MEMOIRS
OF
MRS. JOANNA BETHUNE.
BY HER SON,
THE REVo GEORGE Wio3~BETHUNE, DD,
WITH AN APPENDIX,
CONTAINING
EXTRALCTS FROMI TIlE WRITINGS OF MAIRS. BETIHUNE.
NEW  YORK:
HIARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,
FRANKLIN SQUARE.
1 8 6 3.




Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand eight hundred
and sixty-two, by
HARPER & BROTHERS,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York.




EDITOR'S NOTE.
ABOUT one year before the Rev. I)r. Bethune went
abroad and died, he asked me to aid him in preparing a biographical sketch of his mother. He desired
me to read her journals, meditations, recorded prayers and letters, and from them to select such passages as might be thought useful if published as an
Appendix to the Memoir. After I had completed
the examination, I placed the manuscripts in his
hands, with the selected passages marked; and he
then wrote the Memoir which is now presented to
the reader. It is his last work-a beautiful living
tribute by a gifted, affectionate son to his sainted
mother. Other works of this eloquent and distinguished scholar, poet, preacher, and orator have been
published, but nothing from his pen will be read
with greater admiration than this simple memorial
of the mother who taught him to speak.
The extracts from the writings of Mrs. Joanna Bethune, which are given as an Appendix to the Memoir, are a rich legacy to the Church.  In many
respects they are not less valuable and interesting




iv              EDITORIS NOTE.
than the remains of her remarkable mother, Mrs. Isabella Graham. They exhibit a life of extraordinary
activity, of deep spiritual feeling, and strong faith in
the promises of God to parents for their children and
children's children.
Extending over a long series of years, these extracts, which might have been continued to fill several volumes, complete the biography written by her
son, and show the mother in the midst of her incessant toil for the young: founding the Sunday-school
Union system, Infant Schools, the Orphan Asylum,
and abounding in every good work, humbly seeking
Divine aid in the minutest and most secular duties,
and, above all, praying without ceasing for the conversion of her posterity to the latest generation.
Christian ladies will read these pages, and be stimulated and guided in noble self-denying labors for
the world around them; and aged women will here
find a beautiful example of holy living and dying
that will comfort and cheer them in the evening of
their days.
The life of the author of this Memoir remains to
be written. HIis death, so sudden and in a far-away
country, was a shock and a grief to his friends and
the Christian community from which they have not
yet recovered; but they will receive with mournful
satisfaction these last fruits of his pen, the yearnings




EDITOR'S NOTE.                       V
of his warm  heart for her with whom  he is now  at
rest in glory.
The lines below, addressed some years ago by the
Rev. Dr. Bethune to his mother, will give the reader
a vivid idea of the tender feeling with which the Memoir is written:
TO MY MOTHER.
My mother! Manhood's anxious brow
And sterner cares have long been mine,
Yet turn I to thee fondly now,
As when upon thy bosom's shrine
My infant griefs were gently hush'd to rest,
And thy low-whisper'd prayers my slumber bless'd,
I never call that gentle name,
My mother! but I am again
E'en as a child; the very same
That prattled at thy knee; and fain
Would I forget, in momentary joy,
That I no more can be thy happy boy;
The artless boy, to whom thy smile
Was sunshine, and thy frown sad night
(Though rare that frown, and brief the while
It veil'd from me thy loving light);
For well-conn'd task, ambition's highest bliss,
To win fiom thine approving lips a kiss.
I've loved through foreign lands to roam,
And gazed o'er riany a classic scene;
Yet would the thought of that dear home,
Which once was ours, oft intervene,




vi                   EDITOR'S NOTE.
And bid me close again my weary eye,
To think of thee and' those sweet days gone by.
That pleasant home of fruits and flowers,
Where by the Hudson's verdant side
My sisters wove their jasmine bowers,
And he we loved, at eventide,
Would hastening come from distant toil to bless
Thine and his children's radiant happiness.
Alas the change! the rattling car
On flint-paved streets profanes the spot,
Where o'er the sod we sow'd the Star
Of Bethlehem and forget-me-not.
Oh, woe to Mammon's desolating reign!
We ne'er shall find on earth a home again.
I'vre pored o'er many a yellow page
Of ancient wisdom, and have won,
Perchance, a scholar's name; but sage
Or bard have never taught thy son
Lessons so dear, so fraught with holy truth,
As those his mother's faith shed on his youth.
If, by the Saviour's grace made meet,
My God will own my life and love,
Methinks, when singing at His feet,
Amid the ransom'd throng above,
Thy name upon my glowing lips shall be,
And I will bless that grace for heaven and thee —
For thee and heaven; for thou didst tread
The way that leads me heavenward, and
My often wayward footsteps led
In the same path with patient hand:




EDITOR'S NOTE.                         vii
And when I wander'd far, thy earnest call
Restored my soul from sin's deceitful thrall.
I have been bless'd with other tiesFond ties and true; yet never deem
That I the less thy fondness prize;
No, mother! in my warmest dream
Of answer'd passion, through this heart of mine
One chord will vibrate to no name but thine.
Mother, thy name is widow.  Well
I know no love of mine can fill
The waste place of thy heart, or dwell
Within one sacred recess; still,
Lean on the faithful bosom of thy son,
My parent-thou art mine, my owily one.








CO N  ENT S
CHAPTER I.
PARENTAGE.
Reasons for Writing.-Death of Contemporaries.-Memories of Isabella Graham. -Entail of Grace.-Pious Parentage.-Dr. Graham, of the British Army.-Fort Niagara.-The " Doctor's Garden."-Birth of Joanna Graham in the Fort..............Page 17
CHAPTER II.
SCENES OF CHILDHOOD.
The Mother's religious Exercises.-Converse with God. —Religious
Studies.-Removal to Antigua.-Toilsome Journey through the
Wilderness of New York. - Mrs. Major Brown. -Death of Dr.
Graham.-Mrs. Graham goes to Scotland.-Establishes a School
for Young  Ladies.........................................................  25
CHAPTER III.
EARLY EDUCATION AND ASSOCIATIONS.
At School. —Her Teachers.-Distinguished Ministers.-Erskine.Davidson.-Witherspoon.-A  Playmate of Walter Scott.-Lady
Glenorchy; her Biography............................................ 30
CHAPTER IV.
AN UNFINISHED SKETCH BY HERSELF.
Self-examination. —A  Retrospect.-Decline of Religion.-Orphanag. —Restraints of Childhood.-A Mother's Care,-An Aunt's
Praises. -A  Minister's Influence. - Death of a Grandfather.Lady Glenorchy and her Household.-Their Habits and Example.
-Goes to a French School in Rotterdam.-Its effect upon her religious  Character......................................................  37
A2




X                        (CXONSTENTS.
DHAPTER V.
AIRS. ISABELLA GRAIIAMI'S COUNSELS.
Letter to a Daughter at School.-Love of Enjoyment.-Discontent.
-Great Opportunities.-Pleasures of Home. —Mother's Cares.Advantages of Education.-Gratitude........................ Page 47
CHAPTER VI.
RETURN TO AMERICA.
Dr. Graham's Views of Settling in America.-Mrs. Graham's Plans.
-Christian Friends. —Dr. Witherspoon. —Mrs. Graham and Family arrive in New York.-Reception.-Success.-Mrs. Graham's
School and  Patrons.......................................................  52
CHAPTER VII.
EARLY RELIGIOUS LIFE.
Joanna Graham  a Teacher. —Marries Divie Bethune, Esq.-Her
own Record of Religious Experience.-Remarkable Conflicts.Darkness.-Delirium.-Restoration to Health, Peace, and Happiness....................................................................  56
CHAPTER VIII.
PLANS OF USEFULNESS.
Mrs. Graham's Correspondence.-Origin of the Monthly Missionary
Prayer-meeting. - The Mission to the Indians. — Relief of Poor
Widows with Small Children.-New York Orphan Asylum... 75
CHAPTER IX.
MRS. BETHUNE'S ASSOCIATES.
Sketches of Mrs. Lindsay, Mrs. Chrystie, and Mrs. Mackanness.o. 79
CHAPTER X.
INTRODUCTION OF SUNDAY-SCHOOLS.
Journey to Scotland.-Sunday-school Movement there. —Mr. and
Mrs. Bethune's Labors in New York in 1802.-The Mother of
Sabbath-schools in America.-Plans of Usefulness.......8.... 88




CONTENTS.                          xi
CHAPTER XI.
THE ORPHAN ASYLUM.
Mrs. Bethune's Plans. - Life of Francke. - Mrs. Hoffman.-Mr.
Bethune's Address. - Public Meeting. - Society formed. - The
Fundamental Principle. —Power of Faith. -The first Home.Larger Accommodations.-The Asylum  at Bloomingdale.-Mrs.
Bethune's Agency, Service, and Resignation. - Action of the
Board of Managers........................... Page 93
CHAPTER XII.
MRS. HOFFMAN AND MRS. STARTIN.
The Associates of Mrs. Bethune.-Mrs. Hoffman and 1rs. Startin.
-Their Character and Services.-Testimonies of the Board.. 105
CHAPTER XIII.
MRS. GENERAL HAMILTON.
Mrs. Hamilton and Mrs. Bethune compared.-Their Attachment.Mrs. Hamilton's Parentage.-Early Life.-Married Life.-Death
of Alexander Hamilton.-Mrs. Hamilton in Social Life.-In New
York and Washington.-Her declining Years.-Death and Burial............................................................................ Ill111
CHAPTER XIV.
THE SUM OF HER LABORS, AND HER REST.
Review.-M1. and Mrs. Bethune's Plans. —Visit of Missionaries.Church Relations. - Sunday-schools. - Economical School. -
House of Industry.-Instruction of the Young.-Mrs. Bethune's
Death....................................................................... 118
APPENDIX.
EXTRACTS FROM MIRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS............. 125-250








M E  O IF R,
MRS, JOANNA BETHUNE,








MEMIOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
CHAPTER I.
PARENTAGE.
Reasons for Writing. -Death of Contemporaries.-Memories of Isabella Graham.-Entail of Grace.-Pious Parentage.-Dr. Graham, of the British Army.-Fort Niagara.-The "Doctor's Garden.'' —Birth of Joanna Graham in the Fort.
THE eminent and wide-spread usefulness which
God granted to the subject of this memoir has caused
a general desire that the history of her life should be
written, for the honor of Christ, whom she followed,
and the encouragement of His disciples, whom  she
loved. The duty of complying with this wish of
many Christian friends devolves on her only son; and
he, asking God's help, gladly undertakes it, though
not without fear lest the biographer may be suspected of being biased by his affectionate veneration, and
so be less trustworthy in his portraiture of his mother's character and services to God and man. But it
is true, on the other hand, that none had better opportunities than he of knowing her daily life in private and public, or of hearing from her own lips the
reasons and motives from which she acted. There is
also less danger of exaggerated praise, so commonly




16    i ~MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUJNE.
the fault in modern religious biography, because, as
will be seen in the following pages, her life was so
full of activity that there will be little room for any
thing besides a detail of facts. The copious extracts
from her own writings, which are given in the Appendix, will show that, for herself, she depended on
the free sovereign grace of Christ alone, and gave Him
the praise of the good works He had wrought in her
to will and to do of His good pleasure. It would be
most inconsistent with the spirit of so humble and
devoted a Christian, for one who cherishes her memory, so beautiful with the graces of the Spirit, to overcharge with personal eulogy a life which derived all
its beauty and strength from the love of Christ shed
abroad in her heart; but it would also be unjust to
that divinest principle of Christianity if the genuine
effects of evangelical faith, as manifested in the lifelong, devoted charities of Mrs. Joanna Bethune, were
allowed to be forgotten, or set forth with less than
actual truth.
The author has occasion for regret that the material and authorities for an accurate and full history
of a life covering a period of nearly a century are
not so abundant as is desirable and was expected.
Mrs. Bethune, though not unwilling that the light of
God, shining in her experience and devotion to His
service, should be made to reflect His glory, was too
busy with her duties for any anxiety respecting her
own credit. She adopted as an axiom the counsel
she learned from the lips of the seraphic Summerfield,




PAUEtTAGE.                 17
that " a Christian should never bring his good name
home to nurse,' and left hers to the care of His providence in whom she believed, solicitous rather for her
record on high than the opinions even of Christians
here. At the time of her death, all of those with
whom she had been associated in the most active and
fruitful years of her benevolent enterprise had gone
to their rest; and there is not a single living memory which can be found to corroborate the testimony
which has been gathered into these pages, from records too scanty, but undoubtedly genuine. For some
years before her entrance of heaven, her long and
overtasked brain yielded to the infirmity of extreme
age, and she was not capable of answering inquiries
which would. otherwise be made of her respecting
facts, incidents, and persons connected with the most
important passages of her life. Much, therefore, which
her biographer would have delighted to rescue from
oblivion is now known only in heaven; and, desirous
of recording nothing of which he is not sure, he will
resolutely check himself in conjecture, and record
what he knows to be true.
It is also well known to the readers of the Life of
Mrs. Isabella Graham, and they constitute a large majority of the Christian public, that the instrumentality of Mrs. Bethune was closely connected with that
of her eminent mother and her equally devoted husband, Divie Bethune, whose biography, full of praise
to God, it is the purpose of the author, by God's leave,
to prepare for publication when his present work is




18         MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
completed. Much, therefore, that properly belongs to
a life of Mrs. Bethune is now before the public in the
Life of Mrs. Graham, or will be when Mr. Bethune's
memoir is given to the press.'But care will be taken
to avoid repetition, as far as is possible, consistently
with a due regard to historical truth.
The blessing of the IIoly Ghost, which rested on
the mind and heart of Mrs. Joanna Bethune from her
earliest childhood, out of which sprang her ardent
desires, her indefatigable efforts and successful plans
for evangelical usefulness, are striking proofs of God's
faithfulness in His covenant to bestow His grace upon
the children of His faithful servants unto the third
and fourth generations. She received the entail of
religion through a line of pious ancestors even longer
than that specified in the promise.
The parents of her mother, Mirs. Graham, Mr. John
and Mrs. Janet Marshall, were both pious, Mrs. Marshall's father having been an approved elder of the
Scottish Secession Church, which he joined with the
Erskines (Ralph and Ebenezer); and the traditions
of the family carry the strain of sanctified blood farther back than records or memory of names enable
us to reach. The same care of God, preparatory to
the life designed for her, will be seen throughout her
early history and peculiar training, as described in
the following pages.
Joanna was the second daughter of Dr. John and
Isabella Graham. Dr. Graham was a widower, with
two sons, at the time of his marriage to Isabella, both




PARENTAGE.                  19
of his sons afterward becoming distinguished in the
British army; one of them, Samuel, after a career of
honorable valor, attaining the high rank of general,
and being rewarded with the posts of Inspector General of the forces in Scotland and Governor of the
Royal Castle of Stirling, where he resided for many
years.  The other brother was arrested in his military career by receiving a shot through his body at the
siege of Charleston, S. C., although he survived his
wound, and subsequently married a lady of that state.
Dr. Graham, on thus beginning lif'e anew, cherished
a plan of settling in America, somewhere along the
line of the Mohawk River, and was glad to relinquish
his private and not unremunerative practice in Paisley for an appointment as surgeon in the 60th regiment (Royal Americans), British army, which was
stationed in Canada, hoping, should he still desire to
make his permanent home in the colony of New
York, to dispose of his commission. This somewhat
vague and not well-digested plan was the first leading of Providence toward the establishment of Mrs.
Graham  and her descendants in America.
WVithin a twelvemonth after reaching Canada Dr.
Graham was ordered to join the second battalion of
his regiment in Fort Niagara, a strongly fortified post
on the right bank of the Niagara River, just where
it enters Lake Ontario, founded as early as 1736.
The fort has been greatly enlarged, improved, and
strengthened since it passed into the hands of the
United States, presenting a grand and picturesque




20        TlMEMOIRS OF AIRS. BETHUNE.
view to the observer from the water or the opposite
shore; but the officers' quarters still remaih, only
slightly altered from their original structure.  Traditions of the 60th linger about the ramparts, and
until within a few years the site of " the doctor's garden," where Dr. Graham amused his leisure hours,
was pointed out in a peach orchard, afterward planted. Subsequently, we are told, the land, undermined
by the storm-river waves of " wild Ontario," slid into
the lake.' The reader is presented with two views;
one of the exterior, from the Canada shore, for which
the author is grateful to the courtesy of the gentlemanly artist, Captain John Van Clerc, of Lewiston,
Niagara County, N. Y.; the other, a photograph of
the interior, looking west, the discovery of which is
due to the kindness of Captain George Mead, U. S.
Engineers.  In the rooms on the ground floor, north
of the entrance of the officers' quarters, Joanna, second. daughter of Mrs. Isabella Graham, subsequently
the wife of Divie Bethune, was born, February Ist,
1770.








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INTERIOR OF FORT NIAGU ^.;








SCENES OF CHILDHOOD.                25
CHAPTER II.
SCENES OF CHILDHOOD.
The Mother's religious Exercises.-Converse with God. —Religious
Studies.-Removal to Antigua.-Toilsome Journey through the
Wilderness of New York. - Mrs. Major Brown. -Death of Dr.
Graham.-Mrs. Graham goes to Scotland.-Establishes a School
for Young Ladies.
THE religious exercises of Mrs. Graham at this period, both before and after the birth of Joanna, were
peculiarly deep and decisive. The wild and beautiful scenery about her, combining the flowing river
and ocean-like lake with the unbroken virgin forest,
through which the roar of the great cataract could be
heard, strongly impressed her poetical mind with a
sense of the Divine majesty and love. The responsibilities of the young wife and mother, cast upon the
care of Providence, far from her native land, her faithful parents, and the pious friends of her youth, and,
not least, the difficulty of maintaining her Christian
character amid such novel circumstances, and without her accustomed religious privileges, brought her
into closer communion with God, making her stronger from consciousness of her entire dependence upon
her sympathizing, ever-present Savior. It is true
that, in her humility, she condemned herself as low
in her religion; but, from her conscientious regard
B




26         MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
for the Sabbath, her devotional solitudes, her cheerfulness in the discharge of her many domestic cares
amid the trying hinderances of garrison life, her anxious, affectionate desires for her husband's sanctification, her thankful study with him of Doddridge's Rise
and Progress, and her frequent reminiscences in after
life of her days at Niagara, all tend to the conviction
that He who leads his children by ways that they
know not was then educating her for a higher Christian strength and decision of character; nor can we
doubt that her then infant child, unconscious in the
arms of her young Indian nurse, borne among the
flowers of her father's garden, or sleeping under the
blessing of her mother's guardian, prayerful love, received a baptism from the Comforter, invoked by
maternal.faith and trust. He who sanctifies from the
womb can give a blessing in the womb, and sanctify
a mother's travail and nursing at the breast. The
mystery of the new birth will not allow us to understand the ways of blessing God has for the early childhood of the little ones whom believing, parents put
into the Master's arms, craving for them the covenant
blessing.
In 1772, the hostilities preceding the war of our Revolution becoming more serious, and it being thought
by the British government to remove the Royal Americans from the danger of sympathy with the Whig
spirit, then rapidly spreading, Dr. Graham's regiment
was ordered to the island of Antigua. The doctor
having gone to New York on an unsuccessful attempt




SCENES OF CHILDHOOD.           27
to sell his commission, that he. might carry out his
plan of purchasing a home in WVestern or Middle New
York, Mrs. Graham was obliged to follow him to New
York, with her children, assisted by two Indian captive girls which she had, out of kindly'motives, re,
ceived from their savage masters into her family, and
who returned her care by a grateful attachment to
her and her little ones. The route which the tender family pursued was by bateau to Oswego, thence
over a portage to the iMohawk, somewhere near Oriskany, thence, by alternate canoe voyage and portage
(over which the children were carried on the backs
of Indians), to Schenectady, and by portage again to
the Hudson at Albany. We have no particular record or z2emorlicida of this journey, but how different
must it have been through the almost unbroken wilderness, with only canoes to relieve the foot travel,
from the means of passage now through the very garden of our beautiful, fertile, and prosperous state.
Surely God, who watched over his predestined prophet in the bulrushes of the Nile, guarded and guided
that little band through the wilderness and on the
stream until they reached WNew York, the great city
which was afterward to be so eminently blessed by
the prayers and ministries of Isabella Graham and
Joanna Bethune. While waiting at the sea-port for
the sailing of the transport, Mrs. Graham  and her
young family were treated with most hospitable kindness by many Christian friends, to whom they were
introduced by Mrs. Major Brown of the 60th, a daugh



28         MEMOIRS OF MIRS. BETHUNE.
ter of Mr. Vanbrugh Livingston; and made the valuable acquaintance of the Rev. Dr. John Rodgers, of
the Presbyterian Church, to whose instructions many
years after, on Mrs. Graham's second coming to New
York (1789-90), Joanna attributed no small degree
of the spiritual benefit she needed at the beginning
of her Christian profession.
They sailed for Antigua November, 1772, when it
pleased God sorely to chastise Mrs. Graham, first, by
the death of her excellent mother, whose letters of
affectionate counsel had been of such unspeakable
value to her, and, a few months afterward, by the
death of Dr. Graham; who died November, 1773, giving the strongest testimony that the blessing which
his wife hadl so earnestly striven and prayed for had
been secured through his own apprehending faith on
Jesus Christ.'Those who have read the memoirs of
Mrs. Graham will remember that this was a turningpoint of her Christian character.  Hitherto she had
leaned much on her pious mother inll matters of religion, and in affairs of this world- on her stronghearted, affectionate husband. Now, motherless and
a widow, sad and in poverty, she looked upon her
little fatherless children, and cast herself and them on
the covenant care of God alone. After the birth of
a son-she returned to Scotland (1775), where she found
her father, now too aged for the: trust from which he
had derived his livelihood, living in a little cottage at
Cartside, near Paisley. She lived with him in penury for about two years, when, seeking for a better sub



SCENES OF CHILDHOOD.              29
sistence, she removed to Paisley, and taught a school
for small children, which, with her pension as a surgeon's widow, was all her earthly dependence, until
her talents as a teacher and her beautiful pious consistency under trial led her constant friend, AIrs. M~iajor Brown (also then in Scotland), to unite several
other influential Christian persons to propose that she
should open a boarding-school of a high order in Edinburgh (1779), which she taught with great success
until her removal to New York in 1789. The reader
will observe that from her seventh to her eleventh
year she was under the immediate care and instruction of her own mother, whose faculty of teaching the
young was the most remarkable of all her distinguished gifts of usefulness, and this, too, during the years
when her piety abounded in her deep poverty and
sanctified sorrom.  AIrs. Bethune was the daughter
of a schoolmistress, and her earliest conscious years
were spent in her mother's school for young children.
The later developments of her intelligent and successful zeal for the religious education of the young
prove that the purpose of God concerning her was
then in preparation for its fulfillment.




30         AI~ZMEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
CHAPTER III.
EARLY EDUCATION AND ASSOCIATIONS.
At School.-I-Ier Teachers.-Distinguished Ministers. —Erskine.Davidson. —Witherspoon.-A Playmate of Walter Scott.-Lady
Glenorchy; her Biography.
IT would seem from one of her records that about
this time, probably while Mrs. Graham  was getting
her school and home in order, Joanna spent nearly a
year in the family of her aunt in Glasgow, when in
1780 she was taken again under her mother's immediate care, participating in the advantages of the excellent school, and the instructions of the eminent
masters whom Mrs. Graham called to her aid. Among
these, Mrs. Bethune retained a strong sense of obligation to Mr. Scott (author of the onrce famous book of
rhetorical instruction known as "Scott's Lessons")
and Mr. Butterworth, the first writing-master who
prepared engraved copies for his pupils, and illustrations of the hand holding the pen.  To the latter
Mrs. Bethune owed the accomplishment of a peculiarly bold, free, and distinct hand-writing, which she retained as long as she continued to use her pen. To Mr.
Scott she was indebted for a knowledge of the art of
speech and gesture, which made herself the best teacher of elocution the writer of these pages has ever met
with. Thus, at each step of her life, and as her mind




EARLY EDUCATION AND ASSOCIATIONS.   31
was ripening, did Providence place her in successively higher positions to cultivate her love for education,
and ability to advance it on the soundest principles.
But her heavenly Father made yet more striking
provision for her religious improvement. Mrs. Graham's respectability of birth-much more, her high intellectual cultivation, and, more than all, her rich endownments of Divine grace shining mildly but unmistakably through her modest virtues, brought around
her a considerable circle of friends, some of them conspicuous for rank and professional distinction, as well
as Lunusual piety.  Almong these were the Rev. Dr.
Erskine and the Rev. Dr. Davidson, who, as the Rev.
Mr. Randal,: of Glasgow, had been one of her earliest
friends while at Paisley, whose ministry she attended
while in Edinburgh; the Rev. Dr. Witherspoon, during his visit to Edinburgh (1785), from  whose conversation respecting America as a land in which the
Church of God was eminently to flourish, Mrs. Graham derived her providential impulses to come with
her children to the United States; and other revered
clergymen.  One of her near neighbors and cherished intimate friends was Mrs. WValter Scott (the mother of the poet), of whose excellent spirit and affectionate kindness Mrs. Bethune often spoke warmly to
her children.
It will be interesting here to give some of Mrs.
Bethune's reminiscences of young WValter at this time.
* The author believes that this change of name wras a condition
of his inheriting a fortune, but he has no account of it.




32         MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
TiValtie, as he was familiarly called, Mrs. Bethune described as an amiable, kindly lad, who, from his lameness, was not allowed to play with lads of his age,
lest he should suffer from their rough sports, and
therefore found his playmates among the girls, with
whom he was a special favorite. Their playground
was an inclosed space or square, to which the families of the houses round resorted (Mrs. Scott and
Mrs. Graham being of the number); and here, upon
the grass, it was his special delight to get troops of
the young ladies to act little dramas of Border history, the main feature of which was a division into
two opposing parties (Englishmen and Scots), who
made raids into each other's territory across the Border line, and carried off, if successful, bonnets, shawls,
and other articles of clothing deposited for the purpose, as booty. So early did his ruling passion show
itself.
At another time the young Joanna, with some other young companions, were spending the afternoon
at Mrs. Scott's, when there came up a tremendous
thunder-storm, in Edinburgh of comparatively rare
occurrence, which so alarmed the little girls that they
ran to throw themselves on the feather-beds for safety from the electric fluid. The boy Waltie, being of
course excluded, shut himself up in his room, and on
the reassembling'at the tea-table he produced what
appeared to his partial auditors some extraordinarily
fine verses on the storm. Sir Walter, in his autobiography, alludes to these verses as among his earli



EARLY EDUCATION AND ASSOCIATIONS.   33
est attempts at verse, in which he says he stole all
the ideas and a good share of the rhymes from an old
magazine.  The writer had often heard the story
from his mother before the autobiography reached
this country.  Sir Walter did not wholly forget his
early playmate, but in more than one case introduced friends coming to New York to Mrs. Bethune,
and there is now in possession'of the writer a copy,
quarto, of the first edition of the "Lay of the last
Minstrel," which was (as his parents told him) ordered to be sent out by the author. Unfortunately, the
poet's autograph is not on it as a presentation copy;
nor can any one of the several letters be found, owing to an unfortunate scattering of a portion of Mrs.
Bethune's papers, which has been the occasion of
many similar losses. Mrs. Bethune was so confident
of Sir WValter's kindly recollection of her, that she
was anxious her son should bear a letter of introduction to him from her; but his visit to Abbotsford
could not be paid until after the Wizard of the
North had ceased to breathe his mighty spells over
an admiring world. It may be added. that in Mrs.
Bethune's family the full conviction that none other
than her early playmate in "Englishmen and Scots"
could be the author of " Waverley," antedated many
years his own avowal of the anonymous splendor of
those unequaled romances, Mrs. Bethune having detected, as she thought, some unmistakable evidences
of " Waltie Scott's hand."
But the friend of Mrs. Graham, most beloved and
B2




34        hIEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
trusted in, not for her high, noble birth, but great
Christian excellence, and Who most deserves mention
in this Memoir, because of her influence over the
heart and life of the young Joanna, was the Right
Honorable Wilielma, wife of Lord Viscount Glenorchy, only son of the third earl of Breadalbane, a nobleman of immense wealth and equal distinction.
This lady is named here with her aristocratic titles
because she was one of the noblest among the few
noble whom the Lord of all honor has called to glorious rank among the highest in the kingdom of
God. This lady, adorned by every accomplishment
of mind and person, admired, and beloved, and courted by the.highest circles in which she moved, by
right of birth, through her intimacy with the family
of Sir Rowland Hill, father of the eminent preacher
of that name, and, at that time (1764), resident with
his family, but especially Miss Hill, his eldest sister,
became, at the age of 24, so decidedly an evangelical
Christian that she broke through all the temptations
of the world surrounding her, and ever afterward devoted herself to the unwearied activities and self-denial of Christ's true follower. The Life, with Letters
and Devotional Papers, of Lady Glenorchy, was edited by the Rev. T. S. Jones, minister of her chapel,
Edinburgh; was published, Edinburgh, for William
Whyte & Co., there, and Longmani Hurst, Rees, Orme,
& Brown, London, in 1822, 8vo, p. 520, and, though
not very skillfully executed, constitutes one of the
most remarkable and edifying Christian biographies




EARLY EDUCATION AND ASSOCIATIONS.    35
ever given to the world.  It is, unhappily, little
known in this country, never having been reprinted
here, and it is almost lost to the annals of the Church
on earth, so that the writer is compelled to exert no
little degree of self-denial in making his notice of his
brother's early patron and exemplar sufficiently brief
for the size of this volume.  Suffice it to say, that
Lady Glenorchy was one of Whitfeld's school of religious doctrine, while her intimate and best-loved
friend Darcy, Lady Maxwell, followed the principles
of Wesley,* both being divinely accredited as eminent examples of the power which genuine Christian
faith exerts over the hearts of Christ's disciples, despite of technical differences of minor doctrine, in enabling them to overcome the world, to purify their
hearts, and work by love.  Some notice, necessarilybrief, of Lady Glenorchy's character and good works,
may be found in the Mliemoirs of Mrs. Graham, revised
and edited for the American Tract Society by MIrs.
Bethune, and published from her manuscript, and under her close personal supervision, in 1842; where,
also, will be found, p. 64-67, an admirable letter from
Lady Glenorchy, showing at once her deeply spiritual character, and the faithfulness of her tender friendship for Mrs. Graham.  This she also manifested in
her kindness to the subject of this Memoir, in receiving her at one time into her own family, and after* Life of Darcy, Lady Maxwell, of Pollock, etc., etc. By Rev.
John Lancaster. New York: Bangs & Mason, for the Methodist
Episcopal Church, 2 vols. 121no, 1822.




3 6        MEMOIRS OF AIRS. BETHUNE.
ward sending her, liberally furnished with money for
her personal expenses and practical exercise of charity, to a French school at Rotterdam, in Holland,
that she might acquire the' language, and be fitted
for greater assistance to her mother in the school.
Lady Glenorchy also requested that Mrs. Graham
might be sent for to be near her in her last moments,
and Miers. Graham had the mournful satisfaction of
closing her- eyes, receiving, as a proof of her friend's
love, a legacy of ~200, which was of great benefit in
her then narrow circumstances.
Again the reader is asked to note the peculiar
leading of a gracious Providence in training His
young handmaiden for those walks of usefulness
which, in riper years, she pursued so successfully
and devotedly.




AN UNFINISHED SKETCH BY HERSELF.    37
CHAPTER IV.
AN UNFINISHED  SKETCH BY HERSELF.
Self-examination.-A Retrospect.-Decline of Religion.-Orphanage.-Restraints of Childhood.-A Mother's Care.-An Aunt's
Praises. -A Minister's Influence. -Death of a Grandfather.Lady Glenorchy and her Household.-Their Habits and Example.
-Goes to a French School in Rotterdam.-Its effect upon her religious Character.
HER religious history up to this period will be best
given-in the words of an unfinished paper written by
herself immediately after her mother's death.
"New York, Thursday, August 18, 18141.
" A day set apart by the General Assembly for
humiliation and prayer.             )
"Heard Mr. Bogue preach from  Zephaniah, i., 12,
latter clause of the verse:' And punish the men that
are settled on their lees; that say in their heart, The
Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil.' iHe
mentioned a number of characters who use such language, and what he said was very good, but I thought
that he came short in not speaking more particularly
to Christians.  Those who seem  to walk before God
with their whole heart, whose lives and conversation
seem void of offense, have most need to search their
hearts.  We are apt to be settled upon our lees.  WVe
live in such a day of Gospel light that it is rather re



38    ~MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE,
spectable than otherwise to be Christians. There are,
indeed, those who spend their days in all manner of
riot and dissipation; but there are a good number of
real believers, of outwardly decent character, that are
under no temptation to go out into the world which
lieth in wickedness, having so many to keep us in
countenance. For my part, with the deepest humiliation and contrition, I would be this day a witness
against myself. When I look back on my past life,
and all the way by which the Lord my God has led
me, I am ashamed and confounded; and were it not
that He hath found out a way by which He can be
just, yet the justifier of him that believeth, I could
not dare to approach Him, but would be compelled
to sit down in despair, and never' more open my
mouth before Him.
"I am this day, in a particular manner, called to
mourn and to rejoice. I am now an orphan.'My
father and my mother have forsaken me.' My father
I never knew. It pleased God to take him away before I could be sensible of the loss; but for the space
of forty years I have been blessed with the most exemplary of mothers. Although she deeply bewailed
her unfaithfulness to her children, I can testify to her
faithfulness to me in the best things. The nature of
her business exposed.her to many temptations from
which I am freed;: but the Sabbath was always a sign
between her and her God. I have always been kept
from openly breaking the Sabbath.
"I mean not to record here a history of her life, or




AN UNFINISHED SKETCH BY  EERSELFo    39
even of her last illness, but strictly to call myself to
account for my conduct from my youth until now;
to enumerate the many advantages I have enjoyed,
and then compare my subsequent conduct.
II As long as I can remnember, I daily received religious instructions from my mother, She taught me
to read, and daily made me learn the Shorter Catechism and portions of Scripture.  I recollect, as early
as when eight or nine years old, having sonething
like religious exercise. I yielded to my sisters and
others from a principle of religion, and I was so still
and quiet that they used to call me'the little pigeon).
But the corruption in me had not been called into exerciseo
I staid eleven months with my aunt in Glasgow.
She was very partial to me, praising me to every
body, and I soon began to think myself a nonsuch.
This taught me a lesson which I desire ever to remember —-not to seekl the praise of men, and not to
praise my children before their faces.
"' In 1780 we removed [to Edinburgh], and for several years I recollect nothing but childish vanity and
folly.  Dr. Davidson, formerly MIr. Randal, conceived
a great regard for me andc was pleased to fix upon
me as a companion for his eldest daughter, -who was
extremely volatile. I went, for a length of time, to
his house every evening, to study my lessons swith
Sally, was present at their family worship, and sat in
his pew on the Sabbath.  Mfany, very many are the
instructions I received from that man of God:, and




40        MEMOIRS OF IMRS. BETHUNE.
accordingly I had something like exercise. I remember my ever making conscience of reading God's
Word, and singing His praises, and praying to Him
every day. in private.
" In February, 1783, my grandfather died, which
made a considerable impression on my mind. I
prayed and cried to the Lord only to give nme the
portion of His people, and I would ask no other. I
prayed that He would hedge me in, and keep me in
a right way; that, if I ever forsook Him, He would
chastise me, only never take His loving-kindness
from me. Often, often have I prayed in this manner,
when my conduct was in direct opposition to my
prayers; but blessed be my God who has answered
my prayers. iee has repeatedly chastised me, visiting my transgressions with a rod, and my iniquity
with stripes; nevertheless; His loving-kindness has
He not utterly taken from me, nor suffered His faithfulness to fail.
" About the month of November, 1783, I went to
Barnton [a seat of her ladyship's], four'miles from
Edinburgh, to live in the family of my much revered
patroness and exemplary friend, Lady Glenorchy,
where I remained until the summer following. Oh,
what have I not to answer for what I saw in that family. It was, indeed, a little heaven upon earth. lNever, before or since, have I seen such exemplary conduct. The family consisted of Lady Glenorchy [now
thirteen years a widow], Lady Harriet [or Henrietta],
Hope [eldest daughter of the Earl of Hopetoun, who




AN UNFINISHED SKETCH BY HERSELF.   41
had resided with Lady Glenorchy since the earl, her
father's death, 1781, adding, as Lady Glenorchy's biographer says,'much to the comfort of her life,'
from her clear, vigorous, and evangelical spirit], Miss
M'Dowall, the chaplain [the Rev. Dr. T. S. Jones], and
myself.  Lady Glenorchy was in very ill health during the whole of the winter, never getting out to
church or any other place' except once on the Sabbath, and sometimes not that; yet I never remember
seeing a frown on her countenance or hearing her utter a murmuring word. She was even then deprived
of her favorite employment, visiting and relieving the
poor.  But they did not suffer on that account.  She
had many almoners.  My mother was often honored
with that office.*  In 1783, when there was a great
scarcity, she furnished her friends with tickets, receivable at different shops, and commanding necessaries of life for those who were in want.  She had a
large room, which she called her wardrobe, hung
round with coarse but comfortable garments, which
had previously furnished work to many persons in
the different stages of spinning, weaving, and making
up.  She likewise kept all kinds of simple medicines
by her for the use of the sick.  Her mansion was elegant, and her grounds tastefully laid out;t and, like
the great, she had two porters' lodges at the gate.
* So, also, as she often told us, was young Joanna herself, whom
Lady Glenorchy used, on such occasions, to call her little almoner.
It was part of the education she bestowed on her young protege.
t Barnton was sold for ~28,000.




