,transcribed from the #aijj ,t4 ,nelson and ,sons edition by ,david ,price1 email ccx#jgdpglaf4org ,,the ,,annals ,,of ,,the ,,poor ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,legh ,,richmond1 ,m4,a41 ,,late ,,rector ,,of ,,turvey1 ,,bedfordshire4 ,thou1 ,o ,god1 hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor4 ,,psalm lxviii4 #aj4 ,london3 ,t4 ,,nelson ,,and ,,sons1 ,,paternoster ,,row4 ,,edinburgh2 ,,and ,,new ,,york4 #aijj ,,the ,,dairyman',s ,,daughter4 ,,part ,i4 ,it is a delightful employment to discover and trace the operations of divine grace1 as they are manifested in the dispositions and lives of ,god's real children4 ,it is peculiarly gratifying to observe how frequently among the poorer classes of mankind the sunshine of mercy beams upon the heart1 and bears witness to the image of ,christ which the ,spirit of ,god has impressed thereupon4 ,among such1 the sincerity and simplicity of the ,christian character appear unencumbered by those obstacles to spirituality of mind and conversation which too often prove a great hindrance to those who live in the higher ranks4 ,many are the difficulties which riches1 worldly consequence1 high connections1 and the luxuriant refinements of polished society1 throw in the way of religious profession4 ,happy indeed it is 7and some such happy instances ,i know7 where grace has so strikingly supported its conflict with natural pride1 self-importance1 the allurements of luxury1 ease1 and worldly opinion1 that the noble and mighty appear adorned with genuine poverty of spirit1 self-denial1 humble-mindedness1 and deep spirituality of heart4 ,but1 in general1 if we want to see religion in its most simple and pure character1 we must look for it among the poor of this world who are rich in faith4 ,how often is the poor man's cottage the palace of ,god6 ,many can truly declare that they have there learned the most valuable lessons of faith and hope1 and there witnessed the most striking demonstrations of the wisdom1 power1 and goodness of ,god4 ,the character which the present narrative is designed to introduce to the notice of my readers is given from real life and circumstances4 ,i first became acquainted with her by receiving the following letter1 which ,i transcribe from the original now before me3-- ,,rev4 ,,sir1 ,i take the liberty to write to you4 ,pray excuse me1 for ,i have never spoken to you4 ,but ,i once heard you1 when you preached at --- ,church4 ,i believe you are a faithful preacher to warn sinners to flee from the wrath that will be revealed against all those that live in sin1 and die impenitent4 ,pray go on in the strength of the ,lord4 ,and may he bless you1 and crown your labour of love with success1 and give you souls for your hire6 ,the ,lord has promised to be with those whom he calls and sends forth to preach his word1 to the end of time2 for without him we can do nothing4 ,i was much rejoiced to hear of those marks of love and affection to that poor soldier of the ,s4 ,d4 militia4 ,surely the love of ,christ sent you to that poor man4 ,may that love ever dwell richly in you by faith6 ,may it constrain you to seek the wandering souls of men with the fervent desire to spend and be spent for his glory6 ,may the unction of the ,holy ,spirit attend the word spoken by you with power1 and convey deep conviction to the hearts of your hearers6 ,may many of them experience the divine change of being made new creatures in ,christ6 ,sir1 be fervent in prayer with ,god for the conversion of sinners4 ,his power is great1 and who can withstand it8 ,he has promised to answer the prayer of faith1 that is put up in his ,son's name4 ',ask what ye will1 it shall be granted you4' ,how this should strengthen our faith1 when we are taught by the word and the ,spirit how to pray6 ,oh1 that sweet inspiring hope6 how it lifts up the fainting spirits1 when we look over the precious promises of ,god6 ,what a mercy if we know ,christ and the power of his resurrection in our own hearts6 ,through faith in ,christ we rejoice in hope1 and look up in expectation of that time drawing near when all shall know and fear the ,lord1 and when a nation shall be born in a day4 ,what a happy time when ,christ's kingdom shall come6 ,then shall 'his will be done on earth as it is in heaven4' ,men shall be daily fed with the manna of his love1 and delight themselves with the ,lord all the day long4 ,then what a paradise below they will enjoy6 ,how it animates and enlivens my soul with vigour to pursue the ways of ,god1 that ,i may even now bear some humble part in giving glory to ,god and the ,lamb6 ,sir1 ,i began to write this on ,sunday1 being detained from attending on public worship4 ,my dear and only sister1 living as a servant with ,mrs4 ---1 was so ill1 that ,i came here to attend in her place and on her4 ,but now she is no more4 ,i was going to entreat you to write to her in answer to this1 she being convinced of the evil of her past life1 and that she had not walked in the ways of ,god1 nor sought to please him4 ,but she earnestly desired to do so4 ,this makes me have a comfortable hope that she is gone to glory1 and that she is now joining in sweet concert with the angelic host in heaven to sing the wonders of redeeming love4 ,i hope ,i may now write1 ',blessed are the dead that die in the ,lord4' ,she expressed a desire to receive the ,lord's ,supper1 and commemorate his precious death and sufferings4 ,i told her as well as ,i was able what it was to receive ,christ into her heart2 but as her weakness of body increased1 she did not mention it again4 ,she seemed quite resigned before she died4 ,i do hope she is gone from a world of death and sin to be with ,god for ever4 ,sir1 ,i hope you will not be offended with me1 a poor ignorant person1 to take such a liberty as to write to you4 ,but ,i trust1 as you are called to instruct sinners in the ways of ,god1 you will bear with me1 and be so kind to answer this ill-wrote letter1 and give me some instruction4 ,it is my heart's desire to have the mind that was in ,christ1 that when ,i awake up in his likeness then ,i may be satisfied4 ,my sister expressed a wish that you might bury her4 ,the minister of our parish1 whither she will be carried1 cannot come4 ,she will lie at ---4 ,she died on ,tuesday morning1 and will be buried on ,friday or ,saturday 7whichever is most convenient to you71 at three o'clock in the afternoon4 ,please to send an answer by the bearer1 to let me know whether you can comply with this request ,from your unworthy servant1 ,,elizabeth ,w---4 ,i was much struck with the simple and earnest strain of devotion which this letter breathed4 ,it was but indifferently written and spelt4 ,but this the rather tended to endear the hitherto unknown writer1 as it seemed characteristic of the union of humbleness of station with eminence of piety4 ,i felt quite thankful that ,i was favoured with a correspondent of this description2 the more so1 as such characters were at that time very rare in the neighbourhood4 ,i have often wished that epistolary intercourse of this kind were more encouraged and practised among us4 ,i have the greatest reason to speak well of its effects both on myself and others4 ,communication by letter as well as by conversation with the pious poor has often been the instrument of animating and reviving my own heart in the midst of duty1 and of giving me the most profitable information for the general conduct of the ministerial office4 ,as soon as the letter was read ,i inquired who was the bearer of it4 ,he is waiting at the outside of the gate1 sir1 was the reply4 ,i went out to speak him1 and saw a venerable old man1 whose long hoary hair and deeply wrinkled countenance commanded more than common respect4 ,he was resting his arm upon the gate1 and tears were streaming down his cheeks4 ,on my approach he made a low bow1 and said1-- ,sir1 ,i have brought you a letter from my daughter1 but ,i fear you will think us very bold in asking you to take so much trouble4 ,by no means1 ,i replied2 ,i shall be truly glad to oblige you and any of your family in this matter1 provided it be quite agreeable to the minister of your parish4 ,sir1 he told me yesterday that he should be very glad if ,i could procure some gentleman to come and bury my poor child for him1 as he lives five miles off1 and has particular business on that day2 so when ,i told my daughter1 she asked me to come to you1 sir1 and bring that letter1 which would explain the matter4 ,i desired him to come into the house1 and then said1-- ,what is your occupation8 ,sir1 ,i have lived most of my days in a little cottage at ---1 six miles from here4 ,i have rented a few acres of ground1 and kept some cows1 which1 in addition to my day-labour1 has been the means of supporting and bringing up my family4 ,what family have you8 ,a wife1 now getting very aged and helpless2 two sons1 and one daughter2 for my other poor dear child is just departed out of this wicked world4 ,i hope for a better4 ,i hope so too4 ,poor thing1 she did not use to take to such good ways as her sister2 but ,i do believe that her sister's manner of talking with her before she died was the means of saving her soul4 ,what a mercy it is to have such a child as mine is6 ,i never thought about my own soul seriously till she1 poor girl1 begged me to flee from the wrath to come4 ,how old are you8 ,near seventy1 and my wife is older4 ,we are getting old1 and almost past our labour1 but our daughter has left a good place1 where she lived in service1 on purpose to come home and take care of us and our little dairy4 ,and a dear1 dutiful1 affectionate girl she is4 ,was she always so8 ,no1 sir2 when she was very young she was all for the world1 and pleasure1 and dress1 and company4 ,indeed we were all very ignorant1 and thought if we took care for this life1 and wronged nobody1 we should be sure to go to heaven at last4 ,my daughters were both wilful1 and1 like ourselves1 strangers to the ways of ,god and the word of his grace4 ,but the eldest of them went out to service1 and some years ago she heard a sermon1 preached at --- church by a gentleman that was going to --- as chaplain to the colony1 and from that time she seemed quite another creature4 ,she began to read the ,bible1 and became sober and steady4 ,the first time she returned home afterwards to see us she brought us a guinea1 which she had saved from her wages1 and said1 as we were getting old1 she was sure we should want help1 adding1 that she did not wish to spend it in fine clothes as she used to do1 only to feed pride and vanity4 ,she said she would rather show gratitude to her dear father and mother1 because ,christ had shown such mercy to her4 ,we wondered to hear her talk1 and took great delight in her company2 for her temper and behaviour were so humble and kind1 she seemed so desirous to do us good both in soul and body1 and was so different from what we had ever seen her before1 that careless and ignorant as we had been1 we began to think there must be something real in religion1 or it never could alter a person so much in a little time4 ,her youngest sister1 poor soul6 used to laugh and ridicule her at that time1 and said her head was turned with her new ways4 ',no1 sister1' she would say1 'not my head but ,i hope my heart is turned from the love of sin to the love of ,god4 ,i wish you may one day see1 as ,i do1 the danger and vanity of your present condition4' ,her poor sister would reply1 ',i do not want to hear any of your preaching2 ,i am no worse than other people1 and that is enough for me4' ',well1 sister1' ,elizabeth would say1 'if you will not hear me1 you cannot hinder me from praying for you1 which ,i do with all my heart4' ,and now1 sir1 ,i believe those prayers are answered4 ,for when her sister was taken ill1 ,elizabeth went to ,mrs4 ---'s to wait in her place1 and take care of her4 ,she said a great deal to her about her soul1 and the poor girl began to be so deeply affected and sensible of her past sin1 and so thankful for her sister's kind behaviour1 that it gave her great hopes indeed for her sake4 ,when my wife and ,i went to see her as she lay sick1 she told us how grieved and ashamed she was of her past life1 but said she had a hope1 through grace1 that her dear sister's ,saviour would be her ,saviour too1 for she saw her own sinfulness1 felt her own helplessness1 and only wished to cast herself upon ,christ as her hope and salvation4 ,and now1 sir1 she is gone1 and ,i hope and think her sister's prayers for her conversion to ,god have been answered4 ,the ,lord grant the same for her poor father and mother's sake likewise6 ,this conversation was a very pleasing commentary upon the letter which ,i had received1 and made me anxious both to comply with the request and to become acquainted with the writer4 ,i promised the good dairyman to attend on the ,friday at the appointed hour2 and after some more conversation respecting his own state of mind under the present trial1 he went away4 ,he was a reverend old man2 his furrowed cheeks1 white locks1 weeping eyes1 bent shoulders1 and feeble gait1 were characteristic of the aged pilgrim4 ,as he slowly walked onward1 supported by a stick1 which seemed to have been the companion of many a long year1 a train of reflections occurred1 which ,i retrace with pleasure and emotion4 ,at the appointed hour ,i arrived at the church1 and after a little while was summoned to the churchyard gate to meet the funeral procession4 ,the aged parents1 the elder brother1 and the sister1 with other relatives1 formed an affecting group4 ,i was struck with the humble1 pious1 and pleasing countenance of the young woman from whom ,i had received the letter4 ,it bore the marks of great seriousness without affectation1 and of much serenity mingled with a glow of devotion4 ,a circumstance occurred during the reading of the ,burial ,service1 which ,i think it right to mention as one among many testimonies of the solemn and impressive tendency of our truly evangelical ,liturgy4 ,a man of the village1 who had hitherto been of a very careless and even profligate character1 went into the church through mere curiosity1 and with no better purpose than that of vacantly gazing at the ceremony4 ,he came likewise to the grave1 and during the reading of those prayers which are appointed for that part of the service1 his mind received a deep1 serious conviction of his sin and spiritual danger4 ,it was an impression that never wore off1 but gradually ripened into the most satisfactory evidence of an entire change1 of which ,i had many and long-continued proofs4 ,he always referred to the ,burial ,service1 and to some particular sentences of it1 as the clearly ascertained instrument of bringing him1 through grace1 to the knowledge of the truth4 ,the day was therefore one to be remembered4 ,remembered let it be by those who love to hear the short and simple annals of the poor4 ,was there not a manifest and happy connection between the circumstances that providentially brought the serious and the careless to the same grave on that day together8 ,how much do they lose who neglect to trace the leadings of ,god in providence as links in the chain of his eternal purpose of redemption and grace6 ,while infidels may scoff1 let us adore6 ,after the service was concluded ,i had a short conversation with the good old couple and their daughter4 ,she told me that she intended to remain a week or two at the gentleman's house where her sister died till another servant should arrive and take her sister's place4 ,i shall be truly obliged1 said she1 by an opportunity of conversing with you1 either there or at my father's when ,i return home1 which will be in the course of a fortnight at the furthest4 ,i shall be glad to talk to you about my sister1 whom you have just buried4 ,her aspect and address were highly interesting4 ,i promised to see her very soon1 and then returned home1 quietly reflecting on the circumstances of the funeral at which ,i had been engaged4 ,i blessed the ,god of the poor1 and prayed that the poor might become rich in faith1 and the rich be made poor in spirit4 ,,part ,,ii4 ,a sweet solemnity often possesses the mind whilst retracing past intercourse with departed friends4 ,how much is this increased when they were such as lived and died in the ,lord6 ,the remembrance of former scenes and conversations with those who1 we believe1 are now enjoying the uninterrupted happiness of a better world1 fills the heart with pleasing sadness1 and animates the soul with the hopeful anticipation of a day when the glory of the ,lord shall be revealed in the assembling of all his children together1 never more to be separated4 ,whether they were rich or poor while on earth is a matter of trifling consequence3 the valuable part of their character is1 that they are kings and priests unto ,god2 and this is their true nobility4 ,in the number of now departed believers1 with whom ,i once loved to converse on the grace and glory of the kingdom of ,god1 was the ,dairyman's daughter4 ,about a week after the funeral1 ,i went to visit the family at ---1 in whose service the younger sister had lived and died1 and where ,elizabeth was requested to remain for a short time in her stead4 ,the house was a large and venerable mansion4 ,it stood in a beautiful valley at the foot of a high hill4 ,it was embowered in fine woods1 which were interspersed in every direction with rising1 falling1 and swelling grounds4 ,the manor-house had evidently descended through a long line of ancestry1 from a distant period of time4 ,the ,gothic character of its original architecture was still preserved in the latticed windows1 adorned with carved divisions and pillars and stonework4 ,several pointed terminations also1 in the construction of the roof1 according to the custom of our forefathers1 fully corresponded with the general features of the building4 ,one end of the house was entirely clothed with the thick foliage of an immense ivy1 which climbed beyond customary limits1 and embraced a lofty chimney up to its very summit4 ,such a tree seemed congenial to the walls that supported it1 and conspired with the antique fashion of the place to carry imagination back to the days of our ancestors4 ,as ,i approached1 ,i was led to reflect on the lapse of ages1 and the successive generations of men1 each in their turn occupying lands1 houses1 and domains2 each in their turn also disappearing1 and leaving their inheritance to be enjoyed by others4 ,david once observed the same1 and cried out1 ,behold1 thou hast made my days as an handbreadth1 and mine age is as nothing before thee3 verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity4 ,surely every man walketh in a vain show2 surely they are disquieted in vain3 he heapeth up riches1 and knoweth not who shall gather them4 ,happy would it be for the rich if they more frequently meditated on the uncertainty of all their possessions1 and the frail nature of every earthly tenure4 ,their inward thought is1 that their houses shall continue for ever1 and their dwelling-places to all generations3 they call their lands after their own names4 ,nevertheless1 man being in honour abideth not3 he is like the beasts that perish4 ,this their way is their folly2 yet their posterity approve their sayings4 ,like sheep they are laid in the grave2 death shall feed on them2 and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling4 ,as ,i advanced to the mansion1 a pleasing kind of gloom overspread the front3 it was occasioned by the shade of trees1 and gave a characteristic effect to the ancient fabric4 ,i instantly recollected that death had very recently visited the house and that one of its present inhabitants was an affectionate mourner for a departed sister4 ,there is a solemnity in the thought of a recent death1 which will associate itself with the very walls from whence we are conscious that a soul has just taken its flight to eternity4 ,after passing some time in conversation with the superiors of the family1 in the course of which ,i was much gratified by hearing of the unremitted attention which the elder sister had paid to the younger during the illness of the latter1 ,i received likewise other testimonies of the excellency of her general character and conduct in the house4 ,i then took leave1 requesting permission to see her1 agreeably to the promise ,i had made at the funeral1 not many days before4 ,i was shown into a parlour1 where ,i found her alone4 ,she was in deep mourning4 ,she had a calmness and serenity in her countenance which exceedingly struck me1 and impressed some idea of those attainments which a further acquaintance with her afterwards so much increased4 ,she spoke of her sister4 ,i had the satisfaction of finding that she had given very hopeful proofs of a change of heart before she died4 ,the prayers and earnest exhortations of ,elizabeth had been blessed to a happy effect4 ,she described what had passed with such a mixture of sisterly affection and pious dependence on the mercy of ,god to sinners1 as convinced me that her own heart was under the influence of pure and undefiled religion4 ,she requested leave occasionally to correspond with me on serious subjects1 stating that she needed much instruction4 ,she hoped ,i would pardon the liberty which she had taken by introducing herself to my notice4 ,she expressed a trust that the ,lord would overrule both the death of her sister and the personal acquaintance with me that resulted from it1 to a present and future good1 as it respected herself1 and also her parents1 with whom she statedly lived1 and to whom she expected to return in a few days4 ,finding that she was wanted in some household duty1 ,i did not remain long with her1 but left her with an assurance that ,i proposed to visit her parents very shortly4 ,sir1 said she1 ,i take it very kind that you have condescended to leave the company of the rich1 and converse with the poor4 ,i wish ,i could have said more to you respecting my own state of mind4 ,perhaps ,i shall be better able another time4 ,when you next visit me1 instead of finding me in these noble walls1 you will see me in a poor cottage4 ,but ,i am happiest when there4 ,once more1 sir1 ,i thank you for your past kindness to me and mine1 and may ,god in many ways bless you for it6 ,i quitted the house with no small degree of satisfaction1 in consequence of the new acquaintance which ,i had formed4 ,i discovered traces of a cultivated as well as a spiritual mind4 ,i felt that religious intercourse with those of low estate may be rendered eminently useful to others1 whose outward station and advantages are far above their own4 ,how often does it appear that ,god hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty and base things of the world1 and things which are despised1 hath ,god chosen1 and things which are not1 to bring to nought things that are2 that no flesh should glory in his presence6 ,it was not unfrequently my custom1 when my mind was filled with any interesting subject for meditation1 to seek some spot where the beauties of natural prospect might help to form pleasing and useful associations4 ,i therefore ascended gradually to the very summit of the hill adjoining the mansion where my visit had just been made4 ,here was placed an elevated sea-mark3 it was in the form of a triangular pyramid1 and built of stone4 ,i sat down on the ground near it1 and looked at the surrounding prospect1 which was distinguished for beauty and magnificence4 ,it was a lofty station1 which commanded a complete circle of interesting objects to engage the spectator's attention4 ,southward the view was terminated by a long range of hills1 at about six miles distance4 ,they met to the westward another chain of hills1 of which the one whereon ,i sat formed a link1 and the whole together nearly encompassed a rich and fruitful valley1 filled with cornfields and pastures4 ,through this vale winded a small river for many miles3 much cattle were feeding on its banks4 ,here and there lesser eminences arose in the valley3 some covered with wood1 others with corn or grass1 and a few with heath or fern4 ,one of these little hills was distinguished by a parish church at the top1 presenting a striking feature in the landscape4 ,another of these elevations1 situated in the centre of the valley1 was adorned with a venerable holly-tree1 which has grown there for ages4 ,its singular height and wide-spreading dimensions not only render it an object of curiosity to the traveller1 but of daily usefulness to the pilot1 as a mark visible from the sea1 whereby to direct his vessel safe into harbour4 ,villages1 churches1 country-seats1 farm-houses1 and cottages1 were scattered over every part of the southern valley4 ,in this direction also1 at the foot of the hill where ,i was stationed1 appeared the ancient mansion which ,i had just quitted1 embellished with its woods1 groves1 and gardens4 ,south-eastward ,i saw the open ocean1 bounded only by the horizon4 ,the sun shone1 and gilded the waves with a glittering light that sparkled in the most brilliant manner4 ,more to the east1 in continuation of that line of hills where ,i was placed1 rose two downs1 one beyond the other1 both covered with sheep1 and the sea just visible over the furthest of them1 as a terminating boundary4 ,in this point ships were seen1 some sailing1 others at anchor4 ,here the little river which watered the southern valley finished its course1 and ran through meadows into the sea1 in an eastward direction4 ,on the north the sea appeared like a noble river1 varying from three to seven miles in breadth1 between the banks of the opposite coast and those of the island which ,i inhabited4 ,immediately underneath me was a fine woody district of country1 diversified by many pleasing objects4 ,distant towns were visible on the opposite shore4 ,numbers of ships occupied the sheltered station which this northern channel afforded them4 ,the eye roamed with delight over an expanse of near and remote beauties1 which alternately caught the observation1 and which harmonized together1 and produced a scene of peculiar interest4 ,westward the hills followed each other1 forming several intermediate and partial valleys1 in a kind of undulations1 like the waves of the sea2 and1 bending to the south1 completed the boundary of the larger valley before described1 to the southward of the hill on which ,i sat4 ,in many instances the hills were cultivated with corn to their very summits1 and seemed to defy the inclemency of the weather1 which1 at these heights1 usually renders the ground incapable of bringing forth and ripening the crops of grain4 ,one hill alone1 the highest in elevation1 and about ten miles to the south-westward1 was enveloped in a cloud1 which just permitted a dim and hazy sight of a signal-post1 a light-house1 and an ancient chantry1 built on its summit4 ,amidst these numerous specimens of delightful scenery ,i found a mount for contemplation1 and here ,i indulged it4 ,how much of the natural beauties of ,paradise still remain in the world1 although its spiritual character has been so awfully defaced by sin6 ,but when divine grace renews the heart of the fallen sinner1 ,paradise is regained1 and much of its beauty restored to the soul4 ,as this prospect is compounded of hill and dale1 land and sea1 woods and plains1 all sweetly blended together1 and relieving each other in the landscape2 so do the gracious dispositions wrought in the soul produce a beauty and harmony of scene to which it was before a stranger4 ,i looked towards the village in the plain below1 where the ,dairyman's younger daughter was buried4 ,i retraced the simple solemnities of the funeral4 ,i connected the principles and conduct of her sister with the present probably happy state of her soul in the world of spirits1 and was greatly impressed with a sense of the importance of family influence as a means of grace4 ,that young woman1 ,i thought1 has been the conductor of not only a sister1 but perhaps a father and mother also1 to the true knowledge of ,god1 and may1 by the divine blessing1 become so to others4 ,it is a glorious occupation to win souls to ,christ1 and guide them out of ,egyptian bondage through the wilderness into the promised ,canaan4 ,happy are the families who are walking hand in hand together1 as pilgrims1 towards the heavenly country4 ,may the number of such be daily increased8 ,casting my eye over the numerous dwellings in the vales on my right and left1 ,i could not help thinking1 ,how many of their inhabitants are ignorant of the ways of ,god1 and strangers to his grace6 ,may this thought stimulate to activity and diligence in the cause of immortal souls6 ,they are precious in ,god's sight--they ought to be so in ours4 ,some pointed and affecting observations to that effect recurred to my mind as having been made by the young person with whom ,i had been just conversing4 ,her mind appeared to be much impressed with the duty of speaking and acting for ,god while it is day1 conscious that the night cometh1 when no man can work4 ,her laudable anxiety on this head was often testified to me afterwards1 both by letter and conversation4 ,what she felt herself1 in respect to endeavours to do good1 she happily communicated to others with whom she corresponded or conversed4 ,time would not permit my continuing so long in the enjoyment of these meditations1 on this lovely mount of observation1 as my heart desired4 ,on my return home ,i wrote a few lines to the ,dairyman's daughter1 chiefly dictated by the train of thought which had occupied my mind while ,i sat on the hill4 ,on the next ,sunday evening ,i received her reply1 of which the following is a transcript3-- ,sunday4 ,,rev4 ,,sir1 ,i am this day deprived of an opportunity of attending the house of ,god1 to worship him4 ,but1 glory be to his name1 he is not confined to time or place4 ,i feel him present with me where ,i am1 and his presence makes my paradise2 for where he is1 is heaven4 ,i pray ,god that a double portion of his grace and ,holy ,spirit may rest upon you this day2 that his blessing may attend all your faithful labours2 and that you may find the truth of his word assuring us that wherever we assemble together in his name1 there is he in the midst to bless every waiting soul4 ,how precious are all his promises6 ,we ought never to doubt the truth of his word4 ,for he will never deceive us if we go on in faith1 always expecting to receive what his goodness waits to give4 ,dear sir1 ,i have felt it very consoling to read your kind letter to-day4 ,i feel thankful to ,god for ministers in our church who love and fear his name3 there it is where the people in general look for salvation2 and there may they ever find it1 for ,jesus' sake6 ,may his word1 spoken by you1 his chosen vessel of grace1 be made spirit and life to their dead souls6 ,may it come from you as an instrument in the hands of ,god1 as sharp arrows from a strong archer1 and strike a death-blow to all their sins6 ,how ,i long to see the arrows of conviction fasten on the minds of those that are hearers of the word1 and not doers6 ,o sir1 be ambitious for the glory of ,god and the salvation of souls6 ,it will add to the lustre of your crown in glory1 as well as to your present joy and peace4 ,we should be willing to spend and be spent in his service1 saying1 ',lord1 may thy will be done by me on earth1 even as it is by the angels in heaven4' ,so you may expect to see his face with joy1 and say1 ',here am ,i1 ,lord1 and all the souls thou hast given me4' ,it seems wonderful that we should neglect any opportunity of doing good1 when there is1 if it be done from love to ,god and his creatures1 a present reward of grace1 in reflecting that we are using the talents committed to our care1 according to the power and ability which we receive from him4 ,god requires not what he has not promised to give4 ,but when we look back1 and reflect that there have been opportunities in which we have neglected to take up our cross and speak and act for ,god1 what a dejection of mind we feel6 ,we are then justly filled with shame4 ,conscious of being ashamed of ,christ1 we cannot come with that holy boldness to a throne of grace1 nor feel that free access when we make our supplications4 ,we are commanded to provoke one another to love and good works2 and where two are agreed together in the things of ,god1 they may say1-- ',and if our fellowship below ,in ,jesus be so sweet1 ,what heights of rapture shall we know ,when round the throne we meet6' ,sir1 ,i hope ,mrs4 --- and you are both of one heart and one mind4 ,then you will sweetly agree in all things that make for your present and eternal happiness4 ,christ sent his disciples out1 not singly1 but two and two1 that they might comfort and help each other in those ways and works which their ,lord commanded them to pursue4 ,it has been my lot to have been alone the greatest part of the time that ,i have known the ways of ,god4 ,i therefore find it such a treat to my soul when ,i can meet with any who love to talk of the goodness and love of ,god1 and all his gracious dealings4 ,what a comfortable reflection1 to think of spending a whole eternity in that delightful employment6 to tell to listening angels his love 'immense1 unsearchable6' ,dear sir1 ,i thank you for your kindness and condescension in leaving those that are of high rank and birth in the world1 to converse with me1 who am but a servant here below4 ,but when ,i consider what a high calling1 what honour and dignity1 ,god has conferred upon me1 to be called his child1 to be born of his ,spirit1 made an heir of glory1 and joint heir with ,christ2 how humble and circumspect should ,i be in all my ways1 as a dutiful and loving child to an affectionate and loving ,father6 ,when ,i seriously consider these things1 it fills me with love and gratitude to ,god2 and ,i do not wish for any higher station1 nor envy the rich4 ,i rather pity them1 if they are not good as well as great4 ,my blessed ,lord was pleased to appear in the form of a servant1 and ,i long to be like him4 ,i did not feel in so happy a frame of conversation that day1 nor yet that liberty to explain my thoughts which ,i sometimes do4 ,the fault must have been all in myself2 for there was nothing in you but what seemed to evidence a ,christian spirit1 temper1 and disposition4 ,i very much wished for an opportunity to converse with you4 ,i feel very thankful to ,god that you do take up the cross1 and despise the shame3 if you are found faithful1 you will soon sit down with him in glory4 ,i have written to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ---1 to thank him for permitting you to perform the burial service at --- over my dear departed sister1 and to tell him of the kind way in which you consented to do it4 ,i should mention that your manner of reading the service on that day had a considerable effect on the hearers4 ,pray excuse all faults1 and correct my errors4 ,i expect in a few days to return home to my parents' house4 ,we shall rejoice to see you there4 ,from your humble servant in ,christ1 ,e--- ,w---4 ,it was impossible to view such a correspondent with indifference4 ,i had just returned from a little cottage assembly1 where1 on ,sunday evenings1 ,i sometimes went to instruct a few poor families in one of the hamlets belonging to my parish4 ,i read the letter1 and closed the day with thanksgiving to ,god for thus enabling those who fear his name to build up each other in fear and love4 ,of old time they that feared the ,lord spake often one to another2 and the ,lord hearkened1 and heard it1 and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the ,lord1 and that thought upon his name4 ,that book of remembrance is not yet closed4 ,,part ,,iii4 ,the mind of man is like a moving picture1 supplied with objects not only from contemplation on things present1 but from the fruitful sources of recollection and anticipation4 ,memory retraces past events1 and restores an ideal reality to scenes which are gone by for ever4 ,they live again in revived imagery1 and we seem to hear and see with renewed emotions what we heard and saw at a former period4 ,successions of such recollected circumstances often form a series of welcome memorials4 ,in religious meditations1 the memory becomes a sanctified instrument of spiritual improvement4 ,another part of this animated picture is furnished by the pencil of ,hope4 ,she draws encouraging prospects for the soul1 by connecting the past and the present with the future4 ,seeing the promises afar off1 she is persuaded of their truth1 and embraces them as her own4 ,the ,spirit of ,god gives a blessing to both these acts of the mind1 and employs them in the service of religion4 ,every faculty of body and soul1 when considered as a part of the purchased possession of the ,saviour1 assumes a new character4 ,how powerfully does the apostle on this ground urge a plea for holy activity and watchfulness6 ,what6 know ye not that your body is the temple of the ,holy ,ghost which is in you1 which ye have of ,god1 and ye are not your own8 ,for ye are bought with a price2 therefore glorify ,god in your body1 and in your spirit1 which are ,god's4 ,the ,christian may derive much profit and enjoyment from the use of the memory as it concerns those transactions in which he once bore a part4 ,in his endeavours to recall past conversations and intercourse with deceased friends1 in particular1 the powers of remembrance greatly improve by exercise4 ,one revived idea produces another1 till the mind is most agreeably and usefully occupied with lively and holy imaginations4 ,lulled in the countless chambers of the brain1 ,our thoughts are linked by many a hidden chain4 ,awake but one1 and lo6 what myriads rise6 ,each stamps its image as the other flies4 ,each1 as the varied avenues of sense ,delight or sorrow to the soul dispense1 ,brightens or fades2 yet all1 with sacred art1 ,control the latent fibres of the heart4 ,may it please ,god to bless1 both to the reader and the writer1 this feeble attempt to recollect some of the communications which ,i once enjoyed in my visits to the ,dairyman's dwelling4 ,very soon after the receipt of the last letter1 ,i rode for the first time to see the family at their own house4 ,the principal part of the road lay through retired narrow lanes1 beautifully overarched with groves of nut and other trees1 which screened the traveller from the rays of the sun1 and afforded many interesting objects for admiration1 in the flowers1 shrubs1 and young trees1 which grew upon the high banks on each side of the road4 ,many grotesque rocks1 with little trickling streams of water occasionally breaking out of them1 varied the recluse scenery1 and produced a romantic and pleasing effect4 ,here and there the more distant prospect beyond was observable through gaps and hollow places on the roadside4 ,lofty hills1 with many signal- posts1 obelisks1 and light-houses on their summits1 appeared at these intervals2 rich cornfields were also visible through some of the open places2 and now and then1 when the road ascended a hill1 the sea1 with ships at various distances1 was seen4 ,but for the most part shady seclusion1 and objects of a more minute and confined