After this, many of my friends came to see her, but she was so much oppressed in her breathing that it was with much difficulty she could say any thing. A pious lady came to see her: she repeated precious texts from the Scriptures, and also some hymns; after she went away, dear little Mary said, "Mother, I suppose Mrs. R- thought I had not reflected on those passages which she repeated; but I often have, and particularly that beautiful verse, "Jesus can make a dying bed Feel soft as downy pillows are, And breathe my life out sweetly there." 66 After this, she appeared to be much in prayer. She often adopted that of the Psalm, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, my Strength and my Redeemer." She seldom spake, but meditated much. One evening she said to me, Mother, I could not sleep last night." I asked her the reason; if she had been thinking on God? She answered, 66 yes, and I tried to compose a verse of a hymn," She was backward at first to rehearse it to me; but when I told her, that if there was any thing in it wrong, I would put her right, she repeated, "Upwards I lift my eyes, O God to thee I look; O make me good before I die, And blot my sins out of thy book." In a short time after this, she was restored to her usual health, for which she was thankful; and she would often repeat the following lines with peculiar delight "Little children do not fear, In all your trials Christ is near, And says to Peter, 'feed my lambs.'" Nothing very particular occurred for about two years: she continued to give evidences of grace: the Bible and hymn book were her daily companions; the house of God was her delight; she would often remind us of the communion season before the time came, and would say, if it were possible for her to go, nothing should prevent her; at one time in particular, being the first time Dr. Holcomb administered the Sacrament in the First Baptist Church, she had a very great desire to go; the indisposition of body she laboured under rendered it almost impossible; yet seeing her anxiety, I took her down to Church in the morning, and that she might be spared the fatigue of walking home and returning in the afternoon, I remained with her in the Church during the interval of worship. She was much gratified, and the next morning as soon as she awoke she begged that I would intercede with her father to buy a house nearly adjoining the Church; then, she said, she would be so near that she would always go.' Then she composed the following lines "Oh! how happy shall we be When we reach elemily; There to sing Hossnnas loud, There where saints and angels crowd." 66 6 After this she was much pleased with a society, called the Evangelical Society, which was opened a few doors from us. The first time it was opened, she thought she had found a prize. She came and told me, Mother, I have found a meeting, and I will go to it." But not knowing the nature of the Society, I told her that perhaps it was of no consequence. But she said, "it was a good meeting, and the gentlemen told us if we would learn hymns they would give us books, and it must be a good Society, as the prayers were just like Dr. Holcomb's, and I will learn all I can." She committed to memory the little hymn book containing 74 hymns, another of 214, finished the Pilgrim's Progress of 70 pages of small print, the book of Psalms from the beginning to the 98th and the 119th, the 3d chapter of John, which was a favourite chapter, and about 50 hymns from other books. When her health permitted, she tasked herself every week, from ten to forty hymns; fortytwo were the most she learned in a week. The number of chapters she committed to memory every week I do not remember; but the length of time she took to commit the whole was about one year. And while her mind was thus employed, her little hands were equally so in whatsoever she found to do. Idleness she was entirely a stranger to. A thought of play was foolishness to her. Her choice was to be with the people of God, and hear their conversation; and while she was engaged as before mentioned, her Bible and hymn book composed part of her pillow, for she took them to bed with her, and as soon as it was light she was employed in perusing them. All those precious things that she committed to memory from week to week, she repeated to some of the members of that Society which she so much loved. She was always anxious to meet with them, and when her health would not admit of her walking, she would beg the servant to carry her there. Shortly after this her health began to decline, and she was soon laid on a bed of languishing and pain. Her aunt one day, sitting by her bed-side, said to her, My dear, do you feel great pain? Her answer was, "Oh! not half what I deserve." Being asked if she was afraid to die, she answered, "No, for I shall be better off." Seeing us weeping, she