and for ever." Let us then, my ADDRESS ON MISSIONS, BY MR. WARD. To the Editors of the Baptist Magazine MY DEAR SIR, No one deserving the Christian name, can observe the very numerous Christian institutions formed in this country, especially those which embrace the spiritual wants of mankind, without the most exhilarating anticipations. Yet it would ill become a sober-minded Christian, to found these anticipations upon human efforts, after the experience of so many disappointments; all so strongly confirm out me ye can do nothing." O my Friend, ought it not to be the subject of our daily joying our Lord's language, "Withand gratitude, that whatever uncertainty there may be in reference to the events of futurity, it can only have respect to the roughness or the smoothness of the path to bliss-the great, momentous, delightful, soul-satisfying, imperishable realities of eternity, are not uncertain to the people of God. No. "I give," It is the language of the adorable Shepherd, who has redeemed his flock by his own precious blood, "I give unto my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish, and none shall be able to pluck them out of my hand." They shall most assuredly return, and come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." That I may meet you, my dear Friend, to celebrate the infinite compassion and grace of our di vine Immanuel, where days and years revolve no more," is the earnest prayer of Your ever affectionate, Coseley. B. H.D. Among these institutions, those which are specially directed to the conversion of men, are so manifestly dependent on him who giveth the increase, and who claims the sole prerogative of shining into the hearts of men, that it might be hoped, that our sense of this dependence would suppress every particle of glorying in man; and fill our minds with the utmost simplicity of aim, and that deep anxiety for the event which men ever feel, when they wholly rely for suc cess on the interposition of another. He who feels aright on such a subject, will reckon nothing upon his own means and resources; but will be anxiously looking for that influence, without which he expects nothing but certain disappointment. I hope, Sir, that I shall be forgiven, if I express my fears that this necessity of the divine aid has been too much lost sight of in the eclat of public meetings, and the bustle of preparation for erd, of the Moravians, and of the different denominations now labouring in the Heathen world, the North American Indians, the Greenlanders, the Esquimaux, the Africans, and the Hindoos, bear witness. But who, that knows the exceedingly great and precious pro Very important means, and numerous agents, have been raised the conversion of the Heathen world. I do not apprehend that any denomination is insensible to it; but I fear that the immense importance of this aid, and its imperious claims on our incessant attention, have not had their due weight on our hearts; have not been sufficiently realized, so as to have excited that spirit of sup-mises of the divine word, resplication in all our churches, pecting the out-pouring of the which the case requires. Divine Spirit-who that knows The necessity and suitableness the state of the heathen congreof the divine influence to meet gations in all parts of the worldthe case of the Heathen, so igno- who that feels for those who are rant and so superstitious, is uni- labouring in those inhospitable versally allowed. As none but regions-who that ever entered God could redeem, so none but into their difficulties and disJehovah can quicken and reno-couragements-but must anxiousvate a mind dead in trespasses ly wish for a far greater spirit of and sins. Do the Heathen live prayer in our churches in referin a state of awful levity and in-ence to this indispensably necesdifference, as it respects their sary and crowning blessing? spiritual interests? We know that the Divine Spirit produces in the awakened mind, a deep thought-up by a gracious Providence ; fulness and anxiety on this sub- but from one extremity of the ject. Are they involved in the heathen world to the other, who most deplorable blindness and does not see, who does not feel, error? He, as the Spirit of truth, the necessity of a more general brings the soul which is under his outpouring of the divine inteachings into marvellous light. fluence? And when it is consiAre they prejudiced against their dered what mighty effects have European teachers? It is the been produced where this blessnature of his influences to opening has been bestowed; that the heart of the hearer, and to thousands have been converted convince him, that these men are at once; whole congregations the servants of the Most High deeply affected, yea, at the same God, showing the way of salva- moment, whole villages and towns; tion. Are they dead, and in a and that nothing but divine instate totally beyond the reach of fluence is adequate to these saving human agency; "dry bones"? effects, it might be expected that We know that he quickeneth the all the friends of Missions throughdead, and makes them new crea- out the world, would crowd to tures in Christ Jesus. Have they their places of worship, to sit and been long the slaves of sin, and wait there, in a state of impresof the powers of darkness? By sive silence, like the Apostles on his agency they become the living the day of Pentecost, or to unite epistles of Christ, known and in one grand and continued efread of all men. That all these fort of prayer, drawing from heaeffects have been produced on the ven this blessing, which is to reHeathen, let the hearers of Brain- novate a world. Would not a day of fasting and prayer, which 'ject, various plans to excite a should be kept all over the king-deeper concern for the divine aid dom, be a proper appendage to have occurred to me; but none the annual Missionary Prayer have appeared so likely to proMeetings in London? Is not duce a general and permanent God, in raising up such vast attention, as the formation of a means, and putting them in mo- Committee in London, to consist tion, saying to his church," ASK of about a dozen persons, of difOF ME, and I will give thee the ferent denominations; men of heathen for thine inheritance, and deep piety, of ardent attachment the uttermost parts of the earth to Missions, and who will be willfor thy possession?" Is it not a ing undeviatingly to devote two most painful thing, that Mission- or three hours every afternoon of ary Prayer Meetings are so much the first Monday in the month, to neglected; that the persons en- a meeting of this Committee, the gaging on these occasions, so fre- work of which should be, to colquently forget the very object of lect every instance of the appearthe meeting; or so generalize ance of divine influence, to pubtheir prayers, that this distinct lish those instances, and to send object is almost forgotten? Is them to every Missionary Prayer not the Holy Spirit hereby griev- Meeting throughout the United ed? and need we wonder if he Kingdom. By