remember any thing of myself, I have been enabled to confider this world as nothing when compared to the treasures laid up in JESUS CHRIST. Nothing fhort of an interest in the grace, love, and fellowship of God the Father, and his eternal Son and Spirit, can yield me any folid fatisfaction. In his prefence is fulness of joy, and at his right hand are pleasures for evermore. If I know any thing of my own heart, sin is my greatest burden. It is my earnest defire to experience more and more of the work of fanctification, wrought in my heart that fo I might die unto fin, and live unto righteousness. I want to have my affections more taken off from this world, and all its tranfient enjoyments, and to centre in fublime and more folid pleafures; thofe pleafures which the world knows nothing of, and which it can neither give nor take away.

"If I am the Lord's, I have been drawn by the cords of his love; for as to thofe great agitations of mind, thofe forrows of confcience which many experience, I am a ftranger to them. I trust I have been brought to fee my deplorable condition by nature and practice, and from a sight and sense of my fin and mifery, have been led to throw myself at the foot of offended justice, earnefly begging that I might fee more and more of the evil of fin, and, at the fame time, be led to that glorious remedy, the Lord Jefus Christ. I dare not approach the divine Majesty but in and through a crucified Jefus, as an all-fufficient Saviour. I ground all my hopes of falvation upon him. I accept of him upon Gospel terms: Difclaiming all righteoufaefs of my own, I rely wholly on his merits for acceptance with God the Father. I receive HIM as my Prophet, Priest, and King, and yield myself entirely to his conduct and government, refolving in his strength to renounce the world and all its allurements, and laying down my weapons of rebellion, I fwear allegiance henceforth to him as my righteous Sovereign. I take the Holy Ghoft for my guide, my fanctifier, and comforter. I would not wilfully reject the influences of this bleffed Spirit, but would embrace his gracious motions. The Christian life, I know, is compared to a warfare, and to a race that must be run; many and great are the difficulties, I am fenfible I must expect to meet with; but, through the ftrength of my victorious Redeemer, I hope to furmount them all; and oh, that I may be enabled fo to run as at laft to win the prize!"

Thus did this young volunteer publickly declare her attachment to the Redeemer, at an age when moft are thoughtlefs about religion, and devoting themfelves to the pleasures of the world.

It might be truly faid, that from a child she knew the holy scriptures; and that her views of falvation by grace were L. I.

K

clear and confiftent. She was very fedulous in inculcating on others the faith the found fo precious to herself. She was often dropping a word of inftruction in her family; and few of her children but profitted by her difcourfe. Though she was far from being forward or loquacious, fhe would take the liberty of encouraging young ministers to ftand up for their master and not to shun to declare the whole counsel of God. Her converfe with fome of her aged acquaintance, who had not altogether clear and comfortable views of Gofpel truths, was honoured with a divine bleffing, and made the means of their establishment and peace. Being herself a pattern of genuine piety, fhe deeply lamented thet many profeffors who were zealous for the diftinguishing doctrines, were too relax as to the duties of religion. Her conscience was remarkably tender. She looked to the motives of her actions, regardless of the cenfures or flatteries of her fellow-creatures. This afforded her inward fupport and confolation when the feared any part of her conduct might be miftaken or mifreprefented. She ufed often to repeat thefe words: "Them that honour me, I will honour, and they that despise me, shall be lightly esteemed. *"

What she was in retirement, or the devotion of the closet, was known only to Him" who feeth in fecret." But it was impoffible to hide from her husband and family, the fpirituality and ferenity, the patience and the fortitude, wherewith the Lord is pleafed fignally and openly to reward those who keep near to him.

Afflicted occafionally from her youth with painful and wearifome complaints, her heart was blunted to all that is gay and great in this world, and ftrongly attracted to a better country, that is, an heavenly. Two of Dr. Watts's Lyric Poems, which the frequently repeated with great emotion, exprefs her views and feelings. The one is entitled, Happy Frailty; the other, A View of Heaven in Sickness.

But, notwithstanding she was weaned from life, and war. ned of death, at an early period, it pleafed God to preferve her for many years a bleffing and ornament to fociety. She was married to one who was thankful to God for fuch a companion and friend. She lived to be the parent of eight chil dren, of which several departed before her. Neat and plain, without the affectation of fingularity, or the extravagance of gaudy pride, fhe was always arrayed in modest apparel, as became a woman professing godliness. It might truly be said of her, that fhe looked well to the ways of her household,

11 Sam. ii. 20.

and ate not the bread of idleness. Anxious and careful in the early years of wedding life, when her increafing family awakened all her feelings, fhe would not permit any thing within her province to pafs without her infpection; and fometimes perhaps her folicitude would verge towards the extreme. But never did it betray her, as is too frequently the cafe, into a diftruft of God's providence, nor into a mean and niggardly conduct.

Nervous diforders are attended with fuch diftreffing feelings, as tempt the most amiable and the most pious fometimes to speak unadvifedly with their lips; but whenever fhe uttered any thing that had the appearance of impatience, immediately her heart was grieved. All that lived with her can testify that, in general, the opened her mouth with wif dom, and on her tongue was the law of kindness. The welfare of her children was one of her principle concerns. In infancy she was their nurse. As their minds expanded, fhe became their tutoress, stored their memory with useful lesfons from the Catechifm, Bible, or Hymn-book, and endeavoured to imprint on their hearts fome fentiment of virtue and prudence, illuftrated, frequently, by entertaining and ftriking anecdotes. Imitating her honoured grandmother, fhe was always dropping fomething pleafing and profitable, while sitting with them in the house, or walking with them by the way, or when they were lying down, or rising up. This they know is literally true. O that her councils, her maxims, and cautions, may be engraved in their memories, and copied by them as occafions may arife, in future life!

