with me as he pleases. She ap- | to be dying. She charged her peared to be glad that she was in attendants to tell her, whenever the Lord's hand. they should perceive that to be the cafe. On the Tuesday preceding her death, fhe ftrangled, was thought to be dying, and the neighbors were called in. Seeing them afound her, after a revival, fhe afked her mother, whether they viewed her to be dying? Her mother replied, fhould you be furprifed, if we did think fo? She faid, no, not at all. Once the called to her mother, and faid, I think that I am dying, and, if it is the will of God, I am glad. After a little while, fhe faid, I think I am not dying yet, and defired her parents to lie down again and get fome fleep, and faid, it may be that I shall sleep a little too. About break of day, the watcher notified us that he appeared to be faint. We went to her immediately. Death appeared in her looks. She was fenfible that she was dying, and was calm and ferene in her mind. Not seeing her father, fhe faid, where is my dear father? When he came near to her, fhe faid, I defire father to pray for me. He asked her, what the defired him to pray for ? She replied, pray that my faith may hold out, and that I may After this the converfed but little 'till Wednesday evening, when it pleafed God to lift up the light of his countenance upon her, and to fill her foul with joy unfpeakable and full of glory. She spoke of She fpoke of the love of God through Chrift, faying, O glorious Chrift! O bleffed Jefus, my Lord and my God! Her joy appeared to be free from enthufiafm, or any thing of a vifionary nature. She appeared to be entirely compofed, and faid, that she never felt fo hap-have patience to the end. After py before in all her life, as now. On Thursday fhe expreffed a defire to leave this world, and be with Christ. She was afked, whether fhe were not willing to wait God's time? She looked up, and smiled and faid yes, yes! God's bleffed time is beft. She converfed freely, and faid many things, which could not be recollected, and many more, which could not be diftinctly heard, by reafon of her weakness, and coughing. She no more complained of darknefs. She was defirous of fpeaking to her friends, and faid, that the reafon why he had not counselled them before, was, because the thought that no body had fo bad a heart as he had: But I wish I had ftrength now to warnmy friends to prepare to meet me in glory. She appeared at times this night prayer, she asked for her mother, and looking on her with a fmile, faid, my mother, my mother, my dear mother, I am dying. Her mother asked her, whether fhe was afraid to die? She replied, no more than if I were going to fleep. A little after fhe revived, and faid, I am dying; but I believe that I fhall live fome hours yet, and fhe did. In which time many of the neighbors came in, and the kept fpeaking with great earneftnefs; but her voice was fo weak that but a little part of what the faid could be underflood. She faid, O bleffed Jefus, I caft myself at thy bleffed feet! O glorious Jefus ! Heis my Lord, and my God. And thus the fell afleep in Jefus, as we truft, on January 15th, 1790, in the 34th year of her age. She died of the pulmonary confumption. The foregoing narrative was fubftantially written by her venerable father, the late Deac. Benjamin Thomas, of whom fome memoirs were published in the last number. MESS'RS. EDITORS, T HERE are doubtlefs, many who truft they are reconciled to the great doctrines of the gofpel, and hence entertain a hope of eternal life; who, yet, for fome reasons, or perhaps none that are fatisfactory, neglect that important duty enjoined by Chrift, of confeffing him before men. They complain that they are walking in darkness without light-they hope indeed, but with a great mixture of fear and doubt-they have fo little fenfible comfort of hope, or clearnefs of evidence, that they fhrink from the duty as unqualified, and dare not proceed to the folemn tranfaction of covenanting with God. Such, you will agree, are intitled to your benevolent attention. For the perufal and benefit of fuch, the following letter is prefented. It was written by a lady to her friend; and being a practical comment upon that fubject, it is hoped may be as a voice from behind them alluring them to the duty of uniting with thofe who call themfelves by the name of Ifrael. With thefe views and wishes, it is humbly fubmitted to your difpofal. E. M. June 22d, 1799. MY DEAR FRIEND, TT muft be a delightful fubject of contemplation to every be nevolent heart that Chriit hath a church in the world, and that the gates of hell fhall never prevail agaft it. When in this day of great con fufion, and diftrefs of nations, we fee him building it up in our