minds of the Ifraelites what they were to expect, if they followed the example of the nations whom he commanded them to cut off. "Ye fhall not commit any of these abominations---that the land fpue not you out alfo, as it fpued out the nations that were before you." How ftrong and defcriptive this language! the vices of the inhabitants were fo abominable, that the very land was fick of them, and forced to vomit them forth, as the ftomach difgorges a deadly poifon. I have often wondered what could be the reafon that men, not deftitute of talents, fhould be defirous of undermining the authority of revealed religion, and ftudious in expofing, with a malignant and illiberal exultation, every little difficulty attending the scriptures, to popular animadverfion and contempt. I am not willing to attribute this ftrange propenfity to what Plato attributed the atheifm of his time---to profligacy of manners--to affectation of fingularity---to grofs ignorance, affuming the semblance of deep research and fuperior fagacity;I bad rather refer it to an impropriety of judgment, refpecting the manners, and mental acquirements, of human kind in the first ages of the world. Moft unbelievers argue as if the thought that man, in remote and rude antiquity, in the very birth and infancy of our fpecies, had the fame diftinct conceptions of one, eternal, invifible, incorporeal, infinitely wise, powerful, and good God, which they themselves have now. This I look upon as a great mistake, and a pregnant fource of infidelity. Human kind, by long experience; by the inftitutions of civil fociety; by the cultivation of arts and fciences; by, as I believe, divine inftruction actually given to fome, and traditionally communicated to all; is in a far more diftinguished fituation, as to the powers of the mind, than it was in the childhood of the world. The hiftory of man is the hiftory of the providence of God; who, willing the fupreme felicity of all his creatures, has adapted his government to the capacity of thofe, who in different ages were the subjects of it. The hiftory of any one nation throughout all ages, and that of all nations in the fame age, are but feparate parts of one great plan, which God is carrying on for the moral melioration of mankind. But who can comprehend the whole of this immense defign? The fhortness of life, the weakness of our faculties, the inadequacy of our means of information, confpire to make it impoffible for us, worms of the earth! infects of an hour! completely to understand any of its parts. No man, who well weighs the fubject, ought to be furprised, that in the hiftories of ancient times many things fhould occur foreign to our manners, the propriety and neceffity of which we cannot clearly apprehend. It appears incredible to many, that God Almighty should have had colloquial intercourfe with our firft parents; that he fhould have contracted a kind of friendship for the patriarchs, and entered into covenants with them; that he fhould have fufpended 3 Y 2 the the laws of nature in Egypt; fhould have been fo apparently partial as to become the God and governor of one particular nation; and fhould have fo far demeaned himself as to give to that people a burdensome ritual of worship, ftatutes and ordinances, many of which feem to be beneath the dignity of his attention, unimportant and impolitic. I have converfed with many deifts, and have always found that the ftrangeness of these things was the only reason for their disbelief of them: nothing fimilar has happened in their time; they will not, therefore, admit, that thefe events have really taken place at any time. As well might a child, when arrived at a flate of manhood, contend that he had never either flood in need of or experienced the foftering care of a mother's kindness, the wearifome attention of his nurfe, or the inftruction and difcipline of his fchoolmafter. The Supreme Being felected one family from an idolatrous world; nursed it up, by various acts of his providence, into a great nation; com municated to that nation a knowledge of his holiness, juftice, mercy, power, and wifdom; diffeminated them, at various times through every part of the earth, that they might be a "leaven to leaven the whole lump," that they might affure all other nations of the existence of one fupreme God, the creator and preferver of the world, the only proper object of adoration. With what reafon can we expect, that what was done to one nation, not out of any partiality to them, but for the general good, fhould be done to all? that the mode of inftruction, which was fuited to the infancy of the world, fhould be extended to the maturity of its manhood, or to the imbecility of its old age? I own to you, that when I confider how nearly man, in a favage ftate, approaches to the brute creation, as to intellectual excellence; and when I contemplate his miferable attainments, as to the