CHAPTER VI.

“June 26th, 1823.-Attended the funeral of one of my members. He was an excellent, pious man. During the first part of his illness, he had painful apprehensions in view of the approach of the king of terrors; but as he drew nearer the grave, his fears were dissipated, and he departed, exclaiming, the Jordan of death is nothing.' Never before had I such pleasant feelings when meditating on death."

"October 27th.-Last evening our prayer meeting was unusually solemn. Brother spoke on the sufferings of Christ, and at the close of the service, all who were disposed were invited to remain for a season of prayer and exhortation. Perhaps two hundred complied with the invitation. It was a memorable evening. In my visits today, I found a woman who was convicted at our meeting last night. She told me she had never before heard of the Saviour's sufferings."

Such ignorance in a Christian land may seem almost incredible, but the above statement will excite no surprise in the minds of those who have, in their visits of mercy, frequented the lanes and alleys of our favoured city, and have acquired but a partial knowledge of the moral darkness of many of its inhabitants. In an appeal to the citizens of Philadelphia, in behalf of domestic missions, exhibiting the moral desolations of the city and suburbs, which was published by the Young Men's Domestic Missionary Society in 1824, Mr. Patterson says:

"I will state some facts, showing the deplorable ignorance that prevails among the lower classes.

"An aged minister now living, who was for many years a pastor in this city, told me that his milk-woman called one morning for payment, when they were about to engage in family worship. She was invited in, and after worship told the domestics that was the first prayer she had ever heard. She was of middle age, and had been brought up in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia.

Another minister who has been labouring many years in this city, told me he was called upon to baptize an old man who was dying, whom he found so ignorant, that he not only knew nothing savingly about Christ, but did not even know that there ever had been such a person on earth. A lady, whom I knew, took a girl into her house as a domestic, and on Sabbath sent her to church. When she came home, among many strange remarks she made, she said she had never been in a place of worship before. She was then fifteen years of age, and had been brought up in this city.

"This same lady, about eight weeks ago, employed another girl, who was so ignorant, that she did not know that she had a soul, or that there would be a resurrection of the body, or a general judgment. She said, 'why, I thought when they were put into the grave there was an end of them. I did not know that any body ever lived again.' I could relate several other facts that have come within my own knowledge."

"No one," adds Mr. Patterson, "who has not personally visited our lanes and alleys, would believe that there could be such gross ignorance of God and religion in a Christian city. I verily believe, there are hundreds of thousands who live and die in this city without knowing much more about God and Christ than the heathen. And unless some extraordinary exertions be made, this broad stream of death must continue to bear down its thousands of immortal beings into endless misery."

"February 29th.-Preached for brotherin the lower part of the city, and aided him in the communion services. Much feeling was manifested. In the afternoon preached to my own people. The sermon was addressed to backsliders. The Lord was present by his Spirit in an unusual manner; and this is the reason, the church has been

much engaged in prayer and in humble confession of their remissness in the service of God."

"July 14th, 1824.-This day received intelligence of my mother's death. Now I am without father or mother. O that I may cleave closer to God as my Father who will never die. She died 7th of July 1824, in the ninety-third year of her age. I trust she is gone to rest. She was a praying woman, and lived a Christian life. I visited her a few weeks before her death, and received much interesting information respecting the piety of her ancestors and her own Christian experience. I thank the Lord for permitting me to visit her so recently before her death, and for the privilege of sitting beside her and hearing what God had done for her, and of praying with her again once more on the earth. Now she is gone, I hope, where all praying is turned into praise.

"O that God would enable me to live as meekly and humbly as some of my ancestors, and that he would instil into the minds of my children the same meek and pious disposition, that they may not depart from the God of their fathers!"

"December 3d.-Just heard of the death of Mrs. Patterson's sister, wife of Rev. Mr. Hay. She was a Christian but a few years, yet I never knew one ripen faster for heaven. From the day she chose the Lord Jesus as her portion, his service was her constant delight. She spent much time each day in secret, communing with God. Her death is described by those who witnessed it, as most tranquil and heavenly. I hope her departure may be sanctified to her bereaved husband. O that it may be blessed to my dear companion and myself! May it cause us to hasten on in our heavenly course!

"Thanks to God for the endearments of friends here below, though it be so painful to part with them!"

When entering upon a new year, he makes the following reflections.

"January 1st, 1825.-This is the forty-fourth year of my life, the sixteenth of my ministry, and the eleventh of my labours in this city. When I look back upon my poor un

profitable life, I think I feel truly sorry. About eighteen years of the prime of my life I spent in folly and sin; but for ever blessed be the name of Jesus, that he turned my sinful heart to himself, and put me into the ministry. And I desire to praise him that he has in any measure blessed my poor labours.

"Covenant-keeping God, remember our dear children, and impart to them converting grace! Lord Jesus, help me to enter on the new year with more faith and zeal than I have had in time past; and as I trust I am getting nearer my home, may I quicken my pace!"

"Sabbath evening, January 23.-I desire to record my thanks to the Son of God for the freedom I enjoyed this day in preaching his blessed gospel, particularly in my third service on the doctrine of election, or the sovereignty of grace."

Some maintain that there is a palpable incongruity between the belief of the doctrines of election and God's sovereignty, and the zealous and successful preaching of the gospel. With such a sentiment, however, Mr. Patterson had no sympathy. These biblical truths sustained and encouraged him when proclaiming the will of Heaven to rebellious men, and on them he founded his hope that sinners would listen with penitence to the gracious announcement. There is, indeed, a mode of exhibiting these doctrines which appears to most minds to invest the Deity with the attributes of a tyrant, and to make the subjects of his moral government mere machines. These Antinomian views our friend cordially repudiated. While he urged upon his impenitent hearers the duty of immediate repentance, he also brought into view their dependence upon the sovereign grace of God; but with such qualifications as to show that if they perished, they would be the guilty authors of their own ruin. He studied carefully the works of Edwards and Dwight, and imbibed from them most of the views he entertained on these subjects.

"December 8th.-This day was observed by our church

as a season of prayer and fasting, in view of the low state of piety among us. I preached, I trust with some degree of success, from Joel ii. 12, 13, 'Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return, and repent, and leave a blessing behind him.' The fixed and solemn attention of the people encourages me to hope that God will follow this day's services with his blessing, and pour out upon us his Spirit, and revive us again."

A fast day often results in little good to a people, because of the way in which its exercises are conducted. It may be, that in the morning and afternoon, discourses appropriate to the occasion are delivered; but when the assembly is dismissed, perhaps the object for which it was convened, is never thought of afterward. At such times, the services are frequently too formal, and sufficient efforts are not made to enlist the members of the church, in their individual capacity, in the services on these appointed seasons. To effect this object was the aim of this faithful minister. Although many of his people were either unwilling, or unable to spend the whole of the day in religious duties, a number of them cheerfully acceded to the wish of their pastor in this particular. On these occasions, a few were wont to meet in the lecture-room at sunrise, and continue in prayer about an hour. Before the public worship in the morning, a larger number would meet in the same place, for a similar purpose, and in like manner, before the afternoon and evening services. These prayer meetings were, generally, conducted by one of the elders, or the pastor, who called upon the members to take part in the exercises. In this way, these seasons of humiliation and prayer became effectual means of stirring up the graces of God's