At the age of seventeen or eighteen years, fhe appeared to be bro't near to death by fickness; fuch like thoughts fhould be, familiar to us? That we should frequently meditate on the folemn fcene, and on what may be a fuit--but this gave her little or no able preparation for it? If this be alarm;-fhe recovered and lived important for all, then any thing feveral years, as before, fecure in we can do, to call up attention to the tho't that fhe was not fo finful the fubject, must be an act of be- as many others. She was again nevolence. feized with a disease, the threatening fymptoms of which foon excited apprehenfions that her days on earth must be few. Then it pleafed God to discover to her the prospect before her.—All her fond dreams of her own goodness vanished. She faw her fins to be great indeed. She confidered herself as going into the presence of God the judge, who regards not the outward appearance fo much as the heart.-As her own confcience condemned her alrea Nothing, it is conceived, confidered as means, has a greater tendency to this, than a view of the fentiments and feelings of thofe who confider themselves as juft entering the eternal world; who have also a sense of the important change before them :-I fay who have a fenfe of this; for it is no proof that the change is not important, that many appear indifferent about it, and are seen to die as ftupidly as they live, wholly unconcerned, because tho't-dy, fhe could fee no profpect of lefs, about the confequences. Among many occafions I have had of attending the beds of the fick and dying, of various charac. ters, none has more affected me than the following. any thing but condemnation from him; and tho her bodily pain was great, it feemed forgotten in the anguifh of her spirit.-She expreffed a great fenfe of her folly and fin in neglecting the things of her peace till this, which the found to be a most inconvenient feafon. She had a great defire to obtain religious inftruction, and feemed to hear, literally, as for her life. Tho too weak to converfe much, the wished to hear no converfation but on religion, and to hear that conftantly; for fhe faid she had no time to lose; every moment appeared precious, and if the attempted to meditate by herself, her tho'ts were fo confused and diffipated, she could fix them on nothing, nor recollect what fhe had heard; but when she was fpoken to, it ferved to fix her tho'ts and keep them collected. A lengthy difcourfe was accord. ingly entered into, on fuch fub MIRA, defcended of pious parents, who lived to fuperintend her education, grew up in habits of external morality; was conftant in her attendance on the public worship of God, where her behaviour was always fober and decent. She had early inftruction in the first great principles of Christianity, which, however, as is common, feemed only to float in an indistinct, confused manner, in her head, without affecting her heart. But as her outward behaviour and refpect to religion were fo regular and unblameable, The tho't herself better than many others, and, like multitudes of a regular life and converfation, little apprehended the neceffity of any thing more to recommendjects as were judged applicable to her to divine acceptance. her circumftances, to which fhe liftened with fuch attention that | with joy and peace în believing. it feemed as if fhe had wholly forgotten her great bodily diftrefs. This was repeated for feveral days. She was fo earneft to have prayers for her and with her, that when prayer and converfation ceafed, fhe would defire prayers again, repeating that the knew not how to lofe a moment; for fhe was just going into eternity, with fin enough to fink her to endless ruin, and could find nothing on which to reft her foul. When Chrift's fufficiency was mentioned, and his readinefs to receive and fave all repenting, believing finners, fhe would reply, "I know there is enough it him, but I cannot take hold of it, do pray for me," &c. She had carneftly prayed for ftrength to fpeak audibly, which fhe had not been able to do for feveral days, that the might fhew forth the praises of God, and addrefs fome of her friends. A number being present that morning, by her defire, fhe was raifed up in bed, and fpake fo as to be diftinctly heard, by all in the room, for more than half an hour,— fometimes in prayer and praise to God,-fometimes expreffing the views fhe had of his glory, and of the amiablenefs and fufficiency of Chrift-and fometimes preffing on her friends and companions the importance of attending to religion, without delay; befeeching them not to neglect it, as fhe had done, till they came to a death bed. She was unable to fpeak aloud any more, till Satur day, when, a number of people being prefent, fhe spake to them audibly, as the day before, and nearly as long. When I faw her, on both of thefe days, fhe was fo exhausted that I could only obtain fhort answers from her, in whifpers, to a few questions.-Her anfwers, however, appeared to be dictated by a feeling heart, a found judgment, a mind fully poffeffed of itfelf, free from confufion, derangement or enth iafm. Thus the continued, with an appearance of anxiety not to be defcribed, till fhe became fo weak that she could only peak in whifpers. Solemn and affecting was the scene, while every day was looked on as her laft, and fhe had no hope. The diftrefs of parents, who had a fenfe of the worth of a foul, on feeing a child going into eternity, in fuch a condition, can be known only to those who have been called to the trial. Thus were they left on Thurfday evening.