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 1880. 
 
 
 Memoir 
 
 of Martha Thompson 
 
 Tie. . 
 
 Thomson! Sharo 
 

MEMOIR 
 
 MARTHA THOMPSON SHARP, 
 
 REV. JAS. I. HELM, A.M., 
 
 PASTOR OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, SALEM, N. J. 
 
 " For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not 
 wen ye in the piesence of our Lord Jesus Christ, at his coming ?" 
 
 Paul. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 DANIELS & SMITH, FIFTH AND ARCH STS. 
 
 1849. 
 
i2 n t e r e tJ, according to the act of Congress, in the year 1 846 
 
 By Rev. Jas. I. Helm, A. M., 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Eastern Dis- 
 trict of Pennsylvania. 
 
 \VM. S. -VOONG, PRINTER. 
 
SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS 
 
 WITH WHOM SHE WAS ASSOCIATED, 
 AND TO WHOM HER DYING LIPS DICTATED 
 
 THE LOVING REQUEST 
 
 "MEET ME IN HEAVEN;" 
 
 Ws little bolutne 
 
 IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED 
 BY 
 
 Martha's sorrowing 
 
 PASTOR. 
 
" Why love we so a sin-stained earth 1 
 When fetterless to roam 
 'Tis ours among yon isles of light : 
 Each starry isle a home. 
 
 " Home of the pure and innocent ! 
 
 Where spirits live and love : 
 Home, where the holy and the just, 
 
 A Saviour's mercies prove. 
 
 "Home of the Christian's humble hope. 
 The Christian's ardent prayer; 
 Who would that humblest hope forego ; 
 For all that's certain here?" 
 
MEMOIR 
 
 MARTHA THOMPSON SHARP, 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 A perfect image of religion is found only 
 on the page of God's word. But a very in- 
 teresting portraiture is seen, also, in the life 
 of every consistent Christian. An exact de- 
 lineation of the Christian life, is therefore 
 alike interesting and instructive. Next to 
 the simple and inimitable views of Christian 
 character and experience which have been 
 given by inspired authors, may be placed those 
 authentic narratives which record with strict 
 fidelity the life, and truly represent the cha- 
 racter of exemplary and devoted Christians. 
 
6 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The preparation of religious memoirs is 
 not, however, without its difficulties. One of 
 these arises from the very nature of the Chris- 
 tian life. This has always two aspects — one 
 interior and invisible, another outward and ap- 
 parent. The true life of a Christian, is that 
 which is going on in the soul itself, and con- 
 sists in its own trains of emotion and succes- 
 sive exercises. A record of this life would 
 describe the secret impressions, the mysterious 
 workings, and the invisible conflicts of the 
 pious heart. It would reveal the operation of 
 divine grace in the conversion, and its pro- 
 gress in the sanctification of the believer. It 
 would depict the vicissitudes of his expe- 
 rience — the alternate fears and hopes, joys 
 and sorrows by which his breast is agitated : 
 the decay of spiritual affections into which he 
 sometimes falls, and the merciful revivings 
 with which he is again favoured. But this is 
 a hidden life. It is not always comprehended 
 by the subject himself, and another can take 
 
INTRODUCTION. / 
 
 no direct cognizance of it whatever. That 
 which is ordinarily called the life of a Chris- 
 tian, is only the expression of his real life. It 
 is always, too, an imperfect manifestation of 
 what is taking place in his own soul. Yet it 
 is all that belongs properly to the public : 
 while at. the same time its value depends on 
 its being shown in a true relation to the other; 
 because a man is really what he is at heart. 
 If the likeness which is drawn from his ex- 
 ternal conduct be the faithful copy of his true 
 principles and real motives, it speaks truth: 
 otherwise, however beautiful in itself, it only 
 deceives. But to preserve this strict truth, 
 not only of appearance, but of fact, is often 
 very difficult. 
 
 Again, it is not every true, nor even every 
 eminent Christian that furnishes a good subject 
 for biography. It is not every bright example 
 of piety that can be so embodied in a memoir 
 as to please and benefit those who did not en- 
 joy a living acquaintance. To possess gene- 
 
8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ral interest, a memoir must contain one of 
 two elements — perhaps both. There must be 
 action to describe, sufficient to give a particu- 
 lar, various, and life-like view of the charac- 
 ter; or there must exist sufficient remains to 
 convey a definite and personal impression of 
 the individual mind and heart. Where these 
 are both wanting, biography is not practicable. 
 It matters not how much of worth and loveli- 
 ness existed in the living person, how attrac- 
 tive were the actual companionship, and how 
 sweet the lingering remembrance on the 
 minds and bosoms of surviving friends; the 
 attempt to embody their impressions in a nar- 
 rative, and by mere statements of personal 
 qualities to give individuality and permanent 
 interest to the record, must always prove abor- 
 tive. 
 
 In the case of very young persons, one of 
 these elements is mostly scanty, and the 
 other nearly, if not altogether wanting. 
 Hence the difficulty of imparting special intc- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 9 
 
 rest to youthful memorials; and hence, pro- 
 bably, the fact, that in the department of juve- 
 nile biography, we find so many overdrawn 
 and highly embellished narratives. 
 
 The following memorial was undertaken 
 with a distinct comprehension of the difficulty, 
 and a fixed determination to avoid, if possible, 
 the fault now stated. It did not originate 
 with the parents or family of its subject. 
 They did not wish to obtrude their sorrows 
 on the public; but would have been content 
 to share their grief with those only who knew 
 and loved their child, and to cherish in their 
 aching hearts the memory of the beloved dead. 
 But other Christian friends were anxious to 
 know the personal history of one who charmed 
 even by the slightest acquaintance. Before 
 the writer left the chamber of death, he formed 
 the purpose of drawing up, if sufficient mate- 
 rials were found to exist, a memoir for publi- 
 cation. The same suggestion came after- 
 wards from several Christian friends, inde- 
 
10 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 pendently each of the other. It is now done ; 
 and the judicious reader will decide whether 
 the design were wise or not. Of one thing 
 he may feel assured ; he is perusing the sim- 
 ple truth. The facts are not overstated; no 
 meretricious colouring is given to the character; 
 and the picture as a whole is less attractive 
 than the original. It is hoped the memorial 
 will do honour to divine grace, and make a 
 salutary impression on the minds, especially 
 of young readers. True piety is beautiful at 
 any period of human life. It is interesting 
 when it sits with venerable sanctity upon the 
 brow of age, and when it crowns with hea- 
 venly radiance the strength of mature years. 
 But it is most lovely, when, united to the 
 opening charms and winning promise of youth, 
 it chastens the ardour, hallows the affections, 
 and consecrates the energy of that interesting 
 period. May it do for every young reader 
 what it did for Martha. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 " But when the cherub lip hath learned to claim, 
 A mother's ear by that endearing name; 
 Soon as the playful innocent can prove, 
 A tear of pity, or a smile of love, 
 How fondly looks parental hope the while, 
 At every artless tear, at every smile." 
 
 Martha Thompson Sharp, was born in 
 the village of Washington, Warren county, 
 New Jersey, on the 10th of August, 1830. 
 Her father is Jacob T. Sharp, M. D., a highly 
 respectable physician now resident in Salem, 
 N. J. Her mother, Mrs. Hannah Ann Sharp, 
 is a daughter of Edward Smith, Esq., of Phi- 
 ladelphia, and a sister of Rev. Edward D. 
 
12 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Smith, pastor of the Chelsea Presbyterian 
 church in the city of New York. Both the 
 parents of Martha, and many of her relatives 
 are communicants in the Presbyterian church. 
 She not only enjoyed, therefore, the inesti- 
 mable blessing of a Christian education; but 
 from her earliest childhood was accustomed 
 to see religion valued and reverenced by 
 those whom she most loved. 
 
 It is always difficult to fill up any thing 
 like a distinct portrait of childhood. In the 
 little history of our life, this period is nearly 
 a blank to all but the individual. But while 
 it is scarcely noticed in its manifestations, no 
 equal space of human life is so fruitful in the 
 elements of character. It is the period of im- 
 pressions. The instincts and faculties of the 
 mind have only begun their incipient move- 
 ments; and like the earliest steps of bodily 
 motion, its attempts are long feeble and hesi- 
 tating. At the same time it is alive to every 
 external impression. Quick in its perceptions 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 13 
 
 and instinct with sensibility, it catches the 
 hue and receives the impress of nearly every 
 object. It is equally susceptible and retentive* 
 Habits which are easily and rapidly formed, 
 become permanent; and impressions caught 
 like the shadow of a passing object, become 
 indelible as if graven on brass. Before we 
 are aware of what is going on in the infant 
 mind, it has not unfrequently taken its beni 
 for life — it may be for eternity. 
 
 It is not known that the childhood of Mar- 
 tha differed materially from that of other chil- 
 dren in like circumstances; or that it was 
 marked by any thing so far out of the ordi- 
 nary course of juvenile experience as to be 
 interesting to the reader. There is always 
 enough, especially in the first born of a fami- 
 ly, to attract the watchful eye of a parent, and 
 which to that fond and partial eye at least ap- 
 pears striking. Even the unconscious smile 
 delights. The first dawn of intellect is marked 
 with pleasing wonder. The development of 
 2 
 
 
14 MEMOIR OF 
 
 each faculty is hailed with rapture; and every 
 newly acquired power seems more and more 
 striking. But long familiarity with infantile 
 developments in an increasing household, at 
 length obliterates these impressions from even 
 the parental memory; and leaves treasured 
 there the more vivid remembrance of the cares, 
 anxieties, and ceaseless toils by which those 
 years were filled. 
 
 Martha was a small and fragile infant, and 
 slowly acquired the active use of her limbs. 
 But this point being reached, she became a 
 lively and active child, and usually enjoyed 
 good health. She soon displayed a character 
 of uncommon energy. Every impulse was 
 quick and powerful, and every feeling ardent. 
 In her were combined exquisite sensibility, 
 warm affection, buoyant spirits, and great ani- 
 mation. These united to the usual forget- 
 fulness of a light-hearted child, made her 
 occasionally seem heedless and perhaps way- 
 ward, though never wilfully disobedient. 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 15 
 
 Her mental endowments were very superior. 
 That quickness of perception and facility of 
 acquiring knowledge which afterwards distin- 
 guished her began early to appear. Before 
 she 6ould speak, she knew all her letters; and 
 at a very early age she read with great beauty 
 of expression. From that time until the end 
 of her life, she manifested a love of knowledge 
 beyond her years. 
 
 It is not surprising that divine truth should 
 have made on her quick and susceptible mind 
 an early and lasting impression. According- 
 ly, she has often remarked that she could not 
 remember a period when she did not feel the 
 influence of serious things. A tenderness of 
 conscience unusual to one so young, was a 
 trait early seen in her character. About the 
 age of four years she spent some time at her 
 grandfather's in Philadelphia. Her aunt, 
 (now Mrs. Newkirk) who had the care of her, 
 has often mentioned the peculiar tenderness 
 of conscience which she manifested at that 
 
16 MEMOIR OF 
 
 time. In the evening she would call her at- 
 tention to the various occurrences of the day ? 
 and urge her to reflect seriously on her con- 
 duct. Sometimes she would remind her of 
 some wayward temper or infantile disobe- 
 dience, and at the same time address her in a 
 kind but serious manner. (i Martha, you have 
 done such and such things to-day that 
 were wrong. Now I wish you to think 
 about them, and to feel as you ought before 
 you lie down to-night." At such times she 
 would be deeply affected, and copious tears 
 would accompany her penitent confessions, 
 A little prayer in verse which her aunt taught 
 her at the same period, was never forgotten; 
 and some of her own Sunday school scholars 
 will remember having learned from her lips 
 to say — 
 
 u My Father, I thank thee for sleep, 
 For quiet and peaceable rest ; 
 I thank thee for stooping to keep 
 An infant from being distressed } 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 17 
 
 Oh how shall a poor little creature repay, 
 
 Thy fatherly kindness by night and by day!" } 
 
 At the age of six years she received from 
 Mrs. Alexander Henry, her mother's aunt, 
 a pocket New Testament. Her present was 
 selected in accordance with her own choice, 
 and even at that tender age she set a special 
 value upon it. From that time it became her 
 constant companion, and was found in the 
 pocket of her last worn dress after her death. 
 It contains her own name, the name of her 
 aunt by whom it was presented, and the date at 
 which it was received. It has also as a motto 
 inserted in it, the words "for ever" designed 
 to express either her attachment to the word of 
 God, or the scope of her views in living. 
 Either sense was appropriate to her feelings 
 and aims. 
 
 A few years later the same relative made 
 her a present of a small reference Bible for 
 the pocket. It is now one of the most inte- 
 resting memorials of her love for God's word; 
 
18 MEMOIR OF 
 
 and it is believed that she scarcely passed a 
 waking hour without this Bible or the New 
 Testament before mentioned about her person, 
 From long and constant usage, the Bible is 
 much worn. It contains unequivocal evi- 
 dence both of repeated and attentive perusaL 
 Almost every page shows that it has been fa- 
 miliar to her eye. A great number of pas- 
 sages are marked with her pencil. Some are 
 recognised as the texts of sermons preached 
 by her pastor. Some are probably the texts 
 of discourses preached by other ministers, 
 But there are others evidently designated, 
 solely with reference to her experimental 
 feelings. This is obvious either from the fact 
 that they are not adapted to public discourse* 
 while they have a striking relation to per- 
 sonal emotions, or from the emphatic manner 
 in which they are distinguished. Occasionally 
 a single word thus marked is eloquent of ex- 
 perimental devotion. 
 
 During the interval between her sixth and 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 19 
 
 ninth years, her parents resided in Phila- 
 delphia. Here she received the ordinary 
 school instruction adapted to children of her 
 age. She also attended, as a scholar, the 
 Sunday School of the Central Presbyterian 
 Church. These instructions, aided by mater- 
 nal efforts, served to expand her faculties, 
 and to impart those views of religious truth, 
 which afterwards became so clear and lumi- 
 nous. 
 
 SPRING. 
 
 Old gloomy winter with his frosty browj 
 Is fast disappearing — the sunbeams now 
 Have the golden colour of lovely spring, 
 While the forest birds have commenced to sing 
 In their leafy boughs of so deep a green, 
 That the sun's bright rays are scarcely seen. 
 The violets blue have lifted their heads 
 O'er the snow that covers their mossy beds; 
 While the May rose, encircled by many a thorn, 
 Has smiled a welcome to the summer morn, 
 
20 MEMOIR OF MARTHA T. SHARP. 
 
 The loveliest season is spring to me, 
 
 When each voice sounds a note replete with glee ; 
 
 When the brightest hue of the flowers you see, 
 
 And the birds are not rivalled in melody. 
 
 Oh many prefer the dull autumn brief, 
 
 Their fancy is struck by the yellow leaf, 
 
 They say that the sun sheds a brighter ray 
 
 Than he does on the loveliest summer day. 
 
 But I cannot believe them : I know 'tis true 
 
 That the falling leaf has a sombre hue. 
 
 But then 'tis the prelude to winter drear. 
 
 When the whistling winds sound the notes of fear ; 
 
 When the snow thickly lies on the frozen plain, 
 
 And the birds' lively song is ne'er heard on the main. 
 
 Then give me the spring with its flowers bright — 
 
 Oh give me the spring with the sweet sunlight — 
 
 And joyfully on my lone path I'll go, 
 
 Praising my God from whom blessings flow. 
 
 M. T. S. 
 March 5, 1846. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 " Ye to whose care Jehovah has consigned 
 The dying body and th' immortal mind, 
 Ah! claim not for them wealth, or power, or fame, 
 Earth, mis'ry, half- existence, and a name! 
 But pray your God to keep a watchful eye, 
 Support, defend, preserve and teach to die." 
 
 In the year 1839 the parents of Martha re- 
 moved with their family to Salem, New Jer- 
 sey, where the remainder of her life was spent, 
 and where sleeps her hallowed dust. It was 
 here, when a little less than ten years old, the 
 writer of this memoir became acquainted 
 with her. He soon marked her as no com- 
 mon child. Even at this moment, the imag- 
 
22 MEMOIR OF 
 
 of Martha as she then was, is vividly before 
 his mind. Her little white apron, her quick 
 and energetic motion, her speaking eye, her 
 soul-revealing countenance, her warmth of 
 emotion and almost excessive sensibility, her 
 prompt answer in language marked by a 
 child's simplicity, and more than a child's un- 
 derstanding ; every feature and trait is there, 
 as she stands before the eye of memory, an 
 impersonation of life, intelligence, and feeling. 
 It was evident that she possessed those powers 
 and susceptibilities of mind, and those strong 
 impulses of the heart which form ~ decided 
 character of some kind. If devoted to the 
 world, it was likely to be with passionate 
 fondness; and if on the other hand her heart 
 should be consecrated to the Redeemer, it 
 would be with equal decision and devotedness. 
 These anticipations were abundantly confirmed 
 by subsequent acquaintance with her as a pas- 
 tor. 
 
 About this time she began to attend as a 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 23 
 
 pupil, the Salem Academy; the female de- 
 partment of which was under the care of Miss 
 A. W. Maylin. This lady bears the follow- 
 ing testimony respecting the deportment and 
 progress of her pupil. " Martha shared in the 
 daily instructions of my school room for more 
 than four years. She studied her lessons 
 with an intelligent interest which made it 
 very pleasant to teach her ; never committing 
 them in a manner merely mechanical, but al- 
 ways evincing by her remarks and inquiries, 
 that the workings of her mind went beyond 
 the surface of the several things to which her 
 attention was directed. In the religious in- 
 structions of the school, and especially our re- 
 gular Bible lessons, she ever manifested atten- 
 tion and seriousness. 
 
 "To myself she was uniformly respectful 
 and affectionate; and in any little indisposi- 
 tion or trouble, I might always rely on her 
 kindness and sympathy. She was in the habit 
 of writing me endearing little notes, expres- 
 
24 MEMOIR OF 
 
 sive of her regard for me or her interest in 
 school duties. These are now valued as pre- 
 cious mementos of those departed days. When 
 she ceased to be my pupil, our social inter- 
 course became that of companions and friends. 
 May we be such in heaven. 
 
 "A. W. M." 
 
 At this school began her acquaintance with 
 
 Miss M. I , which afterwards ripened 
 
 into a very tender intimacy. They were 
 about the same age, and resembled each other 
 in their gifts and attainments. After this 
 young lady returned home, a correspondence 
 at first occasional, but subsequently at regular 
 monthly intervals, was begun and continued 
 until Martha's death. Copious extracts from 
 her letters to this early friend will be found 
 in the future pages of this memoir. 
 
 In August, 1S40, a little incident occurred 
 which shows both the activity of her mind, 
 and the bent of her taste at that time. A 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 25 
 
 copy of " The Minister's Family," by Rev. 
 W. M. Hetherington, belonging to her pastor, 
 incidentally fell into her hands. Without 
 having her attention drawn to it by any other 
 person, she withdrew to read it alone and un- 
 disturbed. As it was not usual for her to be 
 absent from the house without the knowledge 
 of the family, it became a matter of surprise 
 what could have become of Martha. Absorbed 
 in her book, she seemed meanwhile to have 
 become unconscious of every thing else. At 
 length, late in the day, she came from her re- 
 treat, and with sparkling eye and animated 
 face expressed the enjoyment she had found 
 in her book, which she had completely 
 finished. 
 
 As her mind expanded, Martha began to 
 take an intelligent interest in public discourse, 
 and became an attentive hearer of the preached 
 word. When she was eleven and a half 
 years old, her pastor delivered a number of 
 sermons on "the Church and Sacraments." 
 3 
 
26 MEMOIR OF MARTHA T. SHARP. 
 
 One of these discussed the question of a Pi e- 
 latical Succession. A day or two afterwards 
 he received a note requesting the loan of the 
 manuscript. Not looking particularly at the 
 signature, he mistook it for her mother's, and 
 sent the discourse, with a wish, that as it was 
 of a controversial character, it might not be 
 permitted to fall into other hands. Great was 
 his surprise to learn that Martha herself was 
 the applicant. She not only made the request 
 of her own accord, but perused the manu- 
 script with great avidity, and also gave, in a 
 letter to a friend, an intelligent outline of the 
 argument. Although not adapted to any per- 
 sonal religious impression, this little circum- 
 stance appeared to have an important influ- 
 ence upon her mind. For thereafter she 
 heard with increasing attention and delight 
 the usual ministrations of the gospel. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 To think when heaven and earth are fled, 
 
 And times and seasons o'er ; 
 When all that can die shall be dead, 
 
 That I shall die no more." 
 
 It is not the chief design of this memoir to 
 set forth the mental gifts and accomplishments 
 of its subject. The great aim is, to exhibit 
 the image of Christ in her character ; to trace 
 the formation of that image ; and to detail the 
 means by which it was brought out with so 
 much lustre in her person. Blessed with a 
 careful religious education, she was early and 
 often the subject of serious feelings more or 
 
28 MEMOIR OF 
 
 less tender. She has frequently declared that 
 from her earliest recollection she had felt at 
 times a longing desire to be a Christian. We 
 have already seen that she possessed a tender 
 and enlightened conscience; that she gave 
 careful attention to the preaching of the gos- 
 pel ; and that she regarded the word of God 
 with singular affection. We now come to a 
 period of more distinct and decided religious 
 impressions. Early in the year 1843, at the 
 still tender age of twelve and a-half years, she 
 became deeply anxious to obtain an interest 
 in the Lord Jesus as her Saviour. This was 
 manifested in a more serious attention to the 
 means of grace, and in much and earnest 
 prayer to God for his saving mercy. Her 
 school compositions and her letters were at 
 this time pervaded with her sense of the value 
 and importance of religion. To possess the 
 religion of Christ, to live in the enjoyment of 
 its hopes, and to die in the peace of God's 
 children, was to her mind the one great thing, 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 29 
 
 the sum of happiness, the measure of her 
 highest anticipations. The writer has before 
 him a little tale composed at this time, in 
 which, though not adapted for insertion in this 
 memoir, the temper of her mind reveals it- 
 self. Two little children — brother and sister 
 — orphans and friendless, but maintaining 
 their religious principles in adversity, find at 
 length an asylum and friends in the family of 
 a village pastor. He learns on inquiry that 
 the sister is a member of the church, and 
 urges the brother to attend also to the great 
 subject. The sister accompanies the pastor 
 on a visit to a sick and dying man, who gives 
 an account of his life 5 and tells how afflictions 
 had been the means of bringing him to a 
 knowledge of Christ. The little girl disco- 
 vers in him an uncle, and witnesses his peace- 
 ful and happy death. Thus every incident 
 takes the shape of her own conceptions and 
 her cherished desires. 
 
