vengeance on them that obey not the gofpel, who fhall be punished with everlafting deftruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power, and that they fhall go away into everlafting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels; where they fhall have no reft, day nor night, and the fmoke of their torment afcendeth forever and ever." In view of the fubject it may be obferved, Ift. That it is evident, that all mankind will not be faved or happy at death, as fome have endeavored to prove. For were this the cafe, then all the wicked, to whom God hath faid there is no peace, would have a great fource of peace and confolation under the evils and troubles of life. For they would have an affurance, that all their prefent momentary afflictions and troubles would foon be fwallowed up in a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory and happinefs. Yea, they would have as great an affurance of this, as the righteous could have. It therefore could not be true, upon this fuppofition, that there is no peace to the wicked. For they would have great and fubftantial fources of peace and fupport from the divine promife of endless glory and felicity. But fince, as appears from the fubject and express declarations of fcripture, "there is no peace to the wicked," it is certain, that all mankind will not be faved at death. 2d. It appears from the fubject, that the wicked are in a moft wretched and dangerous fituation. For they are enemies to God, the great fource of all good; and he is angry with them every day. They are oppofed to his holy law, ་ that perfect ftandard of right, and are under its condemning fentence. And even the gofpel affords them no peace or fafety, while in their fins; for it leaves the impenitent under an aggravated condemna tion, and will be to them "a favor of death unto death." As they are feeking their happiness from the world, and have no treasure in heaven; they have nothing which can fatisfy the defires of the foul, and yield it any real peace-noth ing, which can afford any fubftantial peace, and support them under the many evils, troubles and dif appointments of life, or in view of the folemn fcenes of death and the eternal world. They have no fources of confolation in their dy ing moments, when about to be torn from every earthly good, and appear at the bar of their offended Judge to hear their final doom. And they can have no peace in the eternal world; where they muft fuffer indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguifh-have no reft, day nor night, and the smoke of their torments shall afcend up forever and ever. It behoveth you, finners, feriously to reflect upon your wretched fituation. 1 You are here in a world of trouble and forrow, expofed to numerous evils and calamities. Your earthly poffeffions and enjoyments, which are your all, cannot afford any real happiness while poffeffed. They are tranfitory and difappointing, and will foon be forever gone. Your life will foon pafs away like a vapor. You are rapidly haftening towards the grave are continually expofed to the ftroke of death, and know not what a day may bring forth. Thus you have nothing in this world to afford any permanent peace or confolation; neither have you any fource of happineis be yond the grave. But you have | TO THE EDITORS OF THE CONreafon to fear, that your prefent NECTICUT EVANGELICAL MA evils and fufferings are but the beginning of forrows. For you are GAZINE. ate Repentance. 4. in a ftate of condemnation-fuf- On the reafonableness of an immedi pended over deftruction by nothing but the flender thread of life, which is liable every moment to be cut afunder by the ftroke of death; and you are haftening on to perdition, as fast as the wings of time can carry you. Have you not then great reason to be alarm-in idlenefs and diffipation, or con ed, and anxious to know what you fhall do to be faved? What folly to flatter yourselves with peace and happinefs, while in your ins; when God has declared, that there is no peace to the wicked? Your fituation, finners, is awfully wretched and dangerous, and you must fooner or later be brought to realize it, whether you will or not. For at death, and when you enter the eternal world, you will no longer be able to ftill the voice of conscience, or fhut your eyes against the truth. Your mifery will then ftare you in the face with unspeakable horror and anguish. Then your fear will tent ourselves with the more rational pleasures of the mind; whether we are engaged in projects of ambition, or fpend our powers in pursuit of literary fame; whether we are rich or poor, elevated or humble, honored or defpifed, it is certain that we are continually and irrefiftibly drawing near to the close of our lives, and to our entrance upon an eternal and unchangeable ftate of exiftence. As time paffes on, it goes from our reach forever; and yesterday is as completely out of our power, as the days beyond the flood. If this inestimable trealure could be restored to our pray, come as defolation-your deftruc-ers, or redeemed by our facrifices, tion as a whirlwind; diftrefs and it would feem lefs unreasonable anguifh will come upon you. Be to spend it in neglect of the only perfuaded, then, as you regard thing worthy of our conftant, your eternal welfare, in this your faithful, and