Reader, is this your experience? Perhaps not. O then look well to your ownfelf, left after all your knowledge and profeffion of religion you have never yet been made a new creature in Christ Jesus! But is it in any meafure your experience? Be thankful for what you have received, but be humbled for your defects: watch and pray without ceafing: thus let us all be found; let us learn our own fpirits, and be very importunate for faving, fanctifying influence. Our imperfections ought likewife to teach us the worth of our benevolent Saviour. Thrice happy for us that "in "him all fulness dwells"-that he is our 66 Advocate with "the Father;" and "ever liveth to make interceffion." Bleffed are they who have an interest in this Saviour! Let us highly prize him: let us have much to do with him: let us contemplate his character, till we are transformed into the fame image; and plead earnestly for his grace, till we have imbibed the fame Spirit!-and ever afcribe all glory to electing love! ERIPHOS. MISSIONARY FORTITUDE. To the Editor. SIR, If you think the following inftance of the contempt of danger in a Roman Catholic Miffionary, will contribute in the leaf to roufe the zeal of our Proteftant Miffionaries of different fects, you will oblige me by inferting it.* J. G. IN August, 1709, the Abbot Sidoti fet out from Manilla, with D. Michael de Eloriago, an experienced Captain, who had offered to carry him over to Japan, and arrived in fight of it the 9th of October; they flood in as clofe as they could to the land. Spying a fifher-boat, it was thought fit to fend fome men in the pinnace for information. They * It is taken from a work published in Paris, in 1713, and the following year translated into English, and re-printed in London, made ufe, for that purpose, of a heathen Japanese, who was with the abbot Sidoti, and had promised to go into Japan with the Miffionary, and to keep him concealed, if there were occafion. The Japanese being come up to the fishermen's bark, talked to them for fome time, but was so daunted at their answer, that he would never fuffer the Spaniards to come any nearer to the fishermen, though thefe laft expreffed by many figns that there was nothing to fear. When the Japanese came on board again, Mr. Sidoti examined him in the prefence of the Spanish officers. All his answer was, that they could not go into Japan without expofing themfelves to imminent danger of being difcovered; that, as foon as ever they had fet their foot afhore, they would be feized and carried before the Emperor, and that he being a cruel and bloody man, would immediately put them to death with dreadful tortures. The concern that appeared in his countenance, and fome words that he let fall gave occafion to fufpect that he had revealed the Abbot Sidoti's defign to the fishermen. Thereupon the Abbot withdrew to beg of God to infpire him what courfe to take. About five o'clock in the evening, he returned to the Captain, to acquaint him with his final refolution. The happy moment is come, Sir, faid he to him, I have so many years wished for; we are now at the entrance into Japan; it is time to prepare all things to set me ashore in the country I have so much longed after; you have been so generous as to bring me across a sea that is unknown to you, and made famous by so many shipwrecks; be pleased to finish the work you have begun; leave me alone amidst a people, that is in truth an enemy to Christianity, but whom I hope to bring under the yoke of the gospel. I do not rely on my own strength, but on the all-powerful grace of Jesus Christ, &c. Notwithstanding Captain Eloriago was well inclined to comply with the Abbot Sidoti's defires, he did not forbear reprefenting to him that he thought it more proper to put off the landing for fome days; that it was likely the fishermen were acquainted with his defigns, having difcourfed with the heathen Japanefe; that they could not fail to watch and feize him, as foon as ever he lauded; and in conclufion, that they ran no hazard in fecking out fome other place where they might land with more fafety. All these reasons made not the leafl impreffion on the Abbot Sidoti. He anfwered the Captain, that fince the wind was fair they ought to take the advantage of it; that the more they delayed, the more he fhould be expofed to discovery; that his refolution was fixed, and therefore he conjured him not to ob ftruct the work of God. The Captain yielded to the preffing inftance of the Miffionary, and ordered all things for fetting him afhore in the dark night. In the mean time the Abbot wrote feveral letters, prayed with the fhip's crew, as is ufual aboard Spanish veffels, and then made an exhortation, &c. It was about midnight when he went into the boat with the Captain and several other Spaniards, who would needs bear him company; he prayed all the way, and at last got afhore, with much trouble, because the fhore in that part was very fteep. The Spaniards went a little way with him; the Captain with much difficulty perfuaded him to accept of a few pieces of gold, to make ufe of upon