This was one principal reafon for my leaving Scotland when I did, and defiring to be ftationed in the Leeds circuit; hoping that my advice would have fome confiderable weight with her, as I well knew that I had always a greater influence over her than any other perfon. I took the firft opportunity that offered, though with unfpeakable grief of mind, to fpeak plainly, yet affectionately to her, about this dreadful evil. She acknowledged her guilt, and I believe was never overcome from that time. But how did my heart bleed to fee my own fifter who had fo many years walked with God, come to me like a guilty criminal (though I had faid nothing to her upon that head) before the claffes met, to know if I would give her a ticket, if she came along with the fociety.

Some time after this fhe had a remarkable dream, which was made a great bleffing to her. There are doubtlefs divine dreams even now; and I believe this was one, for it was attended with a divine bleffing. She thought (in her dream) that she went to her fon Henry's houfe, which was at a fmall distance from her own. When there, fuppofing that he had no particular business at the houfe, fhe attempted to return home again; but to her great furprize there appeared a very broad, deep river between her and her own houfe. Upon looking over the river, fhe faw her husband (who died happy in the love of God about two years before) standing on the other fide. He beckoned to her, and faid, "Sally, come hither." She replied, "I cannot come; there is a great river between us. He called her a second time, and fhe made him the fame answer." He then faid, "Sally, thou must come hither." She then plunged into the river, which was exceeding deep on that fide, and as clear as crystal, but was fhallow as fhe went forwards to the other fide, so that she got fafe over. She confidered' this dream as a certain prefage of death, and a folemn warning from God to prepare for that important change. From that hour her mind was deeply impreffed with eternal things, and I believe her dream was feldom out of her thoughts. She began to feek the Lord and his healing grace, and never rested till the found that heavenly treafure.

1

On Good Friday that year, two very aged and infirm but pious› perfons, earnestly defired me to give them the Lord's Supper, being unable, and not very willing to go to the church. Accordingly I gave them the facred fymbols of our Lord's body and blood, along! with a few felect friends in my brother's parlour. The great mafter of the feaft was graciously prefent, and revealed himself to my poor backfliding fifter. From that time, the change wrought in her mind was evident. No one who confiders this, need wonder that I fo highly esteem the facrament.

On Eafter Sunday in the morning, that truly upright servant of God, Mr. Watson Wild, preached at Thorner. An uncommon bleffing attended the word, and my fifter fhared largely in the gra cious fhower which the Lord fent upon the whole congregation. Next day upon a preffing invitation which we had given her to

2 R 2

come

come to fee us at Leeds, there being a general Love-feaft, fhe confented, and had juft got on horfe-back behind her fon. But before fhe was properly feated, the horse (though he had never been known to do the like before) began to kick up, and the was vio lently thrown to the ground. She pitched upon her forehead and breaft-bone. Her forehead was dreadfully cut, and all the upper part of her head was quite fcalped. But what was abundantly worse, oppofire to the upper part of her breast, the spinal mar. row was bruifed. From that hour she had neither motion nor fenfation from that part of her body downward. She remained as dead, for fome time; and it was a confiderable time before fhe could be made fenfible of what had befallen her. But when the did come to herself, what she suffered in her head and the upper part of her body, is not to be conceived. I faw her the next day, and was not a little affected, to fee her in that mangled condition. As foon as I was able I endeavoured to pray with her: Such a deep sense of the presence of God and freedom of mind in prayer, with power to plead and wreftle with the Lord, and fuch an unfhaken confidence that he would anfwer for himself, I think, I never found in all my life, except when praying for his Majefty when under his late affliction. When we arofe from prayer, I asked her the ftate of her mind? She anfwered, "That her body and mind feemed both alike, rendered by her dreadful fall, infenfible." This did not shake my confidence at all; I was certain the Lord would fave her. She continued in this stupid ftate for feveral days, till one day my brother was praying with her, and the Lord fully manifefted himself unto her: from that hour her evidence for heaven was quite clear. She lived near a fortnight from the time fhe fell, and hore her heavy affliction with exemplary patience, manifefting a Chriftian spirit and temper in every refpect. She had not the leaft expectation of a recovery, nor any defire of that kind; but quietly waited till the Lord fhould fee it good to fign her kind release.

