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,

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