At first his friends thought religion had made him less happy than he was before; now they declared they had never seen him in such good spirits, and so truly happy.  They began to wish they were like him.  William longed for the coming of the Lord, while they trembled at the very thought of it:  they rather wished he might never come.  This was a great advantage he had over them by the grace and tender mercy of the Lord.  He exhorted them to come to the same Saviour, and he would receive them also with open arms.

William was afterwards brought into great affliction.  I told him God sent it to him for good, to make him more holy, humble, dead to sin and the world, and more fit for heaven.  He believed me, and praised God for his attention to him, to send this messenger of affliction to do him good.  A person who came in, expressed sorrow at seeing him so pained.  William replied, don’t sorrow for me; rejoice rather, because God has said that our light afflictions, which are but for a moment, work out for us a far more exceeding and an eternal weight of glory.  I am willing to be sick, or to die, or to recover, just as God pleases; whatever pleases him pleases me.

I was never from him during his sickness; he praised God daily that he had ever seen me.  He was happy only when he talked with me or about me.  He recommended me to all who came near him, declaring that my words created a heaven in his soul.  He found me to be the mouth of God to him.

William was completely recovered from his indisposition, by which his knowledge of God, and experience of his faithfulness and love, was much increased.  I continued his bosom companion for many years.  He talked in the fear of God, and in the comforts of his Holy Spirit, till at length he entered, with triumph, into the eternal joy of his Lord.

* * * * *

After conducting William to the gates of the New Jerusalem, I was sent for to reside with a young man in the middling ranks of life, who had received a liberal and religious education from his parents, lately removed from this poor world.  The effects of their example and counsel were evident in all his conduct.  He lived what men call a good moral life, his deportment was very agreeable, and his sobriety was commended by many.  He regularly conversed with me twice every day, and prayed in his closet morning and evening.  On Sabbath I talked to him from dinner to tea, and from tea to supper.

An old uncle of his perpetually exhorted him to go abroad to amass a fortune.  He did not at first relish the advice.  One day he consulted me.  I bluntly told him to be content with such things as he had; not to hasten to be rich, for he would thereby pierce himself with many sorrows:  that numbers were ruined through the deceitfulness of riches.  Labour not for the meat that perisheth, said I, but for that which endureth to everlasting life.  After this conversation, he reasoned with his uncle against leaving his country and friends merely to make money in a foreign land:  he declared that the object was a pitiful one to an immortal creature, who must soon bid an eternal adieu to the affairs of time.  However, after standing his ground for some months, he consented to go a voyage to the West Indies.