For the MASSACHUSETTS MISSIONARY MAGAZINE.

MESSRS. EDITORS,

A

T page 110 of the Magazine an anecdote of a negro fervant terminates with a query, which the writer of this, hoped to have feen answered by fome one of your ingenious correfpondents, but has been difappointed. To this difappointment is owing his attempt to answer the query. The fubftance of the anecdote is as follows:

A refpectable gentleman, with the remains of his family confifting of two young fons, and Peter, a negro fervant, having embarked at the Eaft-Indies for London, they anchored, after having performed the greater part of the paffage, at no great distance from the fhip Commodore, which they discovered at anchor; on board of which the gentleman had certain affairs to tranfact. Accordingly he entered a boat to go to the Commodore, at the fame time charging his fervant, Peter, to be faithfully attentive to his fons.

Soon after his departure, a violent ftorm arofe, which reduced the ship to the most imminent danger of going to the bottom. In this extremity, the captain gave command to let down the boat, and the shipmen immediately committed themselves to her protection. Peter, and the two lads were ftill in the finking fhip; nor was the boat capable of receiving them all. Either Peter or the lads must stay behind and perish with the fhip. Peter was called upon to decide on the interefting question, who immediately decided in favour of the lads, and with promptitude and calmness committed them to the boat, and for his laft words, faid, "Telly my mafter, Peter done his duty." This is the anecdote. The query is whether the conduct of Peter be juftifiable? If it be, on what principles ?

This question, it is conceived, admits of a conditional answer only. The conduct of Peter might not have been juftifiable ; and yet it might have been juftifiable. Existing circumstances must determine the question. What was the character of the lads under confideration? Were they young villians? Had they just been making arrangements for carrying into execution fome infernal deed of darkness, fuch for example, as the maffacre of the -Commodore's crew? Was Peter apprized of their defign, and perfuaded that if their lives were continued, they would carry it into effect? If fuch were the exifting circumstances, Peter's conduct in facrificing his own life to preferve theirs cannot be justified. He did not do his duty.

Were the lads under confideration wasting away by an incurable disease, which was likely foon to terminate their temporal existence? Was this evident to the mind of Peter? Or were

they

they in any other fituation of body, or in any state of mind which would, in all reasonable probability, render them entirely, or in a great measure, useless to their fellow-men, and a burden to themselves? And was this apparent to the view of Peter ? If fuch were the existing circumstances, Peter's conduct in faving their lives at the expenfe of his own, cannot be juftified. He did not do his duty. Nor did Peter do his duty in giving up his own life for the fake of faving the lives of his master's fons, in cafe he had fatisfactory evidence that the prefervation of his own life would be productive of more good to fociety, than the prefervation of theirs. Nor, in fine, can Peter's conduct be juftified, if he were influenced by no better motive than the love of popular fame, or by a hope of tranfmitting his name to the admiration of pofterity.

But if the lads in queftion were poffeffed of amiable endowments of mind and of heart; if they were poffeffed of talents calculated to render them eminently useful in fociety; if there were a reasonable profpect, fhould their lives be faved, that they would employ their talents to useful purposes; or, admitting that each of thefe lads were equal to Peter in point of worth and excellency of character, or even admitting that their united worth and excellency, was fuperior to the worth and excellency of Peter, and therefore, that in their united capacity they would be likely, if their lives were faved, to be more useful in the world than Peter. If fuch were the exifting circumstances, and in view of them, Peter was led to prefer their lives to his own life; in this cafe, it is believed that his conduct was not merely justifiable, but in a high degree heroic, magnanimous, and difinterefted; and therefore deferving of a high degree of praife.

And now, reader, as Peter, according to the latter fuppofitions, performed an act of duty, in freely facrificing his own life for the fake of preferving the lives of two of his fellow-creatures, what wouldst thou have done, hadit thou been in his fituation? Would't thou have acted a like part? What thinkest thou? NORVILLE. Norfolk, March, 1804.

A LETTER FROM A PERSON IN GENESSEE COUNTRY, TO HIS BROTHER IN CONNECTICUT.

DEAR BROTHER,

Bloomfield, April, 1799.

I HAVE felt a g

HAVE felt a great freedom for several weeks to You must not expect such a communication as heretofore; but what I fhall now advance, will, Vol. II.

