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God, he has been gracious to me. I now am certain that for me to die to night, would be the best news that could come to ime. Yefterday morning, death was a moft dreadful king of terrors; but now the fweeteft meffenger. Glory be to God, I feel no pain of body. I cannot exprefs the joy and happiness I find in my mind. O bleffed Jefus, thou haft done all things well. My dear brother, thou art in the fame road to mifery that I was in. I affure thee, it is hard to feel the pains of death, and at the fame time a guilty confcience, and a fear of dropping into hell every moment, as I did yesterday. What doft thou fay? Wilt thou promise me to seek the Lord now, in thy youth and health? Never mind what the world fay of thee; get true religion, then thou wilt be happy. May the Lord incline thy heart to feek him now, before it be too late.

Then he spoke to his brother Adam, and faid, "Come near, for my ftrength is almoft gone." One obferving that he exerted himself too much in fpeaking, he raised his voice and faid, “ O that my voice could reach the whole world, that all mankind might hear what God has done for my foul, and that I might warn them with my dying breath to repent and turn to God: I long to do fomething for my dear Lord, who has done fo much for me; the fpirit is truly willing, but the flesh is weak: " Then addreffing himself to his brother and others that were standing by, he faid, "You are all younger than me, but none of you are fure of living to my age; fome of you may be called to appear before God before me, although I expect to die every moment; and if you die in your fins, you muft depart from God, the fountain of all happiness, and go to a place of torment and mifery for ever and ever.

To his fifter he faid, "O that I could perfuade thee to prepare to meet thy God. Get religion; that will make thee happy. The world will call thee a Methodist, but that will not hurt thee. Be thou a follower of the holy Jefus, and thou wilt find that one hour's enjoyment of the love of God fhed abroad in thy heart, will be a fufficient reward for all the reproach thou shalt endure from thy finful acquaintance. O confider the worth of thy precious foul, it coft no lefs a ranfom than the blood and life of the Son of God to redeem it; and that blood shall wash thy foul from every fin, if thou only come to God." Then he spoke to them all, faying, "I charge you all with my dying voice, to repent and turn to the Lord in your youth: What do you fay ? Will you promise me you will? Begin now, put this off no longer, be not fo foolish as I have been. This night repent; yea, this hour; for we know not what an hour may bring forth. You may not have the opportunity that I have had to repent upon a death-bed. Few have been dealt with fo gracioufly as I have been. Though I have had a lingering ficknefs for more than a year, yet fo foolish was I, that I hoped to recover, and put the thoughts of death away from me, till just dropping into hell, and am now a

brand

brand plucked out of the fire. Oh help me to praise the Lord, for he hath done great things for me. Now, my dear brothers and fifter, will you comply with my dying charge? What fay you? Will you prepare for death, that you may meet me in heaven?" They all confented, and said, it would be far better for them, and hoped they fhould all meet in heaven. This filled his heart with fuch rapture, that he was conftrained to fhout for joy. "Now, faid he, let me go freely; I want to be gone; the thought of death is delightful; I know that my Redeemer liveth: he is able and willing to blefs you all, if you come unto him."

To his coufins he faid, "Repent, and be not fo foolish as I have been what excufe can you make, if death fhould call you away before you have made your peace with God? The gofpel has been preached by his fervants in your father's houfe, ever fince you were born; you have heard it, and have had a good example fet before you, and good advice given you, so that you cannot plead ignorance in the leaft degree. O what opportunities have you had; methinks, had I been fo bleffed, I fhould have turned to God long ago; but the Lord has had mercy upon me; he ftopped me in my courfe of fin by afflicting my body: This would not do, until yesterday I faw myself dying and going to hell. I cannot tell you the diftrefs I was then in; my body racked with pain, and the terrors of the Lord upon me; in my diftrefs I fought the Lord with all my heart, and he was found of me; and now I cannot exprefs the happiness I feel. Jefus is my Saviour. I never knew what happiness was till now. What do you fay? Will you promife me to feek the Lord now, in your youth?" They all confented, acknowledging that his advice was good, and hoped they fhould remember it.

