Georgia Christian repertory. (Macon, Ga.) 1831-18??, December 15, 1831, Page 186, Image 2

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186 to me, “ cheer up sister, v.c arc io fiave a par ty ai the house ml’ Airs. 1. next week, which | will he worth a dozen like this ; but, by-thti-by, sister Adeline, 1 perceive nothing here so very j contemptible as your long phiz woo Id try to i make tis believe.” I made you no reply, but j east my eves towards u distant graveyard, whose white monuments were just discernible ; you tun ed suddenly from tne and mingled again n llie dance. Soon after l grew faint, xrjy eyes were heavy and I sunk into your arms; almost immediately I was carried to an adjoin ing apartment aud placed in a very large arm | chair before n mirror. I looked on myself, i and oil! how Mack my countenance appeared !: A physician was called in, who made an un-j successful attempt to Meed me; my face still grew blacker until at length i expired.” “ And are you afraid yon arc really dead then?” re-plied Mary laughing heartily. “I do not marvel that you tire sorrowful, hut here comes veinr satin dress, and it is nil completed sure enough; come, try* it on,” “Oh, it makes me shudder to look at it! Indeed I can rot go to the party!” “ Pshaw, put it on. Shall I tell them you bad a dream (dreadful presneer!) and dare not come?” “ Tell them unv thing, but pray excuse toe.” Many words now succeeded, and the thought less Mary ut length persuaded her sister to at tend the party. The evening came and Ade line went with a heavy heart to the scene of mirlli mid hilarity; her singular dream was Still deeply imprinted in her memory, and every thing she saw seemed as it then did in her fan cy. She grew more and more melancholy, while ivery face a round her brightened,.ami every heart seemed light with enjoyment. In the midst of the merriment, her unthinking sister who had forgotten the dream, came and repeated the very words w hich Adeline dreamt she had done; they gave her a dreadful shock, lust she made no reply and endeavored to forget her gloom by mingling in the midst of the dance. Her heart grew light, for no one can yield to the touch of vanity w I shout losing in a deer e the faithful monitor of his soul. A short time after, she passed an open window and looking carelessly out upon the moonlit earth phe plainly discovered !he while stones of a diste u graveyard, but after having pointed it Hint to a young friend, she turned again to the 6ii.hl of vanity and the event passed from her mind. It was not long before o great tumult was seen in the ball-room. Adeline had taint ed and was removed to another apartment win re she wes placed in a large arm chair ex ticd’ a- she bad dreamed. Her sister who was Tiupporiing bet bead saw her dying counten ance reflected in a mirror which hung e#n the Opposite side of the room nod nuddeidv shore tnei. •en. ilmt disnml dream winch she felt Was now fast coming to pass. Adeline became more id more insensible. Her face black en’d, ,n r respiration grew difficult and soon titter, her unprepared spirit bade an eternal adieu to tiie shores of tune and w ent to meet its God ! Tims closed the dream and eartblv existence of a gay and promising young fen ale! Her) ear had often listened to the pad.otic and so lemn appeals of the ministers of the sanctuary, and to many instances of mortality, but none] had broken the deep sleep of sin in ti c said, none Into cut ihe cord tiiat binds to earthly Vn>. ties. Still she sluudxfed cti, rocked in the Cradle of youthful hopes, and lulled with the tin’isic of youthful promises: but suddi ily nn oK ■* was breathed into her heart by the voice of the dr< idful—-'he mysterious dream, yet it fadi and ivviiv like the beam of the meteor. Her trod was unsettled between the choice Af youthful hilarities am! the luly religion of the cross. There was no time to he lost—her vis ion told her so, but she listened to the voice of temptation and rushed forward to the midst of Tanity ‘'nil perished, with impending clouds of dark ‘ -and sorrow, entering eternity from the •il-room we the dream grew dim to her fight. Smual ,ot the thoughtless, who are wasting the precious moments of their earthly prolm fiim in idle amusemoiit, receive wan ing from tills and from similar signals of their