After about a year of fuch anxiety and diftrefs, fometimes greater, and fometimes lefs, fhe experienced fuch a CHANGE in her affections, views, and feelings, that fhe ventured to admit a hope that a merciful God, in his infinite fovereign goodness, had imparted unto her fpiritual life-that he had become a new creature in Chrift Jefus-and might take hold of the promifes of the gospel. What gave her a ray of hope was her different views, feelings, and exercises towards divine things. They all feemed new and glorious to her; and fhe felt fuch pleasure in religion as was unspeakable. In her estimation no joy could be compared to this, to ferve and pleafe the Lord. She thought that he had once in gay and fa delighted with their Minister, not fo much for his evangelical ftrain of preaching as for his good fenfe, literature, exemplary conduct, pleafing manners, and eloquence. But no one was known to be under any peculiar concern about another state of existence, or to be in earnest about obtaining eternal life. in fuch times of general fecurity, doubtlefs, fome are impreffed, awakened, and brought to true religion, though unknown to others. Where God's holy word is faithful'y difpenfed, we may conclude it will be more or lefs fuccefsful. Having had many tranfient and occafional thoughts on religion, at different times, Amelia was at length brought to a ferious confideration of her ways. She could not, indeed, affign any fpecial cause of her ferious thought-vorite amufements enjoyed much fulness. But fo it was, her con- happiness, but now it appeared to fcience reproved her for a finful her utterly unworthy the name, life. Great diftrefs and anguifh and when all of it was put togethfhe endured on account of her re- er, not fo much as fhe now enjoybellion against God, enmity of ed, in one hour, in religion. God, heart to his character and law, and in all his adorable attributes, in omiffion of duty. Her convic- his fovereignty, holiness, and righttion of fin was long, deep, and eoufnefs, as well as in his free grace, diftreffing. Religion feemed to rich mercy, and boundless goodher a folemn reality. Neglecting nefs, appeared unto her glorious. it, confcience would not permit The law appeared glorious, in its her to be at rest. For fome days, extent and requirements. The she would have great diftrefs of word, worship, and ordinances of mind, and bitter upbraidings of the gofpel-together with the duconfcience; then fhe would feel ties of religion in general appeared but little of this-would be, in a delightful. The blood of Chrift degree, at eafe. In this manner feemed to be all her dependence. fhe paffed a whole year. There With peculiar fweetnefs did her was no one to whom he could o- mind dwell on the name of her Sapen her mind in like diftrefs. In viour. She lamented that religion filence, therefore, the bore all her was in fo declining a state; and anguish and awful fenfe of guilt was wont to say, Oh that my and deserved mifery. She knew eyes might be fo bleffed as to fee a not that others ever felt as he did. revival of it!" A few years have Suppofing her cafe fingular, the revolved, and he has found the was ready almoft to defpair. In happinefs. In confequence of her deed fhe was afraid to difclofe to marriage, fhe removed from the any one her concern and conviction. place of her nativity, into a place which, the last year, was fo highly favored as to partake largely in that revival of religion, which has bleffed various parts of our land. With tears of joy, fhe often exclaims, "Oh what fingular advantages have people, especially youth, to become ferious, where there is a revival of religion; when there is fo much encouragement; where each one's feriousness is an invitation to another's! Oh what ardent gratitude fhould go up to heaven for fuch a bleffing! What would I have given, in my diftrefs of mind-under my painful convictions, had there been fuch a revival.” A people know not the magnitude of the mercy, when religion is in repute among them, and their minds generally called up to things fpiritual and divine. This account of Amelia's converfion is real and not fictitious. To prevent the real name being known a fictitious one has been affumed. Facts in religion are of unfpeakable moment. For while curiofity is gratified, Chriftians are inftructed, quickened, and confirmed.—A day of God's power and grace among a people is a GOLDEN SEASON-A PRECIOUS OPPORTUNITY, which perhaps none can estimate high enough. the most inconfiderate; and which prove the value of an interest in the Redeemer, in a dying hour, I have embraced this opportunity to relate to your readers, a fl ort sketch of the life and death of the unhappy Leonora, under this concealed name. Could I defcribe the heart-diffolving fcenes of dif trefs, as they paffed and as they now remain fresh in my memory, I fhould hope, thro' a divine bleffing, that fome perfon of her age and defcription in life, into whofe hands thefe lines may fall, would for once paufe,-then read-read again and again-then afk herfelf, why thefe trembling fears in death? Why thefe fecret forebodings of mifery ?