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ing of a person come to the house on the grand inquiry, would throw her into an agony.

"That per

son," she would say, "will obtain, what I have irrecoverably lost." And, what is still more affecting, under the severe pressure of affliction, accompanied with the horrors of darkness, she would sometimes be heard to mutter complaints against God, as if she were hardly dealt by, and would be almost impelled to blaspheme. On several occasions of this nature, I have been obliged to make use of strong remonstrances. I have, on such occasions, suspected the particular agency of the power of darkness, and prayer has been our only availing resource. Her reasoning would often appear, even to herself, inconsistent, and her own conclusions indefensible, yet they were not relinquished. She would be silenced, perhaps, in a degree pacified yet never to the acknowledgment of hope. For several weeks previous to dissolution, her mind discovered, generally, less agony; yet there were seasons, when horror prevailed against reason, even to stormy violence, and now and then words only served, like wind, to swell the tempest. The morning of the day preceding your dear friend's release, we were called at three o'clock, under the alarm of the cancer bleeding. This left her extremely languid and faint. Some time after, I found her in one of the afore-mentioned agonies. We prayed: we entreated the interposition of the Chief Shepherd: we conversed: we renewed the cry of distress, entreating the Lord to

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rebuke the cruel adversary. Some present quietude seemed to follow. Nothing remarkable occurred until the evening of that day. Between the hours of ten and eleven, I renewed my visit, and found my friend's difficulty in speaking increased: death was advancing. "Well, my dear," I said, 66 I am once more come to declare to you, what a Saviour Jesus Christ is, and with what tender compassion he regards your distress." Hastily, her labouring voice interrupted me; and with a countenance expressive of inward horror, she said, Pray, Sir, say nothing: I know I must perish!" I was shocked: for a moment I was silenced; and though I knew this was the utterance of a strong and impatient, though hopeless, desire of salvation, my heart trembled, lest no manifestation of the glory of God's mercy and truth should be granted before the vail of flesh should drop. However, this affecting reply threw me on my knees. We prayed: we pleaded: the Lord was pleased to fill our mouths with arguments. Mercy opened the lips of our dear friend, and her mouth shewed forth the praises of her Lord, in an earnest "Amen!" repeated three or four times. The change was manifest: in the mount it was seen. It was the echo of the voice of the Spirit, speaking peace. The storm was hushed: there was The lamb was rescued from the paw of the lion, and sweetly laid in the Shepherd's bosom. I said, "Now, is not the Lord Jesus gracious?"

a great calm.

Yes, indeed," she replied, "he is." "Now, cannot

you commit

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your soul to him, and fear no evil?" Yes, I can!" "Now, you long to be in heaven, to praise him better than you now are able?" "Yes, I do! I do!" she exclaimed; adding, with great energy,

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Oh, I could do any thing, or bear any thing; I could still bear my affliction in life, or suffer any thing in death, if I might in any way bring glory to God!" I repeated that Scripture, "Into thy hands I commit my spirit, &c." She replied, "I can truly say that." "Well," said I, "you have had a long and distressful night: now the day is come, would you not wish me to tell your friends what God has done. for you?" "Oh yes: pray do!" "Well, we shall soon meet, and review God's dealings with in this conflict and deliverance." She replied, "Happy, happy meeting!"-It was one o'clock, Lord's-day morning, when I retired to rest; but a transition so quick and delightful, the immediate return of prayer, clevated and transported my mind, while my eyes were kept waking. The glory of mercy and truth seemed to shine around my head. My soul rejoiced that I had ever known this vessel of mercy: the part I had borne in her distressful conflict was amply recompensed. Yet on my return, I found reason to regret that I had left her: her mind was again clouded, but the word of God and prayer again prevailed. When speech failed, her countenance brightened; and soon after ten o'clock, Lord's-day morning, she ceased to breathe, and went to Jesus without a sigh. "Precious, in the sight of the Lord,

is the death of his saints!" Now, my friend, is there not a God in Israel, and is he not faithful? Yes! and who shall separate us from his love? Verily, he is a God that hideth himself: but blessed are all they that wait for him.

I am, &c.

J. BOWDEN.

LETTER LII.

TO MISS B-

I GRIEVE, my dear friend, to think how long your last kind and welcome letter has remained unanswered. It is not to be ascribed to want of affection. I love to think and speak of you, and of what the grace of God has wrought in you and by you; and were you with me, your observation would furnish sufficient apology for my seeming delay. I spent a few hours last week with, and since that, have called on your dear mother and sister, at There I wanted opportunity for the kind of conversation I wished. Blessed society, where all are "one heart and one soul," and all have received the "unction of the Holy One." Yet, how thankful ought we to be for the discrimination of the grace of God in the present life! What a lot is theirs, whom God hath set apart for himself! He

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finds them subjects of sin and misery, and appoints them to "the inheritance of the saints in light," and then undertakes to make them meet for that glorious state.

I hear with much concern, that you, my dear friend, are under an afflictive visitation. It will be a transient visit, I trust, and not distressful ; a passing cloud, that will distil in dews of heavenly blessing; the visit of a Physician, whose medicines may be bitter, but whose skill cannot be doubted. He may put you to pain; but his design is gracious," and his heart is tenderness and love. It is one thing to be in the hand of the Lord, as a righteous and wrathful Judge; and another, to be in his hand as the God of grace, working salvation within us, and drawing the characters of his own name on the soul." Truly, it is our wisdom to yield ourselves to him, and' to humble ourselves under his mighty hand, while he sits as a Refiner, purging away the dross, and taking away the tin. What a purifying and endearing representation is that," By his stripes ye are healed!" Our souls derive life eternal, from his wounds and death. What did he suffer, that we might be delivered from raging disease and death! And to what painful measures should not we be willing to submit, if thereby we may be brought to experience the healing virtue of his precious blood? Sin has opened many an avenue, by which affliction and trouble may assail us in this life; but "Christ in you" is a blessed antidote to over

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