42           MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
Of these she made schoolrooms, two of her pious domestics having charge of them. In one, the poor children were taught to read, and received religious instructions; in the other, the females were taught to
sew, spin, and knit. I was witness to her having
potatoes planted for the poor in her very pleasuregrounds. But I can not pretend to enumerate the
many good deeds of that excellent lady, and only,
for my own improvement, set down something of
what my eyes saw and my ears heard.  During the
week we worked while one read, generally myself.
Our reading was sacred biography, or the experiences
of pious people.  On the Sabbath, our reading was
of a deeper character. Lady Glenorchy kept a little
Bible in the pocket of the carriage, and, while driving to church [usually four miles, to her ladyship's
chapel, which she had built, and supported, in Edinburgh], she would give us a text to meditate upon.
Her whole time, talents, and fortune were devoted to
God, and she had no intercourse with the world except it was to promote some good work.*
* Lady Glenorchy's biographer, speaking of her at this period,
says, "In the beginning of the month of September, 1783, she, with
her friend Henrietta Hope, returned to Barnton, where she remained
during the following autumn and winter.'The liberal,' says the
prophet,' deviseth liberal things;' much had Lady Glenorchy done,
and much had she expended in promoting the cause of benevolence
and the interests of piety; yet, after all, she was not satisfied; she
never thought that she had done enough while there was a possibility
of doing any thing more. Little or nothing did she expend on herself more than was absolutely necessary; yet she contracted even




AN UNFINISHED SKETCH BY HERSELF.   43
"I was often much exercised while staying at B3arnton, but I as yet only experienced a wish and desire
that little in order to be able to do more good.  Her economy became great, but it was the economy of piety and benevolence."  She
herself writes to her intimate friend, iMrs. Baillie AValker (also anl
intimate friend and counselor of Mrs. Graham), a lady whose strong
mind and deeply religious character had been of special benefit to
her (Lady Glenorchy), as it was to all brought within the sphere of
her influence, August, 1783, from  Moffat, where she had accompanied Lady Hllrriet, when failing health required the drinking of
goat's whey,''The Lord has been pleased to visit me by sickness
once more, after me, y having attained to a measure of health I had
not known for several years.  May I not say, with Job, I Shall I receive good at the hand of God, and shall I not receive evil also?'
He gave me health for a season, and now He has taken it awray;
blessed be His name, for He cloth all things wise. Yes, I am fully
persuaded thallt this very illness is one of the'all things' that are
working together for my good, and my heart freely acquiesces in the
dispensation."  Again, in her Diary, January 1, 1783, she records,'"The Lord has been pleased, most unexpectedly to mne, to lengthen
out my life to see the beginning of a new year.... He crowns me
with every blessing of a temporal nature.  I also enjoy the means
of grace abundantly; but, alas! how unworthy do I feel myself to
be of such favors.  How ungrateful, careless, negligent, and forgetful
of my best friend and benefactor.  I stand astonished at the goodness of God, anld at my own total unworthiness.  Oh that I had a
heart and tongue to praise Him, and power to speed forth to others
the grace of God by a holy and useful walk and conversation! May
I this year increase in faith, love, and power in my soul, that God
-may be glorified in me and by me.  Let my soul live, and it shall
praise Thee! Amen, and Amen!"  Again, January 26th, " For
some days past I have head more liberty in prayer, and more comfort in secret duties than usual, part/icularly in the morning'; and
sometimes in the night, when I awake, I have been constrained to
praise Him for all His mercies.  I have had several instances of His
answering my prayers for spiritual blessings, and find my mind led




44            MEMiOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
to become a follower of Jesus, and never pretended
to think that I had already attained to a right knowledge of him.  The doctrine of election puzzled me;
and, besides, by frequently hearing the Methodists, I
expected to experience  some sudden  change, nay,
even that all my evil inclinations would be at once
done away, and that ever after I should feel entirely
free from  sin.
"Lady Glenorchy, out of her great benevolence,
and warm  friendship for my mother, in order to fit
me to assist her in the school, sent me, at her own
expense, to a French school in -Rotterdam; and, that
I might have opportunity for my private devotions,
paid for a room private to myself, a privilege of which
I was defrauded. She also gave me tenll guineas for
pocket-money, enjoining it upon mn  never to see distress without relieving it. I parted from this dear lady
in 1784, and never saw her again. WVhen I arrived
in Rotterdam, I found myself without a pious friend.
out to trust and look for yet greater blessings than any I have hitherto experienced. I want to be more habitually spiritually-minded,
and to live under a constant sense of His presence; to act, as in His
sight, with a single eye to His glory. My soul longs for the mind
which was in Christ.  0 Lord, grant me all thou art willing to bestow on me, and then take me to thyself, that I may behold thy
glory without a veil." Such'was the heavenly and heaven-desiring
frame of Lady Glenorchy's mind during the time when young Joanna Graham, then just passing out of her girlhood, had the inestimable privilege of living under her affectionate'care, and of being
the subject of her prayers. The subsequent career of Mrs. Bethune
will develop the degree in which her heart, judgment, and method of
pious action were affected by what she saw and heard at Barnton.




AN UNFINISHED SKETCH BY HERSELF.   j45
On the Sabbath the girls amused themselves more
than on week-days, and although I understood that
there were many pious people in the place, it was not
my lot to meet them.  I was dreadfully afraid, and
cried earnestly to the Lord to preserve me from
breaking the Sabbath as I saw others do.  Indeed, I
never in my whole life prayed more earnestly than
I did when first in Rotterdam; but, by degrees, I became accustomed to the state of things around me.
The society of young people, and the example of
careless ministers" [assistants in the school, and perhaps others, who exhibited the deplorably lax notions on the Sabbath prevalent among churches on
the Continent], "soon wore off my serious impressions; and although I do not recollect deliberate
joining in any game or amusement on the Sabbath,
yet idle conversation and laughing occupied too great
a part of the holy day.  By the time I was ready to
return home, my affections were much turned from
serious things, and I do not recollect much exercise
for some years, but much, much folly of heart and
life.
" The year 1786 I must now recollect with great
* Truth requires the biographer to say that, notwithstanding the
many disadvantages under which she labored at this worldly-minded
school, Mrs. Bethune often spoke with pleasant reminiscence of some
parts of the French service in the church the school attended, and
also of the weekly visits of a little man in half clerical costume, the
catechist (cateclhiseermeester), an officer in the Reformed Churches
who, according to their praiseworthy custom, came to hear the pupils say their Catechism, etc.




46         MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
sorrow; for not only was I cold and indifferent as to
religion, but I gave up praying altogether.  Indeed,
I was afraid to pray; but the Lord had purposes of
mercy concerning me."  Here the narrative ends.
Nothing of interest concerning Joanna's life is recorded from this time until July, 1789. It is probable that she assisted to some degree in teaching her
mother's pupils, but not so as to hinder her own thorough education.




MRS. ISABELLA GiRAHAM'S COUNSELS.         47
CHAPTER V.
MRS. ISABELLA GRAHAM'S COUNSELS.
Lettel to a Daughter at School.-Love of Enjoyment.-Discontent.
-Great Opportlnities.-Pleasures of Home.-Mother's Cares.Advantages of Education.-Gratitude.
THE following is one of several letters of Mrs.
Graham  to her- daughter, and will not be without
interest.  It would seem that Joanna was, for some
good reason, to be transferred from the school which
she had entered at first, and had expressed some impatience:
"Edinburgh, May 3, 1785.
"To Miss Jacky* Graham, at Madame Marc's
"Boarding-school, Rotterdam:
"' MY DEAR GIRL,-Before I begin this letter, I must
put you in remembrance of what I have often told
you, that it is no strange thing for either youth or
age to need friendly caution, or even reproof; and
that if ever you find yourself for any length of time
without it, it is not because you do not need it, but
because you have no friend near, or none that is
faithful, or none with penetration, or none who strictly observes your actions; for inspired wisdom  itself has said, that folly is bound up in the heart of
youth, and needs the rod of correction to drive it
* The pet name for Joanna.




48        MERMOIRS OF MRS. BETHIUNE.
out. I have never, as you know, dealt much in correction, but have ever labored to rectify the judgment, the heart, and the passions. Now, my love, I
have no crime to charge you with, nor even any real
fault; I only think that you are too much under the
influence of self-will —no, I can not say that either;
I rather say, the love of present enjoynent. You would,
in every letter, leave all the advantages you have for
improving yourself, and return, more than satisfied,
to your mother's house. You would forego all the
advantages of the future for a year's present enjoyment. I should be vexed and grieved if any of my
children could be so happy absent from me as with
me. I even wish them to prefer home to every other
situation.
"That you are more reconciled to your present
situation is because you have found another homeother kind friends, who have become objects of your
esteem and affection. This, too, is good. You owe
them, and every other blessing, to the great Fountain
of love, who has the hearts of all in His hand, and
opens or shuts them at his pleasure. You owe to
them gratitude-you owe them love. You may
without offense, nay, it is ever your duty, to enjoy
them while with them. But, my dear Jacky, as it
was your duty to leave your mother's house, and go
to Holland a stranger and unacquainted, so it is your
duty to leave your second home, and become more a
stranger and unknown; and that with your will
heartily, though it should be with painful feelings.




MRS. ISABELLA GRAHAM'S COUNSELS.    49
God is every where, and can ever raise up friends
for you wherever He, in His providence, calls you.
Does my Jacky reflect when she says,' I was born
to suffer; it is hard to be tossed about in this manner?' Does she not, at such times, forget that all
this is for her own improvement, and that God has,
in a very remarkable manner, provided the means
of such improvement, for your mother had it not?
WThat would poor Juliet --—, and thousands of others, give for your opportunities?  Yes, your own
sister Jess would at present esteem it a happiness, though, I. make no doubt, she would feel as
you feel, and say as you say, or, perhaps, be even
more impatient, if actually in the same circumstances. Still, in the view of sober reason, your advantages are greater than theirs who are at home,
and your situation comfortable at the same time.
Turn back your views to your mother's situation:
left a widow, with four of you, in a distant country,
with scarcely so much in hand as to carry her and
her orphans to her native land. Next, view our cottage [at Cartside] —no doubt it was the cottage of
innocence, simplicity, and happiness, though of poverty-and even from that we were shut out with
but a poor ~16 a year to depend upon, and the eldest of my children scarcely eight years of age. What
could be our prospects at that time?  Either sitting
from six in the morning till ten at night sprigging
muslin, or some such work, or going out to common
service? AMany late, many anxious nights your
C




50        MEMOIRS OF AIRS. BETHUNE.
mother had at that time; and she who had ever
lived a life of ease and plenty in the lap of indulgence, loving and beloved- her company courtedher conduct copied the seeming favorite of all who
knew her-yet brought. so low as to be obliged to
part with her last servant, and do her own housework; and, what was worse, be neglected by those
who were formerly my intimates, some of whom had
esteemed my friendship an honor. What were my
prospects then? Yet, Jac, think what the Lord has
done for us since that time, and you in particular.
Relations, afraid of being entangled in our difficulties,
kept at a distance; but the Lord opened the hearts
of strangers to countenance me and find business for
me. Yet what would even this have done for me
had I been without education? I have had the happiness of seeing my children possess all the means
of a most liberal education, and enjoying a circle of
worthy friends and acquaintances. If I am taken
away before they be of age to carry on the present
school, or should the business fail, though I can not
leave them in abundance, I should leave them with
such acquisitions and talents as will render them
blessings to, not burdens on society, dependent
though they will be on character, behavior, and
their own exertions for a livelihood. If they behave with propriety wherever they are, they will be
respected, and entitled to keep company with people
of education, and never need be in want of a home
gained by their accomplishments. Bless the Lord




MIRS. ISABELLA GRAHAM IS COUNSELS.    51
with me, my dear, and forget not all His benefits,
who is, in truth, the widow's help, the orphan's stay,
and the stranger's shield."
Under such faithful and affectionate training she
remained until the family left Scotland for the United States.




52         MEMIOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
CHAPTER VI.
RETURN TO AMERICA.
Dr. Graham's Views of Settling in America.-Mrs. Graham's Plans.
-Christian Friends.-Dr. Witherspoon.-Mrs. Graham and Family arrive in New York.-Reception.-Success.-Mrs. Graham's
School and Patrons.
THE reader will remember that Dr. Graham's main
motive in getting commissioned to serve in America
was the hope of finding there, with his young wife's father and mother, a rural agricultural home. Though
the idea, as he entertained it, like similar projects of
many others, was rather romantic than wise, the impression remained deep on the mind and heart of
Mrs. Graham; and though compelled by adverse circumstances, and the state of war in this country at
the time of her widowhood, to return to Scotland,
she seems never to have lost the desire of establishing her family in the land where she had spent the
happiest years of her womanhood, and where her
daughters were born. It is even more than probable
that she accepted the opening made for her in Edinburgh under the design of thoroughly educating her
girls for a similar enterprise in New York.  Her
friend, Mrs. Major Brown, who had come to Scotland
with her husband, was, as we have stated, a native of
New York, being the daughter of Mr. Vanbrugh Liv



RETURN TO AMERICA.             53
ingston, a distinguished member of that opulent family, even then occupying a high social position in the
new state, as it had from an early day in the colony.
Doubtless the conversation of these ladies was often
turned, in their confidential moments, to the city,
which soon gave strong promise of its future prosperity and influence. The great kindness of the
Christian friends who ministered to Mrs. Grahamn in
1772, when on her way to Antigua, and most probably the correspondence of Mrs. Brown with her relatives there, were not without the effect of keeping
alive Mrs. Graham's predilections and desires. Thus
did Providence prepare her mind to listen favorably
to the suggestions of that eminent divine and distinguished patriot, the Rev. Dr. Witherspoon, who paid
a visit to his native land, and was intimate with the
circle of Mrs. Graham's friends. Devoted to the highest welfare of his adopted country, which he served
so well, and especially to the religious and general
education of its youth, on whose proper education for
their duties so much of the prosperity of the young
republic depended, Dr. WVitherspoon, the President of
Princeton College, readily perceived how able a coadjutant such a woman as Mrs. Graham, with such a
family, would be to him, and he spared no pains to
persuade her that in New York she would find a
sphere for her zeal in advancing her usefulness and
the glory of God, especially as it was his deep conviction that in this land the Church of God would
eminently flourish, and become a praise in the whole




54         MEMOIRS OF AIRS. BETHUNE.
earth. It is not surprising, therefore, that in the summer of 1789 she broke up her flourishing school in
Edinburgh, and, tearing herself away from her faithful and beloved friends, who had been her stay and
comfort, she came, after having received earnest invitations from most respectable sources, to New York,
in September of that year. She was received with
great deference and kindness by the best people in
the city. This was partly secured to her by the regard of the friends she had gained in 1772, a number
of whom were still living; also by the distinguished
introductions she was favored with from divines and
others in Scotland, as well as from Dr. WVitherspoon,
who spared no efforts to open for her the best opportunities which, from the combination of his high political as well as social and literary eminence, he was
well able to accomplish; more than all, from the deep
anxiety of the most influential families in New York,
and throughout the country, to secure for their daughters such an instructress as Mrs. Graham's friends certified her to be.
Mrs. Graham's school, which she speedily opened
under such favorable auspices, was, it is believed, the
first, and for many years the only school in the States
where young ladies could obtain a thorough and elegant education, with the yet higher advantages of
sound Christian training. The Congress of the United
States then held its sittings in New York, where, consequently, the President (General WVashington), the
heads of departments, and the members of both




RETURN TO AMERICA.              55
houses resided, at least for a considerable part of the
year. Next to the power of religion, the city could
scarcely have received, especially for the younger
women, a greater or more needed blessing than such
a school as Mrs. Graham's.  Hence we find the excellent Bishop Moore, of the Episcopal Church, the Rev.
Dr. Rodgers, of the Presbyterian, the clergy of the
Dutch Church, and others high in the confidence of
the Christian community, united in encouraging Mrs.
Graham to undertake a school of the highest order,
which was soon filled to its utmost capacity, and fully
employed the talents and time of her two daughters,
Joanna and Isabella (afterward Mrs. Andrew Smith,
who died in March, 1860, in Glasgow, Scotland, at the
house of her daughter, the widow of Mr. John Brydon, a gentleman of modest, but very great worth),
Jessy, the eldest, having married Mr. Hay Stevenson
soon after their arrival.




56         MEMIOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
CHAPTER VII.
EARLY RELIGIOUS LIFE.
Joanna Graham a Teacher.-Marries Divie Bethune, Esq. —Her
own Record of Religious Experience.-Remarkable Conflicts.Darkness.-Delirium.-Restoration to Health, Peace, and Happiness.
JOANNA had now reached adult womanhood, and
her early developed love of education led her to devote her ripe, cultivated powers to the benefit of the
pupils, including, as has been said, the daughters of
many of the most distinguished families in the land,
at a period when the best influence of instructed and
religious mothers over the future rulers of the young
republic was so especially needed. In the long lapse
of time, the most of Mrs. Graham's pupils have passed away from  earth; but Mrs. Bethune's family, in
earlier days, have been often delighted to hear from
ladies of the highest and most important positions the
warmest expressions of grateful admiration for Joanna and Isabella Graham, who were at once their teachers, their examples, and friends. Thus was occasioned the wide and commanding influence which Mrs.
Bethune had over the best female minds, and of the
highest social standing with reference to the various
schemes of usefulness she was called by Providence
to inaugurate, organize, and establish.




EARLY RELIGIOUS LIFE.            57
Joanna continued to assist her mother until 1795,
when she was married to Mr. Divie Bethune, a gentleman characterized, like herself, by ardent piety, a
strong, cultivated mind, sound doctrinal views, great
desire and great aptness for usefulness, so that their
union, while it increased their personal and domestic
happiness, favored yet more their zeal and faculties
for doing good. For twenty-nine years Mr. and Mrs.
Bethune walked hand in hand through the private
and social duties of the Christian life, encouraging
and assisting each other in successive plans of religious and philanthropic exertion, which have been,
some of them for many years, and are not less at
present, abounding streams of usefulness in this city,
throughout the land, and in many foreign parts, making glad the City of our God.
Mrs. Bethune's personal narrative during this period, from 1789 to 1795, in the manuscript already
referred to, and from which large extracts have already been made, is so full of interest that I transcribe it almost verbatmn.
"We left Scotland in 1789, and, after passing
through a fiery trial, arrived in New York September 8th of that year. The Lord greatly blessed us,
and gave us favor in the eyes of this people. He
also provided for us Christian friends, Rev. Dr. Rodgers, Dr. Mason [the elder], and Mr. Mason, John M.
Mason [afterward the eminent Dr.], dear Mr. Chrystie, and others. The first winter I was confined entirely to the house with rheumatism in my head,
C2




58         MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
while my sisters were visiting about; yet it pleased
the Lord to make this trial a blessing to me. In my
retirement and frequent solitude I remembered my
evil ways, and loathed myself for my sins in God's
sight. I read Doddridge's Rise and Progress through,
prayed over all the prayers in it, and, in the spring
of 1790, began to attain some degree of comfort. Dr.
Mason often called and spoke to us in the most affectionate manner, never failing to melt me into tears.
My mother saw that I was deeply exercised, and persuaded me to call on Dr. M., who seemed pleased with
my exercises, and advised me to come forward to the
sacramental table. I think that I was sincere, and
desired with my whole heart to belong to the Lord;
but I had not yet attained sufficient assurance. Had
I continued to follow on to know the Lord, no doubt
I should have attained to that grace; but alas! alas!
like the Israelites who longed after the flesh-pots of
Egypt, I imagined that I might indulge in what the
world calls innocent amusements. I did not go to the
play-houses or other public places of diversion, except occasionally to a concert; but I attended private
dancing parties, and was too fond of gay, thoughtless
people, and, in consequence, I was miserable. I was
trying to serve God and Mammon. Often, when in
company, I used to' look round me and wonder if
there were any there besides my sister and myself
who professed to be followers of the meek and lowly
Jesus, to take up the cross and go after Him through
evil as well as through good report. I had often




EARLY RELIGIOUS LIFE.          59
convictions that I ought to come out from the world
entirely, but had not the resolution. By degrees I
discovered the emptiness of all created enjoyments,
and for a considerable time continued to be unhappy
in worldly company. I was often tempted to stay
away from the Lord's table. I dreaded death. I
knew that I was acting contrary to the law of God,
and feared that I should be cast out at last. I was
even tempted to wish I had never heard the Gospel
in my youth, that it might make a stronger impression on my mind as if I heard it for the first time.
I thought that I had sinned away my day of grace,
and had become hardened under the droppings of the
sanctuary. I prayed the Lord to afflict me, to do any
thing to me so that I might attain comfort at last.
But still I did not cut with the world-I did not
give Him my whole heart. In 1793 I formed an acquaintance with an Irish gentleman, who paid me
great attention. I was pleased with liim, for he was
well read, especially in poetry, of which I was then
passionately fond. I gave him no encouragement
except my company, which I now think was wrong.
H-e often said that I had but one fault, which was being too religious. Alas! I thought myself any thing
but that. One Sabbath evening he persuaded the
maid to let him into the room where we generally
sat, and on my coming in from attending church the
third time that day, I found him there. He immediately began to talk of the folly of going so often to
church, and that he hoped to get me where the sound




60        MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
of the church bell was never heard. I shrank from
him with horror, and from that time I determined
not only to break with him, but also never to give
my company to any man connected with whom I
might be exposed to breaking the Sabbath, or to
temptation which I was convinced I could not resist.
I might have formed a matrimonial connection with
a wealthy merchant, but was preserved; or, rather,
Providence so ordered circumstances that he who afterward became my beloved husband was the only
one who actually proposed to me, which was rather
unexpected, as, although he was a frequent visitor
and highly esteemed, I knew not at the time of the
strong attachment he felt for unworthy me. At
the communion table, after my dismissal of my Irish
lover, I made a solemn vow that I would never connect myself in marriage with one who was not a decided Christian in profession and practice, but would
rather lead a single life.
"During the following winter, say 1793-94, I occasionally went to private parties, and we had sometimes dancing in our house; but I had no relish for
such enjoyments. Mr. Bethune told us of Dr. Rodgers's and Dr. Livingston's lectures on Wednesday and
Thursday evenings, and also the prayer-meeting on
Tuesday evenings, maintained by the Wall Street
Church people in their lecture-room on Nassau Street,
near Wall (west side). My sister and myself resolved
to attend them, which we did. My religious exercises of mind were deepened, but still I was without




EARLY RELIGIOUS LIFE.           61
assurance. I no longer hungered and thirsted after
the world; its pleasures were husks and chaff in my
mouth, and bitterness in retrospection; but still I did
not altogether decline invitation, partly because my
sister wished to go, partly because I knew not what
excuse to make, and dreaded the laugh of the world.
Toward the middle of the winter I spoke again to
my sister; and we agreed to set apart Wednesday and
Thursday evenings for attending the lectures of Drs.
Livingston and Lodgers, and when invited out on
those evenings to answer we'were engaged.' The
very next Thursday we received an invitation from
one of our former boarding scholars to an evening
party given as a farewell to New York. Upon our
returning an answer that we were engaged, she called
herself to see if we could not break the engagement,
or if we could not go to tea, to come to her as late
even as 9 o'clock. To this my sister consented.
Never, never shall I forget the lecture of that evening. Dr. Rodgers's subject was the 38th question and
answer of the Shorter Catechism:'W hat benefits do
believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?'
Ans.' At the resurrection, believers, being raised up
in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted
in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed
in the full enjoying of God to all eternity.' While
the good old doctor explained and commented, I inwardly prayed that I might be among that happy
number, and felt such a solemnity on mny mind that
the world and every thing in it seemed like nothing,




62        MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
and less than nothing. I loathed myself in the sight
of God, and asked only one thing, that I might be indeed of the happy number of those described. When
coming out of the lecture-room, I asked my sister if,
after such a solemn season, she could go to a worldly
party?'No,' she replied;'not for the world.'
That evening Dr. Rodgers gave notice that, as he
should necessarily be absent from  the city, there
would be no lecture on the following Thursday.
Next day, or soon after, we received an invitation to
a party for that evening; and, as there was to be no
lecture, we could not with truth say that we were engaged, and we abcepted. I determined to keep it out
of my mind as much as possible, and made no additional preparation in dress. I spent some time in
prayer to God before I went, earnestly beseeching
Him that, if I was doing wrong, He would make a
way of escape for me. My mind was very solemn
all the evening, and, as I recollect, the master of the
house rallied me on being religious, but gave a testimony to the character of Dr. Mason as being'an
honest priest;' that is, consistent in his walk and conversation with what he preached.'Alas!' thought
I,' am I consistent?' and, looking on the thoughtless
crowd flitting in the dance to' the sound of the viol,'
I said to myself,'Are these the persons who will receive the blessings of eternal life as Dr. Rodgers described them? are these suitable companions for me,
if I am a follower of the Lamb?' I danced but little, and I believe that my serious air and listless man



EARLY RELIGIOUS LIFE.           63
ner gained me no favor with my partners. As we
were going down stairs to supper, I lifed up my
heart in prayer that I might never again be found in
such a scene.... Judge how I was shocked when
the master of the house, standing at the foot of the
table, said,'Ladies and gentlemen, I said grace coming down stairs, to save time;' at which the company
laughed heartily. I almost feared to look around,
and feared lest the earth should open and swallow us
up; but I thought myself the most guilty of all, for
I knew better, had been trained in the nurture of the
Lord from my youth up, nay, had professed at the
table of the Lord to renounce the pomps and vanities
of this world. I felt ill; and, declining all entreaties
to return to the dancing-room, we ordered our sleigh
and went home. I flew to my chamber, and, throwing myself with all my feathers, and flowers, and furbelows on the floor, was dumb before the Lord. I
groaned, and wept, and loathed myself under His eyes,
who now seemed to leave me in despair. All I remember of my prayer was that I might never be
found in the seat of the scorner again. Rising from
the floor, I opened my Bible, if perchance the Lord
would send me some comfort; but here I was met
with these words, the first that presented themselves:'Woe unto them that are at ease in Zion!' (Amos, vi.,
1); and, reading on through the prophecies, I could
only find woes denounced against myself; but one
thing I resolved, to give myself no rest, night or dclay,
until I found grace in believing; for I felt that the




64         MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETIUNE.
world could never fill the aching void I felt. If I
were never made happy in believing, I could not and
would not look for happiness in the creature. I determined to fast, and pray, and read; and then surely the Lord would accept me. I borrowed Pilgrim's
Progress, with Scott's notes, and read it with prayer;
but I could not get out of the'Slough of Despond'
with Christian. I struggled, indeed, toward the side
nearest the wicket gate; but Sinai's fires glared on
me, and I could not see the Redeemer's smiling face.
Satan constantly suggested that I had sinned away
my day of grace-that I had'once tasted of the heavenly gift,' but had fallen away, and it was'impossible
to renew me again unto repentance;' in short, I could
see'no more sacrifice for sin' for me, but'a fearful
looking for of judgment and of fiery indignation,
which shall devour the adversary.' In February,
1794, my beloved husband professed his love for me;
and, adverting to his poverty, he talked much of living by faith. Although a professor of Christian faith
before him, I did not understand him. I felt sick of
the world; and, blaming myself for having given encouragement to former admirers whose hopes I disappointed at last, I determined to decline his addresses, and did so. My dear mother, who loved him dearly, was quite angry with me, and declared that I refused him because he was so religious; and added,'Joanna, if he has asked you in faith, he'll get you in
spite of your teeth!' I said,' Now, mother, don't go
and pray about it, for I don't expect ever to marry;




EARLY RELIGIOUS LIFE.           65
and, besides, it would be the height of imprudence to
give him encouragement, and make so long an engagement with one who had no prospect of supporting me.' My heart was free, and that I never would
give encouragement to any one until I felt a preference for him over every worldly consideration.
" Mr. Bethune continued to visit; and as my mind
was every day becoming more and more serious, and
his conversation was so heavenly, I soon found that
the more earnest I felt to attain assurance and holiness of life, the more he gained on my affections, and
in May I consented to wait with him on God for future provision in life. He proved a help-meet to me
during a longer season of darkness and doubt which
God was pleased to keep me in.
"In May, 1794, we moved from Broadway, near
the Battery, to Liberty Street-from a gay neighborhood to one much plainer, and the Lord thus began
to answer my prayer, and to fulfill His promise, on
which I had laid hold —Ex., xxxviii., 23:' Neither
shall they defile themselves any more with their
idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any
of their transgressions; but I will save them out of
all their dwelling-places wherein they have sinned,
and I will cleanse them; so shall they be my people,
and I will be their God.' I could not, at that time,
live out of the promises. I hoped against hope. I
cried, or tried to say,'Lord, I believe!' but could
adopt only the last part of the verse,'Help my unbelief.' During all these exercises, I hid them fromn my




~66      ~IIMEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
mother and from my dear friend, as I thought that
they would despise me if they knew what a hypocrite I was. Often, when Mr. Bethune came in, have
I gone from my knees and reading my Bible to playing and singing, or light conversation, that he might
be blinded to my true feelings-so much so that he
was grieved at my seeming worldly-mindedness, and
prayed much that I might be brought off from the
world..... I tried to appear what I professed to be,
a O//ristlicn, but my conscience accused me of hypocrisy. I had all the time a fearful misgiving that,
while I had a name to live, I was still' dead in trespasses and sins.'
"In August we had our school vacation. My
mother had engaged country lodgings at the Narrows, Long Island, for such of the young ladies as
had no place to go to. She went down with them in
a boat, and Mr. Bethune was to drive me down the
next day in a gig. The day previous to their leaving, Mr. Mason lectured on the parable of the barren
fig-tree in the morning, and applied the subject in the
afternoon. Under this discourse I felt as if he had
said,'Thou art the woman! For three years hast
thou been a professor, and have brought no fruit!'
I acknowledged it, and assented in my mind to the
justice of God should he cut me down as a cumberer
of the ground. I felt convinced that Mr. Mason had
reference to me, and that his eyes and the eyes of
many in the church were fixed on me, so that I was
obliged to put down my head on the book-board be



EARLY RELIGIOUS LIFE.             67
fore me. Mr. Bethune saw how deeply I was exercised, and was much pleased. In the evening we
went to hear the Rev.'fr. Pilmer, in Ann Street; and
it was so ordered that his subject was peculiarly suitable to my exercises. His text was,'I will not let
Thee go until Thou bless me!' I determined on
wrestling in prayer until I found the blessing; but,
still, not apprehending Christ as freely offered, without money and without price, I set about establishing a righteousness of my own. I sometimes accused
God of injustice and unfaithfulness, as if I had conmplied with His requisitions, and He had not fulfilled
His promise. I literally wrestled through the whole
of that night, and rose in the morning to shut myself
up to continue wrestling, and, as far as I can remember, I neither ate nor drank till evening. The maid
came to the door several times, begging that I would
take some food, but I remained, after my severe wrestling and agony, in a kind of torpor, from which I was
roused to exertion only by the thought that Mr. Bethune would soon call, and I felt anxious to hide my
exercises from him. I rose from the dust, dressed
myself, and went down to the parlor to wait for him.
Openecd the piano and began to play. The song I
opened to was from the NWVoodman, called'The Sapling Oak.' Here, again, my own case met me; and,
what is strange, I seemed to discover a ray of light.
The song describes a sapling oak lost in a dell, and
thickly surrounded by tangling brakes, which prevented it from growing to maturity. At length the
woodman cleaves them away, and,




68        MEMOIRS OF 1MRS. BETHUNE.
"'High, reviving o'er the ground,
The forest monarch lifts his head.'.... IHere, thought I, is a representation of myself.
I have been tampering with the world, and its cares,
like thorns, have choked the word, and prevented
my growth in grace. The Lord will, and I prayed
that lIe would, remove all these'tangling brakes,'
and cause me, like the oak, to rise above all, and become'a goodly tree in the house of my God.'
" After I went to the Narrows I continued reading,
and praying, and looking for deliverance. Keeping
still among the promises, I could read nothing but
the Bible. I hated the sound of every thing relating
to this world. I thought every thing sinful except
preparing for eternity. Nothing had charms for me.
Nature, even at her most beautiful season, seemed to
mourn-the whole creation to groan-because of sin.
A poor sailor, that came begging, and usedc profane
language, made me quite sick, and I shuddered at the
awful thought of the multitudes going down to hell,
and Christians caring for none of them. I wandered
about early in the morning and late in the evening,
bemoaning myself, and wondering at the long-suffering of God in permitting a sinner such as I was to
live. This brought on a severe cold, which landed
me in a fever. One Sabbath two young men came
down in a boat to visit me, and seeing me look so
poorly, they persuaded me that a sail would do me
good, as I had had a slow fever preying on me for
several days. I thought that it might do me good,




EARLY RELIGIOUS LIFE.           69
and, placing it among the works of mercy, I consented; but we had no sooner started than I felt convinced of the sin, and insisted on returning. Thus
was my conscience again wounded, and I was compelled to keep company with my young irreligious
friends. I had no liberty to speak to them on religious subjects, knowing that they might well say,'Physician, heal thyself!' or,'First pull out the beam
from thine own eye!' I remember that it was with
difficulty I could keep my eyes down, I was so constantly moved to raise them to heaven. During the
following night I was in a raging fever; and next
day, when it intermitted or remitted, I remained in a
state of stupidity, or, if roused, in apathy. I envied
an old black man, who slept in a garret over my head,
and seemed very happy inll singing hymns. Annie
Stevenson came down, and, finding me so ill, insisted
on sending for the doctor. My mother, also, who had
been at Belleville, came down to me. My beloved
friend, too, walked down (nine miles) to see me the
same day, not knowing that my mother had returned.
The same exercises of mind continued; but when Mr.
Bethune spoke of the vanity of the world at such a
time, I told him'not to speak of the world, for I had
done with it forever.' I think that it was the second
or third evening after my mother came back that I
was, as usual, wondering at the goodness of God in
permitting sinners to remain on earth-my mother
reading hymns, though I do not know that I was attending to her-when all at once I felt a power of




~ro70     1\MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
great darkness fall upon me. I felt as if I were hanging over hell by a single hair. Satan seemed to say
or suggest,'You wonder that they and you are out
of hell-how can you dwell with everlasting burnings?' Still I felt that this was not a reality, but a
temptation. The cold sweat broke out on my face,
and my agony was so great that my mother said,'Joanna, my dear, what is the matter?''Oh, mother,' I replied,'I feel as if I were hanging over the pit!
Satan is tempting me!' or words to that effect. She
immediately laid down the hymn-book, and, taking
up God's own word, began to read of Paul's temptation. God himself, by hIis Spirit, was dealing with
me. Not many minutes after the scene changed, and
my mind seemed transported to 4Mount Calvary, and
with the eye of my soul I saw my Savior nailed on
the cross, and heard the words,'It is finished!' There
were no thieves, no soldiers, no followers —only the
dear Savior himself, hanging on the cross, placed on
the summit of a bare mount, His head reclining on
His bosom after having uttered these last words of
His. I cried out,'Mother, I see the Savior!' and
described the scene. She thought that I was delirious, and said something to compose me to sleep. I
replied that it was not with my bodily eyes, but with
my mind....  I was next transported to the Garden
of Gethsemane, and there as plainly I was witness to
my blessed Savior's agony, and felt as if He had said,'All this I endured for thee! This bitter cup I drank
to the dregs before I suffered on the cross, and said,




EARLY RELIGIOUS LIFE.               71
It is finished!' Immediately the fullness and sufficiency of Christ's atonement blazed on my mind.  I
saw it a finished work-all the work of Christ, to
which nothing of man's could be added to gain the
favor of God. The burden which had so long pressed
on my shoulders rolled off at the feet of my Jesus,
and looking to the dear Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world, I cast my good deeds and
my sinful burden on the same spot, and beholding
Him as my SAVIOR, I could at last hail Him as'my
Lord and my God!' I broke out in the fortieth
psalm (Scotch version):
"'  I waited for the Lord my God,
And patiently did bear;
At length to me He did incline,
My voice and cry to hear.
He took me fiom the fearful pit,
And from the miry clay,
And on a rock He set my feet,
Establishing my way.'
"From that moment all was rapture.  The promises I had so long pleaded seemed yea and amen in
Christ Jesus. My mourning was indeed turned into
joy;' and Scriptures, hymns, and psalms, and all I
had ever learned, seemed now as clear as a sunbeam;
and from  wondering why we were permitted to be
out of hell, I turned to wonder at the glorious plan
of salvation, which God had provided, and why I and
others could not see its fitness, and accept what was
so freely offered without money and without price.
Every thing seemed to be changed; even the face of




72        MEMOIRS OF MIRS. BETHUNE.
Nature-the trees and the fields were clothed with a
brighter verdure. I looked up to the sky and exclaimed with the Psalmist (Psalm viii.),' When I consider the heavens,' etc., etc. I saw emblems of my
Savior every where. I looked at the ocean, and
thought of His boundless love; at the rocks, and remembered'the Rock of ages cleft for me;' at the
sands on the shore, and considered His tender mercies as countless; in short, I was as full of happiness
as I had been of misery; as full of confidence as I had
been of doubts; as assured of my interest in Christ,
and that my sins had been laid on Him, and that He
was the scape-goat, and had fled away with them.
The burden of my sins was upon Him, and the robe
of His righteousness thrown around me. I wrapped
myself in it; and, from that day, I have gone on my
way rejoicing. I have often been cold and dead; I
have even at times turned aside, as it were, to drink
of the waters of Sihon and rivers of Damascus; but
He has as often broken the cisterns I had hewed out
for myself, and turned me, by His chastising rod, back
to the fountain of living waters.
" The communion season being at hand, I insisted
on returning to town to be present at it.'Now,'
thought I,' I can sit down under His shadow with
great delight, and His banner over me will be love,''because his anger is turned away, and he comforteth
me.' My mother and friend not being aware of my
extreme weakness, brought me up in a carriage, and
I had a dreadful time of it. By the time I reached




EARLY RELIGIOUS LIFE.           73
home I had relapsed; and my fever, which had been
bilious remittent, turned to a nervous fever, which
confined me to my bed for many weeks. I was often
delirious, and even in dreadful spasms. Still I was
happy, and thought that I was going to my Savior,
but my mother held me down, and would not let me
go. It was long before I recovered, if I ever fairly
did; and certainly I had not when I was united to
ny beloved partner the July following. Now we
could take sweet counsel together; and I, in my turn,
became a help-meet to him —could understand something of the principle of living by faith; and when
the dear saint was tried by Providence, and almost
ready to give up, I was made the instrument of comforting him, and of pointing to Him in whom are all
things for life and godliness. WVe sought' the kingdom of God and His righteousness;' and all things
necessary, and many more, have been added unto us.
When we were completely emptied of ourselves, He
filled us with Himself.  Ve had all things in Christ,
and Christ in all things.'
The foregoing narrative has been given verbatim
from Mrs. Bethune's manuscript, as it affords not only
an authentic account of her personal experience, but
also as it affords to the reader a most pleasing exhibition of the temper and principles which ruled her
life throughout. It is much to be regretted that she
did not continue her autobiographical record; but
she evidently meant to carry it no farther than to
her establishment in the Christian faith, and the peD




74         MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
riod when her history became so blended with that
of her Christian husband. Should any one suspect,
from some passages in the paper, that she was apt to
be carried out of the sound judgment of a sober faith
by an excited imagination, it is proper to reply that
unreal fancies were very far from being characteristic
of her mind, which, with all its energy and spirituality, was unusually chastened and scriptural, founding
all its convictions on the testimony of God in Scripture, confirmed by the witness of the Holy Ghost with
her spirit. It is not difficult fbr an observer of the
phases which the mind sometimes assumes from sympathy with the body, to see that her thoughts were
affected by the brain, heated by fever, and swimming midst the undulations of the disease which had
shaken her strength; but the fidelity she observed in
writing her recollections savor little of an unwarranted enthusiasm, but rather gives us a beautiful exhibition of a living faith shining through and turning
to a heavenly glory the infirmities of the flesh.




