"When we asked if he wanted any thing, he frequently answered, "Nothing but Christ." Some person observed, that the valley of the shadow of death was hard to be passed; " Not with Christ," replied he. "On March the 27th, after a most uneasy night, he prayed as in an agony, that he might not have many such nights. "O my God," said he, "not many!" It was with great difficulty he seemed to speak. About ten days before, on my brother Samuel's entering the room, he took hold of his hand, and pronounced, with a voice of faith, “I shall bless God to all eternity, that ever you were born: I am persuaded I shall !" 66 My brother Charles also seemed much upon his mind: "That dear boy," said he, " God bless him!" He spoke less to me than to the rest, which has since given me some pain. However, he bade me trust in God and never forsake him, and then, he assured me, he never would forsake me! 66 "The 28th my mother asked if he had any thing to say to us; raising his eyes, he said, Only thanks! Love! Blessing!" 66 Tuesday and Wednesday he was not entirely sensible. He slept much, without refreshment, and had the restlessness of death for I think the whole week. He was eager to depart; and if we moved him, or spoke to him, he answered, "Let me die! let me die!" "A fortnight before, he prayed with many tears for his enemies; naming Miss "I beseech thee, O Lord, by thine agony and bloody sweat," said he, “that she may never feel the pangs of eternal death!" "When your kind letter to my brother came, in which you affectionately tell him, that you will be a father to him and to my brother Samuel, I read it to our father; "He will be kind to you," said he, “when I am gone: I am certain, your uncle will be kind to all of you." "The last morning which was the 29th of March, being unable to speak, my mother intreated him to press her hand if he knew her, which he feebly did. "His last words which I could hear, were "Lordmy heart-my God!" He then drew his breath short, and the last so gently, that we knew not exactly the moment in which his happy spirit fled. "His dear hand was in mine for five minutes before, and at the awful period of his dissolution. "It often had been his desire that we should attend him to the grave; and though he did not mention it again, as he did the place of his burial, during his illness, we all mean to fulfil his wish. Trusting we shall be supported, as we have been hitherto, in our afflicting situations, I am, your afflicted and dutiful Niece, S, WESLEY." The following lines which were written by himself upon the death of one of his friends, were engraven on his tombstone : "With poverty of spirit bless'd, A sinner sav'd, through grace forgiv❜n, By thee forgot, are crown'd above; Crown'd through the mercy of thy Lord, "He Dr. Whitehead thus describes Mr. C. Wesley : was of a warm and lively disposition; of great frankness and integrity, generous and steady in his friendships. He was an excellent scholar, and his poetical genius and taste were very considerable. In conversation he was pleasing, instructive, and cheerful; and his observations were often seasoned with wit and humour. His religion was genuine and unaffected. As a Minister, he was familiarly acquainted with every part of divinity; and his mind was furnished with an uncommon knowledge of the Scriptures. His discourses from the pulpit were not dry and systematick, but flowed from the present views and feelings of his own mind. He had a remark-' able talent of expressing the most important truths with simplicity and energy; his sermons were sometimes truly apostolick, forcing conviction on the hearers, in spite of the most determined opposition: and whether we view him as a husband, a divine, a father, or a friend,. his character was peculiarly amiable." THE LIFE OF THE REV. JOHN WESLEY, A. M. From his birth until his departure for America in 1735. MR. R. JOHN WESLEY, second son of Samuel, and Susannah Wesley, was born at Epworth, Lincolnshire, June 17th, 1703. A domestick affliction nearly deprived him of life ere he attained six years of age. The parsonage house was entirely destroyed by fire. His escape is recorded in one of his early portraits: under the likeness, is represented a house in flames with this motto: "Is not this a brand plucked out of the burning?" Mrs. Wesley's relation of that interesting event is contained in a letter to Mr. Hoole, dated August 24th, 1709. "Reverend Sir, My master is much concerned that he was so unhappy as to miss of seeing you at Epworth; and he is not a little troubled that the great hurry of business about building his house will not afford him leisure to write. He has therefore ordered me to satisfy your desire as well as I can, which I shall do by a simple relation of matters of fact; though I cannot at this distance of time recollect every calamitous circumstance that attended our strange reverse of fortune. On Wednesday night, February the 9th, between the hours of eleven and twelve, our house took fire, by what accident God only knows. It was discovered by some sparks falling from, the roof upon a bed where one of the children Hetty I lay, and burnt her feet. She immediately ran to the chamber and called us; but I believe no one heard her; for Mr. Wesley was alarmed by a cry of fire in the street, upon which he rose, little imagining that his own house was on fire; but, on opening his door, he found it was full of smoke, and that the roof was already burnt through. He immediately came to my room, as I was very ill he lay in a separate room from me, and bid me and my two eldest daughters rise quickly and shift for our lives, the house being all on fire. Then he ran and burst open the nursery door, and called to the maid to bring out the children. The two little ones lay in the bed with her; the three others in another bed. She snatched up the youngest, and bid the rest follow, which they did, except Jacky. When we were got into the hall, and saw ourselves surrounded with flames, and that the roof was on the point of falling, we concluded ourselves inevitably lost, as Mr. Wesley in his fright had forgotten the keys of the doors above stairs. But he ventured up stairs once more, and recovered them, a minute before the stair-case took fire. When we opened the street door, the strong north-east wind drove the flames in with such violence, that none could stand against them: Mr. Wesley only, had such presence of mind as to think of the garden-door, out of which he helped some of the children; the rest got through the windows. I was not in a condition to climb up to the windows; nor could I get to the garden-door. I endeavoured three times to force my passage through the street-door, but was as often beaten back by the fury of the flames. In this distress I besought our blessed Saviour to preserve me, if it were his will, from that death, and then waded through the fire, naked as I was, which did me no farther harm than a little scorching my hands and face. "While Mr. Wesley was carrying the children into the garden, he heard the child in the nursery cry out |