nature1 gave a character to the journey1 and invited contemplation4 ,how much do they lose who are strangers to serious meditation on the wonders and beauties of nature6 ,how gloriously the ,god of creation shines in his works6 ,not a tree1 or leaf1 or flower1 not a bird or insect1 but it proclaims in glowing language1 ,god made me4 ,as ,i approached the village where the good old ,dairyman dwelt1 ,i observed him in a little field1 driving his two cows before him towards a yard and hovel which adjoined his cottage4 ,i advanced very near him without his observing me1 for his sight was dim4 ,on my calling out to him1 he started at the sound of my voice1 but with much gladness of heart welcomed me1 saying1 ,bless your heart1 sir1 ,i am glad you are come3 we have looked for you every day this week4 ,the cottage door opened1 and the daughter came out1 followed by her aged and infirm mother4 ,the sight of me naturally brought to recollection the grave at which we had before met4 ,tears of affection mingled with the smile of satisfaction with which ,i was received by these worthy cottagers4 ,i dismounted and was conducted through a neat little garden1 part of which was shaded by two large overspreading elm-trees1 to the house4 ,decency and order were manifested within and without4 ,no excuse was made here1 on the score of poverty1 for confusion and uncleanliness in the disposal of their little household4 ,everything wore the aspect of neatness and propriety4 ,on each side of the fireplace stood an old oaken arm-chair1 where the venerable parents rested their weary limbs after the day's labour was over4 ,on a shelf in one corner lay two ,bibles1 with a few religious books and tracts4 ,the little room had two windows3 a lovely prospect of hills1 woods1 and fields1 appeared through one2 and the other was more than half obscured by the branches of a vine which was trained across it2 between its leaves the sun shone1 and cast a cheerful light over the whole place4 ,this1 thought ,i1 is a fit residence for piety1 peace1 and contentment4 ,may ,i learn a fresh lesson for advancement in each1 through the blessing of ,god on this visit4 ,sir1 said the daughter1 we are not worthy that you should come under our roof4 ,we take it very kind that you should travel so far to see us4 ,my ,master1 ,i replied1 came a great deal further to visit us poor sinners4 ,he left the bosom of his ,father1 laid aside his glory1 and came down to this lower world on a visit of mercy and love2 and ought not we1 if we profess to follow him1 to bear each other's infirmities1 and go about doing good as he did8 ,the old man now entered1 and joined his wife and daughter in giving me a cordial welcome4 ,our conversation soon turned to the loss they had so lately sustained4 ,the pious and sensible disposition of the daughter was peculiarly manifested1 as well in what she said to her parents as in what she more immediately addressed to myself4 ,i had now a further opportunity of remarking the good sense and agreeable manner which accompanied her expressions of devotedness to ,god1 and love to ,christ for the great mercies which he had bestowed upon her4 ,during her residence in different gentlemen's families where she had been in service1 she had acquired a superior behaviour and address2 but sincere piety rendered her very humble and unassuming in manner and conversation4 ,she seemed anxious to improve the opportunity of my visit to the best purpose for her own and her parents' sake2 yet there was nothing of unbecoming forwardness1 no self-confidence or conceitedness in her conduct4 ,she united the firmness and solicitude of the ,christian with the modesty of the female and the dutifulness of the daughter4 ,it was impossible to be in her company and not observe how truly her temper and conversation adorned the principles which she professed4 ,i soon discovered how eager and how successful also she had been in her endeavours to bring her father and mother to the knowledge and experience of the truth4 ,this is a lovely feature in the character of a young ,christian4 ,if it have pleased ,god1 in the free dispensation of his mercy1 to call the child by his grace while the parents remain still in ignorance and sin1 how great is the duty incumbent on that child to do what is possible to promote the conversion of those to whom so much is owing6 ,happy is it when the ties of grace sanctify those of nature6 ,the aged couple evidently regarded and spoke of this daughter as their teacher and admonisher in divine things1 while at the same time they received from her every token of filial submission and obedience1 testified by continual endeavours to serve and assist them to the utmost of her power in the daily concerns of the household4 ,the religion of this young woman was of a highly spiritual character1 and of no ordinary attainment4 ,her views of the divine plan in saving the sinner were clear and scriptural4 ,she spoke much of the joys and sorrows which1 in the course of her religious progress1 she had experienced2 but she was fully sensible that there is far more in real religion than mere occasional transition from one frame of mind and spirits to another4 ,she believed that the experimental acquaintance of the heart with ,god principally consisted in so living upon ,christ by faith as to aim at living like him by love4 ,she knew that the love of ,god toward the sinner1 and the path of duty prescribed to the sinner1 are both of an unchangeable nature4 ,in a believing dependence on the one1 and an affectionate walk in the other1 she sought and found the peace of ,god which passeth all understanding2 for so he giveth his beloved rest4 ,she had read but few books besides her ,bible2 but these few were excellent in their kind1 and she spoke of their contents as one who knew their value4 ,in addition to a ,bible and ,prayer-book1 ,doddridge's ,rise and ,progress1 ,romaine's ,life1 ,walk1 and ,triumph of ,faith1 ,bunyan's ,pilgrim1 ,alleine's ,alarm1 ,baxter's ,saint's ,everlasting ,rest1 a hymn- book1 and a few tracts1 completed her library4 ,i observed in her countenance a pale and delicate hue1 which ,i afterwards found to be a presage of consumption2 and the idea then occurred to me that she would not live very long4 ,time passed on swiftly with this interesting family1 and after having partaken of some plain and wholesome refreshment1 and enjoyed a few hours' conversation with them1 ,i found it was necessary for me to return homewards4 ,the disposition and character of the parties may be in some sort ascertained by the expressions at parting4 ,god send you safe home again1 said the aged mother1 and bless the day that brought you to see two poor old creatures such as we are1 in our trouble and affliction4 ,come again1 sir1 come again when you can2 and though ,i am a poor ignorant soul1 and not fit to talk to such a gentleman as you1 yet my dear child shall speak for me4 ,she is the greatest comfort ,i have left1 and ,i hope the good ,lord will spare her to support my trembling limbs and feeble spirits1 till ,i lie down with my other dear departed children in the grave4 ,trust to the ,lord1 ,i answered1 and remember his gracious promise3 ',even to your old age ,i am he2 and even to hoar hairs ,i will carry you4' ,i thank you1 sir1 said the daughter1 for your ,christian kindness to me and my friends4 ,i believe the blessing of the ,lord has attended your visit1 and ,i hope ,i have experienced it to be so4 ,my dear father and mother will1 ,i am sure1 remember it2 and ,i rejoice in the opportunity of seeing so kind a friend under this roof4 ,my ,saviour has been abundantly good to me1 in plucking me as 'a brand from the burning1' and showing me the way of life and peace2 and ,i hope it is my heart's desire to live to his glory4 ,but ,i long to see these dear friends enjoy the power and comfort of religion likewise4 ,i think it evident1 ,i replied1 that the promise is fulfilled in their case3 ',it shall come to pass that at evening time it shall be light4 ,i believe it1 she said1 and praise ,god for the blessed hope4 ,thank him1 too1 that you have been the happy instrument of bringing them to the light4 ,i do1 sir2 yet when ,i think of my own unworthiness and insufficiency1 ,i rejoice with trembling4 ,sir1 said the good old man1 ,i am sure the ,lord will reward you for this kindness4 ,pray for us1 old as we are1 and sinners as we have been1 that yet he would have mercy upon us at the eleventh hour4 ,poor ,betsy strives much for our sakes1 both in body and soul3 she works hard all day to save us trouble1 and ,i fear has not strength to support all she does2 and then she talks to us1 and reads to us1 and prays for us1 that we may be saved from the wrath to come4 ,indeed1 sir1 she's a rare child to us4 ,peace be to you1 and to all that belong to you6 ,amen1 and thank you1 dear sir1 was echoed from each tongue4 ,thus we parted for that time4 ,my returning meditations were sweet1 and ,i hope profitable4 ,many other visits were afterwards made by me to this peaceful cottage1 and ,i always found increasing reason to thank ,god for the intercourse ,i there enjoyed4 ,an interval of some length occurred once during that year in which ,i had not seen the ,dairyman's family4 ,i was reminded of the circumstance by the receipt of the following letter3-- ,,rev4 ,,sir1 ,i have been expecting to see or hear from you for a considerable time4 ,excuse the liberty ,i take in sending you another letter4 ,i have been confined to the house the greater part of the time since ,i left ---4 ,i took cold that day1 and have been worse ever since4 ,i walk out a little on these fine days1 but seem to myself to walk very near the borders of eternity4 ,glory be to ,god1 it is a very pleasing prospect before me6 ,though ,i feel the working of sin1 and am abased1 yet ,jesus shows his mercy to be mine1 and ,i trust that ,i am his4 ,at such times-- ',my soul would leave this heavy clay ,at his transporting word1 ,run up with joy the shining way ,to meet and prove the ,lord4 ,fearless of hell and ghastly death1 ,i'd break through ev'ry foe2 ,the wings of love and arms of faith ,would bear me conqu'ror through4' ,my desire is to live every moment to ,god1 that ,i may1 through his grace1 be kept in that heavenly1 happy frame of mind1 that ,i shall wish for at the hour of death4 ,we cannot live or die happy without this2 and to keep it1 we must be continually watching and praying3 for we have many enemies to disturb our peace4 ,i am so very weak1 that now ,i can go nowhere to any outward means for that help which is so refreshing to my spirit4 ,i should have been very happy to have heard you last ,sunday1 when you preached at ---4 ,i could not walk so far4 ,i hope the word spoken by you was made a blessing to many who heard it4 ,it was my earnest prayer to ,god that it might be so4 ,but1 alas6 once calling does not awaken many that are in a sound sleep4 ,yet the voice of ,god is sometimes very powerful1 when his ministers speak2 when they are influenced by his ,holy ,spirit1 and are simple and sincere in holding forth the word of life4 ,then it will teach us all things1 and enlighten our mind and reveal unto us the hidden things of darkness1 and give us out of that divine treasure 'things new and old4' ,resting on ,god to work in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure1 we ought always to work as diligent servants1 that know they have a good ,master1 that will surely not forget their labour of love4 ,if we could but fix our eyes always on that crown of glory that waits us in the skies1 we should never grow weary in well-doing1 but should run with patience and delight in the work and ways of ,god1 where he appoints us4 ,we should not then1 as we too frequently do1 suffer these trifling objects here on earth to draw away our minds from ,god1 to rob him of his glory and our souls of that happiness and comfort which the believer may enjoy amidst outward afflictions4 ,if we thus lived more by faith in the ,son of ,god1 we should endeavour to stir up all whom we could to seek after ,god4 ,we should tell them what he has done for us1 and what he would do for them if they truly sought him4 ,we should show them what a glorious expectation there is for all true believers and sincere seekers4 ,when our minds are so fixed on ,god1 we are more desirous of glorifying him1 in making known his goodness to us1 than the proud rich man is of getting honour to himself4 ,i mourn over my own backwardness to this exercise of duty1 when ,i think of ,god's willingness to save the vilest of the vile1 according to the dispensations of his eternal grace and mercy4 ,oh1 how amiable1 how lovely does this make that ,god of love appear to poor sinners1 that can view him as such6 ,how is the soul delighted with such a contemplation6 ,they that have much forgiven1 how much they love6 ,these thoughts have been much on my mind since the death of ---4 ,i trust the ,lord will pardon me for neglect4 ,i thought it was my duty to speak or write to him3 you remember what ,i said to you respecting it4 ,but ,i still delayed till a more convenient season4 ,oh1 how ,i was struck when ,i heard the ,lord had taken him so suddenly6 ,i was filled with sorrow and shame for having neglected what ,i had so often resolved to do4 ,but now the time of speaking for ,god to him was over4 ,hence we see that the ,lord's time is the best time4 ,now the night of death was come upon him2 no more work was to be done4 ,if ,i had done all that lay in my power to proclaim reconciliation by ,christ to his soul1 whether he had heard or no1 ,i should have been clear of his blood4 ,but ,i cannot recall the time that is past1 nor him from the grave4 ,had ,i known the ,lord would have called him so suddenly1 how diligent ,i should have been to warn him of his danger6 ,but it is enough that ,god shows us what we are to do1 and not what he is about to do with us or any of his creatures4 ,pray1 sir1 do all you can for the glory of ,god4 ,the time will soon pass by1 and then we shall enter that glorious rest that he hath prepared for them that love him4 ,i pray ,god to fill you with that zeal and love which he only can inspire1 that you may daily win souls to ,christ4 ,may he deliver you from all slavish fear of man1 and give you boldness1 as he did of old those that were filled with the ,holy ,ghost and with power6 ,remember1 ,christ has promised to be with all his faithful ministers to the end of time4 ,the greater dangers and difficulties they are exposed to1 the more powerful his assistance4 ,then1 sir1 let us fear none but him4 ,i hope you will pray much for me1 a poor sinner1 that ,god will perfect his strength in my weakness of body and mind2 for without him ,i can do nothing4 ,but when ,i can experience the teaching of that ,holy ,one1 ,i need no other teacher4 ,may the ,lord anoint you with the same1 and give you every grace of his ,holy ,spirit1 that you may be filled with all the fulness of ,god2 that you may know what is the height and depth1 the length and breadth1 of the love of ,god in ,christ ,jesus2 that you may be in the hand of the ,lord as a keen archer to draw the bow1 while the ,lord directs and fastens the arrows of conviction in the hearts of such as are under your ministry6 ,i sincerely pray that you may be made a blessing to him that has taken the place of the deceased4 ,i have heard that you are fellow- countrymen3 ,i hope you are1 however1 both as strangers in this world1 that have no abiding place1 but seek a country out of sight4 ,pray excuse all faults4 ,from your humble servant in the bonds of the gospel of ,christ1 ,e--- ,w---4 ,when ,i perused this and other letters1 which were at different times written to me by the ,dairyman's daughter1 ,i felt that in the person of this interesting correspondent were singularly united the characters of a humble disciple and a faithful monitor4 ,i wished to acknowledge the goodness of ,god in each of these her capacities4 ,i sometimes entertain a hope that the last day will unfold the value of these epistolary communications1 beyond even any present estimate of their spiritual importance4 ,,part ,,iv4 ,the translation of sinners from the power of darkness into the kingdom of ,god's dear ,son1 is the joy of ,christians and the admiration of angels4 ,every penitent and pardoned soul is a new witness to the triumphs of the ,redeemer over sin1 death1 and the grave4 ,how great the change that is wrought6 ,the child of wrath becomes a monument of grace--a brand plucked from the burning6 ,if any man be in ,christ he is a new creature3 old things are passed away2 behold1 all things are become new4 ,how marvellous1 how interesting1 is the spiritual history of each individual believer6 ,he is1 like ,david1 a wonder to many1 but the greatest wonder of all to himself4 ,others may doubt whether it be so or not2 but to him it is unequivocally proved1 that1 from first to last1 grace alone reigns in the work of his salvation4 ,the character and privileges of real ,christians are beautifully described in the language of our church2 which1 when speaking of the objects of divine favour and compassion1 says3 ,they that be endued with so excellent a benefit of ,god1 be called according to ,god's purpose in due season3 they through grace obey the calling3 they be justified freely3 they be made sons of ,god by adoption3 they be made like the image of his only begotten ,son1 ,jesus ,christ3 they walk religiously in good works2 and at length1 by ,god's mercy1 they attain to everlasting felicity4 ,such a conception and display of the almighty wisdom1 power1 and love1 is indeed full of sweet1 pleasant1 and unspeakable comfort to godly persons1 and such as feel in themselves the working of the ,spirit of ,christ mortifying the works of the flesh and their earthly members1 and drawing up their minds to high and heavenly things3 it doth greatly establish and confirm their faith of eternal salvation1 to be enjoyed through ,christ1 and doth fervently kindle their love towards ,god4 ,nearly allied to the consolation of a good hope through grace1 as it respects our own personal state before ,god1 is that of seeing its evidences shed lustre over the disposition and conduct of others4 ,bright was the exhibition of the union between true ,christian enjoyment and ,christian exertion1 in the character whose moral and spiritual features ,i am attempting to delineate4 ,it seemed to be the first wish of her heart to prove to others1 what ,god had already proved to her1 that ,jesus is the way1 and the truth1 and the life4 ,she desired to evince the reality of her calling1 justification1 and adoption into the family of ,god1 by showing a conformity to the image of ,christ1 and by walking religiously in good works3 she trusted that1 in this path of faith and obedience1 she should at length1 by ,god's mercy1 attain to everlasting felicity4 ,i had the spiritual charge of another parish1 adjoining to that in which ,i resided4 ,it was a small district1 and had but few inhabitants4 ,the church was pleasantly situated on a rising bank1 at the foot of a considerable hill4 ,it was surrounded by trees1 and had a rural1 retired appearance4 ,close to the church-yard stood a large old mansion1 which had formerly been the residence of an opulent and titled family2 but it had long since been appropriated to the use of the estate as a farm-house4 ,its outward aspect bore considerable remains of ancient grandeur1 and gave a pleasing character to the spot of ground on which the church stood4 ,in every direction the roads that led to this house of ,god possessed distinct but interesting features4 ,one of them ascended between several rural cottages1 from the sea-shore1 which adjoined the lower part of the village street4 ,another winded round the curved sides of the adjacent hill1 and was adorned1 both above and below1 with numerous sheep1 feeding on the herbage of the down4 ,a third road led to the church by a gently rising approach between high banks1 covered with young trees1 bushes1 ivy1 hedge-plants1 and wild flowers4 ,from a point of land which commanded a view of all these several avenues1 ,i used sometimes for a while to watch my congregation gradually assembling together at the hour of ,sabbath worship4 ,they were in some directions visible for a considerable distance4 ,gratifying associations of thought would form in my mind1 as ,i contemplated their approach1 and successive arrival1 within the precincts of the house of prayer4 ,one day as ,i was thus occupied1 during a short interval previous to the hour of divine service1 ,i reflected on the joy which ,david experienced at the time he exclaimed3 ,i was glad when they said unto me1 ,let us go into the house of the ,lord4 ,our feet shall stand within thy gates1 ,o ,jerusalem4 ,jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together2 whither the tribes go up1 the tribes of the ,lord1 unto the testimony of ,israel1 to give thanks unto the name of the ,lord4 ,i was led to reflect upon the various blessings connected with the establishment of public worship4 ,how many immortal souls are now gathering together to perform the all-important work of prayer and praise--to hear the word of ,god--to feed upon the bread of life6 ,they are leaving their respective dwellings1 and will soon be united together in the house of prayer4 ,how beautifully does this represent the effect produced by the voice of the ',good ,shepherd1' calling his sheep from every part of the wilderness into his fold6 ,as these fields1 hills1 and lanes1 are now covered with men1 women1 and children1 in various directions1 drawing nearer to each other1 and to the object of their journey's end2 even so1 'many shall come from the east1 and from the west1 and from the north1 and from the south1 and shall sit down in the kingdom of ,god4' ,who can rightly appreciate the value of such hours as these8--hours spent in learning the ways of holy pleasantness and the paths of heavenly peace--hours devoted to the service of ,god and of souls2 in warning the sinner to flee from the wrath to come2 in teaching the ignorant how to live and die2 in preaching the gospel to the poor2 in healing the broken- hearted2 in declaring deliverance to the captives1 and recovering of sight to the blind4--,blessed is the people that know the joyful sound3 they shall walk1 ,o ,lord1 in the light of thy countenance4 ,in thy name they shall rejoice all the day1 and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted4 ,my thoughts then pursued a train of reflection on the importance of the ministerial office1 as connected in the purposes of ,god with the salvation of sinners4 ,i inwardly prayed that those many individuals whom he had given me to instruct1 might not1 through my neglect or error1 be as sheep having no shepherd1 nor as the blind led by the blind2 but rather that ,i might1 in season and out of season1 faithfully proclaim the simple and undisguised truths of the gospel1 to the glory of ,god and the prosperity of his church4 ,at that instant1 near the bottom of the enclosed lane which led to the church-yard1 ,i observed a friend1 whom1 at such a distance from his home1 ,i little expected to meet4 ,it was the venerable ,dairyman4 ,he came up the ascent1 leaning with one hand on his trusty staff1 and with the other on the arm of a younger man1 well known to me1 who appeared to be much gratified in meeting with such a companion by the way4 ,my station was on the top of one of the banks which formed the hollow road beneath4 ,they passed a few yards below me4 ,i was concealed from their sight by a projecting tree4 ,they were talking of the mercies of ,god1 and the unsearchable riches of his grace4 ,the ,dairyman was telling his companion what a blessing the ,lord had given him in his daughter4 ,his countenance brightened as he named her1 and called her his precious ,betsy4 ,i met them at a stile not many yards beyond1 and accompanied them to the church1 which was hard by4 ,sir1 said the old man1 ,i have brought a letter from my daughter1 ,i hope ,i am in time for divine service4 ,seven miles has now become a long walk for me3 ,i grow old and weak4 ,i am very glad to see you1 sir4 ,how is your daughter8 ,very poorly indeed1 sir1--very poorly4 ,the doctors say it is a decline4 ,i sometimes hope she will get the better of it2 but then again ,i have many fears4 ,you know1 sir1 that ,i have cause to love and prize her4 ,oh1 it would be such a trial6 but the ,lord knows what is best4 ,excuse my weakness1 sir4 ,he put a letter into my hand1 the perusal of which ,i reserved till afterwards1 as the time was nigh for going into church4 ,the presence of this aged pilgrim1 the peculiar reverence and affection with which he joined in the different parts of the service1 excited many gratifying thoughts in my mind1 such as rather furthered than interrupted devotion4 ,the train of reflection in which ,i had been engaged when ,i first discovered him on the road1 at intervals recurred powerfully to my feelings1 as ,i viewed that very congregation assembled together in the house of ,god1 whose steps1 in their approach towards it1 ,i had watched with prayerful emotions4 ,here the rich and poor meet together in mutual acknowledgment that the ,lord is the maker of them all2 and that all are alike dependent creatures1 looking up to one common ,father to supply their wants1 both temporal and spiritual4 ,again1 likewise1 will they meet together in the grave1 that undistinguished receptacle of the opulent and the needy4 ,and once more1 at the judgment-seat of ,christ shall the rich and the poor meet together1 that 'every one may receive the things done in his body1 according to that he hath done1 whether it be good or bad4' ,how closely connected in the history of man are these three periods of a general meeting together8 ,the house of prayer--the house appointed for all living--and the house not made with hands1 eternal in the heavens4 ,may we never separate these ideas from each other1 but retain them in a sacred and profitable union6 ,so shall our worshipping assemblies on earth be representative of the general assembly and church of the first-born1 which are written in heaven4 ,when the congregation dispersed1 ,i entered into discourse with the ,dairyman and a few of the poor of my flock1 whose minds were of the like disposition to his own4 ,he seldom could speak long together without some reference to his dear child4 ,he loved to tell how merciful his ,god had been to him1 in the dutiful and affectionate attentions of his daughter4 ,all real ,christians feel a tender spiritual attachment towards those who have been the instrument of bringing them to an effectual knowledge of the way of salvation2 but when that instrument is one so nearly allied1 how dear does the relationship become6 ,if my friend the ,dairyman was in any danger of falling into idolatry1 his child would have been the idol of his affections4 ,she was the prop and stay of her parents' declining years1 and they scarcely knew how sufficiently to testify the gratitude of their hearts for the comfort and blessing which she was the means of affording them4 ,while he was relating several particulars of his family history to the others1 ,i opened and read the following letter3-- ,,sir1 ,once more ,i take the liberty to trouble you with a few lines4 ,i received your letter with great pleasure1 and thank you for it4 ,i am now so weak that ,i am unable to walk to any public place of divine worship1--a privilege which has heretofore always so much strengthened and refreshed me4 ,i used to go in anxious expectation to meet my ,god1 and hold sweet communion with him2 and ,i was seldom disappointed4 ,in the means of grace all the channels of divine mercy are open to every heart that is lifted up to receive out of that divine fulness grace for grace4 ,these are the times of refreshing from the presence of the ,lord4 ,how have ,i rejoiced to hear a faithful and lively messenger1 just come1 as it were1 from communion with ,god at the throne of grace1 with his heart warmed and filled with divine love1 to speak to fallen sinners6 ,such a one has seemed to me as if his face shone as that of ,moses did with the glory of ,god1 when he came down from the mount1 where he had been within the veil4 ,may you1 sir1 imitate him1 as he did ,christ1 that all may see and know that the ,lord dwelleth with you1 and that you dwell in him through the unity of the blessed ,spirit4 ,i trust you are no stranger to his divine teaching1 aid1 and assistance1 in all you set your hand to do for the glory of ,god4 ,i hope1 sir1 the sincerity of my wishes for your spiritual welfare will plead an excuse for the freedom of my address to you4 ,i pray the ,giver of every perfect gift1 that you may experience the mighty workings of his gracious ,spirit in your heart and your ministry1 and rest your all on the justifying and purifying blood of an expired ,redeemer4 ,then will you triumph in his strength1 and be enabled to say with the poet1-- ',shall ,i1 through fear of feeble man1 ,the ,spirit's course strive to restrain2 ,or1 undismayed in deed and word1 ,be a true witness for my ,lord8 ,awed by a mortal's frown shall ,i ,conceal the word of ,god most high8 ,how then before thee shall ,i dare ,to stand1 or how thine anger bear8 ,shall ,i1 to soothe the unholy throng1 ,soften thy truths and smooth my tongue1 ,to gain earth's gilded toys1 or flee ,the cross endured1 my ,god1 by thee8 ,what then is he whose scorn ,i dread4 ,whose wrath or hate makes me afraid8 ,a man8 an heir of death8 a slave ,to sin8 a bubble on the wave8 ,yea1 let men rage1 since thou wilt spread ,thy shadowing wings around my head3 ,since in all pain thy tender love ,will still my sure refreshment prove4 ,still shall the love of ,christ restrain ,to seek the wand'ring souls of men1 ,with cries1 entreaties1 tears to save1 ,and snatch them from the yawning grave4 ,for this let men revile my name1-- ,no cross ,i shun1 ,i fear no shame3 ,all hail reproach1 and welcome pain2 ,only thy terrors1 ,lord1 restrain4' ,i trust1 sir1 that you see what a glorious high calling yours is1 and that you are one of those who walk humbly with ,god1 that you may be taught of him in all things4 ,persons in your place are messengers of the most high ,god4 ,is it too much to say1 they should live like the angels in all holiness1 and be filled with love and zeal for men's souls8 ,they are ambassadors1 in ,christ's stead1 to persuade sinners to be reconciled to ,god4 ,so that your calling is above that of angels3 for they are afterwards to minister to the heirs of salvation2 but the sinner must be first reconciled to ,god4 ,and you are called on from day to day to intercede with man as his friend1 that you may win souls to ,christ4 ,christ is ascended up on high1 to intercede with his ,father for guilty sinners1 and to plead for them the merits of his death4 ,so that ,christ and his faithful ministers1 through the operation of the blessed ,spirit1 are co-workers together4 ,yet without him we can do nothing3 our strength is his strength1 and his is all the glory from first to last4 ,it is my heart's prayer and desire1 sir1 that you may1 by a living faith1 cleave close to that blessed1 exalted ,lamb of ,god1 who died to redeem us from sin--that you may have a sweet communion with ,father1 ,son1 and ,spirit--that you may sink deep in humble love1 and rise high in the life of ,god4 ,thus will you have such discoveries of the beauties of ,christ and his eternal glory as will fill your heart with true delight4 ,if ,i am not deceived1 ,i wish myself to enjoy his gracious favour1 more than all the treasures which earth can afford4 ,i would in comparison look upon them with holy disdain1 and as not worth an anxious thought1 that they may not have power on my heart to draw or attract it from ,god1 who is worthy of my highest esteem1 and of all my affections4 ,it should be our endeavour to set him always before us1 that in all things we may act as in his immediate presence2 that we may be filled with that holy fear1 so that we may not dare wilfully to sin against him4 ,we should earnestly entreat the ,lord to mortify the power and working of sin and unbelief within us1 by making ,christ appear more and more precious in our eyes1 and more dear to our hearts4 ,it fills my heart with thankful recollections1 while ,i attempt in this weak manner to speak of ,god's love to man4 ,when ,i reflect on my past sins and his past mercies1 ,i am assured1 that if ,i had all the gifts of wise men and angels1 ,i could never sufficiently describe my own inward sense of his undeserved love towards me4 ,we can better enjoy these glorious apprehensions in our hearts than explain them to others4 ,but1 oh1 how unworthy of them are we all6 ,consciousness of my own corruptions keeps me often low2 yet faith and desire will easily mount on high1 beseeching ,god that he would1 according to the apostle's prayer1 fill me with all his communicable fulness1 in the gifts and graces of his ,spirit2 that ,i may walk well-pleasing before him1 in all holy conversation1 perfecting holiness in his fear4 ,if ,i err in boldness1 sir1 pray pardon me1 and in your next letter confirm my hope that you will be my counsellor and guide4 ,i can only recompense your kindness to me by my prayers1 that your own intercourse with ,god may be abundantly blessed to you and yours4 ,i consider the ,saviour saying to you1 as he did to ,peter1 ',lovest thou me8' ,and may your heartfelt experience be compelled to reply1 ',thou knowest all things1 and thou knowest that ,i love thee' supremely6 ,may he have evident marks of it in all your outward actions of love and humanity in feeding his flock1 and in the inward fervour and affection of all your consecrated powers3 that you may be zealously engaged in pulling down the strongholds of sin and ,satan1 and building up his ,church2 sowing the seeds of righteousness1 and praying ,god to give the increase3 that you may not labour for him in vain1 but may see the trees bud and blossom1 and bring forth fruit abundantly1 to the praise and glory of your heavenly ,master4 ,in order to give you encouragement1 he says1 whosoever 'converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death2' and that will increase the brightness of your crown in glory4 ,this hath ,christ merited for his faithful ministers4 ,i hope1 sir1 you will receive grace to be sincere in reproving sin1 wherever you see it4 ,you will find divine assistance1 and all fear and shame taken from you4 ,great peace will be given to you1 and wisdom1 strength1 and courage1 according to your work4 ,you will be as ,paul2 having much learning1 you can speak to men in all stations in life1 by ,god's assistance4 ,the fear of offending them will never prevent you1 when you consider the glory of ,god2 and man's immortal soul is of more value than his present favour and esteem4 ,in particular1 you are in an office wherein you can visit all the sick4 ,man's extremity is often ,god's opportunity4 ,in this way you may prove an instrument in his hand to do his work4 ,although he can work without means1 yet his usual way is by means2 and ,i trust you are a chosen vessel unto him1 to prove his name and declare his truth to all men4 ,visiting the sick is a strict command1 and a duty for every ,christian4 ,none can tell what good may be done4 ,i wish it was never neglected1 as it too often is4 ,many think that if they attend in the church1 the minister to preach1 and the people to hear1 their duty is done4 ,but more is required than this4 ,may the ,lord stir up the gift that is in his people and ministers1 that they may have compassion on their fellow-sinners1--that they may never think it too late1 but remember that while there is life there is hope6 ,once more ,i pray1 sir1 pardon and excuse all my errors in judgment1 and the ignorance that this is penned in2 and may ,god bless you in all things1 and particularly your friendship to me and my parents4 ,what a comfort is family religion6 ,i do not doubt but this is your desire1 as it is mine1 to say1-- ',i and my house will serve the ,lord1 ,but first obedient to his word ,i must myself appear2 ,by actions1 words1 and tempers show ,that ,i my heavenly ,master know1 ,and serve with heart sincere4 ,i must the fair example set2 ,from those that on my pleasure wait ,the stumbling-block remove2 ,their duty by my life explain1 ,and still in all my works maintain ,the dignity of love4 ,easy to be entreated1 mild1 ,quickly appeased and reconciled1 ,a follower of my ,god3 ,a saint indeed ,i long to be1 ,and lead my faithful family ,in the celestial road4 ,lord1 if thou dost the wish infuse1 ,a vessel fitted for thy use ,into thy hands receive3 ,work in me both to will and do1 ,and show them how believers true ,and real ,christians live4 ,with all sufficient grace supply1 ,and then ,i'll come to testify ,the wonders of thy name1 ,which saves from sin1 the world1 and hell3 ,its power may every sinner feel1 ,and every tongue proclaim6 ,cleansed by the blood of ,christ from sin1 ,i seek my relatives to win1 ,and preach their sins forgiven2 ,children1 and wife1 and servants seize1 ,and through the paths of pleasantness ,conduct them all to heaven4' ,living so much in a solitary way1 books are my companions2 and poetry which speaks of the love of ,god and the mercies of ,christ is very sweet to my mind4 ,this must be my excuse for troubling you to read verses which others have written4 ,i have intended1 if my declining state of health permit1 to go to --- for a few days4 ,i say this lest you should call in expectation of seeing me during any part of next week4 ,but my dear father and mother1 for whose precious souls ,i am very anxious1 will reap the benefit of your visit at all events4 ,from your humble and unworthy servant1 ,e--- ,w---4 ,having read it1 ,i said to the father of my highly valued correspondent1-- ,i thank you for being the bearer of this letter4 ,your daughter is a kind friend and faithful counsellor to me1 as well as to you4 ,tell her how highly ,i esteem her friendship1 and that ,i feel truly obliged for the many excellent sentiments which she has here expressed4 ,give her my blessing1 and assure her that the oftener she writes the more thankful ,i shall be4 ,the ,dairyman's enlivened eye gleamed with pleasure as ,i spoke4 ,the praise of his ,elizabeth was a string which could not be touched without causing every nerve of his whole frame to vibrate4 ,his voice half faltered as he spoke in reply2 the tear started in his eyes2 his hand trembled as ,i pressed it2 his heart was full2 he could only say1-- ,sir1 a poor old man thanks you for your kindness to him and his family4 ,god bless you1 sir2 ,i hope we shall soon see you again4 ,thus we parted for that day4 ,,part ,v4 ,it has not unfrequently been observed1 that when it is the ,lord's pleasure to remove any of his faithful followers out of this life at an early period of their course1 they make rapid progress in the experience of divine truth4 ,the fruits of the ,spirit ripen fast as they advance to the close of mortal existence4 ,in particular1 they grow in humility1 through a deeper sense of inward corruption and a clearer view of the perfect character