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that your motive is love to Christ, his cause and interest; that you are ambitious of no honour but the honour which cometh From God, esteeming his approbation a full compensation for all the reproach you can meet with in the way to the kingdom of glory. Thus, my dear friend, you must learn that the way to the crown is by the way of the cross, the path of humility and self-denial. Be not discouraged at the difficulty of it, or from your own inability to walk therein; but look unto him who giveth power unto the faint, and to them who have no might increaseth strength, so shall you run without weariness; and when faint, be kept by his Almighty power, pursuing the prize of your high calling. Prove the sincerity of your love by this universal respect to his commands; and demonstrate your faith to be of God, by placing all your dependence on the complete work of the Saviour, saying, from the heart, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world* !*

Hampstead.

Gal. vi. 14.

EXTRAORDINARY CONVERSION OF A DEIST.

To the Editor.

Sir, THE following Account of Dr. PORTER'S Conversion, is faithfully copied from Number III. of "The Georgia Analytical Repository," conducted by the Rev. H. Holcombe, A. M. of Savannah; which was obligingly communicated to me by Dr. Rogers, of Philadelphia. I have sent it, without comment or remark, leaving your readers to form their own reflections on the facts here stated.

Yours,

A. B.

AMONG the many instances of the triumphant power of the gospel which have occurred in the now spreading revival of religion, the conversion of Dr. Porter deserves particular notice. This remarkable instance of the display of free and sovereign grace, took place at a meeting, which began on Friday, the 27th of March, 1802, at New Providence church, in Mecklenburgh county, North Carolina. The account was taken from his own mouth, four weeks after his conversion, by an intelligent and respectable gentleman of Charlestown, South Carolina. The following is the Doctor's wonderful narrative:

I was nearly a confirmed Deist; and, though religionsly educated, despised religion. At the great meeting in Mecklenburgh, I had the curiosity to attend. For nearly four days I continued on the ground, though often determined to leave it, without feeling any unusual impression, except what was occa

sioned by the cries of the distressed; and though I sometimes prayed to be religiously impressed, I never felt more careless and hardened in my life. On Monday evening, while I was sitting in Mr. M'Rea's tent, reflecting on the strength of my body, and the happy state of my mind, notwithstanding the fatigue and want of rest I had undergone, I was suddenly struck with an unusual sensation in the pit of my stomach, which, in a short time, pervaded my chest in general. I felt no pain; but apprehended immediate death. I endeavoured to remove the impression by walking; but in vain.

Having returned to the tent, the sensation pervaded my whole body; and convulsions and involuntary gnashing of teeth ensued. Soon, however, these 'ceased; and I became as one dead, being unable to move. While in this state, which I suppose was about two hours, I experienced a dreadful gloom and confused horrors of mind. This resemblance of death was succeeded by other convulsions; and I again fell quiet, and, until near morning, experienced more dreadful horrors, which increased as my bodily strength returned. When the exercise of my bodily organs was tolerably recovered, my horrors ceased, without my being able to assign the particular cause of their removal. I first asked myself, How I could possibly become religious, and exhort, as others were doing? A plan to avoid professing religion was immediately suggested; which was, to attribute all I had felt to fits, and say I had been subject to them before; but this I at once detected and discarded, as a suggestion of the Devil; and resolved to love God, and profess the religion of Jesus Christ, be the consequences what they might.

I then began to enquire what could be the canse of these new and sudden resolutions; for to me, it appeared scarcely possible that I, who had been one of the most abandoned sinners, could experience a change of heart without being more dreadfully humbled for my sins. I then, indeed, saw that they were great, and of a most aggravated kind, having been cominitted against much light and goodness; and though I could not feel humbled for thein as 1 wished, and as I knew I ought to be, the glory, wisdom, justice, grace, and condescension of God, as displayed in the device of salvation through a Mediator, broke in upon my mind. My soul was filled with admiration at the fulness and freeness of his grace in Christ. My heart acquiesced in this glorious method of salvation, and was drawn out in love to the holy and blessed Jesus. Never before did I know any thing of true joy; but, notwithstanding all I have felt, I am often jealous of my heart, and examine my exercises with careful attention, comparing them with the word of God, and religious experiences recorded in other books; and, if I am not greatly deceived, I can freely renounce all that is most dear to me in the world for Christ and his religion.

It is sometimes suggested to my mind that the whole may be a delusion; but, glory to God! if it should even be so, it is an incomparably sweet one. "Not mighty men that share the spoil, have joys compared to mine."

O how delightful to contemplate the character of the great Jehovah, and his infinite love to sinners, through his dear Son! -May God enable me to persevere! I desire to thank him: 1 have been enabled to day, at court, to silence near a dozen of my old Deistical companions. My case evaded all their objec tions; and they appeared to be stuck with solemnity and alarm, their leader having fallen.

THE UNDIVIDED GOSPEL.

AN EXTRACT FROM THE EXCELLENT MR. JOHN HOWE.

THE following passage, extracted from Howe, on " Delighting in God," I doubt not will be acceptable to your intelligent Readers, while it conveys a thought worthy the attention of every minister of the gospel of Christ; and, upon their minds, may the Holy Spirit deeply im press it!

