Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1872-11-15

ShOh W ELL . ~ 1ING IlOUhS.-AI LHe
royal palace of Whitehall, on the Sd of
September, ,1568,a man lay dying. Eight
days before he felt so confident of life
that he told his wife not to think that he
should die, as he felt sure Of the contra
ry. Now he was speechless, sinking, and
the last thing about which he had seri-
ously troubled himself was curious met
aphysical one. "Tell me-" he said to
Sterry a minister who stood by him, Z" is
it possible to fall from grace?" at is
not possible, said the minister. "Then
exclaimed the dying man, 81 am safe
for | know that | was once in grace. -
And then he prayed, Lord, though a
miserable and wretched creature, am
in covenant with Thee through Thy
grace, and may and will come to Thee
for Thy people. Thou hast made me a
mean instrument to do them some good
and Thee service. Many of them set
too high value upon me, though others
would be glad of my death, Lord, how
ever Thou disposest of me, continue to
go on and do good for them. Teach those
who look much upon Thy instruments,
to depend more upon Thyself, and par
don such as desire to trample upon the
dust poor worm, for they are Thy peo-
pie, too" The attention of all England
was rivited ON the sick room at White
hall, with keen and sincere Interest,"
From the lips of many went forth ear
nest prayers that God would be pleased
to spare the invalids life; in the hearts
of many there were tears and misgivings
as to what would come in the event of
that prayer being rejected in other
hearts there was JOY and exultltion over
the death of a sinner; while in others,
that should have been kindly disposed,
there was certain sort of assurance that
there is something in the misfortunes of
our greatest friends which is not displeas-
ing to US. A frightful wind-storm ragged
roofing up trees in the park, and tearing
off the roofs of houses in London. The
friends of the dying argued that God was
giving warning of His intention to take
to Himself the great soul of the sufferer,
his enemies argued that the princes of
the powers of the air" were holding fear
ful revels amid the storm-driven clouds
In honor of the prospects of seizing on
great offeSder's soul. The dying man
was Oliver Cromwell, lord protector of
England and Ireland, the man who for
ten years had governed the kingdom in
a right kingly way, and made it strong
er and more respected by all foreign pow
ers than it had been since the days of
Henry V. and Agincourt. 1t was the
third of September, the day Cromwell
was won't to call his fortunate day. On
third of September he overcame the
Scots army at Dunbar, when looking
at the position of his army in military
point of view, he was committed to GER
tain destruction at their. hands; on
third of September he had fought the
battle of Worcester, the Lords crown
ing mercy to him, as he called it, when
the royalist cause was lost in England,
so long as Cromwell could move a regi-
ment or man ship. In this last sense
surely the third of September was still
Cromwell's fortunate day, for if ever a
man was weary of life and anxious to
be quit of the cares of it, Cromwell must
have been that Historical Sketch.
%