to
save you? Has He died for you? Has He shed his very blood for you that
you might be delivered from the worm that dieth not, and the fire which
is never quenched? And can you be so wicked as not to love Him? My dear
nephew, this will not do; it _must_ not do. You must alter your course.
But I will stop writing for a moment and kneel down and entreat God's
mercy for _you_. I will endeavor to present the sacrifice of the
Redeemer at the Throne of grace, and see if I cannot, for this
sacrifice' sake, call down the blessing of the Holy Spirit upon you."

As a remarkable coincidence evidencing an answer to earnest believing
prayer, this letter found both the nephews drawing near to their eternal
state. Under the discipline of the Holy Spirit, the end of the two
stipulated months for special daily prayer in his behalf, found De Witt
brought into the light and liberty of the Gospel, rejoicing in his
Savior.

A few incidents occurring in the progress of the sickness, and during
the death-bed scene, will now be adverted to; and as the death of
JOSEPH took place first, I shall first allude to his case. He
was in his fifteenth year, and last fall, in September, entered the
Freshman class in the New York University. He had been characterized
from childhood for an amiable and docile spirit, filial kindness and
obedience, and correctness of deportment. His mind opened to religious
instruction in the family and Sabbath-school. He loved the Bible, and it
is believed was observant of the habit of prayer. It was the anxious
prayer, and assiduous labor of his pious mother that all this might be
crowned with the saving knowledge of Christ as his Redeemer. He took a
cold soon after entering the University which at first excited no alarm,
but it was soon accompanied with hectic fever, which made rapid
progress, and gave indications that his death was not remote. In the
early part of November, their mother, realizing these indications, and
also the precarious state of De Witt's health, who had been afflicted
with a cough during the whole of the preceding year, which had been
slowly taking root, and now furnished sad forebodings of the issue,
plied her labors with greater earnestness for their spiritual welfare.
The visits and conversations of Rev. Mr. Carpenter were most acceptable
and blessed after this period. I shall here make extracts from some
notes and reminiscences furnished me by the mother: "The evening of
Sabbath, November 16, w