but I must fay, what God let me fee of my ill heart, was of more ufe than all my books." One faid, "This is to believe and therefore to fpeak." He replied, "The Lord help me to honour him. I defire no more. O that I had the tongues of men and angels to praise him! I hope fhortly, to get a will to answer my duty, and ability to anfwer my will. O to be helped fo, and to fear always! How foon fhould I fall, if he withdrew! But do not ftumble, Sirs, though I fhould be fhaken. The foundation ftandeth fure."

When advised to be quiet a little, he faid, "How fhould a man beftow his last breath, but in commending the Lord Jefus Chrift, God clothed in our nature, dying for our fins!" And when again preffed to be tender of his body, he answered, "O but my heart is full!" And then defiring a minifter to pray for him, he faid, "Pray that God may have pity on a weak thing, that is not able to bear much in the conflict !"

To two other ministers he faid, "Above all, scan your own hearts, and make use of what discoveries you get there, to enable you to dive into confciences, to awaken hypocrites, and to feparate the precious from the vile; and to do it with that accuracy, and caution, as not to make fad the hearts which God hath made glad! With refpect to the difference which this oath is like to make among minifters, with the greatest earneftness I fay, whenever it begins, remember, difference is a hot thing; there must be condefcenfion, tenderness, and forbearance. We muft not fly at the ball. Whatever apprehenfions I have of fome Minifters not acting confcientiously, and preaching in such a way as may do hurt; yet I would speak tenderly, and act tenderly toward them. Let there be much of the forbearance and meekness that are in Jefus. Follow peace; peace is worth much wound not our church among our enemies. The deadly evil which I fear will ruin all, is, coldness and indifferency. Many feem to try, how far they may go without being loft; but the Chriftian's rule is to ftand at a distance."

To him who had fucceeded him in the parish of Ceres, he faid, "That people were my choice, to whom, with

much peace and pleasure, I, preached, as I could, tho' not as I should, the gospel of Christ. Though I own, that in all things I have finned exceedingly before the Lord, yet I have peace, in that with much concern I aimed at leading them to the Lord Jefus. Tell them, that I die rejoicing in the faith and profeffion of what I often preached to them, under a low ftate of body. Tell them, that the gospel I preached to them, if they receive it not, will be a witnefs against them. We are, like our Mafter, fet for the fall and rifing again of many. And if we can do no more, yet if we be faithful, they fhall know, that a Prophet hath been among them."

In the night time he faid, "This growing weakness of my eyes, is a fign of a change approaching. If he fhut my eyes he will open my eyes; eyes no more to behold vanity. But I fhall behold him in righteoufnefs, and when I awake, I fhall be fatisfied with his likeness!"

Afterwards he faid, "If this be the last day of my conflict, I would humbly defire of the Lord, that he would condefcend, to be tender to one that loves his appearing; that as he hath dealt wonderfully with me hitherto, fo he may deal tenderly with me even to the end, in loofing the pins of my tabernacle, and helping me to honour him by compofed refignation of myself into his hands."

Finding some sweat on his face, he faid, "I fancy a greater change is near. I can compofe myself; I bless his Name. I know not how it comes to pass, that one who has met with so much of God, fhould be so unthankful as to doubt him in the leaft! O what an evil heart of unbelief have I! O that I fhould yet have fuch an enemy in my bofom !"

When one faid, " Sir, I think you have need of reft" He answered, "I have no need of reft, were it not to put me in cafe, to finish my course with joy. Lo, here the power of Chrift's death, and the efficacy of his refurrection! I find the advantage of one at the right hand of God, who is able to fave to the uttermoft! That is the fight I long for: He will but shut

my eyes, and open them in glory. To have my foul entirely fubmiffive to him in all things, that is my defire. And fo it will be fhortly; then never will there be a reluctant thought, never one more estranged thought from God!"

To one who afked, if he was not faint, he answered, "I am not faint, I am refreshed as with wine. O there is a sweet calm in my foul. My defires are towards him, and the remembrance of his name. Remember him! Why should not I remember him, that remembered me in my low condition? He paffed by and faid, Live! And when he fays, he gives life."

