thanksgivings for it bestowed upon others.

"March 3, 1723. I was very much exercised about a certain temporal afflictions, that I resolved to seek earnestly to God for relief; but in the beginning of my prayer, I was so enlightened as to see the worth of spiritual blessings, and was earnestly carried out in my desires after them. I found myself wholly resigned as to my present troubles, or any outward circumstances.

"19. It pleased God by an awful stroke of his hand to remove by a sudden death, even by drowning, the Rev. Mr. Samuel Pierpont. He was a hopeful young man, one of the precious sons of Zion. This providence calls aloud to those of his age and order to keep eternity continually in view, and to regard this world as a transitory thing, where they have no abiding city. "Will the Lord grant, that while I live here my conversation may be in heaven, whence I look for the Savior, and where I hope to be received through God's grace, when I depart this life. May I, therefore, live like a citizen of the New Jerusalem, as an heir to eternal glory, as a child of the Most High. And can I without the most daring presumption hope for these things? I, who am a vile sinful creature, a rebel, more odious by reason of sin than the most loathsome of the inferior creatures? Yea, through the Lord Jesus Christ I may, I must, it is my duty as well as my honor, to hope for such things. Though these things are infinitely great, yet they are not too great for God's mercy and goodness to bestow. God has brought me

out of the miry clay, and out of the horrible pit; he has set my feet on a rock, and stablished my goings.

O how great is his goodness, and his mercies towards me are innumerable. Shall not He who has given his Son to die for us also with him freely give us all things?

"29. A sermon of Dr. Manton's upon these words of the 109th Psalm, Thou art my portion O Lord, was made very precious to me; and I was helped to more composedness in the duties of the day, than at some other times; and was made to lament my living so uselessly, and resolved for the future to endeavor to live more to God's glory; and the good of my fellow

creatures.

"May 8. Upon some discourse that arose at table, I was led into the consideration of the difficulty and hazard of some duties; and that perhaps they might cost me my life. I felt a secret joy at losing my life in the service of God. My heart leaped within me at the consideration of my being ever with the Lord, and with the spirits of just men made perfect.

"May 5. I am now come to the beginning of one of the days. of the Son of man. Will the Lord be pleased to make it a good day to my soul, to fit me for the duties and privileges of it, to remove bodily infirmities that might be a hindrance to me in the Divine service, and to furnish me with the gifts and graces of his Holy Spirit, and so influence me that glory may redound to his great name, and much good to my own soul.

"13. This evening I had considerable enlargement in secret prayer. Blessed be God, that

he has not left me without some token for good, and that when my soul cleaves to the dust he quickens me according to his word. O that the infinitely glorious God, who has thousands of angels to stand before him and ten thousand times ten thousand to minister unto him, should take any notice of a worm, a vile sinful unworthy creature, that has thousands of times offended him, and resisted and grieved his Spirit!

"July 20. I was moved to spread a certain weighty person al concern before the Lord, and to look to his power and goodness for help; but in time of duty, I found myself more especially carried out in earnest desires after God's presence and grace, the manifestations of his glory and the influences of his Spirit; also an earnest desire after holiness that would not be denied; a hunger and thirst after righteousness, which put me upon pleading with God for the blessing. After this I had more of God's presence than usual; so that for a considerable time my situation was rendered pleas

ant.

"Jan. 14, 1724. I set this day apart for fasting and prayer, as much as my health would permit. I have been enabled to lament before God my short-comings in duty toward Him and toward man. I have not walked before God with that awe of his majesty nor sense of his holiness, which my duty required. Nor have I attended upon his worship with that fear and reverence which became me; but with much coldness and formality, and many vain thoughts. I have not exercised faith upon

God's word, either promises or threatenings, as I ought to have done. With respect to men, I have fallen short of the great command. In all these things I have failed, and come short of the glory of God. My petition in general is, that God would take me near to himself, and grant me much of his presence; that he would enlarge my de. sires and assist my endeavors toward perfection; that he would be pleased to show me more of the beauty of holiness, and of the reasonableness and dignity of religion; that he would be pleased to show me my vileness by reason of sin, and help me sincerely to repent of it, and to look to the great propitiation for pardon.

"16. I solemnly, and I hope sincerely, gave myself up to God, and received comfort therefrom.

"July 3, 1724; Lord's Day. I was in a dead unaffected frame till the afternoon, when I heard a sermon from James i, 12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to The pas

them that love him.

sage was made comfortable and quickening to me; I also found after I came home a more than usual pleasure and satisfaction in private and secret duties.

"Aug. 22. This day died Mrs. Abbot, one of my acquaintance nearly of my age, a truly virtuous woman; a woman of a pleasant temper and exemplary conversation; one that lived much above the world. Will the Lord be pleased to sanctify this call of his providence to me, and awaken me thereby to a greater sense of spiritual things,

and greater diligence. That face which used to shine in God's house with spiritual joy is now covered with the dark shadow of death. That tongue, in which used to be the law of kindness, is now ready to be the prey of worms. May my meditations follow my departed friend to the other world, and see what her employments are there. May we not suppose that she, who spake so passionately of the joys of holiness and the excellence of Christ, is now the subject of joy and pleasures which will last forever. May this event teach me the great worth of souls, and the importance of my spiritual concerns. May I from this time forward make it more than ever my business to prepare for eternity, and learn the vanity of even the best earthly enjoyments.

