An address to young people, or Warning to them from one among them yet may be called warning from the dead, given by Mercy Wheeler of Plainfield, a person confined to a bed of languishing for more than five years together. ; [Four lines from Ecclesiastes] Wheeler, Mercy, 1706-1796. Approx. 27 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 10 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI : 2008-09. N03096 N03096 Evans 3732 APW7981 3732 99014148

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 Early American Imprints, 1639-1800 ; no. 3732. (Evans-TCP ; no. N03096) Transcribed from: (Readex Archive of Americana ; Early American Imprints, series I ; image set 3732) Images scanned from Readex microprint and microform: (Early American imprints. First series ; no. 3732) An address to young people, or Warning to them from one among them yet may be called warning from the dead, given by Mercy Wheeler of Plainfield, a person confined to a bed of languishing for more than five years together. ; [Four lines from Ecclesiastes] Wheeler, Mercy, 1706-1796. vi, 9, [1] p. Printed and sold at the printing-house in Newbury-Street,, Boston: : 1733.

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 eng Wheeler, Mercy, 1706-1796. Youth -- Conduct of life. Christian life. 2007-04 Assigned for keying and markup 2007-04 Keyed and coded from Readex/Newsbank page images 2007-07 Sampled and proofread 2007-07 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion

AN ADDRESS TO Young People, OR Warning to them From One among them, Yet may be called Warning from the Dead, Given by Mercy Wheeler of Plainfield, A Perſon confined to a Bed of languiſhing for more than Five Years together.

Eccl. xii.1.

Remember Now thy Creator, in the days of thy Youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when then ſhalt ſay, I have no pleaſure in them.

BOSTON: Printed and Sold at the Printing Houſe in Newbury-Street, 1733.

To the READER.

PErhaps the Reader unacquainted with the Perſon who ſends theſe few Lines to our Young People; will deſire ſome Information concerning her & her Circumſtances; they being very peculiar and uncommon: I ſhall in Anſwer to the Requeſt of divers of her near Relatives, give the Reader an Account of the ſame, as followeth: Viz.

THis Young Woman (which I think I may without Vanity call a Young Saint) is the Daughter of Mr. Iſaac Wheeler and Sarah his Wife, originally of Concord in the Maſſachuſetts-Bay in N. E. who with their Family removed from thence unto the Town of Plainfield in Connecticut in the Year 1704, and it has pleaſed GOD to bleſs theſe Parents with a numerous Off-ſpring, three Sons and ten Daughters; of which ten our young Author is the fourth; being born in the Year 1706: was a Child very remarkable for Health and Agillity of Body, until the Twentieth Year of her Age; and then was taken Sick of the burning Ague in the latter end of the Summer 1726, and hath never ſince enjoyed one Days health; ſhe was in the Summer following brought ſo low, as that ſhe was wholly Confin'd to her Bed, (which Confinement continues to this Day) and reduced to ſuch exceeding low Circumſtances, as that every Day, for many Days and Months together, was expected by all about her, would have been her laſt.

Her Strength was ſo intirely gone as ſhe could not move her Head, Hand or Foot ſo as to help her ſelf in the leaſt; and her Speech wholly failed; ſo that ſhe has not been able to ſpeak by whiſpering ſo as to be heard by any, but thoſe of the Family, much uſed to her; and they gueſſing more by the motion of her Lips than by any Voice which could be heard. Her Fleſh is much conſumed: Her Appetite to Food is ſo gone, that it is admirable to think how ſhe has been ſuſtained; her digeſtive Faculty ſo weak, that ſhe has not been able to Eat either Bread of Fleſh of any ſort, for the ſpace of Five Years and more; ſupported only (as to outward Means) by ſome thin, liquid Food, put into her Mouth with a Spoon; who will ſay but that the Power and Goodneſs of GOD is very remarkable in ſuſtaining her ſo long time by ſuch ſlender and inconſiderable Means.

