CHAPTER X. INTERESTING AND SUCCESSFUL SERVICES IN THE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. In the early part of 1815, the heart of Mr. Stanford seems to have been particularly directed to seek the Lord by fasting and prayer, for wisdom and strength, to perform the duties devolving upon him. He commenced his labours for the month, by visiting most of the wards in the City-Hospital, during the morning of Friday; and in the evening he preached in the AlmsHouse to a large and attentive audience. Although his diary records no very remarkable incidents during this month, it is nevertheless gratifying to trace the daily course of the good man in his unremitted labours from early dawn till evening shade. It may with truth be said, that the rising and the setting sun found him always at his post, and either actually employed, or preparing for action. It was owing to this fact, that Mr. Stanford was enabled to perform an amount of service which was a subject of astonishment and admiration, to all who were familiar with his life. It is recorded of the prince of painters, who flourished under the reign of Alexander the Great, that when his royal patron one day inquired of him how it was, that he could execute so many beautiful and finished pictures, the artist replied. "Nullus dies, sine linea." If it be asked, how a man labouring under great bodily infirmities, such as would have entirely disqualified most other men, could perform his various duties, as chaplain in no less than nine public institutions, embracing nearly three thousand 196 souls; besides, frequently preaching in the pulpits of different denominations-visiting the poor and the sick not immediately under his care-maintaining an extensive correspondence-publishing several volumes, and about fifty tracts and sermons,— having nearly an equal amount of literary and theological manuscripts in a state of progress for future publication, the answer is, like Apelles, he permitted no day to pass unimproved. It seems to have been a part of his religion, conscientiously, and at the appointed time, to discharge the appropriate duties of every hour. DEATH OF MRS. ISABELLA GRAHAM. On Thursday the 28th of July, he thus writes:"This has been a solemn day! The Lord has been pleased by death to call to himself, Mrs. Isabella Graham, the pious and well known friend of the poor and needy. I visited her daughter, Mrs. Bethune, in the morning, and after some consoling advice, we went into the adjoining room to see the corpse, and to offer the prayer of submission to the Lord our God." The same morning, Mr. Stanford preached in the Military-Hospital, and was informed that one of the soldiers had died three days before, but he was happy in the Lord Jesus. As he was leaving the building one of the soldiers requested the favour of a few minutes conversation. "Sir," said he, "I was brought up a Protestant. Some years since I made a voyage to Cadiz, in which place I was afflicted with severe fits. A Roman Catholic priest was sent for, who said, 'If to-morrow you will attend me and make confession, I will give you absolution, and your fits will not again return.' I did so; but the priest informed me that if I turned away from the Roman Catholic Church, my fits would return. Now, Sir, I wish to know if this will prevent me from being a Protestant still, for I am much distressed?" To this Mr. Stanford replied, "I am sorry you were so ignorant as to believe that the priest could forgive A SUDDEN DEATH. 197 your sins, or cure your fits. But you must remember that you and the priest are both poor sinners, and need a Saviour; and I pray the Lord to convince you of your need of him, and, that without his mercy and grace neither of you can be happy in life, in death, or in eternity." The poor fellow appeared very thoughtful, and thanked Mr. S. for the instruction. that had been imparted." This young man was the son of respectable parents; he was classically educated, and inherited a large estate, which he had subsequently dissipated at the shrine of Bacchus. A course of profligacy produced diseases which not only brought him to the Hospital, but terminated in his dissolution. When Mr. Stanford visited this person, he answered him very abruptly, and proceeded sternly to address him in Latin. To this Mr. S. replied. The young man then petulently commenced a discussion of some important points in divinity, in a manner so theoretically correct, as to prove that he was not ignorant of the Bible. But, he died without giving any evidence of conversion to God. Such cases speak to survivors in a warning voice, not to be misunderstood. Let youth of talents and property, fly from sin, which is alike ruinous to their temporal and eternal interests. We Wednesday. Just before his arrival at the AlmsHouse, one of the servants, supposed to be in good health, dropped on the floor, and in a few minutes his soul took wing for eternity. This sudden death made a serious impression upon many of the poor, and Mr. Stanford, availed himself of this favourable opportunity to preach to them from the words of David“There is but a step between me and death." Thursday. On his way to the Hospital, Mr. Stan-ford met two men, who had just been liberated from the State-Prison, by a special pardon from the gover- 198 FUNERAL OF MRS. ISABELLA GRAHAM. nor; one of them said, "Sir, when I was sent to that place, I was so thoughtless and hardened, that I knew not that I had a soul, but now I know that I have a guilty soul, saved by a precious Christ. O, blessed be God for his mercy, and for permitting me to hear the gospel from your lips. Do, Sir, pray for me, that I may be kept in his fear, and I shall not forget to pray for you as long as I live." Another person liberated from the State-Prison, called upon Mr. Stanford a few days after this, to express his gratitude. He professed to have received the knowledge and enjoyment of the Saviour during his imprisonment, and said he was resolved, by the assistance of God, to bring up his nine children, in the fear of the Lord. He also proposed to publish, at his own expense, a short history of his conversion, for the benefit of others. Soon after this, two other persons from the same place, called to express their thanks to Mr. Stanford, for his paternal kindness to them while in prison. To these men he gave further religious instruction, and some tracts to carry home to their families. In the afternoon, he accompanied the remains of Mrs. Graham to the family vault, where she now rests until the morning of the resurrection. The following Thursday, Mr. Stanford, by appointment, attended at the Magdalen-House, to deliver a funeral sermon on the death of Mrs. Graham, who was first directress of that institution. The text was, “I, Deborah, arose a mother in Israel." Judges v. 7. On closing the services for the first Sabbath in August, he remarks:-" This day is to be remembered, for the pains of my body, the depression of my mind, and the merciful supports of my God." labouring with great assiduity during this month, he succeeded in engaging the services of other ministers to supply the public institutions during his absence; and once more, sought to retrieve his exhausted After CONVERSION OF G. B. 199 strength, by a visit to the country. During this excursion, he preached three times at Poughkeepsie ; and, to use his own words, he returned home on the following week, more anxious than ever, to pursue the work, to which God had called him, amongst the poor and destitute of New-York. September, 1815. His next visit to the State-Prison hospital was rendered peculiarly pleasant, by finding several of the men under very great concern of mind, and anxiously inquiring what they must do to be saved. In the hospital he found one man, whose interesting case is described in the following brief narrative. 46 Conversion of G—— B Coming out of the medical office," says Mr. Stanford, "I was requested to visit two sick prisoners, in an adjoining room. The first I conversed with did not appear very sensible of his miserable condition, or at least was not disposed to confess it. I then went to the other, G. B. He said :- Sir, I am very low, and do not expect to live; but, though I have been one of the worst of sinners, God has showed me mercy in Jesus Christ, and I am quite reconciled to die. I have hope that my poor soul will be saved by the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, and I am very thankful indeed.' I congratulated him on the happiness he enjoyed amidst the gloom of this prison, and in the prospect of death and eternity. When he had wiped away his tears, he further remarked:- Sir, I do not think you know me.' I answered, that having so many to visit in this house, I certainly did not recollect his person. You will remember, Sir,' he said, that in November two years ago, you were sent for to visit C R- *who, with others, were * It was late at night in 1811, when Mr. Roome sent a messenger to request Mr. Stanford to visit C- R. The darkness of the night, |