of the ,saviour4 ,disease and bodily weakness make the thoughts of eternity recur with frequency and power4 ,the great question of their own personal salvation1 the quality of their faith1 the sincerity of their love1 and the purity of their hope1 are in continual exercise4 ,unseen realities at such a time occupy a larger portion of thought than before4 ,the state of existence beyond the grave1 the invisible world1 the unalterable character of the dead1 the future judgment1 the total separation from everything earthly1 the dissolution of body and spirit1 and their re-union at the solemn hour of resurrection--these are subjects for their meditation1 which call for serious earnestness of soul4 ,whatever consolations from the ,spirit of ,god they may have enjoyed heretofore1 they become now doubly anxious to examine and prove themselves whether they be indeed in the faith4 ,in doing this1 they sometimes pass through hidden conflicts of a dark and distressing nature2 from which1 however1 they come forth like gold tried in the furnace4 ,awhile they may sow in tears1 but soon they reap in joy4 ,their religious feelings have then1 perhaps1 less of ecstasy1 but more of serenity4 ,as the ears of corn ripen for the harvest1 they bow their heads nearer to the ground4 ,so it is with believers3 they then see more than ever of their own imperfection1 and often express their sense of it in strong language2 yet they repose with a growing confidence on the love of ,god through ,christ ,jesus4 ,the nearer they advance to their eternal rest1 the more humble they become1 but not the less useful in their sphere4 ,they feel anxiously desirous of improving every talent they possess to the glory of ,god1 knowing that the time is short4 ,i thought ,i observed the truth of these remarks fulfilled in the progressive state of mind of the ,dairyman's daughter4 ,declining health seemed to indicate the will of ,god concerning her4 ,but her character1 conduct1 and experience of the ,divine favour1 increased in brightness as the setting sun of her mortal life approached its horizon4 ,the last letter which1 with the exception of a very short note1 ,i ever received from her1 ,i shall now transcribe4 ,it appeared to me to bear the marks of a still deeper acquaintance with the workings of her own heart1 and a more entire reliance upon the free mercy of ,god4 ,the original1 while ,i copy it1 strongly revives the image of the deceased1 and the many profitable conversations which ,i once enjoyed in her company1 and that of her parents4 ,it again endears to me the recollections of cottage piety1 and helps me to anticipate the joys of that day when the spirits of the glorified saints shall be re-united to their bodies1 and be for ever with the ,lord4 ,the writer of this and the preceding letters herself little imagined1 when they were penned1 that they would ever be submitted to the public eye2 that they now are so1 results from a conviction that the friends of the pious poor will estimate them according to their value2 and a hope that it may please ,god to honour these memorials of the dead1 to the effectual edification of the living4 ,,rev4 ,,sir1 ,in consequence of your kind permission1 ,i take the liberty to trouble you with another of my ill-written letters2 and ,i trust you have too much of your blessed ,master's lowly1 meek1 and humble mind1 to be offended with a poor1 simple1 ignorant creature1 whose intentions are pure and sincere in writing4 ,my desire is1 that ,i1 a weak vessel of his grace1 may glorify his name for his goodness towards me4 ,may the ,lord direct me by his counsel and wisdom6 ,may he overshadow me with his presence1 that ,i may sit beneath the banner of his love1 and find the consolations of his blessed ,spirit sweet and refreshing to my soul4 ,when ,i feel that ,i am nothing1 and ,god is all in all1 then ,i can willingly fly to him1 saying1 ',lord1 help me2 ,lord1 teach me2 be unto me my prophet1 priest1 and king4 ,let me know the teaching of thy grace1 and the disclosing of thy love4' ,what nearness of access might we have1 if we lived more near to ,god6 ,what sweet communion might we have with a ,god of love6 ,he is the great ,i ,,am4 ,how glorious a name6 ,angels with trembling awe prostrate themselves before him1 and in humble love adore and worship him4 ,one says-- ',while the first archangel sings1 ,he hides his face behind his wings4' ,unworthy as ,i am1 ,i have found it by experience that the more ,i see of the greatness and goodness of ,god1 and the nearer union ,i hope ,i have had with him through the ,spirit of his love1 the more humble and self- abased ,i have been4 ,but every day ,i may say1 ',lord1 how little ,i love thee1 how far ,i live from thee1 how little am ,i like thee in humility6' ,it is1 nevertheless1 my heart's desire to love and serve him better4 ,i find the way in which ,god does more particularly bless me1 is when ,i attend on the public ordinances of religion4 ,these are the channels through which he conveys the riches of his grace and precious love to my soul4 ,these ,i have often found to be indeed the time of refreshing and strengthening from the presence of the ,lord4 ,then ,i can see my hope of an interest in the covenant of his love1 and praise him for his mercy to the greatest of sinners4 ,i earnestly wish to be more established in his ways1 and to honour him in the path of duty1 whilst ,i enjoy the smiles of his favour4 ,in the midst of all outward afflictions ,i pray that ,i may know ,christ and the power of his resurrection within my soul4 ,if ,i were always thus1 my summer would last all the year2 my will would then be sweetly lost in ,god's will1 and ,i should feel a resignation in every dispensation of his providence and his grace1 saying1 ',good is the will of the ,lord3 ,infinite ,wisdom cannot err4' ,then would patience have its perfect work4 ,but1 alas6 sin and unbelief often1 too often1 interrupt these frames1 and lay me low before ,god in tears of sorrow4 ,i often think what a happiness it would be if his love were so fixed in my heart that ,i might willingly obey him with alacrity and delight1 and gradually mortify the power of self-will1 passion1 and pride4 ,this can only arise from a good hope through grace that we are washed in that precious blood which cleanses us from every sinful stain1 and makes us new creatures in ,christ4 ,oh that we may be the happy witnesses of the saving power and virtue of that healing stream which flows from the fountain of everlasting love6 ,sir1 my faith is often exceedingly weak3 can you be so kind as to tell me what you have found to be the most effectual means of strengthening it8 ,i often think how plainly the ,lord declares1 ',believe only1 and thou shalt be saved4 ,only have faith2 all things are possible to him that has it4' ,how ,i wish that we could remove all those mountains that hinder and obstruct the light of his grace2 so that1 having full access unto ,god through that ever-blessed ,spirit1 we might lovingly commune with him as with the dearest of friends4 ,what favour does ,god bestow on worms6 ,and yet we love to murmur and complain4 ,he may well say1 ',what should ,i have done more1 that ,i have not done8 or wherein have ,i proved unfaithful or unkind to my faithless1 backsliding children8' ,sir1 ,i pray that ,i may not grieve him1 as ,i have done1 any more4 ,i want your counsel and your prayers for me in this matter4 ,how refreshing is the sight of one that truly loves ,god1 that bears his image and likeness6 ,but delightful as is conversation with true believers on earth1 whose hearts are lifted up to things above1 yet what is this to that happy day which will admit us into more bright realms2 where we shall for ever behold a ,god of love in the smiling face of his ,son1 who is the express image of his ,father and the brightness of his glory6 ,then1 if found in him1 we shall be received by the innumerable host of angels who wait around his throne4 ,in the meantime1 sir1 may ,i take up my cross1 and manfully fight under ,him who1 for the glory that was set before him1 endured the cross1 despising the shame1 and is now set down at his ,father's right hand in majesty4 ,i thank you for the kind liberty you have given me of writing to you4 ,i feel my health declining1 and ,i find a relief1 during an hour of pain and weakness1 in communicating these thoughts to you4 ,i hope1 sir1 you go on your way rejoicing2 that you are enabled to thank ,him who is the giver of every good gift1 spiritual1 temporal1 and providential1 for blessings to yourself and your ministry4 ,i do not doubt but you often meet with circumstances which are not pleasing to nature2 yet1 by the blessing of ,god1 they will be all profitable in the end4 ,they are kindly designed by grace to make and keep us humble4 ,the difficulties which you spoke of to me some time since will1 ,i trust1 disappear4 ,my dear father and mother are as well as usual in bodily health2 and1 ,i hope1 grow in grace1 and in the knowledge and love of ,jesus ,christ4 ,my chief desire to live is for their sakes4 ,it now seems long since we have seen you4 ,i am almost ashamed to request you to come to our little cottage1 to visit those who are so much below your station in life4 ,but if you cannot come1 we shall be very glad if you will write a few lines4 ,i ought to make an excuse for my letter1 ,i spell so badly3 this was a great neglect when ,i was young4 ,i gave myself greatly to reading1 but not to the other1 and now ,i am too weak and feeble to learn much4 ,i hear sometimes of persons growing serious in your congregation3 it gives me joy2 and1 if true1 ,i am sure it does so to yourself4 ,i long for the pure gospel of ,christ to be preached in every church in the world1 and for the time when all shall know1 love1 and fear the ,lord2 and the uniting ,spirit of ,god shall make them of one heart and mind in ,christ our great head4 ,your greatest joy1 ,i know1 will be in labouring much for the glory of ,god in the salvation of men's souls4 ,you serve a good ,master4 ,you have a sure reward4 ,i pray ,god to give you strength according to your day4 ,pray1 sir1 do not be offended at the freedom and manner of my writing4 ,my parents' duty and love to you are sent with these lines from ,your humble servant in ,christ1 ,e--- ,w---4 ,epistolary communications1 when written in sincerity of heart1 afford genuine portraits of the mind4 ,may the foregoing be viewed with ,christian candour1 and consecrated to affectionate memory6 ,,part ,,vi4 ,travellers1 as they pass through the country1 usually stop to inquire whose are the splendid mansions which they discover among the woods and plains around them4 ,the families1 titles1 fortune1 or character of the respective owners1 engage much attention4 ,perhaps their houses are exhibited to the admiring stranger4 ,the elegant rooms1 costly furniture1 valuable paintings1 beautiful gardens and shrubberies1 are universally approved2 while the rank1 fashion1 taste1 and riches of the possessor1 afford ample materials for entertaining discussion4 ,in the meantime1 the lowly cottage of the poor husbandman is passed by as scarcely deserving of notice4 ,yet1 perchance1 such a cottage may often contain a treasure of infinitely more value than the sumptuous palace of the rich man--even the pearl of great price4 ,if this be set in the heart of the poor cottager1 it proves a gem of unspeakable worth1 and will shine among the brightest ornaments of the ,redeemer's crown1 in that day when he maketh up his jewels4 ,hence the ,christian traveller1 while in common with others he bestows his due share of applause on the decorations of the rich1 and is not insensible to the beauties and magnificence which are the lawfully allowed appendages of rank and fortune1 cannot overlook the humbler dwelling of the poor4 ,and if he should find that true piety and grace beneath the thatched roof which he has in vain looked for amidst the worldly grandeur of the rich1 he remembers the declarations in the word of ,god4 ,he sees with admiration that the high and lofty ,one1 that inhabiteth eternity1 whose name is ,holy1 who dwelleth in the high and holy place1 dwelleth with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit 7,isa4 lvii4 #ae72 and although heaven is his throne1 and the earth his footstool1 yet1 when a house is to be built and a place of rest to be sought for himself1 he says1 ,to this man will ,i look1 even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit1 and trembleth at my word 7,isa4 lxvi4 #b74 ,when a house is thus tenanted1 ,faith beholds this inscription written on the walls1 ,the ,lord lives here4 ,faith1 therefore1 cannot pass it by unnoticed1 but loves to lift up the latch of the door1 and to sit down and converse with the poor1 although perhaps despised1 inhabitant4 ,many a sweet interview does ,faith obtain1 when she thus takes her walks abroad4 ,many such a sweet interview have ,i myself enjoyed beneath the roof where dwelt the ,dairyman and his little family4 ,i soon perceived that his daughter's health was rapidly on the decline4 ,the pale1 wasting consumption1 which is the ,lord's instrument for removing so many thousands every year from the land of the living made hasty strides on her constitution4 ,the hollow eye1 the distressing cough1 and the often too flattering flush on the cheek1 foretold the approach of death4 ,what a field for usefulness and affectionate attention1 on the part of ministers and ,christian friends1 is opened by the frequent attacks and lingering process of consumptive illness6 ,how many such precious opportunities are daily lost1 where ,providence seems in so marked a way to afford time and space for serious and godly instruction6 ,of how many may it be said1 ,the way of peace have they not known6 for not one friend ever came nigh1 to warn them to flee from the wrath to come4 ,but the ,dairyman's daughter was happily made acquainted with the things which belonged to her everlasting peace1 before the present disease had taken root in her constitution4 ,in my visits to her1 ,i went rather to receive information than to impart it4 ,her mind was abundantly stored with divine truths1 and her conversation was truly edifying4 ,the recollection of it will ever produce a thankful sensation in my heart4 ,i one day received a short note to the following effect3-- ,,dear ,,sir1 ,i should be very glad1 if your convenience will allow1 that you will come and see a poor unworthy sinner4 ,my hour-glass is nearly run out1 but ,i hope ,i can see ,christ to be precious to my soul4 ,your conversation has often been blessed to me1 and ,i now feel the need of it more than ever4 ,my father and mother send their duty to you4 ,from ,your obedient and unworthy servant1 ,e--- ,w---4 ,i obeyed the summons that same afternoon4 ,on my arrival at the ,dairyman's cottage1 his wife opened the door4 ,the tears streamed down her cheek1 as she silently shook her head4 ,her heart was full4 ,she tried to speak1 but could not4 ,i took her by the hand1 and said-- ,my good friend1 all is right1 and as the ,lord of wisdom and mercy directs4 ,oh1 my ,betsy1 my dear girl1 is so bad1 sir4 ,what shall ,i do without her8 ,i thought ,i should have gone first to the grave2 but-- ,but the ,lord sees good that1 before you die yourself you should behold your child safe home to glory4 ,is there no mercy in this8 ,oh1 dear sir6 ,i am very old and very weak2 and she is a dear child1 the staff and prop of a poor old creature as ,i am4 ,as ,i advanced1 ,i saw ,elizabeth sitting by the fireside1 supported in an arm-chair by pillows1 with every mark of rapid decline and approaching death4 ,a sweet smile of friendly complacency enlightened her pale countenance1 as she said-- ,this is very kind indeed1 sir1 to come so soon after ,i sent to you4 ,you find me daily wasting away1 and ,i cannot have long to continue here4 ,my flesh and my heart fail2 but ,god is the strength of my weak heart1 and ,i trust will be my portion for ever4 ,the conversation was occasionally interrupted by her cough and want of breath4 ,her tone of voice was clear1 though feeble2 her manner solemn and collected2 and her eye1 though more dim than formerly1 by no means wanting in liveliness as she spoke4 ,i had frequently admired the superior language in which she expressed her ideas1 as well as the scriptural consistency with which she communicated her thoughts4 ,she had a good natural understanding1 and grace1 as is generally the case1 had much improved it4 ,on the present occasion ,i could not help thinking she was peculiarly favoured4 ,the whole strength of gracious and natural attainments seemed to be in full exercise4 ,after taking my seat between the daughter and the mother 7the latter fixing her fond eyes upon her child with great anxiety while we were conversing71 ,i said to ,elizabeth-- ,i hope you enjoy a sense of the divine presence1 and can rest all upon ,him who has 'been with thee1' and has 'kept thee in all places where thou hast gone1' and will bring thee into 'the land of pure delight1 where saints immortal reign4' ,sir1 ,i think ,i can4 ,my mind has lately been sometimes clouded1 but ,i believe it has been partly owing to the great weakness and suffering of my bodily frame1 and partly to the envy of my spiritual enemy1 who wants to persuade me that ,christ has no love for me1 and that ,i have been a self-deceiver4 ,and do you give way to his suggestions8 ,can you doubt1 amidst such numerous tokens of past and present mercy8 ,no1 sir1 ,i mostly am enabled to preserve a clear evidence of his love4 ,i do not wish to add to my other sins that of denying his manifest goodness to my soul--,i would acknowledge it to his praise and glory4 ,what is your present view of the state in which you were before you felt seriously concerned about the salvation of your soul8 ,sir1 ,i was a proud1 thoughtless girl2 fond of dress and finery4 ,i loved the world1 and the things that are in the world4 ,i lived in service among worldly people1 and never had the happiness of being in a family where worship was regarded1 and the souls of the servants cared for1 either by master or mistress4 ,i went once on a ,sunday to church1 more to see and be seen than to pray or hear the word of ,god4 ,i thought ,i was quite good enough to be saved1 and disliked1 and often laughed at1 religious people4 ,i was in great darkness2 ,i knew nothing of the way of salvation4 ,i never prayed1 nor was sensible of the awful danger of a prayerless state4 ,i wished to maintain the character of a good servant1 and was much lifted up whenever ,i met with applause4 ,i was tolerably moral and decent in my conduct1 from motives of carnal and worldly policy2 but ,i was a stranger to ,god and ,christ4 ,i neglected my soul2 and had ,i died in such a state1 hell must1 and would justly1 have been my portion4 ,how long is it since you heard the sermon which1 you hope1 through ,god's blessing1 effected your conversion8 ,about five years ago4 ,how was it brought about8 ,it was reported that a ,mr4 ---1 who was detained by contrary winds from embarking on board ship as chaplain to a distant part of the world1 was to preach at church4 ,many advised me not to go1 for fear he should turn my head1 as they said he held strange notions4 ,but curiosity1 and an opportunity of appearing in a new gown1 which ,i was very proud of1 induced me to ask leave of my mistress to go4 ,indeed1 sir1 ,i had no better motives than vanity and curiosity4 ,yet thus it pleased the ,lord to order it for his own glory4 ,i accordingly went to church1 and saw a great crowd of people collected together4 ,i often think of the contrary states of my mind during the former and latter part of the service4 ,for a while1 regardless of the worship of ,god1 ,i looked around me1 and was anxious to attract notice myself4 ,my dress1 like that of too many gay1 vain1 and silly servant girls1 was much above my station1 and very different from that which becomes an humble sinner1 who has a modest sense of propriety and decency4 ,the state of my mind was visible enough from the foolish finery of my apparel4 ,at length the clergyman gave out his text3 ',be ye clothed with humility4' ,he drew a comparison between the clothing of the body with that of the soul4 ,at a very early part of his discourse ,i began to feel ashamed of my passion for fine dressing and apparel2 but when he came to describe the garment of salvation with which a ,christian is clothed1 ,i felt a powerful discovery of the nakedness of my own soul4 ,i saw that ,i had neither the humility mentioned in the text1 nor any one part of the true ,christian character4 ,i looked at my gay dress1 and blushed for shame on account of my pride4 ,i looked at the minister1 and he seemed to me as a messenger sent from heaven to open my eyes4 ,i looked at the congregation1 and wondered whether any one else felt as ,i did4 ,i looked at my heart1 and it appeared full of iniquity4 ,i trembled as he spoke1 and yet ,i felt a great drawing of heart to the words he uttered4 ,he opened the riches of divine grace in ,god's method of saving the sinner4 ,i was astonished at what ,i had been doing all the days of my life4 ,he described the meek1 lowly1 and humble example of ,christ2 ,i felt proud1 lofty1 vain1 and self-consequential4 ,he represented ,christ as ',wisdom2' ,i felt my ignorance4 ,he held him forth as ',righteousness2' ,i was convinced of my own guilt4 ,he proved him to be ',sanctification2' ,i saw my corruption4 ,he proclaimed him as ',redemption2' ,i felt my slavery to sin and my captivity to ,satan4 ,he concluded with an animated address to sinners1 in which he exhorted them to flee from the wrath to come1 to cast off the love of outward ornament1 to put on ,jesus ,christ1 and be clothed with true humility4 ,from that hour ,i never lost sight of the value of my soul and the danger of a sinful state4 ,i inwardly blessed ,god for the sermon1 although my mind was in a state of great confusion4 ,the preacher had brought forward the ruling passion of my heart1 which was pride in outward dress2 and by the grace of ,god it was made instrumental to the awakening of my soul4 ,happy1 sir1 would it be if many a poor girl1 like myself1 were turned from the love of outward adorning and putting on of fine apparel1 to seek that which is not corruptible1 even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit1 which is in the sight of ,god of great price4 ,the greatest part of the congregation1 unused to such faithful and scriptural sermons1 disliked and complained of the severity of the preacher2 while a few1 as ,i afterwards found1 like myself1 were deeply affected1 and earnestly wished to hear him again4 ,but he preached there no more4 ,from that time ,i was led1 through a course of private prayer1 reading1 and meditation1 to see my lost state as a sinner1 and the great mercy of ,god through ,jesus ,christ1 in raising sinful dust and ashes to a share in the glorious happiness of heaven4 ,and1 ,o sir6 what a ,saviour ,i have found6 ,he is more than ,i could ask or desire4 ,in his fulness ,i have found all that my poverty could need2 in his bosom ,i have found a resting- place from all sin and sorrow2 in his word ,i have found strength against doubt and unbelief4 ,were you not soon convinced1 ,i said1 that your salvation must be an act of entire grace on the part of ,god1 wholly independent of your own previous works or deservings8 ,dear sir1 what were my works1 before ,i heard that sermon1 but evil1 carnal1 selfish1 and ungodly6 ,the thoughts of my heart1 from my youth upward1 were only evil1 and that continually4 ,and my deservings1 what were they1 but the deservings of a fallen1 depraved1 careless soul1 that regarded neither law nor gospel6 ,yes1 sir1 ,i immediately saw that if ever ,i were saved1 it must be by the free mercy of ,god1 and that the whole praise and honour of the work would be his from first to last4 ,what change did you perceive in yourself with respect to the world8 ,it appeared all vanity and vexation of spirit4 ,i found it necessary to my peace of mind to come out from among them1 and be separate4 ,i gave myself to prayer2 and many a happy hour of secret delight ,i enjoyed in communion with ,god4 ,often ,i mourned over my sins1 and sometimes had a great conflict1 through unbelief1 fear1 temptation to return back again to my old ways1 and a variety of difficulties which lay in my way4 ,but ,he who loved me with an everlasting love drew me by his loving-kindness1 showed me the way of peace1 gradually strengthened me in my resolutions of leading a new life1 and taught me1 that while without him ,i could do nothing1 ,i yet might do all things through his strength4 ,did you not find many difficulties in your situation1 owing to your change of principle and practice8 ,yes1 sir1 every day of my life4 ,i was laughed at by some1 scolded at by others1 scorned by enemies1 and pitied by friends4 ,i was called hypocrite1 saint1 false deceiver1 and many more names1 which were meant to render me hateful in the sight of the world4 ,but ,i esteemed the reproach of the cross an honour4 ,i forgave and prayed for my persecutors1 and remembered how very lately ,i had acted the same part towards others myself4 ,i thought also that ,christ endured the contradiction of sinners2 and1 as the disciple is not above his ,master1 ,i was glad to be in any way conformed to his sufferings4 ,did you not then feel for your family at home8 ,yes1 that ,i did indeed1 sir2 they were never out of my thoughts4 ,i prayed continually for them1 and had a longing desire to do them good4 ,in particular1 ,i felt for my father and mother1 as they were getting into years1 and were very ignorant and dark in matters of religion4 ,ay1 interrupted her mother1 sobbing1 ignorant and dark1 sinful and miserable we were1 till this dear ,betsy--this dear ,betsy--this dear child1 sir--brought ,christ ,jesus home to her poor father and mother's house4 ,no1 dearest mother1 say rather1 ,christ ,jesus brought your poor daughter home to tell you what he had done for her soul1 and ,i hope1 to do the same for yours4 ,at that moment the ,dairyman came in with two pails of milk hanging from the yoke on his shoulders4 ,he had stood behind the half-opened door for a few minutes1 and heard the last sentences spoken by his wife and daughter4 ,blessing and mercy upon her6 said he1 it is very true2 she left a good place of service on purpose to live with us1 that she might help us both in soul and body4 ,sir1 don't she look very ill8 ,i think1 sir1 we sha'n't have her here long4 ,leave that to the ,lord1 said ,elizabeth4 ,all our times are in his hand1 and happy it is that they are4 ,i am willing to go2 are you not willing1 my father1 to part with me into his hands1 who gave me to you at first8 ,ask me any question in the world but that1 said the weeping father4 ,i know1 said she1 you wish me to be happy4 ,i do1 ,i do1 answered he2 let the ,lord do with you and us as best pleases him4 ,i then asked her on what her present consolations chiefly depended1 in the prospect of approaching death4 ,entirely1 sir1 on my view of ,christ4 ,when ,i look at myself1 many sins1 infirmities1 and imperfections cloud the image of ,christ which ,i want to see in my own heart4 ,but when ,i look at the ,saviour himself1 he is altogether lovely2 there is not one spot in his countenance1 nor one cloud over all his perfections4 ,i think of his coming in the flesh1 and it reconciles me to the sufferings of the body2 for he had them as well as ,i4 ,i think of his temptations1 and believe that he is able to succour me when ,i am tempted4 ,then ,i think of his cross1 and learn to bear my own4 ,i reflect on his death1 and long to die unto sin1 so that it may no longer have dominion over me4 ,i sometimes think on his resurrection1 and trust that he has given me a part in it1 for ,i feel that my affections are set upon things above4 ,chiefly ,i take comfort in thinking of him as at the right hand of the ,father1 pleading my cause1 and rendering acceptable even my feeble prayers1 both for myself1 and1 as ,i hope1 for my dear friends4 ,these are the views which1 through mercy1 ,i have of my ,saviour's goodness2 and they have made me wish and strive in my poor way to serve him1 to give myself up to him1 and to labour to do my duty in that state of life into which it has pleased ,god to call me4 ,a thousand times ,i should have fallen and fainted1 if he had not upheld me4 ,i feel that ,i am nothing without him4 ,he is all in all4 ,just so far as ,i can cast my care upon him1 ,i find strength to do his will4 ,may he give me grace to trust him till the last moment6 ,i do not fear death1 because ,i believe that he has taken away its sting4 ,and oh6 what happiness beyond6 ,tell me1 sir1 whether you think ,i am right4 ,i hope ,i am under no delusion4 ,i dare not look for my hope in anything short of the entire fulness of ,christ4 ,when ,i ask my own heart a question1 ,i am afraid to trust it1 for it is treacherous1 and has often deceived me2 but when ,i ask ,christ1 he answers me with promises that strengthen and refresh me1 and leave me no room to doubt his power and will to save4 ,i am in his hands1 and would remain there2 and ,i do believe that he will never leave nor forsake me1 but will perfect the thing that concerns me4 ,he loved me and gave himself for me1 and ,i believe that his gifts and callings are without repentance4 ,in this hope ,i live1 in this hope ,i wish to die4 ,i looked around me1 as she was speaking1 and thought1 ,surely this is none other than the house of ,god1 and the gate of heaven4 ,everything appeared neat1 cleanly1 and interesting4 ,the afternoon had been rather overcast with dark clouds2 but just now the setting sun shone brightly and somewhat suddenly into the room4 ,it was reflected from three or four rows of bright pewter plates and white earthenware1 arranged on shelves against the wall3 it also gave brilliancy to a few prints of sacred subjects that hung there also1 and served for monitors of the birth1 baptism1 crucifixion1 and resurrection of ,christ4 ,a large map of ,jerusalem1 and a hieroglyphic of the old and new man1 completed the decorations on that side of the room4 ,clean as was the white-washed wall1 it was not cleaner than the rest of the place and its furniture4 ,seldom had the sun enlightened a house where order and general neatness 7those sure attendants of pious poverty7 were more conspicuous4 ,this gleam of setting sunshine was emblematical of the bright and serene close of this young ,christian's departing season4 ,one ray happened to be reflected from a little looking-glass upon her face4 ,amidst her pallid and decaying features there appeared a calm resignation1 triumphant confidence1 unaffected humility1 and tender anxiety1 which fully declared the feelings of her heart4 ,some further affectionate conversation and a short prayer closed this interview4 ,as ,i rode home by departing daylight1 a solemn tranquillity reigned throughout the scene4 ,the gentle lowing of cattle1 the bleating of sheep just penned in their folds1 the humming of the insects of the night1 the distant murmurs of the sea1 the last notes of the birds of day1 and the first warblings of the nightingale1 broke upon the ear1 and served rather to increase than lessen the peaceful serenity of the evening1 and its corresponding effects on my own mind4 ,it invited and cherished just such meditations as my visit had already inspired4 ,natural scenery1 when viewed in a ,christian mirror1 frequently affords very beautiful illustrations of divine truths4 ,we are highly favoured when we can enjoy them1 and at the same time draw near to ,god in them4 ,,part ,,vii4 ,it is a pleasing consideration1 that amidst the spiritual darkness which unhappily prevails in many parts of the land1 ,god nevertheless has a people4 ,it not unfrequently happens that single individuals are to be found1 who1 though very disadvantageously situated with regard to the ordinary means of grace1 have received truly saving impressions1 and1 through a blessing on secret meditation1 reading1 and prayer1 are led to the closest communion with ,god1 and become eminently devoted ,christians4 ,it is the no small error of too many professors of the present day1 to overlook or undervalue the instances of this kind which exist4 ,the religious profession and opinions of some have too much of mere machinery in their composition4 ,if every wheel1 pivot1 chain1 spring1 cog1 or pinion1 be not exactly in its place1 or move not precisely according to a favourite and prescribed system1 the whole is rejected as unworthy of regard4 ,but happily the ,lord knoweth them that are his2 nor is the impression of his own seal wanting to characterize some who1 in comparative seclusion from the religious world1 name the name of ,christ and depart from iniquity4 ,there are some real ,christians so peculiarly circumstanced in this respect as to illustrate the poet's comparison1-- ,full many a gem of purest ray serene ,the dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear2 ,full many a flower is born to blush unseen1 ,and waste its sweetness on the desert air4 ,yet this was not altogether the case with the ,dairyman's daughter4 ,her religion had indeed ripened in seclusion from the world1 and she was intimately known but to few2 but she lived usefully1 departed most happily1 and left a shining track behind her4 ,while ,i attempt a faint delineation of it1 may ,i catch its influence1 and become1 through inexpressible mercy1 a follower of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises6 ,from the time wherein ,i visited her1 as described in my last paper1 ,i considered her end as fast approaching4 ,one day ,i received a hasty summons to inform me that she was dying4 ,it was brought by a soldier1 whose countenance bespoke seriousness1 good sense1 and piety4 ,i am sent1 sir1 by the father and mother of ,elizabeth ,w---1 at her own particular request1 to say how much they all wish to see you4 ,she is going home1 sir1 very fast indeed4 ,have you known her long8 ,about a month1 sir4 ,i love to visit the sick1 and hearing of her case from a person who lives close by our camp1 ,i went to see her4 ,i bless ,god that ever ,i did go4 ,her conversation has been very profitable to me4 ,i rejoice1 said ,i1 to see in you1 as ,i trust1 a brother soldier4 ,though we differ in our outward regimentals1 ,i hope we serve under the same spiritual ,captain4 ,i will go with you4 ,my horse was soon ready4 ,my military companion walked by my side1 and gratified me with very sensible and pious conversation4 ,he related some remarkable testimonies of the excellent disposition of the ,dairyman's daughter1 as they appeared from recent intercourse which he had had with her4 ,she is a bright diamond1 sir1 said the soldier1 and will soon shine brighter than any diamond upon earth4 ,we passed through lanes and fields1 over hills and valleys1 by open and retired paths1 sometimes crossing over and sometimes following the windings of a little brook which gently murmured by the road side4 ,conversation beguiled the distance1 and shortened the apparent time of our journey1 till we were nearly arrived at the ,dairyman's cottage4 ,as we approached it1 we became silent4 ,thoughts of death1 eternity1 and salvation1 inspired by the sight of a house where a dying believer lay1 filled my own mind1 and1 ,i doubt not1 that of my companion also4 ,no living object yet appeared1 except the ,dairyman's dog1 keeping a kind of mute watch at the door2 for he did not1 as formerly1 bark at my approach4 ,he seemed to partake so far of the feelings appropriate to the circumstances of the family1 as not to wish to give a hasty or painful alarm4 ,he came forward to the little wicket-gate1 then looked back at the house door1 as if conscious there was sorrow within4 ,it was as if he wanted to say1 ,tread softly over the threshold1 as you enter the house of mourning2 for my master's heart is full of grief4 ,the soldier took my horse and tied it up in a shed4 ,a solemn serenity appeared to surround the whole place2 it was only interrupted by the breezes passing through the large elm-trees which stood near the house1 and which my imagination indulged itself in thinking were plaintive sighs of sorrow4 ,i gently opened the door4 ,no one appeared1 and all was still silent4 ,the soldier followed4 ,we came to the foot of the stairs4 ,they are come6 said a voice1 which ,i knew to be the father's2 they are come6 ,he appeared at the top4 ,i gave him my hand1 and said nothing4 ,on entering the room above1 ,i saw the aged mother and her son supporting the much-loved daughter and sister3 the son's wife sat weeping in a window- seat1 with a child on her lap3 two or three persons attended in the room to discharge any office which friendship or necessity might require4 ,i sat down by the bedside4 ,the mother could not weep1 but now and then sighed deeply1 as she alternately looked at ,elizabeth and at me4 ,the big tear rolled down the brother's cheek1 and testified an affectionate regard4 ,the good old man stood at the foot of the bed1 leaning upon the post1 and unable to take his eyes off the child from whom he was so soon to part4 ,elizabeth's eyes were closed1 and as yet she perceived me not4 ,but over her face1 though pale1 sunk1 and hollow1 the peace of ,god1 which passeth all understanding1 had cast a triumphant calm4 ,the soldier1 after a short pause1 silently reached out his ,bible towards me1 pointing with his finger at #a ,cor4 xv4 #ee1 #ef1 #eg4 ,i then broke silence by reading the passage1 ,o death1 where is thy sting8 ,o grave1 where is thy victory8 ,the sting of death is sin2 and the strength of sin is the law4 ,but thanks be to ,god1 which giveth us the victory through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,at the sound of these words her eyes opened1 and something like a ray of divine light beamed on her countenance as she said1 ,victory6 victory6 through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,she relapsed again1 taking no further notice of any one present4 ,god be praised for the triumph of faith6 said ,i4 ,amen6 replied the soldier4 ,the ,dairyman's uplifted eye showed that the ,amen was in his heart1 though his tongue failed to utter it4 ,a short struggling for breath took place in the dying young woman1 which was soon over2 and then ,i said to her1-- ,my dear friend1 do you not feel that you are supported8 ,the ,lord deals very gently with me1 she replied4 ,are not his promises now very precious to you8 ,they are all yea and amen in ,christ ,jesus4 ,are you in much bodily pain8 ,so little that ,i almost forget it4 ,how good the ,lord is6 ,and how unworthy am ,i6 ,you are going to see him as he is4 ,i think--,i hope--,i believe that ,i am4 ,she again fell into a short slumber4 ,looking at her mother1 ,i said1 ,what a mercy to have a child so near heaven as yours is6 ,and what a mercy1 she replied1 in broken accents1 if her poor old mother might but follow her there6 ,but1 sir1 it is so hard to part6 ,i hope through grace by faith you will soon meet to part no more2 it will be but a little while4 ,sir1 said the ,dairyman1 that thought supports me1 and the ,lord's goodness makes me feel more