"Sept. 21. I have been these three weeks under the afflicting hand of God by reason of sickness; and have thereby been kept from public ordinances; and a considerable part of the time have not been able to attend upon private and secret duties, being much deprived of the use of my reason by a strong fever. I was then made sensible of the worth of my common mercies, and my entire dependence upon God for every thing. I then found the great need of his presence, and resolved by his grace, if I recovered, to make it my business to get near to Him, that my life might be a continual preparedness for death; that my conversation might be in heaven, while I remain on earth; that so, whenever it should please God to take me hence I might be received to those man

sions prepared for them who love Him.

"30. It has pleased God to take away by a sudden death, the Hon. Gurdon Saltonstall, Esq. our late Governor, a gentleman of singular accomplishments, and who might have continued many years to be the crown and honor of this people, had God spared him to the ordinary life of man.

"Jan 31, 1725. It hath pleased God often to assist me in prayer, especially of late, and to grant me many answers, which have strengthened my faith, and encouraged me to continue therein. I have been in a particular manner encouraged this day to commit an important concern into the hands of God, with a stronger faith that he would undertake for me than ever I had before."

(To be continued.)

For the Panoplist.

ON SINGING PRAISES TO GOD.

No employment is more becoming a rational and intelligent being, than the expression of praise and gratitude to the everblessed Author of all good; nor is any method of expressing such praise and gratitude so admirably adapted to its end, as that of singing. We are informed in the Scriptures, that a great part of the employment of angels and glorified spirits in heaven consists in singing praise to God; and all the celestial hosts are represented as uniting in songs of inconceivable sublimity, and calculated to fill ev ery holy heart with ecstasy. Praise is to be among the pleasures which are to be found at

God's right hand, and which are to exist for ever. Praise is, also, one of the appointed means of improvement in holiness, of Christian edification, of encouragement and triumph, while we remain on earth.

The attention of readers is requested to the few following observations, addressed, in the first place, to those who hope they are the children of God, and, secondly, to others who do not dare to profess, that they have experienced that great change, which is necessary to fit them for heaven..

First; Let all who have scriptural grounds for believing themselves created anew, and made heirs of eternal glory, examine into the state of their affections, while singing praises to God in his sanctuary, in the social circle, and in the family. Do their hearts rise in unison with the lofty and touching strains which flow from their lips? While lamenting their sins, confessing their weakness, and intreating the Divine aid, in the words of the holy Psalmist, do they feel what their declarations import? They utter sentiments which would fill a seraph's breast with rapture; are their own hearts cold and unaffected? While exalting the Author and Finisher of their faith, do they feel the infinite obligations under which they are laid to serve, obey and glorify him? Alas, how often have they occasion to reproach themselves with the languor of their feelings, the stupidity and coldness of their hearts, the vacuity of their minds, all so unsuitable to their professions and employment, that it would seem incredible that ra

tional beings should act so inconsistent a part, were there not thousands of witnesses to the fact. O that Christians would awake to the noble and elevated thoughts which their songs contain; that, when they praise God for his promises, they would feel how strong the duty is upon them to co-operate in accom> plishing his merciful purposes to mankind. to mankind. How incongruous, how wretchedly absurd, does it appear, to praise God for the inestimable blessings of redemption, in a cold, lifeless, heartless manner? Worse than absurd, how sinful, how inexcusable, is such a state of feeling! When will the children of light put on the garments of joy and praise?

It

Secondly; Let those who entertain no hope that they are born again, and that they are prepared for the enjoyments of heaven, consider well what they are doing, when professedly singing the praises of God. is not an indifferent ceremony which they are performing, but an act which must be accounted an expression of sincere worship, or a most provoking disre, gard of the Divine Majesty, and a hypocritical pretence of serv ing him, while he is thus disregarded. While the lips are melodiously uttering such words as these;

"With humble love address his
throne:

For if he frown ye die:
Those are secure, and those alone,
Who on his grace rely;"

are the persons who utter them the subjects of that 'humble love' to God which they are extolling? Do they fear that 'frown,' which they are depreca

ting? Do they consider the import of that death, which is threatened? Do they set a proper value upon that security, which they admit to be derived only from Christ? Do they 'rely on that grace,' which is indispensable to their salvation? Are not too many of them proud, fearless of God, insensible of their exposedness to eternal death, trifling away the means of grace and the day of salvation, possessing no love for Christ, nor even a desire of his favor? Again; how many sing the following words without respondent emotions?

any cor

world? Does he aspire after the beatific vision? Does he earnestly long for high attainments in righteousness, and to stand at last 'complete in the righteousness of Christ?' If none of these questions can be answered in the affirmative, is he not condemned out of his own mouth, when he sings,

"But God abhors the sacrifice,

Where not the heart is found?"

After the sentence of final condemnation shall have been

passed, what multitudes will lament, in the world of misery, the thoughtles, unmeaning, hypocritical manner, in which they professed to praise God. Each one may well exclaim, "Had I in a single instance, exercised that faith, hope, and love, which be engaged in the employments my words implied, I should now of that heaven, which I presumptuously dared to anticipate while on earth. dially uttered a single Hallelujah, celestial songs would now be my endless theme."

For the Panoplist. ON THE CAUSES OF INTEMPER

ANCE.

No. IV.

ALL the sickness, and waste, and poverty, and woe, that ardent spirits produce, may be traced to one general cause; viz. the deep and desperate depravity of the human heart. If the heart

Had I cor

A. B.

were right, every thing else would be right. If men were holy, as Adam was in his primitive state, they would abhor every species, and every degree, of excess. Every good and perfect gift would be thankfully received, and temperately enjoyed. Not a fever would be kindled by strong drink. Not a pang would be excited, not a mind would be clouded, enervated, or distracted by its abuse. Not a husband,