She died on the Sunday morning, and a few Chriftian friends being prefent just before the fell asleep, fhe faid, "Now the peace of God which paffeth all understanding be everlaftingly with you all" and then looking towards the bed's feet, faid, "Harry, ftay a little while, and I will go with thee," and died. It was thought by fome, that as the had dreamed, the now faw her husband's happy fpirit coming to conduct her to the city of God. Whether

it was fo or not, it appears to me not a little probable, that our kind and gracious God may permit the dearest Chriftian friend we had upon earth, who departed before us, to be present in our dying moments, and to conduct us to the regions of everlasting reft.

I have often thought, that my now happy fifter had finned the -fin unto death; and am perfuaded, that if she had not fo deeply difhonoured God, he never would have fuffered that dreadful mis fortune to have befallen her. It is astonishing how the preachers

and

and people bore with her. I never heard that any one ever thought of putting her out of the Society, till the herself began to fear that I would do it. I do not fay that this was right; the certainly deserved it. But I believe they all felt tender pity and compaffion towards her, well knowing what an example of neatnefs in her own perfon, and in her houfe, and how remarkably prudent she had always been.

Some, perhaps, will fay, How could you fo dreadfully expofe your fifter, as to publifh this account? I answer, I exceedingly loved my fifter, and her character while living, was with me facred. But, alas! She expofed herfelf. Were it not fo, the honour of God and the good of his caufe, is beyond every thing upon earth to me; fo that if one fingle foul is led to take warning by the above narrative, my fifter herself, when she comes to know it, will rejoice with me on that account. I know that too many are in extreme danger of falling into the fame fnare, with my poor fifter, and the confideration of this, would not fuffer me to reft till the above account was made public. I fear that the practice of self-denial is at a very low ebb indeed among us; and few, remarkably few, pay any regard to it. Nevertheless we

must allow that the Apoftle was in the right when he said, "If ye mortify the deeds of the body, ye fhall live." And, "They that are Chrift's, have crucified the flesh with its affections and defires." He also speaks of fome, with the deepeft concern, "Whofe God was their belly." And another Apoftle fpeaks of profeffors, "Who fed themselves without fear." We alfo are in danger from every quarter: May the good Lord enable us all to watch and be fober, fo that the enemy may gain no advantage

over. us.

Let the aged and faithful watchmen in our Ifrael arise, and folemnly warn the people of their extreme danger before it be too late: For how many conform themselves to the world in every respect, fo that we can fee no difference between them and others.

May the Lord pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon us, and make us all veffels unto honour, fitted for the fervice of the Sance tuary above. So prays, your affectionate Brother,

MAN

J. PAWSON.

LETTERS between two JEWS in Holland.

JOSEPH DE L. to ISRAEL C.

Amfterdam, June 29, 1784.

"ANY thanks for your kind entertainment and tender sympathy. Often I was about to unbofom myfelf to you, when during my late vifit, you again and again enquired the cause of my depreffion. I now venture it. Have pity on me, and examine what is truth, before you injure yourfelf and me.

One

One day I overheard your worthy gardener, WILLIAM, tel another Chriftian fervant, that the fermon had been that morn ing on thefe words, "Ye have killed the Prince of Life." Fears what would become of me, if that was true, fo agitated me the whole night, that after a fhort, and suddenly interrupted sleep, I arofe early to walk in your garden. There I foon met WILLIAM, who, with honeft and undiffembled goodness, afked me, "What vexes you? Often when you imagined you was not feen, I "have obferved you in the garden fighing, wringing your hands, and lifting up your eyes to heaven. Are you unhappy?" "As wretched as poffible." "How, Sir? You are a man of fortune, and being unmarried have no family diftrefs." "Yes; but I am a Jew! "Well, you are not at all the worse on that account. Thousands of your nation live merrily." "if it is true, what your Minifter preached yesterday," liam, leaping back fome paces, asked, full of surprize, "How "know you what my Minifter preached?" "I heard you