reconciled than ,i was4 ,father--mother1 said the reviving daughter1 ,he is good to me--trust ,him1 praise ,him evermore4 ,sir1 added she1 in a faint voice1 ,i want to thank you for your kindness to me--,i want to ask a favour2--you buried my sister--will you do the same for me8 ,all shall be as you wish1 if ,god permit1 ,i replied4 ,thank you1 sir1 thank you--,i have another favour to ask--,when ,i am gone1 remember my father and mother4 ,they are old1 but ,i hope the good work is begun in their souls--,my prayers are heard--,pray come and see them--,i cannot speak much1 but ,i want to speak for their sakes--,sir1 remember them4 ,the aged parents now sighed and sobbed aloud1 uttering broken sentences1 and gained some relief by such an expression of their feelings4 ,at length ,i said to ,elizabeth1 ,do you experience any doubts or temptations on the subject of your eternal safety8 ,no1 sir4 ,the ,lord deals very gently with me1 and gives me peace4 ,what are your views of the dark valley of death1 now that you are passing through it8 ,it is not dark4 ,why so8 ,my ,lord is there1 and he is my light and my salvation4 ,have you any fears of more bodily suffering8 ,the ,lord deals so gently with me1 ,i can trust him4 ,something of a convulsion came on4 ,when it was past she said again and again1-- ,the ,lord deals very gently with me4 ,lord1 ,i am thine2 save me--,blessed ,jesus--precious ,saviour--,his blood cleanseth from all sin--,who shall separate8--,his name is ,wonderful--,thanks be to ,god--,he giveth the victory--,i1 even ,i1 am saved--,o grace1 mercy1 and wonder6--,lord1 receive my spirit6--,dear sir--dear father1 mother1 friends1 ,i am going--but all is well1 well1 well--4 ,she relapsed again4 ,we knelt down to prayer4 ,the ,lord was in the midst of us1 and blessed us4 ,she did not again revive while ,i remained1 nor ever speak any more words which could be understood4 ,she slumbered for about ten hours1 and at last sweetly fell asleep in the arms of that ,lord who had dealt so gently with her4 ,i left the house an hour after she had ceased to speak4 ,i pressed her hand as ,i was taking leave1 and said1 ,christ is the resurrection and the life4 ,she gently returned the pressure1 but could neither open her eyes nor utter a reply4 ,i never had witnessed a scene so impressive as this before4 ,it completely filled my imagination as ,i returned home4 ,farewell1 thought ,i1 dear friend1 till the morning of an eternal day shall renew our personal intercourse4 ,thou wast a brand plucked from the burning1 that thou mightest become a star shining in the firmament of glory4 ,i have seen thy light and thy good works1 and will therefore glorify our ,father which is in heaven4 ,i have seen1 in thy example1 what it is to be a sinner freely saved by grace4 ,i have learned from thee1 as in a living mirror1 who it is that begins1 continues1 and ends the work of faith and love4 ,jesus is all in all3 he will and shall be glorified4 ,he won the crown1 and alone deserves to wear it4 ,may no one attempt to rob him of his glory6 ,he saves1 and saves to the uttermost4 ,farewell dear sister in the ,lord4 ,thy flesh and thy heart may fail2 but ,god is the strength of thy heart1 and shall be thy portion for ever4 ,,part ,,viii4 ,who can conceive or estimate the nature of that change which the soul of a believer must experience at the moment when1 quitting its tabernacle of clay1 it suddenly enters into the presence of ,god8 ,if1 even while we see through a glass darkly1 the views of divine love and wisdom are so delightful to the eye of faith2 what must be the glorious vision of ,god1 when seen face to face6 ,if it be so valued a privilege here on earth to enjoy the communion of saints1 and to take sweet counsel together with our fellow-travellers towards the heavenly kingdom2 what shall we see and know when we finally come unto mount ,sion1 and unto the city of the living ,god1 the heavenly ,jerusalem1 and to an innumerable company of angels1 to the general assembly and church of the first-born1 which are written in heaven1 and to ,god the ,judge of all1 and to the spirits of just men made perfect1 and to ,jesus the mediator of the new covenant8 ,if1 during the sighs and tears of a mortal pilgrimage1 the consolations of the ,spirit are so precious and the hope full of immortality is so animating to the soul2 what heart can conceive1 or what tongue utter its superior joys1 when arrived at that state where sighing and sorrow flee away1 and the tears shall be wiped from every eye8 ,such ideas were powerfully associated together in my imagination1 as ,i travelled onward to the house where1 in solemn preparation for the grave1 lay the remains of the ,dairyman's daughter4 ,she had breathed her last shortly after the visit related in my former account4 ,permission was obtained1 as before in the case of her sister1 that ,i should perform the funeral service4 ,many pleasing yet melancholy thoughts were connected with the fulfilment of this task4 ,i retraced the numerous and important conversations which ,i had held with her4 ,but these could now no longer be maintained on earth4 ,i reflected on the interesting and improving nature of ,christian friendships1 whether formed in palaces or in cottages2 and felt thankful that ,i had so long enjoyed that privilege with the subject of this memorial4 ,i then indulged a selfish sigh for a moment1 on thinking that ,i could no longer hear the great truths of ,christianity uttered by one who had drunk so deep of the waters of the river of life4 ,but the rising murmur was checked by the animating thought1 ,she is gone to eternal rest--could ,i wish her back again in this vale of tears8 ,at that moment the first sound of a tolling bell struck my ear4 ,it proceeded from a village church in the valley directly beneath the ridge of a high hill1 over which ,i had taken my way4 ,it was ,elizabeth's funeral knell4 ,the sound was solemn2 and1 in ascending to the elevated spot over which ,i rode1 it acquired a peculiar tone and character4 ,tolling at slow and regular intervals1 7as was customary for a considerable time previous to the hour of burial17 the bell1 as it were1 proclaimed the blessedness of the dead who die in the ,lord1 and also the necessity of the living pondering these things1 and laying them to heart4 ,it seemed to say1 ,hear my warning voice1 thou son of man4 ,there is but a step between thee and death4 ,arise1 prepare thine house2 for thou shalt die1 and not live4 ,the scenery was in unison with that tranquil frame of mind which is most suitable for holy meditation4 ,a rich and fruitful valley lay immediately beneath2 it was adorned with corn fields and pastures1 through which a small river winded in a variety of directions1 and many herds grazed upon its banks4 ,a fine range of opposite hills1 covered with grazing flocks1 terminated with a bold sweep into the ocean1 whose blue waves appeared at a distance beyond4 ,several villages1 hamlets1 and churches1 were scattered in the valley4 ,the noble mansions of the rich1 and the lowly cottages of the poor1 added their respective features to the landscape4 ,the air was mild1 and the declining sun occasioned a beautiful interchange of light and shade upon the sides of the hills4 ,in the midst of this scene1 the chief sound that arrested attention was the bell tolling for the funeral of the ,dairyman's daughter4 ,do any of my readers inquire why ,i describe so minutely the circumstances of prospect and scenery which may be connected with the incidents ,i relate8 ,my reply is1 that the ,god of redemption is the ,god of creation likewise2 and that we are taught in every part of the word of ,god to unite the admiration of the beauties and wonders of nature to every other motive for devotion4 ,when ,david considered the heavens1 the work of ,god's fingers1 the moon and the stars which he has ordained1 he was thereby led to the deepest humiliation of heart before his ,maker4 ,and when he viewed the sheep and the oxen and the beasts of the field1 the fowls of the air and the fish of the sea1 he was constrained to cry out1 ,o ,lord1 our ,lord1 how excellent is thy name in all the earth6 ,i am the poor man's friend1 and wish more especially that every poor labouring man should know how to connect the goodness of ,god in creation and providence with the unsearchable riches of his grace in the salvation of a sinner4 ,and where can he learn this lesson more instructively than in looking around the fields where his labour is appointed1 and there tracing the handiwork of ,god in all that he beholds8 ,such meditations have often afforded me both profit and pleasure1 and ,i wish my readers to share them with me4 ,the ,dairyman's cottage was rather more than a mile distant from the church4 ,a lane1 quite overshadowed with trees and high hedges1 led from the foot of the hill to his dwelling4 ,it was impossible at that time to overlook the suitable gloom of such an approach to the house of mourning4 ,i found1 on my entrance1 that several ,christian friends1 from different parts of the neighbourhood1 had assembled together1 to pay their last tribute of esteem and regard to the memory of the ,dairyman's daughter4 ,several of them had first become acquainted with her during the latter stage of her illness2 some few had maintained an affectionate intercourse with her for a longer period2 but all seemed anxious to manifest their respect for one who was endeared to them by such striking testimonies of true ,christianity4 ,i was requested to go into the chamber where the relatives and a few other friends were gone to take a last look at the remains of ,elizabeth4 ,it is not easy to describe the sensation which the mind experiences on the first sight of a dead countenance1 which1 when living1 was loved and esteemed for the sake of that soul which used to give it animation4 ,a deep and awful view of the separation that has taken place between the soul and body of the deceased1 since we last beheld them1 occupies the feelings3 our friend seems to be both near1 and yet far off4 ,the most interesting and valuable part is fled away2 what remains is but the earthly1 perishing habitation1 no longer occupied by its tenant4 ,yet the features present the accustomed association of friendly intercourse4 ,for one moment1 we could think them asleep4 ,the next reminds us that the blood circulates no more3 the eye has lost its power of seeing1 the ear of hearing1 the heart of throbbing1 and the limbs of moving4 ,quickly a thought of glory breaks in upon the mind1 and we imagine the dear departed soul to be arrived at its long-wished-for rest4 ,it is surrounded by cherubim and seraphim1 and sings the song of ,moses and the ,lamb on ,mount ,zion4 ,amid the solemn stillness of the chamber of death1 imagination hears heavenly hymns chanted by the spirits of just men made perfect4 ,in another moment1 the livid lips and sunken eye of the clay- cold corpse recall our thoughts to earth and to ourselves again4 ,and while we think of mortality1 sin1 death1 and the grave1 we feel the prayer rise in our bosom1 ,let me die the death of the righteous1 and let my last end be like his6 ,if there be a moment when ,christ and salvation1 death1 judgment1 heaven1 and hell1 appear more than ever to be momentous subjects of meditation1 it is that which brings us to the side of a coffin containing the body of a departed believer4 ,elizabeth's features were altered1 but much of her likeness remained4 ,her father and mother sat at the head1 her brother at the foot of the coffin4 ,the father silently and alternately looked upon his dead child and then lifted up his eyes to heaven4 ,a struggle for resignation to the will of ,god was manifest in his countenance2 while the tears1 rolling down his aged cheeks1 at the same time declared his grief and affection4 ,the poor mother cried and sobbed aloud1 and appeared to be much overcome by the shock of separation from a daughter so justly dear to her4 ,the weakness and infirmity of old age added a character to her sorrow which called for much tenderness and compassion4 ,a remarkably decent-looking woman1 who had the management of the few simple though solemn ceremonies which the case required1 advanced towards me1 saying1-- ,sir1 this is rather a sight of joy than of sorrow4 ,our dear friend ,elizabeth finds it to be so1 ,i have no doubt4 ,she is beyond all sorrow3 do you not think she is1 sir8 ,after what ,i have known1 and seen1 and heard1 ,i replied1 ,i feel the fullest assurance1 that while her body remains here1 her soul is with her ,saviour in paradise4 ,she loved him here1 and there she enjoys the pleasures which are at his right hand for evermore4 ,mercy1 mercy upon a poor old creature1 almost broken down with age and grief6--,what shall ,i do6--,betsy's gone4 ,my daughter's dead--,o my child6 ,i shall never see thee more4 ,god be merciful to me a sinner6 sobbed out the poor mother4 ,that last prayer1 my dear good woman1 said ,i1 will bring you and your child together again4 ,it is a cry that has brought thousands to glory4 ,it brought your daughter there1 and ,i hope it will bring you thither likewise4 ,god will in no wise cast out any that come to him4 ,my dear1 said the ,dairyman1 breaking the long silence he had maintained1 let us trust ,god with our child2 and let us trust him with our own selves4 ,the ,lord gave1 and the ,lord has taken away2 blessed be the name of the ,lord6 ,we are old1 and can have but a little further to travel in our journey1 and then--1 he could say no more ,the soldier1 mentioned in my last paper1 reached a ,bible into my hand1 and said1 ,perhaps1 sir1 you would not object to reading a chapter before we go to the church8 ,i did so2 it was the fourteenth of the book of ,job4 ,a sweet tranquillity prevailed while ,i read it4 ,each minute that was spent in this funeral chamber seemed to be valuable4 ,i made a few observations on the chapter1 and connected them with the case of our departed sister4 ,i am but a poor soldier1 said our military friend1 and have nothing of this world's goods beyond my daily subsistence2 but ,i would not exchange my hope of salvation in the next world for all that this world could bestow without it4 ,what is wealth without grace8 ,blessed be ,god6 as ,i march about from one quarter to another1 ,i still find the ,lord wherever ,i go2 and1 thanks be to his holy name1 he is here to-day in the midst of this company of the living and the dead4 ,i feel that it is good to be here4 ,some other persons present began to take a part in our conversation1 in the course of which the life and experience of the ,dairyman's daughter were brought forward in a very interesting manner4 ,each friend had something to relate in testimony of her gracious disposition4 ,a young woman under twenty1 who had hitherto been a very light and trifling character1 appeared to be remarkably impressed by the conversation of that day2 and ,i have since had ground to believe that ,divine grace then began to influence her in the choice of that better part which shall not be taken from her4 ,what a contrast does such a scene as this exhibit1 when compared with the dull1 formal1 unedifying1 and often indecent manner1 in which funeral parties assemble in the house of death6 ,as we conversed the parents revived4 ,our subject of discourse was delightful to their hearts4 ,their child seemed almost to be alive again1 while we talked of her4 ,tearful smiles often brightened their countenances1 as they heard the voice of friendship uttering their daughter's praises2 or rather the praises of him who made her a vessel of mercy and an instrument of spiritual good to her family4 ,the time for departing to the church was now at hand4 ,i went to take my last look at the deceased4 ,there was much written on her countenance4 ,she had evidently died with a smile4 ,it still remained1 and spoke the tranquillity of her departed soul4 ,according to the custom of the country she was decorated with leaves and flowers in the coffin3 she seemed as a bride gone forth to meet the bridegroom4 ,these1 indeed1 were fading flowers1 but they reminded me of that paradise whose flowers are immortal1 and where her never-dying soul is at rest4 ,i remembered the last words which ,i had heard her speak1 and was instantly struck with the happy thought1 that death was indeed swallowed up in victory4 ,as ,i slowly retired1 ,i said inwardly1 ,peace1 my honoured sister1 be to thy memory and to my soul1 till we meet in a better world4 ,in a little time the procession formed3 it was rendered the more interesting by the consideration of so many that followed the coffin being persons of a devout and spiritual character4 ,the distance was rather more than a mile4 ,i resolved to continue with and go before them1 as they moved slowly onwards4 ,immediately after the body came the venerable father and mother1 #hg bending with age1 and weeping through much affliction of heart4 ,their appearance was calculated to excite every emotion of pity1 love1 and esteem4 ,the other relatives followed them in order1 and the several attendant friends took their places behind4 ,after we had advanced about a hundred yards1 my meditation was unexpectedly and most agreeably interrupted by the friends who attended beginning to sing a funeral psalm4 ,nothing could be more sweet or solemn4 ,the well-known effect of the open air in softening and blending the sounds of music1 was here peculiarly felt4 ,the road through which we passed was beautiful and romantic4 ,it lay at the foot of a hill1 which occasionally re-echoed the voices of the singers1 and seemed to give faint replies to the notes of the mourners4 ,the funeral knell was distinctly heard from the church tower1 and greatly increased the effect which this simple and becoming service produced4 ,we went by several cottages3 a respectful attention was universally observed as we passed2 and the countenances of many proclaimed their regard for the departed young woman4 ,the singing was regularly continued1 with occasional intervals of about five minutes during our whole progress4 ,i cannot describe the state of my own mind as peculiarly connected with this solemn singing4 ,i was reminded of older times and ancient piety4 ,i wished the practice more frequent4 ,it seems well calculated to excite and cherish devotion and religious affections4 ,music1 when judiciously brought into the service of religion1 is one of the most delightful1 and not least efficacious means of grace4 ,i pretend not too minutely to conjecture as to the actual nature of those pleasures which1 after the resurrection1 the re-united body and soul will enjoy in heaven2 but ,i can hardly persuade myself that melody and harmony will be wanting1 when even the sense of hearing shall itself be glorified4 ,we at length arrived at the church4 ,looking upwards as ,i drew near the church1 ,i observed a dial on the wall4 ,the sun's declining rays directed the shadow to the evening hour4 ,as ,i passed underneath this simple but solemn monitor1 ,i was reminded of the lapse of time1 the uncertainty of life1 and sure approach of eternity4 ,i thought with ,david1 ,we are strangers before thee1 and sojourners1 as were all our fathers2 our days on earth are as a shadow1 and there is none abiding4 ,lord1 so teach us to number our days1 that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom4 ,the service was heard with deep and affectionate attention4 ,when we came to the grave1 the hymn which ,elizabeth had selected was sung4 ,all was devout1 simple1 animating4 ,we committed our dear sister's body to the earth1 in full hope of a joyful resurrection from the dead4 ,thus was the veil of separation drawn for a season4 ,she is departed1 and no more seen4 ,but she will be seen on the right hand of her ,redeemer at the last day1 and will again appear to his glory1 a miracle of grace and monument of mercy4 ,my reader1 rich or poor1 shall you and ,i appear there likewise8 ,are we clothed with humility1 and arrayed in the wedding garment of a redeemer's righteousness8 ,are we turned from idols to serve the living ,god8 ,are we sensible of our own emptiness1 and therefore flying to a ,saviour's fulness to obtain grace and strength8 ,do we indeed live in ,christ1 and on him1 and by him1 and with him8 ,is he our all in all8 ,are we lost1 and found8 dead1 and alive again8 ,my poor reader1 the ,dairyman's daughter was a poor girl1 and the child of a poor man4 ,herein thou resemblest her3 but dost thou resemble her as she resembled ,christ8 ,art thou made rich by faith8 ,hast thou a crown laid up for thee8 ,is thine heart set upon heavenly riches8 ,if not1 read this story once more1 and then pray earnestly for like precious faith4 ,but if1 through grace1 thou dost love and serve the ,redeemer that saved the ,dairyman's daughter1 grace1 peace1 and mercy be with thee6 ,the lines are fallen unto thee in pleasant places3 thou hast a goodly heritage4 ,press forward in duty1 and wait upon the ,lord1 possessing thy soul in holy patience4 ,thou hast just been with me to the grave of a departed believer4 ,now go thy way till the end be2 for thou shalt rest1 and stand in thy lot at the end of the days4 ,elizabeth died ,may #cj1 #ahja1 aged #ca years4 ,the ,dairyman's ,daughter's ,grave3 p#hi4;jpg ,,the ,,negro ,,servant4 ,,part ,i4 ,if a map of the world1 instead of being coloured1 as is usual1 with many gay and brilliant tints1 in order to distinguish its various continents1 kingdoms1 and islands from each other1 were to be painted with darker or brighter hues corresponding with the spiritual character of the inhabitants1 what a gloomy aspect would be presented1 to the eye of the ,christian geographer1 by the greater portion of the habitable globe6 ,how dark would be the shade thus cast over the larger districts of the vast continents of ,asia and ,america6 and what a mass of gloom would characterize the ,african quarter of the world6 ,here and there a bright spot would mark the residence of a few missionary labourers1 devoting themselves to ,god1 and scattering the rays of ,christian light among the surrounding heathen2 but over the greater part the blackness of darkness would emblematically describe the iron reign of ,mohammedan superstition and ,pagan idolatry4 ,the ,christian prays that ,god would have respect unto the covenant2 for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty4 ,he hopes to see the nations open their eyes1 and turn from darkness to light1 and from the power of ,satan unto ,god1 that they may receive forgiveness of sins1 and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith4 ,the curse originally pronounced on the descendants of ,ham has1 in a variety of respects1 both temporal and spiritual1 been awfully fulfilled--,a servant of servants shall he be4 ,slavery1 as well of mind as body1 has been continued amongst the ,africans through their generations in a manner which at once proves the truth of the ,divine prediction1 and yet calls aloud for the ardent prayers and active exertions of ,christians in their behalf4 ,the time will come when the heathen shall be proved to have been given to ,christ for an inheritance1 and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession4 ,the degraded ,hottentot1 and the poor benighted ,negro1 will look from the ends of the earth unto ,jesus1 and be saved4 ,many shall run to and fro1 and knowledge shall be increased4 ,the ,redeemer shall see of the travail of his soul1 and shall be satisfied1 in beholding the gathering together1 not only of the outcasts of ,israel that are ready to perish1 but of churches and people from all the tongues1 and kindreds1 and nations of the earth4 ,in the day of his appearing1 the sons of ,africa will vie with their brethren of the north1 and the west1 and the east1 in resounding the praises of ,god their ,saviour from one end of the earth to the other4 ,in the meantime1 we rejoice in every occasional instance of the love and power of ,god in effecting the conversion of some1 who appear as the first- fruits of that harvest which shall hereafter so fruitfully grow up1 to the honour of ,christ and the blessedness of his redeemed people4 ,the following narrative of real facts may1 perhaps1 illustrate the importance of the foregoing remarks4 ,during a residence of some years' continuance in the neighbourhood of the sea1 an officer of the navy called upon me1 and stated that he had just taken a lodging in the parish for his wife and children2 and had a ,negro1 who had been three years in his service4 ,the lad is a deserving fellow1 said the officer1 and he has a great desire to be baptized4 ,i have promised him to ask you to do it1 if you have not any objections4 ,does he know anything1 replied ,i1 of the principles of the ,christian religion8 ,oh1 yes1 ,i am sure he does1 answered the captain2 for he talks a great deal about it in the kitchen1 and often gets laughed at for his pains2 but he takes it all very patiently4 ,does he behave well as your servant8 ,yes1 that he does2 he is as honest and civil a fellow as ever came on board ship1 or lived in a house4 ,was he always so well behaved8 ,no1 said the officer2 when ,i first had him he was often very unruly and deceitful2 but for the last two years he has been quite like another creature4 ,well1 sir1 ,i shall be very glad to see him1 and think it probable ,i shall wish to go through a course of instruction and examination2 during which ,i shall be able to form a judgment how far it will be right to admit him to the sacrament of baptism4 ,can he read8 ,yes1 replied his master2 he has been taking great pains to learn to read for some time past1 and can make out a chapter in the ,bible pretty well1 as my maid-servant informs me4 ,he speaks ,english better than many of his countrymen1 but you will find it a little broken4 ,when will it be convenient that ,i should send him over to you8 ,to-morrow afternoon1 sir1 if you please4 ,he shall come to you about four o'clock1 and you shall see what you can make of him4 ,with this promise he took his leave4 ,i felt glad of an opportunity of instructing a native of that land whose wrongs and injuries had often caused me to sigh and mourn2 the more so1 when ,i reflected who had been the aggressors4 ,at the appointed hour my ,negro disciple arrived4 ,he was a very young- looking man1 with a sensible1 lively1 and pleasing countenance4 ,i desired him to sit down1 and said1 ,your master informs me that you wish to have some conversation with me respecting ,christian baptism4 ,yes1 sir2 me very much wish to be a ,christian1 said he4 ,why do you wish so8 ,because me know that ,christian go to heaven when he die4 ,how long have you had that wish8 ,i said4 ,ever since me heard one goot minister preach in ,america1 two years ago4 ,where were you born8 ,in ,africa4 ,me was very little boy when me was made slave by the white men4 ,how was that8 ,me left father and mother one day at home to go get shells by de sea- shore1 and as me was stooping down to gather them up1 some white sailors came out of a boat and took me away4 ,me never see father nor mother again4 ,and what became of you then8 ,me was put into ship1 and brought to ,jamaica and sold to a master1 who kept me in his house to serve him some years2 when1 about three years ago1 ,captain ,w---1 my master1 dat spoke to you1 bought me to be his servant on board his ship4 ,and he be goot master2 he gave me my liberty1 and made me free1 and me live with him ever since4 ,and what thoughts had you about your soul all that time before you went to ,america8 ,i asked him4 ,me no care for my soul at all before den4 ,no man teach me one word about my soul4 ,well1 now tell me further about what happened to you in ,america4 ,how came you there8 ,my master take me dere in his ship1 and he stop dere one month1 and den me hear de goot minister4 ,and what did the minister say8 ,he said me was a great sinner4 ,what6 did he speak to you in particular8 ,yes1 me tink so2 for dere was great many to hear him1 but he tell dem all about me4 ,what did he say8 ,he say about all de tings dat were in my heart4 ,what things8 ,my sin1 my ignorance1 my know noting1 my believe noting4 ,de goot minister make me see dat me tink noting goot1 me do noting goot4 ,and what else did he tell you8 ,he sometime look me in de face1 and say dat ,jesus ,christ came to die for sinners1 poor black sinners as well as white sinners4 ,me tought dis was very goot1 very goot1 indeed1 to do so for a wicked sinner4 ,and what made you think this was all spoken to you in particular8 ,because me sure no such wicked sinner as me in all de place4 ,de goot minister must know me was dere4 ,and what did you think of yourself while he preached about ,jesus ,christ8 ,sir1 me was very much afraid1 when he said the wicked must be turned into hell-fire4 ,for me felt dat me was very wicked sinner1 and dat make me cry4 ,and he talk much about de love of ,christ to sinners1 and dat make me cry more4 ,and me tought me must love ,jesus ,christ2 but me not know how1 and dat make me cry again4 ,did you hear more sermons than one during that month8 ,yes1 sir2 master gave me leave to go tree times1 and all de times me wanted to love ,jesus more1 and do what ,jesus said2 but my heart seem sometime hard1 like a stone4 ,have you ever heard any preaching since that time8 ,never1 till me hear sermon at dis church last ,sunday1 and den me long to be baptized in ,jesus' name2 for me had no ,christian friends to baptize me when little child4 ,and what have been your thoughts all the time since you first heard these sermons in ,america8 ,did you tell anybody what you then felt8 ,no1 me speak to nobody but to ,god den4 ,de goot minister say dat ,god hear de cry of de poor2 so me cry to ,god1 and he hear me4 ,and me often tink about ,jesus ,christ1 and wish to be like him4 ,can you read8 ,a little4 ,who taught you to read8 ,god teach me to read4 ,what do you mean by saying so8 ,god give me desire to read1 and dat make reading easy4 ,master give me ,bible1 and one sailor show me de letters3 and so me learned to read by myself1 with ,god's good help4 ,and what do you read in the ,bible8 ,oh1 me read all about ,jesus ,christ1 and how he loved sinners2 and wicked men killed him1 and he died1 and came again from de grave2 and all dis for poor ,negro4 ,and it sometime make me cry1 to tink that ,christ love so poor ,negro4 ,and what do the people say about your reading1 and praying1 and attention to the things of ,god8 ,some wicked people1 dat do not love ,jesus ,christ1 call me great fool1 and ,negro dog1 and black hypocrite4 ,and dat make me sometimes feel angry2 but den me remember ,christian must not be angry1 for ,jesus ,christ was called ugly black names1 and he was quiet as a lamb2 and so den me remember ,jesus ,christ2 and me say nothing again to dem4 ,i was much delighted with the simplicity and apparent sincerity of this poor ,negro1 and wished to ascertain what measure of light and feeling he possessed on a few leading points4 ,st4 ,paul's summary of religion #ig occuring to me1 ,i said1 ,tell me what is faith8 ,what is your faith8 ,what do you believe about ,jesus ,christ1 and your own soul8 ,me believe1 said he1 dat ,jesus ,christ came into de world to save sinners2 and dough me be chief of sinners1 yet ,jesus will save me1 dough me be only poor black ,negro4 ,what is your hope8 ,what do you hope for1 both as to this life and that which is to come8 ,me hope ,jesus ,christ will take good care of me1 and keep me from sin and harm1 while me live here2 and me hope1 when me come to die1 to go and live with him always1 and never die again4 ,what are your thoughts about ,christian love or charity1--,i mean1 whom and what do you most love8 ,me love ,god de ,father1 because he was so goot to send his ,son4 ,me love ,jesus ,christ1 because he love men4 ,me love all men1 black men and white men too2 for ,god made dem all4 ,me love goot ,christian people1 because ,jesus love dem1 and dey love ,jesus4 ,such was my first conversation with this young disciple4 ,i rejoiced in the prospect of receiving him into the ,church agreeably to his desire4 ,i wished1 however1 to converse somewhat further1 and inquire more minutely into his conduct2 and promised to ride over and see him in a few days at his master's lodgings4 ,when he was gone1 ,i thought within myself1 ,god has indeed redeemed souls by the blood of his ,son1 out of every kindred1 and tongue1 and people1 and nation4 ,if many of them for a season are devoted to earthly slavery1 #ih through the cruel avarice of man1 yet1 blessed be ,god1 some amongst them are1 through divine grace1 called to the glorious liberty of the children of ,god2 and so are redeemed from the slavery of him who takes so many captive at his will4 ,it is a happy thought1 that ,ethiopia shall soon stretch forth her hands unto ,god4 ,sing unto ,god1 ye kingdoms of the earth4 ,oh1 sing praises unto the ,lord4 ,,part ,,ii4 ,when we endeavour to estimate the worth of an immortal soul1 we are utterly lost in the attempt4 ,the art of spiritual computation is not governed by the same principles and rules which guide our speculations concerning earthly objects4 ,the value of gold1 silver1 merchandize1 food1 raiment1 lands1 and houses1 is easily regulated1 by custom1 convenience1 or necessity4 ,even the more capricious and imaginary worth of a picture1 medal1 or statue1 may be reduced to something of systematic rule4 ,crowns and sceptres have had their adjudged valuation2 and kingdoms have been bought and sold for sums of money4 ,but who can affix the adequate price to a human soul8 ,what shall it profit a man1 if he shall gain the whole world1 and lose his own soul8 or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul8 ,the principles of ordinary arithmetic all fail here2 and we are constrained to say1 that ,he alone who paid the ransom for sinners1 and made the souls of men his purchased possession1 can comprehend and solve the arduous question4 ,they are1 indeed1 bought with a price1 but are not redeemed with corruptible things1 as silver and gold2 but with the precious blood of ,christ1 as of a lamb without blemish and without spot4 ,we shall only ascertain the value of a soul1 when we shall be fully able to estimate the worth of a ,saviour4 ,too often have we been obliged to hear what is the price which sordid1 unfeeling avarice has affixed to the body of a poor ,negro slave2 let us now attempt1 while we pursue the foregoing narrative1 to meditate on the value which ,infinite ,mercy has attached to his soul4 ,not many days after my first interview with my ,negro disciple1 ,i went from home with the design of visiting and conversing with him again at his master's house1 which was situated in a part of the parish nearly four miles distant from my own4 ,the road which ,i took lay over a lofty down1 which commands a prospect of scenery seldom exceeded in beauty and magnificence4 ,it gave birth to silent but instructive contemplation4 ,the down itself was covered with sheep1 grazing on its wholesome and plentiful pasture4 ,here and there a shepherd's boy kept his appointed station1 and watched over the flock committed to his care4 ,i viewed it as an emblem of my own situation and employment4 ,adjoining the hill lay an extensive parish1 wherein many souls were given me to watch over1 and render an account of1 at the day of the great ,shepherd's appearing4 ,the pastoral scene before me seemed to be a living parable1 illustrative of my own spiritual charge4 ,i felt a prayerful wish1 that the good ,shepherd1 who gave ,his life for the sheep1 might enable me to be faithful to my trust4 ,it occurred to me1 about the same time1 that my young ,african friend was a sheep of another more distant fold1 which ,christ will yet bring to hear his voice4 ,for there shall be one fold and one ,shepherd1 and all nations shall be brought to acknowledge that ,he alone restoreth our souls1 and leadeth us in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake4 ,on the left hand of the hill1 as ,i advanced eastward1 and immediately under its declivity1 extended a beautiful tract of land intersected by a large arm of the sea1 which 7as the tide was fast flowing in7 formed a broad lake or haven of three miles in length4 ,woods1 villages1 cottages1 and churches1 surrounded it in most pleasing variety of prospect4 ,beyond this lay a large fleet of ships of war1 and not far from it another of merchantmen1 both safe at anchor1 and covering a tract of the sea of several miles in extent4 ,beyond this1 again1 ,i saw the fortifications1 dockyards1 and extensive public edifices of a large seaport town4 ,the sun shone upon the windows of the buildings and the flags of the ships with great brightness1 and added much to the splendour of the view4 ,i thought of the concerns of empires and plans of statesmen1 the fate of nations and the horrors of war4 ,happy will be that day when ,he shall make wars to cease unto the end of the earth1 and peace to be established in its borders4 ,in the meantime1 let us be thankful for those vessels and instruments of defence1 which1 in the hands of ,god1 preserve our country from the hand of the enemy and the fury of the destroyer4 ,what1 thought ,i1 do we not owe to the exertions of the numerous crews on board those ships1 who leave their homes to fight their country's battles and maintain its cause1 whilst we sit every man under his vine and fig-tree1 tasting the sweets of a tranquillity unknown to most other nations in these days of conflict and bloodshed6 ,on my right hand1 to the south and south-east1 the unbounded ocean displayed its mighty waves4 ,it was covered with vessels of every size1 sailing in all directions3 some outward-bound to the most distant parts of the world2 others1 after a long voyage1 returning home1 laden with the produce of remote climes3 some going forth in search of the enemy2 others sailing back to port after the hard-fought engagement1 and bearing the trophies of victory in the prizes which accompanied them home4 ,at the south-west of the spot on which ,i was riding extended a beautiful semicircular bay1 of about nine or ten miles in circumference1 bounded by high cliffs of white1 red1 and brown-coloured earths4 ,beyond this lay a range of hills1 whose tops are often buried in cloudy mists1 but which then appeared clear and distinct4 ,this chain of hills1 meeting with another from the north1 bounds a large fruitful vale1 whose fields1 now ripe for harvest1 proclaimed the goodness of ,god in the rich provision which he makes for the sons of men4 ,it is he who prepares the corn3 he crowns the year with his goodness1 and his paths drop fatness4 ,they drop upon the pastures of the wilderness2 and the little hills rejoice on every side4 ,the pastures are clothed with flocks2 the valleys also are covered over with corn2 they shout for joy1 they also sing4 ,the roving sight ,pursues its pleasing course o'er neighbouring hills1 ,of many a different form and different hue3 ,bright with the rip'ning corn1 or green with grass1 ,or dark with clovers purple bloom4 ,as ,i looked upon the numerous ships moving before me1 ,i remembered the words of the psalmist3 ,they that go down to the sea in ships1 that do business in great