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These were the workings of his gracious heart, vented towards God in heavenly ejaculations, and uttered in such broken expressions. He was restless, and in several postures. One said, "Sir, are you not sore pained ?" he said, "No, blessed be God, I feel no pain, but the flesh will stir."

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On Wednesday night, about two o'clock, Aug. 29, 1677, he began to speak thus: "I commit myself into the hands of that God, who gave me my being, who has been a gracious God, and a kind Father to me, and into the hands of Jesus Christ my Saviour, who loved me and gave himself for me, who bare the burden of my sins, and sanctified me wholly in soul, body, and spirit. And for my children who have been a great grief of heart to me, who have been very sinful; good Lord, pardon their sins through the blood of Jesus. For my son that hath greatly played the prodigal, hedge up his way with thorns, and make a stone wall, bring him to such straits that he may begin to bethink himself, and say, In my father's house is bread enough,' that at last he may return. For my children's children, Lord, I commit them into thy hands, and all my dear friends and their children. And for my people, whom I received from thy hands, to take care of and instruct, to preach thy word unto, and to pray for; Lord, thou knowest that in some measure of uprightness of heart I have done it, and in some measure my life hath been according to my doctrine. Lord, forgive the sins of my life, the sins of my ministry, and the sins of my people. I desire to bless thee for what good thou hast done by my ministry among them, and for those souls thou hast already brought into heaven, I now, Lord, commit them into thy hands, who art the chief Shepherd; they are thy flock, help them to live in love and peace: O that strifes and contentions may cease! And thou who hast kept an open door for thy people in this place, when it hath been shut elsewhere for a long space; Lord, keep it open still, until thou shalt open the rest. Oh remember thy ministers, take care of them. Provide for this congregation; and if thou shalt incline the heart of my kinsman to stay amongst them, (who hath been trained up in my family these ten years, and they have known his manner of life, his doctrine, and abilities for the ministry,) if thou see it good, make way in the heart of thy servant H. and those that have power in this place, to use their endeavours, that he may continue here: this is my desire. Lord, remember thy people in these nations. Papists are striving, and some of the mere formalists care not what becomes of the Protestant interest. If popery comes in like a flood,-Lord, put a stop to it, yea, put an end to it. Stir up the heart of our king, and the king of

the Swedes against the harlot of Rome, that thinks she sits as a queen, and is no widow. O stir up the ten kings against her."

Then he added a request for accommodation of a difference between two persons whom he named, in his congregation, that he might see it healed before he died: and for some others that had made defection in practice, and were fallen off to looseness and vain company-keeping, who were children of pious parents, that at last God would bring them home by sound repentance. Concluding, he begged that the Lord would put down ill houses of iniquity, meaning alehouses.

He added that night-" Whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord; but when we are absent from the body, then we shall be present with the Lord, therefore we labour.- -The just shall live by his faith."

"Read the 20th of Acts, where Paul sent for the elders of the church of Ephesus, and gave them a charge, and took his leave of them. Read 1 Thess. iv. 12. to the end;" adding, "It is a great privilege, that the dead in Christ shall rise first, and be with him, before they that are alive at his coming shall be changed."

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Thus his holy soul mounting upwards by gradual ascents, breathed out itself into the bosom of God, being mellowed and ripened for glory. In all these things we may notice, 1. His public-spiritedness, still his heart was carried out for the church,

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no man like minded, who naturally cared for the spiritual state of souls, and of Zion." 2. His hatred of sin, love to holiness, righteousness, and peace, and earnest desires to promote the interest of Christ, living and dying, at home and abroad. 3. His sweet serenity and composedness of spirit, looking the grim sergeant death, the king of terrors, full in the face without amazement, meeting him as his friend giving him possession of his Father's house. 4. His endearing attachment to the word of God, delighting to have it read and sounding in his ears, and tipping his tongue with scripture language, because his heart was thoroughly imbued with it. Thus this holy man lived, and thus he died; thus he believed, thus he preached and professed his hopes of a life to come; and thus he entered into his rest, and possesseth a purchased and perfect inheritance. Who would not thus live? what atheist would not thus die? However, a carnal heart may possibly say as that wicked roister who with his companion visited dying Ambrose, and hearing his holy discourses and confident expectations, he turned himself to his swaggering associate, saying, "O that I might live with thee, and die with Ambrose !" and thus could Balaam, Numb. xxiii. 10, that diabolical wizard and avaricious conjurer,

say, "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his," (Heb. let my soul or my life be with the righteous.) But they that would follow this blessed saint into the upper region, must enter in at the right door by sound conversion, and go forth, and go on in " the footsteps of the flock,” travelling gradually in the paths of sanctity, till they advance to the mount of God: and though it be a rare thing to follow those worthies, (passibus æquis) with such steps and quick motion; yet sincerity in our setting out, diligence in pursuit, and perseverance in holding on to the end, may bring us to the goal and crown of glory and though we cannot reach the exploits and honour of the three first of king David's worthies, yet may we be faithful soldiers in this noble army of the "followers of the Lamb,” at last the diadem of glory may be by the grace of God set upon our triumphant heads: and if there be degrees of felicity, yet the least vessel shall be filled, and the humblest saint shall be blessed with an exceeding and eternal weight of glory; for such and so great is that joy, that it cannot enter into the most extensive and capacious minds as receivers, but they must enter" into their Master's joy;" as if millions of vessels of different sizes were cast into the vast ocean, they would be completely filled: so every saint will say with David, Ps. xvii. 15, "As for me I shall behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness."

