Narrative of the Life and Travels of Serjeant B——Butler, Robert
History
Narrative of the Life and Travels of Serjeant B——
Butler, Robert
Butler, Robert, 1784- -- Travel -- India; India -- Description and travel
it not been that I knew that "after death there was a judgment." And
how was my soul to appear before the holy and just Judge of the earth?
This was a question I could not answer. I looked with anxious care to
see if any hope was to be entertained from my past life, but, alas!
all seemed to be a dreary waste. Some comfort, indeed, I had from the
view of my apprenticeship, and some time afterward, which I formerly
mentioned; but, alas! even then I saw myself to have been guilty of
many a sin, and all the rest of my life appeared to be but one act of
disobedience and rebellion; and I saw myself condemned by the laws of
heaven, supposing I had lived all my life in the apparently innocent
manner above stated; for it is written, "Cursed is every one that
continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law,
to do them." I next looked to the general mercy of God, but neither
could that give me any relief; and in this state of torment I remained
for several nights and days with little intermission. At last it
pleased the Lord to send me relief in the following manner:--
One forenoon, when I was almost distracted with the agony of my soul,
and the pain of my body, that blessed passage was given me, "Call upon
me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify
me:" and never before did I feel any thing come home with such divine
power and such healing comfort to my afflicted soul. I tried to
recollect if ever I had read it in my Bible, or heard it any time, but
in vain; yet I was fully persuaded that it was the voice of God
speaking in his word, and accompanied by his Holy Spirit. I will not
attempt a description of my mind at this time, for it is impossible,
because it was indeed "a joy unspeakable." O what a flood of comfort
did it impart to my helpless soul! for then I believed that God "had
not in anger shut up his tender mercy, but still intended to be
gracious." Now "the Lord made my bed in my sickness," for my couch, as
I thought, became softer, and every thing around me wore a different
aspect. I yet looked back with pleasure to the description of heaven
given by Mr. Boston in his Fourfold State, (which I used to read when
in Darnick,) and still hoped to be an inhabitant of that happy place.
Here the Lord turned for me "my mourning into dancing, he put off my
sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;"--here the Lord dealt with me
as he did with his ancient church, for "he allured me, and brought me
into the wilderness, that he might speak comfortably unto me;"--and
here "he made me to sing, as in the days of my youth." "Sing unto the
Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his
holiness: For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life;
weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." My
dear reader, if you are a stranger to the comfortable sense of the
favour of God, you may think this is strange kind of language; and no
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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