,
364
THE'WATCHFUL
CHnwrIANA)ViWG
IN-
PEACEG1
bisc..II.
But
these
are
not
thy circumstances, oh wakeful
christian.!
Nor
was
this
the
.case
of
our
young departed
friend, though her distemper
soon
discomposed
her rea
coning powers, and
gave
her
very little
opportunity
to
make
a
present
preparation
for
dying.
But
she
had
beard
the voice of
Christ,
in his
gospel,
betimes,
and
awoke
to
righteousness
at
his
call,
that
she
might
be
al-
ways
ready
for
his
summons
in
death. Religion
washer
early
care,
a fear
to offend
God
possessed,
and governed
her thoughts
and actions
from
her
childhood, and hea-
venly
things were
her
youthful' choice.
She
had
appeared,
for
twine years,
in
the public profession
of
christianity,
and maintained
the
practice
of
godliness
in
the
church
and
the world
;
but it
began
much
more early
in secret.
Her
beloved
closet,
and her retiring hours,
were
silent
witnesses
of her
daily converse with
God
and her Sa-
viour
:
There
she
devoted
her
soul
to her Creator
be-
times,
according
to
the encouragements and rules
of
the
gospel
of
Christ,
and
there
she found
peace and salva-
tion.
It
was
there
she
made
a
conscientious recollection
of
the
sermons
she
heard
in
public from
her tender
years,
and
left behind her
these
fruits
of
her
memory, and
her
.pen,
to
attest
what improvements
she
gained
in know-
ledge,
by
the ministrations
of
the
word;
and her cabinet
has
now
discovered
to
us
another
set
of
memoirs, wherein
she
continually observed
:what
advances
she
might make
in
real
piety, by
those weekly seasons
of
grace.
It
was
under
these influences
she
maintained
.a
most
dutiful and affectionate
behaviour
to
her honoured pa-
rents,
and
with
filial fondness, mingled
with
esteem,
submission,
and reverence,
paid
her constant regards to
the
lady,
her
mother,
in
her
widowed estate.
It
was
by
the united
principles
of
grace
and nature,
she lived with
her younger
sisters in
uncommon harmony and' friend-
ship, as
though
one
heart
and
soul
animated
them
all.
It
was
under
these influences,
she
ever
stood upon
her
guard, amongst
all the
innocent freedoms
of
life,
and
though
she
did
not
immure herself in the
walls
of
a
mo-
ther's
house,
but
indulged
a
just
curiosity
to
learn
some
of
the
forms
of
the
world,
the
magnificence
of
courts,
and
the grandeurs
of
life,
yet
she knew how
far
to
appear
among
them,
and
when
to
retire.
Nor
did
she
forbid