-Is it not beft, O my foul, to "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while (thefe) evil days come not?" Leonora was the youngest of three children, whofe father died while they were young, and whofe mother had married a fecond hufband, with whom they all, a few years fince, lived in a town many miles diftant from the metropolis of Connecticut. Their father-inlaw and their mother ranked in the clafs of gay, airy people. They rarely, if ever, read the fcriptures in their family, and wholly neglected the duty of prayer. To use the language of the world, they meant to be decent people, to fupport order and nominal religion, and therefore were often feen at church, on the Sabbath. But they never feriously laid the weighty concerns of religion at heart,-never converfed in their family of God's appointed end in requiring religious worship, of the neceffity of the fpiritual new birth,-of a future judgment, nor of the great duty of Christian piety. The eldest of the two daughters was early married, and Leonora was about twenty-three years of age. She was tall, beautiful and gay, and of a lively turn of mind. Dress and fhow-balls and parties of pleasure, engroffed her whole attention. She had no heart to engage in the duties of religion; for in her plan of happinefs, fhe felt no need of it. Neither did her mind dwell upon the folemn, parting fcene of death, which fhuts our eyes upon all earthly joys, and feals our immortal fouls up unto the judgment of the great day. She thought herself too young to reflect on fuch a gloomy change. The world and its pleafures promised her a long life of enjoyment, and fhe had never felt the importance of being prepared to meet her judge, in a dying day, as one that had not been afhamed of him in this try. ing world. But her romantic vifion of worldly happiness was foon at an end. The fatal fymptoms of a confumption attacked her beautiful frame, her flesh confumed, and fhe, pale and wan, languifhed on the bed of ficknefs, Yet delufive hope ftill fhut out all fears of death, ftill promised the returning bloom of health, and the anticipated the time, when the fhould, once more, mingle in the gay scenes of life. At length, however, after having for feveral months thus vainly flatItered herself with the hope of a recovery, the had become fo weak and emaciated, that fhe now, for the first time, faw that fhe muft foon die. Oh, the thought of dying!-Like a voice from heaven pronouncing her doom, it filled her mind with a horror difficult to be defcribed. It was new. It was fudden and awful. Strange as it may appear, it had never before been realized. How much was to be done?-Her fears ftart M ed up alarmed, and, for the first time, fhe looked down" On what? A fathomlefs abyfs,—a dread eternity."-She was now greatly terrified with a sense of her deplorable condition; for fhe had never feriously attended to religion. While her confcience convinced her that she was a finner, fhe knew not the way of falvation. I was prefent when, at her requeft, a young clergymen had called to vifit her, and was deeply affected, at what paffed, at this interefting interview. Sir, I have fent for you to come and fee me," said the trembling Leonora, in a low, hollow voice to the clergyman, while the tears gently flowed from her eyes; "for, alas! I fee that I must die. I probably have but a few days longer to live." Her fifter being prefent, bid her fhow her pale, emaciated hand and arm, and when Leonora held it forth, touched at the fight, her fifter clafped the arm with her hand, and bathed it in her tears. Leonora groaned, and repeated, "Oh, I must-I muft die !— What will become of me! O my poor foul! Sir," the continued, turning her ftreaming eyes upon the clergyman, "I fear I am a finner-I fear I am not prepared for this dreadful lot of man !"-" If you are a finner," replied the clergyman, your duty is plain, before you. You have often been taught it on the Sabbath, and now you fee how needful religion is to make you happy in the day of death." "Alas, I do not know my duty.-I am a poor ignorant creature!-I am going down to the gates of death, and where,—— Oh! where is my hope?-It is true," fhe continued, compofing herfelf a little, I have attended meeting on the Sabbath, as much as other people of my age; but, alas! 66 I fee my folly, and it is too late. I never went there to learn religion!-I speak it to my fhame and forrow, I went for the purpofes of pride and how. My thoughts were not employed in the worship of God; nor were they fixed on heavenly things. I was infenfible of the price put into my hands to get wifdom!