No Care or Coſt, has been wanting on her behalf; Phyſicians far and near, have been conſulted and improved (to great Expence) for her. Nor have her Parents neglected to ſeek to GOD for a Bleſſing on their Endeavours of this Nature: Divers Days of Faſting and Prayer have been attended in her Father's Houſe, with the Aſſiſtance of the Paſtor of the Church here, and other chriſtian Friends, and alſo the Paſtors of divers of the neighbouring Churches; and ſeveral Sermons adapted to the Occaſion, have been Preacht in her hearing; which by the Lines ſhe now ſends abroad (I believe) you will think GOD has Sanctified to her for ſaving good. For I think, Reader, if you ſhall want Charity for her, you fall under another great Want, and want the one thing needful for your ſelf.

She ſtill remains weak and low, but (thanks be to GOD) ſhe is under ſome revivings. Moſt remarkably the laſt April it pleaſed GOD to open her Lips and her Mouth doth ſhew forth his Praiſe: ſhe was on a ſudden enabled to ſpeak with a Voice ſo loud as to be heard into another Room in the Houſe, to the ſurprize of the whole Family; this reviving, and power of Speech ſhe ſeems greatly affected with, and bleſſes GOD for the ſame; it being an Anſwer of her requeſt to GOD that ſo ſhe might declare what He had done for her Soul; and alſo apply her ſelf to Young People as in the following pages.

I think indeed ſhe ſeems to be under the powerful Impreſſions of the Spirit of GOD, and touch'd with a ſence of the prevailing Sins of the preſent Times, laments the decay of the Power of Godlineſs amongſt us.

In one of my laſt Conferences with her, I could not but take peculiar Notice of a ſad ſurprize ſhe ſeemed to be in from her being informed of ſome Families which lived in the Neglect of Family Prayer; ſo affected was ſhe in her Meditation on it, that ſhe verſify'd upon it; and rehearſt to me ſeveral of the Verſes ſhe had compoſed: one of which I will here Record; hoping that it may jog ſome of 'em that ly ſnoaring in ſuch a ſhameful Omiſſion; and it runs after this manner,

Poor, wretched and vile Sinners all Rank'd with the heathen Nation, Who unto GOD ne'er Pray nor Call, For Pardon and Salvation.

(I'll add another and ſay,)

What dreadful Threats, O direful Wrath! Such Families fall under, Who will tread that forbidden Path Full ſhow'd with Bolts of Thunder.

You'l find in her Addreſs to young People, a Caution againſt ſuch vile Omiſſions.

God grant that the ſame bleſſed SPIRIT which influenced her in ſuch manner to apply her ſelf to our young People; may alſo influence us all, young and old, to make an agreeable Improvement of the ſame!

The Reader acquainted with ſacred Writ, will remember, that it is intimated to us by our Saviour in his Parable concerning the rich Man and Lazarus, that the doleful Inhabitants of the Place of Torment, do imagine, that if one were ſent to their Fellow Sinners on Earth from the Dead they would repent.

Behold here we have Warning given to our young People; which may in ſome ſenſe be called Warning from the Dead: tho' not abſolutely ſo, yet the Perſon who gives it, has been numbered among the Dead, in our Expectation, for a long Time, until now ſhe experiences what we may call, a ſort of Reſurrection. The Inſtance we have in her, is very uncommon, and I think what ſhe now offers is worthy of Obſervation from us all.

I will but add one word by way of Apology for my ſelf, in preſuming to gratify her, in granting her the uſe of my Pen; poſſibly ſome among our young People may have arrived to that height of Profanity as to make a Ridicule and a Scoff at what I have here performed; to ſuch I anſwer in ſhort, I value not their Scoff a ruſh, only would ſay to ſuch, as Paul to the Jailer, Do thy ſelf no harm.

But perhaps the Aged, Sober & judicious Reader will admire at my preſumption herein; to ſuch I would with all imaginable Humility ſay, I am ready to admire with you too: But when I was ſo oft invited to it not only by the Young Author, but divers others; and ſeriouſly conſidered the Matter, I dare not deny to undertake the Task, leaſt I ſhould render my ſelf to my fellow Creatures more churliſh than the unjuſt Judge, who neither fear'd GOD nor regarded Man. Or leaſt I ſhould hide my one poor Talent in a Napkin, when I ſhould have improved it for my Lord's uſe.

I hope I can truly ſay, I have been much concerned for the Intereſt of Religion among us; and tho'tful what I in particular may do that may any way tend to revive the too, too viſible Decays of it: When this Invitation was urged upon me, I dare not wholly reject it, leaſt I ſhould let ſlip an Opportunity of being ſome way ſerviceable to the Intereſt of Religion, and the good of Souls.