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"THERE is a manifest prejudice daily accruing to the Christian name and profession, by the unequal estimation which that part of the doctrine of Christ hath that concerns the work of his Spirit upon us, regeneration, the new creature, repentance, and a holy life, in comparison of that which concerns his performances and acquisitions for us, expiation of sin, satisfaction of divine justice, forgiveness, and acceptance with God. How sweet, ravishing, transporting doctrines, and how pure gospel, are these latter accounted by many, who esteem the former cold, sapless, and unpleasant notions! Hence comes the Christian Religion to look with so distorted a face and aspect, as if it suffered a convulsion, that hath altered and disguised it to that degree, that it is hardly to be known; being made to secin as if it imported only a design to rescue some persons from divine wrath and justice, without ever giving thein that disposition of heart which is necessary, both to their serving God, and their blessedness in him. This is not to be imputed so much to the misrepresentation made of it by them whose business it hath been to instruct others (though of them, too many may have been very faulty in almost suppressing, or insisting less, or very little, upon doctrines of the former strain, while the stream of their discourses hath mostly run upon the other); for it must be acknowledged, that by very many in our age, the absolute necessity of the great heart-change hath been both most clearly represented, and as urgently pressed, as perhaps in most who have gone before. But the matter is

plainly to be attributed to that depravity of man's nature, whence there is a most unequal and partial reception of the truth of God; and that which seems (taken apart by itself) to impart more of indulgence to sinners, is readily catched at; that which more directly strikes at the very root of sin is let pass, as if it had never been spoken: and so men make up to themselves a gospel of this tenor and import, That, let the temper of their spirits towards God be what it will, if they rely and rest upon the righteousness of Christ, God will be reconciled to them; and they think they need take no farther care. But whatever is said in the gospel of Christ, besides the necessity of being born of God, of partaking a divine nature, of putting off the old man and putting on the new, &c. is looked upon as if it had been thrown in by chance, and signified nothing: and the other, without this, is thought to be pure gospel; as if these were impertinent additions and falsifications. But will not

such men understand, that the detracting of any thing from the instrument or testament of a man, as well as adding thereto, makes it another thing, and none of his act or deed? So that their pure Gospel, as they call it, is another gospel; nay (because there cannot be another) no gospel. Or will they not understand, how simply impossible it is, in the very nature of the thing, that the end should be attained of bringing men to blessedness (i. e. to a delightful rest in God) without their having a new nature, an heart inclined and bent towards God, wrought to a conformity and agreement with God's own holy nature and will, unto which the offer and hope of forgiveness, by the blood of Christ, is designed to win and form them? For, can man be happy in him in whom threy take no delight? or delight in him, to whom the very temper of their spirits is habitually unsuitable and repugnant? How plain are things to them that are not resolved not to see!"

ON THE MUTUAL KNOWLEDGE OF

SAINTS IN GLORY.

Extracted from Mr. Cowper's Letters to his Cousin, Mrs. Cowper.

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The following Letters referring to a subject highly interesting to many of your readers, who cannot possibly have access to the elegant volumes of Mr. Hayley, I am persuaded you will, by their insertion, gratify many beside your constant reader,

My dear Cousin,

T.

As in matters unattainable by reason, and unrevealed in the scripture, it is impossible to argue at all,so in matters concerning which reason can only give a probable guess, and the scripture has made no explicit discovery, it is, though not

impossible to argue at all, yet impossible to argue to any certain conclusion. This seems to me to be the very case with the point in question. Reason is able to form many plausible conjectures concerning the possibility of our knowing each other in a future state; and the Scripture has, here and there, favoured us with an expression that looks at least like a slight intimation of it; but because a conjecture can never amount to a proof; and a slight intimation cannot be construed into a positive assertion, therefore I think we can never come to any absolute conclusion upon the subject. We may indeed reason about the plausibility of our conjectures; and we may discuss, with great industry and shrewdness of argument, those passages in the Scripture which seem to favour the opinion; but still, no certain ineans having been afforded us, no certain end can be attained; and after all that can be said, it will still be doubtful, whether we shall know each other or not.

As to arguments founded upon human reason only, it would be easy to muster up a much greater number on the affirmitive side of the question, than it would be worth my while to write, or yours to read. Let us see, therefore, what the Scripture says, or seems to say, towards the proof of it: and of this kind of argument also I shall insert but a few of those which seem to be the fairest and clearest for the purpose. For, after all, a disputant, on either side of this question, is in danger of that censure of our blessed Lord's, "Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God."

As to parables, I know it has been said in the dispute concerning the intermediate state, that they are not argumentative; but this having been controverted by very wise and good men, and the parable of Dives and Lazarus having been used by such, to prove an intermediate state, I see not why it may not be as fairly used for the proof of any other matter, which it seems fairly to imply. In this parable we see that Dives is represented as knowing Lazarus; and Abraham as knowing them. both; and the discourse between them is entirely concerning their respective characters and circumstances upon earth. Here, therefore, our Saviour seems to countenance the notion of a mutual knowledge and recollection; and if a soul that has perished shall know the soul that is saved, surely the heirs of salvation shall know and recollect each other.

In the first Epistle to the Thessalonians, the 2d chapter and 19th verse, Saint Paul says, "What is our hope, or joy, or crown of ejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and our joy."

As to the hope which the Apostle has formed concerning them, he himself refers the accomplishment of it to the coming of Christ; meaning, that then he should receive the recompense of his labours in their behalf; his joy and glory he refers like

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