6

you;' she replied strongly, No, I do not believe he has.'

"At another time she said to her sister R-, Never cavil at the Scriptures; it is a dangerous thing.'

"It pleased God to give her a more easy dismission from this state of trial than we were led to expect.

"The day preceding that of her death, she looked earnestly at her mother upon waking in the morning, who asked her if she wanted any thing? She replied, I want to be happy in God. Indeed, I have great need of comfort from him; pray for me, that I may be patient.'

"She requested that she might once more join with us in the holy ordinance of the Lord's Supper, which the Rev. Mr.

administered on the following day. She expressed great comfort after joining in this solemn ordinance, and about four hours afterwards quietly fell asleep in Jesus, departing without a sigh, or any other expression of pain."

OBITUARY

OF THE

REV. JOHN HEY.

TWELVE years after the death of my eldest son, and seven years after the death of my daughter, that gracious Being, whose ways are all directed by perfect wisdom and righteousness, saw fit to call hence another of my sons, about a year after he had entered upon the ministerial office.

He had given a preference to the ministry from his early youth; and, when a boy, had often expressed a desire of labouring as a missionary among the heathen. When he was eleven years of age, he wrote a short sermon on those words of the Apostle; "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." Romans viii. 8. This text was his own choice, and was explained in the manner which, I believe, is agreeable to its true mean

Y

ing. He had been accustomed, by the directions of his master, under whose tuition he then was, to write down what he could remember of one of the sermons which he heard at church; and this excellent custom had, no doubt, made him so much acquainted with the composition of a sermon, as to enable him, at the age I have mentioned, to write a discourse, which, if enlarged, would not have been unsuitable to the pulpit.

The subsequent account will be chiefly collected from his private papers, his letters, and conversations with his most intimate friends during his last illness.

When he was seventeen years of age, he wrote the following short history of the preceding part of his life, to which he prefixed, as a motto, these texts of Scripture.

"Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee."

"Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice."

"I was born March the 8th.-I remember nothing till I was near six years old, except a few trifling circumstances. When I was about six years old, I was sent to Mr. B's school, at L, where I remained till I was nine years old. I was there very guilty of

telling lies, and chiefly such as would raise wonder and astonishment. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me, for thy goodness sake, O Lord!'"

"When I was nine years of age, I went to the school of the Rev. Mr.

There I

towards

spent much pleasant time. Mr. the first was a little severe; but my disposition wanted severity, and I have reason to be thankful that he was so, for he has done me more good than I can express, and more perhaps than I am conscious of.

"I had, at several different times, religious convictions while I was there. Being ill of a fever, when I was about ten years old, I was taken home; and formed there many resolutions of living a good life if I should recover. Nay, I then began, as I thought, to be good, whether I should live or die. But such kind of resolutions have always the same end; I forgot them all when I had recovered my health. Sometimes afterwards, I had again convictions of heart that I was not going on right. The right way, however, I knew not, though I might perhaps have the theory of religion. [Vide sermon written when I was eleven years of age.] But from Mr. R-'s most excellent conversation, and the Rev.

Mr. P's preaching, my conscience would not let me go on carelessly. I took up a scheme of self-righteousness. But when I began really to see Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, then Satan, and my own wicked desires, were permitted to tempt me sorely. This happened when I was fourteen years of age. O how often have I been solicited to act in opposition to the dictates of my conscience! But O my soul, is there not enough, besides that time, enough to make thee sink to the ground in despair, but for my blessed, ever blessed Redeemer? Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.' Those temptations were to shew me my wickedness, and my weakness, and to engage me to apply to Christ for pardon and strength. But my repentances (so innumerable are they) have need to be repented of.

By the grace of God in Christ, and by that alone, those temptations have begun to weaken. A sense of my immoderate pride is, I feel, to take place, in order to my humiliation before a holy God. I have not yet done with the former temptations. Remember unto thy servant, O O Lord, the word on which thou hast caused him to hope.'

"When I was fifteen years old, I left Mr.