my corrupt nature. But if I had, furely God would fhew it me, as he fees my heart is open to inflruction either from him or his fervants.

March 5. I feel a fenfible union with Jefus, and a foul capable of infinite happiness. Yet I am fometimes driven to doubt, whether I fhall ever attain that holiness, without which I cannot be meet to appear before God. This is very afflictive; but the Lord lifts up my head, and gives me a hope, that I fhall overcome at last.

April 6. Bleffed be God, he has given me a fincere defire to be holy as he is holy. Yet I grieve to feel myself fill addicted to pride, peevifhnefs and felf-will; and often weary of the fervice of God, as alfo of his falvation.

May 21. How many have I feen, that were once pillars in the Church, but are now gone back to the world! Bleffed be the Lord, that I have not yet turned my back on his ways. I thank him, that though my foul is not holy, yet I have a love to all his commandments, and I am preffing after his perfect love.

July 3. There is certainly a great deficiency in my faith, or I should not frequently feel condemnation. Seeing I have every day, more or lefs, the witnefs that my fins are forgiven. I live in the breach of no command: there is no created thing I defire: yet I am not happy, because I am not holy.

Nov. 12. Still my foul follows hard after God. And he gives me deep contrition for my paft fins, and for my prefent unlikeness to him. I have also another cause of grief. My girl having by her wretched way of life, deftroyed a good conflitution, and got into a decline, defires to be received again. Though it is contrary to my mother's defire, yet I know not how to refufe her. It may be the good pleafure of God, to give her repentance unto life.

Dec. 10. I have for fome days felt great anguifh of spirit,. from a quick fenfe of pride and felf-will. Though evil reasonings and unbelief prevail, fo that I have no power with

God

God, yet to-day I felt an uncommon measure of love, and he again let me know, that if I obey his voice, he will furely renew my foul in holiness.

April 15, 1759. I ftill go on, fometimes believing, I fhall foon fee the day, when the Lord will fay, Thou art all fair, my love; there is no fpot in thee: at other times unbelief prevails, when I give way to reasoning, or trifling, or neglect prayer. This I know, that I fincerely feek to be faved from all the works of the devil. And this day I examined myself closely before the Lord, earneftly defiring him to let me know, what it is, that prevents my enjoying his pure love. I am afraid, it is want of humility.

May 24. My fpirit is watchful, fearing the deceitfulness of fin: and I am much in prayer, frequently with fafting, that the flesh may be fubdued to the fpirit: this day I was pleased with some fine painting: but it will not fatisfy an immortal spirit. O no! Nothing but holiness! Heaven itfelf, without this, could not fatisfy my foul.

July 15. The work of God in my foul is a mystery indeed; I furely love God and keep his commandments, as far as I have ability to do: yet I have little folid comfort. Speaking of this to my brethren, they tell me, I am not thankful for the falvation already given. It may be fo. I may look too much at my own evil nature and too little at the merits of Jefus. But furely I would not keep myself in pain I would not have my heart bleed under a fense of fin; especially as it has no dominion over me: but I know not how to help it.

Aug. 16. I found the Lord very near to me, giving me to understand the work of his grace, fhewing me, he is fitting upon me as a refiner's fire, and that he does and will fupport me. This greatly comforted my fpirit, which was ready to fink, under the preffure I felt from devils, men and fin. I do not believe as I ought: therefore I fuffer far more than those who are ready to take the Lord at his word. But he

is my witness that I feek to be holy. Yet I do not feek it purely to avoid affliction; but that I may be capable of loving him with all the powers of my foul.

Thursday, Aug. 24. My heart was pained, finding no more than twelve public Bands, whereas there ufed to be a hundred or more. This, with the backwardnefs of fome to know themselves, either by felf-examination, or opening their hearts to each other, made me fear, Heart-Religion is dying away, in many who did once love Jefus. This day I had a fever: but it gave me no concern: my heart wants Jefus, and would endure a thousand days bodily pain, for one hour's enjoyment of his pure love.

Sept. 16. God again witnessed to the work of his grace, and gave me to believe, it will work what he intends. He knows I have need of these confolations: the more fo, as I find no one elfe exercifed in this matter, with fo continual, and piercing a sense of his corrupt nature.

A fhort Account of the death of Mr. RICHARD BOARDMAN,

SUNDAY, September 29th, Mr. Boardman, having been

about eleven days at Cork, was going out to dinner, when, as he was walking, he was fuddenly flruck blind, so that he could not find the way, till one of our friends met him and took him by the hand: foon after he feemed to recover himfelf, and fat down to dinner. But quickly after, he had a kind of fit, wherein he was deprived both of speech and of underftanding, and had one of his fides ftrongly contracted: yet after a few hours, he was pretty well. A Phyfician was called in, who termed it a nervous diffemper, and did not think there was any danger. On Monday he feemed to be perfectly well, and preached both on that and the following

evenings.

evenings. In the mean time his mind was calm and ferene, and no way anxious about Life or Death. On Friday morning he appeared quite eafy, and met the people at the hour of interceffion. When it was obferved, that he had a very uncommon degree of freedom and power with God. After the interceffion, he went about three in the afternoon to dine in Blarney-lane. As he was walking, his wife obferved him to falter in his fpeech, and defired him to return. But he would not comply. As foon as he came into the house, he funk down infenfible. He was brought home in a carriage, and two Phyficians were fent for. They both declared, it was an Apoplectic fit, and that there was no poffibility of helping him. It continued till nine in the evening. He then expired in the arms of two of his brethren, and in the prefence of many, who commended him to God, with forrowful hearts and weeping eyes.

The Sunday morning before his death, he preached from, Though he flay me, yet will I trust in him. It was a folemn meeting: a reverential awe filled the hearts of the congregation. In his laft prayer on Friday, at the interceffion, he prayed fervently for the people, and begged that if this was their last meeting in this world, they might have a happy meeting in the realms of light. When he was leaving Limerick, he told Mrs. Boardman, that he fhould die in Cork. But he spoke it, without the least concern, as knowing in whom he had believed. Mr. Yewdall preached his funeral Sermon, on Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord: I think to as large a congregation, as ever I faw in the room at Cork.

[Above fifty Years ago, I met with a remarkable Account, intitled, THE SECOND SPIRA. I fubjoin an Extract from it.]

J. W.

A Narrative of the Death of the Hon. Fr. Nt, Son to the late

A

T fixteen he was fent to the University of

where he continued five years, and behaved fo agreeably to his religious education, that he was looked upon as a bleffing and an ornament to his family. At twentyone he came to town, and entered himself at

ftudy the Law.

to

His new acquaintance began to rally him for his Religion: to whom he would fay, "Gentlemen, you, who pretend to reafon, cannot think Laughter a conclufive Argument. If Religion be fo abfurd as you would have me believe, why do not you give fome fair Reasons against it?" This, fome of them would attempt, and though their argument at firft was as unsuccessful as their raillery, yet the poifon funk by degrees, and at last tainted him as deeply as themfelves. He was adopted into their Society, which met to lay down Rules, for being fo Critically Wicked, that the Law fhould not be able to take hold of them.

He ftill kept a fair correfpondence with his friends, and in ftrange places was fober and referved. But in fecret, and among his acquaintance, as wicked, as good-parts, abundance of temptations, and a fair eftate enabled him to be.

On Nov. 30, 1692, He was taken ill, and found, notwithftanding all his precautions, he had not yet fhook off the expectation of another life. This made him throw himself upon his bed, and break out into thefe expreffions; "Whence