At the hour appointed for giving him medicine, he faid, "I think it is of no use taking any more; I have no defire to live any longer, I had rather by far die that I may praise my Redeemer in a nobler ftrain, than I am capable of with this feeble body. Then all heaven will refound with praises to my dear Redeemer." I told him we had no expectation of his being restored, but that he might be eased of his pain a little. Pain, faid he, I have no pain; I am all in a flame of love. I long to be gone, that I may be with my dear Redeemer. O come Lord Jefus, and take me to thyfelf, I love to be where thou art."

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As he was looking in my face, and perceiving the concern I was under, he said, "O father, why are you fo affected? Let me go freely; you know what you have promifed ?" I told him I did, and was willing to deliver him up as freely as the nature of the cafe would admit. At his request I felt his pulfe, and informed him that it ftill continued to beat; upon which he faid, "The will of the Lord be done; but be not afraid of telling mẻ when my pulfe ceases to beat; this will be the most welcome news I ever heard." While we were fupporting him, he said, all have with me. I pray the Lord to 2 K 2 reward

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"O what trouble you

reward you all. I am very faint, Lord Jefus, fend for me.' His eyes now were fixed, a cold fweat came upon him, his pulfe frequently intermitted, he attempted to fpeak, but could not, he ceafed to breathe, and we all fuppofed him now entering into the joy of his Lord: But in a little time he breathed again, and looking around him as if furprized, cried out, "If this be death, there is no pain in dying! O death, where is thy fting?" And added, "My dear friends, why do you weep for me? I am happy, I have no pain. My foul is unfpeakably happy." An old man coming in to fee him, and asking how he did? He answered, "I am dying and going to heaven. I know God for Chrift fake has pardoned all my fins, and filled my mind with fuch joy and happiness as paffes all understanding" and then added, "O prepare for death: death to the finner is a king of terrors! I know this by experience." He then repeated the particulars of the Lord's dealings with him; which brought tears from the old man's eyes. This night he had feveral fainting fits, but continued happy and praifing God.

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Saturday 19. He flumbered often and spoke very little. I asked how he found himself? He anfwered, Very poorly, I am not as I was, and therefore I am in doubt." I told him, these thoughts came from the enemy, who was now making his last effort; and exhorted him to pray to the Lord to deliver him from all evil. He immediately cried to the Lord to fave him from evil reafonings, and from all evil thoughts; and to fanctify him throughout. He continued wrestling with God about fifteen minutes, and then on a fudden cried out with inexpreffible tranfport, "O lovely Jefus! thou art come. I am now happier than ever; my cup now runs over now I can truly fay, I love the Lord with all my heart. O bleffed Jefus I do give thee my whole heart I am now willing to fuffer for thy fake, only ftand by me, fupport and comfort me. Now my dear father and mother, dry up your tears, and let me go freely. The Lord has done much for me; he faved me from many dangers, fpared me when a rebel against him, brought me home that I might die under your roof, pardoned all my fins, fhed his love abroad in my heart: O who has fuch reafon to praise God as I have? I would not now, were it poffible, change my ftate with the greateft monarch upon earth. No happiness can be compared to the happinefs I now feel; and you know, it hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive the happinefs God hath prepared for them who love him."

Upon his afking, If I thought we fhould know each other in heaven? I affured him, I had no doubt of it; we fhould certainly know all the ancient worthies, and join them in finging the fong of Mofes and the Lamb. O, faid he, that is good news indeed; it heightens my happiness here while I think of it. Well, my dear father, let us march on; I now want to speak about nothing but heaven and the happiness we fhall enjoy there. O that we all may meet there to part no more. There needs not a hoof be left be

hind: The blood of Chrift is fufficient for you all." A relation coming to fee him, he earnestly intreated her to turn to the Lord: adding, "I know what it is to die in our fins; though I did not really die, yet I knew no other but that I was juft dropping into Hell; the pain of body and a wounded confcience which I felt, gave me a taste and an earnest of the bitter pains of eternal Death: and yesterday, I thought, I was entering heaven; but the Lord ftrengthened this dying body, and has enabled me once more to speak to my dear friends." He continued exhorting those who came to fee him from morning to night, fo that his little ftrength was well nigh exhaufted; he breathed with difficulty, and at laft fainted and remained speechlefs for fome time. When one faying, He is dying, he fmiled again and again, and was heard to fay, It is fweet; it is fweet." Recovering his fpeech, he cried out, "O praise the Lord, for he hath done all things well." He continued all night in this happy frame, often repeating, "It is sweet; it is fweet."

