Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-07-19
From the Protestant and Herald.
apERHAps THERE Is MORE IN IT THAN HAVE
RssN ACCUSTOMED TO SUPPOSE"


BEEN ACCUSTOMED TO SUPPOSE.
A few weeks since wasrequesled by a
gentleman to visit his brother who was sup
pcsed TO be dangerously i'll. The request,
/ was told, came from the sick man himself
--noi, it was added, that he wished me to
visit him as minister Of ofrelgion, for that on
sha, subject. he had made up his mind. But
that he wished me to call. merely as h''
erary and intelligent friend OF whose
character he had formed favourable opih'
ion through his friends, for he did not know
me personally. / had heard tta, ne was
young nun Of great talents, as lawyer anu
nol;tic;an-tbat he had much influence IN the
circles in which he moved and, moreover,
that he was great scoffer at religion, es'
pecially al Christianity,
Iwas il,troduced, with rather palpltatng
heart, into his sick room--I was introduced
to him on what proved TO be his dying bed,
with the vows of God upon me 10 be faithful
to the souls of men, and yet likely to be IN
hibited from any allusion to those great
truths in which every soul is so deeply ana
vitality interested.
AS soon as was seated bv his bedside,
and we were left alone, he repeated the SUBJ
stance of the message had already receiv.
ed through his brother. He said he found
himself low spirited, and wished me- TO Call,
and converse with him upon such subjects
as would tend TO cheer up his mind. He
said he had no fears Of death, or of meeting
his God--,hat he had often stared death in
the face, on the sick bed--in the bloody
field of battle and he might have added on
the bloody field of honour. of which last he
bore the melancholy marks in his shattered
and shrivelIed arm. He said he always
acted from good motives--spoke Of his love
OF country--ofh his devotion to her interests,
and that in looking a. his past hirtory, he
had nothing TO fear from the justice Of his
God.
remarked to him that Of course, he
must be aware ofmy views ofthe supreme
importance Of the grea, truths ofthe Chris.
tian religion. That although did not feel
at liberty to obtrude the subject upon his at
tention, yet that regarded the religion Of
the Gospel as Of great importance al all
times, and as all important to person in his
condition then. alluded TO the comfort to
be derived by the Christian from recognI.
ton ofthe paternal character Of God, even
in his affective dispensations, and oflhe ad.
yantages of the Christian in every respect,
both at the present and for the future.
He then spoke Of his having a most un.
governabIe temper, without. however, int.
mating whether he regarded it as the source
of unhappiness or as being wicked: ! al
luded to the temper of the Apostle Paul pre-.
yious to his conversion and to his charac-
Ter after that event. He said he wondered
ifa person at his age could overcome such
q temper. replied that | supposed the
same influence which wrought the change
in the character Of the Apostle, could effect
the SAME fof him If he would submit him.
selft that influence. /
As he seem,d not unwilling TO hear, ]
presented some Of the simples, truths ofthe
Gospel 10 such way as | thought most
likely to seize the attention of a mind active
and inquisitive, as ] supposed hsto be; and
from which all exciting topics of a worldly
nature had been studiously excluded by his
physicians and attendants. then LETT HIM,
fully persuaded in my own mind that the
foundations Of his in6deliiy had begun 70
slip from under him before he sent tor me. !
But that his object was not 10 disclose his
state of mind until he should see me and
form for himself favourable opinion OF my
character.
r 10 day or two I called again, and found
him still sinking, but apparently entirely ra-
tioual. The distressing hiccough had been
upon him for many hours. 1t was there.
fore with difficulty he could converse at ALL
and then only in few words at time. He
said Mr.----when you were here before
we were speaking on the subject of religion.
If Ihad strength TO converse | should like
to have some long conversation with you
on the subject Of Christianity. Perhaps
there IS more init than I haze been accus:'
toned to suppose. This remark deepened
the impression leftupon mind by our pre-
v,ous intervieW-i repeated 10 him some OF
the principal and PLANES, truths Of the Cos.
pei, aud left him, with the promise TO call
again--when called a-ain he was much
worse--and was prohibited by his physi.
clans from seeing him.
He continued to sink until hope ofhis re-
covery vanished. But nature struggled on
with disease, and he revived again, and sent
for mel saw him again, exceedingly ema.
ciaied. But his restless eye spoke the
deep solicitude Of the soul within. | am
unable to converse, said he, but can hear
youtalk about religion.-and wish you to
prey with me--,o pray for 6ght that l
may discover the true way Of salvation.
Two questions he proposed respecting
<ha ,,ye,ar,, of tho incarnation and the AL.