 The manuscript volume which contains this 
 3* 
 
30 MEMOIR OP 
 
 little story includes also a number of juvenile 
 compositions in verse, all written in the month 
 of March, 1843. One of these is headed — 
 
 EXHORTATION TO REPENTANCE. 
 
 Sinner, listen to that voice, 
 Sent to bid thy heart rejoice ; 
 Listen ! Jesus calls thee now, 
 At his feet, oh! humbly bow. 
 
 He is merciful and mild, 
 Meek and lowly as a child; 
 He is ready to forgive. 
 He has said, "Repent and live." 
 
 Another time may be too late, 
 He may leave you to your fate ; 
 Grace and mercy he has shown • 
 The present time is all your own. 
 
 But a dreadful hour may come, 
 When he will not take you home, 
 When you will not hear his voice, 
 Bidding your hard heart rejoice. 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 31 
 
 Hasten while the word is spoken, 
 Wait not for another token • 
 Now ; s the time, now is the hour, 
 He ? 11 convert you by his power. 
 
 In this same month she received from her 
 aunt, as a present, the memoir of Mary Lun- 
 die Duncan. As might be expected, she 
 read this volume with the greatest delight 
 Her impressions were communicated to her 
 aunt in the following impromptu stanzas: — 
 
 ON MARY LUNDIE DUNCAN. 
 
 TQ MY AUNT. 
 
 I thank you, dear aunt, for that beautiful book, 
 On the face of a Christian 'tis pleasant to look ; 
 That gentle expression, that soft eye of love, 
 Seemed fitted alone for the bright world above. 
 
 Tis said that no pencil her features could trace. 
 No painter could copy the lines of her face ; 
 That expression so lovely could not be portrayed; 
 Nor a portrait like her be successfully made. 
 
32 MEMOIR OF 
 
 I earnestly wish that her qualities rare, 
 And brilliant example 't may be mine to share; 
 That her meekness, her patience, her spirit of love . 
 May fall like a mantle on me from above. 
 
 I wish I could thank you, dear aunt, as I ought, 
 For my pleasure in reading the book you have 
 
 bought ; 
 I will study its pages, and hope you will find, 
 They have moulded my spirit as well as my mind. 
 
 The idea of an early death was familiar to 
 the mind of Martha almost from a child. 
 There are several striking expressions to this 
 effect in her own hand-writing. This idea ? 
 connected with her estimate of the value and 
 sufficiency of true religion, seems to have 
 given shape to the following lines. They are 
 from the manuscript volume of juvenile poems 
 before mentioned, and written in the same 
 month with the preceding. 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 33 
 
 THE DYING GIRL'S REQUEST. 
 
 Weep not for me when I am dead, 
 
 Weep not for me ; 
 
 When in the earth you lay my head, 
 
 Weep not for me ; 
 
 Grieve not that I have gone away, 
 
 To God for consolation pray ; 
 
 Weep not for me. 
 
 Weep not for me when on the bier, 
 Weep not for me ; 
 Weep not, though I have been so dear, 
 Weep not for me ; 
 Angels come hovering from the throne. 
 To bear my happy spirit home ; 
 Weep not for me. 
 
 For hope and joy go to the cross ; 
 
 Weep not for me ; 
 Cast all the world away as dross ; 
 Weep not for me : 
 Though here no more you see my face, 
 Yet I have tried and won the race ; 
 Weep not for me. 
 
34 MEMOIR OP 
 
 Adieu, my father and my mother: 
 
 Weep not for me ; 
 Adieu, my sister and my brotherj: 
 Weep not for me : 
 But give your hearts to Jesus now ; 
 And at his feet, oh, humbly bow: 
 
 Weep not — weep not for me,. 
 
 One morning her pastor called at her fa- 
 ther's, and found her unusually moved with 
 anxious concern for the salvation of her souL 
 The whole interview is well remembered. 
 The little room, the sofa by which he kneeled 
 with the dear child in prayer, the copy of 
 Doddridge's "Rise and Progress of Religion " 
 which she had in her hand, and the mingled 
 tenderness and earnestness of her feelings, re- 
 cur at this moment vivid and fresh as the 
 events of yesterday. 
 
 Throughout the day her mind seemed com- 
 pletely absorbed in the great subject which 
 engaged her thoughts. During the day, her 
 mother casually entered on some errand an 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 35 
 
 apartment not very frequently used, and found 
 the anxious child on her knees in prayer. So 
 earnestly was her mind fixed on the solemn 
 employment, that the intrusion was not ob- 
 served ; and the door being quietly closed, 
 she was left to continue her supplications 
 without interruption. Afterwards she re- 
 turned to the room in which her mother sat, 
 and without speaking opened her secretary 
 and wrote for some minutes in the manuscript 
 book already mentioned, and then replaced it 
 and left the room. Her mother immediately 
 examined the book and found the following: 
 
 RELIGION. 
 Oh! give me religion, that solace divine, 
 And tell me, my Saviour, oh ! tell me Pm thine : 
 Oh! take away from me, this hard stony heart, 
 And send down thy Spirit, thy grace to impart. 
 
 I give myself up, my dear Saviour, to thee, 
 Thy glories and beauties, my soul would fain see: 
 Receive me, dear Jesus, though I am a child, 
 And make me, my Saviour, meek, gracious and 
 mild. 
 
MEMOIR OF 
 
 1 will praise thee, my Saviour, as long as I live, 
 For I know, by my Bible, my sins thou 'It forgive ; 
 The peace of my mind and the bliss of my soul, 
 The joy I experience is far past control. 
 
 Martha's anxiety on the subject of religion 
 continued. But the precise character of her 
 exercises during the summer is not known. 
 For though her pastor often addressed her on 
 the subject, she was always so much affected 
 that, as she afterwards stated, she could not 
 expres sher feelings, though very desirous to 
 do so. A few lines more from her volume of 
 juvenile poetry will show the interest she 
 felt in the worship of God. 
 
 THE SABBATH. 
 
 All hail ! thou day of rest, 
 To weary mortals given; 
 
 The day which God has blest, 
 A sweet foretaste of heaven. 
 
 Let us this day improve. 
 A day with blessings fraught; 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 37 
 
 And learn that Christ to love, 
 Who our redemption brought. 
 
 His precious blood alone 
 Our sins can wash away j 
 
 For God's incarnate Son 
 Now reigns in endless day. 
 
 In the latter part of the year 1844, Martha's 
 religious impressions were much revived 
 and deepened. On the last Sabbath in that 
 year — December 29 — her pastor preached 
 two discourses from Rev. iii. 20: "Behold 
 I stand at the door, and knock: if any 
 man hear my voice, and open the door, I will 
 come in to him, and will sup with him, and 
 he with me." She heard them with fixed 
 and eager attention, and, as he thought, with 
 considerable emotion. Calling after the even- 
 ing service at her father's house for some me- 
 dicine, he very happily saw her for a few 
 moments alone. The opportunity was em- 
 braced to speak with her concerning her own 
 4 
 
38 MEMOIR OF 
 
 salvation. As was anticipated, he found her 
 deeply moved on that all-important subject, 
 but involved in much perplexity and dis- 
 couragement. He endeavoured to say what 
 was best suited to her case at the time; and 
 especially to encourage her to an immediate 
 reception of the Lord Jesus as her Saviour. 
 He urged her to consider the address in the 
 text as made directly to herself, and to ap- 
 proach the Saviour just as she was, with a 
 cordial surrender of all to him, an implicit 
 trust in his promise, and an entire consecra- 
 tion of herself to his service. This, she after- 
 wards informed her pastor, she tried that 
 night solemnly to do, and with a comfortable 
 hope of acceptance in the great transaction. 
 Whether that was the moment when she first 
 experienced a saving conversion to God, it is 
 not necessary here to decide. But she her- 
 self always referred to it as the time when 
 her own consciousness gave the first clear re- 
 cognition to a gracious work in her soul. 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 39 
 
 She was then a little more than fourteen years 
 of age. 
 
 Since the above was written, the following 
 letter to her early friend and school-mate al- 
 ready mentioned has been received. 
 
 Salem, N. J„ Dec. 31, 1844. 
 
 " It is indeed, my dear Mary, a 
 
 solemn thing to think how many years we 
 have wasted, and how often we have let our 
 precious moments fly unheeded; while per- 
 haps we were engaged in some trifling pur- 
 suit. But should we not rather improve the 
 present, than grieve over the past? The last 
 day in the year is a fit time to indulge such 
 thoughts. How much cause have we for gra- 
 titude ! Each day has brought innumerable 
 mercies, and each day has witnessed our cold- 
 ness and ingratitude to the Giver of all good. 
 Oh, my beloved Mary, let us try to spend 
 this year as we ought. Let us live more to 
 God; and may our many blessings bring us 
 
40 MEMOIR OP 
 
 often to the throne of grace in grateful ac- 
 knowledgments for them. 
 
 " I feel that I am not as I once was — 
 thoughtless on the subject of religion; and I 
 hope and pray that the Lord will continue 
 the good work he has begun in me. The 
 Saviour is all-sufficient; and all he requires of 
 us is to feel that all-sufficiency, and to cast 
 ourselves upon him, saying, with the leper — 
 1 Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 5 
 You know, dearest M., that if we were from 
 this time henceforth to obey every precept of 
 the law, it could not atone for the past; and 
 that it is only the justifying blood of Christ 
 that washes out our past transgressions, and 
 writes our names in the Lamb's book of life. 
 By our own works we can neither become 
 holy nor good. I hope you will always open 
 your heart to me, and I will do so to you. 
 I approve highly of the Saturday* weekly 
 
 * Her friend had proposed that on every Saturday 
 evening they should specially pray for each other. 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 41 
 
 concert. It is sweet to be remembered by 
 a friend in prayer. It will keep us alive to 
 the eternal interests of all whom we love, but 
 especially of each other. My fervent prayers 
 shall ascend to heaven in behalf of you and all 
 my friends. May the Spirit of God descend 
 and warm our cold hearts, and help us to be 
 devoted to Him who loved us and gave him- 
 self for us. 
 
 "The text last Sabbath was, « Behold, I 
 stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear 
 my voice, and open the door, I will come in 
 to him, and will sup with him, and he with 
 me.' Mr. Helm said the Lord was knocking 
 at the door of every heart. He showed how 
 sinful it is to keep the Saviour standing with- 
 out. He finished the subject in the evening, 
 and concluded w T ith the important question — 
 whether we would longer refuse admission to 
 the blessed Saviour? Let us ponder this in 
 our hearts and derive much instruction from 
 it. I wish }'ou could hear Mr. H., although 
 4* 
 
42 MEMOIR OP 
 
 you may have equally good preaching at 
 home. I hope you find much comfort in 
 hearing the word of God. 
 
 " I, too, have experienced bitter feelings 
 among my companions at school, and can truly 
 sympathize with you. I find it very hard to 
 do right; but I hope these things will be of 
 much use to us, in preparing us to bear all 
 manner of persecution as true followers of 
 Christ. I know this has not been uninterest- 
 ing to you, if I may judge by myself. 
 
 Martha." 
 
 Since the death of Martha, a paper has 
 been found dated (and evidently written) one 
 day later than the above letter, and three days 
 after the Sabbath evening referred to. It 
 contains the following solemn consecration of 
 herself to God. 
 
 "2 Cor. viii. 5. They first gave their oitmselves to the 
 Lord. 
 
 "Encouraged by this example, and by thy 
 gracious promise, ' I will be your God, and ye 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 43 
 
 shall be my people,' I desire now to devote 
 myself to thee wholly, to thee alone, and to 
 thee for ever. Thine, Lord, I am by crea- 
 tion and by thy providential care; and I de- 
 sire, from this time forth, to be thine by re- 
 deeming grace, and thine by my own cordial 
 and unreserved dedication. Though by na- 
 ture I am a child of wrath, and by my prac- 
 tice have too long and too obstinately sinned 
 against Heaven and in thy sight; yet now I 
 desire to return to thee from whom I have 
 revolted, to renounce for ever the slavery of 
 sin, and to surrender myself to thy service. 
 I give myself to thee, Father, and beseech 
 thee put me among thy regenerated and adopt- 
 ed children. I give myself to thee, Lord 
 Jesus, and entreat thee to be my Saviour, 
 instructer, governor, and intercessor. I give 
 myself to thee, Holy Spirit, and implore 
 thee to be my sanctifier, quickener, and com- 
 forter. I give myself to thee, thou one Je- 
 hovah, to be thine in soul and in body, in 
 
44 MEMOIR OF 
 
 time and through eternity; and to employ all 
 that I am, and all that I possess in obeying 
 thy will and promoting thy glory. I give 
 myself to thee, resolved to take thy word as 
 my daily guide, thy people as my companions, 
 and thy ordinances as the means of my spiri- 
 tual refreshment and progressive edification; 
 and sensible of the weakness of my resolu- 
 tions, I desire to do all this in the strength of 
 thy promised grace. make thy grace suf- 
 ficient for me; and accept through Christ of 
 this dedication. Help me daily to keep in 
 mind that I have thus devoted myself to thee 
 a living sacrifice, and that I am bound to glo- 
 rify thee with my body and spirit which are 
 thine. May the consideration of this be my 
 guard in the hour of temptation, and my joy 
 in affliction and death. Now, Lord, I call 
 heaven and earth to witness that I am willing- 
 ly thine. Lord, save thou me. 
 
 Martha T. Sharp, 
 In her fifteenth year." 
 January 1, 1845. 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 45 
 
 Thus we see, at the early age of fourteen 
 years and a few months, this interesting child 
 not only giving her heart to the Lord Jesus, 
 but subscribing with her hand a devout and 
 solemn covenant to live for him only and 
 wholly. But owing to her tender youth, and 
 the diffidence with which she regarded her 
 own impressions, it was long before she felt 
 authorized to make a public profession of re- 
 ligion. A few extracts from her letters to 
 her friend will show the tenor of her views 
 and feelings during the summer. 
 
 To Miss M. I. 
 
 " Salem, N. J., May 1, 1845. 
 
 You do not say any thing about the 
 
 Saturday concert. I hope you have not for- 
 gotten it. I have not: but still remember you 
 before the mercy-seat. I hope, my dear friend, 
 you have not allowed your serious impres- 
 sions to pass away as the morning dew. Re- 
 member how important it is for you to think 
 
46 MEMOIR OF 
 
 of these things before it is too late. I am 
 sure you could not give your friends more 
 pleasure than by consecrating your heart and 
 its best affections to the Lord, and bowing in 
 humble submission at the feet of Jesus. 
 
 "This world has many charms for the 
 young; and we who are just entering it, and 
 perhaps look forward to nothing but pleasure, 
 should be fully alive to its temptations, and 
 remember that all we enjoy comes from the 
 Giver of ' every good and perfect gift.' This 
 would chasten our spirit, and fill our hearts 
 with love to God and man. 
 
 "Mr. H. is still our pastor. He is about 
 to commence a Bible class. I think I shall 
 attend; for I do not read, much less under- 
 « stand, the scriptures as I ought. They are 
 aptly compared to a deep mine, which yields 
 more the deeper you dig. 
 
 Martha. " 
 
J^ARTHA T. SHARP. 47 
 
 " Salem, N. J., June 7, 1845. 
 
 Indeed, my dear Mary, I cannot say much 
 for my romance. If you mean a love of the 
 beautiful and grand, I can truly sympathize 
 with you. To see the sublimity of Niagara 
 and the scenery of Switzerland, has always 
 been my desire. I sincerely hope my fond- 
 ness for the real as well as the ideal will 
 never lessen our affection for each other. 
 
 " Now I want you to answer 
 
 me one question. If you have not forgotten 
 the subject of a letter dated Dec. 31, 1S44, 
 you proposed a concert of prayer on Saturday 
 evening. This I have punctually kept. Have 
 you? If you have not neglected either of 
 these, I shall be truly glad. If you have be- 
 gun to regard them, pursue them at once, and 
 do not banish all serious impressions, lest they 
 never return. You have told me all your 
 feelings for a long time. They are always 
 interesting to me. 
 
 " Martha." 
 
48 MEMOIR OF 
 
 To Miss M. I. 
 
 « Salem, N. J., June 30, 1845. 
 
 How pleasant it is to have a friend, who 
 you know loves you dearly and disinterested- 
 ly; one who will not forsake you on the 
 slightest provocation, but will bear with your 
 little weaknesses. No one values friendship 
 more than I do; and no one feels the loss of it 
 more. A sympathizing, warm-hearted, and 
 devoted friend, is what few know how to va- 
 lue and fewer still possess. I hope I am not 
 mistaken in thinking this inestimable treasure 
 is mine. I look on our intimacy with the 
 most perfect satisfaction. I do not feel the 
 least backwardness to express all my feelings 
 to you; for I know you are worthy of all my 
 confidence. I cannot tell you, my beloved 
 friend, how dear you are to me. 
 
 " How rapidly time flies, and 
 
 how miserably do we improve it! When we 
 look at the misspent past, are we more anx- 
 ious or more careful in view of the future? 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 49 
 
 Do we strive to live better in consequence of 
 the retrospect? Can we answer these ques- 
 tions with candour in the affirmative ? I feel 
 that I am an unprofitable servant, a cumberer 
 of the ground. Why am I spared? Is it for 
 usefulness, or that I may treasure up wrath 
 against the day of wrath? This is an all-im- 
 portant subject. I fear we do not either of us 
 think of it as we ought. 
 
 " Martha." 
 
 TO MY FATHER. 
 
 My father^ when a Jittle child, 
 Thy kindness soothed my sorrow ; 
 
 Thou wiped'st my tears, and bade me hope 
 For pleasure on the morrow. 
 
 And as I grew to riper years, 
 
 Whate'er disturbed my heart, 
 In all my hopes and all my fears, 
 
 Thou ever took'st a part, 
 5 
 
50 MEMOIR OF MARTHA T. SHARP. 
 
 When age shall furrow o'er thy brow, 
 And calm thy youthful fire, 
 
 Thy daughter, whom thou lovest now, 
 Shall sooth in turn her sire. 
 
 I'll tend thee with unceasing care, 
 
 In sickness and in pain ; 
 And all the love thou gavest me, 
 
 I will requite again. 
 
 And when the Lord thy soul shall take 
 From this sad earth away, 
 
 Oh ! may thy spirit then depart 
 To realms of endless day. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 ; I pray not for this world's vain hope ; 
 The soul desires a larger scope, 
 
 Destined to live for ever. 
 I ask not many years to live, 
 But that in those Thou wilPst to give, 
 
 I may forget Thee never." 
 
 In order to afford their daughter advantages 
 superior to those found in a small village, her 
 parents determined to place Martha at school 
 in Philadelphia. This took place in the au- 
 tumn of 1845. She became a pupil in the 
 school of Miss F. A. Strong, on Washington 
 Square; residing herself in the family of her 
 
52 MEMOIR OP 
 
 grandfather, Edward Smith, Esq. Here she 
 was engaged in the usual employments of a 
 school during the allotted hours; and the re- 
 mainder of the time was divided between her 
 studies and the company of her relatives. 
 The following testimony from her teacher 
 will sufficiently show the manner in which 
 her duty as a pupil was discharged. 
 
 From Miss F. A. Strong. 
 
 " Of my dear pupil, Martha, it will give me 
 great pleasure to send you my general im- 
 pressions. 1 regret extremely that I shall 
 not be able to do more. But our intercourse 
 was almost entirely confined to the school 
 hours; and then we were both too busy to 
 have much time for conversation. 
 
 "Martha possessed very quick perceptions, 
 and great, facility in acquiring knowledge; so 
 that the studies of her class were not sufficient 
 to occupy her time, and with the addition of 
 French and music, she often thought she had 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 53 
 
 not enough to do. This aptitude was not, as 
 is often the case, accompanied by superficial 
 views, or habits of carelessness or inattention, 
 On the contrary, she thought deeply, and was 
 uncommonly persevering and industrious. She 
 was decidedly superior, both in talents and ac- 
 quirements, to most of her companions. I 
 never had a pupil more uniformly attentive to 
 my slightest wish: from the first, a hint upon 
 any point was sufficient. 
 
 "When she became a member of the school, 
 1 was not aware that Martha had ever consi- 
 dered herself a Christian; though I have since 
 learned that she had. Perhaps new scenes and 
 new duties diminished, for a time, the fervour 
 of religious feeling. But there was a great 
 change in her whole appearance before she 
 left us. It was evident that serious things 
 occupied the first place in her thoughts. The 
 peculiar gentleness of her manner — her meek- 
 ness in bearing injuries — and her great con- 
 scientiousness excited the surprise of the 
 5* 
 
54 MEMOIR OP 
 
 thoughtless ; while her Christian friends re- 
 cognised, with joy, the fruits of that love to 
 God which was deepening and swelling in her 
 heart. We little thought how soon she would 
 be with the angels! 
 
