and as I had a call from the people at the River Roup, a fettlement about fix miles from this place, I have undertaken to preach there in the afternoon; and I think there is a profpect of my being made useful there. I find the people in general here are more attentive to the word preached than is common at the Eastward. The towns where there has been moft attention in this field of miffionary labors, are Poultney, Effex, Georgia, Swanton, Waterbury, Weftfield, New-Haven and Middlebury. There are fome hopeful beginnings of a work of grace in feveral other towns, indeed there feems fome hopeful appearance that the work fpreads. There is a good degree of ferioufnefs in Addifon, Bridport, Weftford, Underhill &c. There are feveral places on the caft fide of the Green mountains where God appears to be at work. In most of the places that have been mentioned, God has, for wife and holy ends, made ufe of Miffionaries as inftruments in this work; I truft in answer to the prayers of the godly for their fuccefs, and to reward and animate the good people of Connecti-withflanding all he could fay to cut, who have contributed to promote this, benevolent defign, I have thought, while on my miffion, when I have been called to converfe with those who appear to have "Since my laft, Nanga and feveral other Chiefs have paid me a vifit. He faid they were very glad to fee me; and obferved, that not to them, fome of them were fo foolish as to believe that I never would return. But he faid that now they began to get their eyes open, and to have fome fenfe. He faid that the chief who had been most opposed to my coming among them, had now acknowledged to him that he believed I was an honeft man, and meant to do them good. I then proceeded to give them an account of the Miffionary Society, and what they had in view with refpect to the Indians. I informed them, that the expenfe and difficulty of inftructing them by an interpreter were fo great that it was thought beft I should remain here at Detroit, until I could preach to them in their own language; and that it was uncertain where I fhould then go, as it would be my duty to make a beginning where there was a profpect of doing the most good. I told them that we had two kinds of people among us; how differently they felt towards the Indians, and what different treatment they must expect to meet with from them. I ob ches the next time they came to Detroit. Since this interview with the chiefs, Mr. Denkey, one of the Moravian Minifters, has been to fee me, informing me that his brethren had fent on another Miffionary to fupply his place among the Delawares, requefting him to begin his miffion with the Chippeways as had been propofed, He obferved that it was his defire, and the defire of his brethren, that he fhould begin with the Chippeways who lived neareft to their village. in Fairfield; but that as this would require him to take thofe at the River St. Clair, he would not do it without my confent, and wished to know whether I was willing. All things confidered, I did not hefitate to give my confent; and affured him that I would ufe my influence with the Indians in his behalf. "We make but flow progrefs in the Indian language. I find it hard work to commit their words to memory; and when I have learned them, I find it extremely difficult to construct a sentence according to the idioms of their language. It feems to be full of ir regularities. But if life and health are fpared, I hope and expect we fhall be able to furmount every dif ficulty. The Chief's frequently call to fee us, and appear extremely pleafed to hear us talk their language, and do what they can to help us.' served to them that our good people never did wifh to hurt them, or get away their property from them without paying them for it; but were always difpofed to do them good ;and that they were now exerting themselves to fend Miffiona ries among them, to make them happy in this world and in the world to come. I mentioned to them the deftructive confequences of drunkeness, and how forry I was to fee them give way to it. I made use of a number of arguments to diffuade them from it, and pointed out the means they must make ufe of in order to avoid it. Nanga acknowledged the truth of all I had advanced, and obferved that he did not know how it would be with the reft, but (putting his hand to his ears, and then fpreading them out) he faid that his ears fhould always be open to my in- Jofeph Badger in New-Connectiftructions. They then agreed to cut; the Rev. Mcfs'rs. Seth Wilhave a council and hear my fpec-lifton and David Higgins and Mr. MISSIONARIES. THE Miffionaries, now in the fervice of the Miffionary Society of Connecticut, are the Rev. David Bacon