eth. Christian foldiers should be of one heart, and of one mind. So Christ commands. "Behold how good and how pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity." Only let Chriftian foldiers be united in sentiment and love, and display the truth, in spirit and power, and they will be terrible to their enemies as an army with banners.

14. Soldiers ought not to turn their backs on their enemies, nor give them an inch of ground. But how awful to think of the Chriftian foldier's turning back in the day of battle! He who looks back is not fit for the kingdom of heaven. Chriftian foldiers should stand fast in the liberty wherewith Chrift hath made them free. God can make their faces like brazen walls to their spiritual enemies. It is true, foldiers should fice from evil, if by standing they can do no good, but only endanger their lives. And the Christian must not tamper with fin, but flee every appearance of evil. But he must not look back from following Chrift to the ways of iniquity. He that turns his feet from the ways of Christ is a backflider, and must be filled with his own ways. But if he turn again and humble his foul, Christ will heal his backslidings, receive him gracioufly and love him freely.

15. Soldiers who defert from a good caufe, and turn traitors, are always defpifed. And how lamentable the thought that there should ever be traitors among Chrift's professed friends! Such there were in the days of the apostles. And their names are recorded as so many beacons to warn others. Judas, Demas, Hymeneus, Alexander and Philetus, were some who turned away from true religion. What must we think of professed officers in Christ's army, who love the world, so as to quit his service? It is true, an open enemy is better than a fecret one; fo that men who leave Chrift's fervice for the world, would do no good, but hurt, to continue among his friends. One quits preaching morality, and goes to the bar; another turns bodily physician; another goes into trade; do such men show themselves good foldiers of Jesus Chrift ? If the love of the world leads to all this, how important that this fcripture be written upon every one's heart and hand; "love not the world, nor the things which are in the world; for if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

16. Soldiers ought ever to bear in mind, that they must con. quer or die. Especially Christian foldiers: for there is no com. ing to terms with the enemies of Christ. Every enemy to Chritt must be crucified or destroyed. Sin and Satan can never find quarter with Chrift. If Chrift's foldiers do not crucify the fleth, with the affections and lufts, they will crucify him afresh and put him to open shame. Sin must die, if grace lives; Satan must be conquered, if Christ reigns, and Christian foldiers must become dead to fin, or fin will bring them to eternal

eternal death. If they do not die unto fin, and live unto righteousness; and so trample Satan under their feet, they cannot triumphantly meet death, though he be destroyed by Chrift for all his humble followers. If the Christian be faithful unto death, he shall receive a crown of life.

17. Soldiers, after a longer or shorter warfare, having endured to the end, retire from the field of blood-the noife of warand the labour and fuffering which is the lot of good foldiers, to a state of peace and rest. So the Christian foldier, who fights the good fight of faith, and overcomes through the blood of the Lamb, shall have peace and rest which shall never end. In the world he must have tribulation; but in Christ peace. There is a rest that remains for the people of God. And as they go off the field of battle, they may fing, "O death, where is thy sting! O grave, where is thy victory! Thanks be unto God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Chrift. He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness."

18. Come, young people, if you have arrived at the age of 18, you are old enough to be foldiers. Jesus Christ, the glorious Captain of falvation, is ready to enlist volunteers into his holy company. An eternal weight of glory awaits all those, who become friends, endure hardness, and overcome by the blood of their immortal King. Come, children, if you have arrived to 8 years of age, you may be good foldiers of Jefus Christ. Yea, "out of the mouth of babes and fucklings, Chrift has ordained strength, because of his enemies." Come, dear youth, repent and believe in Jefus, and "out of weakness, you will be made strong, wax valiant in fight, and turn to flight the armies of the aliens;" and be made more than conquerors through him who loves you; and be received to heaven to fing the fong of Mofes and the Lamb forever.

July 4, 1805.

S.

N. B. The writer of the above is far from fuppofing that he has fully traced the fimilarity between a foldier among men, and a fpiritual foldier of Jesus Christ. But probably an abler pen of fome one, who has been a warrior on the field of battle, and experienced confused noise, and feen the garments rolled in blood, might enlarge upon the subject. However, if it be but a widow's mite, towards enlarging the treasury of useful knowledge, it is as much as the writer calculates upon. He wishes well to the cause of truth and righteousness, and would, if he could, in a plain manner help the lower class of readers, particularly youth, to understand and choose that good part, that shall never be taken from them.

1

POETRY.

To the Editors of the MASSACHUSETTS M. MAGAZINE.

GENTLEMEN,

IF the following lines, occafioned by some virulent attacks on the Sentiments herein contained, meet with your approbation, you will give them a place in your publication.

I

2

'T

IS true, contingency and fate*
Have been difputed by the great,

From age to age, from thore to shore;
The learned world are not agreed,
If this or that was fo decreed;

How strange it is they know no more!
For God hath faid, my firm decree

Was fixed from eternity;
My counsel shall forever stand;

Though hell should burst her chains, and rise,
And wicked men huge plots devise

To drive Religion from the land.