perfevering labors. day to attend to the things which Suppofe a perfon to have rifen in belong to your peace, before they rebellion against a rightful human fhall be forever hidden from your authority; fuppofe him to have eyes. "Be ye reconciled unto feduced other fubjects from their God." Acquaint now yourselves allegiance, and to have diffeminawith him, and be at peace; and ted the feeds of anarchy, confuthereby good fhall come unto you. fion, and mifery; fuppofe him to For then you will be entitled to have treated all offers of pardon the glorious promife of the bleffed from his fovereign, with the moft Saviour," Peace I leave with deliberate malice, and the most you, my peace I give unto you: contemptuous neglect, although not as the world giveth, give I his life was in his fovereign's hands; unto you." and suppose the offer to be made him lying under fentence of condemnation, that if he would re H. E. nounce his rebellion from the attention to infignificant things, heart, and become an obedient and been fo little engaged in the fubject, his past wickednefs fhould fervice of their heavenly Father., be forgiven, and himself released How is it, then, with you, O imfrom the juft penalty of the law: penitent finners, who do not preif he spent the few hours allotted tend that you have served God at him for repentance, in idleness, in all or, if you do pretend it, trivial amusements, or in unprofit-where is the least shadow of founable conversation, things exceed-dation for your pretence, as long. ingly displeasing to his fovereign, as you continue to fhut the door when he knew that the only op- of your hearts against the Saviour, portunity of afking for favor was and thus to perfevere in an obstiSpeedily paffing away, and could nate rebellion against the King of never be recalled, how finished Kings? Review your paft lives, fhould we declare his depravity, and confider whether they have how callous his heart! But this not been foolishly mifpent. When is a very faint resemblance of the you contemplate the character and conduct of finners towards an in- government of God, as exhibited finitely holy God. Certainly the in the Bible, can you imagine thought that time once paffed is that, if you are yet impenitent, irrevocably paffed, ought to pre- you have ever employed a single vent us in future from trifling with moment as you ought? What a that precious opportunity of being dreadful reflection is this! You' reconciled to our Maker, which are then forced to confefs, that he in boundless condefcenfion has your lives have been hitherto tabestowed upon us. ken up, in a continued feries of oppofition to God. 5. There is another argument which ought to be felt by every ingenuous mind; by every mind which has the leaft fenfe of obligation or gratitude. It is this: We have mifpent much of our time already. Of that time which was given us, that we might be reconciled to God, through the gofpel of his Son; that we might affilt in recovering a guilty world from its dreadful bondage; and that we might shun hell, and prepare for heaven, we have wafted much, very much, already. Is there a fingle perfon who does not plead guilty to this charge? Certainly the beft, the holieft, the wifeft of men, have been the most forward to acknowledge their exceeding criminality in this respect. Even thofe who have been bro't home to God in their early youth, or in their childhood, have lamented that they have paid fo much If this view is painful and disa greeable, much more have you need to be aftonifhed, when you pafs with a fcrutinizing eye over the particular acts of your lives. How many Sabbaths have you violated and profaned? How many faithful fermons, and tender expoftulations, have you defpifed and contemned? Against how many remonstrances, and admoni tions, from parents and friends, have you fteeled your hearts ? How have your Bibles, those precious oracles of divine truth, lain upon your shelves unopened, although they are able to make you wife to falvation? How many delightful opportunities of prayer and praife have been loft to you forever, merely because you had not a heart to improve them? How many glorious victories might you have obtained over fig and Satan, had you been willing | miferation, their madness never fo to put on the whole armor of God? complete, as when we see them In how many inftances might spending their money for that which you have ftrengthened and com- is not bread, and their labor for that forted, cheered and edified, the which fatisfeth not. On this achumble followers of the Lord Je- count, I have the more frequently fus, had you been difpofed to caft referred to the eagerness with in your lot with them? If health which they profecute defigns ahas been bestowed upon you, how greeable to them, and to the backhave you confumed it upon your wardness which they manifest tolufts, inftead of fpending it to the wards engaging in those things glory of him, from whom cometh which moft intimately concern down every good gift, and every their future well-being. But no perfect gift? How many evil and one will dispute me, when I fay, pernicious examples have you fet; that it is a dictate of true wisdom, in how many carelefs, frivolous, to engage immediately, and with unprofitable converfations have earneft prayers for Divine affiftyou been