away my sorrow, make all my soul joy; only sorry because can't read Bible, and learn how to be like Jesus; want to be like his dear people the Bible tell of. So I make great many brooms, and go get Bible for them. When come home, husband call me fool for it; say he burn it up. Then I go hide it; when he gone, get it, kiss it many times, because it Jesus' good word. Then I go ask neighbour if she learn me to read? she say, Yes. Then I go many days learn letters, pray God all the while help me read his holy word. So, Misse, I learn to read good hymn; learn to spell out many good words in Bible. So every day I take Bible, tell my children that be God's word, tell them how Jesus die on cross for sinners: then make them all kneel down, I pray God give them new heart; pray for husband too, he so wicked. O how I sorry for him, fear his soul go in burning flame." Sarah," said I, "how long did your husband live?" "O he live great many year." "Did he repent and become a good man ?" "No, no, Misse, I afraid not; he sin more and more. When he get sick, I in great trouble for him; talk every day to him, but he no hear Sarah. I say, how can you bear go in burning fire, where worm never die, where fire never go out. At last he get angry, bid me hold my tongue. So I don't say any more, only mourn over him every day before God. Afterwards, when he was drowned, my heart say, Father, thy will be done-Jesus do all things well. Sarah can't help him now, he be in God's hands; all is well. So then I

give my heart all away to Jesus, tell him I be all his; serve him all my life;. beg Holy Spirit come fill all my heart, make it all clean and white like Jesus. Pray God help me learn more of his sweet word. And now, Sarah live poor Indian widow great many long year: always find Jesus friend, husband, brother, all. He make me willing to suffer; willing to live great while in this bad world, if he see best; but above all, he give me great good hope of glory when I die. So now I wait patient till my change come."

She used to bring bags of sand into the village, and sell it for food. Sometimes she brought grapes and other kinds of fruit. But as she walked by the way, she took little notice of any thing except children, to whom she sometimes gave an affectionate word of exhortation to be good, say their prayers, learn to read God's good word, &c. accom

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panied with a bunch of grapes or an apple. Thus she engaged the affection of many a little heart. She seemed absorbed in meditation as she walked, and I have observed her hands uplifted in the attitude of prayer. One day, I asked her how she could bring such heavy loads, old as she was, and feeble. Oh," ," said she, "when I get great load, then I go pray God give me strength to carry it. So I go on, thinking all the way how good God is, give his only Son to die for poor sinner; think how good Jesus is, suffer so much for such poor creature; how good Holy Spirit was, come into my bad heart, and make it all new: so these sweet thoughts make my mind so full of joy, I never think how heavy sand be on my old back." Here, said I to myself, learn how to bear the trials and afflictions of life.

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One day she passed with a bag of sand: on her return she called on me. I inquired how much Mrs. her for the sand. She was unwilling to tell, and I feared she was unwilling, lest I should withhold my accustomed mite, on account of what she had already received: I therefore insisted she should let me see. She at length consented; and I drew from the bag a bone, not having on it meat enough for half a meal. "Is this all? that rich woman turn you off so? How cruel, how hard hearted!" I exclaimed. "Misse," she replied, "this made me afraid to let you see it; I afraid you would be angry; I hope she have bigger heart next time; only she forget now, that Jesus promise to pay her all she give Sarah. Don't be angry; I pray God to give her a great deal bigger heart." The conviction, that she possessed in an eminent degree the spirit of Him who said, "Bless them that curse you," and prayed for his murderers, rushed upon my mind. I think I never felt deeper self-abhorrence and abasement. I left her for a moment, and from the few comforts I possessed, gave her a portion. She received them with the most visible marks of gratitude, arose to depart, went to the door, and then turned, looking me in the face with evident concern. Sarah," ," said I, "what would you have?" (supposing she wanted something I had not thought of, and feared to ask.) "O my good Misse," said she, nothing, only afraid your big heart feel some proud, because you give more for nothing than Misse for sand." This faithfulness, added to her piety and gratitude, com

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pleted the swell of feeling already rising in my soul; and bursting into tears, I said, "O Sarah! when you pray that Mrs. may have a bigger heart, don't forget to pray that I may have a humbler one." "I will, Misse, I will," she exclaimed with joy, and hastened on her way.

Another excellence in her character was, that she loved the house of God. She was always early, ever clean and whole in her apparel, though sometimes patched all over. She was very old and quite feeble, yet she generally stood, during public service, with eyes riveted on the preacher. I have sometimes overtaken her on the steps, after service, and said to her, "Have you had a good day, Sarah ?" "All good, sweeter than honey," she would reply.

In the spring of 1817, it was observed by her friends that she did not appear at meeting, as usual, and one of her particular female benefactors asked her the reason; when she with streaming eyes told her, that her clothes had become so old and ragged, that she could not come with comfort or decency; but said she had been praying God to provide for her in this respect, a great while, and telling Jesus how much she wanted to go to his house of prayer, and expressed a strong desire to be resigned and submissive to his will. This was soon communicated to a few friends, who promptly obeyed the call of Providence, and soon furnished this suffering member of Christ with a very decent suit of apparel. This present almost overpowered her grateful heart. She received it as from the hand of her heavenly Father and kind Redeemer, in answer to her prayer; and she said she would go and tell Jesus how good his dear people were to this poor old creature, and pray her good Father to give them great reward.

Two of the garments given her she received with every mark of joy. On being asked why she set so high a value on these, she replied: "O these just what I pray for so long, so to lay out my poor old body, clean and decent, like God's dear white people, when I die." These she requested a friend to keep for her, fearing to carry them home, lest they should be taken from her. She was, however, persuaded to wear one of them to meeting, upon condition that if she injured that, another should be provided; the other was preserved by her friend, and made use of at her death. An aged female who gave her one

of these garments, says, she never saw any body so grateful: "Sarah said she could not pay me. She wondered why people were so kind to such a poor old creature. She hoped God would reward me, and all of them."

I doubt not but that her prayer was heard, and will be answered in their abundant reward. The last visit I had from her was in the summer of 1817. She had attended a funeral, and called on me as she returned. She complained of great weariness, and pain in her limbs, and showed me her feet, which were much swollen. I inquired the cause : Oh," ," said she, with a serene smile, "death come creeping on, I think in grave-yard to-day, Sarah must lie here soon. "" "Well, are you willing to die? Do you feel ready?" "Oh, I hope, Misse, if my bad heart tell true, I willing and ready to do just as Jesus bid me: if he say, You must die, I glad to go be with him; if he say, Live, and suffer great deal more, then I willing. I think Jesus know best. Sometimes I get such look of heaven, I long to go see Jesus; to see happy angels, to see holy saints; to throw away my bad heart, lay down my old body, and go where no sin. Then I tell Jesus: he say, Sarah, I prepare a place for you, then come take you to myself. Then I be quite like a child, don't want to go till he call me. "" Much more she said upon this interesting subject, which indicated a soul ripe for heavenly glories. When we parted, I thought it very doubtful whether we ever met again below. In the course of three weeks from this time, I heard that Sarah was removed to a better world.

NOTE. The subject of this narrative lived in the eastern part of Connecticut; her hut was in a retired spot near a pond, a beautiful sheet of water, which it overlooked from the North West; and was at about an equal distance from the meeting houses of Tolland and Ellington. It was impossible to put down her words exactly as spoken, but the sense is always retained, and generally the exact expressions.

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THE

TWO APPRENTICES.

A DIALOGUE BETWEEN

JOHN AND THOMAS,

"I wish you would go with me to hear our minister on Sunday next."-See page 5.

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