peace was made with heaven. This was a great bleffing to me, as it frengthened me in my determinations. One night, at our request, John Newton of Fort-Lawrence, came over to Amherst to pray with us. While he was giving out the hymn, the tears began to gufh out of my eyes, and my heart to throb within me: fo that in a little time most of the company did fo too. One young man at firft began to laugh at us; and thought within himself, "Thefe never committed murder or did any dreadful thing, that they need to make fuch fools of themselves, and roar out that way like mad people." But God foon turned his laughter into forrow, and sent an arrow of conviction to his heart; and then he roared out the loudest of all," God be merciful to me, a poor miferable finner." Ten or eleven continued crying thus for fome time, when God gracioufly fet Mrs. Oxley at liberty. Her foul was brought out of difmal darknefs, into marvelous light. O! how did her foul exult in the Lord her Redeemer, and magnify his holy name! Our meeting continued that night for feveral hours; after which, I went home with my three brothers and a fifler weary and heavy laden with the burden of our fins. From this time, we met almoft every night at Mr. Oxley's, to fing and pray, for fome months together. We generally met a litle after fun fet, and continued our meetings until mid. night: indeed frequently I and the young man beforementioned, continued until day light. I now wept, fafled, and prayed, and my constant cry was, "Give me Chrift! Give me Chrill! Or elfe I die;" I could bear to hear of nothing befide Jefus and him crucified; and was amazed to fee men, endowed with reafon, and capable of enjoying God's love in time and eternity, spending their precious moments in the most trifling and unprofitable converfation. One night coming from a religious meeting with two or three young men, whilft the Northern lights began to wave backwards and forwards in the air, I thought, "What if the day of judgment be coming, I am ill prepared to die!" Then throwing throwing myself on the ground, I cried to the Lord to have. mercy on my poor, wretched, finful foul. While lying on the ground, this thought was impreffed upon my mind, The curfe of God hangs over prayerless families: God is not worshipped in a public manner in your family: this is your fin." This had for fome time lain heavy on my mind, and that of my brother John. He had feveral times been requested to pray with us, but always put it off, faying, "By and by I will, when I get more ftrength." But ftill he could not break through. I rofe from the ground, and went immediately home, refolving in myself, that if neither my father, nor elder brother would pray with the family, I would. Juft as I entered the door, my brother began to pray, which was the first time we had family prayer fince my mother died, in 1776. Soon after this, Mr. Wells came over to Amherst, and gave an exhortation, in which were thefe words, "Sin and repent, fin and repent, until you repent in the bottomlefs pit." They went like a dagger to my heart. "Lord, (thought I) I am the I fin and grieve, and then I fin again, alas! what very man. will fuch repentance avail! I must be holy or I cannot be I faw happy." Now my fins were fet in array before me. and felt myself guilty, helpless, wretched and undone. I went about from day to day, hanging down my head like a bullrush, whilft ftreams of tears rolled down my cheeks, yet ftill I found no deliverance. However, I was determined never to reft, until I found reft in Chrift. None of the externals of religion would now fatisfy my awakened confcience. I faw that if ever I was faved, it must be by grace, through faith; and that this faith was the gift of God: but alas!! had it not; nor was I yet brought wholly to truft in the Lamb of God, that taketh away the fins of the world. [To be continued.] A Short Afhort Account of the Death of Mrs. MARTHA COOK. MAR ARTHA COOK had been under deep convictions for fin for fome years before fhe was married. One Sunday a young woman, a particular acquaintance of hers, called on her, defiring her to walk and fee fome coal works. The thoughts of having broke the Sabbath deepened her conviction, and caused her to weep bitterly, which her mother imputed to fome other caufe. On the next Sunday fhe hid herself, left she should be enticed away again. At this time she had a great defire to be among the people called Methodists; but as her father would not allow any of his family to go, fhe could only get to hear them occafionally in his abfence. At thofe times the word was very fweet to her; but through the vanities of the wo ld, her convictions did not make a lafting impreffion, though they returned frequently from time to time. She thought, that after being married, nothing should hinder her from ferving God; and it pleafed him to awaken her husband about a year and a half before her death, which gave her more liberty for that purpofe. Being one night in very great distress, The went to a prayer meeting, when it pleafed the Lord to fet her foul at liberty, fo that he was conftrained to praise him aloud in the midst of the people. She enjoyed peace for many weeks; but being deltitute of a fervant, and having much business, and a child to nurfe, fhe was deprived of the outward means of grace, and through unwatchfulnefs fuffered lols in her foul. About two months before her death, fhe was ftirred up again; and it pleafed Gud to manifeft himself to her one Sunday whilft I was at prayer with her, and he continued always with her afterwards. VOL. XIV. C Jan. Jan. 24. 1786. She was vifited by a preacher, and afterwards continued to cry unto God for a clearer manifestation of his love. I called on her that evening, and found her in very great dif tress of foul: I pointed her to the promises, and then mentioned the woman of Canaan, to whom the Lord granted the defire of her heart. I then left her in full expectation that I should find her compleatly happy in the morning. When I called again, I found her very ferene, enjoying much peace, and declaring she was willing to die; but prayed that the Lord's will, not hers might be done. On the morning of the 26th when I called, fhe told me she had a very happy night, that the fear of death was now entirely taken away, and defired me to join her in finging these words, "What hath the world to equal this! When I up to Jefus go!" She fang with hands lifted up, as if she wanted to take her flight; and continued for moft part of the day in an extacy, praifing God, and calling those about her to join in praise with her. A minifter coming in defired her to compofe herself, for the Lord did not require it; befides, faid he, you will haften your end by exhaufting your ftrength. She replied, "How can I do it better than in praifing my God? I will praise him ;" and then she began to praise him louder than before, so that he left her, being much difpleafed. She ftill continued happy, exhorting all about her to feek the Lord, and to give their whole hearts to him, adding, "What fhould I have done in fuch an hour, if the Lord had not been my friend ?" Jan Jan. 28. I was haftily fent for to come to her, as it was fuppofed she was dying. When I entered the room, she cried out, "Pray with me, pray for me!" She was in fuch an agony, that her husband was obliged to hold her in the bed; and in fuch a fweat as I had never feen before. I found this all arofe from the fuggeftions of Satan, who faid he would have her after all. I pointed her to the promifes, and mentioned the fufferings of Chrift, who furely had fuffered for her, and I faid the devil had no expectation of having her, only he ftrove to harrafs, because he envied her happiness. I obferved also that Satan had even the boldness to tempt our Lord himself; but no fooner was he gone, than angels came and miniftered unto him. I added, "The angels are now waiting around your bed for the fame purpofe." She then looked earnestly and fixed her eyes upon one particular place, as if the faw fomething invifible to us, and then spoke out with the greatest earneftnefs, "Satan, I defy thee! Thou ugly monfter, thou deceiver of poor fouls: who would be thy fervant ?" Her fears were immediately gone, her countenance changed, and she began to praise God, and continued to do so the remainder of the day. Her mother now came to see her, and begged fhe would not fatigue herself so much. She replied, "What! Mother, must I not praise my Lord? I will praise him. Come to him now, for he is willing to fave you all, yea, to fave the vileft man or woman in the world, if they will but come to him.” When her fifter, who was about to go away, faid, "Perhaps I fhall never see you again;" fhe replied, "If you fee me no more here, take care and come to me in heaven: confider the pri vileges you enjoy: you live near the preaching house: do not lofe one opportunity, and God will blefs you.' She spoke to the fame effect to every one who came to fee her. She was not willing that I should leave her, and on my saying, I should foon fee her again, she said, "Bleffed be God, I shall |