-Entering the houfe on Friday, a new appearance was vifible in the countenances of the family. The parents difcov-ing, the fymptoms of approaching ered a placid, yet folemn fhew of joy, tho no hope appeared of their daughter's recovery.-Mira appeared calm and compofed, free from that perturbation and anxiety which had before been apparent,- -a gleam of hope feemed vifible in her looks. By information, it appeared, that it had pleafed God, the night before, to manifeft himself graciously to her foul, as the hoped, and to fill her Vifiting her on Sabbath morn diffolution were more apparent than ever; neither the nor any one elfe expected fhe would live out the day; yet fhe fpake audibly and freely. A dark scene now presented to her mind. She complained that the had loft, in a great meafure, thofe views of God and fpiritual things which fhe had enjoyed, and feared all her hope had been a delufion.— This was to her a trying time,— fhe was fenfibly dying, and God had withdrawn himfelf, which made her lament in the language of Job, "Behold I go forward but he is not there, and backward but I cannot perceive him; on the left hand where he doth work, but I cannot behold him; he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot fee him-O that I knew where I might find him." Being asked if the did not think the deferved fuch a rebuke; if it were not juft in God thus to deal with her? She replied to this effect, "O yes, I deferve it; I deferve to receive no good from God; if he never fhews me favor he will be juft." When lying a few minutes, as if in deep contemplation and prayer, fhe fuddenly faid, with great emphafis, "OI fee him, I fee him again, Jefus my Lord. He comes, leaping upon the mountains, fkipping upon the hills all my fins don't hinder him ;-I fhall go and be with him, I long to be with him. Jefus can make a dying bed, feel foft as downy pillows are; While on his breaft I lay my head, And breathe my life out fweetly there. Oh, this comes right, this day I fhall go and be with him; -my first day in heaven will be a 'fabbath." In fuch a frame the continued till fhe died. In a view of this cafe, the following thoughts naturally occur. 1. The hopes of heaven, which are built only on a visible morality, Inftead of hoping for heaven, he will fee himself to be a child of deftruction, that the wrath of God abides on him.-A multitude of fuch felf-deceivers are, doubtlefs, in the world.-May they be undeceived while they have a fpace to repent! 2. Let none, who fee their guilt and need of pardon, defpair of mercy while life lafts.-The fovereign Lord, who delighteth in mercy, may glorify the riches of his goodness, by taking them into his fervice at the eleventh hour. Nór, 3. Let any be encouraged, from fuch an inftance, to delay their repentance to a dying bed. This is the height of folly and prefumption; for very few of thofe who defer the matter to that late hour, are ever hopefully brought to repentance, in comparison of those who die either in utter thoughtleffnefs and infenfibility, or in fear and defpair of mercy.-A death bed, inftead of being the best time for beginning repentance, will need all the fupports of religion, of a tried, holy fubmiffion to God, a proved, confirmed faith in the Lord Jefus Chriit, producing an hope, which entering within the vail, may be as an anchor to the foul, fure and ftedfaft. SERVUS. FOR THE CONNECTICUT EVAN- regular life and external obferv. Question. "H ance of the forms of religion, cannot abide the trial; they itand on fand, and will be fwept away when the form comes. They can laft no longer than the blindnefs of the heart continues.-As foon as one, who has fuch an hope, fees his true character, in that very hour his hope will perish. OW much bet ter is it to get wifdom than gold? and to get understanding rather to be chofen than filver ?" Prov. xvi. 16. Aufwer. By wisdom and underftanding Solomon doubtless intended the fear of the Lord, confifting in the principle, the exercifes, and the practice of true piety and real religion; which the favor of God, and eter-ready enjoy, as from what they hope for and expect. If all hope was entirely removed from the wicked, and they were fully convinced, that they had already re nal life are connected. Therefore, as much as God's everlafting favor exceeds, in real value and importance, any quantity of gold and filver-as much as eter-ceived all the good-all the plea nity is longer than time, or as fure, comfort or happiness, which much as man's future existence they are ever to have, their hearts will exceed in length of duration, would evidently be filled with bethe period of his prefent life, and fore-unknown diftrefs. Yet this, as much as the fum or whole a- and much more, will take place mount of real good comprised in at the day of their death. They the endless glory and happiness of will then clofe their eyes forever heaven, viewed in contraft with on all things here below, and a ftate of