I advised them to pray much, that they might not be permitted to be deceived :—and told them, I was then having the town, but hoped to fee them again before they fuffered. They expressed an earnest wish, that our friends would continue to vifit them in the mean time.

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I had not an opportunity of feeing them again, till the night before their execution; but several of our friends had attended them, and found them exceedingly happy. They informed me, that amongst other things, Samuel faid, "I was as miferable as if I had "been on hot coals, but now my prifon is turned into a palace." When I attended them in the evening they were rejoicing in the Lord; they had no doubt of the pardon of their fins, and rejoiced at the thoughts of leaving the world. They faid, "We have been much bleffed fince you faw us laft, and very much this day." 'O, faid Samuel, what a mercy it is that we ever "came to this prifon ;-it has proved a happy place to us indeed! "What a mercy it is, that God did not cut us off while we were finning against him! I never ufed to think of God: but now "I cannot bear to have him out of my mind. I used to heat the people that met together for prayer and hearing the word, but "now I love them ;-I love all the world. I find the truth "of what you told me, that when I felt the Love of Christ in my heart, the fear of death would be removed." "O how I “dreaded death, a week fince! I thought, I would not submit to "be hanged! I could not bear the thought of it ;-therefore, we "formed a plan, that when the Jailer thould come into our ward, to confine him there, and then to confine the woman, (the jailers wife,) but did not intend to hurt either of them. We "then intended to get our irous off, and fight our way through, "if we met with any oppofition. But I then did not fear GOD: "It was Satan who put it into my heart, to keep me from repenting. No fooner was our fcheme difcovered, but we began to "think about another world. O the mercy of GOD, to work "fo great a change in fo fhort a time! Our whole life, if we had to live over again, would be little enough to repent in, and yet "HE has pardoned us fo foon!" I found it a very comfortable time to myfelf; it was a feafon of refrething from the prefence of the LORD.

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April 2. Several of our friends accompanied me to the prifon, and we found the prifoners calm, refigned, and happy. They faid, We have no fear of death, and are affured of our pardon, thro' Jefus Chrift, on whofe merits our confidence is placed." John faid, a little before they came out of the ward, "My flesh trembles at death, but I feel peace within." He appeared to be more comfortable, as his end approached.

Mr. Furnefs and I rode with the prifoners in the cart. They both continued on their knees all the way, from the prifon, to the place of execution, which I fuppofe to be about a mile. They did not appear to take much notice of the crowd of people

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they paffed through; but were much engaged in prayer. Samuel, whom I chiefly attended, faid, "I feel Chrift precious to me! "This is the moft glorious day of my whole Life! - Lord Jefus my truft is in thee. O Lord, in thee have I trusted, "let me never be confounded." He frequently prayed, that poor hardened finners might be brought to repentance, by feeing them fuffer. Obferving a woman shake her head, he said, Thac dear woman does not know how happy we are, or the would not be grieved for us. This is the happiest ride I ever had." He then turned to afk his brother, if he was happy? Who answered, "Yes I long to be gone.'

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When the cart arrived at the fatal tree, I ftood upon one of the coffins and gave out feveral verfes of that Hymn, "O thou that hear'ft when finners cry;" which were fung with great folemnity. Having permiffion from the Mayor, and Sheriff, to addrefs the people, I thought it proper to improve the awful occafion, and endeavoured to explain and enforce, Rom. vi. 23, The wages of fin is death," &c. The vaft concourse of people who attended the execution, were well fituated for hearing; on each fide of me`there was a hill; and before me a large plain; and a favourable breeze carried my voice to a confiderable distance. The people behaved with great decency, and fol mnity.

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The difcourfe being finifhed, Mr. Furnefs and I joined in prayer, and took our leave of the prifoners. Samuel then addreffed the people to this effect: My friends, do not grieve for us; GOD has pardoned our fins, and we are going to heaven; but repent of fins. The leaft finner has need of repentance.' Juft before they were turned off, Samuel faid, "Lord, be merci. ful to us! Lord, lift thou upon us the Light of thy Countenance." They fubmitted to their fate, with the fame apparent chearfulness and compofure, as it they had been going to fleep. The younger brother fpoke but little; particularly in the former part of my acquaintance with them; but I hope, he alfo experienced a faving change. Many of the fpectators were much affected, and faid, "they had never feen the like before." I hope good impreffions were made on many minds; may they be lafting, and come to a good effect.