waters2 these see the works of the ,lord1 and his wonders in the deep4 ,for he commandeth1 and raiseth the stormy wind1 which lifteth up the waves thereof4 ,they mount up to the heaven1 they go down again to the depths3 their soul is melted because of trouble4 ,they reel to and fro1 and stagger like a drunken man1 and are at their wits end4 ,then they cry unto the ,lord in their trouble1 and he bringeth them out of their distresses4 ,he maketh the storm a calm1 so that the waves thereof are still4 ,then are they glad because they be quiet2 so he bringeth them unto their desired haven4 ,oh that men would praise the ,lord for his goodness1 and for his wonderful works to the children of men6 7,ps4 cvii4 #bc-ca47 ,the ,negro servant then occurred to my mind4 ,perhaps1 thought ,i1 some of these ships are bound to ,africa1 in quest of that most infamous object of merchandise1 a cargo of black slaves4 ,inhuman traffic for a nation that bears the name of ,christian6 ,perhaps these very waves1 that are now dashing on the rocks at the foot of this hill1 have1 on the shores of ,africa1 borne witness to the horrors of forced separation between wives and husbands1 parents and children1 torn asunder by merciless men1 whose hearts have been hardened against the common feeling of humanity by long custom in this cruel trade4 ,blessed are the merciful2 for they shall obtain mercy4 ,when shall the endeavours of that truly ,christian friend of the oppressed ,negro be crowned with success1 in the abolition of this wicked and disgraceful traffic8 #ajc ,as ,i pursued the meditations which this magnificent and varied scenery excited in my mind1 ,i approached the edge of a tremendous perpendicular cliff1 with which the down terminates4 ,i dismounted from my horse1 and tied it to a bush4 ,the breaking of the waves against the foot of the cliff at so great a distance beneath me1 produced an incessant and pleasing murmur4 ,the sea-gulls were flying between the top of the cliff where ,i stood and the rocks below1 attending upon their nests1 built in the holes of the cliff4 ,the whole scene in every direction was grand and impressive2 it was suitable to devotion4 ,the ,creator appeared in the works of his creation1 and called upon the creatures to honour and adore4 ,to the believer1 this exercise is doubly delightful4 ,he possesses a right to the enjoyment of nature and providence1 as well as to the privileges of grace4 ,his title-deed runs thus3 ,all things are yours2 whether ,paul1 or ,apollos1 or ,cephas1 or the world1 or life1 or death1 or things present1 or things to come2 all are yours2 and ye are ,christ's2 and ,christ is ,god's4 ,i cast my eye downwards a little to the left towards a small cove1 the shore of which consists of fine hard sand4 ,it is surrounded by fragments of rock1 chalk-cliffs1 and steep banks of broken earth4 ,shut out from human intercourse and dwellings1 it seems formed for retirement and contemplation4 ,on one of these rocks ,i unexpectedly observed a man sitting with a book which he was reading4 ,the place was near two hundred yards perpendicularly below me1 but ,i soon discovered by his dress1 and by the black colour of his features contrasted with the white rocks beside him1 that it was no other than my ,negro disciple1 with1 as ,i doubted not1 a ,bible in his hand4 ,i rejoiced at this unlooked-for opportunity of meeting him in so solitary and interesting a situation4 ,i descended a steep bank1 winding by a kind of rude staircase1 formed by fishermen and shepherds' boys1 in the side of the cliff down to the shore4 ,he was intent on his book1 and did not perceive me till ,i approached very near to him4 ,william1 is that you8 ,ah1 massa6 me very glad to see you4 ,how came massa into dis place8 ,me tought nobody here1 but only ,god and me4 ,i was coming to your master's house to see you1 and rode round by this way for the sake of the prospect4 ,i often come here in fine weather1 to look at the sea and shipping4 ,is that your ,bible8 ,yes1 sir2 #aje dis my dear goot ,bible4 ,i am glad1 said ,i1 to see you so well employed4 ,it is a good sign1 ,william4 ,yes1 massa1 a sign that ,god is goot to me2 but me never goot to ,god4 ,how so8 ,me never tank him enough2 me never pray to him enough3 me never remember enough who give me all dese goot tings4 ,massa1 me afraid my heart is very bat4 ,me wish me was like you4 ,like me1 ,william8 ,why1 you are like me1 a poor helpless sinner1 that must1 as well as yourself1 perish in his sins1 unless ,god1 of his infinite mercy and grace1 pluck him as a brand from the burning1 and make him an instance of distinguishing love and favour4 ,there is no difference2 we have both come short of the glory of ,god3 all have sinned4 ,no1 me not like you1 massa2 me tink nobody like me1--nobody feel such a heart as me4 ,yes1 ,william1 your feelings1 ,i am persuaded1 are like those of every truly convinced soul1 who sees the exceeding sinfulness of sin1 and the greatness of the price which ,christ ,jesus paid for the sinner's ransom4 ,you can say1 in the words of the hymn1-- ',i the chief of sinners am1 ,but ,jesus died for me4' ,o yes1 sir1 me believe that ,jesus died for poor ,negro4 ,what would become of poor wicked ,negro1 if ,christ no die for him8 ,but he die for de chief of sinners1 and dat make my heart sometimes quite glad4 ,what part of the ,bible were you reading1 ,william8 ,me read how de man upon de cross spoke to ,christ1 and ,christ spoke to him4 ,now dat man's prayer just do for me2 ',lord1 remember me4' ,lord1 remember poor ,negro sinner3 dis is my prayer every morning1 and sometimes at night too2 when me cannot tink of many words1 den me say de same again2 ,lord1 remember poor ,negro sinner4 ,and be sure1 ,william1 the ,lord hears that prayer4 ,he pardoned and accepted the thief upon the cross1 and he will not reject you2 he will in no wise cast out any that come to him4 ,no1 sir1 ,i believe it2 but dere is so much sin in my heart1 it makes me afraid and sorry4 ,massa1 do you see dese limpets1 #ajg how fast dey stick to de rocks here8 ,just so1 sin sticks fast to my heart4 ,it may be so1 ,william2 but take another comparison3 do you cleave to ,jesus ,christ1 by faith in his death and righteousness1 as those limpets cleave to the rock1 and neither seas nor storms shall separate you from his love4 ,dat is just what me want4 ,tell me1 ,william1 is not that very sin which you speak of a burden to you8 ,you do not love it2 you would be glad to obtain strength against it1 and to be freed from it2 would you not8 ,o yes2 me give all dis world1 if me had it1 to be without sin6 ,come then1 and welcome1 to ,jesus ,christ1 my brother2 his blood cleanseth from all sin4 ,he gave himself as a ransom for sinners4 ,he hath borne our grief1 and carried our sorrows4 ,he was wounded for our transgressions2 he was bruised for our iniquities2 the chastisement of our peace was upon him1 and with his stripes we are healed4 ,the ,lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all4 ,come1 freely come to ,jesus1 the ,saviour of sinners4 ,yes1 massa1 said the poor fellow1 weeping1 me will come3 but me come very slow2 very slow1 massa3 me want to run1 me want to fly4 ,jesus is very goot to poor ,negro1 to send you to tell him all dis4 ,but this is not the first time you have heard these truths6 ,no1 sir2 dey have been comfort to my soul many times1 since me hear goot minister preach in ,america1 as me tell you last week at your house4 ,well1 now ,i hope1 ,william1 that since ,god has been so graciously pleased to open your eyes1 and affect your mind with such a great sense of his goodness in giving his ,son to die for your sake2 ,i hope that you do your endeavour to keep his commandments3 ,i hope you strive to behave well to your master and mistress1 and fellow-servants4 ,he that is a ,christian inwardly will be a ,christian outwardly2 he that truly and savingly believes in ,christ1 will show his faith by his works1 as the apostle says4 ,is it not so1 ,william8 ,yes1 sir2 me want to do so4 ,me want to be faithful4 ,me sorry to tink how bat servant me was before de goot tings of ,jesus ,christ come to my heart4 ,me wish to do well to my massa1 when he see me and when he not see2 for me know ,god always see me4 ,me know dat if me sin against mine own massa1 me sin against ,god1 and ,god be very angry with me4 ,beside1 how can me love ,christ if me do not what ,christ tell me8 ,me love my fellow-servants1 dough1 as ,i tell you before1 dey do not much love me2 and ,i pray ,god to bless dem4 ,and when dey say bat tings1 and try to make me angry1 den me tink1 if ,jesus ,christ were in poor ,negro's place1 he would not revile and answer again with bat words and temper1 but he say little and pray much4 ,and so den me say noting at all1 but pray to ,god to forgive dem4 ,the more ,i conversed with this ,african convert1 the more satisfactory were the evidences of his mind being spiritually enlightened1 and his heart effectually wrought upon by the grace of ,god4 ,the circumstances of the place in which we met together contributed much to the interesting effect which the conversation produced on my mind4 ,the little cove or bay was beautiful in the extreme4 ,the air was calm and serene4 ,the sun shone1 but we were sheltered from its rays by the cliffs4 ,one of these was stupendously lofty and large4 ,it was white as snow2 its summit hung directly over our heads4 ,the sea-fowls were flying around it4 ,its whiteness was occasionally chequered with dark green masses of samphire1 which grew there4 ,on the other side1 and behind us1 was a more gradual declivity of many-coloured earths1 interspersed with green patches of grass and bushes1 and little streams of water trickling down the bank1 and mingling with the sea at the bottom4 ,at our feet the waves were advancing over shelves of rocks covered with a great variety of sea-weeds1 which swam in little fragments1 and displayed much beauty and elegance of form as they were successively thrown upon the sand4 ,ships of war and commerce were seen at different distances4 ,fishermen were plying their trade in boats nearer the shore4 ,the noise of the flowing tide1 combined with the voices of the sea-gulls over our heads1 and now and then a distant gun fired from the ships as they passed along1 added much to the peculiar sensations to which the scene gave birth4 ,occasionally the striking of oars upon the waves1 accompanied by the boatmen's song1 met the ear4 ,the sheep aloft upon the down sometimes mingled their bleatings with the other sounds4 ,thus all nature seemed to unite in impressing an attentive observer's heart with affecting thoughts4 ,i remained for a considerable time in conversation with the ,negro1 finding that his master was gone from home for the day1 and had given him liberty for some hours4 ,i spoke to him on the nature1 duty1 and privilege of ,christian baptism2 pointed out to him1 from a prayer-book which ,i had with me1 the clear and scriptural principles of our own church upon that head2 and found that he was very desirous of conforming to them4 ,he appeared to me to be well qualified for receiving that sacramental pledge of his ,redeemer's love2 and ,i rejoiced in the prospect of beholding him no longer a stranger and foreigner1 but a fellow-citizen with the saints1 and of the household of ,god4 ,god1 said ,i to him1 has promised to 'sprinkle many nations1' not only with the waters of baptism1 but also with the dews of his heavenly grace4 ,he says he will not only 'pour water on him that is thirsty1' but1 ',i will pour my ,spirit upon thy seed1 and my blessing upon thine offspring4' ,yes1 massa1 said he1 he can make me to be clean in heart1 and of a right ,spirit2 he can purge me with hyssop1 and ,i shall be clean2 he can wash me1 and ,i shall be whiter dan snow4 ,may ,god give you these blessings1 and confirm you in every good gift6 ,i was much pleased with the affectionate manner in which he spoke of his parents1 from whom he had been stolen in his childhood2 and his wishes that ,god might direct them by some means to the knowledge of the ,saviour4 ,who knows1 ,i said1 but some of these ships may be carrying a missionary to the country where they live1 to declare the good news of salvation to your countrymen1 and to your own dear parents in particular1 if they are yet alive6 ,oh1 my dear fader and moder6 ,my dear gracious ,saviour1 exclaimed he1 leaping from the ground as he spoke1 if dou wilt but save deir souls1 and tell dem what dou hast done for sinner2 but-- ,he stopped1 and seemed much affected4 ,my friend1 said ,i1 ,i will now pray with you1 for your own soul1 and for those of your parents also4 ,do1 massa2 dat is very good and kind3 do pray for poor ,negro souls here and everywhere4 ,this was a new and solemn house of prayer4 ,the sea-sand was our floor1 the heavens were our roof1 the cliffs1 the rocks1 the hills1 and the waves1 formed the walls of our chamber4 ,it was not1 indeed1 a place where prayer was wont to be made2 but for this once it became a hallowed spot3 it will by me ever be remembered as such4 ,the presence of ,god was there4 ,i prayed3 the ,negro wept4 ,his heart was full4 ,i felt with him1 and could not but weep likewise4 ,the last day will show whether our tears were not the tears of sincerity and ,christian love4 ,it was time for my return4 ,i leaned upon his arm as we ascended the steep cliff on my way back to my horse1 which ,i had left at the top of the hill4 ,humility and thankfulness were marked in his countenance4 ,i leaned upon his arm with the feelings of a brother4 ,it was a relationship ,i was happy to own4 ,i took him by the hand at parting1 appointed one more interview previous to the day of baptizing him1 and bade him farewell for the present4 ,god bless you1 my dear massa6 ,and you1 my fellow-,christian1 for ever and ever6 ,,part ,,iii4 ,the interesting and affecting conversation which ,i had with the ,negro servant produced a sensation not easy to be expressed4 ,as ,i returned home1 ,i was led into meditation on the singular clearness and beauty of those evidences of faith and conversion of heart to ,god1 which ,i had just seen and heard4 ,how plainly1 ,i thought1 it appears that salvation is freely by grace through faith2 and that not of ourselves2 it is the gift of ,god2 not of works1 lest any man should boast4 ,what but the ,holy ,spirit1 who is the author and giver of the life of grace1 could have wrought such a change from the once dark1 perverse1 and ignorant heathen1 to this now convinced1 enlightened1 humble1 and believing ,christian6 ,how manifestly is the uncontrolled sovereignty of the ,divine will exercised in the calling and translating of sinners from darkness to light6 ,what a lesson may the nominal ,christian of a civilized country sometimes learn from the simple1 sincere religion of a converted heathen6 ,i afterwards made particular inquiry into this young man's domestic and general deportment4 ,everything ,i heard was satisfactory1 nor could ,i entertain a doubt respecting the consistency of his conduct and character4 ,i had some further conversations with him1 in the course of which ,i pursued such a plan of scriptural instruction and examination as ,i conceived to be the most suitable to his progressive state of mind4 ,he improved much in reading1 carried his ,bible constantly with him1 and took every opportunity which his duty to his master's service would allow for perusing it4 ,i have frequently had occasion to observe that amongst the truly religious poor1 who have not had the advantage of being taught to read in early youth1 a concern about the soul and a desire to know the word of ,god1 have proved effectual motives for their learning to read with great ease and advantage to themselves and others4 ,it was strikingly so in the present case4 ,i had1 for a considerable time1 been accustomed to meet some serious persons once a week1 in a cottage at no great distance from the house where he lived1 for the purpose of religious conversation1 instruction1 and prayer4 ,having found these occasions remarkably useful and interesting1 ,i thought it would be very desirable to take the ,negro there1 in order that there might be other witnesses to the simplicity and sincerity of real ,christianity1 as exhibited in the character of this promising young convert4 ,i hoped it might prove an eminent mean of grace to excite and quicken the spirit of prayer and praise amongst some of my parishioners1 over whose spiritual progress ,i was anxiously watching4 ,i accordingly obtained his master's leave that he should attend me to one of my cottage assemblies4 ,his master1 who was thoroughly convinced of the extraordinary change1 in conduct and disposition1 which religion had produced in his servant1 was pleased with my attention to him1 and always spoke well of his behaviour4 ,i set out on the day appointed for the interview4 ,the cottage at which we usually assembled was nearly four miles distant from my own residence4 ,my road lay along the foot of the hill mentioned in my last account of the ,negro1 from the summit of which so luxuriant a prospect was seen4 ,on my right hand the steep acclivity of the hill intercepted all prospect1 except that of numerous sheep feeding on its rich and plentiful produce4 ,here and there the nearly perpendicular side of a chalk-pit varied the surface of the hill1 contrasting a dazzling white to the sober green of the surrounding bank4 ,on the left hand1 at the distance of nearly half a mile1 the tide flowed from the sea into a lake or haven of a considerable length and breadth4 ,at one end of it1 fishing and pilot vessels lay at anchor2 at the other appeared the parish church1 amongst the adjoining woods and fields4 ,the bells were ringing2 a gently swelling sound was brought along the surface of the water1 and an echo returned from a prominent part of the hill beneath which ,i was riding4 ,the whole scene was delightful4 ,i passed some rural and beautifully situated cottages1 which seemed to be formed as fit residences for peace and tranquillity2 each was surrounded by a garden1 and each had a little orchard or field adjacent1 where the husbandman's cow enjoyed her own pasture1 and at the same time prepared rich provision for her owner's family4 ,such was the wise and considerate allotment which the landlords and the farmers had here made for the labouring poor4 ,the wholesome vegetable1 the medicinal herb1 and the sweet-scented flower1 intermingled as they grew around these little dwellings1 and reminded me1 as ,i looked upon them1 how comfortable is the lot of the industrious poor1 whose hearts have learned the lesson of gratitude in the school of heavenly wisdom4 ,for them as mercifully as for their richest neighbour1 the sun shines1 the rain descends1 the earth brings forth her increase1 the flower blossoms1 the bird sings4 ,their wants are few1 and contentment makes them less4 ,how great the blessing of being poor in this world1 but rich in faith and a chosen inheritance in a better6 ,i knew that this was the character of some whose humble but neat and cleanly cottages ,i passed4 ,a few such features in the prospect rendered it most lovely4 ,peace be to their memory1 both as pilgrims and strangers here1 and as ransomed souls whom ,i hope to meet in glory hereafter6 ,the house to which ,i was travelling was situated at the corner of an oak wood1 which screened it both from the burning heat of summer suns and the heavy blasts of winter south-west storms4 ,as ,i approached it1 ,i saw my friend the ,negro sitting under a tree1 and waiting my arrival4 ,he held in his hand a little tract which ,i had given him2 his ,bible lay on the ground4 ,he rose with much cheerfulness1 saying-- ,ah1 massa1 me very glad to see you2 me tink you long time coming4 ,william1 ,i hope you are well4 ,i am going to take you with me to a few of my friends1 who1 ,i trust1 are truly sincere in their religious pursuits4 ,we meet every ,wednesday evening for conversation about the things that belong to our everlasting peace1 and ,i am sure you will be a welcome visitor4 ,massa1 me not goot enough to be with such goot people4 ,me great sinner2 dey be goot ,christian4 ,if you were to ask them1 ,william1 they would each tell you they were worse than others4 ,many of them were once1 and that not very long ago1 living in an openly sinful manner1 ignorant of ,god1 and the enemies of ,jesus ,christ by thought and deed4 ,but divine grace stopped them in their wicked course1 and subdued their hearts to the love and obedience of him and his gospel4 ,you will only meet a company of poor fellow-sinners1 who love to speak and sing the praises of redeeming love2 and ,i am sure1 ,william1 that is a song in which you will be willing to join them4 ,o yes1 sir6 dat song just do for poor ,negro4 ,by this time we had arrived at the cottage garden gate4 ,several well- known faces appeared in and near the house1 and the smile of affection welcomed us as we entered4 ,it was known that the ,negro was to visit the little society this evening1 and satisfaction beamed on every countenance1 as ,i took him by the hand and introduced him among them1 saying1 ,i have brought a brother from ,africa to see you1 my friends4 ,bid him welcome in the name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,sir1 said an humble and pious labourer1 whose heart and tongue always overflowed with ,christian kindness1 we are at all times glad to see our dear minister1 but especially so to-day in such company as you have brought with you4 ,we have heard how merciful the ,lord has been to him4 ,give me your hand1 good friend 7turning to the ,negro74 ,god be with you1 here and everywhere2 and blessed be his holy name for calling sinners1 as ,i hope he has done you and me1 to love and serve him for his mercy's sake4 ,each one greeted him as he came into the house1 and some addressed him in very kind and impressive language4 ,massa1 said he1 me not know what to say to all dese goot friends2 me tink dis look a little like heaven upon earth4 ,he then1 with tears in his eyes--which1 almost before he spoke1 brought responsive drops into those of many present--said1 ,goot friends and bredren in ,christ ,jesus1 ,god bless you all1 and bring you to heaven at de last4 ,it was my stated custom1 when ,i met to converse with these cottagers1 to begin with prayer and reading a portion of the ,scriptures4 ,when this was ended1 ,i told the people present that the providence of ,god had placed this young man for a time under my ministry2 and that1 finding him seriously disposed1 and believing him to be very sincere in his religious profession1 ,i had resolved on baptizing him1 agreeably to his own wishes4 ,i added1 that ,i had now brought him with me to join in ,christian conversation with us2 for1 as in olden times they that feared the ,lord spake often one to another1 in testimony that they thought upon his name 7,mal4 iii4 #af71 so ,i hoped we were fulfilling a ,christian and brotherly duty in thus assembling for mutual edification4 ,addressing myself to the ,negro1 ,i said1 ,william1 tell me who made you4 ,god1 de goot ,fader4 ,who redeemed you8 ,jesus1 his dear ,son1 who died for me4 ,who sanctified you8 ,the ,holy ,ghost1 who teach me to know de goot ,fader1 and his dear ,son ,jesus4 ,what was your state by nature8 ,me wicked sinner2 me know noting but sin1 me do noting but sin2 my soul more black dan my body4 ,has any change taken place in you since then8 ,me hope so1 massa2 but me sometime afraid no4 ,if you are changed1 who changed you8 ,god de goot ,fader1 ,jesus his dear ,son1 and ,god de ,holy ,spirit4 ,how was any change brought about in you8 ,god make me a slave when me was young little boy4 ,how1 ,william8 would you say ,god made you a slave8 ,no1 massa1 no3 me mean1 ,god let me be made slave by white men1 to do me goot4 ,how to do you good8 ,he take me from de land of darkness1 and bring me to de land of light4 ,which do you call the land of light8 the ,west ,india ,islands8 ,no1 massa2 dey be de land of ,providence1 but ,america be de land of light to me2 for dere me first hear goot minister preach4 ,and now dis place where ,i am now is de land of more light2 for here you teach me more and more how goot ,jesus is to sinners4 ,what does the blood of ,christ do8 ,it cleanse from all sin2 and so me hope from my sin4 ,are then all men cleansed from sin by his blood8 ,o no1 massa4 ,who are cleansed and saved8 ,dose dat have faith in him4 ,can you prove that out of the ,bible8 ,yes1 sir3 ',he dat believeth on de ,son hath everlasting life2 and he dat believeth not de ,son shall not see life1 but de wrath of ,god abideth on him' 7,john iii4 #cf74 ,what is it to have faith8 ,me suppose dat it is to tink much about ,jesus ,christ1 to love him much1 to believe all he says to be true1 to pray to him very much2 and when me feel very weak and very sinful1 to tink dat he is very strong and very goot1 and all dat for my sake4 ,and have you such a faith as you describe8 ,oh1 massa6 me tink sometimes me have no faith at all4 ,why so1 ,william8 ,when me want to tink about ,jesus ,christ1 my mind run about after oder tings2 when me want to love him1 my heart soon quite cold2 when me want to believe all to be true what he says to sinners1 me den tink it is not true for me2 when me want to pray1 de devil put bat1 very bat thoughts into me2 and me never tank ,christ enough4 ,now all dis make me sometimes afraid ,i have no faith4 ,i observed a very earnest glow of attention and fellow-feeling in some countenances present1 as he spoke these words ,i then said-- ,i think1 ,william1 ,i can prove that you have faith1 notwithstanding your fears to the contrary4 ,answer me a few more questions4 ,did you begin to think yourself a great sinner1 and to feel the want of a ,saviour1 of your own self1 and by your own thoughts and doings8 ,o no2 it came to me when me tink noting about it1 and seek noting about it4 ,who sent the good minister in ,america to awaken your soul by his preaching8 ,god1 very certainly4 ,who then began the work of serious thought in your mind8 ,de goot ,god2 me could not do it of myself1 me sure of dat4 ,do you not think that ,jesus ,christ and his salvation are the one thing most needful and most desirable8 ,oh yes1 me quite sure of dat4 ,do you not believe that he is able to save you8 ,yes1 he is able to save to de uttermost4 ,do you think he is not willing to save you8 ,me dare not say dat4 ,he is so goot1 so merciful1 so kind1 to say he will in no wise cast out any dat come to him4 ,do you wish1 and desire1 and strive to keep his commandments8 ,yes1 massa1 because me love him1 and dat make me want to do as he say4 ,are you willing to suffer for his sake1 if ,god should call you to do so8 ,me do tink me could die for de love of him3 he not tink it too much to die for wicked sinner2 why should wicked sinner tink it much to die for so goot and righteous a ,saviour8 ,i think and hope ,i may say to you1 ,william1 ',thy faith hath made thee whole4' ,thus ended my examination for the present4 ,the other friends who were in the house listened with the most affectionate anxiety to all that passed4 ,one of them observed1 not without evident emotion-- ,i see1 sir1 that though some men are white and some are black1 true ,christianity is all of one colour4 ,my own heart has gone with this good man1 every word he has spoken4 ,and so has mine1 gently re-echoed from every part of the room4 ,after some time passed in more general conversation on the subject of the ,negro's history1 ,i said1 ,let us now praise ,god for the rich and unspeakable gift of his grace1 and sing the hymn of redeeming love-- ',now begin the heavenly theme1 ,sing aloud in ,jesus' name1' c4 ,which was accordingly done4 ,whatever might be the merit of the natural voices1 it was evident there was spiritual melody in all their hearts4 ,the ,negro was not much used to our way of singing1 yet joined with great earnestness and affection1 that showed how truly he felt what he uttered4 ,when the fifth verse was ended-- ,nothing brought him from above1 ,nothing but redeeming love-- he repeated the words1 almost unconscious where he was-- ,no1 noting1 noting but redeeming love1 bring him down to poor ,william2 noting but redeeming love4 ,the following verses were added and sung by way of conclusion3-- ,see1 a stranger comes to view1 ,though he's black1 #aba he's comely too ,comes to join the choirs above1 ,singing of redeeming love4 ,welcome1 ,negro1 welcome here1 ,banish doubt and banish fear2 ,you1 who ,christ's salvation prove1 ,praise and bless redeeming love4 ,i concluded with some remarks on the nature of salvation by grace1 exhorting all present to press forward in the heavenly journey4 ,it was an evening the circumstances of which1 had they never been recorded on earth1 were yet1 doubtless1 registered in the book of remembrance above4 ,i then fixed the day for the baptism of the ,negro1 and so took leave of my little affectionate circle4 ,the moon shone bright as ,i returned home1 and was beautifully reflected from the waters of the lake2 harmony and repose characterized the scene4 ,i had just been uniting in the praises of the ,god of grace and providence2 and now the ,god of nature demanded a fresh tribute of thanksgiving for the beauties and comforts of creation2 as ,david sang1 ,when ,i consider thy heavens1 the work of thy fingers1 the moon and the stars1 which thou hast ordained2 what is man1 that thou art mindful of him8 and the son of man1 that thou visitest him8 ,in a few days the ,negro was baptized1 and not long after went on a voyage with his master4 ,since that time ,i have not been able to hear any tidings of him4 ,whether he yet wanders as a pilgrim in this lower world1 or whether he has joined the heavenly choir in the song of redeeming love in glory1 ,i know not4 ,this ,i do know1 he was a monument to the ,lord's praise4 ,he bore the impression of the ,saviour's image on his heart1 and exhibited the marks of divine grace in his life and conversation1 with singular simplicity and unfeigned sincerity4 ,give to ,god the glory4 ,,the ,,young ,,cottager4 ,,part ,i4 ,when a serious ,christian turns his attention to the barren state of the wilderness through which he is travelling1 frequently must he heave a sigh for the sins and sorrows of his fellow-mortals4 ,the renewed heart thirsts with holy desire that the ,paradise which was lost through ,adam may be fully regained in ,christ4 ,but the overflowings of sin within and without1 the contempt of sacred institutions1 the carelessness of soul1 the pride of unbelief1 the eagerness of sensual appetite1 the ambition for worldly greatness1 and the deep-rooted enmity of the carnal heart against ,god3 these things are as the fiery serpents1 and scorpions1 and drought1 which distress his soul1 as he journeys through that great and terrible wilderness4 ,sometimes1 like a solitary pilgrim1 he weeps in secret places1 and rivers of water run down his eyes1 because men keep not the law of ,god4 ,occasionally he meets with a few fellow-travellers whose spirit is congenial with his own1 and with whom he can take sweet counsel together4 ,they comfort and strengthen each other by the way4 ,each can relate something of the mercies of his ,god1 and how kindly they have been dealt with1 as they travelled onwards4 ,the dreariness of the path is thus beguiled1 and now and then1 for a while1 happy experiences of the divine consolation cheer their souls2 the wilderness and the solitary place are glad for them2 the desert rejoices and blossoms as the rose4 ,but even at the very time when the ,christian is taught to feel the peace of ,god which passeth all understanding1 to trust that he is personally interested in the blessings of salvation1 and to believe that ,god will promote his own glory by glorifying the penitent sinner2 yet sorrows will mingle with his comforts1 and he will rejoice1 not without trembling1 when he reflects on the state of other men4 ,the anxieties connected with earthly relations are all alive in his soul1 and1 through the operation of the ,spirit of ,god1 become sanctified principles and motives for action4 ,as the husband and father of a family2 as the neighbour of the poor1 the ignorant1 the wicked1 and the wretched2 above all1 as the spiritual overseer of the flock1 if such be his holy calling1 the heart which has been taught to feel for its own case will abundantly feel for others4 ,but when he attempts to devise means in order to stem the torrent of iniquity1 to instruct the ignorant1 and to convert the sinner from the error of his way1 he cannot help crying out1 ,who is sufficient for these things8 ,unbelief passes over the question1 and trembles4 ,but faith quickly revives the inquirer with the cheerful assurance that our sufficiency is of ,god1 and saith1 ,commit thy way unto the ,lord1 and he shall bring it to pass4 ,when he is thus affectionately engaged for the good of mankind1 he will become seriously impressed with the necessity of early attentions to the young in particular4 ,many around him are grown gray-headed in sin1 and give but little prospect of amendment4 ,many of the parents and heads of families are so eagerly busied in the profits1 pleasures1 and occupations of the world1 that they heed not the warning voice of their instructor4 ,many of their elder children are launching out into life1 headstrong1 unruly1 earthly1 sensual1 devilish2 they likewise treat the wisdom of ,god as if it were foolishness4 ,but1 under these discouragements1 we may often turn with hope to the very young1 to the little ones of the flock1 and endeavour to teach them to sing hosannas to the ,son of ,david1 before their minds are wholly absorbed in the world and its allurements4 ,we may trust that a blessing shall attend such labours1 if undertaken in faith and simplicity1 and that some at least of our youthful disciples1 like ,josiah1 while they are yet young1 may begin to seek after the ,god of their fathers4 ,such an employment1 especially when blessed by any actual instances of real good produced1 enlivens the mind with hope1 and fills it with gratitude4 ,we are thence led to trust that the next generation may become more fruitful unto ,god than the present1 and the ,church of ,christ be replenished with many such as have been called into the vineyard early in the morning4 ,and should our endeavours for a length of time apparently fail of success1 yet we ought not to despair4 ,early impressions and convictions of conscience have sometimes lain dormant for years1 and at last revived into gracious existence and maturity4 ,it was not said in vain1 ,train up a child in the way he should go1 and when he is old he will not depart from it4 ,what a gratifying occupation it is to an affectionate mind1 even in a way of nature1 to walk through the fields1 and lead a little child by the hand1 enjoying its infantine prattle1 and striving to improve the time by some kind word of instruction6 ,i wish that every ,christian pilgrim in the way of grace1 as he walks through the ,lord's pastures1 would try to lead at least one little child by the hand2 and perhaps1 whilst he is endeavouring to guide and preserve his young and feeble companion1 the ,lord will recompense him double for all his cares by comforting his own heart in the attempt4 ,the experiment is worth the trial4 ,it is supported by this recollection1--,the ,lord will come with strong hand1 and his arm shall rule for him2 behold1 his reward is with him1 and his work before him4 ,he shall feed his flock like a shepherd2 he shall gather the lambs with his arm1 and carry them in his bosom1 and shall gently lead those that are with young4 ,i shall plead no further apology for introducing to the notice of my readers a few particulars relative to a young female cottager1 whose memory is particularly endeared to me from the circumstance of her being1 so far as ,i can trace or discover1 my first-born spiritual child in the ministry of the gospel4 ,she was certainly the first1 of whose conversion to ,god1 under my own pastoral instruction1 ,i can speak with precision and assurance4 ,every parent of a family knows that there is a very interesting emotion of heart connected with the birth of his first-born child4 ,energies and affections1 to which the mind has hitherto been almost a stranger1 begin to unfold themselves and expand into active existence when he first is hailed as a father4 ,but may not the spiritual father be allowed the possession and indulgence of a similar sensation in his connection with the children whom the ,lord gives him1 as begotten through the ministry of the word of life6 ,if the first-born child in nature be received as a new and acceptable blessing1 how much more so the first-born child in grace6 ,i claim this privilege1 and crave permission1 in writing what follows1 to erect a monumental record1 sacred to the memory of a dear little child1 who1 ,i trust1 will at the last day prove my crown of rejoicing4 ,jane ,s--- was the daughter of poor parents1 in the village where it pleased ,god first to cast my lot in the ministry4 ,my acquaintance with her commenced when she was twelve years of age by her weekly attendance at my house amongst a number of children whom ,i invited and regularly instructed every ,saturday afternoon4 ,they used to read1 repeat catechisms1 psalms1 hymns1 and portions of ,scripture4 ,i accustomed them also to pass a kind of free conversational examination1 according to their age and ability1 in those subjects by which ,i hoped to see them made wise unto salvation4 ,on the summer evenings ,i frequently used to assemble this little group out of doors in my garden1 sitting under the shade of some trees1 which protected us from the heat of the sun2 from hence a scene appeared1 which rendered my occupation the more interesting4 ,for adjoining the spot where we sat1 and only separated from us by a fence1 was the churchyard1 surrounded with beautiful prospects in every direction4 ,there lay the mortal remains of thousands1 who1 from age to age1 in their different generations1 had been successively committed to the grave1--earth to earth1 ashes to ashes1 dust to dust4 ,here the once famed ancestors of the rich1 and the less known forefathers of the poor lay mingling their dust together1 and alike waiting the resurrection from the dead4 ,i had not far to look for subjects of warning and exhortation suitable to my little flock of lambs that ,i was feeding4 ,i could point to the heaving sods that marked the different graves and separated them from each other1 and tell my pupils that1 young as they were1 none of them were too young to die2 and that probably more than half of the bodies which were buried there were those of little children4 ,i hence took occasion to speak of the nature and value of a soul1 and to ask them where they expected their souls to go when they departed hence and were no more seen on earth4 ,i told them who was the resurrection and the life1 and who alone could take away the sting of death4 ,i used to remind them that the hour was coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear ,his voice1 and shall come forth3 they that have done good1 unto the resurrection of life2 and they that have done