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child-murder. Whilst she was in jail, it is said, William Bennet, a prisoner for conscience' sake, came to her, and in discourse asked her whether, during the course of her life, she had not many times transgressed against her conscience? and whether she had not often thereupon felt secret checks and inward reproofs, and been troubled in her mind because of the evil committed; and this he did in such a convincing way, that she not only assented to what he laid before her, but his discourse so reached her heart, that she came clearly to see, that if she had not been so stubborn and disobedient to those inward reproofs, in all probability she would not have come to such a miserable fall as she now had; for man, not desiring the knowledge of God's ways, and departing from him, is left helpless, and cannot keep himself from evil, though it may be such as formerly he would have abhorred in the highest degree, and have said with Hazael, "what! is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing?" W. Bennet thus opening matters to her, did, by his wholesome admonition, so work upon her mind, that she, who never had conversed with the Quakers, and was altogether ignorant of their doctrine, now came to apprehend that it was the grace of God that brings salvation, which she so often had withstood, and that this grace had not yet quite forsaken her, but now made her sensible of the greatness of her

transgression. This consideration wrought so powerfully, that, from a most grievous sinner, she became a true penitent; and with hearty sorrow she cried unto the Lord, "that it might please him not to hide his countenance." And continuing in this state of humiliation and sincere repentance, and persevering in supplication, she felt, in time, ease;

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and giving heed to the exhortations of the said Bennet, she obtained, at length, to a sure hope of forgiveness by the precious blood of the immaculate Lamb, who died for the sins of the world. Of this she gave manifest proofs at her trial before Judge Matthew Hale, who, having heard how penitent she was, would fain have spared her; she being asked, according to the form, " guilty or not guilty?" readily answered, "guilty." This astonisned the judge, and therefore he told her that she seemed not duly to consider what she said, since it could not well be believed that such a one as she, who, it may be, inconsiderately, and roughly handled ber child, should have killed it "wilfully and designedly." Here the judge opened a back door for her to avoid the punishment of death. But now the fear of God had got so much room in her heart, that no tampering would do ; no fig-leaves could serve her for a cover; for she now knew that this would have been adding sin to sin, and to cover herself with a covering, but not of God's spirit; and therefore she plainly signified to the court that indeed she had committed the mischievous act intendedly, thereby to hide her shame; and that having sinned thus grievously, and being affected now with true repentance, she could by no means excuse herself, but was willing to undergo the punishment the law required; and, therefore, she could but acknowledge herself guilty, since otherwise how could she expect forgiveness from the Lord?" This undisguised and free confession being spoken with a serious countenance, did so affect the judge that, tears trickling down his cheeks, he sorrowfully said, "Woman! such a case as this I never met with before. Perhaps you, who are but young, and speak so piously, as being struck to the heart with repentance, might yet do much good in the world; but now you force me so that ex officio, I must pronounce sentence of death against you, since you will admit of no excuse." Standing to what she had said the judge pronounced the sentence of death; and when, afterward, she came to the place of execution, she made a pathetical speech to the people, exhorting the spectators, especially those of the young, "to have the fear of God before their eyes; to give heed to his secret reproofs for evil, and so not to grieve and resist the good of the Lord, which she herself not having timely minded, it had made her run on in evil, and thus proceeding from wickedness to wickedness, it had brought her to this dismal exit. But, since she firmly trusted to God's infinite mercy, nay, surely believed her sins, though of a bloody dye, to be washed off by the pure blood of Christ, she could contentedly depart this life." Thus she preached at the gallows the doctrine of the Quakers, and gave heart-melting proofs that her immortal soul was to enter into Paradise, as well as anciently that of the thief on the cross."

The preceding chapter contains three instances of martyrdom, undergone for the sake of religious truth, and attended with that animating publicity which is usual on such occasions, particularly when the sufferers are persons of a certain rank and eminence in society.

But, she who died, as narrated in the story given above, for the cause of spontaneous truth, and willingly resigned her life, rather than be guilty of a lie to save it, though that lie was considered by the law of the country, and by the world at large, to be no lie at all; this bright example of what a true and lively faith can do for us in an hour of strong temptation, was not only an humble, guilty woman, but a nameless one also. She was an obscure, friendless, individual, whose name on earth seems to be nowhere recorded; and probably, no strong interest was felt for her disastrous death, except by the preacher who converted her, and by the judge who condemned her. This afflicted person was also well aware that the courage with which she met her fate, and died rather than utter a falsehood, would not be cheered and honoured by an anxious populace, or by the tearful farewells of mourning, but admiring, friends; she also knew that her honest avowal would brand her with the odious guilt of murdering her child, and yet she persevered in her adherence to the truth! Therefore, I humbly trust that, however inferior she may appear, in the eyes of her fellow-mortals, to martyrs of a loftier and more important description, this willing victim of what she thought her duty, offered as acceptable a sacrifice as theirs, in the eyes of her Judge and her Redeemer.

No doubt, as I before observed, the history of both public and private life may afford many more examples of equal reverence for truth, derived from religious motives; but, as the foregoing instance was more immediately before me, I was induced to give it as an apt illustration of the precept which I wish to enforce.

The few, and not the many, are called upon to earn the honours of public martyrdom, and to shine like stars in the firmament of distant days; and, in like manner, few of us are exposed to the danger of telling great and wicked falsehoods. But, as it is more difficult, perhaps, to bear with fortitude the little daily trials of life, than great calamities, because we summon up all our spiritual and moral strength to resist the latter, but often do not feel it to be a necessary duty to bear the former with meekness and resignation; so is it more difficult to overcome and resist temptations to every-day lying and deceit, than to falsehoods of a worse description; since, while these little lies often steal on us unawares, and take us unprepared, we know them to be so trivial, that they escape notice, and to be so tolerated, that even, if detected, they will not incur reproof. Still, I must again and again repeat the burden of my song, the moral result, which, however weakly I may have performed my task, I have laboured incessantly, through the whole of my work, to draw, and to illustrate; namely, that this little tolerated lying, as well as great and reprobated falsehood, is wholly inconsistent with the character of a serious Christian, and sinful in the eyes of the God of Truth; that, in the daily recurring temptation to deceive, our only security is to lift up our soul, in secret supplication, to the preserved faithful in the hour of danger, and always to remember, without any qualification of the monitory words, that "lying lips are an abomination to the Lord."

CONCLUSION.

I SHALL now give a summary of the didactic part of these observations on lying, and the principles which, with much fearlessness and humility, I have ventured to lay down.

I have stated, that if there be no other true definition of lying than an intention to deceive, withholding the truth, with such an intention, partakes

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