never-ending mifery, have no more forever a portion in exceeds the amount of real good any thing which is done under comprised in and certainly con- the fun. All their pleasures and nected with the acquifition of fil- comfortable enjoyments will then ver and gold; fo much better is it be at a perpetual end-all their to get wisdom than gold, and fo fond hopes and expectations enmuch is the acquifition of under-tirely cut off and gone forever, flanding rather to be chofen than filver. Hence, is it not very furprifing, that mankind, under the clear light of the fcriptures, do not feek after wifdom, with as great ardor and engagednefs, as any ever feek for filver-that they do not fearch for it, with as intenfe defire, and conftant attention, and perfevering diligence, as any ever fearch for hidden trea fures'! PHILEUSEBES. FOR THE CONNECTICUT EVAN- HEN a wicked man dieth his expectation fhall perish." So faid the wife king Solomon, under the fure guidance of the fpirit of truth. Hence, what an awful day, indeed, will the day of their death be to the wicked! A great part of their prefent comfort arifes not fo much from what they al and an eternal ftate of darkness and defpair will open upon them. They will find, with the rich man in the parable, that they have received their good things in their life time, even all the good they are ever to have, and that all now remaining for them is to be tormented, without refpite or allevi ation, forevermore. How dreadful, then, beyond the power of language to defcribe, or of human minds to conceive or comprehend, muft that day be to the wicked! and especially to thofe of them who have lived, as many do, in the fond and confident expecta tion of happiness and glory in the world to come !-What can be thought of, more infupportably fhocking and overwhelming to the human heart, than for fuch as have lived in the pleafing and confident expectation, that they fhall dwell and reign in the world of happiness and glory, to find, at once, all their fond hopes utterly cut off, and themselves in the world of mifery and torment Religious Intelligence. BY a recent letter from the Rev. Mr. Bacon, Miffionary to the Indians, it appears that he is at Michillimackinack, making preparation to vifit fome of the tribes the enfuing fpring. He meets with fome unexpected embarraffments; but thefe, inftead of abating his zeal, make him more engaged to attempt to do fomething for the Indians. The obftacles in the way of communicating the gofpel to thofe poor, perifhing pagans are many and great; this fhould animate the prayers and quicken the exertions of the friends of Christ, and while they do all that lies in their pow they muft fubmiffively wait God's time to crown their efforts with fuccefs. Mr. Bacon, after speaking of many delays and troubles, fays, unutterable, and in complete defpair of relief or refpite thro the never-ending ages of eternity!— Hence how awfully dangerous is the state of the wicked every day and every hour! Our lives are in God's hands, and he can take them away whenever he pleafes. The wicked in particular, being out of Chrift, and under the curfe of God's broken law, have no title, by covenant promise, to life or any good whatever, but are liable, every day and hour and minute, to be cut off from life, and from every fource of comfort, and placed beyond the hope of happiness forever. And fome are, in fact, fuddenly cut off in childhood and youth, and fome in riper years. How evi-er dent is it, then, that the wicked are continually in an exceedingly awful and dangerous ftate! How could any man foberly view himfelf as liable every day to be cut" if those who fupport the mifoff from the living, and that, un- fion will have patience and refoder a full conviction that when lution to continue their prayers he dies, all his hopes will utterly and exertions, I am ftill in hopes, perish, without fenfibly feeling if I am fpared, to have something that his ftate was awful and dan- to communicate in years to come gerous indeed-fuch as no wife which will rejoice their hearts, perfon could think fafe to be reft- and thro the thanksgivings of ed in for a moment! Is it not then many redound to the glory of God. high time for every one, who yet Perhaps it will be found, on exranks among the wicked, in the amination, that the events of the fcriptural fenfe in contradiftinc- prefent year are not, on the whole, tion from the righteous, to re-fo difcouraging as what they might pent, and turn to God thro Jefus feem at first view. It is notorious Chrift, and do works meet for re- that Indians are naturally shypentance! Can it be thot prudent that they are flow in their decifions and fafc-can it be rationally on the most common cafes-that viewed in any other light, than they are extremely cautious in acof daring, wicked prefumption, cepting the faireft proposals of for any to go on fecure in the others, unlefs fanctioned by their ways of their own heart, and own experience. These obfervaneglect the great falvation now tions will univerfally hold true clearly exhibited, and graciouf- with refpect to them, except they ly proposed to them in the gof- are feduced from their stedfaft purposes by the intoxicating draught. When an object is prefented to pel! PHILEUSEBES. |