advise with my Bible, and this was the scripture which then occurred unto me :-" Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; fret not thyself in any wise to do evil, for evildoers shall be cut off; but they that wait on the Lord shall inherit the earth; for, yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be." Upon this I wholly desisted from my evil intent; and resolving to take the advice of the Psalm, I also applied unto myself that scripture in Lam. iii. 26, "It is good that a man should both hope, and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." And that in Isaiah xlix. 24, 25, and that in Isaiah liii. 3, 4, One morning, as I slept upon some old sails between decks, I dreamed, that I was upon an hill, where was a little sort of a log house, like some houses that I have seen in Virginia; that some who were with me had young eagles in their hands, bruising and squeezing them in their hands till they made them cry; that there appeared, at length, two great white eagles upon the top of another hill, coming towards us, at the cry of the young ones to release them; that for fear, lest the old eagles might kill us, I, with several others, were put into the little house to secure us; and that hereupon the young ones were set at liberty; and somebody said unto me, "For the crying of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; and I will set him at liberty from him that puffeth at him," I thought also that I heard somebody cry out, "A sail! a sail!" And I thought myself upon the upper deck, imagining that there I saw a ship or two. With this I awoke, and went upon the deck; but seeing no other ship, I considered a little upon my dream, telling it unto my mate, and adding, that I expected a speedy redemption. I continued thus with the Turks till the 9th of September: all which time they never offered me any abuse, though they did beat other Christians very much. On that day, about eight in the morning, a Christian at the fore-topmast head saw three ships, one of which was a Frenchman, which had been in our company the night before, and now told the other two ships that they had seen a Turk the preceding evening. The two ships were two small English frigates, the James galley and the Seaface. The Seaface, having a man at the topmast head, espied us, and made sail towards us, and so did the James galley. We lay still until I saw their sails above the water, like my two white eagles, as white as snow, through the sun shining on them. The Turks made sail to run from them, yet at night the James galley came up with us; whereupon I, with the rest of the Christians, was chained down in the hold. After a little discourse, they fired on our Turks a volley of small shot, and a broadside. The Seaface seeing that, boarded us; but in less than an hour's time she lost her foremast, and bowsprit, and head, and about five-and-twenty men, and fell a-stern. Yet the other, which was less than she, shot all her mast away by two in the morning, and when it was day the Turks yielded their ship. Then they that were leading us captive were themselves carried into captivity, September 10, 1681. CHRISTOPHER MONK. Column on Conversion. THE power and beauty of the Gospel are seldom so distinctly seen as when viewed through the medium of Missions, where the transition of converts from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, is so distinct, as to give it all the vividness of Apostolic times. We shall, for the present month, give the cases of a young Buddhist priest and a poor Hottentot: CONVERSION OF A YOUNG PRIEST. A young priest, who was a zealous opposer of Christianity, resided in the district of Matura, in Ceylon. This spot is deemed the chief seat of Buddhism on the island. The chief priest resides here, and here also is the principal college of the Buddhist priesthood. The priest was met incidentally, at the prison of Matura, by Mr. Lalmon, a Wesley an assistant Missionary. Both had come to the place to visit a native man, condemned to die. After some conversation, the missionary challenged the priest to produce a single proof from any of his sacred books, that a Saviour for man had come into the world. The priest was highly indignant at the challenge. He went to his temple, and commenced a search for evidence from the Buddhist writings of the doctrine he was required to support; but though he continued his search at times for two years he was unsuccessful. On visiting a neighbouring district he met with another missionary, who gave him a copy of the New Testament, in Cingalese. This he took to his temple and read; but it was four years before the pride of his heart would allow him to divulge the struggle that was going on in his mind. The rank he held in the priesthood (being now second in the island), his reputation for learning, and the influence he had among the people, were circumstances which induced him to resist that light and conviction which the perusal of the Scriptures had conveyed to his mind. The repetition of his visits, however, led to a disclosure of his condition; an alarm was raised, and he found it necessary to fly - from the temple, and take refuge in the house of the missionary. The priests wrote a letter to him, which was