 " I feel that what I have said can be of lit- 
 tle service to you; but it may be a gratification 
 to her family to know that her memory here 
 is blessed. F. A. Strong." 
 
 The introduction of a young person of ar- 
 dent and susceptible mind into a large city, 
 frequently induces considerable change in the 
 taste, inclination, and habits. Perhaps the 
 reader may infer, from an expression in Miss 
 Strong's letter, that this was the case with 
 Martha. The writer has no desire to repre- 
 sent the fact otherwise than it really was; but 
 he believes that such a supposition would be 
 altogether erroneous. As far as can be known, 
 her individual life went on without any mate- 
 rial change. Although, by the position of her 
 friends, she enjoyed the best view of the city, 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 55 
 
 she was not exposed to its estranging influ- 
 ences. Indeed she had but little affinity for 
 its peculiar manners and spirit. Life, in a 
 large city, seemed to her mind, too artificial. 
 Its refinement appeared to her too frequently 
 akin to dissimulation; while, from its God- 
 forgetting pleasures, and soul-destroying fol- 
 lies, her soul drew back with instinctive ab- 
 horrence. The diminution of religious fervour, 
 of which Miss S. speaks, was in part only 
 seeming ; and, as far as it was real, depended 
 on causes which she felt and deplored in her 
 journal and correspondence. In the first place, 
 contrary to what she desired, she went to the 
 city without having made a public profession 
 of religion. This placed her at a great disad- 
 vantage. She was not recognised as a Chris- 
 tian: she could not, herself, easily assume the 
 posture of one. Her very position was iso- 
 lated, and having no interchange of views and 
 feelings with other Christians, her own emo- 
 tions were necessarily confined to herself, 
 
56 MEMOIR OF 
 
 except so far as expressed in a correct deport- 
 ment, which was always the case. But as 
 soon as her pious schoolmates recognised and 
 addressed her as a Christian, they found a warm 
 and tender response. She could then give ex- 
 pression to the deep and earnest feelings of 
 her heart, and the savour of a living piety could 
 be sensibly discerned when the fetters were 
 removed from her soul. 
 
 But Martha did, herself, suppose her soul 
 less prosperous at that period. Not, indeed, 
 because she felt the deadening influence of 
 fashion or gayety, but because she did not en- 
 joy the same means of grace, and the same 
 opportunity of cultivating personal religion. 
 Of this she speaks feelingly in her letters, and 
 also in the following lines written at this time : 
 
 " RHYME. 
 "When the Sabbath comes round with its calmness and 
 
 rest, 
 And the church-going bell tells us where to be blest : 
 When each wends his way to the house of the Lord, 
 To feast on the blessings that flow from his word ; 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 57 
 
 My heart is borne far from the noise and the strife 
 
 Of the large crowded city — its bustle and life, 
 
 To my own village church, with its sweet solemn air, 
 
 And I hear the low sound of my own pastor's prayer. 
 
 Then I melt into tears as the hymns sweetly rise, 
 
 In praise to the Eternal, who dwells in the skies. 
 
 And Oh ! when I see my dear minister stand 
 
 And point out the way to the heavenly land, 
 
 I feel that the Lord my blest portion shall be ; 
 
 In Him all enjoyment, all pleasure I see. 
 
 But, alas ! the illusion is speedily o'er, 
 
 I return to the city's confusion once more ; 
 
 I find that the pleasure such day-dreams afford, 
 
 Is disturbed by a laugh, or a sigh, or a word. 
 
 And am I condemned now for ever to roam, 
 
 Away, far away, from my dear country home ? 
 
 Oh no, yet a little, I'll go back again, 
 
 And forget my long absence, which now causes pain. 
 
 Again I will join in the anthems of praise, 
 
 Which devoutly those loved ones in unison raise ! 
 
 And while I rest wholly on Jesus' dear name, 
 
 His kingdom's advancement shall be my sole aim. 
 
 Martha T. Sharp." 
 
 A very intelligent lady communicates her 
 impressions of Martha as follows: 
 
58 MEMOIR OF 
 
 "My acquaintance with her was not of long 
 standing. But some circumstances favoured 
 a closer intimacy than could have ordinarily 
 been obtained in so short a time. I was for 
 several weeks indisposed at her grandfather's, 
 and she passed a great deal of her time, when 
 she was not at school, with me in my room, 
 and I can never forget her kindness. She 
 seemed to me to be remarkably staid and se- 
 date for one of her years. Whether this was 
 her natural disposition, I do not know. Her 
 acquaintance with the doctrines of our own 
 church seemed accurate and discriminating, 
 uncommonly so for one so young; and she 
 used frequently to express a strong and de- 
 cided attachment to the Presbyterian church, 
 saying she could never leave it for any other. 
 We had some conversation on religious sub- 
 jects, and her views appeared to me very ma- 
 ture. But as she said very little about her 
 personal feelings, I did not then learn that she 
 was experimentally a Christian. The whole 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 59 
 
 tenor of her behaviour, as far as I saw, was 
 very exemplary. 
 
 " Her whole character I regarded as a well 
 balanced and matured one, and it presented 
 itself to me in the distinct traits of solid judg- 
 ment, united with quick perceptions, an un- 
 commonly retentive memory, and a warm and 
 affectionate heart. Of her pastor she very 
 often talked to me, and always in the most 
 affectionate and enthusiastic terms. 
 
 M. P." 
 
 The following extracts from her correspon- 
 dence with her friend, will show the state of 
 her mind at this period : 
 
 To Miss M. I. 
 
 "Philadelphia, Oct. 1, 1845, 
 
 " Alas, my dear Mary, you ask 
 
 me to pray for you. How can my prayers 
 be availing, if you do not pray for yourself? 
 I do pray for you. Every week — nay, of- 
 tener, my petitions are directed to the throne 
 
60 MEMOIR OP 
 
 of grace in behalf of one whom I shall always 
 love dearly. Pray for me, and do not grieve 
 the Holy Spirit of God, lest he never return. 
 
 Martha." 
 
 To the Same. 
 
 Philadelphia, November 27, 1845. 
 
 (i Do you remember the Saturday 
 
 concert now? I hope you do. I believe I 
 have never omitted it once since we com- 
 menced ; and the subject of the letter of De- 
 cember, I hope you w T ill endeavour not to 
 forget. I do not intend ever to forget these 
 things; and they are of too much importance 
 to give them a small place in my heart. They 
 are worthy of all my attention, or they are 
 not worthy of any. Will you not bear me 
 company? I cannot bear to leave you behind 
 me when so much is at stake. Once, I know, 
 you thought of these things seriously. Do 
 not, Oh! do not neglect them now. I did not 
 feel at liberty to say any thing on the subject 
 when you were here. But will you not tell 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 61 
 
 me all your feelings, all your hopes, and all 
 your fears ? 
 
 " I know the world has charms for us. Oh ! 
 how important it is that we should choose 
 the good part while we are young, before the 
 sins and temptations of this busy world have 
 fastened themselves upon us ! Now, while 
 our hearts are susceptible, before they become 
 hard and insensible; 'now is the accepted 
 time, now is the day of salvation.' 
 
 Martha.' 5 
 
 The following entry is found on the paper 
 containing the dedication of herself to God. 
 
 "January 1, 1846. — Another year has 
 passed, and I desire to renew this dedication, 
 with an earnest prayer that I may be kept 
 more in the spirit of it through the coming 
 year. Lord, I am thine. Lord, save thou me, 
 I beseech thee, for thy Son's sake. 
 
 M. T. S. 
 
 In her sixteenth year." 
 Salem, New Jersey. 
 6 
 
62 MEMOIR OF 
 
 The usual Christmas holydays allowed her 
 to make a brief visit to her parents and friends 
 at home. 
 
 To Miss M. I. 
 
 Philadelphia, Feb. 28, 1846, 
 " How can I express to yon, my dear Mary, 
 the joy and gratitude I felt on reading your 
 letter? Have you indeed sought and found 
 the Saviour? If so, can it be in answer to my 
 prayers — prayers offered in so much unbelief 
 and faithlessness ? Yet it would be doubly 
 unbelieving and faithless to think they had 
 nothing to do with it. Now let me caution 
 you with the importunity of a friend, to rely 
 wholly upon God. Do not trust to yourself. 
 Repair often to the throne of grace, and be- 
 seech your heavenly Father for the gift of his 
 Holy Spirit. Take his burden upon you and 
 learn of him, for he is meek and lowly in 
 heart. But perhaps it is arrogant in me to 
 advise you, when I so much need advice my- 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 63 
 
 self. I am afraid 1 am declining in spiritual 
 things. I feel their importance as much, if 
 not more than ever; but I am not so earnest 
 in my endeavours after holiness as I was. 
 When I was at home, and had my own dear 
 pastor, and sat in our little church listening to 
 the words of eternal life that fell from his be- 
 loved lips, I felt willing to devote every thing 
 — my all to Christ's service. Now Satan 
 suggests, 'The Lord will not forgive; you 
 have vowed and not paid; you cannot expect 
 mercy.' Oh that I could say with a little boy 
 of whom I once read, c Mother, God is not 
 angry with me now ; I love you, I love every 
 body.' Will you pray for me? 
 
 " Have you ever read the memoir of Mary 
 Lundie Duncan? It is a most delightful 
 book, and I am sure you would like it. She 
 was the loveliest character I have ever met 
 with: the nearest being perfect. It is touch- 
 ing to read her journal. The humility and 
 dependence on God there manifested is asto- 
 
64 MEMOIR OF 
 
 nishing. Then she was so beautiful, so intelli- 
 gent. Too lovely a flower to bloom here; a 
 kind Providence transplanted her to flourish 
 in those regions where sin and sorrow never 
 come. There she rests on the bosom of her 
 Saviour, free from the troubles of this life. 
 No doubt she is casting her crown at his feet, 
 and saying, < Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Al- 
 mighty/ Oh! my dear Mary, can ive not 
 follow in the footsteps of this disciple ? Let 
 us try. 
 
 " Doddridge's < Rise and Progress of Reli- 
 gion in the Soul,' and the i Great Change,' 
 are highly interesting books. Do read them, 
 if you can procure them, with prayer. 
 
 "Would it not be delightful, if we could 
 join the church on the same day? Perhaps 
 you have not thought of it; and yet as you 
 have chosen, you think, the good part, you 
 will profess your faith, I suppose. But / 
 have waited long, trembling for fear of de- 
 ception ; and I am still no better. I do not 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 65 
 
 make progress in the Christian life as I ought. 
 I think I am not fit to make a profession; and 
 yet if I am not fit now, I never shall be. In- 
 deed I never can be worthy to partake of the 
 Holy Sacrament. Still, as it is an ordinance 
 of Christ, and a means of strengthening my 
 faith, I shall deem it my duty to connect my- 
 self with the church and become a Christian 
 by profession. 
 
 Martha." 
 
 To the Same. 
 
 Philadelphia, April 30, 1846. 
 . . . . " Our happening to have read the 
 same books would have argued some simi- 
 larity in our tastes, had they been of our own 
 selection. But I had no choice in any but 
 Doddridge's Rise and Progress ; the rest were 
 unexpected presents. Our liking them, how- 
 ever, implies that our tastes are alike; and I 
 have reason to hope they are, at least on the 
 subject of religion. We have both giver 
 6* 
 
66 MEMOIR OF 
 
 ourselves to the Saviour, and set out in the 
 path that leads to life. You, I have been told, 
 have professed Christ before men;* and ever 
 since I heard it, I have prayed daily that God 
 would uphold you by his free Spirit. When 
 I first felt my sin and flew to the mercy-seat 
 for relief, you always found a place in my pe- 
 titions; and since I have hoped I was a child 
 of grace, God alone knows how earnestly I 
 have prayed for your conversion. Now, Oh ! 
 can I be thankful enough ? I cannot express 
 my joy ; but I know that our Father can see 
 the depth of my gratitude. I trust the next 
 time we meet, we shall both be members of 
 the visible church ; and surely we shall love 
 each other more when we can rejoice in the 
 same Saviour, and feel that c he is able to keep 
 that which we have committed unto him 
 against that day/ Oh, it is enough to make 
 us joyful ! Did you ever feel so happy in all 
 your life? Did you ever experience such 
 * This proved to be a mistake. 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 67 
 
 peace? If you are at all like me, you rejoice, 
 but ' with trembling.' I find so much to re- 
 tard my progress — so much that binds me 
 down to earth, that sometimes I am tempted 
 to give up in despair. But Christ's strength 
 is 6 made perfect in my weakness,' and I know 
 he will save me. Do you feel as I do ? Tell 
 me all in your next 
 
 Martha." 
 
 Since her death, a small manuscript volume 
 has been found, containing a journal begun 
 while at school in Philadelphia. The memo- 
 randa are entered at irregular, and often dis- 
 tant intervals, just as a spare moment was 
 found ; and occasionally she seems to have 
 been interrupted in the very midst of an en- 
 try. She states that she had been accustomed 
 for some time previous, to write brief notices 
 in pencil, on detached slips of paper. These 
 were probably destroyed from time to time. 
 Her object in giving it a more permanent 
 
68 MEMOIR OF 
 
 form, she states thus : " that I may be able to 
 judge more correctly of my real character, to 
 advance in holiness, and to correct that which 
 is amiss." Brief and hasty as these notes are, 
 they give interesting and vivid glimpses of 
 what was going on in her experience. 
 
 "May 18, 1S46. — To-day I have done 
 many wrong things which must be corrected. 
 Oh, for more grace ! I got up too late this 
 morning; I must try to wake at five to-mor- 
 row. The first thing when I rise is, to kneel 
 and thank God for his mercies, and entreat a 
 continuation of them. By six, my dressing 
 and all will be done; I will then study till 
 breakfast, and after breakfast till school-time, 
 I must be careful to avoid smiling in school. 
 My father came to town to-day. Gracious 
 Saviour, be with him and bless him." 
 
 " Tuesday, May 19, 1846. I got up too 
 late this morning. I wish I could wake ear- 
 lier; and hope I may succeed to-morrow. I 
 was more careful to-day in school; and yet in 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 69 
 
 my most watchful moments, how many things 
 I do that are wrong. I took my Music lesson 
 this afternoon; have not wasted much time 
 to-day. Miss Strong wrote me a note to-day; 
 I love her much, she is so very kind. Fa- 
 ther and aunts went to hear Mr. Gough, the 
 famous temperance lecturer; but my head 
 ached so badly, that I did not go. I fear I 
 spoke impatiently to E. to-day. I must pray 
 to be more Christ-like. Oh! I am all sin and 
 uncleanness. Gracious Redeemer, purify me 
 by thine own blood. Wash me, and I shall be 
 clean. 
 
 Wednesday, May 20, 1846. I did not get 
 up at five this morning; to-morrow I must 
 make a double effort. At school as usual to- 
 day — knew all my lessons — my conduct pro- 
 per so far as I know. 
 
 " I have spoken impatiently and felt angry 
 to-day. Oh that I could control myself more. 
 Blessed Saviour, when will I be like thee? 
 Father in heaven, help me to do right — teach 
 
70 MEMOIR OP 
 
 me by thy word. 'Open thou my lips, and 
 my mouth shall show forth thy praise/ " 
 
 Thursday, May 21, 1846.— To-day much 
 as usual. Missed my history lesson — rather 
 uncommon, but every one fails sometimes. I 
 must wake at five to-morrow. S. E., M. N. ? 
 and E. here this evening. I am sorry to say 
 that I spoke impatiently; with some cause, it is 
 true, but still I ought to be more careful. Oh! 
 that I might be perfectly amiable. I fear that 
 few would think me a child of God. And 
 am I? — I will not doubt the mercy of God, 
 He has promised, and will he not perform? 
 I feel miserable to-night. Omitted reading 
 this morning. All comes of over-sleeping 
 myself." 
 
 Sunday, May 24, 1 846. I went to bed 
 earlier last night on purpose to wake early, 
 but did not succeed. I hope I shall to-mor- 
 row. Heard Dr. Krebs, of New York, preach 
 this morning. In the afternoon Mr. Moore, 
 a gentleman who was licensed at Salem, [five 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 71 
 
 years previously,] preached an excellent dis- 
 course from the text, — i Martha, Martha, thou 
 art careful and troubled about many things: 
 but one thing is needful.' Oh! may /attend 
 first to the one thing needful. 
 
 Much to my disappointment, M came 
 
 in and stayed all the evening. I endeavoured 
 to make it profitable, but only with partial 
 success. I knew it was not right to spend 
 Sabbath hours in that manner. But aunt did 
 not think it was advisable for me to say so. 
 I will try to avoid it, if spared, till another 
 Sabbath. I do so many things wrong that I 
 almost despair of forgiveness. My heart is 
 wrong. I must return to God more fully this 
 very night and beseech his forgiveness." 
 
 Monday, May 25th, 1846. — Rose at five; 
 had much freedom and earnestness in prayer. 
 But how many sins have I to mourn over! 
 Alas, that my heart is so hard — so full of un- 
 belief. Have suffered exceedingly from head- 
 ache to-day. But I must not repine. God 
 
72 MEMOIR OF 
 
 chastens me for good, and I will bow submis- 
 sively to his will. I have endeavoured to act 
 aright to-day. Have not heard from home 
 for some time, but hope I shall soon. I must 
 bear the dear ones there oftener to the mercy- 
 seat. Oh, that they may be all born again! 
 The state of religion is low in Salem. Lord, 
 revive thy work and pour out a blessing. 
 The rain has cooled the air. Lord, I thank 
 thee that the oppressive heat has abated." 
 
 " Wednesday evening, June 3d, 1S46. — 
 Heard Rev. Mr. Palmer preach from the text 
 — 6 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and 
 just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us 
 from all unrighteousness.' A most searching 
 sermon. Oh, that I might profit by it! But 
 I am so cold and have so many sins to mourn 
 over." " I am trying (Oh, how hard!) to do 
 right; and yet I am all sin and pollution. I 
 trust in Jesus' dear name for pardon and sane- 
 tification. Mary I. has not joined the 
 church: it was a mistake: I am sorry to hear 
 it was not true." 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 73 
 
 The last remark has reference to the friend 
 1o whom she felt so tender an attachment, and 
 for whose conversion she longed and prayed 
 so earnestly. There had been an interesting 
 revival in the congregation where her friend 
 resided; and through some mistake she had 
 been told that Miss I. was one of its sub- 
 jects. The reader has already seen the trans- 
 port of joy and gratitude with which she re- 
 ceived the intelligence. A letter now unde- 
 ceived her, and the sentence above records 
 the sorrowful disappointment. Her feelings 
 are better expressed in a letter to the young 
 lady herself. 
 
 "Philadelphia, June 1, 1846. 
 " And is it possible, my own beloved Mary, 
 is it possible that you love novel-reading more 
 than heaven — more than God — more than 
 your Saviour? Can you reflect on this all- 
 important subject; can you consider it fully? 
 and yet cling to the paltry pleasures of a silly 
 7 
 
74 MEMOIR OP 
 
 story ? Suppose you were to die — yes, my 
 dearest Mary, die — what would it profit you? 
 Oh! how would you feel when, standing be- 
 fore the bar of God, you heard your Saviour 
 saying — ' you have despised my mercy, slight- 
 ed my love; depart from me into everlasting 
 darkness?' I entreat you to consider this. 
 Will you not — Oh! will you not receive Christ 
 as your Saviour? He is an all-sufficient, an 
 ever-willing and merciful Redeemer; who 
 will take you to his bosom and give you grace 
 to act a better part. Oh! how shall I tell you 
 my grief at hearing you are not determined 
 to serve the Lord. I cannot urge any more 
 effectual reasons. I cannot tell you how much 
 I desire you to be a Iamb of Christ's flock. 
 But I can pray for you, and that I most cer- 
 tainly will do. 
 
 " 1 do not read novels. I think it would 
 be wrong. When my mind is mature — when 
 I can turn from a romance to the Bible with 
 as much delight; then, and then only, will I 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 75 
 
 indulge in novel-reading. And can I not per- 
 suade you to make the same resolution? Go 
 to the throne of grace, and lay your whole 
 heart before God. Confess little sins, sins of 
 thought as well as of deed. Think not it is 
 too much trouble, but tell your heavenly Fa- 
 ther every thing; and relying on his strength, 
 go forth with the firm determination to serve 
 the Lord. Consecrate yourself unreservedly 
 to him, and may the Spirit of all truth over- 
 shadow you and lead you in the way of life. 
 
 " My cousins are in the parlour, and I am 
 in the dining-room. A letter to a dear, kind 
 friend occupies me; the piano them. I prefer 
 my employment. I will remember you more 
 particularly in our Saturday concert: and as 
 for myself, pray that I may love Christ and 
 hate sin more. Mary, my prayers will do no 
 good, unless seconded by yours. But I hope 
 that you will remain cold no longer, but con- 
 secrate the morning of your days to Him 
 who bought you with his own precious blood. 
 
 Martha." 
 
76 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Reference has been already made to the 
 constraint laid upon her feelings when she 
 first entered school in Philadelphia. After a 
 time, however, she found a few of her fellow 
 pupils like-minded with herself on the subject 
 of religion; and their souls were immediately 
 knit together as the soul of David and Jona- 
 than. With two, at least, of these, she held a 
 free and confidential correspondence by means 
 of little notes. These were written hastily^ 
 with pencil, in leisure moments; but they re- 
 veal the serious, earnest, and devout character 
 of her religious feelings. Her teachers, also, 
 interested for her spiritual welfare, made such 
 approaches to her on the subject as caused 
 her to disclose the state of her mind to them. 
 One of them put into her hands with a note ? 
 James' Anxious Inquirer, which she read, and 
 returned with the following answer. 
 
