to my petition. Make good to me, this thy promise, in a spiritual and eternal sense. Be my God, and the God of my seed, and of my seed's seed to the latest generation. Let my seed, according to the flesh, be thine by regeneration of the Holy Ghost; it is a great boon; but hast thou not said, Open thy mouth wide, I will fill it. Father, do as thou hast said: this is one petition, and I cannot be said nay. I ask for myself, my children, and my children's children, to the latest generation; the life which Christ died to purchase, and lives to bestow, that we may be made one with him, and our life hid with him in God. Amen and Amen.

my

But, O my Father! thou hast said, be careful for nothing; but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. I ask with submission to thy holy will, if consistent with thy glory, his good, and the good of the parents, the life of this child; that thou mayest spare him for our comfort, but first for thine own glory; that thou mayest give the different branches of this family a joyful meeting, a full feast of grateful thanks to thee for all thy mercies; and our hearts rejoice before thee for the abundance of comfort. Shouldest thou, in thy adorable wisdom, otherwise determine, thy blessed and thy holy will be done. Wash the soul of this child in the blood of Jesus, clothe him with thy righteousness, sanctify him by thy Spirit, and fit him in every respect for thy kingdom. And, O my divine Redeemer, I renew my petition which thou didst so evidently grant in the case of our dear Isabella; take him in thine arms of mercy; soften and shorten the parting pangs, and carry him gently through the dark valley, and give him an abundant

entrance into thy heavenly kingdom, to join the Hosannas of thy little children, of whom thy kingdom is partly made up; and O sanctify the affliction to all concerned; direct our exercise according as thine allseeing, heart-searching eye, sees we need; that being duly exercised, it may bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness, and the fruit of affliction be to take away sin, and the glory of all redound to thee, Father, Son, and blessed Spirit! Amen, and amen.

August 20, 1802.

A letter from S-, informs me my children have landed there, after much fatigue, and that Thomas is considerably better. What shall I say, O Lord! Art thou indeed going to spare? wilt thou by this measure purge iniquity, bring sin to remembrance, and give repentance, and yet spare our comforts? O for hearts, and tongues, and lives, to praise our God. O Lord give suitable exercise, and let not this affliction pass without fruit. I thank thee for mitigation of trouble, and for respite; may it be thy blessed will to complete his cure, and write gratitude, thankfulness, and praise on all our hearts, and let the influence be seen on our after walk, for Christ's sake. So we thy people, and sheep of thy pasture, will give thee thanks for ever; we will show forth thy praise to all generations, Psalm lxxix. 13. And run in the way of thy commandments, when thou hast enlarged our hearts, Psalm cxix. 32.

September, 1802.

What manner of persons ought we to be in all manner

of holy conversation?

O give thanks unto God, for he is good, and his mercy endureth for ever.

How precious are thy thoughts unto us, O God; how great is the sum of them.

Were we to count them, they are more in number than the sand. When we awake we are still with thee.

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy.

The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.

All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord, and thy saints shall bless thee.

Never hast thou dealt with us as our iniquities deserve, nor rewarded us according to our transgressions.

Who is a God like unto thee, who pardons iniquity, and passes by the transgression of the remnant of thy heritage. He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us, he will subdue our iniquities, and thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Let Israel hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.

And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Thomas is restored to perfect health, and the whole family enjoy a measure of that blessing.

The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad. The Lord hath turned our captivity, filled our mouth with laughter and our tongue with melody.

Thou hast heard our petitions, restored our pleasant plant, and continuest with us all our pleasant things. It is a time of prosperity; thou givest us the upper and the nether springs; thou blessest my children in their basket and in their store; and while the riches of

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many

are making to themselves wings, and flying away; while many are sinking from affluence to poverty, falling on the right hand and on the left; by thy most manifest providence thou hast preserved them from the wreck. O teach them to acknowledge thy hand in all this, and to say and feel, not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to thy name be the glory. It is God that giveth power to get riches. O enable them to honour thee with their substance, and with the first fruits of all their increase.

In the day of prosperity let them rejoice, but let this joy be in the Lord. O let thy gifts, ever, ever, lead them to the Giver, and fill their hearts with gratitude, their mouths with praise; and let their very actions be worship, while they acknowledge thee in all their ways, and thou directest their steps. May they be as a city set on an hill, which cannot be hid, and their light shine before men, that they seeing their good works, may glorify their Father who is in Heaven.

And now, O Lord, we wait for thy blessing in the restoration of our dear D. and I. B. and J. Thou hast shewn them great and sore adversities, and thou hast manifested thy power to save. When they passed through the waters thou wast with them, and through the rivers they did not overflow them. When they walked through the fire they were not burnt, neither did the flames kindle upon them. For thou art the Lord their God, the Holy One of Israel their Saviour.

Thou didst stay thy rough wind in the day of thine east wind, and in the multitude of their thoughts within them dil thy comforts delight their soul. Thou humbledst them under thy mighty hand, and thou hast in the multitude of thy mercy exalted them in due time.

In all their sojourning thou hast been with them; and in fellowship with thy church, greatly hast thou com

forted them. Thou hast given them favour in the hearts of thy people, and made the stones of the field to be at peace with them. And now, O Lord, restore them to their friends and Christian society, and to their place which thou hast in thy goodness given and preserved to them. Here may they be thy witnesses, that thou art the Lord, and besides thee there is no Saviour.

1802.

DEAR brother Pero*, happy brother Pero! thy Jesus in whom thou trustedst, has loosed thy bonds, has brought thee to that rest which remains for the people of God; thou drinkest of the pure river that maketh glad the city of our God; of that blessed fountain from which issue all the streams which refresh and revive us weary pilgrims. But a little while ago, and thou wast weary, dark and solitary; thy flesh fettering and clogging thy spirit; thy God trying thy faith, hope, and patience, which he had previously implanted, watered, and made vigorous, to stand that trial more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tried by fire, and was made manifest to the glory of that Saviour who leaves not his people in any case. If need be, they are in heaviness, through manifold temptations, he knows how to deliver them, having himself

* Pero was an elderly man of colour, whom Mr. Andrew Smith had purchased, and made free.

Pero had previously been a freed man of Christ. He had been for some time in ill health; Mrs. Graham kindly attended on him, and read the scriptures to him: he died by the bursting of a bloodvessel, at an hour, when none of the family were with him. Mrs. Graham, in humility of spirit, reproaches herself in this exercise, for having been absent from him, without inquiring into his situa tion, for one hour.