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Youth. You would have a man pray till he got into the spir it. I always wish to feel it before I stop.

Experience. You should feel it before you begin; and as for praying till we get into the spirit, as you call it,I have known more people prayed out of the meeting house, than I ever did ministers prayed into the spirit. This kindling up a fire of our own, warms nobody and puts our own eyes out. While we are praying ourselves into the spirit, we often pray a whole congregation out of patience. There is another fault about praying. Some men will pray for sinners, and for those who have not been converted, and for the unregenerate; that they may be converted and be renewed and be born again, and have their hearts changed, and have new hearts, and be adopted into God's family, and be made the children of the Lord; that they may be no longer uncircumcised in heart, but that they may become new creatures. Again they pray for all the ministers of the everlasting Gospel, then for the heralds of salvation, and then for the watchmen of Zion's walls, and for the messengers of the word of life, &c. Now who does not know that such tautology is enough to wear the patience of Job, especially when it is continued for half an hour with a most intolerable tone. For a model of prayer look at Matthew vi: 9-14.

Youth.-I thank you father Experience, for your kind council, and hope you will ever take the liberty to suggest any improvement to me that your acquaintance with the ministry may enable you.

Experience. I have but one thing more at present. You will preach at my house next Thursday evening; will you tell me what you think is the meaning of Matthew xxiii: 9 May the Lord instruct you and make you a useful and faithful minister of the Gospel. Farewell. AMICUS.

ORIGIN OF THE ANNUAL THANKSGIVING IN NEW-ENGLAND.

In Johnson's Wonderworking Providenee, or History of New England, published in 1651, we find the origin of the custom of an Annual Thanksgiving. His account is as follows: Thus this poor people having now tasted liberally of the salvation of the Lord every way, they deeme it high time to take up the Cup of thankfulness, and pay their vowes to the most high God, by whom they were holpen to this purpose of heart, and accordingly set apart the 16 of October. (1633.) This day was solemnly kept by all the seven Churches, rejoicing in the Lord, and rendering thanks for all their benefits. '-Book I. chapter 27. This extract would not perhaps be sufficient to show that the custom of observing a day of thanksgiving for the productions of the earth and other temporal mercies, commenced at this time, were it not for the following corroborating testimony from the Massachusetts Colony records, under the date of October, 1633. In regard to the many extraordinary mercies which the Lord

hath pleased to vouch-safe of late to this plantation, viz. a plentiful harvest, ships safely arrived with persons of special use and quality, &c. it is ordered that Wednesday the 16th of the present month shall be kept as a day of public THANKSGIVING through the several plantations.' The next anniversary of Thanksgiving will complete two hundred years since this venerable custom commenced.—New-Hampshire Observer.

POETRY.

TRUST IN GOD.

BY RYLAND.

Great God I put my trust in thee,
And on thy care depend;
To thee in every trouble flee,
My best, my only friend.

When all created streams are dried

Thy fulness is the same,
May I with this be satisfied
And glory in thy name.

Why should the soul a drop bemoan,
Who has a fountain near?

A fountain which will ever run
With waters sweet and clear.

No good in creatures can be found
But may be found in thee;
I must have all things and abound
While God is God to me.

Oh! that I had a stronger faith
To look within the veil,
To credit what my Saviour saith,
Whose word can never fail.

He that has made my heart secure,
Will here all good provide;
While Christ is rich, can I be poor?
What can I want bestde?

Oh! Lord I cast my care on thee,
I triumph and adore;
Henceforth my great concern shall be
To love and please thee more.

Popery in Spain.--The Edinburg Review informs us that there are at present in Spain, 58 Archbishops, 574 Bishops, 11,400 Abbots, 936 chapters, 7000 hospitals, 23,000 fraternities. 46,000 monasteries, 135,000 convents, 312000 secular priests, 200,000 inferior clergy, and 400,000 monks and nuns.

Support of Public Worship.-It is a curious fact, that, as a general remark, "the orthodox" in Massachusetts, are anxious to get rid of

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that provision in the Constitution which compels every body to support some form of religious worship, while the Unitarians take the opposite ground, and desire the provision to be retained. The Boston Morning Post says, Judge Story at the Unitarian Meeting on Tuesday evening, at Dr. Channing's church, urged them to hold fast to the third article of the Constitution and on no account to have it altered.” Journal of Commerce.

A Veteran Clergyman.-The Rev. Dr. Perkins, of West Hartford, preached recently his sixtieth anniversary sermon. In the course of it he informed his auditory, nearly all of whom could date their birth since the commencement of his ministry, that in his church there had been one thousand deaths and one thousand baptisms-that he had delivered four thousand written sermons, and three thousand extemporaneous ones, that he had attended sixty ordinations and installations, and had preached twenty ordination sermons, twelve of which had been published by request,-that he had attended one hundred ecclesiastical councils, to heal difficulties in the churches, and that he had fitted for college one hundred and fifty students, and more than thirty for the Gospel ministry.

