818 Daily Resolutions of J. C. Lavater.... Installations. [AvG And Peter prefers the evidence of the Scriptures before a voice from heaven.* And Christ himself appeals to the Scriptures, to justify himself and his doctrine. And if the Scriptures be the only rule, "1. Then, not a natural conscience, especially as the case now stands with mankind; for this is many times corrupted and false principled, puts good for evil, and evil for good. It is, and may be, a great help, guide, and direction, not a perfect rule. 2 Then, not the writings and traditions of men: God, that appoints the ends and means, must be the discoverer of the means of our salvation. 3. Then, not pretended revelations: those may be men's imaginations, or the devil's delusions; to prevent and discover which, God hath set up this great and standing revelation of his Scriptures. 4. Then, not the church: for that may err; and it hath no way to evidence itself; but by the Scriptures, which are its foundation. "The business of man's salvation is of that importance, and the wisdom of God so great that he will not commit so weighty a matter to such uncertain rules as these, but hath provided one of his own making, the Holy Scriptures." Daily resolutions of J. C. Lavater, an eminent and pious Clergyman in Switzerland. in the name of Jesus Christ, and as his disciple; to sigh to God continually for the Holy Ghost; and to preserve myself in a constant disposition for prayer. "Every day shall be distinguished by at least one particular work of love. Every day I will be especially attentive to promote the benefit and advantage of my own family in particular. "I will never eat or drink so much as shall occasion to me the least inconvenience or hindrance in my business; and between meal times (a morsel in the evening excepted,) I will abstain as much as possible from eating and from wine. "Wherever I go, I will first pray to God that I may commit no sin there, but be the cause of some good. I will never lay down to sleep without prayer, nor, when I am in health, sleep longer than, at most, eight hours "I will every evening examine my conduct through the day, by these rules, and faithfully note down in my journal how often I offend against them. "O God! thou seest what I have here written. May I be able to read these my resolutions every morning with sincerity, and every evening with joy and the clear ap probation of my conscience." 1041 It is reported that Mr. RICE, an "I will never, either in the morn-American Missionary to the East is ing or evening, proceed to any busi- at St. Salvador, in Brazil, waiting ness, until I have first retired, at for a cartel to return to this counleast for a few moments, to a private place, and implored God for try. his assistance and blessing. "I will neither do, nor undertake any thing, which I would abstain from doing if Jesus Christ were standing visibly before me; nor any thing of which I think it possible that I shall repent in the uncertain hour of my certain death. I will, with the Divine aid, accustom myself to do every thing, without exception, *2 Peter i. 18, 19. . † John v. 39. 1040 INSTALLATIONS. On Wednesday, the 7th of July, was installed the Rev. WALTER KING, (late of Norwich Conn.) over theChurch and Congregation in Wil liamstown, (Mass) The introductory prayer was offered by the Rev, Mr. Dorrance, of Windsor. Rev. Dr. Hyde, of Lee, preached the sermon. Rev. Mr. Shepard, of Sermon on the occasion by the Rev. Lenox, offered the consecrating prayer. Rev. Mr. Packard, of Shelburne, gave the charge. Rev. Mr. Marsh, of Bennington, gave the right hand of fellowship. And the Rev. Mr. Jennings, of Dalton, offered the concluding prayer. The exercises throughout were appropriate, and uncommonly interesting The solemn delight and satisfaction, beating from the countenances of a large assembly, were calculated to impress the heart deeply, and inspire cheering hope that a divine blessing might rest upon the solemnities of the occasion; and upon this part of the Vineyard of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. INSTALLED, in New-York, Rev. Mr. MATTHEWS, as pastor of the Dutch Church, in Garden-street. 149 ORDINATIONS. Stephen Gano, of Providence; con secrating prayer by the Rev. Rufus Babcock, of Colebrook; charge by the Rev. Asahel Morse, of Suffield; right-hand of fellowship by the Rev. Jonathan Goodwin, of Mansfield, and concluding praver by the Rev. Eliada Blakesly, of East Hartford. ORDAINED, in Palmyra (N. Y.) Rev. HIPPOCRATES ROWE: Sermon from 2 Tim. iv ORDAINED, in Whitesborough, (N. Y.) Rev. JOHN FROST. Sermon by Rev. Dr. Backus, President of Hamilton College, from Isa. lviii. 1.-- 1040 OBITUARY. DIED,-In Bennington, Hon. MOSES ROBINSON, aged 72, formerly Governor of Vermont. In EXETER, (N. H.) Hon. WILLIAM PARKER, aged 82. In New-Haven, JAMES MERRIMAN, Esq. Brig. Gen. 2d. Brig. Con Militia, aged 52. On Wednesday the 16th June last, In Hardwick, (Ms.) Rev. DAVID Mr AMASA LOOMIS, Jr. of East- BATES, pastor of the Baptist SocieWindsor, was ordained to the pasty in Dana, aged 52. toral office over the church and congregation of New-Salem Society in Colchester. The introductory prayer, by the Rev. Salmon Cone, of Colchester; Sermon by Dr. William Lyman, of Haddam; consecrating prayer by the Rev Zebulon Ely, of Lebanon; the charge to the Pastor, by Dr. Joseph Strong, of Norwich, and the charge to the People by the Rev. Samuel Nott, of Franklin; the right-hand of fellowship, by the Rev. Nathaniel Dwight, of Westchester; and the concluding prayer, by the Rev Hubbell Loomis, of Willington. The Society, on account of division and other circumstances, has, for about sixty years, been destitute of the sacred ministry and ordinances of the Gospel. On the 16th of June last, at the Baptist Meeting House, in Hartford, was ordained to the work of the ministry, Mr. ELISHA CUSHMAN. In Middleburgh, (N. J.) Rev. JOHN M. VAN HARLINGEN, Professor of the Hebrew Language and Church History in the