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and feeling disposition, was very kind to his mother, who was a widow, and liberal in assisting his younger brothers. His faults were a kind of pride and self-will, that would not submit to be guided or crossed; this made him fretful and unmanageable in sickness. His health was delicate, and he had frequent indispositions, the stomach often disordered, and a great tendency in the winter to colds and coughs. By degrees he was tempted by others to drink, till a propensity for liquor gained upon him; and whenever he was under its influence, his temper was very irritable. My mother often spoke seriously to him upon this sin; telling him, that although it caused him to neglect his business and was very inconvenient to her, yet she considered that of trifling conse quence, compared with the injury he did to his own body and soul. His conscience seemed to be touched at such times; and he would for a while abstain from temptation; but soon fell back again into the same course, as he had not at this time given his heart to God, or sought for divine strength, to enable him to overcome his corruptions. I do not believe he drank to any great excess; but his stomach being weak, he was easily affected, and though he suffered from it, he did not resist.

In November 1822, he had an awful warning, in the unprepared death of J. P. his predecessor, whose life was sacrificed to drinking; and also in the sudden death of J. S. very soon after, under our own roof, and even in James G-'s own bed. These events were calculated to make him think seriously of his own state; and for the time he seemed much terrified and conscience struck; when I took the opportunity of talking to him upon the importance of attending to such calls from Providence, and the awfulness of disregarding them, and read with him, Proverbs i. 24, &c. I continued to give him an hour's religious instruction once a week, during the winter; when he read to me a part of the Pilgrim's Progress, and looked out the references from Scripture, which I explained to him. At first he shewed some feeling and interest in this employment; but this gradually subsided, and he became so indifferent, or reluctant to come to me at the appointed time, that I gave it up again in the spring. Thus he was unfaithful to the call of a gracious God, and was soon hardened again by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews iii. 13.) One could easily discern his state of mind on account of his sincerity; for he never professed any religious feeling, and had always a dread of hypocrisy. He

would read religious books, when we lent them to him; and find out passages in the Scripture very correctly, that I set him to search for under different heads; but he shewed no diligence, or pleasure in the exercise; and at our family prayers he generally seemed indifferent and sleepy.

In June 1823, a very severe illness was sent to him, by which he was confined to his bed; he was attended by doctor S. In this illness he was terribly irritable, selfish, and wilful; demanded much attention, and was quite unthankful for it; and often passionately angry with those who were attending him most kindly, with much fatigue to themselves. He did not turn to religion for comfort, and preferred other books to religious books; my brother talked and prayed with him two or three times. As I was at D. I sent him a little book to read, particularly suited to his state, as it was a true narrative of the pious feeling and conduct of a young man of his own age, suffering under an illness very similar to his own. He read it; but it seemed to make no impression. I also wrote him a letter from D. to impress upon him the importance of religion, and the necessity of a change of heart; but he said to one of his fellow servants, that he wished I had not troubled myself about him; and when I returned home, he never mentioned it to me. I only speak of these things to prove the change that took place in him latterly. We felt how awful his state was, and were very uneasy about him at that time.

In the winter of the same year a decided improvement appeared in his outward conduct; he remained much more at home in the evenings, and kept himself more separate from his evil companions; yet I believe they watched for him, and beguiled him at times into the public house.

In the spring he caught a bad cold; the east winds were very keen and injurious to chest complaints. His cough increased, and he began to look so ill, that we felt it necessary to put him under medical care.

On the 27th of April, in spite of Mr. P's remedies, he became worse and worse; and in about a fortnight afterwards was confined entirely to his bed. During this fortnight he began to apprehend danger; was submissive to the remedies prescribed, though he fancied it was the medicines that made him grow so much worse; and was less irritable than in former illnesses. He took my D. letter out of his box and read it; and read religious books

At this time, on seeing

that he found in the housekeeper's room. two of his drinking companions pass the window, he said, "there are those wretches coming; I won't see them; don't let them come to me."

The inflammation and fever became so high, that James was bled in the arm, three times in four days; yet the symptoms did not abate according to expectation, so that after the third bleeding, on May 17th, Mr. P. for the first time began to apprehend danger, and approved of our sending for his mother. James himself was much alarmed. He was removed this day into a better garret than his own; and, though very weak, was just able to walk from one bed to the other. This was a trying day to my feelings. I was very unhappy about the state of his soul; and the fever was so high as almost to preclude affording him any spiritual help, and I dreaded his being removed from us under this heavy cloud. I felt deeply impressed with the awfulness of postponing the important concerns of the soul, to a time of sickness and danger, when the mind is so enfeebled with disease as to render it difficult to attend to the subject of religion. I anxiously considered what we could do for his poor soul, before it was hurried into eternity. I thought it would be very desirable to have Mr. S. to pray with him; and I found that he himself had that morning proposed to come, if agreeable to us. I saw Mr. S. soon after, and told him that it was just what I wished; as I thought prayer very important for James in his present state. Mr. S. said, that no doubt he had been well instructed in our house; and as he was so ill, he should not fatigue him by talking to him, but would only pray. He said he believed him to be an amiable young man. I said, "Yes; but he has been tempted to drink at times, and he has never shewn any real interest in religion; so that I am not at all happy, or satisfied about his soul." I went up to Jaines, and was quite shocked with his altered looks. I told him that Mr. S. had enquired kindly after him, and proposed to pray with him; he declined it, to my great sorrow, saying, the fever was so high that every thing agitated him. I then urged him for the next day; fearing at the time that there was little probability of his being better; and left him with a heavy heart. I could find no possible comfort, but in committing the cause to God, in prayer. I felt that he alone could raise him, though human power and human hope failed:-for he "killeth, and maketh alive; he bringeth low,

