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ence, that the features of despair and horror are not to be seen as in the other cafe. As to their views of themselves, they gener

dire forebodings of the dreadful | had done tho with this differ doom they then believed awaiting them, as to overcome nature, caft them down to the ground; and from every thing that can be seen, nearly to arreft and stop the func-ally cry out aloud against the obtions of life. In many, however, duracy, wickednefs and unbelief who can neither fpeak nor act, the of their hearts, and appear deeparterial power does not feem to ly to mourn that now when they be much altered; tho in others, would attempt to do good, evil is I have obferved an intermiflion of fo abundantly and prevalently pulfe for a confiderable time. present. That the law of God The length of time, as well as is holy, juft and good, they heartdegree of agitation has been dif-ily acknowledge, but how to per ferent in different perfons, under this exercife. The continuance of mental darkness alfo has been fo. Some who have been very remarkably awakened have hopefully arifen from that doleful ftáte, have been hopefully taken from nature's horrible pit and miry clay, their feet fet upon the rock of ages, and a new fong put into their mouths, even high praifes to Chrift, their deliverer. Others have continued for days, weeks, and fome for months, though not under those great horrors, yet without comfort. Others again have been able to fhake off very confiderable awakenings, and grow perhaps more hardened than ever; but of this clafs, I know but few confidering the numbers that have been fubjects of the work. With regard to the joys of these subjects, they seem to bear a proportion to the diftreffes they have been in. In fome thefe joys are fo great as to overcome them, as their diftreffes previously

form that which is right they find not. The manner in which many of them appear to eftimate Christ and his merits is very lively and affecting, and I think muft be confiderably emblematical of the exercises of that better world where adoring myriads, with one heart and voice, and every power, cry out, faying to the Lamb, "Thou only art worthy," &c. The work ftill goes on, tho the meetings are not fo large as at first.

You inquire laftly, what claffes are taken? All claffes; the learn ed and ignorant, and numbers of the most violent oppofers of the different claffes, and in the very acts of daring hoftility againft heaven, and oppofition to the work. It is no fmall comfort, fir, to hear from you that many prayers are daily afcending among you to the heavens on our behalf. May they enter into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth with acceptance both for you and us !"

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FOR THE CONNECTICUT EVAN- | flesh, and the devil; and to all

GELICAL MAGAZINE.

A serious addrefs to profeffing Chrif. tians, on the duty and vaft importance of acting with feady and perfevering vigilance, wifdom and fortitude in the Spiritual warfare.

In 1. Corinthians xvi. 13. these general orders are recorded, viz. "Watch ye, ftand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be frong."

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HESE words of the apostle Paul, found like the orders of a military officer to the foldiers under his command, exhorting and charging them to be continually on their guard-to attend to their duty with care and diligence-to ftand their ground and maintain their poft, with undaunted courage, and in every encounter to act the part of men of found judgment and unconquerable fortitude and probably the apostle alluded to this. For all profeffing Chriftians are vifibly enlifted as foldiers under Chrift, the captain of falvation, to fight, under him, against the world, the

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VOL. III. No. 4.

who go through the warfare fuccefsfully and come off victorious, a glorious crown is promifed. der the Chief Captain or General, And Paul, as a principal officer unpublifhed his general orders to the inferior officers and foldiery, To

watch-to ftand faft in the faith -to quit themselves like mento be strong.

To watch is to keep awaketo be continually upon our guard An -to keep a good look out. injunction to watch implies, that there are enemies or evils, of which it concerns us to beware, and against which we ought to be on our guard; or important duties to be performed, for the proper discharge of which, it is ne ceffary to be in a wakeful, watchful temper and frame. Of this important duty of watching, fome illuftration may be exhibited under the following particulars.

1. As foldiers in a garrifon, or in the field, are to watch, in order to discover and obferve the motions and defigns of the enemy, and to guard against being surprifed or any way injured by them; fo Chriftians fhould watch cone

tinually to obferve and guard against their Spiritual enemies-the enemies of their fouls, and of the cause and interest in which they are engaged. With unremitting diligence should they obferve the motions of fin, and watch against that fecret, fubtil and deadly enemy, and against all temptations to it, and carefully guard all the avenues, by which it might gain accefs, or obtain any advantage over them. "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptątion."

The wiles and fubtil devices of that great adversary the devil, are also to be watched and guarded againft, with the utmost vigilance. This is evident from numerous paffages of fcripture, and, among others, from Paul's addrefs to the Ephefians in these words, "Finally, my brethren, be ftrong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to ftand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against fpiritual wickedness in high places."

Chriftians are alfo to watch against the defigns and practices of thofe among men, who are unfriendly and inimical to Chrift and his cause, in whatever shape they appear-whether, of avowed oppofers, attempting their fubverfion by holding forth terrors on the one hand, or flattering allurements on the other; or, of friends, fecretly undermining the truth, and laboring to draw them off from the true to a falfe or perverted gofpel. The open enemies and avowed oppofers of the gofpel are to be guarded againft.

