around his bed, and warned us to flee from the wrath to come; exhorted us to search the Scriptures daily and diligently, and to commend them to the perusal and belief of all who were near us; confessed he had been a most unprofitable servant to Jesus Christ, but gloried that his blood cleansed from all sin. His expiring words were "Precious Bible!"

My father's death, like those of the martyrs, might be called the seed of the church, for several of our neighbours were excited to seek the salvation of Jesus by witnessing the death of this chosen vessel.

The death of my father drew many tears from my eyes, not that I mourned for his gain, but my loss in parting with such an affectionate friend, and such a miracle of our Lord's mercy. But he went to a better world, where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest. However, my tears were dried up, and I began to magnify the Lord for his everlasting love to my father. I told my brothers and sisters, that if we walked in the last steps of our father, we should shortly join him to part no more for ever. I told them, that though the death of our believing father had been a delightful scene, their death would be dreadful if they died not in the love of the same Lord.

It is customary in many parts of the Highlands, when a person dies, for a number of the neighbours around, to meet in the house of the deceased every night while the corpse is there, and remain until morning eating and drinking. From this custom, derived from the Druids, or other ancient inhabitants of this country many poor widows' houses are completely devoured at the death of their husbands, and a great deal of folly and wickedness goes on amongst these night-watchers. This barbarous custom was, for the first time, dispensed with by our

family at the death of my father. Indeed the whole country cried out against us for not allowing it; they attributed it to a narrow covetous spirit, and hardly any of them would attend the funeral.

But alas! my father's death was soon forgotten by some of the family, who began to wrangle about the division of his little worldly property the very day he was interred. I was so hurt with their conduct that I desired them to take the whole for me, that this world's goods were not worth fighting for, that I was quite contented with the portion I already possessed. This ashamed them; they left the matter to the decision of arbiters, and peace was restored.

I afterwards became the head of a family, and trained up all my children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The Lord blessed my instructions to most of them, two of whom have since died in the Lord.

His turn to die at length came. He was a prisoner of the Lord upon a sick-bed for some time, but the Lord gave him opportunity and ability to extol his mercy, and he died while declaring the unchangeable faithfulness of God to his recorded promises, and the commissioned angels no doubt carried his soul to the realms of his dearest Lord. Let heaven and earth praise him!

Reader! what are your thoughts? Are you wondering at the tender mercy of our compassionate Saviour to this man! if so, Well-or are you comparing your history with this man's? if so, Well-May God discover your lack, if you have not yet experienced the converting grace of God. Or do you intend to toss aside this little book, and to think no more of it? Pray do not this harm to thy soul? I hope you abhor self-murder; why then do you murder your immortal soul. Believe that Jesus looks on, to observe the effect which this relation

shall have upon your mind. Put not salvation away from you, now that Jesus brings it near. Do not count yourself unworthy of eternal life, seeing Christ died for the ungodly. Now, my friend, I am innocent of your blood, if you eternally perish.

My parents were of the first rank and fortune in the country. My father was what the world calls a good moral man, neither addicted to swearing, drunkenness, nor any other gross vice, who regularly attended church on the Sabbath, kept a chaplain for the family, was famous for his charity to the poor, and princely donations which he gave to useful institutions. Nevertheless, I am sorry to say, he had the most rooted antipathy to scriptural piety of any man I ever knew. When he heard any minister preach up the depravity of human nature, the wrath of God revealed against all ungodliness, he became quite frantic. When he heard any man declare from scripture, that by the deeds of the law no man could be justified, he was always enraged. But for all this, in, some companies, I have heard him profess great reverence for these very doctrines.

My mother was a very different character. She was

one who truly feared God, having early tasted that the Lord is gracious. I perceived that she was sometimes in great difficulty how to act with my father. She often told him what she thought of his conduct, and most affectionately, yet faithfully warned him of his danger while trusting to his character and good works. He sometimes took it very well, but at other times her concern for his salvation put him much out of humour.

She embraced every opportunity to give proper instructions to her family, by taking them separately into her room, and conversing with them about the things of God, read and prayed with them. This conduct of hers, often made me pensive, and produced partial reformation; but the example and counsel of my father always did me harm.

When about twelve years of age, I began to know that I was heir to a large estate; this made me extremely proud, and completely effaced all the religious impressions I had received by means of the kind instructions of my mother. At this time I was sent to an academy in the country, where there were many young gentlemen of fortune about my own age. I soon formed an intimacy with two or three of them. I was not long there before I was initiated in all their ways, and many a sad scrape we got into. I was often severely fined for mischief I had committed. My parents were extremely displeased when they heard of my conduct, and they happily recalled me from the academy for some time, which gave me no small uneasiness. However, in consequence of my promising to do better, they permitted me to return. My mother put into my trunk a parcel of very instructive treatises on various subjects. These I began to read with considerable avidity, and one of them made a most powerful impression upon my mind. I had chosen a young gentleman of amiable manners, and about my own age to be my chief associate; to him