 " My dear Miss L., 
 
 " I fear it is presuming in me to write to you 
 without an invitation. But I feel too deeply 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 77 
 
 the kindness that induced you to lend me the 
 book I return, not to thank you for it. Al- 
 though I hope that I am not now only < the 
 Anxious Inquirer/ still I found it no ineffec- 
 tual guide in leading me to look only to Jesus. 
 I liked the chapter headed < Perplexities of 
 Inquirers/ particularly; and though I found 
 some parts not peculiarly applicable to me, it 
 was, on the whole, a book I very much need- 
 ed. I read it as you requested, seriously and 
 prayerfully, with attention to the directions 
 in the preface, and must again gratefully ac- 
 knowledge the kindness which led you to 
 offer it to me. 
 
 "I have a friend, whom I think seriously 
 inclined. With your permission I should 
 like to lend it to her; and if I do not ask too 
 much, I should be exceedingly obliged for 
 another note to 
 
 Your affectionate pupil, 
 
 Martha T. Sharp." 
 
78 MEMOIR OP 
 
 One of her schoolmates, Miss Elizabeth 
 D., of whom her teacher speaks as " an in- 
 teresting young Christian/' addressed her a 
 note on the subject of their experimental 
 views and feelings. After an apology for 
 the seeming abruptness of the correspondence, 
 and a hope that Martha would not like her 
 less for the liberty she was taking, she says: 
 "It was with great pleasure that I learned 
 you had become a Christian. (Miss S. told 
 me.) We are now, if indeed believers, sis- 
 ters in Christ." She then inquires of Martha 
 respecting the personal comfort of her reli- 
 gious experience ; stating that contrary to what 
 she anticipated before her conversion, her 
 own joy had been mingled with a painful 
 sense of remaining imperfection and sin, and 
 that she could feel comfortable only in a trust- 
 ing dependence on Christ. After speaking of 
 prayer, in which she advises her friend to 
 employ an audible voice, the note concludes 
 with a few words of encouragement, fortified 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 79 
 
 by pertinent texts of scripture. To this note 
 Martha gave the following reply. 
 
 " My dear Lizzy, 
 
 I do love you more for the note you wrote 
 me, and take the earliest opportunity of an- 
 swering it. I have hoped I was a Christian, 
 and for several years have been very serious. 
 But I am continually fearful of being deceived ; 
 and every day I see so much wickedness in 
 my heart, that I often think I am not a child 
 of God. Often I do not want to pray. Are 
 you not shocked, dear Lizzy? Never mind, 
 I will tell you. I sometimes feel a disincli- 
 nation to prayer, and when I do pray, it 
 seems as though it was no prayer at all. Did 
 you ever feel so? I do not suppose you ever 
 did: but perhaps you will not dislike it that I 
 have told you about it. I have often felt 
 great relief in praying aloud; but here [in the 
 city] I can seldom have an opportunity to do 
 so for fear of being heard. At home I can 
 
SO MEMOIR OP 
 
 go away to a little room adjoining mine, and 
 no one is near but God. Then I can pour 
 out my whole heart to him; and when I rise, 
 I feel happier and holier. I enjoy it very 
 much ; and this makes me think I am a Chris- 
 tian. Besides I have given myself to God, 
 and he has promised to receive me. There 
 can be no presumption in taking him at his 
 word. I do not feel perfectly happy ; but I 
 feel happier than when I thought God was 
 angry with me. You are young, Lizzy, and 
 I think you not inconsistent. You know 
 how far you have tried to do right, and God 
 looketh at the heart. Perhaps we can help 
 each other. Wo'n't you please answer me 
 
 very soon? 
 
 Yours affectionately, 
 
 Martha." 
 
 The other notes of Miss D. have not been 
 found. But the following written by Mar- 
 tha to her, will show the character of their 
 intercourse. 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 81 
 
 To Miss E. D. 
 " My dear Libby, 
 
 I have not entirely forgotten to write to 
 you; but I have so many other things to do, 
 that I am often at a loss for time. I am sen- 
 sible, deeply sensible, of the solemnity of 
 devoting myself entirely to the Saviour; and I 
 scarcely think any one could regard it in a 
 more serious light than I do. But then as 
 Christ commanded us to acknowledge Him 
 before men — and I know he never commands 
 any thing that we cannot do — 1 think we 
 ought to obey him. I am always afraid of dis- 
 honouring him. Or if I have been deceived, 
 and am still * in the gall of bitterness and the 
 bonds of iniquity,' the thought of it makes 
 me shudder. I earnestly desire holiness; and 
 it must be God who is < working in me both 
 to will and to do.' I will trust him; and if I 
 perish, will perish at his feet. 
 
 Yours affectionately, 
 
 Martha." 
 
82 MEMOIR OP 
 
 To the Same. 
 " My dear Lizzy, 
 
 " I have kept the book longer than I intend- 
 ed, but I hope you have not needed it. I am 
 sitting by the open window, and I can look 
 out on quite a large and pretty yard before it. 
 The air is cool and delightful; the sun is just 
 shedding his departing rays on the opposite 
 buildings; and I cannot help raising my heart 
 up to God in gratitude for his many mercies. 
 Oh! Lizzy, there are times when I surrender 
 myself entirely to Jesus; when, placing my 
 all in his hands, and accepting him as my all- 
 atoning Saviour, I can say — ( my Lord and 
 my God.' No doubt you have often felt so ; 
 and was it not — next to the time when you 
 first believed yourself a child of God — the 
 happiest moment of your life? Do you not 
 love at the close of the day to verify that 
 most beautiful hymn, the first stanza of which 
 is— 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 83 
 
 " C I love to steal awhile away 
 From every cumbering care; 
 And spend the hours of setting day. 
 In humble melting prayer.' 
 
 "A Christian indeed must have written that 
 sweet hymn; and none but a Christian can 
 feel its whole touching import. There is 
 something very delightful in going to God 
 with freedom, and telling him all our sorrows 
 and trials — in casting all our care on him 
 who careth for us. These are moments of 
 almost too much joy; but how soon, how very 
 soon do they often pass away, and leave us to 
 mourn over that sin which estranges us from 
 our God. Yet while we mourn sincerely for 
 our guilt, surely it is a test of our religion. 
 I could not write in this manner to you, but 
 that I think you can sympathize with me. 
 That chapter is very precious.* Trials and 
 temptations await me, I know; and to whom 
 
 * One to which her friend had probably referred in her 
 
 note. 
 
84 MEMOIR OP 
 
 but Christ can I go then? Lizzy, answer me 
 one question — a question of deep importance 
 to me — one of such moment that I feel op- 
 pressed when I think of it. You have seen 
 me this winter; you know, at least you have 
 seen my imperfections; and do you think I 
 ought to join the church? Please answer 
 
 me soon, Libby. 
 
 Affectionately, 
 
 Martha." 
 
 " The following note was written by her at 
 a time when there was a little persecution in 
 the school. I think it speaks a Christian's 
 heart; and it is my firm belief that Martha 
 was a Christian, and is now happy in heaven. 
 
 Elizabeth D." 
 
 " My dear Libby, 
 
 I have but a word to say, for time is short. 
 You know that Christians are often reproached 
 on account of their religion. ' Blessed are ye 
 when all men shall speak evil of you falsely 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 85 
 
 for my sake,' is a comforting passage. Look 
 to Jesus in this trial; and if you think you 
 have done entirely right, you will be satisfied. 
 I would take no notice of those girls who 
 taunt you. Bear and forbear is a precious 
 motto. that /could practise it. 
 
 Your sympathizing friend, 
 
 Martha." 
 
 To Miss E. D. 
 
 " Mr DEAR LlBBY, 
 
 I was very glad to get your note; and hope, 
 with you, that a kind Providence ordered for 
 your good what has passed. God does all 
 things Well; and if in every trying dispensa- 
 tion, we recognised his hand, would it not 
 make us patient and humble? ' Before I was 
 afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept 
 thy word,' is language not confined to the 
 sweet Psalmist of Israel. Besides, affliction 
 is a proof of God's affection. He ' chasteneth 
 every son whom he receiveth.' I did sym- 
 pathize with you, dear E.: I know you can- 
 8 
 
S6 MEMOIR OF 
 
 not very well conceal your feelings, and I saw 
 that any taunts would hurt you very much. 
 But now, it is all over; and I do hope it has 
 not been in vain for any of us. 
 
 Your affectionate friend, 
 
 Martha." 
 
 The following notes were written in the 
 same manner, and during the same period to 
 Miss Louisa B., another of her schoolmates. 
 The notes of Miss B., to which these are re- 
 plies, except one, have not been found; but 
 the import of them can be inferred from the 
 language of these. 
 
 To Miss L. B. 
 "No, my dear Louisa, I am not a. profess- 
 ing Christian; but I hope I am one in heart, 
 and may be one soon by profession. Your 
 question was not regarded as impertinent. I 
 was not aware that you were a member of the 
 
 church. 
 
 Yours affectionately, 
 
 Martha." 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 87 
 
 To the Same. 
 
 " My dear Louisa, 
 
 Nothing could have given me more plea- 
 sure, than the opportunity of writing to you 
 a note on so interesting a subject. As I know 
 your time is very much occupied, I will send 
 this first, in hopes of a speedy answer. For 
 four years this spring, I have been the sub- 
 ject of serious impressions. I have not inten- 
 tionally resisted them. On the contrary I 
 have always felt willing to become a Chris- 
 tian—not only willing, but anxious. At one 
 time I was on the eve of connecting myself 
 with the church ; but unforeseen circumstances 
 prevented me. I do not know but it was for 
 the best. Sometimes I have felt as though 
 my heart were so hard that I could not be a 
 Christian. Then, again, I have been willing 
 to give up every thing, and would melt into 
 tears at the thought of my Saviour dying for 
 me. Thus I have continued vacillating be- 
 tween two opinions: — and now the solemn 
 
88 MEMOIR OP 
 
 question is, am I a Christian? I have given 
 myself to Christ; but often have I vowed and 
 not paid, and Oh! my unbelief — I fear that is 
 the grand obstacle. In short, I know how 
 often Christ has invited me to come; and 
 though every day on my bended knees I im- 
 plore his Holy Spirit and plead his promises, 
 I do not love him as I ought. I do not hate 
 sin as I ought. Oh! the sinfulness, the hard- 
 ness of my heart. I can cry out, in the lan- 
 guage of inspiration, ( How long, Lord! 
 how long?' Pray for me that I may be led 
 in the right way, and at last saved through 
 the merits of Christ. Do you think under 
 such circumstances I ought to join the church? 
 Of course no one, not even A., will see these 
 
 notes. 
 
 Yours affectionately, 
 
 Martha." 
 
 In her reply to this note her friend says, 
 " I feel utterly incompetent to advise you. 
 If you should not be so happy, nor make the 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 89 
 
 progress you desire, do not be discouraged, 
 but persevere in your determination to serve 
 the Lord. Examine yourself and see if you 
 have truly repented of sin, and are indeed de- 
 sirous to lead a new life. But, Martha, you 
 must not look to yourself for encouragement; 
 for you will daily become sensible of your 
 own weakness. But look to Jesus. He has 
 said, ' My grace is sufficient for thee.' Have 
 you made known your feelings to any one? 
 I think you should consult a suitable adviser. 
 If you feel that you are a Christian, it is un- 
 doubtedly your duty to confess your Saviour 
 before men, as he has commanded. That 
 you may be enabled to live a life of faith, and 
 at last be received by Christ into his kingdom, 
 
 prays your sincere friend. 
 
 Louisa." 
 
 " My dear Louisa, 
 
 I was very glad to receive an answer to 
 your note so soon; especially as you have so 
 little time. I am very much obliged to you 
 
90 MEMOIR OF 
 
 for it. I know all the promises you repeated 
 to me; and as I told you, it is my unbelief 
 that prevents me from receiving them. I do 
 not mean that I do not believe they are true. 
 No, far from it. I know they are true; but 
 I do not derive suitable benefit from them as 
 yet. God, I tremblingly hope, has begun a 
 good work in me; but how am I to be sure it 
 is not a delusion of Satan. You say that you 
 are not competent to advise me, and that 1 
 ought to consult one who is. But I have a 
 strange reluctance to speak to any such per- 
 son. Mr. Helm, our pastor at Salem, has 
 often spoken to me on the subject, and asked 
 me to tell him my feelings. But I could not 
 do so: it was an impossibility. I have tried 
 to speak, but it seemed as though I had not 
 the power. I can write about my feelings; 
 but when I attempt to tell them to any one 
 whom I feel to be so much superior to me as 
 he is, I am so agitated as to render it impos- 
 sible for me to proceed. I tell you all this 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 91 
 
 in confidence, Louisa; for I feel it is better 
 for me to tell some one, and as you are the 
 only one of my Christian companions that 
 ever spoke to me on the subject, I do not 
 know but it is well for me to do it. Can a 
 person be a Christian and do as I sometimes 
 do ? I will explain myself. At times, when 
 I rise in the morning, I feel no inclination to 
 pray. I think 1 have no time. I will do it, 
 I say, after awhile. School time arrives, and 
 I have not yet sought my God. Yet I do not 
 feel the compunction I ought. Sometimes I 
 pray when in this frame, but it is not prayer. 
 Then, at times, I feel no inclination to go to 
 church on week days here. (It was not so 
 when my pastor preached.) It is not often 
 this is the case ; I wish I could say never. 
 Then I sometimes give way to my temper; 
 and I would give nothing for the Christianity 
 which does not make one more amiable. I 
 do not think I trust to myself. I know I can 
 do nothing without God. But every day 1 
 
92 MEMOIR OP 
 
 become more sensible of my sinfulness, and 
 
 I cannot tell what to do. God, I know, can 
 
 make my heart new, and I hope and trust he 
 
 will. I will pray, and watch, and hope that 
 
 I may be enabled to become a Christian. Do 
 
 not let any one see this, and answer me as 
 
 soon as possible. 
 
 Martha." 
 
 " My dear Louisa, 
 
 I intended to write to you to-day, before I 
 received your note; and I suppose it will not 
 be less acceptable for coming so soon after 
 yours. As I know you are occupied, and 
 often unable to find time for writing, I intend 
 never to wait. I am not so unhappy as I 
 was. I trust 1 have given myself entirely to 
 God; and I believe that Jesus is not only able 
 but willing to save me. There surely can 
 be no presumption in taking him at his word. 
 He says, « Him that cometh unto me, I will 
 in no wise cast out.' He died for sinners: 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 93 
 
 he offers to save them. I am a sinner; he 
 died to save me. He offers me salvation; I 
 am willing to receive it; I embrace him with 
 my whole heart; I surrender every thing to 
 him with the full persuasion that as he has 
 promised so he will perform. I doubt not he 
 has received me. As far as I know my own 
 heart, I am devoted to him, willing to die for 
 him, if need be. I feel my unworthiness 
 deeply; but his righteousness overbalances it. 
 I have stated my feelings to you: am 1 right? 
 As to making known my feelings to my pas- 
 tor, I shall do so when I join the church; 
 which I feel it is my duty to do. I am sin- 
 cerely obliged to you for your interest in me. 
 I have read "the Anxious Inquirer," and 
 trust it was a valuable guide to me. Write 
 
 soon. 
 
 Martha." 
 
 " My Dear Louisa, 
 
 I was just on the point of writing to you to 
 ask whether you had given up writing to me, 
 
94 MEMOIR OP 
 
 when I received your note. I hope that I 
 shall persevere in well-doing. I know that 
 of myself I can do nothing; but Christ's 
 strength is perfect in my weakness. I am 
 not so happy as I expected to be ; for I find 
 within me much sin, and I have continually 
 to fight against my indwelling corruption. 
 Although often my heart would persuade me 
 not to pray, and though Satan insinuates I am 
 not a Christian, still while I feel myself walk- 
 ing quite another way, new desires, new af- 
 fections, love for things I once hated, an over- 
 whelming sense of sin and hatred of it, and 
 love for Christ; can 1 doubt that the grace of 
 God has renewed my heart? I am endeavour- 
 ing to do right, and hope that I may have a 
 part in the kingdom of heaven. I cannot but 
 think that God has forgiven my sins ; it would 
 be charging him with deception not to believe 
 his promises. Good bye, dear Louisa. Write 
 
 soon. 
 
 Martha." 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 95 
 
 " Really, dear L., I have been too negli- 
 gent, not to have answered your kind note 
 before. But believe me, it was not wilful. 
 I have not had time ; and even now I might 
 be studying my history lesson. I hope and 
 trust I am doing as far right, as my poor sin- 
 ful heart allows me. I do believe Christ is 
 my Saviour, and can say with Thomas, ' My 
 Lord, and my God.' Good bye, Louisa. An- 
 swer my necessarily short note by a long one 
 very soon. 
 
 MARfHA." 
 
 " My dear Louisa, 
 
 "I have not forgotten to write to you; 
 but my time is so occupied that I can only 
 spare a minute now and then. You are very 
 kind to take so much interest in me; but I 
 think I can sympathize in your earnest desire 
 to have all your friends Christians. It is the 
 great thing. God alone knows how anxiously 
 I wish that my companions could sympathize 
 with me; and how often I have longed to find 
 
96 MEMOIR OP 
 
 some one who felt as I feel. I fear that time 
 is far distant. I do not believe any one was 
 ever so sinful as I am. There may have been 
 such; but they cannot have felt that almost 
 utter hopelessness which sometimes depresses 
 me. what would I not have given, had I 
 possessed a friend to whom I might have 
 told my sorrow. I forget that I have a Friend 
 — a Friend who has commanded us to tell him 
 every thing; and now that I have found him 
 I can rejoice. But I am often prone to fear 
 I am not a Christian. I know I am not such 
 as I ought to be. But I have felt my need of 
 a Saviour, and so longed for him, that now, 
 although vile and sinful, I cannot relinquish 
 the hope that Christ is indeed my Saviour. 
 Your friend, 
 
 Martha." 
 
 " My dear Louisa, — 
 
 I do not suppose I can long have the 
 pleasure of writing to you. The holydays 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 97 
 
 are fast approaching, and then, you know, I 
 am going home, and perhaps 1 may never see 
 you again. I have all your notes; and it will 
 be very pleasant to read them over and think 
 of my school days in Philadelphia. The 
 other day Mr. Adams, a minister who stayed 
 at my uncle's during the General Assembly, 
 gave me Hodge's ' Way of Life,' and inside 
 was a little note, which you may read if you 
 would like to do so. Did you tell Miss Strong 
 about my interest in religion? She said she 
 had heard it; but did not tell me from whom. 
 I could not think of any one but you; but 
 perhaps more know it than I thought. I feel 
 a little sorrowful that I am going to leave you 
 all so soon; but I dislike to be away from 
 home too much to come back next year. 
 And now, dear Louisa, I wish to consult you 
 about my joining the church. Do you think 
 I ought to join it when I go home ; or should 
 I wait longer? Do you observe any change in 
 me? Do you suppose any one would think 
 9 
 
98 MEMOIR OF 
 
 me to be governed by the high and holy mo- 
 tives of love to God, and love to man ? I 
 feel my constant sinfulness, my great prone- 
 ness to do wrong; but Christ is an all-suffi- 
 cient and an ever-present Saviour. Are you 
 not tired of me? Answer soon. 
 Your friend, 
 
 Martha." 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 ' There is a magic in the name of home, 
 
 A charm which even the callous bosom knows, 
 
 And Oh! when from its precincts dear we roam, 
 How brightly each loved scene in memory glows.' 
 
 " A home — that paradise below, 
 Of sunshine and of flowers, 
 Where hallowed joys perennial flow, 
 By calm, sequestered bowers." 
 
 The reader has already seen the strength 
 of Martha's home feelings. She loved her 
 friends, her teachers, and her studies : but her 
 heart turned with constant longings to her 
 
100 MEMOIR OF 
 
 'own country home.' There were her pa- 
 rents and their other children. Her church, 
 her Sunday school, her pastor were there ; 
 and there was her heart also. It was there- 
 fore with almost an ecstasy of delight, that on 
 the last day of June, she returned to the 
 bosom of her family, and to the scenes she 
 loved so well. Owing to the state of her 
 mother's health, it became necessary for her 
 to assume part of the cares of the family ; 
 and by this means a considerable portion of 
 her time was occupied in domestic duties 
 during the summer and autumn. On this ac- 
 count a long interruption occurred in her 
 journal, and for two or three months her let- 
 ters to her friends were sparing. She still 
 maintained her correspondence with her early 
 school mate. 
 
 To Miss M. I. 
 
 "Salem, August 1, 1846. 
 . . . . " How true is the adage, ' every 
 year flies faster;' and Oh ! how important it 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 101 
 
 is, that we should improve the little period 
 that is left, and fit ourselves for a holier and 
 happier existence. I am sorry, very sorry, 
 you imagine you cannot give up novel-reading. 
 You can, my dear Mary, and you must. 
 Some time you will have to do so. You can- 
 not carry novels to the grave ; and in the un- 
 tried world, the long eternity to which we 
 are hastening, there are no sensual pleasures, 
 Think on these things. Place before you the 
 good and the evil, and choose speedily to re- 
 nounce a right eye or a right hand sin, rather 
 than spend your life in the paltry gratification 
 of novel-reading, and in treasuring up wrath 
 against the day of wrath. 
 
 " Forgive my speaking so plainly, and do 
 not think I mean to dictate. You are not 
 happy, because you are not holy. Perfect 
 happiness is not our lot here below. In this 
 vale of tears, sorrow and trouble must come, 
 and only in heaven can we be perfectly 
 blessed. There, no suffering, no parting, no 
 9* 
 
102 MEMOIR OF 
 
 tears disturb its inhabitants ; but in the light 
 
 of the Lord, the Lamb, they find that peace 
 
 which the world can neither give nor take 
 
 away. 
 
 Martha." 
 
 The following notices will show how reli- 
 gion mingled in her views and feelings with 
 every tie and incident. 
 
