Page images
PDF
EPUB

felf-love, ripening into an "extended benevolence, as its last and most perfect fruit;" but benevolence expanding in proportion as the natural powers expand, and afford it opportunity.

LETTER OF REAL CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the New-York Miffionary Magazine. SIR,

BSERVING friends infeparable, and the happier the longer they are together, we naturally feel fome defire to know the fubjects which enable them to spend their time so agreeably. Finding them, when at a diftance, embracing every opportunity of correfponding, and, certain that their epiftles are not letters of business, but the honeft, undisguised effufions of conjenial fouls knit by the closeft ties of friendship, we fometimes experience a wish to know what paffes between them. To this principle the world is indebted for many volumes of letters.-Real correfpondence, if not wretchedly trifling, never fails to engage us. If on a fubject of importance, we are scarcely begun when we are interested; we become of the party. Agreeably conveyed in a familiar epistle, inftruction glides into the foul rather as favoury meat than prescribed medicine.-The following is a letter of real correfpondence, wrote by a friend of mine to his brother, without the leaft view that you, or any other would ever fee it. I made a fhift and copied it. When your more important miffionary intelligence will allow a corner, be fo good as to infert it. Should it afford your readers half the fatisfaction it has given me, they will thank me for copying, and you for inferting it. I am, Sir, &c.

"MY DEAR BROTHER,

SPERANS.

"I WROTE you läft, and have no letter of yours to anfwer, but I have an opportunity of fending one to you,

and it would hurt my feelings not to improve it. Beginning to write, fhould I fay I have nothing to communicate, or about to finish my letter, fhould I infinuate that I have no more to fay, I would be very much in the wrong. Were I to mark down on paper half the thoughts I have concerning you, though the characters fhould be very fmall, the paper would cover the eaft fide of GG-.* My mind is never employed half a day without fondly turning to you. Nay, I am not fure if you have been two whole hours out of my mind at once fince I left you.

cr

[ocr errors]

"I ought not, perhaps, to be. fo forrowful at the thought of never feeing you again in this world. I believe the prophets, and the refurrection of the dead. I know that them who fleep in Jefus, God will bring with him. If friends are dead, or in a diftant country, the ufual confolation is, that, if their being together in a future world would be either agreeable, or conftitute a part of their happiness, they fhall, to all eternity, enjoy one another's company. This is a cup of confolation, and far be it from me to diminish the virtue, reduce the quality, or obfcure the afpect of this delicious draught. I am perfuaded that the faints will be ever with the Lord, and with one another; but what proportion their future feelings will bear to their prefent, or if they will then be precifely of the fame kind as now, is more than I can determine. That religious affections, though inconceivably improved, will be everlastingly the fame, cannot be doubted. Love and gratitude, admiration, and adoration flowing from difcoveries of the nature and bounty of Jehovah, may vary in degree, not in kind. But, whether there will be a particular appropriate love and affection among fuch of the redeemed as were near relations or familiar friends in this world, proceeding on the fame grounds, and deriving additional ftrength from former intimacy, I cannot fay. As your climate is preferable to this, and as the yellow fever is fuch a fcourge to the cities of America, fuppofing I should die firft and reach the defired haven, looking for your arrival, I know The name of his Farm.

not whether I fhall look for you merely as one of the redeemed, or as the farmer in G-, exchanging his farm for an incorruptible crown.. Whether our prefent marked and difcriminating affection will then continue and increafe, or if an equal and correfponding friendship and intimacy with faints, till then altogether unknown, hall commence, is beyond our prefent ken! Conjecture may fuggeft a thousand things, and imagination may indulge herself in this and that fuppofition; but the other world is within the veil, and our knowledge of it extremely limited. Many things we must be content to be ignorant of, till the day break, and the fhadows flee away. Surrounded with objects of fenfe, accuftomed to convey our ideas to each other by founds, figns, &c. and unacquainted with the manner in which pure fpirits communicate their thoughts to one another, we can have but very faint ideas how, once difembodied, we fhall ask questions and receive anfwers. How we thall do fomething correfponding to feeing, hearing, fpeaking, &c. is an impenetrable myftery! Be thefe things as they may, one thing is certain; if you and I find mercy in the day of the Lord, our happiness will far exceed our prefent conceptions, and will be fully adequate to our future defires; and, if not improved, will furely never be impaired by our former unfeigned friendship and inviolable attachment-We need not be uneafy or over anxious. Let us ftrive to enter in at the strait gate, and, once within the temple above, all these articles will foon be fettled.

