had been observed before: and her voice seemed to be as of one exceedingly importunate and engaged; but her mother could distinctly hear only these words, (spoken in her childish manner, but seemed to be spoken with extraordinary earnestness and out of distress of soul,) Pray, blessed Lord, give me salvation! I pray, beg, pardon all my sins! When the child had done prayer, she came out of the closet, and sat down by her mother, and cried out aloud. Her mother very earnestly asked her several times, what the matter was, before he could make any answer; but she continued crying exceedingly, and writhing her body to and fro, like one in anguish of spirit. Her mother then asked her, whe ther she was afraid that God would not give her salvation. She answered, 'Yes, I am afraid I shall go to hell!' Her mother then endeavored to quiet her; and told her she would not have her cry; she must be a good girl, and pray every day, and she hoped God would give her salvation. But this did not quiet her at all; but she continued thus earnestly crying, and taking on for some time, till at length she suddenly ceased crying, and began to smile, and presently said with a smiling countenance, Mother, the kingdom of heaven is come to me!' Her mother was surprised at the sudden alteration, and at the speech; and knew not what to make of it, but at first said nothing to her. The child presently spoke again, and said, 'There is another come to me, and there is another, there is three;' and being asked what she meant, she answered, 'One is, Thy will be done, and there is another, Enjoy him forever;' by which it seems, that when the child said, 'There is three come to me,' she meant three passages of her Catechism that came to her mind.

6

After the child had said this, she retired again into her closet; and her mother went over to her brother's, who was next neighbor; and when she came back, the child, being out of the closet, met her mother with this cheerful speech, "I can find God now!' referring to what she had before

complained of, that she could not find God. Then the child spoke again and said, 'I love God!" Her mother asked her how well she loved God, whether she loved God better than her father and mother, she said, 'yes.' Then she asked her whether she loved God better than her little sister Rachel? She answered, 'Yes, better than any thing!' Then her eldest sister, referring to her saying she could find God now, asked her where she could find God. She answered, 'In heaven.' Why, said she, have you been in heaven? 'No,' said the child. By this it seems not to have been any imagination of any thing seen with bodily eyes, that she called God, when she said, I can find God now. Her mother asked her whether she was afraid of going to hell, and that had made her cry. She answered, “Yes, I was, but now I shan't." Her mother asked her whether she thought that God had given her salvation; she answered, "yes." Her mother asked her when. She answered, "to-day." She appeared all the afternoon exceedingly cheerful and joyful. bors asked her how she felt herself? better than I did." The neighbor asked her, what made her feel better? she answered, "God makes me." That evening as she lay in bed, she called one of her little cousins to her that was present in the room, as having something to say to him; and when he came, she told him, that "heaven was better than earth." The next day being Friday, her mother asking her her catechism, asked her what God made her for. She answered, "To serve him," and added, "every body should serve God, and get an interest in Christ."

One of her neighShe answered, I feel

The same day the elder children, when they came home from school, seemed much affected with the extraordinary change that seemed to be made in Phebe: and her sister Abigail standing by, her mother took occasion to counsel her now to improve her time to prepare for another world: on which Phebe burst out in tears, and cried out, Poor Nabby!" Her mother told her she would not have her cry, she hoped that God would give Nabby salvation; but that did

not quiet her, but she continued earnestly crying for some time; and when she had in a measure ceased, her sister Eunice being by her, she burst out again, and cried, "Poor Eunice!" and cried exceedingly; and when she had almost done, she went into another room, and there looked up on her sister Naomi, and burst out again, crying, "Poor Amy!" Her mother was greatly affected at such a behavior in the child, and knew not what to say to her. One of the neighbors coming in a little after, asked her what she had cried for. She seemed at first backward to tell the reason: her mother told her she might tell that person, for he had given her an apple; upon which she said, she "cried because she was afraid they would go to hell."

