What a change is in the immortal Spirit! You fee every thing around you: but, how? Not with eyes of flesh and blood! You hear but not by a ftream of undulating air, ftriking on an extended membrane. You feel: but in how wonderful a manner! You have no nerves to convey the ethereal fire to the common sensory: rather are you not now all eye, all ear, all feeling, all perception? How different, now you are throughly awake, are all the objects round about you? Where are the houses, and gardens, and fields, and cities, which you lately faw? Where are the rivers and feas, and everlasting hills? Was it then only in a dream, that our Poet discovered "Earth hath this variety from Heaven Of pleasure fituate in Hill and Dale ?” Nay, I doubt all thefe vanifhed away like fmoke, the moment you awoke out of the body. 8. How range muft not only the manner of existence ap pear, and the place wherein you are, (if it may be called Place, though who can define or defcribe the Place of Spirits?) but the inhabitants of that unknown region? Whether they are of the number of those unhappy Spirits, that kept not their fift eftate, or of thofe holy ones, that ftill minifler to the heirs of falvation? How flrange are the employments of thofe Spirits with which you are now furrounded! How bitter are they to the tafle of thofe that are ftill dreaming upon earth? "I have no relish, faid one of thefe, (a much-applauded Wit, who has lately left the body,) for fitting upon a cloud all day long, and finging praife to God." We may easily believe him; and there is no danger of his being put to that trouble. Nevertheless this is no trouble to them who ceafe not day and night, but continually ng," Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth!"` [To be concluded in our next.] An I An Account of Mr. WILLIAM BLACK. [Written by Himself.] [Continued from page 182.] Next visited the Societies around Cumberland as ufual, for about fix weeks, and then returned to the River again, where I found all were walking fteadily according to their profeffion. On the third of April I got fafe to Membremcook after a dangerous paffage acrofs the Bay. Had my Mafter been pleased to have called me then away, I was well reconciled to a watry grave; for I knew that I had a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. On the 9th I arrived at Cumberland, and continued in my old Circuit until the 22d of May, when I fet off for Windsor, and on the 25th got safe to Cornwallis. On the Lord's-day I preached three times; and whilft fome wept, and others greatly rejoiced, I had such a fense of my unworthinefs, that I appeared to myself, as the chief of finners. If confcience did not prevent, I believe I should yet give up preaching. Lord, let me not fall by the hand of Saul! Wednesday 29. I vifited a fick woman who thought she had a great stock of good deeds to build upon. I endeavoured to convince her of the neceffity of the New-birth; but all in vain. I offered to pray with her, but she refused. I then exhorted her to confider the dreadful ftate of her foul, and left her. O Lord pity her benighted foul ! June 4. I rode on to Falmouth, and preached in the evening. Many of Mr. Allein's friends were there. They felt the power of the word, and rejoiced greatly, declaring it was the power of God unto falvation. But, though they frequently spoke thus, during my firft vifit; yet after Mr. Allein had returned from Cumberland the fecond time, and told them that I had VOL. XIV. Ff opposed opposed his doctrines and design, to fet afide the Methodist difcipline there; the cafe was changed, and on my fecond coming, they faid, I was no minifter of Jefus Chrift, foon after, I was no chriftian; and in a little while, a down-right minifter of Antichrift. Yet I continued to act, live, and preach the very fame doctrines as before. Lord, what is man! I doubt not, but many of thefe are good, though miftaken people, and enjoy the life of religion; yet they do not know their brethren. June 10. I fet off for Halifax, where there was fcarce the shadow of religion to be feen. I preached four times amongst them, but the word met with little reception. In general they are Gallio-like, and care for none of thofe things. I then went and preached at two or three other places, and on the 20th returned to Halifax again, where I tarried five days, and preached fix times. Some were now affected, and two backfliders much flirred up: but we had confiderable disturbance from the fons of Belial; fome of whom threw handfuls of flour about the room, upon the people's cloaths; others threw gunpowder crackers into the fire, which flew about amongst the people, and others curfed and fwore, that I