What is the world but fin and forrow. The rich are oppreffed with their wealth; the poor are groaning for the want of that which the others are burdened with. The men of power are afflicted with holding the reins, and guiding the helm ; the governed are oppreffed with real or imaginary evils. The life of a foldier is blood and cruelty; that of a failor dangers and death. A city life is full of confufion and strife ; a country life is loaded with toil and labour. But the greatest of all evils flows from our own finful nature. Wherever we are, we may be happy; we carry the key of blifs in our breast. The world itself never yet made any one happy. God alone is the blifs of a reasonable foul; and he is every where prefent, and we have every where free access to him. Learn, then, my dear children, when you grow up, to feek for permanent happiness in God, through a crucified Redeemer. My dear love, fhould the fpirits of the departed have any knowledge of things here below, and at the fame time any intercourfe with them (though unfeen) how fhall I rejoice to be thy guardian angel, to attend thee, and fmile to fee thee combat fin, conquer the world, and fubdue the flesh; but if not, how fhall I fmile to meet thee on the bright frontiers of Heaven. Thefe hands fhall weave for thee, with joy, thy triumphant crown. I first will hail thee to thy native manfions. I firft will guide thy conquering feet to the celestial city, and introduce thee to the jubilant throng who tread the ftreets of the New Jerufalem. I first will lead thee to the facred throne of our God, where we will together bow, transported, at the fublime feat of the ever-adorable Jefus. Then, then will we ftrike our melodious harps of gold, in the most exalted strains of harmony and love. Then shall our love be confummated, refined, and eternalized. The world recedes, it disappears ; O death, where is thy fting? Dear love, more would I fay, but life ebbs out apace. My fenfes ceafe to perform their office. Bright angels stand around the gory turf on which I lie, ready to escort me to the arms of my Jefus. Bending faints reveal my fhining crown, and beckon me away. Yea, methinks, my Jefus bids me come. Adieu! Adieu! Adieu! dear love. JOHN RANDON. A CAUTION TO YOUTH. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. Prov. i. 10. T is an awful truth, though little regarded or believed that our infernal enemy, however he may shift his ground, or vary his operations, uniformly aims at the accomplishment of one defign, viz. the final damnation of the soul. pursuing this destructive purpose, there is no engine he employs with more fatal fuccefs than the social affections of hu man nature. In Man was formed for intercourfe; and were it not for fin, this defignation of the benevolent Creator must prove a fource of unknown improvement and pleasure to intelligent creatures. To be independently happy is the fole prerogative of felf-exiftent Deity: The happiness of created, dependant beings, must be entirely relative. Perfect creatures derive all their enjoyment from God. The fcenes of creation are to them fo many bright mediums of communion with Him; and the communications of their kindred minds are divinely appointed to conduct each other to the Eternal all. Through the channel of focial affection fin first made its entrance into our world; the woman gave me of the tree, and I did eat-And ftill the interests of darkness are promoted by the abuse of focial influence: No man feems willing to be damned alone. Some appear even to derive confolation from the horrible perfuafion, that their companions amidst the flames of hell will be very numerous. Ah deluded mor tal! doft thou then conclude, that, because the smiles of thy affociates in tranfgreffion now contribute to heighten thy gust for the pleasures of fin, therefore their agonies will ferve hereafter to alleviate thine? or reconcile thy feelings to those horrible pains which are the wages of fin? The young endeavour to banish religion from their fmiling circle, as an unseasonable intruder. Their emulation is to ftrew the paths of death with the fairest flowers of pleafure. Come, fay they, and while the roses bloom and opportunity beckons, come, cast in thy lot among us. Let the con cerns of futurity quietly reft among thofe forbidding glooms which envelope them. Avoid, as hell, the whining dupe of religious fingularity. The majority is ours: And, if there be a God, he is too merciful to destroy fo many of his creatures.-My son, if sinners entice thee consent thou not. Re folutely ftand aloof from their fecret, and chufe none of their ways. Trifle not with the fhining bait; it conceals the hook of mifery. Wilt thou credit the flattering lips of thy most dangerous foe? or hang with pleasure on thofe fyren founds, which allure thee to everlafting ruin? God forbid ! Can stern neceffity compel thee to facrifice thy foul and heaven, for these momentary enjoyments? No, for Jefus calls thee to nobler pleasures. What are all the blandifhments of the harlot sin, when compared with the refplendent and original glories of Immanuel? What are the most liberal offers of this perishing world, when contrasted with the treasures of a Saviour's grace and the royal fplendors of his kingdom? On these let your choice determine, and happiness is all your own. J. B. ADVERTISEMENT. An Infallible Medicine for the Cure of a dangerous Disorder, to be had GRATIS. WHEREAS a moft violent and dangerous disease has greatly prevailed in this neighbourhood, as well as in many other places, much refembling the plague, a friend of mankind has thought it expedient to