And this is the grand prevailing Motive with me; the Hope I have that GOD who has ſo deeply Impre •• her Mind by His Holy Spirit, has alſo deſigned to make what is by the young Female-Author offer'd, of ſaving Advantage (at leaſt) to ſome Souls. And if ſo what I have done by the Power and Goodneſs of GOD ſhall be made an Offering to the Tabernacle, tho' performed by him, who is an unworthy Servant for the Table of the Lord.

Plainfield, July 10. 1732. Samuel Stearns.
AN Addreſs to young People, BY Mercy Wheeler Of Plainfield, June 8. 1732.

MY dear Friends, Relatives & Neighbours, who are now in your Youth, and come to that Time of Life, which is called the Flower of the Age. It is well known to many of you, that the great and ſovereign Jehovah, who doth whatſoever He pleaſeth in Heaven, Earth, Sea and all deep Places, hath been very ſignal and remarkable in his diſpenſations towards me.

He has laid me upon a Bed of Languiſhing, for the Space of more than Five Years paſt already, the greateſt part of which time I have been reduced to ſuch low Circumſtances that I have not been able to ſpeak with an audible Voice: until now of late it hath pleaſed GOD of his abundant goodneſs to grant me ſuch reviving, as to be able to ſpeak with an audible, tho' a low Voice.

And now GOD has given me ability, I think it my Duty to you O young People, to addreſs my ſelf to you, by way of Adviſe, Counſel & Caution: to you which are near to me in the bonds of Nature, in an eſpecial manner; yea and to all the whole Neighbourhood, and whomſoever are or ſhall be acquainted with my Circumſtances.

O young People! you that are of my own Generation; who are in the Prime and Flower of your Days, I muſt tell you that I think you have in me, I mean in what GOD has done unto me, a very loud Lecture preach'd to you: and O that you, all of you may be ſuch Perſons of Wiſdom as to hear the rod and Him that hath appointed it!

Remember! Oh young People, remember that Childhood and Youth is Vanity. What ſhall I ſay to you to perſwade you to be ſerious? How ſhall I order my Speech to you, ſo as to prevail with you to hearken to me now, that ſo GOD may hearken to you another Day?

I muſt tell you, that tho' Youth be indeed the Flower of the Age, yet it is the moſt dangerous Seaſon of the Mind. I have found it ſo, and you will ſee it to be ſo ere-long, when your Eyes are open to ſee things as indeed they are.

My adviſe to you is, Oh labour to ſee & apprehend your danger; leaſt you fall into fooliſh and hurtful Luſts which drown Men and Women in Deſtruction and Perdition.

O flee youthful Luſts, beware, be warned by the Harms and Falls of others, remember Death is haſtening; it is appointed for Man once to Die, and after that the Judgment.

Remember me, you that know me, and are acquainted with me: O how ſuddenly has GOD blaſted my youthful Vigour, and lay'd me upon a Bed of pining Sickneſs to this Day. In the Spring of my Days, or before the Spring was fully advanced, it is become Autumn with me; the Leaves fall apace, as if the Winter of Death were juſt approaching upon, that I may ſay with ſick Hezekiah, I am deprived of the reſidue of my Days, and ſhall ſee Man no more, with the Inhabitants of the World. And how ſoon it may be your Caſe you know not; nor are you ſure (if GOD ſhall give ſo much Warning, and not ſnatch you away by ſome ſudden accidental and violent Death) that GOD will afford to you the Mercy He hath vouchſafed to me; it may be you may be deprived of the Uſe of your Reaſon, (as is frequently the Caſe of the viſited with Mortal diſtempers) and then how impoſſible will it be for you to do your great Work, when you cannot ſo much as apprehend what Work you have to do. O my friends, believe me, believe me, the Time of Health is the very beſt Time for you to prepare for Death in.

