are told, the ftrong and the wife. Let not then the low and fervile appearance, which his only begotten Son put on among us; let not the shameful and accurfed death he deigned to die let not the obfcurity of his Apostles, the lowness of their births, the fervility of their occupation, their ignorance of human learning, at all difguft or offend us: Nay, rather let it confirm our faith, and fatisfy us, that this is most agreeable to the Sovereign Ruler's manner, and the strongest proof of his intervening power, to whom eafy and arduous are the same; who can work as effectually by the weak as by the ftrong And who from the meanness of the inftrument, more abundantly confutes the arrogancy of mortals, and establishes his own unparallelled glory. Great and many are the advantages derived from the fea, confidered as the grand vehicle of commerce, the fource of national wealth and induftry but let us not omit to observe, that thus not only the riches of nations are communicated; thus alfo the riches of the gospel of Christ may be, have been conveyed to us; are conveyed to distant climes, and they who fat in darkness and the fhadow of death, are revived with the light of his heaven-defcended truth. America can witness this; whofe realms ere while, were obfcured with a darkness, not lefs black, black, than that which invefts the tawny inhabitants but now the day-fpring hath arisen to enlighten and would to God, we could add, - hath perfectly enlightened those benighted climes ! But alas how flow is the progrefs, how imperfect the spread of the religion of Jefus how deftructive, how pernicious, in every view are the ravages of war! how fearful is the account which thofe potentates will have to make hereafter, whose defolating swords the fury of ambition hath drawn; whofe inftruments of war, the luft of sway, and the defire of conquest, have brought into the enfanguined field! Religion, liberty, and every focial virtue demand their juft vengeance! Wretched Princes, what can be more deplorable than your circumstances! --But not by war only; the propagation of religion is prevented by other caufes; as other men may propagate it no less than princes. Yet though the bleffings of the chriftian religion are everlasting, and its rewards ineftimable, we muft obferve with regret, that its profeffors are not fo folicitous, if in any degree folicitous, to diffufe its comforts, as they are to amafs the perishing wealth of this world: which they will feek at the fearful peril of all things dear to them, feek in the frail bark, amidst all the extremities of heat and cold, hunger and thirst; though it will D 6 avail avail them nothing, when death demands his due, and the foul fhall depart to an unbiaffed tribunal ! How happy would it be, and how truly praiseworthy; if the veel that traversed the deep, in fearch of temporal wealth, would permit a fmall freight of the eternal truth to fail with it; would not only by the difperfion of useful books, but by the exemplary demeanor of its mariners, and the seasonable hints of its commanders, endeavour to promote that religion, the knowledge of which is life eternal! How pleafing a confidence in the midst of dangers, would fuch a conduct infuse into the breasts of all who filled so happy a veffel; and furely, if any men, those who are so constantly exposed to imminent peril, fhould labour to procure that confidence: fince it is terrible indeed, to hear the threatning tempefts roar; to fee the blue lightnings glare ; to behold the mountainous furges beat uncontrouled; to view the shattered crashing maft, with horrible confufion, torn away: to see death entering at the fatal leak; to fink- irrecoverably fink into the fathomless abyss — emblem of that eternity, whence there is no return! - How dreadful thus to fink, without one reasonable hope of acceptance with him, who is to determine our condition, irreverfibly in that eternal ftate! One moment's reflection certainly muft be be fufficient to awaken in every man's mind an attention to this moft interefting of all concerns to human beings: -muft be fufficient furely to engage our naval commanders, and all thofe who go down to the fea in ships, and fee the wonders of the Lord in the great deep, to act in so consistent a manner, that christianity may derive fome advantage from their voyages; or at least not be reproached and reviled amongst the heathen; to whom we fincerely wish, no real caufe had ever been given; to whom we earnestly pray, that no future cause may ever be given, to say, "Why fhould we become chriftians? are they better than we? they lie, they fwear, they fteal, they cheat, they indulge their luft, they are drunken-Tell us then, why should we become chriftians? wherein doth their purity or morality excel our own?" NUM. NUMBER LI. Fountains, and ye, that warble as ye florv ·Ye mifts and exhalations, that now rife MAN MILTON. ANY and great are the advantages derived from the Ocean, as the vehicle of commerce. Some of these have been confidered in our paper of laft Saturday. But when we reflect, that it is the grand fource of all the moisture of the earth, and consequently, of all its fertility that it supplies our tables with fuch elegance, and the tables of the poor with fuch plenty, we shall confefs that the advantages of commerce, are scarce comparable to these eminent bleffings, which fpring from the Ocean. "How foon (fays a writer on this fubject) would the earth be as inactive and barren as it was, before the divine benediction on the third day of creation, if it were not for the waters of Pearfall. * the |