danger in thus living ? They do not intend to die as they live, and h ! how awfully fil.si.ru and sinful it is to ! w as we wouitl not wish to die, since we Are i -t I'itnin of a single hour, and Cod is an gry w;'i. • n-v who trifle with his mercies? The rai ■ sos die vnn would not choose to spend ♦ their :-i l im its in the ball-room, tier hear l with ’ n ir dy iug curs the sound of the violin, i hat i assigned other services and other * thoughts > themselves in death ; hut oil, how often arc they left in that trying hour to dark c.'vs and agony of spirit, vvitb.no Saviour to • ‘•glit'.hem over Jordan, no hope in the morn lug of t *: ri sum-ebon { and death, 100, not tJtiir-fjUen ;v does ins work wliwn he is least cx- J";ei ii, <-■ and the heart that hunts warm with pas- I'iio tind * irii.lv enjoyments, is suddenly cot oft’ the In Met of tin t ai.u assigned over to the Cie'it day of accou its. ’ J.‘ki'.auelphia % Act. IBSI. rt.nsi: rue achin'*?. 3<nne t.nie :u the summer <<f ISCO, Bishop j ryi'Kei dree, then prt • iding elder of the district, I Was preaching *•• May v.lle, (or I, tncs.onc, I gr i is tisually called, bite finding place for most J of toe eiiiigranis n upjier part of the State of! Kci.tink v. I.'js-subj et ‘.nti ially led (nn: i„ C’.hii i; ,: ufciti:.:., it u;v that if-t-om;- 1 BORGIA CHRISTIAN RF.FFRTORY —BTVOTF.B T® KEtKITdIV; grants were frequently exposed to impositions i of various kinds from w ant of knowledge of llie i prices of different commodities. With his usu al ingenuity he pressed the subject Very closely. • “Yes,” said he, “it frequently happens that some take the advantage ot tin poor emigrant 100, thatJuis removed to your fine country, to b* • vour neiShpur and fellow citizen; you sell hi®! your corn - ”or other produce at a double Vfmfm and for the corn, when it is only worthfffty cents a bushel, you ask a dollar; ah! and re ceive it too of the poor man who has to grapple ‘with misfortunes to support his family!” An j aged gentleman sitting near the door was dis : covered to become more and more uneasy; hi 6 { hoary locks gave him a, venerable cast, but the emotions of his mind were such as to operate upon the muscular movements of his features. As the subject was pressed, his agitation in creased ; he could stand it no longer, lint ri sing from his seat, thus addressed the preacher, “If I did sell my corn for a dollar a bushel, I gave them six months to pay it in.” “ Sit down, my friend,” calmly replied the Bishop, “ sit down, sir, if you please; we nre discussing a subject and delineating a character; we nre not iu the habit of making personal reflections!”— V Pel. Rem. rw LATTER DAY GLORY. As the ligliv’!’ tiuth increases, the shncliiws of suspicion will disappear; but when the (hin of Rigteousness shall arise in Ins glory, all the mists of prejudice will be chased away. Inen the bow of promise shall be seen on the mirk and retiring cloud of idolatry and superstition, of ignorance and pollution. It will he thesyjn hol of the spirit of love, union, peace, and good will, pervading the Christian world, and presi ding over sii their operations. Shade will melt into shade, and color blend with color, in clear distinction, but in perfect harmony. Its am ple arch shall span the whole heavens, and touch the horizon in both extremities at the same moment. Upon the summit of it? bright circumference the sapphire throne of the Son of Mm shall be planted, and the shouts of adoring nation's roll upwards like thin < r —“ Hallelujah! the Lord God omnipotent re gueth.”—2 he Pulpit, fin. Sm io a flood fbnt bus spread farther, contin ued long! r, and left n ore vis Mr marks of its desolating power than the flood of Noah One generation only was swept nw v with that;hut how ninny generations have been swept away with this, eternity oily w *ll r< veal.