publish the following account of it, with its various fymptoms and effects, and to recommend a method of cure, which has never failed in a fingle inftance. This disease has long been known among the learned by a variety of names. The Greek phyficians called it AMARTIA. It may be discovered by the following symptoms. The head is always affected, particularly the eyes, fo that moft objects are mistaken for each other. The understanding is clouded. The patient is fometimes deaf, especially to certain fubjects of difcourfe. The tongue is fo ftrangely disordered, that it speaks perverfe and blafphemous words. The patient has occafional fits of lameness, especially when it is propofed to walk to a place of worship. But the heart is the principal feat of the difeafe, from the affections of which, the senses and members are also disordered. This disease is, upon good grounds, fuppofed to be hereditary, and may be traced back to the common parent of mankind. It is therefore universal; fo that there never was but one Man in in the world exempted from a taint of it. VOL. I. T The prefent effects of this diforder are very dreadful. It fometimes produces a raging fever, infatiable thirst, and extreme restlessness. The mind is at times alarmed and filled with anxiety. The patient difcovers pride, envy, malice, covetousness, lust, and deceit. His family, friends, and neighbours, are frequently fufferers, as many in this place can teftify. Magiftrates are fometimes forced to interfere, and though they feldom attempt a cure, they prevent his doing further mifchief. But the final confequences of this disease are formidable in the utmost degree. Unlefs timely affiftance be afforded (which must generally be in the early stages of it), the patient inevitably perishes. Death, dreadful death, muft enfue; and that, attended with fuch circumstances of mifery, horror and defpair, that humanity is constrained to draw a veil over the terrible scene. It is neceffary to add, that by far the greater part of those on whom it preys, are utterly infenfible of their condition, and unwilling to admit that they are ill. It is probable that fome who read this advertisement may feel themfelves angry with this reprefentation of their cafe, and be ready to throw it afide with difdain. A certain indication this, that the patient is dangerously disordered. But this may, at the fame time, account for the general and fatal neglect of applying in time to THE PHYSICIAN. This extraordinary Man is not indeed a seventh son, but the only Son of a most high and diftinguished Perfonage. He was intended for the profeffion from his birth, and in all refpects properly qualified for it. His skill, tenderness, and care, were never impeached by any one of the thousands of patients, whom he has perfectly restored. His practice has been incomparably extenfive, and millions can testify, that by Him the blind have received their fight, the lame have leaped as an hart, lepers have been cleanfed, the deaf have been made quick of hearing, and many dead perfons have been reftored to life. After à life of the most benevolent exertions, he was put to death by the malice of fome ignorant practitioners, who envied his fame and fuccefs. However, the world ftill reaps the benefit of that specific medicine which he prepared. Certain perfons, appointed by him, committed his advice to writing, and have recorded it in a moft excellent family book, which has gone through a thoufand editions, and is commonly called THE BIBLE, Here we learn that sin is the great disease of the human race, that it has the most unhappy effects on the bodies and fouls of men; that it has introduced all the miferies under which they groan. Herein alfo we are taught that no men can cure himself of this disease; and though a multitude of quacks have recommended noftrums of their own, there is only one medicine in the world that can effect a cure. Reader, go and learn what that meaneth: The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Short argument for the Deity of the Holy Ghost. AMONG all the fins which we read of, none is repre fented as unpardonable, but the blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft. Does not the nature of this horrible offence strike every truly ferious and confiderate man with the deepest awe? Does it not infpire the foul with an irrefiftible perfuafion, that the Perfonage against whom it is fo peculiarly criminal, and fo irrevocably deftructive to offend, muft be highly exalted indeed? Can this, O my foul, be a mere creature? What would the Eternal Majefty deny pardon to an offence committed against an infinitely inferior being (for all created beings must be infinitely beneath the Creator), while he has provided, promised, and offers it to rebels against HIMSELF? Surely no!" The blafphemy against the Holy Ghost being irremiffible, is therefore a cogent and awful proof of his true and proper Deity. Ananias was firft expoftulated with, as having yielded up himself as the vaffal of Satan" to lie to the Holy Ghost ;" and then was arrainged, convicted, condemned, immediately ftruck dead, for having "lied not unto men, but unto God." Should any inquire wherefore the blafphemy against the Spirit is reprefented as emphatically criminal, and terribly destructive? Because he is the great witness both of the Father and the Son, in the infpired word, in miracles, and in all his operations on the heart and confcience; fo that they who oppofe, blafpheme, and ridicule his testimony, refift the strongest manifeftation that ever was, or ever will be given of God to the children of men. PNEUMATOPHILOS. |