signed by them all, stating that disgrace would befall them if he became a Christian; that were such a calamity to happen, their religion would receive an incurable wound; but to this he paid no regard. In a second communication, they made him an offer of certain temples and emoluments, provided he would not renounce Buddhism; this likewise produced no effect. In a third letter, they declared that if he became a Christian, they would, by some means or other, take his life. This rather startled him at first; but he remained firm to his purpose, and after When the excellent Mr. Read, of Kat River, was in England, some dozen years back, it will be remembered that the history and deeds of Cupido the Hottentot formed a frequent subject of comment in his simple and touching sketches. Cupido was remarkable for swearing, lying, fighting, and drunkenness. His vices often laid him on a sick bed. He was sometimes afraid of God, though ignorant of him; and expected that his conduct would prove the destruction of his soul. He begged all he met to point out some mode of deliverance from the sin of drunkenness, supposing that to abandon his other vices would be easy. Some directed him to witches and wizards, whom he found miserable comforters; for they told him that when persons began to make such inquiries it was a sure sign of speedy death, and his life was not worth a farthing. Others prescribed various medicines, which he found as unavailing as the counsel of the witches. He was providentially led to Graaf Reinet, where he heard, in a dis course from the missionary Vanderlingen, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, could save sinners from their sins. He said within himself, "That is what I want! That is what I want!" He repaired to the missionaries, expressing his wish to become acquainted with this Jesus. And he told all with whom he met, that he had at last found one who could save sinners from their sins. Upon finding that the preaching of the missionaries fitted his own case, and laid open the secrets of his heart, he said, "This is not of man, but of God." After he had rejoiced in the hope of Divine forgiveness, it was his practice to recommend Christ to others, as the only remedy for sin, who could destroy it, as he himself could witness, "both root and branch." The example of Cupido deserves the imitation of Englishmen of every rank and class; and since there are amongst us multitudes of men like him, addicted to swearing, lying, fighting, and drunkenness, it is much to be desired that their numbers should be rapidly diminished by the same turning to God which brought peace to the conscience, purity to the heart, and beauty to the character of Cupido. Biography. SAMUEL DAVIES, PRESIDENT OF PRINCETON COLLEGE, NEW JERSEY. THE name of Samuel Davies, in a former age, was one of great celebrity in America, and, indeed, also in Great Britain, where his sermons obtained a very extensive circulation. We purpose, on the present occasion, to give a memorial sketch of this famous preacher; and to this we are more especially impelled by the recent publication of his Journal, during his visit to Great Britain, which has just appeared in the "Sketches of Virginia, Historical and Biographical, by Dr. Foote." The father of Samuel Davies was a planter in the county of Newcastle on the Delaware, of great simplicity of manners and reputed piety. He was an only son; a daughter was born five years before. His mother, an eminent Christian, had earnestly besought him of Heaven, and, believing him to be given in answer to prayer, she named him Samuel. This excellent woman took upon herself the task of teaching her son to read, as there was no school in the neighbourhood; and her efforts were rewarded by the uncommon proficiency of her pupil. At the age of ten he was sent to a school at some distance from home, and continued in it two years. His mind was at this period very little impressed by religious truth, though he was not inattentive to secret prayer, especially in the evening; but it was not long before that God, to whom he had been dedicated, and who designed him for eminent service in the Gospel of his Son, was pleased to enlighten and renew him. Perceiving himself to be a sinner, exposed to the awful displeasure of God, he was filled with anxiety and terror. In this distress he was enabled to discern the value of the salvation revealed in the Gospel. This Divine system of mercy now appeared in a new light. It satisfied his anxious inquiries, and made provision for all his wants. In the blood and righteousness of the Redeemer he found an unfailing source of consolation. His comforts, however, were long intermin gled with doubts; but after repeated and impartial self-examination, he attained a confidence respecting his state, which continued to the close of life. From this period his mind seemed almost entirely absorbed by heavenly things; and it was his great concern, that every thought, word, and action, should correspond with the Divine law. Having tasted the joys and made a profession of religion at the age of fifteen, he became eagerly desirous of imparting to his fellow-sinners the knowledge of the truth. With this object before him, he engaged with new ardour in