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Further account of the fales, &c. of the firft twelve numbers of the Connecticut Evangelical Magazine, to the end of the year 1801.

Number on hand, June 20th, 1801, as per laft statement,

2034

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The above fum of 611 Dollars 93 Cents, was paid, January 6th, 1802, to the Committee appointed by the Trustees of the Miffionary Society of Connecticut, to receive the fame, and by faid Committee paid to the Treafurer of the Society, as per the Treafurer's receipt, as follows:

Hartford, January 6th, 1802.

Received from the Hon. John Treadwell, Rev. Nathan Strong and Abel Flint, Committee of the Trustees of the Miffionary Society of Connecticut, the fum of Six Hundred Eleven Dollars and 93 Cents, for which I am accountable as Treasurer of the Miffionary Society, having given a duplicate of this receipt therefor; it being avails of the Connecticut Evangelical Magazine.

A. KINGSBURY.

Donations to the Miffionary Society of Connecticut.

From Rev. David Higgins, contributed in New settlements,

Avails of Connecticut Evangelical Magazine,

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Dolls. Cts

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A friend of Miffions,

Erratum. In the lift of names at the end of the letter from London, page 312, for WM. HERS, read WM. ALERS.

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Letter from a Father to his Son on
the perfections of God.
DEAR SON,

IN

N my former letter I attempted to eftablish you in the belief of a firft caufe of all things, of the being of an uncreated God, without which belief it is unneceffary to fay or even think of what I fhall now write you. The principal ideas in this letter flow from the fubftance of the other.

All things being made by God, we are enabled to learn from them his true character. They exhibit perfections which can belong to none but the Creator, and which place him before us in an infinitely exalted and amiable view.

Thefe effects will arife even from my prefent endeavors if your heart be oppofed to God. If you at tend, your understanding will be enlightened and you will be prepared to exercife love to the cha racter of God fhould he ever renew your heart. And fhould it never be renewed, thefe endeavors will be means of vindicating the divine conduct toward you in that folemn and important day, when, my own and your state will be unalterably fixed. The justice of God in your condemnation will be evident when it appears you have continued in ftupid oppofition, notwithstanding your mind had been enlightened by these kind exertions. And the way will be prepared for every holy being to fay amen, and to fing "Juft and true are thy ways, thou king of faints," when your fentence hall be pronounced by the judge of all

the world.

But what benefit fhall we receive, my fon, if we fearch into and defcribe the character of the great Creator of the world and our hearts be oppofed to him? We have, by nature, oppofition of heart to God. Though you may now think you feel tolerably well If we admit the idea that God pleafed with him, yet if ever you is the Creator of all things we must are awakened to a fenfe of your believe he has infinite power. No ftate, you will find the most invet-power fhort of this could have creerate oppofition, waked up in your ated man, the earth on which he heart against every exhibition God lives, and the vast bodies in the has made of himself in his works. heavens above. We know that VOL. II. No. 9.

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no finite power can raife heaps of
earth in mountains to the fkies,
or pile together ponderous bodies
of maffy rock, or make the unfa-
thomable deep. No one ever faw
finite power produce any thing that
had no being before. A finite arm
never gave existence to inanimate
things, much lefs exiftence and fa-
culties to animate and rational be-
ings.

foul. Think of the union of fpirit and matter. fo that at the volition of one the other moves. Think that the body contains that which can call up the tranfactions of past years, stretch forward on the wing of imagination into futu rity, contemplate and reafon with precifion, and communicate knowledge by fpeech, and fay, if God who created him be not infinitely wife. The ftatuary may form images in the likeness of men. But can he form thinking images or were they ever heard to speak?

From the fame fource we learn the goodness of God, or his moral rectitude. If the perfections which have been mentioned exist in God feparate from mere rectitude, he is a dangerous being, capable of doHis moral rec

By the fame kind of reasoning we must believe God has infinite wifdom. If we fearch the anatomy of the human frame, fee the delicate and fine fpun parts that compofe it, and the neceffity of every part being in tune to promote health and life, we are led to believe no finite wisdom created it or keeps it alive. But this is not 1 more expreffive of infinite wifdoming infinite hurt. than most, if not all the works of titude or his goodness disposes him to bring about the greatest good of his kingdom, and makes his character infinitely lovely.

creation.

The fame may be faid of the world, of the regularity and order of the heavenly bodies, of the motion of the earth around the great centre, producing years and their feveral feafons, and on its own axis producing a regular fucceffion of day and night, the earth being fufpended and moving in the wide -expanfe, and in the rapidity of its motion all beings and things cleaving to its furface, among other things the ocean rolling its lofty billows and yet keeping its own limits, of the fruits and productions of the earth, of every plant and blade, every beast and reptile, and indeed of all the things we fee. They fhow that the great Creator is infinitely wife. Finite wifdom can not make one kernel of grain to fprout, one blade to fhoot forth, or one infect to live. Even the moft fimple things in creation outftrip it in an infinite degree.

If you yet fufpend your affent, my fon, think of men poffeffing a

When we see the earth created for man's refidence, producing objects to delight the eye and employ the mind, producing food for his table and fuftenance for his cattle, fee the elements fo ordered that man can breathe and enjoy health, fee him fupplied with a fuitable degree of light, vifited with alternate periods of darkness suited for his retirement, nourishment and reft, and all things adapted to his convenience and happinefs, we have fufficient evidence that God is infinitely good.