— 1 hat flood destroyed only the bodies ; thisthc souls ofmen. It is a jin that Juts ruined more faniiliesthau the burning of Moscow in 1312, of London in 1666, or of the cities of the plain in the time of Ibruhum. It is a famine in which more have perished than in all the famines of ancient nr modern date. It is a tsar that ha? never ceased Mnce the commencement of fertilities in the garden of jr.rlen —a pestilence that walked) in darkness, and vvasteth nt noon-day—a tempest —a whirl j wind —a storm —an earthquake* and more fear ful in its ravages than any that have visited ci thcr earth or sea —it is a disease more infec tious than the leprosy, and u plague more to he dreaded than all the plagues of Egypt. Ailtlie energies of men and angels cannot riverc .i < this universal evil. Our only hope and la pi's in “ Christ crucified.” Reader, if thou at any danger of heiug destroyed by this enemy, flee instantly to Christ, and by faith lay holdon the hope set before thee. Looking to Jesus. —Natural historians in form us that the eagle forces its young ones to look at the sun, which at first they are unwil ling to do; hut their eyes hv use get strength, and they view it w ithout difficulty. Tims it is with the Christian. The sun of the spiritual world is the Lord .lesiis Christ; weak believers arc apt to take oil'their eyes from him, b#t by the exercise of faith they see him more clearly; and when they are perfect in heaven, theyshall heboid his glory, and take their eyes frotn him no more for ever. PRAYER. It affords no solid objection to this duty, that God knows what we want, and that he could, if he saw fit, supply all our wants, without our asking, since it is certain that he has command }ed us to prav, and it is not certain that lie will j Ides t> us if we do not pray. We cannot doubt j that ii were possible for him to sustain us with : out food, even for years, if necessary; but it I would be folly in the extreme, for us, out of pretence of” living by faith” in this sensi, to ■ cease from eating, in order that wo might live I without labor. Common prudence teaches-us -.to labor for our daily bread, and though this i; jentailed on us us a curse, yet, by the imp ray or God, in connection with the result, it is ttifned into a blessing. So prayer, though to mere reason it may seem unnecessary, and to the flesh a task, yet if performed in, obedience to the word of God, in a right manner, and ia a (right spirit, is neither unnecessary, nor unrea sonable, and may prove to he the most profita ! hie employment of our lives. Our Lord has I said, “ Ask, and ye shall receive we believe j bin., and we therefore pray, and say toothers, j” ’ .o and do likewise.” Secret proper, weans 1 us. tioni.thc world pncl sm.Bjitl brings us neat- er to God. J'amily prayer unites the members f the family together in peace and love. They who regularly pray with, and for each other, cannot well retain anger towards each other: personal animosity destroys the spirit ot prayer, and prayer in return overcomes this deadly and destructive evil. So it is of social prayer, and as in public we pray that God w ould forgive us *s we forgive others, it is directly calculated to promote a forgiving spirit, and procure for our selves the forgiveness of^pis. Procrastination. —The Pastor’s Journal re lates an anecdote to the following effect:—-Mr. A— who had been intemperate, and so op posed to religion and religious institutions as to refuse bis wife liberty to attend the preach ing of the Gospel, was at length brought to lis ten with interest to what a neighbour told him of a revival of religion which was then prevail ing. After much solicitation lie at length pro. iniaed that after anotM r week he would join the Sabbath School and begin la attend to the sal vation of his soul. The next Sabbath came. Tin Superintendent and others looked with so licitude for A—, b tbe was not there. They continued to expect hint t’ll the school closed, but lie came, not. Soon the bell tolled a funeral knell. It was for A—, the man who, one week before, had promised to begin that day to seek the salvation of his soul! On Saturday he was arrested, and in a few hours died—with out hope! RASTER WITH HIS BIRLE. It is a fact w orthy of consideration, that the works of Custer, in which he has most skilful ly blended the two characteristics—cloctrn id— and practical are the only ones which art pas sing down from generation to generation. There are many books Written no doubt w ith the grave intention, and the very sanguine ex pectation, that posterity will read mid admire them ; but which may never reach the Minds of posterity, for the plain reason that they are not composed of sufficiently rich and durable ma terials. Especially is this true of vast multi tudes of books ol