OBITUARY OF THOMAS MEEK. 281 came suddenly worse; and on the 24th, his father was written for. My mother now felt it right to tell him, in the most tender manner, that all hopes of his recovery were extinct, and urged him to look to JESUS for divine support.-From that period he seemed to have no desire to recover; but during the whole of the day, his clasped hands, and agonized countenance, bespoke the anguish of his soul. All who entered the room were distressed by the looks which he cast upon them. It was very evident that he needed not to be told that he was a sinner;-he saw and felt it,—he was saved from all self-dependance, and evidenced a genuine contrition of soul. Several of the family, during the course of the day, attempted to point him to the LAMB OF GOD, who taketh away the sin of the world; but the humbling views which he had of himself, and his great sufferings, which at many times absorbed his whole attention, prevented him from laying hold, at that time, on the promises of Gov. Yet his uplifted eyes bespoke the state of his mind, and convinced us that he was wrestling with God in earnest prayer. I sat with him during the greatest part of the night, which to him was sleepless. He spoke little; but seemed restless in body and mind. On entering his room the next morning, I soon perceived the fulfilment of the Scripture, "Sorrow may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." A sweet composure was apparent in his countenance. I asked him what he thought relative to his recovery; he said, "I shall die." I inquired, "Are you comfortable in your mind?" He raised his eyes, and, with a tone of voice unusually loud, (for it was with great difficulty we could hear him speak,) said, "Yes, I am happy: I know I shall go to heaven." On communicating this to my parents and sister, our feelings were such as are better felt than described; for we had longed to hear from him some testimony of the goodness of GOD to him, before he was removed hence. In the afternoon, my sister, seeing him in deep thought, said, "THOMAS, what are you thinking about?" He replied, "That passage of Scripture, Suffer little 6 children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of heaven!'" His bodily sufferings now hourly increased, but not a murmur escaped from his lips. My sister mentioned the sufferings of JOB, on which he said, “Yes; I have read the whole of that since I was ill." Here I should remark, that during the whole of this severe affliction, he scarcely ever had his Bible and Hymn-book out of his hands. His brother being left alone with him, he called him to his bed-side, and said, “Oh, JOSEPH! whatever you do, spend your time better than I have done. Pray earnestly to God to save you; do not rest satisfied without the forgiveness of your sins; and then it will be well with you when you come to be afflicted." This address from a dying brother affected him much, and in reply, he asked him, if he had any thing to say to his friends. He answered, "No: only give my kind love to them all, and say, I should have liked to have seen my mother." On the 26th of February, (the day on which he died,) his confidence was strong in the LORD; and though no transports marked his exit, yet his end was peace. During the afternoon, the servant who usually attended him, and to whom he was much attached, seeing him in great pain, inquired if she could do any thing to render him more comfortable. He replied, Ah, ELLEN! I cannot be long here: I cannot bear these sufferings much longer. Ah! I wish I were in heaven!" She said, "But should the LORD see good to permit you to suffer a little longer, I hope you will not be impatient." He then said, as if recollecting himself, "No! I am quite resigned; it is all for some wise purpose." He now seemed more composed; and observing his lips move, she inquired if he wanted any thing. He immediately repeated that verse: 66 "JESU, my Saviour, Brother, Friend! On whom I cast my every care; Inspire, and then accept, my prayer!" Here his voice failed, and his speech became inarticulate. The taper of life seemed to quiver in the socket; and he was about to enter into that "rest which remains for the people of God." Some of the boys, with THE JUVENILE NATURALIST. 