improper, that further remarks on this paffage fhould be admitted into your Magazine, and do not difapprove of the following, they are at your difpofal.

I

T is prefumed that the key to a right expofition of this text, will be found to be a juft idea of that fear, which the apoftle here afcribes to our Lord Jefus Chrift. And was heard in that he feared. In our tranflation a verb is made ufe of, he feared. In the Greek a fubftantive. He was heard for

because of on account of his fear. The original word is not phobos, the term commonly made ufe of by the Greeks, to fignify a dread of evil, mifery or diftrefs; but eulabeia which fignifies reverence or reverential fear, that fear of God which the Pfalmift tells us, is clean, enduring forever. And which comprifes in it all true holiness. Accordingly the marginal reading is, he was heard for his piety

mentioned-0 my Father, if this cup may not pass from me, except I drink it, thy will be done-And be was beard, that is accepted and approved, both in his prayer and fubmiffion, for the perfection of his filial fear and piety."

To this paraphrafe I will add a few obfervations. The impreffive fenfe which our Saviour had in the garden, of his future fufferings, was beyond measure agonizing, as the history of the Evangelifts fully evidences. Sufferings, and effe cially extreme fufferings are dreadful to nature; no lefs fo, to innocent and holy beings, than to the unholy. The defire of avoiding mifery, is natural and irrefiftible in all.

None can be willing to fuffer, but for valuable confiderations. The prayer of our Saviour was excited by a clear prefcience of anguish and distress, far exceeding the powers of our conception. At the fame time he knew the infinite gain to the univerfe, which thofe fufferings would effect. If all this good could not be obtained by other means, he freely fubmit

himfelf. This entire fubmiflien to his heavenly Father, amidit a prayer for deliverance, excited by the agonies of his holy foul was the highest act of his obedience, and moft decidedly proved its abfolute perfection. It gave an additional value and luftre to all that he did as Mediator. For this as the final act, he was heard and accepted of his Father, and fecured in the endless enjoyment of all the infinitely great and glorious rewards of his fufferings.

These facts naturally lead to the following paraphrafe. "Our bleffed Saviour, the great High Prieft of his Church, in the gar-ted to fuftain the tremendous load den of Gethsemane, when his mind was deeply impreffed with a perfect forefight of the dreadful fufferings that were before him, offered up prayers and fupplications, accompanied with frong crying and tears to his Almighty Father, who was infinitely able to deliver him; that, if it were poffible, if it were confiftent with the higheft divine glory in the falvation of finners, he might be exempted from that bitter death. His human nature, though perfectly holy, fhrunk from the thought of fuch inconceivable fufferings. But yet, amidft this keen anguifh which the profpect offered, he did not afk for deliverance unconditionally, but exprefsly on the condition already

The preceding view of the text may not be free from objection; but it is believed not to be liable to feveral, which lie against other conftructions, which have been adopted. L. T.

MESS'RS EDITORS,

YOU will pleafe publish in your Magazine the following let ter, fhould you judge it useful to thofe under affliction, or in any degree contributing to the glory of God.

DEAR FRIENDS,

great an affection on your beloved child. If fo;-God has now removed her to teach you, that your truft, and dependence, and love must be fupremely fixed on that heavenly friend, who will never fail. Thus may the rod of God, be to you as the rod of Aaron, bloffoming with divine bleffings,

ESTERDAY, we heard the and bringing forth holy and heav

Yelancholy tidings of the enly fruit. Truly our heavenly

death of your daughter, Mrs.
If the compaffion of friends can
afford the fhadow of confolation,
you have my tendereft fympathy.
You have, alfo, my ardent pray
ers to heaven, for divine fupport
to be given to yourselves, and fam-
ily; and very especially to the
furviving husband, the friend of
whofe youth, the foother of whofe
forrows, and the companion of
whofe happiest days, is now no
more. Our only confolation, in
trials, like yours, when friends
can only drop an unavailing tear,
is the righteous fovereignty of
God and his covenant mercy to
the faithful. "The cup which
our heavenly Father giveth us,
fhall we not drink?" God is now
faying to you, by the voice of his
providence, Son, daughter, loveft
thou me, more than this child? May
your hearts, by faith, reply, Lord
thou knoweft all things: thou
knoweft that I love thee; and
that, at the command of thy right-
eous fovereignty, I can give up my
child, my nearest friends, yea my
own life alfo. May God's will be
your will; May afflictions teach
you to know no defire, but the
Lord's pleafure. You will fay,
perhaps," My fpirit is willing"
and refigned but the flesh is
weak." Be it fo: yet it is writ-
ten "My grace is fufficient for
thee." "I will never leave thee,
nor forfake thee."

Perhaps you have placed too

Father can make our bittereft afflictions to become the richest mercies. He hath promised that "all things fhall work together for good, to them who love God." Happy would it be for us, if we could learn to depend more on heaven and lefs upon the earth. Happy would it be for us, if we would learn to take up the cross, and fol low Chrift. The cross is the way to the crown. Our Saviour hath travelled in this path, and hath left behind him this leffon for all his children, "If ye will be my difciples, ye muft take up the crofs and follow me.'

To a,Chriftian, the bitterness of the cup of forrow must be greatly fweetened by the confideration, that the friend of finners has taken it before us, and has given us a command to do as he hath done. The greater our trials are, the pleafanter will be the heavenly reft of the faithful at laft. Let us, then, do our duty, and truft in God. He has not fuffered all this to befal you by chance. It is the ordering of infinite wifdom. The exact time, and manner, and circumftances of her death were all decreed by a holy, benevolent and righteous Sovereign. Surely this must be a confolation to a child of God. Could you now fee, as you will hercafter know, if you are found among the faithful, you will rejoice that every thing has been ordered as it hath taken place. You

will not wish that a fingle circum- | deceased? They must be a comfort ftance had varied, in all the trials, to you, in the abfence of their which your heavenly Father hath mother. They must be doubly appointed you. dear to their furviving parent, under his prefent weight of forrow. May God fpare the little lambs to grow up and be bleflings to you on earth. May they, one day height. en the joy of your interview in heaven, and be found among the Saviour's jewels.