engaged; and how has ance, in a work, concerning which the whole tenor of your conduct it may be truly faid, it is of eterbeen conducive to the encouraging nal importance, that it should be of finners in their fins? Probably faithfully performed. How inall these things, and many more, conceivably great is the business may, without the leaft aggrava- of falvation! We need not wontion, be affirmed of you. Confi- der that we are commanded to der how much good you might work it out with fear and trembling, have done, and how little you have if we call to mind, that we are performed, and can you be willing naturally dead in trefpaffes and to go on ftill in forgetfulness of fins, and must be restored to fpirGod; in adding to the vaft cata-itual life, or die forever; that we logue of hours spent in neglect of have evil defires to be denied, evil heaven, and preparation for hell? paffions to be controled, and evil If you poffefs the leaft fenfe of hearts to be purified; that a conpropriety, the leaft fpark of gen- ftant and unremitting warfare muft erofity, how muft your confciences, be maintained against all the eneon the review of your conduct, mies of our everlafting peace; urge it upon you, that the time that we are enthralled to Satan, paft of your lives ought to fuffice to and groan under the most disgracebave wrought the will of the Gen- ful bondage to corruption, a bentiles, and that it is incumbent up- dage of body and mind, from on you henceforth to perfect holi- which our unaffifted endeavors can nefs in the fear of the Lord. never deliver us; and that all our evil propenfities have gathered ftrength to an alarming degree by repeated indulgence. If we have been in the habit of frequenting loofe company, this must be abandoned; if we have permitted ourfelves to speak impure or profane words, or to harbor impure tho'ts, these things must be banished with inflexible refolution; if we have 6. A very great work is to be performed, if you are ever faved. And here I would request the reader to consider how the men of the world labor, and perfevere, when they are engaged in a work of difficulty, and one upon the accomplishment of which their hearts are much fixed. The folly of men never appears fo worthy of com omitted prayer, and reading the fcriptures, thefe duties muft make a part of our daily bufinefs. In fhort, if a any perfon doubts whether the work of falvation be a work of incalculable importance, let him read any one of St. Paul's Epiftles, and he cannot but acknowledge his unreasonable ftupidity. C. Y. A. (To be continued.) Letter to a doubting Friend. DEAR FRIEND, HA AVING been for fome time confined by indifpofition, I take the liberty by my pen to converfe with you. I have no selfish, party or interested motives to induce me to it. I wish you to receive my ideas in the fame friendship and candor which dictate them. I do not write from a falfe or party zeal for any particular fentiments; but from the refult of much deliberate thought and ftudy, in which my life has been much employed. I am not fenfible of any bitterness towards my friend, who thinks and judges differently from me; for he is entitled to the fame liberty to think and judge that I am; but experience abundantly teaches us that the human mind is liable to err, both in adopting premises and drawing conclufions. Taking it for granted that you have doubted the truth of the Bible and finally have fet it afide, as invented by priests and rulers to anfwer finifter purposes, I fhall not quote its authority nor rail at you for disbelieving it; but endeavor to meet you on the ground where you ftand. According to the courfe of nature, you and I muft foon clofe our accounts with all the things of this world forever. How much fooner a weak, a month, or a year feems to pafs away with us now than in youth! This must make the uncertain remainder appear very fhort indeed! What we do must be done foon. If we exist hereafter, and that existence, in order to be a happy or a miserable one, depends in any measure on our conduct here, it is of high importance to attend to it. I fhall take it for granted you believe with me that there is a God, the firft caufe and creator of all things, self-existent and independent, infinite in power, rectitude and goodnefs, for fuch hist works declare him to be. His works all bear the marks of infinite wisdom, power and goodness. To say that every thing about us, and we ourselves, are self-exiftent, or are not bro't into being by an all-wife, intelligent and powerful being, but exift from ourselves only, is faying too much, and fact ftands againft us. It is a received maxim in philosophy, that no effect is greater than its caufe; and while the fame cause operates, the fame effect will be produced. Now if we are self-existent, we exift by an abfolute neceffity in our own natures, and this neceffity of exiftence must be always the fame, fo that we can never cease to exist or undergo change; but fact is againft this idea. If man is formed or comes into exiftence by a fortuitous jumble of atoms, undirected by an allwife, intelligent being, the effect is greater than the caufe which produced it; for reafon and intelligence are produced by a cause that has none. In fhort, we find ourselves in a world of which we know but little, and are very much unacquaint |