"shall the creature yet interpose between me and "God? Begone, all ye creatures! I have vowed it. I "have renounced you all, and given up myself to God. "I have vowed, O Lord, that I will be entirely thine. "Lord, take thou the full possession of my heart: fill every part of it with thy love." Formerly when her husband had returned home after a long absence, at the first meeting her spirits would have been in such a commotion that she would have fainted away. She was afraid lest any such weakness should seize her now, and therefore still lifted up her heart to God, begging that he would permit no creature to share in it. When her husband came first into the room where she lay, she received him in a manner which did not discover any emotion, asked him of his welfare, excused herself as to conversation because of her deafness, and entreated him to retire to his chamber to refresh himself after such a wearisome journey; and when he had retired, she renewed her ejaculations to Heaven, and said, "Lord, strengthen

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my spirit, and preserve my heart from straying one "hair-breadth from thee to any created thing, from "thee, my God, my all." She would often say, "The day of my union with thee is at hand; Lord, "make me ready. If I perish, I will perish at his "feet. I will hold him fast. Though he should slay me, yet will I love him. My tongue shall never cease to praise him while I have a being." The second time her lord came to see her, she held out her hand to him with a smile, and said, "I am "no longer yours; I am God's: God bless you, and "make you entirely his."

She was still affected with a deep sense of her having been wanting in due compassion and charity towards the poor. She therefore begged of her husband that he would be pleased to erect an hospital for the maintenance of four poor widows, of good reputation, who had children, where they might be maintained, and live with their children till those

were capable of being put to service or a trade; and on the decease of any one of them, another might be put in her room. To this he readily consented, which gave her no small satisfaction. She blessed God, who had disposed him to consent to it so readily; and she urged him to be rid of all public affairs and attendance on a court, as being the bane of all inclinations to true and solid virtue.

Her heart was now wholly turned to God and to eternity; and day and night, while she waked, for she slept but little, she spent her time in ardent ejaculations, or in reading or hearing some portion of the holy Scriptures with great devotion. Her son having about this time read a letter concerning the love of God, was desirous it might be read to her, as being well suited to the present disposition of her heart. Having heard it with great attention, she said she had read it over two several times before, and wished nothing more than to have her heart wholly moulded into the love of God: she had always regarded the love of God as the essence of religion. Having caused them to read to her our Saviour's farewell sermon, she said, "I shall shortly bid fare"well to the vanities of the world, and enjoy him "whom my soul loveth." When she awoke from her slumberings, during which she had been troubled with vain dreams, she said she should shortly behold the glory of God: and she begged earnestly that she might have no thought but of him, and that he would inspire her with his Holy Spirit, that neither sleeping nor waking, she might have any unholy or unprofitable thoughts.

On the day she died, during a seizure of slight delirium, while she lay apparently insensible, a minister prayed over her, blessing God that he had turned her heart wholly unto him, and had taken possession of it, and begging earnestly that God would rebuke Satan, and cause him to depart from her: her spirit was immediately composed, and she broke forth into

a most devout prayer and ardent adoration of God, at which all who were present were greatly surprised. Her husband drawing near to her, she held forth her hand to him, and then fell into a little delirium again. A short time after, a person present earnestly prayed that Almighty God, the Creator of the world, would have mercy on the work of his own hands; that Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world, would' save the soul that he had bought; that the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, would support and comfort her in this her last agony. When he had ended, she broke forth into a divine rapture of adoration and praise with her last breath: "My Redeemer liveth : praise to the Lord: Amen. Thou hast promised mercy; thou wilt not leave me praise to the "Lord: Amen. Take me by the hand, O my Sa"viour, and lead me through the dark path unto the "Father. O my God, leave me not. I know, O "Christ, thou wilt not leave me. Thou never didst "forsake a soul that was wholly given up to thee praise to the Lord: Amen. Heavenly Father, into thy " merciful hands I commend my spirit. Thou know"est that I have forsaken the world, and given my "heart wholly unto thee. Come, and take posses"sion of it. All I had in the world, they are thine: "I give them unto thee; do thou accept of them. "I trust only in thy mercy, and in the merits of my "blessed Redeemer: praise to the Lord: Amen. "Come, Lord Jesus, and lead me to the Father. "Heavenly Father, into thy merciful arms I com"mend my spirit. Amen." With these words she closed her eyes, and seemed to all present to be yielding up her last breath; and thus she continued for some time, her pulse being quite gone. But in a little time she opened her eyes again, and with an air, as it seemed, of joy and wonder, she continued looking_upwards with a fixed gaze for near half an hour. By degrees she let her eyes fall, shut them,

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and yielded up her last breath. Those who were present were not a little affected both with her last words and her last looks, which they all beheld with silent admiration; and they were led to think that God had been pleased to grant her the desire of her heart, some special mark of his favour, in her passing out of this world, to enter, we doubt not, into the joy of her Lord.

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LADY MARGARET STEWART.

THIS excellent lady was the wife of Sir Thomas Stewart, of Coltness. After the birth of her twelfth child, she found on the fourth day, that she was attacked with a fever. Calling for her husband, she told him her fears, both as to her sickness and her spiritual state, and begged him to remember her condition to the Lord, entreating him not to be peremptory for her life; " for I desire not to live," said she, "but pray that I die not in darkness as to my soul's "interest. The Lord hath often heard you for deliverance to me when I have been past all hope, and has given me to you now. I beg that the Lord "would be with me, by his power and grace, through "this sickness; and if he should leave me in this "cloud, yet, I will not doubt the reality of many gracious manifestations of him that I have had, and "how that often he hath made me sincerely to resign "and give up myself heartily to him; and now at "this time I dare not, nor will not, deny his gracious “work. But O wrestle with God for me, that I die "not in darkness!" Thus she wept upon him, and said, "Pray not for my life, for ye will be disappointed;" adding, "The devil is busy with me, saying, Thou art nothing but a hypocrite, and art formal "in all thou doest. But the Lord knows my since"rity, which I hope he hath accepted."

Her fever was as yet little observed; but all judged that her anxiety about her soul helped it on, being still remarked to be in spiritual exercises, and ever praying, with great confessions and whisperings.

Mr. William Violand and Mr. John Inglis came in to visit her, and held out to her the great and unspeakable grace of God and of Christ, revealed in the