8 
 
 {peak fo well of him, and whom I love for what yoa 
 faid of him and to this profefllon of love be added 
 a fubftantial proof, it) giving to the poor hit.nds Of 
 J.'fus all he pouefTed in the world. 
 ~ 3 The gofpel is luthcient M fupport the mtnd :n 
 the immediate pro.fpe.ft of death. Jofeph d:d act 
 comfort Inmlelf with the thought that he ^ was no 
 w ri'e than his neighbours, and therefore as God was 
 merciful he would be fafe enough. The atonement 
 of Chiiil was the only and excluftve ground of his 
 hope and confidence in the view of death, judgment, 
 and eternity. Being juuified by faith, he nad peace 
 with God through die L^rd Jefus Ciirift, and r joiced. 
 in hope of the glory w>f God. 
 
 The Dying Chriftian's Addrefs to Its Sou'. 
 
 VITAL fitark of heavenly flarn't ! 
 Quit, oh ! quit thi< mortal fiame ! 
 Trembling, hoping, ling'. ing, flying, 
 Oh ! the pain, the blifs of dying ! 
 Ceafe, fond nature, ceaie thy ttrife, 
 And let me languiQi into life. 
 Hark! they whifper; angels fay, — 
 " Sifter fpirit, come away !" 
 What is this abforbs me quite ? 
 Steals my (enfs, (huts my fight ? 
 Browns my fpiri.s, draws n:y breath ? 
 i Tell me, my foul, can this be Death? 
 The woild lecedes! it difappears ! 
 Heaven opens on my eyes ! my cars 
 
 .With founds -feraphic ring . 
 Lend, lend your wings ; 1 mount ! I fly I 
 .0 Grave ! where is thy victory ? 
 • O Death I where is thy fting ? 
 
 AN ACCOUN r 
 
 OF THE 
 
 CONVERSION and DEATH 
 
 OF 
 
 POOR JOSEPH. 
 
 7e icbicb ii added, 
 
 The Dying Chriftian's Addrefs to his Soul. 
 By JlEX. POPE. 
 
 Printed by J! Marfliall, Newcaftle. 
 IVhcre way olfo be had, a large and interejtihg GolitSien 
 ej' Religious Bo 'jk:^ Tracls, S-rmevu fcfo 
 
4 
 
 oh¥un?' 'Ah, no (lays he) Jofeph can 
 act nothing— Jofeph hss nothing to Uy 
 for himfelf, but that he is the chief of fin- 
 : yet feein^'that it is a faithhil laying, 
 that Jelus, he who made all things, came 
 into the world to fave finners, why may 
 not Jofeph, after all, be faved ? 
 
 One man, finding out where he heard 
 this dcctr'nte, on which he dwelt fo um- 
 formlv, and with fuch delight, went and 
 aiW'Dr. Calamv to come and viht him. 
 He came, but Joleph was now very weak 
 IfftS had not fpoken for fome time and 
 ihbugh told of the Doctor's arrival, ha 
 took no notice of him ; but when the 
 Doctor began to fpeak to him, as (oon as 
 lie heard &e found of his voice, he in. 
 ftantly fprang upon his elbows, and eiz- 
 ing him by his hands, exclaimed as loud 
 as he could, with his now feeble and trem- 
 biing voice, <0,Sir! you are the 
 Of the Lord Jefus, whom I heard peak fo 
 well of him. Jofeph is the chief fibers , 
 but it is a faithful faying, that Jelus Clin it, 
 the God who made all things, came into 
 the world to fave finners, and why not Jo- 
 fcph ? O pray to that Jefus tor me, pray 
 that he mfy lave me j tell him, that J* 
 
 feph thinks that he loves him for coming 
 do the world to lave fuch hnners as Jo- 
 feph.' The Doctor prayed ; when fteebri 
 eluded, Joieph thanked him »4*J^ 
 he then put his hand under his palov; and 
 took out 1 an old rag, in which were fed 
 no five guineas, and putting k into the 
 &4and, (which he Q"**^ 
 While clofe in his) he thus addrefled Inn . 
 • Jofeph in his folly, had laid this up to 
 keep him in his old age, but Joleph will 
 never lee old age ; take it, 
 
 the poor friends of the Lord Jtius, 
 them that Jof. ph gave it them for 
 bis fake who came into the world to lave 
 
 finners of whom he is the chief. bo lay- 
 S reclined his head. His exertions 
 had been too much tor him, fo 
 that he inftantly expired. 
 
 O r Calatoy l ft this fceoe, but not wuh- 
 ou ihedding tears over 
 
 to ttn m ft ° r y wna . muc K ' 
 
 X one of the .noil affecl.ng occurrence, 
 he ever met with.-It naturally fuggefts the 
 followinc; obftrvations : . 
 
 m us admire the fovereigntv of 
 Divine Grace. The whole congregation, 
 whether rich or poor, were miners m the 
 
POOR JOSEPH. 
 
