righteousness of the faints. O most bleffed priviledge! God make me humble and thankful!-As for my bedding, my dear friend, I must beg to be excufed; but this I can fay, through divine grace, the chamber is peace, the pillow is fovereign love, the protector is God and his angels, the canopy his Almighty goodnefs and providence: but I have a bed, homely as it is, and my dear Lord was pleafed to go without one for it.---O! for more love and thanks to my dear Jefus, who, procured all my favours with his precious blood-My family, as to clothing, are but very middling, but bleifed be God for what they have.---As for our yearly fare; breakfast and fupper are chiefly on a little tea, if we can get it; if not, on mint tea and bread, and a little cheese or butter, if it can be had: but very feldom are we favoured with it. Our dinner in the Spring and Summer is chiefly on creffes, falt, and bread; cabbage and falt, and a little butter, when it can be had; yet a dinner of herbs where the love of God is, is better than a ftalled ox with hatred and ftrife therewith. But my friend, the Pafchal Lamb, though eaten with bitter herbs, fweetens every thing we enjoy, bieffed be my God! Sometimes in the Summer we have garden beans and falt, carrots and falt, but little meat; for I think I can fafely fay, we have not had four joints of meat in our houfe thefe ten months; for, my friend, where muft it come from? My firing ftands me in almost four pounds per annum, and my house and garden two pounds per annum; coals and every thing is fo very dear in this poor bare county. In the Winter, our dinner is potatoes and falt; on that I have dined this day with my family. This is our yearly living, and bleffed be God for this! O, my friend, although I am often ftraitened for bread on earth, I hope, through grace, I fhall never want water in hell; O, the happy thought-As to my affairs they are too bad to fpeak of, but I cannot help it, and what I am going to speak is true. I am behind hand in the world almost eighteen pounds, and moft of it for bread, fome of it for other things; but the farmer that ferves me, fees when I receive two or three guineas I take it him, and fo he bears with me. This is the Lord's doing, O! may it be ever marvellous in my eyes!---I am almoft feventy-four years old, in health pretty well, but exceedingly weak; my wife is fifty-eight years; but fhe, poor thing! enjoys but a very poor state of health. The Lord prepare us both for a happy end! Amen. Sir, I muft now tell you the price of provitions in our county,

and

and then you will not be furprized at my debt. Wheat before harveft was 11. 7s. and 11. Ss. per bufhel. Barley 15s. and 16s. per bufhel: and now wheat is at 11. 3s. and 11. 4s. per bufhel; barley at 14s. and 15s. per bufhel; butter in the market, 19d. and 20d. per pound; falt butter in the fhops at 14d. and 15d. per pound; checfe in the market at 8d. and 9d. per pound, and in the fhops at 11d. and 12d. per pound; potatoes 7s. and Ss. per bushel.---The Lord have mercy on the poor, and take away fins, which are the cause of all our forrows !--- Dear friend, the poor are famithing to death! and now its no wonder I am fo much behind hand in the world; "but I hope the Lord will deliver me." Pfalm xxxiv, and xxxvii, ver. 3. and two laft, with many more of the Lord's bank-notes, he will furely accomplish. Now, my dear friend, I have given you a true ftate of all my affairs, and the Lord knows

it is true.

all our

My wife and children join in love and thanks to you and all our dear friends in the Lord, praying God to blefs you in all things and reward you. Such is the earnest prayer of your's, dear Sir, in the bonds of eternal grace. C. and A.

Signed

SIR,

CECONOMY OF CHARITY.

To the Editor.

ERHAPS it may not be thought unfuitable to the sub

Pict propofed in the Supplement of your laft volume,

under the title of "The Economy of Charity," to fuggeft a hint refpecting what are commonly called "The Ways and Means;" the raifing of which, at the present time, will undoubtedly require every aid. In the best times, it muft be confeffed, Economy well becomes the profeffors of religion; but in thefe, to us unexampled days of diftrefs, it will not, I hope, be deemed unreasonable, if they be expected to deny and reftrict themselves the ufe, not only of what are ufually efteemed fuperfluities, but also of conveniencies, and even neceffaries; that they may thus "bear each other's burdens, and weep with them that weep" it is prefumed, that even to thofe who only make pretenfions to humanity, it will be more gratifying to feed the hungry, to cloathe the naked, and to vifit the fick and diftreffed in their afflictions, than to indulge themselves

