"Whose bounty fhines in Autumn unconfin'd, THOMSON. After confidering the account given in this verfe of the divine conduct towards men, we may truly fay, he left not himfelf without witness. All these works of his are witneffes for him. They are teftimonies of his Almighty power, unbounded goodness, and paternal care. And does not every feafon of the revolving year manifeft his wisdom and his faithfulness too? He hath faid, a "While the earth remaineth, feed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and fummer and winter, and day and night, fhall not cease." And while we are every year beholding the fulfilment of this promife, let us adore that inviolable truth and faithfulness to which we owe the accomplishment thereof. The wifdom of God is difcovered in that beautiful harmony, which fubfifts among the works of nature, and in regular fucceffion of the feafons; "A fimple train, "Yet fo delightful mixed, with such kind art, ; THOMSON. All the creatures around us have a voice; and how inftructive is their fpeech, did we but hear it! What then do they fay? They are all witneffes for God, and this is their language, "The hand that made us is Divine." How pleafing, thus to contemplate nature till we are led up to nature's God! How delightful to furvey the effects of divine wifdom, power, and goodness! How refreshing to behold the manifeftations of divine faithfulness and care, and then to rife in our thoughts and affections to the great Author, and firft Caufe of all, faying in our hearts, "He hath not left himfelf without witnefs !"-God is feen in all his works." The heavens declare his glory, and the firmament fheweth his handy-work: Day unto day uttereth fpeech, and night unto night fheweth knowledge." Winter and fummer, fpring and autumn speak his praife. "Thefe, as they change, Almighty Father! these "Is full of thee." But the Lord hath nobler witneffes far than the works of creation, or the bounties of Providence. If we survey the wonders of Redemption, we fhall find God hath done good' in a more eminent way than in giving us rain from heaven and fruitful feafons. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him Thould not perish, but have everlasting life."+"Herein is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and fent his Son to be the propitiation for our fins." Here is a witness for God, here is a teftimony of his goodness, which infinitely furpaffes all the reft. While then we praise him for our creation, prefervation, and all the bleffings of this life; let us chiefly give him thanks for his "inestimable love in the Redemption of the world by Jesus Christ; for the means of grace and the hope of glory." May every reader of this, as well as the writer, know Jefus Christ and him crucified! May the Father of lights and of mercies "reveal his Son in us," and "lift up the light of his countenance upon us! That will put more gladness into our hearts than the increase of corn and wine." We fhall then know by experience, as well as by observation, that God hath not left himself without witnefs; for "He that believeth hath the witness in himself." ANTONIUS. CONVERSION AND DEATH OF A SOCINIAN. SIB, To the Editor of the Evangelical Magazine. HE Lord has been pleafed lately to exercise me with Tan awful and affecting difpenfation in a certain perfon, a hearer in my congregation, juft on the point of admiffion into church-fellowship! who, to the great aftonishment and grief of both church and congregation, renounced the Faith, and embraced Socinianifm. So eagerly did he drink in the doctrine of Socinus, that he foon forfook the means of grace, and became a warm difputant, reasoning with all that he judged capable of improvement, as he ftiled it, with a view to bring them into his error; but the gracious Lord * John iii. 16. ↑ John iv. 10. prevented him from feducing any; I laboured much to recover him to the truth, but in vain: at length the Lord caft him on a bed of affliction, and I felt a ftrong impreffion of mind to converfe with him. I accordingly made feveral attempts to gain accefs unto him, but without fuccefs. Being on my Miffionary fervice in the country, one night I was much difturbed in my fleep, and awaked many times with ftrong imaginations that fome perfon wanted me; I refolved to return home in the morning, and when I got to my door, a meffenger from the above-mentioned perfon came up to me, requefting my attendance at his houfe immediately, and I found this meffage had been repeated at my houfe for three or four days fucceffively. Accordingly I went, and upon my entering his room he cried out, "Oh! Mr. S. I have thought you long in coming to see me, but why, how could I expect that you would come at all?" He ordered the chamber to be cleared of the company, and entreating me to fit down by him, thus addreffed me: "Oh! Sir, what must I do? Can there be hope for fuch a finner as I am!" In the multitude of my thoughts within me, to know whether the Lord was in this or not, I was at a lofs what to reply; but he foon discovered my agitation, and prevented me, by entering into a clear and full confeffion of his fin, and making an humble recantation of his error; affuring me that his mind had never been at peace, fince he forfook the house of God; and that the notions he had imbibed had dried up his foul, and made him now miferable. "Oh! my wicked, my foolish and vain heart, (faid he) to believe that book, which undervalued my Lord, and fed the pride of my heart! I was not content with divine Revelation, but greedily ran after the carnal reasoning of men of corrupt minds, therefore, I am brought into this awful state, because, I have renounced the Gofpel, forfaken the houfe of God, and denied the Lord Jefus Chrift. After all this, can there be any hope for me? do you. Sir, find any light, or any comfort for me?"