2. But in what refpects was the creature, every creature, then made fubject to vanity? What did the meaner creatures suffer, when man rebelled against God? It is probable, they fuftained much lofs, even in the lower faculties, their vigour, ftrength and swiftnefs. But undoubtedly they fuffered far more in their understanding, more than we can easily conceive. Perhaps, infects and worms had then as much under, ftanding as the most intelligent brutes have now, whereas millions of creatures have at prefent little more understanding than the earth on which they crawl, or the rock to which they adhere. They fuffered ftill more in their will, in their paffions, which were then variously distorted, and frequently fet in flat oppofition to the little understanding that was left them. Their liberty likewife was greatly impaired, yea, in many cases totally deftroyed. They are flill utterly enslaved to irrational appetites, which have the full dominion over them. The very foundations of their nature are out of course, are turned upside down. As Man is deprived of his Perfection, his loving obedience to God, so Brutes are deprived of their Perfection, their loving obedience to Man. The far greater part of them flee from him, ftudiously avoid his hated presence. The most of the reft fet him at open defiance, yea, destroy him, if it be in their power. A few only, those we commonly term domestic animals, retain more or less of their original difpofition, and (through the mercy of God) love him flill and pay obedience to him.

I

[To be concluded in our next.]

A fhort AccoUNT of Mr. GEORGE STORY.

[Written by himself.]

Was born in the year 1738, at Harthill, in the WeftRiding of Yorkshire. At four years of age I had learned the Catechifm, and had repeated it before the Minister in the Church,

About

About that time, I had a narrow escape; being near the edge of a deep pond, my foot flipped, and I plunged in, but recovering myself, I ftruggled to the fide, and laying hold on fome weeds, got out, no one being near that could give me any affiftance.

In my fixth year, I had read the Bible through several times, and other books that came in my way; particularly the Hiftory of the Sufferings of the Proteftants, in the Vallies of Piedmont; which fixed in me an averfion to the principles of the Church of Rome. Among the practical Treatifes in this Hiftory, was a Caveat against Dancing, wherein was afferted, that Every ftep a dancer takes, is a ftep to hell." This fo affected me, that no inducement could ever prevail upon me to attend the Dancing-fchool; which I efteem a fingular mercy, as it prevented connections that might have proved very pernicious. t

-One day I wantonly threw a ftone and killed a young bird belonging to a neighbour. Though no one faw me, yet for feveral nights I had little fleep. The idea of the bird's expiring in agonies, through my wickednefs, filled me with in expreffible anguish. I would have given agreat deal to have reftored the little creature to life. Tears and prayers to God for pardon, and promises to offend him thus no more, was the only way wherein I found relief.

My Parents taught me early the fear of the Lord, as far as they knew; and though their inftructions were tedious and irksome, yet they made an impreffion on my mind that was never loft, but often recurred when I was alone, or in places of temptation.

Our Minister was a pious, venerable man, and performed his duty with a folemnity that often ftruck me with awe of the divine prefence: particularly when he was reading the burial fervice, I frequently had a diftant prospect of Judgment and Eternity. I was agreeably affected with thunder and lightning. It filled me with a fenfe of God's majefty and

power;

power; for which reafon I would get into the midst of it, though ever fo dreadful, if I was not prevented, that I might enjoy the whole report, and fee the full blaze.

In my feventh year, I loft all relish for learning, and con tracted feveral evil habits. The two following years, my time at fchool was spent to little purpose: part of this I attribute to the being too early taught to read, and too close application to it; and part to the want of a proper Master, who could fuit my genius and engage my curiofity for useful knowledge. But my mafler dying, and being fucceeded by one whofe ability and method were adapted to my capacity, I foon recovered my thirft for learning, and made confiderable improvement therein.

