approach of dissolution, and am daily made sensible of decay.* But swelled legs, short breath, and other morbid symptoms, give me no dreary prospect. The will and order of God is my choice, in whatsoever way it mani fests itself. Sometimes it is suggested that I shall be called to endure great conflicts in death, both outward and inward. Well, I have no care about it. Once I wished to be able to express some joy in death, in order to encourage those I leave behind. But now I see things in a different light. My life hath been a life of backslidings and unfaithfulness. I know not, therefore, what kind of death will bring most instruction to others, and most glory to God. All is in his hand, and all my prayers are lost in this, "Father, thy will be done." I feel a bleeding wound from the loss of that dearest and best of men. But I am conscious he is not dead! No; he that "believeth in Jesus shall never die." And the will of God is so dear to me, I rejoice it is done; though against my tenderest feelings. He is wise, and I kiss the rod. I admire and adore! I have communion with my dearest love before the throne! He waits for-he beckons me away! I rest in the will of God; and at this moment "Not one wave of sorrow rolls Across my peaceful breast!" I have found of late much comfort in those words, INFINITE WISDOM! INFINITE POWER! INFINITE LOVE. 0, my God! Thy infinite wisdom swallows up all my choice! Thy infinite power forbids my fear! And thy infinite love makes all my own! And now I know this day in my heart and in my soul, that "not one of the good things hath failed mc, of all the Lord my God hath spoken!" Therefore, looking for salvation and victory alone "through the blood of the Lamb, and the word of our testimony," I conclude with Simeon's words, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." * How true is that word, Life is yours, and death is yours-all shall be ordered for your good! She lived twenty-four years after this time.-ED. PART THE SEVENTH. EXTRACTS FROM HER JOURNAL. WE have now gone on with Mrs. Fletcher, from the time when in early youth she obeyed that call of God, "Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and be a father to you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." We have seen her, like the great father of the faithful, “go forth and follow the Lord, not knowing whither she went.' We have seen her pass through the wilderness of cares, and fears, and sorrows, "leaning upon her beloved;" not forgetting, however, his warning voice, "Remember Lot's wife." We have beheld her wading through the depths of self-knowledge, made manifest by the law, and the painful process of which is so strikingly displayed in the seventh chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. We have travailed with her in birth while she groaned oppressed with the "carnal mind," yet thanking God, and not despairing of deliverance," through Jesus Christ our Lord." We have anticipated the victory while she " encouraged herself in the Lord her God." We have seen her struggle, not in vain, till the opening heaven, displayed in the eighth chapter of that glorious epistle, claimed and received her whole heart! We have seen this Divine process continue, without any of those unscriptural abstractions or subterfuges which have obscured or deformed "the work of the Spirit" in other devoted souls. What remains but to see if she carried her blessings through the trials of her remaining years? If she maintained the same undeviating path? If she held fast simplicity and If love in all her intercourse with her fellow creatures? she continued to "deny herself daily, and take up her cross?" If she persevered to the end of her race, “trust. ing in the Lord, doing good unto all, and especially to the household of faith?" An extract from her journals, which are very copious, will furnish us with a clear, and, we hope, not a tiresome answer to these very important questions.-ED. January 1, 1792.-This has been a solemn day. At the sacrament I gave myself afresh to the Lord. At night we renewed our covenant;-my soul strove for a perfect dedication. It is the last time, I suppose, that Mr. and Mrs. Horne will be with us on this occasion, which added to the solemnity.* Friday, 6th.-A day of solemn prayer in many parts of it; yet much temptation and distraction at others. O how does my soul long for the full union! I feel a fixed reliance on Jesus, and an increasing desire after him. “O tell me, thou whom my soul loveth, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon!" I long after thy meridian brightness. This day ten years I came first to Madeley, and my dear husband led me through the house. We prayed together, and gave ourselves up into the hands of the Lord. What have I seen since that time! Well, blessed be the Lord, I am nearer to him, and more free to serve God, both inwardly and outwardly, than I was that night. But I want to be a meet partaker with my dear, dear, holy husband, now in light! I want to feel a fuller degree of the spirit in which he lives! Lord, thou hast said, "Whom God hath joined together, let no man put asunder." Are we not still ONE? Thou knowest, O Lord, our union was far more in the spirit than in the flesh; and "Can death's interposing tide Spirits one in thee divide ?" Surely no. O then make me "a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light!" 