knowledge of God, in a civilized ftate, when he has had no divine inftruction on the fubject, or when that inftruction has been forgotten, (for all men have known fomething of God from tradition,) I can not but admire the wifdom and goodness of the Supreme Being, in having let himself down to our apprehenfions; in having given to mankind, in the earliest ages, fenfible and extraordinary proofs of his existence and attributes; in having made the jewith and chriftian difpenfations mediums to convey to all men, through all ages, that knowledge concerning himself, which he had vouchfafed to give immediately to the firft. I own it is ftrange, very ftrange, that he should have made an immediate manifeftation of himself in the first ages of the world; but what is there that is not ftrange? It is ftrange that you and I are here---that there is water, and earth, and air, and fire---that there is a fun, and moon, and stars--that there is generation, corruption, reproduction. I can account ultimately for none of thefe things, without recurring to Him who made every thing. I also am his workmanship, and look up to him with hope of prefervation through all eternity; I adore him for his word as well as for his work: his work I cannot comprehend, but his word hath affured me of all that I am concerned to know--that he hath prepared everlasting happiness for those who love and obey him. This you will call preachment :--I will have done with it; but the fubject is so vaft, and the plan of providence, in my opinion, fo obviously wife and good, that I can never think of it without having my mind filled with piety, admiration, and gratitude." AN ACCOUNT OF Mr. WILLIAM PRICE. WILLIAM PRICE was born near Eniskillen in Ireland. At an early period, he commenced a foldier in the Enis killen Dragoons. He flood two Flanders wars, ten campaigns, and twelve general engagements, without receiving the flightest wound. At his firft going to Flanders, feeing himself expofed to danger on all hands, and not knowing the moment he might fall a victim to the horrors of war, he endeavoured to prepare for Eternity: But being ignorant of the way of attaining juftification by faith in Chrift, he fet about eftablishing his own righteousness, as the foundation of acceptance with GOD. And now he thought all was well, because he forfook bad company, faid his prayers, went to Church and Sacrament, and bore a good character among men. But that GOD, who "weigbeth the fpirits, and fearcheth the hearts of the fons of men," faw the fincerity of his defires, and while he continued walking in the light of his inferior dispensation, pro vided means for bringing him out of all darkness into his marvelous light. The first converted man that Mr. Price remembers to have con verfed with, was Mr. JOHN HAIME, who at that time was pub lifhing falvation thro' faith in Jefus, in the British camp. As Mr. HAIME was a strict attendant on the church, and facrament; Mr PRICE took particular notice of his ferious deportment, which led to an intimate acquaintance with each other. Mr. HAIME urged the neceffity of experiencing a death unto fin, and a new birth unto righteoufnefs: but Mr. PRICE did not readily under ftand this doctrine at firft. However, that he might be entirely freed from his former ungodly companions, and improve an ac quaintance with a few pious foldiers, who frequently met for the purpose of worthipping GOD, and taking fweet counsel together, of things pertaining to the kingdom of heaven, Mr. PRICE glad ly caft in his lot among them. After fome time, the rod of affliction was laid upon him, which brought him to the margin of the grave. And now the fears of death and judgment overwhelmed him, his fins ftared him in the face, his righteoufnefs failed and his hopes of heaven vanished away. In this fituation the constant cry of his guilty foul was, "Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!" In the midst of his diftrefs, it founded through his mind, "that Christ died to fave the vileft of finners :" he believed the report and immediately felt the falutary effects thereof in his mourning foul. The guilt and burden of fin was removed, and his freed fpirit rejoiced in GOD his Saviour. Then his tongue became as pen of a ready writer, in declaring the goodness of God to his foul. the The Lord having raifed him from the bed of fickness, he went forth to the field of battle, knowing that, " for him to live was Chrift, and to die was gain." He found much confidence in the Lord in the greatest dangers; particularly at the battle of Fountainoy, his foul was unfpeakably happy. At the conclufion of the war, the army returned to England, where he was introduced to Mr. Wefley and other pious friends, whofe converfation and pious inftructions ftrengthened him much in the Lord. Being difcharged he returned to the place of his Nativity, where for many years he was like a bird