Religious Intelligence. MISSIONARIES. February 2d, 1801. Laft week the Rev. Jedidiah Bushnell, returned from a Miffion to the western counties of the state of New York. He spent the laft year in those counties and in many places his labors were hopefully crowned with fuccefs. The revival in the counties of Delaware and Otfego continues, and many people in the new fettlements are hungering for the bread of life. The Rev. Mr. Willifon and Mr. Amafa Jerome are now laboring as Miffionaries in the western counties of New York; the Rev. David Huntington in the northern counties of New-York and Vermont; and the Rev. Jofeph Badger in New-Connecticut. POETRY, COMMUNICATED AS ORIGINAL. The proffer'd mercy of a God refus'd, And rebel hosts against their Maker The Christian church, a fmall and feeble band, Sinking beneath oppreffion's iron hand; Have frequent breath'd to Heav'n the fervent prayer, Upheld by faith and hope from deep But did ye think, ye who revere That he would e'er defert his glorious Hath he not fworn (and can his promife fail?) "'Gainst you the gates of hell fhall ne'er prevail." Soon grace triumphant thro' all lands fhall reign, And nations in a day be born again. Where frowning deferts spread a fullen gloom, The cultur'd earth, (like Paradise shall Shall chear the eye, and pour, with bloom) liberal hand, Her richest treasures thro' a grateful land. Shall ceafe to grate the ear-all foes give place, A view of the millennial felicity of the Or league in friendship with the hu WHAT Ghurch. HAT lively raptures burst up- What joys feraphic thro' the bosom Whilft pond'ring on the Lamb who once was flain ! All Adam's race one family compose, Whilft love to God and man through ev'ry member flows. How vaft the change! what but all conquering grace From vice to virtue can restore our race? What energy but that which worlds combin'd, Can rule the fecret movements of the mind? Bid confcience reafcend her long loft throne, And thunder thro' the foul in awful tone! Or hufh the mental tempeft to a calm, Bind up the wounds and pour the healing balm ? Immortal King! this pow'r is thine alone, Help us in faith to bow before thy throne. O hear our prayers and blefs our long ing eyes, From duft and mourning foon may Zion rife, In beauteous robes of joy and fplendor dreft, By angel hofts admir'd, by thee her God confeft. MESS'RS EDITORS, YOU are requested to communicate, in your Magazine, the following letter to the good people of Connecticut. If my defire is granted, I fhall trouble you with a fecond, and perhaps with a third letter of addrefs on the fame fubject. MINORIS. Friends and Fellow-Chriftians, ture fpread and power of religion will be effected, by the bleffing of heaven on means ufed by Chriftians to communicate truth to their brethren of mankind. Bleffed be God that the attention of pious people is awaking to this important fubject; that their hearts are warming with love; and their hands beginning to communicate ! This is a happy omen that a gracious God intends to enlarge the limits of Zion, and bring many to rejoice, who are now ignorant of his glory. It is the duty of Chriftians every where to pray, and to communinicate liberally of what God has given them, that the gospel may be preached to fuch as are ignorant of their own ftate; alfo to thofe, who cannot procure inftruction nor bear the expenfe: but there is, in the prefent ftate of things, a greater obligation on Chriftians in America, than on any others in the world. Hitherto we have been free from thofe judgments, which render it impoffible for pious people, in fev S the feafon is again approaching in which you will be called to contribute, for the fupport of Miffionaries to our new fettlements and the Heathen tribes, it cannot be improper to folicit your attention to fo important a Chriftian duty. Thofe who love our Lord Jefus Chrift, muft defire the fpread of his kingdom and the converfion of fouls. They cannot expect that the benefits of the gofpel will be received without Christian instruction; neither can they rationally expect, that, in this day, inftruments will be miraculously raised up and fent abroad to preach the glad tidings of falvation. The reafons, which induced infi-eral parts of Europe, to do much nite wisdom to take this method, more than bear their own burdens, at the first propagation of Chrif. Although they are in the furnace tianity, have ceafed; and the fu- of perfonal affliction, their fervent VOL. I. No. 9. R r feelings, which are occafionally communicated, ought to fhame our formality, and our want of love to fouls which are perifhing. The few poor Chriftians in Switzerland, who by the revolutions in their country are principally defpoiled of their earthly goods, are contributing more freely than many of us, who have peace, plenty, and profefs to be difciples of Chrift. Muft God correct us alfo to make us confider our duty! The Heathen are placed near to us; from the Chriftians of Europe they are at an immenfe diftance. Multitudes of them are on our borders, and within our national limits. These Heathen have never heard the name of Jefus. If natural conscience, at any time wounds them, they know not the phyfician and the healing balm; they look with uncertain dread on all that is beyond the grave; they know not the gofpel law of holinefs, nor the grace which fanctifies and prepares for eternal life. We all have the fame father by creation, and they are children of immortality. He who died on the crofs to comfort us with the joys of religion under the pains of life, and give us hope in