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HAPPY DEATH OF J. W. C.

do not pray for the life of my body, but pray for the life of my soul.' After prayer he expressed his fear that he might die before I visited him again; but assuring him that in case he should be worse, I would make him a special visit, he expressed his warmest gratitude.

"September 19th. While at the City-Hospital the carriage was sent for me, to attend this man. I proposed to him several questions. The following is the substance of his answers :-'I have been a great transgressor against a just God all my days-I have no hope for another world, but from the atoning blood of the Son of God-I have not now that peace and comfort I had some time ago-I want to feel God's love in my heart-Though I am so uncomfortable in my mind, I cannot, and by his grace helping me, I will not give up looking to Christ Jesus as the only Saviour-I leave the time of my death to the Lord; I wish his will to be done, and not my ownO Lord, speak peace to my soul, I want nothing else.'

"September 21st. He said, Since you were here last, I think I have had some relief in my heart. now know that the peace, comfort, and hope which I enjoyed some time ago, were not imaginary; and I believe that God will give me assured peace again before I die, for he is faithful.' This day I visited him three times, and he very affectionately took leave of me in such terms as delicacy forbids me to record. He died shortly after my departure, rejoicing in Christ."

After Mr. Stanford had closed his sermon in hall No. 5, one of the state prisoners, formerly a lawyer in ———, familiarly called "Ned Craig," was at his own particular request, permitted to propound a doctrinal question to the preacher. Among the individuals present, were several prisoners who formerly

SATAN AND NED CRAIG VANQUISHED.

159

ranked high in the learned professions, and one who had occupied the chair of professor of languages in a university.

"Pray," said he, "how can you reconcile the general invitations of the gospel with the doctrine of a particular election?"

Mr. Stanford, turning to those present, replied"These gentlemen know, that it is not customary to teach children abstruse doctrines in any science, until they have first learned their grammar. I am no polemic, and preach to you the plain gospel; but you must learn the A. B. C. of divinity, before I shall attempt to explain the subject of your inquiry."

This pungent reply to an impertinent question, propounded not with a view to improvement, but for the purpose of embarrassing the preacher, afforded great satisfaction to the other prisoners; and one of them wrote the following lines on the subject.

"GOSPEL DOCTRINE TRIUMPHANT;

OR

66 SATAN AND NED CRAIG VANQUISHED.

"While Stanford preach'd the gospel pure,
Which does to Christ our hearts allure,
The Devil felt it such a plague,
He enter'd into poor Ned Craig.

"Poor Neddy, prompt with hellish pride,
And ignorance too, in rolling tide,
With meagre looks, and visage thin,
Satan without, and hell within,

"Advanc'd towards the sacred desk,
(Ignorance and pride were all his risk,)
And did our parson there attack,
With Satan's message, Neddy's clack.

"The parson answer'd, all discreet,
That he polemics did not meet,

And wish'd poor Ned to stop his clamour,
And study close the school-boy's grammar.

In the month of March Mr. Stanford wrote an address to the religious part of our citizens, on "The Importance of Social Prayer, under the present Calamity of War," which was published in several of the newspapers, and afterwards, in the form of a

tract.

On the 28th of this month he preached his first sermon in the Bridewell, from Acts xiv. 7-" There they preached the gospel." The unhappy females are said to have conducted with much propriety, and some of them were observed to be in tears.

Wednesday, April 6th, Mr. Stanford visited the State-Prison hospital, where he observed a man at the end of one of the rooms sitting up in his bed and beckoning to him. On approaching the unhappy creature, he burst into tears, and entreated the minister of God to pray with him. His subsequent conversation made it very evident that he was earnestly seeking the Lord, for the salvation of his soul.

The evening of this day was spent in the Baptist church in Vandam-street, where Mr. S. delivered a

CONVERSION OF R.

161

solemn and impressive charge to the minister elect, and to the congregation present, at the ordination of the Rev. Mr. Hastings.

The day following Mr. Stanford was taken very ill, and continued under medical treatment for several days. In the meantime the prisoner before mentioned died of a malignant fever."This occurrence," says Mr. S. "deeply impressed my mind with the importance of setting the Lord always before me; that amid the imminent dangers to which I am daily exposed in my visits to the sick and the dying, I may myself be prepared to meet my Saviour, whether he come in the evening, at midnight, or in the morning."

The conversion of R.

"When," says Mr. Stanford, "I first visited him, I was much surprised to find he was so seriously disposed. He said, 'I have but one desire in this world, and that is, that I may have an interest in Christ, as my Saviour and my friend. O, Sir, I wish you would inform me how I may obtain and know that I have indeed received this inestimable blessing.' I explained to him this text Hereby we know that he dwelleth in us, and we in him, by his Spirit, which he hath given unto us.' I also explained to him the office of the Holy Spirit, to convince the sinner of his need of Christ, and then to reveal him to the contrite in heart, and to speak pardon and peace. He thanked me, and earnestly begged my prayers, that he might obtain mercy through Christ.

"The next time I visited him he was very low, all he could say was, 'I am constant in prayer; I want to know that the Saviour is mine, and that I have an interest in his death, and then my death will be easy and happy.'

"A few days after this I asked him, if God had revealed his mercy to him. He said, 'O yes, Sir, I now think I have a knowledge of that interest in

162

A PRISONER IN CHAINS.

Christ which I wanted.'

those of joy.

His tears appeared to be

"When I visited him for the last time, he was only able to utter the following short sentence: I have an interest and peace in Christ.'

With this man I he appeared very Last week Mr.

"A prisoner (a French Roman Catholic,) in the opposite bed, was also very low. had conversed several times, and thoughtful about a future state. Roome asked this man if he wished to see his priest. He said, 'No; Mr. Stanford has told me all I want to know.'

"About an hour before R- died, the power of speech returned, and he spoke so loud that he could be heard in every part of the hospital. He possessed great composure of mind, and departed rejoicing in the Saviour."

The following lines were composed by a convict in the State-Prison, on beholding a prisoner entering the middle hall in chains :

"Ah! mournful wretch, thy sad unhappy fate,

Draws from my eyes the briny pitying tear;
Thy clanking irons do thy case relate,

While keen sensations thou art doom'd to bear.

"I ask not from what source thy troubles rose,
Nor the recital of thy tale of grief;

I look at mine, as well as others woes,
And give my all-a tear for their relief.

"If tears could wash the stain of sin away,
And cancel all my fellow pris'ners guilt,
I'd weep from morn to eve, from eve 'till morn,
Nor cease 'till every trembling drop was spilt.

"But all in vain the tear for thee might flow,

Nought can avail to sooth the sorrowing heart;
No joys or pleasures now our bosoms know,
With all that's social we are call'd to part.