66 signed?" She said, "I cannot give you up." "Not resigned!" said he, with great concern, you must be resigned, for I shall be taken from you; I shall die this night, therefore resign me quickly!" After lying composed a little, he bid them pray. A person present did so: but he bid them pray again! They asked, "Are you not happy?" He said, "O yes, I am; but you have need yet to pray-the time is very short!". They prayed again: but he turned to his wife, and said, "Do you pray." She said, "Lord, help me to pray." And she found power earnestly to entreat the Lord to finish his work, and if any thing remained to be done, speedily to make an end of sin. This satisfied him; and he said, "That is right--thank thee: the Lord is here, and I shall soon be happy for ever!" (farther adding,) “I have much to say to thee, and the time is very short. "Are you resigned?" She said, “I hope I am." "Well," said he, "that is right: then I shall soon go! Trust God, and he will take care of thee." After lying a little, with his eyes closed, he cried, "Sing-sing-I am just going!" They could not sing for tears: he seemed displeased, and cried, "Will none of you sing?" They could not answer him, and he said to his wife, "What! will not you sing? You ought not to weep, but to sing, when you see me going to God!" And then he gave out, and sung with a loud voice, "Salvation, O the joyful sound! What pleasure to our ears!" &c. After which he lay composed a little; then started up, and said, "There is the Lord Jesus! Betsey, there is the Lord Jesus!" And to another he said, "See! there he is!-the Lord Jesus!--I am going! -and immediately dropped, as it were, asleep into his arms; for he spoke no more. My soul was comforted by the above relation. O what is all below compared with a death like this! What are trials, which are but for a moment, when the joy which is set before us is so exceeding abundant! The poor widow now desires to meet class with me, and I bid her come. May she be joined to the Lord in bonds never to be broken. I am, my dear friend, yours in our common Lord, H. A. ROGERS. THE END. |