occafion.This done, they left him, returned to their ship, and fo to Manilla. A THE SWEARER REPROVED. FEW days ago two Gentlemen having called at a Coffee-houfe in the city and drank a bottle together; when about to part, both infifted on paying. One put a feven-fhilling-peace on the table, and fwore dreadfully that his friend fhould be at no expence the other jocularly faid "That feven-fhilling-piece is a bad one," on which he fwore ftill fafter. The mafter of the house hearing what paffed, came forward and faid, if they would allow him to examine the money, he would tell them whether or not it was good. Returning foon after, he, in the moft polite manner, laid the piece before them on a card printed as follows: A FRIENDLY HINT. It chills my blood to hear the bleft Supreme, Reflect! your Maker now could ftop your breath. The gentlemen read it, and he who had fworn owned he was juftly and properly reproved, and would, in future, be more guarded in his expreflions." ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE DEAF TO AT TEND THE HOUSE OF GOD. The following instance evinces the poffibility that thofe may recover their hearing who have long mourned in fecret, because the voice of falvation has fallen on their ears, confufed and instinct. J OHN HARMOOD was born January 10th, 1709-10; his life paffed on to the verge of manhood, in the towns of Lymington and Portfea, in the county of Southampton. More than forty years he was employed as a labourer in his Majefty's yard at Portfea, and was known by the name of Honest John, which, while it sheds a fragrance on his memory, prevented his elevation; his folicitous friends fought his promotion, but it was anfwered "a better man could not be put in his place." Before the military guarded the yard, he usually spent his watch-nights in meditation, prayer, and praife; but his chief delight, was his early walk on the fabbath morning, to hail the fun emerging from the ocean. The fublimity of the profpect, united with the general tranquility of his mind, produced a ferene folemnity, in which temper he heard from the lips of his reverend paftor Mr. Newman, the words of eternal life. Work on the Lord's-day was not then fo frequent in the King's yard: when preffed to it he often refused, and if it appeared to him a work of neceffity, the neceffitous reaped the fruit of his labours; with the refidue he bought books of devotion. On the first fabbath of a probational fermon by Mr.at Fareham, in his 82d year, after an increafing deafness of fixteen-years, (eight of which were exceedingly painful) on that day he prefented himself to God with his hearing perfectly recovered. The good old man tottered most chearfully to the house of God, and was feen-not as was his ufual cuftom, literally on tip-toe, with fixed eyes, and with a countenance which alternately indicated forrow or joy, as he heard or did not hear-but with fhowers of tears, teflifying his gratitude, and his poffeffion of joys unfpeakable and full of glory. The days were paft, in which he tried every fituation and attitude to hear; and his friend was no longer wanted to fhew him the appointed hymns and portions of facred ferip ture. At the clofe of public worship, he expreffed, in broken accents his gratitude and joy, calling on all to unite with him in praife, adding, "Now, God has totally removed my fears-I fhall die in a little time-a little while enjoy my Redeemer's pledge of love, and then clofe my days. His hearing and affurance of the favour of God in Chrift remained till his death." After enjoying thefe bleffings fixteen months, he awoke early on the morning of his 84th birth-day, and finding himfelf extremely thirty, called his niece; the went to fetch him fome refreshment, and on her return, found him in the fame pofture-but his fpirit was with God. Reader art thou deaf? for the fake of example attend the houfe of God; thy recovery is not impoffible-he was an old man when his hearing was restored. ON FAMILY WORSHIP. HAVE frequently been led to meditate upon that'exalted I character given to Abraham by God hitelfare 66 know him that he will command his children and his "houfehold after him-and they fhall keep the way of the Lord, to do juftice and judgment." In Abraham's prac tice we see our example and duty, and if our hearts are right with God, and are under the influence of his holy Spirit, as mafters of families we fhall be anxious to follow the example, and fulfil the precept: we fhall erect an altar to our God for family worship; thither we thall take our children and fervants; and while we are fhowing them the way to a throne of grace, we fhall wrestle hard with the Father of all our mercies for the welfare of their precious and immortal fouls. If one from any of the furrounding nations, which were living in the groffeft ignorance, and perifhing for lack of knowledge, had come to refide in Abraham's family, he muft very foon have perceived the difference; he could not have remained in his house one day, before he heard of the God of Heaven, before he faw him worshipped, and was VOL. II. 3 I |