Chriftianity; his belief in these doctrines, his ability to teach them to others, his experimental acquaintance with the truth, his views in entering on the work of the ministry, his qualification for a missionary, and his motives for entering into that service; and gaining full fatisfaction on these points,-Voted unanimously, to confecrate him to the work of the miniftry, with peculiar reference to his laboring as a miffionary in the new settlements in the county of Trumbull, state of Ohio; and that the folemnity of his ordination be attended at the meeting house in this place tomorrow at eleven o'clock A. M. Voted, That the feveral parts of the ordination service be performed by the following Paftors: The Rev. Abel Flint to make the introductory Prayer; the Rev. Nathan Strong, D. D. to preach the Sermon; the Rev. Samuel J. Mills to make the confecrating Prayer; during which the Rev. Meffrs. Robbins, Mills, Perkins and Hooker to lay on hands. The Rev. Ammi R. Robbins to give the Charge; the Rev. Nathan Perkins, D. D. to give the Right Hand of Fellowship; the Rev. Afahel Hooker to make the concluding prayer. Paffed in Council, Atteft PETER STARR, Scribe. On Wednesday July 20, 180, the Rev. Thomas Robbins, in pursuance of the above vote, was folemnly confecrated to the work of the ministry in the prefence of a ferious and attentive audience. After the minutes of the Council were read, the questions ufual on fuch occasions were proposed, and the customary religious fervices were performed. Doctor Strong preached from Matthew xxviii. 19, 20. POETRY. COMMUNICATED AS ORIGINAL. The Majesty of God, and Faith in bina. Habakkuk, chap. iii. all! Behold the Lord, K EEP filence The God of heav'n appears! He ftands and circumscribes the earth, The sinking fun delays its beams, The deadly shaft the glitt'ring spear, I faw-and terror feiz'd my foul! Yet in the Lord will I rejoice, My refuge and my prop; Donations to the Miffionary Society. August 23. From a Friend of Miffions, Do. Do. 1 Dollar. THE Connecticut Evangelical Magazine. [PUBLISHED ACCORDING TO ACT OF CONGRESS.] VOL. IV.] OCTOBER, 1803. Saving faith diftinguished from those exercises, which men are in danger of mistaking for it. (Continued from p. 94.) Teneri HE defcription which has of the nature and effects of saving faith, it is conceived, will go far towards enabling serious minds to diftinguish it from all other schemes and exercises, which mankind are liable to mistake for it. But because, from the deceitfulness of our hearts, and a natural disposition prevailing in us, to judge favorably of ourselves, the defcription given may not be fufficient to prevent fatal mistakes, we shall now notice the nature and effects of feveral kinds of faith, which men are liable to miflake, and have in fact mistaken, for that which is faving. The first kind of faith, which I shall here mention, is sometimes called biftorical faith. This is a speculative belief of some, or all of the doctrines of the gospel. It exists more especially in the understanding. The heart is not interested in it. The notions which fuch, as have only this faith, entertain of the doctrines of the VOL. IW. No. 4. [No. 4. gospel, are more or less according to truth. Men may be great proficients in fpeculative theology, and may be able to exhibit, in a clear and correct manner, the nature and obligation of the law, the fallen state and depravity of man, the character and work of Chrift, and the office of the Holy Ghost, and may possess a much larger share of knowledge in their understandings, than ordinary Christians, and yet have no other faith but that which is merely speculative. They may give clear and abundant evidence, from the holy scriptures, in proof of their system of doctrines, and yet hold the truth in unrighteousness. Our Saviour faid of the scribes and pharifees, "They fit in Mofes' feat: All therefore, whatsoever they command you to observe, that obferve and do: but do not after their works, for they say and do not." This is an excellent description of merely speculative believers. They were car nal, and destitute of any religion at heart. They loved to be seen of men, and to be called Rabbi. It should alfo be observed, that those who have this faith, tho' they are deftitute of any fincere approbation of heart, and con- | because those, who have only this formity to Chrift, and the doctrines of the gospel, often verily think that they do approve and rejoice in them. They are often zealous in maintaining them, and are in great danger of being deceived in this way. They are wholly blind to the spiritual beauty and excellency of the gospel, they know nothing what it is, and are therefore in imminent danger of mistaking a natural discovery of the system, harmony and