She then complained that her breath was very bad, and lay for fome time filent; after which the fuddenly cried out, "Jefus look down with mercy on me, Chrift have;" but could fay no more. A little while after, fhe held out her hand to her father, and faid, "Papa, I am dead, I cannot fee any of you," and breathed her foul into the bofom of Jefus.

With a view to the improvement of fo ftriking an instance of the grace of God, which can out of the mouths, even of babes and fucklings, perfect praise, a very serious and affectionate difcourfe was delivered the Lord's-day morning following, by the Rev. Mr. Brewer, from the words which The had repeated, "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of fuch is the kingdom of God."

Triumphant Death of Mr. James Saunders.

N SATURDAY, Feb. 22, 1794, died, of a decline, James Saunders, aged 27 years, after an illness of fix months; during the greater part of which time he appeared defirous to continue longer in this world. When very young he was fond of reading the Scriptures, and has often asked his mother fuch questions as have aftonished her. Monday, Feb. 17, was the last time he was down stairs; Tuesday morning he was taken very bad-complained of his throat-could not fwallow any drink-appeared to be a little alarmed, and not thoroughly reconciled to the thoughts of death. The doctor, being with him in the morning, intimated that he did not think he could furvive above three hours. His mother now became very defirous to hear from him of the hope that was in him. He then burst into a flood of tears, faid he was all fin: "O mother," faid he, "my fins are laid open before me-fins innumerable. O I am vile, what fhall I fay to my God? but Jefus calls the weary and heavy-laden to come to him. Well, I am laden with fin and iniquities-fins against my God: Dear Jefus! fave, or I perish. O my God, though I deferve nothing but a fearful looking for of judgment, for I am the vilest of the vile, thou art love, and thine ear is not heavy that thou canft not hear, nor thine arm fhortened, that thou canst not fave. Mother," he added, "I have often thought. of those words, O houfe of Ifrael, why will you die? And of thofe, when my dear Saviour wept over Jerufalem, and faid, O, Jerufalem, how would I have gathered you toge

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ther even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not?' His mother cannot repeat the whole, but what he uttered was to this effect. He went on in the courfe of the day pleading his Saviour's merits. "Oh," faid he, "if I fhould go, not having on the wedding garment, how fhall I bear to hear thefe words, How camest thou in hither? O my God, fend thy Holy Spirit to cleanfe my heart, keep the tempter far from me." About fix o'clock in the evening, he faid, "Mother, I must shed tears of joy: My Saviour is on his Father's throne, pleading for guilty me. O! he will have mercy on the vileft of the vile. Ọ, how I love him, I long to be gone!" Thus he went on praying, and praifing redeeming love. He faid, "if his throat was well, he would fing, but I fhall fing there" (holding up his hand); then he repeated part of a hymn:

"The fountain of Chrift affift me to fing,
The blood of our Prieft, our crucify'd King,
Which perfectly cleanfes from fin and from filth,
And richly difpenfes falvation and health.
This fountain fo dear he will freely impart,
Unlock'd by the fpear it gufh'd from his heart,
With blood and with water; the first to atonę,
To cleanse us the latter, the fountain but one."

Proceeding thus with a loud voice, and his father and others of the family coming up ftairs, he faid to his father, "See your dying fon. Mourn not, for I am going to my Saviour. I pray God prepare you all to meet me there, in that place of everlasting blifs." Thus he went on taking leave of every one fingly, bleffing them, and praying for them. Then he faid, "The birds have nefts, the foxes have holes, but our dear Redeemer had not where to lay his head. How did he fuffer for us guilty creatures when he left his Father's bleft abode! How was he treated when he went to his own, and they would not receive him! He bore his cross to Calvary's Mount, and one drop of his precious blood is worth a thousand worlds. O could you but fee his wounded body! O, what agonizing pains he felt when he cried, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" In this manner he difcourfed a great part of the night." Death," faid he, at one time, "where is thy fting? O Grave, where is thy victory?" On the Wednesday he feemed in great pain, but did not complain. The convulfions were very ftrong, but he ftill continued praying, and praifing redeeming love, and crying, "Come Lord Jefus, come quickly." He appeared in a hurry to be gone.