literary and theological pursuits, under Samuel Blair. Every obstacle was surmounted; and after the previous trials, which he passed with distinguished approbation, he was licensed to preach the Gospel at the age of twentytwo. He was also ordained, February 19, 1747, that he might be qualified to perform pastoral duties. He now applied himself to unfold and enforce those precious truths, whose power he had experienced on his own heart. His fervent zeal and undissembled piety, his popular talents and engaging methods of address, soon excited general admiration. At this time an uncommon regard to religion existed in Hanover county, Virginia, produced by the benevolent exertions of Mr. Morris, a laymau. The event was so remarkable, and the Virginians in general were so ignorant of the true doctrines of the Gospel, that the presbytery of Newcastle thought it incumbent upon them to send thither a faithful preacher. Mr. Davies was accordingly chosen. He went to Hanover in April, 1747, and soon obtained of the general court a license to officiate in four meeting-houses. After preaching assiduously for some time, and not without effect, he returned from Virginia, though earnestly invited to continue his labours. A call for him to settle at Hanover was immediately sent to the presbytery; but he was about this time seized by complaints which appeared consumptive, and which brought him to the borders of the grave. In this enfeebled state he determined to spend the remainder of his life in unremitting endeavours to advance the interests of religion. Being among a people who were destitute of a minister, his indisposition did not repress his exertions. He still preached in the day, while by night his hectic was so severe, as sometimes to render him delirious. In the spring of 1748 a messenger from Hanover visited him, and he thought it his duty to accept the invitation of the people in that place. He hoped that he might live to organize the congregation. His health, however, gradually improved. In October, 1748, three more meeting-houses were licensed; and among his seven assemblies, which were in different counties, Hanover, Henrico, Caroline, Louisa, and Goochland, some of them forty miles distant from each other, he divided his labours. His home was in Hanover, about twelve miles from Richmond. His preaching encountered all the obstacles which could arise from blindness, prejudice, and bigotry, from profaneness and immorality. He and those who attended upon his preaching were denominated new lights by the more zealous Episcopalians. But by his patience and perseverance, his magnanimity and piety, in conjunction with his evangelical and powerful ministry, he triumphed over opposition. Contempt and aversion were gradually turned into reverence. Many were attracted by curiosity to hear a man of such distinguished talents, and he proclaimed to them the most solemn and impressive truths with an energy which they could not resist. It pleased God to accompany these exertions with the efficacy of his Spirit. In about three years Mr. Davies beheld three hundred communicants in his congregation, whom he considered as real Christians. He had also in this period baptized about forty adult negroes, who made such a profession of saving faith as he judged credible. He had a long controversy with the Episcopalians, who denied, while he maintained, that the "Act of Toleration" extended to Virginia. On this point he contended with the attorney-general, Peyton Randolph, and once addressed the court with great learning and eloquence. When he afterwards went to England, he obtained from Sir Dudley Rider, attorney-general, a declaration that the Act did extend to Virginia. In 1753, the synod of New York, by request of the trustees of New Jersey college, chose him to accompany Gilbert Tennent to Great Britain, to solicit benefactions for the college. This service he cheerfully undertook, and he executed it with singular spirit and success. This brings us to the Journal, the chief portions of which are the following: and to implore his blessing and protection in this voyage. Perhaps I may never set foot on shore more, till I land in the eternal world; solemn thought! Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit. I now seem to enter upon a new state of existence, when I leave my native land, and enter upon the dangerous element of water. May I live to God while tossing upon it may the sickness of the sea, which I expect, be sanctified to me! and may our conversation and preaching be useful to the company! December 12.-My mind has been in a very uneasy, timorous situation all the day, especially in the evening. Every shock the ship received from the dashing waves gave an equal shock to my spirit. Guilt made me afraid of sinking in these boisterous waters. How timorous a thing is guilt! It trembles at imaginary dangers, and fears where no fear is. We have sailed seven, eight, nine, or ten knots an hour for about forty hours past, and it is expected we are about one hundred leagues from the British coast. December 25.