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90f5འ she expressed to her mother a strong desire to be made happy in the love of God; and on retiring to rest, and kneeling down to prayer as usual, she discovered a more than ordinary anxiety for the salvation of her soul. In the midst of her agony of spirit, whilst some of the family and a pious friend were pray. ing for her in the name of JESUS, she was enabled fully to commit herself by faith into the hands of the SAVIOUR, and found rest to her soul. Filled with peace and joy, she exclaimed, "I am saved.—The LORD has pardoned my sins.-This is such a night as I never experienced in my life." From this time, she could not rest without a constant sense of the love of GOD in CHRIST JESUS; and the LORD was pleased to afford her such clear manifestations of his mercy, that she was often sweetly constrained, notwithstanding her increasing weakness of body, to acknowledge his goodness by the most rapturous expressions of praise and thanksgiving. So great was the change, so lively her faith, and so spiritual her conversation, that now her thoughts and affections appeared to be always in heaven. She rejoiced in the hope that she should soon make her escape from the troubles and anxieties of this life, and be permitted to act as ministering spirit" to her beloved parents. There was now no occasion to be reserved with her on the subject of death, for fear of alarming her; for she looked upon it as the gate of endless life and felicity. In June, she became much worse; yet, in her severest affliction, all was peaceful and heavenly. On the 18th of that month, the pangs of death appeared to be come upon her. In the former part of the day, she had many hard struggles. When a little revived, she said, "O! I was happy when I thought I was going. I want to leave you all; I want to go to JESUS! Come, ye his angels, and transport me away:-but I must be patient; soon it will be over;" adding, with strong emphasis,

"To patient faith the prize is sure:
And all who to the end endure

The cross, shall wear the crown."

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OBITUARY OF ELIZABETH AGUS.

419

About noon, she was better, and conversed most delightfully and profitably with those around her. At five o'clock, she was so much recruited, that she sat up, and took tea with the family. On one saying, that it was a favour to have her presence once more at table, she said,―her countenance beaming with felicity," how I love you all!" And, truly, to all present, it seemed as if we entertained an angel. When carried up stairs, she said, "It has been suffering day, but a happy day." Her affliction, through the night, was very great; yet the LORD, she said, did not forsake her. The next day, she gloriously finished her earthly course, and entered. into the joy of her LORD.

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2. Died, JULY 8th, 1822, aged seven years, ELIZABETH AGUS, of Barford, near Norwich. From her infancy, she was uncommonly affectionate; and appeared as if she never could sufficiently express her gratitude for any kindness which she received. When very young, she took great delight in reading the Holy Scriptures, and other good books, and especially the Youth's Instructer and Guardian. Her acquaintance with the contents of the sacred volume was astonishing and from perusing that best of books she appeared to derive her chief pleasure. Frequently did she take her Bible, and say to her mother, "Come, my dear mother, and hear me read this chapter; it is the best you ever heard." And when she met with any particular passage which she did not understand, she was unwilling to pass it over, without first receiving an explanation. She used to call the Sab. bath-day the best of all days, was very conscientious in keeping it holy, and was much pained whenever she saw it violated. One Sabbath-day morning, some time before her death, her mother took the brush to sweep the floor: she observed it with pain ; and looking at her, with a countenance that bespoke the grief of her soul, she said, "Mother, what are you doing? You know, that you ought not to do so.” Her mother stood reproved, and was constrained to put down her brush immediately. She delighted

much in prayer; and would often say, after spending some time in retirement, "Mother, I have been praying, and I hope the LORD has heard me."

Several weeks before she was taken ill, she fre quently said to her mother, "I shall not live long." On one occasion, when she had made this remark, MRS. A. replied, "I hope, my dear, you will not die, and leave your mother, whom you say you love so dearly." She answered, "O yes, my precious mother, I do love you, but it will be far better for me to die than live." About a fortnight before. she was taken ill, standing by MR. A., she said, "0 father, it will be bad indeed for you, if you do not get to heaven." The same week she desired her mother to tell her what she should have upon her grave-stone, adding, "I shali not live long." She urged her request with some degree of importunity; and at length, MRS. A. observed, "My dear, another time will do for that.". She replied, "No, mother, tell me now, for I know I shall not live long; and I should like to know what will be on my grave stone before I die." Pressed by her importunity, Mrs. A. composed the following lines :

"My dearest Parents, read this stone,
It tells, ELIZABETH is gone!

