themselves; but found by the painful sensations renewed on their minds, that this was not safe.

Notwithstanding their excessive weariness, and Jane's being ready to faint with discouragement, James urged the necessity of their exerting themselves, under a firm hope that they should be preserved. So they went forward as fast as they could; till they came to the side of a stream of water, which they followed to a bridge, over which they attempted to pass; but felt restrained when they got upon it. On which, James said, that was not their way. So they turned, and went forward, keeping down the course of the water. When they had gone on about half a mile further, the water still increasing in breadth, James stopped, and told Jane, they must cross over at that place. This alarmed Jane, she having given way so much to discouragement, that she could scarcely lay hold of hope that they should not totally sink, under their present perilous situation: so she told James, that she apprehended if they went into the water, they should be drowned. But he endeavoured to cheer her, by reminding her of the evidence of their preservation, if they kept a steady eye to best direction, which, he believed, had led them thus far; and he also believed their way was through the water at that place, and that they should get safe to the other side. Whereupon, Jane, taking hold of his arm, ventured; and they got safely through. After walking some distance, they came to a sand-bank. Here, sitting down, James said to Jane, "I am not yet easy. We must go further." Upon which, Jane said, "Upon thy faith, I must go. I know not what to do." Then going a little further, they found another sand-bank,

in which was a cavity, where they sat down. After they had sat here a little while, James said to Jane, "I am now easy, and believe we are safe; and I feel in my heart, a song of thanksgiving and praise."— Jane replied, "I am so far from that, I can't so much as say, the Lord have mercy upon us.

When they had been here about half an hour, they heard the noise of some people, on the opposite side of the river. Upon which, James, finding Jane more alarmed, and fearing they should be discovered, softly said to her, "Our lives depend upon our silence." Then, attentively hearkening, they heard them frequently say, "Seek 'em, keeper;" and believed they were the men whom they had seen at the house, accompanied with a dog;-and that the dog, having refused to go over the bridge, had followed the scent of their feet, along the river side to the place where they crossed: but, stopping there, the people again repeatedly cried, "Seek 'em, keeper." This they not only heard, but saw the people with a lanthorn. They also heard some of them say, they had crossed the river there. Upon which another said, “That's impossible, without the devil helped them; for the river's brink-full." After wearying themselves a considerable time, in their search, they went away, and James Dickinson and Jane Fearon saw them no more.

When day-light appeared, they saw a man on a hill, at some distance, looking round about, every way. But they continued quiet in their retreat, till some time after sunrise: when, taking a view of their situation, they discovered that, under the first sandbank, from whence they removed, they might have been seen from the opposite side of the river. This

they had not been sensible of, as they could not make the observation the night before.

Upon considering what they should do to recover their horses, saddlebags, and clothes, James said, "I incline to return to the house." But Jane pro

posed their going to a town, in order to get assistance, or some persons to go with them to the house. To which James replied, they were strangers, and had nothing to do with them. Jane rather insisting, James said to her, "Thou mayest safely go back. I have seen it, in that which never faileth me.”Upon which, they returned to the house, and found their horses standing in the stable, saddled, with their saddlebags on, their clothes being dried, ready to put on. They saw no person but an old woman, sitting in a corner, or nook, by the fire-side, whom they did not remember to have seen the night before. They asked her what they had to pay,-discharged it, and proceeded on their journey.

Some time afterward, James Dickinson was travelling the same way, in Truth's service, and passed the place where the aforementioned house had stood; but found it was pulled down, and totally destroyed. When he arrived at the next town, (the place they had intended to go to, when they put up at the said house, on account of the heavy rain, as before mentioned) he inquired what had become of the people, and the cause of the house being so in ruins. was told that some time after he and Jane were there, some travellers, who had been observed to go there, were missing; and it having long been under a very bad name, and the people strongly suspected of murdering many who had gone there, the neighbourhood rose, with a general consent, beset the

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house, and took up the people. On searching the house and its environs, they found the bodies of those strangers, and also of many others, in different states of decay. They had evidently been murdered, and it was thought some parts of the bodies were wanting. A great quantity of clothes were also found, which were supposed to have belonged to them. So the people were put in prison, and several of them executed-and the house was pulled down to the ground.

Reflections; and Views of Divine Providence.

God has given us life and being; and while he has abundantly provided the means of our comfort, health, and safety, he appears to have assigned us a work to do, in co-operation with his benevolent intentions. For the fulfilment of this work, he has endowed us with gifts and capacities, adequate to the performance of it. Among these endowments is the law of self-preservation, including the principles of prudence and caution, by the exercise of which we are induced to avoid apparent dangers, and to promote our own comfort, health, and safety. Whenever we indulge the opposite principles of imprudence, rashness, and carelessness, we are liable to suffer, and often do procure our own unhappiness, pain, and disquietude. But, it is because of our departure from the Divine laws, implanted in us, for our preservation. This view may be applied to maof those circumstances in life, which are called accidents.

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If a bystander, when the woodman is felling a tree, should disregard the principles of prudence and

caution, he might place himself in such a position as to be crushed by the falling tree. But, by a due exercise of care, the tree might fall without injuring him. So of very many other common occurrences. But there are circumstances to which we are liable, and to which the common application of human prudence, and of human caution and care, seem inadequate for our preservation, comfort, and safety. A limb, or a tree, in a storm, may fall on the head of a traveller-a flash of lightning may instantaneously deprive him of life-very many occurrences may happen, which seem to be beyond the powers of our prudence, foresight, caution, or vigilance, to elude, or guard against. Yet we may not be left in such a destitute condition, even in regard to these providential circumstances, (as they are sometimes called) as we may at times suppose is the case with shortsighted mortals.

We profess to believe in a gracious, superintending Care-taker, who gave us life and being, and who is intimately acquainted with all our wants and necessities, as well as our duties, in order to fulfil his benevolent designs in placing us here. We profess to believe in the communication of his will, not only in the laws of self-preservation, furnished us by himself, but also in the knowledge which he imparts to us, by inward, immediate revelation. We believe, as respects the comfort and happiness of the immortal soul, that he withholds nothing that is essential to that great object,-whatever may be his various modes of communicating his will to us. But as respects our well being here, bodily and mentally, our views may need enlarging. We may be in danger of claiming to ourselves, exclusively, the power of