-I inconfiderately abufed it, and now muft fuffer for it. What can I dowhat fhall I do to be faved?" "From this account of yourself," replied the clergyman, "you have truly reafon to tremble at the tho'ts of death, and dread the awful confequences of fuch an inconfiderate life; and it is to be feared, were you now to die, in this ftate of mind, that you would be miferable forever. I will ftate to you the only poffible way to find pardon and acceptance with God." The clergyman did this in a very plain and feeling manner, and, after praying with Leonora, left her to apply his difcourfe. After he was gone, fhe pondered upon his words-applied them to herself faw, if they were true, fhe was in danger of eternal mifery, and be. came more alarmed than before, for a fhort time. The clergyman, at her request, two or three days after, repeated his vifit. though her fears were not wholly removed, yet she had begun to quarrel with the juftice of God, and to comfort herself that he was not great a finner as the gospel defcribed her to be. She tried to hope that the painful fenfations of guilt which the had experienced were fufficient to atone for her palt offences, and to fecure her future happiness. But, when the again heard a defcription of the nature of gofpel holiness, and was fhown the infufficiency of her prefent views of God, again the trem fo And bled for fear that all was loft. She was now more than ever diftreffed for her foul; and fo far as I could judge from what paffed, fhe appeared to be deeply impreffed with à conviction of her own deplorable condition as a finner, of her need of help from God, and that nothing but regeneration could fit her for death. Her tears, her cries, her prayers, at times, were enough to convince any one that reflected at all, that it is a fearful thing to fall a finner into the hands of the living God. And I began to hope, from this earnest seeking, that divine grace might, at this late hour, pluck her as a brand from the burnings. But Oh ! painful to relate, her parents, fond of a beloved daughter, and ignorant of the neceflity of regeneration could not endure fuch a troubled mind in their daughter, in the laft days of her life. As they loved her, they thought the muft be eternally happy, without fuffering fuch heart-rending pains for fin. They therefore fet themfelves at work to prevent, if poffible, any farther diftrefs of this nature. They told her fhe was not fo great a finner as the believed herself to be; that he had never been guilty of any open and scandalous fins; that he had forrowed enough for fin, and ought now to comfort herfelf that the doctrines of the gofpel were not fo ftrict as had been pretended; and that she had no farther need of religious inAtruction. They perfuaded her not to fend any more for the clergyman, left an explanation of the fcriptures fhould increase her fears; and thus, from an over-fondness to the perifhing body of a dying daughter, they were, in all probability, inftrumental of fealing up her immortal foul to everlasting mifery. For, in a few days after, CONS D. October 1800. DEAR FRIEND, ONSIDERING the anxiety of your mind, relative to your fpiritual concerns, and the danger of dependence on your own doings; I have, agreeably to your request, endeavored to fuggeft a few ideas for your inftruction, which I think to be fcriptural. That all mankind are, by nature, in a state of enmity against God, and oppofed to his holy law and government, we are abundantly taught from his holy word; and all, who are truly awakened to fee their own hearts, will readily acknowledge it. And while in fuch a ftate, they do nothing acceptable in the fight of God; as the apostle declares, Rom. viii. 8. "So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God." Then what a dreadful fituation are thofe in, who are yet in a ftate of nature, being enemies to God, and doing all they do in oppofition to him! They are in a state of condemnation, and nothing but the flender thread of life, feparates them from eternal mifery. Nothing but fovereign mercy holds them a fingle moment from the pit of deftruc tion. You will probably afk; how fhall I get out of this deplorable ftate, and obtain the favor of God? I answer. You must repent and believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift. You must be regenerated, must have the enmity of your heart flain, the natural heart deftroyed, and an entirely new heart given; agreeably to the words of our Saviour, John iii. 3. "Verily, verily, I fay unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot fee the kingdom of God." To be born again, a perfon must receive a new heart; a heart conformed to the moral image of God, delighting in holiness for its own fake; being difpofed to love God fupremely, to renounce all dependence on its own doings, and to truít wholly to Chrift, thro' the atonement. People under awakenings, are exceedingly apt to think, that they muft do fomething themselves, whereby they may recommend themselves to the grace of God, and obtain the pardon of fin. But here they mistake. Christ must be all in all, in the falvation of mankind. A finner, who is endeavoring to obtain falvation by his own doings, or good works, is purfuing a wrong road; one that will never lead to the paradife above. For, a finner, while in a state of nature, notwithstanding the greateft convictions, the most frequent prayers, and all his religious performances, by which he is endeavoring to grow better, and recommend himfelf to the favor of God, ftill be |