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Show So ) Tile Remembrance of the Diflrefs he fulfered in the Illnefs, which proved (as we lhort-fiahted Creatures fpeak) fatal to him, and of the ~ruly herotc, or rather Chril\ian Fortitude, with which he bore his Pain, lies too heavy on my Heart, and nfes too frelh in my Imagination, to admit of my attempting a Defcription of what I fo fevere!y felt, and !ltll feel. It will be more acceptable to you, Str, and mor~ ufeful to myfelf, to fet down a few of hts Reflex tons upon his own State, and Profpecb in the awful Conjuncture of approaching Death. . The Phyfician, who attended him, having, at hiS Defire gtven htm hts undifguifed Opinion of hts Cafe, whtch only confirmed his own, he defir_ ed to be left with me only, for a little Time. Hts Lady, and Son, and Daughter, who were not aware how near he was to his End, willingly retired. He then fpoke as follows ; for I !hall never have the Sound of his 'vVords out of my Ears. " My Expectation of my Difiolution is now confirmed by the~oncurrence of my Phyf!Cian. And no':", my Fnend, I hope my Redemption '' dr~ws mgh. Few Nights have, for the lafi thtrty Years of my Life, clofed upon me, with" out my realizing to myfelf the awful Moment " :-"hich will quickly be prefent to me. No: mdeed have I ever ufed to pafs many Hours to:: gether wtthout thinking of the Period of this prefent Exi!l:ence. Ete~nity has been always, or at lea!l: habttually, m my View. Why :: lhould I then be !l:art!ed at the nearer Profpeel of what has ever been familiar to my Mind. And yet the. Thou~~t of ~ppearing before a ,, J~dge, who ts ommlctent, ts !l:riking. ReligiOn alone can make it tolerable. You, my " Frien<l:,. "' ;Friend, have Jo.ng known me, and have known the wodl: of me. For I never had any Thing in my Heart, which I concealed from " you. What is your fincere Opinion of my " Condition ? Do you think I am likely to be '' found a proper ObjeCl: of Divine Mercy?" The Thought of the Lofs, I was foon to fu{fain, together with his affecting Words, uttered with a weak and fau1tering Voice, fo unman'd me, that I could not for fame Time bring out an Anfwcr. however, I compofed myfelf fo far as to tell him, ~l d1ought his prefent Hour more to be envied, than that which raifes a Prince to his Throne. He thanked me for the Comfort my Words o-ave him, and then went on. " Y~u cannot imagine, my Friend, ho\~ diftinCl: ly in the Intervals of my Pain and Languor, " I feel the Efience of the Mind to be dilrerent " and feparate from that of the Body. The " bell: philofophical Arguments for the Immorta-lity of the Soul, are weak and unfatisfying, to what I now feel. This battered earthly Frame is from Moment to Moment going faft to decay. The thinking Sub!l:ance feems to have almo!l: loi1 its hold of it. I neither fee, nor hear, nor breathe like one quite alive. For Death has a\mo!l: got full Poifeffion of his " Right. But while the frail Syll:em feems hardly " to hang together, I feel a Vigor in my Mind, which my Tonaue cannot utter. The Soul " (eems collected 'in herfelf, and to re,!l: more immediately upon him who gave her being. I feel u the Omniprefcnt and univerfal Mind iupporting my Exi!l:ence. Wings feem added to my Soul. I only wait the all· powerful Call, to launch " into 1ternity. There all is Thought; there.all 18 |