ercife of faith and other graces. I confidered every attendance on gofpel-ordinances, every prayer, every perufal of a chapter of the Bible, or portion of a divinity-book, as an addition to the stock of my righteousness, which I was laying up as a defence against wrath, and a fund of merit to recommend me to the favour of God through Chrift. Such has been my wicked life, and thus have I been destroying myself, a stranger to God and real religion."

" I replied, that I never had suspected her to be fuch a perfon; but told her, that the ought to make restitution of the stolen money, and cry earnestly to God, that he would make her thoroughly sensible of all her fins, and induce her to fly to the fountain of Christ's blood for wathing and cleanfing. " I would," said Peggy, "have made restitution long ago; but as the gentleman was dead, and I knew not where he lived, or to whom to remit the money, I let it lie by me, without ap. plying it to any use. I have heard, that ministers direct, that, if the party robbed be dead or cannot be found, the stolen goods should be applied to charitable uses. If you, Maily, will take the money, and give it to the poor, it will be some satisfaction to me." I told her, I was going to make fuch a proposal to her, but the had happily prevented me; that I would take the money, and give it away to some poor distressed families. She gave me the key of her chest, and bade me open it, directing me where I would find the money. I took it, and having changed it for filver, I, in two days, gave it away to about a dozen poor people, to whom it was a very seasonable fupply.

" I very frequently visited, and prayed with this poor young woman, and found her much employed in prayer, earnestly supplicating a throne of grace for pardoning mercy. She would Ii2 sometimes

sometimes say, "I loath and abhor myself for my horrid fins and vile hypocrify. O Lord Jesus, sprinkle me with thy blood, and make me throw away the rotten rags of my own righteousness, and put on the spotless robe of the Redeemer. O, make me submit to the righteousness of God. Nothing else will be a cover for my guilty foul." Her fever continued, and she grew daily worfe and worse. At last the Lord heard the voice of her fupplication, and filled her with joy and peace in believing. She was continually extolling the riches of grace, and exulting in the obedience and fatisfaction of Chrift, as her righteousnefs before God; wishing every finner and every hypocrite would come and shroud themselves under that glorious cover. I frequently prayed with and for her, and enjoyed a good measure of the Lord's prefence every time. When she drew near her end, she gave me the key of her cheft, telling me, she had faved about four pounds, and defired me, out of it, to defray the expense of her funeral, and if any thing remained, to apply it to my own use, together with her Bible, and all her other books; and send all her cloaths to her fifter in the country. I promised to fulfil her orders. After this she said, " I know that my Redeemer li. veth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall fee for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another, though my reins be confumed within me. O, to win Christ, and be found in him, clothed with his righteousness. O when shall I come and appear before him! Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly." She then fell into the agonies of death; and, after a very painful ftruggle, cried out, "Now the warfare is accomplished; now shall I be made perfect and comely

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comely through the righteousness of my Redeemer. Behold, God is my falvation; and I shall • see him in glory. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And so she slept, I hope, in Jesus. Jenny —, whom you have seen, and taken notice of as a brisk merry lass, frequently visited Peggy along with me, and appeared to be much affected with her speeches and prayers. I got her buried for less than three pounds, and the furplus of the money she allotted to me, I gave away to the poor, retaining nothing but her books. I have given you, my dear Madam, the above short history, as I know that every instance of the salvation of souls will rejoice your heart, and make you bless God for Jesus Christ his unspeakable gift."

Mally's account of the life, disaster, converfion, fickness, recovery, and marriage of Jenny, ano

ther fervant-maid.

MAlly, in

a series of letters to Fanny, entertains her with the following history of Jen

ny, with which I shall conclude this part.

"Dear Madam, about two weeks after Peggy -'s death, Jenny was seized with the fame fever that had proved fatal to her. As the was a buxom lass, handsome, and dressed well; as she was noted for a fine finger, and when she came to our house, would entertain us with a fong; I had no notion she was much attached to religion. She fent for me, the day after the fell ill, to a friend's house, whither the had retired. As I found her very fick, I began to talk to her of our loft estate by nature, of our utter inability to help ourselves, of the method of our recovery through the grace and righteousness of the Lord Jefus,

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Jesus, and his willingness and all-fufficiency to fave finners, however wicked and vile; and earnestly recommended to her to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, for the falvation of her foul. She thanked me for my seasonable speech, and said, " I have nothing to trust to but the mercy of God reconciled to finners in the Son of his love; his righteousness is my only support and defence; and to free grace will I ascribe all my falvation." She defired me to fit down on her bedfide, and then addressed me as follows.

My dear Mally, I hope I have not been unmindful of the great falvation, and the concerns of my soul. I have indeed been a little too forward, and given too much way to the natural merriment of my temper. I am now about five and twenty years of age, and have been in fervice fince I was fixteen. I had a religious education; but when I went to fervice, and some time after, I never regarded religion further than going to church with the family on the Lord's day. A melancholy disafter that befel me, and which I never told to any body, first awakened me to confider my ways. When I was near eighteen years of age, a fober young man, a cabinetmaker, made love to me, and I loved him; he frequently vifited me, and I encouraged his addresses. Neither by word or action did he shock my modesty. The day on which he visited me last, some of my mafter's fons had brought in a novel or romance; I have forgot the name of it. Towards night, I fell a-reading the vile book, when all the family were abroad at supper; and having got my paffions heated and my fancy fired with reading a wanton love-adventure, my lover came into me; and perceiving nobody but me in the house, began to kiss me, and use other indecencies; and my paffions being in a violent agitation through

the

the wanton story I had been reading, I, with very little reluctance, yielded to his defires; whereas, if I had not been in fuch diforder, I am confident I would have briskly refifted the vile attempt. After perpetrating the crime, I could not look at him without blushing and confufion; and was just about to confess my shame and folly, and the misery I had wantoniy brought myself to; when he faid, "Dear Jenny, I am forry for what I have done. I am fully convinced you was a virgin, and be affired I will marry you;" and so went off, leaving me in confufion. Confcience soon smote me for my fin; and represented, that, for a momentary pleasure, I had finned against God, defiled my body, and, if I should happen to be with child, ruined my character for ever. As I had so shamefully given up my honour, I was afraid the young man would entirely forsake me. The lafcivious book, which had heated my paffions, I threw away, refolving for the future never to look at fuch books again. I became uncommonly melancholy, and spent the whole night almost without fleep, being burdened with a piercing sense of my fin and shame in the 'loss of my honour. The conviction of my great fin set me a-praying, a duty which I had wholly neglected ever since I came to service: and the awful threatenings in the Bible against uncleanness terrified me. I expected my lover would have called for me next day, according to his custom; but he did not come. I made inquiry after him, and found, that the very next morning after our unhappy affair he had embarked on board a fhip for London. I was now terrified I might be with child, be turned out of my service, and be a difgrace to my father's family, who, though poor, were fober and religious; and I had a dismal train of direful apprehenfions exhibited to my mind. I was, however, foon undeceived, and bleffed God

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