I deny not but that GOD doth ſometimes magnify his ſovereign Grace to Sinners; by ſanctifying long and tedious Sickneſs for ſaving Good to their Souls, I hope he has done it for me (and I adore his Grace for ever on the Account whereof. But I muſt tell you, it was indeed hard Work to bear the Pains of Body, which my diſeaſe laid me under, and at the ſame: Time to grapple with the wracking Terrors of a wounded Spirit which indeed who can bear. And I do ſadly, and greatly lament my Sin and Folly in neglecting to improve my Health, while GOD was pleaſed to afford it to me: and ſo will you if you neglect to improve yours.

The beſt that you can poſſibly imagine (if you continue to delay to make your Peace with GOD now in the time of Health and Proſperity) is, I ſay, the beſt you can poſſibly imagine is, you make ſad Work for a moſt bitter Repentance here-after.

And if this be the beſt you can poſſibly Hope for, (and that at the utmoſt Hazard too,) What may the Worſt be, if GOD in Juſtice ſay, becauſe I have called and ye have refuſed, therefore I will laugh at your Calamity, and 〈…〉 Fear cometh, when your Fear cometh us Deſolation, and your Deſtruction cometh as Whirlwind, 〈◊〉 diſtreſs and anguiſh cometh upon you then a great Ranſom cannot deliver you.

If once it comes to this: that by your quenching and grieving the Holy Spirit of GOD, you ſo provoke him as to take his final farewell of your forsaken Souls, and GOD 〈◊〉 are in his Wrath you ſhall never enter into his reſt: and for ought you or I know, if you ſtill delay, this may be the direful and dreadful conſequence of your delaying in this moſt important Affair.

And if at laſt this ſhould be your dreadful Doom, then no Tongue of Man or Angel can expreſs the Horror that may juſtly, & will moſt certainly, ſooner later, ſeize upon you.

O then! Let me Addreſs my ſelf to you with the greateſt importunity I am capable of: Adviſing you to delay no longer; make haſte, flee to the City of Refuge, before the Avenger of Blood overtake you.

Secure to your ſelves a part in CHRIST the only Refuge of Souls, Now, before it be too late: From whence ſhall I fetch the Weapons of Spiritual Armour, my Arrows (while I draw my Bow at a venture) which GOD ſhall ſo direct as that they ſhall reach your Hearts, the Mark I aim at.

They muſt be fetcht from the quiver of the Word of GOD, that great Store houſe of Spiritual Armour.

I will recommend to you that wiſe & ſage Advice, given by the wiſeſt of all mee • Men, the Royal and Renowned Preacher King Solomon, divinely inſpired; which Advice is given for the Conduct of Youth in all ſucceeding Generations to the World's end; recorded in Eccl. xii.1. Remember Now thy Creator, in the days of thy Youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou ſhalt ſay, I have no pleaſure in them. This is Counſel given us by GOD himſelf; inſerted in his Oracles for your Conduct and mine.

O let not you or I forget GOD that made us, nor be unmindful of the Rock of our Salvation.

Let us remember our Creator, and we ſhall remember our Sins, by which we have broken his Laws, and expoſed our ſelves to the Curſe threatned to the breakers of it.

Remember your Creator and you'l remember the Redeemer, and labour to obtain an Intereſt in him; which is the One Thing needfull; and Wo to us if we obtain it not.

This is the Sum of all I have to ſay to you; O my Friends, my Brothers, my Siſters, and Relatives, near to me, or more remote and further off; Neighbours and all who may be Entertained with theſe Lines; I aſſure you all, that this is all my Deſire on your behalf; and it will be all your Salvation, if you obtain the ſame, even a part in the lovely JESUS. O do but get your Eyes open to ſee and behold the incomparable Beauty of the ever-bleſſed Jeſus, and I am ſure you will be enamoured with Him, and ſay with me, and all Chriſt-prizers; He is the chiefeſt of ten Thouſand, He is altogether Lovely.

Oh that I could, (tho' but in ſome poor broken Expreſſions) ſet before you the Beauty and Excellency of the lovely & all-beautiful Jesus! I Hope I can truly ſay, that GOD of his abundant Grace hath made him Precious, moſt Precious to me; I can ſay, I Prize him above all other Good whatſoever. Mountains of Gold and Pearls, are not to be compared with him. But what do I attempt to repreſent to you, an infinite Good, by the Words of a poor finite nothing Creature, and have not the Tongue of the Learned neither; which if I had, Words would fail, & the moſt raiſed humane Tho't would fall infinitely ſhort of a true & full Repreſentation of him, who is the brightneſs of the Fathers Glory, and the expreſs Image of his Perſon, and upholds all things by the Word of his Power; Who when he had by himſelf purged our Sins, ſat down at the Right Hand of the Majeſty on high. Who can by ſearching find out this GOD-Man; none can find out this Almighty Redeemer to Perfection.

