made by means the most unlikely, and against all the enmity and all the power of the enemies of the cross of Chrift. The ways of providence are not ours; the Lord seeth not, he worketh not as man. His counsel shall stand, and he will do all his pleasure. The religion of Jesus among the nations, like the grain of mustard seed, hath fent forth its branches, laden with the fruit of life, and the Gentiles have fat down under its shade, with great delight. Jesus was received up into glory, to carry forward the glorious work of the falvation of finners; he has blessed his faithful fervants; he does still bless, and will continue to bless themto fee of the travail of his foul and be fatisfied. But I turn from objections to the favorable tokens of success. It is a time when the spirit of the Apostles seems returning upon the friends of Zion. For the benevolent purpose of extending the religion of God manifeft in the flesh, to the new fettlements and the natives on our borders, new combinationsof believersareyearly forming and gathering strength, from the prophetic promises, from searching the fcriptures, from examining the benighted state of the heathen and the value of their fouls, from more frequent and fervent prayer, and from a more ge. neral confent, that the fet time to favor Zion is come. In Connecticut, under Providence, a good foundation has been laid for com municating to our white and red brethren of the west, the gospel of Jesus in a more effectual manner. Scarcely five years have elapfed fince the formation of the Miffionary Society, and though entering on its duties with the trombling steps of a little child, leaning on the hand of Provi dence, it has made substantial advances towards its object. And fuccess in every respect, as to funds, proper missionary charac ters, and the effect of the gofpel preached, has far, very far exceeded the expectation of those who at first were thought over zealous. Multitudes through the new fettlements will have oссаfion, through eternity, to bless God, that by this means they have tasted that the Lord is graci ous, that Jesus to their fouls is as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land, and as springs of water in the defert. By means of this society the gospel has been extenfively preached, many churches have been formed, the ordinances have been administered to those who might otherwife have fat in darkness. Hitherto the Lord hath helped us, and we will be glad thereof. To the natives but one Miffionary with his family has been fent forth by this focie ty. To human view the prof. pect has at times been discourag ing; but in God's gracious work of winning fouls to Chrift, there isno difcouragement, my brethren. As minifters, as ambafladors, we must implicitly follow his inftructions, and they are too plain to be evaded Go, difciple all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghofl, teaching them to ol ferve all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world. Shall we for a moment, hesitate to go forward-fhall we after a weak and inexperienced effort, not perhaps without being preparatory for fuccess, shall wę give up the heathen, and leave them to perish, while we have the means of falvation in our hands, and Je fus from his throne, stands ready to bless and make effectual the door that is opened? Shall we fay, the time is not come? No. I am perfuaded that Providence is turning those events which in appearance may look gloomy, fo that they shall fall out for the furtherance of the gespel, and for the encouragement of those who have the direction of this important business. Not despising the day of small things, methinks the eye of faith may fee the beginning of a most fuccefsful labor among the heathen on our borders that Miffionaries will be multiplied, vil lages will be fettled, schools will be taught, churches will be formed, and the peaceful ordinances of religion will supercede the orgies of demons, and the tongue that now utters the fong of war, the fignal of death, will move to the fong of Zion-and glory to the Prince of life; for the Lord is a covenant to the people, and a light to the Gentiles. It is nothing, Lord, with thee, to help, whether with many or with them that have no power. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on thee, and all the glory shall be given to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Amen. evidence, the fame moral inftruction to mankind. The events re.. ferred to, are the translations of Enoch and Elijah and the glorious afcenfion of our Lord Jesus Christ. The two former of these, were, like ourselves, worms of the duft, men of like paffions, nor differed from others, but by the fovereign and sanctifying influences of the holy spirit. They were persons of as unblemished moral character as any among the excellent ones of the earth-eminent examples of piety, faithful servants of the most high God; men of whom the world was not worthy. The character of Enoch, with the account of his tranflation, is concisely drawn by the pen of infpiration, but it is complete. "And Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him." All