man, and it is supposed they are all in a thriving condition. When I visit them their tables are plentifully supplied and their families neatly clad without that gaudery, which is always disagreeable to people of taste and consideration. You cannot conceive the pleasure I feel in holding my grand-children and tea

This daughter I kept with myself, and you see she is in no bad circumstances. For many reasons I wished to live with her in my old age. I often tell her she is too much concerned for the world, but I hope that God will teach her. Here she was much affected.

Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widow's trust in me."

fatherless and exhorted them to be good children. After this she said to me, Mary, I know you are in trouble, and pray God it may be for your eternal good. She argued from reason, experience and the holy scriptures, especially from the blessed words already recited "let thy widows trust in me" until I was amazed at myself. I was re-ching them some good hymns. proved for I had no trust in God; I was confounded through a sense of my sin; I was encouraged on finding I might have an all sufficient friend, and my fortitude returned on hearing the encouragements of God to the widow and the fatherless. It is needless for me to tell you all the circumstances, through "But if you ask me" said she, which the instruction of the aged" how all this has been done I woman and the grace of God can give you no answer but this, brought me to possess greater riches than the world can give. I had no sooner attempted to help myself, than it appeared as though the providence of God helped me in every thing. I found that the promises cannot help us without the use of means to give them efficacy: I found more happiness in depending on God, than in any prosperous state I had ever imagined to be in the world. From this time, my neighbors appeared to know, "That pure religion and undefiled before God and the father is this; to visit the widows and the fatherless in their affliction." For a season charity liberally aided me; after this industry and economy took its place, and after supplying a widow's table and vestry I had some little savings to put my three boys in apprenticeships to respectable trades. Two of them I hope are pious, the other is a moral

-The world would not believe, if I were to give a more particular account, how we were clothed when naked, fed when hungry, healed when sick, and kept through innumerable troubles, which none but those who have felt can justly apprehend. Mark the sovereign goodness of God, and the benefits of fearing him: The goodness of God in bringing so vile a sinner as I was to fear him; lo! It was sovereign grace: And the benefits which followed the lowest degree of Christian obedience, for it was only the lowest which I ever rendered. Many children, of those who were prosperous when I was afflicted, are now sunk into the depths of distress; but mark ye, sir, it is through their own vices they are so forlorn. Blessed promises are made

to the obedient: But how can of distrusting God, the sufficienwe obtain the promises, unless cy of the promises, the certainwe comply with the terms on ty they will all be fulfilled, and which they are made?" After especially of this promise.— joining in prayer with the good" Leave thy fatherless children, woman at her request, I reti- I will preserve them alive, and red with a deep sense of the let thy widows trust in me." mysteries of providence in this

world; the folly of sin, the guilt

Ps.

POETRY.

Pleading for Mercy.

WHILE Jesus frowns there's nought can cheer my soul,
Like one forsaken. day and night I mourn;
The restless waves of trouble o'er me roll,
I faint, with grief and anguish overborne.
No creature-aid can give my spirit rest,
My God alone can fill my large desires;
His smiles alone can make me truly blest,

While tow'rd his throne my bleeding heart aspires.
Saviour spurn not when I cry and pray;
!

Hide not thy beauties from my longing eyes;
Why should I dwell so far from thee away?
O come, and" seize my soul with sweet surprise!"
Sweet is thy voice, and peace is in the sound,
Thy love is better than the noblest wine!
This is a balm for ev'ry bleeding wound,
It fills the soul with happiness divine.

Ah wretched heart, inconstant, false and vain,
That clings to earth, and longs for sinful joys!
When shall it, o'er corruption, vict❜ry gain,
And soar above this world's delusive toys.

Does not thy love my warmest thoughts engage
Thou source of hope, and fountain of delight!
Thy cheering smiles my inward grief assuage,
And raise my songs, tho' veil'd in gloomy night.
Jesus, my God! to thee I raise my pray❜r,
O cast one look of gentle pity down;
Let me not sink, o'erwhelm'd with deep despair,"
To hell's dark caves, beneath thine angry frown!
Thou might'st, I own, with justice bid me go
Where hope, nor mercy, e'er shall cheer the soul;

Where I should agonize in endless woe,—

In fiery waves, with ceaseless anguish, roll!

