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النشر الإلكتروني

MY BELOVED FRIEND,

I have been watching all this day for recovery between paroxysms of pain, and for power, with elbows supported, to write a few words to you. I am so slow a scholar in the school of love and mercy, that my dear Redeemer cannot allow me to go home yet, but He will soon "perfect that which concerneth me."

Stopped by pain, after two vain attempts, I try again to say, my sin has been this: all sense as to my own suffering, but how forgetful of Him my adorable Jesus, who supports, and loves, and chastises me, of him who was the Man of sorrows! In pain to-day, these words came from heaven to my soul, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." "Yes, my Father," I replied, "I do behold the Lamb." How kind! the Father pities, the Spirit testifies, Jesus is with me, in me, "the hope of glory."

Oh! how shockingly have I forgotten Calvary, the vinegar and the gall, the mockery, and the agonies of Gethsemane! My beloved -, may He give you to dwell more on the person, the mediatorial person, of our incarnate God. Oh, the beauty of his spotless righteousness! A spotless robe, and the blood, the precious blood, the peace-making blood!

Last night was passed in continued pain, forbidding sleep, mocking at anodynes; one paroxysm scarcely passed without being succeeded by another. At about eight o'clock this morning, in a most gracious and tender manner, the Lord visited me by comparative ease, and I have had a

most favourable day. Oh taste and see how good the Lord is! How Jesus suffered in the wilderness! I am surrounded by Christian love, and every choice and tender comfort, and prayed for by His dear children, and He answers their prayers. With parting love to all yours.

MY BELOVED ONE,

By reason of great increase of disease, my sufferings were last night greater, to me, a poor weak one, very great! Yet wonderful to tell, a pitying Saviour, towards the dawn of morning, gave a blessing on the laudanum, and the pain was soothed. Read that sweet, sweet Psalm cxvi. Oh how I love the Psalms, and Solomon's Song, the last chapter of the Book of Revelation, and the Gospels. And how I cling to all I can remember in our blessed Father's word about correction, suffering, affliction, chastisement: it is the path-way to glory, and was trodden by the Man of sorrows. I was much struck just now with the thought of being in the hand of the Lamb will a Lamb hurt? and the Lamb of God? oh no; the Lamb is Jesus! He was slain for us, for you, my dearest think of this, treasure these words in your may the Spirit of God, day by day, give you the sweet recollection. You are in the hands of the Lamb; you are his, the Father's gift, his purchase by his blood, sealed by the Holy Spirit. Give, day by day, all you love into his care, and tender and wise keeping.

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for me;

soul:

I may probably be here a few days longer, perhaps more; he will not receive me home without

meetness, whatever it may cost him, my glorified Head, to see me, one of his members, suffer; for in all my afflictions he is afflicted. Whatever it

may cost me for a moment," he will perfect that which concerneth me." Yea, I rejoice to be in such safe hands: he is not a parent who fails in love and faithfulness, even when great correction is called for. God bless you, and your dear husband, and children, and household: so prays your affectionately,

S. MARTIN.

Her own words fully prove that, though the outward man was perishing, the inward man was renewed day by day; and heavily as the agony of pain pressed upon her, she counted it a light affliction, reckoning, "that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Most striking was the constant flow of thanksgiving and love; throughout her illness there never appeared any murmuring or repining! her energetic mind, her almost restless anxiety to work in the vineyard, were all brought into a quiet, submissive waiting upon her Master's will. "It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good." The tone of her mind is shown by a circumstance mentioned by one of the nurses, which occurred during a night of great suffering and pain. Miss Martin begged the nurse to read to her; she could hardly speak from exhaustion, but upon the question being put, "What shall I read ?" the emphatic answer was, "praise." In an earlier stage of her illness, when she was able to see friends, (after

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the season of perfect quiet which had been prescribed,) Miss Martin was feelingly describing to a lady the support, the comfort, and the peace which she enjoyed, with the vivid anticipation of the joys of heaven, the rest prepared for the people of God; her friend said, "Is it always permitted you to have this peace? Are there no clouds ? for sometimes it pleases God to hide his face, even from his own children." Unless witnessed, the energy of her tone and gesture is not to be conceived, in quickly answering, "Oh no, my dear, he never hides his face; it is our sins which form the cloud between us and him; he is all love, all light; 'with him there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning;' my precious Saviour, my Beloved is always nigh; I can testify of his tender supporting love; I have in health spoken of it to others, but till now, I have never half experienced its fulness."

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The exaltation of Christ as the full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, and oblation, once offered for the sins of the world," was her favourite theme; she could not bear a breath which detracted from the "fulness" that is in Christ, as "the fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness." In her instruction to the prisoners and others, she manifested her entire persuasion, that the only effective way of speaking to them was, to throw wide open the door of reconciliation of sinners to God, through Him "who was made sin for us,—that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." The scripturalness of her character was remarkable; the Bible was read through four times in the year; not only read, but diligently searched :

truly her delight was in the law of the Lord, and in his law did she meditate day and night. "I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste:" "The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver," are the texts which form the motto of her Scripture Book.

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When books of a devotional character have been mentioned, and she has been asked if she has read them, her answer was to this effect; "I have but little time to read, and I have so many to feed, that unless I go to the store-house for supply, I should have nothing to give; I keep to the Bible almost exclusively, where are laid up treasures of knowledge, and there I find an ample supply for every demand;" it was the lamp to her feet, and the light to her path, and to its golden treasury she directed all. To one who complained, "I make no progress in my Christian course,' she replied, "Take your Bible on your knees, PLOUGH into it, and you will not stand still." It appears to have been her plan to keep what is entitled "A Scripture Place-book, for Daily Use," in which she wrote down her own views and impressions of texts in the passages of Scripture she read. A few extracts from it will show, that the Bible was truly her way-book, her directory, on every occasion of difficulty and doubt; and that she found it "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.' Where there is so much that is valuable, it is difficult to choose, and want of space prevents so full a selection as is desired.

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