much afhamed; thinking no one, befides herself, was ever fo weak as to weep at the finging of an hymn. Mr. Hook was at this time the preacher at the Tabernacle, whofe fermon came home with great power to her heart. Yet instead of that comfort, which the wifhed for, and expected, the faw, and believed herfelf to be, the moft vile and contemptible finner upon earth; apprehending, that every body might read her fins in her countenance, and that they would not fuffer her to come there any more; yea, fhe expected every moment that fome one would be fent to turn her out. Soon after, the writer of this had an opportunity of visiting her at her own house, and found her in the greateft agonies of foul; nor could fhe for feveral weeks receive a gleam of comfort, though my colleague or myfelf vifited her almost every day. In the midst of her diftrefs a temptation was fuggefted to her mind, "You are fure of damnation, and as well now as later: You cannot be much worfe; hell itfelf would be a refuge for fuch a wretch as you are." Upon this she took the refolution, "I will go once more to Tabernacle; and, if not better, I am determined to drown myself in the river." Fully fettled in this horrid refolution, fhe Mr. Hook foon after appeared in the pulpit, and gave out a hymn, the first verse of which is as follows: went. "Jefus, lover of my foul, O, receive my foul at laft!" 66 She immediately conceived that fome one had informed the minifter of her fituation, and that he had made this hymn. for her fake. It pleafed God to lead her thoughts thus to contemplate the fubject of the hymn, as fuited to her own particular cafe, Truly I am in the ftorm and tempeft; much do I need a haven of reft; who knows but that I at last bad as I am, may find Jefus a Saviour?" It was at this time fhe first found comfort. So powerfully were the words of the hymn impreffed, and fo completely did they occupy her mind, that the neither remembered the text nor the fermon. She now abandoned the thoughts of felf-murder, and continued under the miniftry, growing up gradually into the fpirit and comfort of the Gofpel, till the became one of the most humble, broken-hearted, fpiritual, and practical Chrif tians I ever had the pleasure of knowing. All this fummer the continued very weak in body, tender in her confcience, and felt the symptoms of a diffolving conftitution. A rafh word or finful thought would diftrefs her foul for days afterwards. She never came to the Lord's table but in a flood of tears; nor till after every one elfe had received, fuppo fing herself to be utterly unworthy to be numbered with the people of God; though to all but herself she appeared ripen ing faft for a better world. After her converfion she had many fears and much unbe lief to fight against; yet upon the whole fhe could fay, "I know in whom I have believed, and am perfuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day*" In the winter 1775, fhe calmly refigned her foul into the hands of the Friend of finners, and went to join that multitude before the throne, who came out of great tribulation, and washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lambt. She was buried in the Tabernacle at Norwich, and the Rev. Mr. C. preached her fune ral fermon. The above relation contains facts well-attefted, and which can be authenticated by feveral living witneffes. attribute them to what cause they pleafe, the facts are cer tain: Her life was changed, her foul was bleffed, and her death was happy. Thofe who are of faith will not hesitate a moment to attribute all these effects to the fovereignty of dis vine grace. With such inftances before our eyes, how pertinent and forcible are the words of the prophet, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God; and there is none else‡." Death of a poor young Woman. IN January laft died, in the neighborhood of High Wycombe, Bucks, young woman of the name of Walker. She was only one-and-twenty years of age, and appeared to be a furprifing monument of faving grace. Addicted to the love of vanity and pleasure until a few months before her deceafe, like the youth whom Solomon defcribes, the might be faid to walk in the ways of her heart, and in the fight of her eyes. During the period of her natural state, she was fometimes the fubject of tharp convictions, but the wound 2 Tim. ii. 12. VOL. I. † Rev. vii. 14. ‡ Ist. xiv. 22. they occafioned was foon clofed, and fhe returned to the fame heedlefs courfe as before. The diforder which terminated her life, was the fanctified mean of bringing her to a due fight and fenfe of her state. It was not, however, until her complaint which was of the confumptive kind, had advanced-far, and committed confiderable ravages on the animal frame, that she could difcern mercy as well as judg ment in her affliction. It pleafed God to open the heart of her brother-in-law to allow her, in poor and deftitute circumftances, to come to his houfe. But for him as an inftrument, as she repeatedly and gratefully obferved, her body and foul together had been loft. He took frequent opportunities of talking with her about the concerns of her foul, and of praying with her; which, together with her declining ftate of health, were bleffed to the awakening of her confcience, after a manner, and to a degree she never had experienced before. She was for feveral weeks vifibly in a ftate of great diftrefs of mind, her fins lay heavy on her confcience, and a reftlefs folicitude about an hereafter prevailed. Her kind relative endeavored, as well as he was able, to point out the finner's only refuge; he perfevered in praying for her, and strongly recommended her to go to a throne of grace, through