But death is between! It is. We must therefore either find out fome other way to the land which is very far off, or even pafs through the valley and fhadow of death. As it is appointed for all men once to die, the firft is impoffible, and of confequence we muft lay our account with the laft. We ought to prepare for death, and in fuitable preparation we never can be too diligent and affiduous. Were the inhabitants of Great-Britain, without exception, obliged to cross the vaft ocean, and come to America (a fuppofition which would bring you and me together) they would tremble at the thought of

going to fea in a veffel where neither captain nor pilot had ever left the shore, and had no practical acquaintance with navigation! But, could a captain be found who had made the paffage in the roughest weather, who knew the fea, and had reached the harbour, who had the winds and waves at his command, and could turn them as easily and expeditiously as the helm; though his terms fhould be high, applications to him would be numerous, and, if low, incalculable. You and I, my dear brother, must pass through the swellings of Jordan. The captain of falvation has made the voyage. He has weathered the ftorm, and fat down at the right hand of God. In the moft extensive fenfe, all God's waves and billows paffed over him. Terms lower than his are inconceivable. Ye who have no money, come YE! Notice and proclai mation more than univerfal, are impoffible; "look unto me, all ye ends of the earth, and be faved!" Greater encouragement, and more cordial and indifcriminate invita tion and reception are inexpreffible :-him that "cometh unto me I will in no wife caft out." Settling with Him, danger is out of the queftion. The winds and waves obey him. He fits on the floods undisturbed. He knows, by experience, how high the waves of Jordan cari fwell. In his own cafe they were permitted to fwell up to the brim; but, in his paffage, he gave Jordan a charge never to fwallow up a fingle individual of his followers; and, for reafons to which Medes and Perfians could never make pretenfions, once enacted, this law never was, and never will be altered. He fpake, and it is done. He has placed the glorious ark of the covenant in Jordan, there to continue, and prevent the return of the waves till all Ifrael pass over in fafety, and be introduced into the land of promife. He has encountered the king of terrors, and ftript him of his armour. Death is unftinged. If this reafoning is conclufive, and if it fails, it is in this only that neceffary confequences are not enough forcibly deduced from undeniable premifes. The conclufion is, you and I ought to employ Him.

"We are fast haftening to the eternal world, and foon must give an account to the Judge of all. Of what importance and value would a steady and tried friend, a powerful and fuccessful advocate, be in that awful and tremendous moment! How beneficial and animating to have the power and counsel, the friendship and advocacy infallibly engaged, of Him who is Lord of all, Judge of the quick and the dead, who has the keys of hell and of death, and awards eternal happiness or mifery to all the children of men! Refolving to employ Him, fhould you afk where he is to be found, the answer is fo plain, that he who runs may read. He is not far from any one of us; but is fpecially and gracioufly nigh to us in his word and ordinances; and the word is nigh us. Solicitous to find him, be affured there is one place from which he is never absent as long as we are in this world. This is the THRONE OF GRACE. The defignation marks with precision, and fixes without variation the terms of admittance. It is of grace that any are admitted, and it is effential to grace to make no difcrimination. With all her powers ftretched to the utmost pitch, imagination herself cannot conceive more ample encouragement than finners have to apply to the throne of grace. He who fits on this throne, has a name written, The Hearer of Prayer. On the gate by which we enter are posted up in moft legible characters, these gracious words," Afk, and it fhall be given unto you; feek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Solacing and heart-ravishing is the affurance of fuccefs; he "faid not to the feed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain." His promifes to hear the cries of poor needy finners applying to him, are many, great, and precious; and they are all yea and amen in Chrift-ratified in his blood, and confirmed by the oath of Jehovah. His word and oath are folid and unfhaken grounds for ftrong confolation. We have alfo the uni verfal and harmonious teftimony of all who have applied to the throne of grace, affuring us that they were received graciously, immediately, and without being upbraided for any part of their paft conduct. The least

« EelmineJätka »