of it. Forgive me, gracious Father, and make me stronger in the faith. December 13. Since last date I have, through rich mercy, enjoyed much communion with Deity, more especially with Jehovah. O how inexpressibly delightful! What a heaven of silent love! I prove in a small degree that the continual view of infinite Excellence tends greatly to refine the moral taste; to expand and enlarge the powers of the soul; and gives more and more extensive views of the perfections of Deity. But, while in the body, how little can we take in; how very limited are our views of these glorious objects. Lord, enlarge my scanty thought to know the wonders of thy love; and unloose my stammering tongue, to tell of them under a divine influence. On Lord's day morning, God was good to his unworthy creature in his house of prayer; and just afterward opened my mouth in private to speak to the case of a distressed Christian, who had laboured long in the furnace of the most painful temptations. She is since in a great measure delivered, and has been favoured with glorious views of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as her portion. On this occasion it appeared more clearly to me than ever formerly that God had condescended to put his words in my mouth. On Thursday, during our class meeting, I had a precious time; when speaking of his loving kindness, the fire of divine love was sensibly increased in my soul, and in the hearts of those present: O for gratitude. March 14, 1806. He whose tender mercies are over all his works hath made bare his holy arm in my behalf, since the 7th instant. The trial then mentioned, he hath removed in a very unexpected manner. Neither his kingdom, nor the accomplishment of his will, cometh by observation. He gently leads to the adoption of measures, sometimes at the suggestion of others, and often by the most simple means; and, in the use of these, brings about the desired end, having previously given faith to believe for success. How wonderful are thy ways, O thou God of love! I may add, how precious is faith, not only in the divine life, but in the things of the present life. Lord, increase my faith, and perfect what thou hast begun, respecting the business now mentioned, and much more in the accomplishment of these precious promises for matters of much greater importance. Found it truly good to wait on God in public last Lord's day, and to sit down at his Son's table: but much better since, as he has so quickly granted one of my requests then put up, and added much comfort with it to my soul, with some increase of faith. O to be grateful. October 17. A God of love is still, from time to time, showing me mercy, and repeating the visits of his love. O how delightful these seasons. If any thing can be more so, it is that intercourse with which I am often favoured with the whole Deity: language cannot express what is then enjoyed. The soul is as if absorbed in the Godhead: surrounded with it; and all within bows before the triune God, with the deepest humility, the most profound solemnity, and indescribable serenity: the creature seems for the time lost in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-one God, JEHOVAH. How little, then, does every earthly thing appear! O my God, let it be ever thus with me; then I shall be better fitted for doing and suffering all thy holy will. Last Lord's day morning, in public, it was truly a profitable and comfortable time. In a moment the Lord seemed to favour me with a retrospect of his dealings with me since he first called me to seek his face, and gave me to see it was mercy all; and that he had not permitted me wickedly to depart from him: yea, he gave me a sweet witness from on high that, from the beginning to the present moment, I never had had one serious thought of departing from my God. But while I speak thus, I feel I have been unfaithful, unworthy, and unfruitful. Perhaps one great preservative has been a fear continually of coming short. From the first I was deeply sensible of my danger; I durst not trust myself one moment, and, therefore, kept aloof from persons, things, and places. But, as human nature is prone to extremes, it is possible I carried this too far. Yet upon a retrospect I am inclined to think I did not lose by living so much in the spirit of sacrifice. I do not say that this plan is necessary for all; but I found it so for me, and I now bless my God that he thus led me. Perhaps what suggested these meditations was the portion of Scripture spoken from the second chapter of Jeremiah, 17th to the 19th verse. March 27, 1807. Still have cause to bless the God of grace and consolation for many mercies, known and unknown, since last date; though my spiritual joys have not been so strong as the week before. Two great events, as to public affairs, have taken place very recently, which ought to make the hearts of Christians rejoice, and fill their lips with the high praises of God; namely, 1st, The total abolition of the slave trade by Great Britain. Its long continuance has been the disgrace of our island. May the Most High crown the noble deed with his blessing, that it may be productive of all those happy and most important consequences that are expected from it. 2dly, The other event is also of great magnitude-the rejection of the Roman Catholic Bill by both houses of Parliament. Blessed be God, who hath given firmness to our king, and a large majority, in favour of both these measures. O God, what praise is due to thee! O pour out a spirit of prayer and gratitude upon all thy own people in our island, for thy great goodness to us in these respects; do thou enable us all to profit by it, and to show our gratitude by our obedience and love to Thee. April 25. Through mercy I still find the Lord inviting me to come forward, to enjoy more fully the rich blessings the adorable Saviour hath purchased for his people. His condescension has operated powerfully and sweetly on my heart, and greatly encouraged me to expect greater things than ever. My love to God has been increased, and to my blessed Jesus. My earnest thirst after entire conformity to the divine image is strengthened. Come, O eternal God, and give me the permanent possession of all thou hast so clearly shown me is thy will concerning me; let nothing hinder. I have been favoured, these days past, with delightful meditations on the deep things of God; and also at different times, with sweet communion with Deity, alone, and when with others; and have had most pleasing sensations from the strong hope of the gospel being sent to very distant parts, where as yet no missionary exertions have been made. Blessed God, realize these hopes, and give great, exceeding great success, that the multitudes of blacks, and of the swarthy sons and daughters of Africa, may be brought to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus. They have long been enveloped in worse than Egyptian darkness, and their miseries have been greatly increased by the hellish cruelty of those who purchased and enslaved them. Yet, through the tender mercy of a gracious God, many individuals among them have had their slavery