PLANS OF USEFULNESS.              75
CIHAPTER VTII
PLANS OF USEFULNESS.
Mrs. Graham's Correspondence.-Origin of the Monthly Missionary
Prayer-meeting. — The Mission to the Indians. - Relief of Poor
Widows with Small Children.-New York Orphan Asylum.
IT is now proper that we should go back a little in
date, to resume the thread of our own continuous narrative.
Mrs. Graham, notwithstanding the incipient and
onerous duties of her school, maintained a constant
correspondence with pious friends, her former Edinburgh associates in religion and charity, especially
with her dear and most intimate, and, as appears from
her letters, her strongest-minded friend, Mrs. Baillie
WValker.  The interchange of pious sentiments between these devoted and intellectual women was
highly valued by them both, and, on Mrs. Graham's
part, was accepted as the means of increasing her activity and usefulness.  In fact, Mrs. Graham endeavored to transfer to New York the same spirit and
method of religious activity which she had cultivated
in her native land and with her pious Edinburgh
friend, and hence the origination of not a few charities, eleemosynary and religious, whose happy influences are felt to this day.  It was about this time that,
by the reviving blessing of the Holy Ghost, a missionary spirit began to prevail in the evangelical




76        MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHIUE.
churches of Great Britain, which, of course, excited
the ardent sympathy of Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Graham. Mrs. Walker lost no time in sending to New
York sermons, reports, and other tracts on these animating subjects, which Mrs. Graham eagerly received,
and, not willing to confine the pleasure to herself, was
accustomed to call together her most intimate Christian friends for the purpose of reading to them, and
uniting with them in conversation and prayer in reference to the conversion of the world. These private meetings grew in interest and in numbers. Dr.
Rodgers, of the Presbyterian Church, Dr. Mason, of
the Scotch Associate Church, Dr. Livingston, of the
Dutch Church, and some of the Baptist ministers,
whose names have not reached us, were drawn into
their sphere, and it resulted in the establishment (February, 1798) of a monthly missionary prayer-meeting,
held on the evening of the first Wednesday of each
month, in one another's houses of worship, by a union
of the three denominations just named.
Was not this the first monthly concert of prayer
for blessing on the missionary enterprise of modern
times?  The first meeting of this kind was held, if I
mistake not, in the Scotch Associate Presbyterian
Church in Cedar Street, then Dr. John MI. Mason's;
the second in the Wall Street Presbyterian Church,
then Dr. Rodgers's; another in the Middle Dutch
Church, Nassau Street.* I can not trace them farther.
* See Letters of Mrs. Isabella Graham, No. xiii., to Mlrs. WV. Bail



PLANS OF USEFULNESS.                77
As a natural result of these prayers, a society was
founded in New York for sending missionaries among
the Indians, and also among the poor scattered settlers
on the frontiers.  The first annual sermon of this society was preached by the Rev. Dr. Livingston.  It
is carefully to be noted that a copy of this missionary
sermon by Dr. Livingston was one of the publications
on the subject which were read by the young pioneers of missions, who prayed under the shelter of the
hay-stack at WVilliamstown.  It is pleasing and most
instructive thus to trace the links in God's providence
toward the accomplishment of His own designs by
His blessing on the prayers and zeal of His people.
Mrs. Graham's religion was patterned too closely
after the example of her Divine Lord to allow neglect
of bodily wants while seeking the salvation of the
soul; and so we find that, in the midst of her missionary zeal, which led to the formation of the earliest
missionary society, slhe projected, and carried into successful operation (November, 1797), the "Society for
the Relief of Poor W-idows with Small Children"  a
society which is still flourishing in active usefulness,
having been continued, with unremitting energy, by
successive almoners of most Christian charity, who
have remembered the apostolical injunction, to visit
the widows and fatherless in their affliction.  I copy
from the Memoirs of Mrs. Graham an account of the
institution of this society, as it includes the first eflie WValker; also, Mrs. Graham's Life (Tract Society's edition), p.
129, 130, 131.




78         MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
fort of Mrs. Bethune in the exercise of active benevolence.
"Mr. Bethune, in the year 1796, was one of the distributing managers of the St. Andrew's Society of
New York. The relief of this national society being confined to Scotch people, Mrs. Bethune's feelings
were much interested for such applicants as could not
be helped by her husband's almonership, and she, at
the first, collected small sums for their relief; but, anxious to put the charity on a firmer basis, she consulted
with some other ladies, called a meeting at Mrs. Graham's house, organized a society under the above title,
elected a Board of Managers, and Mirs. Graham First
Directress, Mrs. Sarah Hoffm an Second Directress, and
Mrs. Bethune Third Directress. Many, very many
widowed have been made to sing for joy through the
timely comfort afforded by the society so established
during every year since. Mrs. Graham continued in
the chief direction of the Widows' Society for a number of years, and was constantly assisted in the work
by her daughter, Mrs. Bethune, until the year 1806.' It had long before that time been discovered by
the ladies of the Widows' Society that some systematic provision should be made for the orphan children
of the deceased widows, as it was not within the scope
of their society to assist them after the mothers had
been taken away. This led, ultimately, to the foundation of the New York ORPHAN ASYLUMS, under the
care of a society of ladies bearing that name, an account of which will be given hereafter."




MRS. BETHUTNE'S ASSOCIATESo        79
CHAPTER IXo
MRS. BETHUNE S ASSOCIATES.
Sketches of Mrs. Lindsay, Mrs. Chrystie, and Mrs. Mackanness.
FnoMl what has been said it will be seen that Mrs.
Bethune, at the beginning of her open Christian life,
enjoyed great advantages of Christian society. Besides the eminent men of the ministry whom we have
named, and who were frequent visitors at her mother's house, and the religious spirit in her own family,
tradition, rather than record, has preserved the memory of several pious ladies, whom Mrs. Bethune loved
for their heartfelt piety, and venerated as examples
for their strong intelligence and edifying discretion.
Among these was Mrs. Lindsay, a Scotch lady,
wife of MIr. Robert Lindsay, an active member, if not
elder, of the Scotch Presbyterian Church. Mr. and
Mrs. Lindsay were plain, pious, unpretentious people,
who manifested in all their lives the Spirit of their
Divine Lord by love of the truth, kindness to the
poor, and zeal in every method of advancing the
cause of Christ.  The author has not been able,
though after much search, to find, at this late day,
any memorials of Mrs. Lindsay which would display
her character; but he would be ungrateful to the
memory of one of his mother's most valued friends,




80         MEMTOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
and one whom she visited and cherished to the last
as a mother in Israel, and a wise, sympathizing counselor for things of time and eternity, did he not preserve on this memorial page the name, now almost
forgotten, but one well known and beloved by Christians of New York, of Mrs. Sarah Lindsay.  She
lived to a very advanced age, closing her pilgrimage
in the year 1847, Mrs. Bethune having had the privilege of ministering at her death bedside.
Another of the most intimate and highly-prized
friends of Mrs. Graham  and her family was Mrs.
Chrystie, the widow of Major James Chrystie, of the
Revolutionary army.  He ~was by birth a Scotchman; and, having emigrated to Pennsylvania in
1775, ardently adopted the colonial cause, and entered the army as a lieutenant in 1776, from which
rank, the year following, he was advanced to a captaincy, being, at the age of twenty-seven, the oldest
captain in the Pennsylvania line. Major Chrystie
enjoyed, in a special degree, the confidence of General WVashington, a striking proof of which was given
at the time of the discovery of Arnold's treason.
WVashington, being anxious to know the state of the
garrison at AWVest Point and the neighboring posts,
sent (then) Captain Chrystie with verbal orders, not
being willing to run the risk of written papers falling into the hands of the enemy.  "H Eas your excellency any farther orders?" asked Captain Chrystie.' Yes," replied the general; " one, and that a very
serious one: Captain Chrystie, on this occasion you




IMRS. BETHUNE'S ASSOCIATES.        81
are not to let me hear of your being taken prisoner.
Do you understand me?"  "Perfectly well," was the
answer; "you shall not hear of that event." Captain Chrystie accomplished his mission in so short a
time that WVashington, on seeing him approach, supposed that he had been driven back, but was soon reassured and satisfied by the captain's report.
Mrs. Mary Chrystie was the daughter of a Lutheran
clergyman, the Rev. John Albert WVeygand, a man
noted for piety, and learning, and great beauty of
person. After finishing his University course at
Halle, he lingered for a while in that city, until a
heart-sore trial rendered him glad to emigrate (1746)
to this country as the minister of a colony from the
Palatinate; and in' 1748, by the advice and recommendation of the first Lutheran Synod in America,
he became the minister of their Church at Reading.
Some ten years afterward, Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg
writes to his friends in Germany that " he found the
Pastor Weygand laboring, with the blessing of God,
in New York and its vicinity; and that the congregations under his care were enjoying spiritual peace
and prosperity." Mary (Mrs. Chrystie) was about ten
years old when her parents moved to New York,
where they resided until their deaths. Being left the
eldest of the orphan family, the care of her brothers
and sisters devolved upon her when a little more
than twenty years of age; and she displayed great
energy, faithfulness, and prudence in the execution
of her trusts, the favor of her God and her father's
D 2




82         MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNEo
God resting upon her exertions. She was married
to Major Chrystie in 1781, with whom she lived most
happily until March, 1798, when he departed this life,
in full reliance on "the finished work of the Redeemer, clinging closely to the cross, at whose foot none
ever perished."' Mrs. Chrystie was then required to
exert herself personally for the care of her family,
from which she was soon' relieved by her eldest son,
thus being permitted to enjoy with greater freedom
the pious and intelligent society of the friends she
loved, by whom, in turn, she was greatly esteemed
and cherished until her death of immortal gain.
Mrs. Chrystie enjoyed an intimate, confidential, and
pious friendship with a Mrs. Mackannesss, who also
became intimate with the circle in which Mrs. Graham and her daughters had the privilege to find delightful intercourse. Of Mrs. Mackanness, the writer
of this biography knew little more than that she also
was, like Mrs. Chrystie, the wife of a Scotchman; and
that, with her friends Mrs. Chrystie and Mrs. Graham, she belonged to the Scotch Church in Cedar
Street, at first under the pastoral care of the elder
Rev. Dr. John Mason, afterward'under that of his
yet more distinguished son, the Rev. Dr. John M. Mason. This church association, as it may have been
the occasion of the intimacy of these pious women,
contributed to perpetuate it while they remained on
earth. The name of Mrs. Mackanness- was often on
the lips of Mrs. Bethune as of a friend greatly be



MRS. BETIUNE'S ASSOCIATES.       83
loved, and of a saint whose faith she loved to follow,
who inherited the promises.
Mrs. Chrystie was a woman of great loveliness in
mind and in person, retaining until the last most
charming traces of the rare beauty which distinguished her family. The biographer can not close this
brief notice of his mother's friend better than in the
words of the Rev. Dr. tHugh Smith, (at one time) of
St. Peter's, Chelsea, New York, who has recorded his
recollections thus:.   A similar impression was produced on my
mind by one whose name is associated with all that
is active in benevolence or saintly in piety (Mrs. ISABELLA GRAHAM). And there was another, the friend
of her heart, with whom she often'took sweet counsel,' who shunned the eye and applause of men while
she lived, and whose name, therefore, may not appear
upon this humble page [Mrs. Mary Chrystie], but on
whom the writer never looked without being reminded of Him who was' meek and lowly in heart.' It
is said that the strength of earthly affection, and the
habit of sweet, familiar intercourse, will sometimes
cause a change gradually to pass over the features,
and assimilate in countenance those who are assimilated in taste and character.,; Certainly the love and
practice of piety-the daily exercise of benevolent
feelings and Christian affections, do add a peculiar
grace and benignity to the  aspect. It was so with
her. She was lovely amid the wanings of age. A
heavenly expression played over her placid and




84         MEdMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
speaking features; while her soft, musical voice, with
its silvery tones, seemed already attuned to accompag
ny the golden harps of heaven in the'song of the
redeemed.' Years have elapsed since she departed'to be with Christ;' but her countenance, with its ra-'diant expression, is distinctly before me, and my ears
seem to drink in again the mellow sounds they loved
to hear.  These were saints indeed.'Their witness
was on high; their record was above.' They were
not of our external communion; but truly their' fel?
lowship was with the Father, and His Son, Jesus
Christ;' and deeply had they drunken of His Spirit.'They rest from their labors, and their works do fol.
low them.'"
Mrs. Chrystie was survived by her son, Albert
Chrystie, Esq., who married Frances, daughter of the
very distinguished Colo7zel TY/Viilamz  Fenz (one of the
framers of the American Constitution, member of the
first Senate of the United States, etc., etc., etc.), originally of Georgia, but, after his marriage with Catharine, daughter of Commodore James Nicholson, a resident of New York, who died August 7th, 1854, on
her ninetieth birthday.  Mr. Chrystie inherited, with
a strong personal resemblance to his mother, her pious, retiring, benevolent, and zealous character. Mr.
Chrystie, at the time of his death, was a greatly beloved elder of the Reformed Dutch Church of Hastings, upon the IHudson, a church he helped to found,
and whose continued prosperity is a monument to his
worth.  " Having the refinement and polish of the




MRS. BETHUNE S ASSOCIATES.         85
circle in which he had always moved, with a heart
of unaffected kindness, the only and unfailing source
of true courtesy, he evinced, wherever he went, the
bearing of a thorough Christian gentleman, and commanded universal respect."'  Mr. Chrystie died in
1856, in his 67th year.
Mrs. Mackanness,' another intimate associate of this
period, Whose name was often on Mrs. Bethune's lips,
and never without expressions of affectionate reverence, was the early and intimate friend of Mrs. Chrystie, being mentioned in her journal as the instrument
of her brother-in-law's conversion.  She was a,wolnman of strong mind, warm feelings, and most elevated
piety.  With dignity of manner that almost inspired
awe, and ever checked frivolity and levity, she yet
inspired confidence and love. IIer imagination was
not lively, but common sense marked all her acts.
So clear and discriminating was her mind, and so
pure her conduct, that the ascendency she possessed
over all who approached her was almost unbounded
-ever mingledl with the deepest reverence.  The
storms of the Revolutionary ~WVar swept over the
youthful days of Mrs. Mackanness and Mrs. Chrystie.
The stirring scenes of that period, so full of toil, care,
and perplexity to American women, cemented their
young hearts; and the blasting of early hopes taught
them to look beyond the blessings of this world, and
to cast the anchor of their souls above, where "no
sad changes come."... They walked Imeekly and
quietly here, and both departed peacefully to take




86         MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
possession of mansions on high; not there to lose the
kindly affections of love and joy which had refreshed them in their path through the wilderness, but,
having laid down the clogs of earth, they are forever
" filled with all the fullness of God."
It is said of Mrs. Mackanness that her joy and confidence, when dying, exhibited a perfect victory over
the last enemy.  "All," said she, at one time,': all
that we have ever seen, all that we have ever heard,
are bubbles-bubbles now!"  Even when her mind
wandered, the same heavenly'peace possessed her
soul; and, imagining that she saw her departed
friends, she joyfully saluted them by name, bowing
her head and smiling in the most animated and delighted manner. Mrs. Mackanness died in New York,
after a very short illness, on the 17th clay of March,
1806.
The intimacy between the Mackanness and the
Bethune family must have been close; and it would
seem, from the following obituary notice written by
Mir. Bethune, that there were business as well as social relations between them.
" Sacred to the memory of Tlhomas Thornitorn Hiackanness, co-partner in the house of Divie Bethune &
Co., and son to Thomas Mackanness, Esq.: a most
excellent youth, endeared to his parents and relatives
by all that is tender and dutiful, and to society by
all that is amiable and upright. He fell a- victim to
the yellow fever, on the 10th of September, 1805,
aged 22 years.




MRS. BETHUNE'S ASSOCIATES..               87
"The bliss in God's rich promise given,
This child of faith and prayer
Found not on earth, so fled to heaven,
To taste its fullness there.
*    *    *    *    *    e
Nor youth, nor wealth, nor love could save
His body from the tomb;
But Jesus triumphed o'er the grave,
And took his spirit home."




88         MAIE1EMOIRS OOF MIRS. BETHUNE.
CHAPTER X.
INTRODUCTION OF SUNDAY-SCHOOLS.
Journey to Scotland.-Sunday-school Movement there.-Mr. and
Mrs. Bethune's Labors in New York in 1802.-The Mlother of
Sabbath-schools in America.-Plans of Usefulness.
FoR a number of these years the health of Mrs.
IBethune suffered greatly from several causes, which
shattered her nervous system to a degree from which
she did not recover until late in life. There is, consequently, little to record of active engagements during this period.  In 1801, Mr. Bethune, hoping to get
benefit for the invalid, took his wife and eldest child,
Jessy, to Great Britain, that they might visit the place
of his birth (Dingwall, Ross-shire, Scotland) and their
surviving friends.  They returned to New York in
September, 1802. Their visit to Scotland was, in one
particular, attended by a remarkable result.
"As early as 1797 a public movement was made
in Edinburgh in favor of Sunday-schools in Scotland.
A number of pious persons of various denominations
had, for a few months, been in the habit of meeting
to pray for the advancement of religion at home and
abroad.  The duty of accompanying their prayers
with personal exertions naturally occurred to them,
and led their minds to the education of poor children.  They formed'The Edinburgh Gratis Sab



INTRODUCTION OF SUNDAY-SCHOOLS.          89
bath-school Society,' to raise and conduct Sabbath
evening schools in Edinburgh and its vicinity, in
which schools the Christian doctrines commion to the
associated denominations only were to be taught, and
the duties all to be performed, without pay, by the
members of the society.  This procedure became
rapidly popular, and was imitated by other cities, and
soon throughout Scotland."  The circle in Edinburgh with whom this good work began was one to
which Mr. and Mirs. Bethune would most likely be
introduced, and a scheme so consonant to their dispositions must have arrested their attention.  Hence
we are not surprised to learn that, "in New York,
the late Mr. Bethune, assisted by his lady and her
mother, had, at their own expense, opened a school
as early as 1802 [the year after their return from
Scotland], and, shortly after, several more, in other parts of the city, and personally superintended
them."*
The author deeply regrets that his searches have
failed to discover any authentic records of these
schools; but, from various consenting circumstances,
is strongly inclined to believe that the Edinburgh
movement had its origin farther back than the public society, the date of which is given by AMr. Green
(1797), and that it arose in that pious circle of which
Mrs. Baillie AValker, and, until her death,,Lady Glenorchy, with other devoted Christians, were active
* See speech of Timothy R. Green, Esq., at the New York Sunday-school JUBILEE, illn  ndcty Journzal of that date.




90        MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
members, and to which Mrs. Graham, during her residence in Edinburgh, belonged. The correspondence
closely maintained between Mrs. Baillie Walker and
Mrs. Graham was, as we have seen, the medium by
which the reviving missionary spirit was transmitted
from Scotland to this country; and we also know
that Mrs. Graham was engaged personally in teaching a school for young women on Sabbath evenings
as early as 1792-3. The synchronism was not accidental. IHowever, be that as it may, we can not doubt
that Mrs. Bethune's mind received its strong impulse
toward Sabbath-schools during her visit to Scotland
in 1801-2. The impulse was never lost; but ill
health, the birth and care of children, and occupation
in other enterprises (particularly the formation and
establishment of the New York Orphan Asylum,
1806, etc.), prevented it from so fully occupying
her mind until many years afterward, 1814, when increasing attention to Sunday-schools in England, accounts of which were communicated to Mr. and Mrs.
Bethune by the godly Stephen Bush, of Bristol, England, roused Mr. and Mrs. Bethune to similar efforts.
The Sabbath-schools of Scotland were combined in a
National Union in 1816; the Female Sabbath-school
Union of New York was formed through the efforts
of Mrs. Bethune in the same year, though the immediate influence which operated in this latter case
came rather from England, though the formation of
the Sabbath Union by Mrs. Bethune was the ripe
growth of seed sown and cultivated from the year
1802.




INTRODUCTION OF SUNDAY-SCHOOLS.    91
It would be inconsistent with the meek spirit of
her whose life we are writing to claim for her the
honors of a doubtful precedence; and certainly no
one rejoiced more than she did in the several efforts
to establish Sunday-schools in different parts of the
country; but the facts and dates thus given show that
Providence intended for Mrs. Bethune the distinction
of being the mother of Sabbath-schools in America.
It should also be noted that, about this period, Mrs.
Graham  became anxious for the instruction of the
children of the widows, pensioners of the W~idows'
Society, and, consulting with her daughter, devised a
plan for teaching them, and others similarly situated,
by the voluntary agency of young ladies; and, "on
the 17th of February, 1804," Mrs. Graham  writes
(Life, p. 231), "twenty-nine young ladies met, with
Mrs. (Sarah) Hoffman and myself, at Mir. O(gden)
Hoffmian's, Wall Street; and, having separated themselves in pairs, devoted themselves" to a work not a
little resembling the Industrial and similar schools
of the present day, except that all the teaching was
supplied gratuitously. There were, at this time, no
public sc-hools, free-schools, or Sabbath-schools; and
it is easy to see how, from the experience she must
have had in those week-day schools, Mrs. Bethune's
conviction of the usefulness of schools on the Sabbath was greatly strengthened, although her homecares as a young mother, increased by her delicate
health, did not permit her to engage as entirely as
her inclination would otherwise have led her to do.




92         MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
-Mrs. Graham, since the removal of Mr. and Mrs.
Andrew Smith (her third daughter) to Virginia in
1803, had consented to reside permanently with Mr.
and Mrs. Bethune.  This brought the three benevolent spirits into constant and close communion, the
results of which pious alliance have been seen in several important enterprises.  Mrs. Graham's personal
individual exertions for religion and charity are related in her Life, prepared by Mr. and Mrs. Bethune
conjointly, and published after her death, a more full
and carefully corrected edition of which was arranged,
with the addition of much matter not in the first edition, the copyright of which was presented to the
American Tract Society, and it was published by
them with her full and entire approval and anthentication.




THE ORPHAN ASYLUM.                  93
CHAPTER XI.
THE ORPHAN ASYLUM.
Mrs. Bethune's Plans. — Life of Francke. -Mrs. Hoffman. —Mr.
Bethune's Address. -Public Meeting. -Society formed. -The
Fundamental Principle.-Power of Faith. -The first Home.Larger Accornmodations.-The Asylum at Bloomingdale. -M-irs.
Bethune's Agency, Service, and Resignation.- Action of the
Board of Managers.
THIE story of Mr. and Mrs. Bethune's large and intelligent philanthropy can not here be told; but, as
each was individually active, their union rendered
their usefulness vastly more than trebly efficient under the Divine blessing.  Their evenings were spent
in constructing and maturing plans for doing good;
all the leisure of their clays in executing them.  The
three discussed among themselves the question how
the children of the deceased widows should be provided for, as the WVidows' Society were not to be allowed to do any thing for'them, though many were
left without any means of support.
About this time a copy of a Life of Francke, with
a history of his Orphan House at Halle, fell into the
hands of Mrs. Bethune.  It became a study for the
three around their fireside, and was regarded as a
means used by Providence to assist them in their benevolent difficulty.  "I will remain with the wid



94        MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
ows,"' said Mrs. Graham; " but you, my dear Joanna,
are younger; do you leave the active direction of
the Widows' Society, and devote yourself to your
heavenly Father's children, the fatherless and the
motherless."  After careful and not hasty deliberation, their pious friends were called into council, especially Mrs. SARAH HOFFMAN, whose excellent judgment, strengthened by much experience in charity,
and commanding social position, rendered it peculiarly desirable that the movement should be made under her auspices; and it was determined that an appeal should be made to the benevolent public of New
York for the means and agencies necessary to the
founding of anl Orphan Asylum, which should receive
under its protecting roof all legitimate children left
orphans by the death of both parents. Mr. Bethune
was requested to write a call for a public meeting of
ladies for the purpose of organizing such an institution, which was published in the spring of 1806.
"The helpless condition of orphan children has
often awakened the compassion of every feeling heart.
The exertions of the Ladies' Society [for the Relief
of Widows with Small Children] provided, in a great
measure, for the children of widows; but there exists, at present, no society whose peculiar province it
is to rescue from want, from danger, and from misery
the ORPHAN CHILD. It is therefore proposed to establish a female society to provide an asylum for orphan children; and, as the funds of such an institution must come from the generosity of a benevolent




THE ORPHAN ASYLUM.               95
public, annual subscriptions are respectfully solicited
from both ladies and gentlemen. As soon as a sufficient number. of female subscribers are procured, a
general meeting will be called to form a Constitution
and make other requisite arrangements.
"'  The friendless babe, whom want alarms,
Cast on life's desert wild,
To you extends its feeble armsOh, save the orphan child.'"
Accordingly, on the 15th of March, 1806, a public
meeting was held at the City Hotel (then occupying
the block on the west side of Broadway, between
Thames and Cedar Streets), and the New York Orphan Asylum  Society was organized, Mrs. Sarah
Hoffman being chosen First Directress, Mrs. General
HAMILTON Second Directress, Mrs. Bethune Treasurer
(Mrs. SARAHI STARTIN some years afterward succeeding her, Mrs. Bethunie's health at the time not being
very strong), with ten other influential ladies, members of the Board of Managers.
At the very outset of their operations the Board
adopted as a principle of their management that, relying upon God's own promise to be" the Father of
the fatherless," they would never refuse an orphan
child brought to them for protection, whether they
had a dollar in the treasury or not. From this rule
the Society, up to this hour, has never swerved, nor
is it likely, after their rich experience of the Divine
care, that they ever will. It was always Mrs. Bethune's opinion, as often expressed in her conversa



96         MEMOIRS OF' MRS. BET-HUNE.
tion respecting the conduct of charities, that any
" skimping" (a Scotch term, having no synonym in
English), especially in limiting the number of the
truly necessitous objects, was a species of distrust in
God; and the hoarding or putting away at interest
money for which Providence asked a present use
was an unbelief more likely to bring loss than secure
future advantage. In several cases, during the early years of the Asylum, children were brought to its
door when the funds were utterly expended; but
they were gladly welcomed, and soon means came in
to supply their wants.'So, in cases of much larger
expenditure, the only question in the mind of Mrs.
Bethune and her associates would be, "Is the expenditure actually necessary for the welfare and comfort of the orphans?"  This being decided in the affirmative, the expense was at once increased. Nor
did the Lord ever fail to answer the trust of his handmaiden. I have often heard my mother say that, in
any time of need, a few words stating that the funds
of the Society needed replenishing, thrown into a
newspaper, was sure to bring in donations equal to
the need; more frequently, the money came in before the appeal was made.
The ladies began their asylum in a hired two-storied frame house -in the village of Greenwich (then
the upper part of New York City), where a few children were carefully sheltered and instructed, under
the watch of a competent matron. It soon became
manifest that much larger accommodations should be




THE ORPHAN ASYLUM.              97
provided for their proposed charges; and the ladies,
in the courage of their faith, were ready to follow
God's leadings in the emergency. They had begun
to accumulate a fund for building, but it did not exceed $350. Notwithstanding, true to their governing principle, they at once resolved to erect a suitable house. They contracted for a site of liberal size,
nearly an acre of ground, in Bank Street, not far from
Mr. Bethune's place, giving ample space for playground, garden, and fresh air, on which they put up
a handsome, though plain structure, fifty feet square,
all at a cost of about $25,000. Mrs. Bethune and
Mrs. Startin managed the finances with great skill
and liberality-Mrs. Startin freely making advances,
when needed, from her own handsome means, and
Mrs. Bethune obtaining a pledge of her husband's
credit for thousands of dollars rather than the building should be delayed. The debt that remained at
its completion was soon swept off by donations and
legacies; besides which, the growth of the city gave
such increased value to the property, that the original asylum was, in 1840, replaced by a noble building
of most extensive accommodation on the banks of
the Hudson, at Bloomingdale, surrounded by ten
acres of ground, and the Society enriched by a large
funded property from the accumulation of legacies.
The Orphan Asylum Society was never so useful or
so liberally sustained as it is now (1861), and there
can be but little doubt of its continuing to be a monument of pious enterprise, and a fountain of charitaE




98        nMlEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
ble goodness, while the great city which has so liberally supported it sits like a queen on the waves.
The honor of originating the Orphan Asylum has
been popularly given to Mrs. Graham; but the facts
were as we have stated them, and it belongs, at least,
equally to her daughter. They were both at the beginning of it; and, although Mrs. Graham continued
in the direction of the Widows' Society, she was,
through her daughter, almost equally interested for
the orphans as her daughter continued to be for the
widows.  It was a partnership in benevolence toward the two special objects of Christian charity,'the widows and orphans in their affliction."  Indeed, Mrs. Graham consented to be elected a trustee
of the Orphan Asylum in the spring of 1810, finding association with her daughter in the Orphan Society more easy for her advanced age than service,
separated from her, in that of the Widows' Society.
Mrs. Bethune continued to serve as Trustee or
Treasurer in the Orphan Asylum until the death of
her dear friend and long-loved associate, Mrs. Hoffman, when, lMrs. General Hamilton being elected First
Directress, Mrs. Bethune was chosen to succeed Mrs.
Hamilton as Second; and, on Mirs. I-amilton's resignation of the First Directress-ship, Mrs. Bethune succeeded her venerable friend as the presiding officer,
which place she continued to hold until May, 1859.
Long before this, however, Mirs. Bethune, conscious
of increasing infirmities, had wished the ladies, her
associates, to relieve her of her office. Thus we find




THE ORPHAN ASYLUM,                99
on the minutes of the Board, April, 1851, the following letter from AMrs. Bethune, with the expression of
the Board concerning it:
Bels. hBe'nze's Tirst Letter of Resigznatio6, 41ril, 1851.
"DEAR LADIEs,-W-Ve read, Psalm  xc., 10,'The
cldays of our years are threescore years and ten; and
if, by reason of strength, they be fourscore years, yet
is their strength labor and sorrow, for it is soon cut
off, and we fly away.' These words of the Psalmist
have been constantly in my mind for some time past,
but particularly since the fall which I had last summer, which so enfeebled my health that my own
family and my duties in the Orphan Asylum  were
necessarily neglected.  Another portion of Scripture
God impressed on my mind last winter:'Set thy
house in order, for thou shalt die and not live.' The
above, with some circumstances which I forbear to
mention, have convinced me that it is my duty to resign my place as First Directress of the Orphan Asylum  Society, a place I have held but a few years,
and in which I may not have been so efficient as my
predecessor (Mrs. Hamilton). I therefore beg, my
dear ladies, that you will accept my resignation, and
appoint one younger in years, and who can have
more aid than I have. I shall not cease to pray for
your prosperity; but, like the children of Israel
banished from  their beloved Jerusalem, will say of
the Orphan Asylum,'If I forget THEE, let my right
hand forget her cunning!' But, dear ladies, w hile I




100        MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHTUNE.
resign my place as Directress, I still claim the privilege of visiting and acting on the School Committee.
" The Orphan Asylum was the last place my beloved mother visited, and gave to the inmates religious instruction. A few days after she ceased from
her labors and entered her rest, thirty-seven years
ago. Her last words to me were,' SMy dear, you and
I have long been engaged in charitable labors, and
have experienced how little can be done in reforming the old, and therefore I beg that you will devote
yourself to the young.'
"Kneeling at her coffin, I prayed my Savior to
permit me to give instruction to the dear lambs of
our orphan fold. Great has been HER reward; for
many, I trust, have joined her in heaven. One of
our first orphans visited me a few years ago, and told
me that the earliest time he could remember was
standing at Mrs. Graham's knee, and repeating texts
of Scripture after her, for he was too young to read.
That child still lives, a highly respected minister of
the Gospel in this state.
"My ever-to-be-lamented husband also took a deep
interest in the institution, and gave religious instruction to its inmates, chiefly on the Sabbath. I rejoice
that our highly respected neighbor, Mr. Pelatiah Perit, now so kindly supplies his place. My prayer to
God is, that he may long continue his labors of love
after I shall have entered into my rest, and the hand
that now writes will be moulclering in the grave.




THE ORPHAN ASYLUM.              101
"I remain, dear ladies, respectfully and affectionately, your fellow-laborer,    JOANNA BETHUNE.
"New York, April, 1851. "
The above letter was received by the Board with
great sorrow; and it was "'unanimously resolved that
we can not accept the resignation of our venerated
friend, but earnestly request her to continue at the
head of the Board of Direction, and to accept the assurance of our sincere desire to relieve her of care
and fatigue in any way she may permit."'
Subsequently we find another note addressed by
her to the Board, the date of which is wanting:
"'MY DEAR LADIES, — Considering my age and increasing infirmities, I can not expect to be long in
your Board. I have tendered my resignation several times, but I need not inform you that it has never been accepted.
"Next to my own family, the Orphan Asylum
stands first in my affections; indeed, it is never out
of my mind, by day or by night. I bless God that,
when I am called home, I shall leave it in such prosperous circumstances. I need not say that our accommodations are not equal to the wants of our large
family; and that, such being the case, I suggested the
necessity of adding a wing to the building as soon
as our means would permit, and I thought that those
who heard me approved of it. I have also thought
that, some years hence, another wing would be necessary. It may be that some of the Board might
* Minutes of the Board, May 6th, 1851.




102       MEMOIRS OF MIRS. BETHUNE.
think it best to sell the property, and remove farther
from the city. This to me, and others, is not desirable..... Where call we find a more suitable situation-so near the city, and so easy of access-so near
the Hudson, and exhibiting so well our beautiful
front to the numerous passengers on the river?..."
The Board, at their meeting, May 26th, 1859,
thought themselves required, by their duty to the institution, to adopt the following minute:
"Mrs. Bethune being prevented, by her removal
to Brooklyn and by the infirmities of advanced age,
from engaging any longer in the direction of the Society, and the duties she so much loved and so faithfully performed from its very formation, it was resolved that MIrs. John Anthon be appointed First
Directress, and Mrs.. Van Horne Second Directress;
also, that the name of Mrs. Bethune, while living, be
always published above the names of the Board of
Direction."
The last time Mrs. Bethune met with the Board
was at the anniversary held in the Asylum at Bloomingdale, May 13th, 1856, as shown by the following
minute of that date:
"Mrs. Bethune, the venerable First Directress and
surviving founder of the institution, was present.
The Rev. Dr. Bethune made the address."
This completed fifty years of service rendered by
her to the Asylum. She attended the meetings of
the Board regularly up to June of the year before.
She never knew of her ceasing to be in office.




THE ORPHAN ASYLUM.             103
The following extract from the 55th Annual Report of the Orphan Asylum Society closes the record
of my mother's connection with an institution which
shared more deeply her love and care than any other. " My dear," said she one day, when playfully reproaching herself for some slip of memory, "I believe that I shall forget every thing but the Orphan
Asylum; that I shall always remember."
" Since the last annual report of this society, the
last tie has been severed that bound it to its commencement-a link which extended through a chain
of years from its very foundation has been broken,
gently separated, leaving the Board of Direction, as
it were, themselves orphans-in the loss of Mrs. JoANNA BETHUNE, the mother of this institution, the
original proposer of its plan.
" Mrs. BETHUNE was, before this society existed,
deeply interested in that which takes care of widows
with young children; and often, as these poor widows died, and left their fatherless and now motherless
little ones, her kind heart grieved that they could no
longer receive from that society the aid they needed
more than ever. Hence, by a natural step, the foundation of the New York Orphan Asylum, the first
call for which was from the pen of Mr. DIVIE BETHUNE, at the request of his wife and her associates
in the Widows' Society. From this period until absolutely disabled by the infirmities of age, a period
of little less than fifty years, Mrs. BETHUNE'S heart
and hand, prayers and active exertions, were ever en



104        MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
gaged, successively as Trustee, Treasurer, Second Directress, and First Directress, in behalf of the blessed
work she had undertaken. She died on the 28th of
July, 1860, at the age of ninety-two years; and when,
from the bed of suffering and weariness, she woke in
the glory of an immortality inconceivable to mortal
mind, we can fancy, amid the ecstatic joy of the first
moment of bliss, that one source of delight; and not
the least, would be the sight of the many happy, glorified spirits who, but for her instrumentality, might
have languished here in want, and died ignorant or
neglectful of the glorious inheritance purchased for
them by their precious Savior.
"WVe dare not trust ourselves to lift, in imagination, the veil that separates us from that unseen
world; it would make us so envy her, so long to be
there, that we could not, without repining, turn back
to earth, and its cares and sin. But may such a life
as hers, with the reward we know she now enjoys,
be a spur to our zeal, and inspire us never to weary
nor faint, but work on and rejoice that we may bear
a humble part in the great scheme of making the
world happier and better,"




MRS. HOFFMAN AND MRS. STARTIN.    105
CHAPTER XII.
IRS. HOFFMAN AND MRS. STARTIN.
The Associates of Mrs. Bethune.-Mrs. Hoffman and Mrs. Startin.
-Their Character and Services.-Testimonies of the Board.
IT is to be lamented that so little has been preserved of the excellent women who were associated
with Mrs. Bethune in the foundation and early progress of the Orphan Asylum.  The writer has taken
great pains to discover whatever remains concerning
them on- record or in the memory of the people, but
he has not been. as successful as he desired and hoped.
Mrs. Sarah. Hbffmnah was the contemporary rather
of Mrs. Graham than of her daughter, but Mrs. Bethune held her in that respect and veneration which
her. strong mind, benevolent character, and dignified
carriage were so well calculated to inspire; and that
this regard was not unreciprocated is seen in the fact
that Mrs.- Hoffman preferred to resign her directressship'of the older society to preside over the Orphan
Asylum Board, which was more especially the enterprise of her younger friend.  Unless she had done so,
Mrs. Bethune would not have had the same courage
for the untried work; but Mrs. Hoffman's name was
as a tower of strength, so high was her moral and intellectual position in the best society of New York at
E2




106        MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
that time.  There is an affectionate tribute to her
memory in the Life of Mrs. Graham (p. 167, American Tract Society's edition), written by Mr. and Mrs.
Bethune.  Mrs. Graham " and her venerable companion, Mrs. Sarah Hoffman, Second Directress of the
Widows' Society, traveled many a day, and took
many a step together in the walks of charity. Mrs.
Graham was a Presbyterian, Mrs. Hoffman an Episcopalian.  Those barriers of which such an unhappy
use has been made by sectarians to separate children
of God fell down between these two friends at the
cry of affliction, and were consumed on the altar of
Christian love. Arm in arm, and heart to heart, they
visited the abodes of distress, dispensing temporal
aid from the purse of charity, and spiritual comfort
from the Word of God."  Mrs. Hoffman continued
her active superintendence of the affairs- of the society until 1817, after which her age and infirmities forbade her to continue her much-loved employment,
and her attendance at the meetings of the Board almost entirely ceased, though it was not until August,
1821, that her spirit returned to God. Mrs. Hoffminan
recommended to the ladies the election of Mrs. Startin as her successor. L Mrs. Startin was accordingly
elected, but declined in favor of Mrs. Hamilton, who,
every way fitted for the responsible office, was, as the
second directress, from the beginning the one to whom,
in the judgment of the Board, the honor was due.
Extract from the Minutes of the Board of Trustees
of the Orphan Asylum, August 7, 1821:




MRS. tHOFFMAN AND MRS. STARTIN.    107
"It becomes the duty of the Board this day to record the decease of their late beloved and very venerable directress, Mrs. SARAH HOFFMAN. Eminent
in the discharge of her relative duties, in humble
hope and ardent faith, and in all the walks of usefulness appropriate to the children of God, she was particularly distinguished by her early, persevering, affectionate, and successful exertions in the cause of the
orphan, in the establishment of the society and of the
asylum which now affords support and protection to
so large a number of otherwise friendless children.
"For many years she was associated with another
benevolent member of this Board, whose death was
formerly recorded, Mrs. Isabella Graham, in the care
of the widow and the fatherless; and in later years,
with the lamented Secretary of this Board, Miss Isabella WN. Ogden, called away in the vigor of youth.
"As they had remembered the commandments of
their God in life, so their God remembered their souls
at the hour of death, enabling them to triumph over
all its terrors, in the blissful hope of eternal life; and
that dark valley, from which human nature, destitute
of religion, shrinks back with horror, they entered
with a cheerful composure, beholding a ray of heavenly light, leading them on to the regions of immortal glory. The smile of Him who was wounded for
their sins and bruised for their iniquities, that He
might become their Redeemer, evidently shone on
their departing spirits.'The Eternal God was their
refuge, and underneath them the everlasting arms.''Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.'"




