94 TUE, WORLD To. c4ME. upon the drowning soul ! Hopeless condition, amt extreme wretchedness ! To have all the hard work of conversion to go through under the sinkings of feeble nature, and to begin' the exercises of virtue and godliness under the wild disorders of reason ! What a madness is it to leave our infinite concerns at such a horrible uncertainty ! [" Here this discourse may be divided."] 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 reasoning powers, and gave her very little opportunity to make a present preparation for dying. But she had heard the voice of Christ, in his gospel betimes, and awoke to righteousness at his call, that she might be always ready for his summons in death. Religion was her early care, a; fear to offend pod possessed and governed her thoughts amt actions from her childhood, and heavenly things were her youth- ful choice. She had appeared, for some years, in the public profession of Christianity, and maintained the practice of godli- ness 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 Saviour : There she devoted her soul to her Creator betimes, according to the encouragementsand rules of the gospel of Christ, and there she found peace and salvation. It was there she made a consei- entions 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 conti- nually observed what advances she might make in real piety, by, those weekly seasons of grace. It was under these influenèes she maintained a most dutiful and affectionate behaviour to her honoured parents, and with filial fondness, mingled with esteem, submission and reverence, paid her constant regards to the lady, her mother, in her wi- dowed estate. It, was by the united principles of grace and nature, she lived with her younger sisters in uncommon her Irony and friendship, 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 mother's house, but indulged a just curiosity to learn soine 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 herself all the polite diversions of youth agreeable ,to her rank ; nor (lid reason, or religion, or her superior relatives forbid her ; yet she was still awake to secure all that belongs to
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