said, "Oh, mother, what makes you cry? Surely you must think I am not fit to die, or you would not cry. But, Oh! if my mother only knew what I feel in my heart, she would not cry. I tell you I am not afraid to die!" Being asked what she felt in her heart? she answered, "I cannot express what I feel." A day or two after, two of the members of the Evangelical Society came to see her, and went to prayer with her; after prayer one of them went to her bed-side, and said something to her concerning death. She said, "I don't think I shall die this time." He asked her why she thonght so? She said, "I think the Lord tells me so." She was once more restored to her former health; but it was for a short time; her disorder increasing very rapidly. In the month of June, 1812, she was again laid on a bed of sickness, which was of a very distressing nature. Her breathing became so difficult that she got little or no sleep. She said, "I would be very thankful if I should be restored to health again, for I cannot stand it long in this way. I grow weaker and weaker every day." Mr. B-said, My dear, we have no reason for wishing to live in this troublesome world long. Don't you think it will be a day of rejoicing when you meet your dear grandmother, and little sisters, and brother in a better world? "Oh yes," said she, "if I should be so happy as to get there." In a few days after this, some of the gentlemen of the Evangelical Society called again to see her, and she was always delighted to see them. I think one of them spoke to her in the following way: My dear, how do you find your mind now? She replied, " not so comfortable as I have been." He asked her what was the matter? She said, "I am such a sinner: my heart is so hard, I can't pray." He said, we are all sinners; but you know Christ died for sinners; can't you recollect some of the precious hymns, or make use of some of the prayers you used to commit to memory? She said, "they don't seem like prayers for me." He then asked her if he should read a chapter and go to prayer with her? She said, "Yes." He read the 71st Psalm, and then went to prayer; after which she said, "I feel much more comfortable than I did; I wish I had told you when you were here before, of the distress of my mind, and I have been distressed ever since." I then asked her, why she had not told me? She said, "Oh mother, I was afraid of hurting your feelings." She was always tender of her parents' feelings, and afraid to give any person trouble. She was always ready to sympathize with the afflicted, and afford comfort if it was in her power. 6 Two of the members of the Evangelical Society called in about a week after, and on asking her the state of her mind, she told them, she had been comfortable ever since they were here before.' But now the closing scene drew nigh; a few days before her death, she had a very severe night, which we thought would be her last. I had occasion to leave the room a few minutes; when I returned, I found her sister, whom I had left with her, in tears. I inquired what was the cause: she told me that her dear little sister Mary had been telling her the joy she felt at heart, at the prospect of soon being in heaven. I then asked her what gave her so much comfort? She answered, "Mother, I was at prayer, and a part of this beautiful hymn came into my mind "There I shall see his face, And never, never sin; There from the rivers of his grace, Drink endless pleasure in." I never felt such joy before." I said to her, you long to be with Christ which is far better. She said, "Oh, yes,", and then told me she had composed the following lines— "Holy Jesus, God of love, Send down and take me up above; That I may be for ever blest." After this she spake but little. In the evening I gave her some medicine. She told me she thought she could sleep, and wished me to lie down to restwhich I did; but blessed be God, who orders all things aright, sleep was taken from my eyes, and in about an hour I heard her groan, and with a feeble voice cry, "Mother!" I arose and asked her if she was worse? "Oh mother! I am just gone." I called her father. She said, "Send for my aunt ; I am just going. Lord have mercy on me. Her father came in and took her out of my arms. She said, "O papa, I am just gone! My head-my head-I can't see any more! Lord, have mercy on me!" and closed her eyes in death, without a struggle or a groan, in the eleventh year of her age. 140 Extract of a Letter, dated" Cooperstown, Sept. 16, 1816. "I hope religion flourishes in your city. God the Holy Spirit is in our neighbourhood. At Hartwick settlement, about eight miles from this place, there have been large additions to the Church. I have seen and conversed with several persons there; it is indeed a season of Divine Grace and Power. A person who resides there, remarked to me this day, that whoever among them possessed a