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THE KING’S BUSINESS
o f thé fast-day at Kilsyth, July 18th, but the burial of my dear brother-in-law, George Moody, at Paisley was fixed for that day and I was o f course obliged to be present thereat. His death was accompan ied with a blessing from Jehovah to my soul. I never enjoyed, I think, sweeter realizations o f the glory and love of Jesus, and o f the certainty and blessedness of his eternal kingdom, than, when -at Paisley on this solemn occasion. The beautifully consistent and holy walk o f our dear departed brother,, with the sweet, divine serenity that marked the closing scene of his life, made his death very afïècting, and eminently fitted to draw away the heart o f the believer after him to Jesus in the heavenly glory. This was its effect on my soul through the Lord’s power. On the way to the grave I wept with joy and could have praised the Lord aloud for his love in allowing me to assist in carrying to the bed of rest a member, o f his own body, o f his, flesh, and o f his bones, and when I looked for the last time on the coffined body in its narrow, low, solitary, cold rest ing-place, I had a glorious anticipation of the second coming o f the Lord, when He would Himself raise up in glory everlasting that dear body which He had appointed us to bury in its corruption and decay. “ I have taken this retrospect o f circum stances in my own history previous to the time o f my coming to Kilsyth, as they bore very powerfully upon my own state of mind, and were among the means by which the Lord finished my preparation—a prep aration which he had begun even in my infancy— for being employed as his poor and despised but yet honored instrument in beginning and in assisting to carry on the wonderful work that followed. T was appointed to preach at. Kilsyth on Friday
evening. I did so from Psalm 130:1, 2, a subject I had lately handled in Dundee after studying Owen’s treatise on this psalm. I believe I preached with consid-, erable solemnity, and in a manner in some degree fitted to alarm unconverted and sleeping sinners and sleeping saints. I remember that some o f the people o f God seemed to respond with great fulness o f heart to many o f my petitions in public prayer, that while I was preaching there was a deep solemnity upon ' the audience, and that somè o f the Lord’s people met me as I retired, apparently very much affected, and\ testifying that the Lord had been among us. On Saturday I preached at Ban- ton, from Psalm 130:3, with considerable assistance, as far as I can recollect. My uncle, Dr, Burns o f Paisley, seemed to feel as if the Lord was with me, and kindly asked me to take his place at Kilsyth on Sabbath evening, leaving him to .fill mine on Monday forenoon. He spoke, also, I remember, in the family, o f its not being my duty to go abroad as I. was on the eve o f doing, but that I should be à home mis sionary in Scotland. I myself did not spec ulate anxiously about the future, but desired to be an instrument o f advancing his work at the present time. In the even ing o f Saturday I met with one or two per sons under deep distress o f soul; arid one o f these, who is now a consistent follower o f Jésus, seemed to enter into the peace of God while I was praying with her. This brought the work o f the Spirit before me in a more remarkable and glorious form than I had before witnessed it, and served at’ ’once to quicken my desires after, and encourage my anticipations o f seeing some glorious manifestations o f the Lord’s sav ing strength.” (T o be continued.) ■
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