and lifteth up." (1 Samuel ii. 6, 7.) Encouraged by a confidence in the mighty power of God, I prayed that James might be spared, though it were but for a little season, until we could see some signs of spiritual life in his soul. Whilst I was praying, it crossed my mind, that we had made it a subject of prayer whom we should engage, when we took him into our service nearly five years ago; that the Lord graciously put honour upon those who fear and look to him; and that James was surely not brought under our roof in vain. These thoughts were as a little ray of comfort, darting across a black cloud, and passing away.

Tuesday morning, May 18th.-The prayer seemed to be answering, for the invalid was a little better, and received Mr. S. to pray with him, which was a great relief to me. His mother arrived. I did not see him that day.

He was hur

Wednesday, 19th.—He continued a little better, and talked a good deal to his mother upon their family concerns. ried with it, so I did not go to him.

Thursday, 20th.-I went to him and took my Bible. The passage in Amos iv. which I had read to the family the night before, was the only one which presented itself to my mind. I shewed him, from it, that the Lord's purpose in afflicting was that we should turn to him. I said, "you have had many calls before, and yet you have not turned: I hope this will not be in vain." He was perfectly silent; and I felt the gloom of his silence a great weight upon my spirits; for I thought if he was in earnest about his soul, he surely would have said something. We drank tea with a particular friend, but I felt too low to enter much into conversation; and when we came home we learnt that Mr. P. thought James worse. A relapse at this period removed the hopes we had too fondly cherished, and we were cast down and greatly distressed. The state of his soul threw a heavy gloom over the dispensation at this time, and we could only commit him into the hands of God, in prayer.

The first favourable expression, that I could learn from poor James, was a wish expressed to H. his diligent attendant, that he could turn his heart more to God, and a hope if he recovered that he should live more to his glory. When she read the fifty-first Psalm to him he admired it; asked for a hymn; liked Mr. S's prayer; and regretted that his mind wandered; hoped that the Lord would have mercy upon his poor soul; often said

"Lord, have mercy upon me! Christ, have mercy upon me!" May 23rd. About a week after the danger had appeared, he said to H. he feared God; but he wished he could feel himself more a sinner; it was awful to be cut off unprepared; it was hard to repent on a death bed; hoped that God would deeply smite his heart; and that he should be thankful for his mercies; felt it was wrong to read the books he used to do-he would not read them any more. The books alluded to were historical; they were his favourite study, and had engrossed his mind so much, that frequently in his wanderings he fancied himself engaged in battles.

Mr. S. continued to pray with him daily, and to enforce resignation to the will of God; and I too read a little in the Scripture to him. I read the 25th Psalm, to shew him that God would teach sinners, because he was good; the 53rd of Isaiah, to present to him the sufferings of Christ, and their object; the 31st verse of Ezekiel chapter 18th, to shew the Lord's command to have a new heart, and his promise to bestow it; Ezekiel 36. 26. and that whatever he commands, he promises to bestow. I read Rev. 3. 20. “Christ stands at the door, and knocks." I said, "he is now knocking at the door of your heart, by this sickness." To encourage him with instances of the mercy of Christ to sinners, I read to him of the prodigal son. (Luke 15.) The woman of Samaria. (John 4.) And the thief on the cross. (Luke 23.) He made frequent complaints to H. of the hardness of his heart. "Oh this hard heart! this hard heart!" He said to her of me, very earnestly; "the Lord has blessed her, and I hope he will bless her." This was the first mark of his valuing my instructions, and it gave me great comfort. He hoped the Lord would pardon his sins, if he was taken; or if he lived, that he should lead a very different life, and he hoped he might see the nothingness of the world.

Saturday, 29th.-I read to him, (Isaiah 55. 1.) And asked, if he knew the meaning of coming "without money and without price," &c. He said, "yes, I know our good deeds cannot save us; but we must cast ourselves upon Christ." He complained to me that he did not feel his heart at all softer; and this I think was the first day he spoke to me of his soul.

When H. went to him at seven o'clock, she found him very wretched; he wept and said, it was an awful time; that when Mrs. B. knocked on the floor for her, he thought it was all over with him, and his very flesh trembled; it would be a happy re

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