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Next day being Sunday, many friends came to see him, and he was ftrengthened in a wonderful manner both in body and mind, to warn the carelefs, encourage the mourners, and teftify to the children of God, the great things he had done for his foul, in a còmpaffionate and affectionate manner. After being refreshed a little, he broke out in a rapture of joy, and faid, "O bleffed Jefus, thou art altogether lovely, and the chief among ten thousand: Every thing is too mean to be compared to thee."

On Monday morning at one o'clock I was called up, he had just fainted, but was reviving again. I said, Thou has now got another ftruggle over. He anfwered, "I have no pain; I am all in a flame of love; I have got this night fweetly over; and when I think that the few hours the Lord is pleased to continue me in the body, will not shorten my eternity of blifs, it fills my mind with inexpressable joy and felicity." He added, "Thou haft my heart, thou lovely Jefus; and had I ten thousand, thou art worthy of them all. I am willing to die ten thoufand deaths, or to fuffer any thing for him who has done fo much for me. O that I could but fing his praife. Well, though I cannot do it here, I fhall, by and by, join the heavenly choir and with them fing of his redeeming love to all Eternity." At five o'clock in the morning, he faid, "By to morrow at this time I fhall be in Heaven. I have been failing on the eaftern and western ocean, and I always promifed myself happiness at the place of our destination, and was always disappointed of my expectation; but now I am making a voyage to the Land of Canaan the New Jerufalem above, and fhall enter the defired port in the course of a few days, and am fure of happiness; there all labour, pain, and forrow, fhall be done away for ever. O glorious profpect! My foul would now mount up and enter into the promised Land. Well, a few more hours, and my happy fpirit fhall leave this feeble body, and find it a glorious body at the laft day. Come, my dear father, double your diligence, loiter no longer, prefs forward; you fee

what the Lord can do in a little time; and your time, by the course of years, cannot be long; hold out to the end, and we fhall meet in heaven; it will heighten my happiness to welcome you all there."

In the courfe of this day, a neighbour came to fee him who had fome time been afflicted with a lingering illness, and who is now in Eternity, to whom he spoke in a very earnest manner, as one that longed for his falvation; he warned him of his danger, and exhorted him to flee from the wrath to come; and then added, "Death to me is the most welcome meffenger. I feel I can love the Lord with all my heart, and I long to be with him whom my foul loveth." In fpeaking of the goodnel's of God, he spent most part of the night, and when the clock ftruck twelve, he said, “This has been the happieft.night I ever had now the bleffed morning is come in which I fhall go to my bleffed Jefus: He hath done all things well; O praife him." When his fpeech failed, he fmiled and looked upwards; then he looked at me, and again he turned his eyes upwards, and took hold of my hand, as if he would point me to fome object. He endeavoured to speak, but could only say, "Father, fee! fee!" and fuddenly his face fhined as if a divine ray of heavenly light refted upon him, which continued for fix or feven minutes, he then began to speak and faid, "Father, I have been in heaven; I have been in heaven; I have seen my Jesus; and all happy fouls." As his mouth feemed dry, I offered him a little wine and water, but he turned his head afide and faid, No, no, father, I thank you for all your kindness, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine below; I only want to see my uncle." His uncle being come, he said to him, "I have been in heaven, and all is well; it is finished! I can speak no more." He repeatedly fmiled; and while his uncle was praying the Lord to fend a convoy of Angels to carry his foul to Abraham's Bofom, his happy fpirit took its flight, on Tuesday morning at 4 o'clock, May 22, 1793. At his request, Mr. Hopkins preached a funeral Sermon from Mark vii. 37. "He hath done all things well;" which words he often repeated with great fatisfaction during his affliction. The congregation was large, and I truft few were unaffected. I pray that my laft end may be like his. JOHN SINCLAIR.

Fryup-Dale, July 12, 1793.

Mr. FLETCHER'S LETTERS.

To the Hon. Mrs. C.

My very dear Friend,

YOUR favour

Cross Hall, Yorkshire, Dec. 26, 1781.

of the 4th inftant did not reach me until a considerable time after date, through my being still absent from Madeley; a clergyman of this neighbourhood having made an exchange with me, to facilitate my fettling fome affairs of a tempo

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