The Cabinet.

EARLY CONVERSION-AN APPEAL TO PARENTS,
TEACHERS, AND PASTORS.

MEN AND BRETHREN,-Is it not too common with many of you to suppose, or at least to cherish a hidden conviction, that people must be old, or somewhat advanced in years, before they can become godly? Why is this? Do not people generally become wicked as they become old? Do not their hearts become less tender, their consciences less pure, their habits of evil more formed, their convictions stronger, their attachment to the world greater?-in a word, does not everything seem rather to decrease the probability of their conversion, by increasing the obstacles to it? Nay, are not all the advantages, in this respect, on the side of youth? and is it not, therefore, to be supposed that the bulk of conversions should take place in early life, and that hope diminishes as men grow old? Might not this be supposed, we say, to be universally the case? No reflecting and well-informed man will doubt it. But it is not a matter for mere assumption: it is proved by millions of facts. The great mass of truly religious people have been impressed early, and brought to decide for God before they had reached maturity. We shall prove and illustrate this by referring to actual cases of the copious outpouring of the Spirit of God, during the latter part of the last century.

In the United States, where the Spirit of the Lord was poured out so copiously, in a place called Ashford there was a mighty awakening, so that about eighty people were brought under deep spiritual concern. There, in one family, the minister who writes the account says, "There were three little daughters, the eldest fifteen years old, who all gave evidence that they were born again." Another gentleman, writing from Hartford, says, "Two of my brothers-in-law, the youngest about twelve years old, and the other fourteen, have been under deep conviction, at times, for several weeks, when at length, on an occasion of public worship, the youngest was brought out clear in his mind, and went home with his little soul overflowing with joy. This affected the whole family, several of whom could rejoice with him; all the rest were much alarmed, and led to cry out, under pungent conviction, 'What shall we do to be saved?' From this it has spread from house to house, and from heart to heart, till almost the whole city has got alarmed."

66

You see, then, the effect of the conversion and avowed decision of one little lad, and what good came out of his salvation. The same place is referred to by another minister, who says, Young people of both sexes flock by hundreds, and the prospect is flattering in the extreme. Meetings for reading the Scriptures and prayer are held every night in private houses. In Mr. Strong's society

sixty are thought to be under conviction, and twenty have been brought into Gospel light.'

Again; another minister, writing from Shaftsbury, mentions a young woman who was converted to God, which was the means of "awakening a number of young people." "On one occasion,” he says, "we received ten children into the church, from nine to thirteen years, with a number of other young people; all of them remain in good standing with us, and are now able to help others, excepting one, who, I trust, has gone to the church triumphant. In this revival we have received sixteen, whose ages are from nine to fifteen years." He adds, subsequently, "We have now upwards of a hundred young people in this church, while there are a large number of those who have joined the other churches in the town. There is not a sufficient number of young people now left in the town who can unite to carry on their merry meetings. Every company is broken up. I lately enjoyed the happiness of having upwards of seventy youths and children, that were professors of the faith, to visit and hold a conference at my house in one evening."

Another minister, writing from Deer Isle, mentions the case of a hundred people, mainly comprising women and children, all brought under deep spiritual distress at one time, when "tears, sobs, groans, and cries issued from scores at the same moment." And again he says, "I believe there are about forty men, women, and children, who have obtained a hope, and great numbers are under pressing conviction."

But perhaps the most remarkable of the cases before us is that of a family which was very ungodly, and very much opposed to religion; but on the descent of the Spirit of the Lord, they were speedily subdued. The writer says, "There has been a wonderful outpouring of God's Spirit in these parts this winter, especially among the youth. As many as twenty-five have joined this church who are not more than twenty years old, and one lad who was but nine. I believe there is not one house inissed for seven or eight miles, but what the Lord has some out of every family; and of one family who were in open opposition to his cause, seven out of eleven have now professed to know Jesus Christ and the power of his resurrection."

What a work is this! What examples are these! Why should not the young people of England, by hundreds and thousands, and hundreds of thousands, be turned to God? A Christian minister, writing to a friend in Boston, in reference to the same subject, says, "It has been a most astonishing time of God's power, such as I never knew before. I cannot give you a full description of it. I have been frequently called out of my bed at night to visit distressed souls. They have sometimes been brought from the deepest distress to shout the praises of the living God. My four eldest children, I doubt not, are made partakers of grace divine. Since the work! began, we have received into church-fellowship 173 souls, in about thirteen months."

We shall at present offer but one more example from the letter of a minister in Connecticut, written to Dr. Green, of Philadelphia, referring to the mighty outpouring of the Spirit in Hartford. "6" "This heavenly work has extended from Hartford 180 miles in a new direction, and produced the most happy effects in every town contained in these limits. In some places it has prevailed chiefly amongst children from about sixteen years old and under; in others, among the mature and the aged. In a number of towns the most intelligent, opulent, and influential characters have been turned to the love of God, and delightfully constrained to exert their talents of every kind in promoting his religion. In some instances, avowed, virulent, and industrious infidels have been the trophies of victorious grace, and publicly confessed the atrocity of their past opposition to Jesus, their present love to him, and their resolution to glory in his cross and to advance his cause. I shall only add that, in no town, nor in any instance, that I have heard of, has the glory of this work been sullied by enthusiasm, either in private conversion or in public devotion."

Parents, Teachers, and Pastors! What say you to these things? They are facts which admit of no dispute, and we submit that they supply lessons which ought to be received with reverence, and pondered with the deepest solemnity. You are all most intimately concerned in them. Ought they not, therefore, to excite the deepest solicitude in every bosom? Is not this the sort of mercy which, above all other mercies, is, at this moment, to be desired for our own native land? As families, as churches, and as a nation, is not this at present, with us, a prime part of "the one thing needful?" Have you not, hitherto, been sorely at fault with respect to the young and rising generation? Have you, as you ought, desired, expected, and laboured for their conversion? On the contrary, are you not all consciously chargeable with a lamentable shortcoming? Nay, had such a harvest presented itself among the young, would not most of you have been afraid to reap it? Would you not have hesitated to believe in the salvation of multitudes of the young, and have shrunk from their admission within the fold of Christ? We only submit these as points for solemn inquiry and deep consideration. "We speak as unto wise men; judge what we say."

YOUTHFUL CHRISTIANITY.

THE Rev. Samuel Martin, of Westminster, has just published a little book, entitled "Youthful Christianity," and much fitted to be useful to young people. In answer to the question, "What is youthful Christianity?" he shows what a Christian is; saying, "an old man may be a babe in Christ, and a

young man may be a father in Christ;" but in this little book is meant "Christianity within and upon a youth." He shows that the youthful Christian is distinguished from other youths not Christian, by unmistakeable marks; the Christian youth is diligent, true, upright, sober, kind, chaste, and pure;