pleafure; but acknowledged that he had a higher object in view, than the refloration of his property. As they continued their difcourfe, the highwayman took the money out of his pocket, and tendered that alfo to the Doctor, faying, "that his confcience would not permit him to keep it." But the Doctor abfolutely declined receiving it, begging him not to confider it as forced from him, but as the gift of benevolence to a neceffitous man. At this inftance of generofity, he appeared additionally affected. Coming nearer to Cambridge, the robber told him, "he was under a neceffity of leaving him," and on parting wept confi derably, faying," he hoped he fhould attend to his advice." He then took a cross road, on the fkirts of the town. But having previoufly committed other robberies in the neighbourhood, was almost immediately identified and feized. The Doctor leisurely continued his ride, and on his arrival at Cambridge, was greatly furprifed to meet him in the ftreet, in the cuftody of the perfons who apprehended him. On his commitment to the caftle, he fent for his fpiritual monitor, who found him in very great diftrefs. During his confinement, both before and after trial, he made him repeated vifits, which were rendered eminently useful and at his execution, he had every reafon to believe, he died a real convert. I MEDITATIONS UPON THE RAVAGES OF WINTER. HEAR the winds and the tempefts roar. My blood is almoft frozen in my veins. The darkness of the day, its light almost extinguished, and a difpofition in myself to terror and fright, all concur to make this tumult and diforder in nature appear the more dreadful. How often has the wind blown down cottages and even palaces, deftroying in a moment the labour of years. How often has it plunged into the abyfs, fhips, and the unhappy beings who hazarded their lives on fuch frail foundations! How often has it torn up by the roots the ftately oak! But thou, O God! art the Creator and Ruler of all things. The tempeft and the northern bluft are the meffengers, the heralds of thy power, and the ministers of thy will. They ought to lead us to adore and to fear thee. If thou didst not fet bounds to their deftructive power, they would, every where, and at all times, occafion the fame mifchief; and yet we behold the poor cottage, which nothing fhelters from their fury, fill flanding. Thanks to divine goodnefs, which rebukes the winds and the fea. Thanks to that wisdom which as ordained all for the beft. In the mean time, it may be afked, why the mischief which storms and tempefts occafion fhould be permitted, if the world and all the events of it are the work of infinite wisdom? Can perfect wifdom produce any thing but order ? perfect goodnefs any thing that is bad? Or is it thus that frail humanity may reafon? But what is man, that he dare difpute with God? Shall the the creature fay to his Creator, Why haft thou made me thus? And, because we cannot comprehend the works of God, does it therefore follow that they are destructive? In order to judge of them, and of the purposes for which they were defigned, we should equal him in knowledge and wifdom. It is even a miracle that we are able to perceive part of the order which God has established, or to take in any of this wife and extensive plan; and, confidering our want of understanding, that things do not appear ftill more confufedly to us. Alas! all would be diforder and confufion; there would be neither order, harmony, or happiness in the universe, if there did not exist a BEING, whole wisdom, goodness, and power, furpafs all our conceptions; who created the world and all things in it. The general plan and common course of Providence, tend to the welfare of all created Beings, whatever particular incidents may feem to contradict this defign. This visible world is a work fo wonderful and divine, as none could have conceived or executed but an omnifcient, almighty, and perfect BEING. The farther we advance in the refearches of nature's works, the more clearly we diftinguish the wisdom and goodnefs which governs the whole. From thefe principles, we Thall judge very differently from what we should otherwife do, in refpect to the complaints we make of winter. Even the forms, the fnow, and the hail, all that appears, at this feafon, fo difagreeable to us, is linked with the everlasting order of things. There is reafon in all; the feafon is allotted for every thing: and, by means of these revolutions, divine wifdom keeps up harmony throughout the immenfe univerfe. The wind, which frightens the mariner at fea, drives the vapours, falts, and other matters, from one country to another, which refresh the earth, and reftore fertility to the tubble fields exhaufted by the harveft. Thus the