By theſe Expreſſions & Words which want form, you may conceive ſomething of the Eſteem, which I deſire always to maintain of my ever-bleſſed Redeemer: Will you Oh young People learn to Adore Him with me Now; that ſo we may enjoy Him together forever hereafter; when his Redeemed Ones ſhall have a more full and transforming View of him, for then we ſhall ſee Him as He is.

One Arrow more I muſt draw out of the divine Quiver, and it ſhall be that moſt important Queſtion propounded to us by the Redeemer himſelf, a much greater than King Solomon, and ſpake as never Man ſpake: Which grand Inquiry of his we have in the Goſpel of S. Mat.16.26. What is a Man profited, if he ſhall gain the whole World and loſe his own Soul, or what will a Man give in Exchange for his soul?

By theſe words of our Saviour we may apprehend ſomething of the Value which is put upon a Soul by Him who alone knew the true Worth of a Soul, He and He only pay'd the Ranſom of Souls, therefore He knew full well what the Price of a Soul muſt be ſet at.

The whole World is a Price too mean and low to ſet an immortal Soul at. This we are aſſured 〈◊〉 by Him who is Wiſdom it ſelf & Truth it ſelf, and therefore it is impoſſible He ſhould deceive us in the Matter. O then let us believe him! O young People believe him! Oh Value your Souls at a high rate; prize 'em above Worlds; do not trifle with your Souls, nor about the great Concerns of them:

We muſt all acknowledge that our Souls are loſt 〈…〉 firſt Adam: And we our ſelves perſona ••• 〈…〉 forfeited the Happineſs of our Souls 〈…〉 Divine Juſtice. But tho' our Souls 〈…〉 firſt, they may be found and ſaved 〈…〉 Adam, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt. Oh bleſſed Name, which I cannot mention but with Reverence and Adoration, admiring the unſearchable Riches of divine Wiſdom and Grace, that ever there ſhould be ſuch a Name given under Heaven among Men whereby we may be ſaved.

This brings me again to what I told you before is all my Deſire concerning you: that a part in this great Saviour, & the great Salvation procured by Him for us Sinners, may be your Portion: Let me urge it upon you to labour to obtain it, with all your might; delay not; dallie not; trifle not in this moſt great and important Buſineſs. I know not how to leave off urging you, or let you go, till you cry out, None but Chriſt, None but Chriſt! and I hear you ſay, Give me Chriſt, or elſe I die.

Are you deſirous of a Chriſt? Do you ſee your periſhing Condition without him, and that a part in him is abſolutely neceſſary for you? My Advice to you all is this:

O prize the Goſpel, and Goſpel Ordinances. O my Friends, I long to enjoy Publick Ordinances; I think I deſire Health for nothing more, than to be able to come to the Publick Ordinances of GOD's Houſe; eſpecially that I may Commemorate the Dying Love of my Redeemer in that High and Holy Ordinance of the Supper: To come to that Goſpel Feaſt; which if GOD in his ſovereignty ſhall deny me ability for, I hope he will accept the Will for the Deed: As for you that are in Health prize and improve it, it is the ordinary Means of Salvation. O have a care you do not put a ſlight upon the Goſpel diſpenſation of the Word of Life; and beware you do not entertain any prejudice againſt any clear Goſpel Truths; or againſt any of the faithful diſpenſers of the ſame. Mind well what the great King & Saviour of the Church hath with his own Mouth ſaid in this Matter, He that deſpiſeth you, deſpiſeth me, &c. What a dreadful thing is it to deſpiſe Chriſt?

Go as conſtantly as you can to hear what GOD will ſpeak to you; don't ſuffer Trifles to divert you; let not a little Cold, wet or dull Weather, keep you at Home, when you are in Health; and may go to the Houſe of GOD, if you will.

And don't neglect private, or ſecret Opportunities for Communion with GOD: Make Conſcience of ſecret Prayer daily; and attend conſtantly Family Worſhip you that have the Advantage of it.

