ving them to be fuggefted, though done in the tendereft terms. But behold, when the trial came, how the Lord manifefted his ftrength in the creature's weaknefs! Should any tender-hearted wife or mother who feels fond attachment, and trembles at the thought of a parting stroke, read thefe lines, let her thank God, and take courage.

When the recovered from thofe oppreffive languors, which feemed to threaten immediate diffolution, and felt the futter of reviving fpirits, the feveral times repeated those lines, "Ceafe, fond nature, ceafe thy ftrife, And let me languish into life."

One morning, when an alteration took place which announced the approach of death, one of her constant attendants, not used to fuch a dying feene as her chamber exhibited, and fuch cheerful language as fell from her lips, was filled with wonder. "Nurfe." faid fhe, "I am ready to die, I am not afraid to die."

She was afterwards totally deprived of the power of mo tion, except in her hands, and fo exhaufted was nature, that her fight was very imperfect. When her dear relatives were hanging over her dying frame, in that very affecting fitua tion, and endeavouring to hide from her thofe burfts of forrow which could not easily be restrained, fhe looked up to them with inexpreffible fweetnefs. The inward peace, refignation, and joy with which her heavenly Father indulged her, diflodged the carefulness which used to fit on her brow, and fhed a ferene luftre over her countenance like that, probably, which was confpicuous in the face of Stephen*.

Converse, the most moving and the most delightful, alternately awakened their grief, and foothed it into peace and thanksgiving. At one of thefe feafons, fpeaking to her hufband of her extreme bodily weaknefs, fhe faid, I am strong in Him. He is my God.-My God! O what condefcenfion to be my God, my Covenant God! He has faid he will never leave me, nor forfake me; he has told me fo; I know he will keep his promife; I know he will.'-Several times the repeated, with rapture, the following lines from Dr. Watts:

"I glory in infirmity,

That Chrift's own power may rest on me.
When I am weak, then am I ftrong;
Grace is my fhield, and Christ my song.

I can do all things, or can bear

All fufferings, if my Lord be there;

* Acts, vi. 15.

Sweet pleasures mingle with the pains,
While his left hand my head fuftains."

For above eight-and-forty hours had the lain without any fleep, though fhe had earnestly longed and waited for it; when, reflecting on the bleffed ftate of reft, and eternal ceffation of pain in heaven, fhe fmilingly faid,

"There fhall I find a settled reft,
While others go and come;
No more a stranger or a guest,
But like a child at home."

Her dearest earthly friend obferved to her, " You are very weak in body, but what a mercy is it, that God is the ftrength of your heart."—"Yes," the replied with amazing energy and vigour, her looks expreffing the ftrong emotions of her foul," the strength of my heart, and MY PORTION FOR EVER;" adding, at the fame time, with emphafis, "They that truft in the Lord do not trust in a shadow.

For fome time the was frequently delirious through want of sleep, and her friends were ready to give up all hope of ever feeing her compofed again. God was graciously pleafed, however, to hear their prayers offered with earnestnefs and fubmiffion; and once again they had the fatisfaction, for the last time, of enjoying clear and delightful converfe with their departing friend, and hearing the precious words which dropped from her dying lips.

When her husband entered the chamber, her daughter was fpeaking to her of the Lord being his people's thepherd; he took up the fubject, and faid, "The Lord is your fhepherd." She replied, "He is my fhepherd; my thepherd."-Her daughter proceeded, "You shall not want; he maketh you to lie down in green paftures; he leadeth you beside the still waters."-"He does, he does," the calmly replied.

"He reftoreth your foul," said her daughter, wishing to adminifter comfort to her dying mother. "Aye, aye, he does," he does," rejoined the happy parent.

"Yea, though you walk through the valley of the fhadow of death," faid the daughter: The fupported, though almost exhaufted pilgrim, took up and finished the fentence with firmnefs, "I will fear no evil."

"He anointeth you with oil," faid her child. ap runneth over," replied the thankful parent.

"My "He is

the fpring of all my comforts," and then lowly to herself, "he is my Lord, my Lord."

Fearing to exhauft the little ftrength which remained, her dear husband and tender offspring joined with her in worship for the last time on earth. A few moments were fpent in adoration, prayer, and praife: The dying faint heartily united, and added a fervent Amen! at the close of every fentence.

It was late at night. The family took leave till the morning. With the utmost tenderness, fhe bad her husband adieu, and called him by a moft endearing name; but, as if she were afraid her attention and affection fhould be drawn away from its fupreme object by any creature-love, fhe lifted up her eyes and immediately exclaimed, " My dear Lord!"

These were the laft words fhe was able to fpeak. At length, without a convulfion or a groan, the fell asleep in Jefus, aged 44 years.

Grace displayed in the Experience of W. Anderson.

To the Editor.

DEAR SIR,

Sutton, July 21ft 1794.

