led with horror in reflecting upon my paft abuse of divine mercies; and the danger of being left to be miferable for ever was fo ftrongly impreffed upon my mind, that it was almost infupportable." Having, one day, told him of the comforting hope of his wife, I asked him how he could live any longer in impenitence, when fo many were brought home to God, and, now, his wife in particular; reminding him, that he must be fenfible he was to blame for living in impenitence; that it was wrong to caft the guilt of his fins upon God; and that the condemnation of the finally impenitent, after en

day, would be peculiarly aggravated. He has fince told me the effects of this converfation.

that all his convictions were a delufion; at another time that God' was hard and unjuft, fince he had not noticed his prayers and feekings, while others were regenerated after lefs convictions than his; and at another time, to believe all his prayers and feekings were in vain, and to desist from all further feekings, fince God was a fovereign and unchangeable being. But, by this refolution he could not abide. The power of God was too great for him; for his convictions returned with double force upon his mind. They compelled him to an earnest attendance to fecret prayer-to reading the fcriptures, and to hearing the gof-joying the privileges of the prefent pel, which affected his mind with a deep fenfe of the danger and evil confequences of living in fin and impenitence to advanced life. "I now, faid he, faw the danger of abusing the calls of God in early life, left we should be given over to hardness of heart, in advanced age. I wished to warn 'all young people not to neglect ⚫ offered mercies, as I had done, left like me, when further advanced in life, they fhould cry and feek to God, and not be 'heard. For, it now feemed to me, that the reason why God had not heard me was, because I had lived fo long in impeni6 tence. I was particularly dif treffed, in reflecting upon my paft abufe of the Chriftian Sabbath, and neglect of the public worship of God, and wifhed 'to exhort both old and young, not to abuse these privileges as I had ' done. Inftead of becoming better, or finding grace, as I had 'long expected, I now appeareded

" I never, faid he, felt fo envious as I did when you told me of my wife's hope. I hated myself and every body else. And when you told me of my inexcufablenefs, after all my ftrivings, I hated fuch difcourfe, while my confcience convinced me that it was right; for my distress now increased, and feemed to be more than I could live under. I had before felt, as though I • fhould fink under my convictions; but now I felt, as though they would kill me, fuch appeared to be the dreadful hardnefs and

wickedness of my heart. I was ftrongly tempted to put an end to my life, to get out of my prefent mifery; but inftantly thought this temptation mult be from the Devil, who was now uniting with my wicked heart to destroy me, and re fiftit with abhorrence, while a

to myfelf to grow more and more fenfe of having for a moment inhardened in fin; and to be fur-dulged fuch a wicked thought

ther than ever from the kingdom

of God, Oh! My foul was fil

covered me with fhame and confufion. I could no longer find

That was
⚫
a fleepless
By reafon of
By reafon of my horrors.

of foul, I arofe the next morning two or three hours before day, pained with dreadfully wicked and tormenting thoughtswith hard thoughts of God, and diftreffing thoughts of my own wretchedness. Such horror and < mifery were before me, that it feemed as tho' the very thoughts of them would take my life a· way. Full of defpairing agony, I arofe from my chair, and went through the room where my bible lay; and turning my eyes upon it, with hatred and malice

LETTER XIV.

From the Rev. AMMI R. ROBBINS of Norfolk.

GENTLEMEN,

IF you judge it conducive to the interefts of the Redeemer's kingdom, to infert any, or all, the following communications in the Magazine, which is read with fuch avidity and delight by many of the people of God: They are cheerfully fubmitted to your wisdom and difcretion.

T pleased the bleffed God, in

IT

with us and, I truft, by many, with thanksgiving and praise thro' eternal ages. This fecond revival, if it may be fo called, began in May 1783, when it appeared, by inquiry afterwards, that fome of God's people had been remarkably ftirred up to pray for the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit. Numbers were impreffed in different parts of the town, without any knowledge of each other's circumítances; at the fame time. The ferioufness became general and the distress of many, vifible. A public lecture

was

up,

fet and was attended nearly every week thro' the fummer, at which fome one or other neighboring minifter attended, preached, and affifted in converfing with awakened and diftreffed fouls after meeting. Befides the public lecture, religious conferences were attended in different parts of the town. And fuch was the order and decency in general, that even thofe who fought occafion, if any there were, did not openly oppofe or speak against the work. In confequence of this glorious day of divine grace, there were added to the church in Nov. 27, in January following 13, and in March