-Here, the Lord opened my mouth, and I fpake the word of God; alfo in prayer, I found great liberty and hope in his falvation, all which he received with fuch lively emotions of joy and forrow, that convinced me the Lord was at work with his foul. After much conversation on the nature of his fin, the infinite precioufnefs of Jefus Chrift, the efficacy of his blood, the fufficiency of his righteoufnefs, and the grace and glory of God in accepting finners, backfliders, and even deniers of his Son, when brought to a just fight and sense of them. felves; and who by faith and repentance, feek unto God for falvation through Jefus Chrift alone, he appeared much comforted, and here I left him; but it was not long before he fent for me again, as he could not be fatisfied without fome further converfation on the fubject of his acceptance with God. On my return, he cried out, "Oh! Mr. S. be not offended at me, for fending again fo foon for you, how muft I be faved? Will God accept of me, indeed, in this` way which you have mentioned?" I replied, "Yes;" I did not doubt but that the Lord had accepted him. “Oh! (faid he) I have found him—I have got some hold of him, but want more; Oh! I do, I do believe in Jefus Chrift as the true God, and eternal life. Can you, fir, with your views of me, adminifter the Lord's Supper to me? Oh! I wish to take it, and thus to feal in my death, that Jefus Chrift is God, and that he loved me." On my intimating to him my fears, that many perfons when they apprehend themselves in a dying ftate, wifh for the Sacrament, as a qualification for heaven; he immediately replied, "Yes, I know it; but Jefus is my qualification alone, and as I have fo fhamefully denied him before men, I must retract all, and fhew the world, that I do believe in Jefus Chrift, and rely upon him alone for eternal life."-I gave him the Ordinance, and it was a good time indeed; he cried with a loud voice, "Lord Jefus, I come unto thee, I flee unto thee, I embrace thee; I eat, I drink this bread and wine in remembrance of thee; come Lord Jefus come." Being now almost exhausted, he bowed himself in his bed, and fell asleep in Jefus, a few hours after my departure from him. N. B. This perfon was a man of good natural abilities, and of becoming morals among men. May the Lord fanctify the relation of thefe facts unto his glory, and to the reclaiming those who have fallen from their ftedfastness, is the prayer of your humble fervant, W. S. THE PROGRESS OF THE METHODISTS, IN THE ISLAND OF MAN. (From Feltham's Tour, recently published.) "THE progrefs of the Methodists (fays the Author) in this island, has been no lefs rapid than in other countries. In most parishes, there is a place of worship. Here I heard an English fermon delivered with an animated elocution; and one in Manks by a native, no lefs fervent and devout. No other denominations of Diffenters exist in the island. "Their progrefs here was owing to a Mr. Lowry,* a native, who prevailed on Mr. Crook first to vifit it in 1775. Mr. Crook preached to numerous audiences, and after fome violent oppofition from turbulent fpirits, established many focieties. Mr. Weftley vifited it in 1777, and was well received. Preachers fprung up, who preached in Manks and English, and all oppofition died away. Mr. Weftley remarked, "that they had no fuch circuit, either in England, Scotland, or Ireland; it is, faid he, fhut up from the world. There are no difputers, no diffenters of any kind. The Governor, Bishop, Clergy, oppose not. They did for a season, but they grew better acquainted with us." At prefent (1798) there are in the focieties in the island, two thoufand feven hundred perfons; three travelling preachers, fixty Manks preachers, and fifteen meetinghoufes. In 1797, William Savary, a quaker, of Philadelphia, with Mr. Farrel, George Binns, of Liverpool, and Mr. Fofter, of Warrington, vifited, and preached in the ifland, and were treated with attention and respect. The two former had been through Europe to examine the state of the religion of Jefus Chrift. They remarked, that at Berlin and here, they perceived more apparent marks of religion than at most other places. Mr. Crook vifited the ifland again in 1798. This district is now annexed to the Whitehaven circuit, and is regularly vifited. * Vid. Dr. Coke's Life of Mr. Westley, 8vo. |