confistency of the doctrines and duties of the gofpel, for their moral beauty, and for an holy delight in them. There is a natural beauty in the adjustment of all the parts of a complicated machine, in such proportion and connexion, as to have it answer the purpose designed. There is also a fimilar beauty in the fubordination, regularity and mutual dependencies of a well difciplined army, under the direction of an able commander. This an enemy can discover and admire, while he hates the cause in which it is employed, wishes the destruction of the army and its commander, and is zealously engaged in the opposite interest. This beauty, a well informed unbeliever, and an enemy to God may fee in the doctrines, connexion and symmetry of gospel truths, and take a kind of philofophical pleasure in viewing them, while he does not in the least delight in the caufe of holiness; but is wholly selfish, and lives in the gratification of his carnal affections. This faith, do not know of any other beauty, or delight, which is to be seen or taken in the gospel but this, which is but the mere amufement of a contemplative mind, and falls unspeakably below his, whose heart is engaged in the cause of God. That this is not the gespel faith is evident from several confiderations. It needs no change of heart in a natural man to have this faith, and this contemplative pleafure in it, any more than it does in an enemy to admire the military arrangements of an army. Even the devils believe, and the stony ground hearers rejoiced in the word. Speculative believers are alfo deficient in this. Their faith does not work by love, and purify the heart. It is a dead faith. Faith without works is dead, being alone." Nor have such believers any delight in the good promised to Christians in the coming world. They indeed wish for deliverance from mifery, and defire happiness. But it is the happiness which suits a finful heart that they defire. They have no delight in holiness, in the service of God; in obedience, dependence, self-denial and spiritual exercises. Such an heaven they do not pant after. But their hearts go after their idols, they live in fin, and refuse all obedience and fubmiffion of heart to God. And being opposed now, to the good things promised to true believers hereafter, it is but a is the beauty which one, who has ❘ vain delufion, for them to conheart. but a speculative faith, discovers in the gofpel, and mistakes for that beauty and delight, which a true believer fees and enjoys in the cause of God, and in the fitness of the gospel scheme to advance this cause. Here is danger indeed, ceive, that they defire them, or that they depend and wait upon God that they may be given them in the world to come. Befides : This faith produces no humility and felf abafement before God or man. Knowledge puffeth up." Let men of information in the doctrines of the gospel, take heed left they be fatally deceived, by a mere hiftorical faith. It is altogether deficient in the great effentials of faving faith in humility, dependence, obedience and holiness of heart and life. By our fruits we shall be judged, and by them our faith will be approved or condemned. Such men often manifest a want of ❘ with the understanding, but the humility, in the manner in which they converse on the doctrines of the gofpel, they often love difcuffions and difputes, but manifest no reverence for facred things in their examination of them. They appear vain of their attainments and fuperiority, and they manifeft it in the fame way, that natural men manifeft their pride in literary attainments. They do not appear like men, under a deep impression, that all they have received, is from the diftinguishing grace of God. Nor have such believers the fubstance of things hoped for by humble spiritual Christians, nor the evidence of things not seen. They have not holiness, conformity to God, self denial, nor a sense, by which they can enjoy God and his government; but are selfish, ungodly, and oppofite in heart to the nature of heaven. And hence their faith is no evidence of heavenly things. There is nothing wrought in them, which shows by example or experience, that there is, or can be any holy happiness or benevolent blessedness: nor any thing that is an evidence that they shall ever partake of it: for they have no preparation of heart for fuch enjoyments. But their unholy hearts prepare them for eternal oppofition to God, and everlasting mifery, by having all their carnal defires ungratified, and the just penalties of the law inflicted upon them. Such a faith is indeed the evidence of fome things which are unfeen-it is an evidence of disappointment and wrath upon themselves. And the fitness of the doctrines of the gofpel, which they difcern, is an