-We sailed up the river, and were not a little struck with the prodigious number of ships in view. Their masts look like vast forests. About ten o'clock Mr. Neave, one of the owners of the ship, came on board and asked us to dine at Mr. Neate's, his partner, where we were kindly received. We came up by the tower, in sight of London Bridge, and landed. As it was Christmas-day the bells in all the churches were ringing, and formed a concert of the most manly, strong and noble music to my ear, that I ever heard. December 26.-Were visited by Mr. Hall, a venerable old gentleman, author of some of the Lime-street Sermons, who seems to be of a true puritanic spirit and full of religion. Were visited by Mr. Gibbons, my dear correspondent, who informed us of the general apostacy of the Dissenters from the principles of the Reformation. He told me that Dr. Doddridge's motto under his picture was Dum vivimus vivamus : that Dr. Young had erected two schools, over the doors of one of which he had written Doctrinæ filia virtus; and of the other Filia matre pulchrior. Were visited by good Mr. Crutenden, who sent me over ten pound sterling worth of books to be distributed among the poor in Virginia. Mr. Whitefield having sent us an invitation last night to make his house our home during our stay here; we were perplexed what to do lest we should blast the success of our mission among the Dissenters, who are generally disaffected to him. We at length concluded with the advice of our friends and his, that a public intercourse with him would be imprudent in cur present situation; and visited him privately this evening; and the kind reception he gave us revived dear Mr. Tennent. He spoke in the most encouraging manner as to the success of our mission, and in all his conversation discovered so much zeal and candour, that I could not but admire the man as the wonder of the age. When we returned, Mr. Tennent's heart was all on fire, and after he had gone to bed, he suggested that we should watch and pray; and we rose and prayed together till about three o'clock in the morning. January 1, 1754.-Went to hear Mr. Chandler in Salters' Hall, and was pleasingly entertained with a sermon on the parable of the unjust steward. Mr. Chandler is undoubtedly a most ingenious, accurate gentleman; but I did not discern so much of experimental religion in this discourse as I could wish. Went afterwards to the Amsterdam coffee-house, where the Congregational and Baptist ministers meet on Tuesdays. Went in the evening to hear Mr. Whitefield in the Tabernacle, a large spacious building. The assembly was very numerous, though not equal to what is common. He preached on the parable of the barren fig tree, and though the discourse was incoherent, yet it seemed to be better calculated to do good to mankind than all the accurate, languid discourses I have heard. After sermon enjoyed his pleasing conversation at his house. January 16.-Mr. Tennent went to visit Mr. Oswald, and visited Mr. Pike, in Hoxton-square, an Independent minister. I next visited Dr. Lardner, the celebrated author of "The Credibility of the Gospel History,"-and I was really surprised at the sight of him, as he differed so much from the idea which I had formed of so great a man. He is a little, pert, old gent, full of sprightly conversation; but so deaf that he seems to hear nothing at all. I was obliged to tell him my mind and answer his questions in writing; and he keeps a pen and paper always on the table for that purpose. He treated me very kindly, and constrained me to dine with him. January 18.-We submitted our petition to Mr. Chandler's correction. He advised us to represent in it the use of the College "to keep a sense of religion among the German Protestant emigrants, settled in the British plantations, to instruct their children in the principles of our common Christianity, and to instruct them in the knowledge of the English language, that they may be incorporated with the rest of His Majesty's subjects." Mr. Tennent approved of the addition; but I could not help scrupling it, because the College is not immediately intended to teach the English language. January 24.-Went to Dr. Guyse, Dr. Lardner, Dr. Benson, and Mr. Price, to get our petition recommended; and they all complied. Dr. Guyse is a steady, deliberate gentleman, and now appears more in our interest than upon our first application. Dr. Benson talked in a sneering manner of the account of the conversions in Northampton, New England, published here by Dr. Watts and Dr. Guyse. He is a gentleman of great abilities, but counted a Socinian. January 27.-Preached for Mr. Price, in the morning, in Berry-street; when I entered the pulpit, it filled me with reverence to reflect that I stood in the place where Mr. Clarkson, Dr. Owen, Dr. Watts, &c., had once officiated. My subject was Jer. xxxi. 18-20. I was favoured with some freedom. Blessed be God, I have not been disturbed with the fear of man, since I have been in this city. Dined with good old Mr. Price, who treated me with all the tender affection of a father. January 30.-We waited upon Dr. Gill, the celebrated Baptist minister. He is a serious, grave little man, and looks young and hearty, though, I suppose, near sixty. He signed our petition, though he modestly pleaded that his name would be of little service, and that the Baptists in general were, unhappily, ignorant of the importance of learning. February 3.