7th.-Received to-day a striking conviction how careful I ought to be not to expose the fault or infirmity of any one. I want so to love my neighbours as to feel all their concerns as tenderly as if they were my own. When I err in the least from this I feel the Lord's rebuke. 12th.-A day of recollection. I prayed last night that I might not offend with my tongue all the day. I knew I should be exposed to some hurrying circumstances, and * Mr. Horne, curate of Madeley, was then preparing to go to Sierra Leone, as chaplain to that settlement.-ED. I pleaded in faith that there might not come one word out of my mouth that I could have a sorrowful thought for; and, blessed be his holy name, I have found a constant sense of a Divine monitor warning and keeping me the whole day. Yes, thou hast answered my prayer, glory be to thee, O Lord! I have this day also found a sweet idea of Christ's condescending love, and gentle manner in reproving his disciples. And is not his heart the same in heaven? Yes, it is! "He is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." Then he does pity and bear with me! Yes, his blood hath atoned for all. "Jesus protects; my fears begone! 25th.-Last Saturday Mr. Horne and his family set out from our house for Sierra Leone, the place of his mission in Africa. For three weeks we have been a good deal taken up in helping them to prepare for this great undertaking. I found much of the approval of God in all we had to do, and a delight in the thought that so poor a worm can in the least contribute toward what appears so much for the glory of God. The next day was solemn. Mr. Gilpin kindly assisted us, and encouraged us to believe we should not suffer for what we had given up in obedience to God's order. His sermon was attended with unction. In the afternoon he was obliged to leave us, and return to his own congregation. I had a meeting in our room, as there was no service in the church. There was a weight on my spirit. I now missed my dear husband. Our being without a minister may cause many disagreeable things; and I alone feel the burden. Here is no Mr. Horne, thought I, to consult with. However, we had a very sweet time! The Lord was present in a more than common manner. I felt liberty and freedom to speak, but we were greatly crowded. Numbers went away for want of room, at which I was grieved. Lord, direct us in all our ways! There is a good spirit in our people; they feel the loss of their minister, and yet seem resigned to the will of God. March 4. Since the above I have passed through va rious scenes. Our room being too small for the Sunday congregation, I thought it a call to go to the Dale, and believed the badness of the roads was not to hinder. But the Lord has been pleased to visit me with illness, and has quite confined me to my room. I found much peace in the Divine appointment. One day the doctor told me he thought my case very bad; and I had reason to believe I was very near my Father's house. I felt all my soul acquiesce in the Divine disposal; and though I had no particular joy, but rather darts from the enemy, nevertheless 1 felt my soul lie down as it were on the will of God, as on a soft pillow. Soon after it appeared I should, for a time, be better. All was still right. O the blessing of having a God to trust to! It I am now again enabled to attend the meetings, and I find an increasing power and freedom; but we are still without a minister, which causes many difficulties. Every day, and almost every hour, things occur to make me feel afresh the want of that shepherd who so naturally cared for our souls, and so tenderly led this flock for such a number of years. But I feel a pleasure in the cross. is a favour, a great favour, to suffer any thing for my God. A new ministry has something awful. Should it be carnal, what a pain will it be to me to see my dear's pulpit so occupied! Should he be a spiritual man, yet perhaps he will not agree with the Methodist preachers, and that will cause dissensions, a thing unknown at Madeley as yet. But in all I stand still, determined to be well pleased with all that the Lord provides. Should there be a disagreement, I must bear the weight on both sides. O thou great Shepherd and Bishop of souls, I hang on thee! I hide me in the cleft of thy side, and, as it were, wrap me in thy will! Crosses are very profitable. I have one foot in the grave, and often but a rough path. It reminded me of a dream I had when about twenty-three, before my soul had lost that liberty it got at Hoxton. I thought I was looking through my breast at my heart, and it appeared very smooth and white. Presently I saw the finger of a hand with something like the blade of a penknife. It began to scrape; immediately all was rough and brown, till after a time I saw one spot like white velvet. Then it was spoken to me, You must endure that circumcising knife till the whole is like that spot! There was |