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The sick room.

night came on, the howl of the wolf was heard; but no friendly and kind-hearted neighbours entered our dwelling to watch by the bedside of the sick.

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"The fatigue occasioned by continual watching, and the anguish with which my mother's heart was wrung, in following her husband and three of her children, within so short a period, to the grave, brought on a fever. From the commencement of her illness, she had a strong presentiment that she should never rise from that sick bed. Several of the ties that once bound her to the earth were now broken. One half of her children were gone. The partner of her toils and hopes was sleeping in the earth. In all these dispensations she recognised the hand of God. She did not repine. The same fever which cut down my father was now burning through her veins. She thought she should die. One evening she called us all around her bed, and told us so. 'And now,' said she, my children, remember this hour. See me here all weakness-all pain. Of what avail to me now would be all the honours, and pleasures, and wealth of the world? To me they now appear lighter than the dust in the balance. There is but one object upon which my eye rests with satisfaction; and that object is Christ crucified. O, my children, if you would have the arms of everlasting mercy underneath you in such an hour as this, join yourselves by a perpetual covenant unto the Saviour of sinners; follow him through life, and he will support you in death.' She then charged me and my brother to be an example and pattern to our young orphan sister. She said, that she felt no reluctance in resigning her soul to her heavenly Father. She felt no reluctance in committing her children to the care and kindness of that God to whom she had dedicated them in baptism. She had but one earthly wish, and that was, that she might once more, before she left this clay tenement, receive the consecrated symbols of her Saviour's dying love.

"It so happened, that on that very evening, there arrived at our abode some of our old acquaintances from the place

The effort to gratify a mother's dying wish.

of my nativity. They were of course distressed by our affliction. The conversation very soon took a serious turn. I mentioned my mother's request, and lamented that we were so far removed from any clergyman. Our friends then told us that in the town of M, where they stayed two nights before, they met some of their old friends who had taken up their residence in that town a number of years previous. Among the other intelligence that they had to communicate to them was, that a missionary of the Episcopal church had preached several times to them, and was designing to spend a number of weeks in that quarter; and that although they formerly had strong prejudices against that church, they began to think more favourably of it.

"No sooner had I received this information than my resolution was taken. I determined to start with the earliest dawn for M—. I sat by the bedside of my mother till the first faint streaks of light began to appear in the eastern sky. I then gently pressed her hand in mine, and told her that I was going after the man of God, and would soon return. I immediately went to the door; but, ere I closed it, I turned to gaze again upon the face of my dear mother. A death-like expression sat upon that face. I closed the door. The heavens were still hung with blackness-a sense of perfect desolateness came over me. The thought was strongly impressed upon my mind, that I should never again see my mother alive. I felt anxious to gratify the wish she had expressed; yet I could not endure the thought of her dying while I was absent. My hand was still on the door when I heard her faintly articulate my name. I hastily raised the latch, and went to her bed. My son,' said she, do not leave me until you have commended me to God in prayer.' I felt I had done wrong. My heart, however, was too full to speak. I took down the Prayer Book, and opened to the prayer 'for a sick person.' Never before did words sink so deep into my soul. It seemed to me as though this prayer had been formed on purpose for that occasion-it suited so

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The missionary.

exactly to the case, and accorded so perfectly with my feelings. No other words could have unburdened my heart. Kneeling by the bedside, I thus prayed :

"O Father of mercies, and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need, look down from heaven, we humbly beseech thee, behold, visit, and relieve this thy sick servant. Look upon her with the eyes of thy mercy; comfort her with a sense of thy goodness; preserve her from the temptations of the enemy; give her patience under her affliction; and, in thy good time, restore her to health, and enable her to lead the residue of her life in thy fear, and to thy glory; or else give her grace so to take thy visitation, that after this painful life is ended, she may dwell with thee in life everlasting, through Jesus Christ our Lord.'

"I had no sooner uttered the words of this prayer, than my mind felt relieved. My heart grew lighter. I had committed my mother into the hands of God, and I felt that she was safe.