Bury St. Edmund's,

April 25, 1796.

T. BROADBENT.

Converfion and happy Death of MARY PILLING.

MARY

ARY PILLING, was born in the parish of Sharples, near: Bolton, in Lancafhire, in 1751. Her parents were honest and industrious; and they brought her up in a decent manner, according to their ability. She was of a fober, reserved difpofition, flow to anger, of a forgiving temper; always making the beft of a bad matter, or of any evil report; and was a pattern to young people, by fhewing a conftant averfion to the empty vanities of this delufive world. According to custom fhe attended the

Church,

Church, and waited on GOD in the use of the means of grace. Perhaps too much cannot be faid with regard to her moral character; fhe was a faint in the eyes of the world, and gained the efteem of most, if not all, who were intimately acquainted with her. About four years ago, the eyes of her understanding were opened, and the faw the neceffity of an inward change of heart. She was convinced that her outward religion would not justify her in the fight of a holy GOD, or fcreen her from the curfe of his perfect law. Being led by the hand of providence_to_the Methodist Chapel, fhe heard the Word with pleafure and profit. It was made light and life to her foul, and the foon felt the want of a Saviour. At her own requeft, fhe was admitted a member of our fociety, and continued itedfaft in the good way, to the time of her death. She attended her class regularly every week, unless fickness or fomething very extraordinary prevented. She was exceeding watchful over her whole conduct, especially her words, and was never heard to fpeak evil of any one. During the period between conviction and converfion, fhe did not experience thofe diftreffing fears and terrors, common to perfons in that ftate, but was gradually drawn by the cords of love. She fought the Lord about a year in good earneft, when one day, being very uneafy, fhe went into her room, and kneeling down, cried mightily to the LORD, that he would have mercy upon her, and reveal his Son in her heart. The LORD heard her fupplication, and thefe words were applied with great power, "O LORD, I will praife thee! though thou waft angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me," Ifa. xii. 1. She now found GoD's difpleasure removed, and enjoyed great peace and happiness; her heart was filled with love, and her mouth with praife; her exemplary life evinced the mighty change.

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Sometime after the had found peace with GOD, fome doubts occurred whether the work was real, and being of a diffident difpofition, the was afraid to fpeak freely to others, but it was not long before the Lord manifefted himself a second time, and cleared up her evidence for eternal Life, by applying the fame words as before. She now went on her way rejoicing, without fear and without a cloud to hide the Sun of righteoufnefs from her eyes, She was always made a bleffing to those who met with her in clafs and band; they had many good feafons. About the beginning of laft fpring, it pleafed the Lord to afflict her with a fit of ficknefs, which the endured with calm patience, and refignation, and faid, "The LORD doth all things well; his will is beft; praise GOD and the LAMB for ever." She was much bleffed in finging the praises of the LORD Jehovah, particularly while repeating thele lines, My Jefus to know, and feel his Blood flow, It is Life everlasting, it is Heaven below." She was not carried away with raptures and tranfports of joy, but rather melted into humble love and overwhelmed with the divine prefence.

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She recovered a little from her firft fit of fickness, but foon reJapfed about five weeks ago the disorder returned, which ended in Death. She ftill retained the fame unfhaken confidence as before; the Lord often visited her with tokens of his Love and Favour which enabled her to bear all afflictions without a murmuring or complaining thought; particularly in the night feafon she was favoured with fuch comfortable and reviving views of the love of Chrift and her own acceptance with God, thro' him, as made her long to be diffolved and to be with him in the Paradife above. While Mr. Rhodes was adminiftering the Lord's Supper to her, fhe was fo overpowered with a fenfe of the Lord's prefence, that fhe felt no pain of body, and it feemed as if fhe was in Heaven. Her leader afked, the night before fhe died, whether he was afraid of Death? She answered, "No, no. If the Lord will be with me in that hour, as he has been with me hitherto, I fhall be more than conqueror." In the night she was exceeding happy, and defired those who were prefent to read feveral hymns, with which he was much delighted. For about an hour before her departure fhe lay in fweet filence, and then quietly gave up her fpirit into the Hands of her gracious Redeemer, Sept. 15, 1795, in the 45th year of her age. C. HOPPER.

