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ourfelves; I am the more encouraged to hope that this little performance will not be altogether unattended with fuccefs.

When we hear people speak their own experience, there is fomething in their voice and manner, which affects us with fuch a degree of fympathy, tenderness, and conviction of their fincerity, as cannot be communicated to the mere reader. When the understanding and heart interest themselves on fo momentous a fubject, the tongue employs an eloquence which the greatest adepts in biography are unable to imitate. It follows of course, that mutual communion can have no finer models, nor does it require a ftronger recommendation than thofe excellent and entertaining books which all ages have received with avidity, and whofe authors they have ever confidered with veneration and respect. And the virtuous motives which have induced men of real delicacy, to write and publish their experience to the world, is alone, a motive fufficient to induce us, fo far to follow their example, as to do it in a verbal manner, and within the limited fphere of our more intimate friends and daily companions.

It must be acknowledged, notwithstanding, that when we first invite the newly awakened to join us in the use of these social means, they moftly feel an inconvenient degree of bashfulness and timidity: but this is no argument whatever against their utility, as we feel much the fame fenfations when entering on fome new engagements of life, or when first introduced into the prefence of our fuperiors. Mutual communion notwithstanding, is fo far from offering any violence to our feelings, that the want of it has ever been confidered as a great infelicity. This may be clearly proved from a fact which is univerfally known and univerfally received. In all ages, the faithful, unbiaffed by cuftom, or prompted by command, have opened an epiftolary correfpondence, and from time to time have communicated to each other the whole of their experience. Hereby they have enjoyed every bleffing both of moral friendship and focial piety, which their diftant fituation would admit. There are now extant in every christian tongue, an infinite variety of fpiritual letters, which form one of the best and fimpleft branches of our theological writings; which decifively evince, that a communication of experience is congenial to the avowed feelings of every christian; and yet we must acknowledge, that it is neither fo pleafing nor advantageous to do it by letter, as in the prefence of one's friend, and accompanied with all the endearments of religious fociety.

[To be continued.]

A fhort Account of the Experience and happy Death of BETTY WALSH, of Bolton, in Lancashire. An Ifraelite indeed.

ETTY WALSH was born at Manchester, in the year 1713, Her father removed from thence to Bolton in 1715, and foon after brought all his family to that place. As her parents

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attended the fervice of the Church of England, they brought her up in the fame way. From her childhood fhe was reftrained from the heinous crimes which are but too common in the world, and her conduct was ftrictly moral. It appears from the teftimony of those who knew her, that her natural temper was very amiable, which rendered her a pleafing companion. In 1738, the entered into the marriage ftate with Ellis Walfh of Bolton, by whom the had ten children.

Before she became truly religious, the confidered it to be the highest degree of enthusiasm, for any one to profefs to know the forgiveness of fins. However the frequently heard the Methodist preachers, for feveral years before her converfion. At one Watchnight in particular, when Mr. Welley and Mr. Grimshaw were prefent, the word greatly affected her, and the good impreffion continued for fome time, but it partly wore off again. She then wifhed to perfuade herself, that going to Church would do. On New-Year's-day, 1765, fhe went to hear Mr. John Nelfon preach: Under his fermon her good impreffions returned; and as he was exhorting the people to renounce the devil and his works, and begin to ferve the Lord in the new Year, fhe 'refolved to follow his advice; and from that time began to meet in clafs among the Methodifts. In the month of March following, fhe was admitted into the fociety by Mr. Thomas Johnfon. At that time she deeply felt the neceffity of obtaining from God the pardon of her fins, and with contrition and humility fought the Lord with her whole heart. In September, 1766, the Lord gave her a clear fense of forgiveness. She was then labouring at her daily employment, and wrestling with the Lord in fervent prayer in her heart, when he fpoke peace to her confcience, and filled her with the grace of affurance and love. At the fame time fhe had the follow. ing words comfortably applied to her mind, "Whatfoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." She then called in fome of her religious neighbours, to tell them what the Lord had done for her; and could experimentally fing the following lines;

For me the Lamb of God was flain,

For me the Saviour died;

His blood, that cleanfes every flain,
By faith I feel applied.

