evident, that Satan had harrassed her respecting her interest in Chrift; the would repeatedly afk whether God could pardon fo vile a finner as the was, and then cry, "Heavenly Father, have mercy on me; and, Lord Jefus, fave me from hell." Some time after the had been thus wrestling with God in prayer, the clasped her hands together, faying, "I have got him, I have got him, O precious Christ." Her father faid, "perhaps the Lord may raile you up again, and then you and I fhall be companions, and talk of the best things. Should you like that?" he looked at him, and faid, But father, perhaps the Lord may take you with me to heaven, fhould you like that?" "Yes," answered the father; then she fung, "When I can read my title clear, To manfions in the fkies; I bid farewell to all my fear, And wipe my weeping eyes.” After this fhe faid, "God is Spirit, and the God of Spirits ;" and after a fhort paufe, cried, "God has got his arms around me; Jefus Chrift will foon take me beyond the clouds, and beyond the fkies.” Wednesday 28th, he was taken to Guy's hofpital, where the fuffered much on account of the behaviour of the bad women in the ward with her; whom the reproved, telling them that if they continued in that state, they would furely go to hell. They threatened to beat her if the spoke to them; therefore, on account of the wickedness of the women, her mother remained with her. The next day, (Thursday) fhe was visited again, and exhorted to pray to Jefus; the answered that he did; but on account of the women, the said very little; neither could any of the vifitors fpeak fo freely as they wished to do. However, what the faid was in a very low tone of voice, fo that only now and then a word could be heard. Such as "Come, come, come Lord Jefus, come;" about eleven o'clock in the evening, the faid, "O Lord Jefus make my bed," and then requested her mother to turn her, and immediately fell afleep, I truft, in the arms of Jefus. Thus died this dear child, in the eleventh year of her age. Her character and behaviour when at school, was fuch as engaged the ttention of our friends, though, dear child, fhe was almost naked. When at her books he did not, as moft children, idle away her time, but was attentive to what was faid; and when addrefiing the children, I have always found her hanging upon my lips. Her behaviour at the place of worship was very ferious; in fho t, her conduct fuch as always attracted the notice of the vifitors, who spoke of her with approbation. Her parents being poor, our friends buried her at their own expence ; 4 boys carried her to the grave; 6 girls held up the paul; and 130 children followed. The Reverend Mr. Knight spoke over her, and addreffed the children in a moft pointed and affectionate manner. Mott of the children and their parents were prefent, and were much affected. My earnest praver to God for you is, that as he has in a remarkable manner ftirred you up in beraif of the rifing generation, that you may live to fee our temples rouded with children, crying, Bleffed be the King of Ifrael, &c. T. CRANFIELD. RELIGIOUS RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE. MISSIONARY INTELLIGENCE. N our laft we mentioned, that Meffrs. Hughs, Hill, and Capt. Robfen remained at Lisbon. The latter are now, fafely returned in health, Mrs. Hughs had been unwell from the time of leaving Monte Vidio; on her arrival, notwithstanding every kind of medical affittance was procured at Lisbon the complaint affumed an alpect that threatened an halty termination of her life;" and about the time of Capt. Rubion's failing from Lifbon the departed this life. Mr. Hughes appears to bear the ftroke with a due mixture of conjugal tenderness and Christian fubmiftion. The following letter to the Rev. Mr Eyre, will fhew the state of Mrs. H.'s m nd in the hours of approaching diffolution. Rev. and Dear Father in Chrift Jefus, Lisbon, Nov. 28, 1799. IN my laft, dated Oct. 19, I mentioned that various and heavy had been my trials fince I left England; but were thefe all put in a ba lance they would be light indeed, compared with that which is now come upon me. The Lord in his wife providence has taken away the dearest of my temporal comforts. This is a lofs only known and feit by thole who have lived happily in the marriage ftate. How little could I before condole with th fe who had been vifited by fimilar bereavements. But amid all my affiction, I delire to fubmit to the wil of the Lord, in taking from me the deareff partner of my life. Bieffed be God, I do not forrow as thofe who have no hope. I have no doubt of her being tar more happy than I could make nei. Like Job, I would tay, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, bluffed be the name of the Lord.” As the drew near her end, the became more paflive and reconciled to the divine will. She law that the Lord would be jut even in tending her foul to hell, on the accoun of her fins, and that her affliction was but light, compared with what her Savur endured on her account. From Friday morning, Oct. 25, the appeared to be dying; on Saturday morning the was praying for five minutes reft; then looking on me, fhe faid, If the Lord would grant me that five minutes, I fhould want more, fo I am never contented-the Lord will foon take me to himself." I asked her, fhould that be the cafe, and should I be fpared to fee our trends in England, had the any thing on her mind to tell them? She answered, "Give my love and duty to them all-telt them I am going to my dear Saviour, and with them to follow the good way." On turning away my face, the afked, "Do you think my fins are not forgiven?" I faid, My dear, I truit Chrift hath bore your fins in his own body on the tree." Well then, replied he, "Weep no more for me, for I truft I am not a hypocrite, though I have been a great finner: Christ died for finners, and he died for me." Saturday evening, after praying earnestly that the Lord would continue to fupport, that her faith and patience might not fail, the looked on me, faying, "I fhall not trouble you long, you thall rett to night, for you cannot fupport to long without fleep." Lord's-day morning, her pains con tinued to increase; I repeated that fweet hymn, "Jefu, lover of my foul, When When I had done, the faid, "That fweet hymn expreffes my defires; I have no other Saviour." 