The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1858-03-27

my r1uti,rf gave met sruirfi lriief Hild sfnaii
lille 10 put IN my trunk, and told me not 90
open tho lsuer until llc 2ist uf December
That was her birthday when Fhc would be
10 years old. She gave rle her blessing
which ! shrank fom receiving apd ] went
ch "A soon as ] got clear oi home felt az
liberty. / said 10 myself Now there will
teno one 70 pray fqr me, and / shan'l be
annoyed with Bibles mud texts ldi home
without puy sadness lul rather With kind
Of wicked pleasure and when ] got on board
ship, soon forgot oil about mother and
brothers aud sisters. Amer We bad set sail
and we're well on with the voyage, storm
arose that was very violent Just about this
time / wns taken yory sIck-uot with sea
sickness, but a dangerous fever. | lay Ia my
bunk, tossing about with the ship as wretch
cd and miserable 90 man could be, The
doctor told NE that ! was at tho point Of
Ceath, aud that III had any preparation to
make for eternity bad better make II, for
/ had not long 10 live This be repeated
also In The cabin among the pnssengesl ono
81 whom, on aged man, came "a hee me' !
remember his face II WAS all kindness hul
! hntrd the sight Of him, lie cHmc with "a
book IN his hand, and said 10 me Young
man, sou are almost gomez have come 10
read 10 you something out Of the Word OF
Cod / looked up at him q moment and
said In a Tnge Hand me- The book : and
when he offered Il 70 me took u aud put y
10 NV Inns, and made q solemn OdH thm
would have nothing - with God or with 70,
ligion. | told him Tat II be read to me
would rot listen and bid him. with an oath
20 leave me alone. lie then went away aud
] lay stark alone.
at seemed to ne that was at that mo-
mert moro miserable than had over been
before IN nll MY life ! do not refer 10 my
bodily sickness, but tony distress at mind,
Il was evening and there was no light near
me. but all WAS ns dark M midnight, sud.
denly the thought came over my mind that II
WAS the 2It tny of December, and re-
membercd my mothers letter. ! could not
rise and get H. for was not able, aud my
first impulse was Ia call one OF my mess
males 10 get il for me. hut ! remember
cd that IL was between the lids Of my BIZ
BILE. was ashamed To- let any one know that
/ wanted.thc bibles and did not want that,
but my mothers letter. ! lay for some time,
and nj last determined to call some one One
Of my mcssmatcs came ut the caU, asked
him 10 get q lantern, and 20 20 70 my Trunk
and get a Bible with letter in Il. 'Ah,' said
he, with n sncer, Now you're sick, you begin
TO be coward what do YOU want With that
book p i don't want the book, but the letter
IN IT, replied. IN few minutes he brought
a lantern, opened my trunk, and handed me
the Bible aud letter, lie then LEFT the Ian
tern on my bunk aud went away ! sat up
a little in the bed, and opened the sealed
package The very first words that ! caught
IN ftFN
mothers Words-'My dear Tom read the
letter carefully from beginning to end. It
waa n mothers prayer Tor the conversion OF
her son. | had been miserable before, but
those words made me more wrctchcd than ov-
Ur. ! then began for the first time TO feel re-
, morse for my sinfulncss, and 10 have II fear
and dread Of Judgment turned about in my
bunk in agony which ] cQnnot describe.
had been told that could not i've ana now
| was afraid TO die What could do
began 10 pray This was what had always
had n horror Of before, but was forced to
come to il at last. ! prayed 20 God IN let
me get well again, and made solemn tTom-
Use to Him, on my bed, that il he would only
raise me up would reform my life. The
burd,iA of my sjsn almost crushed me. Even
II had not been sick, it seemed as If should
have died Of these.
81 continued to pray, and when il was cN-
pccted that would die ! was still alive, and
| was kept alive and instead of growing
worse | grew better. The doctor told me
then that had had narrow escape, and that
| had been lying at deaths door, rs got
better, got more and more comfort The
light gradually dawncd In upon my dark soul,
and It's darkness was dfApcllcd. At last, one
day there came q sudden ioy--a sweet peace
that wrapped me round likcsunshinc. My
heart was happy, and while | was wondering
what ii was, The mercy 0T CmIst was nude
knalrl-t 4...-s4trlt J'fi 7riuu7itcS- TINT
my sins were pardoncd. began to be stirred
with new life Whereas before | hated my
home, now my heart yCarncd toward IT, My
mother-oh, wanted To- see her, and TO put
my arms around her neck. | wanted to tell
her that | read her letter, and what ! had
found in it. And my brothers and sisters
] had no moro desire to be separated from
them, Int with my whole soul longcd 10 see
them. and to tell them that had found the
Savior. My JOY continued, and told my
shipmatcs of it. Some Of them, laughed at
me- but didn't care for that ] knew in
whom believed At last we came into port
it was on a Saturday morning. On the next
dnv found tho Mariners Church, and, my
Kind friends, | have been here ever since.
] am happy to be Ecrc and can only thank
God that lie has led me to Himself, and has
led me to YOU in so wonderful way. ! am
waiting here to go home and see my aged
mother. She is very near the grave, and
want TO throw myself upon her neck before
she dies, and thank her and think God for
her prayers for n hayward SON.
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