the shore. Her grandchildren were weeping on the beach, and the company assembled there were afflicted but hopeless spectators of her danger. At that moment of peril she prayed to the Lord for deliverance, but acquiesced in his will, if he should see fit to take her to himself in this manner. Able to swim a little, she kept herself afloat for some time: she became at length very faint; and when her friends on the beach apprehended her lost, they perceived that the waves had impelled her somewhat nearer to them. A gentleman present, and her female attendant, stepped into the surf and extending their arms for mutual support, one of them was enabled to lay hold on Mrs. Graham's bathing-gown and to pull her towards them. When they brought her ashore she was much exhausted, and had swallowed a considerable quantity of water. It was some hours before she revived, when she addressed the company in a very serious and impressive manner that affected them to tears. Her health during the following winter was much impaired by the shock it had received.
"ROCKAWAY, June 15, 1810.
"Came here the first of the month, with the children in the whooping-cough. No 'church-going bell' here, but the Lord is everywhere; and I have found him here, warming my heart with gratitude and contrition, and drawing it out in prayer for his people met to worship in his sanctuary.
"When at a distance from my own people, it has been my practice to join with whatever class of professing Christians might be near me. Here it has been with the Methodists, who, I believe, enjoy communion with God. Yesterday I went to a meeting
of ——, who lay great stress on good morals; but, O my God, what could I do, shut up with them? Without the finished work of my Saviour, I could have no hope; without his law-fulfilling righteousness, I must stand a law-condemned sinner.
"The preacher yesterday took no text; in the course of his sermon he said the Scriptures were only secondary guides. He began with the importance of thinking of death, and said it could not be possible for a rational being to live carelessly, with thoughts of death and eternity in view. Is it so? No; we see sinners die, under the full conviction that they are dying, as thoughtless as they have lived.
"He said, that by constantly attending to the motions of the Spirit and complying with them, Christians arrived at a state of perfection even here; and brought in that text, 'He that is born of God cannot sin,' etc. Spoke highly of watchfulness, and avoiding connection with the world; said a real Christian could not hold any office of power among men. Paul held one, but he gave it up when he became an apostle. Christ's kingdom was not of this world. Laws and officers were necessary among the men of the world, but not among Christians. Spoke of the cross of Christ as consisting in suffering and self-denial. His blood was the Spirit which cleansed from all sin, by delivering all who obeyed him from its power. He named not my blessed Saviour, except when he had occasion to mention some of his moral sayings. He said, indeed, that he was the Light that lightened every man that came into the world, and the condemnation was that men would not receive it; but one word of his blessed priesthood he spoke not, but said
we were in a state of probation, and every one would be judged according to his works, taking into view the advantages he had enjoyed; recommended the reading of the Scriptures, especially the inspired books, the New Testament and the prophets; for it needed no inspiration to write the national history of the Jews more than that of any other nation. Said the Scriptures were good secondary guides, and contained excellent lessons and truths.
"When I was coming away he offered me his hand, saying that I was not a resident there. I answered no, I was separated from my own people, but wished to unite with any class of Christians who met professedly to worship God; but confessed I could not live upon what he had this day delivered. He asked what was wrong. I answered, he had given some good exhortations; I agreed with him in many things respecting conduct; but I missed the foundation. He repeated the scriptures, 'Other foundation can no man lay,' etc. I said, Exactly: off this foundation there is no salvation; on this foundation there may be loss, but no condemnation. We have a great and merciful High-priest, who can have compassion on the ignorant, and them who are out of the way; and there may be straw, hay, stubble, which will be burnt up, but the soul itself, being on the foundation, is safe. He said with firmness, That will be burnt up in this world; without holiness no man shall see the Lord. I said, True; but why avoid the tenor of Scripture? read all the epistles; the Lord Jesus Christ, the gift of God, the propitiatory sacrifice, the meritorious law-fulfilling righteousness, is set forth, in every one of them, as that which saves from wrath and entitles
to eternal life. He said they were all emblems of our being made holy in heart and life; Christians were baptized unto the death of Christ, and rise with him to newness of life, buried with him, etc. I granted that as one reading of these words. He said every other view was shadow. I said, No — the blood of bulls and goats is shadow; Christ himself, his person, his offices, his life, his sufferings, his death, his burial, resurrection, ascension, and intercession within the veil, are all substance — the sole foundation of my hope, and my only plea at a throne of grace.