A fhort Account of the Life and Death of Mr. CHRISTOPHER I MIDDLETON. [Written by his Brother.] You fee the man; you fee his hold of Heav'n ; To Vice confufion, and to Virtue peace. YOUNG. Make no pretenfions to literary qualifications; neither is it a defire of becoming an Author that induces me to publish the following account; but believing that the exemplary life, and happy death of my dear Brother will be of fervice to the people he was connected with, I think it my duty to declare what I know concerning him. He was born at Afenby, near Thirsk, in Yorkshire, 1757, of poor, but honeft parents: who gave their children as good an education as their circumftances would allow; for which we have much reafon to be thankful. When my Brother was about feventeen years of age, I had a concern for my foul: and going to fee my father, I intreated my Brother to go with me to hear the MethodiЛls. On his refufal, I talked with him about the value of our fouls, and the neceffity of using all poffible means for fecuring our falvation. Though he flighted me and my counsel for a year and a half; when he faw religion did not render me unmindful of the common duties of life, he grew friendly. About a year after, he told me that, to his knowledge, he had not committed a fin for the last five or fix years, without being reproved in his own confcience for it: notwithstanding which he withstood the workings of the Spirit, intending thereby to fifle his convictions. About About this time he came to Scarborough; and not finding work here went to Whitby, where he ftaid the following Summer. There he often heard the gofpel, and was frequently convinced of the evil of his doings; yet endeavoured to turn. a deaf ear both to the threatenings and promifes of God. The following Winter he returned to my father's again, where he continued to follow the defires of the flesh; and as he could not ferve two mafters, he caft off all reftraint, and would not have Jefus to reign over him. Towards the latter part of Summer, 1779, the Lord opened his eyes more fully, and fhewed him the exceeding finfulness of fin: when the following Scriptures were deeply impreffed on his mind, If ye die in your fins, where I am ye cannot come:-except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven, &c. On this he began to pray more earnestly than he had ever done before; and often put that queflion to himself, Who can endure everlasting burning? Who can dwell with devouring fire? He now saw that every thing from which he had formerly fought happiness, was nothing but vanity and vexation of fpirit. When I vifited him that winter, I know not that I ever faw a penitent fo exactly like Hezekiah, as he was; for he mourned like a dove; and fleeping and waking, Mercy! Mercy! Mercy! was all his cry. Now he forfook all his old companions in fin at once, and his Bible became his chief counfellor; together with a little book his landlay put into his box, when he left Whitby, called, "A choice Drop of Honey from the Rock, Chrift." I ftopped with him at my father's near a week, and spoke to him of the Lord Jefus, as well as I could. About a fortnight after I left him, he wrote to me the following Account: Dear Brother, "One night going to bed in great distress I began to cry for mercy, When I fell asleep, I dreamed that I heard a voice fay, fay, Believe in Chrift. I alfo thought that I faw a face, exceedingly bright, look through the window. On this I awoke, and found the load of guilt entirely gone, and the fling of death taken away. In crying for mercy in my sleep, the agony of my foul was fo great, that when I awoke I was in a bath of fweat." 26 A little after, I received the following account from him. When I come to reflect on the love of God to my foul, I am loft in wonder and amazement! What a change hath he wrought in a little time! How was I gratifying my fleshly appetites, and wandering on the dark mountains of fin and folly? Pursuing them with all the heat and vigour of youth, till the Lord fhone into my foul, and difcovered the cheat!" He now found his foul at liberty, and was zealous in reproving and exhorting others, both rich and poor, as occasion offered: exceedingly longing for the falvation of all, especially his parents and brethren. . June 7, 1781, he wrote as follows: "I have lately been ded to feel my need of being delivered from inbred fin, and of poffeffing all the mind that was in Chrift Jefus. I fee nothing unclean can dwell in heaven. I feel it is only fin that caufes unhappinefs. I find tempers in me contrary to the will of God, which caufe many a struggle. One night I went into a private place, intending not to come out of it till the Lord had cleanfed my foul. As foon as I got there, thofe words were impreffed on my mind, Doft thou now believe?I replied, Not now! O the wretchednefs of my heart! Yet I can at times rejoice in the Lord and blefs his name for trials. He is making me more and more acquainted with my own heart. This morning my peace is as a river. The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want as long as I continue in his fold. O that we may never fray from him! I defire to to be paffive in his hands, and always humble before him, I thank him for fending his Servants among us. We have no need of perishing for lack of knowledge. O Brother, what need have we to mind that exhortation, Be not conformed to this world! Go thou rather, and preach deliverance to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound: exhorting them to come out from among the wicked (as far as business permits) and not to touch the unclean thing." From this time till his returning to Whitby (in the beginning of 1783) I have only by me two letters: the fubftance of which is as follows. "Dear Brother, "If I was to tell you the many trials I am exercised with, perhaps you would not believe me. I fometiines think the devil rejoices over my unfaithfulness. Sometimes I reafon about feveral parts of Scripture, which I cannot understand; fometimes about going from this place; at others, about changing my ftate in life. Sometimes I think I muft either do this or go back into Egypt. Laft week I was led by the devil, and my carnal heart, into a temptation that might have ruined me; but the good Lord prevented me from entering into it. O what matter of thankfulness is this! I fee I want the heart of a little child. My carnal heart is my greatest enemy. O that I could be careful for nothing!" In the other letter he fays, " I find much favour from the men of the world, which often makes me examine myself; because there is a woe pronounced against the man whom all speak well of. Dear Brother, I find great need of humility; that is, of being little in my own eyes. For what is worldly honour, pleasure, profit, or any other creature-good, to the love of God in Chrift Jefus! I have lately fed on fubflantial food. There has been an intercourse opened between God and my foul; and I feel a defire to cleave to him with full purpose VOL. X. C of of heart. I find myfelf delivered from many wandering thoughts, which I was once addicted to. At prefent I find no more creature-love than in my infancy. I find that Scripture fulfilled in me, The Lord fatisfies the hungry with good things." From this time I do not remember that he ever loft a sense of the love of God; but walked in the light of his countenance in a higher or lower degree. [To be continued.] A Short Account of the Converfion and Death of CASTER GARRET in a Letter to a Friend. ASTER GARRET was born in Ireland, of Proteftant CASTE parents, and lived without God in the world till the 55th year of his age. About that time, being afflicted, he was greatly alarmed on account of his fins: but when he recovered, this conviction wore off, on which he grew carelefs again. Shortly after, it pleafed God to lay his hand on a neighbour of his, who was a very wicked young man. n. This fickness was fo fanctified to him, that when he recovered, he evidenced. that a real change was wrought upon him. Presently after a Prayer-meeting being appointed at his houfe, many came to it, and among the rest, Cafler Garret. He had not attended long, before he was awakened again to a fense of his danger. On feeing the house where we met too fmail, he offered us the ufe of his barn to meet in. After fome time, the Lord afflicted him again. Now finding himself exceeding ill, his fins were fet in array before him. On this, he fent for me to pray with him. When I came, I asked him if he faw that he flood in need of a Saviour? He anfwered, "Yes, yes!" I then afked, Do you fee the neceffity of being born again? He answered, "I know I deserve hell; and added, O pray that Chrift may have mercy on me, and reveal himself in my foul." On hearing this, I urged him to pray |