66

"But,

Wil

tell it yesterday to John." "Well, but (with the fame "breath)" Peter told his countrymen, "Now, brethren, I know that through ignorance ye did it." "Be it fo, dear Wil"liam. But I, who fee ftronger proofs of your religion around me, and even in my own wandering and depreffed nation, am lefs excufable." "Yet the Prince of Life prayed for his "murderers, and commanded that to them firft remiffion of fins "fhould be preached. You are of the nation beloved for the Father's fake." He would have faid more, when, feeing you, he broke off, and whispered in my ear, "My Jefus loves 5.66 even his murderers." Soon after as I was ftepping into a fkute, I ftumbled, and probably fhould have been drowned, had not the Minifter of the village, (whom, I had the day before, against my confcience, joined you in ridiculing,) caught hold of me with his hand. Honeft man, faid I, what virtue is this, to rescue from death one of a nation, which killed your Prince of Life? He kindly replied, "" My Mafter loves even his mur"derers." I cannot exprefs what I felt when I heard these words repeated, and what anxiety has filled my mind ever fince.

I

འ

ISRAEL C. to JOSEPH DE L.

Mearfan, July 6, 1784.

Am happy you have difcovered your fanaticifm to me, and to no other. Leave it to the learned to difcufs, whether the religion of Mofes, or of Jefus, or Mahomet is the best; and may have money, and wine, and pleasure, I laugh at our Rabbies' curfing thofe who would turn Chriftians. I lately had a letter from my nephew, Samuel C. at London, with Priestley's Inftitutes, and Hiftory of the Corruptions of Chriftianity. man exprefsly fays, that the idolatry of Chriftians began with deifying Jefus. Jefus was once in high credit; the stocks are now falling. If they fall a little lower, the infidels, in a few

The

years,

years, fhall canonize Caiaphas for condemning him as a blafpheiner and impoftor. This evening I drink your health and Dr. Priestley's in good champaigne.

РЕВН

JOSEPH DE L. to ISRAEL C.

Rotterdam, July 20, 1784.

ERHAPS my thoughts of religion are too gloomy; but I fear. your's are rash rather than confiderate. Will God excuse our leaving religion to the learned? Is it of fmall importance whether Mofes and Jefus were impoftors or ambaffadors of heaven? If the last, is he in no danger who rejects either or both? I have long known that Chriftians think differently about Jefus, and therefore Priestley's books furprise me not. The dignity of Chrift, however, is as little affected by this, as Mofes' character was by the rebellion of Korah. The lawful authority of a king ceaseth not when some of his fubjects difpute it, or take up arms against it. Men's maintaining or denying that Jefus was fent of God, or was the Son of God, prove nothing either way; yet from carefully reading the New Teftament, which I tell you, in confidence, I have done, I wonder that any, who would be accounted candid, should assert without blushing, that Jesus affumed no other character than that of an excellent man.

Our Law forbids giving to any creature the honour due to God alone. For tranfgreffing that law, the ten Tribes were led captive to Affyria, and Judah to Babylon. When the Jews reftored again to their own land, remembering their fevere, though just punishment, they abhorred idolatry, and cleaved to their covenant God: We cannot suppose that he would lay fnares for them, and expose them to the hazard of again worshipping a mere creature. Every word or action which feemed to approve this, would be avoided by a divine meffenger.

When the Lyftrians were about to offer facrifice to Paul and Barnabas, these difciples of Jefus remonftrated, that they were but men. But Jefus himself did not thus rebuke Thomas, when he faid, 66 My Lord, and my God;" or Peter, when he said, Lord, thou knoweft all things." His afking a young man "Why calleft thou me good? There is none good fave one, that is God; cannot be conftrued as declining divine honour: for the young man had no defign to bestow it. 1 John v. ftiles Jefus "The true God, and Eternal Life," in a plain and fimple language, and in immediate connection with a warning, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." [1 John v. 20.]

The apoftles defcribe him as the Author of Nature, John i. 1, 2, 3. Heb. i. 3. Eph. iii. 9. Col. i. 16; Where the fame elevated expreffions are used, which Paul uses with refpect to the fupreme God, Rom. xi. 36. They reprefent him as before all things, Col. i. 17; as ómniscient, John ii. 25; as afferting his own omniprefence, Mat. xviii. 20, and xxviii. 20. Yea, they fcruple not to call him GOD, GOD over all blessed for ever, Rom.