108        MEBIOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
Mrs. Hoffman was the daughter of Mr. David Ogden, of Newark, N. J. HIer brothers were Nicholas,
Abraham, Isaac, Samuel, and Peter Ogden. She married Mr. Nicholas Hoffman, by whom  she had two
sons, Josiah Ogden, afterward Judge Hoffman, and
Martin Hoffman, with whom she resided after her
husband's death, in Broadway, near Amity Street.
Mr. Ogden Hoffman's first wife was a Miss Colden,
and it was at her house, in Wall Street, that Mrs. Sarah Hoffman and Mrs. Graham met to organize an association of young ladies for teaching schools among
the poor, as recorded by Mrs. Graham, 1804.
Mrs. Sarah Startin was one of those on whom, from
the beginning of the institution inl' 1806, the asylum
rested. Elected a member of the first Boarcd of Trustees, she contributed her wisdom, faith, and courage
during the difficulties of organizing the charity and
bringing it before the Christian community for support. Mrs. Startin was the widow of an eminent English merchant, so holding. a high place in society;
and the estimation in which she was held as an intelligent, consistent Christian; enabled her to commend
it effectually to the patronage of the best as well as
the most influential people in the city, and thus contributed to make broad the foundations of its future
great prosperity. At the first Mrs. Bethune cheerfully undertook the office of Treasurer, but her feeble
health, with the cares of her family, compelled her to
resign it at the end of two years, when (1809) Mrs.
Startin was chosen to succeed her, and continued to




MIRS. HOFFMAN AND iMRS. STARTIN.    109
serve until 1821. We find the following minute in
the records of the Board in April of that year:' One circumstance is attended with painful interest
to the Board-the resignation of their respected Treasurer. Deep are their feelings of gratitude and affection on recurring to the services of their beloved
friend. At the origin of the society, when the magnitude of the object seemed almost to appall the firmest mind-when a building was to be erected, and
there were no resources-their benevolent coadjutor
became personally responsible for large amounts of
money, which enabled them to complete a commodious and well-finished house. The prudence and economy she has ever manifested in discharging her office
inspired implicit confidence in her judgment and
discretion. Many a child of affliction can bear testimony to the maternal kindness with which she gladdened the heart of the orphan. Her counsels will always be cherished as the result. of mature and conscientious reflection. The Board earnestly hope that,
although she declines the arduous office of treasurer,
she will not resign her situation as trustee, but will
continue to animate and encourage them by her countenance'and advice. In the retirement of domestic
life, long may she enjoy the consolations which flow
from the reflections of a well-spent life! Long may
she be spared to her friends and associates as their
example, to render the various talents of wealth, of
influence, and of leisure conducive to the end for
which they were given!"




110        MEMIOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
The following is found in the Annual Report for
1822:
"Since the last annual meeting the Board have
been bereaved of their First Directress (Mrs. Hoffman) and late Treasurer, Mrs. Startin, to whom they
were accustomed to look for counsel and assistance
in every season of discouragement and doubt. In
reflecting on the characters of their venerable associates, whose loss we now lament, we admire the
bright example they afforded of active benevolence,
and a piety steadfast as it was sincere, which warmed
while it elevated the heart, and shone with great and
greater lustre unto the perfect day.  The memory
of these ladies is deeply engraven on the hearts of
the Board as they recollect the spirit of charity which
pervaded their intercourse in life, and their unwearied diligence in accomplishing the plan of this Orphan Asylum, and rejoice to know that on them has
descended'the blessing of many ready to perish.'"




MRS. GENERAL HAMILTON.              111
CHAPTER XIII.
MRS. GENERAL HAMILTON.
Mrs. Hamilton and Mrs. Bethune compared. —Their Attachment.Mrs. Hamilton's Parentage.-Early Life.-Married Life.-Death
of Alexander Hamilton. -Mrs. Hamilton in Social Life.-In New
York and Washington.-Her declining Years.-Death and Burial.
BUT the fellow-worker with whom Mrs. Bethune
was the longest and most intimately associated, and
whom she loved best, while she loved all, was Mrs.
General Hamilton.  My mother's regard and esteem
for this venerable lady continually increased. Both
were of determined disposition, neither ready to yield
to the other when they differed, as they sometimes
did, about any matter of policy.  Mrs. Bethune was
the more cautious, Mrs. Hamilton the more impulsive, so that occasions of earnest dispute did occur;
but it was charming to see how; affectionately these
temporary altercations soon terminated in mutual
embraces, and their love deepened into stronger confidences. Inheriting a fond respect for my mother's
beloved andloving friend, I shall indulge myself with
a brief sketch of her life and character.
Elizabeth Schuyler was the second daughter of
General Philip Schuyler and Catharine Van Rensselaer. The character of General Schuyler is historic



112        MEMOIRS OF MIRS. BETIUNE.
al. The name of Van Rensselaer was distinguished
for courage, kindliness, and modest dignity. They
are among the wealthiest proprietors of the Dutch
population. Stephen Van Rensselaer, a cousin of
Mrs. Hamilton, and married to her sister, was the
good Pctroon, deriving that title from his being the
owner of a large manor, embracing the northern portion of Albany County and a large portion of Rensselaer. Mrs. Hamilton was born at Albany on the
9th of August, 1757. Her father's house was the resort of the most distinguished persons in what WValpole, about this period, styled "the proud and opulent Colony of New York;" and, at the opening of
the contest with Great Britain, there came leading
men from distant colonies-to hold. conference with
General Schuyler,' whose sagacity, energy, and nobleness of spirit made him the depositary of the most
sacred confidences in those councils which gave birth
to an empire. I His daughter Elizabeth thus entered
social life with every'advantage of position, and, in
the coterie which'gathered around the governor's colonial court in the city of New York, was soon' distinguished as a belle. Her person was small and
delicately formed'; -her face agreeable, and, animated
by her brilliant black eyes; showing and radiating
the spirit and intelligence so fully exhibited in her
subsequent life.  The commotions beginning in 1775
confined the family of General Schuyler to their spacious mansion in Albany during the winter, and, during the summer, to his beautiful country estate on




MRS. GENERAL HAMILTON.          113
the IHIudson, at Saratoga (now Schuylerville), near
the scene of the battle of Saratoga. The advance of
Burgoyne drove the ladies of the family, with the
whole female population of the region, flying from
the savages which that commander had adopted
among his royal forces. General Schuyler was absent with the army when his children were thus
obliged to abandon the beautiful and beloved home
of their youth; but, in the midst of their sore trial,
they manifested their father's blood; for, as the wheatfields of the wide domain were white to the harvest,
Mrs. Hamilton's eldest sister Angelica (afterward
Mrs. John B. Church, of Angelica, N. Y.), choosing
a moment when the wind was high, with her own
hand set fire to the ripe grain, that it might not be
gathered for the comfort of the enemy. It was only
a few weeks after that General Burgoyne, a prisoner
with his staff, was received into the mansion of General Schuyler, whose delicate hospitalities he afterward gratefully acknowledged from his place in Parliament. Thus some of the most brilliant British aristocracy were added to the circle of which Elizabeth
Schuyler was the charming ornament; but the gayety was short lived, as Albany soon became ag'ain a
place, of seclusion, whose quiet was disturbed only
by the thunders of distant war, or the nearer alarms
of savage enemies. The third year after this, General Schuyler, called, at the urgent instance of Washington, to aid the vigorous efforts then making for
the revival of his reduced and gallant army, repaired




114       MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHUNE.
to the head-quarters of his chief, then at Morristown,
N. J., where Mrs. Schuyler and his daughter accompanied him. Alexander, then Colonel Hamilton, and
confidential aid to the great chief, was soon fascinated
by the brilliant graces of the daughter, who, not less
pleased by the fascinating manners of the distinguished young soldier, yielded to his addresses, and they
were soon married, remaining some time in camp,
until circumstances favored her removal to Albany,
while Colonel Hamilton pursued his gallant duties in
the march to Yorktown; and his letters to his young
bride speak beautifully of his affections and his patriotic valor. The surrender of Cornwallis soon followed; and, on the cessation of warlike operations,
Colonel Hamilton repaired to Albany, where his wife
and their new-born child welcomed him to repose.
Here Hamilton pursued the study of law, and was
admitted to practice. About this time, as Continental Receiver, he attended the Legislature of New York
at Poughkeepsie, and drafted the first legislative resolutions that were framed recommending a Convention to provide a national Constitution for the United
States-the embodiment of a thought which his great
mind had conceived and zealously nourished for some
time previously.  Soon after, we find him as a representative of New York in Congress, a leading participant in the most important preparatory measures
for the establishment of the present government.
After the peace General H-Iamilton removed with
his family to the city of New York, where he soon




MRS. GENERAL HAMILTON.           115
rose to the highest place at the bar, while, as a member of the New York Legislature, and delegate to the
Convention which framned the Federal Constitution,
as well as to that which adopted it, his civic fame became as great as his military glory. Thus, when the
government was organized, he took the highest position in the country, next to that of Washington, as
Secretary of the Treasury. During these absorbing
public engagements, Mrs. Hamilton assumed the cares
of their increased family, and presided over the hospitalities of their home, whose attractions rendered it
the centre of a circle distinguished by the society
of the most eminent persons, native born and from
abroad, then residing at the seat of government. After resigning his place in the cabinet, Hamilton resumed his professional career in New York (1795),
where he resided until his melancholy death. His
house was the scene of most refined and generous hospitality, whether in town or at his summer residence
on Harlem Heights, which afforded him  and Mrs.
Hamilton opportunities for cultivating those elegant
tastes in rural pleasures which had been the delight
of her early youth on the banks of the Hudson, in
beautiful Saratoga.
The religious thankfulness with which she enjoyed
these bountiful dispensations of Providence called
into vigorous life the principles of piety which had
directed her education under her father's care, and
were preparing her for the deep sorrows of her later
life. The admonition of her dying husband, the vic



116         MIEMOIRS OF MIRS. BETHUNE.
tim of a political murder, most lamentable ancl execrable, "Remember, Eliza, you are a Christian!"
showed his confidence in her faith, as well as his own
recognition of its Divine source. Deeply did she need
its upholding consolations.  IIer eldest son had already fallel a victim to a similar bloodthirsty violence when her great sorrow came; and a beloved
daughter, losing her reason amid the sudden horrors
of her father's death, became the sad charge of her
bleeding heart.
Mrs. Hamilton bore her calamities with fortitude
and resignation, but sought her subsequent enjoyments for this world in the offices of a religious life
and a most active charity, which she continued to
practice up to the very close of her unusually protractedc lifejin her inihety-seveulth year. She retained
both her mental and physical faculties to the last;
and when at W'ashington, during her latest years, for
the prosecution of her honorable claims on the general government, she was the object of the utmost veneration and affectionate wonder to all those who delighted to throng her modest dwelling, and hear from
her eloquent, truthful lips, narratives of the times of
which she was a part and an ornament.
Such was MArs. Bethune's especial friend and longest loved associate in the rearing, establishing, and
perpetuating the New, York Orphan Asylum.  Mrs.
Hamilton continued to be the First Directress of the
society until her removal to NVashington, a few years
before her death, when she was succeeded by Mrs.




MIRS. GENERAL HAMILTON.         117
Bethune. According to her dying request, Mrs. Iamilton's remains lie buried in Trinity Church-yard, near
the tomb built for her illustrious husband by the Society of Cincinnati, whose President General (after
WVashington) he was. Among the most sincere and
affectionate mourners at her funeral was my beloved
mother.
The Rev. Dr. Weston (St. Paul's, New York), at
the request of the Orphan Asylum Board, prepared a
sermon eloquently commemorative of her many virtues and pious services, to be preached in the chapel
of the institution, but was prevented by illness from
delivering it.




118        MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHIUNE.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE SUAM OF HER LABORS, AND HER REST.
Review.-VlIlr. and Mrs. Bethune's Plans.-Visit of Missionaries.Church Relations. - Sunday-schools. - Economical School.
House of Industry.-Instruction of the Young.-Mrs. Bethune's
Death.
[THE closing chapter of this memoir is taken from
a sketch which the Rev. Dr. Bethune prepared and
published immediately after the death of his mother.
He left the biography unfinished; and, in order to
complete it in his words, this sketch is here inserted,
though it repeats some facts already mentioned.Editor.]
Before the year 1807 Mr. Bethune and his very
intimate friend, Mr. Robert Ralston, of Philadelphia,
sympathizing in larger missionary views than those
generally entertained in this country at that time,
had made themselves Foreign Directors of the London Missionary Society, the only two such in the
United States.  In 1807, that society sent to this
country (to avoid French cruisers), on his way to
China, the Rev. Mr. (afterward Dr.) Morrison, the
translator of the Bible into Chinese, and the Rev.
Messrs. Gordon and Lee, on their way to India.
These brethren, while waiting for a vessel, spent the
greater part of their time in Mr. Bethune's family,




THE SUM OF HER LABORS, AND HER REST. 119
with great spiritual advantage, as they afterward testified; and animated the pious three, Mrs. Graham,
Mr. and Mrs. Bethune, with yet more ardent desires
for promoting the Divine glory.
There was also another missionary who, for similar reasons, came to this country, on his way to India, and was intimate with the Bethune family-the
Rev. Mr. May, of whom the writer can ascertain no
more than that he was eminently distinguished by
his love for children, whom he delighted to address,
and by whom he was attended in large numbers.
Mrs. Bethune used to express herself as having been
greatly interested by iMr. Maay's efforts; and, from
her own sayings, there is no doubt that her zeal for
an instrumentality like the Sabbath-school was much
increased. For several years after this Mrs. Bethune
suffered much from ill health, but continued to maintain her charitable and religious engagements with
great success; and, about the time when Dr. Mason
removed his ministry to the new church built for
him in Murray Street, Mr. and Mrs. Bethune and
Mrs. Graham  transferred their Church-membership
to the Cedar Street Presbyterian Church, then under
the pastoral care of the Rev. Dr. Romeyn; and of
that church (after some intermediate changes, rendered necessary by changes in the city) Mrs. Bethune was a communicant at the time of her death,
the attachment between her and her beloved pastor,
Dr. James;V. Alexander, having been of the most
tender description.




120 i     MEMOIRS OF MRS. BETHIUNE.
About the year 1812 (the precise date can not now
be given), the attention of Mr. and Mrs. Bethune was
called to the blessed effects of the Sunday-school system established in England by Robert Raikes. Their
pious correspondents in England, particularly Stephen Prust, Esq., of Bristol, sent them many reports
and documents illustrating the work; and they endeavored to awaken the Christian public to that
means of usefulness, but, for a time, with little success. Pious people, and some eminent ministers, even
doubted the propriety of so occupying the Sabbath
day. Mr. Bethune, weary of delay, at last said to
Mrs. Bethune, "My dear wife, there is no use in waiting for the men; do you gather a few ladies of different denominations, and begin the work yourselves."
Mrs. Bethune had already made encouraging experiments in two schools-one, during the winter, near
her city residence, within convenient distance of Dr.
Romeyn's church; the other in the basement of her
country-seat, between Bank and Bethune Streets,
Greenwich, besides starting others, as she had opportunity, during her summer travels in different parts
of the country between the Hudson and the Lakes.
Intent upon a wider diffusion of the blessing, she determined to call a public meeting of ladies, of different denominations, in the WSall Street Church, which
she addressed from the clerk's desk; and, aided by
many noble women, among whom may be noted Mrs.
Francis Hall, of the Methodist, Mrs. William Colgate,
of the Baptist, and Miss Ball, of the Dutch churches,




THE SUM OF HER LABORS, AND HER REST. 121
she had the happiness of seeing put into successful
operation " The Female Union for the Promotion of
Sabbath-schools," which continued, by its publications and its schools, containing 7000 or 8000 children, to exert a large usefulness, until it was absorbed by the New York branch of the American Sunday-school Union. There had been Sunday-schools
of various kinds, in various places, before this: Mrs.
Graham, as early as 1792, had an adult Sunday evening school in Mulberry Street, and Mrs. Bethune, in
subsequent years, had made several similar efforts;
but this may be regarded as truly the first introduction here of the Raikes' system, as will be shown on
some future occasion, when time is had for proper research.
Mrs. Bethune had a wise dread of administering
charity in such a way as might encourage pauperism, and adopted fully the views of economists like
Colquhoun on Indigence, Chalmers on Civic Economy of Large Towns. Of this she gave convincing
proofs.
The war of 1812-14 brought great distress on the
laboring classes, and the cry of the needy roused Mrs.
Bethune to new energy for their relief. The great
trouble was the scarcity of work. Mrs. Bethune, having duly considered the plan, associated herself with
a number of like-minded ladies in a society for the
promotion of industry. They rented a large wooden
building, called The Economical School, then standing on the north side of Anthony (now Worth) Street,
F




122        MEMOIRS OF IMRS. BETHUNE.
a short distance from Broadway, west. Here they
provided work for five or six hundred women, until
the urgent necessity passed away with the return of
peace. Some idea of the enterprise and business talent with which the institution was managed may be
got from the fact that they successfully competed for
and fulfilled a contract with government to supply a
sloop-of-war, or a frigate, with all its necessary clothing, bed-clothes, etc., etc. This House of Industry was
the model on which a similar institution in Boston,
and others elsewhere, were framed.  Mrs. Bethune,
some years afterward, endeavored to introduce the
plan recommended by Chalmers, of dividing the city
into districts, to be visited with such accuracy that no
dwelling of the poor should be neglected.  The plan
was, however, superseded by the system of the Association for the Relief of the Poor, since then so nobly carried out.
Mrs. Bethune's greatest delight was in the education of the young.  She loved education as a science
as well as a charity. Hence she was always personally attentive to that department of the Orphan Asylum, and taught her Sabbath class until she had long
passed her eightieth year. It is not surprising, therefore, that the infant-school system, as organized by
WVilderspin, on the basis of Pestalozzi's plan of development, should have deeply interested her.  On receiving the necessary books from England and Switzerland, she succeeded, May 23d, 1827, in establishing
a society for advancing that method of instruction,




THE SUM OF HER LABORS, AND HiER REST. 123
aided by the late able philanthropist, John Griscom,
and also by Mr. S. W. Seton, a devoted friend of
youth. Several schools (at least nine) were put into
successful operation, which MIrs. Bethune actively superintended, and one of them she taught herself, almost entirely, in the worst neighborhood of the Five
Points-this more than thirty years ago.  The infantschool plan was soon adopted as supplementary to the
larger classes in Sunday-schools, and in the primaries
of our public schools, so that the good thus begun
has been, and will be, perpetuated on a more extended scale.  Several books of infant-school instruction,
written and edited by Mrs. Bethune, are still highly
prized, and must long continue to help the teacher
and the taught.
So crowded with incident and work was the life of
Mrs. Bethune; and none can estimate the influence
of her devoted life. But a few years since her aged,
hard-worked brain showed symptoms of weakness,
and she retired from active pursuits, to find tranquillity in the home of her son, who was permitted to receive her last breath. The last intelligible sentence
that she uttered was,' All has been done well!"  She
sank to rest like a little child in its father's arms,
without a struggle, a sign of suffering, or complaint,
closing her own dear eyes, and, by her last voluntary
muscular movement, composing her lips as she was
wont to do when falling asleep. [Her rest came after
a long pilgrimage; but her works have followed her
before the throne of Him in whom alone she trusted,
and that rest is glorious.








APPENDIX.
EXTRACTS FROM THE PRIVATE PAPERS, JOURNALS,
ETC., OF MRS. JOANNA BETHUNE.
A DAY OF SORROW.
New York, September 21st, 1824.
SEPTEMBER 18th, at eight o'clock in the evening,
it pleased an all-wise God to take to Himself my beloved husband, and to write upon me, the happiest
of wives, vIDow. To this day I have never been
able to look, and often thought I could not bear it;
yet the day is come. The Lord has taken away the
desire of my eyes with a stroke. Although I can
not say that I neither mourn nor weep, nor that my
tears do not run down, yet I am enabled to kiss the
hand that smites, and to say, "'Thy will be done."
"The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord."
I desire to record the goodness of God to my dear
husband, in making all his bed in his sickness, in placing underneath him the everlasting arms, in allowing him to lean upon his Master's bosom, and sweetly to fall asleep in Jesus, without an agonizing struggle, without even the movement of a muscle, hand or
foot. And now the conflict is past. His work is




126        MRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.
done, and well done, and his longing desire is satisfied. "Let me go home. Let me go to my Savior.
My race is run; my work is done. Let me go."
And now, O thou Infinite Jehovah, before whom
I have been pouring out my soul by the bed upoh
which my beloved husband resigned his happy spirit, I claim Thy promise that Thou, my Maker, will be
my husband, and counsel and direct me in every duty
before me. I can no longer ask my husband, and receive aid and counsel from him, in every difficulty,
as I have done for twenty-nine years; but if Thou
lift upon me the light of Thy countenance, and make
Thy Word a light to my feet and a lamp to my path,
I can not err. I have now no idol to draw off my
affections from Thee. My daughters find rest in the
houses of their husbands.  My son, if spared, will
settle in life; but the widow will sit desolate. 0
grant, then, that I may be a widow indeed. Lord,
Thou knowest the difficulties before me. Counsel,
direct, and enable me to perform them all with a single eye to Thy glory. May I never disgrace Thy
name, nor the name of him who is sleeping in the
dust.
O Lord, while I ask the forgiveness of my trespasses, enable me to forgive others their trespasses.
And now, Lord, this 21st of September, 1824, I solemnly devote myself to Thee, in my new character
of widow, and claim all the promises to such in Thy
precious Bible. I desire to sit desolate as to man, and
to be presented as a chaste virgin unto Thee. I de



MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.       127
sire to glorify Thee in this hot furnace, to see Thy
hand in my bereavement. Henceforth I devote myself to Thee-soul, body, and estate, all that I have,
and all that I am. 07 my covenant God, help me
to be faithful to this dedication; and, as my blessed
love told me, to live near to God. He told me I
idolized him. I feel I did. But my idol Thou hast
taken away; my gourd Thou hast withered. Lord,
help me, or I perish.
O Lord, look on the children of Thy servant and
Thy handmaid. Sanctify this affliction to them and
to their children; and, when their father and their
mother are sleeping in the dust, may they, as he said,
do their parts, and all be gathered home at last, where
all tears shall be wiped from our eyes, and where
sorrow and sighing shall forever flee away. Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus! come quickly!
Sabbath evening, October 3d, 1824.
O Lord, I am indeed in a new situation. Accustomed to lean upon the kindest, the tenderest of husbands, who provided for all my wants, who felt for
all my troubles, who bore with my weaknesses and
faults, and who, I fear, occupied the place in my heart
which Thout only ought to fill; but now that Thou
hast cut clown my idol, Thou hast withered my
gourd, I feel desolate. I have now not only the
charge of managing property, and sworn that I will
faithfully fulfill the trust reposed in me, but I have




128        AIRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
a mercantile concern to attend to, being sole heir and
sole executrix, and my beloved husband having left
no partner. Lord, help me in this trying season.
I have had an example before me, to spread every
thing before the Lord; of recording texts and promises, and pleading them in faith, and looking for the
answer. I draw near to Thee, O my God, in present
difficulties. Thou knowest them all. I will record
some Scriptures, and leave them before Thee for Thy
answer: the cxliii. Psalm throughout, viewing the
enemies mentioned in it as spiritual enemies. Prov.,
iv., 11, 12, 13: Do Thou so to me, O Lord. O, do
Thou teach me the way of wisdom, and lead me in
right paths. WVhen I go, let not my steps be straitened; and when I run, suffer me not to stumble.
May I take fast hold of instruction, and keep her as
my life. Isaiah, xli., 10: Fear not, for I am with
thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will
strengthen thee, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold
thee with the right hand of my righteousness; v. 13:
For I the Lord will hold thy right hand, saying unto
thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
Sabbath, February 6, 1825.
Ileb., xi., 1: Now faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The
whole chapter gives a clear view of the faith of the
believer.
O, my gracious covenant God, I desire, on this




MRS. BETTUNE'S WRITINGS.         129
Thine own day, to draw near to Thy throne, to take a
fresh hold of Thy covenant for myself, as Thy widowed handmaid, and for my fatherless children. "Leave
thy fatherless children upon Me, and I will preserve
them alive," was the promise Thou didst enable Thine
aged handmaid to lay hold of and plead through a
long life. Thou didst graciously hear and answer
her-prayer for her seed and her seed's seed, and Thou
didst hear and answer the prayers of Thy dear servant, and didst give him faith in Thy'Word for his
seed. He was permitted to see all his children, I
trust, taught of God. And now those two eminent
saints have finished their course, and all their anxieties respecting their dear offsprings are over, while
Thine unworthy handmaid, the least of all saints, remains behind, to supply their place to the dear children Thou didst give us. O Lord, now that their
prayers no longer ascend in our behalf, may we be
quickened to greater diligence in praying for ourselves!
And, O Lord, I would this afternoon, in an especial manner, come to Thee in behalf of Thy young
servant, the son of Thine handmaid.  O Lord, I
thank Thee for restoring him to me in health and
strength for a short season. I thank Thee-O, I
adore Thee, for the grace in which he stands. I
thank Thee that, in some degree, he has been made
to see the insufficiency of the pleasures of this world
to impart happiness. I thank Thee that Thou hast
made him willing, in a day of Thy power, to turn his
F2




130       MIRS. BETHUNE7S WRITINGS.
back on the city of destruction, and to set his face toward Zion. And I would now earnestly plead with
Thee that Thou wouldst increase his faith, and give
him more grace. 0 Lord, he has chosen the most
responsible of all professions —a profession which
Thou only canst fit him for. All that man can teach
him will only bewilder, unless accompanied by the
teaching of Thy Holy Spirit. 0, pour out upon me,
his only parent, a spirit of prayer and supplication in
his behalf, and lead him to Thee in all difficulties, and
ask wisdom. Open the eyes of his understanding,
that he may see wondrous things in Thy law. Hle is
now beginning to prepare discourses. Lord, impress
upon his mind that the great object of his profession
is to proclaim salvation through Christ to dying sinners. May he remember the dying words of his dear
father, "Preach the Gospel, my son!  Tell dying sinners of a Savior! Mind nothing else; it is all folly!"
Give him clear views of doctrine, particularly of faith,
which seems to puzzle him. O Lord, for Thy namne's
sake'-for the sake of HIim tWhom Thou hearest always-look upon my son, the only son of his mother,
and she a widow! Make him more spiritual, more
self-denied, more devoted! Give him some love-tokens that shall so take hold of his affections that he
shall have more joy in serving Thee, and more happiness in waiting upon Thee, than the worldling
"when his corn and his wine abound."  0, grant
him the grace of application and perseverance in
searching the Scriptures; and may he never attempt




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.       131
the duty without crying unto Thee for Thy Holy
Spirit to guide him unto all truth. Give him great
grace; and let a double portion of the same Spirit
that dwelt in his father rest upon him. Instead of
the father, do Thou now take the son, and make him
as eminently useful as a minister as Thou didst make
him as an officer in Thy Church and as a layman.
Lord, as Thou hast commanded, I open my mouth
wide, and do Thou fill it. Answer all the prayers
now before Thy throne for this dear youth, and lay
him on the minds of thy dear people. Lead them to
pray what Thou hast determined to grant, that he
may be a faithful, humble, and able minister of the
New Testament.
March 17, 1825.
In obedience to the command of God, and under a
deep sense of my own incapacity to do any thing
aright of myself, I come before God this day to plead
with Him to hear and answer my petitions for myself,
and my children, and children's children, in the view
of my approaching dissolution. Before making my
will, I ask of God the following great favors:
O, my God! the God of my father, the God of
my mother, the God of my beloved and dearest of
all earthly friends —the God of my husbandl —but,
above all, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus
Christ, I come this day to do as Thou directest; to
set my house in order, knowing that assuredly I shall




132        MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
die, and not live. 1st. I ask that, during the remaining years, months, weeks, days, or hours I may live,
I may, by Thy grace assisting me, walk before Thee
with a perfect heart. 2d. That I may never disgrace
Thy holy name, by which I am called, and that I
may order all my affairs with discretion. 3d. That I
may provide things honest and of good report in the
sight of all men. 4th. That I may have a portion to
give to the widow, the fatherless, the stranger, the
sick and afflicted; and, if not too much to ask, that I
may still be permitted to aid in institutions laboring
for the spread of the Gospel and advancing the kingdom of my dear Redeemer, who has done so much
for me and mine. 5th. That I may have a measure
of health while I live, and be taken home to the mansion prepared for me by my Lord and Savior when I
have done the work Thou hast assigned me on earth.
If consistent with Thy holy will, that I may not be
left to be a burden to myself and others. Nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done. I desire to ask
with submission. One thifig more I ask, and would
plead earnestly for, and ask my gracious Redeemer
to intercede- for me, that Thy sensible presence may
be with me all the way when passing through the
Valley of the Shadow of Death. 0, may I hear the
voice of Him saying, "Let not your heart be troubled;
ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come




MRS. BETIIUNE'S WRITINGS.       133
again, and receive you to myself; that where I am,
there you may be also."  Grant, if consistent with
Thy holy will, that I may have an easy transition;
that the enemy may not have permission to assault
me; and that, like my clear mother and still dearer
husband, I may lean on my Master's bosom, and
sweetly fall asleep in Jesus. I ask all these favors,
not for any worthiness in me, but for the sake of
Him whom Thou hearest always. Amen. Come,
Lord- Jesus! come quickly! And now, Lord, for
my children and children's children, I ask that they
may indeed be ALL taught of God, to the latest generation. It is a large boon, but Thou hast commanded, "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it."  Nothing is too hard for Thee. Giving does not impoverish
Thee, nor withholding make Thee rich. Grant that
none of them may ever bring disgrace upon their profession. Spare my beloved daughters to'train up
their children in Thy fear. May they be help-meets
to thy servants. And, O my gracious Father, look
on my beloved son, the only son of his mother, and
she a widow; the son for whom his father prayed,
and whom he lent unto the Lord all the days of his
life. O grant him all needful grace. Open the eyes
of his understanding to read the Scriptures; make
him a workman in Thy cause that needeth not to be
ashamed. May he indeed be a chosen vessel, whom
the Lord will send to preach the Gospel! Lord,
grant that, when he shall have a companion, she may
be a King's daughter. Choose Thou for him, gra



134        MRS. BETHUNE'IS WRITINGS.
cious God, one that will be a help-meet for him, who
will train up her children to serve the God of their
fathers. O, may the houses of my beloved children
be Bethels to the Lord! May the morning and evening sacrifice continually ascend from their dwellings!
May all my children, in every generation, seek first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then
they have the promise that all temporal blessings necessary in this life Thou wilt add! May the God before whom my fathers walked, the God before whom
your dear beloved father walked, and before whom
(oh how imperfectly) your mother has walked-the
God which fed me all my life long unto this dclay-the
Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless you,
and let HIis name, even the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ, be named on you in all your generations; and
may you grow into a multitude in the midst of the
earth I Of you and of your seed may it be said, in
every age, in answer to your father's prayers, and
for the sake of his God, " These are they who bring
the sacrifices of praise into the house of the Lord."
This was his prayer and hope for you, and this is my
prayer and hope for you: " Riches of grace in the covenant of Jehovah, more precious than the mines of
Golconda or Peru."  Amen and amen.
March 18th, 1825.
The birthday of my beloved son George, now the
only son of his mother, and she a widow. Oh the




AIRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.        135
joy that this day twenty years was experienced by
his beloved father and now desolate mother that a
man-child was born into our family! His dear father, now in glory, prayed thus for him, after magnifying the Lord for His goodness, to his Maker in the
trying hour: " Thou knowest that I have all along
asked of my God that, if he gave us a son, that he
might be sanctified from the womb, and be made a
faithful, honored, and zealous minister of the everlasting Gospel. Lord, hear us in this thing."  Then
follow the texts: 1 Samuel, i., 27, 28. This I took
March 14th; 1 Samuel, i., 23; Isaiah, lxv., 23, 24;
Jeremiah, v., 5. All these promises he saw accomplished. WVhen leaving his son at the Theological
Seminary, oh how he sang praises to God, exultingly saying, "He worships the Lord there."  Many of
our Christian friends looked with amazement at the
goodness of God toward our family, and gave glory
to God in our behalf.  " Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation," was the language of both our hearts. Often,
when meditating on the great happiness of our family (all our children being now taught of God), has
my heart been ready to burst with gratitude to Him
who had now answered all our prayers. Alas! little
did I think that, in less than one year, this happy
dwelling would be filled with lamentation and woe,
and that, indeed, thy faithful servant would depart in
peace. A very few months I could say I had not a
wish ungratified.




136           MRS. BETITHUNE'S WRITINGS.
"Like Jonah (well our stories suit),
I viewed my gourd well pleased;
Like him, I could not see the root
On which the worm had seized.' [But saw, at length, the hour draw nigh:
(That hour I since have known),
WVhen he, my earthly joy, must die,
And I be left alone.
"Now, Lord, I would to Thee apply,
On Thee alone depend;
Thou art, when creatures fail and die,
An ever-living friend!"
Many are the prayers, before Thy throne, offered
by his dear grandmother and dear, dear father.  0
gracious God, answer them now; now let Thy blessing descend upon him. They, perhaps, are now looking down upon the poor afflicted widow weeping before Thee this day; her heart bleeding under Thy
stroke, yet enabled to glorify Thee in the furnace,
saying,' Sharp was my pain, and deep my woundA wound that still must bleed;
But daily help and strength I found,
Proportioned to my need."
0  gracious God, I desire now  to return from  the
world, to be shut up with Thee, to plead Thy promises in behalf of my beloved son, this day twenty
years old. I go to Thy Word to search for promises
for him; direct me to them, 0 my God.
Psalm  lxxxi., 10: I am  the Lord which brought
thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide,
and I will fill it.  Acts, ii., 17: " And it shall come to




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.        137
pass in the last days, saith God, that I will pour out
of my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your
daughters, shall prophesy;" and verse 21: "And it
shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the
name of the Lord shall be saved."  Acts, ix., 15:
"Go thy way; for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to
bear my name before the Genitiles, and kings, and the
children of Israel."  Isaiah, lxiv., 1: Oh that Thou
wouldst rend the heavens, that Thou wouldst come
down, that the mountains might flow down at Thy
presence; verse 4: For since the beginning of the
world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear,
neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside Thee, what
He hath prepared for him that waiteth for hIim.
Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteonsness, those that remember Thee in Thy ways;
verse 6: But we are all as an unclean thing, and all
our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do
fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have
carried us away; verse 8: But now, O Lord, Thou
art our Father; we are the clay, and Thou our potter; and we are all the work of Thy hand; verse 9:
Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember
iniquity forever: behold, see, we are all Thy people.
Jeremiah, i., 5: Before I formed thee in the belly
I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of
the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a
prophet unto the nations. Jeremiah, xxiv., 7: "And
I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the
Lord; and they shall be my people, and I will be




138         MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
their God; for they shall return unto me with their
whole heart."  Lord, fulfill this promise to our whole
family! 1 Peter, ii., 5: " Ye also, as lively stones,
are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ;" verse 9: "'But ye are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people;
that ye shall show forth the praises of Him who hath
called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."
Hebrews, iv., 16; v., 1, 2, 3, 4; vi., 19: "Which hope
we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and
steadfast, which entereth into that within the vail."
Joshua, i., 9: "Have not I commanded thee?  Be
strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be
thou dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee
whithersoever thou goest."
O most gracious God, fulfill the above to my beloved son.  O grant me faith to lay hold on the
promises for him. Grant him faith to lay hold on
them for himself. O may he plead with Thee, for
his Redeemer's sake, for sanctification; and may he
daily grow in grace and in the knowledge of the
Lord his God.  Bless abundantly, also, my sons-inlaw in their calling. Keep me, keep my sons, keep
my children and grandchildren pure and unspotted
from the world.' Guide us, O Thou great Jehovah,'
Pilgrims through this barren land;
We are weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold us with thy powerful hand.
Bread of Heaven,
Feed us till we want no more."




