'compared with such a finful wretch ' as I am. They never dishonored 'the God that made them, as I ' have done. They never flighted ' the Saviour, nor grieved the HoI'ly Spirit of God, as I have done. They never committed the sins I 'have. O! how mean and vile I 'am! I am meaner and viler 'than the meanest and most con 6 6 temptible worm. How wonder'ful and astonishing that God 'should fuffer such an unworthy, ill-deferving creature as I am to ' live in his world, to tread upoв 'his earth, or breathe his air. I ' deserved to have been shut up in to God, and I seemed to have no ' choice of my own, but wholly re• signed to God; and my will fwal• lowed up in his will. Christ ap• peared both able and willing to save ' me, as unworthy as I was. ' now experienced such joy as I ' never did before. I attempted to • describe it to a friend in bed with • me, but it was joy unspeakably ' great, joy unutterable. My whole • soul seemed to be swallowed up in ' viewing God and Christ, without • reflecting I had, or ever should ⚫ have any interest in either of them. • I rejoiced in God and rejoiced in • Chrift, on account of the glorious ⚫ beauty and excellencies, which I saw in them. From that moment, • I have felt a sweet calmness and • serenity of mind. I seem to have • no will of my own, but my will bowed to the will of God, in life ⚫ and death, for time and for eternity. I feel as if I could cheerful⚫ly leave myself, and all I have, ' with God, for him to do with me ' and them, as he thinks best; be• ing fully affured he will do right. • If I am finally saved, it will be of his fovereign mercy and grace, ' through the atonement of Christ ; ' and if I am finally lost, God will 'be just and good, and the faulty ' caufe of my perdition lie at my ' own door. This Lord's day ' night, and the ravishing views I'alone. then had, I shall never forget ; * and my daily prayer is that I may • have times of refreshing from the ' prefence of the Lord; and that I 'may be more conformed to God, ' in the temper of my mind, and • have more of the Spirit of Christ." Another said, "As I was walk'ing to the house of God upon the fabbath, I saw a number of little ' worms, swimming about in afmall brook; I stopped and viewed ' them, and said to myself, how in* nocent andhappy are these worms hell long ago, and yet I am still a 'prifoner of hope: Oh! the 'goodness and long-fuffering of 'God, and the ingratitude and wickedness of hardened sinners!" " I shall now fubjoin a few extracts from some letters, fent to particular friends. They were not written with a view of being seen by any but the perfons to whom they were addressed. One writes thus, "Dear Friend, Do let me 'know how you do, and what you are doing, I am more con' cerned for my friends now than ever; am more fond of their 'company and conversation; and ' yet at times, love retirement, ' and enjoy myself very well How thankful should ' webe, that we are made rational ' creatures, capable of enjoying focial happiness? Do we confid'er from whom we receive our bleffings, and the obligations we ' are under to live devoted to the ' giver? When we give to God ' the dew of our youth, he will be ' pleased with the offering. flower offered in the bud is an ac'ceptable facrifice." A Again, the fame writes, " Dear Friend, The spring is now opening, the snow diffolving, the 'streams murmuring over the peb-'ships, I often say in my hearty 'bles, the lambs skipping in the 'meadows, and the birds on the branches straining their little ' throats in melodious fongs; all • speak, in different ways, their maker's praise. Should not we, ' who are endowed with reafon, * join in praising the creator; even the mute creation would find a ' voice, and upbraid our filence. 'Let us in our youth attend to 'the one thing needful. Now is ' the best time to lay in store a good • foundation against the time to ' come. It is written, remember ' now thy creator in the days of 'thy youth. And now is the ac'cepted time. If you ask, what ' this world is, and what the pleaf'ures of it are ? I answer, vani'ty of vanities, all is vanity. There is no real and substantial happiness in the enjoyment of 'any thing this world affords. If 'your ideas of this world are the fame with mine, then "Whilst the bufy croud, "Nor join the giddy dance." The fame writes again, " I retire from company, to converse * alone with one I love; for so I 'call writing to a friend. What 'privileges have we which thou'fands are denied? We have kind 'parents to instruct us, are taught 'alas, there is no cause of com plaint, but the highest reason for ' gratitude and praise. Nature is ' eloquent in praising the creator. " But man alone intent to stray, "Ever turns from wisdom's way. Until you fee me, do think of ' me or think of fomething better. • Adieu." Another writes thus. "Dear 'friend, I now fit down to tell 'you what hath taken place with me ' this present week. On Wednes'day evening, I was thoughtful ' and very ferious, and after atten' tively listening to fome religious ' conversation between two friends, I retired to rest, with my mind deep' ly impressed, and lay sometime ' in bed, wetting my pillow with ' tears. This was not the first time, my mind hath