⚫ and by correction learn humility. Let me, O my God, never again take the fhadow, for the fubftance.-Iam fometimes ready to murmur at the difpenfations of Providence, in blafting my fondeft hopes, at this critical interval. I often repeat the question, Why ⚫ is my God thus contending with me? Wherewith fhall I come before the Lord, and bow myself ⚫ before the Most High God?How fhall I make an atonement fuitable for this offence? Will the offended Deity receive a broken penitent heart? Will he a⚫ gain receive me into favor? Will thefe broken vows of reformation avail any thing? If the heart is not fincere they will avail nothing. Search me, O God, and try, fee if there be any wicked way in • me. Let this day be employed ⚫ in a proper manner, as a day of • humiliation, fafting and prayer. Let this day, the last in the week, ⚫ be preparatory to the pleafing employment of fpending a fabbath ⚫ of reft with thee in thy fanctuary below, and by fuch opportunities be prepared to spend an eternal • sabbatism of reft with thee and thy chofen ones above. I am just returned from a fune⚫ral fcene.-How much it foftens the heart to fee the mortal re⚫ mains given back to its mother earth. All that is lovely or defirable muft alike be committed ⚫ to the cold grave, and the noifome worm feed fweetly on the clay-cold lips. Let me reflect a little.-If my God is abfent, every thing around me looks dark ⚫ and lonefome like this grave.— Let me view it on every fide.Has my God hid his face? I grow unacquainted witheafe; joy and peace are empty names⚫ founds without harmony.-So would the burial of our friends be covered with impenetrable 'darkness, were it not for the hope that they will awake to a glorious immortality. The hope of the righteous is as an anchor to the foul both fure and stedfaft: Thus when my God hides his 'face, had I all things within the 'compass of creation to delight my ears and charm my eyes, his frowns would blaft the whole en'joyment.Tell me not of joy or happiness, there is no fuch thing without my God.-All nature cannot repair my lofs. Heaven ⚫ and earth muft ftrive in vain.But I am perfuaded that neither principalities, nor powers, nor things prefent, nor things to come, fhall ever be able to separate me from his love. O death, where is thy fting? I fhall yet pafs in triumph through thy dark ⚫ dominions. O king of terrors, 'through the grace of the Son of God, my Divine conductor, I ⚫ can fee nothing formidable in thy afpect, but this gentle invitation of my dear Redeemer-Come ⚫ unto me and I will give you a crown of life. Triumph, Omy foul, and look beyond ten thoufand ages. Amen. Hallelujah.” The following ardent defires and breathings of foul after God are prefaced with the words, Under the hidings of God's face. "If ever penitence flowed from a believing heart, furely it is at this time. My foul is ready to die within me, my heart is ready to burst, that God fhould, one moment, withdraw his quickening rays. My heart pants for no other good. When I confid< er my ill defert, I am aftonished that I should ever talte the fweets ' of reconciliation with fo pure a God. But to whom but him can I go? Nothing on this terrestrial ball can I bring in competition 6 with thy love-Let it reign pure | Sthenia, on the death of Clariffa her young companion in ferioufnefs; with fome obfervations, fuppofing the perfon mentioned in the Hymns, was a young woman who died in Hartford last spring, I thought the particulars relative to her triumphant death, would not be unacceptable to her serious friends, nor to any true lovers of vital piety. They must operate as a means to quicken the Christian, and as a powerful evidence to convince the unbelieving, and obstinate, of the reality of religion; and also show the kind care, and indulgent goodness, of the bleffed Saviour to his faithful followers and to the lambs of his flock ; and the power of his free grace, how it will triumph notwithstanding the oppofition of fin and Satan. ⚫ and unfullied in my breaft, give *me this and this only without alloy, and I will freely give up all the earthly pomp, parade, luxury, noife and hurry, which attend on the rich and the great. My foul with longing melts away; when, O my foul, when 'fhall it be, that I fhall quit this tempeftuous fhore, and launch ⚫ into the ocean of divine love? O who that loves can love enough! In that pure ftate no end of praise, this thought gives unutterable joy.