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154.  GEORGE HARDY.

sleepless and languishing at night, I found him, with the Bible fixed before him, reading. He looked animated, and said, "I always loved to read the Bible, but I never understood it until very lately : now I understand it, and I find that religion and pleasure are in no way inconsistent. I feel now that I shall never recover. I am willing to die, and I shall be happy when I am gone from earth—but the Lord is very merciful and can make me happy as long as he chooses that I should stay. I have trusted in him through pain and through want, and I believe he will never forsake me. My faith has sometimes been closely tried, but I never let go my confidence.

9. His disease now rapidly increased, and with it his suffering. On the 23d of Fifth month, he conversed a long time with the doctor, and seemed more comfortable than usual ; but he passed a sleepless and distressing night. The next day, he was able to take but little nourishment, owing to the great soreness of his mouth and throat, but he could converse intelligibly, and seemed anxious to do so. About two o'clock this day, I found him in great pain, but quite tranquil in mind.
10. On my going to him, he said, "My sufferings are now nearly over; I shall not live many days—not more than two. The Lord's time has nearly come, and then he will take me where I shall never suffer any more. O, how marvellous

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his mercy is, to look down upon such a polluted sinner as I am!

'I the worst of sinners am,
But Jesus came to save me.'-

Yes, he will save me-I know it. I have a hope-a pretty certain hope-O, it is a very certain hope-it is a very sure hope." He then, in a low and indistinct voice, supplicated for many minutes; after which he said, "I have been talking to my Saviour."

11. Not expecting him to hear, I asked his mother if he had always been a serious boy; but before she could reply, George said, "No! I was always bad, always wicked; but since I was brought to this bed of sickness, I have sought for repentance, and I have found it: my sins were as scarlet, but now they are washed as white as snow. But it is all mercy, pure mercy; we have no righteousness of our own to depend upon-no works, no merit of our will avail us at such a time as this. If these were all we had to look to, we should never be saved. But this is what Jesus came into the world for-to save us poor sinners; and salvation belongs to him alone."

12. After this, he desired me to read to him in the Bible-said he would like to hear me read in the Psalms, where David deplored his sins. I did so and he afterward composed himself and slept

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---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-06-20 09:26:42