unnecessary controversy and speculation, and of wrangling metaphysics. A enlist of thankfulness it >s truly, that tin great propotion of sunn works nre floated into the ed dies, or cast up dry as their contents, on the shores of the river l ime, and forbidden by a merciful Providence to float down, and perplex or disturb posterity ; especially a posterity sufli ceintly fruitful in such productions. Tins is becoming the case with many of the writings of Baxter. Baxter's honest coviction and confession, bearing on this subject, deserves the serious eonsideratioh ol ministers of the gospel. “To tell the truth, while I busily read what other men said in these controversies, toy mind was so prepossessed with their notions, that I could not possibly see the truth in its own native and naked evidence; and when I entered into pub lic disputations concerning it, though I was tru ly willing to know the ttuth, my mind was so forestalled with borrow ed notions, that I chiefly studied how to make good the opinions which ! had received, and ran farther from the truth. Yea, when I read the truth in Hr. Preston’s and other men’s writings, I did not consider and understand it; andwhen 1 heard it from them whom I opposed m wrangling disputations, or'read it in hooks of controversy, I discerned it east of all. T iti ai last, being in iny sickness cast far frotn home, where J had no book btit my Jlible, I studied the truth frotn thence, and y tiie blessing of God, discovered more in one week, than I had done before in seventeen years’ reudmg, hearing aid wrangling.”— Qt. Reg. Christianity. —A gloomy mind cannot keep company with a religious spirit—Christianity is cheerful. Christ invites to rest ; rest is an exile from the breast w here melancholy dwells. Could the Saviour of the world himself movi highly recommend the blessedness of a diet ful heart, limn when he said “ Be of good cheer.” “Let not your hearts be troubled,” “ My peace I leave with your,” and“ My Father will send you another comforter.” V hen, therefore,you see a professor of Christianity dejected, and refusing to be comforted, pity him and pray for him; but do not believe that depression of spirit can be the natural result of Christianity. The cheerful and pious Rishop Horne, whose writings have soothed many an afflicted soul, delights us with the following brilliant remarks. A celebrated writer on the side of scepticism and irriligion, in a book published since Ins death, to produce atheism in the world, has been pleased to say ‘that all devout persons lu had ever seen were melancholy.’ ‘This might ■ very possidly be,’ said the Bishop, ‘ for in the first place it is likely he saw very few, Lis friends it'nl/jcquaiitanccs peing of another sort; and Secondly, the sight of him would make a devout person melancholy at any time.— liushfidd. SWEARING. Use no oaths; lot kup your word without swaqring. This is vvliat the Scythians said to Alexander the Great. We learn from that maxim, that tre should never swear, but when we are neces sarily obliged to it. When I hear any body swear without any necessity, 1 am apt to beiiov that he does it because his conscience tells him, that he does not deserve to he believed upon his mere word. lam never imposed upon hv swearing men , I look upon them as men, who, having got the. liu'oit of sweat: g, do not <u->u sidcr the ill consequences of it, or care so httlo 4„r it, that it is indifferent to them whether they be sincere in their oaths, or not ; for habits arc commonly attended with indifierency and want of attention. Do not we see some men, wlioj , having got such a habit, never speak without, swearing, and w ithout mixing the most sacred, things with their oaths; who swear otu of anger and debauchery, to pass away the time, without any reason, without any attention, aitn, or de sign in it, and without being able to show what advantage they get by it ? Their oaths serve them instead of transitions, in their d!icour?es to swear and speak is the same thing to them ; but it is not so with those that henr them ; for it’ they were contented to speak without swearing, they would not he so much abhorred ly wiso men. Their oaths stain the good tilings they fay, and raise the indignation of honest meir against them. I take every swearer to boa passionate or a inconsiderate, or a loose man, or one whose education has been very mucfi neglected; every one of these things is odious to an honest man. I'rom the London Hahinlist llagT.isiCi FOREIGN MISSIONS. Continental India.