At night a certain minister that was occasionally in the town, was at the house, and talked considerably with her of the things of religion; and after he was gone, she sat leaning on the table, with tears running out of her eyes and being asked what made her cry, she said it was "thinking about God." The next day being Saturday, she seemed, great part of the day, to be in a very affectionate frame, had four turns of crying, and seemed to endeavor to curb herself and hide her tears, and was very backward to talk of the occasion of it. On the sabbath-day she was asked whether she believed in God; she answered "yes" and being told that Christ was the Son of God, she made ready answer, and said, "I know it."

From this time there has appeared a very remarkable, abiding change in the child: she has been very strict upon the sabbath, and seems to long for the sabbath-day before it comes, and will often in the week time be inquiring how long it is to the sabbath-day, and must have the days particularly counted over that are between, before she will be contented. And she seems to love God's house, and is very eager to go thither. Her mother once asked her why she had such a mind to go? whether it was not to see fine folks? She said, "No, it was to hear Mr. Edwards preach." When

she is in the place of worship, she is very far from spending her time there as children at her age usually do, but appears with an attention that is very extraordinary for such a child. She also appears very desirous at all opportunities to go to private religious meetings; and is very still and attentive at home in prayer-time, and has appeared affected in time of family prayer. She seems to delight much in hearing religious conversation. When I once was there with some others that were strangers, and talked to her something of religion, she seemed more than ordinarily attentive; and when we were gone, she looked out earnestly after us, and said, I wish they would come again!" Her mother asked her why? says she, "I love to hear them talk."

She seems to have very much of the fear of God before her eyes, and an extraordinary dread of sin against him; of which her mother mentioned the following remarkable instance. Some time in August, the last year, she went with some larger children to get some plums, in a neighbor's lot, knowing nothing of any harm in what she did; but when she brought some of the plums into the house, her mother mildly reproved her, and told her that she must not get plums without leave, because it was sin: God had commanded her not to steal. The child seemed greatly surprised, and burst out in tears, and cried out, "I will not have these plums!" and turning to her sister Eunice, very earnestly said to her, "Why did you ask me to go to that plumtree? I should not have gone if you had not asked me." The other children did not seem to be much affected or concerned; but there was no pacifying Phebe. Her mother told her she might go and ask leave, and then it would not be sin for her to eat them; and sent one of the children to that purpose; and when she returned, her mother told her that the owner had given leave, now she might eat them, and it would not be stealing. This stilled her a little while: but presently she broke out again into an exceeding fit of crying her mother asked her what made her cry again?

Why she cried now, since they had asked leave? What it was that troubled her now? And asked her several times very earnestly, before she made any answer; but at last said, "it was because, because it was sin." She continued a considerable time crying, and said she would not go again if Eunice asked her a hundred times; and she retained her aversion to that fruit for a considerable time, under the remembrance of her former sin.

She at sometimes appears greatly affected, and delighted with texts of scripture that come to her mind. Particularly, about the beginning of November, the last year, that text came to her mind, Rev. iii. 20. "Behold I stand at the door and knock: If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in and sup with him, and he with me." She spoke of it to those of the family, with a great appearance of joy, a smiling countenance, and elevation of voice, and afterwards she went into another room, where her mother overheard her talking very earnestly to the children about it, and particularly heard her say to them, three or four times over, with an air of exceeding joy and admiration, "Why it is to sup with God." At some time about the middle of winter, very late in the night, when all were in bed, her mother perceived that she was awake, and heard her, as though she was weeping. She called to her, and asked her what was the inatter. She answered with a low voice, so that her mother could not hear what she said; but thinking that it might be occasioned by some spiritual affection, said no more to her; but perceived her to lie awake, and to continue in the same frame, for a considerable time. The next morning, she asked her whether she did not cry the last night: The child answered, "Yes, I did cry a little, for I was thinking about God and Christ, and they loved me." Her mother asked her whether to think of God and Christ's loving her made her cry: She answered, "Yes, it does sometimes."

She has often manifested a great concern for the good of others' souls and has been wont many times affectionately