tertain or refresh them, no houfes, much leis towns, to feck unto for fuccour. It is recorded in fcripture, as a great mercy to the apostle Paul and his fhipwrecked companions, that the barbarians fhewed them no fmall kindnefs," in refreshing them. But thefe favage barbarians when they met them, were readier to fill their fides with arrows, than otherwise to comfort them. "Now they enter upon a new feene, and have great difficulties to furmount, before they can gain a peaccable fettlement. They are wholly unacquainted with the country. They find the place where they fift landed by no means fuitable for them. They travel with their arms in their hands, from place to place, through wet and cold, in this late feafon of the year, often for days and nights, expofed in the wilderness, to the open air and inclement fky. And, to add to their affliction, the mafter of the fhip grows impa tient and fretful, threatens that if they do not fpccdily find a place for fettlement, he will turn their families, goods, and effects, upon the naked fhore. The Indians feveral times furprize them, and fall upon them with their bows and ar rows, which pierce their cloaths, but God fuffered them not to touch their lives. "After many days spent in a fruitlefs fearch for a conve nient place, they at length conclude, by the advice of one of their company, to come in queft of this harbour. They accordingly man their boat for the enterprife, with fome of their principal men, and fet out. One who engag ed to be their pilot, appears to have been here before in a voyage of difcovery. They are now in the Bay, in a small thallop. After fome hours failing it begins to fnow and rain. It is now Friday afternoon. The wind rifes and blows with great violence; the fea grows rough; they break their rudder. It is as much as two men can do to fteer her with oars. The ftorm increases, and, night coming on, they car rying what fail they can to get into the harbour, break their maft in three pieces, their fails fall overboard in a very grown fea, and they are likely to founder fuddenly. Yet by the mercy of Heaven they recover, and, the flood being with them, they ftrike into the fuppofed harbour. But the pilot was deceived, and cries out Lord be merciful, my eyes never faw this place before." They with fome difficulty get her about foon as poffibic, and Providence, fhewing a fair found before then, though very dark and rainy, they get under the lee of a small Island* in our harbour; but are ftill * Called Clark's Island, from the man who first settled ashore. divided divided about going afhore, left they fhould fall into the midft of favages. Some keep the boat; but others, worn out with wet, cold, and fatigue, venture afhore, and, with great difficulty, kindle a fire. "After midnight, the wind fhifting and the weather growing very cold, the reft are glad to get to them; and here they stay that night. In the morning they discovered it to be an Ifland, fecure from Indians; and it being the laft day of the week, here they dry their cloaths, reft themfelves, and give thanks to God for their many deliverances. The next day, they kept the Chriftian Sabbath, being about twenty in number. The first Sabbath ever obferved in a religious manner in this part of the world. The next day they proceeded to found out the harbour, and found it commodious for their purpofe. Found several running brooks, and old corn fields, but no inhabitants: a dreadful plague (as they were afterwards informed) having broke out among the Indians in this place a little before, which carried off the inhabitants. Thus Divine Providence, in a fignal manner feemed to go before them, to prepare a place for them. Upon the whole they judge this a fuitable spot for a fettlement; and return to the hip at the Cape, with the news of their discovery, to the reft of their companions. Upon which the fhip fails for this harbour, where our worthy and pious anceftors, in this month of December, and on this day of the month, as our hiftory dates it, juft 173 years ago, here, on this very spot which we now inhabit, began their fettle ment." This interefting little extract of (what may be truly called) ecclefiaftical hiftory, teaches us, how the Lord makes ufe of thofe providences which featter his people abroad on the face of the earth, to diffuse the knowledge of the blesfed Redeemer; and prepare the way for that glorious period when Europe, Afia, Africa, and America, with all their Iflands, fhall unite in general afcriptions of praife_to_our triune Jehovah! T CONSOLATION TO BELIEVERS. R. L. HE following obfervations had their origin in a converfation with a perfon under ferious concern, who fuppofed, like many others, that no part of the word of God belonged to her, but the threatenings. "Ah! faid the, I have have often thought that paffage belongs to me," "It fhall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than for you." The comfort of believers is one of the principal objects of the glorious gofpel, and to this end is revealed, a covenant of grace complete in every part, and filled with "exceeding great and precious promifes," calculated to produce the moft confolatory effects. But how often are they reverfed in their application; the threatnings becoming terrors to thofe to whom the promises belong; and the promifes becoming the foundation of delufive hope to them for whom the threatenings were defigned! How often does the poor believer abandon his foul to diftrefs, fuppofing all the judgments belong to him; while the prefumptuous finner dares to affume a title to the bleflings in which he has no lot? A few remarks may fet this in a clearer light, and enable the enquirer to determine which is his portion. It is allowed on all hands, that the threatened judgments have no relation to God's people: but the queftion is who are thofe who may justly claim this exalted character? To this I would reply, They are perfons brought to fee that they are loft in themselves; that there is no way of falvation but through Chrift; and that a life of holinefs is indifpenfible. Yet the faith and hope of fuch are of very different degrees. Some have the affurance of faith, and conclude on good reason that they are among the number of God's clect.