fhall be washed in his precious blood, clothed with the immaculate robe of his righteoufnefs, and fanctified by his Spirit; they fhall be directed by his infinite wifdom, protected by his omnipotent arm, fupplied by the riches of his grace; fhall enjoy the moft permanent peace here, and the moft unbounded happiness in the world of glory hereafter! Surely then, to be only the instrument of fuch good as this, is worth labouring for in any part of the world, among any kind of people, and in the midft of the greatest difficulties. Let us then, preachers and hearers, rich and poor, old and young, all unite our endeavours to bring men to Jefus. Amen. LECTOR.

I

SIR,

MR. E DIT.O R.

AM in the habit of writing fhort hand :-At the last races in Manchester curiofity induced me to hear the Rev. Mr. S. of that place; he preached from Matt. vi. 13. "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." I took down the principal parts of his difcourfe, the effect of which was, under the bleffing of the Spirit, a difcovery of my fpiritual ruin and danger. It altered my intention of adding to the giddy groupe on the race-courfe, though I came more than twenty miles for that purpofe, and I truft I have bidden adieu to fuch amufements for ever. The exordium to his difcourfe I think peculiarly ftriking. If you are of the fame opinion, you will infert it in your ufeful Magazine, and thus oblige many friends to whom I have read it, but efpecially

A REPENTING PRODIGAL.

"Will you excufe me, my friends, if I tell you what paffed in my mind while ftudying this important part of Scripture? I was led back in imagination to that interesting period when Adam, our great progenitor, received his exiftence. I beheld him in the garden of Eden, happy in the enjoyment of God, happy in the poffeffion of holinefs; prefently afterwards I faw him expelled thofe bleffed fcenes; I faw horror, guilt, remorfe in his countenance, I heard Abraham, the Father of the Faithful, prevaricate, and tutor his

--

wife in the arts of deception.-I beheld a David unmindful of his duty, profeffion, or danger, the flave of fenfual appetite, the intriguing adulterer, the defigning murderer. I faw a Solomon, the wifeft of mortals, proflituting his fine, his almost god-like powers, and employing them in the most defpicable purfuits; giving himself up to idolatry, wine, and women.-I heard a Peter fwear, the difciple funk into the liar, the boafting champion changed into the cowardly deferter, the friend the companion of Jefus, denying his Lord. Confounded and alarmed I enquired the reafon of this :Why Adam was banished Paradife? Why Abraham proved unfaithful?-How David contracted the double flain of infamy? Solomon turned libertine ?-Peter a blafphemer?-The Scripture told me it was owing to the force of temptation. From this lower world my imagination foared to the celestial regions; methought I heard their tranfport ing fongs, I witneffed their extatic raptures, I liftened to their language, and one great fubject of their exultation was, through manifold temptations we have entered the kingdom. From heaven my view was directed to the hor rid gulph of darkness, I would have read their tragic hiftory, but I durft not; yet, amidst their inceffant howlings, one fentiment was audible, We have been led captive by the Devil at his will, we are fallen the miferable victims of temptation.' Again, I looked around me, and I saw, with pain, thousands of my fellow men listening to the tale of deception, and walking in the paths of the deftroyer: F anticipated their end; my heart trembled-Among the reft did I forget myfelf-Did I forget you, my dear brethren?No: but I faw both myfelf and you in a dangerous world, furrounded with enemies, ever liable to temptations, prone to wander and I knew without omnipotent grace, we could not stand. Enough-I felt the force of the petition, and was involuntarily led to pray (may you all pray with me) Almighty Father, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

6

t

HAPPY DEATH of a child.

To the Editor of the Evangelical Magazine.

NY DEAR FRIEND,

Newport Pagnel, 17th September.

I HAVE juft recceived the inclofed account of the death of a sweet child, fix years and a half old, a relation of Mrs. G-When the Lord perfects praife from the mouths of babes, it seems incumbent upon others to bear testimony to the power of his grace. Such inftances may especially be profitable to the parents and friends of young children, as they afford the strongest encouragement to early dilligence in religious inftruction. I fend you the narrative almost verbatim as it was fent me by a fifter of the deceased, who is at prefent, I think, in her 17th year. The fimplicity of the account may render it the more ftriking, and the age of the writer will, probably, be deemed a fufficient apology for trifling defects.

I am affectionately your's,

S. G.

DEAR AND REVEREND SIR,

IWISHE

WISHED in my last to have given you fome account of the death of my dear little fifter, but could not then find time. As I am fure it will not fail to impart fatisfaction to you, to hear of the Lord's goodness to so young a child, I will no longer delay. I cannot exprefs to you, dear Coufin, how much I find her dying experience alleviate the pain [ feel at the thought of our feparation. Oh! what mercy was mixed with the bitter cup! The grim tyrant was deprived of half his difmaying power. It was only parting, as I once told her, to meet more happy. But I will leave this fubject; for, to make my regret the theme of my letter, would be of no avail. I trust I am refigned to the difpenfation of an all-wife and merciful Providence. It was frequently her request, "Do not grieve after me, my dear fifter."

