life. I find by sweet experience, that the Lord fends none awarfare upon their own charges; and that to appear for him, and to be an advocate for religion and virtue, against vice and profanenefs, is amply rewarded. Much did I long for a full meeting of all my brethren in iniquity, that I might teftify against their impiety, and warn them against thofe hellifh practices which we greedily purfued when Satan and fin had an abfolute dominion over them and me. Yefterday they all vifited me. I rejoiced at the providence of God in the matter, and was enabled to make them a long speech. I obferved they heard me with great attention; and I was overjoyed to obferve fome concern visible in the faces of feveral of them. They always profeffed a great regard for me, and were fond of hearing me upon any fubject; but I was afraid their patience had expired last night before I had finifhed my difcourfe. My fears, however, were happily prevented; and I was enabled to fuggeft feveral articles of doctrine and advice of the laft importance to them; and I hope what I then faid will not be altogether in vain and loft. I had much of the divine presence and countenance in the matter. I intended nothing but the glory of God, and the reformation of my once graceless companions; and I am confident the speech will turn to fome account. If they fhall perfift in the ways of fin after fuch admonitions and reproofs, their condemnation will be terribly aggravated, and I fhall appear as a witnefs against them: but if they reform, and turn to the Lord in earnest, the angels will rejoice at their repentance, and they fhall add to the trophies of the Redeemer's conqueft; the world will reap benefit by their converfion, and fociety will profit by their piety; and I, if I live to fee any effects of it, will give glory to my Redeemer, : Redeemer, and pass through the Jordan of death celebrating the praises of redeeming love and grace. But whatever shall be the event, I rejoice that I was enabled to do my duty, and in fome measure make amends for the lectures on vice, and the hellish instructions, that I used to deliver to them at their drunken cabals and lewd affemblies. And I am amply rewarded for all my poor trouble for the Lord hath made his joys and confolations to abound with me, and in him I have fweet peace. I never before experienced fo much of the Lord's gracious countenance and prefence; never fo much fpiritual peace and quiet poffeffed my mind; and I never felt my affections fo much enlarged towards God. Many fweet paffages of fcripture occurred to my mind, by which my faith, hope, and love, were greatly ftrengthened; and upon which I fed and was nourished. I fucked at the breafts of the gospel-promises, and was refreshed and confirmed. And to enjoy as much of my gracious Saviour's prefence, and to fee as much of his glory, as I have done this last night, what would I not do? I think, my Lord ftrengthening me, I could pafs through fire and water, and expofe my felf to Death arrayed in all his terrors, and appearing in his most horrid forms. But what do I fay? Away pride, felf, and prefumption! What can a poor finner do? I frankly confefs I can do nothing at all. If the Lord fhould withdraw the aid of his grace, and eclipfe the light of his countenance, what could a poor mortal wretch perform? But, through Chrift ftrengthening me, I can do all things. Through him alone I fhall overcome all enemies. I believe, Lord, help thou mine unbelief. Strengthen and uphold me by thy Spirit, and give me joyful discoveries of thy grace and glory. Leave me not to myself, nor abandon me in ny diftrefs. Death L 3 Death is faft approaching me; and how fhall I encounter that king of terrors? Lord, vouchfafe me thy prefence in that laft conflict; unfting death of his terrors, and fend him as a meffenger of peace to bring me to thy glorious prefence, in which there is fulness of joy, and to thy right hand, where there are pleasures for evermore. O fay unto me, I will ranfom thee from the power of the grave: O Death! I will be thy plagues; O Grave, I will be thy destruction! Then fhall I triumphantly fing, Though I walk through the gloomy vale, Say, Thou art mine, and chafe the gloom, Oh! live by faith, and learn to die, "Yea, I will fing, O Death, where is thy fting? O Grave, where is thy victory? The fting of death is fin, and the ftrength of fin is the law. But thanks be to God who will give me the victory through Jefus Chrift my Lord. Through him I fhall be more than a conqueror, even through him that loved me, and gave himself for for me. I fhall overcome by the blood of the Lamb; and enter with joy into the Paradise of God. Oh! happy world! for ever bright, With God's own prefence ever bleft: Of peaceful mirth, and joyful reft. Oh! may Its glory fee, its pleasure tafte; "Sometimes the profpect of death affrights. me, and its terrors difmay me. But may my heart be fteeled with faith and courage, and may my Lord support me by his power, and give me the faith of his having died for me, defcended into the grave to perfume it for me, and to make it my quiet resting-place; till the glorious refurrection day, when I shall be raised from the duft, caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and be feated with him on his right hand, when before him fhall be affembled all nations. "The faith of my Lord Jefus having died for my offences, and rifen for my juftification; ha ving fubmitted to the stroke of death in its most terrible form, having defcended into the grave, and fweetened it as a pleafant lodging-place, a bed whereon to reft, and his having risen again by his own and the Father's power, as an evi, dence of his own complete conqueft over death, and the grave; I fay, the faith of these glorious acts performed by the Lord Jefus, in the room and for the benefit of finners, supports and exhi, larates my foul in the near profpect of death and the grave. Death is a word of very folemn and awful found. The feparation of foul and body; the the diffolution of the corporeal frame, and the entrance of the foul into a new world, and an unknown state of being and action, are calculated to impress the mind with gloomy ideas, and frightful apprehenfions. But the most part of mankind banish the thoughts of death and the grave, and exclude from their minds all reflections on any fubjects that tend to damp their mirth and madness; all things that would allay or reftrain their purfuits after folly and vanity, or conduce to their future felicity. You know, my dear brother, when wine and women ingroffed all our thoughts; when gaming and diverfion employed all our attention; how frightful and terrible the thoughts of death were to us, and what pains we took to fupprefs and exclude fuch unwelcome and difagreeable reflections. We confidered fuch thoughts as difturbers of our peace, intruders on our mirth; and therefore used our utmost efforts either to debar them altogether, or to weaken their efficacy. When confcience, which we confidered as a troublesome guest, began, perhaps in a morning after paffing the preceding day and night in the moft fcandalous ebriety and lewdness, to fting and bite; inftead of cherishing the admonition, hearkening to the reproof, or refraining from the practices which made confcience lafh us fo feverely, we run for peace to the devil, and mingled in the bufinefs which occafioned fuch twinges and paroxyfins; accounting ourselves very happy, if our thoughts were diverted from fuch gloomy apprehenfions, and fixed on more plea furable objects. Thus we deceived our own fouls; we grafped at vifible felicity, trod the paths that led to it, and reckoned all the reproofs of fcripture and reason, of God and confcience, as impertinent intrufions upon our boafted felicity, or the effects of enthufiafm imbibed in education, confirmed |