festing her own anxiety for their arrival before his death, he said it would be highly gratifying to him; but, added he, perhaps it is not best. If I die now, all is peace-but if I should be spared longer, I might have hours of darkness and trial.' He once said

to me, 'I should now ask you to pray, but for my hysterical constitution, which cannot, in my present state, bear the excitement it would produce.' Frequently, however, his hands were clasped together, and his countenance indicated a deep engagedness of soul in that holy exercise.

"At one period, when he was in a state of too much lassitude and exhaustion to speak, I stood by him and repeated the following passages of Scripture. I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live ; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.' 'I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another.' We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.' 'In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; behold, I go to prepare a place for you, and will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.' These precious promises, successively repeated after suitable intervals, proved to him like refreshing water to a thirsty soul. He seized my hand with much emotion, and lifted his other hand and his eyes to heaven with a most grateful expression, as if he were feasting upon the sweet manna of God's word, and looking to one of the promised man. sions as already prepared for his reception.

"I was obliged to leave the room of our sick friend at half past seven o'clock, on Friday evening, to attend my stated lecture; and in our social religious services, the fervent prayers of many Christian hearts, which had occasionally been profited and refreshed under his ministry, were, I doubt not, in unison with mine, that

God would either spare his servant for greater usefulness in the Church, or strengthen and prepare him for the approaching conflict. On returning to his sick room after my lecture at about nine o'clock, I found him in a state of increased weakness, and thought he was sinking fast from that time till near eleven o'clock; but still enjoying uninterrupted tranquillity and composure of mind.

"Dr. Buckler, the able and skilful physician who attended him with the utmost tenderness and assiduity, now entered, and after examining the patient, told me there was a great change for the worse. He then proposed, as a means of lessening nervous excitement, and procuring for our brother a little refreshing rest, to administer an anodyne, containing a small portion of laudanum. Dr. Bedell then called me to him, and fixing his eyes upon me in. tently, said, with great solemnity, Brother Henshaw, is it wrong, when the soul is in perfect peace, and ready to depart, to take an anodyne as a remedy for the pain of the weak body? If so, I will not do it. For I would not, on any account, do any thing which is offensive to God, especially now that I am going out of the world.' I answered, that I thought there was nothing sinful or improper in the measure proposed, particularly as the doctor assured him that the anodyne he designed to administer was intended only to sooth his nerves, and would not be of sufficient strength to overwhelm his mind, or even to cloud or affect it in the least. He then submitted to the proposal of the physician, and addressing himself again to me, said, with the same solemn emphasis as before, 'If in consequence of this, I should be delirious, or flighty, and in that state say any thing inconsistent with the Christian profession, or dishonourable to the cause of Christ, bear me witness that I asked this question. I leave it with you to vindicate my character.'

"The same self-possession, thorough consciousness of his situation, and clearness of intellect, which he displayed on this occasion, never forsook him, so far as I could perceive, to the last, except for a moment, as is very common with all persons in a state of great debility, when first awaking out of a sleep. As an illus

tration of my meaning in this last remark, I will give you two instances. Between one and two o'clock in the morning of Saturday, Mr. Boyle came into the room; at that instant Dr. Bedell awoke out of sleep, and seeing the shadow cast upon the wall, inquired with some alarm, Who is that big man?' Mr. B. approached the bed, and took the hand of our dying friend. The question was then asked, do you know him? and he replied, affectionately squeezing his hand at the same time, O yes-Mr. Boyle-God bless him!' Perhaps an hour or more after this, while I was bending over him, watching his slumber, he suddenly awoke, and stared wildly at me for an instant; and then, with a sweet smile, said, 'O now I know you.'

"About half past three o'clock in the morning, his extremities became cold-his pulse was sunken and quivering-and we thought him to be dying. Still, notwithstanding the difficulty of his respiration, when his parched tongue and lips were moistened with ice, (which he frequently asked for,) he could speak short sentences, slowly, but with distinct articulation. In answer to questions, and spontaneously, he often spoke of the supports and hopes with which the Lord favoured him, and expressed the same consoling assurance which he had previously uttered. It was, I think, about this time, that he whispered into the ear of his afflicted wife, special messages of love and instruction for his absent children, and sisters, and some other friends, and for such members of his congregation as he thought would be likely to desire a particular remembrance in his last hours.

