fore, dissatisfied with my prayers, with my reasonings, and with myself; but I determined to persevere, although in utter despair.

I met Miss Marsden on the stairs, going up to her father; and I detained her a moment to tell her the painful news, that we had arrived at no favourable conclusion. "I am grieved to wound you,” I said, "but unless you know the truth, you will not be able to co-operate with me. He is sorry, I believe, for his past life; but it is only a worldly sorrow, and not a godly sorrow; for God is not concerned in it at all, so far as I can judge. If you remember the prayers which I put up to God for him, you may perhaps do some good by recalling them to his recollection, and making them the subject of your conversations with him. I can suggest nothing more to you, except never to cease intreating the mercy of God upon his soul." Tears filled her eyes, as I thus briefly explained the defeat of my endeavours, and the gloomy prospect before us; she would have spoken, however, but grief choked her utterance, and so she passed on of necessity without speaking a word. Mrs. Marsden was not in the shop at the instant of my reaching it, and I was glad to be detained no longer in this wretched abode. She will know soon enough, I thought with myself, the bad results of the day, and may well spare me the pain of relating them. So I hastened homewards, ruminating upon the sad case of this obdurate sinner, and picturing him to my imagination as one of those, against whom God had sworn in his wrath, that they should never enter into his rest.

§3.-The Same.

EARLY the next morning I had a visit from Miss Marsden. I desired that she might be brought to me in my study. She came to ask for a little more of the tent-wine; and " a little," she said, "would be quite enough." As she spoke this, she shewed marks of great distress; so I conjectured that her father was much worse. "Sit down, my good young woman," I said, reaching her a chair; " sit down, and calm yourself; and let us consider quietly in what state we are, whilst the wine is prepared for you." Upon this she sat down, and composed her agitation as well and as speedily as she could. At length I said, "It is a painful subject for you to talk about, but you must rouse up all your fortitude to bear it. If you yield yourself to sorrow, the last human chance of success will be thrown away. Has your poor father passed a bad night?" Yes, Sir," she answered; 66 a very bad one; he was often quite delirious; and this morning the change in his countenance is mournful indeed. Death is now fast coming on, Sir, without doubt; but his understanding yet remains, and-and-and," she said with sobs, the hardness of his heart.". "If his understanding yet remains," I rejoined," another attempt may be made to save him-may God bless and prosper it! But if not, we shall at the least be guiltless in our own consciences of not having exerted our best powers to do it. We might wish to provide for ourselves the supreme consolation of seeing him depart in peace; but we must bow to the mysterious ways of God in his government of mankind. Tell me, however, by

VOL. 111.

66

F

what means you have ascertained that the hardness of his heart continues the same.'

"I have talked with him, Sir," she replied, according to your advice, and his words shewed it too plainly. I would have begun immediately upon my return to him, but he would not let me, and complained of being weary and drowsy. So he took the remainder of your wine, Sir; and fell asleep. But ah! what sleep! Such restlessness, such startings, such cries! Never shall I forget it, Sir. Yet, I thought, if it pleased God to scare my poor father with horrid dreams and visions, the impression might remain when he waked, and might do him some great good. And at first it seemed, Sir, as if it would have remained; for he turned his face about with signs of alarm, and searched every corner of the room within the reach of his eye, again and again, with a hurried look; and at last when he saw me, he cried, Is it you, girl? Is there nobody else here but you ? I thought- -but it is no matter; it was all a dream. Not a creature has been here,' I said, dear father, to disturb your sleep. I am sorry that your dreams have troubled you so.' 'Have troubled me so, girl?' he said angrily. What dost mean? How dost know that they troubled me? I did not tell thee that.' 'No, dear father,' I answered; but when you told me, that you had been dreaming, and I saw myself how uneasily you slept, I concluded that your dreams had been bad. But never mind, dear father; I think I know how you may get good dreams in future.' 'How is that, child?' he enquired eagerly. Why, dear father,' I said, 'there was one thing, which the good Doctor read to you, and which I remember best, because it begins

6

the morning service; and it is so full of comfort, that it might well be always in our thoughts!' 'What is it, child?' he asked impatiently. It is this, dear father,' I answered-When the wicked man turneth away from the wickedness that he hath committed, he shall save his soul alive.'-'What?' he cried out with anger; 'dost thou too join in accusing thy own father and calling him a wicked man? Let me hear no more from thee about such matters. The Doctor may think that he has a right to talk to me in that manner, and to try to frighten me; but thou hast none; so hold thy peace.'-'Ah!_dear father,' I said, 'forgive me! It is all because I love you.''Well, well,' he answered much more gently; 'I will not be angry, if you say no more.' Thus I was stopped, Sir; and for me to make any more attempts will be impossible; but I hope you will, Sir." "I will certainly," I said, "be the event what it may. Expect me in half an hour." Then she rose in haste; and, taking the wine which was now ready, she thanked me a thousand times, and curtsied, and hurried away. But ah! her piety was not rewarded here.

The

Having stopped to eat some breakfast, I soon followed her, with my Paley under my arm. mother was in the shop, as usual; there being nobody but her daughter to whom she could trust the management of it, and her daughter being generally in the sick chamber with her father, since their change of system towards him. As I was passing through, not intending to stay a moment, I just said to Mrs. Marsden, who was engaged with a customer, "I fear your poor husband is getting worse and worse."Yes, Sir," she answered; "it would be a mercy

64

now, if the Lord would release him."-" God knows best," I said, arresting my step; "if he were to live a little longer, he might perhaps be better prepared to die."- -"No," she replied, still going on with her business, it is not likely, Sir; he is in great pain and uneasiness, and often delirious; he can do nothing more now."—"It is very difficult, certainly," I said, "to do any thing effectual under such circumstances; we should all of us begin to make ready in good time; if we put off our preparation from day to day, and from year to year, it is no wonder that God does not always bless our endeavours on a deathbed."-"What you tell us, Sir, is very true," interposed the customer, who was a poor woman, buying tea and sugar, tobacco, and snuff, and other little articles for the week's consumption; "but there are too many of us, who have no time to think of anything else, except how to keep soul and body together." "O, yes," I said, you may pray to God continually, either at home, or abroad; you may go to church on the sabbath-day; and you may follow your business in a lawful manner, with industry and honesty, and sobriety; this, my good woman, will be an excellent preparation for death."

66

They were both silent upon this, and appeared to be conscience-stricken; but the state of things upstairs demanding my first attention, I did not attempt to pursue the conversation any further; and in a few seconds I was at the foot of the sick-bed. A servantmaid, assisting Miss Marsden, immediately quitted the room; she, herself, at my desire, remained. The sick man's face being almost covered with the sheet, as on the first day I saw him, I went round to the side, that I might watch him the better, and speak