meat that perisheth, but neglects that which endureth unto everlasting life! This is all unpremeditated: I must leave you to apply it. It is a madness the whole race of men labours under, unless and until divine grace works the cure: until it may be said of us, as of the returning prodigal, When he came to himself, he said, &c.-You will excuse, I hope, the mention of such important subjects. My only apology is, that we are creatures formed for eternity: and my wish and prayer are, that, whether we meet on earth or not, we may spend eternity together in heaven. If we are all in the right way, we do well to encourage and quicken one another; and, if otherwise, the sooner we set out the better." The following passages relate to a death which still more deeply affected him. "The occasion To his elder sister, May 30, 1780. of my writing is to inform you, that the Lord has been pleased to take my poor dear daughter from me by a sudden stroke. She was in perfect health, and a breathless corpse, within less than eighteen hours. .... A sweeter child and dearer to her parents' hearts could scarcely be: and, whilst I looked upon her promising advances in knowledge, and apparently Christian converse, tempers, and conduct, (which were almost incredible,) I promised myself great comfort in her; and did not understand, that the Lord, by bringing her forward so very much beyond her years, was only preparing her for himself, and ripening her for glory. But I shall say no more of her. If ever we meet, and you desire it, I can give you an account of such things concerning her, as will surprise you. This is my great comfort." years It will no doubt surprise the reader to be informed, that this is written concerning a child only four and a half old. But it is implied that the case was extraordinary: my father always considered it as the most remarkable that had fallen under his own observation; and he has left a short memorial of it, which will be annexed to the present publication. But I here subjoin an extract of another letter, to which the preceding gave occasion. ...... 66 To same, July 6, 1780. Concerning my poor dear babe. truly I grieved, and felt more than ever I felt before of that grief, which springs from being bereaved of one much beloved: and my heart bleeds, if I may thus speak, at every remembrance of her. But I do not grieve as one without hope: hope of meeting her in glory, and spending a joyful eternity together. I do not grieve so as to indulge grief or complaining, or think (with Jonah,) I do well to be angry, because my darling gourd is withered. God hath done well, and wisely, and graciously; and, whilst my heart is pained, my judgment is satisfied. I do not now wish it otherwise. She might have lived, in some way or other, to have filled my soul with unmixed bitterness, and to have brought down my grey hairs (if I live to grey hairs,) with sorrow to the grave.-I do not grieve so as not to rejoice: rejoice to recollect what I cannot now particularize of her amazing understanding and answers, teachableness. and conscientiousness; which makes me not doubt that she was, in a measure, like John the Baptist, taught by the Holy Ghost from her mother's womb: for none could speak and act as she did but by the Holy Ghost:-rejoice, to think that I have two chil dren adopted into God's family, taken home to his It is a high honour, housé, and filled with his love. and I ought to rejoice in it. only remaining babe, and much as I long to keep him, I had rather see him die, as my poor dear girl did, than live rich and honoured, without he live the life of a true Christian. She has got free from all that I long to be delivered from; and has attained all I am longing for. I shall go to her, but she shall not return to me. You mention the supposed loss of your sweet babes. Whilst I pray God to preserve them to you, and you to them, I cannot but advise you to rejoice in them with trembling, and to be often preparing, in thinking and praying concerning it, for a separation: for we are tenants at will concerning all our comforts. When you call them sweet innocent creatures, I hope you only mean comparatively, and to our apprehensions; not forgetting the words of our Catechism, that we are born in sin, and the children of wrath.' The youngest needs the blood of Christ to wash away the guilt, and the Spirit of Christ to cleanse away the pollution of sin: and they should be taught, as soon as they know any thing, to consider themselves as sinners, and to pray for the pardon of sin, and a new heart and nature, in and through Jesus Christ. This my poor babe did by herself alone, as duly as the morning and evening came. But enough, and probably too much of this, which I hope you will not take ill.... دو One of the "brothers in law," of whose death mention has been made in the above extracts, was the husband of Mrs. Webster, to whom these and so many others of his letters are addressed. She had been married only five years, and was now left (September, 1779,) with two children, and the near prospect of the birth of a third; besides many other difficulties to struggle with. These circumstances, of so beloved a relative, naturally called forth all the tender sympathies of my father's heart; and he wrote to her several letters full of affectionate condolence, and wise and Christian counsel. Some of them I should with pleasure insert, were I not restrained by the fear of extending my extracts beyond due bounds. We have seen the spirit with which my father, at this period, bore severe trials of one class; I shall next furnish specimens of the temper which he manifested under those of another description. Intimations have already appeared, that the change, which had taken place in his religious views, was not agreeable to others of his family besides his deceased father. In this respect he, for a considerable time, suffered an affliction, in which, as in almost all others, those who are exercised with it, may derive comfort from reflecting, that the divine Redeemer learned by experience to sympathize with his followers. Of him it is written, "Neither did his brethren believe in him." Happily there is the less reason, in the present instance, for being restrained by delicacy from adverting to this subject, because all the parties referred to were ultimately brought to an acquiescence in their brother's sentiments; and those, in particular, with whom we are here most concerned, eventually bore that regard for his character, and that love to his principles, that I am persuaded they would have wished nothing to be withheld, which might advantageously illustrate the one, or tend to promote the other; even though it should cast a little passing blame upon themselves. A letter of October 13, 1778, to his elder sister, which makes mention of " a very bad and dangerous illness after his return from London," and also of 66 finding so much writing very prejudicial to his health," contains further intimations of the kind alluded to; and at the same time well illustrates the very prudent and proper course which he pursued, and which indeed the progress of his own mind naturally suggested to him, in treating with his correspondent upon the subjects nearest his heart. "You seemed to think, when you were with us, that I wanted to impose a set of notions upon you in religion: but that is not my aim. If you ask me what my belief is, I am willing to declare it: but otherwise I have no ambition to make proselytes to an opinion. My design is to make converts to the substantial duties of a religious and godly life: to persuade people that eternity is of most consequence: that they ought not to be so careful and troubled about many things, as to neglect the one thing needful: that our religion is all contained in the Bible: that we ought to read that book not only to learn what to do, but what to believe: that God is the giver of wisdom; the Holy Spirit the teacher of the truth: that, before we understand the scripture aright, we must have our minds opened and prepared by the Spirit of God-for the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for |