"He then sunk into a state of rest and apparent slumber, but in a short time roused again, and, as if conscious that the time of his departure was at hand, and that he had already entered the dark valley of the shadow of death,' rallied his remaining powers for a last effort in the cause of the blessed Saviour, and for the promotion of his glory upon earth. Lifting his finger with great solemnity, (as he often did in the pulpit when about to utter any thing emphatically important,) he said, with a feeble and quivering, but yet distinct and articulate enunciation, 'HEAR me! I

acknowledge myself to have been a most unprofitable servant ;unprofitable, not hypocritical. I find myself to have been full of sin, ignorance, weakness, unfaithfulness and guilt. But JESUS IS MY HOPE washed in his blood, justified by his righteousness, sanctified by his grace, I have peace with God. Jesus is very precious to my soul :-my all in all :-and I expect to be saved by free grace through his atoning blood. This is my testimony;" with emphasis, 'THIS IS MY TESTIMONY !'

"Not long after this precious and remarkable testimony of our dying brother, (so full of consolation to his surviving friends; so gratifying and encouraging to the children of God,) had been given, so anxious was his nearest friend, that while he had the power of speech, he should be encouraged to employ it for the honour of his Lord, that I said to him, 'My dear friend and brother, now that you are upon the border of eternity, do you in this trying hour still feel the supports and consolations of that faith and hope which you have preached to others?' He answered, 'Yes, I do they are very precious to me.' I asked, 'Have you any message to leave for your brethren in the ministry?' He replied, 'Yes, it is this: Be faithful, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord!' This answer was given deliberately; but he spoke with great difficulty, and we were unwilling to subject his already exhausted powers to the painful effort of answering any more questions.

"After this, he sunk into a state of repose, with his hands clasped together over his breast, and, (as I doubt not,) with a heart much occupied by thoughts of heaven, and enjoying the rich pleasures of communion with God. About the dawn of day, while I was standing by his bed-side, he opened his eyes, and seemed for a moment surprised to find himself still an inhabitant of this world-for he immediately said to me, I thought I should have been at HOME before now ;'-and then, as if he feared I would understand him as referring to his earthly home, he impressively raised his finger, and pointing towards heaven, said, 'there.' This was, I believe, the last connected sentence which he uttered

before he was indeed admitted to his home-that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.'

"About six o'clock, while the doctor was with him, he pronounced the name of Dr. Mitchell, his beloved friend and physician in Philadelphia. He said to his wife, Dr. Mitchell-tell him-tell him-tell him'-He seemed anxious to send him a special message, but could proceed no farther. His vocal organs would do their office no more. He made several other attempts to speak, but finding them unavailing, he made signs for paper and pencil, and with a trembling hand wrote the words, I can't make you hear.' Not long before his dissolution, as he was lying upon his back, with his hands clasped upon his breast, and his eyes intently gazing upwards, I remarked to him, 'I trust the eye of your faith is fixed on that same Jesus whom Stephen saw standing at the right hand of God; and that his prayer is your's: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!' Mrs B. then asked, 'My dear, do you see Jesus?' His voice could give no reply: but disengaging his hands, he most expressively pointed with his finger, first to his heart, and then towards heaven. When the last moment was near at hand, and I believe the parting agony had commenced, his anxious and affectionate wife, as if unwilling that this delightful spiritual intercourse should cease till he ceased to breathe, said to him, My dear, if all is peace still, lift your finger, or give some other sign.' His finger was immediately raised, as the last indication he could give on earth that the Lord was with him; and he then gradually and calmly sunk away till he fell asleep in Jesus, on Saturday, 30th of August, at about nine o'clock, A. M. It was like the setting of the summer sun, clear, serene, brilliant.

"My full heart would prompt me to offer many reflections suggested by the imperfect, but faithful narrative which I have now given of the last hours of an eminent disciple and minister of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom we ardently loved while living, and now sincerely mourn in death. But the narrative itself speaks more powerfully to the heart than any thing which I could utter or write.