the circumstances of this interesting event which a vain curiofity would prompt us to know, divine wisdom hath concealed. We are simply informed of the fact of his translation, and left in ignorance of the manner and circumstances of it; whether it was openly or secretly done, in the view of hu man witnesses or not: We have, however, from the probable design of heaven in the affair, reason to believe, that it was, in that age, of greater or less degree of notoriety to mankind. He was not, for God took him. He was remov ed from the connection and socie ty of finful men. God took him from earth to heaven, in the living uninterrupted union of foul and body. "By faith Enoch was tranflated, that he should not fee death; and was not found becaufe God translated him; for before he was translated, he had this teftimony, that he pleased God." The history of Elijah and of his translation in particular, is much more copious and diffufe. It is full of affecting and instruc-❘ tive incidents, all uniting to exhibit the same character of piety, zeal and faithfulness. Humility, patience, self-denial, devotedness to God, zeal and fortitude, are the prominent features in his character. His whole hiftory is an uniform exhibition of these virtues in exercise. Under the reign of wicked Ahab, in the midst of Pagan perfecution in the most corrupted state of the public mor of his infinite love of righteouf nefs, and the confummation. of his mercy to the redeemed, by the glorious rewards of his grace ac ❘tually bestowed. By these examples he defigned to inftruct and comfort his poor afflicted people travelling in this dark and dreary wilderness-to wipe the tear of affliction from the furrowed face of als; when the whole nation of Ifrael, from the prince to the peasant, from the throne to the cottage, had almost universally forsaken the worship and fervice of the true God, and prostituted themselves to the grossest fuperftition and idolatry; he alone ftood forth the champion of truth, an undaunted hero in the caufe of his God. By his timely and faithful exertions, he was instrumental of reclaiming the nation from idolatry, and rescuing them from utter ruin. mourning piety-to dart a ray of heavenly light through the gloomy scene of mortality and the grave, and by these assured tokens, to confirm the faith of the faints in their future refurrection and eternal glory. By what God hath actually wrought in the perfons of Enoch and Elijah, his immutable purpose of grace towards all his faithful fervants is exemplified and declared, and all his precious promifes of glory to the faints, ratified and confirmed. Like the etherial bow in the cloud, the instituted pledge of God's covenant with Noah, these glorified fons of Ad. am are standing monuments to the faints in heaven and on earth, of his covenant faithfulness to the redeemed that they shall all, in due time, be gathered into his heavenly kingdom, glorified toge ther in the whole man, and made happy forever in the beatific vifion and enjoyment of God. Thus in their lives, and their exits in their line of conduct upon the stage of this world, and the manner of their departure out of it, these two extraordinary human characters exhibited a bright | typical refemblance of the great ❘ head of the church; who was holy, harmless, undefiled and sepa- ❘ rated from finners-rofe from the dead a glorious conqueror over death, hell and fin, and afcended | noch and Elijah. But under the in triumph to the right hand of the majesty on high. These were the men, in the several ages in which they lived and acted, whom God delighted thus fignally to honor. These were the chofen vessels, by whom divine wisdom saw fit to make sensible manifefta tions to the intelligent universe, These, doubtless, were fome of the principle points of instruction taught to the old teftament church, by the translations of E gospel difpenfation, in this third and laft period of the militant church, the fame things are more eminently expressed and confirmed by the refurrection and afcenfion of the Lord Jesus Christ-by the glorified humanity of the great head of the church. In him, all the promises of God are yea and amen. And of him both Enoch and Elijah were but the pre-figuring types. Behold, a greater than either is here! He is the refurrection and the life, and because he lives, his people shall live alfo. "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept." Now the idea of first fruits, necessarily implies that of a fucceeding harvest. "And he is the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the first born from the dead." If then the head be risen, what is this but an affured token that the body shall not always moulder in the dust, but that the whole church shall assuredly arife, and follow their afcended Lord to the bright manfions of eternal glory? Yea, such is the vital and indiffoluble union between Chrift and his people, that in the strong, metaphorical language of fcripture, the body, the whole church are repeatedly represented as being actually rifen, afcended and glorified with their divine