 "September 6, 1846. — Since I last wrote, 
 (in her journal,) a sweet little brother has 
 come to gladden us. How fervently ought 
 we to pray that God would early call the 
 sweet bud to partake of the blessings of his 
 salvation, and shed the graces of his Spirit on 
 his tender heart. Oh! that he may become, 
 indeed, an heir of the promises." 
 
 "September 7, 1846. On Friday, Mr. Helm 
 returned from Newport, his health extremely 
 delicate. He has an internal tumour in his 
 side which, father thinks, arises from seden- 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 103 
 
 iary habits. I am afraid we shall not have 
 him long ; but I will hope for the best. My 
 beloved pastor, my kind spiritual father, how 
 can I thank him enough for all his kindness ! 
 Yesterday morning he preached, but the heat 
 was enough to overcome any one in health. 
 Last evening he spoke impressively of the 
 wrath of God now abiding on the impenitent 
 sinner. Oh ! how carefully should we exa- 
 mine ourselves that we may be sure to escape 
 that anger! Does it rest on my head? I 
 trust the righteousness of Christ has dispelled 
 the cloud, and now I am cheered by the smiles 
 of a reconciled God. . . Mary I. is in a dread- 
 ful state of mind. What am I to do ? I can 
 pray — and pray for her I must. When shall 
 / be more like Christ ? Lately I have en- 
 joyed more peace, and, I trust, know some 
 little of that joy which is unspeakable. But 
 all my desires are cold and languid ; and i 
 long to reach that blessed rest which remains 
 for the people of God. There in the blaze of 
 
104 MEMOIR OP 
 
 eternal day, where every one is holy and hap- 
 py, and the Lamb is the light and the glory: 
 in that heaven I shall be happy in tuning my 
 voice to the new song, and in striking my 
 harp to the praise of Him that was slain. 
 
 "lama Sunday School teacher, and I feel 
 deeply — but not near enough — the solemn re- 
 sponsibility which rests on me. May I be 
 enabled to discharge faithfully the duties of 
 my office ! 
 
 "A solemn question is — ought I to com- 
 mune ? I would join the church, but I am 
 still so sinful that I fear my friends would not 
 be willing. Yet God, who knows my heart, 
 knows that my whole soul is in religion, and 
 that I do desire to live for Him, and Him 
 only. 'Lord, decide the doubtful case.' 
 
 "Sept. 13, 1846. — I have felt, for some time 
 past, a desire to tell Mr. Helm what I felt, and 
 Saturday evening I wrote to him stating how 
 earnestly I desire to serve the Lord, how un- 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 105 
 
 worthy and sinful I felt myself, and asked his 
 advice as to joining the church. I gave it 
 to Mrs. H. on Sunday morning, and very 
 kindly he answered it right away, so that I 
 received a long answer from him in the eve- 
 ning." 
 
 The following is the letter to which allu- 
 sion is made above: 
 
 "My dear Pastor, 
 
 I have made many ineffectual attempts to 
 speak to you of the state of my mind; but I 
 find it entirely impossible to converse about 
 my own feelings. To you, of all others, I 
 desire to make them known ; for I have had 
 sufficient reason to think you are interested 
 for my eternal welfare. I take the liberty of 
 \friting to you that which I can never find 
 confidence to say. I do not remember having 
 resisted the influences of the Spirit at all ; but 
 have always felt anxious to become a Chris- 
 tian. That Sunday night you conversed with 
 
106 MEMOIR OF 
 
 me and urged me to go, just as I was, to a 
 merciful Saviour, saying, "Lord, if thou wilt, 
 thou canst make me clean," I endeavoured to 
 do so. I gave myself entirely to the Saviour. 
 I renounced every thing worldly, and conse- 
 crated every thing to God. 
 
 When I think how often I have broken that 
 solemn vow, how feebly I have tried to live 
 as a Christian, I almost despair, and am afraid 
 no one would think I had set out in the f way 
 of life.' But I do love the Saviour: I am 
 anxious to renounce every thing and follow 
 Him. 
 
 I need advice, and feel that you are willing 
 to give it. I cannot thank you enough for 
 your kindness to me; neither can I tell you 
 how gratefully and affectionately I always 
 think of you. Do you think I ought to join 
 the church? I have felt my unworthiness al- 
 most too much to think of it; but I do long 
 to commune with you, and I feel that the or- 
 dinance was instituted for such as I. Often I 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 107 
 
 do very wrong things, which I wonder at. 
 This discourages me. Do advise me. Will 
 you forgive my silence when you have spoken 
 to me on this subject? Indeed it was not un- 
 willingness to tell you all, but my feelings al- 
 ways overpowered me too much to answer 
 you. May I ask your prayers? 
 
 Martha." 
 
 Seeing no reason to doubt that the work in 
 her heart was of God's Spirit, I sought to ob- 
 viate her difficulties, and to encourage her in 
 the step she had so much at heart. Of this, 
 she speaks in her journal as follows: 
 
 "My pastor says he thinks I am entitled to 
 the privilege. ... I do feel my sinful- 
 ness. But I have given myself to the Saviour; 
 I do love Him ; I am determined to live for 
 Him, and Him only. Perhaps it may be bet- 
 ter to wait; but I long to commune. I have 
 waited already, but my anxious inquiry is, will 
 I succeed by longer delay? Am I a Christian, 
 
10S MEMOIR OF 
 
 or am I not? I cannot doubt the mercy of 
 GocU 'My grace is sufficient for thee/ is the 
 promise. 
 
 'Oh ! that I had a stronger faith. 
 To look beyond the vale ; 
 To credit what my Saviour saith, 
 Whose word can never faii.'" 
 
 Oct. 1, 1S45. — She writes to her friend. 
 Miss M. I., as follows : 
 
 •'You must know that since my last letter, 
 we have had a dear little brother added to our 
 family circle; and the duties which such a 
 pleasant event never fail to bring with it, have 
 confined me very much. I laughingly say 
 that he was my birth-day present, for he was 
 born on the morning of my sixteenth year. 
 How I wish you could see him. / think he 
 is prett} 7 ; but a fond sister cannot see impar- 
 tially, and from all I can learn of other babies, 
 his appearance is not at all uncommon. But 
 I do think his eyes are beautiful. They are 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 109 
 
 ' deeply, darkly, beautifully blue/ the perfect 
 azure of a clear summer sky; and they look 
 at you so cunningly, that you fairly love him 
 for their sakes. Now you may consider your- 
 self flattered that I have talked so much about 
 him, for I take it for granted you are inte- 
 rested in all my affairs. Are you not, dear 
 Mary? I can imagine your silent assent. I 
 will carry the question farther, and ask, will 
 you please to be interested in all I am going 
 to say, and weigh it carefully before you throw 
 it aside, perhaps, for ever? 
 
 "You ask me about dancing; and perhaps 
 you will think me too strict when I tell you, 
 that as a Christian, I cannot approve of it. 
 It is perfectly v consistent with the character 
 and aims of those who profess to live only 
 for this world. But for those who, having 
 * cast away the works of darkness/ are press- 
 ing forward ' to the mark for the prize of the 
 high calling of God in Christ Jesus/ to coun- 
 tenance and enjoy it, is wrong, decidedly 
 10 
 
110 MEMOIR OF 
 
 wrong. I do not speak of the 6 charm of so 
 light and graceful an amusement.* I suppose, 
 in itself considered, and as an exercise, there 
 is probably no harm in it. But could a Chris- 
 tian go from prayer to a dance? Or could he 
 return from it and with a peaceful and happy 
 heart, bow before Him who is of pure eyes, 
 and cannot look upon sin but with abhorrence? 
 Ah! my Mary, think of it in this light. Do 
 not parley at the positive amount of harm it 
 contains. But reflect upon the high calling of 
 a Christian. Think of the glorious home to 
 which he is hastening, and for which he is 
 preparing; of the Saviour, the saints and an- 
 gels with whom he is to live eternally; and 
 answer me conscientiously, does this amuse- 
 ment advance him one step in his life of pre- 
 paration ? Does it make him any more meet 
 for the kingdom of heaven? Does it not ra- 
 ther lead him away from God, and fix his af- 
 fections on this world? Oh! how anxiously 
 do I wish you to think as I do! You are not 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. Ill 
 
 happy, and it grieves me to find it so. The 
 tears that are in my eyes now, are not the 
 first that I have shed for you; and the prayer 
 with which I have written this letter, is one 
 of a thousand of the same character. Your 
 only happiness in novels and company! Oh! 
 do, do seek for a better kind. Go, I beseech 
 you, to your heavenly Father; confess your 
 sins: say, < Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make 
 me clean.' Give him your whole heart: re- 
 nounce every sin, taking up every duty : so- 
 lemnly dedicate yourself to God, and Oh! 
 may the God of grace help you to keep his 
 laws! The Saviour is waiting to be gracious. 
 Can you, will you, refuse to accept his proffered 
 mercy? I am distressed for you. Do, Oh! 
 please do, give yourself to the Saviour. My 
 time will not permit me to write longer; but 
 if you will only do this, you will experience 
 that peace which passeth all understanding. 
 God bless you, my dear Mary — God in his 
 mercy bless you. 
 
112 MEMOIR OF 
 
 " P. S.— Oct. 2. The synod of New Jersey 
 will meet at Trenton on the 20th of this 
 month. Mr. Helm is going, and would will- 
 ingly take charge of me if I could go. It 
 would be very delightful, for then I could get 
 to see you. But father and mother do not 
 seem willing, and I must relinquish the 
 thought. It is a disappointment, but then it 
 is all for the best. Is it not sweet to feel that 
 your heavenly Father is making every thing 
 work together for good ? Then indeed you 
 can bow submissively to his will, and give up 
 every thing to his disposal. We must expect 
 trials here, and how happy we are if we can 
 say, 
 
 { J Tis my happiness below, 
 
 Not to live without the cross, 
 But the Saviour's power to know 
 Sanctifying every loss? 
 
 "I wish you knew Mr. Helm; he is so good, 
 so kind, so gentle. I am sure if he was my 
 father, I could not love him more. If you 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 113 
 
 could have seen his benevolent eye, and heard 
 the sweet tones of his voice when he con- 
 versed with me about religion, and if you 
 could see him in the pulpit and listen to him 
 preaching, you would love him too. He has 
 been very kind to me; and I do not believe 1 
 could have been what I am, had it not been 
 for his influence. I have much, very much 
 to tell you, if I could only see you. Write 
 soon, dearest Mary, without waiting the 
 whole month; and do tell me that you are 
 differently occupied. Be happy, dear Mary ; 
 you can, and I fondly hope you will. 
 
 Martha." 
 
 "October 3. — This afternoon I attended the 
 preparatory lecture before the communion. 
 Mr. Helm preached from the text, 6 Sanctify 
 yourselves, for to-morrow the Lord will do 
 wonders among you/ He said it was not 
 the mere verbal application of the words to 
 the occasion, that had induced him to select 
 10* 
 
114 MEMOIR OP 
 
 this text. It involved this general principle, 
 that when we desire and expect special mani- 
 festations of divine grace to our souls, we 
 should be in a suitable posture to obtain and 
 receive the blessing. ! that the Lord would 
 pour his Spirit upon us here, and bless our 
 pastor's labours! Mr. H. lent me " Russell's 
 Letters," which I find very interesting. May 
 they prove useful to me. I think, on the 
 whole, I live nearer to God than usual. I find 
 it very comforting to commit every thing 
 into his hands, and trust his grace completely. 
 " On last Sunday Barbara was removed to 
 Miss H. Hancock's class. I hope the change 
 may be useful. It was a trial to part with 
 my best scholar, but I was enabled to acqui- 
 esce. I have now . She is rather vola- 
 tile, but I hope she may be benefited. 
 
 is an interesting little girl. I trust the Sa- 
 viour will call her by his grace. is very 
 
 backward. I must endeavour to instruct her 
 faithfully. and appear to be nice 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 115 
 
 children! that they may all give their 
 hearts to God ! Blessed Saviour, fit me for 
 my duty, and enable me to perform it aright. 
 
 " The steamer Great Western encountered 
 a terrible storm on her last passage to New 
 York. Dr. Scott, Mr. Helm's friend, was on 
 board. The scene must have been superla- 
 tively awful. How agonizing must have been 
 the feelings of those who were without God 
 in the world, and how painfully must they 
 have listened to every boding sound ! But 
 those who had the blessed hope of life and a 
 glorious immortality beyond the grave, must 
 have felt then the value of that grace which 
 robs death of its sting. 
 
 " Oct. 17, 1846. Contrary to my expecta- 
 tions, father has given his consent that I shall 
 go to Trenton with Mr. H., and on Monday 
 we start. May the services of Synod be use- 
 ful to me; and may I do some good ! Lord, 
 be with and bless me. I may see Mary I. 
 Blessed Saviour, lead her unto a perfect know- 
 
116 MEMOIR OF 
 
 ledge of thy will. I trust I am making daily 
 progress; though to-day my thoughts have 
 been set too much on things below. To- 
 morrow is the blessed Sabbath: I am trying 
 to prepare for it. Oh ! that it may be pleasant 
 to me! Lord, forgive all my sins, and love 
 me freely for thy mercy and thy truth's sake." 
 According to her desire, Martha accompa- 
 nied her pastor to Trenton, and was present 
 at the meeting of Synod. Her regard for the 
 ministers of Christ, her interest in all that 
 pertained to the prosperity of the Church, and 
 her delight in religious exercises, rendered 
 this visit peculiarly gratifying. She attended 
 even the business sessions of the body with 
 so much punctuality, and took so much inte- 
 rest in all its proceedings, that the friends 
 with whom she stayed pleasantly rallied her 
 upon her zeal. In a letter to a friend, she 
 says, " You are perhaps aware that our Synod 
 met in Trenton this year. I went with Mr. 
 H., and had a most delightful time. I heard 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 117 
 
 Dr. J. Addison Alexander preach." 
 
 "At the late meeting of the Presbytery of West 
 Jersey, various committees of ministers were 
 appointed to visit the several churches within 
 its jurisdiction, in order to awaken some 
 religious interest." In her journal, " Nov. 
 11, 1846. Miss E. was here this morn- 
 ing, and we had a delightful conversation. 
 She says that Drs. Chester and Van Rensse- 
 laer are coming _to endeavour to awaken some 
 religious interest. Oh! thou blessed Spirit, do 
 thou work here: shed on us thy transforming 
 influence. I must make it a special object of 
 prayer that their visit may be blessed. Dear 
 Mr. Helm, how I wish the people would love 
 him more! His body is wasting rapidly. Oh 
 dear, if I could only make them think as I 
 do ; — could make them love, revere, and con- 
 sult him. However, as long as I live, I will 
 do all I can for him. 
 
 "Nov. 16, 1846. To-day the sun shone 
 once more. How pleasant again to see his 
 
118 MEMOIR OF 
 
 rays ! May the Sun of Righteousness arise to 
 me with ..healing in his wings! Yesterday 
 morning Mr. Helm preached from Peter's de- 
 nial — the Saviour's look — Peter's repentance: 
 a truly affecting sermon to me. In the eve- 
 ning he preached from the text, Grow in 
 grace. It ought to occasion great heart- 
 searchings. I trust I am slowly making pro- 
 gress. 
 
 'Often I find my sinful heart, 
 Prone from my Saviour to depart.' 
 
 But He who called me hy his grace, has still 
 made that grace sufficient for me. For ever 
 blessed be his holy name ! Let all the people 
 say, Amen." 
 
 To Miss M. I. 
 
 « Salem, N. J., December 1, 1846. 
 
 " Last evening there was a special 
 
 prayer-meeting in the church, for the descent 
 of the Holy Spirit upon us, and it was a very 
 solemn occasion. During the late sessions of 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 119 
 
 our Presbytery, Drs. Chester and Van Rens- 
 selaer were appointed a committee to visit us 
 and endeavour to awaken some religious in- 
 terest here. They are expected to-day, and 
 to-night there will be service. Oh that the 
 Lord would visit us and bless us. Pray for 
 us. 
 
 "I feel myself incapable of advising you, 
 dear Mary; but are you not unwilling to give 
 yourself wholly to the Saviour? God's Holy 
 Spirit does not generally influence the heart 
 very suddenly : it is usually a gradual thing. 
 You should not expect to feel all at once — 
 every thing you wish. The Spirit of God is 
 convincing you now of your sin. You are a 
 great sinner, Mary. You are not in much 
 danger of feeling too keenly the turpitude of 
 your guilt; and the awful conviction of it 
 should lead you with a broken and contrite 
 heart to seek for mercy and forgiveness 
 through the precious blood of Christ. That 
 peace-speaking blood cleanseth from all sin, 
 
120 MEMOIR OF 
 
 however aggravated: and oh! my beloved 
 Mary, trust in it entirely. You are not re- 
 quired to feel penitent and very much inclined 
 to be pious, as a sort of warrant to go to God. 
 Do not wait for right feelings. Go to your 
 closet, — confess all your sins, — entreat God 
 for more contrition : throw yourself on his 
 mercy, and give up every thing to him ; say, 
 ' Lord, I am a poor sinner, hard-hearted, im- 
 penitent; I can do nothing of myself: but I 
 beseech thee for forgiveness in the name of 
 thy only begotten and well beloved Son.' If 
 you only believe in him as you ought, you 
 will obtain that peace which passeth all un- 
 derstanding. But if you are not willing to 
 give yourself to God, then I can say no more. 
 If you are not willing to do every thing in 
 your power for Him who offered up his life 
 on the cross for you, you cannot share in the 
 blessings of God's grace. But I cannot think 
 you are reluctant to do it. You must make 
 sacrifices, Mary. The world and its gayeties 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 121 
 
 are not to be sought. Dancing, which you 
 now like, will not be consistent with the 
 Christian profession which, I hope, you will 
 make some time. Now the question is — are 
 you going to choose the inheritance of the 
 saints, the fellowship of God, the communion 
 of the Holy Spirit, the blessed privileges and 
 glorious hopes of a Christian ; or will you 
 choose the ivorld, with its fleeting enjoyments, 
 its heartless formalities, and at last a never- 
 ending state of misery? God in mercy grant 
 that you may be enabled to say, ' As for me, 
 I will serve the Lord.' You said nothing of 
 novels in your last letter. Oh! my dear Mary, 
 do give them up. I want to feel confidence 
 in you, to feel that you can fully sympathize 
 with me; and this I cannot do if you are go- 
 ing to array yourself on the side of the world. 
 I would say one thing more about them [no- 
 vels.] If you love them better than heaven, 
 do you not fear hell ? There is nothing more 
 calculated to put serious impressions to flight, 
 11 
 
122 MEMOIR OF 
 
 than novel-reading; and I would beseech you, 
 by every solemn consideration, to read no 
 more of them at all. But time is speeding to 
 midnight and however much I might wish to 
 write longer, I must bid you good-bye. God 
 bless you, my own dear Mary. 
 
 Martha." 
 
 "Dec. 20, 1846. — I can scarcely think this 
 year has so nearly gone. Every year flies 
 faster. Moments pass almost unheeded, and 
 soon days, and months, and years will be swal- 
 lowed up in eternity. This is the Sabbath. 
 Mr. H. preached this morning from the words, 
 'Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.' 
 If there are any in our congregation who are 
 in this state of mind, Oh! that they may come 
 to an immediate decision, and choose the Lord 
 as their portion. This afternoon, at the Sab- 
 bath school, I endeavoured to press the sim- 
 plest truths of religion home to the children's 
 hearts. But they are very young, and human 
 nature is very depraved. Yet surely my 
 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 123 
 
 prayers will be answered. Oh! what joy 
 would it give me to see them Christians: and 
 then, I hope, I could ascribe all the glory to 
 God. 
 
 "According to appointment of Presbytery, 
 Drs. Chester and Van Rensselaer visited our 
 church. The sermons of Dr. C. almost drove 
 me to despair; but I have been enabled to 
 trust myself renewedly to the Saviour. Dr. 
 C. asked me if I intended to join the church 
 this communion. ... I have thought 
 deeply about it. My sincere and earnest 
 prayer is, ( Lord, what wilt thou have me to 
 do?' I have given myself to God, and I de- 
 sire to live like a Christian. Sometimes I 
 feel the love of God ; at other times I almost 
 doubt the reality of my conversion. Yet I 
 feel I ought to obey the Saviour's dying com- 
 mand. I long to be numbered among his 
 people; to partake of his supper; and though 
 1 go forward with trembling — almost distrust- 
 ing my right to the ordinance, yet afraid to 
 
124 MEMOIR OP 
 
 neglect it — still I trust in the promised grace 
 of Jesus Christ. I must talk with my pastor 
 once more; and 0! that I may approach the 
 Lord's table aright. Oh! the sinfulness of my 
 heart! Will it ever be cleansed entirely from 
 its pollution ? This year has been very sinful. 
 Yet I feel there has been a manifest progress. 
 Oh ! shall I be able to say the same, if I live 
 till the close of the next? Before another 
 year has gone I may be joining the anthems 
 of the redeemed. I may be casting my crown 
 at the feet of Him who has washed us in his 
 own precious, priceless blood, and realizing all 
 the untold blessedness and glory of the heaven- 
 ly world. 
 
 "Oh ! glorious hour. Oh ! blest abode, 
 I shall be near, and like my God ; 
 And flesh and sin no more control 
 The sacred pleasures of my soul." 
 
 To a cousin in Philadelphia, she thus ex- 
 presses the congratulations of the season: 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 125 
 
 "A merry Christmas to you, my dear S. E., 
 unsullied by any disappointment or sadness, 
 is a wish that comes from the very bottom of 
 my heart. I feel sure that you will enjoy this 
 universal season of gladness. But has not 
 the past year appeared unusually short to you? 
 I can scarcely realize that it is so nearly gone. 
 Last year I waited so anxiously for the holi- 
 days, that it seemed as if Christmas would 
 never come. Now it is here before I have 
 even thought of it. Do you not remember 
 when a year seemed a great while to look for- 
 ward to ? Now it appears a very short time 
 indeed. Thus it is. Our life, from its short- 
 ness and vanity, is Mike a tale that is told.' 
 How important, then, that we should prepare 
 for a better and eternal state of existence. . . . 
 
