I thought I fhould never mourn, nor feel trouble again; but now my warfare began: Satan tempted me to doubt of the bleffing; my relations and acquaintance perfecuted me; and my evil heart was prone to flait from the living God. I watched, and prayed to the Lord for grace to fubdue my evil tempers, and to renew my heart. When Mr. Harper came to us, I was juft giving way to carnal reasoning; but furely the Lord fpeaks through his Minifters to the needy fouls. I now determined to double my diligence; and bleffed be the Lord he foon gave me to fee myfelf by his own light, and that my heart was my greatest enemy. I cried to the Lord, "Cleanfe my heart from inbred fin." Like David, I watered my pillow with tears by night, while I poured out my foul to the Lord in filent cries. I found my faith increase by these words, "They that be whole need not a Phyfician, but they that are fick :" and when the Lord vifited my foul with that portion of grace, I thought I fhould have fallen down, but I cried, "Good Lord fupport me:" and the next woman that flood by me fell down and wept bitterly. Thanks be to my dear Redeemer, I have continued in the faith, going on in my labours of love, in fimplicity and fincerity; and while I am endeavouring to water the fouls of others, I find my own abundantly watered from the fountainhead. I have received great bleffings at the Lord's table. Surely the Lord is in this place. I can behold his works with wonder, love, and praife, while I fink into humility at my own nothingnefs. There is now a free and open intercourfe betwixt God and my foul. I am enabled to caft all my care upon him, firmly believing that he careth for me. I have difcerned love in all his dealings and difpenfations towards me, even from my youth up until now. He has taken away the root of fin, and I find conflantly the witnefs of the Spirit, as well as a conflant tranquility of mind. My foul cries out for love, and hungers and thirts for more, and to be more united to him who is my all in all. M. T. A Short *0*0*0*0*00*0**** A Short Account of Mr. DUNCAN WRIGHT, during his laft illness. M [By the Rev. Mr. Creighton.] R. WRIGHT in the beginning of laft winter got up early one morning, and going out suddenly into the air to the chapel caught cold, which fixed upon his lungs and threw him into a decline. He ftruggled through the winter with difficulty, and when attending Mr. Wesley's funeral on the ninth of March, faid it was most probable he would be the next who should be laid in that tomb. On the first of April he came to my house by way of a change of air. He had then a violent pain in both his fides, and could not lie on either of them, nor on his back, as the cough was exceeding troublesome. He therefore lay at night for the moft part on his face and in the day time when he fat up, he leaned forward, with fomething to fupport his head. His fever was high, and his pulfe quick every night till towards morning, when he fell into a fweat, which gave him a little temporary ease. He continued thus for about a fortnight after he came to my house, when he was feized one night with an uncommon and violent pain, which he supposed to be a symptom of immediate death. He therefore fent to call me up, as I had been in bed for fome time. I fat and converfed with him till morn ing, and indeed it was a truly profitable time to me. Notwithftanding his excruciating pain, he spoke a great deal; his voice was pretty ftrong, and he was in the full triumph of faith. I did not think death was fo near as he apprehended. He related to me much of what he then felt, though it was impoffible to find language fully to exprefs it; and he told me a great part of his experience for thirty years back. He 621 He faid that in the year 1762 he had entered into a fuperior light and greater liberty than he had before; (for he had for five years previous to that time walked in a kind of darknefs) but ever fince he had walked in the conftant light of God's countenance, and would not be fatisfied any day without a direct and clear witness of his acceptance. It was his custom while he was at my house (and I fuppose it had been fo before) to defire to be left alone at feven o'clock in the evening, in order that he might commune and wrestle with God. He faid that one evening in the laft week, when his wife returned at the limited time, he defired her to retire for another half hour, as he was not yet fully satisfied. But she had not been gone out of the room five minutes, when the Lord filled him with fuch confolation, and fuch joy, as was unfpeakable; which he looked upon as a token that God would fhortly take him to himself. "While I felt (faid he) the mighty operation of the Spirit, my whole frame was agitated in a most wonderful manner; but I did not defire the Lord to ftay his hand, for I knew he could fupport me under this mighty outpouring of his Spirit. I had many promiles in my illness, that he would fprinkle me with clean water; and now he gives me a full manifestation of it. I am a witnefs that the blood of Chrift does cleanfe from all fin. I do not defire any thing to be faid about me; only you may tell the people for their encouragement, that the Lord has finished his work, has cleanfed, and filled me with all his fulness; O the goodness of God to a poor finner! Can there be a greater proof of the immortality, as well as of the activity of the foul in its state of feparation, than this which I now feel! Surely it cannot be that the foul will fleep till the refurrection. I ufed fometimes to reafon about the doctrine of Materialifts, and about perfons who were reftored from drowning; but now all my doubts are vanifhed. Oh! what a weight of glory will that be, when thy weight of grace, O Lord, is now fo great! The Lord fets my poor heart at ease, though VOL. XIV. 4 L it it is now burning with a fever. Some nights ago he told me that he would do more for me than I could afk or think. O that the world might tafte and fee what I now experience! Oh! I could fing, if I had ftrength. The Lord maketh my very bones to rejoice. Oh! how kind, how merciful art thou! Haft thou made up all at last! This is not mere imagination or the effects of a difordered brain! No, no, what I now feel is better than crowns or thrones! "O that the world might taste and fee The riches of his grace! The arms of love that compass me, I often used to fing these words "Happy, if with my latest breath Preach him to all, and cry in death Behold! Behold the Lamb!" "Oh! I can now do it: he does enable me a poor worm to do it, who endeavoured, in my little way, to preach him, and point others to him." At another time he repeated " Jefus, thou art all compaffion, &c." and then added, "I pafs through the valley of death; but it is not dark all is clear, all is light about me." About a week after this, he had another remarkable night which was chiefly spent in interceffion, and that in a moft aftonishing manner, as his wife informed me. In the morning he gave me an account of it, and how the whole world feemed as it were spread before him. Firft he prayed for his wife and near relations, then for the Methodist connection, then the Jews, infidels, and heathens of all forts; that they might shortly be brought in, and taste the sweetness of redeeming grace. It is remarkable, that from this time, the pain in his fide was confiderably abated, fo that he could lie down on his back, and get up pretty freely. Yet ftill he fuffered a great deal every night with the high fever and inceffant cough. He had a musical ear, and a good tafte for poetry. He had made remarks on fome of the hymns in our large Hymn-book, which I have found after his death. He often fung the following lines during his illness, and fung them with a fhower of tears, "O might I with thy faints afpire, O might I die that awe to prove, In fongs around the Throne !" Some of the laft lines which he was able to repeat were these, "When from the duft of death. I rife Jefus hath liv'd, hath died for me!" On the fecond of May, after a wearifome night, he got fome fleep, and then fent for me to rejoice with him that he felt fo fweetly compofed, and his body refreshed. Indeed he always expreffed much thankfulness for a little refpite from 4 L 2 pain; |