head. What an inexhaustible source of confolation is here presented to the fuffering people of God? An anchor indeed entering within the vail. Let faith brighten into triumph and fay, O death where is thy fting! O grave, where is thy victory! a minister of Jesus, who informed me that, for fome time past, there had been among the people of his charge, apparently more than a common attention to religion, which he hoped was the dawning of a special revival. The people attended on weekly lectures and conferences with apparent delight, and the concerns of eternity seemed to claim a general attention. He urged me to go home with him, and preach a lecture which had been appointed in confequence of these pleasing appearances. I went. The people assembled. A deep folemnity appeared depicted in the countenances of the whole affembly. It evidently appeared, that they had not assembled merely to shew them selves; but to hear, and to hear the gospel, as revealing to them the awful end of the wicked, who die in their fins, uninterested ini the blood-bought pardon of the Redeemer; and as pointing out the only way of efcape and falvation, by a regeneration of heart, and cordial acceptance of the Lord Jesus. The assembly was not large; but it was as numerous as was expected. A number of youth of both sexes were prefent. Their vain and trifling airs were laid afide; their countenances fixed and deeply impressed; and the tear, expreffive of deep concern, started in their eyes. They feemed to feel convinced their fouls would never die; but exist eternally, beyond the grave, in the celestial paradife of God, or in the dark region of hell. Whether these impreffions will be lafting or not, I pretend not to know; nor do I know, whether they will bring them to an habitual and perfevering attention to the allimportant concerns of the foul, or in a few days, as is unhappily E 1 destroy both foul and body, in hell, forever! -But, I was faying, youth is the most privileged period in life to attend to the duties sometimes the cafe, be cast away | and to fear him who is able to for scenes of dissipation and carnal mirth; nor whether they will be duly encouraged, till God shall in the riches of his grace renew their hearts, and fill them with ❘ of religion; and who can a mo ment doubt it, that knows the human character? The young are not hardened by long habits of fin. Is not the mind in youth peculiarly tender and foft, and eafily moulded into good habits ? Is it not all alive to feeling, and easily impressed with whatever greatly interests it; having none of the forrows, the pains, the weak-, the bleffed confolations of religion. Of this I pretend not to judge. I leave it with him who has the refidue of the Spirit; who maketh fore, and bindeth up: who woundeth, and his bands make whole. But, in whatever manner these tender impressions upon the heart and the confcience may be treated, by those who were then the subjects of them, one thing, in ❘nesses and the infirmities of old age to destroyits strength and activity; while animal nature most readily lends its afsistance, in the feet to walk, the eyes to fee and read, the tongue to speak and ask, and the ear to hear and receive instruc particular, from the interesting fcene, forcibly struck my mind; and it was this, That the days of youth are the most privileged and convenient time to attend to the duties of religion. This is often denied. Inconfiderate youth put far away ❘tion. But, in old age, all will be the evil day, and their forced excuse is, that youth is neither a privileged nor convenient time to attend to the duties of religion, pot confidering, to-morrow they may die, as thousands have died before them; nor laying to heart, the folemn warning given them, by an inspired preacher, in these words, Eccl. xi. 9. "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the fight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment." Will God, then, O young man, or young woman, who may chance to read these pages, bring thee into judgment for all these things? Art thou, while thus indulging in fin, fowing the seeds of forrow, | religion, appears, also, from the which thou must reap, either in this or the eternal world, or perhaps in both? Surely, then, it be comes thee to confider thy ways, the very reverse. A long harden ed, corrupted taste will not easily be subdued; habits of fin, long indulged, urge on to continued indulgence, in defiance of reproof; the terrors of hell having been of ten resisted, cease to alarm the guilty wretch; and he is ashamed to renounce his diffolute conduct for a life of prayer and religion.I have lived to fee the mighty power of God, in the riches of his grace, displayed in the revival of religion, in feveral different towns; and have observed that the young, where there were no fons of Belial to corrupt them, have been more or less the subjects of the bleffed work. That the days of youth are the most privileged and convenient season to attend to the duties of forcible manner in which king Solomon has pressed upon the young mind a remembrance of God. But, fince his arguments |