MIRS. BETHUNE' S WRITINGS.         139
Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus.
6 When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid our anxious fears subside;
Foe to death, and Hell's destruction,
Land us safe on Canaan's side.
Songs of praises
We will ever give to Thee."
Hallelujah! the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.
May ]st, 1825.
The last night I have to spend under the roof
where my beloved husband poured out his soul to
Thee, O Lord; and where, in answer to his prayer,
he leaned upon his Master's bosom  while passing
through the valley of the shadow of death. O look
down upon me to strengthen me, support me.  O go
with me, or carry me not up hence.  Enable me yet
to glorify Thee; make me useful in the neighborhood to which I am going. Lord, pardon my unfaithfulness to those around me here.  O Lord, when
I review my past life, even since I professed to follow Thee, my sins rise up in frightful array before
me.  Oh, wert Thou to mark iniquity, who could
stand! I can not look on a single act of my life that
was not defiled with sin; and what can I say but the
prayer of the publican, "Lord, be merciful to me a
sinner!"
I this night enter my record in this book that, if I
am saved from hell, and' shall have the unspeakable
happiness of taking possession of a mansion prepared




140         MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
for me by my clear Redeemer, it will be all of grace,
free and unmerited grace, and not for any filthy rags
of righteousness of mine.
" Oh to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be;
Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee."
September 18, 1825.
The anniversary of the departure of my earthly
joys, and the dismission of my beloved husband's
happy spirit from sin and sorrow. One year of happiness to him, and one of sore, sore trial to me, his
bereaved widow. WVhat has been my experience
through life but "cease from man, whose breath is
in his nostrils?" But I knew not the full import of
the text while I had my beloved husband to lean
upon.  My little trials diminished when poured into
his affectionate bosom; and when I was cheered and
counseled by him in my Christian course, or in my labors in the societies, difficulties disappeared. True,
I waited upon God, attempted no duty without first
asking counsel of Him, but never till now did I know
what it is to trust the naked promise, and feel that
loneliness which throws the heart back on itself —
that complete destitution of human aid.  Whenever
I have leaned on the creature, be it who it will, I have
found it a broken reed; and often, even those whom
I have considered my best friends have proved spears




MRS. BETIHUNE'S WRITINGS.         141
to pierce me to the heart.  "This is not your rest,"
is legibly written on all below. All my cisterns are
broken.
"Vain is the world, and all things here;'Tis but a bitter sweet:
When I attempt a rose to pluck,
A pricking thorn I meet."
And what has been the language of God's providence to me during the past year?: The same as formerly.  "Cease from man."  "Wherefore will you
spend your money for naught, and your labor for that
which satisfieth not?"  "Come unto me, all ye that
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly."  God will
admit of no rivals. He will take them one by one,
till He has the whole heart; and it ought to make us
tremble, when we look for comfort to the creature,
that God, when. we pray, will answer us according to
the multitude of our idols. This is, no doubt, why I
remain so rebellious —why I still hanker after the
sympathy of friends, and feel hurt when they neglect,
or do not seem to feel for me, till I am constrained to
cry out with the prophet, "Woe is me for my hurt!
my wound is grievous; but I said, truly this is my
grief, and I must bear it." There is no avoiding it.
None will, none canr help me but God. Would that
I acted in consistency with this belief, and looked to
Him alone. Would that I cast my burden on the
Lord, believing that He would sustain me, and not
continually attempt to lay it on my own or the crea



142        MRS. BETHUNEES WRITINGS.
ture's shoulders. As I had not a thought unknown
to my beloved husband, and cared for no sympathy
but his, why do I not act in the same way toward my
lMaker, who condescends to call himself my husband,
and to whom I married and devoted myself, soul,
body, and estate, the day after my creature husband
was laid in the grave?  "And I said, I will not transgress;" yet how often have I wandered from H-im,
playing the harlot! As a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have I treacherously departed from my heavenly Husband.  "It is of the
Lord's mercies that I am not consumed, because His
compassions fail not."
I confess this day before Thee, my God, that I have
broken all my resolutions; that I have not been faithful to my vows, but have transgressed times and ways
without number. I have too often poured my complaint into the creature's ear, and have not often
enough, nor conscientiously enough, entered into my
closet, and prayed to my heavenly Father. I have
not listened to the voice of my Redeemer. I have,
indeed, bemoaned myself like Ephraim, as a bullock
unaccustomed to the yoke; but I have not meekly
submitted to my lot, nor kissed the rod. The fruit
of my affliction has not been to take away sin. I
have not been properly exercised, and therefore it has
not yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness. 0
Lord, I experience daily that the way of man is not
in himself. It is not in man that walketh to direct
his steps. " 0 Lord, correct me, but with judgment;




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.         143
not in Thine anger, lest Thou bring me to nothing."
-Jer., x., 23-4. To whom can I go but unto Thee?
I come, Lord, vile, polluted, hell-deserving sinner as I
am, loathing and abhorring myself, and repenting in
dust and ashes! Oh, may I hear Thy voice saying,
"Turn, thou backsliding daughter, for I am married
unto you!"  Betroth me to Thyself in an everlasting
covenant. Suffer me never again to cherish an evil
heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.
" Lord, help me, or I perish!'9 Oh, may the year to
come find me more faithful to my vows-more conscientious in performing all my duties; more humble,
more meek and lowly, more forbearing toward others. Set a fresh watch upon my lips, that I offend
not with my tongue. May I "lay aside every weight,
and the sin which most easily besets me, and run
with patience the race that is set before me, looking
continually to Jesus, who is the author and finisher
of my faith." I desire to take a fresh hold of my covenant, ordered in all things and sure, for myself: my
children, my children's children, my sons-in-law, and
dear Mary, the chosen of my son. Oh grant that we
may all be guided here by Thy counsel, and hereafter
received to Thy glory. Bless and reward all my
friends; pardon my enemies, and enable me to forgive
them, and cherish no bitterness against them; but
may my prayer still be for them in their calamities.
I leave me upon Thee. Do what seemleth Thee good
with me, only take not Thy Holy Spirit from me,
but hold me up continually by Thy right hand.




144        MRS. BETHIUNE S WRITINGS.
To God my Father and Husband, to God my crucified and risen Savior, and to God the Holy Spirit,
who comforteth me in all my afflictions, be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Sabbath, Nov. 6th, 1825.
My son, my last born and only child remaining
unmarried, is united to another in the tenderest connection, which nothing but death can dissolve. And
now, indeed, I feel alone as to the creature. My
daughters find rest in the houses of their husbands.
They keep at home, bring up their children, and, of
course, as I did myself (oh how delightful), find their
happiness in their own families. My son has now
left his widowed mother, and cleaves to his wife.
It seems as if my work was done. Why am I
spared? I come to Thee, O my heavenly Father, to
ask the question. Thou Friend, that sticketh closer
than a brother! Thou Husband of the widow! Thou
Father of the fatherless! Thou Shield of the stranger!
Thou Stay of the orphan, I claim Thee in all these
characters, for I am a widow, fatherless, a stranger,
and an orphan. Oh, then, calm the tumult of my
mind. Thou canst be better to me than father, mother, husband, children. Show me then, 0 my God,
why Thou sparest me, and what Thou wouldst have
me to do. Make the path of duty plain before me.
May I continue to hear a voice behind me, saying,
"This is the way; walk ye in it." However trying




MRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.         145
to flesh and blood, enable me to take up my cross
daily. Oh that I could indeed rest in God!
I have been looking over some of my beloved's
letters of 1800. Oh how closely he walked with God,
and how sweetly did he comfort me by pointing out
precious promises and texts. to encourage me to pray
over them. Twenty-five years ago, when harassed
by trials, no doubt trying to flesh and blood, but
which now seem trifles in comparison to those heavy
trials I have since passed through, he mentioned the
17th and 18th verses of James iii., and, as an encouraging promise, James, i., 5. No doubt I prayed over
them then; and now I find the same spirit in me,
and again I have been praying for deliverance from
a murmuring temper. So true is it that the Canaanites shall not cease out of the land, but the Lord will
drive them out by little and little; and not till the
last breath be drawn shall we cease to be troubled
with a body of sin and death. Lord, Thou seest how
little progress I have made in the Divine life. I ama
the same murmuring, rebellious creature I was twenty-five years ago. O Lord, look on me in mercy.
}May I yet live to Thy praise. liay I bring forth
fruit in old age, if I have not in youth. On the topmost bough may there be some fruit found. Why
do I still grovel below, and why do I not pant more
after conformity to Thine image. Whom have I now
to lean upon?  NBot one. Many look to me for help,
but who is there to help me?  Oh, then, enable me
to look to Thee alone, Thou Friend of the friendless!
G




146         IRS. BETIIUNE'S WRITINGS.
"Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
Freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart;
Rise to all eternity."
The 86th and 88th Psalms suit me at present.
" Lover and friend hast Thou put far from me, and my
acquaintance in darkness; but Thou art a God full
of compassion and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. O turn unto me, and have
mercy upon me. Give Thy strength unto Thy servant and the son of Thy handmaid. Show me a token
for good, that they which hate me may see it and be
ashamed; because Thou, Lord, hast holpen me and
comforted me. Teach me Thy way, O Lord. I will
walk in Thy truth. Unite my heart to fear Thy
name."  Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! come quickly!
March 21st, 1826.
This evening I expect a few religious friends, to
converse on the subject of infant schools. I have
often thought on the subject, and have prayed to the
Lord, if it was HIis will, to use me as an instrument
in promoting them, and now he seems about to answer my prayer. Why, oh why am I thus honored?
"Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in Thy
sight." Thou art never at a loss for an instrument
when Thou hast work to do. Thou often choosest
the weak things of this world to confound the wise.
O may the time be come when we shall begin at the
root-when the first lisping accents of babes shall be




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.       147
heard in praising Thy name. Look now on Thy
widowed handmaid before Thee, married to Thee,
and devoted to Thy service from the day Thou didst
take away the desire of my eyes with a stroke. My
beloved mother told -le, on her death-bed, to give
myself to the young; and from the time that I did
so, Thou hast given me pleasant work to do, and hast
not withheld from me my wages. Thou hast abundantly prospered the Orphan Asylum Society and Sabbath-schools; is it too much to ask Thee'to give me
to see the infant schools established,' and some work
for me to do in' them?  Lord, hear my prayer, now
that I have retired to my room to plead Thy precious
promises to Thine own people, and to pray for grace
to follow the direction in Thy WTord —that Word
which has been and is, indeed, a light to my feet and
a lamp to my path. I record the texts which I plead
before Thee in behalf of the IWork we are to set about
this evening: Proverbs, iii., 5, 6; Psalm xxxvii., 5;
Genesis, xxiv., xxvii., 4; Psalm xxvii., 11; Exodus,
=xxiii., 13-18.
Lord, I come boldly unto a throne of grace, to obtain mercy and find grace for a time of need. Thou
hast commanded, "Open thy mouth wide, and I will
fill it." Lord, I obey. I open my mouth wide. I
ask nothing less than that all may be taught of God
to know Thee, the true God, " from the least unto the
greatest."  Must not that time come? Yea, we know
it shall come; and, as the Lord works by means, may
the little company to meet -here this evening be the




148        MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
instruments who are to bring about the fulfillment of
thy prophecies!
Rockaway, L. I., July 4, 1826.
My dear children are all now at this place, in Providence, after an absence of nine years, and I am now
a desolate widow. Oh, how many recollections crowd
on my mind while again revisiting this place. O
Lord, remember not against me former iniquities.
Let Thy tender mercies speedily prevent me, for I
am brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Thy name, and deliver us, and
purge away our sins, for Thy name's sake; so we,
the people of Thy pasture, will give Thee thanks forever. We will show forth Thy praise to all:gelierations. Turn us again, O God of Hosts, and cause Thy
face to shine, and we shall be saved; upon us, Thy
widowed handmaid and the children. whom Thou
hast given her, all Thy professing people, and one a
minister of the Gospel. " Let Thy hand be upon the
man of Thy right hand-upon the man whom Thou
madest strong for Thyself; so will we not go back
from Thee. Quicken us, and we will call upon Thy
name."  But, 0 gracious God, give us all, each. one
for himself and for herself, to ask in faith for that
quickening Spirit. Much, much have I to repent of
before Thee; and never till now have I appreciated
the anxiety and prayers of my widowed mother; yet,
Lord, to whom can I go but to Thee?  Thou, and




MRS. BETIUNE'S WRITINGS.        149
Thou only, canst pardon; Thou, and Thou- only,
canst comfort me; Thou, and Thou only, canst sustain me amid my various trials and difficulties. My
chief anxiety at present, O Lord, Thou knowest, is
for my beloved son, " the only son of his mother, and
she a widow"-this son, for whom, his father prayed,
and lent to the Lord for ail the days of his life. Like
Abraham, he saw the promise afar off. 0 grant the
answer to the prayer of faith, which often and often
he presented at Thy throne in his behalf, and may
flow be the time to answer all the prayers of twentyone years. Lord, I tremble to think that the least of
the three who united. in dedicating this son should be
left to witness the answer of part of the prayers put
up for him, even to hear him preach-that I only
have resting upon me the responsibilities of aparenzt.
O Lord, grant me now that wisdom which is profitable to direct me in the path of duty. Let me not hesitate to admonish and warn him, and advise him; and
do Thou give him that charity which, endureth all
things, and that spirit of meekness under reproof
which he will have to preach to others. O Lord,
grant that a double portion of the Spirit which rested
on his dear father may rest on him. Let him not be
negligent, seeing, I humbly trust, Thou hast chosen
him to minister to Thee. 0 that he would hearken
unto Thee, and walk in thy ways; then Thou hast
promised that Thou wilt subdue his enemies, and
turn Thy hand against his adversaries, even the corruptions of his heart, and especially the sin which
most easily besets him, which Thou knowest.




150        MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
I desire, this 14th day of July, 1826, to renew my
covenant with Thee, my gracious Father, Savior, and
Sanctifier, for myself and for my children, now fatherless. I have been pouring out my heart to Thee, confessing my own sins, and Thy right to chastise me for
them. I again put my hand upon the head of the
Lamb that was slain for sinners, confessing my sins
and the sins of my children. As Thy people of old
looked to the serpent that was lifted up in the wilderness, so now I desire to look, for myself and my
children, to the lifted-up. Healer, the blessed Jesus;
and as the children of Israel were healed of their
dreadful diseases, so may we be healed of the more
dreadful maladies of sin. Grant that, as the scapegoat fled away with the sins of the people, my sins
and the sins of my children may be blotted out from
the book of Thy remembrance. The blood of Christ
cleanses from all sin. Take us then, O Lord, as a
family called by Thy name; a family to whom Thy
steppings have been very stately; in whom are witnessed the answers of many prayers, the prayers of
faith, put up by those who have now taken possession
of the mansions prepared for them, from whose eyes
Thou hast wiped away all tears, and who are now
seated at Thy right hand, where they shall enjoy
pleasures unalloyed for evermore. Yet a little while,
when we have finished the work Thou hast laid out
for us, may we also, through grace, join with them in
singing the song of the Redeemer. 0 enable me to
be willing to wait all the days of my appointed time,




AMRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.        151
till my change come; and instead of the fathers and
mothers, do Thou take the children, and cause them
to walk still more circumspectly in the way of Thy
commandments than ever we have done, and to be
much more useful in their day and generation than
we have been, and to be the honored instruments of
advancing the kingdom of that dear Savior who has
done so much for them.
[New York, Sabbath evening, July 15th, 1826.
This day my son preached his first sermon in a
regular church (my son MI'Cartee's).  The Lord was
very gracious to him, and carried him through with
great ease to himself; and, I have reason to think,
his discourse was acceptable.  His text was, Galatians, vi., 14: "But God forbid that I should glory,
save in the cross of Christ."  Glory to God, who has
this day answered the prayers of twenty-one years.
The following texts were given me this morning for
my comfort, and which I now record as answered by
my compassionate High-Priest, in carrying my beloved son through, and giving me composure of mind
while hearing him: Psalm xxxviii., 15: For in Thee,
O Lord, do I hope: Thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.
Forsake me not, 0 Lord; O my God, be not far from
me. Make haste to help me, O God of my salvation.
Daniel, ix., 17, 18, 19: Now therefore, O our God,
hear the prayer of Thy servant, and our supplications, and cause Thy face to shine upon Thy sanctu



152        MRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.
ary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. 0 my God,
incline Thine ear and hear; open Thine eyes, and behold our desolations. We are a family called by
Thy name; for we do not present our supplications
before Thee for our righteousness, but for Thy great
mercies. 0 Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord,
hearken and do; defer not, for Thine own sake, 0
my God; for we are a people called by Thy name.
Bless the Lord, 0 my soul!  Italleluiah! Amen.
And now, Lord, Thou hast heard and answered all
our prayers for this youth, in giving me to see him a
herald of the Cross; but, 0 Lord, unless Thy presence accompany him in his labors, let him not go a
step farther, But let not my faith fail at this late
period, after trusting and believing so long. He who
has begun the good work will carry it on to the day
of Christ Jesus. In Thy hands I leave him, O my
covenant God.  Thou hast, and Thou wilt do all
things well.
I will now record some providential circumstances
connected with this important period of my son's life.
Nine years ago I was at Rockaway, with my daughters, and we were the means of establishing a Sabbath-school there. The school-house being too small
to accommodate all the scholars, and Mrs. Cornell
wishing also to have a place where ministers could
come and preach occasionally, got me to write a petition for a block-house that was going to decay. The
petition was granted. Mr. Cornell gave ground to
set it in; the neighbors volunteered, with their teams,




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.         153
to move it, and subscriptions were collected to make
quite a decent place of worship on the Sabbath, as
well as Sabbath-school. Since that period they have
had frequent preaching in it. I have never been
there since until last week. I was not anxious for
George to go, lest the company might dissipate his
mind, after the solemn exercises he had been engaged
in while passing trials for licensure; but-oh the
goodness of God-the night we arrived there a minister was to preach, but, being very ill, asked George
if he was licensed, and if he would take his place.
Thus, in the house which our family had been the
means of getting, my dear son preached his first sermon. He also had family worship morning and evening, at which nearly all the boarders attended; and
thus, at the very outset of his ministry, he was called
to show his zeal for the Lord, in accordance with
the first hymn he gave out,
"I'm not ashamed to own my Lord," etc.
I was much pleased with his conduct during the
few days we staid, and it was the more gratifying to
me as the answers to my earnest prayers. For some
time past he has occupied my mind almost entirely,
being the subject of my thoughts and prayers after
lying down and before rising up. Now, Lord, I once
more cast myself and my children on Thee. Perfect
what concerns us; give us all grace to persevere in
well-doing; and oh! through the instrumentality of
this youth's preaching, add to Thy Church many of
such as shall be saved. Bless my dear sons-in-law.
G2




154        MRS. BETIUNE'S WRITINGS.
Reward them both for their kindness to their fatherless brother. Continue to be the Husband: of the
widow and the Father of the fatherless, for in Thee
do we hope. Amen.
New York, September 18th, 1826.
"A day to be remembered;" yes, a day to be remembered-the second anniversary of the dismissal
from sin and sorrow of my beloved husband; the
day when the Lord saw fit, in His all-wise and just
providence, to take away the desire of my eyes.
Two years of happiness to him; oh, must I still say,
unhappiness to me? Yes; my tears still flow, and
flow faster and more frequently than when first bereaved. The feeling of missing the right hand will
remain while I am in the body. I have shut myself
up to spend the day with my heavenly Husband. I
have, on my knees, endeavored to recollect and confess the sins of the past year, and I have also endeavored to call to mind the many mercies of the past
year. They, like my sins, are more in number than
I can tell. O Thou who seest the bitter anguish of
my heart, pardon my ingratitude, and deal not with
me as my iniquities deserve but in wrath remember
mercy. O give me rest from days of sad adversity,
and may that rest be in Thee. While Thou emptiest
me from vessel to vessel, pour into my heart those
consolations which the world can not give (oh, do I
not know it by sad experience?), and which, bless the




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.       155
Lord, O my soul! the world can not take away. Although I never can, nor do I wish to forget, for a moment, my beloved husband, I would desire to look
more to the mercies and blessings which remain, and
for"this purpose would enumerate the mercies of last
year, and endeavor, by that means, to calm the tumult which, in spite of myself, almost overwhelms
me. My tears flow till my head and my eyes ache,
and my heart is like to break with the thought that
I am indeed a desolate widow; that I never more can
go to my beloved husband, and pour all my griefs
and sorrows into his affectionate bosom; that I must
plod my weary way alone through the wilderness;
that he is no longer here to counsel me in difficulty
and soothe me in trouble. I have been shutting myself up to spend the day with my HIusband God; but
his dear image continually presents itself to my mind
-his sweet, benevolent countenance, as it were, smiles
on me, and( I have not resolution to put him aside,
that I may commune with my God. Lord, help me!
Take the place Thyself. Oh, bless me with Thine
own unclouded day, and then I shall not miss the
dying lamp which Thou hast removed.
March 18th, 1827-George's birthday.
Th/is day twenty-two years old.
My beloved son is at present in Savannah. I have
been pouring out my heart to my covenant God in
behalf of this dear youth, and pleading the promises




156          MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
selected by his dear father on the day of his birth
and the day of his baptism, as also reading, praying,
and weeping over many other papers also marked,
in subsequent years, by the dear hand now mouldering in the dust.  But I feel cold and listless, and
need especially the influences of the Holy Spirit to
thaw and melt my frozen heart.  Oh, when I review
the way in which the Lord has led me —when I read
and recollect the many petitions he has granted, and
the many mercies I ungratefully enjoy-I feel, indeed, that I ought, if I do not, loathe myself, and re-,pent in dust and ashes for my ingratitude, and my
doings which are not good.  Every thing I asked
this day,two years for my son and myself the Lord
has granted, as it respects temporal things, and, in
some degree, spiritual.  What can I say for all this
exuberant goodness?  Nothing.  Not unto us, not
unto us be the glory.  It is all of grace, and grace
shall have the praise.
" Oh to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be;
Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
" Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart-oh, take and seal itSeal it for Thy courts above."




MRS. BETIIUNE'S WRITINGS.         157
Sabbath evening, March 26, 1827.
As I am about putting up a tablet to the memory
of my dear beloved husband and mother in Pearl
Street Church, under which the dear remains rest, I
appointed to meet Mr. Strong on, Friday evening, to
fix upon a suitable place for it. It was preparation
sermon. The Rev. Mr. Monteith, the pastor, preached from Pealm cxxvi., 6. It was a plain, practical discourse, and suited to my feelings, which were very
tender.  } Many tender recollections connected with
the place crowded on my mind. Mr. Monteith gave
an invitation to members in good standing in sister
churches who might be present to come forward and
receive tokens of admission to the Lord's Supper the
ensuing Sabbath. I accepted the invitation, and have
this day again been at the table of the Lord. The
subject of discourse was Heb., ii., 10: "For it became
Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all
things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make
the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." I was fed, I think, both under the sermon and
at the table; but oh, I fear the creature too often
usurped the place of the Creator. So many associations with the place brought former scenes of joys
and sorrows to my mind, that my eyes poured forth
torrents of tears over departed relations; yet I trust
I was not entirely without the kindlings of repentance when I reviewed my past life. Oh, it is a sad
review! What have I done during thirty-six years




158        MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
that I have been a communicant in the Church?
Nothing! nothing! What would become of me if I
had not a complete Savior —if the Captain of my salvation had not been made perfect through suffering?
During the happy, happy years of my married life, I
did not do as my beloved husband did, keep books
of communion with my God, and now I feel the want.
Sometimes I feel as if I had never enjoyed communion with Him, but all the past seerns like a pleasing,
and often painful dream; yet hundreds of instances
crowd on my remembrance of answers to prayers put
up at the Lord's table. Great encouragement I have
had to pray in faith, although I have not recorded it.
The one thing I asked for my children has been granted, and oh how much added! but the Lord had no
sooner granted all the desires of our hearts respecting
them than iHe began to weaken my beloved in the
way, and now I am left alone of those who communicated in the church where two of three now rest.
Now what is my petition this day?  WVhat remains
for me to do?  Have I still years before me, or am
I shortly to follow those who have gone before?
Are my days to glide heavily, but peacefully along
to the grave, or have I to pass through still more
tribulation before I enter the kingdom? Ah! Lord,
Thou knowest. The Lord has done and finished all
things well for those dear to me, and why should I
not trust H-im to do for me what seemeth good?
"Lord, I believe; help my unbelief." Enable me this
night to renew the covenant which Thou didst make




MRSo BETHUNE S WRITINGS.          159
with me in youth. How often hast Thou drawn me
-with the cords of love! How often hast thou laid
me on a sick-bed, and chastised me in other ways, to
bring me back to Thee when wandering from Thee;
but oh! nothing completely weaned ime from the
world[ till Thou didst 6'take the desire of my eyes
with a stroke,"' and now I see I can have no enjoyment more below, but as I enjoy it in the presence of
my Husband, God. Come, then, Lord, take complete
possession of my heart; make it indeed a temple of
the Holy Spirit.  0 drive out the buyers and sellers.
Purify all my motives, and hallow all my affectionls.
If it be Thy will to spare me years or months, give
me my work, and let me do it to Thee alone.
None canl help me but God. I can not even take
the remedy offered unless IHe bid me stretch out the
withered hand. I can not pray unless He pour out
a spirit of prayer and;supplication.   I can not keep
my tongue from offending unless He set a watch upon
my lips. I can not see the path of duty unless I-e
anoint my eyes to see it. I can not even cast my
burden on the Lord unless His grace enable me.
The wAThole head is sick, the' whole heart is faint;
from  the crown of my head to the soles of my
feet, I am nothing but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores. I' am like an owl in the desert-a
pelican in -the wilderness. I feel empty of every
thing; and if ever again I experience happiness in
this world —if ever again I am made to be usefulif ever again I am:favored with that peace that pass



160        MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
eth all understanding-if ever again I can say " my
Beloved is mine and I am His"-if ever again I feel
entire submission and acquiescence to the will of
God-if ever again these weak, dying embers of
grace in my heart be fanned into a flame, God
must do it, and He only shall have tie praise. Whatever others may say of moral ability, I am sure I
have none. God must offer; God must give grace
to accept. Ife must make me willing in a-day of
His power nzow, as the first time I believed. Lord, I
lie at Thy mercy. Bid me conime unto Thee, and I
will come over these troubled waves, which threaten
to overwhelm me. I leave myself in Thy hands. I
can not doubt that I have once experienced Thy love
shed abroad in my heart, and must still trust that
Thou wilt yet have mercy upon, me. Like Jonah, I
will look again unto Thy holy temple. Blessed'Word of God, what would I do without it?  Only
let the Spirit of the Lord shine on His own Word,
and I can never be in darkness. WVhy art thou cast
down, O my soul; I shall yet praise Him. Lord, do
as Thou hast said. When I put Thee in remembrance, blot out my trlansgressions, for Thy name's
sake, and remember no more my sins. O plead for
me, my Savior! Show Thy hands and Thy feet
pierced for me,o and enable me again to say, My Lord
and my God!




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.        161
Sabbath, July 8, 1827.
This day I have again enjoyed the privilege of sitting down at the Lord's table, and eating and drinking the memorials of His broken body and shed blood.
Mr. M'Cartee preached fiom John, i., 14: "And the,Vord was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we
beheld His glory, the glory of the Only-begotten of
the Father, full of grace and truth." I trust I felt it
a privilege to understand the meaning of the text,
and to follow the Lord's servant through his discourse
with the assent of my mind, but my heart was cold,and my desires after communion with my God very
languid. My tears ought to have flowed for my sins,
and the sorrows my Savior endured for these sins;
but the fountains were sealed till he began to mention the departure of dear friends since last communion, and that he had never yet dispensed a sacrament
that he did not miss some one that had sat down
with us at the previous one; but I was overwhelmed
when he quoted my beloved husband's dying words:
H"Htow can I doubt, how can I- feam, when the eternal
God is my refuge, and underneath me are the everlasting arms?" in contrast to the words of a dying
sinner, " I canll not die; oh, I can not die, sir! How
can I face my God, whom I have despised?"  Then,
then the torrents poured forth; then the dear departed took the place the Savior ought to have held,
and his countenance was again before me as on his
dying bed, or as when in health, and looking upon




162        MRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.
my sorrow. Oh, still, still the idol! Still, still I hug
the withered gourd. Lord, help me, or Iperish! Looking for something to read, I laid my hand on Thomas
a Kempis.' Irecollected it was a favorite book during
the first year of my mother's widowhood, and there I
found something to suit me. I here translate it for
my future comfort, when exposed to the same temptations:
CHAPTER XLV.
"Against extravagant dejection upon being sometimes betrayed by human weakness.
"ist. Humility and patience, my son, under adversity, are more acceptable to me than much joy
and fervor when all is prosperous without and peaceful within.
" 2d. Why art thou offended and grieved at every
little injury from men, when, if it were much greater,
it ought to be borne without emotion? As fast as
such evils arise, let their influence be banished from
the mind.  They are not new; thou hast met with
many, and, if thy life be long, thou shalt meet with
many more.
" 3cd. TWhen adversity stands not in thy path, thou
boastest of thy fortitude, and canst give excellent
counsel to others; whom~ thou expectest to derive
strength from thy exhortations; but no sooner do
the same evils that oppressed them burn upon thyself, than thy fortitude forsakes thee, and thout art
destitute both of counsel and of strength."




MRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.         163
Lord, I confess it, it is so. I am, indeed, what
Thou sayest, destitute of strength and counsel; and
now I desire, in the words of the disciple replying
to Christ, to say, " Thy words, 0 Lord, distill as the
dew, and are sweeter to my taste than honey or the
honey-comb."  What would become of me, in the
midst of so much darkness, corruption, and misery,
without Thy Holy Spirit to illumiinate, sanctify, and
comfort me? I will not regard what or how much
I suffer, if I can but be made capable of enjoying
Thee, my supreme ancd only good. Be mindful of
me, O most gracious God! Grant me a safe passage
through this vale of sinl and sorrow, and, in the true
path, conduct me to the heavenly kingdom. Amen.
Lord, hear also the prayer in the 47th chapter, and
calm my mind, and strengthen me for future duty.
July 15, 1827.
To-morrow I begin the first infant school. It is an
important period of my life, and I now desire to acknowledge the goodness of God in permitting me to
see the work so fair. I wished to have others go forward, and then I would have helped, being averse to
appear before the public in my widowed state; but.
the Lord has ordered it otherwise. He has evidently
made it my duty to go first in this work; and although the weather is very hot, and flesh and blood
shrink from the labor before me, yet I dare not draw
back, but go forward trusting, yea, knowing that my




164        MPRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.
strength shall be equal to my day. Lord, only give
me the consolation of hearing Thee say, "Fear thou
not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am
thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help
thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of
my righteousness."
May all engaged in this new institution have a
single eye to Thy glory. May we go from our knees
to every duty, first asking help of Thee, and then,
believing Thy promise, go forward in the work. It
is, again, the weaker-vessels that commence this work,
as they did the Sabbath-school; and we have the
same promises, the same throne of grace, the same
dear, compassionate Savior, the same Holy Spirit to
influence us, and the same Father, who pities us as
His children, and can as well work by few as by
many, by the weak as by the strong, and who, for
His own glory, will bring to pass what we commit to
Him.  "That they may see, and know, and consider,
and understand together, that the hand of the Lord
has done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it." O may the little one become a thousand; and,
like the Sabbath- schools, may infant schools spread
over the land. Oh, is it not a fulfillment of the prophecies, that out of the mouths of babes and sucklings
the Lord will perfect praise?  O Lord, pardon our
sins for so long neglecting these children.  0 let them
all now be gathered into schools. The silver and the
gold are Thine, as well as the cattle upon a thousand
hills, and the hearts of all men are in Thine hand,




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.       165
and Thou canst turn them as rivers of waters. Turn,
then, the attention of the rich to this work. Counsel
our counselors. Give zeal and diligence to our managers; and look in mercy on thy handmaid, who is
again at the head of a new institution, and to whom
many are looking for advice and instruction on this
subject. Bless all the teachers who shall engage in
the work. May they indeed be apt to teach, and
may our scholars be apt to learn. 0 take these lambs
in Thine arms, and may a numerous seed to serve
Thee be furnished by the infant schools. As the garden causeth things that are sown in it to spring forth,
so may the Lord cause righteousness and praise to
spring forth before all nations. I now commit this
work to Thee, 0 Lord. Give me to the work. I go
forth in Thy strength; may it be perfected in my
weakness.
New York, Sabbath, August 26th, 1827.
Detained at home by slight indisposition and bad
weather. Blessed be God, he is not confined to temples made with hands, but dwelleth with them that
are lowly and of a contrite heart. Is my heart a contrite one?  Am I meek and lowly, like my Master,
whose disciple I profess to be? These are questions
which I tremble to answer. I can only say that I
aim at being so; but I am like the rebellious children of Israel —when in prosperity I wax fat and
kick, but when the Lord sends trouble, and I have




166       MIRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
none to go to but to Him, then, literally, when He
slays me, I trust in Him. I feel daily that it is not
in man that walketh to direct his steps; and I feel
and see, more and more, that vain is the help of man,
even the best of them. To whom, then, can I go?
Lord, to Thee only, for Thou only Last the words
of eternal life; to Thee belong the issues of life and
death. In the day of perplexity I will record the
precious words of comfort to which I opened yesterday, when looking for comfort and counsel. The first
I lighted on was Job, v., verse 8 to the end, marked
by my beloved husband's hand April, 1821. Oh how
often do his marks meet my experience, now that I
am left alone to struggle with difficulties.  How
meekly did he bear all of them. t-Iow often did he
bear:the contradictions, not only of sinners, but professed Christians. But now all his trials are over;
he has fought the good fight, and (oh bless the Lord,
O my soul) he rests from his labors, and his works
do follow him. -While I am left to walk the same
road, oh that I may follow him as he followed Christ.
"Lord, help me, or I perish," must still be my cry.
Thou seest that I am ready to give up; that I sink
in deep mire, where there is no standing. I walk in
darkness, and have no light. Lord, lift Thou again
the light of Thy reconciled countenance upon me;
and then, notwithstanding all my trials, I shall have
more joy than they whose corn and wine abound.
I would again seek unto God, and unto God would
I commit my cause; which doeth great things, and




MIRS. BETIHUNE S WVRITINGS.      167
and unsearchable, marvelous things without number;
who giveth rain unto the earth, and sendeth waters
upon the fields, to set up on high those that be low,
that those that mourn may be exalted to safety.
"He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so
that their hands can not perform their enterprise;
but He saveth the poor from the sword, from their
mouth, and from the hand of the mighty. So the
poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
Behold, happy is the man whom the Lord correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the
Almighty; for He mnaketh sore, and bindeth up; He
woundeth, and His hands make whole. He shall deliver thee in six troubles; yea, in seven there shall
no evil touch thee. In famine, He shall redeem thee
from death; and in war, from the power of the sword.
Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue; neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall
be in peace; and thou shalt visit my habitation, and
shall not sin. Thou shalt know also that thy seed
shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the
earth. Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age,
like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season. Lo
this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know
thou it for thy good."
O Lord, I record these precious passages given for
the comfort of Thy servant of old, and left on record
for the comfort of Thy people in every age. I desire to believe that Thou wilt again show me the




168        MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
way wherein I should walk; that, although I know
not now, yet I shall hereafter, wherefore Thou contendest with me; that, when this affliction has answered the purpose for which it was sent, that Thou
wilt give me the victory over all my enemies, spiritual and temporal. I have often said, and now again
confess, that, shouldst Thou take all my comforts
away, Thou canst do me no wrong. I do not deserve the least of Thy mercies; yet, for Thine own
name's sake, deliver Thine own handmaid in this day
of perplexity; that the heathen that are left round
aboutus may see and know that it is no vain thing
to serve the Lord, and that the seed of Thy servant
now with Thee in glory are of the seed which the
Lord hath blessed; that, when the wicked would
enter the field of the fatherless, "their Redeemer is
mighty, and will plead their cause." Plead our cause,
O Lord, and "establish the border of the widow."
O let the memory of my beloved husband be precious in Thy sight, and Thy kind, protecting care of
his widow and fatherless family encourage many to
give of their substance to protect Thy cause in the
earth. Lord, remember Thy promise, "He that giveth
to the poor lendeth to the Lord," and "that which
he giveth will He repay him again."  "Honor the
Lord with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of
all thine increase; so shall thy barns be filled with
plenty, and thy presses burst forth with new wine."
We have always had plenty, and Thou hast never
yet laid famine upon us. We have ever eaten our




MIRS. BETHIUNE S WRITINGS.     169
own bread (what the world calls ours), and have owed
no man any thing but love. And now I come to
Thee, my God, with the same words I went to Thee
when first I was left alone-ever Thine own precious
promise: "In all thy ways acknowledge God, and
Hie will direct Thy paths."  I again commit my way
unto Thee, "trusting that Thou wilt bring it to pass."
I again cast my burden on the Lord; do Thou sustain it. I again look unto the hills from whence
cometh my aid. My safety cometh from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth. As the eyes of a servant are unto the hand of his master, and as the eyes
of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress, so my eyes
wait upon the Lord my God, until He have mercy
upon me. Have mercy upon me; O Lord, have mercy upon me, for I am exceedingly filled with contempt. My soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt
of the proud. Blessed be the Lord, who has not yet
given me a prey to their teeth. If it had not been
the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up
against us, then they had swallowed us up quick,
when their wrath was kindled against us. Then, in
days that are past, the waters had overwhelmed us,
the stream had gone over our soul. Blessed be the
Lord (who did not then, and, I trust, will not now),
give us a prey to their teeth; but, as our souls escaped,
as a bird out of the snares of the fowler-the snares
were broken, and we escaped-so, O Lord, may I now
escape from the snares laid for me. Mlay my soul
H




170        MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
escape, and the snare be broken. My help is in the
name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runnetl into it and are safe. I this day take
refuge in that tower. I desire to trust in the Lord,
pleading HIis promise that I shall be as Mount Zion,
which can not be removed, but abideth forever;
" that, as the mountains are round about Jerusalem,
so the Lord is round about His people from henceforth, even forever;" for the rod of the wicked shall
not rest upon the righteous, lest the righteous put
forth their hand znto iniquity. I now leave myself
in Thy hands. Guide me with Thy counsel. May
I hear a voice behind me, saying, "This is the way;
walk ye in it."  I record this day that, if the Lord
deliver me from the snares laid for me, and disappoint the devices of the crafty  if the Lord will
plead the cause of the fatherless, and establish the
border of the widow, it will be by His own might
alone, and of His own good mercy, and entirely unmerited by me or mine. For His own name's sake
will He do it, and He only shall have the praise, and
shall be honored with the first-fruits of the increase,
if increase there be. And if, in His adorable providence, He sees fit to deny my request, and for a time
permit the wicked to triumph, I will yet look again
unto His holy temple. I leave myself and mine in
His hands; let HIim do what seemeth Him good;
let Him visit our sins with chastisement, and our iniquities with rods; but, if He take not from us His




MRS. BETHIUNE'S WRITINGS.         171
loving-kindness, nor alter the word which He has
spoken, and in which I truest, all will be well, and HIe
shall have the praise. NVe shall all rejoice at lastno wanderer lost-a family in heaven.
"' A few more rolling seas, at most,
WVill land me on fair Canaan's coast,
Where I shall sing my song of grace,
And see my glorious Hiding-place."
Let me not forget to acknowledge the goodness of
God to my beloved son, for whom the Lord has done
great things, whereof my heart is glad.  All the
prayers of his dear father seem now answered, even
to " a contented mind."'He seems to, and I trust he
does, lay aside every weight, and the sin that most
easily besets him, and run with patience the race set
before him. He is now content to take charge of a
country congregation, with a small salary. Oh what
would I not have given, some years since, for the assurance of what I now see! His dear father was not
permitted to see it, although he died in the faith of
it. And now it would again seem that, respecting
my beloved children, I have not a wish ungratified.
The Lord has granted all my petitions, and shall I
murmur at the loss of a little yellow dross, and shrink
from a trial which only affects worldly property?
Nay; rather let me rejoice that I have not my portion in this world. Be with the dear youth this day,
heavenly Father; give him to feed Thy flock; make
him a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, and
give him souls for hire, and make him content with
his wages.