land, and in other parts of the world, bowing the hearts of the finful children of men to his fceptre, and manifefting himself as a finpardoning God; how ought every heart to rejoice in his univerfal government! What peculiar advantages do the difpenfations of Providence in the prefent day afford, for contemplating the divine character! At the fame time, it must be very trying to the feelings of one, who having encountered the perils of a boisterous ocean, with pain anxiety and distress when fear fat on every wave, hope fprang up with favoring gales, and difappointment uniformly fucceeded; to find one's felf again toffed upon the faine tumultuous fea in a poor bark, fhattered by former tempefts amidft furrounding rocks. How neceffary is a fkilful pilot; and one, who can alfo command even the winds, and the fea, and they obey him! O to rest wholly upon him! This is but a faint epitome of my paft life, and of my prefent views. I feel, my dear friend, as if I may with confidence open my heart to you, upon a fubject, in which I know you are fo much interested-I mean the advancement of Chrift's kingdom. And I truft you will more fenfibly rejoice, in the hope that he will admit me a humble member of his family, than a ftranger whom you never faw. You know, Madam, a little, and but a little, how I have always lived in darkness. And it is not at all strange that I had no light, fince I never obeyed Chrift's commands. It appears from his own words, that cbedience is the only teft of difcipleship, and the only ground, or condition upon which we may hope to enjoy the light of his countenance, and the comfort of divine manifeftations. He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me fhall be loved of my father, and I will love him, and will manifeft myself to him. You have converfed with me with refpect to joining the church; and a number of my Chriftian friends have done the fame--but I have been waiting and hoping for more light, and better fatisfaction about my own ftate-viewing it a duty, which at times I have felt equally afraid either to neglect or perform; while I have had a thoufand very wrong and wicked feelings, befides a great degree of floth and inattention; till about ten days fince when I was told that Mrs. S, and a young woman were about to be examined for admiffion into the church, it affected my mind very much. I was convinced there would never be a better time than to go with them--but I was all darknefs-could not go with the feelings I had. I was drawn and driven to feck relief where it may be found; and O, without knowing my former feelings, you cannot imagine the contraft-with what calmnefs and fatisfaction I fuftained the examination. I had nothing good to relate of myself; but I think, if I am not much deceived, I felt that I could truft in Chrift, where there is an infinite fulness of all good. It afforded me a fweet calmnefs of mind that I had gone fo far towards vitibly and publicly joining .myfelf to the Lord in a new and everlasting covenant, and felt willing to be under any poffible obli John aiv. 21. VOL. III. No. 3. gation to devote myself to him.-I have fince been received as a member of the visible church of Christ, and I defire an interest in your interceffions at the throne of grace, that I may not difhonor that great name I profefs to love. I have not thofe high exercises that many have and which I have fo often hoped for--to be as it were taken up and fet a great way forward on the fpiritual journey at once; and to have but little to do afterwards to arrive at complete fanctification. But I am determined, if Christ will give me the Chriftian armour, to dif pute every inch of ground, and maintain a conftant warfare. And O how gracious the promise, that "to them that have no might, he increafeth strength." If he leaves me I fhall fall at once. How quickly the branch will wither when feparated from the vine ! I feel that it is not beft for my proud heart to have all those tanf porting views that fome have, lest I should be exalted above measure. They are the foul humbling views I need, and think I defire; and I hope (O what prefumption it would be to hope it, did we stand in our own ftrength) I hope, through the infinite riches of redeeming love, ere long to P I Yours, &c. PHILOS. God. And as the parting moment drew near, I found ftrength and fupport beyond my expectation, or any thing I ever thought took place in this world in fuch parting moments. I found it eafier to bury my own, than another's child. With refpect to the child, tho under eight years of age, he was ready in asking questions, and was earneft to have a mother inftruct him upon religious fubjects. He was at a meeting of the youth and children, for prayer, the