"May 5. I still feel encouragement to go on in the good way, though my path has lately been painful, arising from trials from various quarters, in addition to my bodily sufferings.

"June 10. Blessed be the Lord, he still continues to preserve me with strong desires to seek his face. The enemy of my soul often lays sore at me, and I am frequently cast down through great weakness of body. May I never more hearken to his lying suggestions!

"Sept. 28. Through infinite mercy I am once more permitted to record the loving-kindness of the Lord to a worthless worm. Though I am still afflicted in body, and often much cast down in mind, blessed be the Lord he is my helper, and my kind and gracious deliverer.

"June 14, 1807. How much have I had to pass through since I last wrote; how visibly has the hand of Divine Providence interposed; the Lord has given, and again taken another dear little daughter, and our affectionate brother is gone to his reward. Prepare me to go to them, since they shall not return to me.

"July 12. Praised be the Lord, I am still preserved with my face Zion-ward, through various oppositions. I have often found the accuser of the brethren shooting his fiery darts at me; but I have also experienced some very comfortable seasons.

"Aug. 23. Alas, what little progress (if any at all) am I making. in the Divine life! I sometimes fear I am imperceptibly measuring back my steps to earth again. I pray that God would deliver me from indifference about eternal things; and that he would perfect his strength in my great weakness.

"Oct. 11. I feel that I have much to lament before the Lord: how sin is mixed with all I do. I see a beauty in holiness which far surpasses all beside; but I want to feel more of it rooted and fixed within, and to have an even thread of holiness running through all my deportment in life.

"Nov. 8. For what this day recals to mind, my praise to God is due. It is four years since I entered the marriage-state. The tender care of the Almighty provided for me a kind indulgent partner, one who is travelling with me through this wilderness to the celestial city. Like chequered clothes, the warp with love and comfort has been spread, but cares and crosses interwove, have furnished half the thread.

"June 20, 1808. Once again I am constrained to record the loving-kindness of the Lord; what mercies have I experienced, as well as passed through many straights and difficulties since I wrote last. I am determined to devote body, soul, and spirit to his service and glory, and never to rest till "Jesus is all the world to me, and all my soul is love."

"July 17. Still I trust I am waiting at the pool, imploring that faith that enables me to wash and be clean. My soul is often bowed down under a sense of the evil that still remains in me.

Mrs. P. it appears, now only wrote occasionally. "Jan. 2, 1810. Preserved to enter a new year, I would solemnly and entirely again devote myself to God. In how many instances has the Lord been better to me than my boding fears; he has heard my feeble requests, and delivered like a God. Mr. Rossell has appointed me a leader of souls; O may I be enabled, by precept and example, to prove to those beneath my care, how they ought to walk.

The little work that I have here,

I faithfully would do;

And when the hardest tasks appear,

I would be faithful too.

Though she engaged in this important charge with much diffidence and many fears, she became a most excellent class-leader; a mother in Israel, whose loss is deeply regretted by all who met in Christian communion with her.

March 4. She records an earnest prayer for the destruction of all in-dwelling sin, adding, "Am I not looking, expecting, striving to believe that thou wilt appear for me, in me.”

"Dec. 16. My soul centres in God. I feel encouraged from what I have read of others, added to what I have realized in my own experience, to expect a deliverance from all sin. Many blessings that I have persevered in prayer for, have been already imparted.

"Jan. 20, 1811. May I not humbly hope, yea, assuredly ascertain, that I have made some proficiency in the Divine life? But, alas! not adequate, by far, to the privileges with which I have been favoured. Scarcely a day leaves me satisfied with myself. Praised be God for an high priest touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and who knoweth whereof we are made."

Mrs. P. declined writing the state of her mind after this, through the following circumstance. Conversing with a female friend, of whom she entertained a high opinion, on the subject of keeping a diary, her friend observed, there were so many blanks in her experience, that she could not think of so doing; on which Mrs. P. immediately relinquished it, concluding, that if a person whom she conceived to be much more devoted to God than herself, thought the state of her mind not worthy to be recorded, her's was still less so. Our departed sister gave many proofs of the mean opinion she had of herself; indeed, a deep consciousness of her manifold weaknesses, and a fear lest the faith of the gospel should not have been realized in her experience, were constant concomitants of her Christian course. Those, however, who knew her, could discover that her piety was of no ordinary rank; her love to God was pure and ardent; this she manifested by the most regular attendance on public and social ordinances, that her afflicted state would admit of; frequently coming to the house of

God in a state of great weakness and debility. But private devotion was her chief resource for renewing her spiritual strength, and maintaining communion with God. Whenever her health would permit, she rose at five o'clock in the summer, and at six in the winter, and immediately employed one hour in secret duties; in addition to which, her practice was to retire six times during the day. To her exalted piety was united genuine benevolence; hence her great desire for the conversion of sinners, and commiseration for the destitute and afflicted. She was remarkable for visiting and attending to the sick, and praying with them; and her liberality was such as many persons would have deemed highly imprudent.

Mrs. P. suffered much from bodily affliction; indeed she was seldom entirely free from it, for some years before her decease; but her patience and resignation to the Divine will were great; "It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good," was the constant language of her soul.

