his hopeful, happy alteration, tho' frequently enquired of, he but once expreffed any hope that he was prepared for a better world. One day, when interrogated as to his profpects, he faid, "I have fome hope;" but the following day, it had all vanished, and he ftill felt, that he was without hope and without God in the world. When asked from day to day, if any thing new and comforting appeared to his mind, he continually replied, "No." When directed to pray, believe in Chrift, truft in God and the like, he used to reply, "My heart works against me. My heart is against God. My prayers are abomination in the fight of God. I have no reft." Until the Lord, as we hope, put a new fong in his mouth, one or two of these short, but fignificant expreffions was the most he would fay at an interview. On Monday, a week before his death, when he was expected to continue but a few days, after enquiries refpecting the ftate of his body, he was afked as ufual, if he could fay any thing more favorable than heretofore as to the ftate and profpects of his foul; he answered with a voice and countenance expreffive of deep anxiety and diftrefs. "I wish I could." He was then told that he was in the hands of a juft and merciful God, who could do him no injuftice if he left him to perish, and who would have mercy on him or not, as feemed good in his fight. He was now, indeed, to a ferious mind an affecting fpectacle, an immortal foul daily expecting to meet his God and receive his fentence for eternity and yet without a hope of any preparation! But the time of his hopeful deliverance was drawing near, when his prifon doors were to be opened and his captive foul enlarged. The next day, on Tuesday, towards night, he called his mother to his bed-fide, and told her to this effect, that he now felt willing to die; that he had been thinking of the goodness of God to him all his days, and it appeared most won. derful and glorious, as it never appeared before, strongly and repeatedly expreffing his admiration and love. At the fame time, in connection with this view of the goodness of God, he expreffed a ftrong and lively fenfe of his own ingratitude, abuse of divine mercy and exceeding finfulness. "I wonder, (faid he) that God hath fpared me fo long in the world that he hath not long before now cut me down in my fins and fent me to everlasting mifery." From this time until his death, on the follow ing Monday, he appeared, when in the exercise of reason, so far as can be judged from his conver fation and deportment, almost conftantly to enjoy clear views, and a lively fenfe of the beauty, glory, and lovelinefs of the divine char acter, and especially as it fhines in the face of Chrift.. "Oh the beauty, the lovelinefs of God-the fweetness, the glory of Christ," was his continual exclamation. In confequence of this apparently happy alteration in his views and feelings, he was not barely refigned to death, but most of the time ardently defirous to die. Tho' at times, in view of fome particular very defirable object, he would fay he was willing or defirous to live, yet in general, and always when directly contemplating the glory of his God and Redeemer, he chofe and earnestly defired to depart. On Wednesday morning, the day following his change, he faid to a vifitor almost as foon as he fpake with him, "I am wil ર fulness, and repeatedly expreffed the fame feelings in the strongest terms. On Friday about 1 1 o'clock he was feized with convulfions in which both he and his friends expected he would die. At this time he appeared to be perfectly rational and clear in his views and hopes. As the writer of this account went into the room and fpoke to him, he faid, "I am go ling to go any minute when God is | mitted to it with all freedom and pleafed to call for me. If my heart do not deceive me, I am ready when God is ready. I fhall die in peace." (If my heart do not deceive me, was an expreffion which he very frequently intermingled with his ftrong profeffions.) It was obferved to him on his expreffing very ardent defires to die, that he muft patiently wait God's time. He anfwered, "I am willing God fhould do with me just as he pleaf-ing; I am going to Chrift. Oh es. If he were to put it to me to the beauty, the glory of Chrift! choose for myself, I would put it I long to be with him. Behold back again to him." He fpake the Lamb of God that taketh arepeatedly and almoft continually way the fin of the world !" After of his fatisfaction and contentment coughing feverely, as he perceived with the will of God. When en- one of his convulfed turns coming quired of by his friends, who cal-on, in which he expected to expire, led to vifit him, how he was, he very often replied, "I am wellwell off." During his fevereft diftreffes, which were frequent, he would continually fay, "It is right, all is right. Whatever God does is right. I am contented with the will of God. I would have eve. ry thing just as he would have it." On Wednesday as he had been ftrongly expreffing his fenfe of the lovelinefs and glory of God and Chrift, he was asked, if fin appeared evil and hateful, he replied to this effect," I abhor myfelf and repent in duft and afhes. I hate all fin. I cannot bear any fin." Being asked if it now appeared that it would be right and juft in God to caft off fuch a finner and punish him forever? He