! miferable creature; have lived a He then obferved to me, "] prepare for death. Do not neg- when I am dead, what you now He obferved to one, "I have lived in the neglect of all religion, and I now view myself a dying man; and Ok, what an awful myfelf a finner, and fear I fhalf be miferable forever. But I hope I fhall find mercy in the fight of God. I have defpifed religion, and labored to perfuade myself, that the doctrine of the univerfal ifts was true, but yet doubted it. My wife has endeavored to convince me, there was something in religion, but I did not believe her. And now what a fhocking fituation this is to prepare for death. Oh that all would attend to this bufinefs, while in health, and not put it off as I have done.” It was now about the rifing of the fun, on Tuesday morning. The cafe of the fick man being fomewhat fingular, and there hav-condition I am in! I now view ing been fuch a furprising change in his mind, the neighbors foon collected in fuch numbers, that the houfe was almoft filled with people, old and young, the greater part of the day. Manaffeh had yet a good degree of ftrength of body; his understanding was clear, and his ideas diftinct He now fpent all the time in converfing, except when paroxifm's of pain were fo fevere, that he could not fpeak. Of the conversation which took place between him and others, a mall part only will be noticed. His obfervations which are here mentioned, are not arranged, perhaps, in the fame order of time in which they were made; nor are his particular modes of expreffion always ufed; but the fentiments and the ideas are meant to be correctly expreffed. A number of perfons ftanding At another time he faid, "T have been a wicked man; have finned against heaven; have run away from God; my wicked life flies in my face; I have often refifted conviction, by running into bad company." One of his neighbors remarking upon his diffreffed fituation, he replied; "Yes, my fituation is diftreffing; but I do not think myfelf dealt by unjustly, altho' I am thus diftreffed, and my neighbors are not; for I deferve it more * She was a profeffor of religion, A a a than any of them, as I am the | my concerns with thee; grant that worst of all." A friend giving him drink which was pleasant and nourishing he fays, "All that keeps me alive is that you gave me, and nourishment I receive from Jefus Chrift." A neighbor, who had been abfent a day or two, returned home on Tuesday, late in the afternoon, and immediately went in to fee Manaffeh, who took him by the hand and faid, "The Lord has wrought a great work on my foul; I am willing to die, I believe Jefus loves me,—I think I love him.” I may be patient and fubmiffive. May I not be deceived in my last moments, but be reconciled to thee through Jefus Chrift. I commit myself into thy hands to be difpofed of for time and eternity as thou feeft beft. May I have an easy paffage out of time into eternity, and find mercy with the, thro' Jefus Chrift. Amen." A few minutes before he breathed out his life, fenfible he was then going, he fays to the bystanders, "Let this be a warning to you all, and take heed that you never for To obtain fome eafe in his reft-get it." lefs fituation, if it might be, he defired the tenders to carry him about the room in a blanket; and while they were performing this office of kindness, he faid repeatedly, "Soon I fhall be in the arms of Jefus." On Tuesday night, a few hours before he died, he faid to the watchers, "I have but a little while to stay in this world, I am fubmiffive, I can truft my family with God, for he will do right." A fhort space of time before he departed this life, the watchers standing by the bed-fide, he prayed with an audible voice, in the following words, as nearly as could be recollected. They were foon committed to paper, by one who was prefent. "O God! look down with Sundry queftions, which were propofed to him with his anfwers, will now be mentioned; though not perhaps in the order in which they were propofed, as this cannot be ascertained with precifion. Ma ny of the questions came in very abruptly, arising from fome previ ous converfation which is not men tioned; and the reafon the obfer vations are paft over in filence, is, a recital of them all, would protract the narrative to a very great length, If all the dying man faid, pertinently, upon religious fubjects, for the fpace of thirty hours, was written, it would, no doubt, be fufficient to fill a fmalt volume. Q. Are you fenfible of the wick ednefs of your heart? A. I am wholly a finner, and have done nothing but fin, all my life. Q. Do you feel your depend ance on God? compaffion on us, and grant that