An aged servant of Jesus Christ, with whom she had long been intimately acquainted, gives the following account of her confinement:- "The day on which she was delivered of her last child will ever be memorable; it was on Sunday; I went willingly to Woodchurch on that day, because she had been so long indisposed, and because she had peculiarly desired to see me once more. Many fears were entertained that she would not live to bring the babe into the world; we resorted to prayer, which was, however, continued but a short time, on account of her extreme weakness. After preaching in the afternoon, I met her class, by her husband's desire; he was present; after singing a verse my full soul was poured out for my friend in a most powerful manner; the whole class was sobbing in tears; but prayer was soon answered. No affair of such a nature could ever have succeeded more to the wishes of all her friends. How good is God! What a present help in extremity! a skilful physician! this was the third time that temporal deliverance came in answer to prayer." She, however, only survived the birth of her child about ten days. On the day after her delivery she appeared to be so filled with faith and with the Holy Ghost, and to enjoy so complete a triumph over every thing of a terrestrial nature, as in effect to say, that she was not to be detained here much longer; she was filled with perfect love, and seemed to clap her glad wings, and enter into the joy of her Lord.

On the Wednesday evening following, she desired that the three young men who were employed by Mr. Parton in the business, and who lived in the house with them, might be introduced to her, to receive her dying charge. To one of them she said, calling him by his name, "I want you to promise me this night, before I die, that you will serve the Lord; you made

many vows so to do, when you were on a bed of affliction; but, after your recovery, they were forgotten again; you must now promise me that you will be the Lord's." He wept, and turned aside. Addressing the second by his name, she inquired, "Do you know that your sins are forgiven?" He replied, "I bless God that I do." "Then (continued she) you are a child of God," and was proceeding, but tears obliged him to withdraw. The other she exhorted to stand in the faith. Some other young persons were also present, to whom she spoke in a most affectionate and impressive manner, for a considerable length of time; so much so, that one observes, her exertions that evening were enough to have overpowered the most robust constitution in her circumstances; but she seemed particularly assisted for the occa

sion.

Being informed of a friend who was drawing near the period of confinement, and who had many fears respecting it, "Tell her (said she) from me, to trust fully in the Lord; I have found him to be a wonder-working God." It appears she was entirely delivered from the fear of death; such had been her weak and afflicted state for some weeks preceding her confinement, that her friends apprehended fatal consequences; one expressing hopes of her recovery, she said, "It is better to depart." When a neighbouring local preacher called to see her, and asked her if she had any desire to live, "No (said she, with great composure) I have no desire to live, but rather to depart." He inquired what the object of prayer should be; to which she answered, "That I may have an easy passage," and expressed a complete victory over the powers of darkness. Her aged friend before spoken of, says, "When I beheld her for the last time, she was gradually sinking into the arms of death; she opened her eyes by request of the nurse, and looking more sternly than I had ever seen her, charged me not to pray for her recovery. In the morning of that day her own father came to take his last farewell, and inquiring how she passed the night, the nurse answered, she had had a very bad night: "No, father (said she) a very good night; I have had a very good night, father."" One who had been much with her asked her the state of her mind; to whom she replied, "I have had many doubts and fears in times past, but now it is all assurance, full assurance."

In this happy state of mind she continued till the period of her dissolution, which was on the 30th of December, 1812, aged 31 years.

Thus ends the mortal story of the amiable Mrs. Parton; to God be all the glory, whose grace was so eminently exemplified in the sanctity of her life, and the triumphs of her last hours. Amen.

things represented in an extravagant false light: so that the mind contracts a romantic turn; the judgment is corrupted, and the conduct injured. When real characters are represented, they are often bad characters; yet sometimes painted in an amiable light, and divested of what is shocking.-The rake and debauchee is the favourite character, and often rewarded at the end of the play, while the man of strict virtue and gravity is described as an hypocrite, or made an object of ridicule. In some of these compositions adultery and fornication are made light of, while marriage, God's holy ordinance, is rididuled; sobriety put out of countenance, aud modesty laughed at. The language of most plays is as bad as their sentiments. They abound in profaneness, oaths, curses, taking the name of God in vain, and making a jest of serious things. Many of the plays most commonly acted, are full of indecent language, or of words and phrases of double meaning; and things are often uttered in the Theatre, which no modest persons would utter in company, or hear uttered by others without reckoning themselves affronted.-It ahounds with filthiness, foolish talking, and jesting, which St. Paul saith, are not once to be named among Saints, where many critics suppose he particularly refers to the stage.-Now, when this is the case, I think nothing can be plainer than that it is a very dangerous place to the souls of men. Plays excite and strengthen those passions, which it is the business of Christians to prevent and restrain. They put their virtue to an unnecessary trial, expose them to temptations to lewdness, pride, revenge, profane and filthy language, and every indecency. All these sentiments are enforced, and these passions heightened, by the action, scenery, music, and company. And the senses and the soul being thus assaulted at once, it is no wonder that such evil communications corrupt good manners. If plays were a virtuous, useful entertainment. as some pretend, the actors of them, who enter more into the parts than spectators, would, undoubtedly, be persons of sobriety, purity, economy, and regular conversation; and would at least have some appearance of religion; but the contrary is notorious, as appears, especially, from the lives of some authors, and many actors of plays, which have been written even by their friends.

That the Theatre is a great corrupter of the morals of men, there can be but little doubt; but, if it doth not make men openly vicious, yet, it gives the mind a light and vain turn, and unfits it for rational, pious exercises. A round of diversions of any kind, especially this, as certainly takes off all religious impressions, as sensuality itself. And, indeed, it is but a more refined sensuality, and makes men lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Every thing that lessens a deep and serious sense of religion, is exceedingly dangerous. The Theatre gives young minds a turn for romance and extravagance, and a habit of idleness and trifling, by which they are unfitted for the sober affairs of cominon life, and contract an aversion to every thing that is grave and pions. It fills company with triffing, unprofitable conver sation; it tends to give the softer sex an air of boldness and confidence, very unbecoming the Christian, or the gentlewoman. It often unfits heads of families for domestic cares and business, by filling their minds with vain and grand ideas above their rank and station. It is