N. B. To-morrow begins a New-Year. It opens with mouraing, but may it close with jay & bundantly proportioned to your prefent forrows.

TO THE EDITORS OF THE CON-
NECTICUT EVANGblical Mag-

AZINE.

GENTLEMEN,

Believing, now, his infinite wif dom, and goodness, fhew forth the fpirit of a dutiful, and childlike refignation. If need be, we are afflicted. God fees when it is needful, and what is needful. "What he does, we know not now; but we fhall know hereafter.” Leave all things therefore to his holy guidance, look to him for fupport; and while every affliction ferves to break a link of that chain, which confines our affections to the creature, let us so improve our trials, that they may advance us nearer to that world, where forrow and mourning fhall forever cease. The fcriptures give many intimations, that faithful fouls will fee and know each other in heaven. What a joyous confideration is this? How ought it to animate you, and the family, and the furviving hufband of the dear deceafed, to wait, with faith, and patience, for that day, when you hope to fee your friend, in a better world, and renew your affection, with heavenly purity, and without the moft difin writing or viva voce. Thofe I tant fear of a fecond feparation. fend you were written by a young Oh my friends! what comfort is woman of eighteen who had be there in religion. Religious con- come a hopeful fubject of efficafolations are never more precious, cious grace. Poffibly they may than in time of earthly forrows. be thought to be only a fummary They are never more ready for our extracted from fome writer on the fupport, than when we most need fubje&s. Should this appear to be them. Afflictions are precious fea- the cafe, I think a confiderable defons for the faithful. They ripen gree of ingenuity is difcovered in our graces, they increafe our joys, condenfing the fubject into fo small they advance us heaven-ward, they a compafs. But as there are anprepare us to taste the fweets of pi- fwers to feveral other questions ety, and mature us for the fervice written by the fame hand, fome of of that God," in whofe prefence which I know are original, and as is fulness of joy." I hear that I do not recollect any fuch phrafeyour daughter left two little chilology in any of my reading, I dren behind her, when she died. fully believe that they are not ex Precious remembrances of the dear tracts but original compofitions on

In your Magazine fome obferv. ations have been made respecting the usefulness of what is termed conference meetings. The inclof ed are anfwers to feveral questions which were put at fuch meetings. The queftion was given at one meeting to be answered the next,

the fubjects. They are fubmitted | world, in praising and glorifying to your judgment. Yours,

ALANSON.

Queflion. What is it to fee fin as fin?

To fee fin as fin, we muft fee that it is an infinite evil-contrary to a holy God, and an enemy to ail his glorious attributes. Sin is contrary to the law of God and the good of our own fouls. It Arikes at the nature and being of God-it fets us dreadfully diffant from a conformity to, and delight in the glorious perfections of God. It is vile and odious as again the infinite grace and mercy of God in Jefus Chrift-To fee the horrid nature of fin let us view the fufferings of our Saviour, when fin was imputed to him-He hung-bled and expired on the cross.

God, in loving, admiring, and adoring him to eternity. Alfo that our fouls may be perfectly freed from all fin, and perfectly conformed to God, and a full enjoyment of him--that we may there join the angelic hoff in admiring and adoring, the infinite beauty, love and condefcenfion of our glorious Redeemer, viewing of him with everlasting furprise and admiration, as an object ever new, and infinitely entertaining,throughout a boundlefs eternity.

Religious Intelligence.

ORDINATION.

On Wednesday April 21ft, the Rev. Jofiah B. Andrews was ordained to the paftoral care of the fecond Church and Society in Killingworth. The Rev Jofeph Washburn of Farmington made the introductory prayer; the Rev. Abtl Flint, of Hartford preached the Sermon, from Acts xxviii. 31.The Rev. Thomas W. Bray of North Guilford made the confecrating prayer; the Rev. Cyprian Strong, of Chatham gave the

Quellion. What is the condition of those that are out of Chrift? Thofe that are out of Chrift are in a very deplorable ftate. Every moment in danger of death are unprepared for eternity, and at an awful uncertainty of what will become of them forever-They have no respect to the glory of God in any of their performances, but are continually going off from God-charge; the Rev. David Selden at enmity with him-loving fm and of Middle-Haddam gave the Right hating holiness. They are expof hand of Fellowship; and the Rev. ed to the dreadful penalties of the Nathan Perkins, D. D. of Weftdivine faw-and to have the wrath Hartford, made the concluding of almighty God burft forth in fu- prayer. ry upon them, and fink them into the regions of everlasting defpair, there to fpend an awful eternity with the damned in hell.

Queflion. What fhould we defire to go to heaven for ?

That we may be perfectly holy, and perfectly exercifed in the holy employments of the heavenly

MISSIONARIES.

The Rev. Solomon Morgan lately returned from a miffion of a few weeks to the northern part of Vermont.

The Rev. Alexander Gillet is about to enter on a mission to the fame fettlements.

His wisdom, grace, and truth unfold: ¦ Around, the Saints their ceaseless an

And God's almighty voice thro' heav
en's broad concave rung.
There no pale moon appeared to cheer
the night,

By day no fun difclos'd his feeble light;
But great Meffiah lent his glowing ray,
And God's own glory spread eternaldsy.

Donations to the Miffionary Society of Connecticut.
Frona a Friend of Miffions,