-A thousand, thou'fand years rolled away, eternity is but just begun; give me O my God, to drink of these inex• haustible streams of delight. My Saviour enthroned in glory and • majesty, seraphim and cherubim, with veiled faces, bowing before thee-Saints appearing, finners ' trembling to hear their doomthe forked lightnings darting from 'pole to pole-tremendous thun⚫ der fhaking the convulfed earth to the centre: O thoughtlefs 'mortals, how will you then quiv⚫er to fee old Satan pushing you into his yawning gulph! With what agonies! and never to have an end! Let me praise thy name, O my God, that thou haft regenerated me by thy fpecial grace; let the divine fpark fhine with luftre in the night of affliction; and, in the hour of death, bear < my foul to the realms of everlafting blifs." (To be continued.) TO THE EDITORS OF THE CON- GENTLEMEN, OBSERVING, in the fecond number of your useful Magazine, a couple of Hymns, by VOL. I. No. 4. Without further preface, I fhall give you the account in the words of my friend, who communicated it to me, and fubmit it to your difcretion, praying that all our lives may be like hers, and our deaths as pleasant. Yours, &c. AMICUS. I SIR, Now fet myself to comply with your request, and shall furnish you with all the particulars of the death of Clariffa worthy of record, with a brief sketch of her life. Clariffa, before her converfion was of an active, humane, and gentle temper, and poffefs'd of a clear mind and good judgment; and after converfion, it was her great concern, how she could do good to the fouls of her fellow creatures. In fhort she was fo intent on the glory of God, and the good of men, that, her own happiness seemed a fecondary object with her. The love of Chrift in her foul, was too ftrong to be reU them by death: but that it would ⚫ be much more folemn and awful, if when they fhould again meet at the day of judgment, they must be feparated for a long eter ftrained by the perfuafions of luke. warm friends, or open enemies to Chrift's Kingdom. She was very humble, and maintained fuch a deep fenfe of her unworthinefs, that fhe feldom if ever complain-nity." Then the addreffed each ed, either of the conduct of her one perfonally with great propriefriends, or of the providence of ty and folemnity, accompanying God; but was abundant in giving her words with fighs more exprefof thanks. This conduct endear-five than language. When the had ed her to the ferious and godly, ended her addreffes to them, the and they were ready to hope for prayed for them with great fitness much comfort, and counsel from and fervency, and at the close, her. But these fond hopes it pleaf- with compofure, made a most foled the fovereign of life and death, emn dedication of herself to God to disappoint. About the middle through Chrift-Recovering a litof February laft, it pleafed God tle from this firft most distreffing to lay her on a bed of fickness and paroxism of her diforder, the was great diftrefs. From the first of calm, and her mind feemed deeply her fickness, she was refigned as and folemnly impress'd, with the to the event of her condition. things of eternity. From this time, Her greatest fear was, that the fhe appeared not like an inhabitant fhould be impatient, and her uni- of this world, and would often form request, that God would intreat her friends, "to be willing, grant her the light of his counte- ' and refigned to let her go; that nance, and give her patience, that the might not complain, under the greatest pain of body he fhould be pleafed to exercife her with. When her christian friends came to vifit her, fhe would call on them to give thanks to God for his good-fting." nefs, in preparing her for this bed of diftrefs, and granting her fo comfortable a state of mind. "She expreffed great concern for the family, of which he was a member; when he was afked by her Minifter what he fhould pray for, fhe faid "her defire was, that this providence might be fanctified to the family, that the ' was willing to be fick if God might be glorified, and others benefited by it." A few days before her death, fhe called the family to her bedfide, and told them: "the felt, that the muft foon clofe her eyes on the things of time, and that it was indeed a folemn event, to be parted from this was not her home." Her defire to depart grew very ftrong, and she would ask her friends to pray, that the time might foon come. In her greatest pain fhe would fay "Q death where is thy 46 Jefus can make a dying bed, Feel foft as downy pillowsare," &c. "A little before her death, fhe defired to fing an Hymn to the praife of God, and faid to her friends, "O how I long to depart and be with Chrift. Why are his Chariot wheels fo long in coming." But in thefe profpects of heaven, fhe was fubmiffive, and would fay fhe was willing to live longer in this world, if it was God's will, and the might do good. Yet the tho't of remaining in a finful state, would damp her fpirits. "After he had been continued in this state of mind, about five or fix days, it pleafed the Lord, | ural abilities, put himself under the inftruction of an able Physi cian, with a view to the practice of phyfic. Not long before his preparatory ftudies were compleated, he waited on the Clergyman, who lived at a small distance, and requested an hour or two with him, in his ftudy. He foon began to open his mind, to the minister, on religious fubjects; and told him, that he found that, on examination, he did not believe the fcriptures. Confiderable converfation påffed, and a number of observations were made, in fupport of