thefe, my friends and neighbors, who ftand around my bed, may take warning by me, and not put off making their peace with thee, until they lie on a dying bed, as I have done But by thy fovereign grace may they be brought to fubmit to Chrift. O God, have com- true, not only in regard to your paffion on my family, and may prefent ftate, but alfo your future they be fubmiffive under all their af-state? flictions. I leave them, and all A. I am fenfible I am wholly dependant on him and entirely in his hands. Q. Do you believe this to be A. I believe that I, and all men are in the hands of God, to be dif- | fome mercy. Q. You have been oppofed to the doctrines preached by our minifters; but do you now believe remarkable circumftanvery ces. That a man, who had lived fuch a life as Manaffeh had, should, just at the close of it, have his mouth opened, to speak for God and his caufe, as he did; that he fhould acknowledge, and converfe upon the fundamental doctrines of A. Yes, I think I do; I am Chriftianity, which he never had willing to die, if it be his will. attended to, with fo much clearQ. Do you think God can have nefs and propriety, is remarkable. mercy on you ? He appeared to have as just ideas of A. God can be glorified in hav-human depravity, divine fovereigning mercy on whom he will have ty, special grace, man's abfolute dependance, &c. &c. as if he had been a student in Christian theology. When he fpake of depravity, or of dependance on God, and the like, he appeared to speak what he felt, and not what he had learnt. It brought to mind this declaration of Jehovah. Unto me every knee fall bow, and every tongue confefs. Whether his heart bowed or not, we leave; but his knee bowed and his tongue confeffed. It is remarkable that fo many people, old and young, fhould call to fee him on that day, when he was pleading the caufe of God and religion. God defigned they fhould hear the folemn meffage, almost like to one fent from the dead; that if they would not regard, they might be left without excufe. them? A. Yes, I do. Q. Then you believe that there is fomething in religion, do you not? A. Yes, I know there is; and people need not wait to fee me lie in my prefent fituation to be convinced of it; there is fufficient evidence in the bible. Q. How do you now feel? and mind. Q. But do you not feel yourself a finner ? A. Yes. And if God does have mercy on me, he will have mercy on the greatest finner on whom he ever had mercy. QWould God be just if he fhould fend you to hell? A. Yes. And if God cannot be glorified otherwise, let me go. Q. Why do you wish to live any longer in this world? A. That I may live to the honor and glory of God. Q. If you fhould live longer, do you think you fhould live to the honor and glory of God? A. I believe I fhonld, God abling me. en The foregoing narrative exhibits It was a fingular cafe, that one, after paffing thro' fo much distress of body and mind, fhould, notwithstanding, have the full exercife of his understanding, and that his mental powers fhould be clear and firm. Hence he was able to addrefs perfons of different characters, with a very great degree of propriety. When fome of his former gay companions came into the roona where he lay, he would defire them to come to his bed fide. It was affecting, it was enough to A melt the hardest heart prefent, to hear him address them in the most folemn manner, charging them to attend to religion, and not forget what they then faw and heard. Those who had spent hours of mirth and vanity with him, now stood, as it were arraigned at the bar before him, weeping and trembling, like little children under the rod. Thirty people or more in the room'; and not a dry eye among them all. Here is a wonderful inftance of almighty power, operating on the miad of man. Thofe who, while but now it feems like rolling in buyning embers!" bro't to my mind the following lines :— "Jefus can make a dying bed, "Feel foft as downy pillows are; "While on his breaft I lean my head, "And breathe my foul out fweetly there." ISAIAH. Amanda and Lyfander. A Fraz IN ment. commendation of a departed friend, Amanda faid to Lyin health, were neglected, defpifed Lander. "He was pleafed in feeand ridiculed by him, were now ing a perfon happy." ing a perfon happy." "So am I," the perfons he wifhed to be his answered Lyfander, "if his hapcompanions; and in whofe compa-pinefs be rational." "He was ny and converfation he took the moft pleasure. May not only we who faw and heard, but thofe alfo who read, receive inftruction & reproof. For be that being often reproved, hardeneth bis neck, ball fuddenly be deftroyed, and that without remedy. And let univerfalifts