In a little time she revived, and appeared quite fenfible and compofed. She looked at her husband and faid, My dear. I have been at a feftival." "Afstival? replied he, my deareft, what do you mean?" "Yes, faid the, a festival, a moft glorious feftival. In company with the most noble perfonages that mortal eyes ever beheld. Indeed, my dear, I cannot defcribe their glorious forms. I was at the coronation of the King and Queen, and faw there all the glory of man; but the King and Queen in their coronation robes with their brilliant diadems, were not to be compared with thefe. One faid, 'fifter, come away;' and a second and a third faid, Sifter, come away:' and every one of them beckoned me, and faid, Come, come away.' Upon which I answered. "I am coming, I am coming." Do not you fee them? There fands one of them juft behind you, my dear, and at the opening of the curtain at the back of the bed near Mrs. D—, I yet gleam of that inexpreffibly beautiful rainbow-light which attended another, who has difappeared: the fineft colours of the Painter can give you no idea of it: O, who would with to tarry behind!"

fee a

She lay fill a little, as if employed in filent, holy admiration. and then faid, "For fome days paft, I have had many a hard ftruggle at the thoughts of leaving so many very dear earthly connections, whom I loved; my husband, my children, my houfe, my dear old and new friends in this place; and if it had been the will of my heavenly Father, I would have been glad to have enjoyed fome years comfort longer with them in the body, and have feen my children more advanced in life; but this I no longer with for, having a defire to depart and to be with Chrift, which is far better: to be with Chrift, who is the brightness of his Father's glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon: who is infinitely fairer than the fons of men, or angels; in whofe prefence is fulnefs of joy, and at whofe right hand are pleafures for evermore; who is gone to prepare a place for his people, and who will come again

and

and receive them to himself; according to his bleffed word, that where he is, there they may be also, to behold his glory. Then, O then, I fhall fing without wearinefs, and without fainting, the fong of the redeemed above, "unto him who loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood; and hath made us kings and priefts, unto God, even the Father. Το Him be glory for ever and ever, in whom we have redemption, through his blood, the forgiveness of fins; according to the riches of his grace." Then fhall I know the full meaning of that sweet paffage of Scripture, "These are they who are come out of great tribulation, and whofe robes are washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb: therefore are they be fore the throne of God: they fhall hunger no more, neither thirst any more: neither fhall the fun light on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb, which is in the midft of the throne, fhall feed them, and fhall lead them unto fountains of water, and God fhall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither forrow nor crying: neither fhall there be any more pain, nor any more fin. O blessed thought! For the former things are paffed away: furely, when He, who is my life, fhall appear, then fhall I also appear with him in glory. Yea, though I have been a poor finful, ill-deferving and hell-deferving creature, I fhall appear with him in glory. Through him I have fought a good fight, I have finished my courfe; I have kept the faith: henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteoufnefs, which fadeth not away. Often, too often, have I been filent in his praife: my harp many times have I hung upon the willows, while I fojourned in the wilderness; but I have now almoft done with the clogs of this body: I am going to a place, where the chief employment of the inhabitants is praife; where the king's daughter shall be introduced with gladness and rejoicing: where there fhall not be an untuned voice, nor a wandering heart. Come, let me try as I can, while I am on this fide Jordan, to fing to the honour of Jefus." She fang two hymns, and then faid, "O, what a

poor

poor feeble attempt is this! Well may it be called only lifping out the praises of my God, and Redeemer, but when I get yonder, I fhall fing with the best of them; or I shall at least try to do it for fure I am, there is not one there who has greater reafon to fing his praife than I have. I and all the ranfomed of the Lord fhall return with him, from judgment to the Zion above, with fongs and everlasting joy upon our heads, and fighing fhall fly away for ever and ever!"

While he was thus fpeaking and finging, fhe appeared as when she was in perfe&t health, though with greater vivacity. Her countenance glowed, her eyes fparkled; and her voice was ftrong. Her husband and Mrs. D were affected in fuch a way as they could not defcribe. They liftened all the while, as if they had been fitting at the feet of an angel, or fome of the juft made perfect, fpeaking the language of the New Jerufalem, and wished they had so near a prospect of being done with this world, and entering into the joy of their Lord. At another time fhe faid to her husband, "My dear, we must now part: we have had many comfortable days together: few are acquainted with the happiness we enjoyed in each other's company: I loved you, and was in danger of giving you too much place in my heart; I know you loved me also, and have all along been a most indulgent husband to me; but you are now no longer mine: do therefore kneel down and refign me up cheerfully to him, from whom you received me.”