these and other leave us to wrestle with these methods, it might be hoped that spiritual wickednesses in high such a Committee would arouse places, to our own confusion? all the churches to a sense of What should we think of a hus- their duty; and be the means of bandman, who, after discovering exciting a spirit of prayer; the a mechanical power, by which he consequence of which would could at any time water all his doubtless be most cheering. One fields, as though the showers of or two hundred pounds a year, heaven had fallen upon them, would, I conceive, be an adequate should, amidst a drought, and fund to meet this most important with nothing but famine before object; for I would wish that no him, absolutely forget that he unnecessary publicity should be was in possession of such a given to the labours of the Compower? Is our conduct less as-mittee; but that their operations tonishing, if we neglect that should be like those of the Al-, "Power of God unto salvation," mighty Agent whose aid we need: which the Lord of the harvest" The wind bloweth where it has promised to give to those listeth, and thou hearest the sound who ask him? "Ye have not, thereof; but canst not tell whence because ye ask not." it cometh, nor whither it goeth." CONVERSATION OF A MINISTER. (Extracted from Dr. WATTS's Works, 4to. Edition, Vol. III. Page 52.) BIBLE ADVOCATE, The following Reasons, assigned by a reclaimed Infidel for renouncing Deism and embracing Christianity, are copied from a Periodical Work, 1804. "1. I never saw, heard, or ог child, that was reformed, either in whole or in part, by embracing the principles of Deism. "2. I have known hundreds, and heard of thousands, who have been reformed by embracing Christianity. "LET your conversation be grave and manly, yet pleasant and engaging. Let it be grave, manly, and venerable. Remem-read of any man, woman, ber your station in the church, that you sink not into levity, and vain trifling; that you indulge not any ridiculous humours, or childish follies, below the dignity of your character. Keep up the honour of your office among men by a remarkable sanctity of manners, by a decent and manly deportment. Remember that our station does not permit any of us to set up for a buffoon; nor will it be any glory to us to excel in farce and comedy. Let others obtain the honour of being good 4. I have known some Deists, jesters, and of having it in their and many scoffers at religion, power to spread a laugh round speedily and effectually turned the company when they please; from the most abandoned pracbut let it be our ambition to act tices, by the preaching of the gosn the stage of life as men who pel, to a life of righteousness, are devoted to the service of the which showed itself by sobriety, God of heaven, to the real bene-industry, charity, brotherly kindfit of mankind upon earth, and to their eternal interests. "Yet there is no need that your behaviour should have any thing stiff or haughty, any thing sullen or gloomy in it. There is an art of pleasing in conversation that will maintain the honour of a superior office without a morose silence, without an affected stiffness, and without a haughty superiority. A pleasant story may proceed without offence from a minister's lips; but he should never aim at the title of a MAN OF MIRTH, nor abound in such tales as carry no useful instruction in them, no lessons of piety, or wisdom, or virtue." "3. I have known industrious and sober men, who, by imbibing the principles of Deism, almost instantly became desperately wicked, and, in many instances, dangerous members of civil society. ness, and universal philanthropy. "5. I do not recollect ever hearing but one Deist profess really to believe in a future state of rewards and punishments. "6. I never met with a man who professed to be a real Christian, who did not build his principal hopes upon the reality of a future state. "7. I cannot, in all the Deistical writings, find any law to prevent wickedness or encourage virtue, with rewards and punishments annexed thereto. "8. In scripture, all the crimes that man can possibly commit are, under the severest penalties, forbidden; and every possible virtue is inculcated and encou- | tains; and such was the fire in raged, by promises of eternal and the bush, which Moses saw.' The exceedingly great rewards. lady, superior to the sophistry of the Philosopher, replied, 'Subterraneous fires consume. But, Sir, the fire which Moses saw consumed not the bush; for Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.'-The passengers shouted the lady's victory." "9. I have known some Deists, and read of many, who, at the apparent point of death, were seized with the most horrible despair, uttering the most bitter reflections against themselves for their total neglect of the duties commanded in the gospel. But who ever heard or read of a Christian, at the hour of death, despairing of the mercy of God, because he had all his life-time rejected Deism, and shunned the company of its professors? Or even, when long and fierce dis"AN atheist being one day eases have shaken the nervous asked how he could quiet his system, and raging fevers have conscience in so desperate a state, inflamed the blood, have they replied, I am equally astonishever been so far deranged, as to ed, that, believing the Christian wish they had never been born, religion to be true, you can quiet for not rejecting the Bible as a your conscience in living so much wicked and mischievous imposi-like the world :-did I believe tion on the human race?" The Philosopher nonplussed. (Periodical Work, 1802.) "AN American Philosopher, who professedly acknowledged the divine authenticity of the books of Moses, yet, to support a favourite hypothesis, ascribed all the miracles which he has recorded to the mere agency of second causes. Descanting, whilst on a passage from New-Haven to New-York, on his favourite theme, he was mildly accosted by a lady in the following words: Sir, if your reasoning be just, how do you account for the bush that Moses saw, which burned with fire? The Philosopher quickly replied, That, Madam, was a phenomenon consistent with the principles of philosophy. Moses was then on the side of a mountain: subterraneous fire often breaks out on the sides of moun A HINT FOR CHRISTIANS. (PERIODICAL WORK, 1802) what you profess, I should think no care, no diligence, no zeal, sufficient.' ADDRESS TO MEMBERS OF CHRISTIAN CHURCHES, Who, by occasionally absenting themselves from the Lord's-table, protest in this indirect Manner against something in the Church at which they have taken Offence. UNDER whose authority did you act, when you first partook of this solemn ordinance? Was it not in obedience to the express command of Christ to his disci ples, quoted by Paul, 1 Cor. xi. 25, 26. "Do this in remembrance of me?" Is this command to be trifled with; or is obedience thereto to be superseded by any consideration, inferior to the au thority of him who ordained it? Are you at liberty thus to aban |