To a Minifter he faid, I think, Brother, my Cafe is a pretty fair Demonftration of the Immortality of the SoulOne faid, Your Cafe may be confounding to Atheifts. Then he faid, Glory, Glory for Support, continued Support to the chief of Sinners. O that I could fing forth his Praise Indeed I'm patient, yet not. I, but the Grace of God in me. Not I, fhould ay be at Hand. Curft Self, curft Self, that robs God of his Glory. Could I have believ'd (but I'm an unbelieving Body) that I could have had this Pleasure and Patience in this Condition! Once or Twice Satan was at the brangling my Faith. I wakn'd in a Sort of a carnal Frame, and I thought I had loft my Jewel; but now, I hope, he'll ftand by me to the End. If ever I was diftinct in my Judgment and Memory in my Life, it was fince he laid his Hand on me; Glory to him; what fhall 1 render to him? my Bones are riving through my Skin; and yet all my Bones are praifing him. I faid, I'm cast out of thy Sight, but I'll look again towards thy holy Temple. The Enemies of the Gofpel in St. Andrews, fhall have this among other Things to answer for, that God has taken and finglå me out for a Monument of his Mercy; but the Defign and Upfhot of it is, for the Eftablishment and Confolation of his own, and, I hope, for the engaging of fome, may be, poor young Things to God. Glory to the Captain of Salvation. O Death, where's thy Sting? O Grave, where's thy Vidory? there's no Curfe of a broken Law here, I'll get the Cool the Day.

To a Minifter that faid, How are you, Sir, the Day. He anfwered, I blefs his Name, I'm pofting to Eternity, to Heaven.

To a Gentlewoman he faid, Well, defirable Neighbour, I'm dying in a Way that may confirm that God is good. Well, well, I'm near Heaven. Then he fainted, and faid, This is another Meffenger come for me.

When he was to take a little Refreshment, in feeking a Bleffing he used thefe following Expreflions, Glory to God in the higheft, that there's good Will to men, and Peace on Earth; Glory, that Life and Immortality is brought to Light. Help to put a Crown on the Mediator's Head, Grace's Head: It will be our Glory to Eternity, to run deeper and deep er in Debt. Glory to God, that a vile Worm, the Chief of Sinners, is fingl'd out to be a Monument of his Grace, and

a Trumpeter of his Praife. Who's a God like unto thee, &c. After he had taken the Refreshment, he faid, Truft him to all Eternity, credit his Word. I liftn'd to Unbelief fince I came to this Bed, and it had almoft kill'd me; but God rebuked it. I fought the Victory by Prayer; and God has given it; he's the Hearer of Prayer. I have not much more to do with Death.

To one he faid, Another Meffenger comes for me, a Cough. O Man, I'm kindly dealt with! The LORD has done wonderful Things. Only Grace to be fober to the End; For our Strength lies in him. Not we, O Man, this is an Up-making for the Refidue of my Days. Well, 38 Years come December 25th, is my Age. Hezekiah faid, I'm cut off from the Refidue of my Years; but I'll not fay fo. God's giving me this to make up the Refidue of my Years. The LORD is e'en wafhing away my Body, to let fee, that my Spirit can live without it. I will not weary through his Grace now. Brother, mind me, that the LORD may help me to honour him to the End. Ay, I'll be washen, and get white Robes, the Crown on my Head, and Palms in my Hands.

I'm calling you to fee a Miracle, God is melting me down into Corruption and Duft, and yer he is keeping me in a Calm. O! who is like unto our God? Not unto us, not unto us, but to thy Name, O LORD, be the Praife. Our light Afflictions that endure but for a Moment, work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory. I'll get the Martyrs Crown, with the Minifter of Christ's Crown; and O but the Martyrs Crown's a glorious Crown, I'm now a Witness for Chrift, for the Reality of Religions; and I'm fuffering. It's given unto me, not only to believe, but to fuffer for his Name. I fought an Increase of Faith from our LORD Jefus, and our LORD has heard me ; and now it's but a little, and I'll get the Crown. And tho' there be a little Noifomnefs about me, yet I'm willing that you be Spectatours of it; for it was not for my Sake, that I meet with this, but for your Eftablishment. Is there not a Beauty in this Providence?

After a wrestling with Defluction in his Throat, he faid, The Lord has fent another Meffenger for me, to haften me Home. The other Day I would have been away without this glorious Evidence of the Grace of God; but this is

more

more for my Advantage, that I am thus tried and comforted. I'm haftning, and I'll not complain of the flow Paces of Time. I faid, Why are his Chariot-wheels fo long a coming? but I'll not fay fo any more: Yet a little while, and he that fball come will come, and will not tarry. Come bere all ye that fear the LORD, and I'll tell you what he has done for my Soul. Then he caus'd a Minifter pray, and said, Pray that he may enable ine for the laft Stroke, fo as I may be a Conquerour, and more than a Conquerour,

To his Son he faid, David, coine Man, O feek thy Father's God. I'm like the Slave born in God's Houfe, and I, my Wife and Bairns are the LORD's; therefore let your Ear be bor'd to his Poft-door, and be his Servant for ever: And if ye ferve him, my God will blefs you, he'll blefs you for ever. Come my Dear, your Grandfather and Grandmother are in Heaven. Is it not hard, Man, to die well, for them that do not know God in Chrift? If you knew the fore Skin that I have, you would cry and * greet; I'm not greeting, nor cry-, i. e. weep. ing. How glad would I be, if I knew my little Stock, David, would be a Witnefs for God, a Sufferer for the Name of Chrift, ftriving and refisting even unto Blood? I rather have you fuch, than an Emperour of the Universe, and would rejoice more in it. Were I call'd to it, I would fpend my Blood, and go through Fire and Water for it.

