WITH regard to her temper of mind, her views of supernatural objects, and her ap­prehensions with regard to the state of her soul to­wards GOD, she related as follows:

From my youth up to my first awakening, I lived without GOD in the world, in a stupified forgetful­ness of the obligations I had ever been under to him. and of the solemn account I must one day render un­to him of the deeds done in the body, and of all my views and aims; till it pleased a sovereign GOD, two years ago last July, to send his spirit to con­vince me of my sins, and lay open to my view the awful danger that was impending over me. At which time my sins were set in order before me, in such dreadful array, and the enmity of my heart, and my native opposition to GOD, arising to my view, produced such distress and agony of soul, as to overpower all sense of bodily pain, though I had for some time before been exercised with severe dis­tress in body, and was at this time reduced to such a state of weakness, accompanied with continual wrecking pain, that my life was almost despaired of from day to day.

It appears to me astonishing, upon every recol­lection, that the agony of my mind did not disolve the frame of my nature, and how I could subsist un­der the smart and agony of such a wounded spirit. [Page 3] It seems to me now, that had it continued much longer, it must unavoidably have overpowered the remains of life in me, and put a period to my exist­ence on earth. But after having remained for sev­eral days in this anguish of spirit, and dreadful bon­dage of soul, I found relief in a manner most unex­pected.

After I had laid myself down on my bed, my mind was led to a most delightful and realizing view of the entire safety of trusting in the Divine Power and Mercy; that there was such a fullness in GOD, of that which I needed for relief and comfort, that my heart within me was constrained to rejoice, and could not but roll my burden upon the Lord. At this time the words of the Psalmist, in which he says, "Thou hast brought my feet up out of the miry clay," &c. were to my soul sweeter than honey or the honey-comb; and also the 16th hymn of the third book of Dr. WATTS'S Hymns, was to my soul like a feast of fat things, and of wine upon the lees. For some considerable time after this, I enjoyed, al­most without any intermission, a most sweet and re­freshing sense of the beauty and glory of divine ob­jects. But not understanding the treachery of my own heart, and the deceitfulness of sin, I was allured away by degrees, into a forgetfulness of GOD, and from a close walk with him, through an apprehen­sion that I might innocently indulge myself in join­ing with young people in what is usually termed civil merriment; and which I was induced to do more especially and principally that I might not be­come an object of ridicule among them. But before I was aware of the danger I had incurred by turning in such a manner to vanity, I found that my heart was sensibly alienated from GOD, and my whole soul was overwhelmed in guilt and darkness, and during [Page 4] the time of my persisting to join with young com­pany in what is termed civil recreation and merri­ment, I felt those lashes and stings of conscience, which before this I had ever been an utter stranger to. In this state of sensible guilt and darkness, I continued like one forsaken of GOD, and shut out from his presence, till the first day of last July, when I was seized with convulsions, which came upon me with such violence, that it appeared to myself and others, that my animal frame must soon yield to the force of the disorder, and my life soon come to a period.

She continued in this situation till the night of the 11th of July, when she was suddenly seized with a most violent cramp in her stomach, which was ac­companied with such agony and distress, that it ap­peared impossible for her to live from one hour to another. In this situation she continued till the following night, when the cramp in her stomach in­creased to such a degree, that the constant wreck and agony of body cnnstrained her to a continual rolling and tumbling on her bed, during which time she remained speechless, but appeared to have her senses; for when any spoke, she would take them by the hand, and intimate that she understood what they said. All hopes of life were now at an end in the view of the family, and neighbours, who had come together at the house on this occasion. But after having continued in this extremity of distress till about midnight, she appeared to be more easy, upon which the neighbours retired to their several homes. But soon after this she was suddenly seized again, and supposed by the family to be dead; and accord­ingly the neighbours were called together to the house, with the tidings that POLLY was dead. Up­on the arrival of the nearest neighbour, he observed [Page 5] that she lay stretched out on her back, with her eyes about half open, and the sight of her eye turned up into her head. She appeared at [...] en­tirely lifeless; but upon trial, he [...] some motion in her pulse. After [...] for an hour or more, she sudden [...] sigh, and opened her eyes and [...]:

I have seen hell naked before [...] expected to plunge into it. The [...] beyond all description. It was a region of most dis­mal darkness and smoke. In the midst of these doleful shades, appeared to my view a person whom I knew; and after having had a sight of him, he ap­peared to sink down into the darkness and smoke of the horrible pit. I heard the groans of the damned spirits, which indicated that agony and distress which is beyond all utterance or conception. In the utmost extremity of danger, and when I appeared to myself to be ready to plunge into the dismal gulf of dark­ness and misery, my Saviour took me by the hand, and told me to follow him. Upon which he led me through a place resembling the most dismal miry clay; and from thence through a hideous wilderness, after passing which every object which opened to my view appeared to be cloathed with an inexpressible beauty. My Saviour addressed me, and said, he had brought my feet out of the miry clay, and had set them upon a rock; and he himself appeared to be the rock upon which my feet stood. I was admit­ted into the heavenly world, where the Lord looked upon me and smiled, and told me I must return and warn a wicked world for a little season; but should, in a short time return again. He told me I should be much more sick than I had been, but should wholly recover and be well for a season, I saw thou­sands of the heavenly host cloathed in that beauty [Page 6] which cannot be uttered; and heard those songs of praise, the melody of which is beyond the power of language to describe

Upon her having declared to the bystanders these discoveries, she remained for the space of three days and three nights without food or sleep during the whole of which time she was almost incessantly em­ployed in praying and, praising GOD, and warning others to prepare for death. After this she gradu­ally recovered to such a degree of health, as to be able to walk about the house; and, at times, to walk abroad. In this space she frequently said that she should be much sicker than ever she had been; but should certainly reeover to a better state of health than she had enjoyed for four years past, She fre­quently pointed out the week in which she should be taken sick, and reduced to such a state of extreme weakness and distress; and accordingly on Friday of the same week she had mentioned, (which was the 27th of July) she was suddenly seized with a most violent cramp convulsion, which was soon accom­panied with a profuse discharge of blood from her stomach; in which situation she continued, till the 13th of August; during which time she was reduced apparently to the last extremity, and all visible pros­pect of the possibility of her living was now at an end.

For the space of sixteen days she was not known to turn herself in the bed, except once. From Mon­day night to the Saturday night following, she re­mained entirely without food or drink, except for once she took down a little water; and upon her having for once swallowed a morsel of food, her sto­mach immediately rejected it. She was so weak, that it was with difficulty, and very seldom, she could make any one understand her by whispering in their [Page 7] ear. On Saturday she was thought to be dying; but as she had all along intimated to those about her that she should certainly recover, so she now con­tinued to intimate the same, by signs, to the by­standers. In this situation she continued till about eight o'clock, in the evening; at which time, to the surprise of the bystanders, she spoke out in plain and audible words, and said, "Stand by, and let me get up" Immediately upon which she sprang up from her bed, and walked the room with an astonishing nimbleness and alacrity, praising God, and calling on the bystanders to join with her, to praise that blessed Saviour, who had appeared for her in that won­derful manner. But they stood like persons over­whelmed In astonishment, to see the wonders of GOD'S power displayed in such a manner, in restor­ing one to health and strength in a moment, who had been reduced to so low a state by extreme sick­ness. Upon this recovery, she related that she saw one standing in white, who said to her, "If you will get up, you shall be able to walk; and you must go up to SCOTT'S;" (which was one mile distant from her house) and accordingly that evening she rode to Capt. SCOTT'S and tarried some hours, and return­ed home; and having retired to bed a little after day­break, she arose early on the morning, and before sun-rise was on her way to meeting at Cornish, to the distance of five miles; from whence she returned home on the same day.

From the time of her recovery, she has enjoyed hitherto a much better state of health, than for four years past; and is now as well as is usual for a female of a delicate constitution; and remains an evident monument of the Divine Power and Goodness.

The above mentioned POLLY DAVIS requests that her most affectionate love may be presented to every [Page 8] reader; and asks leave to testify, "That a sense of GOD'S love in the heart is better than wine: and that all things which can be desired, are not to be compared to it. Under a sense of this, she asks liberty to call upon every reader to come and taste that the LORD is gracious; and that her fellow youth, in speical, would remember him in their early days, and regard his glory as their governing object. She does in­treat them, in special, to forsake the vanities of the world and pride of life: And if they would walk with GOD, so as to enjoy the light of his countenance, and have comfort in their souls, they do sacredly abstain from, and forever abandon, that kind of foolish talking and jesting, and that recreation and merriment, which generally passes, even amongst many professors of religion, for civil and innocent.— She certainly knows, by what she has found upon trial, that these things, in their operation, will be like wormwood and gall to the soul.

Under a sense that we are called with an high and holy calling, she affectionately intreats every one to consider, what manner of persons we ought to be, in all holy conversation and godliness; looking for, and hastening unto the day of GOD, that we may be found of him in peace at his appearing, and finally be received into his eternal kingdom.