E

I hope, and pray, call up your attention to things of infinite im portance, both to your and my everlafting welfare. And here, I call you for an evidence against me and my conduct for three or four of the laft years I lived in Gofher. You are a witnefs of my fpite and enmity against the Calvinistic doctrines, and of my 'endeavours to overthrow them, which doctrines, I now firmly believe to be founded on the bible, and to be the eternal truth of the only living and true God! This is the faith which I feel myfelf bound to fupport by my teftimony, and for which I am to contend the more earnestly, because for ten years paft I have ufed every art, with the affiftance of the prince of darkness, to defroy it. There is a large number of Prefbyterian and Baptift chriftians about here. There have been many hopefully converted this winter. These appear to be united in their purfuit, and to have but one mind, even the fame, in a degree, that was in Chrift. They appear to be humble, each efteeming others better than themselves. By thus loving one another as God, for Chriff's fake, has loved them, and in honour preferring one another with all humility and meeknefs and true wildom. They give evidence that they have paffed from death unto life, and are the difciples of Chrift. For this is the meffage which ye have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Against thefe images of Chrift was my fpirit exafperated to the highest pitch. I will now tell you what fed and supported it these three years; and by what power and means it was all taken away. About three years ago the Methodists came and fet up preaching about three miles diftant. I went to hear them, as did many others. But they all fell away, four or five excepted, and thefe do not profefs to have faving grace. However, I continaed with them till the middle of this winter. I ever contended, that they were right, and all others were wrong, particularly the Congregationalifts. I was afked by a Baptift, who ufed to call upon me frequently, what I thought of the Methodists? I told him I had under flood the plan they went upon for a number of years, fo that they had not given me one new idea about it, and that I had not one doubt, yea, was certain that they were entirely right. I had no thought that I could go to a place of happiness unless my heart was changed; but I fuppofed God was obliged to change it, by his promife, if I did the beft I could. On this account, I have been quarreling with God thefe ten years, because he was not as good as his word, as I fuppofed. In the fore part of the winter, we had two congregational preachers alternately among us, and I attended with a view to confute them. They were powerful preachers, and my enmity was exasperated in proportion. But a fermon preached by one of them, from thefe words: "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal; but mighty through God," &c. had a wonderful effect upon me.

The

The fermon was preached with great meeknefs and tenderness, juft audible enough to be heard by the people in two rooms, and about two hundred in number; but every word feemed directed to me. Here I was completely ftripped of every thing I had fortified myfelf with before, and felt myfelf expofed to the juftice of God every moment. I went home curfing my heart for deceiving me fo, and for fuppofing I had done fomething to recommend me to God. It was now that God began to let me fee a little of my own heart. I was exafperated against thofe preachers in a particular manner; and feveral others alfo who came moft in my way, to a very alarming degree. So that fome were afraid of me for fear I fhould kill them. For about twenty-four hours, or nearer two days and one night, I was exceedingly dif treffed with fpite and enmity against the prefbyterian chriftians; and in a very particular manner against my wife, who had been a chriftian about five years. I ufed my utmolt endeavour to hake it off, by reafoning the cafe with myfelf; frequently wifhing that I might die, to know the worft of my cafe. I finally determined to turn my wife out of doors, and put out my children or turn them upon the world, and make as great a flaughter and deftruction with every thing 1 had, as I could; and then go into the wilderness where never man had been, if I could find fuch a place, and there die and go to hell! If I could have had the fame power that Saul had, and the law on my fide as he had; which many times I wifhed was the cafe, I fhould have gone as far as he did. I was fanning grain in my barn between day-light and dark, when I made this laft and defperate refolution. When in the fpace of a few minutes, I felt the burden remove, which occafioned a joy and trembling of heart, that fhook my whole body, and the tears, which the hard hand of adverfity had fcarcely at any time ftarted, now flowed fpontaneoufly down into the fan; while I wrung my hands and prayed to the Lord, to know what he would have me to do; and that he would forgive my fins, which now appeared to be infinitely great and odious, and to be rolling away from me. My mind was now turned to my wife whom I had injured greatly, and used moft barbaroufly on account of her religion. She now appeared a different object. I left the barn, and how I got out I am infenfible; but remember walking very quick to the houfe and feeming not to bear half my weight on the ground, and when I opened the door, fhe was the first object that met my eye, and a lovelier one I never faw. I wanted to fall at her feet and beg her pardon for perfecuting her religion, and every body elfe I had injured. But I was prevented making any immediate acknowledgments to my wife, on account of extraordinary company then at my houfe. She perceived a great alteration in me, and knew not what to make of it; but fays fhe never faw any perfon look fo humble.

I hope, and pray, call up your attention to things of infinite im portance, both to your and my everlafting welfare. And here, I call you for an evidence against me and my conduct for three or four of the laft years I lived in Gofhen. You are a witnefs of my fpite and enmity against the Calviniflic doctrines, and of my endeavours to overthrow them, which doctrines, I now firmly believe to be founded on the bible, and to be the eternal truth of the only living and true God! This is the faith which I feel myfelf bound to fupport by my teftimony, and for which I am to contend the more earnestly, becaufe for ten years paft I have ufed every art, with the affiftance of the prince of darkness, to detroy it. There is a large number of Prefbyterian and Baptift chriftians about here. There have been many hopefully converted this winter. Thefe appear to be united in their purfuit, and to have but one mind, even the fame, in a degree, that was in Chrift. They appear to be humble, each efteeming others better than themfelves. By thus loving one another as God, for Chriff's fake, has loved them, and in honour preferring one another with all humility and meeknefs and true wildom. They give evidence that they have paffed from death unto life, and are the difciples of Chrift. For this is the meffage which ye have beard from the beginning, that we fhould love one another. Against thefe images of Chrift was my fpirit exafperated to the higheft pitch. I will now tell you what fed and fupported it thefe three years; and by what power and means it was all taken away. About three years ago the Methodists came and fer up preaching about three miles diftant. I went to hear them, as did many others. But they all fell away, four or five excepted, and thefe do not profefs to have faving grace. However, I continued with them till the middle of this winter. I ever contended, that they were right, and all others were wrong, particularly the Congregationalifts. I was afked by a Baptift, who uled to call upon me frequently, what I thought of the Methodists? I told him I had under flood the plan they went upon for a numb