Then he faid, If I would fay, That I would fpeak no more in the Name of the Lord, it would be like a Fire within my Breaft. I was early mufing with my felf, how I would ftand the Shock, and be a Martyr againft Popery; I lay one Night mufing about it, and flept none, &'c.

This is to be found in the Memoirs of his Life.]

When fome look'd to him as if they had been amaz'd, he faid, Why look ye ftedfaftly on me, as if by my Might, or Power, 1 were fo? Not I, but the Grace of God in me; it's the Spirit of God that fupports me. I'm here on a Deathbed, going to Heaven. It's but a little Time, and Corrup tion will be rais'd in Incorruption.

To his Daughter he faid, Margaret, I charge you to feek early the God of your Father; he's a Wonder-working God.

To his Wife he faid, Be not difcourag'd, my Dear, at the unavoidable Confequences of Nature which I was under

'tis an Evidence that there's but a very little, and Death will be swallowed up in Victory; the Body will be fhaken into Pieces. I'm wafhing away, bleffed be God; and yet? my Head is as compos'd as it was before my Sickness. To another of his Daughters, he faid, Janet, O feek God; he's good, he'll be a better Father than I am; you are born in his Houfe. I have not a Child, I have given you all to him; 1 leave you to the abundant Grace of God. I'm much concern'd for the young Generation; 1 fear they fhall all caft at Religion together..

3. 16.

To a Gentlewoman in the Parifh of Ceres, he faid, Behold your dying Minifter; I'm haftning to Eternity, and haftning to Heaven as faft as I can: I'm dying in the Faith of these Truths 1 preached amongft you; you may remember 1 preach'd on that Text, When I heard, my Habakkuk belly trembled: My Lips quivered at the Voice: Rottennes entred into my Bones, and I trembled in my felf, that I might rest in the Day of Trouble: Then you may remember, I told you, That there was a Reft to the Lord's People even in Trouble; and now I feel this Reft: O! I'm well hir'd to all this; I have perfect Compofure of Spirit, perfect Peace, without any Roving, or any. Thing that's the Effect of Diforder: O what wonderful Power is that! Tell my Parishoners, That my God is bleffing me, that the fingle Mints I made at ferving him in preaching the Gofpel of his Son, the Lord has already rewarded it to a Miracle: Now I find the Gofpel the Power of God to Salvation, all Sorts of Salvation. All in our Religion is experimental, it will bide the Proof, Well Mrs. God blefs you, and blefs your Bairns, and make them a Bleffing to you: Seek God, make Earneft of Religion. O what Chall I render to the LORD! Bleft be God that he gives fo honourable an Occafion to commend him.

To one of his Children he faid, If you forfake the God of your Father, that has been fo kind to me, this will be a Witnefs againft you: Here I'm a Witnefs, That our Rock is not as their Rock.

Then to fome prefent he faid, My Moifture is much exhaufted this Night; but the Dew lies all Night on my Branches, the Dew that waits not for Man, nor tarries for the Sons of Men. O what cannot Grace do! how have I formerly fretted and repin'd at the hundredth Part of the Trouble I have on my

Body

Body now. Here you fee a Man dying a Monument of the glorious Power of admirable aftonishing Grace: and generations to come fhall call me bleffed. Follow my Advice, ftudy the Power of Religion; it's the Power of Religion, and not a Name that will give the Comfort I find. Now, Sirs, here's fomething to be improven for a while, it will take telling; there's telling in this Providence, it will coff me Telling to Eternity. If there be fuch a Glory in his Conduct about me now, O what will be in that, to fee the LAMB in the midft of the Throne,to fee the LAMB that was slain, in the midft of the Throne, the LAMB that has the feven Horns, and the feven Eyes? I have Peace in the midft of Pain; and O how much of that I have had for a Time paft! My Peace has been like a River, not a difcompos'd Thought, There has been fome little Suggeftions fince I got the great. Affault of my Enemies in one League together; 1 got one Affault, and I was like to fall; but fince the LORD rebuk ed them, there's not a difcompos'd Thought, but all calm. To the Minifters he said, Brethren, blefs God on my Rehalf, and pray I may be helped. I've been 1 grappling with the King of Terrours, and 1 find he's conquerable; I found the Rattling of his Drum in my Throat,and I was not affrighted: I'm melting away bravely.

*

*

Meaning the choking Defluxion in his Throat.

To two of the Students he faid, Well, Lads, you fee your dying Mafter confin'd within these four Stoops, and by the Grace of God, is what he is, he's dying as one unto whom the LORD is fhewing himself marvelloully good: This is no Roving of a fick Man; 1 blefs God 1 never had my Judgment more diftinct all my Days, an Evidence of the Reality of Religion. When the Defluxion came up, he call'd for a little Twift, and said, I think all the Subftance of my Body fhall evacuate this Way, but with a fmiling Countenance faid, 'Tis welcome: Now, my Body is wafting like a Piece of a Brae by a mighty Cur rent; and yet the Power of God keeps me up.

To a Gentlewoman he faid, You're come to fee your old dying Friend, a Wonder indeed, but a Wonder of Mercy: I've preached from the Pulpit, but now. I'm preaching from a Death-bed; and 1 would be content, if fenfible Prefence were continued, to speak till Flesh and Bones were washen and wafted to Nothing. Labour to get a clear View P

of