death, hath commanded us to fpread the joyful news from land to land, until it fills the earth; but we have not done it, and fcarcely can it be faid that we have tried to do it. Many from among us, have poifoned the Heathen on our borders by the communication of our vices, and the vicious have been diligent in corrupting, fo that many of them think the name of Chriftian to denote the most unprincipled of men. This hath been done by fuch as difobey the gofpel; while thofe, who profefs to love the truth and to have received the benevolence of Jefus, have been fleeping, and made no effectual exertions to prevent the evil, to inftruct them in real Chriftianity, and point them to the holy and bleffed immortality of the gofpel. Chriftians, you muft meet thofe Heathen before the bar of your Redeemer; and although you may be faved by fovereign grace, will it not then appear, that thro' your neglect, they have failed of eternal glory; and will not your own heaven be lefs bleffed and glorious forever, for having been fo indolent.in your Lord's fervice? In feafons paft there was an excufe for negligence in this duty, which now fails. The fubject of this Christian obligation was strangely paffed over in filence; but now it hath become matter of difcuffion and general information; fo that ignorance and inattention so the duty cannot be an excufe. If only the fmall number who read this Magazine, were to give to fo bleffed and glorious a charity, what they might without any injury to their common conveniences, it would furnish the means for more general exertions than have ever been made in this country. This obligation is on all Chriftians, except it be thofe in most indigent circumftances. The little fums of the fincere poor are an acceptable offering to Chrift, and plead with him for the falvation of perishing fouls; and perhaps it is the inftruction furnished by fome widow's mite, that he will deign to blefs, for bringing a Heathen foul to a crown of glory, and the eternal joys of heaven. 0 poor but happy Chriftian, whofe offering is thus bleft by fovereign grace, how wilt thou delight to meet in eternal blefiednefs, that foul faved through thy little bounty, and join thy voice with his, in praises a round the throne of God and the Lamb. Many fuch happy meetings there will be in heaven be tween those, who from diftant climes are redeemed by the blood of Christ. inftruction, all purchased by the blood of the crofs, what have you done? Doth your example, your love and bowels of compaflion refemble his? Have you given evidence of a higher regard for the fouls of men, than for your earthly emolument, when you have already more than fagacity can apply to the increase of human happiness, unless it be in acts of liberali.y? Compare yourselves with the divine example, go and warm and melt your hearts at the foot of the crofs, and then determine your Christian obligation. Ye rich and affluent, an indul gent God hath favored you with abundance. You can give, yea liberally, and not perceive your abundant fuperfluities leffened. Doubtless, your bounty fupplies the table of many who are poor; and while you compaffionate the poverty of a few days, will you not alfo contribute to feed the fouls of men, with the bread of eternal life? Is not the foul of more value than the body; and eternity more interesting than time? Confider who made the difference, in circumstances, between you and the perishing Heathen; who gave you plenty, and the bleffings of civilization; and the divine inftruction concerning moral fubjects, the riches of redeeming love, and the glory or woe of the eternal world, with which they are wholly unacquainted? It was the diftinguifhing, fovereign grace of God which made the difference. Are you not stewards of the divine bounties, and can you anfwer before the Lord, if you deny a liberal offering for the purpose of fav ing the benighted fouls of your heathen brethren? Perhaps, you profefs to be Chriftians indeed, and to be warmed with the love of Chrift; if so, are you not warmed with the love of fouls? Confider the love of your Redeemer ! How he lived, agonized and died that you might hear the gofpel and be delivered from the curfe! Com-raged. pare yourselves with his example. In poverty he went about doing good, and being innocent he died for the guilty; while in affluence and ease and gladdened with gospel Chriftians, think not to say these heathen are never to be chriftianized; the obftacles are infurmount, able, they cannot be civilized and therefore cannot receive the gofpel. But are the obstacles greater than they were at the fall of man to the exercise of any grace whatever? yet wifdom and grace then triumphed, and the fame wifdom and grace are now on the throne. Are the obstacles greater than they were in your own hearts? But you hope that fovereign power hath renewed them by your fanctification. The obstacles are great, but the promife is fure" I fhall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance." The obstacles are great, but one of the greatest is the coldness of our hearts and of our prayers on this fubject; and if these were removed we might truft in God for an effufion of his fpirit, and the bleffings of his providence to teach the unchriftianized tribes of men. Christians, think not to fay we have given already, and not having feen the defired effects are difcou Remember, that this is your perpetual duty, and to be often repeated; a duty incumbent on your whole lives. Souls will always be precious. Syftematic measures and the perfeverance of years are |