been like the hammer and the fire dangerous diforder found him wholly unprepared for the folemn scene, to which, it finally brought him. He was, therefore, much alaimed, and constrained to cry to God for mercy. After the first attack of his diforder, alternate hopes and fears were entertained refpecting his recovery, and the agitation of his mind, in fome measure, abated, and gave him opportunity, for deliberate reflection and enquiry. At first, and through the courfe of his ficknefs, until his hopeful charge a few days. before his death, he was rather referved in fpeaking on his religious ftate and profpects. Still, howev-. er, he fully intimated his wish to hear and be inftructed, and to enjoy the prayers of Chriftian friends. By words and other figns he gave the most unequivocal proof, that, from the beginning of his fickness, he was wounded, not only in body, but in fpirit-that his foul was exercifed with fear, anxiety and distress. Most commonly when hearing difcourfe on the nature and importance of religion, tho' his tongue was flent, tears could be perceived freely flowing from his eyes. At a time in the early part of his fickness, (on a day when and fome hopes of his life were enhis fymptoms were more favorable, tertained) as it was obferved to him, that whether he were to reaccount was a young man cover of his present illness or to of about 24 years of age. Until die, it made little difference as to about eight weeks before his death the importance of attending to the he lived in a great meafure thought- concerns of his foul, that it belefs of God, and infenfible to the came him in his prefent fituation concerns of the foul. About the to make it his highest concern to beginning of March, 1801, he be prepared to die, he replied was fuddenly taken with inward with great earneftnefs, "That is bleeding, which refifted every all I care for," and burst into a remedy, brought on a rapid de- flood of tears which quite overcline, and in a few weeks finished came him. He fully intimated his days. that he was more concerned for In his own apprehenfion, his his foul than for his body. Until I remain, Gentlemen, with efteem, your brother in the best bonds, JESSE TOWNSEND. April 12, 1802. FOR THE CONNECTICUT EVAN- A narrative of a hopeful converfion 'HE fubject of the following TH 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 ufed 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 fhort, 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 anfwered 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 perifh, 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 goodnefs of God to him all his days, and it appeared moft wonderful and glorious, as it never appeared before, ftrongly and repeatedly expreffing his admiration and love. At the fame time, in connection with this view of the goodness of God, he expreffed a strong and lively sense of his own ingratitude, abufe of divine mercy and exceeding finfulness. "I wonder, (faid he) that God hath spared 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 following Monday, he appeared, when in the exercife of reafon, fo 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 loveliness of the divine character, and efpecially as it fhines in the face of Christ. "Oh the beauty, the loveliness of God—the fweetnefs, the glory of Chrift," 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 almoft as foon as he spake with him "I am wil the beauty, the glory of Christ! I long to be with him. Behold the Lamb of God that taketh a way the fin of the world!" After coughing feverely, as he perceived one of his convulfed turns coming ling to go any minute when God is | mitted to it with all freedom and pleafed to call for me. If my fulness, and repeatedly expreffed heart do not deceive me, I am rea- the fame feelings in the strongest dy when God is ready. I fhall terms. On Friday about II o'clock die in peace." (If my heart do not he was seized with convulfions in deceive me, was an expreffion which which both he and his friends exhe very frequently intermingled with pected he would die. At this his ftrong profeffions.) It was ob- time he appeared to be perfectly raferved to him on his expreffing ve- tional and clear in his views and ry ardent defires to die, that he hopes. As the writer of this ac muft patiently wait God's time. count went into the room and He anfwered, "I am willing God fpoke to him, he said, "I am gofhould do with me just as he pleaf-ing; I am going to Chrift. Oh es. If he were to put it to me to choofe for myself, I would put it back again to him." He fpake repeatedly and almoft continually of his fatisfaction and contentment with the will of God. When enquired 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 well well 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 afked, 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 just in God to caft off fuch a finner and punish him forever? He answered, "It would be perfectly right. I fhould not have a word to fay." Previous to this, during his ficknefs, when the fame question had been repeatedly asked him, he could" When I look backward on my not anfwer it in the affirmative. He could not fubmit to the juftice of God in punishing finners forever, and especially as it applied to himfelf. But now he faw and VOL. II. No. 12. he called for the family to come to 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 aboundMm m fub 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 er objects which occafionly drew from him defires of living, one was, that he might be useful to his mother who was a widow and had peculiar dependence on him for aid and fupport. He faid at a certain time cafting his eye on his mother, "I have but one defire to live; that is, for my mother. But my brother will take care of her. As long as he lives, the will want for nothing!" He was alfo, at times defirous of living that he might have opportunity to own Chrift before men, and join with his people in commemorating his dying love at the facramental table. From the time of his hopeful change, he felt himself and appeared to others to be a new creature, and in a new world. He feemed to realize that he was foatched as a brand from the devouring flames. ed in fentiments and expreffions like thofe now related. In his views and exercises towards God and all spiritual objects, old things feemed to be paffed away and all things become new. Nor was he lefs altered in his feelings towards his fellow men. He expreffed repeatedly a most ardent love to their fouls, and fervent defires for their falvation. He addreffed thofe who came to fee him with much propriety and folemnity. To a number prefent at a time when he was fuppofed to be dying he said, * Come fee me die! You must all follow me. See what you are all coming to!" To one of his fifters, who was out of health, fitting on his bedfide tenderly weeping, he faid, "Do not weep fo. Do not weep for me. You will kill your felf with weeping. Go, and get ready to die. See that you be prepared to die. Remember what I fay." At the fame time cafting his eye on a number of young perfons in the room, he fays, "I advife you all to prepare yourselves" 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 expreffed earneft defires and prayers for the falvation of the people where he lived, and especially 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 I long for their falvation as much as I do for my own." He used at all times when this object was in view, to exprefs defires that he might live, at least for a feafon, to ufe his endeavors with his connections and acquaintances, to perfuade them to faid) "I fhould now have been in hell" He was abundant in afcribing 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 call him off forever, it was observed to him that a little time before, he was not willing to express himself in that manner, he replied, "True; but I am now a very different perfon from what I was then." And who has made you to differ? (he was afked.) He answered 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 pal The falling down of perfons under religious exercises, however unusual and remarkable, is not, it is thought, a fufficient argument to prove it a work of error and delufion. This may appear by the following obfervations taken in their connection. 1. It is plain from common obfervation, that an intimate connection fubfifts between foul and body. They mutually affect cach other. No fooner are impreffions made on the bodily fenfes, than correfpondent fenfations and ideas exift in the mind. And in like manner; when the emotions and paffions of the mind are exci Verbal intelligence, which is too often incorrect, is not the only means, by which, we are acted, correfpondent effects of body quainted with the remarkable work, are often produced. How fenfi which is going on in that state. I bly is the body often agitated by have read feveral letters written by the fudden paffions of joy, anger, eye witneffes, beside those publish- and fear? These are daily observed in the magazine. They all able in children; and not, uncomcorrefpond concerning the revival; monly, in thofe of riper years. efpecially, with refpect to thofe By great joy or fudden frights perappearances, which distinguish it fons are fometimes overcome, difrom others. vefted of strength, and fall to the ground. Multitudes meet and continue long together for religious worship; 2. The objects, which occafion particularly on communion days. religious impreffions are vastly 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 objects conning has more generally prevailed.ceivable are, fo eminently calculaIt 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 circumftance of perfons falling down under religious impreffions, which has been common in the revival in Kentucky, is fingular and ftrange. 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 those 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 everlasting 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 manifesting truth to his creatures. God can uncover |