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THE

Evangelical Magazine,

For JUNE, 1799.

BIOGRAPHY.

A SHORT NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE OF JOHN GOTTLIEB HOLBERG, A MEMBER OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH. WRITTEN BY HIMSELF.

I

WAS born Oct. 21, 1729, at Zuillichau.

My mother

has frequently related to me, that my late dear father, who was a pious man, dedicated me as his first-born fon with many tears and fervent prayers to the Lord as his perty; and his prayers were heard. Of my troublesome pilgrimage through this world I may well fay,

"With patience immenfe,
With love most intenfe,

The Lord led me on:

I'm loft in amazement when thinking thereon."

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For when I review the great love of my faithful Saviour and confider that he has never been wearied of treating me with unexampled patience and long suffering; but whenever I withdrew from the noife of the world, was pleafed by his Spirit to draw me unto himself, my eyes are filled with tears of gratitude;-a thousand thousand thanks to thee, dearest Lord, for ever!

In my third year my father departed this life. I recollect hearing a converfation of my mother, one Christmas, concerning the child Jefus Chrift. I enquired who that was, and was told, that he was God in Heaven, and that we Chriftians are called after his name. These words made fuch a deep impreffion on my heart that I could not but weep for joy, that poor men fhould have fuch a divine and glorious name. While yet a child, I longed much to die, and go to Heaven, and frequently prayed for it. This defire was encreased in 1732, when my mother married VOL. VII. i again,

again, and my step-father's treatment of me was not the moft kind. In my ninth year I was prefent when one of our neighbours departed this life, under great concern for the falvation of his foul; but uncertain what would become of him hereafter, having no one to adminifter advice and comfort to him. I was hereby led ferioufly to reflect upon the ftate of my foul, and my diftrefs of mind was further augmented by the following circumftance: I went once to hear a fermon of the Rev. Mr. Steinbart; having fung the hymn,

"Jefus thou art my joy,

And therefore bleft am I," &c.

He addreffed his hearers to this effect: "How many may there not be in this large company, who, during the fing ing of this hymn, have publicly, and before the face of God, been lying unto him? For God's fake, do ask your own hearts whether this be true. The world, and what is in the world, the luft of the flesh, the luft of the eyes, and the pride of life; thefe are ftill your joy-how then can you call Jefus your joy? &c." My heart was deeply affected, and I fhed a flood of tears, for I could not affirm, that Jefus was my only joy, and was therefore confcious that I had lied unto him, which became a fource of great uneafinefs to me. I went home in the greateft diftrefs, kneeled down in a fecret corner, and with numberlefs tears entreated God to pardon all the tranfgreffions of my paft life; and made a new furrender of myfelf to him, promifing to live unto him during the remainder of my life. Soon after, I related to one of my fchool-fellows, in whom I had noticed a fimilar awakening, the covenant I had made with the Lord Jefus: we united in prayer to God, to have mercy upon us, and to render us well-pleafing unto him. We frequently met to pray together, and whenever one had noticed any thing wrong in the conduct of the other, during the courfe of the week, a penance was inflicted on the tranfgreffor the Sunday following. continued in this legal way, for about a quarter of a year, when we grew tired of it, and concluded, that it was quite impoffible to do what was pleafing unto God. My chearful and active difpofition foon led me aftray, and it was not long before I excelled my companions in levity. Every freth tranfgreffion threw me into new anxiety, and was followed by new refolutions to alter my courfe; but before I was aware of it, I was again entangled with fin, till at length I began to be afraid of my Maker, and to dread

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