172        AIRS. BETHUNE' S WRITINGS.
Friday, October 19th, 1827.
This evening is set apart for the ordination of my
beloved son to the ministry of reconciliation; and all
the prayers put up for him by his dear father and
grandmother are about to be answered in the very
spot where his father and I offered him to the Lord
in the sacrament of baptism, devoting him not only
to God as his servant, but, with full purpose of heart,
we, like Hannah, lent him to the Lord all the days
of his life. For this child we prayed; therefore, also,
lent we him to the Lord; as long as he liveth shall
he be lent to the Lord; and now, behold, he worships
the Lord there, even in the very spot where the loan
was made, and now the resting-place of the remains
of his dear, dear father and grandmother. He delivers there his last trial discourse, and passes his last
examination.
My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, my horn is exalted
in the Lord, my. mouth is enlarged over mine enemies, because I rejoice in Thy salvation. There is
none holy like the Lord, for there is none beside
Thee, neither is there any rock like our God. Talk
no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy
come out of your mouth, for the Lord is a God of
knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed. The
bands of the mighty men are broken, and they that
stumbled are girded with strength. The Lord killeth and maketh alive; He bringeth down to the
grave and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor and




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.        173
maketh rich; He bringeth low and lifteth up; for
the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath
set the world upon them. HIe will keep the feet of
His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness,
for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; out of
heaven shall be thunder upon them. The Lord shall
judge the ends of the earth; and He shall give
strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His
anointed. Amen. Even so, Lord Jesus! do as Thou
hast said. Thou hast heard and answered all our
prayers for this dear son; and although Thou hast
permitted me only to view the affecting scene of his
ordination on earth, I trust the dear departed will
view it from heaven. Happy, happy husband, thou
restest from thy labors, and witnessest the answer to
thy prayers in thy dear son, and no longer, like thy
bereaved widow, strugglest with a body of sin and
death. Thou art where the wicked cease from troubling and where the weary are at rest. Happy, happy
mother, the mournful days of thy widowhood are
over, and so mine will soon be. Oh to be faithful
unto death, that I also may receive a crown of life.
Lord, look on Thy sinful worm! I am feeble and
helpless in myself, insufficient for the numerous duties assigned me in Thy providence, and to struggle
against the devices of the wicked and those that
would swallow me up. Thou didst carry those dear
relatives through their weary pilgrimage-wast their
pillar of cloud by day and their pillar of fire by night.




174        MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
Thou didst guide them by Thy counsel here, and
Thou hast now received them to Thy glory. Now
be to me as to them. I would not take a step without
Thee. O continue to hold me by Thy right hand,
and let my enemies see that Thou art still the God
of the family of the dear departed saints who trusted
in Thee, and see the great goodness which Thou hast
laid up for them that fear Thee-which Thou hast
wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons
of men, and that we are of the seed which the Lord
hast planted. Thou hast completely weaned me from
trusting in man. Lover and friend hast Thou put
far from me, and my acquaintance in darkness; but
the Lord still reigns; blessed be my Rock!
I come now, as I have often before, to devote MYSELF, ny family, my substance, my talents to Thy service. O fulfill Thy gracious promise, that if we acknowledge Thee in all our ways, Thou wilt direct
our steps. O let not my enemies triumph over me;
hide me from the scourge of the tongue; and oh, set
a watch upon my lips, that I offend not with my
tongue. Deliver me, Lord, from my besetting sin;
and may I see that when my ways please the Lord
HIe will make the very stones to be at peace with me.
Bless my feeble efforts to promote the cause of my
dear Redeemer in the different institutions in which
I am engaged. Bless, especially, the Infant School
Society. Give us, Lord, the means to rescue thousands from being trained up in the road that leads to
perdition. O may the time be now come when Thou




MRS. BETHUNE'S mRITINGS.       175
shalt "teach knowledge and doctrine to them who are
drawn from the breasts and weaned from the milk."
Why, O Lord, dost Thou honor me in such noble and
pleasant work?  Lord, Thou knowest all things, and
Thou knowest that I love Thee, therefore I love to
"feed thy lambs."  Bless and fit for the work our
teachers. Animate all our managers to diligence in
procuring funds, and give favor with those to whom
Thou hast intrusted Thy silver and Thy gold. Give
us continually our daily bread, strength for present
duty, and money for present need, for this and other
institutions.
Accompany, O Lord, with Thy blessing, the few
Bibles and tracts sent to the West. Look in mercy
on my poor agent, who is troubled how to provide a
competence for this life, and yet indifferent about
making provision for a life to come. Bless the reading of the tracts to him, especially the Life of Colonel
Gardiner, which he said he would reserve for himself.
I again look to Thee to be with us all this evening.
Give to my son George to pass through his exercises
acceptably to the Presbytery, and give to Mr. M'Cartee what he shall say to him in his charge; and may
believing parents have their hearts encouraged this
night to devote their offspring with the same simple,
yet strong faith, with which his dear sainted father
devoted him. May this be a reviving time to our
whole family. Revive Thy work in the hearts of
my beloved daughters. Make them faithful to their
children. And bless, also, my sons-in-law. Make




176        MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
them  contented with the allotments of Thy providence, Let them feed the flocks of Christ over which
Thou hast placed them, and let them not be given to
change. And oh, my Benjamin, my youngest child
and only son, look upon him in his present responsible situation. Make him all that his father prayed
he should be, and all that Thou wouldst have him to
be as Thy ministering servant. Bless his dear wife.
May she be a help-meet to him; and when the yearning heart of his mother is cold in the grave, may he
enjoy in Thee a counselor and support in all the trials Thou shalt see fit to send him; for I know that
through much tribulation he (as all Thy people) must
enter the kingdom.
Saturday, October 20th, 1827.
Another great work is done, and the prayers of the
departed saints, the father and grandmother of this
family, answered in the dear youth, the only son of
his mother, and she now a desolate widow. Last
evening George Bethune was ordained a minister of
the Lord Jesus Christ by the laying on the halids of
the Presbytery, as appointed by the Great Head of
the Church, 1 Timothy, iv., 14. 0 gracious God, man
can do little, nay, man can do nothing, but Thou canst,
and I trust Thou wilt, with the form, give the thing
signified. Let Thy Spirit witness with his spirit that
he is chosen of Thee, and the gift that is in him by
prophecy with the laying on the hands of the Pres



MRS. BETIUNE'S WRITINGS.        177
bytery. 0 let no man despise his youth, but may he
be an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity; giving
attendance to reading, to explanation, to doctrine.
May he meditate upon these things, give himself
wholly "to them, that his profiting may appear to
all. May he take heed unto himself, and unto the
doctrine, and continue in them, for in doing this he
shall both save himself and them that hear him."
O Lord, hear this my prayer, indited, I trust, by Thy
Spirit, and from Thine own WVord. Take this youth
into Thine own hand; carry him to the people who
have chosen him for their pastor " in the fullness of
the blessing of the Gospel of Christ. And may the
God of peace be with him and abide with him."
Amen! Only the Lord establish His Word, and we
shall all rejoice either on earth or in heaven over this
chosen vessel. I would also remember before Thee
the dear brethren, thy servants, who laid their hands
on the head of Thy youthful servant. Lord, reward
those who took part in the exercise, and all who assisted in this labor of love. May their own souls be
comforted and encouraged to devote themselves and
their offspring to Thee, seeing how faithful Thou art
to Thine own promise.- 0 spare their lives to the
people of their charge. Restore to health such as are
weakened in body by reason of their labors. Thy
dear servant, Dr. Knox, 0 spare him to Thy Church
and his family. Bless the pastor of the church in
Pearl Street; make him eminently useful to that peoI 2




178          MRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.
pile.  May the memory of the just be blessed there,
and may their memorial encourage others to follow
them  as they followed Christ.  As they have now
witnessed the great goodness which Thou hast laid
up for them that fear Thee, which Thou hast wrought
for them  that trust in Thee before the sons of men.
My record and my prayer are with Thee, 0 God of
my salvation, my Father, my Mother, my Husband,
my Savior, my blessed High-Priest, who-art touched
with a feeling of my infirmities, and my Sanctifier!
the blessed Spirit, who comforts me in all my afflictions, whose consolations are neither few nor small.
To the Triune Jehovah be praises now and for evermore.  Amen.
Halleluiah, the  Lord  God  omnipotent reigneth.
Let the earth be glad; yea, let the whole earth be
filled with His glory.
" Glory to God the Father's name,
Who, from our sinful race,
Chose out his people to proclaim
The honors of Thy grace.
"Glory to God the Son be praise,
Who dwelt in humble clay,
And, to redeem us from the dead,
Gave His own life away.
"Glory to God the Spirit give,
From whose almighty power
Our souls their heavenly birth derive,
And bless the happy hour.
" Glory to God that reigns above,
Th' eternal Three in One,
WTho, by the wonders of His love,
Has made HI-s nature known."




MIRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.        179
February 1st, 1829, my birthday.
I now complete my fifty-ninth year-within one
of threescore years and within thirteen of the age at
which my mother took her departure. From  my
present delicate state of health, I do not expect to attain to her age. My only desire is-which also was
hers —that I may be permitted to be useful and active
in my Master's service while I live, and not to be
laid aside and become a burden to myself and others
-but this last I ask with submission; whatever lot
my God has assigned me while still in the wilderness,
I know' His grace will be sufficient, and "as my day,
so shall my strength be." I have, in common with
my dear mother, often a fearful shrinking at the prospect of the last struggle which shall separate my immortal soul from her companion the body; and I
would ask, and have asked my Lord to carry me
through the dark valley in the same peaceful, undisturbed manner as IHe did my dear mother and dear
husband.
O Thou Hearer and Answerer of prayer, hear and
vouchsafe to grant an answer of peace to my prayer
this day. Look upon Thine unworthy dust now before Thee, not as she is in herself, but as one of Thy
ransomed ones, by the blood of Thy Son Jesus Christ,
my Savior.  Through His merits alone I must be
saved, and for His merits alone I plead for acceptance
with Thee, and the answer of my prayers. Were I
to be permitted only to come in my own name, and




180        AIRS. BETIUNE S WRITINGS.
offer my own good works as an atonement for my
sins, I would -not dare to lift my face to the place
where Thine Honor dwelleth. I can not look with
complacency on any thing I have done, for my very
best services have been polluted by sin, and my righteousness I have desired to consider as filthy rags.
Neither could I answer for one of ten thousand of my
transgressions. These, with my few attempts to honor
Thee, I lay at the foot of the Cross, and look to Thee
for the salvation of my immortal part, and the resurrection of my body at the last day, as the purchase,
the dear-bouygt p2urchase of my dear Redeemer. He
laid down His life as a ransom for many. Among
those, 0 Lord, grant that my name may be included.
He wrought out a perfect righteousness for His people. O Lord, grant that I may be clothed with that
robe. He drank the bitter cup of Thy just indignation for sin. 0 Lord, grant that I may have, as His
purchase, the cup of blessing put into my hand. He
conquered death and the grave. 0 Lord, grant that
I may obtain the victory through Him. He passed
through the dark valley that IHe might dispel the
gloom, and make the passage safe for His people.
O then grant, most merciful God, that when I come
to tread the dark valley I may fear no evil, but find
Thy rod and Thy staff supporting me, and experience
Thy sustaining power, and be enabled to say, "Oh
Death, where is thy sting? oh Grave, where is thy
victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength
of sin is the law; but thanks be unto God, which




MIRS. BETHUNE'S WiRITINGS.     181
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Therefore, my God, Father, Son, and blessed Spirit,
grant that my sins may be atoned for, and my duty
filled by Christ, my Surety, that I may have acceptance with Thee, and that the Holy Spirit may continually take of the things which are Christ's and
show them unto me, and pour into my soul those
consolations which Thy redeemed ones only experience-which the world, with all its enjoyments, can
not give, and which (oh transporting thought) it can
not take away. Grant, while I remain below, that,
by Thy grace assisting me, I may be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord;
forasmuch as I know, if all be done with a view to
Thy glory, and from life imparted by Thee, my labor shall not be in vain in the Lord. And when I
shall have accomplished, as an hireling, my day, O
grant that at evening-time it may be light. WVhen
laid on my death-bed, O do Thou make it; place
under me the everlasting arms, and the eternal God
Himself be my refuge. 0 lift upon me in that day
the light of Thy reconciled countenance; let not the
adversary have power to molest me; and, as I have
no mother and no tender husband to smooth my dying pillow, do Thou Thyself be better to me than
mother or father, brother or sister, yea, than husband
-for Thou condescendest to be my Husband —and
may I hear Thy voice, 0 merciful High-Priest and
Forerunner, saying, "Fear not, I am with thee; be
not dismayed, for I amn thy God."




182        MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
"IDo Thou Thyself then stand me by,
And every needful aid supply;
Only to me Thy count'nance show,
I ask no more the journey through."
These requests for my last trying hour I record
and leave on the table of Thy covenant this day,
when I enter on my sixtieth year. O my Redeemer,
I present them in Thy name. Plead for me, and send
Thy Holy Spirit to witness with my spirit that I am
Thine. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! come quickly.
Texts chosen this day, with the words of which I
pray the Lord to comfort me during the next year, or
that part of it I may live, and be permitted to labor
in His vineyard: Psalm xxxvii., 23-25; lxxi., 7-9:
"' The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,
and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he
shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with His right hand.  I have been young,
and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous
forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."  "I am as a
wonder unto many; but Thou art my strong refuge.
Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise and with
Thy honor all the day.  Cast me not off in the time
of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.
O God, Thou hast taught me from my youth, and
hitherto I have declared Thy wondrous works. Now
also, when I am old and gray-headed, forsake me
not." " Hearken unto me, 0 house of Jacob, and all
the remnant of the house of Israel. Even to your
old age I am He; and even to hoar hairs will I car



MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.         183
ry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will
carry you and deliver you."  "The righteous shall
flourish as the palm-tree; he shall grow like a cedar
in Lebanon. Those that he planted in the house of
the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They shall bring forth fruit in old age; they shall
be fat and flourishing; to show that good and upright is the Lord: He is my Rock, and there is no
unrighteousness in Him."  "' Ie that dwelleth in the
secret place of the Most High shall abide under the
shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He
is my refuge and my fortress-my God; in Him will
I trust. Because thou hast made the Lord which is
my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation, there
shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come
nigh thy dwelling; for He shall give HIi angels charge
over thee to bear thee in all thy ways."'
New York, February 6th, 1831.
Blessed be God that Hie has put it into the hearts
of some of His servants to make the attempt to reclaim the moral waste at the FIVE POINTS. O Lord,
hear and answer the prayers put up by Thy servants
for the wretched inhabitants, and fulfill, blessed Redeemer, Thine own saying, when Thou didst dwell
in human flesh. Publicans and harlots go into the
kingdom, when God has purposes of mercy toward
them,-before many proud professors and formal hypocrites. But, O my God, bless and further the work




184        MIRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
of education among the young. Let not race after
race be trained to be rods in Thy hand, to visit our
neglect upon our children and children's children.
MIay we soon see an edifice rising in that quarter,
where all the youth, from the babe to the youth of
sixteen, shall be trained up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and witness them not departing
from it when they are old. Bless the attempts making by Thy servants to restore the wandering and
reclaim the vicious. May we, who claim the privilege of being called Thy people, and have professed
Thy name, feel that we must accomplish, as an hireling, our day; that we must work while it is day,
seeing the night cometh, when no man can work;
and may we all ask what Thou wouldst have us to
do, and do our work diligently, not as an hireling or
a slave, but from love and gratitude to Him who has
purchased our freedom with His own life, and fulfilled the law in our stead, that henceforth there might
be no condemnation for us. Oh, who that have experienced "the love of God shed abroad in their
hearts"-that enjoy "that peace that passes all understanding," andfeel " that liberty wherewith Christ
makes His people free," dare stand back, and not
seek the honor of being employed in advancing the
Lord's cause? Why do we not feel more like the
man after God's own heart, who would rather have
been a door-keeper in the house of his God than
dwell in the tents of wickedness? Lord, Thou must
work in us to will and to do of Thy good pleasure,




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.        185
or we never will. Thou must begin, Thou mnzust carry on, and Thozu mnust finish every good work. All
that we canl do is to ask Thee what Thou wouldst
have us to do-make the attempt, when Thou hast
made the path of duty plain, and plead Thy promise
to direct our steps; and, when we have done all that
is possible, acknowledge and feel ourselves unprofitable servants. O Lord, rouse us to the work; grant
us strength according to our day, and grace according to our need; and suffer me to plead for Thy
blessing on the dear orphan family; pardon my late
neglect of it. I ought not to be so engrossed with
one duty as to neglect another. 0 Lord, let not my
sins be visited upon any of these fatherless and motherless children. Many others have been more faithful than I have been; and may we witness the seed
sown in their young hearts springing up, and bringing forth fruit, some sixty and some a hundred fold.
Carry on the good worlk in the hearts of some where
Thou appearest to have begun it. Perfect that in
the hearts of those who have professed Thy name,
and begin it in the hearts of all now under our care;
yea, Lord, bless and keep Thy good hand about all
who have been under our care-all now, and all that
may hereafter be benefited by this charity. Let not
the place there be dry, when Thy dew is now descending on all around. Take these lambs, blessed
Savior, in Thine arms; carry them in Thy bosom;
and, while Thou permittest us, Thine unworthy handmaids, to feed and clothe the perishing body, do Thou,




18G6       MRS. BETHUNE'S'WRITINGS.
by Thy Word and ordinance, feed their never-dying
souls. Bless the superintendents and teachers; make
them more faithful than they have been; may they
remember that they ought to watch for these souls
as those that must give an account. Lord, I desire
to read my sin in my punishment in a recent trying
circumstance. How many lessons Thou hast given
me to cease from man, yet how slow I am to learn!
Hiow many broken reeds have given way when I
have attempted to lean upon the creature!  How
many spears of earth have pierced me to the heart!
How hast Thou dried my streams of earthly joy,
that I might seek my all in Thee; yea, even dashed
in pieces my very broken cisterns, to turn me to the
Rock of Ages and the fountain of living waters.
Lord, restore Thy wandering sheep. May all Thy
providences have a language truly to be understood.
" Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils;
for wherein is he to be accounted of?"  Fulfill Thy
gracious promises to me, 0 Lord.  "Then will I
sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean;
from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I
cleanse you. A new heart will I give you, and a
new spirit will I put within you, and cause you to
walk in my statutes; and ye shall keep my judgments,
and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land that I
gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, aind
I will be your God."  Lord, fulfill the above. Enable me to repent, and do the first works.  0 make
me and my fatherless family Thy people, and do




MRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.        187
Thou, indeed, be our God, and what more do we, can
we want?  Whom have we, in heaven or on earth,
that we should desire beside Thee?  None, Lord.
Thou only hast been, and ever will be, the neverfailing portion of Thy people, and Thy tender mercies are over all Thy works.
And, O my compassionate Master, at this season
of revival in this city, remember, with that love which
Thou bearest to Thine own people, the descendants
of Thy widowed handmaid. O may these children
be made willing, in a day of Thy power, to give Thee
their hearts in the morning of their days. May they
no longer halt between two opinions, but be determined that, whatever others do, they will serve the
Lord.
Lord, forsake me not now, when I am old and grayheaded. I know Thou wilt not. Goodness and nmercy have followed me all my life long until now; and
through the merits of my clear Savior, who loved me
and gave Himself for me, I shall dwell in Thy house
for evermore. I trust I can believe and say, " I know
that my Redeemer liveth; and though worms shall
destroy this body, yet in my flesh I shall see God."
" The Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall
lead me, and God Himself shall wipe all tears from
my eyes." Amen, Come, Lord Jesus! come quickly.




188        MRS. BETHUNE'7S WRITINGS.
September 25, 1831.
I must here record the. advice of my dear infant
scholars in No. 1. Mr. Seton had prepared a lesson
and a welcome-home to grandma. I was much affected while they were going through with it. I
asked them if they thought grandma was as happy
to see them as they seemed to be to see her. Many
voices answered in the affirmative.  "Why, then, did
grandma cry?"  One said, "You cried for joy."  I
told them that people shed tears of joy, pleasure,
and sorrow; that my tears partook of all these. I
shed tears of joy to see them, and pleasure in hearing them; and, adverting to the commencement of
infant schools, I said that I shed tears of sorrow that
I had not been more thankful to God for answering
my prayers in establishing infant schools, and that I
had doneso little to promote the glory of that God
who had done so much for me. "What" (I asked)
"should grandma do now?"  "Pray," was the answer. "What should grandma pray for?"  After a
pause, a boy answered, " You should pray to be more
thankful;" a little girl, " Pray that you may be more
holy;" another, "That you may be more useful."
Thus did the Lord tell me what I should pray for by
the mouths of these little ones, rescued from ignorance and vice through our instrumentality. Lord,
hear my prayer this night-all that I have asked on
my knees and recorded in this book. Make me more
thankful, more holy, more useful. May my little re



MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.                 -189
mainder of life be spent exclusively in Thy service;
and especially give me to train up a seed to serve
Thee when my head shall be laid in the dust, and
Thy name, and Thine only, shall have the praise.
Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus! come quickly.  Halleluiah!  Praise and bless the Lord, O my soul!
Lines suggested by look/ing at thie Portrait of my beloved Husband.
Sad was the day when from my sight
Passed that dear form, my chief delight,
And left me here a lonely one,
No arm of flesh to lean upon.
As falls the ivy with the oak,
When low'tis laid by woodman's stroke,
So sunk my soul, bereft of thineThy soul of love, that twined with mine.
In vain I stretched from side to side
To find support, which none supplied;
For he who dried the widow's tear
-Had left his own sad widow here.
Oh, Divie, I ne'er thought to see
The day when thou wouldst fly from me,
To share in joys I could not share,
And leave me all those ills to bear;
Thou who wert wont to dry my tears,
And on thy bosom hushed my fears;
Thy wife of youth, who shared with thee
Thy lot in wealth and poverty.
No grief hadst thou but it was mine;
No joy had I if'twas not thine;
Our path in life was rich in love,
With joys of earth, and from above.
We pledged our love to Christ in youth,
And, as first sought, He proved in truth




190           MRS. BETIIUNE'S WRITINGS.
All that He promised; for secure
We found our bread —our water sure.
Still, hand in hand, we walked along,
And bent the knee, and raised the song
Of praise. Then joined each Christian plan
To succor wretched, fallen man.
Six lovely babes to us were given;
Three passed before thee into heaven.
Those dear loved ones thou now hast join'd;
Three, with thy widow, left behind.
Thy labors now for us are past;
Dear wearied one, thou'rt now at rest;
And God himself hast dried thy tears,
And given for time eternal years,
While still I plod my lonely way,
No cheering smile to prove a ray
To guide, through this sad wilderness,
Thy widow and thy fatherless.
October 16th, 1831.
The longer I live, and the more I read my Bible,
and witness God's dealings with His people, the more
I am convinced that the work must begin with Him.
We never will be made willing but in a day of His
power.   We never will repent until He opens our
eyes to see whom we have offended. We never will
hunger and thirst after righteousness until, like the
prodigal, He brings us to see our wretched situation
by nature, and makes the greatest dainties of this
world to taste like husks and chaff, and prove as insufficient to  nourish.  Yet He has promised  that
"whosoever cometh unto Him  Hie will in no wise




MIRS. BETHUNE'7S WRITINGS.      191
cast out."  But we must come as poor, and miserable,
and blind, and naked, having nothing, and needing
every thing; smiting on our breasts, and saying,
"God be merciful to me a sinner;" feeling ourselves
sinners, we come to claim a Savior. As freely offered, He must be freely accepted, without money, and
without price. Nothing will suit our poverty but the
gold which He counsels us to buy-gold tried in the
fire; nothing our nakedness but the white raiment of
His righteousness. Nor can our eyes be opened to
see our need till Hie anoints them with eye-salve, and
turns them inward upon our wretched selves.
Blessed be God, as many as He loves He chastens.
He stands at the door and knocks; if any man hear
His voice, and open the door, [He will come in to him,
and sup with him. O my covenant God, the God of
my fathers, art Thou indeed the God of their succeeding race? Dare I to claim Thee as my God?
Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.
These forty years since I professed to believe in
Thee Thou hast sustained me, and been my cloud by
day and pillar of fire by night. Through fire and
through water Thou hast led me, with the dear partner Thou didst give me; and although Thou didst
cause men to ride over our heads, and didst even give
us the bread of affliction and water of affliction, yet
Thy loving kindness Thou didst never take from us,
nor alter the word Thou hadst spoken. And now
Thou hast brought him, and Thou wilt also, in Thine
own time, bring me, to a wealthy place; and not only




192        MRS. BETIUNE'S WRITINGS.
me, but all my own children, whose eyes Thou hast
opened, and whose souls Thou hast washed in Thine
own blood, and made them Thy sons and Thy daughters. Oh, my God, my heart overflows with gratitude to Thee for the unspeakable gift vouchsafed to
me and mine. Not one left out; all within the ark
of safety, and in a good measure walking in the footsteps of Thy flock. Blessed Shepherd, still guard Thy
sheep and Thy lambs. The sheep are gathered, I
trust, and Thou hast now begun to gather the lambs.
O God, continue to gather them, until not one of my
descendants, or the descendants of my dear mother,
shall be without.
September 18, 1833.
The ninth anniversary of my beloved husband's release from sin and sorrow, and the departure of my
earthly joys. I returned this day week from Utica,
the anniversary of his return to the city for the last
time, 11.th of September, 1824. I am not yet recovered from a severe attack of bilious fever; my mind
much weakened as well as my body. I do not feel
able on my kcnees, as on former anniversaries, to confess my numerous sins and shortcomings during the
past year, and enumerate the many mercies which the
Lord continues to grant me. I bless and magnify
His name that this is the first time I have been prevented by sickness from performing this duty. I
have been reading the record of former years, and




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITIN'GS.       193
praying over prayers already recorded, and altering,
as I prayed, to suit the present time, and my cry is,
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art
thou disquieted within me?  Hope thou in God, for
I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance." Blessed be God for these precious words.
"I shall yet praise Him."  Never be'fore have I been
so much inclined to look on the dark side. I have,
for several years at least, felt my heart overflow with
thankfulness for my remaining mercies; that the pillar and the cloud have been my guide by day and
by night, while going up through the wilderness, and
that, when the arm of flesh was removed, the Lord
Himself supported me.  I have often been like to
fall, but I have never been utterly cast down. And
from spending the hours of this day, the 18th of September, in retirement, with my Maker, who condescends to be my Husband, I have felt greater desire
to run the way of His commandments while He
granted strength according to my need, and grace according to my day. O that I may be soon enabled to
say and experience "God is my refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble; therefore will I not
fear, though the earth be removed, and though the
mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. The
Lord of Hosts is with me; the God of Jacob is my
refuge. Selah."
O Lord, Thou knowest, though I can not enumerate
them, all my sins and shortcomings during the past
year, and also those of my dear children. 0, for the
-,.




194      MARS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
sake of the Lamb that was slain, who Himself bare
our iniquities, do Thou pardon them, and with His
blood blot them from Thy book. Bringto my mind,
and pardon my ingratitude for the numerous mercies
Thou still continuest to me. And O continue Thy
favor, freely offered to all who believe Thy precious
promises. Lord, I believe; help my unbelief. Look
in mercy on all the families of Thine Handmaid, and
suit Thy mercy to their need. Each has her trials.
O give grace, and all will be well. Look on Thy
servant, the only son of Thy widowed handmaid,
now walking in darkness, and seeing no light as to
the path of duty; enable him to trust in the Lord,
and stay humbly upon his God. Make Thy blessed
Word to him, as it has been thousands of tinles to me,
and those now with Thee, who made him the subject
of their prayers, "a lamp to his feet, and a light to his
path.' May he meet with me at a throne of grace
at 9 A.M. Do Thou indite our petitions. Incline
Thine ear to hear, and answer our prayers.- Blessed
Master, Thou didst give me a text while sitting in my
son's church the Sabbath before I left. Thine own
blessed mouth spoke these words, Matthew, xviii., 19:
"If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any
thing they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my
Father which is in heaven."  O Lord, may Thy servant and Thine handmaid agree on earth to ask of Thee
grace to enable them to "lay aside every weight, and
the sin which most easily besets them, and to run
with patience the, race set before them, looking unto




MRS. BETEUNE'S WRITINGS.          195
Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, who, for
the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right
hand of God."  I commit myself, and my beloved
children, and those connected with them, to Thy care,
and make a fresh dedication of myself, my time, my
talents, my slbstance.
" I praise Thee for all that is past,
And trust Thee for all that's to come."
If Thou seest fit to grant health and time, may they
be used in honoring and serving Thee. If Thou
deny me these blessings, may I be enabled to suffer
Thy will without murmuring.  If called to pass over
Jordan before another'anniversary, may Thy rod and
Thy staff support me, and may I fear no evil, and
finally dwell with Thee, and those gone before, inl
Thy house for evermore. Amen.
Sabbath, April i3, 1834. Communion Sabbath.
For the first time in nine months I have been privileged to commemorate the dying love of my Savior.
Oh, what has passed over my widowed heart since
July 21, 1833. Sickness, severe sickness of body,
and consequent debility of both body and mind, and
little sympathy from friends. Perhaps, owing to my
being so actively engaged in public duties, I have
had little time to cultivate friendship with even pious
people; and perhaps theyhave, in their times of sickness and trial, been wounded by- my neglect. We




196        MRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.
are poor, imperfect creatures. If God were to deal
with us as we deal with one another, what would become of us?  Still I feel lonely, but only for the want
of Christian communion.  As I sat in my pew, I
missed the dear faces who formerly united with me
in the precious ordinances; not even my Jessy present, confined at home by her own and daughter's
sickness. The Lord,however, did not fail to send
me a comforting word from the chapter read, John,
xx., 15, 16, and 17, especially the 16th verse, where
our blessed Lord said to the woman, "ail/r!  She
turned herself and said, tRabboni! Master." Oh, how
these words thrilled through my heart. Mary was
alone. She had no relatives to unite with her in
seeking her Master; whom she had seen expire on
the cross. He who had so often cheered her, saying,
"Daughter, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven
thee,' was no more. All that remained, as she
thought, was to take care of the body of her departed
Lord. - Her weeping eyes could not recognize Him;
but when the well-known voice sounded in her ear,
how sweet was the recognition.  No doubt she prostrated herself before Him, and would have kissed
those precious feet she had formerly washed with her
tears and wiped with the hairs of her head. When
Mr. M'Cartee read the verse, and paused on the word
A/fIry, it went to my heart, and I could not help claiming'my Savior as much as if he at that moment said
Joanna! and in the sweet confidence of faith my
heart responded "IRabboni, Master!"  And during




MRS. BETHIUNE'S WRITINGS.        197
all the subsequent exercises a feeling of nearness to
Him  took the place of regret for absent friends.
Lord, continue to look on me as Thou didst on Mary,
and every trial will be light.  I bless Thee that
through all my trials and difficulties I have never
been left to give up my confidence, however cold and
listless I may have been; however discouraged at the
difficulties I have had to encounter, both public and
private, a feeling that my Redeemer cared for me,
and that the Lord Himself upheld me with His arm,
has sustained me. But, 0 Lord, I am tired of sinning. I am tired of myself, and sometimes feel that
my journey will soon be done. It can not be long
now; but, long or short, may my murmurings be
henceforth hushed, and may I no longer look for
any thing whatever from the creature.
If I regard sin in my heart, Thou wilt not hear my
prayer-and no doubt I sin when my feelings are
wounded by the neglect of friends-neither wilt Thou
answer if I make idols of Thy gifts.
" Sooner or late the heart must bleed
That idols entertain."
O, thenceforth may I live entirely to Thee. Whether I eat or drink, or whatsoever I do, I would do all
to Thy glory. To Thee only would I look for sympathy in all my sorrows, knowing that I have a"an
HIigh-Priest that can be touched with a feeling of
my infirmities."  To Thee henceforth may I look for
wisdom to direct me in all my duties. Make all my
duties plain before me, and be, as Thou hast been in




198        MRS. BETHUNE7S WRITINGS.
all the days of my widowhood, my pillar of cloud by
day and my pillar of fire by night. Help me, O
Lord, to pray and believe, and confidently expect
that Thou wilt be with me through the last conflict.
O0 as Thy presence was with those dear loved ones
I now mourn, so may it be with me. Let no gloomy
doubts arise; and may it be, I would ask, as easy a
dismission; but this with submission. Only support
me by Thy rod and Thy staff; place underneath me
the everlasting arms, and be Thou Thyself, O eternal
God, my refuge, and then all will be well. Take
Thou the place, in that hour, of lover and friendmy beloved mother and beloved husband, to whom I
had the privilege of ministering.  "My dear Divie
must close my eyes," said my dear mother; " Joanna
will not be able."  "Dear Joanna, do not leave me,
but comfort me with sweet words," said my departing bosom companion. "Poor Jocnna is now left
alone."  That sweet sound no more greets my earnot one to say it. O then, my Savior, do Thou call
me by name. One of my name ministered to Thee on
earth, with three Marys. And O, my covenant God,
permit me again to plead Thy precious promise, Isa.,
lix., 21. Only fulfill that precious one to my seed
and the seed of my mother, and I leave all other mercies to be given or withheld. Be with all my children and hhildren's children through all the changing scenes of time, and may we rejoice at last, no
wanderer lost, a family in heaven. Amen. Come,
Lord Jesus! come quickly.




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.       199
September 18, 1835.
This is the eleventh anniversary of my husband's
death. Eleven years of happiness unmingled to him,
and of regret for the loss of the best of husbands to
me. I renew the dedication made eleven years ago,
to my God, of time, talents, and substance-all already
His own-but I feel thankful that He enables me to
offer willingly back to Him, that He may show me
how to use all in the best possible manner to promote
His glory, and do good to others, especially in training up a seed to serve Him when I shall have ceased
from mny labors.
And now, O my covenant God, in view of all these
mercies, I come still as a beggar before Thee, and
leave the following petitions on the table of Thy covenant:
i. I pray that my heart may be kept humble in this
time of prosperity; that, with renewed health and increased means, Thou wouldst give increased desire to
use all for Thy glory. That I may still continue finugal in supplying my own and family's temporal wants,
and be liberal in advancing the kingdom of God in
this world, and in feeding His poor.  That I may
love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my
soul, with all my mind, and with all my might, and
my neighbor as myself. O give counsel how to use
Thy gifts so as not to abuse them.
2. I pray that the Lord would renew his work, especially in my own heart, and the hearts of my pro



200        AIRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS,
fessing children; that He will not permit us to rest
satisfied in our present attainments; that He would
convince all of us of the necessity of growing in
grace, and the knowledge of God our Savior; that
our conversation may be without covetousness, and
always becoming those who profess not to be their
own, but bought with the precious blood of Christ,
and bound to glorify HIim in all our ways.
3. I pray that all the families of Thy servant and
handmaid may acknowledge Thee as the God of their
mercies; that the heads of them may be like Abraham, and command their children and households
after them, and keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon us
all the blessings promised to the faithful. That the
parents, both fathers and mothers, may be faithful in
training up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; that they, in obedience to Thy com.
mand, may teach them diligently all Thy commandments and Thy statutes while they sit in the house,
and when they walk by the way, when they lie down
and when they rise up, and may enforce their instruction by a godly example, never doing that which
may lead their children into carelessness and error.
4. I pray that Thou wouldst fulfill Thy gracious
promise in Isaiah, xliv., 3: "I will pour water upon
him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground;
I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing
upon thine offspring. And they shall spring up as
among the grass, and as willows by the water-courses.