3 Thus faith the Lord, I form'd the light,

4

5

6

And all the darkness of the night;
My pow'r hath built the vaulted skies.
How bafe and vile must be the man,
Who disapproves his fovereign plan,
And all his glorious truth denies.

Thus faith the Lord, at my command
Are all the nations of the land,
As potters mould their lump of clay.
Then let bold finners fink their pride,
And lay their lofty thoughts afide,

And travel in his glorious way.

This is the God, who dwells on high,
Who hurls his light'ning through the sky,

Who deals falvation as he please;
And shall the filthy fons of clay
Pretend to thwart his fovereign way,
And to reverse his high decrees ?

This is the God, whose hand awaits
To fhut the doors, and bar the gates
Of endless wo on all, who dare

With Him to wage eternal war,
And trample on his facred law;
How must they fink in long despair !

By fate, is here meant the eternal purpose of God.

I

EXTRACTS FROM MR. ABBOT'S DIARY.

(Concluded from page 43.)

NO. VIII.

The good Impreffion of fome Remarkable Dreams.

HAD some little debate in my own mind, whether I should add these, or not. But when I confidered that even dreams are mentioned in Scripture, as one way in which God has fometimes sealed up instruction to men-That such persons as Mr. How, and Mr. Henry, have taken so much notice of fome of their remarkable dreams, as to fet them down in their diaries, and the writers of their lives did not think it improper to relate them-But especially confidering the notice our deceased friend takes of his was so wife, his reflections upon them fo good, and his improvement of them so holy, I could not perfuade myfelf to omit them; and believe the reader will not reckon them amongst those dreams in which are divers vanities.

March 12, 1729.] The last night in my visions on my bed, I thought the house in which we dwell was to be taken down, and we were to remove from hence. And what may be the meaning of it God knows! If it be a warning to me that any person in the family must die shortly; Oh! that they may be prepared therefor. And if it be to shew me, that the earthly house of my tabernacle must in a little time be dissolved, taken down, and laid in the dust; Oh! glorious God, be pleased, for Christ's fake, to quicken me much in preparing for death; that I may not die, till for me to die shall be unspeakable gain. No. 3. Vol. III.

L

Sept.

1.

:

Sept. 12.] The last night in a dream, I thought I went to fee a certain person, I was well acquainted with, and as I was at his house converfing with him, he looked upon and faid to me, Within twelve days time you must die, and be laid in the grave. Which dream when I awoke made some impression on my mind. And well may it fill me with feriousness and concern, if the day of my death be indeed so near, and I am in so short a time to be lodged in the eternal world. But Oh!-whither!-whither! am I going? - To eternal happiness, or eternal mifery? One of these must most certainly be my portion.

I know, and defire to be more and more fenfible of it, that I do most justly deserve to fuffer the strange punishment referved for the workers of iniquity: because of the fin of my nature, and all the fins of my life, which have been many as the fands, mighty as the mountains, and all of a scarlet and crimfon colour. And, Oh! How holy and righteous would God be, if he should make me a monument of his eternal wrath and vengeance!-But yet I am not left hopeless. No, no-Blessed be God, for that great and effectual door of hope opened for me, in our LORD JESUS CHRIST! Through whom God will accept of believing finners, that feek unto him for his love and favour. Therefore, O glorious God! I humbly say before thee, I believe; Lord, help thou mine unbelief! That thou canft, confiftent with the glory of all thy adorable perfections; yea, that thou wilt pardon and accept of me, an unworthy finner, through my dear and only Saviour. Lord, I believe; Help thou mine unbelief! That as vile and wretched as I am, I may with fafety appear before thee in the righteousness of my lovely Saviour, as that which is every way fufficient to answer for all my offences, and make me to stand guiltless, and justified in thy fight, and entitle me to eternal glory and blessedness.

And now, most holy Lord God, I humbly say in thy prefence, that as I hope I have already, so I defire now again, and Lord, I hope I do venture my foul, with all the concerns of it, upon CHRIST, as an all-fufficient Saviour; defiring humbly to rely on his power and promife, to do great and glorious things for me! And renouncing all righteousness and excellencies of my own, I defire to, yea, I hope I do trust in the glorious righteousness of my Almighty Redeemer, as that in which, and in which alone, I shall obtain mercy of the Lord. And if I may but have this righteousness imputed to me, and be found clothed therewith, I believe; Lord, help thou mine unbelief! That for the fake of it thou wilt pass by all my fins; that my unworthy services shall find acceptance with thee now; and that when I die, whether fooner or later, my departing spirit shall appear with joy before thy awful tribunal, and be fet faultless • before the prefence of thy glory with exceeding joy; while my body shall rest in the grave, united unto Chrift, until the refur