faith. I then enlarged upon Christ’s commission to his apostles, his commanding them to publish to every ereature under heaven the glad news, that Christ had died for the ungodly, had finished redemption, and ascended up on high to reeeive gifts for men, and to bestow them on all who believe God’s testimony concerning him.
God opened the mind of William to perceive the importance and truth of these things. He began to hope in God, through the offering of his Son a sacrifice for sin. I advised him to follow holiness, without whieh no man shall see the Lord in heaven, nor can he continue to see his glory on the earth; to have no fellowship with wicked men; to be a faithful steward of what God had given him. I told him how Christ rewarded those who overcame all their enemies through faith in his blood, and by believing the word of his testimony. This conversation made him very happy, and he left me rejoicing in the Lord.
Some time after, he came with a sorrowful heart, complaining that he did not feel the Lord’s presence; that God had forsaken him. I assured him that that was impossible; for God expressly says, He will never leave, no, nor forsake his people; and that he ehanges not in his love to them. I warned him to be cautious how he spoke against God; for such language is calling God a liar. I told him likewise that the Church had once preferred a similar complaint against her God; upon whieh Jehovah said it was possible for a mother to forsake her infant ehild, but impossible for him ever to leave or forsake his people; for he had pledged his word to the contrary. Whereupon I warned him to be no more faithless, but believing, and by doing so he would glorify God greatly before men : it would tend to make men think more favourably of God, and probably lead some to seek an interest in his favour, who otherwise would not. Upon this he eried out with tears, ‘Lord, I beliove, help my unbelief! I change in my love, but thou changest not.’
William was afterwards brought into great afflietion. I told him God sent it to him for good; to make him more holy, humble, dead to sin and the world, and fitter for heaven. He believed me, and praised God for his attention to him, to send his messenger, afflietion, to do him good. A person who came in expressed sorrow at seeing him so pained. William replied, ‘Don’t sorrow for me; rejoice rather, because God has said, that our light afflictions, which arc but for a moment, work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. I am willing to be, siek or to die, or to recover, just as God pleases.
William eompletely recovered from his indisposition ; his knowledge of God, and experience of his faithfulness, and
