the walk; and every step she took reminded me of a criminal going to execution. Though I begged her to suppress the emotions of her mind as much as she could, yet the moment her father opened the door, she was down upon her knees, crying, O my dear father, for God's sake forgive me! for Christ's sake forgive me!" He immediately stooped down and embraced her, and, kissing her, he said, "My dear child, I have forgiven you-from the bottom of my heart, I have forgiven you." He attempted to raise her up, immediately she went off in an hysteric fit, and it was full half an hour before she could be brought to her recollection; as soon as she could speak, she began again to accuse herself of being her husband's murderer, for her ingratitude to her father, and for her brutality to her child. I then spoke rather sharply to her, and said, that if she had any regard to my advice and her father's feelings, she must make no more use of that sort of language against herself; and especially being now, as we trusted, in a penitential state, the language of humble gratitude would best suit her state and I went to prayer.

Wor. And how was she after prayer

?

Loveg. Somewhat more calm, but still very low and hysterical. I waived the subject as far as I could, and entered into conversation with Mr. Reader about the alteration of his views, as it respected spiritual matters; and I found his mind in a most pleasant state of holy surprise at his former ignorance, compared with the views he now enjoyed of the gospel-salvation. But while he inadvertently began to mention some of the blessed expressions which dropped from the dying lips of Mr. Chipman, the grief of the poor widow was rekindled almost as bad as ever. She sat sighing, and sobbing all the evening; but as I charged her to make no more of these vehement exclamations against herself, she said little, but wept much. At length she cried, "Father,

20

The moment her Father opened the door, she was down upon her knees, crying, "Oh, my dear Father, for God's sake forgive me, for Christ's sake forgive me!" He immediately stooped down and embraced her, and kissed her, and said, "My dear child, I have forgiven you from the bottom of my heart; I have forgiven you."

C. Whittingham, College House, Chiswick.

may I be permitted to see my dear child?" He answered "My dear, you had better wait till to-morrow, till your spirits are a little more calm;" and in this advice she peaceably acquiesced.

Wor. But I should suppose, she had another difficulty to surmount, in returning back to her husband's house.

Loveg. O Sir! the very mention of her return thither quite overset her again.

Mrs. Wor. And it was enough to overset her. What woman who was once blessed with such a husband, who had lost his life through her brutish conduct, could bear to return and find him absent? And what sleep could she expect, while lying on the bed she had so treacherously forsaken; and on which her husband had died of a broken heart?

Loveg. No doubt, that such must have been her reflections, and painful ones they truly were. Slaves of sin, have bad wages for their slavery. But when Mr. Reader mentioned whether she chose to stop a day or two with him, or go to her own house, her grief became nearly as excessive as before. She cried, "Oh! that I could but have lived a thousand miles from the place, which brings to my recollection so strongly, every circumstance of my most vile and treacherous conduct! But if my return should be the cause of breaking my own heart with grief, it will become me to submit to the most righteous judgment of God, should I be carried from the same bed with a broken heart, to my dear husband's grave." Mr. Reader said, "My dear Jemima, you shall not leave my house till your spirits are more recruited but I will send for your child to-morrow morning, and you shall see it." Thus matters were settled; and after family prayer, I left Mrs. Chipman in possession of the bed designed for me, and got myself

accommodations at the inn; and sad accommodations they were.

Wor. What sort of accommodations then had you ?

Loveg. O Sir! the bed was good enough, but in the next room there was a meeting of some club: and the partition being very thin, I was obliged to submit to hear all their noise, and nonsense, intermixed with language the most blasphemous and obscene, till about two o'clock in the morning; and their horrid songs which they began singing, when they were half drunk, were worse than all. However, at length, the landlord came in, and begged them to break up. What a mercy to be redeemed from the filthy conversation of the wicked!

Wor. None of these things would have been allowed, had honest Edward, of the Golden Lion, been the keeper of the inn. I will engage for it, you would have rather been accommodated with some good clean straw in a stable.

Loveg. A thousand times: how much preferable the company of natural brute beasts, than the company of those who are brutalized by sin. But as it was found an insurmountable difficulty to get Mrs. Chipman home, at least while I was there, I afterwards slept at her house, while she continued to occupy the bed designed for me at her father's.

Wor. It would have been a desirable event, if she could have surmounted that difficulty while you were there, that she might have been persuaded to engage herself in some family concerns.

Loveg. Sir, for the present, the sight of any of her old acquaintance, fills her with immediate consternation. She has kept herself a close prisoner ever since she entered into her father's house.

Wor. How then did she act on the Sunday you preached there?