the declaration in our text, was destitute of true religion and in a state of self deception, the scquel of his history abudantly proves; and that many, who make a similar profession, arc in the same condition, we have too much reason to fear. How of tea do we hear the thoughtless and inconsiderate justifying themselves in precisely the same manner, as he did! How many, who have not God in all their thoughts;-who follow the inclinations of their corrupt hearts, who walk according to the course of this world, are nevertheless insensible of their danger! How many even justify themselves in this state of carelessness and impenitency, adopting the very language of our text; "all these have we observed from our childhood." "We have never committed murder; we have defrauded no man; we have nothing to repent of, and nothing to answer for!" Ah! thoughtless sinners, you know not your own hearts The god of this world bath blinded your minds. Your understandings are darkened, through the ignorance that is in you, because of the hardness of your hearts. You have never considered, how exceedingly broad are the divine commands. You have never entered your secret chambers and examined yourselves before God, with a spirituai un derstanding of his law. be not deceived. Remember who hath said, that there is no man that sin neth not. Forget not the declar. ation of our Lord himself to a mixed multitude, and through them to us all; Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Pause and consider. Examine your conduct. Try your principles. Scrutinize your motives, Search into the secret recesses of your souls. Humble yourselves before God. Repent and be converted, Young men, these admonitions and exhortations apply with peculiar force to you to all, who are in the morning of life. The person who, uttered the language of our text, was, as appears by a comparison of the Evangelists, a young man-a young man of some distinction, possessing property, power, and influence a young man, whose external deportment was, regu lar, who united in his person many amiable qualities, whom Jesus loved. Yet he lacked the one thing needful; he went away from Christ sorrowful, and fell awfully short of that kingdom, to which he supposed he had so nearly approached. Young men! Young women! Read the interesting narrative in our context. Meditate on the character, which it exhibits; and apply the warning, which it furnishes. It is indeed to all, who have not sincerely and absoiutely devoted themselves to the Lord, a most solemn and important warning-solemn as eternity, and important as the soul is precious! What, let me ask, (and be intreated to ask yourselves.) what are your hopes? Where is your refuge? Whence do you derive your support? Are you trusting to self-rightousness, because you have externally observed some of the divine commands? Are you building your hopes of heaven on your supposed innocence, because you have been kept from the commission of what are de. nominated great sins? Are you content with your state, because no one has accused you, and because no one can justly accuse you, of immoral conduct? Are you satisfied-are you pleased with yourselves, because your amiable social qualities have rendered you pleasing to your friends because the personal charms, natural to youth, have procured for you the flatteries of a deceitful world? All these natural qualities these social accomplishments-this imaginary innocence, this freedom from scandalous crimes, this partial, external obedience to the divine commands, this flattering approbation of man;-all these things may you possess, and yet lack one thing, without which you can never enter the kingdom of heaven. All these things are indeed amiable and desirable; and it were to be wished, for the good of society, that all our youth possessed even these that none were profane, impure, intemperate, scoffers, liars, slanderers; disturbing the harmony of society; destroying the peace of families; wounding the hearts of the pious, and spreading mischief and misery through the whole circle, in which they move. But although you, my young friends, should be able to say, that you are free from these gross and scandalous iniquities; yet let me intreat you not hence to conclude, that you are safe that you are holy in the sight of a heart-searching God that you are fit for the kingdom of heaven. If you have no religion, except what consists in a negative morality, or a cold, partial, selfish obedience-if you have never been humbled for sin to embrace the Savior by faith--if the love of God has not been shed abroad in your hearts-if you have no established principle of holiness, leading you ha bitually to do that, which is good, as well as to abstain from that, which is evil-if you are not striving to walk in all the ordinances and statutes of the Lord blameless-if you are not ready to renounce every pleasure, every vanity, every earthly distinction, every temporal interest, which duty requires-if, in a word, you are not prepared to forsake all and follow Christ; you are yet no nearer the kingdom of heaven, than was the young man, who uttered the self-deluding language of our text. He could say all, perhaps more, than you can say; and still his heart was not right with God —still he loved the world supremely still he went away from Christ sorrowfu). He had in him many things amiable; but when brought to the test of obedience when weighed in the balance of the Gospel, he was found wanting. He would not give up his idol for the sake of Christ. He loved Mammor more than God. He was unwil ling to forsake all, take up his cross, and follow the King of glory. So would it be with you. Would be, did I say? So it is with every one, who lives in a habitu al neglect of known. duty-with every one, who refuses to devole himself without reserve to the service of God-with every one, who does not renounce every practice, and give up every