and joy, is worthy of being noticed. Being ther about sixteen years of age, she went down to a small villa in the neighbourhood of London which belonged to her uncle. While walking one day in the garden, the gardener, encouraged by her serious interesting appearance, came up to her, and with all humility addressing her, stated the deep distress of soul, under which he then laboured in consequence of sin; and in effect inquired, "What must I do to be saved?" The young lady was affected on witnessing his sorrow, and such directions and encouragements were given in the way of reply, as were the means, under God, of leading the poor inquirer to a knowledge of the Saviour. He immediately exchanged the "spirit of heaviness," for "the garment of praise," and went on his way exulting in the God of his salvation. Thus "out of the mouths of babes and sucklings God ordaineth strength;" for this, as Lady M- used to observe, happened at a time when she was as ignorant of the truth, and of the meaning of the words she had employed, as the ground on which she stood.

Soon after her return from London, she entered into the marriage state, with Sir Walter Maxwell, Bart. of Pollock.* This union was

* The immediate ancestor of this great branch [the Maxwell's of Pollock] of the most noble family of Nithsdale, I was, Homerus de Maxwell, Lord of Carlaverock; who lived in the reigns of King Alexander the 2d and 3d. He married Mary, daughter and heiress of Roland de Mearnes, with whom he got a great accession to his estate in the

much to her mind, and seemed, for a time, to open wide fields of worldly enjoyment to her visionary fancy and aspiring hopes. But this vision of earthly bliss was soon ended, and appeared shorter than the last watch of the night. In little more than two years she was deprived. of her husband by death; and in six weeks after, of her son and only child; and thus was left a widow at nineteen years of age. This painful dispensation of Providence, by which the Lord left no rival to dispute his claim to the sole empire of her affection, was sanctified by his grace to the salvation of her soul. For finding by experience how soon those sources may be dried

west of Scotland, viz. the lands of Baronies of Mearns, Nether Pollock, Dryps, Calderwood, &c. &c.

Sir Walter Maxwell was the second son of John Maxwell, of Blanarthill, who, upon the death of Sir John Maxwell of Pollock, succeeded to his estate and honours, and was fourth Baronet of Pollock.

Vide Douglas's Baronage, p. 450—452.

For the origin, grandeur, and antiquity of the great and illustrious name of Maxwell,

Vide Douglas's Peerage, p. 514.

The Editor regrets, that he has not been able to ascertain the exact dates of either her Ladyship's birth or marriage. The Records of the Church at Largs, were carefully searched by a friend, but no register of these events could be met with; owing, as it is supposed, to a volume of these records being either mislaid or lost. Calculating, however, from highly probable data, her ladyship appears to have been born about the year 1742-to have married in 1759-became a widow in 1761-and died in 1810, aged 68.

up, from which misjudging mortals calculate on drawing their earthly delights, Darcy Lady Maxwell's mind, was thence led to seek its rest in God, making the Author of her being, the fountain of her enjoyment. But as she was never known to mention her husband, nor yet her child, after their death; and as her conversion to God was closely connected with those events, to learn the particulars of that important change, became a delicate subject of inquiry, and to which she would never advert but with reluctance and brevity. To her most intimate friend, she has been known to remark in one short sentence; “God brought me to himself by afflictions!" The following extract from her diary, as it affectingly alludes to those painful privations, and more fully illustrates the early stages of her religious experience than any other part of her writings, shall be here inserted, though not strictly in chronological order. It is dated

"Sep. 3, 1772. This morning the Lord collected my thoughts, and fixed my mind in meditation upon his dealings with me ever since I was a child. And, O! what abundant matter did I recollect, calculated to excite my wonder, gratitude, and love. How has he from my earliest days hedged up my path. When following the dictates of Satan, and my own wicked heart; he with a strong hand, yet by degrees, rescued me from the ways of the destroyer. He gradually enlightened my mind, shewed me the evil of sin, and gave me ardent desires after moral

rectitude. Then he caused the sun of prosperity to shine resplendent upon me, and gave me to taste of what the world calls happiness,-the possession of riches, honour, and pleasure. But, he saw I could not bear this, and therefore with a hand graciously severe, tore all from me, until the language of my poor heart, almost callous with reiterated strokes of his rod, was

'Fate drop the curtain, I can lose no more.'

I did not then know, that the thoughts of my God towards me, even in these dispensations of almost unmingled woe, were thoughts of peace, and not of evil. Having thus brought me into the wilderness, he spoke comfortably to me; drew me with the cords of love, as with the bands of a man; taught me as I could bear them, the lessons of his grace ;-he informed my judgement, but first affected my heart. Without this, I should have gone heavily on, if at all. The passions, under proper regulations, answer a noble end in religion. All the rational infor-. mation and conviction the mind of man is ca pable of receiving, would, I think, effect but little, without the aid of these warm auxiliaries. With me, the Lord made them mutually to assist each other; and by the effectual operations of his Holy Spirit upon both, clearly convinced me of my original pollution, in consequence of Adam's sin; and of my guilt, in consequence of my accumulated transgressions; whereby I must have remained for ever miserable, without a

saving interest in Christ. Yet in this wretched. state, I had little, if any, of these dreadful terrors of hell and damnation which many experiencc. The Lord so tempered judgement with mercy, that I was rather drawn than driven; and generally was supported, and often comforted, with hopes of obtaining all that was necessary for happiness. He gave me line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little ; till, at last, having feared God for some years, the Sun of Righteousness arose upon my soul with healing in his wings. He dispelled the cloud, removed condemnation, and for great bitterness gave sweet peace; the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and death.' And then, O my God,

'My chains fell off, my heart was free,

I rose, went forth, and followed Thee."

The latter part of this valuable extract, anticipates a period in Lady Maxwell's experience to which the reader has not as yet been gradually conducted; some intermediate stages may yet be traced. The passage is here adduced chiefly to shew, that it was in the school of painful bereavement she was first taught the comparative emptiness of all worldly good, and led to seek for a felicity at once purę, substantial, and permanent. Thus is Providence, in its varied events, rendered subservient to the purposes of grace, and one of the means of salvation :-thus are our greatest trials proved to be but disguised