at Detroit: the Rev. Hezekiah May in the western counties of New-York; and the Rev. Mefs'rs. Job Swift, Jedidiah Bufbnell and Jeremiah Hallock in Vermont. Another Miffionary will foon go to New-Connecticut; in December one will go to Black river and parts adjacent; and probably another to Vermont to fupply the place of one or two of thofe now there, who will then return. POETRY. COMMUNICATED AS ORIGINAL. Atheism Expofed. A Poem on Pfalm 139, 14th verfe. "I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Who taught the wandring tide of blood to leave the vital urn; Vifit each limb, în purple streams, and faithfully return? How delicate the winding ear, to im age every found; The eye to catch the pleafing view, and tell the fcene around? How know the nerves, to hear the will, the obed'ent limbs to wield; The tongue ten thousand tastes difcern, ten thousand accents yield? How know the lungs to heave and pant; who taught the fringed lid To gard the faithful eye, and brush the folid ball unbid? Who bid the babe, new launch'd in life, the milkey draught arreft, And with its eager fingers prefs the nectar ftreaming breast? Who with a love too big for words the mother's bofom warms, Along the ragged paths of life to bear it in her arms? PROUD Atheist, coulda giddy dance A Gop! A Gop! Creation fhouts, A of atoms, lawlefs hurl'd, Produce fo fingular, so fair, so harmoniz'd a world? Why do not Arab's driving fands, the fport of every storm, A palace here, the child of chance, or there a temple form? Prefumptuous wretch! thy felf furvey, that leffer fabrick fean, Tell me from whence the immortal duft, the reptile, man! Where waft thou when the embrio earth, from chaos, burft its way? When stars exulting fang the birth, and hail'd the new born day? Or tell me whence the wondrous fpeck, the miniature of man, Nurs'd in the womb, with fashion'd limbs to fwell with life began? What fingers traced the tender nerves, the wondrous fibres fpun? Who cloth'd in flesh the hardning bones and wove the filken fkin? How chanc'd the head, or tender heart, life's more immediate throne, Where fatal every touch, to dwell enclofed in folid bone? Who taught the ftomach to digeft the filver flood of Chyle ; Or in the jaundic'd gall comprefs'd the faffron furfac'd bile? Gop each infect cries; He moulded in his palm the earth, and hung it on the skies. Now let us make a form divine, and ftamp A GOD on clay, To govern natures humble birth, and bear an earthly sway. He fpake. With ftrength and beauty clad, young health in every vein, With thought enthron'd upon his brow, walk'd forth majestic man. Around he turns his wandring eyes, all natures works furveys, Admires himself, the earth, the skies, and tries his tongue in praise : Ye hills and dales, ye meads and woods, and all this thining frame, Fair creatures, tell me, if you can, from what or whence, I came : By whom ye cross the flowery fields, or thro' the foreft stray, By whom I feel unknown delights, and drink the golden day? What parents power, all great, all good, do thofe around me own? Tell me, fair creatures, tell me, how t'adore this vaft unknown; Who gave the wondrous tongue to found, the wondrous eye to fee, Who gave th' amazing thought to foar, th' amazing foul to be. A Letter on the divine inspiration A infpiration of God." This is a cardinal truth-the main pil- *This is not to be underftcod, that every fpeaker in the holy fcriptures, fpake as moved by the Holy Ghoft; or that every word or fpeech narrated in them, is true. The ferpent faid to Eve, "Ye fhall not furely die:" and Job's friends did not always fpeak the thing which was right concerning God. The erroneous opinions of even good men, as well as their faults in practice, are often related in fcripture. All we understand to be intended is, that the penmen of the bible, in every word of it, were guided by unerring infpiration. VOL. II. No. 6. EDITORS teftament; for the new-teftament clude them both. Both are writ The infpiration of God here intended, is a divine, infallible fuperintendence of every portion that is of the whole. There is however written, so that God is the author fone difference with respect to the agency of the Holy Spirit in the infpiration of the various parts of which it is compofed. Some part of it was written by an immediate revelation of the things contained to the infpired writers, of which they had been entirely ignorant before. Of other parts the writers had more or less acquaintance of the things recorded, either by ordinary information, or their own perfonal knowledge. The hiftory most of the events before the flood of the creation of the world, and claim to have been matter of pure revelation. Mofes, who has giv B b |