anfwered, It would be perfectly right. fhould not have a word to fay." Previous to this, during his fickness, when the fame question had been repeatedly asked him, he could not answer it in the affirmative. He could not fubmit to the juftice of God in punishing finners forever, and efpecially as it applied to himfelf. But now he faw and fubVOL. II. No. 12. M he called for the family to come to the bedfide and bade them all farewell, faying, "I am going-I fhall foon be in heaven." As he recovered of this and fimilar turns, he would fay, "I hoped that would have been my laft turn. I hoped I should have gone then." Once he faid, "welcome death, O, how I long for thee !" At another time," O death where is thy fting I O, grave, where is thy victory!" From time to time he faid, "I long to die that I may fee Godthat I may fee the lovely Jefus. I long to be in heaven with the angels praifing God and the Lamb.” As expreffing his defire to die, at a certain time, he was asked why he felt fuch defires? He anfwered, "That I may glorify God perfectly. I have been finning against him all my days, and now I long to be in heaven that I may glorify him forever." At another time he faid, "When I look backward on my paft life, it looks dreadful, but when I look forward, Oh how glorious! I long to be in heaven with the angels praifing God and the Lamb." He greatly abound m m accept of Chrift, and to love and ferve God. "If ever I should get well" (he faid) "I would talk to my friends. I want they should love Jefus." Among oth ed in fentiments and expreffions like thofe now related. In his views and exercifes towards God and all fpiritual objects, old things feemed to be paffed away and all things become new. Nor was heer objects which occafionly drew lefs altered in his feelings towards from him defires of living, one his fellow men. He expreffed re- was, that he might be useful to his peatedly a moft ardent love to mother who was a widow and had their fouls, and fervent defires for peculiar dependence on him for their falvation. Headdreffed thofe aid and fupport. He faid at a cerwho came to fee him with much tain time cafting his eye on his propriety and folemnity. To a mother, "I have but one defire number prefent at a time when he to live; that is, for my mother. was fuppofed to be dying he faid, But my brother will take care of "Come fee me die! You must all her. As long as he lives, the will follow me. See what you are all want for nothing!" He was also, coming to!" To one of his fifters, at times defirous of living that he who was out of health, fitting on might have opportunity to ewn his bedfide tenderly weeping, he Chrift before men, and join with faid, "Do not weep fo. Do not his people in commemorating his weep for me. You will kill your dying love at the facramental table. felf with weeping. Go, and get From the time of his hopeful ready to die. See that you be change, he felt himself and appearprepared to die. Remember what ed to others to be a new creature, I fay." At the fame time cafting and in a new world. He feemed his eye on a number of young per- to realize that he was fnatched as fons in the room, he fays, "I ad- a brand from the devouring flames. vife you all to prepare yourfelves" Had I died a week ago" (he to die. Call upon God to have mercy on you." He repeatedly charged his friends not to weep for him, but to weep for themfelves and prepare to follow him to a better world. He frequently ex preffed earnest defires and prayers for the falvation of the people where he lived, and efpecially for the young, and particularized fome of his former companions. Soon after his hopeful change he faid, "I long that the young people of this place might have their eyes opened. I know not but Flong for their falvation as much as I do for my own." He ufed at all times when this object was in view, to exprefs defires that he might live, at leaft for a feafon, to ufe his endeavors with his connections and acquaintances, to perfuade them to faid)" I should now have been in hell" He was abundant in af cribing the change he had experienced to the power and grace of God. The morning of the day in which he died, on Monday, as he was expreffing his fenfe of the evil of fin, and that it would be juft and right in God to caft him off forever, it was obferved to him that a little time before, he was not willing to exprefs himself in that manner, he replied, “True; but I am now a very different per fon from what I was then." And who has made you to differ? (he was asked.) He anfwered with emphafis, "Who made the world?" After this he faid little more that was rational and intelligible, and in the after part of the day expired: and as we have reafon to hope pa fed another change greater and more glorious than the firft. "Bleffed are the dead who die in the Lord." TH The falling down of perfons un- following obfervations taken in Obfervations on the revival of reli-lufion. This may appear by the Verbal intelligence, which is too often incorrect, is not the onJy means, by which, we are acquainted with the remarkable work, which is going on in that ftate. I have read feveral letters written by eye witneffes, befide thofe published in the magazine. They all correfpond concerning the revival; efpecially, with refpect to thofe appearances, which diftinguish it from others. 