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to impress them, that they may guard our youth by the warning they are so well calculated to give!

I am yours, &c.

M.

When Wisdom entereth into thine heart, and Knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, Understanding shall keep thee; to deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths. To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; · which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God; for her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.' - Prov. ii. 10-19.

Hear me

My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding, that thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge; for the lips of a strange woman drop as an honey-comb, and her mouth is smoother than oil; but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword: her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on Hell. Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them. now, therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house; lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel; lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, and thy labours be in the house of a stranger; and thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed; and say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof! and have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! I was almost in all evil, in the midst of the congregation and assembly!'- Prov. v. 1-14.

mouth!

My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother; bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee; for the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life, to keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. Lust not after her beauty in thine heart, neither let her take thee with her eye-lids; for, by means of a whorish woman, a man is brought to a piece of bread; and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals and his feet not be burned? so he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife: whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.' - Prov. vi. 20-29.

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With her much fair speech she caused him to yield; with the flattering of her lips she forced him. He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, till a dart strike through his liver, --as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. Hearken unto me

now, therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths; for she hath cast down many wounded; yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to Hell, going down to the chambers of Death.' Prov. vii. 21-27.

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The way of transgressors is hard. Prov. xiii. 15.

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A LETTER FROM THE LATE MR. J. THOMAS,

THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY.

My dearly beloved Brother,

mate!

Calcutta, Nov. 27, 1788. How comfortable it is to be cool in a hot and parching cliO how sweet to this body is a draught of cool water! How comforting is the fire in cold weather!-how animating and exhilarating to our damped, chilled powers of body and mind! How delighting is food to the hungry, and drink to the thirsty! How animating is the light and heat of the cheering sun, the gay moon, and beautiful stars! How it delights some of the sons of men to get wisdom and knowledge in natural things; and others to attain riches, reputation, and honour among their brethren! - and let us not deny how pleasant it would be to unthinking you and me, if we could but attain to a competency in the things of this life, and be secured from toil, bustle, and care; and thus I might go on till I had included a multitude of benefits in this life, which no man could number; and all these, you and I have in a threefold manner; and the second and third manner rises not by additions by thousands, but by multiplication by millions!

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In the first place, What have you and I kept from us, among all these things? 2dly, See all the same things spiritualized and presented to us in Jesus Christ. I appeal to you, if your spiritual parchings, chillings, hungerings, thirstings, darkness, ignorance, poverty, and disgrace, have not already been answered out of Christ's fulness, with refreshings, warmings, feastings, drink, light, knowledge, riches, and honour, that are and have been so suitable, so delighting, so divine, from their origin to their end, that we may say they leave the first mercies at an astonishing distance? Their value is multiplied to an astonishing degree! Again: Consider the inheritance, of which they are only an earnest (and this composes my threefold manner of receiving mercies, which Christ's little flock have, and the world have not) What! have you and I received an earnest, and that from God, of an inheritance, not only of the works of his hands, which are shadows of excellency, but of HIMSELF, the sum of excellency,

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the seed, flower, and fruit of variety in himself! I declare to you, that the value of this earnest rises so high in my mind while I write, that what I have said seems the weakest nonsense, and unfinished expression of something implied. What have we that we have not received? and who gave us what we have? what for? He raised us from the slumber of death in trespasses and sins; and we arose, saw, and heard, in the midst of a profane world, unutterable things, which they see and hear not. He put his fear in our hearts, or, how came it there? — and his law he wrote in our minds; witness its power in us, as a constant rule of life in every thing we do, or say, or think. His gospelfeast he has not suffered us to make light of, and go away to our farm and merchandize; but has made us welcome as his guests, and entertained our souls with the highest entertainments we ever enjoyed in our lives. Out of this entertainment there springs and now lives in us an equal, a supreme love, joy, peace, and pleasure, that proves us to have passed from death unto life, and to be heirs of the kingdom of Heaven! God's workmanship within us, reveals his hand; and it is no less presumptuous to say, Our own will has changed u, than to say, Our own hand has created us; and if so, let us give thanks to God for beginning a work which we are sure he will finish; and thus our full assurance will dawn: in which state we go most out of ourselves into Christ, and are most willing and most capable of acting purely to the glory of God, and, as branches in Christ, of bringing forth much fruit!

If we are led by his Spirit, let us thank God for his Spirit received; and, depend upon it, we shall, by so doing, acquire strength to work out our salvation, and stedfastness in asking his Holy Spirit. Our Lord has a meaning, in John xv. 7, more plain and honest than some would have us think; and so you and I shall find, as surely as you are a living man, when we, on a larger scale, suck our sap at the root. Watch daily at his gates, and wait at the posts of his doors, though it be in a bungling manner to the last, and attended with some laziness, considering the thing waited for.

