sband and Father, I
have not waited in vain. Thou hast written _vanity,_ and opened our
eyes to read vanity written on every earthly enjoyment, except so far
as thou art enjoyed in them. Thou hast enabled not only thine aged
servant, but her children, to put a blank into thy hand, and to say,
'Choose thou for us.' We take hold of thy covenant, and choose it for
our portion. Is not this, O Lord, the full amount of my desires? Thou
wilt finish the work in thy own time, and by means of thy appointing.
Amen. Lord, do as thou hast said."

CHAPTER V.

DEATH OF HER DAUGHTER--FIRST MISSIONARY
SOCIETY IN NEW YORK.

In July, 1795, Mrs. Graham's second daughter, Joanna, was married
to Mr. Divie Bethune, merchant in New York. In the following month her
eldest daughter, Mrs. Stevenson, was seized with a fatal illness.
Possessing a most amiable disposition and genuine piety, she viewed
the approach of death with the composure of a Christian and the
intrepidity of faith.

She had been in delicate health for some years, and now a
complication of disorders denied all hope of recovery. She sung a hymn
of triumph until the struggles of death interrupted her. Mrs. Graham
displayed great firmness of mind during the last trying scene, and
when the spirit of her daughter fled, the mother raised her hands, and
looking towards heaven, exclaimed, 'I wish you joy, my darling.' She
then washed her face, took some refreshment, and retired to rest.

Such was her joy of faith at the full salvation of her child; but
when _the loss of her company_ was felt, the tenderness of a
mother's heart afterwards gave vent to feelings of affectionate
sorrow: nature will feel, even when faith triumphs. In her devout
meditations before God, Mrs. Graham improves this event as follows:

"OCTOBER 4, 1795.

"Why, O why is my spirit still depressed? Why these sobs? Father,
forgive. 'Jesus wept.' I weep, but acquiesce. This day two months the
Lord delivered my Jessie, _his Jessie,_ from a body of sin and
death, finished the good work he had begun, perfected what concerned
her, trimmed her lamp, and carried her triumphing through 'the valley
of the shadow of death.' She overcame through the blood of the Lamb.

"I rejoiced in the Lord's work, and was thankful that the one,
the only thing I had asked for her, was now