should not preach long, for the Prefs-gang was coming. I pitied them much, but did not fear them. Father, forgive them! they know not what they do. July 1. At the request of some, who had come about seventy miles to hear the word, I agreed to vifit Annapolis. We fet off early in the morning, and got to Granville that night; where I tarried about feven days, and had fome comfortable meetings. I then rode to Horton, and preached in Magee's Barn, where the word was fharp as a two-edged fword. Many trembled exceedingly, and amongst the reft, one who had formerly been a valiant fervant of the devil, and confeffedly as proud as Lucifer; but now he trembled every limb, and floods of tears gufhed from his eyes. Many faw the neceffity of inward religion, and with trong cries and tears befought the Lord for mercy. mercy. In the evening we held our firft Watch-night at Nathaniel Smith's, in Cornwallis. Such a meeting as this I never faw before, except one at Amherst. O what a noife, and a fhaking amongst the dry bones! The cries of the wounded were fo great, that my voice could scarce be heard. When the first meeting was over, I found my ftrength almoft exhausted, and feared I should not be able to preach again. But I found the promise literally fulfilled. "They that wait on the Lord, shall renew their flrength." On the 12th I returned to Horton, and the next morning fetting off about four o'clock, I reached my father's house the fame evening, travelling that day, about seventy miles. Bleffed be God, this was a comfortable journey to me, feeing seven or eight profess to have found the pearl of great price. Sunday 14. I preached at Amherst. Whilft I was abfent, Mr. Allein paid the people here a second vifit, compleated a separation, and drew near feventy of our members away from us All was in confufion; the Claffes were broken up, and a flood of contention threatened dreadful confequences. O! Satan, a wicked man could not have answered thy purpofe fo well. But may the Lord over-rule it for good, and prevent the mifchief I dread.-O Lord, fuffer us not to lose the spirit of religion, in the fpirit of controversy! On the 25th, a number of the principal friends met together at Mr. D-'s, to confult what was beft to be done in our prefent fituation. Several Leaders were appointed, and three or four Claffes formed again. O that the Lord would heal the breaches of Zion! SEV [To be continued.] An Account of the Death of Mrs. TROTTER. EVERAL months before fhe died, fhe had impreffions of death, and that he would die in child-birth, or foon after. Being afked one day by her hufband, why the en tertained fuch apprehenfions? She said, she felt a fixed pain in her left fide, which she never had with any of her other children, and was fure it was a dangerous symptom, and would end in death. The third day after her delivery, she said to Mrs. D, and her husband, "I am dying, but none of you are fenfible of it; I defire, my dear, you will call in two Phyficians; not that I think they can fave my life, but it will prevent you from reflecting on yourself, after I am gone." On the Saturday before fhe died, fhe spoke with great compofure; "I fee now plainly I am to die; but the great work is done many years ago: I know in whom I have believed; I am not afraid of death: my plan of earthly happiness is indeedfruftrated: I longed to get back to my native country, and when Providence brought me and my family here, I found every thing agreeable to my wifhes: the continuance of fuch comforts was the only thing left for me to defire: and now that my heavenly Father fees meet to take me from all; I dare not, I cannot repine: but rather believe all is well." About two o'clock on Sabbath-day morning, the 28th of April 1771, he told Mrs. D- fhe had not long to live, and defired her to call her husband. Mrs. D objected to this, at that early hour, thinking it a pity to call him up as he was but just gone to bed, and told her fhe was no worse than she had been for fome days paft. Nothing however could fatisfy her, till fhe faw him. Being called, and going to the bed fide, the eagerly grafped his hand, called him her chiefeft earthly comfort, and faid, fhe had not long to live, and hoped he would not leave her while her breath remained. She added, "I could not be easy, till I faw you; let us spend the short remaining space of our being together, in a way that will be moft edifying to us both. I am forry, my dear, I was obliged to call you up; I know you cannot do without reft." She was feized foon after with a kind of convulfion fit, in which the lay about half an hour. On coming out of it, the spoke like one in a dream, "I am coming, I am coming." |