evetaken fick-and fome of the last of ning of the night in which he was his words were, "I want to be where the good folks are." I mention this as it is poffible fuch tender minds may have a tafte and happiness in hearing young people pray and fing together which they cannot defcribe, only by "wanting to be where they are." I found the words of the Saviour "DEAR SIR, HAVE long delayed comply-precious in the 14 first verses of ing with your requeft to ftate the 18th chapter of Matt. efpeto you the exercise of my mind, cially the 10th verfe- Take on the death of a defirable child. heed that ye defpife not one of But the scene is ftill fresh in my thefe little ones. For I fay unmind. Previous to the fickness of to you that in heaven their anges my child, it repeatedly occurred do always behold the face of my to my mind "God will vifit the Father which is in heaven." iniquities of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation" and I as often made fupplication that the evil of affliction might come on me as for thefe sheep what have they done?' I well remember where I was ftanding, and the feelings of my mind, when I made this requeft, the day before the child's illiefs. A fhort and very diftreffing ficknefs clofed his life. The fecond vifit, the phyfician faid his diffolution was You will at cace conclude the precious feul, to Le faved or loft, ought to be near. Refpecting parting with the child, I think I never felt calmer when he fell into a natural fleep, than when he breathed his laft. My comfort fenfibly rofe higher and higher from day to day. At length I began to reflect, and query with myfelf, what a great fianer I was! with a view to take my place the lowest place. But I could not, by this, check the rifing comfort, in view of Cod. I then thot, poffibly my child's cafe might be unhappy. But my mind was fercne-and filled with a comfort I cannot exprefs. 1 can fuch a time, and in fuch a manner, knoweth the things of a man, could fet my feal that juftice was While thus good and glorious. filled with comfort, that I was unable to mourn, the tho't rofe in my mind, what a glorious day will the Millennial day be to the church militant, if fuch fupport be given and received in the prefent itate! My mind was then attracted to the church triumphant, being filled with the fulness of God, and the glory of the Lord rifen upon their fouls. If all the world and its fcenes fhould be made to pafs before them, it would fcarcely at-perfon not prefent, whofe expreftract a fingle thought. There fed confidence in being fatisfied as could be no room for any thing to the request, I cannot give you but God. Nor would more be better than in the words of the "And if we needed. Truly God is a fufficient beloved difciple. portion for the foul. Our com- know that he hear us, whatsoever fort and happiness do not depend we afk, we know that we have the on the ftate of any gone before petitions we desired of him." In us, or on any of his creatures. the goodly number of prayers made in a few hours, I found my For myself, I know I was and am happier in refigning up my child mind fenfibly drawn up to God in to God, at his call, than I could the devotion. One particular cirbe in the child, if he had been cumftance I am confirained to recontinued to me as before. In late. On the day of the child's tead of being overwhelmed with death, and while frequent prayers forrow of heart, as I have expect- were offered up in his behalf, and ed heretofore when I have turned for all concerned, a perfon entered iny mind on the parting with a with a request in behalf of a neighchild, I found a fatisfaction in de- bor, that he might be remembergree and kind far exceeding that ed in prayer, being just then bereaved of his partner in life, and of the day of his birth. The request greatly diftreffed. was complied with; and from that moment relief came, and that high fatisfaction in the divine will, which I have related. Job xiii. 10. "The Lord turned the captiv ity of Fob when he prayed for bis friends." I rejoiced in the will of God; and thought, if he called, I could fpare every one of the goodly number then living. You will afk the cause of this. By what means it came to país that a trial in this way, fhould be no trial, or affliction; but a happiness greater than could be without it, yea ait fhall come to pafs that before bleffing worth both the Indies? they coll, I will anfwer, and Prayer. This was the precious whiles they are yet fpeaking I will And if the word was hear." printed in letters of gold, and my ut nofter leavors ufed to deSribe to you a mind fupported at means. Ifa. lxv. 2. And As for myfelf the expected trial was paft, hours bo", re the child's death.And the requests made |
