God, truft in Christ, abhor fin, and Your acquaintance, the amiable, deliberate and modeft Mifs C, about 17 or 18 years of age, was among the number. When the queftion was propofed to her, fhe dropped her eyes, and appeared to retire from the idea of the prefence of the company, into a recollection of her own past exercifes, and with a fimplicity, truly affecting (I am confident you your felf would have acknowledged it fo,) fhe obferved, that from a little child, he had thought of ferious things, but never realized them, till within this year. She correct her ferioufnefs-the methods fhe took to avert the wrath of God— the exercises of her mind on his character, law and government— on Chrift, and the doctrines of the gofpel-on her own doings, and the impurity and awful wickedness of that heart of hers, which you have always efteemed fo excellent. I affure you the confidered it abominable. And the proceed of his grace, that she could not endure the fight of her. Another, when he had heard that a neighbour had obtained an hope that he was renewed, fecretly wished that it might prove false; for then he thought, his condition would be no better, but worse than his own. Others had fearful enmity against God, because he did not accept of their prayers and fervices, and give them peace. Some were on the point of determining that they would lay afide all attention to serious things, but were powerfully prevented, by an unfeen hand. And it appears, that it was a reflection on the horrible wickedness of a train of fuch likely ftated the time, and occafion of excufes, which led fome of them to an acquaintance with their own hearts, and convinced them, that they were defperately wicked. Others were led to it by noticing the felfifhnefs, and finful nature of thofe reputed duties, by which they had fought to conciliate the favor of God. But in one way or another, all had arrived to this conviction of their extreme wickednefs. There was no less diversity attend-ed diftinctly to relate the alteraing the circumstances of their re- tion in her views and feelings ceiving comfort, and their views towards moral and divine things, and exercifes, when bro't home to from whence fhe now dates the Christ, as I cannot but hope they beginning of her fpiritual life. She all really were. One was in a ftated her prefent exercifes, hopes kind of tranfport of wonder, praife and fears refpecting her own ftate, and admiration, at the difcoveries and the reafons of them.-Had of the glory and perfections of you been prefent, you could not God; while the most part were have refifted the conviction, that more deliberate, their enmity fubfi- there is indeed fuch a thing as exded, and they approved the things, perimental religion. Her intimate which they had oppofed. And acquaintance obferve too, that fince then, their Chriftian experien- her religion has improved the ces have been as various, as their cheerfulnefs, and fweetness of her exercifes were before. Their trials, amiable difpofition. You need not victories, comforts, joys and de- fear, that your friend is fpoilt, and preffions have been different. In that when you visit these parts, a word, each heart knows its own you will be difgufted with a melanbitterness, and its own refresh-choly gloominefs of fpirit, where ments. All however appear to love you once faw fo many focial qual "Men may live fools, but fools they cannot die." ATROS was born of reputa JA ble parents in an inland town in Connecticut. While in early life, he loft his father and was left, with feveral brothers and fifters, to the care of his mother. She was a pious woman and fin ities. She is improved, and will receive you with greater pleasure. When this part of the examination was finished, the minifter proceeded to examine them in their knowledge of the doctrines and inftitutions of the gospel. But I have been lengthy already, and must reserve that, for the fubject of another letter. It will however de-cerely defirous that her children pend on the manner in which you receive this, whether or not, you will ever be acquainted with any thing further on the fubject. I am, &c. J. FOR THE CONNECTICUT EVAN- Mers. Editors, might become truly religious. She therefore daily commended them to God in prayer, and took great pains to teach them to reverence the character, word, and inftitutions of Jehovah; and by precept and the more commanding influence of example to teach them obedience to the divine commands. Such were the circumstances of the family, that Jatros, while but a youth, was obliged to leave home and enter on bufinefs for himfelf. Having left his mother and the family, he foon forgot the pious counfels which he had given him; being engaged in the active bufinefs of life, he foon loft all regard for religion and became anxious for nothing but to acquire property. He abftained from grofs I WAS ftruck with two pieces in your last number, viz. the death of Diphormia and the death of Rubricus. The reading of them very deeply interested me, and at the fame time reminded me of the death of a friend, who like them had embraced the pernicious principles of infidelity, but in his laft ficknefs was led to fee that the fyftem he had adopted was without foundation, and as it is believ-vices, and was regular in his mored, to embrace the truth as it is in als, not however from a love of Jefus, in the knowledge and love virtue, but because he thought an of