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66

understand each other. She expressed the same thing, and assured me, that it seemed to her as if we had already spent years together, and had only been asleep for a season. Guly!" exclaimed I, and she, "Setma!" We rushed into each other's arms, and held each other in a firm embrace. The impression of the various events, the images of which now rapidly crossed my mind, was so strong and overpowering that I involuntarily burst into tears, and wept aloud for nearly a quarter of an hour, during which I was unable to utter a word. Guly wept also, but was more collected than I, and said, "Another time I will tell you my history; today I am too weak to do so!" To this I willingly consented, and in the overflowing joy of my heart, only one idea presented itself clearly to me, which was the wish to ascertain with certainty, as soon as possible, whether Guly had become a Christian, and whether she was a true Christian, who cordially loved the Saviour. To render my joy complete, I was permitted to convince myself that she was even further advanced in religious knowledge and expe

rience than myself, and would probably become a support to me, which I greatly needed. The heart relies on God, but the hand seeks a staff. David placed his confidence in the Almighty, but he had also a Jonathan, and wept on losing him. Paul, the courageous witness of the faith, mournfully complains, that in Rome all had forsaken him, and that he stood alone. Who would take it amiss of me, that my heart leaped for joy at the discovery of what it would possess in future in Guly. Oh, there was also no want of seasons of mourning, which I have sufficiently experienced!

After a few days had elapsed, when we had a leisure hour, Guly took me by the arm, and went with me into the pleasure-grounds of the palace, where we sat down upon a bank, and she related her history to me.

"I have no need to describe to you what were my sensations on being so unexpectedly torn from you at the conquest of our native town; for they were certainly yours also. I was almost insensible when the General, who had taken me prisoner, dragged me into the camp. He was an elderly man,

very mild and gentle, and intended nothing else with me, than to take me home with him as a companion to his daughter. But this I only subsequently ascertained, for he could not speak Turkish, nor I German; and I was obliged to be satisfied, meanwhile, with his friendly treatment, which was quite beyond my expectation.

He

"As the campaign soon terminated, I was not permitted to remain long in the camp; and the General, who resided in times of peace on his estates in Silesia, took me thither with him, where he was received by his daughter with the greatest joy. told her, what I certainly did not understand at the time, but could infer from his gestures, that he had brought me to wait upon and entertain her, at which she seemed highly pleased. But her joy soon abated, on observing that I understood nothing of her language. She was not, however, displeased, but instructed me with much patience and willingness, in reading and speaking German. The former I found more difficult than the latter; however, I had made such progress in half a year that

I could make myself intelligible to every one in the house, and could also read the Bible with tolerable ease. The latter had been given me as a school-book, for the General was a sincerely pious man; and as at the beginning I did not know what it contained, nor that it was the book on which the Christian religion was founded, I made no objection to it, which I certainly would have done had I known it; for I had by no means the intention of renouncing the religion of my country.

66 But the more I learnt to understand what I read, the more was I pleased with the book; so that when I came at length to the history of Jesus, and perceived what book it was, the truth and loveliness of the divine word had so captivated and fettered me, that I could no longer go back. I therefore read the history of Jesus completely through, the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles-read everything to the end; and it then became an immutable certainty in my heart, that this was the word of truth-the word of the living God! Even before I had perfectly learned the German language, I became a

convert to the German religion; and before I could form an impartial comparison between Christianity and Mahometanism, Christ had already taken possession of my heart, and I experienced much grace and blessedness.

"The General and his daughter observed that something particular was passing in me; but they were unwilling to disturb the free course of its developement, until at length I came to them myself, with the confession that I believed in Christ, the Saviour of the world. They were much rejoiced at this, and immediately communicated their joy to the Rev. Mr. Rothe, who was the minister of the village belonging to the estate. The latter came, and after having heard me relate how I had attained to this belief, he rose up-a venerable old man, of eighty years of, age, with snow-white hair-lifted up his eyes towards heaven, folded his hands, and exclaimed, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen a soul of the race of Ishmael converted unto thee! For it appears that this aged servant of Christ had made it a peculiar con

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