I call the Great REDEEMER mine!
Redemption's joy I prove;

And with a confidence divine,

I triumph in his Love.

Formerly the fuppofed this experimental knowledge of the divine goodnefs to be "enthufiafm;" but now fhe proved it to be real chriflianity, producing love, joy, peace, and a confcioufnefs of her acceptance through the Beloved. I do not hear that the ever loft her peace of mind, and confidence in the Lord, from

this-time to her death. She steadily attended her clafs, and was a pattern of diligence in the means of grace. As her temper was naturally amiable, religion rendered it more abundantly fo: fhe was a pleafing and profitable companion, greatly beloved by thofe who knew her. Her trials were many, but of these she made no complaint; by perfevering faith and patience the overcame, and in her whole conduct adorned the gofpel of God her Saviour. When she had been in the fociety about eight years, her husband died: they had been married thirty-five years. After the death of her husband fhe, and her only remaining daughter, lived together. The daughter truly honoured and loved her mother to her laft

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In August 1788, her long affliction commenced. She had a prefage of this trial, and fent for a religious friend, whom the informed that a very heavy affliction was coming upon her. Being exhorted to truft in the Lord, the answered, "I have no fear as "to myself; the Lord will enable me to bear what he fees fit to lay upon me; all my fear is, the weight I fhall bring upon my "daughter." But the Lord made this eafy, by giving ftrength for the day; fo that there were no complaints either from the mother or daughter through the whole of this complicated trial. It lafted feven years; the whole of which time fhe was confined to her bed. It began with excruciating pains, which increased to fuch a degree, as to produce frequent faintings, which had a great refemblance of death. Yet in all thefe agonies of pain, not one difcontented word was ever heard to proceed from her lips. Her mind was calmly ftayed on God, and perfect patience appeared to poffefs her foul. With the violence of pain and long confinement, the finews, and joints of her knees grew fo ftiff, as to render it impoffible to bend them. She had fome intervals of ease, but very little fleep, when fhe could get three or four hours in the twenty-four, the confidered her felf highly favoured. What but real religion could produce patience, refignation, and even joy, in fuch a furnace of affliction! Thele fhe had in a very eminent degree. Her only defire was, that fhe might come forth as gold well refined, and be fully purified to meet her Lord.

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In July 1793, the faid to her friends, "I have had fo glorious a manifeftation of the love of God, that my tongue cannot exprefs it." And added, "My heart is filled with life, love, "joy, and peace.-I have no condemnation; I know that I am "accepted through the Beloved. I can with humble confidence "declare, through the tender mercies of my God, that I have victory over the world, the fleth and the devil: I long to be "diffolved and to be with Chrift." The Lord continued to afford his gracious prefence and powerful fupport in all her painful trials; and as afflictions abounded, her confolations abounded alfo.

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On the 16th of December following, fhe had another remarkable manifestation of the divine goodnefs: the faid, "I have had fuch a glorious day, that I thought no mortal could have enjoyed

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"the like, on this fide eternity; I never had fuch a day before! "It has been one of the days of the Son of Man!" In the evening of the fame day, after a little fleep, the enemy was permitted to affault her, but lifting up her heart to the Lord, the temptation was removed, and he was filled with joy in the God

of her falvation.