 " I find that this letter cannot reach you be- 
 fore Christmas. I will, therefore, extend my 
 good wishes. May you, then, have a happy 
 New Year. May no affliction sadden it. 
 Above all, may you, this year, seek for that 
 11* 
 
126 MEMOIR OP MARTHA T. SHARP. 
 
 enduring treasure which cannot pass away. 
 May you, this year, seek and find that Saviour 
 who can fill your heart with the peace of God 
 which passeth all understanding, and enable 
 you, in all the changes of this weary life, to 
 rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 
 May you give your whole heart to Him to 
 whom it is entirely due ; and relinquish all 
 the vanities of this world for the glorious 
 hopes and privileges of a Christian. And 
 when you are called away from earth, may an 
 entrance be ministered unto you abundantly 
 into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and 
 Saviour, Jesus Christ." 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 " Tis done, the great transaction's done, 
 
 I am my Lord's, and he is mine ; 
 He drew me, and I followed on, 
 
 Charmed to confess the voice divine. 
 High heaven, that hears my solemn vow. 
 
 That vow renewed shall daily hear ; 
 Till in life's latest hour I bow, 
 
 And bless in death a bond so dear." 
 
 At length the happy hour arrived which 
 had so long been to Martha the goal of her 
 aspirations. She was permitted to say pub- 
 licly, " I am the Lord's ; to call herself by the 
 name of Jacob, and to surname herself by the 
 name of Israel." On the paper containing 
 her consecration of herself to God, is found 
 
128 MEMOIR OP 
 
 the following entry. " January 1, 1S47. 
 Again I am about to testify my willingness to 
 live to the Lord. The past year I trust I 
 have felt more love to Christ and enjoyed re- 
 ligion more. I have seen the Saviour full of 
 grace and truth, as the chief among ten thou- 
 sand and altogether lovely : and have been 
 enabled to cast all my care upon Him. Next 
 Sabbath I expect for the first time to com- 
 memorate his dying love. Oh ! that I may 
 find him very precious, and live the coming 
 year much holier than I have ever yet lived. 
 I feel myself unworthy, and not Jit to com- 
 mune, yet his grace is all-sufficient and I 
 trust I shall be supported by his Almighty 
 hand. I want to feel my unworthiness more, 
 that I may be very humble. Lord, I am 
 thine : willingly — unreservedly — perpetually 
 — only thine. < Whom have I in heaven but 
 thee? and there is none on earth that I de- 
 sire beside thee.' 
 
 Martha." 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 129 
 
 Having been admitted by tbe Session of the 
 Church, on the first Sabbath in January she 
 made a public profession of religion. Her 
 exercises in prospect of this important step 
 were of a deeply solemn and earnest charac- 
 ter. Never has her pastor witnessed more 
 unaffected sincerity and more trembling con- 
 scientiousness, than she manifested on this oc- 
 casion. " In the morning of the day on 
 which she joined the Church," says her moth- 
 er, " before it was light I heard her voice in 
 prayer ; and she continued her supplications 
 until I feared she would take cold." It was 
 a day of days to her rejoicing spirit. In her 
 journal she says, — " January 3, 1847. — 
 This day I professed my faith in Christ : 
 publicly gave myself to him: and declared 
 that Him only would I serve. If I know my 
 heart, it is my earnest desire to devote every 
 thing to the Lord. I am willing, dear Sa- 
 viour, to take up my cross and follow thee. 
 I am very sinful, and know that I can do 
 
130 MEMOIR OF 
 
 nothing of myself; but the blood of Jesus 
 Christ cleanseth from all sin, and on that 
 blood and perfect righteousness I place all my 
 
 dependence. Ruth H , Louisa B , 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. H , joined also. Oh ! that 
 
 our names may all be put down in the Lamb's 
 book of life! As I review the past, I cannot 
 but praise God. I have often thought, surely 
 I shall one day perish ; but here I am, God's 
 right hand upholding me. He has led me by 
 a way that I knew not, and enabled me to re- 
 alize bis constancy and kindness. May I 
 tremble at the bare thought of bringing re- 
 proach on the cause of Christ. I wish to live 
 a life of holy circumspection, that I may 
 adorn my profession. I shall have many 
 things to guard against. I must not care for 
 the applause of men, but my earnest desire 
 and effort must be to be blameless before God. 
 So help me, Lord Jesus, to live only for thy 
 glory." 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 131 
 
 She refers to the joyful event in a letter to 
 her friend Miss I. 
 
 "Salem, N. J., Feb. 1,1847. 
 I am behind the time, dearest Mary, as 
 well as yourself. But I have a very good rea- 
 son for my remissness. Yesterday was the 
 holy Sabbath, and of course I could not write. 
 Do you think we enjoy Sunday as we ought? 
 Do you feel it to be a very delightful day? I 
 trust I can say I do in some degree: but how 
 cold and feeble my feelings are! Nothing at 
 all in comparison of what they ought to be. 
 I read a book some time ago in which the 
 writer spoke of the hymn, 'Welcome, sweet 
 day of rest,' coming over his soul as though 
 the morning stars were singing praises to 
 their Maker. It seemed like a very beauti- 
 ful idea, and reminded me of an old and devo- 
 tional hymn, in which speaking of the stars 
 the poet says, 
 
 •For ever singing as they shine, 
 The hand that made us is divine. 7 
 
132 MEMOIR OF 
 
 " It greatly rejoiced me to hear that your sis- 
 ter was enabled to trust in Jesus before her 
 death; and I hope she is now singing the 
 praises of her Redeemer. I feel deeply for 
 1 hose i poor, little, motherless ones.' May they 
 be guided to eternal life by that Saviour who, 
 when on earth, blessed little children. V. 
 also shall have my prayers, dear Mary. If 
 she will only trust in the Saviour, she will 
 find a friend who will ' watch for her good ' 
 more than the tenderest mother could do. 
 Tell her that if she chooses Him, she will 
 find perfect peace; but without Him she will 
 be miserable. May I hope that you can say 
 this to her, feeling its truth yourself? 
 
 " I hoped you would tell me something of 
 your own feelings. But there was nothing 
 in your letter that could lead me to suppose 
 you were looking to the Lamb of God. Will 
 you think me foolish for bursting into tears 
 when I read it? Oh ! if you only knew how 
 earnestly 1 long for your conversion, you 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 133 
 
 would not think it strange. Oh! my dearest 
 Mary, do seek the Saviour. Do not look for 
 any thing good in yourself; but believe that 
 Jesus can wash you in his blood from all sin. 
 Cast all upon him, and the peace of God, 
 which passeth understanding, will fill your 
 heart. 
 
 "Perhaps you have heard that I united my- 
 self with the church at the last communion. 
 It was after much prayer and self-examination, 
 through much doubt, and opposition, and hesi- 
 tation that I applied for admission; but it was 
 in accordance with my settled conviction of 
 duty, and I feel very, very happy that I have 
 professed my love for the Saviour. I will not 
 attempt to describe the exercises of that solemn 
 but delightful day. I only hope that some 
 time you may experience the same yourself; 
 then you will know, in some degree, my feel- 
 ings. When I think of all my short-comings 
 and sins, I am ready to tremble, and to ex- 
 claim, I shall one day perish. But God's 
 12 
 
134 MEMOIR OF 
 
 right hand is still upholding me, and I trust 
 he will still make his grace sufficient for me. 
 Pray for me always, dear Mary ; I need your 
 prayers very much. There is one more idea 
 which I wish to give you. Jesus says, * If two 
 of you shall agree on earth touching any thing, 
 it shall be done of my Father in heaven.' 
 Now, Mary, are you in earnest when you say 
 you are a sinner ? Are you seeking salvation 
 with your whole heart ? Are you praying for 
 your conversion earnestly , per sever in gly > im- 
 portunately? If so, you cannot 'fail of the 
 grace of God.' Is there not some darling sin 
 to which you cling? If you do not answer 
 these questions to me, I wish, I entreat you 
 to answer them to God, and to yourself. 
 
 "Artemesia V.'s grandfather is dead. 
 He was in his eightieth year, and has now 
 gone, I trust, to < enter into the joy of his 
 Lord,' and is tasting the heavenly blessedness. 
 We shall miss him in our prayer meeting. He 
 was a man of prayer. But he is now done 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 135 
 
 with every earthly ordinance, and is perfectly 
 happy in the presence of the Lord. Mr. 
 Helm preached the most beautiful and com- 
 forting; funeral sermon I ever heard. His text 
 was — i Willing rather to be absent from the 
 body, and to be present with the Lord.' Oh! 
 Mary, let us make our calling and election 
 sure, so that to die will, to us, be gain. 
 
 Martha." 
 
 United to the people of God, not only in 
 spirit, but by a visible relation, the character of 
 Martha now shone forth with equal sweetness 
 and lustre. The reader has already perceived 
 the depth and tenderness of her religious feel- 
 ings; and will readily suppose that she was ear- 
 nest and constant in the personal and private 
 duties of a Christian. Prayer was to her much 
 more than a duty. Such was her view of the 
 solemn employment, that it did not seem pray- 
 er to her unless, in quiet seclusion, she could 
 behold, so to speak, the face of her Redeemer 
 with special nearness, and pour out her whole 
 
136 MEMOIR OF 
 
 heart at the mercy-seat. During the winter, 
 as it was not comfortable to spend much time 
 in her chamber without fire, she usually waited 
 in the evening until the family had retired to 
 rest, and closing the parlour, remained for 
 careful reading of the scriptures and secret 
 prayer. Long after the family was at rest, 
 her cautious step would be heard ascending to 
 her own apartment. "On very cold morn- 
 ings/' says her mother, "I would sometimes 
 step to her chamber to call her, as she re- 
 quested, but would invariably find her on her 
 knees, with an old cloak thrown over her shoul- 
 ders. That chamber is now a place hallowed 
 to me by the most tender and sacred associa- 
 tions. From it her spirit took its flight to 
 heaven." As she loved to use an audible 
 voice in prayer, the earnestness of her desires 
 sometimes led her, unconsciously, to elevate 
 her tones so that her mother has overheard 
 the supplications which were meant only for 
 the ear of God. They were marked by that 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 137 
 
 deep sense of sin and unworthiness apparent 
 in her whole experience; by such expressions 
 of contrition as her parent had heard from no 
 other lips; and by the mingled fervour and 
 confidence of one who felt that she was con- 
 versing with God, as it were, face to face. It 
 is not wonderful that if she was at any time 
 deprived of the opportunity of drawing nigh 
 to God in this unreserved and refreshing man- 
 ner, she felt the privation sorely. 
 
 Mention has been already made of the love 
 which Martha felt for the word of God. She 
 was accustomed also to the daily perusal of a 
 few — and only a few other books of devotion. 
 Early in her religious life, she read, with se- 
 rious attention, the " Rise and Progress of 
 Religion in the Soul." Afterwards she read 
 again and again, Willison's Sacramental Me- 
 ditations. For some time previous to her 
 death, a copy of Jay's Morning Exercises 
 was her daily companion; and if the text for 
 the day was particularly rich and practical, 
 12* 
 
138 MEMOIR OP 
 
 both it and the heads of remark were stored 
 in her memory for meditation in a leisure 
 moment. • 
 
 She loved the courts of the Lord, and took 
 unusual delight in his word and ordinances. 
 Before uniting with the church, a communion 
 season was not only a solemn but very inte- 
 resting occasion to her. While at school in 
 Philadelphia, she wrote as follows to a young 
 relative. "At aunt H — 's request I took 
 medicine and went to bed; and though quite 
 sick and unable to read much, I hope I have 
 spent a profitable Sabbath. I suppose you 
 were not at church this afternoon, as it was 
 communion. I always love to go on commu- 
 nion Sabbaths. The services are then so so- 
 lemn, and I always feel improved. There is 
 an awful separation between those who are 
 members and those who are not, which pre- 
 sents forcibly to my mind the separation 
 that will really take place at the judgment 
 day. I always feel sad that I am not one of 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 139 
 
 the number who partake of the blessed ordi- 
 nance." It was very gratifying to her feel- 
 ings, that while at school in Philadelphia, her 
 visits to her parents were so timed that she- 
 was at home every communion season. Her 
 attendance on all the public services was con- 
 stant and devout. The meetings for prayer 
 and the weekly lecture, no less than the Sab- 
 bath services were prized by her. The Lord's 
 day was to her indeed " a delight and honour- 
 able." She kept it holy with singular care 
 and fidelity. On that day she would not read 
 a religious paper, because the younger chil- 
 dren might not comprehend the distinction 
 between it and another newspaper; and be- 
 cause she wished to devote all the Sabbath 
 hours to the word of God and strictly devo- 
 tional reading. 
 
 Martha presented a beautiful example of 
 filial piety. The Divine command, "Ho- 
 nour thy father and thy mother," had its due 
 influence alike upon her feelings and her 
 
140 MEMOIR OF 
 
 conduct. She tenderly loved her parents and 
 reverenced their authority. " She was to 
 me," says her mother, " a most dutiful and 
 affectionate child. I cannot remember that I 
 ever detected her in a falsehood, or even a 
 slight intention to deceive." If reproved 
 for any little oversight or accident, she never 
 manifested the least displeasure. For a mo- 
 ment her countenance would indicate that 
 she keenly felt the censure; but not a syllable 
 of reply, or a gesture which indicated resent- 
 ment, ever escaped her. The verses ad- 
 dressed to her father and mother were writ- 
 ten before she went to Philadelphia, and evi- 
 dently express the spontaneous feelings of 
 her heart. After her return from school, she 
 continued her lessons in French, drawing, 
 and music. It was also her wish to devote 
 considerable time to reading. In this desire, 
 greatly to the regret of her parents, she was 
 much impeded by domestic cares. But it 
 gave occasion to display more clearly her du- 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 141 
 
 tiful spirit. She herself admitted, that she 
 possessed no taste for domestic employments, 
 and took no interest in them but from prin- 
 ciple and a sense of filial duty. At the same 
 time she felt the interruption which they oc- 
 casioned to her studies, not a little. Yet, 
 when the health of her mother rendered her 
 attention to them necessary; she cheerfully 
 sacrificed her own inclination, and with ex- 
 emplary patience endeavoured to promote the 
 comfort of the family. In regard to her own 
 wants, she manifested the utmost delicacy and 
 moderation. When she desired a piano forte, 
 she was careful not to evince any importunity, 
 lest her father might purchase it before it was 
 entirely convenient. After the instrument 
 was procured, she devoted herself to the les- 
 sons and practice almost as religiously as if 
 they had been enjoined by moral precept, be- 
 cause her father was fond of music. The 
 hope of imparting one charm to the family 
 circle, of beguiling a weary moment in her 
 
142 MEMOIR OP 
 
 father's professional life, or of attracting her 
 brothers to herself and home, was a motive 
 stronger than her personal accomplishment? 
 and invested the attainment with a higher 
 value than it possessed as a means of her own 
 gratification. 
 
 She was a tender and devoted sister. Con- 
 necting her views of religion with her sisterly 
 affection, the interest which she took in her 
 brothers and younger sister was almost ma- 
 ternal. She felt a great desire for their pro- 
 gress in knowledge. But above all she longed 
 for their conversion and everlasting welfare. 
 " She was in the habit," says her mother, " of 
 taking Sally and Maskell (the youngest two) 
 apart with her for prayer. Often when she 
 thought them asleep, they have heard her 
 voice in supplication. " Shortly before her 
 own illness, an interesting pupil of the Aca- 
 demy died; and she expressed the most anx- 
 ious desire that it might make a good impres- 
 sion on the mind of her brother who was 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 143 
 
 about the same age. Afterward, when that 
 brother was taken sick with scarlet fever? 
 and it became probable the disease would go 
 through the family; she told one of her pious 
 companions that she had earnestly prayed, if 
 it should be the will of God to remove any of 
 the family, it might be herself. She hoped 
 that she was prepared to die, but she had no 
 such hope respecting her brothers and sister. 
 As a member of the church, she was exem- 
 plary, devoted, and useful. Her standard of 
 Christian practice, like her standard of inward 
 holiness, was very high; and she endeavoured 
 to approximate more closely to the spirit and 
 example of the Saviour, day by day. She 
 loved the church of her Redeemer: and from 
 the time she could regard herself as a disci- 
 ple of Christ, it was evidently her highest 
 aim to live for him and Zion. Her heart 
 overflowed with^ love to the people of God. 
 On the thanksgiving day previous to her join- 
 ing the church, most of the congregation as- 
 
144 MEMOIR OP 
 
 sembled at the house of the pastor for friendly 
 intercourse with him and each other. That 
 house was, at any time, a favourite resort 
 with Martha. It was a rare thing that a 
 whole day passed without her being in it once 
 — often more than once. But she was wholly 
 in her element on the thanksgiving occasion. 
 The import of the day, the expression of re- 
 gard to her pastor, and the social greetings 
 of Christians — all harmonized exactly with 
 her feelings. It was a happy day to her. 
 She took her youngest brother with her, and 
 as he has since stated, retired with him before 
 they went, to pray that they might be blessed. 
 Since her death a member of the church in 
 humble life, related to the writer the follow- 
 ing incident connected with that day. " I had 
 no acquaintance with Martha, though I knew 
 her well enough by sight; nor did I know 
 that she was serious. But when I entered 
 the house, I was directed to a room in which 
 I found a number of girls. Martha immedi- 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 145 
 
 ately met me with a very kind and sweet ex- 
 pression, which was not only unexpected, but 
 produced an effect on my feelings that I could 
 not account for. But when I saw her stand 
 up for admission to the church, the recollec- 
 tion of her manner that day flashed upon my 
 mind at once. I then knew it was her Chris- 
 tian affection that gave her the peculiar expres- 
 sion which so touched my feelings." So it 
 was, no doubt. That almost electrifying be- 
 nignity of expression was no other than the 
 utterance of her love to a disciple of Christ 
 awakening its response in the mysterious sym- 
 pathies of the Christian bosom. 
 
 " Martha felt a peculiar tenderness for inqui- 
 rers. It awakened all her heart to know that 
 a person was anxious for salvation. This ten- 
 der solicitude was beautifully displayed in be- 
 half of one of her young companions just af- 
 ter she herself had joined the church. "My 
 intimate acquaintance with Martha," says 
 this young lady, "did not commence until I 
 13 
 
146 MEMOIR OF 
 
 had become interested in the great subject 
 which filled her heart. When I knew the 
 love of God to be the great theme in which 
 she took most delight, and perceived her in- 
 tense desire for the conversion of others, I 
 found it a very easy matter to unburden my 
 heart to her. I well remember her manner 
 when I first alluded to my feelings. She 
 clasped me warmly to her breast, and said, '0 ! 
 1 wish you would be persuaded to give your- 
 self at once to God.' I found her from that 
 moment, a kind, sympathizing and judicious 
 friend. She never lost an opportunity to as- 
 sist me. Often when every thing appeared 
 dark, her timely aid almost saved me from de- 
 spair. She was full of encouragement for me, 
 although I afterwards found her familiar with 
 the dark side, very suspicious of herself, and 
 constantly humbled with the view of her sin- 
 fulness and low attainments in piety. Yet she 
 skilfully pointed me to all that was consoling; 
 placed before me every promise which could 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 147 
 
 bring a ray of comfort; and when I found 
 peace in believing, her gratitude and joy were 
 boundless. . 
 
 " The anxiety manifested for all her uncon- 
 verted friends was remarkable. She watched 
 with the deepest interest every appearance of 
 seriousness, and never lost an opportunity of 
 increasing and encouraging it. * A word fitly 
 spoken, how good is it!' Her feelings were 
 very ardent, and having been directed in the 
 right channel, ran out in love to her Saviour 
 and all his people. She loved God's people, 
 because they loved her Saviour and were the 
 objects of his affection. Her attachment to her 
 pastor I have rarely seen equalled, and never 
 exceeded. I have often heard her remark, 
 that she hoped she could love any one who 
 should be placed over her as a guide in spiri- 
 tual things; yet she felt confident the precise 
 kind of regard she felt for her present pastor 
 could never again be felt. I well know the 
 feeling and the cause. 
 
148 MEMOIR OP 
 
 "In private conversation she invariably 
 chose religious subjects; and expressed fre- 
 quent regret that Christians should appear so 
 unwilling to converse on those subjects which, 
 to her, seemed sweetest. She often remarked 
 upon the glory of that better land where un- 
 disturbed communion with Jesus will be en- 
 joyed. After reading one of Russell's letters 
 which relates to the request of Zebedee's 
 children to be near Christ in his kingdom, 
 she said she could not feel satisfied with a low 
 place in heaven. Although she thought the 
 lowest seat an unspeakable privilege, and 
 more than she deserved; yet she wished to be 
 very near to God and to enjoy close fellow- 
 ship with the Saviour. Here she constantly 
 mourned over her imperfections, and felt that 
 her very best services were full of sin. She 
 longed to be more like Christ and to enjoy 
 more intimate communion with him. Now 
 she has ' risen and gone ' to a brighter and 
 better world; and we doubt not that she is 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 149 
 
 enjoying a very exalted station in the king- 
 dom of Christ. To her the Master has said, 
 ' Because thou hast been faithful in a few 
 things, I will make thee ruler over many 
 things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.' 
 May we all be found watching, and our 
 lamps trimmed and burning; that when the 
 cry is heard, 'Behold the Bridegroom cometh,' 
 we may enter in to the marriage supper of 
 the Lamb. S. G. C." 
 
