CHAPTER IV.

CONTINUED AFFLICTIONS FOR THE TRIAL OF MY FAITH.

THE light of faith was now kindled within me; but faith must be increased, tried, strengthened, and confirmed; and opportunities for this soon occurred. When the enemy threatened to pass the Lahn, in June 1796, an excessive horror again seized me, as well as all the inhabitants of that district. "Now," thought I, "the enemy will carry off entirely what remained last autumn;" and this thought literally weighed me down to the earth. Again, I said within myself, "What is this the faith that cheerfully cleaves in affliction and death itself to God-that despises the world, with all its possessions, pleasures, and glory? No! my heart still cleaves too firmly to what is earthly; and from this it must be detached, cost what it may." I took up my Bible, and on opening it,

those words of Jesus immediately met my eye"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." All those instances in the Old Testament flashed upon my mind in which God had wonderfully preserved and provided for so many pious individuals in times of distress, as well as the case of the young ruler, who was indeed willing to follow Jesus, but unwilling to forsake his earthly possessions, and for that very reason was not fit for the kingdom of heaven. From that moment I daily and hourly besought the Lord to make me indifferent to every thing of a worldly nature, and detach my heart from all that might be prejudicial to the salvation of my soul.

The danger apprehended from the enemy's passing the Lahn disappeared--they were driven back; this was, therefore, no complete trial of my faith: I had not yet been able to show whether the salvation of my soul was dearer to me than any temporal possession. O the riches of the goodness of God, which was unwilling to surprise me with this trial, but only prepare me for it, that I might be the more stedfast when it occurred! This season of preparation continued from that time until the enemy afterwards really passed the Lahn, which they did in the month of July. The danger was now imminent, and I prayed the more fervently that God would render

me completely indifferent with respect to my little property, and merely preserve me in his grace and love.

The oppressive circumstances into which the Lord suffered me to fall I must now point out, by mentioning at least some of the events that befell me. The French had lain several days near Mayence before we saw any of them in our village: at length, on the fourth day, a whole division marched through our place to E-stein. They filled the houses like locusts, and particularly mine, because I was the clergyman. They required meat and drink, with which I furnished more than a hundred men in successive companies, from half-past nine in the morning until two in the afternoon, which time was occupied in their passage through, for, in their opinion, the parsonage-houses were inexhaustible sources for the supply of the stomach and the purse, on which account they directed their chief attention to them. However, my whole stock of meat, butter, cheese, eggs, milk, &c. was at length entirely consumed, and as some of them, notwithstanding, vehemently insisted upon my giving them bacon, and I not only assured them that I had no more, but even threw open every room and cellarthey went away threatening to fetch an additional number of dragoons and plunder the whole house. But scarcely had they left than I closed

the door, and, with my wife and children, mingled with the peasants in the village. Learning that some officers were in the magistrate's house, I went thither, stated my circumstances, and the utter impossibility of furnishing the bacon re'quired, because every thing had been already consumed; but instead of receiving any assistance, I was only ridiculed. Whilst standing there, three men entered, seized me in the presence of the officers, and dragged me home. In the courtyard, however, under the pretext of fetching the key of the house from my wife, I had an opportunity of escaping, and, with incredible rapidity, fled across the fields into the neighbouring wood.

Here I met with the swine-herd, who conducted me further into the wood to some peasants, who had fled thither with their horses and oxen, and were sitting by a fire. These people had taken refuge there the night before, and knew nothing of what had occurred in the village since the morning; they were therefore much alarmed when I came and told them what had happened. I should have felt very comfortable there, the peasants immediately making preparations to erect a covered hut, in which we purposed passing the night, if my wife and children had not occupied my thoughts, since they knew nothing either of my flight or where I was. Towards evening, one of the peasants went into the village, in order to ascertain how matters

stood, by whom I informed my family where I was, and my determination to pass the night there. On his return, my wife and three children came with him, bringing me something to eat. My children hung weeping round my neck, and insisted upon staying with me; and it was only with great difficulty I was able at length to induce them to return to the village with their mother. I advised my wife to sleep, with her children, in one of the peasants' houses, and shut up the parsonage.

But scarcely had she reached home, when I received a messenger with the intelligence from the magistrate, that the place was cleared of the French, and that a hussar was placed in my house as a safeguard, who urgently requested me to return, since he would be answerable for my safety. "A hussar for a safeguard-who sent him? and who sent him just to my house? Did he come of his own accord ? What object has he in view? Does he intend any evil? He is perhaps a wolf in sheep's clothing. All these thoughts crossed my mind whilst accompanying the messenger home. On entering the house, the hussar received me with uncommon kindness, lamented much that I had passed such a wretched day, and consoled me by the assurance that no part of the division remained behind. I began to place confidence in him, and we supped together; I accompanied him to