I vifited her feveral times, and always found her rejoicing in the Lord; the last time I saw her was a day or two before her death, when fhe faid, "Chrift is precious to me; I long to be

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diffolved, and to be with him; but my will is perfectly refigned to the will of God: He does what is best for me,-and when "he hath fully completed his work in me, he will take me to himfelf." She expreffed herself much in the fame manner to many friends who visited her. Those who came to comfort her, generally received great comfort themselves, in hearing her lively expreffions of the love of God towards her. The day before her departure, fhe faid, "I am as happy as I can live on this fide "eternity:" and fo continued, till the quietly fell afleep in the Lord on Sunday, September 27, 1795, in the 83d year of her age. By her own defire I preached a funeral fermon from 2 Cor. iv. 17. Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

It is fomething remarkable, that for thirty years she was obliged to ufe fpectacles; but in the long illness which fhe endured her fight fo failed that fhe could not read with them, till two years before her decease, when her fight again returned, so that the could read without the help of fpectacles.

Bolton, October 27, 1795.

MOTIVES to

BENJ. RHODES.

REPENTANCE.

[EXTRACTED FROM A LATE EMINENT WRITER.]

[Concluded from page 74.]

'N the brilliant fcenes of fplendor and magnificence, of luxury I and diffipation, furrounded by the companions of his pleasures,

and the flatterers of his vices, amidst the flashes of wit and merriment, when all wears the face of gaiety and feftivity, the Profigate often reads his doom, written by the hand, whose characters are indelible. Should he turn away his eyes from beholding it, and fucceed in the great work, during the course of his revels, yet the time will come, when from fcenes like thefe he must retire, and be alone: and then, as Dr. South flates the question, in a manner not to be answered, "What is all that a man can enjoy in this way for a week, a month, or a year, compared with what he feels for one hour, when his confcience fhall take him afide, and rate him by himself?"

There

There is likewife another hour which will come, and that, foon -the hour when life must end; when the accumulated wealth of the Eaft and the Weft, with all the affiftance it is able to procure, will not be competent to obtain the refpite of a moment; when the impenitent finner fhall be called-and muft obey the call-to leave every thing, and give up his accounts to his MAKER, of the manner in which he has fpent his time, and employed his talents. -Of what is faid by fuch, at that hour, we know not much. Care is generally taken that we never fhould. Of what is thought, we know nothing.-O merciful God, grant that we never may!

It will fill be alledged, perhaps, that inftances are not wanting of the worst of men, in principle and practice, going out of life with no lefs compofure than the beft. I believe thefe inftances to be very rare indeed. But admit the allegation, that there are fome; what do they prove? What can they prove? Why, certainly, they can prove only that fuch perfons die in a ftate of ignorance, ftupidity, or judicial blindness, with hardened hearts, and feared confciences. When the drunkard ceafes to feel in the morning the ufual pains and penalties of his last night's debauch, he fancies the ftrength of his conffitution has triumphed over the mischief of intemperance, and that the bitterness of death is past. Alas, poor man! The fact is, that his conftitution, by his ill treatment of it, has loft the fenfe of natural good and evil, implanted in it for it's prefervation; he has no longer that motive left to reformation, and is therefore fealed up to perdition, which is coming upon him, fierce, fpeedy, and irrefiftible, like an armed

man!

But however, by habits either of fenfuality, or infidelity, the confcience may be drugged, and laid afleep in this world, let it not be forgotten, that there is another world beyond this, in which it must awake, to fleep no more. As touching the nature of those after-punishments, they are fuch as will be inflicted, after the expiration of the day of mercy, by inexorable Justice, and almighty Power.

The good to be obtained needeth only to be mentioned in very few words. The light of heaven fhining upon our tabernacle, the divine favour attending us and ours, through every ftage of our exiflence, fanctifying profperity, which by the displeasure of God may be rendered a curfe, and turning adverfity itself into a bleffing, while it becomes an inftrument to rectify the disorders of our minds, to foften the few hard places remaining in our hearts, to smooth and lay even the little roughneffes in our tempers; thus gradually and gently preparing us for our departure hence, and fitting us for the company, to which we are going, of " the spirits of just men made perfect."

The anfwer of a good confcience, diffufing peace and ferenity over all the powers and faculties of the foul, refreshing like the dew falling on the top of Hermon, exhilarating as the fra

grance

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