 The following notes were written to this 
 friend during the spiritual conflict above re- 
 ferred to. They were pencilled on any scrap 
 of paper that was at hand, as she could snatch 
 a moment from other duties. 
 
 "My dear Sally, 
 
 I wanted to write you a little note, to tell 
 you how very, very glad I was that you felt 
 so much on the subject of religion, and that 
 we could sympathize so entirely with each 
 other. I do wish you could trust yourself to 
 13* 
 
150 MEMOIR OP 
 
 the Saviour, and give your whole heart 
 away to him. Jesus Christ came to save the 
 lost. Will you not believe that he is willing 
 to save you? Only confide in him, and you 
 will be happy. I could not say this to you, 
 for my emotions would not let me. But 1 
 felt 1 could write it ; and though I do not sup- 
 pose I could add any weight to the advice of 
 your kind brother, yet I wished to say some- 
 thing. I cannot bring any more arguments 
 than he has ; but I know that Christ is anxious 
 to have you come to him, and he will make 
 you feel those sins you mourn much more than 
 you now do. ' Oh ! taste and see that the 
 Lord is good: blessed are all they that put 
 their trust in him/ I hope you are already 
 a Christian. If not, may the Lord guide you 
 into all truth, and enable you to be one of the 
 few who find the way of life. This is my 
 sincere wish and prayer. 
 
 Affectionately, 
 
 Martha." 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 151 
 
 "I know I cannot say any thing to you 
 that would have more influence, if as much, as 
 Mr. Helm or your brother. But then I am so 
 anxious for you to feel that Jesus will pardon 
 all your sins. Perhaps, while you are endea- 
 vouring to trust in your Saviour, though every 
 thing is dark, the light will come at last, and 
 you will be enabled to rejoice in the hope 
 that all your sins are forgiven. Lose sight, 
 dear Sally, if you can, of the imperfections of 
 your views and feelings, and fix a believing, 
 trusting eye on the cross of the Saviour. — ■ 
 His precious, priceless blood can cleanse you 
 from all sin. Won't you try to-night to sur- 
 render all into his hands and leave the result 
 with him ? I know I cannot advise you as I 
 ought, but I can pray for you; and if I could 
 help you to come to the Saviour, it would 
 make me very, very happy. Confide to me 
 all your doubts and fears, and rest assured of 
 meeting the warmest, heartfelt sympathy. I 
 know no one can feel for you more than I do. 
 
152 MEMOIR OF 
 
 I can imagine all your perplexities; but if you 
 
 can only forget every thing but the Saviour's 
 
 forgiving love, you will be comforted, I know. 
 
 Do commit your whole soul into the Saviour's 
 
 hands. 
 
 Affectionately, 
 
 Martha." 
 
 " I can scarcely tell you, dear Sally, how 
 glad I was to find you felt more comfortably. 
 I have no doubt you will find peace, if you 
 continue seeking the love and favour of Jesus 
 Christ. You say, if you only knew that you 
 really loved the Saviour, you would be so 
 happy. Well, now, if you will reflect one mo- 
 ment, I think you will find you do. Do you 
 not love his people ? — because they are his ? 
 Do you not love his worship? Are you not 
 longing to be holy? Do you think, dear 
 Sally, that a heart which felt no love to the 
 Saviour would mourn over its sins and con- 
 stantly seek deliverance from them ? Do 
 you think you could find pleasure in holy em- 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 153 
 
 ployments, if you did not love Him to whom 
 they lead ? Would it not make you perfectly 
 miserable to be debarred from serving him as 
 long as you live? Think of these things 
 calmly and seriously, and if your heart does 
 not respond to them as you wish, I am very 
 much mistaken in you. Plead the promise, 
 6 Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise 
 cast out.' Trust yourself in the Lord's hands, 
 and leave the result to him. Dedicate your- 
 self solemnly to his service, resolved daily to 
 seek his sustaining grace. Cannot you leave all 
 in his hands and go forward in duty, though it 
 may be in the dark? 'Be careful for nothing; 
 but in every thing by prayer and supplication 
 let your requests be made known unto God, 
 and (mark the promise,) the peace of God, 
 which passeth all understanding, shall Jill 
 your heart.' I commend you to a covenant 
 God: may He guide you. 
 
 Affectionately, 
 
 Martha." 
 
154 MEMOIR OF 
 
 "It grieves me, dear Sally, to find you still 
 groping in the dark. I had hoped that you 
 would find peace in believing. You do not 
 know that you love God's people because they 
 are his ? I thought, after I wrote that ques- 
 tion, that it might confuse you. I appreciate 
 3'our fearfulness of ascribing your attachment 
 to them to the proper motive, lest you might 
 be deceived. But take a simple case. If 
 you already love a particular person, is not 
 your love sensibly increased, should you 
 learn that such a person loves the Saviour? 
 But I cannot make you see that you have the 
 right feeling. I hope you will look a little 
 deeper into your heart, and I am almost sure 
 you will find something encouraging. How- 
 ever, I am not certain. If we should search 
 for good in ourselves for ever, we should not 
 find it. Sure I am that if I should try to find 
 something in my actions this day to give me 
 a right to go to God, I would sit down in de- 
 spair. If I were to seek for that deep and 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 155 
 
 pungent conviction of sin, that intense love to 
 the Saviour, which I ought to feel, I could not 
 satisfy myself. Dear Sally, it is only by fix- 
 ing an eye on the cross that we can be happy. 
 I know I do not love the Saviour at all as 1 
 ought. But he does not say, if you do not 
 feel just so much affection for me, you cannot 
 be saved. All that is required is to feel your 
 need of a Saviour, and to trust him. We go 
 to Christ because we are unfeeling and hard- 
 hearted. He will make us feel our sins more. 
 I am sure I never cried 'God be merciful to 
 me a sinner,' with so much earnestness as I 
 have since I hoped I was forgiven. My sins 
 never grieved me half so much; and I am al- 
 most sure you will feel the same in your ex- 
 perience. I need your prayers, for I am weak: 
 but the grace of God is sufficient. Read the 
 Bible and pray, and I do hope you will be 
 happy. God bless you. 
 
 Martha." 
 
156 MEMOIR OF 
 
 " I received your note, dear Sally, yester- 
 day afternoon, and I assure you it gave me the 
 sincerest pleasure. I am truly glad you can 
 go to the Saviour just as you are — just as sin- 
 ful, hard-hearted, and unbelieving as you feel 
 yourself to be. Endeavour to trust his love. 
 He will save you, if you will only rely on his 
 promise. I trust you are not deceived ; I pray 
 that you may be led in the right way. How 
 glad your brother will be, when he finds that 
 you have given yourself to Christ. Did you. 
 notfeel very happy Thursday evening? There 
 is something so delightful in trusting our whole 
 soul into the Saviour's hands, and in feeling 
 he will 'save to the uttermost' all who trust 
 in him. We can rejoice now in one Saviour, 
 can we not? Do you not feel in your inmost 
 heart that Jesus is your Saviour? Do you not 
 love him very much? Let us both thank 
 God for bringing us to a knowledge of him- 
 self. Do not forget that praise is the Chris- 
 tian's employment. Endeavour to rejoice in 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP.* 157 
 
 the Lord. Each day commit your soul to him, 
 and I know you will be happy. Henry was 
 here last evening, and we spoke of those seri- 
 ous in the church. He said you seemed to be 
 in a great deal of trouble lately. / could have 
 told him 'good news,' but did not. Do you 
 go to Philadelphia on Monday? If so, be 
 watchful and careful. I suppose you are think- 
 ing of the words, Luke xxii. 19, last clause. 
 Seek direction from above in this important 
 matter. Ever your sincere friend, 
 
 Martha." 
 
 " If I could make you feel happier, dear 
 Sally, I should feel glad. But I am too inex- 
 perienced to advise. You ask about my feel- 
 ings. Ah! if you knew the coldness of this 
 heart; if you knew the sins I have commit- 
 ted since I professed to be a Christian, you 
 would not think of asking me to help you. 
 But I trust only in the Saviour's blood: it is 
 my sole dependence. I can truly say, that 
 14 
 
158 MEMOIR OF 
 
 without it I would be most miserable. I have 
 felt all you complain of. Sometimes I thought 
 I would trust Jesus for every thing. Again 
 I was afraid I had no right even to pray to 
 him. Those are sad times, dear Sally, when 
 the heart is nigh breaking, and yet cannot see 
 the way of pardon. Can you not give your- 
 self to Christ? My heart sympathizes with 
 you entirely. Sometimes the Lord hides his 
 face, and I feel ready to despair. I say, I shall 
 one day surely perish. But his sovereign, 
 amazing grace is still as efficacious as ever. 
 Do trust that grace. Are you perfectly will- 
 ing to forsake the world for God ? Is there 
 not some secret feeling of reluctance? I judge 
 by myself. I often wonder now that I ever 
 came to Christ. Yet I think I have come to 
 him. It was by a way I knew not. His 
 Spirit can do all things: trust him, if you pos- 
 sibly can. I really think it would have been 
 better to have come directly home last night 
 from prayer-meeting. I was too trifling. Am 
 I not sometimes a stumbling-block to you ? 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 159 
 
 When shall I be holy? Sometimes I think I 
 ought not to consider myself a Christian. But 
 I still endeavour to trust the Saviour. I wish 
 you could do so. I am afraid to tell you any 
 thing, for fear it might be wrong. But the 
 state of mind which distrusts every thin"- but 
 God is not wrong, I think. 'The heart,' you 
 know, 'is deceitful above all things, and des- 
 perately wicked.' Do not rely on it for a mo- 
 ment, but believe all your Saviour says. His 
 word can never fail; what he says is true: 
 trusting in him, you cannot err. You are now 
 young: do devote the best part of your days 
 to God. 
 
 The sermon was excellent, I thought, this 
 morning; but I felt too sick to enjoy it very- 
 much. Father and mother are not willing 
 for me to go to Sunday school in the rain. 
 Tell Mr. B. I am sick, and ask him to get a 
 teacher for my class. I am sorry I cannot 
 come: it is my first absence. 
 
 Yours affectionately, 
 
 Martha." 
 
160 MEMOIR OP 
 
 " I am gratified, dear Sally, that you have 
 resolved to profess your love to the Saviour. 
 I hope you will be very happy in the solemn 
 act. I have no doubt that you feel it to be 
 very solemn indeed; and that you are very 
 solicitous to profess your Redeemer in a fit 
 manner. I rejoice that you have resolved to 
 be a Christian ; and I know you are convinced 
 that religion affords the only true happiness. 
 I do not feel capable of giving you advice. 
 But I know if you trust the Lord completely ', 
 believe all his promises, and look to him con- 
 tinually for strength; if you distrust your own 
 heart and feel that you are an unprofitable 
 servant, not at all worthy of salvation, and 
 yet believe that for the sake of Jesus the 
 Lord will forgive and save; you cannot fail to 
 find peace. The Lord will be your guide 
 even unto death; he will sanctify your trou- 
 bles, dearest Sally; his gracious presence will 
 support you in afflictions; he will manifest 
 himself to you as a reconciled Father through 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP, 161 
 
 all the changes of this life; and when you are 
 called to pass through the dark valley of the 
 shadow of death, he will be with you and 
 guide you to heaven, where the Lamb that is 
 in the midst of the throne will lead you to 
 living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe 
 away all tears from your .eyes. Has he not 
 well said, < I will never leave thee nor for- 
 sake thee?' Answer this soon, and tell* me 
 all your fears and hopes. You know I sym- 
 pathize with you in every one of them. 
 Yours affectionately, 
 
 Martha." 
 
 " My dear Sally, 
 
 I have been up in my room reading, and 
 praying, and trying to draw near to God; 
 and I feel Christ to be very precious. When- 
 ever I am engaged in these delightful em- 
 ployments, my heart involuntarily turns to 
 you, and I think of our intercourse of late. 
 What pleasant times we have had together, 
 14* 
 
162 MEMOIR OP 
 
 talking about our own hearts and the Saviour, 
 and trying to be his entirely. Do not you 
 love to think of those moments, such as we 
 had at Mr. Helm's, in Caddy's room? I 
 have been reading your notes over again, and 
 thinking of your long and sad conflict, and 
 how pleasant it was for me to help you ever 
 so little. I feel grateful that you have really 
 set but in the Christian life: we can now sym- 
 pathize with each other entirely. I never 
 realized how much feeling and tenderness 
 was expressed in the hymn, 'Blest be the tie 
 that binds/ until I knew you. I think our 
 hearts are really united in Christian love; for 
 it was that which led to our friendship. I 
 know that I am deeply interested for your 
 spiritual welfare; and I cannot believe you 
 are regardless of mine. But, dear Sally, let 
 us try to be more holy. I am mourning 
 daily over my sinfulness, and yet I do not see 
 the improvement. Shall we not have a par- 
 ticular hour to pray for each other? Let us 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 163 
 
 take the promise, < If any two of you shall 
 agree respecting one thing, it shall be done of 
 my Father.' I have not the exact words, but 
 sufficiently near the meaning. Suppose at 
 seven o'clock in the evening we pray for 
 each other. If convenient, let us retire for 
 the purpose; but if not, you know our hearts 
 can be lifted up to God. We can include 
 Sally Ann* in our petitions, or any one for 
 whom we both feel interested. May not this 
 plan be beneficial? I think it is very delight- 
 ful to feel certain at a particular moment that 
 a friend is praying for us. It may relieve us 
 when in darkness, or under the hidings of 
 God's face. Will and I were talking of that 
 the evening he was here, and he said he thought 
 scarcely any one suffered more from occasional 
 depression than he. It is sad to see every 
 thing dark before us, as I sometimes do. 
 6 The heart knoweth its own bitterness.' But 
 
 * A young lady at the time anxious for salvation, since 
 admitted to the church. 
 
164 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Jesus is a tried and precious friend. Let us 
 trust him entirely. 
 
 With very much love, 
 
 Martha." 
 
 Her desire for the salvation of others was 
 habitual. There scarcely remains a letter, a 
 note, or even a composition which she ever 
 penned, that does not reveal the state of her 
 feelings on this great subject. In a note to a 
 relative, before she had joined the church, 
 she says, "I fear you may think it out of 
 place in one so young and erring to advise 
 you. But, although 1 have but little expe- 
 rience, I tremblingly hope I am not entirely 
 destitute of the knowledge of Him, whom to 
 know aright is life eternal. That you may 
 knowhim and surrenderyourself unreservedly 
 to him is the earnest and unceasing prayer of 
 
 Martha." 
 
 In a playful letter to the same cousin, writ- 
 ten with more abandon than she ever indulged 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 165 
 
 in another instance, she says: "How I came 
 to speak in so trifling a manner, I cannot ima- 
 gine. And now, I want to address you on a 
 subject which I fear will be unpleasant. I 
 only fear it will: I hope it wo'n't. We have 
 always been so intimate that there is no use 
 of avoiding the subject of our religious feel- 
 ings, while we speak about every thing else. 
 You know how I regard this subject. Do 
 you accord with me? Do you regard reli- 
 gion as the one thing needful? Oh! my dear 
 S. E., I cannot express to you how earnestly 
 I desire that you may sympathize with me 
 in this." 
 
 TO MY MOTHER. 
 
 My mother, words cannot express 
 The measure of my love : 
 
 Affection of no earthly mould, 
 But that of heaven above. 
 
166 MEMOIR OP MARTHA T. SHARP. 
 
 Oh ! could I tell thee how my heart 
 
 Is firmly bound to thine ! 
 Thy feelings of my own are part, 
 
 Thy sorrows all are mine. 
 
 Can I repay thee as I ought, 
 
 For thy unceasing care ? 
 I cannot ; but my Saviour will, 
 
 In answer to my prayer. 
 
 When he shall make his jewels up, 
 Among them thou wilt stand, 
 
 And strike thy harp to heavenly strains, 
 With the angelic band. 
 
 And wilt thou, in thy fervent prayers, 
 Thy covenant God beseech, 
 
 His gracious Spirit to impart, 
 Thy erring child to teach ?• 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 " Calm on the bosom of thy God, 
 
 Young spirit ! rest thee now ! 
 Ev'n while on earth thy footsteps trod : 
 
 His seal was on thy brow. 
 Dust to its narrow house beneath ! 
 
 Soul to its place on high ! 
 They that have seen thy peaceful death, 
 
 No more need fear t3 die. 5 ' 
 
 Martha now filled a large place both in the 
 affections and the hopes of her Christian 
 friends. They justly regarded her as one of 
 the brightest ornaments and most valuable 
 members of the church. Possessing a supe- 
 rior and well cultivated mind, an affectionate 
 disposition, and great sweetness of manners; 
 
16S MEMOIR OF 
 
 she was fitted to shine in any circle, and to 
 win the love of all who knew her. But reli- 
 gion was her chief adornment. To deep ear- 
 nestness in her personal feelings, she joined a 
 most attractive Christian character, and ex- 
 emplary zeal and energy in the cause of her 
 Redeemer. Ardent, but judicious; humble, 
 yet firm and decided; with every qualification 
 for usefulness; she seemed to have just entered 
 a luminous path, stretching onward and up- 
 ward through many years. With her gifts 
 and her devotedness, it was reasonable to hope 
 that she would be a blessing to her friends and 
 Zion. But already had she reached the cul- 
 minating point in her upward path; and one 
 brief, sad chapter must record all that remains 
 of her earthly history. 
 
 In the latter part of April she made a short 
 visit to her friends in Philadelphia, hastening 
 home for the meeting of the Presbytery in 
 the church at Salem, which she anticipated 
 with great interest. Either in the city or on 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 169 
 
 the boat homeward, it is supposed her bro- 
 ther, who accompanied her, contracted the 
 scarlet fever. Though very sick with the 
 disease, it seemed, in his case, to be under the 
 control of remedies; and it was hoped that if 
 it spread through the family, the other chil- 
 dren would have it in a mild form. Although 
 Martha evinced nothing like the panic which 
 many feel, her mind was deeply impressed 
 with the solemnity of such a visitation to a 
 large family. The reader will remember her 
 disinterested prayer that she might be taken 
 rather than one of the family who was not 
 pious. In her journal she says, "The disease 
 will probably go through the family. Lord, 
 our times are in thy gracious hand. I want 
 to be prepared for life or death. If God shall 
 see fit to remove any of us by death, 1 do hope 
 I can say, 'Thy will be done.' I feel that I 
 can trust my heavenly Father. 
 
 c Pll go and come, nor fear to die, 
 Till from on high, thou call'st me home.' 
 15 
 
170 MEMOIR OF 
 
 I hope I am going home." This was the last 
 entry in her journal, and filled the book in 
 which it is written : the last words being on a 
 slip of paper pinned to the cover. 
 9 On Thursday, May 6th, she, for the last 
 time, spent a season alone in her room. It 
 cannot be doubtful how those moments were 
 employed. Then she took the solemn view 
 of death appropriate under the circumstances, 
 and set her house in order against the sum- 
 mons, which she felt might be so near. The 
 following lines, pencilled on a card, are be- 
 lieved to have been written at that time: 
 
 " I have risen and gone," to that happy land, 
 Where the saints and the martyrs dwell ; 
 And when I have joined the glorious band, 
 Then, then I can say — "All is well." 
 
 When I cast my crown at my Saviour's feet, 
 With emotions that none here can tell ; 
 
 And join the glad anthem for angels meet, 
 Then, then I can say — "All is well." 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 171 
 
 "I have risen and gone" to the land above, 
 Where with rapture the heart doth swell ; 
 And when I rejoice in my Saviour's love, 
 Then, then I can say— "All is well." 
 
 " I have risen and gone " from this gloomy earthy 
 "Where with coldness we often repel, 
 To a far distant country, of holier worth, 
 Where every one says — "All is well." 
 
 About sun-set she entered for the last time 
 her pastor's house, two doors from her father's, 
 where her winning smile was so familiar and 
 so welcome. Mrs. H. made some remark 
 in reference to her sad expression. She re- 
 plied that she was not well, but felt as if 
 something dreadful was going to happen. 
 When her friend attempted to cheer her, she 
 burst into tears, placed her handkerchief to 
 her eyes, and ran home. In the night she 
 was taken ill of the fever, but the disease did 
 not assume a threatening form until near 
 its termination. On Monday evening she 
 was thought to have passed the crisis and ap- 
 
172 MEMOIR OP 
 
 V 
 
 peared decidedly better. But near eleven 
 o'clock she grew worse, and the symptoms 
 became very alarming. During the night she 
 suffered intense agony in her throat and head. 
 Early on Tuesday morning a message was 
 sent to her pastor. He came as soon as pos- 
 sible, and was shown into her room. At the 
 same time he was told she would probably 
 not know him. He found her in an almost 
 unconscious state; but when addressed she 
 revived and easily recognised him. She also 
 gave intelligent and very satisfactory answers 
 to all his inquiries; and retained the entire 
 possession of her reason until almost the very 
 moment of dissolution. Her mind was per- 
 fectly calm, her trust in the Saviour, simple 
 and cordial; and while for her friends' sake 
 she would be glad to live, yet if it were God's 
 will to take her away, she was ready to die. 
 These answers were given without the least 
 agitation or alarm; and in the same devout, 
 humble, and serious manner which had al- 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 173 
 
 4 
 ways marked the expression of her religious 
 
 hopes. In a very touching manner she ex- 
 pressed her obligations to her pastor for the 
 interest he had taken in her, and thanked him 
 for all his efforts to promote her spiritual 
 welfare. 
 