1 faid, "This is the Lord's-day, on which you and I were accustomed to hear God's word preached." 66 Yes," faid the, "I know it; I have now done with earthly courts of his house below." I faid, "We have a house above," and continued to speak a little of the reit that remaineth for God's people, when the broke out, faying, "Come, my fweet Saviour, come, and take me to thyself; why doft thou tarry? But it is my duty to wait." She had no fears but of offending the Lord, in being too impatient for her last hour. When I endeavoured to fhew God's unchanging love to his own people, the faid, "That is my mercy." Frequently, in her dying ftruggles, the faid, "Son of David, have mercy on me; come, come, my lovely Saviour, take me." About eight in the evening, ftruggling very hard, the faid, 'Lord, leave me not, Lord, help me;" and at length he heard her prayers, and at nine o'clock, October the 27th, and 40th year of her age, the fell asleep in the lovely Saviour, whom the fo earneftly longed after. At four in the afternoon, October the 29th, 1799, her body was interred in the Proteftant burial ground, Lifben. Thus, dear Sir, have I given you fome little account of the Lord's dealings with my dear wife. Should the Lord afford me the happiness of feeing you and other valuable friends, I may be more particular. In the meantime, I would beg to be remembered at the throne of Grace for that peculiar aid which our tender hearted Saviour can vouchfafe in thefe diftrefling moments. May the Lord fanétify this providence to ine more and more, fo that I may have more of the impreffion of his bieffled image on my mind, I mult foon go the way of all flesh. What reafon have I to blefs the God of Love for providing a remedy for loft man; but I have more reafon to biefs and plane 1. m, for manifeft ng his love to my unworthy foul, by his spirit, through the Son of his love; and I have every reason to believe that my dear wife is only gone before me-May I fay, to welcome the hour when my departing spirit shall take its flight to join with her amongit the millions of the redeemed, finging, "Worthy is the Lamb that was flain." I remain, dear Sir, your's, R. HUGHES. The above is the only inftance of mortality among the Miffionaries themfeives, during the whole voyage, which, when all the dangers to which they were expoled are recollected, must be confidered a kind and interpofing providence. We understand the Directors of the Miffionary Society have come to a refolution to itrengthen the Miffion at the Cape, with four English and four Dutch Miffionaries, and are taking into confideration the propriety of revifi ing the Brethren in the South Seas; but we apprehend, before any thing on this fubje&t is finally decided upon, it will be laid before the Society. Application has been made to the Directors from a pious few, at Que. bec, defcribing their deplorable want of Gofpel light, and requesting a perfon might be tent from the Society to affilt them. REVEREND AND DEAR SIR, Kirby freet, November 12th, 1799. By the last mail, about ten days ago, I received the inclofed for the Directors of the Mitionary Society, but have been ever fince entirely unfit for any kind of work, owing to a fevere attack of a theumatic fever which had feized particularly my head, and confined me to my room and bed. bed. It gave me much uneafinefs to keep you fo long without it, and as foon as I could put pen to paper, I began to tranflate it for you. But your will forgive blunders and corrections, and throw it into whatever form you pleafe; it is a literal tranflation, upon which you may depend. Mr. Heinrich's chriftian names I do not know. He is minifter of the parish of Reibersdorff, a very large village near Zittau in Upper Lufatia, and a worthy fervant of God in the Lutheran church. A letter written by Mr. Mortimer's hand, and figned by two bishops of our church, in the name of the Elders' Conference of the Unity, accompanies it, and I hope all will give you fatisfaction. I remain, Letter from the Conference of Minifiers at Herrnhuth, to the Directors of the Mifionary Society. Moft refpected, and in our common Saviour cordially beloved brethren! YOUR letter, addreffed to the conference of Minifters, (50 of whom, with about 200 members of the Brethren's congregation, were this year affembled at Herrnhuth,) could not but excite within us the livelieft fenfations of joy, and demand our moft ferious confideration. We faw the power of God, our Saviour, producing events, hitherto deemed impoffible by all, with admiration and praife. We flood aftonished at the exfy, fuccessful, and bleiked progrefs of the Miffionary work you had undertaken, venturing all, to follow the fmall, ftill voice of the Lord. We rejoiced at the excellent inftitutions made by you, and other chofen fouls connected with you, towards spreading the Gospel, both in diftant islands and remote regions, and in your