Before I was well able to carry a gun, I was fond of fhooting; till being out one day in the fields, my gun went off at half cock, and was within a very little of killing my brother; this filled me with fuch horror, that I could not endure that exercise any more

When I was about ten years of age, God began to revive his work of grace in and about Sheffield; the rumour of which fpread into our village, and occafioned ferious reflections in the minds of many. One evening, as I was hearkening to the converfation of my parents, on that subject, I was ftruck with an obfervation they made, That prayer was nothing, unlefs the mind was flayed on God. At night, when I repeated my cuftomary prayers, I watched my thoughts nar rowly, and foon found that they wandered from the Lord all the time. This discovery deeply affected me; I ftrove with all my might to think on God as being prefent, seeing and hearing me; and after repeated efforts, through grace, I prevailed. I now began to delight in duties; to pray fervently, and feels ingly, with, or without a form, and many times the Lord anfwered me in fuch a manner as clearly convinced me of his omniscience and omniprefence. I read the Bible with plea fure and profit; the fufferings of Chrift filled me with wonder

and

and gratitude, as I now understood that he endured them all for my fins, and to fave my foul from eternal deftruction. Reading in the Thirty-nine Articles, that Juftification was by Faith, I endeavoured to caft my foul upon the Lord in the best manner I was able, and at times was perfuaded that he had forgiven all my trefpaffes. Though I had never heard any of the Methodist Preachers, yet from that time I felt an esteem for them; and notwithstanding they were loaded with all manner of reproach, and reprefented in the most deteftable light, thofe calumnies only increased my regard for them, because I understood that true Chriftians, in all former ages, had met with the fame treatment from the world.

Having acquired all the learning that was taught at a country school, my friends began to think of putting me to fome bufiness. Going one day to a Bookfeller's fhop, in a neighbouring market town, I got acquainted with him, and my friends accepting of his propofals, I foon after went with him to his place of refidence. This introduced me into company, and exposed me to temptations I never knew before; and yet the Spirit of God ftrove with me more than ever: almost every night I was called to a ftrift account by that inward Monitor, and reproved for the faults of the day and I could feldom fleep, till' with prayers and tears I had implored mercy, and in fome degree obtained it from the Lord: and in this manner I went on for about a year.

I had often been perplexed with the doctrine of Predeftination, but now the Tempter drew me infenfibly into it; he continually fuggefted, That if I was to be faved, I certainly fhould, live as I lift; but if I was ordained to be damned, there was no remedy; God himself could not fave me; and therefore it was mere folly to give myfelf fo much concern about it. But although these fuggeftions tended to ftupify my confcience, and harden my heart, yet I was more uneafy than ever. The Methodists at that time were few and feeble; they had feldom any travelling Preachers; I fometimes atVOL. V.

C

Lended

tended their prayer-meetings, and often followed them up and down the town, hoping they would turn and speak to me; but none took any notice of me. I was left alone to flruggle with fin and Satan.

One day hearing a Preacher was to be there, I attended; but he did not come. Upon this, one of the local Preachers, who was then a Calvinist, gave an exhortation: in which he fairly repeated the words that Satan had fo often fuggefted to me: viz. that if we were to be faved, we could not poffibly perifh; and if we were to be damned, there was no help for us. This made a deep impreffion, and confirmed all that the devil had been preaching to me for years. I believed the horrible doctrine, and from that time determined to give myfelf as little trouble as poffible about Religion.

Being furrounded with books, I read the first that came to hand; Hiftories, Novels, Plays, and Romances, by dozens; but they only pleased while my eyes were upon them, and afterwards furnished matter for a thousand vain imaginations. I then read the Lives of the Heathen Philofophers, with admiration, and determined to copy after them. I perfected myfelf in Geometry and Trigonometry; then I learned Macauley's Short-Hand; foon after, Geography and Aftronomy, together with Botany, Anatomy, Phyfic, and feveral branches of Natural Philofophy. Once I intended ftudying the Law, and read a great deal in the Statutes at large, and other law books: but the fubject was too dry and unentertaining for one of my defultory difpofition. I could recollect reading over three hundred volumes, of one kind or another; (some of them were large folios) before I was fixteen years old. My paffion for books was infatiable. I frequently read till ten or eleven o'clock at night, and began again at four or five o'clock in the morning; nor had I patience to eat my meat, unless I had a book before me.

But about this time I was weary of the Shop, and entered" the Printing-Office. This opened a new scene of things,