On the Authority for believing the Bible to be the Word of GOD: Extracted from the firft Letter of the Bishop of Landaff, to Thomas Paine.

HE firft queftion you propofe for confideration is"Whether there is fufficient authority for believing the Bible to be the Word of God, or whether there is not ?"-You determine this question in the negative, upon what you are pleased to call moral evidence. You hold it impoffible that the Bible can be the Word of God, because it is therein faid, that the Ifraelites destroyed the Canaanites by the exprefs command of God and to believe the Bible to be true, we muft, you affirm, unbelieve all our belief of the moral juftice of God; for wherein, you afk, could crying or fmiling infants offend ?-I am aftonished that fo acute a reafoner fhould attempt to disparage the Bible, by bringing forward this exploded and frequently refuted objection of Morgan, Tindal, and Bolingbroke. You profefs yourself to be a deift, and to believe that there is a God, who created the universe, and established the laws of nature, by which it is sustained in existence. You profefs that from the contemplation of the works of God, you derive a knowledge of his attributes; and you reject the Bible, because it afcribes to God things inconfiftent (as you fuppofe) with the attributes which you have difcovered to belong to him; in particular, you think it repugnant to his moral justice, that he fhould doom to deftruction VOL. XIX. October, 1796.

the

the crying or fmiling infants of the Canaanites.-Why do you not maintain it to be repugnant to his moral juftice, that he should fuffer crying or fmiling infants to be fwallowed up by an earthquake, drowned by an inundation, confumed by a fire, ftarved by a famine, or destroyed by a peftilence? The word of God is in perfect harmony with his work; crying or smiling infants are fubjected to death in both. We believe that the earth, at the exprefs command of God, opened her mouth, and swallowed up Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, with their wives, their fons, and their little ones. This you efteem fo repugnant to God's moral juflice, that you fpurn, as fpurious, the book in which the cir cumftance is related. When Catania, Lima, and Lifbon, were feverally deftroyed by earthquakes, men with their wives, their fons, and their little ones, were fwallowed up alive :—why do you not fpurn, as fpurious, the book of nature, in which this fact is certainly written, and from the perufal of which you infer the moral justice of God? You will, probably, reply, that the evils which the Canaanites fuffered from the exprefs command of God, were different from thofe which are brought on mankind by the operation of the laws of nature.---Different! in what ?--Not in the magnitude of the evil---not in the fubjects of fufferance---not in the author of it---for my philofophy, at least, inftructs me to believe, that God not only primarily formed, but that he had through all ages executed, the laws of nature; and that he will through all eternity administer them, for the general happiness of his creatures, whether we can, on every occafion, difcern that end or not.

I am far from being guilty of the impiety of questioning the exiftence of the moral juftice of God, as proved either by natural or revealed religion; what I contend for is fhortly this---that you have no right, in fairness of reasoning, to urge any apparent deviation from moral juftice as an argument again ft revealed religion, because you do not urge an equally apparent deviation from it, as an argument againft natural religion: you reject the former, and admit the latter, without confidering that, as to your objection, they muft ftand or fall together.

As to the Canaanites, it is needlefs to enter into any proof of the depraved ftate of their morals: they were a wicked people in the time of Abraham, and they, even then, were devoted to deftruction by God; but their iniquity was not then full. In the time of Mofes, they were idolaters, facrificers of their own crying or fmiling infants; devourers of human flesh; addicted to unnatural luft; immerfed in the filthinefs of all manner of vice. Now, I think, it will be impoffible to prove, that it was a proceeding contrary to God's moral juftice, to exterminate fo wicked a people. He made the Ifraelites the executors of his vengeance; and, in doing this, he gave fuch an evident and terrible proof of his abomination of vice, as could not fail to ftrike the furround. ing nations with aftonishment and terror, and to imprefs on the