The dis

"It required but a few minutes to get my horse in readiness, and I rode forward with a bounding heart towards M. The sun had sunk below the western horizon before I reached the place of my destination. tance I had to travel was upwards of forty miles. This, considering the country I had to pass through, was a fatiguing ride. Some part of the way, the trees were barely cut down to designate the road; and in other parts, the traveller had no other guide than the marks that had been made by an incision in the trees. The weary way was at length passed over. I found the missionary at the house of a respectable farmer. I told him my errand. The tear glistened in his eye as I briefly told him the story of our afflictions. He promptly said he would accompany me on the morrow. The farmer kindly offered me a bed, to which I soon retired; not, however, till we had kneeled around the family altar.

There

"We were on our way early the next morning. was nothing morose or repulsive in the countenance or

Qualifications for the communion.

manners of the missionary. Although sedate, he was very cheerful. Although dignified, he had the happy faculty of drawing one immediately into familiar conversation. We rode along together for a number of miles, conversing about things that were neither altogether secular nor altogether religious. As I was a stranger to him, he wished to elicit my views. He soon discovered that I had a love for religion, and before I was aware of it, drew from me the whole history of my religious exercises. I told him I wished to join my mother in partaking of the holy communion. He replied that the test for self-examination was well expressed in our catechism,- Those who desire to come to the Lord's supper, are to examine themselves whether they repent them truly of their former sins, steadfastly purposing to lead a new life-have a lively faith in God's mercy, through Christ, with a thankful remembrance of his death, and be in charity with all men.'

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"Repentance, reformation, faith, love to God and to our fellow men, were, he said, included in this requirement. 'And our church,' continued he, 'designs to admit no one to the sacramental table who does not give evidence of these qualifications.' The conversation continued upon this and similar subjects, through the remainder of the day; and I derived much edification and instruction from the discourse of this godly man. His conversation quite beguiled the tediousness of the journey; and almost before I thought of it, we had arrived in view of our cottage. I hastily rode forward, sprung from my horse, and rushed into the house. I met my brother Joseph at the door. 'Is she alive?' said I, but did not wait for an answer-I was instantly by her bedside, and found her more comfortable than when I left her. The missionary understood the language of affection, and did not think it rudeness, though I left him so unceremoniously. My brother took charge of his horse, and invited him in.

"The next morning was mentioned as the time of celebrating the communion. In the course of the evening, the

Mary M'Ellen an instance of early piety.

missionary received such evidence, from my brother's conversation, of his having passed through the new birth unto righteousness,' that he advised him to receive the sacrament on the morrow.

"His conversation with my mother was very reviving to her. He seemed to us all like a ministering angel. He spoke to my sister Mary, and entreated her to join her brothers, now that they were on their way to Zion. Mary was only fifteen years old at this time. Her heart was all tenderness and sensibility. She could not speak, but burst into a flood of tears. Since my father's death she had been apparently very thoughtful and serious. I had once or twice seen the tears gush from her eyes, while reading to herself in the Bible; but the moment she perceived I observed her, she made an effort to be more than ordinarily cheerful. I supposed that these effusions of sensibility were called forth by the recollection of the death of her little sisters and her father.

"The morning came. It was in one of the summer months. All nature was fresh and fair. The sun was pouring down his warm rays upon the smiling earth. Some time before the appointed hour for celebrating the holy eucharist, I walked out for the purpose of religious meditation. I directed my course towards a large tree that stood at no great distance from the house, that I might enjoy the coolness of its shade. As I approached the tree, I observed the slender form of my sister. She was in the act of prayer, and on her knees. I stole softly along to her side, without apprizing her of my presence. She seemed to be pouring out her soul in all the fervency.of devotion. She was so young and so amiable, and appeared so interesting, and so heavenly, in the lone field, lifting up her heart to God, that I could hardly refrain from weeping. She was startled, when, having finished her devotions, she discovered me at her side. But I clasped her in my arms, pressed her to my bosom, and told her it gave me more pleasure to see her where I had seen her, than it would to

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