been fix⚫ed on, and my thoughts swallow' ed up with things of another 'world; and I have sometimes ' entertained a hope, I experien'ced the power of godliness in my childhood. But now on a fud' den, my fins were set in order ' before me and seemed to stare me * in the face; and my heart was "so pricked I could not lie still. ' I used to think, I had a desire to 'embrace Christ, and partake of 'gospel blessings. But I now ex'perienced views and feelings, such as I never did before; and ' was afraid to close my eyes in fleep; for I thought nothing kept me from the pit of endless 'perdition, but the slender and brittle thread of life. What shall I do? was now the language of 'my heart. If the righteous are scarcely faved, where shall the ungodly and the finner appear ! If I attempted to pray, these 'words were in my mind, the prayer of the wicked is abomina I 'tion to the Lord. I then faid to ' myself, what can I, or what shall 'I do? I am wretched, and ' wretched I must be. I deserve ' nothing but the frowns and wrath ' of the Almighty. Better would ' it have been for me, if I had not 'been born. At this time, my ' views, exercises and feelings ' were such as I cannot express ; ' they were such as I never had be'fore. But at this moment, my heart breathed out the prayer of 'the publican, who thought him• self unworthy to lift up fo much ⚫ as his eyes to heaven; God be • merciful to me a finner. Immediately upon this, I appeared to 'myself, to be loft, for a short 'space; I believe it was not more ' than a minute or two, but I do * not know how long it was, nor 'what passed, during a time, for ' whether I was in the body or out 'I cannot tell. But as foon as I ' came to myself, I did from my ' heart, give up my myself, both 'foul and body, to him who gave ' me being.* After I had thus * given myself up to God, being ' much fatigued, and having had * but very little fleep, fince Mon'day night, I fell asleep ' when I awoke, found my mind ' more at ease, than it was before. ' But I feemed to myself, to be a 'new creature. I could not tell 'how I was altered, but I tho't, 'furely I am not the fame perfon • I used to be. In the forenoon of Thursday, while I was about my ' common domestic concerns, many tears fell from my eyes; not 'because I was concerned about the falvation of my own foul; 'but, O! the goodness of God! In the afternoon, I attended a and Torrents of grief can ne'er repay, "The debt of love I owe; "Here, Lord, I give myself to thee, ""Tis all that I can do." L 6 He died ' facramental lecture; and heard a ' fermon from these words, Je'fus, when he had cried again with ' a loud voice, yielded up the Ghost. The words of the text, affected my heart, and the fermon feemed ' to do my foul good. 'for finners! Happy are those ' that trust in him! In the eve'ning I attended a religious meet'ing; and what I heard, was to ' me, as cold water to a thirsty 'foul. During most of the day, ' I had by turns doubts and fears 6 respecting my future state. But ' at night, felt as if I could trust ' myself in the hands of God, and ' having committed myself to his keeping, gave myself to fleep, faying, I will both lay me down in peace and sleep; for thou Lord makest me to dwell in 6 6 safety. I spent most of the fore' part of Friday in reading and wri'ting, and in the afternoon, began to entertain a hope I had feen and been with Jefus, who hath faid, those that feek meearly ' shall find me. To-day, viz. Saturday, my hope is strong; and I 'believe, if God ever did pour his Spirit into my heart, he did it last Wednesday evening. But at that time I thought of no fuch 'thing. My prayer now is, that God, for Jesus' fake would pour ' out his Spirit upon all flesh." 6 In narrating the preceding conversations and extracts, the narrator, hath not confined himself wholly to the modes of expreffion, and forms of speech made use of by the speakers and writers; but hath endeavored to retain the true fenfe and meaning of every particular fentence, and as far as he could confiftently with rules of propriety, hath confined himself to the original words and phrases. During the time the awakening continued, fports and paftimes, and ceremonious vifits, were gene- | shall come in like a flood, the spirit rally discontinued; and the ball room so far unoccupied, that the musician feared his craft was in danger, and his hopes of gain were gone. And in those days, the word of the Lord, both read and preached, was precious. In some houses, where the bible was kept heretofore useless in the book-cafe it might now be seen, lying in the most convenient places, for frequent ufe. To many it appeared a new book, whenever they opened it they always found something new in it, something they had never seen, or never attended to before; and preaching appeared new to many; yea, the old fermons they had heard before, were new, and they were ready to imagine they never heard fuch excellent fermons before. Although much time was spent in religious exercises, fuch as reading, attending lectures, and other religious meetings, yet in such a manner did those who were ferious economise and redeem time that it was believed by unbiassed and candid observers, that worldly business