winter, which appears to deftroy, gives ftrength to our fallow ground for new harvests. At prefent, the ground, the garden, and feeds reft, buried under ice and fnow; the inhabitants of the forefts howl more hideously; the wild beafts are preffed with hunger; the whole world appears dead. But God preferves it, under this appearance of death; he watches over fainting nature. What miracles he performs in the midft of the frightful fcenes of winter! The earth no longer produces any thing; but his hand, which is never closed, procures us bread and water, and calls to exiftence things which are not yet in being. We learn from the experience of all ages, that the ground in our island, could not have a better covering than fnow, in the depth of winter; though it appears cold to us in itfelf, yet it fhelters the earth from freezing winds, and maintains the warmth necellary for the prefervation of feeds. Thus, even at this feafon, God prepares what is neceffary for the Beings he has created, and provides before-hand for our food, and that of an infinite number of animals. Let us then admire the care of divine Providence. Behold, how in the fevereft feafon, he is attentive to our welfare; and and how, (without any labour of ours,) he filently prepares for us all the treasures of nature! With fuch ftriking proofs of his beneficence and paternal care, how cruel we are to ourselves, when we indulge defponding fears, and fuffer our minds to be filled with diftruft and murmuring complaints. What appears to us ufeless or hurtful, contributes in the end to our happiness; and, when we think that the Almighty does not intereft himself in our welfare, he is then forming plans which will work for our deliverance from numerous evils, and afford us fuch bleffings, as we did not dare to hope for. The fnow is not only defigned by Providence to protect the earth from the effects of deftructive winds, but likewife promotes the fertility of the foil: This may remind us of the emblem under which God reprefents the efficacy of his Word. "As the rain cometh down, and the fnow, from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give feed to the fower, and bread to the eater: So fhall my Word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it fhall not return unto me void, but it fhall accomplish that which I please, and it fhall profper in the thing whereto I sent it, Ifaiah lv. 10, 11. This prediction is accomplishing in our days in a remarkable manner: Many run to and fro, and knowledge is increased. Not only a part of the Gofpel of Jefus Chrift is faithfully preached, but the whole Gofpel is proclaimed to multitudes of attentive hearers, in most parts of these kingdoms; and many thousands receive the Truth in the Love thereof, to the converting of their fouls from darkness to light,-from the power of Satan unto God; and they receive not only the forgiveness of fins, but fome of them have refolution to prefs into the inheritance prepared for the fanctified, through faith in Chrift Jefus. May divine Grace prepare our hearts for receiving and retaining the Word of Life; and may it never be choked by the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, or the defire of other things; but may we bring forth fruit, not only thirty-fold, but even fixty, and an hundred-fold. IT A fhort Account of JAMES BERWICK, of Bolton. T was his happiness to have parents who loved and feared God, and who were and still are in the Society in Bolton. It might be owing to the inftruction and prayers of his parents that he had a degree of the fear of God from his infancy. But a Sunday School being fet up in Bolton in the Methodist Chapel, he attended there when he was between feven and eight years of age, and foon after his coming to this fchool, a larger degree of the fear of God took poffeffion of his mind, fo as to awaken him to greater diligence in every duty, and to be very exact in Truth and Juftice, and he therefore laboured to have a confcience void of offence towards God and man. He began to love prayer-meetings, and, notwithstanding notwithstanding his youth, he was frequent in vifiting sick-beds; which, indeed are excellent fchools for young perfons. In the fpring 1793, his ftrength began to decline; and in the month of June, his cough greatly increafed. One morning while he was thinking of taking an emetic to relieve his cough, this fentence was ftrongly impreffed upon his mind, "Thou must die." He immediately began to cry to the Lord with all his might. He told his father, he believed he muft die, and was not ready. He now defired his father to pray with him, and at prayer he found fome comfort, but his cry for Salvation continued nine days. On the 9th in the evening, Mr. Emmet vifited