-Reader, is this your cafe? Have you caufe to conclude "That you are delivered from the power of darkness, and tranflated into the Kindom of God's dear Son?" Doth the Spirit bear witnefs with your fpirit, that you are his? Can you cry Abba, Father?-Happy for you, if you can. Rejoice and be exceeding glad. But perhaps you cannot go fo far. If not, have you ground, upon a ftrict examination of your experience, as in the fight of God, to conclude that, though you have not the above affurance, yet you fee caufe to hope from the change that has been wrought upon you that you have obtained mercy? If you can neither remember the time, the place, nor means, by which the change was effected, yet if it really has taken place all fhall be well. Have you been enabled to fly to Chrift for falvation? Is he your only truft? Can you fay with Peter, "Lord thou knoweft all things, thou knoweft that I love thee?" Can you with the Pfalmift fay, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts; thoughts and fee if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlafting?" If to thefe enquiries you can answer affirmatively, dry up your tears. You are among the children of God: the threatenings are not yours. But perhaps you are not able to anfwer poffitively to all these questions, You feel fo much fin and unbelief, that however you may wish to do it, you are afraid left you fhould not answer in truth. Well, can you fay, "Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief?" Can you fay "This one thing I know, whereas I was blind I now fee?" Do you fee things in a different light to what you did? Do you feel a greater concern about your foul than ever? Is it your conftant prayer, that you may hate and depart from fin, and love the Lord Jefus Chrift? To thefe queftions I think I hear you reply, "Yes, fin is my burden. If I could but get rid of fin and love Jefus more, I should be happy; but fometimes I fear my prayers are not heard: they are fo imperfect the Lord will never regard them, and that after all I hall become a caft-away.' If this be your fituation, you are much to be pitied. "But let not your heart be troubled." "If the Lord were pleased to kill you, he would not have fhewed you all these things, nor would he, as at this time have told you fuch things as thefe." Be affured" He will never break the bruised reed, nor quench the fmoking flax, till he fend forth judgment unto victory." What you know, feel, and defire, are not the produce of rude nature; they are the effects of the grace of God, and they fhall iffue in your compleat falvation from fin and hell. Such are the people of God, and to then the promises, and not the threatenings, belong. For them Chrift lived and died for them Prophets and Apoftles wrote and fpokefor them the covenant of grace was made and published-for them the Saviour is now interceding in heaven, and will ere long come and receive them to himself. No longer then write bitter things against yourself. Say with the Poet, "Why do we then indulge our fears, Sufpicions and complaints? Is he a God, and fall his grace If the threatenings do not belong to the people of God, against whom are they directed? Against infidels-against hypocrites-against workers of iniquity-against Pharifees againft the prayerlefs, the proud, and the unconcerned profeffor. And, unless grace prevent, they will foon be crushed under their mighty weight in hell. VOL. VI. 3 R W. M. ON ON THE EXEMPLARY BEHAVIOUR OF DEAR SIR, MINISTERS. LETTER III. W merly, and, through the Spirit of God, mortify the HILE you carefully avoid the vices mentioned for feveral inward lufts from which they proceed, you muft in the fame manner ftudy the excrcife of every faving grace, christian temper, and practice, towards God, your neighbour, and yourfelf; as taught by the grace of God to " deny ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent evil world." In the ftudy of holiness and devotion towards God, your faving graces and chriftian tempers muft, in a lively and vigorous manner, be exercifed in knowing, acknowledging, worshipping, and glorifying him as God, and your God in Chrift. They ought to be employed in like manner, in receiving, obferving, and keeping pure and entire all the inftituted ordinances of his worfhip;t in making an holy and reverend ufe of his names, titles, attributes, ordinances, word and works; and in im proving his appointed feafons of worship, especially his holy Sabbath, in the moft lively exercifes of it, whether fecret, private, or public, earneftly regarding his authority as the reason, and intending his glory as your chief end in all. § In regard to your own perfon, labour to have your heart habitually fpiritual, lively, burning with love and holy zeal, inflamed and conftrained by the redeeming love of Chrift fhed abroad in it, and by the powerful influences of his Spirit dwelling therein. Cherifh the deepeft humility, meeknefs and lowlinefs of fpirit. Study to poffefs a courageous difpofition of mind, and as much hardinefs of bodily conftitution as poffible.** Study an habitual and orderly activity of difpofition, tt in refifting Satan's temptations, mortifying your finful luftst‡ in regulating your affections as to the ob'jects on which they fhould be placed, the bounds within which they fhould be kept, and the due fubordination in which they fhould move.§§ A fluggish and lazy as well as * 1 Chron. xxviii. 9. Deut. xxvi. 17. Matth. iv. 10. + Deut. xxxii. 46. and xii. 32. P. xxix. 2. Rev. xv. 3, 4. Eccl. v. 1. Pf. cxxxviii. 1, 2. Job xxxvi. 24. § If. lviii. 13, 14. 1 Cor. x. 31. § If. vi. 6. Luke xii. 35. 2 Cor. v. 14. Rom. v. 5. and vii. 5. Luke xiv. 11. Matth. xviii. 4. Num. xii. 3. Pf. cxxxviii. 6. Pr«v. iii. 34. and xvi. 19. Matth. xi. 28. Acts xx. 19. 1 Pet. v. 5. Eph. iii. 8. ** 2 Tim. i. 7, 8. and ii. - 1. 3. A&ts xx. 24. 1 Tim. v. 23. tt 1 Cor. ix. 24-27. and xvi. 13. 11 Eph. vi. 12, 13. Gal. v. 17, 24. §§ Col. iii, 1, 5. 1 Tim. iii. 2. 3. and iv. 12. 1 Cor. vii. 29-31. Gal. vi. 14. a timorous |