Beware of men," faid Chrift to

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his difciples; for they will de liver you up to the councils," &c. Nor is it of lefs importance to watch and guard against false teachers and feducers, and all who, under a fhow of religion and of a regard to truth, and to our best good, attempt to explain away the plain and obvious meaning of fome of the most important declarations of the word of God-to establish principles plainly repugnant to them, and to perfuade us to look for falvation on principles different from thofe, on which the fcriptures teach us to feek it, or warrant us to look for it. Chrift faid, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in fheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."—"Take heed that no man deceive you: for many

fhall come in my name, faying, I am Chrift; and fhall deceive many." Paul informed the Coloffians, that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in Chrift, left any man fhould beguile them with enticing words; and said to them, "Beware left any man fpoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Chrift."The fame apostle expreffed his furprise, that the Galatians were fo foon removed from him that called them into the grace of Chrift unto another gospel "which," faid he, "is not another; but there be fome that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Chrift.” And how folemnly did he warn them to guard againft and reject every falfe or perverted gofpel, in his immediately following words? "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gofpel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let

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him be accurfed. As we faid before, fo fay I now again, If any one preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accurfed."

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fhould heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and fhould turn away their ears from the truth, and be turned unto fables -and that evil men and feducers fhould wax worfe and worfe, deceiving and being deceived-thefe and fuch-like accounts and predictions, together with the rules and directions given, to affift us in diftinguishing the true from the falfe, and the exhortations to ftand faft in the faith, and to contend earneftly for the faith once delivered to the faints, clearly fbow that falfe teachers and feducers, with their corrupt doctrines and Pernicious ways, conftitute a formidable corps among the enemies of our fouls, and of the cause of Chrift, and loudly admonifh us to watch their motions and de

with the utmost care and attention.

The apostle John likewise cautioned and warned his Chriftian brethren, to watch and guard a gainst falfe teachers, and their corrupt doctrines. ،، Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the fpirits whether they are of God; because falfe many phets are gone out into the world." In fhort, the accounts given us by the infpired writers of the New Teftament, of falfe apoftles, deceitful workers, transforming | themselves into the apoftles of Chrift-of minifters of Satan transformed as the minifters of righteousness of unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, who fuh-figns, and guard againt them vert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's fake of men having a form of godlinefs, but denying the power thereof, who creep into houfes, and lead captive filly women, laden with fins-that fome fhould apoftatize from the faith, giving heed to feducing fpirits, and doctrines of devils, fpeaking lies in hypocrify, &c.-that, as there were falfe prophets among the visible people of God, under the former difpenfations; fo there fhould be falfe teachers among profeffing Chriftians, who privily fhould bring in damnable herefies, even denying the Lord that bo't them, and that many fhould follow their pernicious ways, by reafon of whom the way of truth fhould be evil spoken of; and that through covetoufnefs with feigned words they should make merchandise of their hearersthat the time fhould come, when they would not endure found doctrine, but after their own lufts,

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2. Chriftians, like foldiers, are to watch, in order to discover and improve every opportunity for annoying their enemies, attacking them fuccefsfully, and obtaining advantages over them. Though one object of their vigilance is to guard against being surprifed or any way injured by their enemies; yet they are not to conduct like foldiers, who act merely on the defenfive; but like thofe, who readily discover and improve all opportunities to advance upon, attack and fubdue them. They are to mortify the deeds of the body through the fpirit to mortify their members which are upon earth, all the members of the body of fin-yea, to crucify the flesh with the affections and lufts.

3. As foldiers are to watch, to keep their own men orderly and within the limits prefcribed them, and to guard against any mischief which might arise from the timi

The next injunction is, "tand faft in the faith." Standing faft in the faith implies a perfevering,

dity, negligence, mifconduct, or treachery of any among themfelves fo Chriftians fhould watch over one another for fimilar pur-ftedfaft or firm belief of the great pofes. doctrines of the gofpel, taught by Chrift and his infpired apoftles, in oppofition to wavering in our minds about them, or being unfteady and unestablished in the

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This is evident from the general rule to direct their proceedings towards an offending brother, recorded in the 18th of Matthew. The fame is evident from nume-belief of them. It implies rerous exhortations and directions ceiving, retaining and holding addreffed by the apoftles to their them in their original genuine fellow Chriftians, and these in par- meaning, in oppofition to false ticular, viz. "Brethren, if a man conftructions, perverfions, or cor be overtaken in a fault, ye who ruptions of the gofpel or word of are fpiritual restore fuch an one God. in the spirit of meeknefs.""Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, fupport the weak."-" Exhort one another daily, whilft it is called today; left any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of fin." "Let us confider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.""Looking diligently, left any man fail of the grace of God; left any root of bitterness fpringing up, trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; left there be any fornicator, or profane perfon, as Efau."- "Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know, that he who converteth the finner from the error of his way, fhall fave a foul from death, and fhall hide a multitude of fins." Let it be added, as a matter of Chrift. This alfo may have been, peculiar importance,

4. We fhould watch our own hearts and ways, to guard againft and avoid the neglects of duty, and the falfe fteps, to which we are all liable, and to be at all times in the diligent and faithful practice of all prefent duty; and fo, continually prepared and ready for the coming of our Lord.

Men may be tenacious of the fcriptures, and place great confi dence in them as they understand them, and yet difbelieve and reject the truth which they contain. This was the cafe with the Jews, when Chrift was on earth. he said to them, "There is one that accufeth you, even Mofes, in whom ye truft. For had ye believed Mofes, ye would have be lieved me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how fhall ye believe my words?" So likewife, many profeffed believers and preachers of the gofpel may understand and explain it, fo differently from and fo contrary to its true import, as to fet afide the real truth, and substitute error and falfhood in its ftead. This was the cafe with thofe falfe teachers among the Galatians, who would pervert the gospel of

and doubtlefs hath been, the cafe with numerous other claffes of profeffed believers and preachers of the gofpel. Such, however ftedfaft and perfevering they are in the belief of what they call the gofpel, do not ftand fast in the faith, but depart from it.

Standing faft in the faith im plies, not only a ftedfaft perfever

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