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can live two days; but, bleffed be God, death does not appear terrible to me; though I did not think it fo hear, yet, for fome months paft, I have lived in a daily preparation for it." He then expreffed the ftrongest confidence and truft in the Lord Jefus Chrift, as his Saviour, and his willingness to depart and be with him. He faid, "If I had a wifh to live, it was to be inftrumental in carrying on the work in the chapel, and in affifting those who are concerned in it. But I can come mit all to God, who will raife up fome other perfon in my place, more fit to undertake that important charge than I am."-That evening he fent for his papers, put them in order, revised the narrative of his converfion, made his will, and gave particular directions with regard to his funeral. He then took a folemn leave of the friend who ftaid with him; and afterwards faid, “I hope to be in heaven before the morning, but go you to bed, I fhall fend for you in time to clofe my eyes. Do not mourn for me, you have more caufe to rejoice; my mind is in perfect peace." Next day his complaints abated, which he feemed to regret. "I with," faid he, "this may not be a temptation to me; last night I gave. up every thing to God, my friends, the chapel, and all that is dear to me on earth. I now wish to depart; I have nothing more to do here."

Some of his relations coming to fee him, he spoke to them with much earneftness, entreating them with tears to be mindful of the falvation of their fouls.-At night, while fitting at fupper, he fuddenly fell very low, and thought himself going; and taking a glafs of wine and water, he turned about to his friend, and faid, in allufion to Matt. xxvi. 29. "Henceforth, I fhall drink no more with you of the fruit of the vine, but we thall drink it together new in our Father's kingdom." He then, with great compofure, and fweet ferenity of mind, laid him down in his bed, in the view of rifing up no more in this world. But in this he was mistaken; he had yet to exercife much faith and patience during feven weeks of very great weakness and diftrefs; but while the

outward man decayed, the inward man feemed to be gaining fresh vigour from day to day. He continued for fome weeks in a heavenly frame of mind, longing much to depart; frequently crying out, "O when fhall I behold his bleffed face! Why are his chariot-wheels fo long in coming! O time, time, fly on thy fwifteft wings, and haften the happy period when I fhall be admitted into the prefence of my God, even my God and Saviour; nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done, thy time is beft."

One evening, when talking of the affairs of the chapel, he faid, "O what pride have I difcovered in my heart of late; how could I undertake fo great a charge; I was not fit for it; and the Lord, in loving kindness to me, and the congregation, is taking me away.-I believe affuredly, that he will now give them one better qualified for the office than I am; and the gospel will be preached in that place for many generations yet to come."Another time he faid, "I fee myself to be fo great a finner, that if God was now to condemn me, and bid me depart from him for ever, I must acknowledge the juftice of the fentence, and fay amen to it. Yet have I a firm, unfhaken hope of eternal life, purchased for me by the merits of Chrift, and conferred upon me as a free gift: Hitherto nothing has been able to raise a doubt in my mind concerning my ftate; I feel that I love holinefs, and hate fin, which is an undoubted evidence that I belong to Chrift; and, fuppofing there was no heaven, my foul could not go to hell, for I have no communion with its inhabitants: I hate the works of darkness, and this appears to me to be the fureft teft of a foul being born again."

To fome friends who came to fee him, he faid, "I have no extraordinary joys, nor bright manifeftations like what I have read and heard that others enjoyed when in my fituation; but my mind is kept in perfect peace, refting upon the word and promife of God. I have little pain of body, and no uncafinefs of mind-I do not feel one murmuring thought-the Lord gives

me perfect fubmiffion to his will-I defire no alteration in my fituation-and fhall never be able, while in the body, to express my gratitude for the mercies I enjoy." He gave many excellent advices to a young minifter who came to fee him, about preaching Chrift without the fear, or feeking the favour of men; exhorting him to employ his health and ftrength while he had them, in the fervice of his bleffed Mafter.