And Oh, let no young Couple come together in Marriage, and dare to live in the horrible Omiſſion of Family Prayer. I am amazed to think that ever ſuch Goſpellers as we in New-England are, ſhould any of us dare to live without Family Prayer. What ſays Dr. Mather of ſuch Houſes? The roaring Lion (ſays he) doth ramp and rage there without controul: And how doth the weeping Prophet Jeremiah imprecate the divine Vengeance, on ſuch ſuch Familys, Chap. 10.25. Yea how doth GOD himſelf threaten them, ſaying, I will pour out my Fury upon the Heathen that know me not, and on the Families that call not upon my Name. Oh let none indulge themſelves in ſuch a fearful Omiſſion. Oh young People! I could fill my Mouth with Arguments to perſwade you to become truly pious; Fear of Evil on the one Hand; and hope and expectation of Good on the other, are two great ſwaying Conſiderations with rational Agents: I have already ſaid ſomething of the great Danger of Delays.

I ſhall now add a Word as to the great Good that will acrue to you, if you will now comply and in good earneſt ſet your ſelves to ſeek and ſerve God with perfect Hearts and willing Minds, you'l then be in the way to all manner of Good, to have the Bleſſings of the upper and nether Springs, of God's Throne and of his Foot-ſtool conferred upon you.— Will Profit allure you? truly there is no Gold, or worldly Gain, that is worthy to be compared with the Gold tryed in the Fire, which Chriſt counſels us to buy of him, Rev. 3.18.—Will Pleaſure invite you? There is no Pleaſure which the Things of Time & Senſe afford us, worthy to be named the ſame Day with the Pleaſure that is to be enjoyed in Communion with God, and walking in the Ways of Wiſdom; all whoſe Ways are Ways of pleaſantneſs, and whoſe Paths are Peace.—Will Honour ſway with you? There's no Honour like that which come from God only, or the Honour which Chriſt will one day put upon them that Love and Honour him.— Is Peace a thing deſireable with you? There is no Peace with our fellow-Creatures, to be compared to the Peace which Believers have with God, thro' our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, which verily paſſeth all underſtanding.— Once more, Will Joys or Songs charm you? Sure I am, that there is no Joy like the Joy of the Lord, which is our Strength, who have ſecured to our ſelves a part in a glorious Chriſt. No carnal Mirth or Gladneſs which is comparable to that of the Ranſomed of the Lord, who ſhall return and come to Zion with Songs of everlaſting Joy upon their Heads, and ſhall obtain Joy and Gladneſs, and Sorrow ſhall flee away, Iſa.35.10.

What ſhall I ſay more, My Strength of Body is ſmall; and it is hard for me to ſpeak: I am willing to ſpend all the Strength I have, were it much more than it is, for your Good; might I be any way Inſtrumental of any ſaving Good to your Souls; or any one Soul. May God bleſs what you ſee in me, and what you now hear from me, for ſaving Good to you, I ſhall never repent the Pains I now take.

O my Friends, Do you do your part, that what you have ſeen of God's Dealings with me, and what you now hear from me, may not riſe up in Judgment againſt you in the great Day of Account.

THUS, Friends, (whoſe Souls are of very great Value with me) I have by the help of God, and the uſe of a borrowed Pen, done and accompliſh'd what I have long deſired to do. I leave theſe Lines with you as being the beſt Advice I can poſſible give to you, if I knew I ſhould never ſee any of you more in the World, or if I ſhould yet have further Opportunities to Converſe with you.

I intreat you for your Soul's ſake, Give ear to what I have now ſaid to you; ſo out of the Mouth of a Babe and Suckling, God ſhall ordain Strength and perfect his own Praiſe.

And now, Whether it ſhall pleaſe God to continue me with you ſtill, under my preſent Circumſtances, or otherwiſe, (that Matter I deſire to leave with God, and would entirely reſign to his holy and bleſſed Will and Pleaſure therein) I aſſure you my Kinsfolk according to the Fleſh, and all others, to whom I have directed theſe Lines, (and the Pen-man does doubtleſs join with me,) My Hearts Deſire and Prayer to GOD for you is, that your Souls may be eternally ſaved.

AMEN.