evil1 unto the resurrection of damnation4 ,i often availed myself of these opportunities to call to their recollection the more recent deaths of their own relatives that lay buried so near us4 ,some had lost a parent1 others a brother or sister2 some perhaps had lost all these1 and were committed to the mercy of their neighbours as fatherless or motherless orphans4 ,such circumstances were occasionally useful to excite tender emotions1 favourable to serious impressions4 ,sometimes ,i sent the children to the various stones which stood at the head of the graves1 and bid them learn the epitaphs inscribed upon them4 ,i took pleasure in seeing the little ones thus dispersed in the churchyard1 each committing to memory a few verses written in commemoration of the departed4 ,they would soon accomplish the desired object1 and eagerly return to me ambitious to repeat their task4 ,thus my churchyard became a book of instruction1 and every grave-stone a leaf of edification for my young disciples4 ,the church itself stood in the midst of the ground4 ,it was a spacious antique structure4 ,within those very walls ,i first proclaimed the message of ,god to sinners4 ,as these children surrounded me1 ,i sometimes pointed to the church1 spoke to them of the nature of public worship1 the value of the ,sabbath1 the duty of regular attendance on its services1 and urged their serious attention to the means of grace4 ,i showed them the sad state of many countries1 where neither churches nor ,bibles were known1 and the no less melancholy condition of multitudes at home1 who sinfully neglect worship and slight the word of ,god4 ,i thus tried to make them sensible of their own favours and privileges4 ,neither was ,i at a loss for another class of objects around me from which ,i could draw useful instruction2 for many of the beauties of created nature appealed in view4 ,eastward of us extended a large river or lake of sea-water1 chiefly formed by the tide1 and nearly enclosed by land4 ,beyond this was a fine bay and road for ships1 filled with vessels of every size1 from the small sloop or cutter to the first-rate man-of-war4 ,on the right hand of the haven rose a hill of peculiarly beautiful form and considerable height4 ,its verdure was very rich1 and many hundred sheep graced upon its sides and summit4 ,from the opposite shore of the same water a large sloping extent of bank was diversified with fields1 woods1 hedges1 and cottages4 ,at its extremity stood1 close to the edge of the sea itself1 the remains of the tower of an ancient church1 still preserved as a sea-mark4 ,far beyond the bay1 a very distant shore was observable1 and land beyond it2 trees1 towns1 and other buildings appeared1 more especially when gilded by the reflected rays of the sun4 ,to the south-westward of the garden was another down1 covered also with flocks of sheep1 and a portion of it fringed with trees4 ,at the foot of this hill lay the village1 a part of which gradually ascended to the rising ground on which the church stood4 ,from the intermixture of houses with gardens1 orchards1 and trees1 it presented a very pleasing aspect4 ,several fields adjoined the garden on the east and north1 where a number of cattle were pasturing4 ,my own little shrubberies and flower-beds variegated the view1 and recompensed my toil in rearing them1 as well by their beauty as their fragrance4 ,had the sweet psalmist of ,israel sat in this spot1 he would have glorified ,god the ,creator by descanting on these his handiworks4 ,i cannot write psalms like ,david1 but ,i wish1 in my own poor way1 to praise the ,lord for his goodness1 and to show forth his wonderful works to the children of men4 ,but had ,david been also surrounded with a troop of young scholars in such a situation1 he would once more have said1 ,out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength4 ,i love to retrace these scenes2 they are past1 but the recollection is sweet4 ,i love to retrace them1 for they bring to my mind many former mercies1 which ought not1 for the ,lord's sake1 to be forgotten4 ,i love to retrace them1 for they reassure me that1 in the course of that private ministerial occupation1 ,god was pleased to give me so valuable a fruit of my labours4 ,little ,jane used constantly to appear on these weekly seasons of instruction4 ,i made no very particular observations concerning her during the first twelve months or more after her commencement of attendance4 ,she was not then remarkable for any peculiar attainment4 ,on the whole1 ,i used to think her rather more slow of apprehension than most of her companions4 ,she usually repeated her tasks correctly1 but was seldom able to make answers to questions for which she was not previously prepared with replies--a kind of extempore examination1 in which some of the children excelled4 ,her countenance was not engaging2 her eye discovered no remarkable liveliness4 ,she read tolerably well1 took pains1 and improved in it4 ,mildness and quietness marked her general demeanour4 ,she was very constant in her attendance on public worship at the church1 as well as on my ,saturday instruction at home4 ,but1 generally speaking1 she was little noticed1 except for her regular and orderly conduct4 ,had ,i then been asked of which of my young scholars ,i had formed the most favourable opinion1 poor ,jane might have been altogether omitted in the list4 ,how little do we oftentimes know what ,god is doing in other people's hearts6 ,what poor calculators and judges we frequently prove till he opens our eyes6 ,his thoughts are not our thoughts2 neither our ways his ways4 ,once1 indeed1 during the latter part of that year1 ,i was struck with her ready attention to my wishes4 ,i had1 agreeably to the plan above mentioned1 sent her into the churchyard to commit to memory an epitaph which ,i admired4 ,on her return she told me that1 in addition to what ,i desired1 she had also learned another1 which was inscribed on an adjoining stone1 adding1 that she thought it a very pretty one4 ,i thought so too1 and perhaps my readers will be of the same opinion4 ,little ,jane1 though dead1 yet shall speak4 ,while ,i transcribe the lines1 ,i can powerfully imagine that ,i hear her voice repeating them4 ,the idea is exceedingly gratifying to me4 ,,epitaph ,,on ,,mrs4 ,a4 ,b4 ,forgive1 blest shade1 the tributary tear ,that mourns a thy exit from a world like this2 ,forgive the wish that would have kept thee here1 ,and stayed thy progress to the seats of bliss4 ,no more confined to grovelling scenes of night1 ,no more a tenant pent in mortal clay2 ,now should we rather hail thy glorious flight1 ,and trace thy journey to the realms of day4 ,the above was her appointed task2 and the other1 which she voluntarily learned and spoke of with pleasure1 is this3-- ,,epitaph ,,on ,,the ,,stone ,,adjoining4 ,it must be so--,our father ,adam's fall1 ,and disobedience1 brought this lot on all4 ,all die in him--,but1 hopeless should we be1 ,blest ,revelation6 were it not for thee4 ,hail1 glorious ,gospel6 heavenly light1 whereby ,we live with comfort1 and with comfort die2 ,and view1 beyond this gloomy scene the tomb ,a life of endless happiness to come4 ,i afterwards discovered that the sentiment expressed in the latter epitaph had much affected her1 but at the period of this little incident ,i knew nothing of her mind2 ,i had comparatively overlooked her4 ,i have often been sorry for it since4 ,conscience seemed to rebuke me when ,i afterwards discovered what the ,lord had been doing for her soul1 as if ,i had neglected her1 yet it was not done designedly4 ,she was unknown to us all1 except that1 as ,i since found out1 her regularity and abstinence from the sins and follies of her young equals in age and station brought upon her many taunts and jeers from others1 which she bore very meekly2 but at that time ,i knew it not4 ,i was young myself in the ministry1 and younger in ,christian experience4 ,my parochial plans had not as yet assumed such a principle of practical order and inquiry as to make me acquainted with the character and conduct of each family and individual in my flock4 ,i was then quite a learner1 and had much to learn4 ,and what am ,i now8 ,a learner still2 and if ,i have learned anything1 it is this1 that ,i have every day more and more yet to learn4 ,of this ,i am certain1 that my young scholar soon became my teacher4 ,i first saw what true religion could accomplish in witnessing her experience of it4 ,the ,lord once called a little child unto him1 and set him in the midst of his disciples as an emblem and an illustration of his doctrine4 ,but the ,lord did more in the case of little ,jane4 ,he not only called her as a child to show1 by a similitude1 what conversion means1 but he also called her by his grace to be a vessel of mercy1 and a living witness of that almighty power and love by which her own heart was turned to ,god4 ,,part ,,ii4 ,there is no illustration of the nature and character of the ,redeemer's kingdom on earth which is more grateful to contemplation1 than that of the shepherd and his flock4 ,imagination has been accustomed1 from our earliest childhood1 to wander amongst the fabled retreats of the ,arcadian shepherds4 ,we have probably often delighted ourselves in our own native country1 by witnessing the interesting occupation of the pastoral scene4 ,the shepherd1 tending his flock on the side of some spacious hill1 or in the hollow of a sequestered valley2 folding them at night1 and guarding them against all danger2 leading them from one pasture to another1 or for refreshment to the cooling waters4 ,these objects have met and gratified our eyes1 as we travelled through the fields1 and sought out creation's ,god1 amidst creation's beauties4 ,the poet and the painter have each lent their aid to cherish our delight in these imaginations4 ,many a descriptive verse has strengthened our attachment to the pastoral scene1 and many a well-wrought picture has occasioned it to glow like a reality in our ideas4 ,but far more impressively than these causes can possibly affect1 has the word of ,god endeared the subject to our hearts1 and sanctified it to ,christian experience4 ,who does not look back with love and veneration to those days of holy simplicity1 when patriarchs of the church of ,god lived in tents and watched their flocks8 ,with what a strength and beauty of allusion do the prophets refer to the intercourse between the shepherd and flock for an illustration of the ,saviour's kingdom on earth6 ,the ,psalmist rejoiced in the consideration that the ,lord was his ,shepherd1 and that therefore he should not want4 ,the ,redeemer himself assumed this interesting title1 and declared that his sheep hear his voice1 he knows them1 and they follow him1 and he gives unto them eternal life4 ,perhaps at no previous moment was this comparison ever expressed so powerfully1 as when his risen ,lord gave the pastoral charge to the lately offending but now penitent disciple1 saying1 ,feed my sheep4 ,every principle of grace1 mercy1 and peace1 met together on that occasion4 ,peter had thrice denied his ,master3 his ,master now thrice asked him1 ,lovest thou me8 ,peter each time appealed to his own1 or to his ,lord's consciousness of what he felt within his heart4 ,as often ,jesus commited to his care the flock which he had purchased with his blood4 ,and that none might be forgotten1 he not only said1 ,feed my sheep1 but ,feed my lambs1 also4 ,may every instructor of the young keep this injunction enforced on his conscience and affections1--,i return to little ,jane4 ,it was about fifteen months from the first period of her attendance on my ,saturday school1 when ,i missed her from her customary place4 ,two or three weeks had gone by1 without my making any particular inquiry respecting her4 ,i was at length informed that she was not well2 but apprehending no peculiar cause for alarm1 nearly two months passed away without any further mention of her name being made4 ,at length a poor old woman in the village1 of whose religious disposition ,i had formed a good opinion1 came and said to me1 ,sir1 have you not missed ,jane ,s--- at your house on ,saturday afternoons8 ,yes1 ,i replied1 ,i believe she is not well4 ,nor ever will be1 ,i fear1 said the woman4 ,what6 do you apprehend any danger in the case8 ,sir1 she is very poorly indeed1 and ,i think is in a decline4 ,she wants to see you1 sir2 but is afraid you would not come to see such a poor young child as she is4 ,not go where poverty and sickness may call me8 ,how can she imagine so8 ,at which house does she live8 ,sir1 it is a poor place1 and she is ashamed to ask you to come there4 ,her near neighbours are noisy wicked people1 and her own father and mother are strange folks4 ,they all make game at poor ,jenny because she reads her ,bible so much4 ,do not tell me about poor places and wicked people3 that is the very situation where a minister of the gospel is called to do the most good4 ,i shall go to see her2 you may let her know my intention4 ,i will1 sir2 ,i go in most days to speak to her1 and it does one's heart good to hear her talk4 ,indeed6 said ,i1 what does she talk about8 ,talk about1 poor thing6 why1 nothing but good things1 such as the ,bible1 and ,jesus ,christ1 and life1 and death1 and her soul1 and heaven1 and hell1 and your discourses1 and the books you used to teach her1 sir4 ,her father says he'll have no such godly things in his house2 and her own mother scoffs at her1 and says she supposes ,jenny counts herself better than other folks4 ,but she does not mind all that4 ,she will read her books1 and then talk so pretty to her mother1 and beg that she would think about her soul4 ,the ,lord forgive me1 thought ,i1 for not being more attentive to this poor child's case6 ,i seemed to feel the importance of infantine instruction more than ever ,i had done before1 and felt a rising hope that this girl might prove a kind of first-fruits of my labours4 ,i now recollected her quiet1 orderly1 diligent attendance on our little weekly meetings2 and her marked approbation of the epitaph1 as related in my last paper1 rushed into my thoughts4 ,i hope1 ,i really hope1 said ,i1 this dear child will prove a true child of ,god4 ,and if so1 what a mercy to her1 and what a mercy for me6 ,little ,jane's ,cottage3 p#acg4;jpg ,the next morning ,i went to see the child4 ,her dwelling was of the humblest kind4 ,it stood against a high bank of earth1 which formed a sort of garden behind it4 ,it was so steep1 that but little would grow in it2 yet that little served to show not only1 on the one hand1 the poverty of its owners1 but also to illustrate the happy truth1 that even in the worst of circumstances the ,lord does make a kind provision for the support of his creatures4 ,the front aspect of the cottage was chiefly rendered pleasing by a honeysuckle1 which luxuriantly climbed up the wall1 enclosing the door1 windows1 and even the chimney1 with its twining branches4 ,as ,i entered the house-door1 its flowers put forth a very sweet and refreshing smell4 ,intent on the object of my visit1 ,i at the same moment offered up silent prayer to ,god1 and entertained a hope1 that the welcome fragrance of the shrub might be illustrative of that all-prevailing intercession of a ,redeemer1 which ,i trusted was1 in the case of this little child1 as a sweet-smelling savour to her heavenly ,father4 ,the very flowers and leaves of the garden and field are emblematical of higher things1 when grace teaches us to make them so4 ,jane was in bed upstairs4 ,i found no one in the house with her except the woman who had brought me the message on the evening before4 ,the instant ,i looked on the girl1 ,i perceived a very marked change in her countenance3 it had acquired the consumptive hue1 both white and red4 ,a delicacy unknown to it before quite surprised me1 owing to the alteration it produced in her look4 ,she received me first with a very sweet smile1 and then instantly burst into a flood of tears1 just sobbing out1-- ,i am so glad to see you1 sir6 ,i am very much concerned at your being so ill1 my child1 and grieved that ,i was not sooner aware of your state4 ,but ,i hope the ,lord designs it for your good4 ,her eye1 not her tongue1 powerfully expressed1 ,i hope and think he does4 ,well1 my poor child1 since you can no longer come to see me1 ,i will come and see you1 and we will talk over the subjects which ,i have been used to explain to you4 ,indeed1 sir1 ,i shall be so glad6 ,that ,i believe she will1 said the woman2 for she loves to talk of nothing so much as what she has heard you say in your sermons1 and in the books you have given her4 ,are you really desirous1 my dear child1 to be a true ,christian8 ,oh1 yes1 yes1 sir2 ,i am sure ,i desire that above all things4 ,i was astonished and delighted at the earnestness and simplicity with which she spoke these words4 ,sir1 added she1 ,i have been thinking1 as ,i lay on my bed for many weeks past1 how good you are to instruct us poor children2 what must become of us without it6 ,i am truly glad to perceive that my instructions have not been lost upon you1 and pray ,god that this your present sickness may be an instrument of blessing in his hands to prove1 humble1 and sanctify you4 ,my dear child1 you have a soul1 an immortal soul to think of2 you remember what ,i have often said to you about the value of a soul3 ',what shall it profit a man1 if he gain the whole world1 and lose his own soul8' ,yes1 sir1 ,i remember well you told us1 that when our bodies are put into the grave1 our souls will then go either to the good or the bad place4 ,and to which of these places do you think that1 as a sinner in the sight of ,god1 you deserve to go8 ,to the bad one1 sir4 ,what6 to everlasting destruction6 ,yes1 sir4 ,why so8 ,because ,i am a great sinner4 ,and must all great sinners go to hell8 ,they all deserve it2 and ,i am sure ,i do4 ,but is there no way of escape8 ,is there no way for a great sinner to be saved8 ,yes1 sir1 ,christ is the ,saviour4 ,and whom does he save8 ,all believers4 ,and do you believe in ,christ yourself8 ,i do not know1 sir2 ,i wish ,i did2 but ,i feel that ,i love him4 ,what do you love him for8 ,because he is good to poor children's souls like mine4 ,what has he done for you8 ,he died for me1 sir2 and what could he do more8 ,and what do you hope to gain by his death8 ,a good place when ,i die1 if ,i believe in him1 and love him4 ,have you felt any uneasiness on account of your soul8 ,oh1 yes1 sir1 a great deal4 ,when you used to talk to us children on ,saturdays1 ,i often felt as if ,i could hardly bear it1 and wondered that others could seem so careless4 ,i thought ,i was not fit to die4 ,i thought of all the bad things ,i had ever done and said1 and believed ,god must be very angry with me2 for you often told us1 that ,god would not be mocked2 and that ,christ said1 if we were not converted1 we could not go to heaven4 ,sometimes ,i thought ,i was so young it did not signify3 and then1 again1 it seemed to me a great sin to think so2 for ,i knew ,i was old enough to see what was right and what was wrong2 and so ,god had a just right to be angry when ,i did wrong4 ,besides1 ,i could see that my heart was not right2 and how could such a heart be fit for heaven8 ,indeed1 sir1 ,i used to feel very uneasy4 ,my dear ,jenny1 ,i wish ,i had known all this before4 ,why did you never tell me about it8 ,sir1 ,i durst not4 ,indeed1 ,i could not well say what was the matter with me3 and ,i thought you would look upon me as very bold1 if ,i had spoke about myself to such a gentleman as you3 yet ,i often wished that you knew what ,i felt and feared4 ,sometimes1 as we went away from your house1 ,i could not help crying2 and then the other children laughed and jeered at me1 and said ,i was going to be very good1 they supposed1 or at least to make people think so4 ,sometimes1 sir1 ,i fancied you did not think so well of me as of the rest1 and that hurt me2 yet ,i knew ,i deserved no particular favour1 because ,i was the chief of sinners4 ,my dear1 what made ,st4 ,paul say he was chief of sinners8 ,in what verse of the ,bible do you find this expression1 'the chief of sinners2' can you repeat it8 ',this is a faithful saying1 and worthy of all acceptation1 that ,christ ,jesus came into the world to save sinners2'--is not that right1 sir8 ,yes1 my child1 it is right2 and ,i hope that the same conviction which ,st4 ,paul had at that moment has made you sensible of the same truth4 ,christ came into the world to save sinners3 my dear child1 remember now and for ever more1 that ,christ came into the world to save the chief of sinners4 ,sir1 ,i am so glad he did4 ,it makes me hope that he will save me1 though ,i am a poor sinful girl4 ,sir1 ,i am very ill1 and ,i do not think ,i shall ever get well again4 ,i want to go to ,christ if ,i die4 ,go to ,christ while you live1 my dear child1 and he will not cast you away when you die4 ,he that said1 ',suffer little children to come unto me1' waits to be gracious to them1 and forbids them not4 ,what made you first think so seriously about the state of your soul8 ,your talking about the graves in the churchyard1 and telling us how many young children were buried there4 ,i remember you said1 one day1 near twelve months ago1 ',children6 where will you be a hundred years hence8 ,children6 where do you think you shall go when you die8 ,children6 if you were to die to-night1 are you sure you should go to ,christ and be happy8' ,sir1 ,i never shall forget your saying1 ',children1' three times together in that solemn way4 ,did you ever before that day feel any desire about your soul8 ,yes1 sir2 ,i think ,i first had that desire almost as soon as you began to teach us on ,saturday afternoons2 but on that day ,i felt as ,i never did before4 ,i shall never forget it4 ,all the way as ,i went home1 and all that night1 these words were in my thoughts3 ',children6 where do you think you shall go when you die8' ,i thought ,i must leave off all my bad ways1 or where shall ,i go when ,i died8 ,and what effect did these thoughts produce in your mind8 ,sir1 ,i tried to live better1 and ,i did leave off many bad ways2 but the more ,i strove1 the more difficult ,i found it1 my heart seemed so hard3 and then ,i could not tell any one my case4 ,could not you tell it to the ,lord1 who hears and answers prayers8 ,my prayers 7here she blushed and sighed7 are very poor at the best1 and at that time ,i scarcely knew how to pray at all as ,i ought4 ,but ,i did sometimes ask the ,lord for a better heart4 ,there was a character in all this conversation which marked a truly sincere and enlightened state of mind4 ,she spoke with all the simplicity of a child1 and yet the seriousness of a ,christian4 ,i could scarcely persuade myself that she was the same girl ,i had been accustomed to see in past time4 ,her countenance was filled with interesting affections1 and always spoke much more than her tongue could utter4 ,at the same time she now possessed an ease and liberty in speaking1 to which she had formerly been a stranger3 nevertheless1 she was modest1 humble1 and unassuming4 ,her readiness to converse was the result of spiritual anxiety1 not childish forwardness4 ,the marks of a ,divine change were too prominent to be easily mistaken2 and in this very child1 ,i1 for the first time1 witnessed the evident testimonies of such a change4 ,how encouraging1 how profitable to my own soul6 ,sir1 continued little ,jane1 ,i had one day been thinking that ,i was neither fit to live nor die3 for ,i could find no comfort in this world1 and ,i was sure ,i deserved none in the other4 ,on that day you sent me to learn the verse on ,mrs4 ,b---'s headstone1 and then ,i read that on the one next to it4 ,i very well remember it1 ,jenny2 you came back1 and repeated them both to me4 ,there were two lines in it which made me think and meditate a great deal4 ,which were they8 ',hail ,glorious gospel6 heavenly light1 whereby ,we live with comfort1 and with comfort die4' ,i wished that glorious gospel was mine1 that ,i might live and die with comfort2 and it seemed as if ,i thought it would be so4 ,i never felt so happy in all my life before4 ,the words were often in my thoughts1-- ',live with comfort1 and with comfort die4' ,glorious gospel1 indeed6 ,i thought4 ,my dear child1 what is the meaning of the word gospel8 ,good news4 ,good news for whom8 ,for wicked sinners1 sir4 ,who sends this good news for wicked sinners8 ,the ,lord ,almighty4 ,and who brings this good news8 ,sir1 you brought it to me4 ,here my soul melted in an instant1 and ,i could not repress the tears which the emotion excited4 ,the last answer was equally unexpected and affecting4 ,i felt a father's tenderness and gratitude for a new and first-born child4 ,jane wept likewise4 ,after a little pause she said1-- ,o sir6 ,i wish you would speak to my father1 and mother1 and little brother2 for ,i am afraid they are going on very badly4 ,how so8 ,sir1 they drink1 and swear1 and quarrel1 and do not like what is good2 and it does grieve me so1 ,i cannot bear it4 ,if ,i speak a word to them about it1 they are very angry1 and laugh1 and bid me be quiet1 and not set up for their teacher4 ,sir1 ,i am ashamed to tell you this of them1 but ,i hope it is not wrong2 ,i mean it for their good4 ,i wish your prayers and endeavours for their sake may be blessed2 ,i will also do what ,i can4 ,i then prayed with the child1 and promised to visit her constantly4 ,as ,i returned home1 my heart was filled with thankfulness for what ,i had seen and heard4 ,little ,jane appeared to be a first-fruits of my parochial and spiritual harvest4 ,this thought greatly comforted and strengthened me in my ministerial prospects4 ,my partiality to the memory of little ,jane will probably induce me to lay some further particulars before the reader4 ,,part ,,iii4 ,divine grace educates the reasoning faculties of the soul1 as well as the best affections of the heart2 and happily consecrates them both to the glory of the ,redeemer4 ,neither the disadvantages of poverty1 nor the inexperience of childhood1 are barriers able to resist the mighty influences of the ,spirit of ,god1 when he goeth forth where he listeth4 ,god hath chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise2 and ,god hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty4 ,the truth of this scriptural assertion was peculiarly evident in the case of my young parishioner4 ,little ,jane's illness was of a lingering nature4 ,i often visited her4 ,the soul of this young ,christian was gradually1 but effectually1 preparing for heaven4 ,i have seldom witnessed in any older person1 under similar circumstances1 stronger marks of earnest inquiry1 continual seriousness1 and holy affections4 ,one morning1 as ,i was walking through the church-yard1 in my way to visit her1 ,i stopped to look at the epitaph which had made such a deep impression on her mind4 ,i was struck with the reflection of the important consequences which might result from a more frequent and judicious attention to the inscriptions placed in our burying-grounds1 as memorials of the departed4 ,the idea occurred to my thoughts1 that as the two stone tables given by ,god to ,moses were once a means of communicating to the ,jews1 from age to age1 the revelation of ,god's will as concerning the law2 so these funeral tables of stone may1 under a better dispensation1 bear a never-failing proclamation of ,god's will to sinners as revealed in the gospel of his grace1 from generation to generation4 ,i have often lamented1 when indulging a contemplation among the graves1 that some of the inscriptions were coarse and ridiculous2 others1 absurdly flattering2 many1 expressive of sentiments at variance with the true principles of the word of ,god2 not a few1 barren and unaccompanied with a single word of useful instruction to the reader4 ,thus a very important opportunity of conveying scriptural admonition is lost4 ,i wish that every grave-stone might not only record the name of our deceased friends1 but also proclaim the name of ,jesus1 as the only name given under heaven whereby men can be saved4 ,perhaps1 if the ministers of religion were to interest themselves in this matter1 and accustom their people to consult them as to the nature of the monumental inscriptions which they wish to introduce into churches and church-yards1 a gradual improvement would take place in this respect4 ,what is offensive1 useless1 or erroneous1 would no longer find admittance1 and a succession of valuable warning and consolation to the living would perpetuate the memory of the dead4 ,what can be more disgusting than the too common spectacle of trifling licentious travellers1 wandering about the church-yards of the different places through which they pass1 in search of rude1 ungrammatical1 ill- spelt1 and absurd verses among the grave-stones2 and this for the gratification of their unholy scorn and ridicule6 ,and yet how much is it to be deplored that such persons are seldom disappointed in finding many instances which too readily afford them the unfeeling satisfaction which they seek6 ,i therefore offer this suggestion to my reverend brethren1 that as no monument or stone can be placed in a church or church-yard without their express consent or approbation1 whether one condition of that consent being granted1 should not be a previous inspection and approval of every inscription which may be so placed within the precincts of the sanctuary8 ,the reader will pardon this digression1 which evidently arose from the peculiar connection established in little ,jane's history1 between an epitaph inscribed on a grave-stone1 and the word of ,god inscribed on her heart4 ,when ,i arrived at ,jane's cottage1 ,i found her in bed1 reading ,dr4 ,watts' ,hymns for ,children1 in which she took great pleasure4 ,what are you reading this morning1 ,jane8 ,sir1 ,i have been thinking very much about some verses in my little book4 ,here they are1-- ',there is an hour when ,i must die1 ,nor do ,i know how soon 'twill come2 ,a thousand children young as ,i ,are called by death to hear their doom4 ,let me improve the hours ,i have1 ,before the day of grace is fled2 ,there's no repentance in the grave1 ,nor pardon offered to the dead4' ,sir1 ,i feel all that to be very true1 and ,i am afraid ,i do not improve the hours ,i have1 as ,i ought to do4 ,i think ,i shall not live very long2 and when ,i remember my sins1 ,i say1-- ',lord1 at thy feet ashamed ,i lie1 ,upward ,i dare not look2 ,pardon my sins before ,i die1 ,and blot them from thy book4' ,do you think he will pardon me1 sir8 ,my dear child1 ,i have great hopes that he ,,has pardoned you2 that he has heard your prayers1 and put you into the number of his true children already4 ,you have had strong proofs of his mercy to your soul4 ,yes1 sir1 ,i have1 and ,i wish to love and bless him for it4 ,he is good1 very good4 ,it had for some time past occurred to my mind that a course of regulated conversations on the first principles of religion would be very desirable from time to time1 for this interesting child's sake3 and ,i thought the ,church ,catechism would be the best groundwork for that purpose4 ,jenny1 said ,i1 you can repeat the ,catechism8 ,yes1 sir2 but ,i think that has been one of my sins in the sight of ,god4 ,what6 repeating your ,catechism8 ,yes1 sir1 in such a way as ,i used to do it4 ,how was that8 ,very carelessly indeed4 ,i never thought about the meaning of the words1 and that must be very wrong4 ,sir1 the ,catechism is full of good things2 ,i wish ,i understood them better4 ,well1 then1 my child1 we will talk a little about those good things which1 as you truly say1 are contained in the ,catechism4 ,did you ever consider what it is to be a member of ,christ1 a child of ,god1 and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven8 ,i think1 sir1 ,i have lately considered it a good deal2 and ,i want to be such1 not only in name1 but in deed and in truth4 ,you once told me1 sir1 that 'as the branch is to the vine1 and the stone to the building1 and the limb to the body and the head1 so is a true believer to the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4' ,but how am ,i to know that ,i belong to ,christ as a true member1 which1 you said one day in the church1 means the same as a limb of the body1 such as a leg or an arm8 ,do you love ,christ now in a way you never used to do before8 ,yes1 ,i think so indeed4 ,why do you love him8 ,because he first loved me4 ,how do you know that he first loved you8 ,because he sent me instruction1 and made me feel the sin of my heart1 and taught me to pray for pardon1 and love his ways2 he sent you to teach me1 sir1 and to show me the way to be saved2 and now ,i want to be saved in that way that he pleases4 ,sometimes ,i feel as if ,i loved all that he has said and done1 so much1 that ,i wish never to think about anything else4 ,i know ,i did not use to feel so2 and ,i think if he had not loved me first1 my wicked heart would never have cared about him4 ,i once loved anything better than religion1 but now it is everything to me4 ,do you believe in your heart that ,christ is able and willing to save the chief of sinners8 ,i do4 ,and what are you8 ,a young1 but a great sinner4 ,is it not of his mercy that you know and feel yourself to be a sinner8 ,certainly2 yes1 it must be so4 ,do you earnestly desire to forsake all sin8 ,if ,i know myself1 ,i do4 ,do you feel a spirit within you resisting sin1 and making you hate it8 ,yes1 ,i hope so4 ,who gave you that spirit8 ,were you always so8 ,it must be ,christ1 who loved me1 and gave himself for me4 ,i was quite different once4 ,now1 then1 my dear ,jane1 does not all this show a connection between the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and your soul8 ,does it not seem as if you lived1 and moved1 and had a spiritual being from him8 ,just as a limb is connected with your body1 and so with your head1 and thereby gets power to live and move through the flowing of the blood from the one to the other2 so are you spiritually a limb or member of ,christ1 if you believe in him1 and thus obtain1 through faith1 a power to love him1 and live to his praise and glory4 ,do you understand me8 ,yes1 sir1 ,i believe ,i do2 and it is very comfortable to my thoughts to look up to ,christ as a living ,head1 and to consider myself as the least and lowest of all his members4 ,now tell me what your thoughts are as to being a child of ,god4 ,i am sure1 sir1 ,i do not deserve to be called his child4 ,can you tell me who does deserve it8 ,no one1 sir4 ,how1 then1 comes any one to be a child of ,god1 when by nature we are children of wrath8 ,by ,god's grace1 sir4 ,what does grace mean8 ,favour2 free favour to sinners4 ,right2 and what does ,god bestow upon the children of wrath1 when he makes them children of grace8 ,a death unto sin1 and a new birth unto righteousness2 is it not1 sir8 ,yes1 this is the fruit of ,christ's redeeming love2 and ,i hope you are a partaker of the blessing4 ,the family of ,god is named after him1 and he is the first-born of many brethren4 ,what a mercy that ,christ calls himself 'a ,brother6' ,my little girl1 he is your ,brother2 and will not be ashamed to own you1 and present you to his ,father at the last day1 as one that he has purchased with his blood4 ,i wish ,i could love my ,father and my ,brother which are in heaven better than ,i do4 ,lord be merciful to me a sinner6 ,i think1 sir1 if ,i am a child of ,god1 ,i am often a rebellious one4 ,he shows kindness to me beyond others1 and yet ,i make a very poor return4 ',are these thy favours day by day1 ,to me above the rest8 ,then let me love thee more than they1 ,and strive to serve thee best4' ,that will be the best way to approve yourself a real child of ,god4 ,show your love and thankfulness to such a ,father1 who hath prepared for you an inheritance among the saints in light1 and made you 'an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven1 as well as a member of ,christ1 and a child of ,god4' ,do you know what 'the kingdom of heaven' means8 ,just at that instant her mother entered the house below1 and began to speak to a younger child in a passionate1 scolding tone of voice1 accompanied by some very offensive language2 but quickly stopped on hearing us in conversation up stairs4 ,ah1 my poor mother6 said the girl1 you would not have stopped so short1 if ,mr4 --- had not been here4 ,sir1 you hear how my mother swears2 pray say something to her2 she will not hear me4 ,i went towards the stair-head1 and called to the woman2 but ashamed at the thought of my having probably overheard her expressions1 she suddenly left the house1 and for that time escaped reproof4 ,sir1 said little ,jane1 ,i am so afraid1 if ,i go to heaven ,i shall never see my poor mother there4 ,i wish ,i may1 but she does swear so1 and keep such bad company4 ,as ,i lie here a-bed1 sir1 for hours together1 there is often so much wickedness1 and noise1 and quarrelling down below1 that ,i do not know how to bear it4 ,it comes very near1 sir1 when one's father and mother go on so4 ,i want them all to turn to the ,lord1 and go to heaven4--,tell me now1 sir1 something about being an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven4 ,you may remember1 my child1 what ,i have told you when explaining the ,catechism in the church1 that the 'kingdom of heaven' in the ,scripture means the church of ,christ upon earth1 as well as the state of glory in heaven4 ,the one is a preparation for the other4 ,all true ,christians are heirs of ,god1 and joint-heirs with ,christ1 and shall inherit the glory and happiness of his kingdom1 and live with ,christ and be with him for ever4 ,this is the free gift of ,god to his adopted children2 and all that believe aright in ,christ shall experience the truth of that promise1 ',it is your ,father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom4' ,you are a poor girl now1 but ,i trust 'an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4' ,you suffer now2 but are you not willing to suffer for his sake1 and to bear patiently those things to which he calls you8 ,oh yes1 very willing2 ,i would not complain4 ,it is all right4 ,then1 my dear1 you shall reign with him4 ,through much tribulation you may1 perhaps1 enter into the kingdom of ,god2 but tribulation worketh patience2 and patience1 experience2 and experience1 hope4 ,as a true 'member of ,christ1' show yourself to be a dutiful 'child of ,god1' and your portion will be that of an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven4 ,faithful is ,he that hath promised4 ,commit thy way unto the ,lord2 trust also in him2 and he shall bring it to pass4 ,thank you1 sir1 ,i do so love to hear of these things4 ,and ,i think1 sir1 ,i should not love them so much if ,i had no part in them4 ,sir1 there is one thing ,i want to ask you4 ,it is a great thing1 and ,i may be wrong--,i am so young--and yet ,i hope ,i mean right-- ,here she hesitated and paused4 ,what is it8 ,do not be fearful of mentioning it4 ,a tear rolled down her cheek--a slight blush coloured her countenance4 ,she lifted up her eyes to heaven for a moment1 and then1 fixing them on me with a solemn1 affecting look1 said1-- ,may so young a