283 whom he had been more particularly intimate, wished to see him; and on their admission, although scarcely able to speak, he requested me to tell them, "to live to God, and to spend their time better than he had done." He requested me to read to him a hymn, which I did; during which, he appeared to be deeply engaged with GOD. About half an hour before he died, my father came in; I inquired, if he should pray with him, to which THOMAS very feelingly said, "O yes!" We all knelt around his bed, and in solemn prayer committed his departing spirit into the hands of GOD. Soon afterwards, he raised himself up; looked on all around; and then, like one worn out with fatigue, laid himself down, and without a struggle or a sigh sweetly fell asleep in JESUS. Thus was the power of religion evidenced in a child, who, from a naturally timid and reserved diɛposition, was frequently discouraged; but he was finally saved not only from all doubts respecting his acceptance with God, but from the fear of death, which before had greatly distressed him. Without hesitation I can assert, that, during an affliction of nine weeks, I never heard him utter a single complaint; and the persuasion that he is now before the throne of GOD,-where " they hunger no more, neither thirst; neither doth the sun light on them, nor any heat; for the LAMB, which is in the midst of the throne, deth feed them, and lead them to living fountains of water; and GOD doth wipe away all tears from their eyes," must be the solace of his surviving relatives. S. M. MARTINDALE. Woodhouse-Grove, March 7, 1822. THE JUVENILE NATURALIST, (From "Time's Telescope for 1822.") "THE powerful influence of the solar rays now contributes to ripen the various sorts of grain, which are benevolently given for the food of man and cattle. Fine weather is very desirable, that the principal source of the farmer's wealth may be safely housed; for sudden storms beat down the nearly ripened corn, and materially injure it. The time of commencing harvest varies greatly in different districts. It is usually begun in the southern and mid 2 land parts of the kingdom towards the end of July, but principally at the beginning of this month; in the northern districts of Scotland, the harvest does not commence until the first or second week in September. And it is but rarely that, in these parts of Britain, it is finished, even in the most favourable situations before the end of October; and, not unfrequently, this time is protracted till the middle of November, till the corn has been ripened by the frost. At Inverary, the seat of the DUKE of ARGYLE in Scotland, the corn is so often spoiled by the rain, that the DUKE has built an immense barn, with a draft of air through it, and pins to hang his wheat on to dry it. "In the middle of the month, the Swift disappears, and probably migrates to more southern regions. Rooks begin to roost in their nest-trees, and young broods of goldfinches appear; lapwings and linnets congregate; the nuthatch chatters; and, towards the end of the month, the redbreast is again heard. "At the beginning of August, melilot rue, the water-parsnip, horchound, water-mint, the orpine, and the gentiana amarella, have their flowers full blown. The purple blossoms of the meadowsaffron now adorn the low moist lands. The geranium tribe now add to the beauty of the garden, and many pretty species also decorate our sunny banks; the malvaceous order, which abound with mucilage, and the spurges, with their acrid milky juices, bearing the seed always elevated on the flower, are seen in great variety. The purple fox-glove now shows its elegant flower. "Insects still continue to swarm. The glow-worm, the solitary bee, and the white moth, are observed in this month: the ptinus pectinicornis also makes its appearance, the larvæ of which are very destructive to wooden furniture, boring holes in tables, chairs, bed-posts, &c. "The southern counties of England, particularly Surrey and Kent, yield their valuable produce of hops in this month. The common hop is propagated either by nursery plants, or by cuttings." BRIEF ASTRONÓMICAL NOTICES, FOR AUGUST, 1822. "THE MOON is on the meridian, on the 1st, at eleven minutes past eleven at night. On the 20th, the crescent of the Moon is seen near the horizon, to the west of west-south-west, with MARS to the east of her; and though four days have elapsed since the conjunction, she is less than an hour above the horizon after sun-set. On the 22d, she is about an hour and three quarters above the horizon after sun-set. "MERCURY is a morning star, in his superior conjunction on he 28th. At first, he is an hour and a half above the horizon before sun-rise, but the time of this duration is daily increasing. "VENUS is a morning star. "MARS is an evening star. "JUPITER rises about half an hour before midnight on the 1st, and at half past ten on the 20th, "SATURN rises about three quarters past ten at night on the 1st, and half past nine on the 21st. "HERSCHEL is on the meridian at thirty-two minutes past nine at night on the 1st, and every succeeding day earlier." (Evening Amusements.) POETRY. ON THE DEATH OF MISS A. C., OF B- AND is thy gentle spirit fled? And art thou number'd with the dead? But why, dear saint, why would'st thou go, What wonder, then, if all on fire To be where saints and angels are, Than in this world of woe! To see our JESUS face to face, |