Chrift, in her own behalf. She was enabled to follow his advice; and, though fuffered to remain awhile without the withed-for bleffing, the Lord, in his own beft time, was pleafed to reveal himself. One day in the month of December, as fhe was fitting by the fire-fide, bemoaning her wretched fituation, Christ manifefted himself to her foul as a bleeding, dying Saviour, making atonement for fin, with furprising clearness, and fweetnefs of application. She was affifted to behold him with a gazing faith, as the excellent Bunyan defcribes Christian in fight of the cross; and from that moment the loft her burden under a lively appropriating fenfe of an intereft in the great Sacrifice; her drooping fpirits were cheered; her melancholy countenance affumed a lively air, and ftrains of gratitude and praife burft from her feeble lips. After this, the was telling all who came to fee her what the Lord had done for her foul. Every one who vifited her perceived a great alteration in her: Some noticed it as an event which they could not understand; but among her religious connexions, there were on the occafion kindred fenfations to thofe of the rejoicing family at the prodigal's return and welcome home. The writer of this account numbers it among the honors, as well as pleasures of his life, to witnefs a cafe fo extraordinary; and yet fo fatisfactory. If an avowed diflike of fin, deep humility for the commiffion of it, grateful adoration of divine mercy, dependance upon an all-fufficient Saviour, and an heart-felt experience of his precioufnefs to the foul, are marks of a gracious work of the Spirit of God, he is happy to say there is reason to believe they all met in this young woman. The Spirit of God, the said, had been a great and good teacher to her. Heavenly things were the only fubjects of converfation which fuited now. At the mention of the Saviour's name her eyes would overflow with tears; fo much was her heart. affected with the falvation he had wrought for one fo unworthy. The Bible was her beloved book; her memory became the treafury of religious verfes which fhe learned, becaufe adapted to her experience; the houfe of God and public ordinances were ardently longed after, but her weakness would not admit of her enjoying them. It is not to be fuppofed that Satan, who goes about feeking whom he may devour, would leave this brand, plucked from the burning, undisturbed! At times the had fome fevere conflicts from this quarter; but, to use her own language, he looked to her Saviour, and found relief. Her pains of body, especially as her weakness increased, were very accute; her exemplary patience and refignation to the will of God triumphed over the fharpeft of them. Sometimes her language was-" I am in a great deal of pain, but very comfortable." At others "What are all my fufferings, comparing with what I deferve, and what my dear Lord endured! What a merciful God; what a great mercy it is to me that I have been fo afflicted!" After recovering one day from fainting, when she was thought to be dying, and her friends were for fending to fome neighbors to be prefent at the time, fhe faid- Once I fhould have been for having all I could get about me in the profpect of death, but it is otherwife now." In this compofed and ferene state fhe passed through the valley of death to the regions of glory. "Great things, O thou eternal Son! Memoir of the Rev. Samuel Buncombe, late Pastor of the Independent Church of Christ, in Ottery St. Mary, Devon. EATH has once more entered the fanctuary of God, DEATH has his more against a venerable father in Ifrael. Terrible as he may appear to a certain defcription of people, multitudes have fmiled, yea, triumphed at his approach. Standing on the brink of the opening tomb, they have employed their latest breath, feeble as it was, in that fong of exultation, "O Death, where is thy fting? O Grave, where is thy victory?" There are excellencies in the Son of God, fufficient to animate the foul in the folemn moments of nature's diffolution; and the Gofpel yields confiderations well adapted to foothe our rifing fears, and calm our tumultuous fpirits. The glorious fun of righteoufnefs illuminates the darkest paths of the dreary wilderness, and sheds the blaze of noon around the steps of pious travellers. Next to the charms of the lovely Jefus, and the powerful influence of the Gospel, to vanquish death and diffipate the alarming apprehenfions of mind in the near approach of eternity, is the example of good men. When we behold our intimate friends, who laboured under the fame infirmities with ourselves, and who, during life, had to struggle with doubts and fears no lefs diftreffing than our own,-when we behold them bidding a cheerful and affectionate farewell to their dear furviving relations, and marching boldly along the gloomy path,-when we hear them finging, as they advance, "Though I walk through the valley of the fhadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy ftaff they comfort me ;"-even the most timorous Chriftian feels himself inspired with fresh courage, and is emboldened to proceed, "ftrong in the grace that is in Christ Jefus." A character whofe chief excellency was derived from the pure Gospel of Chrift, and whose triumphs were inspired and fupported by the Scripture doctrine and influence of the crofs, is the fubject of the prefent fhort memoir. May the amiable conduct of his life be affiduously imitated, and the the comforts of his death enjoyed by every reader of these pages! The Rev. Samuel Buncombe was born at Taunton, in the His parents were county of Somerfet, in the year 1734. eminent for piety, and he uniformly spoke of them with the |