evidence, that so far as they respect unbelievers, they will be executed; and executed against them, unIsss they foon believe, not only There is another false faith with which many deceive themselves, which ought to be here confidered and pointed out, that people may be cautioned against it. It may be called an Antinomian faith. It may take place in the following manner. A finner, after being more or lessexercised with the fears of wrath to come, and with fome sense of the wickedness of his life, obtains comfort. This may arife from any thing which perfuades him that his fins are forgiven, from dreaming, from impulfes, sudden suggestion of scripture passages, from having the imagination wro't up, so as to think he fees lights, or objects, or hears voices. None of these are any evidences of true converfion. All, who build their hopes on such things, are on a foundation unsupported by the scriptures. It is often the cafe with fuch as have fomething of the faith now to be defcribed, that their notions of things are obfcure, and they think little of the divine law, of the holiness of God-his justice, and of the real state of the human heart. But fo far as they have any distinct ideas of their own scheme and feelings, they are these. They believe that God made a law, which was fuitable to the state in which Adam was created, and a good law for him, and for those who are per 1 fectly holy. But that this law is ❘ tent, and reconciled to God. He admires Jesus Chrift as his partizan, espoufing his cause, and procuring it of the father, that he should be more lenient, than to fupport his holy law. He is filled with inexpressible love to fuch a Saviour, for making the happiness of finners, and their deliver ance from God's perfect law, his supreme object. He knows that he loves fuch a Saviour, and hence, has a strong perfuafion, and confirmation in his opinion, that his fins are pardoned, that Christ died for him in particular, and that it would be fin to doubt of it, that doubting of it would be unbelief, and sinning against Christ, and so exceedingly criminal and provoking to him. In the exercise of this faith, a man will think it his duty to keep up this belief, and by no means give way to any unbelief, or doubt about it; for all his love to Chrift depends upon his having this belief. He confiders all the promises in the scriptures in this light, and applies them to himself, and supposes he has a right so to do. He believes that they were given to assure him of his good eftate, and that it would be crimi too hard and fevere for mankind, in their present state. That it cannot be reafonably binding upon us with infinite and immutable obligation. That it would be hard in God to deal with us strictly according to this law, and that God faw it, and was disposed to relax it, and make an alteration of it in our favor; or rather, to give us the offer of a new law, adapted to our prefent fallen capacities, by which we might have life. That Christ suffered to procure this abatement, and atone for our not keeping a law, which in our circumstances, we could not keep, and ought not to be bound by. That such as believe on Christ, in this view of his characterandatonement, as being the finner's friend, and taking his part, and procuring an abatement of the law in their favor, and are willing to be under this new law, are no longer holden by the old law, and are released from it by what Christ has done. That this new law, sometimes called the gospel, or evangelical law, requires fincere endeavors after holiness, and will take up with an imperfect righteousness, and that, in confequence of what ❘nal in him to doubt of this appli Chrift has done, justification and acceptance with God are obtained, by virtue of this new law, by our fincere endeavors after holiness, and that these are the grounds of our acceptance and salvation. It is plain that the carnal heart, under the fear of wrath to come, and contending with the perfect law of God, as foon as the finner gets this idea of the gospel, will be pleased with it. This suits him. It is an abatement and conceffion in his favor, which gratifies his unholy heart. God meets him, on this plan more than half way. And now he will be con cation of them. This faith fills him with great joy at his fuppofed deliverance, and because God has revealed it to him, that he is de. livered from wrath. This he calls the fpirit of adoption, and the sealing of the spirit. In a word, his wicked heart is gratified with this gospel, and out of the overflowings of his love, he is determined to ferve God by his endeavors, and obedience to this reduced law, by a fincere imperfect righteousness all his days, in full expectation to be noticed with a rich reward. Some of the defects of this |