About a week after she seemed more concerned about the state of her soul, and said to me, "Oh mother, I want . . . . I want...." and made a pause. I said, my dear what do you want? She said," To be prepared for another and a better world." I asked her whether she had no encouragement to hope that the Lord would have mercy upon her? She said, "I do not know." I then reminded her of a passage of scripture which she had often repeated, and which had been encouraging to her; namely, Matt. xi. 28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest and I added, that though we changed, yet the Lord changed not. She then repeated a part

of the 119th Psalm:--

O that the Lord would guide my ways, to keep his statutes still; O that my God would grant me grace, to know and do his will !

The following hymn very often affected her, with which you, sir, are well acquainted.*

Lord teach a little child to pray, thy grace betimes impart ;
And grant thy holy spirit may renew her infant heart.

A sinful creature I was born, and from the womb I stray'd;
I must be wretched and forlorn, without thy mercy's aid.
But Christ can all my sins forgive, and wash away their stain,
And fit my soul with him to live, and in his kingdom reign.
To him let little children come, for he hath said they may,
His bosom then shall be their home, their tears he'll wipe away.
For all who early seek his face, shall surely taste his love;
Jesus shall guide them by his grace, to dwell with him above.

Sometimes she was very cheerful, considering the singular nature of her affliction, and would often say that it was nothing to what she deserved, as a sinner against a holy God; and often begged for patience to bear what the Lord's pleasure was towards her, which I think she had to the astonishment of many who saw

It was composed by Dr. Ryland, for a daughter of Mr. Fuller while under great affliction, and who died in 1786, but never before printed.

her, as she was scarcely ever heard to utter a murmuring word.

One evening, some few days after this, she broke out in an astonishing manner, in expressing the wonderful love of Christ in coming into the world to die for poor lost sinners. "Oh," said she, "I never saw such preciousness in a Saviour before, as I do now. Oh, bless the Lord for such a Saviour; for I now see that I am a poor lost sinner!" She continued for some time exclaiming, "Oh, the wonderful love of God, in providing such a suitable Saviour!" And then added,

Now will I tell to sinners round, what a dear Saviour I have found;
I'll point to thy redeeming blood, and say, behold the way to God!

Now," said she, "I hope I can bless the Lord for this affliction, and say with David, It is good for me that I have been afflicted." She spoke much of Christ, of his tenderness as a shepherd, and gathering the lambs in his arms. She seemed to have enlarged views of the last judgment, and said, "Oh, what a mercy will it be at the great day, when God shall come to judge the world, to hear him say, Come ye blessed of my Father! But oh what an awful sound, to hear him say, Depart ye cursed, into everlasting fire! O that word, for ever! for ever! How dreadful!" She then repeated the following lines:

When thou my righteous Judge shall come,
To fetch thy ransom'd people home,

Shall I amongst them stand?
Shall such a worthless worm as L,
Who sometimes am afraid to die,

Be found at thy right hand?

She would often desire her sisters to remember their Creator in the days of their youth, the vanity of worldly pleasures, and their unsatisfying nature in a dying hour.

On Whitsun-monday a friend came to see her, and asked her how she did? She replied, "I want to praise the Lord, but cannot :" and then added,

I would, but cannot sing; I would, but cannot pray;
For satan meets me when I try, and frights my soul away.

But she seemed to be set at liberty, and spoke much within a few hours afterwards. Being visited by some young people, she warned them of the uncertainty of health and strength. You," said she, "may soon be cut down, and brought on a bed of affliction as I am, and then what good will all these things do you?" To others who called to see her, she said, it was a happy Whitsuntide to her, she hoped, for she felt very comfortable in her soul, and said, she would not wish to get well again, lest she should sin against the Lord. "I wished," said she, "to have seen Mr. Fuller once more; I could now talk better with him than I did before." She continued that night very comfortable, and prayed to be made fitto enter another and better world. She said,

Jesus can make a dying bed,
Feel soft as downy pillows are,
While on his breast I lean my head,

And breathe my life out sweetly there.

She then repeated several passages of scripture; and added, "this I should like to have for my funeral-Haring a desire to depart, and be with Christ, which is far better."-She often repeated a verse in the seventeenth Psalm:

my

This life's a dream, an empty show ;
But the bright world to which I go,
Hath joys substantial and sincere,

When shall I wake and find me there!

"I now can bless the Lord for good parents," said she, "and for good instructions. I have often heard father's instructions, and have been affected with them; and good sermons, but I fear, like many more, they have soon been lost amongst the trifles of this world: but now I see the happiness of those who are delivered from it."

For some days after this she said but little, only begging that she might have patience to wait the Lord's time, which, she said, was the best. I sometimes could not help weeping over her in her very singular affliction. "My dear mother," she would say, " do not grieve: The Lord gave, and the Lord taketh away, and blessed be the name of the Lord. I hope we shall meet again in another and better world, where there is neither sin nor sorrow." A day or two after, she said, "Mother, do you think I shall be found right at last?" and seemed to be fearful. Yes, my dear, I hope you will; I hope you desire to be made holy as well as happy; to be made meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light? "I hope I do," she said; “I trust the Lord will make me meet for himself."

Thus, though her affliction was very great and singular, yet we trust it was mixed with great and singular mercy to her soul. Oh that it may please the Lord to bless and sanctify this affecting stroke to those who are spared; that they may see the necessity of early piety, and that preciousness there is in Jesus, who is (as my child oft repeated) The chiefest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely!

On Saturday, the 7th of June, in the evening, she prayed in an affecting manner, with a loud and audible voice, particularly and distinctly for us all; and afterwards, death seemed fast approaching, and she became very restless, which continued till Tuesday morning about two o'clock; when with faultering lips, and sweet affection, she bid us all farewell, and in about ten minutes departed!!

Affectionately your's,

D. W.

THE

New-York Miffionary Magazine,

AND

Repository of Religious Intelligence.

A short Account of the Life, Experience, &c. of the Rev. Mr. Francis Sherriff.

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[Continued from Page 8, and concluded.]

FEW days after this, upon being asked how he had passed the night, he answered, "My mind has not been in so spiritual a frame as I could have wished, yet I have generally prayed and slept by turns. This morning I have got a wonderful sight of the desperate wickedness and deceitfulness of the human heart, and of the free grace of God, in keeping the believer in the faith from first to last. I see in myself such a tendency to depart from God by unbelief, that if he did not uphold my faith to the last moment of my life, I should, in the full view of eternity, upon the threshold of heaven, forsake God, and turn back again to sin and to the world: But, blessed be his name, he keeps me by his almighty power; and nothing less than divine power can cause a sinner to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation." He spoke much of the necessity of humility. "We can never (said he) see enough of our own nothingness, and of our dependence upon God for all. I feel pride a continual plague to me. I have been very self-confident and proud, where I had no reason to be so. The Lord has taught me much of my own heart since I lay upon a sick bed." All that VOL. II. No. 2.

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