Dr. Perkins is now eighty-three years of age-his step is yet firm, his mind vigorous, and he continues to discharge his pastoral duties without interruption. Hartford paper.

AGENTS.

RHODE ISLAND. Providence-Yates & Richmond, No. 3, Market square. Pawtucket, (North Providence)-Joseph Mcire, Bookseller.

New-BedAmherst―

MASSACHUSETTS. Boston-Dea. James Loring, Bookseller, No. 132, Washington-street. Taunton-Deacon John Reed. ford-Stephen Potter. Reading-James Weston Jr. Thomas Hervy. Falmouth-Capt. Silas Weeks. CONNECTICUT. Ashford-Rev. Israel G. Rose. NEW-YORK. Paris-Charles Simmons. NEW-JERSEY. Newark.-Amos Holbrook.

All those ministers, who receive the Magazine, are authorized and requested to act as agents.

Published at Rehoboth Village, Mass. by Rev. Otis Thompson, Editor and Proprietor.

POSTAGE OF THIS PAPER,-Under 100 miles, 1 cent: Over 100 miles

1 1-2 cents.

W ANTED one or two suitable AGENTS to travel and collect dues, and get Subscribers for the fifth volume of this Magazine, to whom a very generous compensation will be given. Apply personally or by letter, to the proprietor, at Rehoboth Village, Mass.

October 31, 1832.

HE PAST VOLUMES OF THIS WORK, for sale on very Tlow terms, at the bookstore of Hutchins & Shepard, Providence,

R. J., at the bookstore of Daniel Brewer, Taunton, Mass. and by the publisher, at Rehoboth Village, Mass.

October 31, 1832.

HOPKINSIAN MAGAZINE.

VOL. IV.]

December 15, 1832.

[NO. 17.

SERMON.

For this is the love af God, that we keep his cammandments; and his commandments are not grievous.-1 JoHN, v. 3.

The principal design of the apostle in this epistle is, to assist the professors of religion in determining whether they have been the subjects of a saving change. He asserts that there is an essential difference between the believer and unbeliever, or between the child of God, and one who is in the state of nature. He mentions various things which are proper marks of grace, ard by which every one may form a just opinion concerning his spiritual state. He represents love to Christ, love to the gospel, love to the brethren, compassion to the poor and needy, and mortification to the world and things of the world,as characteristical of a true believer. But the evidence of grace which he most frequently mentions, and upon which he lays the greatest stress, is a cheerful and universal obedience to the commands of God. "For this, says he, is the love of God, that we keep bis commandments; and his commandments are not grievous." The plain and obvious meaning of these words may be expressed in this general observation:

That those men, who love God, take pleasure in obeying his commands.

I. I shall inquire why God has given commands to men? And,

II. Show that those who love him, take pleasure in obeying the commands which he has given them.

I. Let us inquire, why God has given commands to men? Many suppose that after God has formed intelligent creatures, and made them capable of distinguishing between moral good and evil, they cught to be left to themselves, to govern their own conduct, by the sole dictates of their own minds. They can see no occasion for giving either precepts or prohibitions to such free moral agents. And upon this ground, they disbelieve that God has given any commands to mankind. But though we could not discover any reasons for God's giving us

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commands, this would not afford any conclusive evidence, that he had not done it, because he may see reasons for commanding his creatures, which lie beyond their comprehension. 'There is, however, no difficulty in this case, in discovering sufficient reasons for God's giving commands to men, who are capable of moral discernment. God has evidently given commands to men, in order to answer two very important purposes.

1. To inform them what is right. They are naturally born Fike the wild ass's colt, both ignorant and stupid in respect to moral things. Though they have powers and faculties, by which they might discover duty in some points, yet they are naturally indisposed to attend to their duty; and if they do attend, they choose to misunderstand it. The depravity of their hearts blinds their reason and conscience. This has been demonstrated by the conduct of all the heathen world, who have been left to walk in their own ways, without the aid of divine revelation. Hence it appears, that all need to be informed respecting their duty. It is necessary that God should inform men of what they might know without his information, when they neglect to inform themselves. And it is still more necessary, that he should inform them of what they could not know, without an immediate revelation of his will. They might discover their relation to God as dependant, guilty creatures, and learn the duties of love and repentance. They might discover their relations to each other, and learn the duty of doing to others, as they would that others should do to them. These duties are founded in the nature of things, and might be discovered by the light of reason and conscience. But since men are so depraved, that they will not learn these duties, it is necessary that God should command them to love him with all the heart, and their neighbor as themselves. But besides these duties, which resul from the immutable nature of things, there are many others which they could not discover by unassisted reason. These it is still more necessary that God should teach them by particular precepts, and prohibitions. Even Adam in Paradise and in innocence, stood in need of divine commands, in order to know how to employ his time, and improve his talents. And since the introduction of sin and misery, his posterity are much more ignorant of their present situation, their future circumstances, and final destination. So that they stand in peculiar need of divine commands to inform them what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God, which they ought to follow. Let

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