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Our Readers will have observed, that, during the present year, the MAGAZINE has been materially improved, in the quality of the Paper, and in its Typographical Execution. We are happy to inform them also, that, while it has thus become more valuable to the Purchasers, the PROFITS to the WIDOWS of MINISTERS, (to whose use they are exclusively appropriated,) have been considerably increased.

We wish, affectionately, to express our obligations to those of our Friends, who, by writing for the MAGAZINE, have contributed towards its support; and take the liberty of calling upon them, and others, who have ability to furnish suitable materials, to exert themselves for this purpose. Surely those, who feel bowels of compassion for the destitute WIDOWs of such as were lately their brethren and companions in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, will not suffer the BAPTIST MAGAZINE to decline, for want of their pious contributions. Let them recollect, that one of our most able writers, and most constant contributors, has, this year, been numbered with the dead. It was the late Mr. FULLER'S concern, that these worthy and necessitous persons, should obtain from this Work, an addition to what they already receive from another source. Let others, who survive, imitate him, and do all in their power to supply his lack of service.

We feel persuaded, that there are yet many persons, of the BAPTIST Congregations in the United Kingdom, who might purchase this Monthly Miscellany. Every one, who wishes to have a Register of passing events-such as the Forming of New Churches--the Erection of Places of Worship-and the Ordination of Ministers-a Record of deceased Worth-a Repository. of the Progress of our Missionary and other SocietiesVehicle for our distinguishing Sentiments-a Medium of general Correspondence with our Brethren throughout the World-and an effectual and easy Manner of providing a Widow's Fundwill, we apprehend, consider it both their duty and privilege, to purchase, and recommend, the BAPTIST MAGAZINE.

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BAPTIST MAGAZINE.

JANUARY,

1815.

“Whatever is designed to fit every thing will fit nothing well."

DR. JOHNSON. "Names are intended to distinguish Things."-Our Work is called THE BAPTIST MAGAZINE, because it is intended to be a Repository for the Baptists' use.

MEMOIR OF MR. RICHARD PEARSE.

Extracted from a funeral Sermon, preached by William Staughton, D. D. at the Baptist Meeting House in Sansom Street, Philadelphia, 1813.

He was born January the seventeenth, 1793. 'His parents, who are both living, are godly persons. His father is an esteemed member of the first baptist church in Baltimore. I am in possession of no facts, materially important, relative to his life, until he was about the age of twelve. I will read you extracts from papers, written by the hand now cold in the grave." A few days before I had turned of twelve years of age, the Lord, in his infinite goodness, and tender mercy, broke in upon me in the following manner. It was a custom with my father, every Sunday evening, to have all his family together, and all the children, of whom I am the eldest, and to read a chapter in the bible; after this we sang a hymn. One Sunday evening as we were singing the lines,

O for a heart to praise my God,
A heart from sin set free,. &c.

Vol. VII.

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I was endeavouring to catch the eye of one of my brothers, to make a diversion of the singing, when I felt myself wrought upon inwardly. My father observed something unusual in my looks, and asked me what ailed me. cannot find words to express the feelings of my mind at that moment. I involuntarily sprang from my chair, flew into his arms, and exclaimed, O father! the devil has hold upon me: or, the love of God hath taken possession of my heart. He asked me a few moments after, how I felt, I cried out, I feel as though my sins were collected in one large mass, and thrown upon me, and I feel too helpless to bear myself up. The next morning I found myself very happy in my mind, and began to search the scrip

tures."

. Our deceased brother obtained his education at the college in

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Baltimore. On the termination of his studies, he received from that institution, a testimonial in, Latin, of his improvements, highly honourable to his progress in the dead languages. To this he returned a grateful acknowledgement, written in the same language, whose classic propriety procured its insertion in the public prints in Baltimore. While engaged in the pursuit of his edu+ cation, and for some time after, his impressions appeared to vanish. On the subject he thus expresses himself

"At college, the boys, who were 150 in number, becoming acquainted by some means with my exercises, I was the constant subject of ridicule, This made

me determine I would not read the bible any longer, as on the one hand I thought I was not called of God, and on the other was not able to live in peace. The im pressions wore off, and I fell into greater depths of sin than ever. I was noted among the boys for an object whom they, blinded by sin, thought worthy of imitation. I could take the most blasphemous and horrid oaths. I had two companions nearly as wicked as myself. We used to meet every day to encourage each other in sinning. But though I proceeded in a manner so horrid, often in an evening, I would have such pangs of conscience as I could hardly support, and as would make me exclaim, O, that I were

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such a man as my father!-Thus we proceeded falling into greater depths of sin, until it pleased God to separate me from my wicked companions, by forming in me a desire to become a merchant, and removing me to this city. (Philadelphia.) Here, I continued, in the gall of bitterness, and the bonds of iniquity, until I at length imbibed the principles of Atheism: at the same time, I did not so much believe there was no God, as I wished there was none. Reading the definition of the word Deist in the Cyclopædia I saw that there was one class of deists, who believed there was a God, but that he was a being infinitely happy, and perfectly independent in himself; and that man was a creature too contemptible for his notice. I immediately joined in with this belief, and in my conduct declared the bible to be a lie, and all that it contained mere fiction, invented and composed by some man, or some set of men, to deceive the world; for I reasoned thus, have we not as much evidence of the truth of the Koran as of the truth of the Bible, and that one is as likely to be true as the other? so that I will give them both up as falsehoods, and cunningly devised fables. I formed such an aversion to the children of God, that I desired and requested my father that he would consent to my going to sea, for I thought that, at sea, I should not be troubled with preaching and

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*Our deceased brother did not know that the Koran, instead of offering proofs of its own inspiration, is far below many other human coinpositions. It is an undigested Mass of ideas, for the most part low ones. What of exeellence it contains is evidently borrowed from the bible. It abounds with gontradictions, palpable and glaring. It presents a paradise of sensuality in the future world, and cherishes revenge and murder in the present. The Holy Scriptures are in every respect the reverse.

