Chap. XIII. veyed. After finging an hymn, and prayer, they departed, two of them remaining to fit by the corple.

By five o'clock on Tuesday afternoon the coffin was brought to the room, when Mr Mand I put the corpfe into it, not without fhedding a flood of tears. By that time I had got all the letters copied, and wrote the greatest part of the letter I intended to fend to his father. Between feven and eight that evening all the gentlemen in deep mourning, affembled in the room; from whence, precifely at eight, we accompanied the corpfe of our dear friend to the place where he defired his remains to be depofited, in the most private manner we could, I being the chief mourner. I was almost ready to faint at laying the body in the grave, through exceffive grief for the lofs of fo excellent a companion; and there was not a dry eye among all the company. After paying the laft duty to the precious remains of the lovely youth, we returned to his room; and after drinking a couple of glaffes of wine, we spent about an hour in praife and prayer. And then all the gentlemen went away, after resolving to meet again the next evening.

I then finished my letter to Mr Ts the father, which was written on a very large fheet of paper; and having fealed all the deceafed's letters with his own feal, and put them within mine, I fealed the letter with my own feal, and fent it to the post-office. My letter was as follows.

SIR,

I Have been an intimate friend and companion of your fon Mr Ts for fome years paft. He enjoyed a state of very good health till about fix months and a half ago, when he was feized with a fever, which iffued in a languishing confump

tion. He was attended by two of the beft phyficians here; but, finding all remedies to be ineffec tual, he discharged them, and refigned himself to Providence. I know he wrote you, acquainting you with his illness, but concealing the worst part of it. He has described, infome of the letters con. tained in this packet, the dreadful. fituation he was in for the first fix weeks, and his merciful deliverance, fo pathetically, that it is quite unneceffary for me to enlage on that fubject. At that time I was unhappily obliged to go to the country about business, which abfolutely required my attendance; otherwise I would not have left him one day. By that means I loft the benefit of many fpeeches he made to his companions. As foon as I returned, I feldom left the young gentleman; for many weeks before his death, which happened last Sunday morning, I attended him night and day, at his own defire; and, for eight days preceding that event, was aflifted by another worthy young gentleman, Mr M, he having refufed the attendance of women.

I affure you, Sir, your excellent fon's behaviour, during the whole time of his illness, was very exemplary, Chriftian, and devout. He-delivered many fpeeches and exhortations to me and his other companions, most of which I took -down in fhort-hand characters, and which have been attended with the most bleffed effects; as I have the pleasure to inform you, that all his intimate companions, to the number of nine or ten, have been, by the grace of God, awakened to a ferious concern about their eternal interests. Eight days preceding the dear youth's death, he was feized with a fevere cough, which threw him into a variety of fits. He had then foretold his death would happen as on laft Lord's day morning. Early on Saturday morning the cough abated.

Y 3

bated. He spoke a good deal that day, and was vifited by all his companions, who went away greatly refreshed with what they had heard and felt. In the evening he told us he would awake from fleep precisely at five in the morning, and depart at fix. His prediction was literally fulfilled. I, and other two gentlemen, who were with him all the night, were joyful witnesses of the most bleffed and triumphant death the young faint underwent; a defcription of which, could I now favour you with it, would make you rejoice even in the midft of your heavy grief. He was buried this evening, at eight o'clock, in a private manner, agreeable to his own directions given me in writing; and was accompanied to the grave by all his companions, whom he had been honoured to be the inftrument of turning to God.

I have inclosed you his will, with five letters, numbered as he wrote them, all fealed with his own feal, according to his own directions; which he defired me to transmit to you by the first post after his interment. By the end of this week I will fend you all his cloaths, books, and every thing he had. Though he has left me his books, yet I renounce my right in them in favour of your eldest son, or any other you please to give them to, refolving only to keep his fnuff-box, and a few manufcripts wrote by him. As I promifed to your dear fon, to vifit you foon after His decease, and deliver feveral meffages I have in charge from him; I refolve, God willing, to leave this city, the beginning of next week, and to return to my own house at in the county · of ——, near —. And it will be particularly obliging, if you, Sir, will be so kind as send your eldest fon to meet me there on Thursday afternoon the instant, and I will accompany him to your houfe in a day or two thereafter; when

I

I fhall give you a particular account of every thing relating to the fickness of your dear fon, and my well-beloved friend, now triumphing in glory. I have, by this poft, notified my intended return to my fteward, who will receive your fon, if he happen to arrive before me.

I am forry that it has fallen to my lot to inform you of the untimely, but happy death of your worthy fon; and I defire from my heart to condole with you on this forrowful event. I beg, Sir, you will moderate your grief on this melancholy occafion, and comfort yourfelf with the firm perfuafion, that he died in the Lord, in full affurance of eternal felicity: for I am bold to fay, that if ever a fon of Adam died in Chrift, Mr Ts did fo.. I entreat you will cautiously and prudently impart the forrowful news to your honoured Lady, and especially to Mifs C-m, who, I am afraid, will be much fhocked at it. I wish the gracious Lord may comfort and fupport you and all concerned on this mournful occafion; as I defire your bleffing, and your intereft at a throne of grace for one who will never forget the dear deceased young gentleman, whom God honoured to be an inftrument, in his bleffed hand, for turning from fin and folly to the living God.

I beg, Sir, you will prefent my most respectful compliments to your worthy lady, Mr and Mifs Ts, Mifs C-m, and all the young gentlemen and ladies. Expecting foon to have the pleasure of feeing you, I am,

SIR,

Your affectionate humble fervant,

J. N-U.

On Wednesday morning I paid all Mr T-s's

funeral

funeral-charges, taking receipts. that I might account to his father. In the evening all the gentlemen'vifited me; and that night and every night till my departure, we fpent two hours in praise, prayer, and Chriftian conference. The last night, after receiving directions how to write them in the country, and giving them my addrefs, I took a folemn and affectionate leave of them, it being a very affecting fcene to us all. The gentlemen were to fet out for their refpective countries a few days after. I fpent fome time in picking up the best books I could find, intending fome of them as prefents to Mr Ts's family. By Friday that week I had got all my own goods, and thofe of my deceafed friend, packed up, and carried to a carrier's quarters. In the beginning of the following week, I fet out on my return home, intending to make moderate journeys, as I was very fickly. I reached my own houfe on Thurfday at four o'clock afternoon; and in an hour after, young Mr Ts arrived. I knew him at firft fight, being a youth as amiable and comely as my dear deceased friend, whom he greatly refembled. He brought me a letter from his father, expreffing his grief for the lofs of his dear fon, whom, he said, he had tenderly loved, and who, he had flattered himfelf, would have lived to be a real honour to his family; but declaring his fubmiflion to the fovereign will of Providence, which orders all events for the best ends, and his great fatisfaction with the comfortable news of his happy death, through the grace of God, who had made his finful and impure life a ftage on which he magnified his aftonishing mercy; returning me hearty thanks for all my services to his dear fon, and the other gentlemen who had been his companions, on whofe change of life he defired to rejoice, and for which he bleffed the God

of