There are in the nature of things, motives to virtue and dif couragements to vice, which should teach us that the great God of na ture is a friend to the former and an enemy to the latter.

The moral rectitude of God, which may be discovered in nature, is what makes the impenitent hea then without excufe. The apof

tle Paul, in the first chapter of his epistle to the Romans, twentieth verfe, faith, So then they are without excuse. They have no revelation of God's moral character but in nature, and their obligation to love and ferve him is built on this alone. They therefore cannot be inexcufable for neglecting to love and ferve God, if his moral rectitude is not difcoverable in nature.

| is enough to teach him that the God of nature is good.

You may alfo object to the idea, upon the fuppofition that it fupercedes the neceffity of a divine revelation and flings a weapon into the hands of deifts against revealed religion. It is one thing to have divine goodness revealed in nature, and another for men to discover it. Man is fo depraved that he never would discover the moral character of God from his works. The nations without divine revelation in the fcriptures never have disco

their depravity of heart. But this does not prove that it is not discoverable. If these nations were holy they doubtlefs would have difcovered and rejoiced in the moral character of God in all his works.

The fcriptures represent that God's moral character is discoverable in his works. Pfalm xix. 1. The heavens declare the glo-vered it, and it has been owing to ry of God and the firmament fhoweth his handy work. The glory of God is his moral character. Rom. i. 20. For the invifible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly feen, being understood by the things that are made, &c. The invisible things of God are his moral character,his holinefs. This is clearly feen from the creation of the world or the things that are made. You may think, my fon, that the evils in this life, the pain and mifery we endure will operate against the idea that there is evidence of divine goodness in nature. You may think there is more evidence from nature that God is malevolent than that he is good. It is true God permits pain and mifery to be in his world. But if we confider the moral state of man, that he is depraved and deferving no good, we must fuppofe God to be good in bestowing upon him one favor, even if he brings upon him innumerable evils. Yea, confidering his defert, if God fhow him no favor it will not prove that he is malevolent. Man may know he is a finner and therefore deferving the indignation of God. He may fee himself at the fame time in the enjoyment of many favors, which

Befides, the revelation in the fcriptures is neceffary to discover to finners the way of falvation through Chrift. Though we may learn that God is good from his works, yet we cannot learn that he will fave finners, or how he will fave them. We may learn from nature that we do wrong and therefore deferve punishment. Our reason will teach us that our punishment fhould be proportionate to our crime, which must be infinite, fin being against a Being of infinite authority and who has an infinite right to our love and fervice. infinite, how can we know, how can we even hope that God will fave us. Though he may show us fome favors, yet we do not know that he will hereafter. And if we fhould know that he would fave us, we could discover no way for God to maintain the honor of his law and fave finners. That glorious plan which fills heaven with wonder and praife, which holy beings defire to look into, would be unknown to us. There therefore

If

is need of the divine revelation | may have the favor of this God is in the fcriptares, notwithstanding my ardent prayer.

God's goodness is discoverable

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not a weapon in the hands of deifts

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Yours, &c.

PATER.

Spirit.

but against them. It is confuting A tribute of praife to the Holy
them upon their own ground. It
is acknowledging their premifes
and drawing a conclufion from
them to their own deftruction.
This God, my fon, is my great-
eft joy. When I meditate on his
character my feelings are in har-
mony with those expressed by the
Pfalmift and verfified by Dr.
Watts.-

"Were I in heaven without my God.
"Twould be no joy to me;
And whilft this earth is my abode,
I long for none but thee.”
What can be more lovely than
a being of perfect rectitude poffef-
fing infinite power and wifdom?
It is impoffible for him to do
wrong. He will accomplish the
best ends. He will be influenced
to this by his goodness, and his
wifdom and power will enable
him to do it. There is perfect
fafety in his hands. O, my fon,
if you wish for happinefs, love and
confide in him. Renounce all

other Gods and unreservedly give
yourfelf up to the Lord Jehovah.
The holy fcriptures hold forth
abundant motives for this. But
without fcripture, even from na-
ture, you have evidence enough
that it is your duty and that this is
a ground of holy confolation.
Without delight and confidence in
this God, you may feck reft but
will find none.

T is obfervable that in the works of the Deity there is a beautiful progreffion. They are continually advancing to a higher degree of perfection, or to the completion of the idea of the divine mind, which comprehended all his works from the beginning. One event brings on another, that a third, and fo on in endless fuc cefhon, all verging to one grand point, all rifing higher and higher, bringing more clearly into view the glorious character of the great Author. The works of creation were defigned as preparatory to the ftill greater works of providence, as the defign of building a houfe is that it may be inhabited. The works of providence contain a feries which no finite being can com prehend. By creatures they must neceffarily be viewed in parts more or lefs detached, yet they conftitute one great whole, like fo many links of a chain infeparably connected, or like the parts of a great building, all framed and compacted together with the most perfect fymmetry and firmnefs. It is the fame God, the fame infinitely perfect and meft glorious Being who is difplayed through the whole.

As the work of creation was If you do not fet-preparatory to the works of provi dence, of which redemption is the chicf, fo the work of redemption as wrought out by the Son incarnate, was preparatory to the work of renovation or making all things new by the Holy Spirit. As God created the world to be a theatre for the great work of redemption,

tle down in awful fecurity, you will spend your life in fruitless enquiries, will be perplexed and diftreffed, like the troubled fea that cannot reft, and when you die you will have no God, no glorious difplays of divine beauty, and no ground of eternal joy. That you

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