that you are the person chiefly concerned in its prosperous accomplishment, and not he and that though he may assist you, he cannot act for you. It is you therefore, who must repent of your sins-you, who must believe in the merits of Christ-you, who must pray for the aid of the Holy Spirit-in one word, you, who must work out your own salvation with fear and trembling: and, therefore, you cannot but see the folly of striving to drive from your mind, as soon as the Minister of religion leaves the room, all the thoughts he may have kindled in you, all the admonitions he may have given you, conducive to these good effects.

I am well aware how difficult in all cases of sickness, and impossible in some, it is to fix the mind steadily on any continued train of thought, and that even they who are the most accustomed to do so in time of health, frequently find their mental powers enervated in proportion to their dily weakness. In recommend.

ing you therefore to dwell, in the intervals between his visits, on the subject of his last conversation, my wish is, that you should bear in mind the general tenor and drift of it---that you should encourage yourself to meditate on it---and if in a short respite from pain, or when you have lately been refreshed by sleep, your mind should inadvertently be led to reflect thereon, that you should not endeavour to divert it from this needful occupation, but endeavour yourself to

grow in grace,"--to carry on in your heart the work, to assist you in which his visits are intended---and, by self-communion, and an honest search into the inner man, not only to render his remarks profitable to your soul, but to ascertain how far they are strictly applicable to your spiritual condition---and to recur most frequently to any point which he may have particularly pressed on your attention. This will be redeeming the time past in the most profitable manner, by employing the remainder, however short,

in the way most conducive to your eternal good.

A young female, whom it was my duty to attend during the last two months of her life, and to whom I was in the almost daily habit of reading one or two chapters of the Bible, and commenting on them, used to reserve these portions of Scripture as her subject of meditation during the sleepless hours of night: this habit she continued till within a week of her decease, and frequently expressed to me the spiritual comfort it was productive of, as well as the relief it afforded to her restless and debilitated frame: her state of mind indeed throughout the whole of the trying scene plainly evinced that the Divine blessing had converted this and every other pious habit into a mean of grace and improvement in pure religion. And you may feel equally assured, that our heavenly Father, who is never extreme to mark what is done amiss, will, in this your day of trial and weak

ness, accept your sincere, though imper fect endeavours to preserve a constant remembrance of him—and regarding the conscientiousness of the heart whence they proceed, rather than the feebleness of the attempts themselves, will suffer them in some way to redound to your peace and comfort. One good effect which may now be mentioned, is, the fairer prospect you have of receiving benefit from your Minister's attendance: when at every succeeding visit he finds the consolation or advice used in the preceding one still the subject of your reflection-the impression which he then was enabled to make, as fresh as ever-yourself, on this very account, the more encouraged to confide in him-while he may safely avoid a repetition of the same truths, and suit his conversation to the increasing urgency of your case.

Do not then call in your Minister as a matter of form, nor think that every thing is to be done for you by two or three

D

visits on his part, but according to your ability, work together with him. If he does his duty in ministering to you, be careful to do yours, by heartily striving to profit by his ministration.

IV.

Exercise patience, not only towards God, but towards all those who kindly and charitably attend about you, and spare them, as much as possible in the discharge of their wearisome duties.

A resigned and patient deportment under sickness or calamity of any sort, so far as it respects Almighty God, is a duty so self-evident-and one to the practice of which you will, as a matter of course, be so repeatedly exhorted by your Minis