ercife of faith and other graces. I confidered every attendance on gofpel-ordinances, every prayer, every perufal of a chapter of the Bible, or portion of a divinity-book, as an addition to the tock of my righteoufnefs, which I was laying up as a defence againft wrath, and a fund of merit to recommend me to the favour of God through Chrift. Such has been my wicked life, and thus have I been deftroying myself, a stranger to. God and real religion." 66 " I replied, that I never had fufpected her to be fuch a perfon; but told her, that the ought to make reftitution of the ftolen money, and cry earneftly to God, that he would make her tho roughly fenfible of all her fins, and induce her to fly to the fountain of Chrift's blood for wathing and cleaning. I would," faid Peggy, "have inade reftitution long ago; but as the gentleman was dead, and I knew not where he lived, or to whom to remit the money, I let it lie by me, without ap. plying it to any ufe. I have heard, that minifters direct, that, if the party robbed be dead or cannot be found, the ftolen goods fhould be applied to charitable uses. If you, Maily, will take the money, and give it to the poor, it will be fome fatisfaction to me." I told her, I was going to make fuch a propofal to her, but he had happily prevented me; that I would take the money, and give it away to fome poor diftreffed families. She gave me the key of her cheft, and bade me open it, directing me where I would find the money. I took it, and having changed it for filver, I, in two days, gave it away to about a dozen poor people, to whom it was a very feasonable fupply. "I very frequently vifited, and prayed with this poor young woman, and found her much employed in prayer, earnestly fupplicating a throne of grace for pardoning mercy. She would fometimes Ii2 fometimes fay, "I loath and abhor myself for my horrid fins and vile hypocrify. O Lord Jefus, fprinkle me with thy blood, and make me throw away the rotten rags of my own righteousness, and put on the fpotlefs robe of the Redeemer. O, make me fubmit to the righteoufnefs of God. Nothing else will be a cover for my guilty foul." Her fever continued, and fhe grew daily worfe and worse. At laft the Lord heard the voice of her fupplication, and filled her with joy and peace in believing. She was continually extolling the riches of grace, and exulting in the obedience and fatisfaction of Chrift, as her righteousnefs before God; wifhing every finner and every hypocrite would come and fhroud themselves under that glorious cover. I frequently prayed with and for her, and enjoyed a good measure of the Lord's prefence every time. When the drew near her end, fhe gave me the key of her cheft, telling me, The had faved about four pounds, and defired me, out of it, to defray the expenfe of her funeral, and if any thing remained, to apply it to my own ufe, together with her Bible, and all her other books; and fend all her cloaths to her fifter in the country. I promised to fulfil her orders. After this the faid, "I know that my Redeemer li veth, and that he fhall stand at the latter day up. on the earth. And though after my fkin, worms deftroy this body, yet in my flefh fhall I fee God: whom I fhall fee for myself, and mine eyes fhall behold, and not another, though my reins be confumed within me. O, to win Chrift, and be found in him, clothed with his righteousness. O when fhall I come and appear before him! Come, Lord Jefus, come quickly." She then fell into the agonies of death; and, after a very painful ftruggle, cried out, "Now the warfare is accomplished; now fhall I be made perfect and comely . comely through the righteoufnefs of my Redeemer. Behold, God is my falvation; and I fhall fee him in glory. 'Lord Jefus, receive my spirit." And fo fhe flept, I hope, in Jefus. Jenny whom you have feen, and taken notice of as a brifk merry lafs, frequently visited Peggy along with me, and appeared to be much affected with her fpeeches and prayers. I got her buried for lefs than three pounds, and the furplus of the money fhe allotted to me, I gave away to the poor, retaining nothing but her books. I have given you, my dear Madam, the above fhort hiftory, as I know that every inftance of the falvation of fouls will rejoice your heart, and make you bless God for Jefus Chrift his unspeakable gift.” Mally's account of the life, difafter, converfion, fickness, recovery, and marriage of Jenny, another fervant-maid. Mally, in a series of letters to Fanny, entertains her with the following hiftory of Jenny, with which I fhall conclude this part. "Dear Madam, about two weeks after Peggy 's death, Jenny was feized with the fame fever that had proved fatal to her. As the was a buxom lafs, handfome, and dreffed well; as fhe was noted for a fine finger, and when fhe came to our house, would entertain us with a fong; I had no notion fhe was much attached to religion. She fent for me, the day after the fell ill, to a friend's houfe, whither fhe had retired. As I found her very fick, I began to talk to her of our loft eftate by nature, of our utter inability to help ourselves, of the method of our recovery through the grace and righteoufnefs of the Lord 113 Jefus, Jefus, and his willingness and all-fufficiency to fave finners, however wicked and vile; and earneftly recommended to her to believe in the Lord Jefus Chrift, for the falvation of her foul. She thanked me for my feasonable speech, and said, "I have nothing to truft to but the mercy of God reconciled to finners in the Son of his love; his righteousness is my only fupport and defence; and to free grace will I afcribe all my falvation.' She defired me to fit down on her bedfide, and then addreffed me as follows. "My dear Mally, I hope I have not been unmindful of the great falvation, and the concerns of my foul. I have indeed been a little too forward, and given too much way to the natural merriment of my temper. I am now about five and twenty years of age, and have been in fervice fince I was fixteen. I had a religious education; but when I went to fervice, and fome time after, I never regarded religion further than going to church with the family on the Lord's day. A melancholy difafter that befel me, and which I never told to any body, firft awakened me to confider my ways. When I was near eighteen years of age, a fober young man, a cabinetmaker, made love to me, and I loved him; he frequently vifited me, and I encouraged his addreffes. Neither by word or action did he fhock my modefty. The day on which he vifited me laft, fome of my mafter's fons had brought in a novel or romance; I have forgot the name of it. Towards night, I fell a-reading the vile book, when all the family were abroad at fupper; and having got my paffions heated and my fancy fired with reading a wanton love-adventure, my lover came into me; and perceiving nobody but me in the house, began to kiss me, and ufe other indecencies; and my paffions being in a violent agitation through the the wanton ftory I had been reading, I, with very little reluctance, yielded to his defires; whereas, if I had not been in fuch diforder, I am confident I would have, brifkly refifted the vile attempt. After perpetrating the crime, I could not look at him without blushing and confufion; and was juft about to confefs my fhame and folly, and the mifery I had wantonly brought myself to; when he faid, "Dear Jenny, I am forry for what I have done. I am fully convinced you was a virgin, and be affured I will marry you;" and fo went off, leaving me in confufion. Confcience foon fmote me for my fin; and reprefented, that, for a momentary pleasure, I had finned against God, defiled my body, and, if I fhould happen to be with child, ruined my character for ever. As I had fo fhamefully given up my honour, I was afraid the young man would entirely forfake me. The lafcivious book, which had heated my paffions, I threw away, refolving for the future never to look at fuch books again. I became uncommonly melancholy, and fpent the whole night almoft without fleep, being burdened with a piercing fenfe of my fin and fhame in the lofs of my honour. The conviction of my great fin fet me a-praying, a duty which I had wholly neglected ever fince I came to fervice: and the awful threatenings in the Bible against uncleannefs terrified me. I expected my lover would have called for me next day, according to his cuftom; but he did not come. I made inquiry after him, and found, that the very next morning after our unhappy affair he had embarked on board a thip for London. I was now terrified I might be with child, be turned out of my service, and be a difgrace to my father's family, who, though poor, were fober and religious; and I had a difmal train of direful apprehenfions exhibited to my mind. I was, however, foon undeceived, and bleffed God |