There was nothing very particular in my dear fifter before her laft illness. She was in general attentive when in a VOL. II.

Сс

place of worship, and would on no account mifs her prayers night and morning; fhe was fond of hearing of the deaths of pious children, and would fometimes retain striking paffages of fermons fhe had heard preached. I did not obferve her much defirous of playing on the Sabbath. Of these things, however, I took but little notice. People frequently admired her for her beauty, and fometimes the difcovered that the knew it; but on the whole, he was a very pleasant child; her temper was extremely amiable, and delightfully affectionate.

It was on Thursday, 8th Auguft, my dear Hannah was taken ill. At first the faid nothing of dying, but on the Saturday the expreffed the manner in which the wished to be carried to the grave.. On the following Tuefday, feeing her dear mother crying, the faid "Don't grieve, my dear And at mamma, it hurts me; give me up to the Lord." another time, "Don't grieve, mamma, I am going to be happy; my Jefus ftands just ready to take me away. Give me up to the Lord; I want to go to my own dear God." On the Wednesday, the faid to a perfon who was fitting by her, "my dear H, I mult die-don't weep-I muft go-I am very bad. O Lord, have mercy upon me! I muft die. Oh my God, take me!" Then, to feveral in the room fhe faid, "Blefs you all! pray God releafe me!" When I arrived at home on Wednesday, she at first took

notice of me. I asked her how the did, and feveral other questions before the answered me; but when I asked her if the loved God, the directly anfwered, "Yes!" To my queftion, whether the believed God loved her, fhe replied, "Yes, for he is my own dear God." Upon asking if the loved Jefus, (I wish I could always reply with the fame fervour as fhe did) "Oh, yes!" One day, when the was in very great pain, the told me not to grieve, for it was her own dear Jefus. She could fay no more; but it was eafy to conceive what the would have added, to teach me to refign my will to the will of the Lord.

My dear fifter defired I would pray with her, which I did, requesting, if it pleafed the Lord, that he would graciously. fpare her to be an useful fervant to' him; but if not, that he would give her an eafy difmiffion to a better world; and, particularly, that her death might be fanctifyed to thofe who were left behind. When I finished, the turned and faid, "Thank you, my deareft fifter," I enquired whether I had asked for what he wanted? "Yes, my dear, quite right," the replied. "Have I forgot any thing you wished me to remember?" "No, my deareft, nothing."

Seeing a bible in my hand, fhe begged I would read it to her. I turned to the 10th of St. Mark, of children being brought to Chrift; and when I clofed the book, fhe faid, "How kind! I fhall foon go to Jefus; he will foon take me up in his arms, and blefs me too; no difciple shall keep me away." I kiffed her, and afked her if the loved me; "Yes, my dear," the replied, "but, do not be angry, I love Jefus better."-You will eafily believe, Reverend Sir, that this raifed in my heart far different feelings from thofe of anger. One day, I told her, that if I had ever offended her, or at any time been cross with her, I hoped the would then forgive me. "Oh! my dear," faid fhe, indeed you have not." I replied, "But, my love, you may not remember it, and fometimes perhaps I may; but forgive me now." "Oh! yes," returned my fifter, "but indeed you have not."

On Friday night, wifhing to know if fhe was fenfible, I faid to her, "My dear, can you remember who Jefus is?" She answered, "Yes, he is God's dear fon; he was always God and a fpirit; but he was a man too." I demanded, how that could be; fhe returned, "He came down from heaven, and died." "And for what?" faid I. She anfwered, "He was crucified for poor finners; he died for me." 'Are you then a finner, my love?" I asked. She inftantly replied, with great earneftnefs, "Yes; but he came to fave finners; he came to fave me." I then only faid, "Yes, my dear little fifter, he did, and he is still the fame;" for I was fearful the would be fatigued. She laid quite ftill for about a quarter of an hour, and I thought he had been fleeping; but the faid fomething to herfelf; I hearkened, and heard only the word Jesus. Soon afterward the exclaimed, "Jefus is my Saviour and my all!" I did not fpeak; but in a fhort time, with ftill greater animation, the cried out, "Oh, how I do love my Jefus!"

At one time, although fhe was in very great pain, the obferved, that I had the Evangelical Magazine in my hand. I was then looking at that part which contained the account of my late dear friend and pious inftructor, Mrs. Chase. "Read it to me, fifter," faid fhe, "read where he is dying." I thought my lovely fifter too ill to attend, but obeyed. She fweetly fmiled, and was quite ftill. Iflopped feveral times, to afk if he was fatigued; but her aufwer always was, "No, fifter." Receiving a letter from my young friend Mifs E. C. I read it to her. When I was reading two lines in it, viz. " Millions of infant fouls compose the family above," my fifter looked quité delighted," and faid, "I too fhall foon be there."