messmate." The woman, who heard this account, transmitted it to Mr. Marshall's family, who were known to her. Mrs. Graham had no such consolatory account afforded to her; but under much yearning of heart, she left this concern, as well as every other, to the disposal of that God who doeth all things well.'

In the spring of 1792, she and her family were called to a severe trial, by the translation of their beloved pastor, Dr. Mason, to a better world. A few months before his decease, whilst preaching to his people, his recollection failed him, his sermon was gone from his mind, and he sat down in his pulpit unable to proceed. After a short pause, he arose and addressed his people in a pious and affectionate strain; he considered this event as a call from his heavenly Master to expect a speedy dismission from the tabernacle of clay; and solemnly admonished them also to be prepared for the will of God. His people, who loved him, were affected to tears. An illness soon followed, which terminated in the death of the body. He departed on the night when Mrs. Graham took her turn of watching with him. He breathed his last with his head upon her lap. This she always accounted a privilege and honour bestowed upon her by her Divine Master. Great was the grief of Dr. Mason's congregation on his loss. In him, to great learning were united meekness, prudence, diligence, and knowledge of the world, and an affectionate superintendence of the interests, spiritual and temporal, of his flock. He so arranged his avocations and studies in regard to time, that he had always a few hours in the afternoon to devote to visiting the families of his congregation. So regular was the order he observed in his arrangement of time, that Mrs. Graham and her family knew when to calculate on seeing him, and always expected him with the anticipation of profit and pleasure. Once every week they were sure of seeing him, if in health. His visits were short, his conversation serious, awakening, instructive, and affectionate. He inquired about their temporal affairs, and in cases of difficulty, he always gave them his best advice. His counsels were salutary; his knowledge of the world, and his discrimination of characters, rendered

him well qualified to advise. In one of his visits to Mrs. Graham, she mentioned to him the want of good servants as the greatest trial for the time. "Mrs. Graham,' said he, "have you ever prayed to the Lord to provide good servants for you? Nothing which interests our comfort is too minute for the care of our Heavenly Father.'

To one of her daughters, who felt a strong inclination to profess her faith in Christ by joining the communion of his church, but yet was afraid that her heart was not sufficiently engaged for the service of God, Dr. Mason proposed the following question. "If," said he," the world, with all its wealth, pleasures, and power, were placed in one scale, and Christ alone in the other, which would your heart freely choose as a portion ?" On her replying there would be no hesitation as to her choice of Christ, he gave her encouragement to profess her faith, although it might not at present amount to the full assurance of hope.

He was indeed a faithful shepherd of his flock, and his people mourned for him as for an affectionate father. It is much to be desired that his example were more followed by Christian pastors. To preach with eloquence and acceptance, is a talent of great value in a minister of the Gospel this makes him respected: and his congregation admire him, because, for one reason, they are proud of him: but to gain their affections; to make a congregation the children of an aged pastor, or the friends and brethren of a younger one, let the minister visit the families of his people: this will seal on their hearts, the regard which their understandings had already dictated.

Very few ministers have been more remarkable for a strict attention to this duty than the late Dr. John Mason, and his venerable and attached friend, the late Dr. John Rodgers. When the former died, the latter exclaimed, "I feel as if I had lost a right arm!" They who once laboured together to promote the cause of the Redeemer on earth, are now singing his praises before the throne of the Eternal.

The congregation, bereaved of their pastor, wrote im

mediately to his son, Mr. John Mitchell Mason, to hast→ en his return from Edinburgh to New-York.

After preaching to them with great acceptance for several months, he was ordained as pastor of the Church, in April 1792.

Mrs. Graham entertained for him the most affectionate attachment; and this attachment was reciprocal.

Thus it pleased God to repair the breach he had 'made, and to build up this Church by the instrumentality of the son, when he removed the father to that 'rest which remaineth for the people of God.'

In July 1795, Mrs. Graham's second daughter, Joanna, was married to Mr. Divie Bethune, merchant in NewYork. In the following month her eldest daughter, Mrs. Stevenson, was seized with a fatal illness. Of a mostamiable disposition and genuine piety, she viewed the approach of death with the composure of a Christian and the intrepidity of faith.

