described. His fascinating, and affectionate behavior, highly enriched by the grace of God, has rendered him one of the most beloved, and esteemed characters, that can well be conceived

Wor. What was your morning text?

Loveg. "Behold I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of its place, unless thou repent." Rev. ii. 5.

Wor. I fear on such a subject, and on such an occasion, your own feelings, and those of the congregation, must have been sharply exercised.

Loveg. Indeed Sir they really were. It could scarcely be called preaching, my mind was so overpowered by the event, that I could not help my feelings, nor could the congregation command theirs. They all seemed to feel, that the loss of such a Minister, would prove the greatest they could sustain : but still I thought it an excellent sign, that they knew how to appreciate the labors of such an invaluable

man.

Mrs. Wor. I was fearful it would be so and as my daughter was so low, I thought it my duty to stay at home with her; and I fear this added considerably to the people's alarm.

Wor. What was your afternoon subject?

Loveg. "Prepare to meet thy God." But I did all in my power, to avoid all personal reference to the present event; and only improved it in general terms, as well as I could; though after all, I found I had enough to do with the people's feelings, as well as with my own.

Wor. Though it was deemed necessary to keep Mr. Merryman as quiet as possible, yet I suppose you saw him occasionally, through the course of the week.

Loveg. O Sir! we thought it prudent, not to have any ringing, or chiming of the bells, before the services, lest it should disturb him; and that filled him with surprize, lest I should not have performed my promise, respecting the duty at the Church: and I

was obliged to go up on the Sunday evening, to pacify his mind on that subject.

Wor. What was the result of that interview?

Loveg. It was a very short one. I assured him I had performed both the services for him, and how much he was upon the hearts of the people, that he might still live to declare among them, that great power and grace which had been made known to him; he then quoted that passage and said, blessed be God, "I know what is the hope of his calling, ("Our high calling of God in Christ Jesus,") and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints; and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward, who believe, according to the working of his mighty power:"* then he paused, and exclaimed, O what grace, what power, what a glorious power, to reach a heart like mine! Thus far he appeared mot blessedly recollected, and then he closed his eyes for a while, and began to ramble, but in a most pleasant style. He told me that he had been sailing all the day, down a delightful river; that there were most enchanting singings on each side of its banks and that he came to a most pleasant place, where a beautiful great tree grew, and that Angels were singing upon every branch and twig of it, and then added, O how grieved I was, when I lost sight of that tree, and when I could no longer hear the singings of those Angels, that so charmed my heart! I immediately said, my dear friend, we'll retire, and perhaps you will hear the same Angels sing again. He immediately said, O no! you must not go yet: you must pray before you go. We knelt down, of fered up a short prayer, and immediately retired. However I could perceive by this interview, that he was in a most blessed, and even enviable state of mind; and I had then my fears, that he would not be long on earth, as he was so fit for heaven.

:

Wor. Surely after this, you could not deny your

Eph. 1. 18, 19.

self the privilege of giving him, at least a short visit every day, while you continued at Sandover.'

Loveg. Every morning after breakfast, I made him a short visit, and offered up a short prayer; while day after day, he appeared weaker, and weaker, and getting worse, and worse, filling us with increasing apprehensions, that every day might be his last. Wor. Was his mind still kept in the same happy state?

Loveg. I think more so. It was evident that while his body was growing weaker, his mind became more recollected, and calm. One morning, when I requested him not to exert himself, he whispered out the following expression :

In silent stillness of the mind,

My God, and there my heav'n I find.

And then added, " For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him, against that day."* And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep my heart, and mind, through Christ Jesus."+

On another morning after prayer, he said, taking up some expressions that I dropt, "Blessed be God, I can enter into the holy of holies, by the blood of Jesus; by that new and living way, which he hath consecrated for me.' Though I am ashamed of what I have been, yet if I die, I can have “boldness and access with confidence in that grace, in which I stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Then he asked me the question, how is my most dear wife? oh how it grieved me, to see her stand by my bed side, dropping tear after tear! If she knew how peaceable and happy I am in the love of Christ, she would rather rejoice with me, than grieve over me; for "by believing in him, I can rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory," and then said,

And when I'm to die,

Receive me, I'll cry,

For Jesus hath lov'd me, I cannot say why.

All these things, he spoke with extreme difficulty, being exceedingly weak, for the fever seemed principally to be on his chest. But on the Saturday morning, the nurse alarmed us excessively, by informing us that he had altered for death.

Mrs. Wor. Yes, and she was so abrupt in her information, that my poor daughter was immediately thrown into strong hysterics, and all the house into the greatest consternation; while the report soon got wind, and spread throughout the town; and it seems that it was reported by some, that he actually was dead while the universal agitation, and distress of the people, was inconceivable.

Loveg. No wonder, that such as are so universally beloved, should be as universally lamented.

Wor. What could you all do under such distressing circumstances?

Loveg. Sir, Mrs. Worthy continued with Mrs. Merryman, while Mr. Sprightly, who was almost always with us, went up stairs, as we thought, to take our final leave of our dear departing friend, apparently senseless, and nearly speechless; only uttering some things to himself which we could not understand yet with a complacency of countenance, that greatly surprized us: but still supposing that every breath might be his last.

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Just then, Dr. Skillman came into the room, as we all thought, to pay his last visit to his dying patient. He immediately felt his pulse, and for a considerable time and then, to our great surprize, pronounced that his was not the pulse of a dying man; and that the dangerous crisis of the fever was now actually passed, that he had seen others in the same state, who had recovered, and that the present stupor was rather to be considered as a sound sleep, which his nearly exhausted nature required; that he should therefore call on another patient, and then return, for that he believed he would yet revive.

The Doctor had not long left the room, before he opened his eves, and asked, "How long have you VOL. II.

2. H

been here? I have slept most sweetly, and O how comforted I have been! how delighted with such singing, and how favoured with such sights as I never beheld before!" and then he added,

O the delights, the heav'nly joys,
The glories of the place,

Where Jesus sheds the brightest beams
Of his o'erflowing grace.

He rested a short space, and then added a part of another hymn, from the pious Dr. Watts, resting awhile between each stanza.

There is a land of pure delight,
Where saints immortal reign;
Infinite day excludes the night,
And pleasures banish pain.
There everlasting spring abides,
And never with'ring flow'rs,
Though death, that narrow sea, divides
This heav'nly land from ours.
O could we make our doubts remove,
Those gloomy doubts that rise,
And see the Canaan that we love,
With unbeclouded eyes!

Could we but climb where Moses stood,

And view the landscape o'er,

Not Jordan's streams, nor death's cold flow,
Should fright us from the shore.

Then he added, "My rest has so wonderfully refreshed me, that I feel I want something that is nourishing, which I have never felt since I have been ill before."

You must think I could not continue long in the room, before I communicated these pleasing tidings to Mrs. Merryman, and perhaps in this, (to Mrs. Worthy) as you well know Madam, in order to ease a mind, agonizing with excessive grief, like the nurse before me, I rather too abruptly informed her, of this unexpected revival, after having been brought so near the expected hour of his dissolution. Her joy, as it might be supposed, was not less excessive, than her grief, which you know, I attempted to moderate to the best of my power, mentioning how dif