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praying, and such like lying vanity, as I used to call them. To these my wishes, my father refused consent. I continued in this state of infidelity, until in the summer succeeding, I went home to see my parents. I believe my mother suspected that I was incorrect in my principles, and the more so from an observation I made to one of the children, who was saying something about religion. I incidentally took a book, the title of which I did not take notice of. The first words which opened to my view, were the curses recorded, Deut. xxvii. 15, 26. This, with some expostulations I received from my mother, struck deep, and stuck close."

In the evening of the day, here alluded to, a heavy storm occurred, attended with awful lightnings, and peals of alarming thunder, during which, his infidelity was shaken, particularly on observing the calmness of his parents in the midst of the shocks, a calm ness which he perceived his own principles were incapable of producing. On his return to Philadelphia, he observes that the minister under whom he usually sat, "one evening, preaching, made this remark, that we are responsible for every sermon we hear." "Immediately," he says, "I thought if that be the case, I'll not go to meeting. For three months I absented myself.

But I soon grew tired of the world. I found after, and even while enjoying its pleasures, an empty void. I could exclaim, The choicest blessings earth can give, Will starve a hungry mind."

It was the happiness of our departed young brother to have been placed in a godly family,

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the family of Mr. Joseph Keen, a much respected deacon of the first baptist church in Philadelphia. His sentiments and conduct, the first part of the time of his residence there, gave them considerable pain, but that pain was succeeded with far more than proportionate pleasure. In the beginning of the year 1810, he heard a sermon from the words, "without hope and without God in the world." He now saw himself undone, and conceived his destruction inevitable. He prayed; and it was the only prayer he had dared to offer; (for of the possibility of his own salvation, he had no conception) that God would give, whatsoever of health or talent he possessed, to the minister he had been hearing, that he might be strengthened the more, to lift up the voice of warning, lest others like himself should descend into the place of torment. It was probably in relation to this time of distress that he thus expresses himself, "I was fully persuaded my damna tion was sealed, and the words I am damned, I am damned, as surely as there is a God or a hell, were continually sounding in my ears. I would sometimes detect myself repeating them with peculiar earnestness. The following Sunday morning, the words came with energy to my mind, thy place is where the worm dieth not, and where the fire is not quenched; where is blackness, and the smoke of torment ascends for ever and ever." For several weeks, his darkness and despair continued. His mind was first relieved by hearing a child of the family say, 'Jesus will cast out none who call upon his name.

But by the application of two passages of scripture to his mind, he was enabled to rejoice in Christ Jesus, as his Lord and Saviour. These were Isaiah vi, 7. Lo this has touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is purged, and Rom. viii. 39. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. His mind was now delightfully enlarged. His conversation became spiritual and animated. He wished to consecrate all his powers to the honour of his Redeemer, and on a confession of his faith, was on the 28th of September of the same year, with six other persons, solemnly baptized. His mind was naturally strong, and his reasonings acute. Several months after his union with the church, he fell into some difficulties, relative to the doctrine of the divine decrees. As his temper was naturally open and candid, he stated them with a publicity, that a little more age and experience would have taught him was unnecessary. These perplexities continued, however, but for a few days, and were followed with deep humiliation of soul. He mourned that he should have been guilty of the folly of opposing his imperfect intellect to the sublime truths his God had revealed, and saw the reasonableness and beauty of the obedience of faith.

It is to be regretted, that almost all the papers of our deceased brother are without date. This circumstance prevents our presenting them in the order of time. The following extracts, however, serve to show the sin

cerity and intenseuess of his devotedness to God, for certainly nothing could have been more remote from our brother's anticipations, than that those private exercises of his heart, would ever have met the eye of the public. Attend, my young friends, and may your spiritual edification be promoted. "The love of God, possessed and enjoyed in the soul, surpassess description. It is preferable to every thing this world can conceive of, or enjoy. This soothes our sorrows, raises us up, when on account of manifold afflictions and temptations, we are cast down; turns our mourning into rejoicing; strips us of our garments of sackcloth, and girds us with gladness. But this love can only come through the channel of him who knew no sin, yet for our sakes he was made sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. my soul, bless the Lord, and every power that is within me, unite in extolling his most glorious name, that, when thou in thy ancestor Adam, together with the rest of thy fallen fellow creatures, hadst sinned againt this God, and rendered thyself obnoxious to his severe but just displeasure, Jesus seeing thy fallen condition, thy awful and most miserable situation, took upon him thy nature to ransom thee! He who was rich, became poor, that thou through his poverty might be made rich. I charge thee, O my soul! ever adhere closely to the commands and instructions of this thy heavenly friend." Again, he says, "Lord what shall I render unto thee that thou hast given me parents, who have ever been assiduous in ren

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