- Preached in the evening for Mr. Crookshank, on Luke xiii. 24, with consi derable freedom, and the assembly appeared attentive, and some of them affected. Preached in the evening in the Old Jewry for Mr. Chandler, on Luke ii. 24, to a very brilliant assembly, but a blunder I made in mentioning the text, threw me into confusion, which I did not recover through the whole discourse; and I felt more of the fear of man than since I have been in this city. March 19.-Went to the Amsterdam Coffeehouse, among the Baptist and Independent ministers, where I enjoyed most satisfaction. Received the thanks of the Governors of the Charity-school, in Bartholomew's Close, for my sermon there, which were presented to me in a very respectful manner by Dr. Guyse, as their deputy. Though it be hard to repress the workings of vanity, even in a creature so unworthy as I am, under so much applause, yet I think my heart rises in sincere gratitude to God for advancing me from a mean family, and utter obscurity, into some importance in the world, and giving me so many advantages of public usefulness. Indeed, I hardly think there is a greater instance of this in the present age. Alas! that I do not better improve my opportunities. Went to Hamlin's Coffee-house, among the Presbyterians, where they are generally very shy and unsociable to me. They have universally, as far as I can learn, rejected all tests of orthodoxy, and require their candidates, at their ordination, to declare only their belief of the Scriptures. We have Italicised the words of the Journal, which have most struck us. It is curious to observe how he speaks of Whitefield; and it is to be remarked, that the period referred to was 1753, the year in which he reared the present Tabernacle, and when he had attained the meridian of his mighty career. How great the change which subsequently came over the Dissenters, in regard to his character and labours! It is also worthy of notice, that, in America, there was among the Independents, in many places, the same prejudice against him. On the 18th of June, 1745, the General Association of Connecticut passed a resolution to this effect: That whereas, of late years, divers errors and disorders have been extensively prevailing, of which the preaching of Mr. George Whitefield has been the fruitful occasion, this General Association hereby solemnly declares, that if the said Mr. Whitefield shall continue his progress through this part of the country, it will not be expedient for our ministers to welcome him to their pulpits, or to allow his ministerial labours in their congregations. Testimony borne by so competent a judge as Davies to the character of Whitefield's preaching, is valuable, as confirmatory of the general voice of all candid men of that day. The opinion of Dr. Gill concerning the Baptist body, then, strongly contrasts with the present improved state of that country on the subject of a prepared ministry. But to our minds, the most remarkable thing in the whole Journal is the testimony which Davies bears to the spirit of the Presbyterians they were "6 shy" of him; they : did not like the Evangelical spirit of the American orator. At that time piety had nearly died out among the English Presbyterians; as a body, they were rapidly descending into the gulf of Socinianisın, which so soon afterwards Whoso hath ears swallowed them up. to hear, let him hear what is here said on the subject of "tests of orthodoxy." The reader will be here reminded of the declaration of Robert Hall, that "words are the best safeguards of things." The longer we live, and the more we observe, the more we see the importance of cleaving "to forms of sound words," and ceasing to make light of the "standards," so called, of religion. To proceed with our narrative: happily the appeal to English liberality was successful, and the benefactions obtained from the friends of religion not only relieved the college from its difficulties, but placed it in a respectable position. After his return to America he entered anew, in 1754, or early in 1755, on his beloved task of preaching the Gospel in Hanover. Here he continued till 1759, when he was chosen president of the college, as successor of Mr. Edwards. He hesitated in his acceptance of the appointment, for his people were endeared to him, and he loved to be occupied in the various duties of the ministerial office. But repeated applications, and the unanimous opinion of the synod of New York and Philadelphia at length determined him. He was dismissed May 13, and entered upon his new office July 6, 1759. Here the vigour and versatility of his genius were strikingly displayed. played. The ample opportunities and demands which he found for the exercise of his talents, gave a new spring to his diligence; and while his active labours were multiplied and arduous, bis studies were intense. He left the college, at his death, in as high a state of literary excellence as it had ever known since its institution. In the short space of eighteen months he made some considerable improvements in the seminary, and was particularly happy in inspiring his pupils with a taste for writing and oratory, in which he himself so much excelled. His habit of body being plethoric, the |