own large island; which are partly established, and partly rifing into greater perfection and multiplying in every direction, and we blefs God with tears of gratitude for the fuccefs which has attended your zealous and arduous ondertakings, above all our expectation, and fo as to put all doubtings to flame. We most heartily with and pray, as we have done from the beginning, that our inexpreflibly glorious Saviour, who purchased the redemption of the human race at the expence of his life and blood, may fully accomplish his bleffed views, gather in the reward of the travail of his foul from amongst thole heathen alio to whom you are fending the gofpel, and endow his chofen inftruments with power, courage, and wifdom for their work. Certain it is, that the whole earth fhall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. If what is now doing be a beginning of that glorious work of God, we value ourselves indeed happy to be witneffes of it. Othat we may be counted worthy to become helpers alfo ! We, to whom your writing is addrelled, confit of perfons belonging to the Church of the Bethen, or intimately connected therewith. The former may speak for themselves. But we are only a very small number of proteftant miniftes, in public office, who are al confined to our several congregations, and have neither opportunity nor permitlion to labour in behalf of others, not belonging to our parishes, unless perhaps by means of the prefs. Formerly many worthy minifters of our church had doubts about forming a cordial connection with the Brethren, not knowing them, and even avoiding the way to become acquainted with this people of God from various fcruples; but after they once ventured to know them, their prejudices prejudices vanifhed more and more, and the number of minifters, who have been excited to feek the fellowship of the Brethren, has increated from time to time. The Conference of Minifters, now held for forty-five years at Herrnhuth, has been an excellent opportunity for promoting this union. Well difpofed parith mini'ters in the neighbourhood, as i kewife fome from a confiderable distance, affemble yearly, on the Wednesday after Trinity Sunday, in that place, and converfe together, for one whole day, in a friendly and uteful manner, in prefence of many members of the Bethren's Congregation, one of whom is always appointed prefident. Ther number has encreated from 5 to 63. The converfation is familiar, and relating to their office as minitters; and the fubjects are furnished, partly from writings de ivered in, partly from letters received; but our refolutions are chiefly confined to our marking fuch means as have by experience been found advantageous towards promoting the knowledge of falvation in the congrega tions committed to our care, and establishing obe lience to the faith of Christ. As to practice, every one acts according to the mafure of that gift, which he has received from God either naturally or by grace. But we do not like to fpeak much in public of what each has done in his congregation. Each fows and reaps by himself. Sever varieties are therefore obfervable in our congregations. Except in fuch congregations, in which the newtangled doctrines prevail, which can he laid but of very few in Upper Lufatia, efpecially about Herrnhuth, we find in our refpe&t ve parishes a greater or fmaller number of awakened fouls, and among thefe, in fome more, in others lefs ipiritual communion, and not much encouragement to gain more for the Lord, but what is given by the public or private miniftry of the word by the path minister. The following particulars however deferve notice, as having a reference to the gaining of fouls for Chrift, or the care and leading of such as are gained : 1. Our connexion with the Brethren's Congregation. The Brethren have always paid particular attention to the awakened people of every denomination, they have been ready to ferve as teachers with their best infight and experience, and thereby given to the labours of many a one a proper direction, and led many a poor foul, concerned for his falvation, in o the proper track. At prefent there are few teachers, and even hearers, in the parishes immediately furrounding Herrnhuth or other fettlements of the Brethren, who have not by the fweet-fieiling favour of the Gospel taught there, been directed to Christ and his atonement as the chief object of faith. And it happens even, that a minifter, who has nothing of the divine life in himfelf, confiders it however as an honour, or fomething conducive to his goodiepuration, to pretend to an acquaintance with the Brethren, and to friendhip with thofe connected with them. We are therefore never proud of numbers attending our yearly conference. Yet, a teacher, who enjoys the fellowship of the Brethren, has one obitacle lefs, and one advantage more, in endeavouring to gain fouls for Chrift. 2. Our connexion with the German fociety. (Teutfche Gesellschaff } This fociety has long ago given the public a printed account of its origin and views. It contains the fo called Pieti,mus, which began with the commencement of this century and has continued ever lince, or the union of the pious people in the proteilant churches to promote (prit val fellowhip. It has its centre at Bafle, but there are particular fcieties in Auftria, at Nuremburg, Aufburg, Strafburg, Wernigerodi, Eatt Frifia, Hamburg, Magdeburg, Prenzlow, Berlin, Breslaw, Drefden, and other places, each having its particular fphere of action, its monthly meeting and its correfpondent, who reports their molt important proceedings to Balle. Here minutes of theme |