surprised to find no body in the room, and that the bed was not unmade. In short, his brother was up praying with his sister; and, though he believed she had the plague upon her, yet he would not leave her or stir from her, but as necessity obliged him; but sat by her, comforting and supporting her mind, with the fruit of their former experiences, and reading consoling scriptures to her. Thus they were spending the night, when, the elder brother calling the younger by name, the servant that attended told him, and he went out to him; and their short and confused discourse was to this purpose. Jolst, B. O brother! we are all dead corpses! There is a cart gone by that must fetch us all away, 9190W t

2d. B. What, is the dead cart come into our lane?

od bus

1st, B. Ay, ay, I heard the bell-man's dismal cry.

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b2d. B. Well, God's will be done with

us! let us settle our minds on him: He shall not be afraid of evil tidings, whose heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.

1st. B. How can you go into my, sister's chamber?, you will get the distemper, to be sure. Nay, have you not got it already? id 2d. B. I cannot tell how I may fare as

to that; it shall be as God pleases: but I will not leave her, while she has life and sense in her: she has been my soul's com forter, and I will never cease comforting her, as long as I am able. 26. bod 19jaiz

1st. B. Why you are strangely altered and comforted indeed, compared to what you were when you came into the Countinghouse to me, and were for running away to France. lt 1:49 to 295BIL??R

པསཔ་ས

2d. B. Blessed be God, I am altered: and blessed be that dear messenger of God that is now languishing, and just entering joyfully into heaven! She has been a thou sand times dearer than a sister to me; she has been an angel of God to me. Oh that I were in her condition, as to the soul, though I were in her condition as to the infection also! As for the last, that is the particular hand of God, and it is our duty to submit: blessed be God it is no token of his displeasure!

1st, B. How brother, is it no mark of God's displeasure? I think it is a sore and heavy judgment, and a token of God's vengeance upon the land.

་

2d. B. It is a national judgment, no doubt, and calls for national humiliation; but I do not think it must be called a token

of God's vindictive hand to any particular person; for then no body that had the distemper could have any hope of being at peace with God and there is our dear sister, bad as she is, she has a triumphant joy possessing her whole soul, in the blessed assurance of her salvation.atrotaron bas

1st. B.) I am glad to hear it: but I am very apt to question those who boast of their assurances of heaven: I think they very often prove hypocrites.

5 It was generally observed among us, that God's

was

people, who died by the plague among the rest, died with such peace and comfort as Christians do not ordinarily arrive unto, except when they are called forth to suffer Jesus Christ. Some

Som for the testimony

of Je

und complaints, whilst they have lived and been well, have been filled with assur ance, and comfort, and praise, and joyful expectation of glory, when they have lain on their death-beds by this disease. And not only more grown

been more ripe for glory, have had ristians, who have

Comforts, But also some younger Christians, whose acquaintance with the Lord had been of no long standing", Vincent God's Terrible Voice in the City, p. 37

2

The common class of mere nominat

Christians very naturally form such an opinion. They can conceive little ofnothing of the grounds of any reasonable grounds-why one professed Christian, more than another r of good and respectable character, should entertain such an assurance. They conceive that it must be taken up on some enthusiastic and inexplicable assumption. But it is by no means so. The reasonableness of the thing may be perfectly well

12d. B. She is too near heaven to beu là counterfeit, brother. Besides she is the

demonstrated. All indeed proceeds upon the sole basis of Scripture: nothing can be known concerning salvation in general, much less concerning our own salvation, but from

that source. But, admitting the infallible truth of the

Scriptures, we ask, Is any thing more obvious than that they describe, minutely and particularly, various things pertaining to th the character and state

out them that are in the way to heming,

"

Hark

them that shall

be the heirs of salvation?” I refer to all the descriptions of repentance, of the exercise of faith in Christ, of the new heart and the right spirit," of the love of God and the "love to the brethren," which mark out them that "have W the Christian temper, and passed from death unto life; of conduct, and principles; of the "fruits of the Spirit," which distinguish them that are Christ's." Now is it not perfectly intelligible that a person seriously-minded, bending his chief attention to these momentous subjects, may discern that, through the grace of God, he is brought, notwithstanding all remaining imperfections, to possess this state of mind, to exercise these Christian graces, and And may he not hence, with the and reasonableness infer, on Scriptural grounds, that "God hath not appointed him unto wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ? ” Thus the Spirit of God" bears witness with his spirit that is a of God:" and in proportion as that Divine heint sted with

to

this chess

bear most perfect

the soul, all doubt vanishes, and the happy subject of it is “filled with all joy and peace in believing.” This indeed

is the secret of the Lord, known (only) to them that fear him." (Ps. xxv. 14;) but it is no unintelligible, or inexplicable, or unreasonable fancy; it is no unfounded presumption is om vol 3d blooda poy

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humblest, most melted penitent that ever you heard of; the sense of God's pardoning mercy has melted her very soul into penitential tears, and those tears have filled her with joy.

38

1st. B. You talk upon contraries: you are all mysterious. '70s el X28 SW 230iq.192 a2d. B. You may call it mysterious, if you will, but it is a blessed truth, though it is a mysterious thing to those that understand it not no repentance, nos humility, no tears like those that are raised by a humble sense of infinite, undeserved, forgiving grace and no joy, no satisfaction of soul, no rejoicing, nay, triumph of soul, like the joy that is founded in sorrow, founded in repentance. (Ezek. xvi. 63.) 21st B. And is my sister come to that length These are sublime things indeed!

ນ

O brother, what have I been doing? 1 am undone what shall I do?taborg let 2did B. I see,brother, situs has pleased God to visit the family: I hope you will be preserved; I beg of you to take boat, and go immediately on board the ship. Take such servants as you think fit, and your little children, and go away; for you will but finish the ruin of the family if you stay for if you should be struck they are all undonewest

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