When the physician came, he said, “Doctor, as to this piece of work, you are near at an end of it. God be with you, and persuade you to be in earnest; I return you thanks for your diligence. Is my pulse low? I am well pleased it is. I would have been content to have been away long e’re now; a few strokes more, and victory, victory, forever, through the captain of our salvation!” “Now get acquaintance with God. The little acquaintance I have had with God within these two days, has been better than ten thousand times the pains I have been at all my life about religion. It is good to have him to go to, when we are turning our face to the wall. He is known in _Sion_ for a sure refuge, a very present help in trouble.” “What a strange hardness there is in the hearts of men? But whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, it is our duty to speak; and when we are dead and gone, what we spoke in the name of the Lord, may take hold of them.” To his eldest child he said, “Ah, _Margaret_, you seem sometimes to have convictions from God. Beware of them; they are the most dangerous things you ever meddled with. Each of them is God’s messenger; and if you despise the messenger of God, he will be avenged of you.” To a minister who came in he said, “I am waiting for the salvation of God.” He answered, “If the Lord would spare you it would be a mercy to this place.” He replied, “What can a poor wretch signify? I could do nothing: I signify nothing. But, I tell you, brother, what I have thought of long; I fear, from the taking off the servants of God at this time, that there is like to be a general overflowing consumption, running over not only this, but all the reformed churches.” To the apothecary he said, “Study religion in youth: when you come to be as I am, you will find no comfort without it. I give you this as a solemn warning from God; if you come to be hardened by the frequent sight of men in my state, you may come to be hardened for ever.” To three ministers he said, “My dear brethren, it is purely from a sincere love to you, that I presume to say, when God helped me to diligence in studying and meditating, I found him then remarkably shining upon me. There is nothing to be had with a slack hand. You are in an evil day. However, be ♦faithful and God will strengthen you for his own work, if you are faithful therein. You cannot, it is true, bring all persons to the Lord, but you may make their consciences, will they, or nill they, speak for the Lord. ♦ “faithul” replaced with “faithful” “I repent continued he, I did not do more for him; but I have peace in it; what I did, I did in sincerity: he accepts of the mite. It was the delight of my heart to preach the gospel, and it made me sometimes neglect a frail body. I desired to decrease, that the bridegroom might increase, and to be nothing, that he might be all. And I rejoice in his highness.