spark of religion, it was now in exercise. "I have taken your hint of a Saturday evening prayer meeting, and one something like yours has been adopted here." ***The prayer meeting alluded to above, is one established by a few male members of the Church in Garden-Street, for the special purposes of supplicating a blessing on the labours of their pastor, and of enjoying Christian fellowship and communion. * THE following Societies have recently become auxiliary to the American Bible Society. The New-Hampshire B. S.; the Massachusetts B. S.; the Long Island B. S. (N. Y.); the Nassau Hall B. S. Princeton College, (N. J.); the B. S. of the County of Greene, (N. Y.); the Fishkill B. S. (N. Y.) recently formed; the Kingston B. S. in Ulster County, (N. Y.) recently formed; the Female B. S. of Kingston; and the Juvenile Female B. S. of Kingston. These make the number of auxiliaries, now known, to be-48. The President of the American Bible Society has lately received a letter from Rev. J. Owen, Secretary of the British and Foreign B. S. communicating the congratulations of their Committee on the formation of our National Bible Institution; and informing of a grant of five hundred pounds sterling, to aid in furthering the important objects of the American B. S. We have occasionally mentioned in our preceding Numbers several large contributions to the funds of The American Bible Society. We now insert the following, which have been acknowledged by the treasurer at different times in the News-papers, viz: From The New-York Female Auxiliary Bible Society, 1000 Dolls. 140 300 The Orange Auxiliary Bible Society, (N. Y.) 100 Hon. John Langdon, of Portsmouth, (N. H.) The Westchester Auxiliary Bible Society. (N. 50 400 300 100 Mrs. Anna Bancker, of New-York, Presbyterian Church of Princeton, in behalf of, and constituting the Rev. Wm. C. Schenck, their pastor, a director for life, Gen. Mathew Clarkson, of New-York, Gen. Stephen Van Rensselaer, of Albany, The Presbyterian Congregation at East Bloomfield, Ontario County, (N. Y.) Debating Society, at do The Georgia Bible Society-donation and to purchase Bibles, James Roosevelt, Esq. of New-York, Collection in the city of New-York, from sundries: in the 4th Ward, 30 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 : 150 144.93 500 500 -1000 100 388.99 752 176.75 50 from John Bolton, Esq. of Georgia, 10 shares of a devoted friend to the Institution at Philadelphia, 30 200 100 THE VOL. II.] Saturday, October 12, 1816. [No. 3. FEMALE SABBATH SCHOOLS. THE Third Quarterly Meeting of the Female Union Society for the Promotion of Sabbath Schools, was held in the upper room of the New-York Free School, in Chatham-Street, on the 2d instant. This room, though very spacious, could not accommodate all the ladies who attended, together with the scholars who were present to receive the rewards appointed for them. The serious evils arising from the irregular attendance of the scholars at their respective schools, had for some time past been a matter of much concern to the teachers, and led them to devise, as a remedy, the plan of public rewards for punctual attendance and uniform good behaviour. Owing to the considerable number of scholars assembled to receive their premiums, and the crowded state of the room, the exercises could not be conducted in as satisfactory a manner as they would otherwise have been: But the gratification derived from beholding so goodly a number receiving the rewards of punctuality, diligence, and becoming deportment, compensated, we trust, for the inconvenience experienced on that occasion. The beneficial results of this experiment have encouraged the Society to persevere in the plan. They intend, however, in future, to distribute the premiums at the opening of the meeting, and then dismiss the scholars, in order to make more room for spectators, and to be enabled to attend more conveniently to the reading of the Reports, and the transaction of the other business of the Society. The Meeting was opened with prayer by the Rev. Mr. Maclay. After which very encouraging Reports were read from the several Schools belonging to the Society. Two new Schools were reported to have been organized since the last meeting: one in James-Street, consisting entirely of adults; and one in SecondStreet, for pupils of all ages. These make 23 Schools now be longing to the Union. A few extracts from these Reports will abundantly prove that this work is surely of God, and therefore cannot come to nought. EXTRACT I. WE have great cause of thankfulness that the number of our scholars is not diminished, but upon the whole continues to increase, and their proficiency is such as far to surpass our most sanguine expectations. Many have committed to memory the whole of Brown's Catechism; the Assembly's nearly, with Scripture proofs; the Historical Catechism; the VOL. II. C |