betraying his creature idolatry, “Why seek ye the living among the dead? (she) is not here, but is risen." Notwithstanding, then, the self-will of the patriarch under the previous circumstances, when he exclaimed, "My son shall not go down with you," "his heart is now brought down by labour;" and, in submission to the will of God, he exclaims, "Take also your brother, and arise, go unto the man.' Then, in contrast to his policy of a present with his balm, and honey, and myrrh, and his "double money" in their hand for purchase, he adds what was infinitely better, and far, far more acceptable-yea, it was the very climax of blessing-the sure forerunner of full and free deliverance," and God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. IfI be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved." Here was surrender -here submission-yea, more, acquiescence. Now, and not until now, the patriarch bows to the divine will, and virtually says, "Thy will be done." But how little did he know who "the man" was of whom he spoke! How utterly ignorant was he of the near and endearing relationship that existed between himself and "the man!" How far beyond his utmost hopes and expectations (whatever they might occasionally or momentarily have been since last he saw his much-loved Joseph,) that "the man" was none other than his long-lost and painfully-mournedfor son! And so it is, reader, in a Gospel sense; how little do the Lord's people imagine, under their various trials, and in those particular courses of service and of suffering through which an unseen but divine hand leads them, that their elder Brother has the directtion and the control of all. How little do the voyagers upon the tempestuous waters of this world conceive that "their Father is at the helm," as "they mount up to the heavens, and go down again to the depths; their soul melted because of trouble; and they reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end." But ah, the Captain of salvation says, at length, Peace, be still!" and then His tempest-tossed and affrighted ones know what it is for Him to "make the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still." And "then are they glad, because they be quiet; so He bringeth them unto their desired haven." Reader, it is so, and the Lord's people, without a solitary exception, in due time realize and enjoy the mercy. PRECIOUS DEATH-BED EXPERIENCES. BY T. W. MEDHURST, of GLASGOW. Author of "Rays of Light in the Dark Valley,"" Astounding Grace," &c. (Continued from page 143.) VI.-" PRISONER OF HOPE, GO FREE." FTER the conversion recorded in our last chapter, Miss Abercrombie blessed her parents, shaking hands with them, and praying that the peace of God might rest upon them, and upon the family, after she was dead and gone to her rest. She then caused to be read Matthew 25th chapter, and said, “Well may I say of my glorious Christ, that which He will say to the righteous at the great day, (as recorded in Matt. xxv, 42, 43,) that I was an hungered, and He gave me meat, the flesh and blood of the Son of Man, whose flesh is meat indeed, and whose blood is drink indeed; and I was thirsty and He gave me drink, and I was a stranger, and He took me in; I was sick and He visited me; and I was in prison, and He came to me, and broke my fetters, and loosed my bonds, and said to me, "O YOU PRISONER OF HOPE, GO FREE!" O glory, glory, to Him!" She afterwards said the following Scriptures were poured into her with a power she could not resist. "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." (John vi. 37.) "He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure." (2 Sam. xxiii. 5.) "My grace is SUFFICIENT for thee." (2 Cor. xii, 9.) The night before she died, seeing persons slumbering in her room, she said, "It is not time to sleep; watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation." Having taken a bleeding at the nose, she was afraid, lest dying that way, she should not be able to witness a good confession. On the bleeding being stopped, she blessed God that he had spared her, so that she might have her graces in exercise when she had her last battle to fight. On the morning before she died, she again seemed to be under a cloud, and said, "Has the Lord done so much to me, for me, and brought me this length and shall the devil tempt me to despair? Lord forbid! The Lord rebuke thee, Satan. Oh! give me victory over his temptations. He tempted Christ, no wonder he tempts me. O Lord, shine in upon me, cause the light of thy countenance to shine upon my soul, and strengthen my faith. Do not let it shake now that I have the valley of the shadow of death to go through, and that battle to fight. O come, come, come, Lord, and help me to fight my last battle. O