I bleffed that work, which iffued in fuch a victory over the king of terrors, and in fuch a lively hope of immortality, and could not but blefs thofe converted to Chrift, and congratulate them in their happy profpects in death. These things were confounding even to infidels, and numbers who had thought lightly of the work, were now ready to faite their breaft, and fay truly it is of God. I might enlarge, but I forbear, the time would fail. I have endeav-oured to ftate fimple facts according to the best judgment of a fallible creature, with a mixture of joy and fear. When I find Peter, an Apoftle, deceived in Simon Magus, and hear him when fpeaking of the faith of Silvanus, ufing the cautious language, a faithful brother as I fuppofe," it makes me tremble for fear how we fhall hold out. We cannot tell what will be on the morrow, and man is ignorant of the heart. Hence my defire is that all whom I have alluded to in the above narration, will remember that this is not an hour of boafting but of putting on the harnefs, and that it ftill remains to be proved by their fruits whether they have true religion or not. On the other hand, there is joy and hope in God, and I defire to be thankful to him, that he hath allowed me to ftand and behold his glorious work; though I muft confefs I never felt fo ufelefs fince I entered on the miniftry. God hath wrought; and to his name be all the glory! And may he strengthen his own work, and more abundantly increase it, until all that is, fhall, as it were be abforbed in greater glory! From your real friend, JEREMIAH HALLOCK. Weft-Simsbury, Aug. 18, 1800. P. S. You will fuppose, gentlemen, that this narration was wrote fome time ago. But through divine mercy I do not fee caufe as yet to repent, but the hopeful converts appear to endure. We have now one new inftance of awakening, and most of the conferences are still kept up. (To be continued.) Some account of the character and religious experiences and exercifes of Mrs. NANCY BISHOP. [Continued from page 153.J T is conceived that fome advan IT tages may be derived from the perufal of writings which are dictated by the prefent feelings and views of the writer, and which of courfe come warm from the heart, that cannot generally be expected in an equal degree, from those which are purely didactic. In the prefent cafe, the maturity of tho't and the purity and ardor of fentiment difcovered, by a young perfon, who had enjoyed no uncom mon advantages for religious improvement, will, it is hoped, be interesting to the reader, and efpecially as they evince, if we are not miftaken, that the Spirit of God is the most effectual teacher of divine truth. ⚫ renders the mind pleased with it- 6 6 6 but a step-O why is thy chariot 'fo long in coming. I defire to 'give God all the glory for thefe attainments, for furely a worm of the duft could never reach them without divine aid, the love ' of God in the heart. Thou 'canft in thy love teach me to be "Time I find is a moft precious jewel to prepare us for eternityto meditate upon the importance ' of an intereft in the blood of the ' dear Redeemer, and to contemplate on the things of another world: And yet, many times, I 'cannot but rejoice that time flies away so fast, and that fo many ' of my days are already past. The mortal fummons to call me 'to the invisible world would be a welcome meffenger to conduct me this be my last anniversary birth-to my Father's houfe, my glafs day, may I die in peace and fleep feems to be running apace, my in Jefus, and awake to a glori-fands are almoft numbered. 'Tis ous immortality where every 6 tongue fhall confefs thee, Lord and King. To thee I commend my spirit, after renewing my covenant engagements.-O most gracious God, fince thou haft ap'pointed the Lord Jefus Chrift as the only way of coming to thee, I do here, upon the bend-hold, in that, which I once looked ⚫ed knees of my foul, renewedly accept of him for my covenant friend, and do hereby folemnly join myfelf to thee- bid defiance to all thy enemies and caft all idols from my heart. And whereas I have formerly fet my ⚫affections and placed my happinefs inordinately on worldly objects, I do here, from the bottom of my heart renounce them --I call heaven and earth to record this day that I do here folemnly engage myself to thee.