Nor can it be difficult for a departing soul, set at liberty from the prison of flesh, to soar aloft with speed into those celestial regions, whatever may be the distance, especially when attendant angels form its escort. How quickly and safely can that blessed convoy conduct it into the presence-chamber of the glorious King? O how well did the gracious soul of Angier know the way thither, where he had been daily visiting the great God by faith and prayer! He was not a stranger to the laws of that country, nor unacquainted with the manner of the court above; but as he walked with his God, and was united to that heavenly society, so doubtless some correspondence was maintained with those blessed spirits above. Happy they that have faithfully improved their gifts and graces whilst conversant below; remember their dying expressions, and imitate their amiable, lively examples.

CLOSE OF MRS. ELLEN ANGIER'S LIFE.

MRS. E. ANGIER, first wife of the Rev. John Angier, was born at

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Wigan, and daughter of Mr. Winstanley. At the early age of eight years, she commenced her religious course, but she never appears to have possessed an assurance, or to have enjoyed a sense of divine favour. Her natural constitution seems to have had a propensity to depression of spirits, and through the whole of life this was her affliction. Two years and more before her death, God exercised her with great weakness of body; so that she was sometimes unable to walk, or lie down in bed, and was in excessive pain.

March 23, 1641, God gave her more clearness and comfort than she usually had; but her disconsolateness returned. At one time she said, "She would fain speak to the children, but could not, she was so straitened in her breast." Her husband asked her if he should send for their son John? She said, "No;" but bade him do what he thought best, he being at school at Manchester. She spoke to her daughter, and bade her "take God for her parent, as she knew not how soon father and mother might be gone." Speaking of John, she said, "That poor child, the Lord redeem his soul and keep him from base company. It may be, my poor words may sometime impress him, and my poor desires be realized." "She then," says Mr. Angier, "spake to me, desiring that I would take care to train up the children in God's fear." She said to her friends that were with her "Labour to be prepared to go through such difficulties. You may go on long in profession, and still meet with hard things when you think the worst is past. This I would say to old and young, be more plain and honest one with another."

"At night I went not to bed," continues Mr. A. " till after twelve o'clock, being solicitous for my wife, that God would further manifest himself unto her. Before one o'clock they called me up, she being very ill. She then said, 'Lord, into thy hands I commit my spirit, for thou hast redeemed me. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Make no tarrying. He doth not yet come. Will he not make haste ?' I answered, 'yes, in his own time. Again she prayed that the Lord would come, and he did not long delay. She desired to be put into another bed, See Page 524.

where, after a short but hard struggle with death, she slept calmly away, between three and four o'clock in the morning, Dec. 14, 1642.

"God had taken off her heart from minding the children or any thing else, and had much weaned my heart. Notwithstanding her long weakness, her death was somewhat severe, and she was sensible to the last, though she had much feared the loss of her senses. Dec. 15, about two o'clock in the afternoon, the body of my wife was committed to the grave. Mr. Horrocks preached on Rom. vi. 23, The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.' Dec. 18, God sent Mr. Hollingworth to help me, who preached on Job xxxiv. 29, When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble?' The Lord graciously assisted him. He said, "One good look from God would make things well with a kingdom or indivi

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BIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT

OF

MRS. ELIZABETH HEYWOOD,

First Wife of the Rev. O. Heywood;

EXTRACTED FROM HIS MANUSCRIPTS.

SHE was the excellent daughter of an eminent minister, the Rev. J. Angier. She was born, June 24, 1634, at Denton in Lancashire, the place where her distinguished father was minister many years; and was baptized, June 29, by Mr. Henry Root, then preacher at Gorton, a neighbouring chapel. She being brought up at home, partook of her parents' excellent dispositions. She was naturally very forward in learning any thing, so that she could read some of the hardest chapters in the bible when but four years of age. At six years of age, she was able to write down passages of sermons she heard, in which, by continual use, in process of time she arrived at great perfection, so that she could repeat a sermon very methodically and distinctly. This evidenced not only her natural genius, but that " by reasou of use, she had her senses exercised to discern both good and evil." As for her acquaintance with scripture, I may say of her as was said of Timothy: "That from a child she had

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