 A POOR half-witted man, named Jo- 
 JLjL f e P n > whofe employment was to go 
 errands, and carry parcels, paflmg through 
 London ftreets one day, heard piaim-iing- 
 ing in the houfe of God, he went into it, 
 having a lar^e parcel of yarn hanging over 
 his (boulders; it was Dr. Calamy's Church, 
 St. Mary's, Aldenmnbury. A very well 
 dveffed audience fu'rrounded the Doctor. 
 He read his text from 1 Tim. i. 15. " 1 his 
 is a faithful laying, and worthy of all ac- 
 ceptation, that Jefus Chrift came into the 
 world to fave finners, of whom I am the 
 chief." From this he preached in the 
 cleared: manner, the ancient and apoflolic 
 Gofpel, the contents of. this faithful faying, 
 viz. that there is eternal i'alvation for the 
 vileft finners, folely through the worthi- 
 nefs of Jefus Chrift, the God that made all 
 things. 44 Not many rich, not many noble 
 are called by this doctrine," fays the A- 
 poftle ; but 4 God. hath chofen the weak 
 things .of this world, to confound the 
 things that are mighty/ 
 
 / 
 
 the wrath erf God and merit his favour. Many go 
 About to eflablifh a rigLteoufne'.'s of their own, not 
 iubmiuinir to the righteoufnefs of God : while others 
 endeavour by their own exertions to make their hearts 
 be; ter, »md fo prepare them for the reception of Chrift. 
 
 — -.Iolb[3h had no idea of liich a way of falvation 
 
 When afked about his heart, if there was no token 
 for good about it, no faving change there ? ' Ah, no,' 
 i iid, he, ' Jifjffeph can a<9 nothing — Jofeph hasr.othirtg 
 to fay for himfilr. but that he is the chief of finners.' 
 
 2 The gofi el produces love to God 3nd his people. 
 Jofeph had t< ccived the word, not as the word of men, 
 ( but as it is in truth ) the word of God, and it wrought 
 effectually in him believing it. : fie. experienced the 
 truth ot the Apofile's ajiertion : 4 We love him be- 
 caufe he firfl loved us !' , . ■ • g 
 
 1 O pray, (fays he) to that Jefus for me, p/ay that 
 he may five me ! tell "him that Jofeph thinks that 
 he loves him for coming into the world to fave fuch 
 finners as Joleph.' Whatever may be faid about lov- 
 ing God for what he is in himfejf, it was a fenfe of 
 the love of Chrift, manifefied in fin ing finners, that 
 firft attracted his attention, drew forth his'warmeft 
 affections, and occupied all his thoughts. Tints it is 
 with every finner faved by foveiei'gn grace. A fenfe 
 of the love of Chrift find abroad in the-heart by the 
 Holy Spirit, infallibly produces love) and* this is 
 fhevui by Univerfid obedience to the will of God, and 
 ft tidying to adorn the doctrine- of God by a life and 
 converfation becoming the gofpel. Jofeph could 
 not now manifeft his love to : God in this'' Way, but 
 he does it by fhewing love to his people, and that 
 bocaufe they were the friends of jL-fus, When he 
 heard Dr. Calamy f s voice, he exclaimed, • O, Sir, 
 you are the fi iend of the Lord Jefus whom I heard 
 
fightof ahoIyGod, and flood equally in need 
 of that falvation, which by the gofpel, was 
 preached to them. But while the elecant 
 aflembly heard it with liiil -is inattention, 
 the word of God came with demonftration 
 of the Spirit and of power to the heart of 
 Jofeph, and fixed his attention to its infi- 
 nite importance. To what can we afcribe 
 this difference, but to the fovcreign grace 
 or him who will have mercy on whom he 
 will have mercy ; who hath hid ihefe things 
 irom the wile and prudenr, and revealed 
 them to babes, and hath chofen the poor in 
 this world to be rich in faith and heirs of 
 the kingdom which he hath promifed to 
 them that love him ? 
 
 To difplay the power and fovertignty 
 of this grace, the Apoftle tells us, that God 
 hath chofen the foolifh things of the world 
 to confound the wife, and the weak things 
 of the world to confound the things that 
 are mighty, for the exprefs purpofe, that 
 no flefti mould glory in his pretence, but 
 that he that glorieth fliouid glory only in the 
 Lord. This is very different from the 
 general views of men. There is a prone- 
 nefs in the human mind, when convicted 
 of fin, to do fomething in order to efcape 
 
 s 
 
 ' While the elegant part of the congre- 
 gation liftlefsly heard this doctrine, and if 
 they were ftruck with any thing, it was, 
 perhaps, with fome brilliant expreffion, or 
 well turned period that dropped from the 
 Doctor: — Jofeph in rags, gazing with afto- 
 nifhment, never took his eyes from the 
 preacher, but drank in with eagernefs all 
 he faid, and trudging homeward, he was 
 heard thus muttering to himfelf : — 'Jofeph 
 never heard this before j Chrift Jefus, the 
 God who made all thing.;, came into the 
 world to fave Tinners like Jofeph ; and this 
 is true ; and it is a 4 faithful faving/ — Not 
 long after this, Jolcph was feized with a 
 f ver, and was dangeroufly iii. As he 
 tolled upon his bod, his conftant language 
 wis, * Jofeph is the chief of finncrs ; but 
 Jefus Chrift. came into the world to fave 
 fmners, and Jofeph loves him for this/— 
 His neighbour^, who came to fee him, 
 wondered on hearing him always dwell 
 on this, and only this. Some of the reli- 
 gious fort addrefied him in the following 
 manner : — ' But what fay you of your own 
 heart, Jofeph ? Is there no token' for good 
 about it ? No laving change there ? Have 
 you clofed with Chrift, by ading faith up-