poor child as ,i am be admitted to the ,lord's ,supper8 ,i have for some time wished it1 but dared not to mention it1 for fear you should think it wrong4 ,my dear ,jenny1 ,i have no doubt respecting it1 and shall be very glad to converse with you on the subject1 and hope that ,he who has given you the desire1 will bless his own ordinance to your soul4 ,would you wish it now or to-morrow8 ,to-morrow1 if you please1 sir2--will you come to-morrow and talk to me about it8 and if you think it proper1 ,i shall be thankful4 ,i am growing faint now--,i hope to be better when you come again4 ,i was much pleased with her proposal1 and rejoiced in the prospect of seeing so young and sincere a ,christian thus devote herself to the ,lord1 and receive the sacramental seal of a ,saviour's love to her soul4 ,disease was making rapid inroads upon her constitution1 and she was aware of it4 ,but as the outward man decayed1 she was strengthened with might1 by ,god's ,spirit in the inner man4 ,she was evidently ripening fast for a better world4 ,i remember these things with affectionate pleasure2 they revive my earlier associations1 and ,i hope the recollection does me good4 ,i wish them to do good to thee likewise1 my reader2 and therefore ,i write them down4 ,may the simplicity that is in ,christ render ,the short and simple annals of the poor a mean of grace and blessing to thy soul6 ,out of the mouth of this babe and suckling may ,god ordain thee strength6 ,if thou art willing1 thou mayest perchance hear something further respecting her4 ,,part ,,iv4 ,i was so much affected with my last visit to little ,jane1 and particularly with her tender anxiety respecting the ,lord's ,supper1 that it formed the chief subject of my thoughts for the remainder of the day4 ,i rode in the afternoon to a favourite spot1 where ,i sometimes indulged in solitary meditation2 where ,i wished to reflect on the interesting case of my little disciple4 ,it was a place well suited for such a purpose4 ,in the widely sweeping curve of a beautiful bay1 there is a kind of chasm or opening in one of the lofty cliffs which bound it4 ,this produces a very romantic and striking effect4 ,the steep descending sides of this opening in the cliff are covered with trees1 bushes1 wild flowers1 fern1 wormwood1 and many other herbs1 here and there contrasted with bold masses of rock or brown earth4 ,in the higher part of one of those declivities two or three picturesque cottages are fixed1 and seem half suspended in the air4 ,from the upper extremity of this great fissure1 or opening in the cliff1 a small stream of water enters by a cascade1 flows through the bottom1 winding in a varied course of about a quarter of a mile in length2 and then runs into the sea across a smooth expanse of firm1 hard sand1 at the lower extremity of the chasm4 ,at this point1 the sides of the woody banks are very lofty1 and1 to a spectator from the bottom1 exhibit a mixture of the grand and beautiful not often exceeded4 ,near the mouth of this opening was a little hollow recess1 or cave in the cliff1 from whence1 on one hand1 ,i could see the above-described romantic scene2 on the other1 a long train of perpendicular cliffs1 terminating in a bold and wild-shaped promontory1 which closed the bay at one end1 while a conspicuous white cliff stood directly opposite1 about four miles distant1 at the further point of the bay4 ,the shore1 between the different cliffs and the edge of the waves1 was in some parts covered with stones and shingle2 in some1 with firm sand2 and in others1 with irregular heaps of little rocks fringed with sea-weed1 and ornamented with small yellow shells4 ,the cliffs themselves were diversified with strata of various-coloured earth1 black1 yellow1 brown1 and orange4 ,the effects of iron ore1 producing very manifest changes of hue1 were everywhere seen in trickling drops and streamlets down the sides4 ,the huts in which the fishermen kept their baskets1 nets1 boats1 and other implements1 occupied a few retired spots on the shore4 ,the open sea1 in full magnificence1 occupied the centre of the prospect2 bounded1 indeed1 in one small part1 by a very distant shore1 on the rising ascent from which the rays of the sun rendered visible a cathedral church1 with its towering spire1 at near thirty miles' distance4 ,everywhere else the sea beyond was limited only by the sky4 ,a frigate was standing into the bay1 not very far from my recess2 other vessels of every size1 sailing in many directions1 varied the scene1 and furnished matter for a thousand sources of contemplation4 ,at my feet the little rivulet1 gently rippling over pebbles1 soon mingled with the sand1 and was lost in the waters of the mighty ocean4 ,the murmuring of the waves1 as the tide ebbed or flowed1 on the sand2 their dashing against some more distant rocks1 which were covered fantastically with sea-weed and shells2 sea-birds floating in the air aloft1 or occasionally screaming from their holes in the cliffs2 the hum of human voices in the ships and boats1 borne along the water3 all these sounds served to promote1 rather than interrupt1 meditation4 ,they were soothingly blended together1 and entered the ear in a kind of natural harmony4 ,in the quiet enjoyment of a scene like this1 the lover of nature's beauties will easily find scope for spiritual illustration4 ,here ,i sat and mused over the interesting character and circumstances of little ,jane4 ,here ,i prayed that ,god would effectually teach me those truths which ,i ought to teach her4 ,when ,i thought of her youth1 ,i blushed to think how superior she was to what ,i well remember myself to have been at the same age2 nay1 how far my superior at that very time4 ,i earnestly desired to catch something of the spirit which appeared so lovely in her2 for1 simple1 teachable1 meek1 humble yet earnest in her demeanour1 she bore living marks of heavenly teaching4 ,the ,lord1 thought ,i1 has called this little child1 and set her in the midst of us1 as a parable1 a pattern1 an emblem4 ,and he saith1 ',verily1 except ye be converted1 and become as little children1 ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven4' ,oh that ,i may be humble as this little child6 ,i was thus led into a deep self-examination1 and was severely exercised with fear and apprehension1 whether ,i was myself a real partaker of those divine influences which ,i could so evidently discover in her4 ,sin appeared to me just then to be more than ever exceeding sinful4 ,inward and inbred corruptions made me tremble4 ,the danger of self-deception in so great a matter alarmed me4 ,i was a teacher of others2 but was ,i indeed spiritually taught myself8 ,a spirit of anxious inquiry ran through every thought3 ,i looked at the manifold works of creation around me2 ,i perceived the greatest marks of regularity and order2 but within ,i felt confusion and disorder4 ,the waves of the sea1 thought ,i1 ebb and flow in exact obedience to the law of their ,creator4 ,thus far they come1 and no further--they retire again to their accustomed bounds2 and so maintain a regulated succession of effects4 ,but1 alas6 the waves of passion and affection in the human breast manifest more of the wild confusion of a storm1 than the orderly regularity of a tide4 ,grace only can subdue them4 ,what peaceful harmony subsists throughout all this lovely landscape6 ,these majestic cliffs1 some clothed with trees and shrubs2 others bare and unadorned with herbage1 yet variegated with many-coloured earths2 these are not only sublime and delightful to behold1 but they are answering the end of their creation1 and serve as a barrier to stop the progress of the waves4 ,but how little peace and harmony can ,i comparatively see in my own heart6 ,the landscape within is marred by dreary1 barren wilds1 and wants that engaging character which the various parts of this prospect before me so happily preserve4 ,sin1 sin is the bane of mortality1 and heaps confusion upon confusion1 wherever it prevails4 ,yet1 saith the voice of ,promise1 ',sin shall not have dominion over you4' ,oh1 then1 'may ,i yield myself unto ,god1 as one that am alive from the dead1 and my members as instruments of righteousness unto ,god6' ,and thus may ,i become an able and willing minister of the ,new ,testament6 ,i wish ,i were like this little stream of water4 ,it takes its first rise scarcely a mile off2 yet it has done good even in that short course4 ,it has passed by several cottages in its way1 and afforded life and health to the inhabitants2 it has watered their little gardens as it flows1 and enriched the meadows near its banks4 ,it has satisfied the thirst of the flocks that are feeding aloft on the hills1 and perhaps refreshed the shepherd's boy who sits watching his master's sheep hard by4 ,it then quietly finishes its current in this secluded dell1 and1 agreeably to the design of its ,creator1 quickly vanishes in the ocean4 ,may my course be like unto thine1 thou little rivulet6 ,though short be my span of life1 yet may ,i be useful to my fellow-sinners as ,i travel onwards6 ,let me be a dispenser of spiritual support and health to many6 ,like this stream1 may ,i prove 'the poor man's friend' by the way1 and water the souls that thirst for the river of life1 wherever ,i meet them6 ,and if it please thee1 ,o my ,god1 let me in my latter end be like this brook4 ,it calmly1 though not quite silently1 flows through this scene of peace and loveliness1 just before it enters the sea4 ,let me thus gently close my days likewise2 and may ,i not unusefully tell to others of the goodness and mercy of our ,saviour1 till ,i arrive at the vast ocean of eternity6 ,thither1 thought ,i1 little ,jane is fast hastening4 ,short1 but not useless1 has been her course4 ,i feel the great importance of it in my own soul at this moment4 ,i view a work of mercy there1 to which ,i do hope ,i am not quite a stranger in the experience of my own heart4 ,the thought enlivens my spirit1 and leads me to see that1 great as is the power of sin the power of ,jesus is greater2 and1 through grace1 ,i may meet my dear young disciple1 my child in the gospel1 my sister in the faith1 in a brighter1 a better world hereafter4 ,there was something in the whole of this meditation which calmed and prepared my mind for my promised visit the next day4 ,i looked forward to it with affectionate anxiety4 ,it was now time to return homewards4 ,the sun was setting4 ,the lengthened shadows of the cliffs1 and of the hills towering again far above them1 cast a brown but not unpleasing tint over the waters of the bay4 ,further on the beams of the sun still maintained their splendour4 ,some of the sails of the distant ships1 enlivened by its rays1 appeared like white spots in the blue horizon1 and seemed to attract my notice1 as if to claim at least the passing prayer1 ,god speed the mariners on their voyage4 ,i quitted my retreat in the cliff with some reluctance2 but with a state of mind1 as ,i hoped1 solemnized by reflection1 and animated to fresh exertion4 ,i walked up by a steep pathway1 that winded through the trees and shrubs on the sides of one of the precipices4 ,at every step the extent of prospect enlarged1 and acquired a new and varying character1 by being seen through the trees on each side4 ,climbing up a kind of rude1 inartificial set of stone stairs in the bank1 ,i passed by the singularly situated cottages which ,i had viewed from beneath2 received and returned the evening salutation of the inhabitants1 sitting at their doors1 and just come home from labour2 till ,i arrived at the top of the precipice1 where ,i had left my horse tied to a gate4 ,could he have enjoyed it1 he had a noble prospect around him in every direction from this elevated point of view1 where he had been stationed while ,i was on the shore below4 ,but wherein he most probably failed ,i think his rider did not4 ,the landscape1 taken in connection with my recent train of thought about myself and little ,jane1 inspired devotion4 ,the sun was now set3 the bright colours of the western clouds1 faintly reflected from the south-eastern hills1 that were unseen from my retreat in the cliff1 or only perceived by their evening shadows on the sea1 now added to the beauty of the prospect on the south and west4 ,every element contributed to the interesting effect of the scenery4 ,the earth was diversified in shape and ornament4 ,the waters of the ocean presented a noble feature in the landscape4 ,the air was serene1 or only ruffled by a refreshing breeze from the shore4 ,and the sun's fiery beams1 though departing for the night1 still preserved such a portion of light and warmth as rendered all the rest delightful to an evening traveller4 ,from this point the abyss1 occasioned by the great fissure in the cliff1 appeared grand and interesting4 ,trees hung over it on each side1 projecting not only their branches1 but many of their roots in wild and fantastic forms4 ,masses of earth had recently fallen from the upper to the lower parts of the precipice1 carrying trees and plants down the steep descent4 ,the character of the soil and the unceasing influence of the stream at the bottom1 seemed to threaten further slips of the land from the summit4 ,from hence the gentle murmur of the cascade at the head of the chine stole upon the ear without much interruption to the quietness of the scene4 ,a fine rocky cliff1 half buried in trees1 stood erect on the land side about a mile distant1 and seemed to vie with those on the shore in challenging the passenger's attention4 ,in the distance stood a noble ash-tree1 which1 on a considerable height1 majestically reigned as the patriarch of the grove near which it grew4 ,every object combined to please the eye and direct the traveller's heart to admire and love the ,author and ,creator of all that is beautiful to sense and edifying to the soul4 ,the next morning ,i went to ,jane's cottage4 ,on entering the door1 the woman1 who so frequently visited her1 met me1 and said3-- ,perhaps1 sir1 you will not wake her just yet2 for she has dropped asleep1 and she seldom gets much rest1 pool girl6 ,i went gently up stairs4 ,the child was in a half-sitting posture1 leaning her head upon her right hand1 with her ,bible open before her4 ,she had evidently fallen asleep while reading4 ,her countenance was beautifully composed and tranquil4 ,a few tears had rolled down her cheek1 and 7probably unknown to her7 dropped upon the pages of her book4 ,i looked around me for a moment4 ,the room was outwardly comfortless and uninviting3 the walls out of repair2 the sloping roof somewhat shattered2 the floor broken and uneven2 no furniture but two tottering bedsteads1 a three-legged stool1 and an old oak chest2 the window broken in many places1 and mended with patches of paper4 ,a little shelf against the wall1 over the bedstead where ,jane lay1 served for her physic1 her food1 and her books4 ,yet here1 ,i said to myself1 lies an heir of glory1 waiting for a happy dismissal4 ,her earthly home is poor1 indeed2 but she has a house not made with hands1 eternal in the heavens4 ,she has little to attach her to this world2 but what a weight of glory in the world to come6 ,this mean1 despised chamber is a palace in the eye of faith1 for it contains one that is inheritor of a crown4 ,i approached without waking her1 and observed that she had been reading the twenty-third chapter of ,st4 ,luke4 ,the finger of her left hand lay upon the book1 pointing to the words1 as if she had been using it to guide her eye whilst she read4 ,i looked at the place1 and was pleased at the apparently casual circumstance of her finger pointing at these words3-- ,lord1 remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom4 ,is this casual or designed8 thought ,i4 ,either way it is remarkable4 ,but in another moment ,i discovered that her finger was indeed an index to the thoughts of her heart4 ,she half awoke from her dozing state1 but not sufficiently so to perceive that any person was present1 and said in a kind of whisper3-- ,lord1 remember me--remember me--remember--remember a poor child--,lord1 remember me-- ,she then suddenly started and perceived me1 as she became fully awake4 ,a faint blush overspread her cheeks for a moment1 and then disappeared4 ,dame ,k---1 how long have ,i been asleep8--,sir1 ,i am very sorry-- ,and ,i am very glad to find you thus1 ,i replied4 ,you may say with ,david1 ',i laid me down and slept3 ,i awaked1 for the ,lord sustained me4' ,what were you reading8 ,the history of the crucifying of ,jesus1 sir4 ,how far had you read when you fell asleep8 ,to the prayer of the thief that was crucified with him2 and when ,i came to that place ,i stopped1 and thought what a mercy it would be if the ,lord ,jesus1 should remember me likewise--and so ,i fell asleep2 and ,i fancied in my dream that ,i saw ,christ upon the cross2 and ,i thought ,i said1 ',lord1 remember me2' and ,i am sure he did not look angry upon me--and then ,i awoke4 ,all this seemed to be a sweet commentary on the text1 and a most suitable forerunner of our intended sacramental service4 ,well1 my dear child1 ,i am come1 as you wished me1 to administer the sacrament of the body and blood of our blessed ,saviour to you2 and ,i daresay neighbour ,k--- will be glad to join us4 ,talk to me a little about it first1 sir1 if you please4 ,you remember what you have learned in your ,catechism about it4 ,let us consider4 ,a sacrament1 you know1 is 'an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace1 given unto us1 ordained by ,christ himself1 as a means whereby we receive the same1 and a pledge to assure us thereof4' ,now the ,lord has ordained bread and wine in the holy supper1 as the outward mark1 which we behold with our eyes4 ,it is a sign1 a token1 a seal of his love1 grace1 and blessing1 which he promises to1 and bestows on1 all who receive it1 rightly believing on his name and work4 ,he in this manner preserves amongst us a 'continual remembrance of his death1 and of the benefits which we receive thereby4' ,what do you believe respecting the death of ,christ1 ,jenny8 ,that because he died1 sir1 we live4 ,what life do we live thereby8 ,the life of grace and mercy now1 and the life of glory and happiness hereafter2 is it not1 sir8 ,yes1 assuredly3 this is the fruit of the death of ,christ1 and thus he 'opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers4' ,as bread and wine strengthen and refresh your poor1 weak1 fainting body in this very sickness1 so does the blessing of his body and blood strengthen and refresh the souls of all that repose their faith1 hope1 and affections on him who loved us and gave himself for us4 ,tears ran down her cheeks as she said1-- ,oh1 what a ,saviour6 ,oh1 what a sinner6 ,how kind6 how good6 ,and is this for me8 ,fear not1 dear child4 ,he that has made you to love him thus1 loves you too well to deny you4 ,he will in no wise cast out any that come to him4 ,sir1 said the girl1 ,i can never think about ,jesus and his love to sinners1 without wondering how it can be4 ,i deserve nothing but his anger on account of my sins4 ,why then does he love me8 ,my heart is evil4 ,why then does he love me8 ,i continually forget all his goodness4 ,why then does he love me8 ,i neither pray to him1 nor thank him1 nor do anything as ,i ought to do4 ,why then such love to me8 ,how plain it is that all is mercy from first to last6 and that sweetens the blessing1 my child4 ,are you not willing to give ,christ all the honour of your salvation1 and to take all the blame of your sins on your own self8 ,yes1 indeed1 sir1 ,i am4 ,my hymn says1-- ',blest be the ,lord1 that sent his ,son ,to take our flesh and blood2 ,he for our lives gave up his own1 ,to make our peace with ,god4 ',he honoured all his ,father's laws1 ,which we have disobeyed2 ,he bore our sins upon the cross1 ,and our full ransom paid4' ,i am glad you remember your hymns so well1 ,jenny4 ,sir1 you don't know what pleasure they give me4 ,i am very glad you gave me that little book of ,hymns for ,children4 ,a severe fit of coughing interrupted her speech for a while4 ,the woman held her head4 ,it was distressing to observe her struggle for breath1 and almost1 as it were1 for life4 ,poor dear6 said the woman2 ,i wish ,i could help thee1 and ease thy pains2 but they will not last for ever4 ,god helps me1 said the girl1 recovering her breath2 ,god helps me--he will carry me through4 ,sir1 you look frightened4 ,i am not afraid--this is nothing--,i am better now4 ,thank you1 dame1 thank you4 ,i am very troublesome2 but the ,lord will bless you for this and all your kindness to me3 yes1 sir1 and yours too4 ,now talk to me again about the sacrament4 ,what is required1 ,jenny1 of them who come to the ,lord's ,supper8 ,there are five things named in the ,catechism2 do you remember what is the first8 ,she paused1 and then said1 with a solemn and intelligent look1-- ,to examine themselves whether they repent them truly of their former sins4 ,i hope and think that you know what this means1 ,jenny4 ,the ,lord has given you the spirit of repentance4 ,no one knows1 sir1 what the thoughts of past sin have been to me4 ,yes1 the ,lord knows1 and that is enough2 and ,i hope he forgives me for ,christ's sake4 ,his blood cleanseth from all sin4 ,sir1 ,i sometimes think of my sins till ,i tremble1 and it makes me cry to think that ,i have offended such a ,god2 and then he comforts me again with sweet thoughts about ,christ4 ,it is well1 my child--be it so4 ,the next thing mentioned in that article of your ,catechism1 what is it8 ,steadfastly purposing to lead a new life4 ,and what do you think of that8 ,my life1 sir1 will be a short one2 and ,i wish it had been a better one4 ,but from my heart ,i desire that it may be a new one for the time to come4 ,i want to forsake all my evil ways and thoughts1 and evil words1 and evil companions2 and to do what ,god bids me1 and what you tell me is right1 sir1 and what ,i read of in my ,bible4 ,but ,i am afraid ,i do not1 my heart is so full of sin4 ,however1 sir1 ,i pray to ,god to help me4 ,my days will be few2 but ,i wish they may be spent to the glory of ,god4 ,the blessing of the ,lord be upon you1 ,jane2 so that whether you live1 you may live to the ,lord2 or whether you die1 you may die unto the ,lord2 and that1 living or dying1 you may be the ,lord's4 ,what is the next thing mentioned8 ,to have a lively faith in ,god's mercy through ,christ1 sir4 ,do you believe that ,god is merciful to you in the pardon of your sins8 ,i do1 sir1 said the child earnestly4 ,and if he pardons you1 is it for your own sake1 ,jenny8 ,no1 sir1 no2 it is for ,christ's sake--for my ,saviour ,jesus ,christ's sake1 and that only4 ,christ is all4 ,can you trust him8 ,sir1 ,i must not mistrust him2 nor would ,i1 if ,i might4 ,right1 child2 he is worthy of all your trust4 ,and then1 sir1 ,i am to have a thankful remembrance of his death4 ,i can never think of his dying1 but ,i think also what a poor unworthy creature ,i am2 and yet he is so good to me4 ,i wish ,i could thank him--sir1 ,i have been reading about his death--how could the people do as they did to him8--but it was all for our salvation4 ,and the thief on the cross--that is beautiful4 ,i hope he will remember me too1 and that ,i shall always remember him and his death most thankfully4 ,and lastly1 ,jenny1 are you in charity with all men8 ,do you forgive all that have offended you8 ,do you bear ill-will in your heart to anybody8 ,dear sir1 no6 how can ,i8 ,if ,god is good to me1 if he forgives me1 how can ,i help forgiving others8 ,there is not a person in all the world1 ,i think1 sir1 that ,i do not wish well to for ,christ's sake1 and that from the bottom of my heart4 ,how do you feel towards those bold1 wanton1 ill-tempered girls at the next door1 who jeer and mock you so about your religion8 ,sir1 the worst thing ,i wish them is1 that ,god may give them grace to repent2 that he may change their hearts1 and pardon all their wicked ways and words4 ,may he forgive them1 as ,i do with all my soul6 ,she ceased--,i wished to ask no more4 ,my heart was full4 ,can this be the religion of a child8 thought ,i4 ,o that we were all children like her6 ,reach me that prayer-book1 and the cup and plate4 ,my dear friends1 ,i will now1 with ,god's blessing1 partake with you in the holy communion of our ,lord's body and blood4 ,the time was sweet and solemn4 ,i went through the sacramental service4 ,the countenance and manner of the child evinced powerful feelings4 ,tears mingled with smiles--resignation brightened by hope--humility animated by faith--a child-like modesty adorned with the understanding of a riper age--gratitude1 peace1 devotion1 patience--all these were visible4 ,i thought ,i distinctly saw them all--and did ,i alone see them8 ,is it too much to say that other created beings1 whom ,i could not behold with my natural eyes1 were witnesses of the scene8 ,if ministering angels do ascend and descend with glad tidings between earth and heaven1 ,i think they did so then4 ,when ,i had concluded the service1 ,i said1-- ,now1 my dear ,jane1 you are indeed become a sister in the ,church of ,christ4 ,may his ,spirit and blessing rest upon you1 strengthen and refresh you6 ,my mercies are great1 very great1 sir2 greater than ,i can express4 ,i thank you for this favour--,i thought ,i was too young--it seemed too much for me to think of2 but ,i am now sure the ,lord is good to me1 and ,i hope ,i have done right4 ,yes1 ,jenny2 and ,i trust you are both outwardly and inwardly sealed by the ,holy ,ghost to the day of redemption4 ,sir1 ,i shall never forget this day4 ,neither1 ,i think1 shall ,i4 ,nor ,i1 said the good old woman2 sure the ,lord has been in the midst of us three to-day1 while we have been gathered together in his name4 ,sir1 said the child1 ,i wish you could speak to my mother when you come again4 ,but she keeps out of your sight4 ,i am so grieved about her soul1 and ,i am afraid she cares nothing at all about it herself4 ,i hope ,i shall have an opportunity the next time ,i come4 ,farewell1 my child4 ,good-bye1 sir2 and ,i thank you for all your kindness to me4 ,surely1 ,i thought within myself as ,i left the cottage1 this young bud of grace will bloom beauteously in paradise6 ,the ,lord transplant her thither in his own good time4 ,yet1 if it be his will1 may she live a little longer1 that ,i may further profit by her conversation and example6 ,possibly1 some who peruse these simple records of poor little ,jane may wish the same4 ,if it be so1 we will visit her again before she departs hence and is no more seen4 ,,part ,v4 ,jane was hastening fast to her dissolution4 ,she still1 however1 preserved sufficient strength to converse with much satisfaction to herself and those who visited her4 ,such as could truly estimate the value of her spiritual state of mind were but few2 yet the most careless could not help being struck with her affectionate seriousness1 her knowledge of the ,scriptures1 and her happy application of them to her own case4 ,the holy spark divine1 which regenerating grace had implanted in her life1 had kindled a flame which warmed and animated the beholder4 ,to some1 ,i am persuaded1 her example and conversation were made a blessing4 ,memory reflects with gratitude1 whilst ,i write1 on the profit and consolation which ,i individually derived from her society4 ,nor ,i alone4 ,the last day will1 if ,i err not1 disclose further fruits1 resulting from the love of ,god to this little child1 and1 through her1 to others that saw her4 ,and may not hope indulge the prospect1 that this simple memorial of her history shall be as one arrow drawn from the quiver of the ,almighty to reach the hearts of the young and the thoughtless8 ,direct its course1 ,o my ,god6 ,may the eye that reads1 and the ear that hears1 the record of little ,jane1 through the power of the ,spirit of the ,most ,high1 each become the witness for the truth as it is in ,jesus6 ,i remembered the tender solicitude of this dear child for her mother4 ,i well knew what an awful contrast the dispositions and conduct of her parents exhibited1 when compared with her own4 ,i resolved to avail myself of the first opportunity ,i could seize to speak to the mother in the child's presence4 ,the woman had latterly avoided me1 conscious of deserving1 and fearful of receiving reproof4 ,the road by which ,i usually approached the house lay1 for some little distance1 sufficiently in sight of its windows to enable the woman to retire out of the way before ,i arrived4 ,there was1 however1 another path1 through fields at the back of the village1 which1 owing to the situation of the ground1 allowed of an approach unperceived1 till a visitor reached the very cottage itself4 ,one morning1 soon after the sacramental interview related in my last paper1 ,i chose this road for my visit4 ,it was preferable to me on every account4 ,the distance was not quite half a mile from my house4 ,the path was retired4 ,i hereby avoided the noise and interruption which even a village street will sometimes present1 to disturb the calmness of interesting meditation4 ,as ,i passed through the churchyard1 and cast my eye on the memorable epitaph1 ,soon1 ,i thought within me1 will my poor little ,jane mingle her mouldering remains with this dust1 and sleep with her fathers6 ,soon will the youthful tongue1 which now lisps hosannas to the ,son of ,david1 and delights my heart with evidences of early piety and grace1 be silent in the earth6 ,soon shall ,i be called to commit her 'body to the ground1 earth to earth1 ashes to ashes1 dust to dust4' ,but oh1 what a glorious change6 ,her spirit shall have then returned to ,god who gave it4 ,her soul will be joining the halleluiahs of paradise1 while we sing her requiem at the grave4 ,and her very dust shall here wait1 in sure and certain hope of a joyful resurrection from the dead4 ,i went through the fields without meeting a single individual4 ,i enjoyed the retirement of my solitary walk4 ,various surrounding objects contributed to excite useful meditation connected with the great subjects of time and eternity4 ,here and there a drooping flower reminded me of the fleeting nature of mortal life4 ,sometimes a shady spot taught me to look to ,him who is a shadow in the day-time from the heat1 and for a place of refuge1 and for a covert from storm and from rain4 ,if a worm crept across my path1 ,i saw an emblem of myself as ,i am now2 and the winged insects1 fluttering in the sunbeams1 led me comparatively to reflect on what ,i hoped to be hereafter4 ,the capacious mansion of a rich neighbour appeared on the right hand as ,i walked2 on my left were the cottages of the poor4 ,the church spire pointing to heaven a little beyond1 seemed to say to both the rich and the poor1 ,set your affection on things above1 not on things on the earth4 ,all these objects afforded me useful meditation2 and all obtained an increased value as such1 because they lay in my road to the house of little ,jane4 ,i was now arrived at the stile nearly adjoining her dwelling4 ,the upper window was open1 and ,i soon distinguished the sound of voices--,i was glad to hear that of the mother4 ,i entered the house door unperceived by those above stairs1 and sat down below1 not wishing as yet to interrupt a conversation which quickly caught my ear4 ,mother6 mother6 ,i have not long to live4 ,my time will be very short4 ,but ,i must1 indeed ,i must1 say something for your sake1 before ,i die4 ,o mother6 you have a soul--you have a soul2 and what will become of it when you die8 ,o my mother6 ,i am so uneasy about your soul-- ,oh1 dear6 ,i shall lose my child--she will die--and what shall ,i do when you are gone1 my ,jenny8 ,she sobbed aloud4 ,mother1 think about your soul4 ,have you not neglected that8 ,yes1 ,i have been a wicked creature1 and hated all that was good4 ,what can ,i do8 ,mother1 you must pray to ,god to pardon you for ,christ's sake4 ,you must pray4 ,jenny1 my child1 ,i cannot pray3 ,i never did pray in all my life4 ,i am too wicked to pray4 ,mother1 ,i have been wanting to speak to you a long time2 but ,i was afraid to do it4 ,you did not like me to say anything about religion1 and ,i did not know how to begin4 ,but indeed1 mother1 ,i must speak now1 or it may be too late4 ,i wish ,mr4 --- was here1 for he could talk to you better than ,i can4 ,but perhaps you will think of what ,i say1 poor as it is1 when ,i am dead4 ,i am but a young child1 and not fit to speak about such things to anybody4 ,but1 mother1 you belong to me1 and ,i cannot bear to think of your perishing for ever4 ,my ,lord and ,saviour has shown me my own sin and corruptions3 he loved me1 and gave himself for me3 he died1 and he rose again3 ,i want to praise him for it for ever and ever4 ,i hope ,i shall see him in heaven2 but ,i want to see you there too1 mother4 ,do1 pray do1 leave off swearing1 and other bad ways3 go to church1 and hear our minister speak about ,jesus ,christ1 and what he has done for wicked sinners4 ,he wishes well to souls4 ,he taught me the way1 and he will teach you1 mother4 ,why did you always go out of the house when he was coming8 ,do not be angry with me1 mother2 ,i only speak for your good4 ,i was once as careless as you are about the things of ,god4 ,but ,i have seen my error4 ,i was in the broad road leading to destruction1 like many other children in the parish2 and the ,lord saw me1 and had mercy upon me4 ,yes1 my child1 you were always a good girl1 and minded your book4 ,no1 mother1 no2 not always4 ,i cared nothing about goodness1 nor my ,bible1 till the minister came and sent for us1 as you know1 on ,saturday afternoons4 ,don't you remember1 mother1 that at first you did not like me to go1 and said you would have no such godly1 pious doings about your house2 and that ,i had better play about the streets and fields1 than be laughed at and be made game of for pretending to be so good8 ,ah1 mother1 you did not know what ,i went for1 and what ,god designed for me and my poor sinful soul6 ,but1 thank ,god1 ,i did go1 and there learned the way of salvation4 ,mother1 ,i wish you had learned too4 ,as ,i listened to this affecting conversation1 it appeared to me1 from the tone and manner of the mother's voice1 that she was more under the influence of temporary grief1 on account of her child's extreme illness1 than sincere sorrow from any real sense of her sins4 ,i however hoped the best1 and rejoiced to hear such weighty and important exhortation dropping from her daughter's lips4 ,i felt that present circumstances rendered it far more valuable than my own could have been4 ,i have often1 since that time1 seen the wicked and careless much affected1 while sitting by the dying bed of a near relative3 ,i have witnessed their temporary acknowledgments of sin1 and heard their professions of amendment4 ,but1 after a short season1 all has passed away like the morning dew4 ,the friend has been buried out of sight4 ,the world and its cares1 the flesh and its sins1 have returned with new temptations1 and the eloquence of iniquity has prevailed over the voice of truth4 ,the dog has returned to his vomit1 and the sow to her wallowing in the mire4 ,on the other hand1 how frequently have the deathbeds of true believers been blessed to the eye-witness of the triumphs of grace over sin1 death1 and hell6 ,often has the careless bystander received the first saving impression of divine truth1 whilst the dying ,christian has experienced and testified the supports of love and mercy in the trying hour4 ,at such seasons1 faith wields a bright and burning torch1 which occasionally softens the hardest and warms the coldest heart4 ,the expressions of that heavenly consolation and devout solicitude1 which the ,holy ,spirit vouchsafes to some1 thus become the happy means of grace and blessing for the conversion and edification of others4 ,he that hath an ear1 let him hear what the ,spirit saith unto the churches6 ,at this moment the house-door opened1 and a younger child1 a brother of ,jane's1 came in4 ,the mother asked from above who it was3 the boy replied2 and1 without further inquiry1 she remained in the chamber4 ,i beckoned to the lad to sit down quietly2 and thus it still remained unknown that ,i was below4 ,mother1 continued ,jane1 that is my brother1 and will soon be your only remaining child4 ,do1 pray1 encourage him to follow good ways4 ,send him to ,mr4 ---1 and he will be kind to him1 as he has been to me4 ,he is a wild boy1 but ,i hope he will be brought to think about his soul in time4 ,those naughty1 wicked boys teach him to swear and fight1 and run after all manner of evil4 ,lord1 help him to flee from the wrath to come6 ,i made a sign to the boy to listen to what his sister said concerning him4 ,he seemed to hear with attention1 and a tear dropped down his cheek4 ,ay1 ,jenny1 it is to be hoped he will1 and that we shall all likewise4 ,mother1 then you must flee to ,christ4 ,nothing you can do will save you without that4 ,you must repent and turn from sin3 without the grace of ,god you cannot do it2 but seek1 and you shall find it4 ,do1 for your own sake1 and for my sake1 and my little brother's sake4 ,the woman wept and sobbed without replying4 ,i now thought it time to appear1 went to the bottom of the stairs1 and said1 ,may a friend come up8 ,mercy on me6 said the mother1 there is ,mr4 --- ,come in1 sir1 said ,jane2 ,i am very glad you are come now4 ,mother1 set a chair4 ,the woman looked confused4 ,jane smiled as ,i entered1 and welcomed me as usual4 ,i hope ,i shall be forgiven1 both by mother and daughter1 for having remained so long below stairs1 during the conversation which has just taken place4 ,i came in the hope of finding you together1 as ,i have had a wish for some time past to speak to you1 ,sarah1 on the same subjects about which1 ,i am happy to say1 your daughter is so anxious4 ,you have long neglected these things1 and ,i wished to warn you of the danger of your state2 but ,jenny has said all ,i could desire1 and ,i now solemnly ask you1 whether you are not much affected by your poor child's faithful conversation8 ,you ought to have been her teacher and instructor in the ways of righteousness1 whereas she has now become yours4 ,happy1 however1 will it be for you if you are wise1 and consider your latter end1 and the things which belong to your peace1 before they are hidden from your eyes6 ,look at your dying child1 and think of your other and only remaining one1 and say whether this sight does not call aloud upon you to hear and fear4 ,jane's eyes were filled with tears whilst ,i spoke4 ,the woman hung her head down1 but betrayed some emotions of dislike at the plain dealing used towards her4 ,my child1 ,jenny1 said ,i1 how are you to-day8 ,sir1 ,i have been talking a good deal1 and feel rather faint and weary1 but my mind has been very easy and happy since ,i last saw you4 ,i am quite willing to die1 when the ,lord sees fit4 ,i have no wish to live except it be to see my friends in a better way before ,i depart4 ,sir1 ,i used to be afraid to speak to them2 but ,i feel to-day as if ,i could hold my peace no longer1 and ,i must tell them what the ,lord has done for my soul1 and what ,i feel for theirs4 ,there was a firmness1 ,i may say a dignity with