 This was an awful day in the family. One 
 child was barely out of danger, another was 
 just sickening, and of three more, it was 
 doubtful which would die first. Martha 
 grew worse throughout the day. In the af- 
 ternoon, she inquired if her father thought 
 her dying. This question was afterwards re- 
 peated, and her mother asked — " Martha, are 
 you afraid to die?" She answered, "No:" 
 but said if her dissolution was near, she did 
 not wish to go to sleep. Soon after she 
 thought her bodily senses were failing. Al- 
 ready she articulated with difficulty, and she 
 believed that her sight and hearing grew 
 weaker. It was evident she wished to say 
 something to her friends before the power of 
 15* 
 
174 MEMOIR OP 
 
 speech was gone. Again she asked what her 
 father thought; and her mother, feeling that 
 she ought not to be kept in suspense, told her 
 the whole truth. The intelligence gave her 
 not the slightest alarm. She had only been 
 waiting for this admission, that she might be 
 allowed to express her last desires. After 
 asking her mother to lie down by her side, 
 she placed her head close to the breast of her 
 parent and put her arm tenderly around her 
 person. In this position she spoke freely of 
 her departure, and gave utterance to her dy- 
 ing requests. To her mother she expressed 
 the most fond and tender affection, saying 
 that if she had ever failed in her duty as a 
 child, she desired her forgiveness. When her 
 parent spoke in strong terms of her dutiful 
 spirit and exemplary conduct, she said with 
 earnestness, " I have tried to do right, but I 
 am not perfect; I feel my sinfulness." " But," 
 replied her parent, " you have always mourned 
 for your sins." "Yes," she answered, 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 175 
 
 "whenever I knew it to be sin: but that is 
 not my dependence now. My whole trust is 
 in Christ." She then told her mother where 
 to find her papers, which she directed to be 
 destroyed. The mention of these reminded 
 her of an unanswered letter from her friend 
 and early schoolmate. She spoke of it. 
 " Write," said she to her mother, " write to 
 Mary I. and give her my love. Tell her that 
 I received her letter the day I was taken sick, 
 and could not answer it. Beg her not to read 
 those foolish novels, but to seek the Saviour. 
 I want her to meet me in heaven." As the 
 state of her throat rendered her articulation 
 difficult and indistinct, she would eagerly in- 
 quire, " Do you understand me ?" " Tell cou- 
 sin S. E.," she proceeded, " not to delay re- 
 pentance till a dying bed. If I had now to 
 seek the Saviour, I could not do it. All I can 
 do now is to lie in his hands, and I feel him 
 to be very precious. Tell my aunts that I 
 love them." She exhorted her mother, in the 
 
176 MEMOIR OF 
 
 most solemn manner, to do all in her power 
 to lead the other children to the Saviour, that 
 she might meet them an unbroken family in 
 heaven. A member of the church present 
 asked if she knew her. "0! yes," she re- 
 plied, " it is Mrs. B. Give my love to E., 
 [her daughter,] and tell her to seek religion. " 
 She directed the same message to the Sunday 
 school teachers who were not pious. She 
 wished to find them all at last in heaven, 
 where she expected to meet her pastor and 
 Christian friends. Her father being engaged 
 with one of the other children which was 
 very low, she asked for him, and took leave 
 of him with the request that he would meet 
 her in heaven. To the prayer which her 
 pastor offered, she gave a devout and fixed at- 
 tention; and though in great pain joined in 
 singing hymns which she mentioned — " Jesus, 
 lover of my soul." — "Amazing grace, how 
 sweet the sound!" When her mother began 
 to repeat, " Rock of ages, shelter me," she re- 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 177 
 
 cited in a feeling and emphatic manner, the 
 whole of the first stanza. Almost in her last 
 hour she attempted to join in singing, " There 
 is a fountain filled with blood." Her last 
 audible expression was, "Happy — happy — 
 happy." 
 
 But the scene cannot be adequately de- 
 scribed. It is easy to throw around a dying 
 bed the curtains of fiction so completely as to 
 conceal the reality. The writer wishes to 
 give a faithful impression of this one. He 
 describes only what he saw and heard. Death 
 was there; and death is a solemn thing. He 
 felt it to be inexpressibly solemn in this case; 
 yet he never felt any place to be so near hea- 
 ven. There was a dear sufferer in the agony 
 of the last conflict; and the pains, the groans, 
 the dying strife of that conflict, are serious 
 realities. But there was a divine presence 
 that was also a reality; and the peace, the 
 hope, the strength, afforded to the sufferer, 
 were as real as the very pangs of dissolution. 
 
178 MEMOIR OF 
 
 It was the Saviour's presence in "the valley 
 of the shadow of death," that took away the 
 sting of death. It was his hand upholding 
 his confiding child, that made it easy to die. 
 At about half-past twelve in the morning of 
 May 12th, Martha was at rest. 
 
 Her death cast a gloom over the whole com- 
 munity. The church to which she belonged 
 was in tears; and though without a relative 
 in the village outside of her father's house, 
 there were never more tears shed upon one 
 grave in the place than fell on hers. "Blessed 
 are the dead which die in the Lord." An 
 extract from the discourse preached by her 
 pastor will close this chapter. 
 
 "My brethren, God is c wonderful in coun- 
 sel,' as well as < mighty in working.' My 
 anxious heart has asked — what meaneth this? 
 Why is one so full of promise — so likely to 
 live, and so fitted to live usefully, gone so 
 quickly? But I can only hear the sovereign 
 whisper of the Saviour — 'What I do thou 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 179 
 
 knowest not now, but thou shalt know here- 
 after/ He commits no blunder in these 
 strange allotments. We cannot understand 
 why it is best; but he does all things well. 
 He can make plain his conduct hereafter. He 
 can give the reasons to the weeping parents 
 whom he has stricken, to the church which he 
 has bereaved, and to the Christian friends that 
 mourn. 
 
 "I pray that the event may make just the 
 right impression upon every heart. I trust I 
 have received valuable impressions upon my 
 own mind. Never has the gospel appeared to 
 me more glorious than in connexion with this 
 event. Never have 1 entertained higher views 
 of my office, than when I have thought of the 
 privilege of guiding a mind like hers to the 
 Saviour, of contributing to the development 
 of a character like hers, and of helping onward 
 to the kingdom so bright a subject of God's 
 redeeming grace. 
 
 "'Brethren, the time is short. , The sum- 
 
ISO MEMOIR OF 
 
 mons will come for you each in turn; it will 
 come for some of you soon. If I shall be 
 called to stand by your dying bed, may it be 
 3 ike hers. Let the sweet remembrance of her 
 devotion to the Saviour stimulate us in the path 
 of duty. Let our hearts, like hers, literally 
 breathe after holiness — more devotedness — 
 more of the Saviour's image — more of re- 
 freshing communion with God — and more 
 freedom from sin. We shall soon all be in 
 eternity. Dear brethren, shall we all meet 
 the loved and gone in a sweet re-union before 
 the throne of our Redeemer? 
 
 "But, my young friends, my chief solicitude 
 is, that this event may make a right impres- 
 sion upon your minds. It seems to me that 
 God was never so near to you, and his voice 
 so solemn as it now is. He came into your 
 midst in a season of prevailing coldness, and 
 took one of you as a subject of his grace, to 
 show you that the young may find the Saviour. 
 He secretly led her on to most surprising at- 
 
MARTHA T. SHARP. 1S1 
 
 tainments in piety, to show you how religion 
 can bless the young. He enabled her to put 
 on a most attractive Christian character, and 
 to exhibit a singular example of zeal and en- 
 ergy, to show you what a mere child can do, 
 when wholly devoted to the Saviour, to glorify 
 his name. He has now taken her away to 
 show you how his grace can brighten the dy- 
 ing couch of a young Christian. I feel as 
 though the Saviour made now his most affect- 
 ing appeal to you; as though standing among 
 you and spreading his arms he invited you to 
 seek him as she did. From her dying lips he 
 sends a message entreating you to consecrate 
 yourselves to his service. Almost from the 
 gates of the celestial city, her warm and loving 
 request comes to all of you collectively, and 
 to many of you by name — 'meet me in hea- 
 ven.' It seems to me, that if you are i ordained 
 to life' at all, this will be the time when you 
 will choose Christ; and that if now you will 
 
 not embrace religion, vour salvation is searce- 
 16 
 
182 MEMOIR OF MARTHA T. SHARP. 
 
 ly to be expected. Who of her young friends 
 will now take Martha's place in the church, 
 and do for Jesus what it was in her heart to 
 do? Who of you will meet her where she 
 now is in glory?" 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 The following letters are from two young 
 gentlemen, members of the church in Salem, 
 and candidates for the ministry. They will 
 show the estimation in which her Christian 
 friends held Martha, and the sorrow occa- 
 sioned by her death. 
 
 " Nassau Hall, May 30, 1847. 
 " Dear Sister Sally, 
 
 I received with pleasure your letter, 
 though it renewed the saddening recollection 
 of her, whom we all so much loved. Never 
 was the uncertainty of life so forcibly im- 
 pressed upon my mind. One week before, I 
 had engaged rooms for her at the approaching 
 Commencement; and now I cannot pass the 
 house but with a heavy heart. How sudden, 
 
184 APPENDIX. 
 
 too, was the stroke for you, and how aching 
 must be the void left in the church! You 
 feel her loss more than 1 can. It seems to 
 me more like a troubled dream, than a sad 
 reality. Sally, I cannot tell you how I felt 
 when the news came. One of the students 
 told me that brother was looking for me. 
 Instantly, I thought he had a letter from home, 
 and bounded to his room in all the glee of 
 joyous anticipation. As I entered the room 
 I saw his sad countenance, and my hand trem- 
 bled as I took the letter. I tried to suppress 
 the burning tear which stole down my cheek, 
 but could not. I thought of the church, of 
 Mr. Helm, of you, dear sister. I thought of 
 her family; and I knew there were anguished 
 hearts at home. One so young, so lovely, so 
 near to many hearts, and so much endeared to 
 all, could not be snatched away without 
 wringing bitter grief from many hearts. 
 
 " I thank you for the account of her last 
 hours. Were they not worth a whole life of 
 
APPENDIX. 1S5 
 
 self-denial? If there is any thing which can 
 sooth a mourner's anguish, it must be such a 
 death-bed ; where the glories of our future 
 home are foreshadowed in the smile that 
 lights the pallid brow, and an echo of the song 
 of redemption is heard in those sweet words, 
 "happy — happy — happy." I rejoice that 
 you stood by her side, for such a scene cannot 
 fail to draw you closer to the cross. Would 
 that sonrc of our College infidels had been 
 there, to have seen a Christian die, to have 
 felt the power of the gospel in sustaining the 
 
 soul in the last conflict 
 
 W. C. C." 
 
 « Princeton, N. J., Friday, May 13, 1847. 
 " My dear Sister H., 
 
 " I have just received your letter which 
 contains the sad news of Martha's death; and 
 am very much obliged to you for giving me 
 so full and good an account of her last hours. 
 1 feel a strange sadness in regard to her sud- 
 16* 
 
186 APPENDIX. 
 
 den and early death. There was so much 
 both in her personal character and in her po- 
 sition in relation to the church, to make her 
 interesting to my mind, that her loss affects 
 me with unusual sorrow. The marked cha- 
 racter of her conversion and the circum- 
 stances under which she was admitted to the 
 church, her youth, and energy, and powers 
 of mind, all seemed to be a pledge of future 
 usefulness as a Christian woman. Her death 
 is certainly a great loss to the church. If the 
 direction of the destroyer's arrow had been 
 in our hands, her life would have been spared. 
 But God has seen good to order it otherwise. 
 He knew her virtues much better than we did. 
 He knew the necessities of our poor church 
 better than we can know them ; and the inte- 
 rests of that church are far dearer to his heart 
 than they are to ours. Yet he has called 
 away from it, in the beginning of her useful- 
 ness, and at the dawn of her day of life, the 
 very one to whom we should have looked for 
 
APPENDIX. 1S7 
 
 help. It is indeed an inscrutable providence 
 to us. We gaze upon it, and our hearts are 
 bewildered in the attempt to discover its 
 meaning. The cloud which envelops the 
 ways of God grows thicker and darker as it 
 rests upon the interests which are nearest and 
 dearest our souls. So it ever will; and we 
 shall never see the brightness which gilds its 
 other side, so long as we look without faith at 
 the isolated events which wound our feelings. 
 But when we turn our eyes with submissive 
 confidence to "our Father/' when we think 
 of his love to his people, his purposes of mer- 
 cy to his church ; the things which before 
 confused and bewildered us are lost in the 
 vast scheme of love and mercy which includes 
 them all. Such views of the ways of God 
 must reconcile us to the afflictions of life. 
 
 "You speak of the friendship existing be- 
 tween Martha and Sally, of the nature of their 
 intimacy, and of the good effect it seemed to 
 have upon Sally's mind. For this, too, I 
 
18S APPENDIX. 
 
 could have desired her to be spared. As I 
 love my sister, I love those who would do 
 her soul good. I feel glad that they were 
 brought together. I am glad Sally was with 
 her in the hour of trial. If we must part 
 with those we love, it is a sweet solace to 
 linger around their dying bed and watch the 
 last struggle of the departing spirit. She has 
 that comfort; and I hope it will be to her 
 more than comfort; that it will strengthen 
 her young faith, impress her mind with the 
 awfulness of death, and the necessity of living 
 as a Christian should live — in constant prepa- 
 ration for its unexpected approach. While I 
 am writing, the same disease that hurried 
 away our friend, may have begun its work 
 with her. Though she did perfectly right to 
 venture within the reach of the dreadful con- 
 tagion, when called upon by the double claim 
 of Christian sympathy and affection, she may 
 not be preserved from its influence. I hope 
 she may. But I also hope that she, and you, 
 
APPENDIX. 1S9 
 
 and I, and all of us may be prepared for the 
 hour, which must come sooner or later to us all. 
 I wish I could be with you on Sabbath, to 
 hear Mr. Helm's discourse. Martha's death 
 must have affected him deeply. She was the 
 fruit of his ministry, and one of the hopes of 
 his church. She was strongly attached to him 
 as her pastor and friend, and no doubt his 
 heart yearned over her with special tender- 
 ness. I am glad he had such satisfactory con- 
 versations with her on her dying bed. While 
 it sorely afflicts a kind pastor's heart to see 
 such a one taken away — so young, so bright, 
 so full of promise — it must also gladden his 
 spirit to see her meeting death in a triumphant 
 manner. Besides, it leaves the testimony of 
 a dying Christian to the community; and I 
 am glad for their sakes and for the church, 
 that she was able to talk with him. What 
 will be the effect of this dispensation on the 
 church? You hope it may be sanctified. So 
 do I from my very heart. I love that church. 
 
190 APPENDIX, 
 
 My father and my sisters worship there; and 
 in a little circle that gathers around her com- 
 munion board, are some of my dearest friends. 
 To Mr. H. I feel deeply indebted for his kind- 
 ness to me and our family; and I have re- 
 joiced, as I know he has, over the evidence of 
 returning life, which the last few months have 
 exhibited. A solemn stroke has now fallen 
 upon her. Will she receive the chastisement 
 as a child, and humble herself before God? 
 If so, God will make this the precursor of 
 rich blessings. I hope it may be so indeed. 
 We have great interests at stake, depending 
 on the revival of religion — the strengthening 
 of our own faith and hope — a preparation for 
 a brighter crown in heaven; perhaps, too, our 
 meeting there a brother now fast approaching 
 the snares of a young man's life, without the 
 promise or hope of God's blessing. Shall we 
 he able to say, in that better world, ' we are 
 all here?' T. W. C." 
 
APPENDIX. 191 
 
 TO MARTHA IN HEAVEN. 
 
 Friend of my early years, 
 Oh ! loved and lost one ! whither hast thou fled ? 
 I seek thee through a mist of blinding tears, 
 I seek thee, though they tell me thou art dead. 
 
 It cannot, cannot be. 
 So loved, so lovely in thy early bloom ; 
 Brightest and dearest ! death was not for thee, 
 Thou art not shrouded in the noisome tomb. 
 
 Alas ! alas, thou art ! 
 I hear it in a thousand stifled sighs, 
 1 read it in the grief of many eyes, 
 In the strange aching void of my own heart. 
 
 I miss thee every where. 
 Thou ne'er hast wandered in this quiet wood, 
 Thou ne'er wast with me by this silvery flood, 
 And yet I miss thy presence even here. 
 
 I miss thee every where ; 
 Thou ne'er hast watched beside my couch of rest, 
 
192 APPENDIX. 
 
 I never slumbered on thy gentle breast, 
 
 Yet wake and weep to find thou art not there. 
 
 Dearest and loveliest one, 
 Thou whom I loved with all a sister's love, 
 Hast thou forgotten in thy home above 
 That I am here in this bleak world alone ? 
 
 Oh! thou did'st love me well. 
 Fondly thy heart was knit to mine in life, 
 My name hung on thy lips in parting strife : 
 Dost thou remember, dost thou love me still ? 
 
 Come back, come back to me* 
 Oh ! let me hear that gentle voice again, 
 Speak to me sometimes in that thrilling strain. 
 I would not fear the dead, or shrink from thee. 
 
 Oh ! sister of my soul ! 
 I know that thou art smiling with the blest, 
 That thou art pillowed on thy Saviour's breast, 
 And that between us billows darkly roll. 
 
 Thou can'st not come to me ; 
 There are no tears in heaven, and thou would'st weep, 
 Could'st thou but bend above my troubled sleep, 
 And mark how bitterly I call on thee. 
 
APPENDIX. 193 
 
 There are no tears in heaven ; 
 Thou never more wilt know of grief or care. 
 And do I murmur, love, that thou art there ? 
 Dwelling in perfect bliss, redeemed — forgiven. 
 
 Thou can'st not come to me : 
 Thy gentle voice will thrill no more my heart, 
 Till meeting — meeting never more to part: 
 God grant, my sister, I may come to thee. 
 
 Mary I . 
 
 Logan Water, June, ]847. 
 
 TO THE MOTHER OF MY FRIEND. 
 
 Oh merciless and pitiless. 
 
 Is the cruel reaper death ; 
 He fells the stately forest 
 
 And blights the blushing wreath. 
 He smites the lowly cottage 
 
 He smites the lordly hall 
 And chooses him the loveliest 
 
 The dearest of them all. 
 
194 APPENDIX. 
 
 So gentle and so tender, 
 
 In her beauty's early bloom, 
 Too loving and too lovely 
 
 For the dark and noisome tomb. 
 There were many hearts to mourn her. 
 
 There was wailing deep and wild, 
 God have pity on the mother 
 
 Who weeps for such a child. 
 
 Oh lorn and lonely mother, 
 
 Whom none can bring relief, 
 xMay He who sent thee sorrow 
 
 Shed a blessing on thy grief. 
 For thy heart is very desolate : 
 
 And in thy lonely home 
 Wildly weeping, sad and dreary, 
 
 Thou dost sit to mourn alone. 
 
 Thou art listening for the footsteps 
 
 Thou never more may'st hear, 
 Thou art listening for the silvery tone, 
 
 But it breaks not on thy ear : 
 And the hand whose gentle touch was laid 
 
 At eve upon thy brow, 
 And the lip that fondly clung to thine, 
 
 Mother, where are they now. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 Dark and silent— dark and silent- 
 Heart and home are wrapped in gloom, 
 
 While thy idol and thy treasure 
 Sleepeth dreamless in the tomb. 
 
 Poor broken-hearted mother, 
 Well may thy grief be wild. 
 
 God have pity on her sorrow 
 Who weeps for such a child. 
 
 Cease thy weeping, mourning mother ! 
 
 Cease thy wailing, sad and wild ; 
 Look up ! Oh ! blessed mother, 
 
 See ! where smiles thy angel child. 
 With no cloud upon her features, 
 
 With no sorrow on her brow; 
 From the azure depths of heaven, 
 
 She is gazing on thee now. 
 
 Lo ! her Saviour smiles upon her, 
 
 She is kneeling at his throne j 
 He who gave her hath reclaimed her, 
 
 He hath made her all his own. 
 He hath guarded her from sorrow, 
 
 He hath sheltered her from pain ; 
 She is smiling on his bosom, 
 
 She will never weep again. 
 
 195 
 
196 APPENDIX. 
 
 O'er thy spirit softly falling 
 
 As the quiet April rain ; 
 In the deep and solemn midnight, 
 
 Thou shalt hear her voice again. 
 Gently murmuring in thy dreaming. 
 
 She will bend above thy sleep ; 
 lC l am happy — I am happy, 
 
 Dearest mother do not weep." 
 
 Mary I- 
 
 Logan Water) June, 1847. 
 
APPENDIX. 197 
 
 TO. THE PARENTS OF MARTHA. 
 
 " It has pleased God to take away 
 
 two beloved objects, and to make you pass 
 through the deep waters of severe affliction 
 But you have the unspeakable consolation of 
 believing that your loved ones have been re- 
 moved to a better and brighter home. 
 
 Ah, yes ! to die is gain ! 
 Dark storms of sorrow gather o'er life's path. 
 Grief clusters round the fairest home and hearth, 
 
 Earth's purest pleasures oft are fraught with pain ; 
 And weary hearts, with sin and sadness pressed, 
 Sigh for the land of loveliness and rest. 
 
 Unfading: joys are there, 
 Bright crowns and waving palms of victory : 
 Rich are its^strains of perfect[melody: 
 
 Its shores are washed not by the waves of care — 
 Its sweet affections are not linked with fears — 
 Its radiant glories glisten not with tears, 
 
198 APPENDIX. 
 
 But let not heaven's pure light 
 Dim our perceptions of this chequered life : 
 Earth may be stamped with sorrow and with strife, 
 
 Yet holy are its claims, when viewed aright ; 
 To him who looks with thoughtful glance on time, 
 It ever wears an aspect most sublime. 
 
 Life is the hallowed sphere 
 Of sacred duties to our fellow men, 
 The precious and appointed season, when 
 
 Sweet deeds of love the mourner's heart may cheer. 
 The hour of patient and unwearied toil. 
 When seed from heaven is sown in earth's dark soil, 
 
 E . 5J 
 
 B , N. J., June G, 1847. 
 
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