to them herself, when their business would permit, to endeavour to beget in them a true sense of their sin and misery, and the worth of their precious souls.

"God, who is the God of nature as well as of grace, was pleased to endow her with a great proportion both of natural and spiritual excellencies. She was a very beautiful and lovely person in her younger years, few exceeding her, and of most excellent parts, and of great understanding; yet of a very humble spirit, and very mean in her own eyes, though deservedly valued by those that knew her: such was the sweetness of her temper, accompanied with true godliness, that she was an ornament to her profession.

"To speak of her as a Christian would exceed the limits of these papers.-God had greatly adorned and beautified her soul with the graces of his Holy Spirit; and, agreeably thereunto, she lived in some proportion answerable to the vows of her consecration, and to the godly education she received from her pious relatives: she entirely devoted

herself to God, to be wholly his, and at his disposal.

"She had a singular value for the Holy Scriptures, which she constantly made conscience of reading, and would sometimes write them out with profitable remarks on them, for her own spiritual use. Other good books also had their due esteem and use; but she would often say, none (of that kind) yielded her more comfort and consolation than Dr. Manton's.

"It was very usual in her own Bible and books, to give some little mark at those passages that were of particular concern to herself, under the variety of the dispensation that she passed through. She had a more high esteem for the public worship and service of God, which she never, or rarely, omittted to frequent unless hindered by some unavoidable occasion.

"The Sabbath was a day of delight to her; she made conscience as of seeing religious duties performed in the family, so also of

redeeming time for her private converse with God and this was resolved and subscribed to under her own hand, many years ago, that she would spend some part of that day in prayer and meditation; and herein followed the method she received from the directions of worthy Mr. Daniel Burgess, to help her in that work, viz. to go over the creed, the Lord's Prayer, and commandments; all which she did perform, with many other portions of scripture, as appears from the many papers left under her own hand. She was much pleased with what she heard a worthy divine relate, in pressing his hearers to private prayer, of a holy man that would never omit this duty, but when like to be hindered by any company, would make this honest excuse, I must take my leave of you for awhile; there is a friend above stays to speak with me,' meaning God, who hath commanded this duty. And, indeed, private prayer, conscientiously and constantly performed, is a notable sign of a gracious heart, for I think a hypocrite can

rarely be constant and uniform in this duty; for that expression of Job may be very applicable to this, "Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?"

"As to her deportment under afflictions, with which she was exercised, both spiritual and temporal, for God chastens every one whom he receives, it was accompanied with great humility and self-judging, often expressing her unworthiness of the least of the mercies that God vouchsafed to her. She was far from a querulous or murmuring temper, endeavouring to preserve a humble submissive frame of spirit; and under these afflictions, that did sometimes greatly depress her sweet and tender spirit, she would frequently express how much comfort and reviving she received from God's holy word, and not only under her troubles, but also when freed from them, in the most quiet and sedate frame of spirit.

"She would bless God that this life would not last always She had frequent illness,

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and was once thought by her friends past recovery, but when restored again (though thankful to God for his favor to her) she did seem to bewail her infelicity: 'I thought,' said she, that I was going off the stage of this evil world, to the place where I should sin and sorrow no more; but I now see I must again be tossed on the waves and billows thereof.' When it was told her, that according to the course of nature, she might yet live many years; this was so far from pleasing her, that nature, that usually abhors the thought of death, did as it were, shrink and recoil within her, to think of being so long kept out of heaven.

"Under her last illness, in which there were some more than ordinary symptoms of danger, at which she was not at all dismayed, she said, As to application of means, I am willing to submit to any thing for the satisfaction of my friends; but as for myself, I am content without any.' This cutting expression she uttered to her dear husband with great cheerfulness. She was so far from