But, oh! what pangs would rend my throbbing heart,-
What horror, wild, would. in my looks appear,
Should thy stern voice, in thunder,
"From my right hand, thou hast no portion here !”

say,

Depart

I cannot live with those who hate thee now,
Blaspheme thy name, despise thy word and ways,
Whose stubborn hearts to thee refuse to bow,
Whose lips, profane, refuse to speak thy praise.
And can I dwell with guilty ghosts below?
With devils, raging, 'gainst th' immortal king!
Where fires of wrath, and malice fiercely glow,
And shrieks, and curses make hell's caverns ring!
Thy grace. O Saviour, gloriously display,
Reveal thy love, and not thy wrath alone;
Raise me to see a bright. "a heav'nly day,'
To join the choirs that sing around thy throne !

CONTRITIO.

Anna.-A Fragment.

-SLOW mov'd the darken'd hearse

Of once-lov'd Anna! Now, nor meets the eye,
No look affectionate; nor swelling sigh,
Nor grief's lorn language, greets the passing ear,
Nor guilt, nor shame appals at Anna's bier!

Soul-sear'd Lorenzo! but for thee, e'en now,
With life and innocence and health's fair brow
Serene, still privileged-she yet had known
Those joys, those transports virtue calls her own ;
Had known conjugal and maternal love,
On earth had tasted half the joys above!

All earthly joys now forfeited, for thee,
For thee, Lorenzo!-now thine Anna see
Bereft of happiness. of hope, below ;
Perhaps, too, banish'd to eternal woe,

Her crimes uncancell'd in a Saviour's blood,
Her soul unwelcom'd by a pard'ning God!

Ah no! her trembling tongue a Saviour's name
Confess'd. In death, repentant, dared proclaim
Her crimes, her bold transgression of his holy laws,
Nor once, reproachful, thee the guilty cause

Accus'd. Sweet" mercy," then, her only theme,
Her rais'd affections soar'd beyond the dream
Of earthly bliss, to where a Saviour's voice,
In love's own thrilling accents, bids rejoice,
Rejoice in Him, nor mourn offences past,

Rejoice, where myriads chaunt," Him first-Him last"!

Such heav'n wrought pleasures, (thus debas'd, thus low,
Thus lost, Lorenzo !) thou canst never know:
Such guilt-forgiven raptures ne'er canst prove,
Till deep repentance taste redeeming love!

Then, O beware! death will not long delay ;
Swift will the morning of that awful day,
In thunders break, when thou alone must stand
Before thy frowning Judge: nor his right hand
Thy uncleans'd soul receive.

Shrinks not thy spirit from a doom like this?
Then view thy forfeiture of earthly bliss!
See in life's future, opening prospects fair,
Some lovely object of thy dearest care,
Some pledge, perhaps, of joys forever flown,
A daughter, dawning into life. Unknown,
Unfelt, unfear'd all ill; her tender mind
For lightest, sweetest, purest joys design'd.

On this lov'd form, perhaps, some hidden eye
Unhallow'd rests; awhile securely nigh,
In ambush dark, th' insidious hour to wait,
(A mother's anguish now for her too late!)
Then fastens, swift, the keenly-sharpen'd fangs
Of" havock, spoil and ruin"! Thus in pangs,
Thy rending soul shall all-unpitied prove,
For Anna's fate, how bleeds parental love!

1

1809.

Donation to the Missionary Society of Connecticut. April 17. Israel Brainard, contributed in new settlements $ 1:00

NOTICE. The Letter of Miss P.-J-, and the account of her death were not received in season for publication the present month. They shall be inserted in our next number.

Ed.

FOR THE CONNECTICUT MA-, liar satisfaction in reading the

memoirs of such, in our

own

nation.
The memory of the
righteous is precious. It should
be cherished with delight. We
are fulfilling an important duty,
when we endeavour to preserve

it.

IOGRAPHY is a species of history, peculiarly useful It is humbly conceived that it and interesting. We feel a is no more than a piece of res strong desire to become acquaint- pect due to the memory of the ed with the characters of per- Rev. Thomas Clap, president of sons, who have been distinguish-Yale College, in New-Haven, to ed, in their day and place, as in- lay before the public, some brief struments of good to mankind. sketches of his life and characThe eagerness of curiosity ter. To those, who have done prompts us to seek the know-worthily, in exalted stations, a ledge of such characters. This tribute of esteem and commencuriosity is common to man. dation should be given. The Every class and description of subject of these biographical readers are pleased to be intro- sketches, was born June 26, duced to an acquaintance with 1703. His parentage was resgreat and good men. A reli- pectable. The place of his nagious Magazine seems to be the tivity was the town of SCITUproper vehicle to convey infor- ATE, in the state of Massachumation concerning the lives of setts. His parents were Mr. Christians, who have shone, with Stephen and Mrs. Temperance great lustre, in the Church of Clap, who were reputable and God. We ought to feel a pecu- pious members both of civil and VOL. II. No. 6.

X