all his immortal expectations, because of fome chronologi cal, or genealogical, or geographical difficulties in the records of his falvation, which he cannot reconcile to the full fatisfaction of his mind? I had almost faid, if the Bible were as full of blunders, contradictions, and abfurdities, as the Koran of MAHOMET, yet might JESUS be a prophet fent from God. The reality of his miffion does by no means depend upon the validity of the Scriptures*, though the Scriptures are as genuine and authentic as if all depended upon them. Be wife, therefore, MY COUNTRYMEN, to know the time of your vifitation. Make the most of your little span of life. Seek Truth with modefty and humility, with pa* tience and perfeverance, and follow wherefoever it leads. the way. Take the fafe fide. Believe in CHRIST, if you' can. Believe as far as you can. Examine every principle step by step. And fhould the evidence for Infidelity fall ever fo little fhort of demonstration, if you act a reasonable part, you will believe in JESUS, because infinite danger preffes on that fide, and no danger whatever on the fide of faith and obedience. Submit, then, to his eafy and delightful yoke. His ways (make but fair trial of them) you will always find to be ways of pleasantness, and all bis paths to be paths of peacet. In our opinion, and in the opinion of all wife and good men of every age and nation: If we have any doubts concerning the truth of the Gospel of CHRIST, it would be but fair to examine carefully all the other religions that now are, or that ever were, in the world, and compare them impartiallynot with Christianity as established in the feveral countries of Europebut-with the pure, unmixed Goffel, as taught by our SAVIOUR, and left on record in the New Teftament, and then give the preference to that which is moft excellent. If the reader is difpofed to make this furvey, he will find fome afliftance in J. STEPHENS, Efqr's. book on the Princi ples of the Chriftian Religion compared with thole of all the other Religions and Syftems of Philofophy, which have hitherto appeared in the world. To the books in favour of Chriftianicy mentioned on a former page, may be added Dr. JOHN ROGERS's eight Sermons on the Necefity of Divine Revelation; Dr. CONY BEARE'S Defence of Revealed Religion; GASTREL'S Certainty and Neceffity of Religion in general, and his Certainty of the Chriftian Revelation. + For a view of the pleasures and cheerfulness of the religion of JESUS, fee Bishop PORTEUs's Sermons, vol. 2. p. 1. 'Tis "'Tis Religion that must give "After death its joys fhall be If * Though Infidelity is making its way rapidly among the nations, and among all orders of men, yet is the cause of the Gospel by no means defperate. The Europeans in the East Indies are faid to be almost univerfally Infidels. The ftate of France is too well known. The fame fpirit is running through America. THOMAS PAINE has fent over among them, it is faid, 14,000 copies of his deiftical publications, But though every poffible effort is making to establish the reign of Infidelity, there are equal efforts at least, I think, making by good men of all denominations, for the propagation of evangelical truth. The conflict is feveré. But it is eafy to fee how the contest will terminate. Let every man that is on the LORD's fide come forward, and avow himself a friend of the defpifed Nazarene, in oppofition to all the powers of earth and hell. Curfe ye Meroz, faid the Angel of the LORD, curfe ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty. When one confiders the prefent fituation of the great bulk of mankind, whose heart does not burn within him to contribute fomething towards evangelizing the nations? The inhabitants of the world are faid to amount at this time to about 731 millions; of whom 420 millions are Pagans; 130 millions Mahometans; 100 millions Catholics; 44 millions Proteftants; 30 millions of the Greek and Armenian churches; and 7 millions Jews. The Rev. Mr. CAREY, late of Leicester, and now a Miffionary among the Hindoos, fays, Europe contains 166,932,000 Total 170,000,000 If, however, after your moft ferious and confcientious endeavours, you are not able to find fatisfactory evidence, 'that Is not this view of things a loud call to the friends of the Gospel to ufe every poffible means to promote the fpread of it among the nations? If any man love not the LORD JESUS CHRIST, let him be accurfed, is the language of infpiration. Are we in no danger then from that fpirit of flumber which overfpreads our minds? Ought not every man, who has any concern for his own future happiness, to lend an helping hand to promote the falvation of the many millions of fouls, who now fit in darkness, and in the region and fhadow of death! The Moravians, above all other people upon earth, have herein the greateft merit. That fmall, and, in fome refpects, obfcure Sect, have done more to spread the honour of the REDEEMER'S name among barbarous nations, than all the Proteftants in Christendem. Thefe worthy people begun their miffions in the year 1732, and have now, in different parts of the world, and thote feveral of them the most unpropitious, no less than 26 Settlements. In thefe Settlements near 140 Millionaries are employed in fuperintending about 23,000 converts from the Heathens! A Swedish million was undertaken to the Sufqueanah river in America, in the year 1607, by three perfons, but with little fuccefs. The King of Denmark fent out two perfons in the year 1705 to Tranquetar on the coat of Coromandel, which miffion has been continued to the prefent time with confiderable advantage to the caufe of CHRIST in that part of the world. The Society for propagating the Gospel in foreign parts, and that for promoting Chriftian Knowledge in the Highlands and lands of Scotland, were both begun about the year 1701, and have both been extremely ufeful in fpreading the knowledge of the REDEEMER's name. America is particularly indebted to thefe two Societies. The Society for promoting Chriftian Knowledge was begun in the year 1698, and has been carried forward with confidcrabie fpirit for near one whole century. At present they have fix Millionaries in the Eaft Indies, and one in the islands of Scilly. From thefe Miffionaries fome very pleafing accounts have been published in the feveral annual reports. The efforts of this honourable Society have been very confiderable also in the diliibution of Bibles and other religious books of various defcriptions. The Bibles fent out the last three years averaged 5,228 each year, the New Testaments and Pjaiters 9,333, Common Prapers 9,738, other bound