PAGE Domestic happiness at Willow Park-Alison Johnstone- Early indications of her piety-Her remarkable spiritual- mindedness-Personal attractions-Topics of conversa- tion-Saturday evenings at Willow Park-Exercises with the young-Mrs Johnstone's love for the Sabbath-Mode of spending the Lord's day at Willow Park-Subjects of Mrs Johnstone esteemed by the relatives of her husband- Alison's early habits for devotion-Visit to Edinburgh- The bereaved mother, sorrowful yet rejoicing-Her bodily exhaustion Commencement of her illness-Its progress -Her death-bed-Strong faith, and triumphant hope- MEMOIR OF MRS ANN JOHNSTONE. CHAPTER I. Her birth and parentage-Early piety-Season of spiritual distress Succeeded by light and joy-Holy obedienceFilial devotedness-Perusal of the works of distinguished divines-Spiritual enlargement-Death of her father-Her betrothal-Devotional extracts from her papers. REJOICING in the blessed promise, "that the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance,” and believing that fellow-pilgrims have a certain instrumentality in perpetuating their memory-it being theirs to gather up the fragments, to record the names, the work, and the graces of those who have finished their course in this world, "that the generation to come might know them,"-the writer has compiled the following reminiscences of a mother and daughter, "lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in death not divided." May the God of all grace bless the record, however simple and imperfect, of B the work of faith, the labour of love, and the patience of hope, of the subject of these notices, and of the early maturity of those gracious principles which adorned her beloved daughter! Mrs Johnstone, whose maiden name was Ann Stuart, was born in Greenock, 27th October 1782, of parents whose character and rank in life placed them in a station of extensive influence among a numerous circle of attached friends and relatives. Walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, being "blameless and harmless, the children of God, without rebuke," they were enabled, in their connexion with the church of Christ, and in all their intercourse with the world, "to hold forth the word of life," and to prove bright examples in their whole temper, spirit, and deportment, of the humbling, sanctifying, and elevating power of the truth as it is in Jesus. On this account, it may be said that Mrs Johnstone had, from infancy, peculiar religious advantages, which she always acknowledged with lively gratitude. Although only about five years of age when deprived of a pious mother, she ever retained a lively recollection of many of the circumstances connected with that event, and of the spirit displayed by relatives on the occasion; especially the submission to the Divine will, evinced by her godly father, who was then left with a family of young children. It appears from the testimony of those who were the associates of her childhood and youth, that she had, from her earliest years, been the subject of Divine grace. Her love of truth preventing her from uttering any word approaching to equivocation or falsehood; her hatred of sin causing her to dread any indulgence in frivolous jesting; her delight in the Sabbath, and all its blessed ordinances; her relish for the company and conversation of the godly in whatever station of life they might move; these were precious evidences that the Lord Jesus Christ had, from her infancy, set his love upon her. Indeed, her mind, even in childhood, seems to have been so entirely under gracious influence, that profitable lessons were derived by her from every event that took place. She was particularly fond of listening to the enlightened spiritual conversation of some of the excellent ones of the earth who occasionally resided at her father's house during communion seasons; and she has often been heard, at a subsequent period, to speak of the blessing which her father had received by entertaining these pious strangers, in the valuable instructions which she had obtained, and the salutary impressions which were made upon her mind, by their example and conversation. Convictions of her own sinful state by nature were often, in her youth, very deeply impressed upon her mind, and relief from this depression seems, from time to time, to have been obtained by reading and hearing about Jesus and his salvation |