with any thing that may be difpenfed with; and a benevolent mind will, no doubt, chearfully attend to every hint that may tend to anfwer fuch an end.---Suppofe then, by way of outline, that, exclufive of their usual beneficence, to meet the prefent exigencies of the poor, thofe perfons who drink wine were to abridge themselves of only one glafs each day, which is equal to a pint a week, and if rated at only one fhilling and fixpence the pint, the amount of the fame for the year is 31. 188.----Perhaps fome retrenchment may be alfo made in the fupplies of their tables, fay only to the amount of two guineas for the year, and by wearing their apparel rather longer than ufual, probably a faving of another guinea might be added: and in further aid (as it could not be injurious here to look forward) might not a few journies to the country, and especially the intended excurfions in the enfuing feafon to watering places, be put off at least one year, or till the times bear a more favourable afpect; it is likely that, upon the lowest estimate, we might add to the account in that particular, five guineas for each perfon. The liberal will eafily improve fuch hints, while another defcription will endeavour to object, perhaps, that it is impracticable, and particularly as it relates to cloathing, that it would defeat the purpose by injuring trade, and eventually the poor manufacturer: but let it be recollected, it is not propofed to make these favings that they may be hoarded in a coffer, or lent upon ufury: in fact, a transfer only is propofed, and trade upon the whole will be as much, if not more promoted, by fupplying the poor from fuch favings, with coarfe garments to wear, or blankets to cover them, as by manufacturing for the higher ranks in life a fuperfine coat, a fuperb carpet, elegant filks or muflins, and expenfive lace.

Poffibly it might help the generous in the difpofition of what they devote to charitable purposes if they had a specific plan, which in moft cafes is very ufeful, if not neceffary to the proper performance of any defign; by it they could act with more certainty, and perhaps it might be adopted with utility to their general benevolence. What is here offered is intended only as an example, as it refpects what, it is hoped, will be the extraordinaries of the year, it has in fome measure been tried and acted upon, and, is now fubmitted by a friend to the poor, and,

Your humble fervant,

PHILADELPHIA.

(ECO

*Our Correfpondent has been very moderate in his estimate, or we conceive he might have added several items to his favings; as for instance, in excurfions of pleafure, public dinners, entertainments for company, coachhire, &c. &c. and among his articles of charity, he might have included benevolent focieties for visiting the fick, Sunday fchools, religious trac fociety, &c.EDITOR.

To the Editor of the Evangelical Magazine.

DEAR SIR,

The enclosed letters were written to a member of the church, which I have the happiness to ferve. It having pleafed the Lord to make them ufeful to his foul, he has deliberately renounced the erroneous fentiments which he had imbibed, and folemnly declared his belief of the truth herein pleaded for. If you judge them calculated to promote the glory of Chrift, and the good of his people, and are willing to publifh them in your Magazine, they are at your fervice. I fincerely pray that the Lord may crown your labours with his bleffing,

I

and remain yours affectionately, JAMES UPTON.

Dec. 29, 1800. No, 3. Brunswick-street.

LETTER I.-ON THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

Have attentively read, and ferioufly confidered, the contents of your letter: yea, I have mourned over it, and prayed earnestly in fecret, that the Lord would enable me

to

to write in reply, what is agreeable to his facred word, and what may, through a divine bleffing, be for the prefent, and everlasting good of your foul,

*

I defire to addrefs you in a spirit of love, and with meeknefs, if God peradventure, will give you repentance, to the acknowledging of the truth." The fubje&t appears to me to be of the most interesting nature; it relates to the object of our worthip, the foundation of our hope, and the fource of all our happiness.

I would juft premife, that I firmly believe there is but "one only living and true God;" for though I believe, "There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft," yet" these three are one." † And you and I were baptifed " in the name," not names, “ of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft." Nor do I attempt to deny that Jefus Chrift, who really became man, and took upon him the form of a fervant, is, in this view, inferior to his divine Father. He faid "My Father is greater than 1." But remember he became man, was made under the law, and died for his people, as the effect of his amazing love. Shall we then think lefs of his dignity on that account? the Lord forbid! the queftion therefore now to be confidered, is not," is Jefus Chrift the mediator? is he the fervant of God? is he as fuch inferior to the Father? has he a glory which was given to him?" All these things, I very readily grant.

But the important question is, whether he who was manifeft in the Heth, was a divine perfon, and as fuch equal with his eternal Father? and this question ftrikes my mind with deep folemnity. If he be really God, he is the object of divine worship; if not, it must be idolatry to treat him as fuch. You exprefsly fay, you do not believe that he is the true God. Let me befeech you attentively to confider the following paffages of the facred word. Čonfider the names which Jefus Chrift bears. T

"Unto us a

child is born, unto us a fon is given, and the government fhall be upon his fhoulders, and his name fhall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." It appears to me alfo, that he is exprefsly called the true God. **"We know that

* ii Tim, ii, 25. † i. John. v, 7. ↑ John. xiv. 28. § Gal. ii. 20. ii Thef. ii, 4. Rev. xxii. 9. Ifaiah. ix. 6. **

¡John. v, 20.

the