it. externally virtuous conduct neceffary for the advancement of his views with regard to the acquifition of property. To gain an eftate that he might live in eafe and affluence became the fole object of his purfuit, and fo engroffed his mind as to leave no room for religious meditation. At times, however, the inftruction, which he had Such inftances afford a ftriking difplay of the power and grace of Chrift, and ought therefore to be published to the world. Should you think proper, you will please to infert in your ufeful Magazine the following sketches of his life and death. For particular reafons I choose to conceal his real name and fhall call him by the name of JATROS-the circumftan-received from his mother would ces, however, which I fhall relate will be founded on facts of which I have certain knowledge. Yours, &c. BENEVOLUS. August 18, 1800. occur to his mind; and to relieve himself from the uneafy sensations which this occafioned, he adopted the principles of univerfal falvation, and perfuaded himself to believe, that as God was a good be ing he would make every man hap- | few months, terminated his life. py at death whatever might have been his character in life. But though thus eagerly engaged in purfuit of this world's goods, he was difapponted in his hopes. By a train of misfortunes, he loft what little property he had acquired, became embarraffed in his circumstances, and every effort which he made to relieve himfelf was defeated. These disappointments inftead of inducing him to reflect upon the uncertainty of all worldly things and to feek more durable riches, ferved only to harden him and to increase his difrelifh for religion. He indulged himself in openly murmuring and repining against the Providence of Heaven, and in envying the profperity of others. He even dared to cenfure the adminiftration of God and to arraign the wifdom and goodness of his proceedings. The first three or four months of his fickness not apprehending himfelf dangerous, he thought little concerning death or what was to follow that event. When he did think of thefe things, he endeav ored to quiet his mind by believ ing that, fome how or other, it would be well with him and all mankind; that death was the common lot of man, and that a philo. fopher fhould not be anxious refpecting the time of its arrival.. In short, he renounced all the animating profpects of the gospel and was faft verging towards the gloomy, cheerlefs ftate of univerfal fcepticifm. Hearing of his fickness I went to vifit him. I reminded him of the fentiments which had been taught him when young, fpoke freely on his infidel principles, and afked him whether his fickness and the probability that he might foon be called to leave the world, had not led him to fear he was building upon a falfe foundation? He replied to this effect, that he had no anxiety concerning himfelf; that he ftill confidered the fcrip About this time, Jatros became acquainted with feveral men of whom it might be faid, that they gloried in their fhame; they ridiculed the fcriptures; decried all religion as the invention of crafty men, and derided the Saviour of the world. From their converfatures as the work of defigning tion, and from reading infidel books with which they fupplied him, Jatros foon embraced their fyftem and joined with them in laughing at every thing ferious. As a natural confequence of embracing fuch principles, he attempted to perfuade others that there was nothing in religion, and that all who pretended to ferioufnefs were either defigning hypocrites or deluded enthufiafts. In this ftate of mind he continued for two or three years, repining at divine Providence, envying his more prof. perous neighbors, and fcoffing at religion. At length he was at tacked with a difeafe which, in a men, and Jefus Chrift, if ever fuch a perfon exifted, as an impoftor; that he was ready to die at any time, and that if he did not ceafe to exift, at death, he prefumed that the God who had given him being would make him. happy, as he had never done any thing for which he deferved to be made miferable; that in fuch a belief he meant to remain and hoped to die. I faw that it was in vain to attempt to argue with him; for though he had no regular fyftem. to which a reafonable man could confiftently truft, yet he was determined not to embrace the gospel fcheme; and all could do was in fecret to pray, that his eyes might ftill be opened. declared himfelf a full believer in the fcriptures, and expreffed the ftrongeft perfuafion, that falvation was obtained only in the way there pointed out. He had a deep fense of his fins, and moft bitterly lamented that he fhould ever have denied the Lord who bought him, and derided his holy word. He expreffed himself aftonished that he had not been left to perfift in his infidelty and afcribed it wholly to the mercy of God through Chrift, that he was brought to a fenfe of his fins and as he hoped to true repentance. He manifefted a fincere refignation to that Providence which he had formerly dar great reafon to hope, that he poffeffed that true love to God and man, and that real holinefs without which no one will fee the Lord. Tho' refigned to the will of Heaven, yet he defired to live, if God faw fit on account of his wife, and childen, but more especially that he might have an opportunity to convince his acquaintance that he had become a real believer in the Chriftian religion, and