—At a village near Ncgr patam, all the Romanists in the place, except one family, have publicly and decidedly re nounced the errors ol Ponerv. Nearly 100 art> under the special care ot the Missionaries, and about.ten heathens arc now Ait the date of tbo letter,) candidates for baptism. New Zealand. —From this place the Mis sionary writes: “ Since I wrote to you last, ov.r prospects have assumed a much more cheering aspect, and wo arc not without hope that wt> shall ere long have to report to you the convcr*’ sion of sonic of the very interesting young men. who live with us. The number of native* living with us is thirty-four; of these, twenty eight are Young men and boys, and six aro young women. At present we can only devoto about two hours each day to their instruction iu reading and writing; and I name it as a very pleasing indication of some good, that most of them are anxious to acquire a knowledge of letters, and on some of their minds good im pressions are made and gracious desires created. They are catechised generally three evenings every week* and as often addressed on some im-’ portant Christian doctrine, in addition to thi> services of the Sabbath. Tongatahoo. —(South Se& mission.) —At thi place, on Sabbath, (June 07, 1830,) the mis sionaries baptized sixty-eight adults and th king’s little son, and on the Kune day married thirty Couples. At Tonga they have a chapel 70 feet by SO. In this chapel they have held a ! ovefeast, at which about one hundred ryok** anil many of them much to the point. At thf> dedication of the chapel, about two thousand persons were present. The attention was very great and the singing uncommonly good. Sev eral of the native women were attired in Euro pean habit, their desire for which is Very great* Ilahai Jslandf, (South Sea mission.) —“ Ou the seventh of this month, (Nov. 1830,) twelve adults were baptised in the name of the Holy Trinity ; at which time they publicly renounced heathenism and took the Lord Jehovah for their God, About seventy persons meet in class, om of whom is the king. About one hundred and seventy males are entered upon the school book, eighteen of whom are teachers* The king and principal chiefs are among the’ eatechumen% and stand up in the ring with the people every morning. The female school contains one hun dred and fifty, ten of whom act as teachers. I have (says the missionary) been under the ne cessity of actingas preacher, class leader, school r aster, doctor and visiter. I have six classes to meet, to preach three native sermons every week, and to write school books, besides many other dntic#.* ijovtlum Africa.—At Lilly fountain, J.iltli Namacqttaland the missionaries and native* have held a missionary meeting, at which seve ral converted Hottentots were among the speak ers, and spoke with great simplicity and fervor*. One of them remarked, “ God is Almighty, anil J sus the Son of Mary shall yetdo greater things- I love Jesus : yes,, as sure us I am standing . here, I know I love him. We see great thing* to-day. Who among us eVcr thought of seeing such a ohurch at Lilly Fountain ? Who ever thought of seeing so many teachers here ? Yet all our teachers preach the same Gospel; yes, though there arc many teachers, the word is the same, the prayer is the same, the school is tli£> samr. The Mauritius. —A mission has been planted’ here. Catholics have consented to have their , children taught l y the Protestants, and a cor* . grcgalion from two. to three hundred has been gathered. The children has been taught ths.. first rudiments of pure Christianity, and ha,a already begun to sing the high praises of and the Lamb. OK-ADAM CI. ABXE* Extract of a letter from the Rev. Dr. Adaz% Clarke, to the senior publisher of the Christian Advocate and Journal, dated Ileydon Hall, Pinner, Middlesex, Oct. 3, 1831 “ I‘ev. and Dear Sir:— -You ioguire about nv going ov- r to America, and ask, ‘ls it vet too late?’ That depends on that quantum oF hfi that God may have allotted me. I have long wishi ii to visit America. I shall have thfe. ! eciji; HuA though VarV.g file Egd c( i.qorq tha