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Show 224 George B. Cheever. Again: " A~ I believe most firmly that Gocl reigns, I cnnnot brlieve tllnt nny thmg I hnv0 rlonr, su•! ficrerl, or 111a.1~' ·'' d su'.1'1'' er ' 1rill be lo'•' t to 11rW cause o. , f (Jo(l or o. f hw11anity. . And bl'fore I lH'(o'" an my '''ot·l<. "" t IIa rper, s } crry, I felt ns~mrcd that m. the 1corst crf'nt it "·ou1d certainly l'AY. I often cxprc::;::;ccl that belief, nnd I ran now sec no po!-isible cause to alter my mind. I am not, as yet, in the main, at aU disappointed. I haYe been a goo(l deal disappointed as it n'ro" arcls· myseif in not. k eepm· rr up to my own 7Jians; but I now feel entirely reconciled to that even~ for Uod's plan ·wa infinitely better, no doubt, or I should have kept t~ my own. God's will, not mine, be clone ! " Again, the mingled "mceknes'"' and fear," conpled with such reverential submi ion to the will of God, with which he de eriue the l10pe that ·u tain him, will be noted a. amonrr the sure. t evidences of his being under the guidance of Gou'~ Spirit, the uuject of his sancti(ying grace. "I tnt. t that God, who has sustained me '" 0 lonrnr1 ,,.1·11 not lrO TSU1 \. C ImIe " ·.h en I . mo. st feel my need of Fatherly nid nnd npJlOrt . "1 1·1 >JlOU Ll c Jude litH face, my spirit will droop and die ; but not otherwise, be nssurrd. My only anxiety i · to be properly n. sured of my 1itness for the company of_ tho:-;e ·who nrc '"·ashcd from nll filthincs~,· and for the pr,c:;cncc of Jum w.ho is infinitely purr.. I rertninly tl1ink I do have some hung, er and tlnrst after ri:r:>r htcou• ness • ' If 1't 1u, 0 Oll1 y frenum· c I make no doubt I ' hall be filled.' " 0 , The ·ublime c~n. istcncy and :firmne s of the testimony of such n man agam~ l Slavery, every st<•p of his way to the gr_ave, are to uc marked, in connection with the meek f'ubmJ:-: sion of his soul to God, ancl the humility with which he 8}H.'a_k. of_ the manifestation of God's mercy. lie would not receiH', Cilh ·r in the jail or on the scaffold, 01e ministrations of men who <'Onsc'nt to the cnsbvemrnt of th ir fdlow-en·~ture~. 1 Ic' declared that thr gospel of such men wa · not the Go;.;pel of God, and tl1at he could have no communion wilh them. Ile ~nid h<• wouhl rnlh<'r he accompnnicd to thr f'cnf:. fo!<.l uy a dozen o1ave children, and a. pious oltl ·1ave molh('l'. With tlleir appeal to (3<Jd for bles. ings of his soul; and an .... George B. Cheever. 225 incident j relat<'u of hi passage from the pri. on to the . caffolJ, charactcri ·tic ancl affecting, which must be given in the language of the rc 1ator. ''A' l1e st ·ppecl ouL of the door a hlack woman, with a little child in her arm , stood ncar his way. The twain were of the des pis •d race, for whose cmanC'i pal ion and ·lcvalion to the <lignity of children of' Gotl, he was aLout to Jn.y down his life. Hi ' thoughts at. thaL mou1cnL none can know except a;3 his aet. interpr ·t them. l le stopp d for a momeut in llis com·: , Rlooped over, and with lh \ tcndcrne .· of' one who·e love is a. uroa<.l a:; the brolherhoo<l of man, kis~·ed il :tflec-tionat ·ly." Connect again with the. e noli' •: the de p humili ty aml temlerncss of the man in c.:on:-:ci •nee anu in heart, towards o<.l and man, as revealed in sueh a letter a. the following, jn answer to one who had written to him a ' a "dem· urolher," to etwourage him in Je. us. "Your kind mention of some things in my conduct here which you approve i~ very comforting indeed to my mind; yet I am c:ouscious that you do me more than justice. I do certainly feel that, through Divine nra.cc I hare endcw·orNl to be 'faithful in a few things,' min-n g1ing with even these tnuch of imperfection. I nm. certainly unworthy ' <'ven to sufl'er nfll iC'tion with the pco;,lc of G01l.' Yet, in In lin itr grace, H e hru~ thus honored me. May the sam<' grace enable me to serve 1 [im. in 'new obl'dicncc' through my little remainder of thi~ life, nnd to l'ej oic~ in Him forever. I cannot fed tlutt Uod will suil'cr the poorest c:rviees we may any of us r ender Him or llis cansc to be l ost or in vain. "I do feel, 'dear Brother,' that I am wonderfully ' .trengthrncd from on high.' May I u::;c that strength in 'showing Jlis strength unto this generation,' and His power to every one that is to come. "I nm most grateful for your assurance, tha.t my poor, shattered, heart-broken 'family '"ill not be forgotten.' I have long tried to commend them to 'the God of my !~ather.' I have many opportunities for jctitlifal 71lain dealing with the more powerful, influential, and intelligent cln.:s in this region, which I tru:t arc not entirely misimproved. I humbly trust that I firmly believe that God Teigns, and I think I can truly sn.y, ' JJct the earth 1· ~oice.' |