the as we hope, to take her to himself to behold his glory. When fhe perceived that he was dying, the was filled with joy and peace in believing. She was deeply fenfible of her unworthiness to the last, and found the bleffednefs of that man to whom the Lord im putes righteousness without works. Never did a bed of fickness and death appear to me like this, thefe words seemed to be fulfilled: "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myfelf." I do not wonder that Balaam faid (when he had a prof-truth of divine revelation. The pect of a faint's death in view) "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my lalt end be like his." young Gentleman appearing very fober, the Minifter entertained a hope, that his unbelief was no other, than what unregenerate men commonly find in their hearts, as foon as their confciences are awake. Accordingly, from that time forward, he took frequent occafions of converfing, privately, with the young man. But it foon appeared, that he had imbibed the princi ples of infidelity; and, was too much confirmed in them, to be fhaken by any arguments, that were used with him. He requested the Minister, however, that it might be kept an entire fecret-obferving that, should it get abroad, it would ruin him as to the bufinefs, which he meant to pursue in life. Soon after this, it was faid that he had formed a connection with a young Lady, both whose parents were profeffors of religion. The Minifter, fenfible of the importance it was of, that the parents fhould know the character of the man, to whom their daughter was about to be given, was, yet, for fometime at a lofs what measures he ought to take. Finally he concluded to apply to the young Gentleman himself: And, according ly, freely afked him, if fuch a connexion was formed, as report ftated at the fame time obferving, that he would prefently fee the reafon why fuch freedom was used with him. He answered the quef. tion in the affirmative, with as much franknefs, as it was put. He was then asked, if he had ever let the young Lady's parents know what his principles were refpecting religion? He replied, he had not.. Whether he did not think it would be very grievous to the parents, to marry their daughter to a man, who difregarded all religion? He thought probably it might; and faid he fhould be forry for them. Whether it could be confiftent with the friendship and faithfulness, which the Minifter owed to all the members of the church, to neglect giving them information?-He did not know that it would. The Minifter then requested him to take the matter into ferious confideration, for a few days: And then, if he could, give him a reafon, which would be fufficient to excufe him from the difagreeable task of informing the parents. After feveral days had paffed, the Minifter called on him, to know the refult. He confeffed he did not fee, but that friendfh p and faithfulness required, that the parents should be informed. He was requested to give the information himfelf. He faid he could not. He was told that if the information were given, it would occafion him trouble. He replied, perhaps it would, and perhaps not-feeming to feel pretty indifferent as to any trouble, which might refult to him The parents were informed. Soon after this, the Minifter, walking, found him, fitting by the fide of the road, very penfive. He afk ed him the occafion. The young Gentleman appeared, at first, rather out of temper; and afked the Minifter why he need trouble himfelf with the concerns of young people? He was referred to what had before paft between them on the fubject. This calmed himBut, he faid he was undone. He was told, he must not faint yet thefe were but the beginnings of his trouble-The God, whom he had difregarded, had begun with him; and when, and where, would be the end, was known only to him, in whofe hand his breath was that he muft gird himself, and prepare for ftill heavier thingsthat nothing but evil was before him-that, on his own principles, he had not the leaft authority for expecting any good. He was entreated to fee and confider his danger, before it was eternally too late. He feemed to be affectedHe foon became rather gloomy and melancholy-So much fo, that the family, in which he lived, noticed it; though they were ignorant of the caufe. From thence forward, inftead of manifefting refentment, he evidently fought opportunities of falling, as it were by accident, into the company of the Minister. Thefe opportunities were improved in endeavors to fhow him the evil cafe he was in, the weakness, the folly and unreafonableness of the principles he had imbibed, and the awful fate, which awaited him, if he perfifted in them. His health foon began to be impaired: And in a few weeks he fell into a fever. For fome time, the fymptoms were not threatening; but, at length, increased to so alarming a degree, as to take away all hope of his recovery. The Minifter vifited him, and found him diftreffed, both in body and mind. He felt himself upon the |