There is a familiar acquaintance with Christ before us, that will put us on asking rightly and receiving surely. A man may see Jesus Christ in this way a great deal plainer than if his bodily eyes beheld him, and with more astonishment, and to more purpose. O who can bear to see in God, a loving Father, redeeming Son, and revealing Spirit, without exulting? No man. Nay, it is no great thing to say, That a man may in this life see Jesus Christ with the eye of faith, to be as great and good as the Scriptures say he is, viz. seated at the right hand of the throne of God, with all power in Heaven and Earth, administering to those in whom his words abide, and who abide in him, all they ask, let them ask what they will: - administering his Holy Spirit

to them, pleading with God for them, and actually working in

them!

Do you preach now? if you do, speak as a dependent on his power; not on the strength, nor order, nor suitableness, nor any thing else, of what you say. Whereas I am very sure the contrary is too much the case with us all. The weakest, simple rehearsal of God's own word is often blessed in one moment, where studied, elaborate composition has been retailed for years, unowned, unblessed, unsanctified. Let us follow Paul, and rejoice over our weakness, that the dependence on his strength may be more manifest to our spirits. Two farmers argued; the one complained he had no crop, and asked the other how he sowed his seed, so as always to have a good crop, whether the season was good or bad; the prosperous farmer replied, that he steeped all bis seed in prayer.

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There is more to be learnt, from the case of these two farmers, by a faithful minister, than many learn in a college or academy concerning the holy art of sowing God's seed; and I do not know how to determine which teaches most; he that sowed in prayer, or he that sowed, but prayed not. If any thing, the prosperous man had the advantage by one word, and that is, steeping in prayer. Which do you think is scarcest now-a-days in the world, a sermon steeped in study, or a sermon steeped in prayer and which is best? Again: a sermon steeped in learning, or a sermon steeped in study? Again: a sermon steeped in ig norance, or a sermon steeped in learning? Again: a sermon steeped in ignorance, or a sermon steeped in double ignorance, both of the wisdom of God, and of the wisdom of man? All things in order, learning, study, and prayer. Reverse the order at leisure. What I seem to dictate, forgive; what I seem to communicate, accept; and what I seem to know, consider of; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things!

I shall want your advice very speedily, when I come home. My intention is to wait for the call of my Master; but things will be so disposed, that there will be little time to wait. The ship goes out the same season she comes home in. All this, if we live. Upon the whole, I think I shall go no more to sea, for several reasons of an independent extraction; though I have no doubt but the profits of another voyage would amount, at least, to 1500; which is, by calculation, less than the 1500th part of one promise, I will help thee. If I must reckon by the views of the ministry, I say then, I had rather preach the gospel upon Jesus Christ's salary, Food and raiment day by day," than have 1500 a-year, and be a gentleman. I do not forget Paul's Afflictions of the Gospel; or, in other words (though the same things) Bishop Thompson's huge Bush-faggots. I see but little now of the nature of preaching the gospel; but I do see a Felix tremble, an Agrippa almost a Christian, and a Herod

doing many things gladly. These are my converts at present; but I hope, bye and bye, to meet with my Master's converts, though I have no doubt but that he has a hand in these; but a saving, healing hand, I doubt of.

AWFUL PROVIDENCE.

Dear Sir,

To the Editor.

As I have sufficient documents by which to prove the truth of the follow-
ing very affecting Narrative, I shall be happy to see it inserted in the
Evangelical Magazine.
Stockwell, Feb. 20, 1808.

Yours, &c.

THOMAS JACKSON *.'

H-A- a butcher in the neighbourhood of Smithfield, who was, for some years, proverbially wicked, and a determined, open enemy to divife revelation, returning home one day in the month of September last, somewhat intoxicated, began first to abuse his wife, and then the Bible. At length, he went out into the court in which he lived; and, falling down upon his knees, prayed in the most shocking manner against the Scriptures. He proceeded to curse God and Christ, and the Holy Ghost; and wished that his eyes might be damned, and drop out!-when, awful to relate! he became immediately blind!his eyes were prodigiously swelled, and his whole frame was seized with a kind of convulsions! In this state he continued from Friday until the Tuesday following, when he died, blaspheming and cursing God. While he lay in this state, a serious neighbour visited him, and proposed sending for a minister ;to which he objected, saying, 'No, no, you shall not; for I am the Devil's right, and shall soon be with him!'

Reader, Are you in the habit of blaspheming that venerable name, at which angels bow and devils tremble?- beware, lest he make you, even in this world, a monument of his terrible displeasure, and cause you to lament your folly in that world from whence there is no return! As you value your immortal soul, let this narrative warn you to fly from the wrath to come, to that Saviour whose precious blood cleanses from all sin!

* The Editor, judging that this Narrative was of a very extraordinary kind, requested that further enquiry might be made concerning its truth. In consequence of which, he received the following note:

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Sir,. At your request, I have made further enquiry concerning the inclosed Anecdote; and find it to be fully attested by indubitable evidence. A providence so awful, should not be suffered to remain unknown, as it proves to us, that there is a God who still takes cognizance of the actions Yours, &c.

of men!

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THOMAS JACKSON.'

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