Broadside entitled 'Wonderful Case!'

Transcription

Wonderful Case !

A strange and wonderful Account of a Rev. and well-
beloved Clergyman in London, who died a few days
ago, and remained in that state for eighteen hours, and
who after being dressed in dead clothes, and laid out
to be coffined, to the great surprise, terror and aston-
ishment of all present, started up in bed, and, at great
length, described the most wonderful,sights he had
seen, and what, he said, was to happen in the United
Kingdoms in a short time.

This REV. GENTLEMAN lived in London, and was beloved
by all his hearers for his kind and charitable turn, and his great care
of them by visiting and instructing them in what concerned their im-
mortal souls. But having been taken very ill, however, in the after-
noon's sermon, he was assisted into his house, and having laid
himself down in bed, he continued always getting worse, till the
next day, when, to all appearance, he died without pain, but went
away with a smile in his countenance. He was washed and dress.
ed according to the custom, and remained so for eighteen hours ;
at which time his wife and some of the elders were present, sitting
where the funeral was to be ordered, he started up in bed to the sur
prise of all present. The Minister called to them not to be afraid,
for though, said he, I was dead I am now alive and in my proper sen-
ses. O! the sights that I have seen, sit down till I relate to you what
I have to reveal to the world.                                       

On the last day of last month, towards the evening, after I had
got all the duties of the day over, the crisis took place, I was seized
with a strange and indescribable quivering. A rushing sound was
in my ears, I saw around me innumerable strange faces ; they were
bright and visionary, and without bodies, and tried to move, but
could not. For a short time a terrible confusion overwhelmed me,
and when it went off, all my recollections returned with the most
perfect distinctness, but the power of motion departed. I heard the
sound of weeping at my pillow, and I heard the voice of my wife
say, " He is dead. " I cannot describe what I felt at these words?
I exerted my utmost power of volition to stir, but could not move
even an eyelid. After a short pause my wife sobbing and convul-
sed with grief, drew near me, and kissed me, and then shut my eyes
before she left me. I heard, (for my senes had not as yet left me)
by the attendants that my friends had left the room, and I soon found
that the undertakers were preparing to habit me in the garments of
the grave. Their thoughtlessness was more awful than the grief of
my friends. They laughed at one another as they turned me from
side to side, and treated what they believed to be a corpse with the
most appalling ribaldry. The coffin was procured and I was shortly
to be laid in. My wife placed my head on what was deemed its last
pillow, and I felt her tears drop on my face at the time. After this
was over and the face cloth put down, I heard no more, nor of any
other thing belonging to this life.

In my trance I was carried away through a remote valley ; I was
told to carry my eyes towards the left side, when, to my terror, I be-
held a number of people, some of whom I knew, receiving their dif-
ferent punishments; some of them endeavoured to haul me into
their den, when my soul was troubled and my heart ached, and I
begged pardon of him who was ready to save me from these evil
ones ; when in a moment after the scene left my sight ; I then was
taken to see a numerous assembly drest in the most ornamental man-
ner, and charmed by the most melodious music, where in heaven I
beheld a most glorious place ; I saw St John's vision, where he saw
the dead both great and small stand before the Lord; when I fain
would have entered into heaven's gates, but I could not; they desired
me to go from whence I came, and tell to the people what things I
had seen and heard ; to tell them that I had got a sight of both good
and evil, and lastly, to give them an account of the commotions that
will shortly take place in different kingdoms of the world, and of
times that are near at hand for the welfare of Britain and Ireland, in
not having any War, but that peace and plenty will be in the land
for every creature. So happy will those be who takes it to heart, for
to remember his latter end. Far more than these things were re-
vealed to me, but it will not answer to put too great an explanation
on them altogether.

Having thus given the fregoing account of himself, and having de-
livered his commission, he stretched himself down and soon after ex-
pired. The whole is written according to his desire, by one of his
elders,

EDINBURGH:?Printed for Francis M'Cartney.

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