-I will not allow myfelf in the neglect of VOL. I. No. 5· upon as my greatest enemy, my 'real friend appointed to conduct me to the manfions above, which our dear Lord hath prepared that we might be with him and fee his glory. If heaven above was a like changeable as this world, furely we fhould not groan to be unclothed with this mortal-it is to put on immortality.-When 'a thousand years are paft, eternity is just begun.-We fhall fing the fong of Mofes and the Lamb. The day of judgment carries fomething awful in its reprefent Ꮓ ⚫ation. The last trump that calls the world to judgment is a grand "Sabbath, Oct. 20th, 1793. I have this day attended pub. and harmonizing found, folemnlic worship, but to what purpose? and fublime is the vifion record. 'ed Rev. xx. 12, 13. And I faw My eyes were wandering, I did 'not ftudiously avoid the most the dead fmall and great ftand be-confpicuous place. Satan took 'fore God and the books were ' opened, &c. And the fea gave "up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. I feem to fee the scattered bones, which have been fo long fepara advantage of my too easy un'watchful frame. That time 'which I intended to devote wholly to God (O dreadful to repeat) was too much taken up upon fublunary objects. My heart ftill prone to wander! Ah! How ted, perhaps, into diftant king-juftly may this fentence be appli 'doms and every member take their place. This must be the effect of infinite power. It is marvellous in our eyes.-The ⚫ world will vanish like a scroll in the twinkling of an eye.-The dead both fmall and great, what • vast numbers, muft appear be'fore their judge, and every mouth ed, My houfe fhall be called house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves, have stolen the time of divine worship to beftow it upon earthly objects!The heart is deceitful above all things and defperately wicked! Why this trial is fent me I know not But the fcripture will be topped! They who faith, what I do thou knoweft not 6 now but thou fhalt know here ' after. Let me, O God, ever -- abide in the promise, and in thy holy word take great delight. How inconfiftently have I acted? Have not my eyes been amused by vanity, and my heart drawn ' off from thee by idle and diftracted ideas? How often have I refolved to keep a strict watch over " my eyes and heart in the house of God, and to let no thought be found in my heart which was ⚫ inconfiftent with thy dying admonition Watch and pray-that ye enter not into temptation ! Wednesday 23d. ly they must wish and long earn< eftly to be freed from that infer'nal den-where devils dwell to 'be tormented forever, where the 6 worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched-where there is weeping and wailing and gnafhing of teeth forever.-But on the right hand what rapturous praife-their mufic how divine! like Gabriel they tune their gol-humble myfelf before. Almighty den harps, and touch every chord with divine harmony. Hark! the melodious found, Alleluiah ! • Alleluiah! The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth Rejoice, O my foul, in the profpect of this happy day.Amen," Let this day be kept as a fpe'cial day of fafting and prayer, to God, for the tranfgreffion of the laft Lord's day, and for that darling fin that doth fo eafily befet me.-Let my repentance be evangelical and fincere -Let no mortal eye intrude upon my retirement,and while I abflain from ' bodily nourishment, let my foulpel invitation of the dying Sa 6 6 viour. My heart is renewed into the favour and love of the Deity. My paffions are fubdued.— My foul pants for no other love, or to be formed after any other likenefs, but that of Jefus my guide, my all.-It has often oc be refreshed from the well of thy • falvation. O let the blood of • Chrift, which has bought my peace, cleanse me alfo from this • and every fin. It is not fear of 'punishment that makes me deteft this fin: But a fight of my black 'ingratitude in offending fo goodcurred to my mind how (in the • a God, Creator and Preferver, courfe of divine providence) it 'fhould happen, when there are fo many around me travelling Zion'ward-have the fame intereft in Oview-rely upon the merits of the 'fame Redeemer-profefs to love ' and follow the fame Jefus, and who drink of the fame well of 'falvation, that they fhould, in fo many inftances, leave me, as it "were, alone, without one friend around me; when, ere long, we 'must meet in the invifible world. If this painful circumstance is my gain (as I truft it many times, is) I fhall carry it to the world of Spirits. My enquiry is, why it has happened, that there is not one with whom I can, with pru'dence, converfe, upon the im portance of this holy and divine life, from which fprings every in whom I live, move and hate my being, and the affured hopes of immortality that affords the cutting reflection. Forgive, 'my Heavenly Father, my hein'ous tranfgreffion, --This cup which 'I drink is the correction of a fath'er's rod.