and deifts atttend to the folemn bufinefs urged on "So pleased in seeing every body hap py," rejoined Amanda. am I," replied Lyfander, “pro'vided their happiness be derived from the love and practice of religion. But to fay that I am pleafed in feeing every body eafy and happy in their prefent state and purfuits I cannot, confiftently with my views of the holy fcrip them by one who is now in eter-tures, as they treat of God and nity. He wished to believe, but could not, what they are trying to believe, but cannot: Let them take heed left they go down to deftruction half difbelieving their own creed. And thou mourn at the laft, when thy fefb and thy body are confumed, and fay, How have I hated inftruction, and my heart defpifed reproof. And have not obey ed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to them that inftructed me !" That very ftriking exclamation of the dying man, which has been mentioned, "O that I had lived a life of religion, then this bed on which I lie would be foft as down, * Prov. xxix. 1. + Prov. v. 11, 12, 13. man. I will give you my reafons. "We both believe the bible to be the word of God and all its contents to be truth. In this book we fee the divine being to be great and merciful, holy and juft, true and faithful, the moral governor of all his rational creatures. Here alfo we fee man, tho a rational and exalted, yet a fallen and finful creature, an enemy of God, a rebel against his government, a tranfgreffor of his law and of confequence unfit for heaven, unworthy eternal life and expofed to endless perdition. The gofpel makes provifion for the falvation of the humble and 'obedient believer, but leaves the unrenewed and impenitent finner under the curfe of the law. You must concede that this is a fcrip- | ture representation of the state ' and character of the finner, and 'that his condition is dangerous and alarming. When I fee a perfon 'deftitute of all ferioufnefs and love to religion, how can I wish to fee him happy in his prefent state of unbelief? His condition is certainly alarming, fince he is oppofed to a holy God, and his finful heart will render him mifera'ble. He ought then to be con cerned and anxious for himself. And fhall I rejoice to fee him un⚫ concerned and happy in the midst of danger? It would argue a malevolent heart. No! I will not, I cannot, rejoice in feeing 'finners at ease in Zion. I wish that they might fee themselves to be wretched, and miferable, and 'poor, and blind, and naked in their state of alienation from God. It is infinitely more defirable to behold them mourning over their 'fins than happy in committing 'them. For the true riches will "be given to the humble finner, and his happiness be perfect in the fervice and enjoyment of his Maker. "Is it not commendable," fays Amanda, "to ufe our endeavors ' to render our fellow creatureshap6 ру while in the world?" "Certainly," answers Lyfander, 'not only commendable but an important duty. To make them happy, however, I should not re'commend thoughtlessness, impen'itence and vice-I fhould not urge them to frequent places of 'diffipation and finful pleasure. No! Amanda, this is not the path that conducts to happiness. 'If you have fought it in this way, I prefume you have failed of your object. A degree of enjoyment. may, for a time, be derived from 'these things; but then it leaves 'the mind unfatisfied, furnishes new matter of charge for an accufing confcience, and unfits the foul for the pure and fublime en "What then," fays Amanda,joyments of religion. A thoughtyou wish your fellow creatures 'miferable !" lefs, impenitent, pleasurable and vicious life prepares a perfon for an unhappy death, and a miferable eternity. Perhaps you may think that no guilt is attached to a life of impenitence and that vain 'mirth and youthful follies are ' harmless. But however innocent you may look upon impenitence, it is an implicit justification of all paft offences, and a declaration of oppofition to God and rejection of the Redeemer. And as • for finful diverfions, which you rank under the name of innocent ftate, that they may fly to the Saviour and be happy forever. If a man feel contented and happy all his life, in a state of impenitence, he will never feck enjoyment in holiness where only it can 'be found; but will die in his fins ' and be miferable. If a perfon has disjointed or broken a bone, he must expect that replacing it, ' in order for a cure, muft occafion amufements, you must know as him temporary pain. Man, be- ' well as I, that they are unbecoming alienated from his Maker, ing candidates for eternity whofe moft generally has diftreffing ap- ' time is precious and whofe work |