She had been in delicate health for some years before, and now a complication of disorders denied all hope of recovery. She sung a hymn of triumph, until the struggles of death interrupted her. Mrs. Graham displayed great firmness of mind during the last trying scene, and when the spirit of her daughter fled, the mother raised her hands, and looking towards heaven, exclaimed, "1 wish you joy, my darling." She then washed her face, took some refreshment, and retired to rest.

Such was her joy of faith at the full salvation of her child; but when the loss of her company was felt, the tenderness of a mother's heart afterwards gave vent to feelings of affectionate sorrow: nature will feel, even when faith triumphs.

Mrs. Graham made it a rule to appropriate a tenth part of her earnings to be expended for pious and charitable. purposes: she had taken a lease of two lots of ground on Greenwich-street from the corporation of Trinity Church, with a view of building a house on them for her own accommodation: the building, however, she never commenced: by a sale which her son, Mr. Bethune, made of the lease in 1795 for her, she got an advance of one thousand pounds. So large a profit was new to

her.

"Quick, quick," said she, "let me appropriate the tenth before my heart grows hard." What fidelity in duty! what distrust of herself! Fifty pounds of this money she sent to Mr. Mason in aid of the funds he was collecting for the establishment of a Theological Seminary.

In the year 1797, a society was instituted at NewYork, for the relief of poor widows with small children; a society which rose into great respectability, and has been productive of very beneficent effects. The Lord, in his merciful providence, prepared this institution, to grant relief to the many bereaved families, who were left widows and orphans by the ravages of the yellow fever in the year 1798.

It took its rise from an apparently adventitious circumstance. Mr. B-, in the year 1796, was one of the distributing managers of the St. Andrew's Society. The distribution of this charity was of course limited to a certain description of applicants. Mrs. B-, interested for widows not entitled to share in the bounty of the St. Andrew's Society, frequently collected small sums for their relief. She consulted with a few friends on the propriety of establishing a Female Society for the relief of poor widows with small children, without limitation, Invitations, in the form of circular letters, were sent to the ladies of New-York; and a very respectable number assembled at the house of Mrs. Graham. The proposed plan was approved, and a society organized. Mrs Graham was elected first Directress, which office she held for ten years.

At the semi-annual meeting in March 1798, Mrs. Graham made a very pleasing report of the proceedings of the Managers, and of the amount of relief afforded to the poor. The ladies of New-York rendered themselves truly deserving of applause for their zeal in this benevolent undertaking.

In the month of September 1798, Mrs. Graham's daughter Isabella was married to Mr. Andrew Smith, merchant, of New-York, (now of Richmond, Virginia.) Her family being thus settled to her satisfaction, she was prevailed upon to retire from business, and to live with her children.

Miss Farquharson, her assistant, to whom she was much attached, declined to succeed her, choosing rather to enjoy the society of her patroness and friend. She was a young lady of genuine piety and worth. The Lord had designed her for another important station. She is now Mrs. Loveless, of Madras, the help-meet of the London Society's excellent Missionary there. Mrs. Graham maintained a correspondence with Mrs. Loveless, and always regarded her with much affection.

During the prevalence of the yellow fever in 1798, it was with much difficulty Mrs. Graham was dissuaded from going into the city to attend on the sick : the fear of involving her children in the same calamity, in the event of her being attacked by the fever, was the chief reason of her acquiescing in their wish to prevent so hazardous an undertaking. During the subsequent winter, she was indefatigable in her attentions to the poor: she exerted herself to procure work for her widows, and occupied much of her time in cutting it out, and preparing it for them. The managers of the Widows' Society had each their separate districts; and Mrs. Graham, as first Directress, had a general superintendence of the whole. She was so happy in the execution of her trust, as to acquire the respect and confidence of the ladies who acted with her, as well as the affections of the poor.

Her whole time was now at her command, and she devoted it very faithfully to promote the benevolent object of the Institution over which she presided. The extent of her exertions, however, became known, not from the information given by herself, but from the observations of her fellow labourers, and especially from the testimony of the poor themselves.

In the summer of 1800, she paid a visit to her friends in Boston. When she had been absent for some weeks, her daughter, Mrs. B-, was surprised at the frequent inquiries made after her, by persons with whom she was unacquainted: at length she asked some of those inquirers what they knew about Mrs. Graham? They replied, "we live in the suburbs of the city, where she used to visit, relieve, and comfort the poor. We had missed her so long that we were afraid she had been sick :