I HAVE fent you a remarkable difplay of divine grace, towards perhaps as ignorant and as guilty a creature as you ever knew. Should you think it suitable for the Magazine, it is at your fervice.

I am, dear Sir, yours affectionately,
JOHN KIRKPATRICK.

W

WILLIAM ANDERSON, the fubject of the prefent memoir, was a native of Ireland. Whether he wan dered from his native country altogether in the exercise of filial obedience, is not fo certain; however, it is a pleafing reflection, that the wanderings of the Lord's chofen ones are never permitted eventually to lead them from God, but are often overruled, like Saul's wanderings to Damafcus, for the accomplishment of the gracious purposes of Him, "whose council fhall ftand, and who will do all his pleafure."-Divine Providence permitting him to be feized by a strong confumptive disorder, whilst he was engaged in his lawful occupation, after being laid afide for fome few months, and

feeling his complaint increafing, I was fent for to him in the beginning of May, and found him in the greatest distress, being, in his own apprehenfion, near an eternal world. As his terror feemed to arife only from a fear of divine wrath, and feeling it a weighty though painful duty, I converfed with him of the evil nature of fin, infifted upon the neceffity of feeling, and being humbled for it, and that God being infinitely holy, was under the neceffity of punishing impenitent finners; and then in the most familiar manner opened the nature of the Gospel, and the freenefs of divine mercy to him, and all who felt their need of it. After prayer I retired; not knowing what would be the refult. It was with peculiar pleasure, upon my return from a journey which I took the next day, I received the grateful information that he faw and felt his awful ftate as a condemned mortal, and that there was pleafing evidence, that his heart was opened to receive Chrift Jefus the Lord. I often vifited him after this, till he fell asleep in Jefus, and found my own mind particularly affected with this difplay of divine grace. He was a wonder to himfelf; he was aftonished he could never fee his fin and danger before; he now expreffed his abhorrence of his paft tranfgreffions, and was greatly ftruck with the forbearance of God, that he was not cut down when going forward in his difobedience. Sin appeared altogether odious to him, as committed against an infinitely holy and gracious God, and the Lord Jefus, who in compaffion had died for finners. The Gofpel was now highly defirable, he faw its fuitablenefs to himfelf, and felt his mind exceedingly enga ged by the difcoveries of divine grace; he oft dwelt upon the pleafing theme, "The fting of death is fin; but, thanks be to God, through Jefus Chrift we have a victory." It was his very language, Thanks be unto God for Jefus Chrift. He informed me he had been concerned before at times for his foul, but no fooner did temptation offer, than he fell into his old fins; but he hoped and believed God had now given him fuch light and comfort, that he was a monument of mercy; he was convinced God only could enlighten his mind, and change his heart; he bleffed him for giving him fuch knowledge and fuch defires. As he conceived himfelf unworthy of every mercy, he particularly noticed the gentleness of his affliction, and how mercifully God brought him down. It was with the greatest fubmiflion and willingnefs he bore his affliction. He obferved, he might have been in torments of body, or in future mifery; but having obtained mercy, he had all. So far from murmuring, he often admired Providence in afflicting him, in bringing him VOL. I. L

down, and caufing him in any measure to be noticed; he once expreffed himf lf, that he fhould have been happy to have departed that afternoon, had it been the Lord's will, for he was extremely comfortable through Jefus Chrift in profpect of his diffolution, but that he was willing to wait the Lord's time, and to bear his hand, for he was a finner. With this fubmiffive yet lively hope, he continued till June 15th, when he committed his foul to God. "Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?"

J. K.

Happy Death of Miss Maria Webb, late of kingStreet, Covent-Garden, who died April 8, 1795, in the 18th Year of her age.

THOUGH Mifs Webb was favoured with a religious edu

cation, and as to her outward demeanour, was in every refpect moral and amiable; fo far from relifhing the faithful preaching of the word, the, like too many other young perfons, rather flighted than received it, until the Lord was pleafed to lay her upon a bed of ficknefs, and then he was happily made to hear the voice of God in the feafon of afflic

tion.

At the defire of her mother, a ferious friend called upon her on Friday, April 3, and was greatly, but agreeably fu prifed (as he had never before obferved any attention to experimental religion in her,) to find her much affected and melted under a fenfe of her firs. On afking her how the found herself, fhe anfwered, "My fins have expofed me to the wrath of God." Withing to be thoroughly fatisfied as to the reality and depth of her convictions, her friend faid, "But you are young in years, and have lived moraily and fo berly; don't you think too ill of yourself."—" No," she replied, "the vileft finner has not got a worfe heart; and though I am young in years, I am as great a finner, as time and opportunity will permit." On this her friend began to fpeak of the unfearchable riches of Jefus, and of the fulness and freenefs of his falvation; and it pleafed the Lord to give it a peculiar bleffing.

When the phyfician came, and intimated that there was no hope of her life, the faid, "I want a phyfician for my foul, more than for my body; and Chrift is my good phyfi.