which this was uttered that surprised me4 ,the character of the child seemed to be lost in that of the ,christian2 her natural timidity yielded to a holy assurance of manner resulting from her own inward consolations1 mingled with spiritual desire for her mother's welfare4 ,this produced a flush upon her otherwise pallid countenance1 which in no small degree added to her interesting appearance4 ,the ,bible lay open before her as she sat up in the bed4 ,with her right hand she enclosed her mother's4 ,mother1 this book you cannot read2 you should therefore go constantly to church1 that you may hear it explained4 ,it is ,god's book1 and tells us the way to heaven2 ,i hope you will learn and mind it2 with ,god's blessing it may save your soul4 ,do think of that1 mother1 pray do4 ,i am soon going to die4 ,give this ,bible to my brother2 and will you be so kind1 sir1 as to instruct him8 ,mother1 remember what ,i say1 and this gentleman is witness3 there is no salvation for sinners like you and me but in the blood of ,christ2 he is able to save to the uttermost2 he will save all that come to him2 he waits to be gracious3 cast yourself upon his mercy4 ,i wish--,i wish--,i--,i--,i-- ,she was quite overcome1 and sank away in a kind of fainting fit4 ,her mother observed1 that she would now probably remain insensible for some time before she recovered4 ,i improved this interval in a serious address to the woman1 and then prepared to take my departure1 perceiving that ,jane was too much exhausted for further conversation at that time4 ,as ,i was leaving the room1 the child said faintly1 ,come again soon1 sir2 my time is very short4 ,i returned home by the same retired road which ,i had before chosen4 ,i silently meditated on the eminent proofs of piety and faith which were just afforded me in the scene ,i had witnessed4 ,surely1 ,i thought1 this is an extraordinary child6 ,what cannot grace accomplish8 ,is it possible to doubt after this1 who is the alone ,author and ,finisher of salvation2 or from whom cometh every good and perfect gift8 ,how rich and free is the mercy of ,jehovah6 ,hath not he chosen the weak things of this world to confound the things which are mighty8 ,let no flesh glory in his presence3 but he that glorieth1 let him glory in the ,lord4 ,,part ,,vi4 ,the truth and excellence of the religion of ,jesus ,christ appear to be remarkably established by the union of similarity with variety1 in the effect which it produces on the hearts and lives of true believers4 ,in the grand and essential features of ,christian experience1 the whole household of ,god possess an universal sameness of character1 a family likeness1 which distinguishes them from all the world besides3 yet1 in numerous particulars1 there also exists a beautiful variety4 ,on the one hand1 in the aged and the young1 in the wise and the unlearned1 in the rich and the poor2 in those of stronger and weaker degrees of mental capacity1 in more sanguine or more sedate dispositions2 and in a multitude of otherwise varying circumstances1 there is a striking conformity of principles and feeling to ,christ1 and to each other4 ,like the flowers of the field and the garden1 they are all rooted and grounded in the soil of the same earth2 they are warmed by the same sun1 refreshed by the same air1 and watered by the same dews4 ,they each derive nourishment1 growth1 and increase from the same life- giving ,source4 ,as the flower puts forth its leaves and petals1 adorns the place which it inhabits with its beauty1 and possesses an internal system of qualities1 whereby it is enabled to bring forth its seed or fruit in the appointed season2 so does the ,christian4 ,but1 on the other hand1 like the flowers also1 some ,christians may be said to grow on the mountain tops1 some in valleys1 some in the waters1 and others in dry ground4 ,different colours1 forms1 and sizes1 distinguish them from each other1 and produce a diversity of character and appearance which affords a delightful variety1 both for the purposes of use and beauty4 ,yet is that variety perfectly consistent with their essential unity of nature in the vegetable kingdom1 to which they all equally belong4 ,in another particular they likewise resemble4 ,they both die a natural death4 ,the ,lord ever preserves a seed to serve him1 from generation to generation2 for as one disappears1 another springs up to supply his place4 ,but it is appointed unto all men once to die4--,man cometh forth like a flower and is cut down3 he fleeth also as a shadow1 and continueth not4--,all flesh is as grass1 and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass4 ,the grass withereth1 and the flower thereof falleth away4 ,in the midst of such diversity of ,christian characters there is much to love and admire4 ,i have selected the case of little ,jane1 as one not undeserving of notice4 ,it is true1 she was only a child--a very poor child--but a child saved by divine grace1 enlightened with the purest knowledge1 and adorned with unaffected holiness2 she was a child1 humble1 meek1 and lowly4 ,she found grace in the eyes of the ,lord while she was on earth2 and1 ,i doubt not1 will be seen on his right hand at the last day4 ,as such1 there is preciousness in the character1 which will account for my attempting once more to write concerning her1 and describe her last moments before she went to her final rest4 ,at a very early hour on the morning of the following day1 ,i was awoke by the arrival of a messenger1 bringing an earnest request that ,i would immediately go to the child1 as her end appeared to be just approaching4 ,it was not yet day when ,i left my house to obey the summons4 ,the morning star shone conspicuously clear4 ,the moon cast a mild light over the prospect1 but gradually diminished in brightness as the eastern sky became enlightened4 ,the birds were beginning their songs1 and seemed ready to welcome the sun's approach4 ,the dew plentifully covered the fields1 and hung suspended in drops from the trees and hedges4 ,a few early labourers appeared in the lanes1 travelling towards the scene of their daily occupations4 ,all besides was still and calm4 ,my mind1 as ,i proceeded1 was deeply exercised by thoughts concerning the affecting event which ,i expected soon to witness4 ,the rays of the morning star were not so beautiful in my sight1 as the spiritual lustre of this young ,christian's character4 ,her night was far spent2 the morning of a better day was at hand4 ,the sun of eternal blessedness was ready to break upon her soul with rising glory4 ,like the moon1 which ,i saw above me1 this child's exemplary deportment had gently cast a useful light over the neighbourhood where she dwelt4 ,like this moon she had for a season been permitted to shine amidst the surrounding darkness2 and her rays were also reflected from a luminary1 in whose native splendour her own would quickly be blended and lost4 ,the air was cool1 but the breezes of the morning were refreshing1 and seemed to foretell the approach of a beautiful day4 ,being accustomed1 in my walks1 to look for subjects of improving thought and association1 ,i found them in every direction around me as ,i hastened onwards to the house where ,jane lay1 waiting for a dismissal from her earthly dwelling4 ,i felt that the twilight gravity of nature was1 at that hour1 peculiarly appropriate to the circumstances of the case2 and the more so1 because that twilight was significantly adorned with the brilliant sparklings of the star on one hand1 and the clear1 pale lustre of the waning moon on the other4 ,when ,i arrived at the house1 ,i found no one below2 ,i paused for a few minutes1 and heard the girl's voice very faintly saying1 ,do you think he will come8 ,i should be so glad--so very glad to see him before ,i die4 ,i ascended the stairs--her father1 mother1 and brother1 together with the elderly woman before spoken of1 were in the chamber4 ,jane's countenance bore the marks of speedy dissolution4 ,yet1 although death was manifest in the languid features1 there was something more than ever interesting in the whole of her external aspect4 ,the moment she saw me1 a renewed vigour beamed in her eye2 grateful affection sparkled in the dying face4 ,although she had spoken just before ,i entered1 yet for some time afterwards she was silent1 but never took her eyes off me4 ,there was animation in her look--there was more--something like a foretaste of heaven seemed to be felt1 and gave an inexpressible character of spiritual beauty1 even in death4 ,at length she said1 ,this is very kind1 sir--,i am going fast--,i was afraid ,i should never see you again in this world4 ,i said1 ,my child1 are you resigned to die8 ,quite4 ,where is your hope8 ,she lifted up her finger1 pointed to heaven1 and then directed the same downward to her own heart1 saying successively as she did so1 ,christ there1 and ,christ here4 ,these words1 accompanied by the action1 spoke her meaning more solemnly than can easily be conceived4 ,a momentary spasm took place4 ,looking towards her weeping mother1 she said1 ,i am very cold--but it is no matter--it will soon be over-- ,she closed her eyes for about a minute1 and1 on opening them again1 said1 ,i wish1 sir1 when ,i am gone1 you would tell the other children of the parish how good the ,lord has been to me1 a poor sinner--tell them1 that they who seek him early will find him--tell them1 that the ways of sin and ignorance are the ways to ruin and hell--and pray tell them1 sir1 from me1 that ,christ is indeed the ,way1 the ,truth1 and the ,life--he will in no wise cast out any that come4 ,tell them that ,i1 a poor girl-- ,she was quite exhausted1 and sunk for a while into a torpid state1 from which1 however1 she recovered gradually1 uttering these expressions3 ,where am ,i8--,i thought ,i was going--,lord1 save me6 ,my dear child1 you will soon be for ever in ,his arms who is now guiding you by his rod and staff through the valley of the shadow of death4 ,i believe so1 indeed ,i do1 said she2 ,i long to be with him6--,oh1 how good1 how great1 how merciful6--,jesus1 save me1 help me through this last trial6 ,she then gave one hand to her father1 the other to her mother1 and said1 ,god bless you1 ,god bless you--seek the ,lord--think of me when ,i am gone--it may be for your good--remember your souls--oh1 for ,christ's sake remember your souls--then all may be well--you cannot know what ,i have felt for both of you--,lord1 pardon and save my dear father and mother6 ,she then took hold of her brother's hand1 saying1 ,thomas1 ,i beg you to leave off your bad ways--read the ,bible--,i give you mine--,i have found it a precious book4 ,do you not remember our little brother1 who died some years since8--he was praying to the last moment of his life4 ,learn to pray while you are in health1 and you will find the comfort and power of it when you come to die2 but1 first of all1 pray for a new heart--without it you will never see ,god in heaven--your present ways lead to misery and ruin--may the ,lord turn your heart to love and follow him6 ,to the other woman she said1 ,i thank you1 ,dame ,k---1 for all your kindness since ,i have been ill--you have been a ,christian friend to me1 and ,i hope that the ,lord will remember you for it1 according to his rich mercy3--you and ,i have many a time talked together about death2 and though ,i am the youngest1 he calls me first to pass through it3 but1 blessed be his name1 ,i am not terrified4 ,i once thought ,i could never die without fear2 but indeed ,i feel quite happy1 now it is come2 and so will you1 if you trust him--he is the ,god both of the old and the young4 ,ah1 my child6 said the woman1 ,i wish ,i was as fit to die as you are2 but ,i fear that will never be--my sins have been many1 very many4 ,christ's blood cleanseth from all sin1 said the child4 ,at this moment1 instead of growing weaker1 through the fatigue of so much speaking1 she seemed to gather fresh strength4 ,she turned to me with a look of surprising earnestness and animation1 saying1-- ,you1 sir1 have been my best friend on earth--you have taught me the way to heaven1 and ,i love and thank you for it--you have borne with my weakness and my ignorance--you have spoken to me of the love of ,christ1 and he has made me to feel it in my heart--,i shall see him face to face--he will never leave me nor forsake me--he is the same1 and changes not4 ,dear sir1 ,god bless you6 ,the child suddenly rose up1 with an unexpected exertion1 threw her livid1 wasted arms around me1 as ,i sat on the bedside1 laid her head on my shoulder1 and said distinctly1 ,god bless and reward you--give thanks for me to him--my soul is saved--,christ is everything to me6 ,sir1 we shall meet in heaven1 shall we not8--,oh yes1 yes--then all will be peace--peace--peace-- ,she sank back on the bed1 and spoke no more--fetched a deep sigh--smiled--and died4 ,at this affecting moment1 the rays of the morning sun darted into the room1 and filled my imagination with the significant emblem of the tender mercy of our ,god2 whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us1 to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death1 to guide our feet into the way of peace4 ,it was a beam of light that seemed at once to describe the glorious change which her soul had now already experienced2 and1 at the same time1 to shed the promised consolations of hope over the minds of those who witnessed her departure4 ,this was an incident obviously arising from a natural cause2 but one which irresistibly connected itself with the spiritual circumstances of the case4 ,for some time ,i remained silently gazing on the breathless corpse1 and could hardly persuade myself that ,jane was indeed no longer there4 ,as ,i returned homeward1 ,i found it difficult to repress the strong feelings of affection which such a scene had excited4 ,neither did ,i wish it4 ,religion1 reason1 and experience1 rather bid us indulge1 in due place and season1 those tender emotions1 which keep the heart alive to its most valuable sensibilities4 ,to check them serves but to harden the mind1 and close the avenues which lead to the sources of our best principles of action4 ,jesus himself wept over the foreseen sorrows of ,jerusalem4 ,he wept also at the grave of his friend ,lazarus4 ,such an example consecrates the tear of affection1 while it teaches us1 concerning them which are asleep1 not to sorrow1 as those which have no hope4 ,i soon fell into meditation on the mysterious subject of the flight of a soul from this world to that of departed spirits4 ,swifter than an arrow from the bow1 or than the rays of light from the sun1 has this child's spirit hastened1 in obedience to its summons from ,god1 to appear in his immediate presence4 ,how solemn a truth is this for universal consideration6 ,but1 'washed in the blood of the ,lamb that was slain1' and happily made partaker of its purifying efficacy1 she meets her welcome at the throne of ,god4 ,she has nothing to fear from the frowns of divine justice4 ,sin1 death1 and hell1 are all vanquished through the power of ,him who hath made her more than conqueror4 ,he will himself present her to his ,father1 as one of the purchased lambs of his flock--as one whom the ,spirit of ,god 'has sealed unto the day of redemption4' ,what a change for her6--from that poor tattered chamber to the regions of paradise6--from a bed of straw to the bosom of ,abraham6--from poverty1 sickness1 and pain1 to eternal riches1 health1 and joy6--from the condition of a decayed1 weary pilgrim in this valley of tears1 to that of a happy traveller safely arrived at home1 in the rest that remaineth to the people of ,god6 ,i have lost a young disciple1 endeared to me by a truly parental tie4 ,yet how can ,i complain of that as lost which ,god has found8 ,her willing and welcome voice no longer seeks or imparts instruction here4 ,but it is far better employed4 ,the angels1 who rejoiced over her when her soul first turned to ,god1 who watched the progress of her short pilgrimage1 and who have now carried her triumphantly to the heavenly hills1 have already taught her to join ',in holy song1 their own immortal strains4' ,why then should ,i mourn8 ,the whole prospect1 as it concerns her1 is filled with joy and immortality3 ',death is swallowed up in victory4' ,as ,i looked upon the dewdrops which rested on the grass and hung from the branches of the trees1 ,i observed that the sun's rays first filled them with beautiful and varied colours2 then dried them up1 and they were seen no longer4 ,thus it was with myself4 ,the tears which ,i neither would nor could restrain1 when ,i first began thus to reflect on the image of the dying chamber of little ,jane1 were speedily brightened by the vivid sunshine of hope and confidence4 ,they then gradually yielded to the influence of that divine principle which shall finally wipe the tear from every eye1 and banish all sorrow and sighing for evermore4 ,on the fourth day from thence1 ,jane was buried4 ,i had never before committed a parishioner to the ground with similar affections4 ,the attendants were not many1 but ,i was glad to perceive among them some of the children who had been accustomed to receive my weekly private instruction along with her4 ,i wished that the scene might usefully impress their young hearts1 and that ,god would bless it to their edification4 ,as ,i stood at the head of the grave1 during the service1 ,i connected past events1 which had occurred in the churchyard1 with the present4 ,in this spot ,jane first learned the value of that gospel which saved her soul4 ,not many yards from her own burial-place1 was the epitaph which has already been described as the first means of affecting her mind with serious and solemn conviction4 ,it seemed to stand at this moment as a peculiar witness for those truths which its lines proclaimed to every passing reader4 ,such an association of objects produced a powerful effect on my thoughts4 ,the evening was serene--nothing occurred to interrupt the quiet solemnity of the occasion4 ,peace was the last word little ,jane uttered while living2 and peace seemed to be inscribed on the farewell scene of the grave where she was laid4 ,a grateful remembrance of that peace revives in my own mind1 as ,i write these memorials of it2 and oh1 may that peace which passeth all understanding be in its most perfect exercise1 when ,i shall meet her again at the last day6 ,attachment to the spot where this young ,christian lay1 induced me to plant a yew-tree close by the head of her grave1 adjoining the eastern wall of the church4 ,i designed it as an evergreen monument of one who was dear to memory4 ,the young plant appeared healthy for a while1 and promised by its outward vigour long to retain its station4 ,but it withered soon afterwards1 and1 like the child whose grave it pointed out to notice1 early faded away and died4 ,the yew-tree proved a frail and short-lived monument4 ,but a more lasting one dwells in my own heart4 ,and perhaps this narrative may be permitted to transmit her memory to other generations1 when the hand and heart of the writer shall be cold in the dust4 ,perchance some1 into whose hands these pages may fall1 will be led to cultivate their spiritual young plants with increased hopes of success1 in so arduous an endeavour4 ,may the tender blossoms reward their care1 and bring forth early and acceptable fruit6 ,some1 who have perhaps been accustomed to undervalue the character of very youthful religion1 may hereby see that the ,lord of grace and glory is not limited in the exercise of his power by age or circumstance4 ,it sometimes appears in the displays of ,god's love to sinners1 as it does in the manifestations of his works in the heavens1 that the least of the planets moves in the nearest course to the sun2 and there enjoys the most powerful influence of his light1 heat1 and attraction4 ,the story of this ,young ,cottager involves a clear evidence of the freeness of the operations of divine grace on the heart of man2 of the inseparable connection between true faith and holiness of disposition2 and of the simplicity of character which a real love of ,christ transfuses into the soul4 ,how many of the household of faith of every age1 ,alike unknown to fortune and to fame1 have journeyed and are now travelling to their city of habitation1 through the paths of modest obscurity and almost unheeded piety6 ,it is one of the most interesting employments of the ,christian minister to search out these spiritual lilies of the valley1 whose beauty and fragrance are nearly concealed in their shady retreats4 ,to rear the flower1 to assist in unfolding its excellences1 and bring forth its fruit in due season1 is a work that delightfully recompenses the toil of the cultivator4 ,while he is occupied in this grateful task of labouring in his heavenly ,master's garden1 some blight1 some tempest1 may chance to take away a favourite young blossom in a premature stage of its growth4 ,if such a case should befall him1 he will then1 perhaps1 as ,i have often done1 when standing in pensive recollection at little ,jane's grave1 make an application of these lines1 which are inscribed on a grave-stone erected in the same churchyard1 and say-- ,this lovely bud so young and fair1 ,called hence by early doom1 ,just came to show how sweet a flower ,in paradise would bloom4 ,,the ,,cottage ,,conversation ,as ,i journeyed late on a summer evening1 meditating on the beauties of the prospect around me1 while they gradually faded from my sight1 through the approach of darkness1 it grew suddenly quite gloomy1 and a black cloud hanging over my head threatened a heavy shower of rain4 ,the big drops began to fall1 and an open shed1 adjoining to a labourer's cottage1 offering me a seasonable shelter1 ,i dismounted from my horse1 and found it large enough to protect him as well as myself4 ,the circumstance reminded me of the happy privilege of the believing sinner1 who finds a refuge from the storm1 and the blast of the terrible ones1 in the love of his ,redeemer1 which prepares him a covert from storm and from rain4 ,i went in unperceived3 the door of the cottage was half open1 and ,i heard the voices of a poor man1 his wife1 and some children within4 ,i was hesitating whether to go into the house and make myself known1 or to enjoy in solitude a meditation on the foregoing comparison1 which my situation had brought to my mind1 when these words1 spoken in a calm and affectionate tone1 struck me with mingled pleasure and surprise1 and determined me not to interrupt the conversation3-- ,indeed1 wife1 you are in the wrong4 ,riches would never make us happier1 so long as the ,lord sees it good that we should be poor4 ,well1 replied the wife1 ,i can see no harm in wishing for more money and better living than we have at present4 ,other people have risen in the world2 and why should not we8 ,there's neighbour ,sharp has done well for his family1 and1 for anything ,i can see1 will be one of the richest farmers in the parish1 if he lives2 and everybody knows he was once as poor as we are3 while you and ,i are labouring and toiling from morning to night1 and can but just get enough to fill our children's mouths1 and keep ourselves coarsely clothed1 and hardly that4 ,wife1 answered the man1 having food and raiment1 let us therewith be content4 ,and if it please ,god that even these things should fall short1 let us submit ourselves to ,god in patience and well-doing1 for he gives us more than we deserve4 ,there1 now you are got to preaching again1 said the woman2 you never give me an answer1 but you must always go to your ,bible to help you out4 ,and where can ,i go so well8 replied the husband4 ,is it not ,god's own word for our instruction8 ,well1 that may be1 but ,i don't like so much of it1 answered she4 ,and ,i do not like so little of it as ,i see and hear from you1 returned the man4 ,why1 that book has taught me that it is an honour and comfort to be a poor man1 and1 by the blessing of the ,spirit of ,god1 ,i believe and feel it to be true4 ,i have1 through mercy1 always been enabled to get the bread of honest industry1 and so have you2 and though our children feed upon brown bread1 and we cannot afford to buy them fine clothes1 like some of our vain neighbours1 to pamper their pride with2 yet1 bless the ,lord1 they are as healthy and clean as any in the parish4 ,why then should you complain8 ,godliness with contentment is great gain6 ,an honour and a comfort to be a poor man1 indeed6 ,what nonsense you talk6 ,what sort of honour and comfort can that be8 ,i am out of patience with you1 man1 the wife sharply cried out4 ,i can prove it6 replied he4 ,how8 returned his partner1 in no very pleasant tone of voice4 ,my dear1 said the good man1 hear me quietly1 and ,i will tell you4 ,i think it an honour1 and ,i feel it a comfort1 to be in that very station of life which my ,saviour ,jesus ,christ was in before me4 ,he did not come into the world as one that was rich and great1 but as a poor man1 who had not where to lay his head4 ,i feel a blessing in my poverty1 because ,jesus1 like me1 was poor4 ,had ,i been a rich man1 perhaps ,i should never have known nor loved him4 ',for not many mighty1 not many noble1 are called4' ,god's people are chiefly found among the base things of the world1 and things which are despised4 ,this makes my poverty to be my comfort4 ,besides1 hath not ,god chosen the poor of this world1 rich in faith1 and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him8 ,this thought makes my poverty also to be my honour4 ,moreover1 to the poor the gospel was and is preached1 and to my heart's delight ,i find it to be true1 every ,sunday of my life4 ,and is it not plain1 all the neighbourhood through1 that while so many of our rich farmers1 and tradesmen1 and squires1 are quite careless1 or set their faces against the ways of ,god1 and are dead to everything that is gracious and holy2 a great number of the poorest people are converted and live8 ,i honour the rich for their station1 but ,i do not envy them for their possessions4 ,i can not forget what ,christ once said1 ',how hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of ,god6' ,oh6 my dear wife1 if you did but know how to set a right value upon the precious promises which ,god has made to the poor1 how thankful should ,i be6 ,the expectation of the poor shall not perish4 ,he delivereth the poor and needy from him that spoileth him4 ,he has prepared of his goodness for the poor4 ,the poor among men shall rejoice in the holy one4 ,for he became poor1 that we1 through his poverty might be rich2 not in gold1 but in grace4 ,these promises comfort my soul1 and would make me happy1 even if ,i were deprived of that which ,i now enjoy4 ,i can trust my ,saviour for this world as well as for the next4 ,he that spared not his own ,son1 but delivered him up for us all1 how shall he not with him also freely give us all things8 ,the ,lord of his mercy bless you1 my dear ,sarah1 with the grace of a contented mind6 ,here the gracious man stopped3 and whether affected by her husband's discourse1 or by any other cause1 ,i know not1 but she made no reply4 ,he then said1 ,come1 children1 it is our time for rest2 shut the door1 and let us go to prayer4 ,forgive me1 said ,i1 laying hold of the door1 as the child was obeying her father's orders1 if ,i ask leave to make one in your family devotions1 before ,i travel homeward4 ,i have heard you1 my friend1 when you knew it not1 and bless ,god for the sermon which you have this night preached to my heart4 ,the honest labourer blushed for a moment at this unexpected intrusion and declaration1 but immediately said1 ,sir1 you are welcome to a poor man's dwelling1 if you come in the name of the ,lord4 ,i just looked round at the wife1 who seemed to be startled at my sudden appearance1 and the six fine children who sat near her1 and then said1 ,you were going to pray2 ,i must beg of you1 without regarding me1 to go on as if ,i were not here4 ,the man1 whom ,i could not but love and reverence1 with a simple1 unaffected1 modest1 and devout demeanour1 did as ,i requested him4 ,his prayer was full of tender affection and sincerity1 expressed with great ,scriptural propriety1 and was in all respects such as became the preacher of those sentiments which ,i have overheard him deliver to his wife just before4 ,when he had finished1 each of his children1 according to the good old patriarchal custom of better days1 kneeled down before him in turn to receive a father's blessing4 ,it was now late1 and the rain was over4 ,i gave the poor man my blessing1 and received his in return4 ,i wished them good night1 and went onwards to my own home1 reflecting with much self-abasement of heart1 what an honour and comfort it is to be a poor man1 rich in faith4 ,a ,,visit ,,to ,,the ,,infirmary4 ,i went a few months since to visit a parishioner1 then in the county infirmary1 within some miles of which ,i reside1 and was informed that in an adjoining ward there lay a very good old man1 confined by a mortification in his foot1 who would take particular satisfaction in any ,christian conversation which my time would allow me to afford him4 ,the nurse conducted me into a room where ,i found him alone on a bed4 ,the character of his countenance was venerable1 cheerful1 contented1 and pious4 ,his hoary hairs proclaimed him to be aged1 although the liveliness in his eye was equal to that of the most vigorous youth4 ,how are you1 my friend8 ,i said4 ,very well1 sir1 very well4 ,never better in all my life4 ,thank ,god for all his mercies6 replied the man1 with so cheerful a tone of voice as at once surprised and delighted me4 ,very well6 ,how so8 ,i thought from what ,i heard you were in much pain and weakness1 said ,i4 ,yes1 sir1 that is true2 but ,i am very well for all that4 ,for ,god is so good to my soul1 and he provides everything needful for my body4 ,the people in the house are very kind2 and friends come to see me1 and talk and pray with me4 ,sir1 ,i want nothing but more grace to praise the ,lord for all his goodness4 ,why1 my friend1 you are an old pilgrim1 and ,i am glad to see that you have learned thankfulness as you travel through the wilderness4 ,thankfulness6 quickly returned he4 ,no1 sir2 ,i never did thank the ,lord1 ,i never could thank him2 no1 nor ,i never shall thank him as ,i ought1 till ,i get to glory4 ,and then--oh1 then--how ,i will thank him for what he has done for me6 ,tears of affection filled his eyes as he spoke4 ,what a good ,master you serve6 ,i added4 ,ay1 sir1 if the servant was but as good as the ,master4 ,but here ,i am1 a poor old sinner1 deserving nothing1 and receiving everything which ,i need4 ,sir1 ,i want nothing but more grace to serve him better4 ,i lie here on this bed1 and pray and sing by night and day4 ,sir1 you must let me sing you my hymn2 ,i always begin it about four o'clock in the morning1 and it keeps my spirits alive all the day through4 ,without waiting for my reply1 he raised himself up1 and in an aged and broken1 but very affecting tone of voice1 he sang two or three verses1 expressive of ,god's goodness to him1 and his own desire to live to ,god's glory4 ,the simplicity1 serenity1 and heartfelt consolation1 with which this venerable disciple went through it1 gave a colouring to the whole1 and left an impression on my mind which it would be impossible to convey to the reader4 ,as soon as he had finished his hymn1 he said1 ,do not be offended1 sir1 at my boldness3 you love the ,lord1 too1 ,i hope2 and then ,i am sure you won't be angry to hear me praise him4 ,but now1 sir1 talk to me about ,jesus ,christ4 ,you are his minister1 and he has sent you here to-day to see a poor unworthy soul1 that does not deserve the least of his mercies4 ,talk to me1 sir1 if you please about ,jesus ,christ4 ,neither you nor ,i are able to talk of him as we ought1 ,i answered2 and yet1 if we were to hold our peace1 the very stones would cry out4 ,ay1 and well they might1 sir1 cry shame1 shame upon us1 if we refused to speak of his goodness1 said the old man4 ,jesus ,christ1 ,i continued1 is a sure refuge1 and a present help in time of trouble4 ,that's right1 sir2 so he is4 ,jesus ,christ has taken care of you1 and watched over you all the days of your life2 and he will be your guide and portion in death4 ,that's right again1 sir2 so he will4 ,you have committed your soul into his keeping long since1 have you not8 ,about forty years ago1 sir2 about forty years ago1 7when ,i first used to hear ,mr4 ,venn and ,mr4 ,berridge17 he came to seek and to save me1 a vile sinner1 who deserved nothing but his wrath4 ,i can never praise him enough4 ,well1 my friend1 and this very ,saviour1 ,jesus ,christ1 whom you love1 and in whom you trust1 lived for you1 and died for you2 he rose again for you1 and has sanctified you by his ,holy ,spirit1 and now lives to make daily intercession for you3 and having done all this1 do you think he will leave you to perish at last8 ,no1 sir1 said the old man3 faithful is he that hath promised1 and will do it4 ,mine1 alack1 is a changing heart2 but he changeth not4 ,i believe that he hath laid up a crown of glory for me2 and though the old enemy of souls sometimes tells me ,i shan't have it1 ,i believe in ,christ sooner than in him1 and ,i trust ,i shall have it at last4 ,and do you not find by experience1 ,i added1 that his yoke is easy1 and his burden light8 ,his commandments are not grievous1 are they8 ,no1 sir1 no3 it is a man's meat and drink1 if he loves the ,lord1 to do what he bids him4 ,where were you before you came into this infirmary8 ,in the parish workhouse of ,s---4 ,have you a wife8 ,she died some years since1 and got to her heavenly home before me4 ,have you any children8 ,yes1 sir1 ,i have two sons married1 and settled in the world with families4 ,one of them has been here to see me lately1 and ,i hope he is in a good way for his own soul1 and brings up his children in the fear of ,god4 ,have you any worldly cares upon your mind8 ,not one1 sir4 ,i am come to this house1 ,i plainly see1 to end my days2 for this mortification in my leg must1 before it be very long1 bring me to the grave4 ,and ,i am quite willing1 sir1 to go1 or to wait the ,lord's own time4 ,i want nothing1 sir1 but more grace to praise him4 ,which last words he often repeated in the course of the conversation4 ,you have reason1 ,i said1 to feel thankful that there is such a house as this for poor and sick people to be brought to1 for both food1 lodging1 and medicine4 ,that ,i have1 indeed1 sir2 it is a house of mercies to me1 and ,i am ashamed to hear how unthankful many of the patients seem to be for the benefits which the ,lord provides for them here4 ,but1 poor creatures1 they neither know nor love him4 ,the ,lord have mercy upon them1 and show them the right way4 ,i should never have known that good way1 sir1 if he had not taken compassion upon me1 when ,i had none upon myself4 ,tears ran down his aged cheeks as he spoke these last words4 ,here1 thought ,i1 is a poor man that is very rich1 and a weak man that is very strong4 ,at this moment the nurse brought in his dinner4 ,there1 sir1 you see1 more and more mercies6 ,the ,lord takes care of me1 and sends me plenty of food for this poor1 old worn-out body4 ,and yet1 said ,i1 that poor old worn-out body will one day be renewed and become a glorified body1 and live along with your soul in the presence of ,god for ever4 ,that's right1 sir1 said the good old man1 so it will3 'though after my skin worms destroy this body1 yet in my flesh shall ,i see ,god4' ,but1 come1 sir1 seeing me look at my watch1 you must speak a word to your ,master1 if you please1 as well as for him4 ,i will put down my dinner while you pray with me4 ,i did so1 the man often adding his confirmation of what ,i offered up by voice1 gesture1 and countenance1 in a manner highly expressive of the agreement of his heart with the language of the prayer4 ,having ended1 he said1 ,god be with you1 sir1 and bless your labours to many poor souls6 ,i hope you will come to see me again1 if my life be spared4 ,i am so glad to see those who will talk to me about ,jesus ,christ1 and his precious salvation4 ,i replied1 ,may the ,god of ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob1 who carried them through the days of their pilgrimage1 and brought them safe to a city which hath foundations1 bring you there too1 and bless you all the remaining days of your journey till you get home6 ,i am going to see several serious friends this evening1 who would be glad1 ,i know1 to receive a message from one who has had so much experience of a ,saviour's mercies4 ,what shall ,i say to them8 ,tell them1 sir1 with my ,christian love and respects1 that you have been to see a poor dying old man1 who wants nothing at all in this world but more grace to praise the ,lord with4 ,so ended our first interview4 ,i could not help reflecting1 as ,i returned homewards1 that1 as the object of my journey to the infirmary had been to carry instruction and consolation myself to the poor and the sick2 so the poor and the sick were made instrumental to the conveying of both instruction and consolation to my own heart in a very superior degree4 ,i saw him four or five times afterwards1 and always found him in the same happy1 patient1 thankful1 and edifying state of mind and conversation4 ,the last time ,i was with him1 he said1 ,sir1 ,i long to be at my heavenly home1 but ,i am willing to remain a traveller as long as my ,lord and ,master sees good4 ,he died #bjc not long after my last sight of him1 in the steadfast assurance of faith1 and with a full hope of immortality4 ,footnotes3 #hg ,the mother died not long after her daughter2 and ,i have good reason to believe that ,god was merciful to her1 and took her to himself4 ,an interesting account of a visit recently made to the ,dairyman's cottage appeared in the ,christian ,guardian for ,october #ahac4 ,a still more recent visit to the good old ,dairyman 7who still lives1 at the age of eighty-two7 has been made by the author of this narrative4 7,june #ahad7 ,the good old ,dairyman died in #ahaf4 ,his end was eminently ,christian4 #ig ,now abideth faith1 hope1 charity1 these three2 but the greatest of these is charity 7#a ,cor4 xiii4 #ac7 #ih ,this circumstance took place before the late abolition of the slave trade4 #ajc ,the day has since arrived1 when the persevering efforts of ,mr4 ,wilberforce to accomplish this happy purpose have been fully answered4 ,the slave trade is abolished6 ,the ,church of ,god rejoices at this triumph of the cause of ,christ over the powers of darkness4 #aje ,in the course of conversation1 he sometimes addressed me with the word ,massa1 for ,master1 according to the well known habit of the ,negro slaves in the ,west ,indies2 and sometimes ',sir1' as he was taught since his arrival in ,england2 but the former word seemed to be most familiar to him4 #ajg ,a kind of shell-fish1 which abound in the place where we were1 and which stick to the rocks with exceeding great force4 #aba ,song of ,solomon i4 #e4 #bjc ,the foregoing conversation took place on ,september #bb1 #ahjh1 and is faithfully related4 ,j--- ,s---1 the good old man1 died in the ,infirmary1 in ,december #ahjh4