Her husband then prayed; after which fhe faid, My dear, I know God will take care of you: I have therefore no anxiety about you: but, O my dear children; what will become of my motherless children!" Her hufband answered, "My dearest, be not fo uneafy about the children: the God whom you ferve, and who has led you, and fed you all your days, into whofe hands we have often together committed them, will take care of them and befides, you know I have the heart of a father, and love my children as myself." She

faid,

faid, “I trust, and believe God will take care; but, O my dear, be tender of them, and particularly of my dear fweet Belfey." About one o'clock, a gentlewoman belonging to the church came to fee her: "You are come (faid fhe) to see your minifter's wife dying. I have frequently had fweet spiritual converse with you: I trust it was not in vain to our fouls: be kind to your minifter when I am gone: he has been a loving hufband to me; and he will, I doubt not, be more and more a faithful paftor among you. Some of you are blessed with good hufbands, that fear the Lord: O, be fenfible and: thankful for the privilege. They are your valuable companions in life, partners of all your joys and forrows; but what is beft of all, they are your spiritual counsellors, and will ftrengthen your hands in the work of the Lord."

After paufing a little, fhe faid, "O the love of Chrift, which paffeth knowledge! what am I, that I fhould ever have been a partaker of it! Not unto me, not unto me, but unto thy name be the glory, O Lord! I did love the Lord Jefus, and many a delightful hour of fellowship have I had with him in his ordinances; but I have now done with ordinances." After paufing again, fhe added, "Though I am young; at least younger than fome of you; yet you fee I muft die, and dying work is hard work, dying work is hard work." Her husband anfwered, "my deareft, the Lord's prefence will make it eafy work." "O, were it not for that. (replied the) death and dying would be terrible indeed. He is faithful, and why fhould I doubt his being with me, when I am walking through the dark valley of the fhadow of death: and, O, when I get to the other fide, I fhall foon forget all that is paft." Again, fhe was feized with a convulfion fit, and when the recovered a little, fhe continued her edifying difcourfe, as if she had been all the while recollecting herself: "O heaven, heaven, what a bleffed place will it be: what is all the grandeur of the world, compared with the glories of Mount Zion above! O,, how much more excellent than this

world

world of fin, and pain, and forrow! No hypocrite there, no tempting devil there; no gay delufive vanity there; no unbelieving, wandering heart there; no wearinefs of worship there; no spots, no imperfections there. I fhall fee my God and Redeemer face to face: I fhall enjoy in perfection the uninterrupted comforts of the great Comforter: I fhall know the true meaning of that bleffed paffage; "We are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerufalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly, and the church of the first born, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant: and to the blood of fprinkling, that speaketh better things than the blood of Abel: there I fhall meet with a great number of my chriflian friends that are gone before: my beloved father and mother, brothers, and my dear fifter: methinks I fee her yonder coming to meet me, and to welcome me on Emmanuel's fhore: and there, my dear husband, I hope by and bye, to meet you with all the amiable children God has given us we shall live and fing praises together, never, never to be parted more: fly, moments, fly: come Lord Jefus, come quickly make no long tarrying, O my God!"

Then she stretched out her arms, like a bird upon the wing, ready to mount into the air, and again said with great emotion, "I cannot come; I feel my foul ftill fettered; it cannot efcape from this prifon; it must wait the appointed hour: come, Lord Jefus, come quickly!" After thefe gentlewomen were gone, the lay quiet for fome time, and having taken a little refreshment, faid, "The Lord gave me early impreffions of religion; and I blefs his holy name, he drew me to himself by the cords of love, before the vanities of this life began to tempt me; and by a bleffed variety of ordinances and providences, he hath carried on the good work in my foul. I remember when I was very young, with what pleasure I used to fit with my mother, and hear her fpeak about religion. VOL. XIV. G g She