After prayer, he called for a little water to wash his eyes, and said, “I hope to get them washed shortly, and made like doves eyes, and then farewel sin, farewel sorrow.”
Then taking some refreshment, he said, “I get sleep from him, and food from him; and I shall get himself. My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.”
Seeing his youngest child, he said to her “Mary, my dear, the Lord bless you; the God of your father, and my father, bless you; the God that fed me all my life; the angel that redeemed me from evil, bless you and the rest, and be your portion; that is a good heritage, better then if I had crowns and scepters to leave you. My child, I received you from him, and I give you to him again.”
To his wife he said, “My dear encourage yourself in the Lord; he will keep you, though you even fall into enemies hands.” And then, declaring his willingness to part with his dearest relations, he said, “This is the practice of religion, to make use of it when we come to the pinch; this is a lesson of practical divinity.”
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.”