object and pursuit, inconsistent with supreme love to God, and a sincere, unreserved, self-dedication to him.. men, Once more; young young women. I invite you, I entreat you, I beseech you in Christ's stead; be ye reconciled to God. Trust not to a refuge of lies. Rely not on a defective morality-an imaginary innocence a selfish righteousness. Say not, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing: whilst thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. Be persuaded to examine yourselves. Repent of your sins. Devote yourselves Take up your to the Lord. cross and follow the Savior of ORIGINAL LETTER sinners. By the preciousness MISCELLANEOUS. OF DENT EDWARDS. PRESI The following letter from the great President Edwards to his friend Dea. Lyman of Goshen, (Con.) has never been published. "Northampton, Aug. 31, 1741. "Dear Friend, In my prodigious fulness of business and great infirmity of body, I have time to write but very briefly concerning those things you mention. "Concerning the great stir that is in the land, and those extraordinary circumstances and events that it is attended with, such as persons crying out, and being set into great agonies with a sense of sin and wrath, and having their strength taken away, and their minds extraordinarily transported with light, love, and comfort; I have been abundant ly amongst such things, and have had great opportunity to observe them here and elsewhere, in their beginning, progress, issue, "As to any absolute promises made to natural men, the matter is exceeding plain. God makes no promises of any future eternal good to fallen man, in any other covenant but the covenant of grace; but how can they have any interest in the promises of the covenant of grace, that have ng interest in the Mediator of that covenant, and never have performed the condition of that covenant, which is faith in the Mediator? The Scripture is ig norant of any other way of coming to a title to any promises of God, but only laying hold of the promises by faith, which surely men that have not faith don't do. "As to the ministers that go about the country to preach, I believe most of the clamor that is made against them must needs be from some other principle than a regard to the interest of religion; because I observe now there is vastly a greater outcry against ministers riding about to preach the Gospel, then used to be heretofore, when ministers rode about on the business of a physician, though that be so much more alien from their proper work, and though they were gone from their own people five time as much. But I observe that now-a-days no irregularities are so much cried out against as exceeding in religion. As to ministers that ride about the country, I can't say how the case is circumstance ed with all of them; but I believe they are exceedingly misrepresented. Mr. Pomrcy and Mr. Wheelock have been as much as most; and by particular opportunity I have had to know how it has been with them, they scarcely ever are absent from their people on the Sabbath, and are very careful not to leave them destitute, and are not wont to go abroad but only where they are invited, and not to go into other ministers pulpits without their consent, and rarely without being desired by them; Award is here lost in the M. S. and, at the same time, are more abundant in labors among their own people than ever. "I rejoice to hear of the flourishing of the work of God in your parts. I hope God will cause it to prevail against all opposition. Let us look to God to plead his own cause, and to get to himself the victory. Seek to him to direct you, and give you wisdom, and humility, and zeal. I desire your prayers for me. I am your sincere and entire friend, JONATHAN EDWARDS." "P. S. The Rev. Mr Williams of Hatfield died this morning." CUMINGS ON THE CHERUBIM. To the Editor of the Panoplist. HAVE just finished the perusal of a little work entitled, Contemplations on the Cherubim,by Abraham Cumings, A. M. printed by John Eliot, Jun. Boston, 1812. I have neither leisure nor ability to give you a proper review of this publication; but I take the liberty to recommend it, as a work of curi ority, genius, and candor, to stu dious theologians, for whose use it must have been designed; the subject being too much out of the way of ordinary inquiry, and the manner of discussing it being much too literary, for common readers. It is deficient, especially at the beginning, as to a distinct statement of the author's design. He gets you to the conciusion before he makes † Mr. Allen in his very valuable Biog and Hist. Dict. p. 611, states that Mr. Williams died in 1745. This P. Ş. cog reets tire error. treasures you well understand the premi- lover of literature, and a more ardent lover of the truth, I can – not but give my thanks to Mr. Cumings for this work of love. Whatever may become of his expositions of the difficult subject of the Cherubim, I cannot but commend him. for his diligence, and accuracy; and heartily wish, that his work may meet with deserved attention from the religious public. With your leave, Mr. Editor, I will also call the attention of your readers to another small work, lately published in Windsor, Vermont. The author is the Rev. Stephen Farley of Claremont, N. H. It consists of a series of letters to the Rev. Noah Worcester, in refutation of his Bible News. It is a complete refutation. The argument is conducted with ingenuity and precision. It does honor to Mr. Farley, especially considering that he is a young man, and in the but imperfect enjoyment of health. I wish this work might health. have an extensive circulation. CANDIDUS. REVIEW. LXI. Proceedings of the Sec- Boston; THE controversy between the Rev. Mr. Codman and a part of his parishioners has excited a very considerable interest from one end of this country to the other. This interest alone, however, would not have induced us to admit the subject into our |