that he might ferve God by an attendance on thofe facred inftitutions which he had fo often ridiculed. A few days after this, I vifited him again, when I found him in a different ftate of mind. He was extremely melancholy and deject ed. The inftructions he had received when a child, and certain convictions which he experienced when young, had recently recurred to his mind with energy, and filled him with doubts concerning his infidel principles, and he was harrowed with the idea that poffibly he might have deceived himself. Though far from being willing to own he was wrong, he did not feel perfectly fatisfied that he was right. He was in a ftate of fufpenfeed to cenfure, and gave his friends which filled him with diftreffing anxiety. I propofed to him to fend for the clergyman of the parifh. He confented, though with reluctance on account of the fcoffing, jeering manner in which he had formerly spoken of him. The clergyman came, and, at the requeft of Jatros, briefly explained to him the general fyftem of truth contained in the fcriptures. Jatros propofed many deistical objections. which the clergymen endeavored to remove, and it was evident that the remarks which were made in the course of this converfation took a deep hold of his mind though he ftill manifefted a great averfion to the truth. The clergyman prayed with him and left him. From this time, it pleafed the Father of lights gradually to enlighten his mind. He was brought to fee that he had been trufting to refuges of lies. He gave up the principies of infidelity one after another; as truth opened upon his mind God difpofed him to receive it, and while his understanding became convinced and enlightened it is prefumed his heart was changed. Some time before his death, he The following converfation between him and a female friend will fhow what the state of his mind was at this time. Question. "Do you feel refigned and fubmiflive to God's will?" Answer. "I do." 2" Do you think you have a heart to repent?" A. "I think I have." Q "On what do you depend "A. "On the atonement Chrift made by his fufferings and death." 2 "Do you not think that you keep back fome darling fin, fomething you are not willing to give up?" A. "I think I do not; I hope I am willing to give up all." He then broke out into a fervent prayer for | ly years he had feveral feasons of himself and for all mankind. After this he converfed with all his friends feparately and together. He cautioned them particularly against embracing thofe dangerous principles which had fo nigh ruined him; he urged them to be more anxious to lay up treasures in Heaven than to acquire the good things of life, and exhorted them above all things to feek an intereft in Chrift to make that the first and great object of their purfuit. He Ipake feelingly of the happiness of a life of religion; expreffed a ftrong hope that, through the merits of a Saviour, his fins were pardoned, and that God would receive him to glory; took an affectionate leave of his friends, and by prayer commended them to the mercy and bleffing of God. He continued in this frame of mind until he loft his fenfes and his fpeech, which was a fhort time previous to death; and after the ftruggles of nature had ceafed, his fpirit, it is humbly hoped, was received into thofe manfions of blifs which the divine Redeemer has prepared for all who believe in him. MESS'RS EDITORS, ferioufnefs, against which he continued to ftrive, until all fenfe of truth and of duty to God, feemed to be obliterated from his mind.After he became thus ftupid, it was one of his moft delightful themes, to ridicule his former fobriety and thoughtfulness, and he reprefented himfelf as having been ridiculous in the highest degree, to think fo much of another ftate and take pains to be happy by rejecting the feftivities of the world. By this manner of ridiculing himself, he was inftrumental of corrupting a number, fome of whom were reclaimed by his death, fome remain in the ftupidity of fin, and others have followed him into eternity. This man was generous, hofpitable and feftive in his natural dispofition, which led to many opportunities for difcovering the impiety of his heart, and he never failed in any company to express his contempt of Chrift and his religion and of pious perfons. He ridiculed prayer-he fpoke of death with levity-reprefented Chriftian inftitutions as a farce-and profeffed to think that God was fo highly exalted above all creatures that he took little or no notice of their tranfactions. That God made IF you think a knowledge of the following fact will be ufeful, men that they might purfue their you are at liberty to infert it in purfuing his own pleafures in a way own pleasures; and that he was your Magazine. Perhaps fome fuited to his own appetites, as he may think the method taken to open the eyes of a difbeliever was expreffed himself. At no great diftance there lived a Clergyman, improper; but the event fhowed that it had a deep effect and was with whom Perditus took particu doubtlefs more impreffive on a blin-He would often meet him affably lar pains to become acquainted. ded mind than any other means which could have been used. Z. in the streets, and infift on his vifiting his houfe; but all this was done that he might gratify himself with indirect infults and infinuations against religion and fobriety. In fundry interviews, the Clergy man bore the fneers of Perditus, P |