books 13,562, and (mall Tracts 69,754. A charity of a moft extenfive, valuable, and important nature! But, a principal object with this Society, is the education of poor children. And in this as well as in the diftribution of books, they excel any thing that ever was in the world. Let their annual meeting at St. PAUL's bear witness. See the Reports for an account of their extraordinary exertions in the propagation of religious knowledge. The Baptifts in this country have lately fent out two perfons to the Eaft Indies, but the fruit of their labours does not yet appear to be confiderable. The miffion is in its infancy. We are informed by them, that that CHRIST came from GOD; you must allow at least, with ROUSSEAU, he was an extraordinary man; one of the that the Europeans in that country are very generally in a flate of Infidelity This confirms what has been faid by the natives in broken English,: 56 Christian religion-Devil religion! Chriftien much drunk-Chriftian "much do wrong, much beat, much abule others."-The natives are apt t tay in making their bargains- What, doft thou think me a Chriftian, that I would go about to deceive thee? "It is a fad fight. tays one of the first vidio aries, "to behold a drunken Chriftian, and a fober Indian; a temperate Indian, and a Chriftian given up to his appetite; an Indian that is juft and iquare in his dealing, a Chriftian not fo. O what a fad thing it is for Chriftians, to come fiert of Indians, even in moralities! to come fhort of thofe, "who themselves eive, to come fhort of heaven!" 66 66 Confiderable effects alfo may be expected to arife from the two Settlements on the coaits of Africa and New Holland. The expectation will appear rational, it we compare America two or three centuries ago, with what i is at the pr. fent period. The Methodist connection, under the direction of the Rev. Dr. COKE, has been cofiderably fuccefsful in winning fouls to CHRIST in the Weft Indies. In the year 1794, they had upwards of a dozen Preachers employed in the different iflands, and near 8,000 Blacks in fociety, bend so hers of different defcriptions *. The Myfionary Society in London have taken up the deplorable fituation of the Harben nations with great fpirit; and prefent profpects are very promifing. How far it may pleafe the great HEAD of the church to fucceed their endeavours it. behalf of the Heathen, remains yet to be proved t. But be this as it may, the perfons concerned fhall not lofe their reward. The attempt is honourable. Every believer in CHRIST JESUS fhould throw his mite into one or other of these treasuries of heaven. More noble til, however, is he, who, laying afide all party prejudices, and narrow plans of human policy, contributes, according to his ability, to every fcheme fet on foot for the falvation of his fellowcreatures, and the advancement of the REDEEMER's kingdom. I cannat conceive how any man, who profeffes to believe in the name of CHRIST, can be at ret in his fpirit, without making fome effort to advance the honour of his name. It is a black mark upon him. Woe unto them that are at eaje in Zion-that put far away the evil day-that lie upon beds of ivory, that stretch themselves upon their couches, that eat the lambs out *See the prefent ftate of this miffion on a former page. + It is a matter of great thankfulness, that after a voyage of more than 50,000 miles, accomplished in 21 months, Captain WILSON is returned without the leaft material lofs or injury to the thip DUFF, in which he took out to the South Sea Islands about 30 Miffionaries. When they arrived at Otabeite, they were received by the auves With reverence and delight. They had not one fick perfon on board; and now that they are returned, the crew of the thip is in better health than when they firit embarked from England. All this hath Gon wrought, in antwer to prayer! the first characters that ever appeared upon earth*. See then that you blafpheme not his name; treat his cause and intereft in the world with refpect; walk according to the best light you have; be virtuous in your own way, and do all you can-not to make converts to Infidelity— (because when men commence Infidels, they ufually become immoral) but to lead your fellow-men into the paths of piety and virtue, under fome denomination or other. If, indeed, you can fairly, by found argument, and folid evidence, explode the divine authority of the Gospel, we are fo far from being afraid of confequences, that we call upon you to do itt. Try then what you can do. Exert all your of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the fall-that chant to the jound of the viol--that drink wine in bowls-but they are not grieved for the affiction of JOSEPH. Thanks be to GoD, that though a fpirit of Infidelity is rapidly fpreading itself through the old rotten churches of Europe, yet there is a fire kindled in the hearts of thousands that shall never be extinguished, till all the ends of the earth have feen the falvation of our GoD. A mifionary spirit is beginning to fhew itself, all through England, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, and America, which shall finally diffuse itself through every nation under heaven. Why do not our Unbelieving countrymen form focieties, and send out miffionaries to convert the nations to pure Deifm? If they are in earneft, and if they confider their principles as the only true and important ones, they certainly ought fo to do, or elfe they fall under divine condemnation. Moft of the French philofophers, thofe dabblers in fcience, allow that JESUS CHRIST was one of the greatest geniuses, and moft extraordinary man that ever appeared upon earth. Others deny his very exiftence! of + Atheists and Unbelievers have more or less abounded in every age the world. In NOAH's time, the whole human race was gone aftray. In the days of DAVID, the fool faid in his heart, There is no GOD. Scoffers too appeared in the age of the Apoftles, walking after their own lufts, and faying, Where is the promise of his coming? I remember fomewhere reading too a ftory of a man in the latt century, who was as great an enthufiaft against the Bible as THOMAS PAINE himself. This clever fellow, either to display his wit, or his fanaticism, proceeded in the following truly curious manner: In the year 1649, as a Mr. FAWCETT was preaching in his church at Walton upon Thames, towards the clofe of the afternoon, fix foldiers entered the church, One of them had a lantern in one hand, with a -candle burning in it: In the other hand were four candles not lighted. When Mr. FAWCETT had gone through the fervice of the day, and difmiffed |