sweetened by being brought to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ; and now that the slave trade is abolished, and these opportunities lost thereby of hearing the gospel preached, what an unspeakable merey will it be if a merciful God, who is no respecter of persons, so orders matters as that the gospel shall be brought to them in their own countries. September 25. I hope I may venture to say that my most gracious God and heavenly Father does not permit me at any time to be without sweet fellowship with himself; or if in the least interrupted, there is either a hungering or thirsting for it, or an inward grieving for my loss, and a constant hope, more or less, of its return, which is very seldom disappointed. Some days of last week I mourned, because I felt a partial distance from the grand source of all human bliss; but soon the Father of mercies, the God of all grace and consolation, heard and answered my cries. On entering his house last Lord's day morning, which I esteemed a great privilege, after an absence of some weeks, I was enabled to join the great congregation, and what was much better, to sing his praise with grace in my heart; a divine something seemed to thrill through my whole frame; but what I felt under a discourse from, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God," eternity alone can explain or express. O, if I attempt to use the moderate language of humanity, there was an indescribable degree of union with the whole Deity; a depth of exquisite communion and fellowship with each of the sacred Three; an uncommon, experimental, un impressive view of the Unity of essence and Trinity of persons. All this continued during the whole service, yea, the whole day; and to the present moment, I feel a measure of it. But O, when I consider the goodness of my God in favouring me with this wonderful display of his greatness, glory, and goodness, at this time, I am led to adore and bless his holy name, with my whole heart. I was ignorant, but he knew how soon I was to hear unexpected and doleful tidings of the near approach of death to a beloved and only sister, and also of a brother equally near the confines of eternity. Nature ought to feel, and “ reproved, she may drop a tear." Religion does not destroy the human passions and affections, but refines them. I bless my God, my mind was kept composed, much drawn out in prayer; and O, how I ought to praise my Lord, who has given me such well grounded hopes that my dear sister and brother will be eternally happy. Blessed be the name of my gracious God. O holy Father, thou hast often given me clear, soul-satisfying views of the happiness of not a few of those thou hast called hence at different times; if thou seest it meet, allow me this privilege when my dear sister and brother shall leave this vale of tears. November 27. I have great cause to praise a God of love, who is the hearer of prayer; and who has so fully granted my request, respecting my dear sister's departure from this vale of tears. I was, at her desire, in some measure, frequent and fervent at a throne of grace that she might die happy; that her faith might not fail, being at that time increased; and truly it did not fail. Her joy for weeks before her death was unspeakable. Holy, sacred awe, sweetly tempered with a large proportion of divine love, seemed to pervade her whole soul, till she dropped the mantle of mortality, and entered into the paradise of God that intermediate space, where blood-bought souls remain till the final judgment, when they shall enter into the joy of their Lord, which is unspeakable and full of glory; when they shall enjoy the beatific vision, and be made pillars in the temple of our God, to go no more out. Blessed Jesus, what hast thou suffered and done for thy people! December 12. He who cannot err still sees meet to keep me from the means of grace, by severity of weather, and delicacy of health, by which I suffer both in body and mind. O may I be kept from every unnecessary degree of attention to the body, and also obtain the sanctified use of every providential dispensation. I endeavour to make my confinement, through grace, profitable to my fellow creatures, by a deeper attention to the wants of the poor, especially the Lord's people, in this extreme cold and severe weather; and during the high price of every necessary of life, even to a threatening of famine. Lord, enlarge my powers of action herein, and give heavenly wisdom. As a nation we have had very uncommon losses at sea, both of men and property; and the clouds are dark indeed which seem to hang over our heads, as it regards political matters; beside an unprecedented spirit of revolution, which has appeared in several nations, and still threatens others, almost to the subversion of all regular governments. Thus situated, how natural to think that even the most unconcerned would be brought to consider; but, alas, it is not so; nothing short of sovereign grace can change the heart of sinners. O blessed God, with whom is the residue of the Holy Spirit, do thou then pour him out in all his diversified operations, that the thoughtless may be awakened, convinced, and converted; and thy own people built up in their most holy faith and, O Lord, do thou greatly enlarge my spiritual borders. : CHAPTER XXXVIII.-1808-10. Diary concluded-Lady Maxwell's last illness and death-Letter on, by the Honourable Miss Napier-Inscription on monumental tablet. March 19. On last Lord's day I enjoyed the great privilege of being not only in the house of God, but of being richly fed with spiritual food while there, from these words: " Lord, I am thine, save me; I have sought thy precepts." It is impossible for me to say how exquisite was my enjoyment of the whole Deity, during this discourse. I was favoured with uncommon fellowship and nearness to the sacred Three: but eternity alone can fully unfold and define what the Christian feels on these wonderful and blessed occasions. Meditating upon it brings back in some measure a renewal of it. O my God, let me prove in some degree its transforming nature. Yesterday, (Thursday,) I was again favoured with the presence of the holy Trinity in our little meeting; but not in such a high degree: my comfort was rather damped by the weight of a very unexpected trial in the morning; but He who afflicteth not willingly, soon lightened the load. Blessed Lord, how tenderly dost thou deal with thy children. June 16. GOD IS LOVE. O how great his goodness. Since the 9th instant he has, in much mercy, increased his love in my heart. He favoured me with the great privilege of entering his house last Lord's day, when he made much of his goodness to pass before me; greatly more than I had reason to expect. I was fed with marrow and fatness-intimate fellowship and communion with Father, Son, and Spirit. I felt as in the immediate presence of Deity. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. On Thursday, during our meeting, as soon as I bowed my knees, looked up to the Father of mercies, and inwardly plead for much of the divine presence; the sacred Three drew nigh; a solemn, divine |