One morning he told a friend, that during the night he had been much diftreffed with a dark cloud that came over his mind, and made him unable to pray, and meditate upon fpiritual fubjects (which were his ufual exercifes in the night feafon), but towards the morning it was removed, and he had a sweet time; the Lord had drawn near to his foul, and renewed his promise to him in Ifaiah xli., 10. "Fear not, for I am with thee; be not difmayed, for I am thy God," &c. Which words had been fent home with uncommon power upon his mind the evening before he left Holland, when wreftling in 'prayer for the Lord's prefence to accompany him to his native land; and they had frequently afforded him fupport and comfort during the courfe of his miniftry.

When diftreffed in the night with the cough, he remarked that the Lord kept him from murmuring, and gave him fuch patience and peace of mind as greatly alleviated his fufferings.

One evening, when employed in meditation, he broke out into many fweet ejaculations, and repeated fome portions of fcripture, which feemed to afford him peculiar delight; fuch as, Pfal. lxxiii. 24-26. "Thou shalt guide me with thy counfel, and afterwards receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee; and there is none upon the earth that I defire befides thee: My flelh and my heart faileth, but God is the ftrength of my heart, and my portion for ever.-Because I live, ye fhall live alfo.*-Jefus Chrift, the fame yefterday, today, and for ever."-He then faid, "I have till lately

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been in an error, and have entertained wrong apprehenfions of God. I viewed him as angry with man, and had fome confufed ideas of the danger of approaching him out of Chrift, but now I fee that God is love.-The Father himfelf loveth you. God fo loved the world, that· he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him, might not perish, but have everlasting life.-Glory be to the Father, whofe love prompted him to fend the Son; glory be to the Son, who gave himself a voluntary ranfom for finners; and glory be to the Holy Ghoft, who applies this falvation, and brings it home to their fouls.'

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(To be concluded in our next.)

The Mediation of Chrift confiftent with Reafon.
[Extracted from Füller's Gospel its own Witness.]

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HE fenfe of mankind, with regard to the neceffity of a mediator, may be illuftrated by the following fimilitude. Let us fuppofe a divifion in the army of one of the wifeft and beft of kings, through the evil counsel of a foreign enemy, to have been difaffected to his government; and that without any provocation on his part, they traitorously confpired against his crown and life. The attempt failed; and the offenders were feized, difarmed, tried by the laws of their country, and condemned to die. A refpite, however, was granted to them, during his majefty's pleasure. At this folemn period, while every part of the army, and of the empire, was expecting the fatal order for execution, the king was employed in meditating mercy. But how could mercy be fhewn?" To make light of a confpiracy," faid he to his friends, "would loofen the bands of good government; other divifions of the army might be tempted to follow their example; and the nation at large might be in danger of imputing it to tamenefs, fear, or fome unworthy motive."

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Every one felt in this case the necessity of a Medi-' ator, and agreed as to the general line of conduct per for him to pursue. "He must not attempt," said they, "to compromise the difference by dividing the blame that would make things worse. He must justify the king, and condemn the outrage committed against him; he must offer, if possible, some honorable expedient, by means of which the bestowment of pardon shall not relax, but strengthen just authority; he must convince the conspirators of their crime, and introduce them in the character of supplicants; and mercy must be shewn them out of respect to him, or for his sake."

But who could be found to mediate in such a cause? This was an important question. A work of this kind, it was allowed on all hands, required singular qualifications. "He must be perfectly clear of any participation in the offence," said one, "or inclination to favor it for to pardon conspirators at the intercession of one who is friendly to their cause, would be not only making light of the crime, but giving a sanction to it."

"He must," said another, "be one who on account of his character and services stands high in the esteem of the king and of the public: for to mediate in such a cause is to become, in a sort, responsible for the issue. A mediator in effect pledges his honor that no evil will result to the state from the granting of his request. But if a mean opinion be entertained of him, no trust can be placed in him, and consequently no good impression would be made by his mediation on the public mind."

I conceive it is necessary," said a third, "that the weight of the mediation should bear a proportion to the magnitude of the crime, and to the value of the favor requested; and that for this end it is proper he should be a person of great dignity. For his majesty to pardon a company of conspirators at the intercession of one of their former comrades, or of any other obscure character, even though he might be a worthy man, VOL. II. No. 1.

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