He then defired to have read the former part of the first chapter of the fecond epistle to the Corinthians. And after the 9th and 10th verfes were read, “We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not truft in ourselves, but in God which raifeth the dead: Who delivered us from fo great a death, and doth deliver, in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us :" He faid, "Now, there it is all. God hath delivered me, and I trust that he will deliver me, and bruise Satan fhortly under my feet, and I fhall get the victory over the cunning world, and the deceitful heart. Many a weary day have I had with my unbelief! If I had had faith to believe things not feen, to believe that my happiness lay not in things temporal but eternal: If I had had faith's abiding impreflion realizing these things, I should not have known how to abide out of heaven a moment."

When he was defired to fleep, he anfwered, "Those I am going to, fleep not day nor night, but cry, holy, holy, holy! They that wait on the Lord fhall renew their ftrength, and mount up with wings as of an eagle, I cannot get my heart in a right tune, as I would have it; but it will be fo in a fhort time." After he had lain ftill a little, one faid, "You have not flept." He anfwered, "No; I had much work; but bleffed be God, pleasant work!"

Afterwards, when his wife asked how he was, he faid, "My dear, Fam longing for the falvation of God, and hastening to it" Then feeing her very fad, he faid,

"My dear, encourage yourself; here is a body going to clay, and a foul going to heaven; where I hope you

are to come."

3. Friday, Sept. 19. About five in the morning, when he was defired to try if he could fleep, he an fwered, "No, no: Should I lie here altogether ufelefs? Should I not fpend the laft of my ftrength, to fhew forth his glory?" He then held up his hands (which were much fwelled) and faid, "Lame hands, and lame feet! But fee a lame man leaping and rejoicing!"

Feeling fome pain, he faid, " This is one of the forerunners of the change, the great change. O when shall I be admitted to fee the glory of the higher houfe? Instead of that cloudy light of a created fun, to see that clear and perfect glory?"

After fome time's filence, he took leave of his wife and children, faluting and fpeaking to them all, one by one. Then he said, "A kind and affectionate wife you have been to me. The Lord bless you, and he shall bless you." To a Minister that came in, he said, "Brother, I am upon a piece of trying work. I am parting with my wife and children. I am refolved, I bless his Name; though I have had one of the best of wives, yet she is no more mine, but the Lord's.'

Then to his fon he faid, "God bless the lad, and let my name be named upon him. But, O, what is my name? Let the name of the Lord be named upon him. Tell the generation following, how good God is, and hand down this testimony."

After that, he spoke to his fervants and faid, "My dear friends, make religion your bufinefs. I charge you all, beware of graceless mafters; feek to be with them that fear the Lord."

Then he faid, "Here is a demonftration of the reality of religion; that I a poor, weak, timorous man, once as much afraid of death as any: I that have been many years under the terrors of death, come now, in the mercy of God and by the power of his grace, compofedly and with joy to look death in the face. I have feen it in its palenefs, and in all its circum

stances of horror. I dare look it in the face in its moft ghastly shape, and hope with in awhile to have the victory.'

He then faid to fome Minifters, "My brethren, I have been giving up my wife and children to God. I am upon the wing for eternity; but glory to God, I know in whom I have believed." Then he faid, "Dear, brethren, will you speak a word to one that longs to hear of him? OI love to hear the gofpel, I love to preach it: It is a joyful found, a fweet found. I love to hear of his name. His name is as ointment poured forth. I love to live preaching Chrift; and I love to die preaching Christ."

After that he said, "Brethren, I take this opportu nity, to acknowledge your tenderness to me, who am moft unworthy of it in many respects. I can fay, I defired to live in love with you, and blefs God, there was harmony among us. The Lord bless you, and your labours. The Lord himself multiply bleffings on you and your families, and fupport you against all difcouragements." Then to one of theme faid, "My dear friend, fhew kindness to my dear wife and children. I recommend her to your care; fhe has been the friend of my bofom, the wife of my youth, a faithful friend." Afterward he faid, "Let patience have its perfect work. My foul longs more than they that wait for the morning. Lord Jesus, make hafte, until the day break, and the fhadows flee away!"

4. After this, at his defire, a paper was read over, which he had dictated fome days before. This he owned before several witnesses, and defired them to attest it. The tenor whereof follows:

"Having before fo difpofed of my worldly concerns, as I judged expedient for my family; I thought myself bound, moreover, by this latter will, to declare my fentiments as to religion; being through the mercy of God, in the full and compofed exercife of my reason, although very weak in body.

First, then, I acknowledge, I came into the world. a defiled branch of Apoftate Adam, under the guilt of his fin, and tainted with the pollution of fin derived

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