the year 1767, to afford fome fpecial tokens of his gracious prefence among us; to the peculiar joy of the precious few who loved Zion, and who waited in fervent prayer for her profperity. The bleffed influences of the Holy Spirit feemed to be shed down in a, then, remarkable manner, and the whole town appeared to be awed with the prefence of the Lord. Many were ftruck with furprife, and numbers were impreffed with a fenfe of their guilty, ruined ftate and condition as finners; and began to cry "what must we do to be faved?" But alas, it was of short continuance, as to its pow-10, making in all fifty. Of thefe, er and abiding influence. A number, however were fo deeply impreffed that they could find no relief, until they were hopefully made new creatures and found reft in Chrift Jefus; about ten or twelve, who feemed to live like Chriftians, and joined themselves to the Lord. While many who were awakened and terrified for a short season, fell back into stupidity, and fome be-mittee and any others of the church, came in their lives and conduct worfe than before. It pleased the God of all grace to call in one and another fucceffively for feveral years following, until the year 1783, which will be memorable

eighteen were males and thirtytwo females. Befides thefe, feveral were added afterwards.Our method then was, as it now is, after individuals had manifefted to the paftor their defire to profess Chrift and walk in all his ordinances, to appoint a time and notify thofe who were so disposed to affemble with the deacons, a com

who with the pastor conversed with and examined the candidates; defiring them to give a brief account of their exercifes and the reafon of their hope; putting questions to them refpecting the doctrines of

the gospel, agreeable to our confef-
fion of faith, the nature and im-
port
of the covenant-the nature
and defign of the two facraments,
&c.-After which, if they appear-
ed to give fatisfactory or hopeful
evidence for the exercise of Chrif-
tian charity they were propound-
ed before the congregation and in
due time, if no objection, received
to full communion with the church
of Christ.

of the holy fcriptures, and others were reafoning themfelves into the doctrine of univerfal falvation. Meanwhile profanenefs increafed like a flood, and various fpecies of wickednefs prevailed. So that it might truly be faid of us, "iniquity abounded and the love of many waxed cold." Amidst all this it must be remarked that the people more generally came to meeting on the Sabbath, and strangers would notice with furprise, that the general attendance of the people on public worship was rather uncom mon and extraordinary. But it is to be feared, the words of the prophet may with propriety be adopt

Most of these are ftill living, and with us, and we trust have walked agreeably to their Christian profeffion and character. By this means our church has been confiderably numerous, and generally harmonious and agreed, in the doc-ed concerning the most of them ;— trines of the gospel, in Chriftian duties and the difcipline of Chrift's house. And religious conferences have been attended in one part of the town with little interruption from that day to this.

But it is to be lamented, that ftupidity and inattention to the great things of religion, gradually increased and spread over the town. The wife and the foolish flumbered together. The middle aged to their farms, their fhops and their merchandize, this world engroffing their chief attention, and the youth, like others, full of their vain amufements-their diffipation--their balls and other practices which directly tend to harden the heart, fear the confcience, and render them fearless and unconcerned about the great, the folemn realities of a future world.

Befides thefe gloomy appearances, fome of the friends of Chrift ufed frequently to remark, with diftrefs and concern, that many of our younger people and perfons of information and influence, were faft verging towards infidelity.Several had nearly or quite renounced their belief in the divinity

--

"This people draw nigh to me with their mouths, and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

About five years past, the concert for prayer propofed to be obferved quarterly, and which was attended in many parts of the land, was alfo fet up here, and the

members of the church with fome others attended. These feafons appeared to be folemn, and were animating and encouraging to numbers of God's people. But nothing fpecial appeared refpecting a revival of religion, until Jan. 1799, when it was noticed that our religious affemblies were more folema and attentive. The religious people about this time hearing of fome revival of religion in two or three towns in the vicinity; and having before this, heard of the work of God at a further distance, were induced to hope and ardently to pray that we might have a gracious vifit alfo.

Although no fpecial inftances of awakening as yet, appeared to take place; there is reafon to conclude that numbers of God's dear people in fecret, as well as in a fo

cial way, did moft earnestly plead | bout to carry on a glorious work of