1. It is plain from common obfervation, that an intimate connection fubfifts between foul and body. They mutually affect each other. No fooner are impreffions made on the bodily fenfes, than correfpondent fenfations and ideas And in like exift in the mind. when the emotions manner; and paffions of the mind are excited, correfpondent effects of body are often produced. How fenfibly is the body often agitated by the fudden paffions of joy, anger, and fear? Thefe are daily obfervable in children; and not, uncommonly, in thofe of riper years. By great joy or fudden frights perfons are fometimes overcome, divefted of Arength, and fall to the ground. Multitudes meet and continue 2. The objects, which occafion long together for religious worship; particularly on communion days. religious impreffions are vaftly more This may be accounted for, from important, interefting, and fubthe practice of the Prefbyterian lime in their nature, than any othfocieties, among which the awake-ers imaginable! What objcas conning has more generally prevailed.ceivable are, fo eminently calcula It has been, and now is, a common practice of the Prefbyterian churches to have religious worship both preceding and following the communion day; and alfo for focieties to vifit each other on thofe occafions But the circumstance of perfons falling down under religious impreffions, which has been common in the revival in Kentucky, is fingular and strange. On this, which has led many to fufpect the genuineness of the work, I defign to make fome obfervations. ted to excite the feelings and agitate the power of the foul as thofe of eternity-Heaven and hellthe perfections of God-the purity of his law-and an heart of enmity in oppofition and confequent expofednefs to the everlafting wrath of the Almighty! Thefe, furely, furpafs all others in roufing the paffions of the foul. 3. God is able to bring those objects into the view of the mind, in a most clear and fudden manner. For he is not limited in the circumftances of manifelting truth to his creatures. God can uncover hell to the finner, and heaven to the faint, in a more gradual or fudden manner; in more faint or lively colours, as feemeth him good. For his thoughts are not our thoughts; neither are his ways our ways. Great effects on the countenance and body would no doubt follow fuch fublime and fudden discoveries of divine things as God is able to make. calculable variety, respecting the meafure of conviction, fuddennefs of operation, clearness of discovery, and the immediate effects produced on the countenance or body. This is confirmed by commen obfervation; and to the truth of it, the facred fcriptures bear teflimony, in the various relations they afford us of Chriftian experience. In furveying them, we find many, who embraced the truth by sober confideration, until the day star of the gofpel arofe in their hearts. But fome, the hearers of Peter, by a fingle fermon, were cut to the heart, and fuddenly cried out, men and brethren what fhall we do? and believed immediately. The Lord opened the heart of Lydia to attend to the things fpoken by Paul, until he believed in Chrift. But, when the woman of Samaria had found the Meffias, the immediately left her water pot, and haftened to the city, and proclaimed him. Felix trembled at the reafoning of Paul, upon righteouf nefs, temperance and judgment to come. But Paul, himfelf, in his perfecuting journey to Damafcus, was inftantly ftruck to the ground by divine light and truth, and cried out, Lord what wilt thou have me to do? 4. God has not, precifely, revealed all the circumftances attend ant upon the manifeftation of his truth. The fpirit is promised to convince of fin, righteoufnefs, and judgment; and to create a new heart and renew a right fpirit. But, as to the various circumftances, degrees of operation, and immediate vifible effects he has not informed us. Therefore, in furveying the holy fcriptures, we are totally unable to measure the terrors of the law, which the finner may feel; or the glory of the gofpel, which the faint may behold. The fcriptures do not determine, whether religious impreffions fhall be gradual or fudden; finall or great; faint or clear. Neither do they defignate the immediate cf fects; whether they fhall be attended with fober folemnity or flowing tears, ftill contemplation or audible outcries, fadnefs of counte- Once more: Chrift endured the nance, trembling of body, or fall-penalty of the law in the finner's ing to the ground. tead. He drank the cup of diving wrath, when he expired on the crofs. Of which awful scene, he had a previous view, while he was in the garden. And what was the effect on his body? We are told, he was in an agony and fweat, as were, great drops of blood falling to the ground! 5. The fovereignty of God is abundantly manifeft in the marvelous work of grace. And, parti cularly, in the diverfity of their exercifes and operations, in whom the fame fpirit is produced. A careful attention to the various re-it ligious experiences of Chriftians will corroborate the remark. Although all the real friends of God are brought, in degree, to a fenfe and love of the fame gofpel eruths; yet there is almoft an in In review of the above remarks taken in their connection, what fhall we fay of the fingularity ap parent in the revival at Kentucky? Bearing in mind the manual infra |