MRS. BETHIUNE'S WRITINGS.       201
One shall say, I am the Lord's; and another shall
call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall
subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname
himself by the God of Israel."  Gracious God, fulfill
these promises to my seed and seed's seed. I pray
that Thou wilt pour out a spirit of prayer and supplication upon all of us; that Thou wouldst call
every one of the children of Thy servants in early
youth, as Thou didst themselves. Hedge them into
the right way, and preserve them from the temptations to which they may be exposed; especially bless
me, O Lord, in giving them religious instruction on
Sabbath. Bless me to -; may she soon evince a
desire to be like Mary, and choose the better part
which shall never be taken away.
5. I pray for my dear and only son, that the afflictions with which Thou still continuest to visit
him may be sanctified to him and to his partner;
that Thy hand may be removed, if consistent with
Thy will, and she restored to a measure of health,
that she may be a help, and not a hinderance to Thy
servant. I pray that he may continue a faithful
pastor, and prove all that his dear father prayed he
might be, and all Thou wouldst have him to be.
6. I pray for my little household: that Thou
wouldst bless Mrs. Wood; may she experience Thy
love shed abroad in her heart; may she be a Christian in word and deed. And O, I pray for the poor
Iindoo. Lord, have mercy on this poor infatuated
creature. WVhat shall I do for him?  He will not
I2




202        MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
mind what I say. Thou alone canst reach his heart.
0, then, pluck him as a brand from the burning;
take the prey from the strong; and may we yet rejoice over him as one that was lost and is found, as
one that was dead and is now alive. Lord, quicken
this dead soul, and restore joy to Thy mourners.
7. I pray that Thou wouldst plead the cause of the
orphan. Lord, give us the victory in the threatened
suit. Whoever he be, may he be led to withdraw it,
and leave us in quiet possession of the property which
Thy deceased servant bequeathed to them, and grant
us wisdom to conduct us through every duty. May
faithful and skillful workmen undertake our building,
and may the necessary funds be furnished to complete it. Spare all our useful superintendents, teachers, nurses, and matrons to us. Bless the instruction
given the children. May they all grow up useful
citizens, and be made partakers of Thy grace, and all
our Board, and the children whom Thou hast given
us, meet at last in heaven.
8. I pray that, shouldst Thou spare me through
another year, I may be more faithful to my vows
than I ever yet have beeni; that I may do more good
than I have ever done; that I may be more useful
than I ever have been to the souls and bodies of my
children, my neighbors, and all with whom I may
have intercourse; that our Infant School No. 1 may
be an eminent means of training up a seed to serve
Thee, and that our example may be followed by others, and all the children of this city brought under re



MRS. BETHUNE'S XVRITINGS.     203
ligious instruction; that our teachers may be taught
of Thee, and that we may have the means of paying
them enough to support them.
9. I pray for Thy blessing on all the efforts now
making by Thy servants in advancing the kingdom of
our dear Redeemer- Bible, Missionary, Tract, Bethel, Education Society; for the poor slaves, that the
oppressed may go free; and that Thou wouldst bless
the Colonization Society as a means of restoring the
poor Africans to their own land, and evangelizing
Ethiopia.
10. Bless all in whom I am interested; all who
have been kind to me, and forgive those who have
been unkind to me. Bless all my friends in England,
Scotland, and America. Have mercy on a world lying in wickedness, and hasten the time when the
knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the
waters cover the sea; and the glory of all will be ascribed to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
And now, O my God, I enter upon the twelfth
year of my widowhood. O may Thy blessing rest
upon me throughout the year, or that part of it Thou
shalt continue me on earth. Hear and answer all
the prayers offered and tabled before Thee this day.
Bless the exercises in which I have been engaged.
Let Thy presence be with me when I leave my room,
and go again to fulfill the duties incumbent upon me.
And while I remember my dear departed companion,
and regret his loss, may I be stimulated to follow his
example arid that of my dear mother, and finally be




204        MIRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
carried through my last trying hour, and come off
more than conqueror through Him that loved us and
gave Himself for us. Halleluiah! praise ye the Lord.
Sabbath, January 24, 1839.
Often did my dear mother say that persons arrived at the age of sixty and over could not take care
of themselves. I thank God I had the privilege of
taking care of her; that she had no family cares, and
departed in the midst of her children and children's
children, her dear Divie, according to her desire and
wish, closing her eyes. Just as the spirit was passing away, a flash of lightning passed through the
room, and a distant roll of thunder. Mrs. Lindsay
was near her head, and said, "The Lord's voice, calling home His own." Oh, it was a lovely death! How
I longed, when contemplating her peaceful clay, to
lay me down and pass through the same peaceful
death; but there was more work for me to do. Her
last admonition was, "Joanna, you and I have had
much to do in charitable societies, and we have both
experienced how little good can be effected with old
objects; and as you can not engage in all institutions,
I would wish you to give yourself cheerfully to the
young."  I devoted myself to the work, kneeling by
her coffin. The Lord accepted the dedication, and I
had the privilege, shortly after, to establish the first
Sunday-school Union in America, the first Sundayschool Depository, and to be, I hope, usefully engaged




MRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.         205
in Sabbath-schools for fourteen years after her decease. Ten years after her departure, the Lord took
from me the desire of my eyes with a stroke; severed the strongest tie, and left me a desolate widow.
Often, often she said, "I hope I may not live to see any
of my children a widow." She was spared that trial,
and from shedding bitter, bitter tears over her dear
Divie, who was a faithful son to her, and whom she
apparently loved with as much affection as if she had
travailed in birth for him. My daughters had married and gone, but while my beloved husband remained I was happy. Happy! oh, never was happiness greater than when the Lord answered our prayers in the salvation of our only son. It was more
happiness than falls to the lot of mortals, and it was
short-lived. There was even then a worm  at tho
root of my gourd, which I perceived not. The dear
head was to be taken away, his work finished. Oh,
then again I longed to accompany him. How could
I stay behind, the last and the least of the happy
trio?  But no, he said, "Oh no, my dear, your work
is not done yet; the Lord has more for you to do."
Alas! I thought I would never work more. Oh how
hard it was to be willing to live, and through what
fiery trials I passed after the dearest, the best of husbands was laid in the grave!
I have repeatedly devoted myself, soul, body, and
estate, to my God, desiring all to be used for His glory; and now I am peculiarly'called to trust in Him
as my Husband, that He will show me a reason for




206        MRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.
my present trial. All is at present dark before me;
but what He does now, and I know not the reason
of, I have His promise I shall know hereafter.
Sabbath, June 12, 1836.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within
me, bless and magnify His holy name. Bless the
Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits;
who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all
thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and
tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good
things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's."
-Psalm ciii., 1-5. XWell may I make this my prayer
this day, considering all the goodness which God has
vouchsafed to me, and the works he honors His unworthy handmaid to take part in. I have experienced both joy and sorrow since my last record in
this book. I have parted with a dear Christian friend,
Miss Hannah Murray, who has entered her rest, in
her 60th year. Of her it may truly be said, "Blessed
are the dead that die in the Lord; yea, saith the Spirit, they rest from their labors, and their works do follow them." She was a cheerful, active Christian,
amici great bodily weakness. She was Treasurer to
the Infant School Society from its commencement to
the close of this year and her life. I visited her two
days previous to her decease. She was very weak,
but evidently knew me, She said, " Stand by you



MRS. BETHUNE7S WRITINGS.                 207
Jesus —'  I often  called her "'my stc2d-by."  Her
work was done, and well done.  0 that I may also
finish my work, so that it may bring at last upon me
the plaudit which, no doubt, will be given to dear
Hannah MIurray, "' Well clone, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord,'
GENESIS, Xxviii., 20-22.
0 God of Bethel! by whose hand
Thy people still are fed;
WTho through this weary pilgrimage
Hast all our fathers led;
" Our vows, our prayers, wTe now present,
Before Thy throne of grace;
God of our fathers, be the God
Of their succeeding race.
C Through each perplexing scene of life
Our wand'ring footsteps guide;
Give us each day our daily bread,
And raiment fit provide.
"0 spread Thy covering wings around
Till all our wand'rings cease,
And at our Father's loved abode
Our soul's arrive in peace.
"' Such blessings from Thy gracious hand
Our humble prayers implore,
And Thou shalt be our chosen God,
And portion evermore."
The above my dear husband, my dear mother, and
the worthy Dr. Mforison, now a glorified trio, I united
with in singing the evening previous to Morison's
sailing for China.  This hymn we also sung at Dingwall, at parting with my dear mother and sisters-in



208           MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
law, in the year 1801.  Only two of the latter company remain on earth, Miss Bethune and myself, and
only one (the writer) is left of the former. Oh! of
how many companies who joined in praises and prayers am I the only one left!  Well, my time will come.
I too shall share their joys " when grace has well refined my heart."
6" Cheered by this hope, with patient mind,
I'll wait Heaven's high decree;
Till the appointed period come'When death shall set me free."  Amen.
The last verses my beloved husband wrote:
"What joy that promised grace impartsI'll write my laws within their hearts;
Engrave them, Lord, most deeply there,
And answer agonizing prayer.
"I loathe my heart in native guile,
Would cherish that would make me vile;
Each sinful motion, Lord, remove,
And mould-O mould me to Thy love.' I never can enjoy sweet peace
Till inward disobedience cease;
Till, every sinful idol slain,
Grace holds her sole triumphant reign.
"' Oh how I long to feel the shower,
Sweet signal of Thy Spirit's power;
With what delight my soul would taste
Thy precious Word's perpetual feast.
"My heart is panting with desire
For heavenly, holy, kindling fire;
Writh warm repentance' smiling pow'r,
While I?Pyseef for sin abhor.




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.           209
"Low in the dust, abased in shame,
Without a single lawful claim,
I mourn my guilt, yet loudly plead,
Because Thy thoughts my thoughts exceed.
"'Now be Thy hour of mercy, Lord;
My hope rests wholly in Thy Word.
Thy Word of promise swelling high,
[Unfinished.]
Sabbath, September 22, 1839.
This day I have returned to my own little sanctuary, and again heard a most faithful discourse from
my young pastor, Mr. Mines, from the third verse of
the second chapter of Hebrews.  Unexpectedly he
gave notice " that a benevolent individual of the congregation proposed taking an infant class on the Sabbath, at her own house, of children between three and
seven or eight." Thus I am committed, and I cheerfully enter on the work, trusting that He who inspired the wish may strengthen me, and give grace
to fulfill my duty in it. O Thou Lamb of God, who
takest away the sins of the world, look upon the
lambs who shall assemble under the roof of Thine
aged handmaid to receive instruction on Thy holy
day.  Open the eyes of their understanding to the
Scriptures they will be taught, and fulfill Thy gracious promise by them, that " out of the mouths of
babes and sucklings Thou wilt perfect praise."  0
permit me to labor for Thee as long as Thou continuest me on earth.  May my last days be my best




210        AIRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.
days, my most useful days; and let me live and die
for the cause of that blessed Master whose goodness
and mercy have followed me all my life; and who has
promised that I shall dwell in his house forever. My
prayer is before Thee, O my God; hear Thou it, and
answer it for the Redeemer's sake. Amen.
Sabbath, September 29, 1839.
This day I was privileged to begin my infant Sabbath class. I had only three children —Alexander
Husted, Julia Dales Mines, and John Flavel Mines,
the children of my pastor.  O Lord, bless the little
instruction givein; lay richly to my hand what I shall
teach these lambs; and may they, if spared to maturity, teach others, when the head of Thy handmaid is
laid in the dust.  Give me bodily strength to continue the work, if it be Thy holy will; and let me die
in the harness, and the praise shall be Thine. Amen.
Thursday, November 29, 1839-Thanksgiving Day.
This day I have cause of mourning as well as rejoicing. On the one hand, God has permitted me to
see the completion of the Orphan Asylum, and to see
the chapel opened for religious worship on Tuesday, the 19th instant. Rev. Mr. Richmond read the
Episcopal morning service. My son preached from
1 Samuel, ii., 19; a hymn of his composing was
sung. Rev. Mr. Van Aken, of Bloomingdale Church,




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.        211
made the long prayer, and the Rev. Dr. Bangs, of the
Methodist, pronounced the benediction.  All went
off well. A very respectable audience attended, and
the chapel was more than full. All the children-upward of one hundred and seventy-attended, from the
infant in arms; not one sick in the house. Many congratulated me, and asked me if I was not very happy.
My answer to all was, "Yes, brimful of happiness."
Oh who am I, and what is all my father's house, that
the Lord should honor me as he has done?  Not one
good thing that I desired for this favorite institution
has He deniedl me. For a small moment HIe hid, as
it were, His face; but He has graciously removed the
cloud, and it is a time of great prosperity with us.
But oh how different are my feelings this day from
that day when I said I was brimful of happiness;
now I am brimful of sorrow. The very best friend
I had, except my own family, now lies a corpse. I
went through so much fatigue arranging for the opening of the chapel, and some other society business,
that I was completely exhausted in body and mind.
My dear friend, Mr. Ward, has for some time been
failing in health, and I promised myself much pleasure in spending a good deal of time with him this
winter, but on Monday I received a note from Mrs.
Francis saying that he was dangerously ill, and ye,terday, at half past 11 o'clock, his happy spirit winged its way to the mansions prepared for him by his
beloved Master, whom he so faithfully served during
the last nine or ten years. The Lord Jesus, when




212        AIRS. BETHUNE' S WRITINGS.
He shall sit on the throne of His judgment, will hail
him as a faithful servant, saying, " I was an hungered,
and ye gave me meat; I was naked, and ye clothed
me; sick and in prison, and ye visited me."  For all
this, and more, he did. I was the first person he
opened his mind to on the subject of religion, and he
has ever been ready to comfort me in all my trials,
and to assist me in pecuniary affairs. HIe was, indeed,
always a friend in need; never once refused to give
me for my societies or objects of charity.
The day before he departed I spoke to him. He
roused from  slumber, and, smiling most benignly
upon me, said, " Dear Aunt Bethune, I wanted to see
you, to tell you I am perfectly happy."  I kissed his
forehead, and was about to withdraw, when he drew
me again to him, and repeated, " I am perfectly happy.' I bless the Lord for this favor. IHe spoke very
little to any one else, except Dr. Cutler, his brotherin-law.
And now, O Lord, what shall I say? Dare I murmur that Thou hast taken away my very best friend,
and made me to feel indeed alone? Oh, art Thou not
weaning me from earth, and preparing me for an inheritance above? Again "breaking my streamns of
worldly joy, that I may seek my all in Thee?"  I
trust Thou only takest "the dying lamp away, to
bless me with Thine own unclouded day."  O may
this affliction be sanctified to me, so as to revive my
languishing graces, quicken me to greater diligence
to make my calling and election sure. O may I sit




MkRS. BETI-IUNE'S WRITINGS.     213
loose to the world, and long for the joys of heaven.
And, 0 my God, look on the bereaved family of Thy
servant, and effect by his death what he was not permitted to see in his life, all his children choosing the
better part, which can not be taken away. O Lord,
they will be surrounded by temptations; do Thou
deliver them, and let not the great riches which they
will enjoy prove snares to them; but may they follow the example of their dear father, and do good
with them, honoring Thee with their substance, and
time, and talents. O Lord, hear and answer the prayers of Thine Own people in behalf of this dear afflicted family. And, 0 my God, let me not forget "to
praise Thee for the many mercies I still enjoy."
Saturday, February 1, 1840.
My birthday, and which completes my threescore
and ten years. I can now say with my mother, "I
have turned the last point, and am now waiting a favorable breeze to shoot into port." I have spent the
day in my room, as it is a most important era of my
life. According to Scripture, I have lived the years
allotted to man, and must now, if I have not before,
daily expect to be called to give an account of my
stewardship. I have, on my knees, reviewed my past
life from childhood to old age, confessed much sin,
both before and since I professed the name of Christ,
but oh, how much more might I confess! But we forget the sins we commit, as well as the mercies we re



214        MRS. BETHIUNE'S WRITINGS.
ceive. When I review my past life, I am amazed at
the goodness and mercy which has followed me from
the cradle, and which I trust shall follow, me to the
grave. I have been reading and praying over passages marked and prayed over by her in my mother's Bible, and reading and praying her prayers in
her provision for passing over Jordan. Lord, as
Thou didst answer her prayers, so do Thou answer
mine. Though greatly more faithful to grace received, yet it was not for any righteousness in her,
but for Thy name's sake, that Thou didst grant her
petitions. Now, 0 Lord, I would put in my plea for
the same reason, and ask of Thee to hear. Remember all the prayers I have prayed before Thee this
day, and fulfill all the promises Thou didst enable
me to lay hold of; and 0, be with me, as Thou wast
with her and my beloved husband when they passed
over Jordan. If Thou hast any work for me to do,
O Lord, I am content to stay as long as Thou shalt
see fit; but not a day longer do I wish to remain to
be a cumberer of the ground. But shouldst Thou
lay me aside, as Thou dost some of Thy people, 0
enable me to suffer Thy holy will with cheerfulness,
as I trust Thou hast enabled me to do Thy will.
And, 0 my God, be in a particular manner my Counselor under -present difficulties. My providence indicates that my works are drawing to a close. Infant School No. 1, the last of nine that were once under my care, will probably close next May, and I
shall have no pleasant work remaining but the dear




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.       215
Orphan Asylum and my little infant Sabbath-class.
But perhaps I shall have my dismission before that
time comes. Well, my kind Shepherd, Thou wilt
still take care of the lambs as Thou hast, and wilt of
the sheep. Oh, when those of us who have been
privileged to commence the good work of infant
schools shall have ceased from our labors, do Thou
carry on the good work throughout this land by others, who shall, with thy Word for their guide, train
up infant children in Thy nurture and admonition.
And oh, fulfill Thy gracious promise, that when they
are old they may not depart from it. O raise up and
fit pious teachers for the numerous schools in this
city and this land, both during the week and on the
Sabbath. I thank Thee for the honor of being at the
commencement of both Sabbath and infant schools;
and oh, I praise Thee, and would magnify Thy holy
name, for the great good that has been effected by
both to teachers and scholars. Show me, O Lord,
my duty respecting the Orphan Asylum. Ought I
not to spend more time there than I do?  Thou
knowest what is in the way; do Thou remove these
difficulties, and make my duty plain.
Thou knowest all things, blessed Master, and Thou
knowest that I love Thee, and love to feed Thy lambs.
It is not likely that I shall have grandchildren much
with me in future, if spared, but look on the orphan
I have taken to bring up, and enable me to do my
duty to her. Do Thou bless the instruction I shall
give her, and the means of grace she will enjoy, and
may she be an heir of glory. Amen.




216        MRS. BETIHUNE S WRITINGS.
February 26, 1840.
This afternoon Caroline, Jeannette, and Margaretta
met me in my room, to commence a little prayermeeting.  Twenty-seven years ago, February 4th,
1813, my dear mother made a record of my two
daughters, Jessy and Isabella, going to call on their
pastor, Dr. Rorneyn, and professing their faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ, their Savior-their desire to give
themselves to the Lord and to His Church. Now I
have full satisfaction in the daughter of one of them
doing the same, and have, on my knees, repeated for
her and her young companions who shall meet here
the prayer of her great-grandmother for her mother
and aunt, and which has been answered to them. O
may it be answered to my grandchildren.  She has
long ceased from her labors, and now I am the aged
handmaid who am privileged to make a record of
God's goodness to my family, and am encouraged to
pray for others of my numerous family who, as yet,
are without. O Lord, art Thou not fulfilling Thy
gracious promise, which Thou hast often comforted
me with,'"My Word-shall not depart out of thy
mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed or thy seed's
seed, from henceforth and forever?"
February 9th, 1840.
This morning Adam Creig, formerly an orphan in
the Asylum, now a student of Theology, called and




IMRS. BETIUNE S WRITINGS.       217
prayed in family worship. He seems to have a good
spirit, and I trust will come out a faithful minister.
He dates his first serious impressions from the time
he was in the Asylum.  Says, previous to his leaving, at the age of twelve years, he had committed the
four Gospels, and the Shorter' Catechism, with proofs.
I gave him a line to Mr. Wood, as he wished to visit
the Asylum, and begged him to address the children,
and pray with them, which I hope he may do. Lord,
accept of my poor acknowledgments for this manifestation of Thy goodness to those of us who are anxious for the spiritual welfare of the dear orphans, and
may it encourage us to be more zealous, and more
engaged inprayer to Thee than we have been in
time past. And, 0 my God, cheer my heart in my
loneliness, and remove, if it please Thee, this depression of my spirits; be better to me than husband and
children, whom Thou hast put far from me; carry
me through the various duties before me this month,
public and private. 0 lift again upon me the light
of Thy countenance, and cheer'me by the consolations of Thy Holy Spirit. Oh, have I not every thing
for life and godliness? then why these melancholy
feelings and forebodings? Lord, forgive the sin and
answer my prayer, for the dear Redeemer's sake, who
can be touched with a feeling of my infirmities, and
maketh intercession for me. Amen.
K




218       IMRS. BETHUNiE'S WRITINGS.
Sabbath evening, April 19th, 1840.
c" Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast
laid up for them that fear Thee, for them that trust
in Thee before the sons of men." WTho has witnessed the truth of this text as much as I have?  WVhy,
oh why am I so favored above mriany?  Not that I
deserve it. My dear husband wrote it on the mantlepiece of the store where he was a clerk, and often adverted to it, and that goodness has followed his family, in answer to his prayers. This day week I recorded a great mercy, a great cause of thankfulnessmy dear Margaretta's joining the communion of the
Church for the first time, and now I have to record
that my dear eldest grandson this day preached his
first sermon. Oh, what shall I render to the Lord for
all his goodness to me and mine, honoring me now
to be called mother by four of his ministering servants? My dear husband and I devoted one son to
Him, to be made a minister of the Gospel, and he has
given four to our family, all of them workmen that
need not be ashamed.
February 1, 1841, my birthday.
Not only have I completed my threescore and ten
years, but God has added another, and I can not say
yet that my strength is labor and sorrow. I feel no
diminution of strength, either in body or mind, since
my last birthday, and my health is better than it has




AIMRS. BETHUNE IS WVRITINGS.   219
been for many years. With the exception of a cold,
I have enjoyed uninterrupted health, and been able
to attend to the Orphan Asylum; and my little Sabbath-class, except when absent from the city, and
when the children have been prevented by stormy
weather, has never been once omitted. And now the
Lord, in answer to my earnest prayer, has given me
an opportunity of commemorating the instruction IHe
lays to hand, not only to my little class, but by printing them in the Sabbath-school Monitor. They may
be teachers in Sabbath-schools in teaching infant
classes. Thus I am not yet laid aside; but the Lord
is still pleased, in answer to my prayer and in faithfulness to His promise, to make me still to bear fruit
in old age. O Lord, I desire to call upon my soul,
and all that is within me, to bless and magnify Thy
holy name for all Thy exuberant goodness to me
during the last year, and during the whole of my unworthy life. NVhen I review the way in which Thou
hast led me, I must set to my seal that, however I
have failed in my duty to Thee-and oh, how often
I have failed and come short-yet Thou hast never
failed me, but fulfilled all Thy gracious promises to
me. I have often trembled and been ready to fall,
but Thou hast upheld me by Thy right hand, so that
I have not been entirely cast down. - Thou hast given
me still a name to live among Thy people, and preserved me and all my professing children from bringing a blot on our profession. Spots we have, but
they are incident to Thy children. And now, O




220       MlRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
Lord, that Thou art pleased still to keep me here, oh
let my time be more than ever spent in doing good.
Make me yet more useful in the Orphan Asylum, and
in writing and publishing lessons. Bless me, also, to
my own dear children and children's children. I
thank Thee for what Thou hast done for so many of
the latter. Carry on the good work where it has already been begun; revive it where it seems to languish. Quicken us all to newness of life; and O,
most gracious God, begin a work of grace in all the
hearts of my grandchildren.
New York, September 18, 1841, in my own home.
The seventeenth anniversary of my beloved husband's dismission from a world of care, and his entrance into that " rest which remainieth for the people of God."  As usual. I spend the day in my room.
Blessed be God for the privilege. I have, as I generally do, spent much time on my knees, reviewing the
past year-endeavoring to recollect, confess, and plead
for the pardon of my many sins and shortcomings.
Alas! there are, no doubt, many that I do not remember; but God does, and for them I should give
an account. I have also been led to pray for the
salvation of all my children and children's children,
and the revival of religion in the hearts of all that
have made a profession of His name. May my prayers enter into the ears of the Lord God of Sabaoth,
and bring down showers of blessings upon all their




MRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.       221
heads. I have also been reading over my experience of former years, and am amazed at the wonderful goodness of God to me and mine, and His faithfulness to His promises. I can scarcely believe what
my own hand has written, and think how wonderfully the Lord has vouchsafed to take knowledge of so
undeserving a being as I am; and now, this anniversary of the seventeenth departure of my ever-tobe-regretted husband, I am constrained to raise an
EBENEZER,
saying, "Hitherto the Lord helped us;" and, with
David, while I sit before the Lord, "WVho am I, O
Lord God, and what is my house, that Thou bast
brought me hitherto? and this was yet a small thing
in Thy sight, 0 Lord God; but Thou hast spoken of
Thy servant's house for a great while to come. And
is this the manner of man, O Lord God? and what
can Thy handmaid say unto Thee? for Thou, Lord
God, knowest Thy servant; for Thy Word's sake,
and according to Thine own heart, hast Thou done
all these great things, to make Thy servant know
them."  And can I ever doubt again that the Lord
will continue to be what He has been, my God and
my Guide? No; I must and will believe that He will
be my God and my Guide even unto death. I can
not now be far from Jordan's floodl. Should I live a
few months longer I will be as old as my mother was
when she departed. Oh that I may die the death of
the righteous, and my last end be like hers and my
beloved husband's.  Lord, I trust that Thou wilt




222        AIRS. BETHUNE'S W WVRITINGS.
stand by me, as Thou didst by them; make all my
bed in my sickness; place underneath me" Thine everlasting arms; and Thou Thyself be my refuge, and
finally my exceeding great reward." I may have no
earthly friend near me, as my blessed husband and
mother have gone before, and no child near me, but
"Thou Thyself will stand me by
And every needful aid supply."
This was my mother's trust, yet she had children and
children's children round her. I endeavor to leave
all to that God who has done for me more than I
could ask or think.  He will do what is right.
Sabbath evening, June 11, 1843.
This day I have again been privileged to commemorate the dying love of my blessed Master and
Redeemer, and renew my covenant with Him. About
fourteen: or fifteen were admitted on confession of
their faith. Four adults were baptized-three men
and one woman. The exercises were most solemn
throughout.  My sweet friend,-,Miss Fox, united with
us, and seemed thankful for the privilege. Dr. Potts's
subject, all last Sabbath and this, was Philippians, iii.,
13. His text was more especially the 13th, though
he commented on the preceding verse: "Brethren, I
count not myself to have apprehended; but this one
thing I do, forgetting the things that are behind, and
reaching forth unto those things that are before, I
press toward the mark for the prize of the high call



MRS. - BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.      223
ing of Godcin Christ Jesus."  All his discourses were
excellent, and seemed to exactly suit my experience
during fifty years that I have been an unworthy professor. Dr. Mason, Dr. Romeyn, Dr. M'Cartee, and
last, dear Mr. Mines, all preached the same doctrines,
and by which I have been fed, though I have not
grown in the Divine life as I ought to have done had
I been more diligent; and now old age is upon me,
and memory so far fails that I carry little away with
me from the sanctuary but the savor of the delightful truths I have been hearing. Oh how thankful I
ought to be to be again under so gifted a pastor. I
am indeed feeding in green pastures, and led by the
quiet waters.' It is the same congregation, though
much changed, that my beloved husband and mother
departed from, and most, probably I shall finish my
couipse there., I have little communion with the people, being nearly all strangers except dear Mrs. Coit,
whom the Lord reward for her kindness to the widow. Blessed be the -God who has led me and fed me
all my life long, and who has promised to be my God
and my Guide even unto death. iM:y blessed Master,
Thou wilt never leave nor forsake me, though I have
often forsaken Thee. Lord, look on the texts that I
copied for preparing for the holy feast, and fulfill the
gracious promises contained in them to me. O enable me to press toward the mark of my high calling
in Christ Jesus. O Lord, the way has been long and
devious. I can not now be far from Jordan's flood.
Oh, as Thou didst my mother and my ever-to-be-la



224       ~MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
mented husband, lead on my staggering steps the little
farther. Is it too much to ask that Thy sensible presence may be with me, as with them, all the way
through the dark valley? Lord, though my life has
not, like theirs, been the path of the just, shining
more and more to the perfect day, yet grant that my
latter end may be, like theirs,- eace. Thou only
knowest whether I shall see another communion season. Then, Lord, assist me by Thy grace to improve
that I have now enjoyed, that the savor of it may
cheer my dying hour., Blessed Comforter, promised
by my dear Master, take of the things which are His,
and show them unto me. Oh,
-" Let me. no longer live at this poor dying rate,
My love to Him so cold, and His to me so great."
And as to temporals, which so distract me, I can only
cast my burden on the Lord, for He only can sustain,
and continue to pray that Thou wouldst make plain
paths for our feet. Only show us the path of duty,
and, by the aid of Thy grace and strength, vwe will
endeavor to walk therein. My prayer is before Thee,
O Lord; forsake not the work of Thy hands. I leave
my children' and children's children with Thee, to
give or to withhold temporal blessings; but oh, I can
not let Thee go, but would wrestle with Thee until
Thou grant spiritual blessings. Though separated
from each other on earth, may we all, I and the children whom Thou hast given me, rejoice with Thee at
last, no wanderer lost.
"A family in heaven!" Let this delightful thought




MRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.          225
and hope cheer me under present perplexities. Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus! come quickly.
Thursday, October 3d, 1844.
The Rev. James W. Alexander, D.D., was installed
over the Duane Street Church.  His aged father
preached the sermon, and an excellent one it was,
from 2 Timothy, ii., 15: " Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth:" well
did he describe what a pastor ought to be. Dr. Potts
gave the charge to the minister. It seemed hard to
hear our former pastor, as it were, giving us over into
the hands of another. I enjoyed that part less than
the rest of the exercises. Dr. Krebs gave the charge
to the congregation: the burden of it was asking
their prayers for the pastor elect, and for all ministers. Ministers are but men, but we are too apt to
think they ought to be more than men. If we are
fed and comforted by them, we are apt to make idols
of them, and forget that, though the treasure is in an
earthen vessel, it is still God's, and he giveth to the
faithful preacher the food to feed his flock.
Sabbath, October 6th, 1844.
Another new era in my long life.  Our new pastor
preached this day for the first time to this people over
whom the Lord has set him. His text in the mornK 2




226        MRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.
ing was Psalm ii., 12th and 13th verses: " Restore
unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me
with Thy free Spirit; then will I teach transgressors Thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto
Thee." He seemed to feel greatly the great responsibility he had assumed, and from his whole discourse
I should think he felt himself entirely dependent on
God. I thought there was rather a melancholy feeling and thinking who was sufficient for such a work.
He began by describing the joy the Christian'first
felt when converted, and the dreadful feeling when
God, in anger, took it away; especially when, as in
David's case, in anger for great sin. That no one
could teach others so as to see them converted to
God unless that joy was restored, etc., etc.  In the
afternoon he illustrated the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th
verses of the f11th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.
It was, indeed, "a feast of fat things, of wine on the
lees well refined."  And thus the Lord has again answered my prayers, and given'me a pastor, I trust, to
feed and comfort me during the closing years, months,
or days of my long life. O may this change result
in a revival of the languishing graces of the people,
and, O my blessed Master, revive my languishing
graces. At evening time may it be light in my soul.
O gracious God, restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation. O Lord, bless pastor and people, and incline
his heart, and the hearts of some of them, to think of
the solitary widow, and make my little dwelling once
more to rejoice with the sound of prayer and praise.




MIRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.       227
Bless my Sabbath class; I thank Thee for strength
to continue it. Bless me to my:domestics; I thank
Thee for them. Bless me to the Orphan Asylum;
bring us out of difficulties there. 0 give me those
whose sole desire is to train up a seed to serve Thee,
and not to aggrandize themselves.  Restore peace
among those employed as superintendents and teachers; and, O Lord, raise up and give wisdom to those
who shall take charge of the Institution when my
head and the head of Mrs. IH. are at rest. Incline
the hearts of those whom I address on behalf of the
Institution to: give us the means necessary for the
health and comfort of Thy family, the'fatherless.
And now I again go forward in the strength of the
food I have this day received.  Go with me; set a
watch on my lips; enable me to conquer every sin;
and that which so easily besets me, Lord, Thou
knowest. Again accept Thine own time, talent, and
substance, and teach me to use them for Thee, for
without Thee I can do. nothing-no, not so much as
think a good thought; but I can do all Thou hast
given me to do through Christ Jesus strengthening
me. Yea, Lord, enable me to say, "I will go in the
strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of
Thy righteousness, even of Thine only.  O God,
Thou hast taught me from my youth, and hitherto I
have declared Thy wondrous works. Now also, when
I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not,
until I have showed Thy strength unto this generation."'




228        AIRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
December 12th, 1844. Thanksgiving day.
Dr. Alexander read the 103d Psalm, and took for
his text the 1st verse of the 107th Psalm: " O give
thanks unto the Lord, forhe is good; for his mercy
endureth forever."  It was an excellent, instructive
discourse.  I-Ie enumerated the causes of thankfulness we had as a nation, as members of the state,
as a congregation, and as individuals. He alluded
to bereavements in the Church, but. said still there
were causes of thankfulness that we had the hope
of meeting where there would be no separation.
He also alluded to the custom, which he thought
very proper, of family meetings; slightly alluded to
his own situation, at a distance from  his father's
house.
Here am I alone, not one to sit down to dinner
with me; yet, amid trials and difficulties, I can enumerate many causes of thankfulness.  All our families are preserved in life and a measure of health; no
breach has been made in any of them; all the heads
and seven of the younger ones professors, and, we
have reason to hope, possessors of religion; none likely to disgrace us; my beloved son, both my sons-inlaw, and my grandson, George Duffield, useful in the
Church, and granddaughters Sunday-school teachers
and tract distributors; Bethune M'COartee a medical
missionary in China, where I trust he will be useful
to the souls and bodies of that benighted people.
Surely these are great causes of thankfulness, and




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.          229
ought to call forth. "thanks unto the Lord, for He is
good, for His mercy endureth forever."
Sabbath, 29th Dec., 1844, the last Sabbath of the year.
Dr. Alexander preached from the' grain of mustard-seed."  It was an admirable rousing discourse.
I felt a little heavy during the first part, having no
one to help me in my Sabbath class; but no one could
help being roused up when, after speaking of seed
sown generations ago, he alluded to some lying long
dormant, yet springing up and yielding abundant
fruit in the same place; and said that one time there
was little or no religion in Virginia, when a man (I
forget his name) had Luther on the Galatians, and
had meetings, and read the book to the people, and
it was the beginning of a revival or awakening which
has continued to this day. Hie showed it to be the
duty of every one to sow the seed, and to hope and
trust that it would not return void. Some persons
do nothing but croak and moan over the low state of
religion; but we must not only sow the seed, but
must hope and believe that it eventually will prove
successful in some. He addressed us all in the church,
officers, parents, heads of families, tract distributors,
teachers of schools and Sabbath-school teachers, all,
all he called upon to be up and doing. May the close
of the year be a beginning of days to our Church;
and may we see a revival the coming year, such as
some of us saw more than twenty years ago. Lord,




230        MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
here am I, send me; show me what I can do. I
thank Thee that Thou still givest me strength of
body and mind to keep up my Sabbath class and visit
the Orphan Asylum; but still, if I can do more, show
it me, blessed Master. I would like to have an evening prayer-meeting in my house or family. If that
can not be, is it my duty to try to get up a female
prayer-meeting?  Lord, I ask of Thee, is it my duty?
and if it be, do Thou direct, and make the path of
duty plain. May my pastor show me how I may accomplish something toward reviving Thy love in the
hearts of the people of Duane Street Church. O the
prayers that are before Thy throne for that church!
Did not Thy dear handmaid, my mother,- spend her
last praying breath in it, praying there for her seed,
and her seed's seed, and the prosperity of Thy Zion?
Did not Thy dear servant, an officer there, visit sick
and dying beds there? and did he not see fruit there?
Did not many weep over his cold remains, and say,
"There lies my best friend?"  Did not my mother
and my blessed husband depart from:that congregation? and were not their funeral sermons preached
there?  And did not my husband tell me to tell his
brethren to sing the Psalm, as expressive of his dying
exercise,
"I'll praise my Maker while I've breath,
And when my voice is lost in death,
Praise shall employ my nobler powers?"
And now that God, in His providence, has brought
me back to it, and it is likely to be my last remove,




AIRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.     231
shall I not pray for the peace of this Jerusalem, where
my mother and husband were comforted in death;
where my daughters were born into the kingdom,
and where my beloved son was trained for it?  Oh,
if I forget thee, may my right hand forget her cunning. Show me then, blessed Master, how I may yet
bring forth fruit on the topmost bough, and promote
the revival of our languishing graces in the Church.
My prayer is before Thee, O Lord. I wait for Thy
answer. Come,Lord Jesus! come quickly. Amen.
January 5, 1845.
O Lord, I would thank Thee for my beloved son.
Reward him, O Lord, for his dutiful and affectionate
conduct to his aged mother. Truly he does not despise. her. when she is old, but grows more and more
affectionate and grateful to me the less I can do to
help him. And, 0 Lord, I would also thank Thee
for all my children and children's children who have
professed the name of Christ; that they have been,
in some degree, faithful to their vows, and thati they
have been restrained by Thy grace from bringing
any scandal on their profession. 0, gracious God,
continue, to keep Thy hand about us all, and may
those who are yet in the outer sanctuary have Thy
sceptre extended to them, and let there not be one of
my seed or seed's seed wanting in the day when Thou
makest up Thy jewels. Remember their dear father's
prayer: "Of them, in every age, may it be said,




232        MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
These are they which bring the sacrifices of praise
unto the house of the Lord."
Bless my clear old friend, Mrs. Lindsay. O carry
her in Thy arms through the dark valley, and whisper peace to her dying spirit, as Thou didst carry her
friends through, my dear mother and husband. She
told me that when her husband heard of his death he
exclaimed, "Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth!"
She is the last of, my intimate friends whom I knew
in Cedar Street Church (Dr. M.'s).  "Lover and
friend Thou hast put far from me, and my acquaintance in darkness." If I dare, I would wish to join
them. Lord, give me grace to say, " All the days of
my appointed time will I wait till my change come."
Bless my instructions in the Sabbath class. I thank
Thee for fruit there. May I see yet more; and when
my head is at rest in the grave, may the seed spring
up and bear fruit.
January 26th, 1845.
O my God, give me fruit in my Sabbath class. I
thank Thee for strength of body to continue it. Bless
also the boy Pye, in Dr. Ferris's church, and bless John
Scott, who has been so long in the Asylum, and is
now about to leave it. Lord, may he be a subject of
grace; and keep Thy hand about dear Richmond
Morse, and carry on the good work which I trust has
been begun in his young heart. Lord, aid me in preparing the children for the anniversary; show nle




MRS. BETHUNE'S WrRITINGS.        233
what my duty is; set a watch upon my lips, that I
offend not with my tongue; yet give me courage to
do my duty, and show boldly what I see to be the
duty of the Board. Lord, forsake me not at this trying time. I leave this heavy burden upon Thee, my
compassionate MIaster, Thou who didst bear the contradiction of sinners. And O teach Miss     to be
prudent, and be more anxious to keep peace, if she
can not make it.
" May the clouds I so much dread
Be big with mercy, and so break
In blessings on our head."
Amen.
Saturday, 1st of February, 1845, my birthday.
This day completes my seventy-fifth year, three
years more than my blessed mother saw. As for
my father, he was cut down in the bloom  of life.
My grandfather, who died at that age, was in second
childhood for a year, having had three attacks of apoplexy. And here am I, with all my faculties apparently unimpaired, except my memory, which only
obliges me to keep memorandums. Blessed be God
for all his loving-kindness to me, however undeserving; truly may I say, "Goodness and mercy have
followed me all my life;" and may I not trust my
God that I shall dwell in His house forevermore?
My forefatherstrusted in Thee, 0 Lord; they trusted,
and Thou didst deliver them. They trusted in Thee,
and were not confounded.  But it would seem now




234        MRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.
that I am no longer thought of by some who have
known me comparatively but for a short time, old
friends having been removed either by death or distance. I have not one left in the Boarcd with whom
I can take smweet counsel, as in former times. My beloved mother, dear Mrs. Hoffman, Mrs. Startin, Mrs.
Sadler, Miss Ogden, Miss Onderdonk, and last, and
certainly not least, my still beloved friend Miss Donaldson, who always helped me, particularly at this
season, when preparing for the anniversary. Gracious
God, Thou wilt never leave me nor forsake me. Let
them with whom I associate not laugh me to scorn,
but may they see that " Thou hast delivered ime because I delighted inll Thee;" Thou art He that took
me out of the womrb; Thou didst make me to hope
when I was on my mother's breast; I was cast on
Thee (by her) from the womb. "Be not, then, far
from me, O Lord; for trouble is near, and there is
none to help." My aged associate being absent leaves
more upon me in the Asylum. Lord, look on this
Institution, which thine own hand planted, and which
has been a blessing to many, and forsake us not when
we are old and gray-headed.
how often have I devoted to Thee time, talents,
and substance! I now renew the dedication, though
little remains of either. I am too old, and time too
short, to accomplish much, but still may there be fruit
on the topmost bough. My eyes are still, as in former troubles, unto Thee, O Thou that dwellest in the
heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto




MIRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.         235
the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden
unto the hand of her mistress, so my eyes wait upon
God, until that He have mercy upon us in the Orphan Asylum.
Gracious God, pardon all the sins of the past year;
and as the outward man decays, may the inward man
be renewed day by day.  Lord, hear; Lord, answer,
and defer not. I ask,
"' In the last distressing hour,
Do Thou display delivering power.
The mount of danger is the place
Where oft we see surprising grace."
Amen. Do as Thou hast said.
April 27, Sabbath.
Dr. Alexander mentioned Robert Haldane.  My
beloved husband and I knew him  well, and often
united with him in prayer for the spread of the Word
of God. My dear companion was a perfect Concordance; could give chapter and verse when he quoted
Scripture.  When I was going to read my mother's
provision for passing Jordan when he was passing
away, he said, "No, take the Bible itself; read the
14th of John's Gospel." WVhile turning it up, he said,
"The Bible! the Bible! no tongue can tell what the
Bible has been to me."  And, after twenty years'
more experience, I can say the same.