My weeping Parents, weep no more,
I am but gone a step before:

Though short my life, the longer is my rest,

God took me hence, because he saw it best."

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When her mother had spoken these lines to her, she appeared delighted, and said, "I like them very much; if the LORD call me, he will see it best."

On the 19th of June, 1822, she was seized by the scarlet-fever, and became, for a time, delirious. But, when reason resumed its seat, she called to her mother, and entered into conversation with her about heaven; saying, among other things, "If I knew I was going there, O how I should like to die." MRS. A. said, "My dear, you will go there." She replied, "Yes, mother, I know I should go to CHRIST, if I had been good every day of my life."

OBITUARY OF ELIZABETH AGUS.

421

MRS. A. exhorted her to trust in the LORD JESUS CHRIST; and, reminding her that she had said, only a few days before, that " JESUS CHRIST saveth sinners," inquired, if she now believed that JESUS CHRIST Would save her. She answered, "O yes." MRS. A. then said, "The LORD loves early fruit." She replied, "O yes." Mrs. A. asked, "Do you know, my dear, what I meant by the LORD loving early fruit?" She answered, "O good JESUS!-how he blessed the little ones, and laid his hands upon them!" She continued, "You have been a good mother to me." MRS. A. observed, "My dear, I have not always been a good woman." Immediately she replied, "I will tell you what to do; pray to JESUS CHRIST, and he will forgive you every past sin; and then live holy, every day of your life; and when JESUS CHRIST comes, he will take you up to heaven." Looking on her grandmother, she said, "I hope we shall all become better; for it would be far better for us all to be saved, than that only some should be saved. O mother, what a great thing it would be if all the world were to be saved!" MRS. A. asked her a little before her death, "Are you going to JESUS CHRIST, my dear?" She replied, "O yes.— Do not weep for me, mother; but pray for me: I had rather die than live." This she frequently repeated. Thus was this little plant removed from earth, eternally to bloom in the heavenly Paradise. WM. STONES.

ANCIENT CHARACTERS.
No. V.

THE LACEDÆMONIANS.

LACONIA, of which LACEDEMON, or SPARTA, was the chief city, is a country on the southern part of Peloponnesus, having Argos on the north, Messene on the west, the Mediterranean on the south, and the bay of Argos on the east. It is watered by the river Eurotas, and its extent, from north to south, is about fifty miles. The kingdom of Lacedæmonia VOL. VI. 20

was raised to the lofty place which it holds in the annals of Greece by the exertions of LYCURGUS, who, about 870 years B. C., gave laws to the Lacedæmonians.

The Lacedæmonians were remarkable for their courage, and for their aversion to sloth and luxury. They were forbidden by their laws to visit other countries, lest they should contract foreign manners, and be corrupted by an intercourse with effeminate nations. The hardy manner in which they were brought up, from their infancy, rendered them undaunted in the field of battle; and even their women were as courageous as the men. The plainness of their manners, and their being so much addicted to war, made the Lacedæmonians less fond of the sciences than the rest of the Greeks. If they wrote to be read, and spoke to be understood, it was all they sought. For this the Athenians, who were excessively vain of their learning, held them in great contempt. The Spartans, however, in consequence of their concise way of speaking, had a force and poignancy of expression, which excelled all the flowers of studied elegance. The boys were instructed likewise to use sharp repartee, seasoned with humour; and whatever they said was to be concise and pithy: for they were taught to consider the worth of speech as being comprised in a few plain words, containing a great deal of sense; and by long silence they learned to be sententious and acute in their replies. To an orator of Athens, who observed that the Lacedæmonians had no learning, the son of PAUSANIAS replied, "True; for we are the only people of Greece, that have learned no ill from you."

The strenuous manner in which the Spartans insisted on the brevity of speech, and the exactness with which they practised their favourite maxim, became proverbial in Greece; and hence every thing brief in discourse was termed laconic, from the name Laconia, one of the titles of the kingdom of Lacedæmon.

The following traits, illustrative of their history, will serve to exemplify part of what I have said.

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