-Let me fubmit without repining-I grieve that I can live no more to God. Where • fhall I find language to exprefs thy unbounded love to fuch a polluted dying worm as I am; and my wonder in a view of that love. What amazing condefcenfion to 'fend thy dearly beloved Son into our world to redeem a loft un< grateful wretch. O let that grace ' which has kept me from infamous guilt, keep me alfo from those fecret fins of the heart, which, though hid from the eye of fhort-good which heaven and earth can fighted mortals, are yet open to ' bestow. With ferious contemthee, and render my best duties 'plation let me view it on all fides, equally odious and deteftable in and fee what God has done. I the fight of Heaven.-May this think because my heavenly father day be clofed in thy fear, and has called me to the privilege, fo may my fincerity come up as a ' he has enabled me, (0, while I 'memorial before thy throne, that triumph, let me be humbled in I may be accepted for Jefus' fake, the duft for fuch a glorious con* and fanctified thro' the fpirit of queft) to look stedfastly to him truth. It is a fearful thing to fall alone, when I have no earthly into the hands of the living God." prop, or any one, to whom I 'might apply, and by whofe friendly, Christian converfation I might ' derive comfort, in my darkeft "Often with amaze and wonder hours; I fay to himself alone, Iview myfelf on every fide.-Asal the foundation of all good. My follower of the meek and lowly heart is ready to overflow with Jefus Ivprofefs his holy religion, ingratitude at the thought.What 'I feel that I profefs it on the gof,!unbounded mercy ! What afton At another time fhe makes the following reflections on herfelf, and the ftate of things around her. a ifhing grace to lead me in this most excellent way.-If we love friend, we wish and defire that ◄ friend to return our love by every The following is in the form of a letter to a friend.- "You ear'neftly folicit, my friend, to know 'how we are employing our leif mark of attention, how gratify-fure evenings. Our Sabbaths we At another time fhe records as follows, "I have been called this evening to a female prayer-meeting. I was called upon, in my -- fpend as ufual, the evening of that holy day we fpend, not in vifiting from house to house, but in meeting together to read, fing pfalms and hymns, pray, &c. (all denominations.) Such employments cannot fail of pleafing all who defire an intereft in our dear Redeemer.-He has promif"ed "where two or three are met together in my name, there I will be, in the midst of them, to bless them." Surely I have found it good to be there-the turn, to speak to my God-Ilaft time we met, every heart complied. O God, I feel lefs than the least of all thy mercies. --How infufficient of myfelf.C I God of his infinite mercy accept what has been said, as in the beloved, through the merits of his dying love, and the all-fufficiency of his atonement, and pray must have been melted into love to hear the fervour and zeal with 'which a dear youth addreffed the Throne of Grace-to hear him fpeak before the aged fathers in Chrift (but God was with him of a truth.) He opened his mouth, God was able to fill it wafh us from all guilt through Je-with arguments of praife to his fus Chrift our Lord. like an evening of meditation. -Therefore, before I attend a < great name. To entertain you let me repeat, I am happy I can tell you God is with us of a truth, he is witneffing himself to us, as not unto the world. The praying lecture we have quarterly, I think must be another call to dil gain, I must be fatisfied that fuchigence and attention, here is an things are from the Spirit of the Lord-If I alone am in fault, Lord fuffer me to call upon thy name. Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove, teach me to walk in thy commands, 'tis a delightful road-my foul pants for the direction of the living God; I fupplicate thee, O God, who art able to give, out of thine abundance and mercy. Lord, C accept this fhort ejaculation thro' Jefus Chrift-Amen." |