Page:Memoirs of Mrs. Harriet Newell.pdf/14

 Redeemer, beauty and worth are combined; and shall my heart remain unaffected, amidst such an endless variety of witnesses of the glory of God? Shall I be silent, for whom the Son of God, on Calvary, bled and died?

1812. March 9.— To you my beloved mother, shall these pages be cheerfully dedicated. If they afford you amusement in a solitary hour, if they are instrumental in dissipating one anxious sensation from your heart, I shall be doubly rewarded for writing. Whatever will gratify a mother so valuable as mine, shall here be recorded, however uninteresting it might be to a stranger. The first week after our embarkation I was confined to my bed with sea-sickness. This was a gloomy week. But my spirits were not so much depressed, as I once expected they would be. The attendants were obliging, and I had every convenience which I could wish for on board a vessel.

Feb. 24.— The vessel sprung a leak. We were in the greatest danger of sinking during the night. The men laboured almost constantly at the pumps. The wind changed in the morning. In a day or two the leak was providentially discovered, and prevented from doing any farther injury. Though much fatigued, sleep departed from me. Though a sudden exit from life appeared more solemn than ever before, yet I felt a sweet composure in confiding in God, and in leaving the disposal of my life with him. We have no family worship, which we consider a great affliction. Sabbath forenoon, Mr N. reads a sermon, and performs the exercises of Worship in the cabin. The captain and officers favour us with their attendance.

My thoughts were particularly fixed on my brethen and sisters the first Sabbath in March. I thought that our dear pastor would not forget to