him, and at prayer the Lord delivered him from all his guilty fears, and filled him with peace and joy. Next Sunday, he got to the Chapel, and heard a fermon on Sanctification; there he found himfelf much wanting; he was not pure in heart. He read Mr. Wesley's Sermons on the fubje&t, and likewife Mr. Benfon's, and hoped to obtain the mercy he fought for. He retained a clear remembrance of the fubftantial parts of thofe fermons; and his peace and hope increased, as his defires for holinefs increased. Auguft 7th, in the morning, when at prayer by himself, the Lord affured him that he would end all his doubts and fears that day. He defired to go to bed a little fooner that evening, and as he was going to bed he faid, "Now the Lord hath fulfilled his word of promife; all my doubts and fears are gone for ever; " and I think I fhall never go down these stairs any more." He lived four weeks after this, during which time many came to fee him, and he always gave them a word of exhortation fuited to their ftate; and many comfortable manifestations his own soul enjoyed and that daily. On Tuesday August 13th, at two o'clock in the morning, he called to his father to help him up, which was done with fome, difficulty, on account of his weakness and want of breath; but by railing him up a little, and the window being opened, he recovered, and faid, Ó, how fweet is Jefus! O how fweet is dying!" Yet a kind of reafoning paffed through his mind to this effect, " But how will it be with you in the real dying hour? How wilt thou then hold out? I was fent for to vifit him, and it happened to be in one of thefe reafoning hours; I directed him to the remedy which never fails, if properly used, and that was to remember what Jefus had done and fuffered for him upon the crofs, and what his divine Advocate was now doing at his Father's righthand. The exhortation took place immediately, and gratitude made him weep for joy, and the impreffion continued, I believe till his happy fpirit departed: Indeed I fcarce ever remember fo angelical a countenance, fo heavenly and lovely, though in the ruins of mortality. Sept. 5. He had a powerful manifeftation of things not feen, and of God's love to his foul. At the beginning of his last night, VOL. XIX. Jan. 1795. E though 66 ture comes. though he found pains and weakness, he said, "This will be my happiest night; I am waiting patiently till my change or deparLate in the night he called his father, defiring him to fing an hymn; accordingly he gave out that hymn, My GOD the fpring of all my joys, 66 The life of my delights, The glory of my brightest days, 46 "Now They both fung together the greatest part of the hymn. "father," faid he, once more pray with me;" and when prayer was over, he faid, " Now, if you will turn me over on the other fide, I may rest awhile, and you need fleep." He refted till the morning, and then took a little breakfaft, but lefs than ufual, and faid, “I may take a little more after awhile;" however, it was his laft, he took no more, but peacefully gave up his fpirit into the hands of his faithful Creator, September 6, 1793, aged 15 years, 10 months. Notwithstanding his youth, he was very useful as a teacher in the Sunday School, and also in prayer-meetings, and when he met his clafs. The Sunday School, which is kept in the Methodist chapel at Bolton, is perhaps the beft in England. Above eleven hundred fcholars are inftructed in learning and religion every Lord's-Day; and many of the scholars are now under very serious impreffions. BOLTON, Sept. 20, 1795. THOMAS TAYLOR, Extract of Mr. BRUCE's Journey from MASUAH to [Continued from Vol. XVIII. page 610.] JANUARY ANUARY 27, 1770, we paffed among ruined villages, the monuments of Ras Michael's cruelty or juftice; for it is hard to fay whether the cruelty, robberies, and violence of the former inhabitants did not deferve the feverest chastisement. We faw many people feeding cattle on the plain, and we again opened a market for flour and other provifions, which we procured in barter for cohol, incenfe, and beads. They were of a lighter colour, and taller than thofe at Kella. Their nofes feemed flatter than thofe of the Abyffinians we had yet feen. Perhaps the climate here was beginning that feature fo confpicuous in the negroes in general, and particularly of thofe called Shangalla, from whofe country these people are not diftant above two days journey. The 29th, we continued our journey through thick woods of fmall trees, quite overgrown, and covered with wild oats, reeds, and long grafs, fo that it was very difficult to find a path through them. Hauza was fix miles fouth, pleasantly fituated among a variety of mountains, all of different and extraordinary fhapes; fome are Atraight |