At another time he feemed to be angry with himself; and faid, "Thy time, Lord, not mine. I want more faith, Lord, more patience. O! what is time to eternity, O! never ending." He then spoke of the creation-of the fall of man-and of redemption. He faid again," Mo ther, I wonder how any one can live and not know God, did we but confider how fearfully and wonderfully we are made: Our bodies are put together as with fmall threads, and we fhould drop to pieces if there was not a God." On the Thursday, when he was offering up his prayers, the nurse faid, "the was fure he was a faint, for fhe never heard fuch prayers and fuch heavenly difcourfe before." He heard her, and feemed frightened; and faid, "O my God, put all those far from me that would fill my heart with pride. It was pride that thruft the angels out of heaven." He fpoke much more on this head, and faid, "All our righteoufnefs is as filthy rags." He flept about a quarter of an hour on Thursday afternoon, which was more than he had done all the time before. When he awoke, he faid, "O mother, I fleep more than I pray; O my God, I want to love thee more-I want more faith. O my God, keep the tempter far from me. Mother, I feel myfelf very weak. Health is the time to ferve the Lord." He fat up in his bed, for he could not lie down all the time. The convul. fions appeared much stronger, and he feemed unable to fpeak for more than an hour. He then spoke again, "Mother, how are my thoughts wandering after things of this world! I want to think and fpeak of nothing but my God. The tempter is chained: If he were to follow me to heaven's gate, he cannot enter it." Another time he held up his right arm, and fmiled, faying, "Am I one of thofe, Lord?" Then holding up his left, he faid, I might very justly have been one of those; 'tis by grace we are faved. O mother, we cannot conceive the blifs! O, to dwell with my Saviour, and fee him face to face! What fweet words, Come, ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you; and, bieffed are the dead which die in the Lord, for fo faith the Spirit, for they fhall reft from their labours. God is a fpirit, and must be worshipped in fpirit and in truth." Friday morning, he expreffed himself, "Mother, let us pray. A God hearing prayer. He is a God nigh at hand, and hears all that call upon him-pray. ing in faith, nothing wavering, O, he fought me when I was afar off!-What love!" After he had prayed, he said, "I am about to pay the debt of nature, and am going to the heaven of heavens,-to everlasting blifs!"-About this

time he often felt his pulfe, and when he found them low, he
would fmile on his mother, and fay, "I fhall foon go, it is
finished." Saturday noon his brother went to his bedfide.
He took hold of his hand, and faid "Brother, don't mourn
for me, I am going to glory. Look on this cafe of bones,"
pointing to himself," and wonder that there is breath, I
I am very weak in body.
would talk to you, but I cannot.
Come, Lord Jefus, come quickly." About an hour before
he died, he faid to the nurfe, and fmiled, "I fhall keep my
Sabbath there," (pointing upwards.) He departed at half
after four in the afternoon with a fmile, and without a figh
or groan.

TH

Remarkable Interposition.

GENTLEMEN,

HE following cafe is fo very remarkable, that I have long wifhed it had been extensively known: If fuited to the defign of your periodical publication, it is at your fervice; efpecially as it may (by the divine bleffing) prove edifying to many of your readers.

MRS. Lewis* of Norwich, being the daughter of parents whofe circumstances were much circumfcribed, deftitute of education or experience in the world, was put out to fervice at twelve years of age. Her mistress was a perfon of fufpicious character; who, by frequent prefents of gaudy drefs, together with the bad example of the whole houfe, foon led her to expect admirers, and to indulge impure fentiments. From this fituation, however, fhe was removed before the Her next place was that of a had contracted actual guilt. lady's maid; which, at the perfuafion of a fellow-fervant, fhe foon left, with a defign of going to London, to make their fortune; but her companion proved faithlefs, and accepted her place, which he had perfuaded her to refign. Being a genteel perfon, unemployed, and unrestrained by her parents, fhe was feduced by a gentleman of Norwich. Shame foon drove her from her native home. Friendlefs and un

* This case was written after frequent visits made to the subject of it in the year 1775; and is well known to several ministers now living.

provided, the went to London; where, in all the wretchednefs and criminality of a nature abandoned to vice, she spent feveral difgraceful years in proflitution, until poverty, intemperance, and difeafe, had greatly affected her conftitution. Yet, in this miferable fituation, the found one who propofed marriage. To this the confented; but the change only afforded her an opportunity of adding iniquity unto iniquity. Eight years and a half the lived in this abandoned condition. Confcience, though long filent, began at laft to make her uneafy. She now had thoughts of reformation, and of making, by her future conduct, an atonement for her paft tranfgreffions. For this purpose the applied to a Romish priest, who put her upon the difcipline of Holy Church. Books of penance were lent her; and what she found therein recommended, fhe carried into rigorous exe cution; such as fasting, starving in the cold, lying upon boards and, could her conftitution have fupported it, she was to have lain three nights upon the cold earth, covered with afhes. Having continued one year on this plan, she was hardly able to walk; during which time her confcience and her fins alternately prevailed. She now thought, that if she could procure for herself fome excruciating and painful death it would make amends for all. Under the influence of this dreadful perfuafion, the formed the horrid defign of murdering her husband, that by the laws of her country fhe might be condemned to be burned to death. She showed me the knife she had concealed for this fatal purpose: But her courage failed her, so that she could not perpetrate the execrable deed. Her confcience growing more diftreffed, the even wished herself in hell, that the might know the worst of it; and more than once, she was prevented from plunging herself into eternal mifery. About this time he was advised by an acquaintance to go to the Tabernacle at Norwich. To this fhe objected, fearing, if it were known, the should be deemed an enthusiast. Confcience, however, preffed, and despair prevailed, which at last determined her to go; but not before fhe had fallen on her knees and prayed, "Lord, direct me where to go! Lord, bring me where I may find direction for my foul, for I am a ruined finner, and if not foon helped, I must be loft; loft for ever!" Three days afterwards fhe stole into the Tabernacle. Upon being feated, the folemnity of the place, the apparent attention, and ferioufnefs of the people, together with the fweetnefs of the hymns, concurred to induce a belief, that this was the right way.

This occafioned her to fhed tears, of which she was