Her natural difpofition, being tender and humane, and regulated by the obligations of religion, prompted her to be kind to her fervants. She could not bear to fee her poor fellow creatures, who worked hard for their bread, treated like flaves. She contrived for their eafe and comfort, and was greatly concerned for their bodily health; but she was principally folicitous for the promotion of their immortal inte

refts.

Beyond the circle of her own family and particular friends. fhe was but little known; but where known, fhe was highly esteemed. As her husband prefided over a small seminary of learning, the children of others were committed to her domestic care. The kindness with which the fuperintended this little charge, fo endeared her to them all, that they will revere her memory as long as they are capable of recollection.

Fond as she was of retired and domeftic life, fhe was far from being auftere or unfociable. She loved her friends,

and enjoyed as much as any one the pleasure of focial converfe; but the utterly diffiked and difcouraged fcandal and backbiting, frivoloufnefs and levity. She had a happy degree of cheerfulness, and, in times of affliction, a lively truft in the good providence of God. Of what the Lord gave to her, fhe thought it an indifpenfible duty to devote a portion to the relief of others. She was eminently the friend of the poor, and those who had no helper. To them her house and her heart were open. She was their counfellor to advise them, and their advocate to plead their caufe.

Such was the tenderness of her spirit, that she could not, without evident emotion, hear of the calamity even of a ftranger Yet when her husband and children were dangeroufly ill, it was aftonishing to fee how firmly her mind wast fupported; with what calmnefs fhe attended to every domeftic concern, and how fweetly the encouraged them with thofe good words which make the heart glad. At one feafon in particular, when, to human appearance, her partner was laid on his dying bed, though the was a moft affectionate wife, and likely to be left a widow with four young children, she still maintained, in the midst of her affliction, her compofure and confidence in God.

When the afpect of either public or private affairs was dif couraging, and others betrayed an unbelieving anxiety, and drew a dark and difmal picture of what would be the probable confequences; fhe would endeavour to encourage their hearts, and brighten the scene; fo that they, who came into her company dejected, went away comforted. She often ufed on fuch occafions pleafantly to fay, "Whatever you may do, I will not part with my anchor, hope."

With amazing fortitude and refolution, ftrengthened from on high, fhe moved in an active fphere, when many would have funk under fimilar complaints, and confined themfelves to their beds. Frequently, when almoft overcome, would the retire, to conceal thofe languors to which nature was compelled to fubmit. She was a filent fufferer, because the knew few would enter into her complaints, and because the would not diftrefs thofe, who, whatever might be their commiferation, could yield her no relief.

We are now approaching the laft fcenes and the dying chamber from whence her fpirit took its flight for Heaven. For months before, and while fhe was comparatively well, fhe was poffeffed with a prefentiment, that fome important change was about to take place in her family. This did not arife from a timid fpirit nor a warm fancy; for he was not of a fuperftitious turn; but I have reason to think it fprung from

fagacious obfervation of the combination of various circumftances. If her own diffolution was in her thought, fhe compaffionately concealed the painful idea from her husband and children. Soon after, however, her complaints returning with more than ufual force, their apprehenfions for her fafety were awakened. About this time her Chriftian friends perceived in her letters and converfation an eminent degree of fpirituality and heavenly refignation.

One Lord's day morning, after a very restless and painful night, during which the great adversary had been very bufy, The faid to her husband in a tone he can never forget (her eyes fwimming in tears), "I thought I had understood thofe gracious words before now-But no: I never entered into the meaning and spirit of them, till this night-' When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.*'

This precious promife was her fupport to the end. When. foods of tears involuntarily iffued, the effects of her nervous disease, she would say, with a placid tone of voice, "Well! though I pafs through the rivers, they fhall not overflow "He will be with me."

me.'

When racked with grievous pains, fhe longed and prayed for deliverance, and cried, "Come, dear Lord, come!" She checked her eagernefs, and faid, with a lower voice: "But I would not haften thee one moment fooner than pleaseth thee. Thy prefence is all."

One day, adverting to her long and tedious confinement from the house of God, the cheerfully faid, "I am the Lord prisoner, that is my comfort. He will deliver me one way or the other; if I live, O may I live to him; and if I die I know I fhall die to him; I know I fhall,”

After ferious contemplation for fome time, fhe exclaimed, with a transport of admiration, "How good is God! I have nothing to wish for, but a thankful heart." "That you have," faid her daughter, who was near her: O that I had more of it," was her reply. When she had on a certain occafion been thinking and fpeaking of her family, the obferved to a friend, "I have tender connexions, and dear chil dren, for whom I have been very anxious-But I can now fay, I leave them all in the Lord's hands." This was a remarkable inftance of the power of grace triumphing over the infirmity of nature: Anxiety for dear connexions was a ve ry prominent trait in her character; and this difpofition fo far prevailed, that fhe could hardly endure the idea of lea

* Isa. xliii. 2.