my soul, return unto thy rest for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. O come, Lord Jesus, and take me to thyself, and present me spotless before thy Father. O sweet death! O Lord Jesus, into thy hand I commit my spirit. I thought the battle would have been stronger." She continued for some time, thus breathing out her desires that Christ would come and receive her soul. Mr. Logan, the parish minister, having briefly prayed with her, asked, "How is it with you now?" She replied, NO PAIN. "I AM DYING SWEETLY, WITHOUT FEAR, AND FEEL Thus, this eminent saint gave up her spirit to God, and fell asleep in Jesus, on Saturday, January 23rd, 1720, about four o'clock in the afternoon. She died in the full assurance of a safe arrival in the realms of glory, and of a blessed and glorious resurrection in the morning of that great day, wherein Christ shall come the second time, without a sin-offering, unto salvation. Reader, are you prepared to meet Jesus then? Oh! that you were able to sing, "If I have but Jesus, what can I want more? But if I have Jesus, in Him I have all, I'm rich as saint Peter, yea, rich as saint Paul, For Jesus is mine, He redeem'd me from hell. If Jesus is for me then, who shall condemn me? My Jesus won't leave me, no, never, no, never. If Jesus is mine, then He ever was so: What then should distress me, whoever my foe? My God and my Father will hear when I call."* * Hymns and Poems, doctrinal and experimental, on a variety of subjects, designed for those who know the plague of their own heart and are fully persuaded that salvation is entirely of grace. In two volumes. By Daniel Herbert.-1819. Vol. II., pages 259, 260, 261. 66 AMELIA SADGROVE: OR, DECISION FOR TRUTH. BY THE REV. WILLIAM FRITH, BOROUGH GREEN, KENT. MY (Continued from page 141) Y dear Miss Drayson, you know I have a deep aversion to every appearance of evil, and as I do not think that public balls and dancing parties are at all congenial with serious habits of mind, and a deep desire to lead a pious and godly life, you must not be surprised at my promptly and unhesitatingly declining to accept your generous invite. I acknowledge it is exceedingly kind of you to favour me with the invitation, and cannot doubt that you would do all in your power to render me happy, consistently with the usual arrangements of a dancing party; yet, as I know I should not enjoy myself, and should probably, if there, diminish the pleasure of those present, by my singular abstinence from the engagements of the evening, I think it far more prudent to decline the acceptance of your very kind offer." This prompt, ready, and decided reply to a pressing invitation to the enjoyment of carnal pleasure, reminds us of Egypt's great viceroy, who, when pressed to indulgence, exclaimed, "How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" And though the acceptance of the generous invitation of Miss Drayson would not, perhaps, have been any enormous act of criminality, still it had the appearance of evil, which an inspired apostle has urged us to avoid. And, beside, it is more than possible that if this one invitation had been accepted, it would soon have been followed by another. A new course would have been entered upon, and new habits formed altogether inimical to the growth of true piety. The work of grace, which appeared to have been begun in the youthful heart of Amelia, would have been stunted or impeded in its spiritual growth. Her chaste and hallowed pleasures would have been possibly exchanged for the light, frivolous, and unprofitable pastimes of a gay companionship. And if her amiable and modest virtues had not become tarnished, she would at least have brought a reflection upon her Christian character, because by this time it had become pretty generally known that the youngest daughter of Esquire Sadgrove was a pious young lady, and had also expressed a desire to be baptized upon a profession of her faith by Mr. How, at the Baptist chapel. Miss Brooks, however, still kept silence, deferring her counsel to Amelia till some opportune occasion. But Miss Drayson, who just at this point had come out from under the umbrageous elms, and whose face was lit with the silvery rays of the shining moon, and blushing like a crimson rose, because of the remarks of Miss Amelia, said:— 'I hope I have not offended you, dear Miss Sadgrove, in giving you an invitation to our proposed dancing party, for I assure you I had not the least intention of so doing, and should deeply regret having hurt your feelings in the least degree. Indeed, when I gave you the invite, I had no idea that you would object to it on the ground of religion, because the Miss Gregories, who are coming, are the daughters of the Rev. Mr. Gregory, the rector |