236        MRS. BETHUNE'S WVRITINGS.
Philadelphia, November 2, 1845, Sabbath.
This day my beloved son preached from the 20th
and 21st verses of the Epistle of Jude. I-Ie had
only a skeleton, having been prevented from writing
out his sermon by the illness of his brother-in-law.
He was much troubled before he went because he
thought himself so ill prepared. I told him the Lord
would bless him, and He certainly did, for he never
preached the Gospel more fully, or with apparently
more Divine wisdom. When he remarked that the
babes in Christ must be fed with milk, but that the
more advanced Christians, having to labor and to be
growing in usefulness, must have, necessarily, stronger and more nourishing food, a tender thought crossed my mind, that the Lord, in answer to my husband's
prayers and my own, had given me to be fed with
strong meat by him whom I had fed with milk, spiritual and temporal-the latter from my own breast;
and I was much affected, as must have been observed
by several. I now record my thankfulness to the
prayer-hearing- and prayer-answering God; He who
leads His people to pray for what lIe designs to bestow,
I have been much gratified by my present visit,
witnessing an evident improvement and growth in
the Divine life of my son. Bless the Lord, 0 my
soul; and all that is within me, bless and magnify
His holy name. 0 let me be thankful fbr apparently
the full answer to my dear husband's prayers for his




MIRS. BETIHUNEES WRITINGS.      237
beloved son forty years ago, and may I profit by his
preaching this day.
Sabbath, Jan. 4, 1846.
Heard Dr. Alexander in the forenoon; his text was
from the 136th Psalm, 1st verse: "O give thanks unto
the Lord, for His mercy endureth forever."  He alluded to many causes of thankfulness as a Church,
now that we had completed one year from beginning
to end; said the Session were going to visit through
the congregation, that they might become acquainted
with the members; that he, as pastor, was going to
commence his pastoral visits with the year. I rejoice
that he seems to be happy among us. Long, long
may the Lord spare him to us. As for me, my time
is fast drawing to a close. Oh, at evening time may
it be light, and may this dear servant of God comfort
me while passing through the dark valley. Amid
many trials and difficulties in worldly matters, I have
to record an event which, while it rejoiced my heart,
caused tears of gratitude to flow.i WVho am I, O
Lord? and all my father's house, that Thou shouldst
honor me thus? This day, at my Sabbath class, Alexander Husted said to me, "I mean to begin the
year by serving the Lord."  How it thrilled through
my heart to hear him say so. He was the first that
entered my class September, 1839, and he has steadily attended it ever since, when well, and when I have
been in the city. I have never needed to send for




238        MIRS. BETEUNE'S WRITINGS.
the children: they always are ready to return, and
have ever-taken pleasure in the exercise. IHee makes
the third who have become Christians-I trust not
the last. He will unite with the Church next Sabbath.  My heart yearns over one I can not help
considering my spiritual child. Lord, keep Thy hand
about him, and, should he be a suitable one to become
a minister, provide the means for his education.
August 30, 1846.
Dr. Alexander this afternoon preached from the
67th verse of the 119th Psalm: "Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now have I kept Thyword;" a most instructing and comforting discourse,
and suited the experience of my long life. May God
bless it to those of our congregation, of whom there
are not a few, now in deep affliction. I am not one
who has not seen affliction, and I may read my sin in
my punishment in some of my afflictions. Lord,
give me the sanctified use of them all. In all much
mercy has been mine. Only do Thou, gracious
God, bring all my family within the bounds of Thy
covenant, and I put a blank into Thy hands as to
worldly blessings.
September 6, 1846.
In the afternoon we had a most rousing discourse
from Rev. Dr. Plummer, of Virginia.  He had no




AIRS. BETHUNE IS WRITINGS.      239
notes or written sermon. His delivery is very unlike
our dear pastor, but his matter was most excellent,
and it must be a hard heart that could be -unmoved
under it. His text was Hebrews, vii., 25: "WVherefore He is able to save them unto the uttermost that
come unto God by Him (Jesus)i seeing He ever liveth
to make intercession for them."  May the Lord bless
it to his hearers. None need despair who heard him.
He had many tender expressions; many of them
floating in my memory, though I can not set them
down, something like the following: Jesus, in His
agony on the cross, while His mother was before
Him, and others dear to Hlim, attended only to the
dying thief, who "called on Him to remember him
when He came to -His kingdom."  Jesus replied,
while the blood was trickling from His side to save
him, " This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise."
He said many of the Lord's chosen ones were from
the greatest sinners; Abraham, who was called the
father of the faithful, was, as well as his father, an
idolator.  Jesus himself chose His disciples from
those who had the, least appearance of religion, fishermen, publicans. When Peter denied his Master with
cursing and swearing, it showed his early habit; yet
his Master, knowing his contrition, told the woman
to tell His disciples that He was risen, and said,' and
Peter:" poor Peter, whom he seemed to mention particularly. Paul, too, was another desperately wicked
character; yet, when Christ called him, he immediately acknowledged Him and believed in Him.




240        MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.
September 13, 1846.
This afternoon Dr. Alexander dispensed the communion. I hope it was a good time. He told us of
many things we ought to pray for at a communion
season, but he gave us very little time. I do love a
long pause. Oh how many prayers have been answered, put up at such seasons. After service I went to
visit good Mr. H., and had an interesting conversation with him. His dear wife, he told me, had her
senses to the last. She was an excellent Christian
woman, and well served her day and generation.
Thus friend after friend departs. I am nearly left
alone of all those who labored with me in the societies in years past. Well, my time can not be long;
only let my God lift up His countenance upon me,
and give me the support He gave my beloved mother and husband, and I am willing to go whenever He
sees fit to call me.
September 18, 1846.
The twenty-second anniversary of my beloved husband's entrance on his eternal rest, and of my commencing the lonely and trying life of a widow. I
have again, for the twenty-second time, shut my door
against company, that I might commune with my
God, who condescends to be the Husband of the widow, the Father of the fatherless, the Friend of the
stranger —the God who has led me and fed me all my




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.         241
life long, and of whom I can say, " not one word has
failed of all that H-e promised." I have been reading
nearly all the exercises of former years, and find that
many, very many of the prayers recorded are still
suitable to the present dclay. Many of them have
been answered to me and mine; but as long as we
are in this vale of tears, we must still meet with trials
of our faith; still, on reviewing our past lives, we
find much sin and many shortcomings to repent of,
and must again return to the fountain opened, and
wash and be clean. Gracious God, the God and Father of our blessed Savior, hear the prayer of Thy
widowed handmaid for herself and those nearest and
dearest to her. 0 may the time soon come-O may
it come before another anniversary-that call my children's children may be taught of God. It is a long
time since we rejoiced over the second birth of any
of the third generation, yet there are several older
than their mothers were when they came out from
the world, and took the easy yoke of Christ upon
them. There are yet six in one family and four in
another-precious souls, the seed's seed of Thy clear
departed servant, who were the subjects of his prayers, though he never saw them. Yet the promise is
the same as when first given: "My Word shall not
depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of
thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed,
from henceforth and forever."- Oh what a promise!
Lord, enable Thy widowed handmaid and the parents
of these children to pray, and believe that Thou wilt
L




242        MRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.
fulfill it to all who are yet without. 0 may they
have the one thing needful, and then we know that
what is necessary of temporal blessings Thou wilt not
withhold. Look in an especial manner on the youth
now staying with me; enable me to do my duty to
him, and give me to see him, as I saw his sisters, humbled under a sense of sin, and then rejoicing in the
liberty wherewith Christ makes His people free.
February 1, 1847, my birthday.
Seventy-seven years to'day, and five years older
than my dear mother was when she departed, and
twenty-two and a half older than my ever-to-be-lamented husband was; yet here I am, in better health
than I was when younger, and my mind still continues clear, and, except that I can not remember as
well as formerly what I hear or what I read, yet
when I charge it, and keep memoranda, I seldom neglect my various duties. Lord, make me more thankful for all my mercies, which are many, and submissive to Thy holy will in all the trials and difficulties
which press upon me. Hear my prayer in the first
five verses of the fifth Psalm, and the 11thl and 12th
verses. I have much to bless Thy name for since my
last birthday. I have enjoyed many spiritual blessings, and have not been disappointed in answers to
all my prayers, and try to wait patiently for answers
to others.  I thank Thee, I bless and magnify Thy
name, that another of my clear grandchildren has de



MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.        243
termined that, whatever others do, she will serve the
Lord-Jessy.M.; Lord, take this lamb into Thine
arms, and shelter her in Thy bosom. Lord, if it may
be, rebuke her disease, restore her to health, and may
she be spared to much usefulness in her day; and, O
gracious God, look in mercy on my only remaining
impenitent granddaughter and impenitent grandsons.
It is high time that at least two of them, who are
under my roof, should be anxious for the salvation
of their souls, instead of thinking only on what they
shall eat and drink, and wherewithal they shall be
clothed. Lord, melt, or, rather, take away the stony
heart out of their flesh, and give them hearts of flesh.
Look especially on Robert, now uncertain what profession he shall choose. He has talents; Lord, give
him grace; and may he choose the most honorable of
all professions, and we see another of the descendants
of those that prayed for their seed and their seed's seed
proclaiming Thy Gospel, and promoting the Lord's
cause in this wretched world. And now, Lord, I be.
gin another year of my life. Oh how much I have
to repent of during the year that I now finish, and
all that went before. Lord, I must again apply to
that fountain opened for sin and uncleanness, the
precious blood of Christ, that cleanseth from all sin.
Lord, pardon; Lord, grant me more grace, more patience, more perseverance, more long-suffering —a
greater disposition to bear and forbear, when I can do
so consistent with' my duty. Undertake for Thine
unworthy handmaid, whom Thou hast so long honor



244        MRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.
ed to be useful to Thy family, the fatherless, and bless
Thy still more aged handmaid, Mrs. Hamilton; may
her last days be her best days, and at evening time
may it be light in both our souls. If Thou sparest
me another year, aid me in preparing lessons that
may be useful in training up a seed to serve Thee
when my body shall be at rest in the grave, and I
have taken possession- of the mansion my blessed
Master has, I humbly hope, prepared for me.
March 26, 184i.
This evening was the time appointed to commence
a prayer-meeting at my house of a few of the members of Duane Street Church. WVe sent notices to our
neighbors, and our dear pastor promised to open it.
The night was uncommonly stormy, and I expected
nobody would come. Mr. Lechie, however, came, and
our dear pastor; we were within the promise, and we
had at least family worship. Dr. Alexander read the
79th Psalm, and commented on it. We then sung a
few verses, and he made a very suitable prayer, praying for me and mine earnestly and fully.
May God hear and answer it in every particular.
And now the Lord has not only heard, but answered
my prayer, and given me the inestimable privilege of
having the voice of prayer and praise ascending from
my little home. O Lord, pour out on us a spirit of
prayer and supplication, and on all who shall address
Thy throne from these meetings; and may the an



MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.        245
swer not tarry, but may we soon witness an outpouring of Thy Holy Spirit on the Church.
May 26, 1847.
Our pastor being absent at the General Assembly,
Dr. Potts supplied his pulpit in the forenoon of Sabbath, 23d, preaching from the words, " And to God,
the Judge of all, and the spirits of just men made perfect."  He said he meant "to take us to heaven."
And to heaven, in mind, he took me; for, blessed be
God, all whom I love I trust are there. He was very
tender; and as I had just heard that my dear old
friend, Mrs. Lindsay, was probably about to follow
her friends and mine, my tears flowed during nearly
all the service. From  church I went to see Mrs.
Lindsay. She was very much pleased to see me, and
appeared and spoke as if she knew she would soon
be in heaven; but her mind wandered a great deal,
and she was very restless. I read to her the chapter
Dr. Potts had spoken from, and many other portions
of Scripture-the 14th of John's Gospel, and Psalms;
but she dozed a great deal, and when awake her mind
wandered, which we regretted. Dr. M'Elroy called
in the afternoon, spoke to her, and prayed for her. I
remained with her till evening, and spent the greater
part of Monday with her. I intended to have seen
the last of her; but, as the doctor said it would be
but a few hours, and she seemed insensible, I feared
it would be too much for me; and, of course, I would




246        AIRS. BETHUNE' S WRITINGS.
have to stay all night, or leave her while alive; accordingly, I took my last look of as dear and kind a
friend as I ever had, and returned to my lonely home
about ten at night.  She departed at three o'clock in
the morning of Tuesday, May 25.
"Happy soul, thy days are endedAll thy mourning days below."
Another Christian friend has entered her rest.
Mrs. Nexsen, after years of suffering, was buried Sabbath afternoon, when we sung these lines:
" Part of the flock have cross'd the flood,
And part are crossing now."
I thought of both friends; Mrs. Nexsen as already
across the flood, and Mrs. Lindsay as still in the swellings of Jordan.  Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord and Savior, who made the passage safe for
His people, so that I trust I can say, " Though I walk
through the valley of the shadow  of death, I will
fear no evil if Thou art with me, and Thy rod and
staff comfort me."  I ask one thing, that Thy sensible presence may be with me, and no distracting or
wandering thoughts annoy me. I must not forget
Mrs. Lindsay's dying request to my son: i" Tell your
son from  me that the next time he publishes anyr
thing he must print Erskine's sermons on these
words:'Do as Thou hast said.'"  She named more
than one to whomn it was the means of their conversion. She also said, "I will not need my vault any
more, and I leave it to you; you may put, any one
there you choose; perhaps it may help some poor




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.        247
body." She repeated this twice. On Wednesday afternoon she was conveyed to her long home. Dr.
M'Elroy made an address, enumerating many of her
Christian graces, and spoke highly of her; but the
half was not told. Dr. Knox prayed, and most fervently, for the aged, for which I was thankful, and in
which I joined. My days, I rather think, will be few.
Sabbath, June 13, 1847.
Dr. Alexander read the 40th of Isaiah, and took
his text, from the 3d verse: " Prepare ye the way of
the Lord." The whole scope of his discourse was the
duty of training the young' in the fear of God, and
urging the support and establishing Sunday-schools.
A collection for the American Sabbath-school Union
was taken up, amounting to upward of $600. I attended the Sabbath-school in the afternoon, and heard
an address to the scholars. A young man preached,
and very well too, in the afternoon, from the 1st and
2d verses of the 2d chapter of the 1st Epistle of John,
having read the first chapter as an introduction to
his subject: "My little children, these things write
I unto you," etc. May the Lord bless all the good
seed sown this day in churches and Sunday'schools;
and, O Lord, wilt Thou give me fruit in my own little Sabbath class. Now, when Thou hast put lover
and friend far from me, and even my few remaining
relatives, O comfort, and support, and aid, and direct
me in all my numerous duties and cares. Lord, I am




248        IRS. BETHUNE7S WRITINGS.
sick of all earthly dependences; and while I experience that it is not in man to direct his steps, and that
vain is all the help of man, even if I had it, which
Thou knowest I have not, may I still look to Thee,
and believe that Thou wilt never leave nor forsake me,
but make plain paths for my feet. Make the path of
duty so plain as if I heard a voice behind me saying,
"This is the way, walk ye in it." Be with me through
the week, and all Thou knowest I have to do. Lead
me to a suitable teacher. Give wisdom to our superintendents in the Orphan Asylum. Restore peace in
our Board. 0 may we be more anxious to do all
our duties with a single eye to Thy glory, saying less
to men and praying more to Thee; acknowledging
Thee in all our ways, and then we may trust and experience more than we do that Thou wilt direct our
steps. As to temporals, I know Thou wilt give " food
and raiment, and therewith may we be content."
And, O Lord, preserve to me my reason and my
judgment; and 0, leave me not in this world to be
a burden to myself or others.
Take me home to the mansions prepared for me
when I can no longer take care of myself and be useful to others. KIeep Thy good hand around the only
son of his widowed mother, and all my children and
children's children. They are the seed of the righteous; may they all be the followers of those who,
through faith and patience, have inherited the promises. Amen.




MRS. BETHUNE'S WRITINGS.                249'Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the billows near me roll,
WVhile the tempest still is high."
August 16, 1847.
0 Lord, I thank Thee for the restored health of
my beloved son.  Be with him  in the good work in
which he is engaged, and may he be a beginning of
saving mercy to the "Thousand Isles."  I have often
heard my dear mother speak of the "( Thousand Isles
-Mille Isles."  Little did she think her grandson,
the  son of her beloved D. B., would be the first
to carry the glad tidings of salvation there.  Lord,
prosper.  I now  write and sing these verses as a
prayer.  0 Lord, grant it.  May I experience fully
all that they express.
"In the hour of pain and anguish,
In the hour when death draws near,
Suffer not my heart to languish,
Suffer not my soul to fear.
O refresh me with Thy blessing,
O refresh me with Thy grace;
May Thy mercies, never ceasing,
Fit me for Thy dwelling-place.
W" When this mortal life is ended,
Bid me in Thine arms to rest,
Till, by angel bands attended,
I awake among the bless'd.
"Then, O crown me with Thy blessing,
Through the triumphs of Thy grace,
L2




250           MRS. BETHUNE S WRITINGS.
Then shall praises, never ceasing,
Echo through Thy dwelling-place.
O refresh me with Thy blessing,
O refresh me with Thy grace."
THE END.




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This work bears on its face the evidences of scholarship and research. The
arrangement is clear and effective; the style energetic, lively, and often brilliant.
* * * Mr. Motley's instructive volumes will, we trust, have a circulation commeno
surate with their interest and value.-Protestant Epliscopal Quarterly Reviewo.
To the illustration of this most interesting period Mr. Motley has brought the
matured powers of a vigorous and brilliant mind, and the abundant fruits of patient and judicious study and deep reflection. The result is, one of the most
important contributions to historical literature that have been made in this country. —North American Review.
We would conclude this notice by earnestly recommending our readers to procure for themselves this truly great and admirable work, by the production of
which the anther has conferred no less honor upon his country than he has won
praise and fame for himself, and than which, we can assure them, they can find
nothing more attractive or interesting within the compass of modern literature.
-Evangelical Review.
It is not often that we have the pleasure of commending to the attention of the
lover of books a work of such extraordinary aud unexceptionable excellence as
this one. — Universalist Quarterly Review.
There are an elevation-and a classic polish in these volumes, and a felicity of
grouping and of portraiture, which invest the subject with the attractions of a
living and stirring episode in the grand historic drama.-SXouthernz Methodist
Quarterly Review.
The author writes with a genial glow and love of his subject.-Presbyterian
Quzarterly Review.
Mr. Motley is a sturdy Republican and a hearty Protestant. His style is lively and picturesque, and his work is an honor and an important accession to our
national literature.-Church Review.
Mr. Motley's work is an important one, the result of profound research, sincere
convictions, sound principles, and manly sentiments; and even those who are
most familiar with the history of the period will find in it a fresh and vivid addition to their previous knowledge. It does honor to American literature, and
would do honor to the literature of any country in the world.-Edinburgh Review.
A serious chasm in English historical literature has been (by this book) very
remarkably filled.. * * * A history as complete as industry and genius can make
it now lies before us, of the first twenty years of the revolt of the United Provinces. * * * All the essentials of a great writer Mr. Motley eminently possesses.
His mind is broad, his industry unwearied. In power of dramatic description
no modern historian, except, perhaps, Mr. Carlyle, surpasses him, and in analysis of character he is elaborate and distinct.-Westminsfss- Review.




MOTLEY'S RISE O  THE DUTCH REPUBLIC.
It is a work of real historical value, the result of accurate criticism, written
in a liberal spirit, and from first to last deeply interesting.-Athenceum.
The style is excellent, clear, vivid, eloquent; and the industry with which
original sources have been investigated, and through which new light has been
shed over perplexed incidents and characters, entitles Mr. Motley to a high rank
in the literature of an age peculiarly rich in history.-NYorth Bsritish Review.
It abounds in new information, and, as a first work, commands a very cordial
recognition, not merely of the promise it gives, but of the extent and importance
of the labor actually performed on it.-London Examiniser.
Mr. Mlotley's "History" is a work of which any country might be proud.Press (London).
Mr. Motley's History will be a standard book of reference in historical literature.-London Literary Gazette.
Mr. Motley has searched the whole range of historical documents necessary to
the composition of his work.-London Leader.
This is really a great work. It belongs to the class of books in which we
range our Grotes, Milmans, Merivales, and Macaulays, as the glories of English
literature in the department of history. * * * Mr. Motley's gifts as a historical
writer are among the highest and rarest.-Nonconformist (London).
Mr. Motley's volumes will well repay perusal. * * * For his learning, his liberal
tone, and his generous enthusiasm, we heartily commend him, and bid him good
speed for the remainer of his interesting and heroic narrative.-Sateurday Review.
The story is a noble one, and is worthily treated.  M * * Mr. Motley has had the
patience to unravel, with unfailing perseverance, the thousand intricate plots of
the adversaries of the Prince of Orange; but the details and the literal extracts
which he has derived from original documents, and transferred to his pages,
give a truthful color and a picturesque effect, which are especially charming.London Daily Neews.
M. Lothrop Motley dans son magnifique tableau de la formation de notre Republique.-G. Guo, xN VAN PRINSTElE'rt.
Our accomplished countryman, Mr. J. Lothrop Motley, who, during the last
five years, for the better prosecution of his labors, has established his residence
in the neighborhood of the scenes of his narrative. No one acquainted with the
fine powers of mind possessed by this scholar, and the earnestness with which he
has devoted himself to the task, can doubt that he will do full justice to his important but difficult subject.-W. H. PRsESOoT.
The production of such a work as this astonishes, while it gratifies the pride
of the American reader.-N. Y. Observer.
The "Rise of the Dutch Republic" at once, and by acclamation, takes its
place bythe 1" Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," as a work which, whether for research, substance, or style, will never be superseded.-N. Y. Albion.
A work upon which all who read the English language may congratulate
themselves.-New Yorker Handels Zeitung.
Mr. Motley's place is now (alluding to this book) with Hallam and Lord Mahon, Alison and Macaulay in the Old Country, and with Washington Irving,
Prescott, and Bancroft in this. —N. Y. Times.
TnE authority, in the English tongue, for the history of the period and people
to which it refers. —N. Y. Courier cansd Enquirer.
This work at once places the author on the list of American historians which
has been so signally illustrated by the names of Irving, Prescott, Bancroft, and
Hlildreth.-Boston Times.
The work is a noble one, and a most desirable acquisition to our historical literature.-Mobile Advertiser.
Such a work is an honor to its author, to his country, and to the age in which
it was written.-Ohio Farmer.
Published by HARPER & BROTHER4S
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SMr. Miotley, the American historian of the United Nethertlands —we owe himn
English homage.-LoNDoN TIMES.
" As interesting as a romcance, and as reliable as a roposition of E'ctid.c"
History Of
The United Netherland s
FROM THE DEATH OF WILLIAM THE SILENT TO THE SYNOD OF DORT. WITH A
FULL VIEW OF THE ENGLISH-DUTCIH STRUGGLE AGAINST SPAIN, AND
OF THE ORIGIN AND DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH
ARMADA.
BY JOHN LOTHROP MOTLEY, LL.D., D.C.L.,
Corresponding MIember of the Institute of France, Author of "The Rise of the
Dutch Republic."
With Portraits and Map.
2 vols. 8vo, IMuslin, $4 00; Sheep, $4 50; HIalf Calf, $6 00.
Critical Notices.
His living and truthful picture of events.-Qitarterly Review (London), Jan.,
1861.
Fertile as the present ago has been in historical works of the highest merit,
none of them can be ranked above these volumes in the grand qualities of interest,
accuracy, and truth.-Edcinbterghl Quarterly Reviewu, Jan., 1861.
This nIoble wlork.-T Westm insteer Reviewc (London).
One of the most fascinating as well as important histories of the century.-Cor.
N. Y. Evenzigy Post.
The careful study of these volumes will infallibly afford a feast both rich and
rare.-Baltin lore Repsublican.
Already takes a rank among standard works of history.-lLonzdos  Critic.
Sir. Motley's prose epic.-London Spectatos.
Its pages are pregnant vith instruction.-London Literary Gazette.
nVe may profit by almost every page of his narrative. All the topics which agitate us now are more or less vividly presented in the History of the United Nletherlands.-Ne-   Yorlt Times.
Bears on every page marks of the same vigorous mind that produced "The Rise
of the Dutch Republic;" but the new work is riper, mellower, and though equally
racy of the soil, softer flavored. The inspiring idea which breathes through Mr.
Motley's histories and colors the whole texture of his narrative, is the grandeur of
that memorable struggle in the 16th century by which the human mind broke the
thraldom of religious intolerance and achieved its independence.-lThe World, iV. }:
The name of 5Motley now stands in the very front rank of living historians. His
Dutchl Republic took the world by surprise; but the favorable verdict then given
is now only the more deliberately confirmed on the publication of the continued
story under the title of the Hissory of the United lVetlzerltasds. All the nerve,
and power, and substance of juicy life are there, lending a charm to every page.CheCch Jostrs1al, A. Y.
Motley, indeed, has produced a prose epic, and his fighting scenes are as real,
1pirited, and life-like as the combats in the Iliad.-The Preess (Phila.).
His history is as interesting as a romance, and as reliable as a proposition of ETu-'lid.  Clio never had a more faithful disciple.  We advise every reader whose.means will permit to become the owner of these fascinating volumes, assuring him
3hat he will never regret the investment.-Christian lntelligencer, N. Y.
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By Thomas Carlyle.
ISTORY  OF FRIEDRICH II. OF PRUSSIA, CALLED FREDERICK THE GREAT. BY THOMAS
CARLYLE.  3 vols. now  ready.  Portrait, Maps, and
Plans.  izmo, Cloth, $1 25 per volume; Sheep, $1 50
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THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. A History. By
THOMAS CARLYLE. Newly Revised. With Portrait
of Author.  2 vols. I zmo, Cloth, $z oo; Sheep,
$2 50; Half Calf, $3 70.
OLIVER CROMWELL'S LETTERS AND SPEECHES.  Including Supplement to the First Edition.  With
Elucidations.  By THOMAS CARLYLE.  Portraits.  z
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pAST AND PRESENT, CHARTISM, AND SARTOR RESARTUS. By THOMAS CARLYLE. New
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$1 25; Half Calf, $1 85.
Mr. Carlyle is about the only living writer whose opinions are
of value, even when it is impossible to agree with them. No one
is more fond than he of paradox, but few men's paradoxes hint at
so important truths.  No one with a more autocratic dogmatism
sets up strong men as heroes, or condemns the hapless possessors
of pot-bellies to infamy; but then his judgments, even where they
can not be confirmed, always enforce some weighty principle which
we were in danger of forgetting.  And if it sometimes happens
that neither the hero nor the principles commend themselves, still
the thoroughness of the execution and the fire with which all his
writings are instinct, never fail to make a great work.-London Review.
Published by HARPER & DIZOTIERS,
FPranklin Square, N. Y.
M  Sent by Mail, postage prepaid (for any distance in the United States under
1500 miles), on receipt of the Price.




CURTIS'S HISTORY
OP THE
CON ST IT UT ITIONN
HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN, FORMATION, AND ADOP_
TION OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED
STATES.  By GEORGE TICENOiR CURTIS.  Complete in 2 vols.
8vo, Muslin, $4 00; Law Sheep, $5 00; Half Calf, $6 00.
A book so thorough as this in the comprehension of its subject, so impartial
in the summing up of its judgments, so well considered in its method, and so
truthful in its matter, may safely challenge the most exhaustive criticism. The
Constitutional History of our country has not before been made the subject of a
special treatise. We may congratulate ourselves that an author has been found
so capable to do full justice to it; for that the work will take its rank among the
received text-books of our political literature will be questioned by no one who
has given it a careful perusal.-ANational lntelligencer.
We know of no person who is better qualified (now that the late Daniel Webster is no more), to undertake this important history.-Boston Journal.
It will take its place among the classics of American literature.-BostonnCourier.
The author has given years to the preliminary studies, and nothing has escaped him in the patient and conscientious researches to which he has devoted
so ample a portion of time. Indeed, the work has been so thoroughly performed
that it will never need to be done over again; for the sources have been exhaust.
ed, and the materials put together with so much judgment and artistic skill that
taste and the sense of completeness are entirely satisfied.-N. Y. Daily Times.
A umost important and valuable contribution to the historical and political literature of the United States. All publicists and students of public law will be
grateful to Mr. Curtis for the diligence and assiduity with which he has wrought
out the great mine of diplomatic lore in which the foundations of the American
Constitution are laid, and for the light he has thrown on his wide and arduous
subject.-London Morning Chronicle.
To trace the history of the formation of the Constitution, and explain the circumstances of the time and country out of which its various provisions grew, is a
task worthy of the highest talent. To have performed that task in a satisfactory manner is an achievement with which an honorable ambition may well be
gratified. We can honestly say that in our opinion Mr. Curtis has fairly won
this distinction.-N. Y. Courier alsd rEnquzirer.
We have seen no history which surpasses it in the essential qualities of a
standard work destined to hold a permanent place in the impartial judgment of
future generations.-Boston Traveler.
Should the second volume sustain the character of the first, we hazard nothing
in claiming for the entire publication the character of a standard work. It will
furnish the only sure guide to the interpretation of the Constitution, by unfolding
historically the wants it seas intended to supply, and the evils which it was intended to remedy.-Boston Daily Advertiser.
This volume is an important contribution to our constitutional and historical
literature. * * * Every true friend of the Constitution will gladly welcome it.
The author has presented a narrative clear and interesting. It evinces careful
research, skillful handling of material, lucid statement, and a desire to write in
a tone and manner worthy of the great theme.-Boston Post.
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THE
LAND AND THE BOK;
O0,
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATIONS DRAWN FROM THE MANNERS
AND CUSTOMS, THE SCENES AND SCENERY OF
THE HOLY LAND.
BY W. M. THOMSON, D.D.,
Twenty-five Years a Missionary of the A.B.C.F.M. in Syria and Palestine.
With two elaborate Maps of Palestine, an accurate Plan of Jerusalem, and several hmundred Engravings representing the Scenery,
Topography, and Productions of the Holy Land, and the'Costumes, Manners, and Habits of the People. Two elegant Large
12mo Volumes, Muslin, $3 50; Half Calf, $5 20.
The Land of the Bible is part of the Divine Ievelation. It bears
testimony essential to faith, and gives lessons invaluable in exposition. Both have been written all over the fair face of Palestine,
and deeply graven there by the finger of God in characters of living
light. To collect this testimony and popularize these lessons for
the biblical student of every age and class is the prominent design
of this work. For twventy-five years the Author has been permitted
to read the Book by the light which the Land sheds upon it; and
he now hands over this friendly torch to those who have not been
thus favored. In this attempt the pencil has been employed to aid
the pen. A large number of pictorial illustrations are introduced,
many of them original, and all giving a genuine and true representation of things in the actual Holy Land of the present day. They
are not fancy sketches of imaginary scenes thrown in to embellish
the page, but pictures of living manners, studies of sacred topography, or exponents of interesting biblical allusions, which will add
greatly to the value of the work.
Pubishedl by HARPER & BROTHERS,
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I* HArrPER & BROTRHERS will send either of the following Works by Malil,
postage paid (for any distance in the United States under 3000 miles), on receipt of One Dollar.
LIDDELL AND SMITH'S
SCHOOL HISTORIE5 OF
GREECE AND ROME.
DR. SPITHES HISTORY OF GREECE,
A School History of Greece, from the Earliest Times to the Roman Conquest, with Supplementary Chapters on the History
of Literature and Art.  By WmI. SMITH, LL.D., Classical Examiner in the University of London, and Editor of the " Classical Dictionaries."   Revised, with an Appendix, by GEORGE
W. GREENE, A.M.  Illustrated by 100 Engravings on Wood.
(Uniform  with "Liddell's Rome" and "The Student's Gibbon.")  New Edition.  679 pages, Large 12mo, Muslin, $1 00.
We have much satisfaction in bearing testimony to the excellence of the plan
on which Dr. Wm. Smith has proceeded, and the careful, scholar-like manner
in which he has carried it out. The great distinctive feature, however, is the
chapters on Literature and Art. This gives it a decided advantage over all previous works of the kind.-Athenceums.
DEAN LIDDELL'S HISTORY OF  OME.
A School History of Rome, from the Earliest Times to the Establishment of the Empire, with Chapters on the History of Literature and Art. By HENRY G. LIDDELL, D.D., Dean of Christ
Church, Oxford.  Illustrated by numerous Wood-cuts.  (Uniform with "The Student's Gibbon" and " Smith's History of
Greece.") 778 pages, Large 12mo, Muslin, $1 00.
This excellent History of Rome, from the pen of one of the most celebrated
scholars of the day, will supersede evesy-: otheor otork on the sozbject. The volume
conforms with the "History of Greece," by Dr. WinVm. Smith, in typography,
literary method, and illustration.-Johnl Bcll.
DR. SlMITH'S STUDENT'S. GIBBON.
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.  By
EDWARD GIBBON.  Abridged.  Incorporating the Researches
of Recent Commentators.'By WILLIAM SMITH, LL.D., Editor
of the " Classical Dictionary" and " A Dictionary of Greek and
Roman Antiquities." Illustrated by 100 Engravings on Wood.
(Uniform with "Liddell's Rome.")  705 pages, Large 12mo,
Muslin, $1 00.
Dr. WVm. Smith has drawn up an admirable abridgment of Gibbon's Roman
Empire, using, as far as possible, the language of the original, and adopting the
plan of omitting or treating briefly circumstances of inferior importance, so that
the grand events which have influenced the history of the world may be narrated at length.-Ccambridge Chronicle.
Published by HARPER & BROTHERS,
Franklin  Square, New  York.




COMIPLETION OF GROTE'S HISTORY OF GREECE.,
A HISTORY OF GREECE,
FROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD TO THE CLOSE OF THE GENERA.
TION CONTEMPORARY WITH ALEXANDER THE GREAT.
BY GEORGE GROTE, ESQ.
Vol. XII. contains Portrait, Maps, and Index. Complete in 12 vols. 12mo,
Muslin, $9 00; Sheep, $12 00; Half Calf, $15 00.
It is not often that a work of such magnitude is undertaken; more seldom still
is such a work so perseveringly carried on, and so soon and yet so worthily accomplished. Mr. Grote has illustrated and invested with an entirely new significance a portion of the past history of humanity, which he, perhaps, thinks the most
splenidid that has been, and which all allow to have been very splendid. He has made
great Greeks live again before us, and has enabled us to realize Greek modes of thinking. He has added a great historical work to the language, taking its place with
other great histories, and yet not like any of them in the special combination of
merits which it exhibits: scholarship and learning such as we have been accustomed to demand only in Germans; an art of grouping and narration different
from that of Hume, different from that of Gibbon, and yet producing the effect of
sustained charm and pleasure; a peculiarly keen interest itl events of the political
order, and a wide knowledge of the business of politics; and, finally, harmonizing
all, a spirit of sober philosophical generalization always tending to view facts
collectively in their speculative bearing as well as to record them individually.
It is at once an ample and detailed narrative of the history of Greece, and a lucid
philosophy of Grecian history.- London Athenceum, March 8, 1856.
Mr. Grote will be emphatically the historian of the people of Greece.-Dublin
University Magazine.
The acute intelligence, the discipline, faculty of intellect, and the excellent erudition every one would look for from Mr. Grote; but they will here also find the
element which harmonizes these, and without which, on such a theme, an orderly
and solid work could not have been written.-Examiner.
A worlk second to that of Gibbon alone in English historical literature. Mr.
Grote gives the philosophy as well as the facts of history, and it would be difficult
to find an author combining in the same degree the accurate learning of the scholar with the experience of a practical statesman. The completion of this great
work may well be hailed with some degree of national pride and satisfaction.Literary Gazette, March 8, 1856.
The better acquainted any one is with Grecian history, and with the manner in
which that history has heretofore been written, the higher will be his estimation
of this work. Mr. Grote's familiarity both with the great highways and the obscurest by-paths of Grecian literature and antiquity has seldom been equaled, and
not often approached, in unlearned England; while those Germans who have rivaled it have seldom possessed the quality which eminently characterizes Mr.
Grote, of keeping historical imagination severely under the restraints of evidence.
The great charm of Mr. Grote's history has been throughout the cordial admiral
tion he feels for the people whose acts and fortunes he has to relate. * * We bid
Mr. Grote farewell; heartily congratulating him on the conclusion of a workl which
is a monument of English learning, of English clear-sightedness, and of English
love of freedom and the characters it produces.-Spectator.
Endeavor to become acquainted with Mr. Grote, who is engaged on a Greek
History. I expect a great deal from this production.-NIEvUHR, the Historian,
to Professor LIEBER.
The author has now incontestably won for himself the title, not merely of a
historian, but of the historian of Greece.-Quarterly Review.
Mr. Grote is, beyond all question, the historian of' Greece, unrivaled, so far as
we know, in the erudition and genius with whichahe has revived the picture of a
distant past, and brnught home every part and feature of its history to our intellects and our hearts.-London Times.
For becoming dignity of style, unforced adaptation of results to principles, careful verification of theory by fact, and impregnation of fact by theory-for extensive
and well-weighed learning, employed with intelligence and taste, we have seen no
historical work of modern times which we would place above Mr. Grote's history,-iMorning Chronicle.
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