on the house top, having none to converse with upon Bible Religion. However he looked forward in expectation of the time when pure and undefiled religion would find its way to that benighted corner. The first Preacher that came that way, rouzed the holy flame more abundantly in his breaft; and from that time his heart and house were open to the Meffengers of Chrift. The work of the Lord now began to fpread, and perfecution arofe: Mobs headed by the clergy frequently affaulted them at the time of preaching. Mr. PRICE accompanied the Preachers, when brought before Magiftrates, &c. being always willing to share with them in reproach and fufferings, for the Truth's fake. He had a good talent for ftrengthening young converts, and establishing new Societies. As a clafs leader, his labours were almost indefatigable. For upwards of thirty years, he attended Societies ten Miles round; And even a few months before his death, I have known him travel fourteen miles to meet a new fociety, notwithftanding his age and infirmities. As a Chriftian, he thought very meanly of himfelf, confeffing that he was a dependant mortal, having no flock of grace, but always poor and needy, living by the moment; and tho' blameless in life and conversation, yet he wept to the laft, for his unfaithfulness. 66 I vifited him in his laft illness, and found him happy in the Lord, and refigned to his will. As I perceived him making hafty ftrides toward death, I left word with the family, that if he died before my return, they would fend for me, that I might preach a funeral fermon; contrary to my wifhes, he heard of my intentions, and defired they would call me back again. He got me by the hand, and with tears in his eyes faid, If a funeral fermon is to be preached, I beg that very little may be fpoken concerning me, left it fhould rob God in any wife of his Glory. If I "flood long in the ways of the Lord, no thanks to me, but the grace of God. If I withstood perfecution, it was Jefus who "food by me, and without his fupport I could do nothing. If I "opened 66 opened my door to the meffengers of God, it was himself who gave me the place and all in it. It was not mine; no thanks 66 to me for it; I was but the Steward over it. I was nothing; "I am nothing; and can pleat nothing, but God be merciful BS to me a finner." On the fabbath day, the minifter came to fee him, to whom he related the particulars of his past experience, his repentance, converfion, and growth in grace; and that at that moment he felt the divine prefence, fupporting his foul. He afked the minifter, if he thought the work was of God. Upon being anfwered in the affirmative, he exhorted the minifter to feek diligently, till he obtained the divine peace and consciousness of pardon, and then his heart would be filled with love to GOD and man; and by preaching from fuch a heart it would reach the hearts of others finners would be convinced, mourners converted and the church of Chrift built up in living faith. A few days before his death he was uncommonly bleffed of the LORD, and as many came to fee him, he gladly embraced the opportunity offered, and spoke feelingly to them, as their several ftates required. But the grand enemy of mankind, either to stop his usefulness in this labour of love, or to shake his confidence in GOD, brought all his former fins to his mind, with all the shortcomings and wanderings, from the day of his conversion to that moment. In this conflict, the Holy Spirit fo fitly and powerfully applied the great and precious promifes to his foul, that he was more than conquerer. The enemy then ftrove to make him doubt of the reality of the work of grace accomplished in his heart; but not being ignorant of the devices of fatan, he cried out," the love, the joy, the peace, I now feel in my heart, never grew in nature's garden; nor could any beftow thefe bleffings but GOD." These temptations, tho' fevere for a season, were fucceeded by a bleffed time of refreshing from the prefence of the LORD; fo that till the hour of his death, his foul was filled with peace and joy, longing to be gone. A short space before his departure he was fpeechlefs; nevertheless his joyful countenance, and uplifted hands and eyes, fhewed that tho' his health and strength failed him, yet Christ was the strength of his heart, and his portion for ever. Thus died WILLIAM PRICE, after adorning the Gospel upwards of fifty years, in the month of March 1795. I am not certain of his age, but suppose it was about four-fcore. Slygo Circuit, May 5, 1796. THOMAS RIDGEWAY. A feasonable Admonition to the People of GOD. You OU profefs to believe the Communion of Saints: You have been admitted to the privileges of this communion: You thought it not fafe or good for man to be alone; to live retired from the Society of Chriftians: You have been inrolled among them; and yet what an unprofitable hermit haft thou been in |