did not fuffer by means of the religious attention. of the Lord shall fet up a standard against him; but for this he will be enquired of by the house of Ifrael. And with what freedom and importunity may God's spiritual Ifrael address the throne of grace for fo rich a bleffing! Thus faith the holy one of Ifrael and his maker, "ask of me concerning my fons, and concerning the ' work of my hands, command ye 'me." Nor did he ever say to the feed of Jacob, "seek ye me ' in vain." "He frees the souls condemn'd to death, He that shall come, faith, be- hold I I am, Gentlemen, with confid- Admonitions from the Death-Bed. I NUMBER I. A good number of families who N my early life, I was witness to an extraordinary instance of had always lived without calling clear views and triumphing joy upon God either morning or even- and hope in a dying person. I ing, are now devout worshippers. was then so young that I cannot To fee or hear of fuch revivals distinctly recollect the descriptions of religion and times of reforma- which he gave of his faith and tion, must refresh and gladden the hopes, but remember the deep imhearts of all the godly; and ex. pressions they made on my own cite the children of Zion, while mind; and I was thereby led to they rejoice in their king, and in reflect much on the evidence in fathe profperity of his kingdom, to vor of truth and religion which pray without ceafing, that he would may be collected from the views, haften the time, even the fet time the hopes and the fears of those for the accomplishment of all those who feel their near approach to the glorious things spoken of in proph- eternal world. This determined ecy, concerning the enlargement, me, at the commencement of my peace, profperity and glory of ministry, to note in my diary, exChriftianity. When the enemy | traordinary instances of convictions a fimilar fituation, they would not fail to tremble for their own ftate. Under these impressions, and with a love for the fouls of men, I shall occafionally select from the notes I have preserved, and communicate an account of fundry perfons whofe state of mind, in the profpect of death, deeply impressed me, and from which I collected much evidence for the reality of truths, which are doubted fear, or joy which I should obferve in the close of life. The refult has been somewhat different from the fanguine opinions of my youth; for I was then ready to conclude that men's eternal state might always be determined from their apprehenfions on the known approach of death. Since that time, I have seen a few instances of most hardened stupidity, and fouls departing without any sense of fin, guilt and an approaching judgment; but these were perfons who had either been notorious for crimes, or who, governed by a detestable avarice, had maintained some visible decency of conduct, that under this disguise they might make the unwary their prey. I have also seen a few, for whom I had a charitable hope, departing in dark-rious people of his own charge, nefs. Many have I seen close their time of trial either in a state of delirium, or stupified by disease and medicine, so as to have little knowledge of what passed between the first attack of pain and their appearance at the bar of God. Such instances as these are a folemn warning not to postpone our preparation for another world to the time of ficknefs and death. But altho there may be many such cafes, in which the scene of death presents nothing but stupidity or distraction; I yet believe that the state of men's minds at that hour is often fuch as affords a folemn and weighty argument for the reality and importance of religion and divine truth. Then the appetites are cooled; then the world and all its pleasures and interests appear in their true light; then the mind folemnly paufes and confiders, and confideration is most favorable to rational and fincere conviction. If many, who behold such scenes with stupidity, did but feel that they must foon be in by fome in this day of scepticifm. The first instance which I shall relate was my last interview with an aged and dying Christian Minifter. This good man had paffed a long life in a faithful discharge of the duties of his miniftry. Wherever known he was loved and respected; and among the fes and the neighboring churches, he was almost venerated. His conversation was exemplary; his heart affectionate and pious; his preaching was on the great doctrines of the gofpel-the wisdom and holiness of God in the redemption of finners the excellency and sufficiency of a crucified Jesus-and the nature and neceffity of Chriftian holiness. By particular request, I repeated a visit to this good man near the close of his life. On entering his room he said, "I have fent for you, to tell you how great a finner may trust and even rejoice in the fovereign mercy of God, and also to charge you to be a faithful minifter of Christ." Afterwards, as he found strength and opportunity, he faid nearly the following things. "You behold in me one of the greatest of finners; and if divine sovereignty had not prevented, according to my abilities to do evil, I should have been the very greateft. God placed me under the reftraints of his providence, and I |