GHAPTER II. A NEW LIFE. "Till David touched his sacred lyre, evanescent. Moore. F Sarah's early religious, impressions I have learned but little, except that they were like those of most thoughtful children, sometimes strong, but always Now she would appear excessively alarmed at the thought of death, and now seem utterly forgetful of her mortality; at one moment we find her distressed and tearful, and in the next all happiness, as though the earth were one vast flower, and she a butterfly, moulded expressly to sip its sweets. But this could not continue, and at the age of sixteen there came a change-a spirit-birth. The "lifeless chord" was touched at last, and angels bent to hear the music. It was a melody which angels could appreciate; but it may yet find an echo in many a human bosom. "I have this day," (June 4, 1820,) "in the presence of the world, the holy angels, and the omniscient God, publicly manifested my determination to forsake the objects of earth, and live, henceforth, for Heaven. What have I done? Do I realize the importance of the step I have taken? Oh, my Saviour! I am weak, and the heart of man is deceitful; but I do hope in thy mercy. Thou didst die even for the chief of sinners, and I know thou wilt pardon all who come to thee believing. Take me, dear Saviour, all sinful, unworthy as I am-do with me what thou wilt, but oh! preserve me from wounding thy precious cause!" "I have to-day wept tears of pity, I can almost say anguish, at the stupidity of sinners. Inhabitants of a Christian country, the word of God in their hands; the mild, compassionate Saviour waiting to receive them; the Spirit striving, and yet they bent upon their own destruction. But have I not more reason to be astonished and weep at my own coldness I who have felt, that Jesus bled and died, even for my sins; I wander from the way of life! 'Turn me, oh God, and I shall be turned, draw me, and I shall run after thee.'" 66 'To-day I had a long and serious conversation with my beloved sister Harriet. Sweet child! she wept when I told her of her dangerous state. I reminded her of the shortness of time, the certainty of death, the value of the soul, and the terrors of the Day of Judgment; and she appeared greatly distressed. But alas! I have reason to fear that her emotions were of a different nature from those I would fain excite. I know that she loves me tenderly, and apprehensions of an eternal separation cannot fail to give her pain. Oh! that the Holy Spirit might convince her, and convince my other sisters, and my brothers, of the importance of seeking an interest in the Saviour." Behold the little missionary, her youthful feet tremblingly leaving their first impressions on the path of life, seizing upon the work nearest her, laboring and praying in the family circle-the true charity which" begins at home," and ends with the boundaries of the universe. But even then she did not think of home merely; and we may well believe that the shadow of her future life was, at that early period, flung back upon her spirit. "It is my ardent desire," she writes to a friend, "that the glorious work of reformation may extend,' till every knee shall bow' to the living God. For this expected, this promised era, let us pray earnestly, unceasingly, and with faith. How can I be so inactive, when I know that thousands are perishing in this land of grace; and millions, in other lands, are, at this very moment, kneeling before senseless idols." But to return to the journal: a single sheet of paper folded in a little book, and the last that she ever kept. In less than a month after her baptism, she says: "While I have this day had the privilege of worshipping the true God in solemnity, I have been pained by the thoughts of those who have never heard the sound of the gospel. When will the time come that the poor heathen, now bowing to idols, shall own the living and true God? Dear Saviour, haste to spread the knowledge of thy dying love to earth's remotest bounds!" "I have just completed the perusal of the life of Samuel J. Mills; and never shall I forget the emotions of my heart, while following thus the footsteps of this devoted missionary. I have almost caught his spirit, and been ready to exclaim: Oh! that I, too, could suffer privations, hardships, and discouragements, and even find a watery grave, for the sake of bearing the news of salvation to the poor heathen! Then, I have checked myself in the wild, unreasonable wish. Sinners perishing all around me, and I, an ignorant, weak, faithless creature, almost panting to tell the far heathen of Christ! Surely, this is wrong. I will no longer indulge the vain, foolish wish, but endeavour to be useful in the position Providence has placed me. I can pray for deluded idolaters, and for those who labour among them; and this is a privilege indeed." Ah, meek, true-hearted one! Such prayers as thine, through Him who never turns away from humble prayers, are the strength of many a human hand; and God grant that their pure incense may ever circle round the lone missionary of the Cross, and buoy up his spirit in the midst of toil, and privations, and the bitter, biting ingratitude of those who cannot understand the good it brings. Blessings on thy sweet, beautiful girlhood!—or blessings rather on its memories; for no blessings of ours can reach the now bright, sainted spirit that thou art! But the warmth, the humility, the deep devotedness, the whole graceful symmetry of thy lovely character —may it never be lost upon thy fair countrywomen! With one more extract, the little journal must |