27] LITTLE ANN. 27 to wither and to die unseen by the world, and unla- mented by man; so little Ann had put forth and displayed many beauties and graces of the Christian character in the bosom of her family, but secluded from all others, until her short day was nearly ended. Indeed, her sun was hastening to go down ; her frail body seemed on the point of returning to the earth from which it was taken, and her soul unto God, who gave it, before the world had become at all acquainted with her little history, her lovely character, or instructive example. But He who doeth all things well, directed Aspasio to her dwelling just in time to see,with his own eyes, and to hear with his own ears, what the Lord had done for her soul. It was his privilege, for a little while, to lead forth and animate her spirit to lay hold on that eternal life which was set before her in the Gospel, and to which she was now drawing so near. For this privilege, I believe, he is truly thankful. Nor can I do otherwise than rejoice, that as a sojourner of a few days in her neighbourhood, I was permitted to enjoy several intervie ws with her before she quitted the society of men for that of angels,and bade adieu to the means of grace, to partake of an eternal weight of glory. It was not with the thought or intention of visiting a sick child that Aspasio first entered Ann’s room. He went thither with another object in view, and without knowing any thing either of Ann’s temporal or spiritual state. Observing the child on the couch, he put a few common-place questions to her mother, and was surprised and delighted to find that there lay one sick ■whom the Lord loved—one who knew and loved the Lord. Charmed with the hasty and imperfect account her mother had given, he drew a chair, and sitting down by Ann’s couch, entered into the following conversation— “ My dear, how long have you been ill 7” ‘ A long time, sir.” “ Have you found out why God has laid you on a bed of sickness ?”
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