Theological Seminary of the Dutch Reformed Church of North America. In Holliston, Rev. TIMOTHY DICKINSON, aged 52. At Buntzlaw, in Prussia, the 28th April, the celebrated Russian General Prince KUTUSOFF SMOLENKSO, aged 70-One of the most renowned warriors of the age. In Prussia, AUGUSTUS FERDINAND, Prince of Prussia, son of Frederick William I. and great uncle of the present reigning King, aged 83. In Pulteneyville, (N. Y.) Rev, In Providence (R. I) Hon. JOHN DORRANCE, aged 66. At Niagara, 6th of June last, Dr. SAMUEL SCOFIELD, one of the Surgeons of the Department for that District, aged 30. In Franklin County, (Penn.) Rev. Dr. JOHN KING, aged 73. In Isie of France Mrs NEWELL, wife of Rev. Mr. Newell, one of the Missionaries which went from Salem to Calcutta, in Ship Cara van. In Baltimore, Hon. JOHN SCOTT, Chief Justice of the Court of Oyer and Terminer for Baltimore County. bears record to his gallantry, science, genius and humanity. In Halifax, 13th June, of the wounds received in the action with the Shannon, AUGUSTUS C. LUDLow, first Lieut. of the Chesapeake frigate, aged 21. On board the Chesapeake, during the action with the Shannon, WILLIAM A. WHITE, aged 26, Sailing Master-a native of Rutland, (Ms.) Also, in the same action, JAMES BROOME, 1st Lieutenant of Marines, three midshipmen, and fortythree officers and seamen beside those above named. At Richmond, (Vir.) Gen JAMES In Augusta, (Maine,) on the 9th WOOD, an officer of the revolutionult. Mr. JOHN GILLEY, at the ad-ary war, and a member of the exvanced age of 124 years! On board the United States frigate Chesapeake, the 6th of June last, JAMES LAWRENCE, Esq. Captain of that frigate, aged about 30; leaving an amiable and bereaved widow, and three infant children to the protection of Heaven, and the gratitude of his Country.— Every page of our Naval annals ecutive Council in that State. At Geneva, (N. Y.) the Rev. JEDIDIAH CHAPMAN, aged 72, in the fifty-second year of his ministry. At Wethersfield, July 23d, Rev. JOSHUA BELDEN, aged 89.-Some Memoirs of this venerable father in the Church will appear in our next number. 1813. Donations to the Missionary Society of Connecticut. July 12. From Rev. Nathan B. Derrow, collected in New TH [No. 9. of the world. But in order to attain any end, means are necessary. HIS world plainly appears God cannot attain his to be the workmanship of end in creation without the proa perfectly wise, and powerful, per and necessary means to atand benevolent being. Such a tain it. If, therefore, God had being could not make such a an ultimate end in the creation world as this, without having of the world, he must have orsome ultimate end in view; and dained all events from eternity. that ultimate end must endear We have precisely the same evithe world to him. God must dence of God's foreordaining all set more by the whole world, things, as we have of his making than any of its inhabitants set all things. If he made the by a part of it. God feels infi- world, he must have had an ulnitely more interested in the timate end in making it; that world than the farmer does in ultimate end must endear the his farm, or the mariner in his world to him, and that endearship, or the master in his ser- ment must have led him to orvants, or the parent in his chil-dain all events, necessary to obdren, or the prince in his sub-tain his ultimate end. We come jects. God values the world in exact proportion to the ultimate end, which he has to answer by it. And he must have a vastly more important end to answer by all the world, through all its periods of existence than any crea-wise, and powerful, and benevoted being can have to answer by lent being made us,equally teachany created object. Hence his es us that he determined before heart must be engaged to attain the foundation of the world his ultimate end in the creation what he would do with us, and VOL. VI. No. 9. Rr to the knowledge of the divine decrees in general in the same way in which we come to the knowledge of the being and perfections of God. The light of nature, which teaches us that a has ordained a part, and only a how he would dispose of us, so as to answer the ultimate end for which he brought us into being. But though the light of nature teaches us that God has forcordained whatsoever comes to pass, yet it does not teach us what he has ordained, until it does come to pass. Whatever God does, we may know that he intended to do; and whatever his creatures do, we may know that he intended they should do. So far the light of nature unfolds the divine counsels, and no further. It leaves all men in the dark, with respect to the doctrine of personal election to eternal life. It is out of the power of the heathens to determine whether God will save any, or all mankind. And it is equally out of the power of all other men to determine this point by reasoning upon the character, perfections and works of God.As no created beings can comprehend the wisdom, and power, and benevolence of the Deity; so they cannot possibly by any mode of reasoning, discover the purposes which he has formed. And from this it clearly follows, that there is no other way of knowing whether God has ordained only a part of mankind to eternal life, than by the medium of divine revelation. If God has formed his purposes re-tinction from those who are apspecting the eternal state of mankind, he is certainly able to reveal his purposes. And if he has revealed his purposes in his word, there we may certainly know what they are. Now there is no doctrine more clearly revealed in the Bible, than the doctrine of personal election to cternal life. God has expressly declared, that he pointed to eternal destruction. Thus God has told us, in the most plain and unequivocal manner, that he has ordained a part of mankind to eternal life.And this is the way, and the only way, by which we know, that the doctrine of personal election is certainly true. But it may be asked, even by those who admit that the doc |