In the evening he returned, and enquiring where his bride was, went up to her, and found her in her chamber pensive enough. She asked him if he had done well to expose her to scorn and derision all the day? He intreated her to sit down upon a couch there by him, and he would give her an account of his doing what he had then done, and tell her the story of his whole life, and what the Lord through grace had done for him. He went over the story above-mentioned, not without great affection and tears, the flood gates of which had been opened in the wood, and often in his discourse would say, _through grace_ God did so and so for me. When he had told her his story, she asked him what he meant by those words, “through grace?” He replied to this effect, that he meant the unmerited favor of God, through Christ Jesus; she then enquired if he thought there were no grace in God for her, who was so wretched a stranger to God? Yes, my dear, said he, there is grace for thee, and that I have been praying for this day in the wood; and God hath heard my prayer, and seen my tears, and let us now go together to him about it. Then did they kneel down by the couch side, and he prayed; and such weeping and supplication was there on both sides, that when they were called down to supper, they had hardly eyes to see with, so swelled were they with weeping. At supper the bride’s father (according to his custom,) swore. The bride immediately said—Father, I beseech you, swear not. At which the bridegroom’s father, in a great rage, rose from table: What, says he, is the devil in him! hath he made his wife a puritan already? and swore bitterly that he would rather set fire (with his own hands) to the four corners of his fair-built house, than ever he should enjoy it. And accordingly he acted, made his will, in which he left his son ten pounds, and gave the estate to some others, of whom Dr. Reeves was one, and not long after died. Dr. Reeves sent for the gentleman, paid him his ten pounds, told him he had been a rebellious son, and disobliged his father, and might thank himself. He received the ten pounds, and meekly departed.
His wife (the match was so huddled up) had no portion promised, at least that he knew of, who relied on his father, so that she was also deserted by her friends; and having £200 in her own hands, that had been given her by a grandmother, with that they took and stocked a farm in Sussex, where she who had been highly bred, has been often seen in a red waistcoat, milking her cows, and became the great comforter and encourager of her husband. God, saith she, hath had mercy on me, and any pains taking is now pleasant to me. There they lived some years with much comfort, and had the blessings of marriage, divers children. After some few years, he was met in Kent, on the road, by one of the tenants of the estate, and saluted by the name of landlord. Alas, said he, I am none of your landlord. Yes, you are, said he, I know more than you do of the settlement. Your father, though a cunning lawyer, with all his wit, could not alienate the estate from you, whom he had made a joint purchaser. Myself and some other tenants know it, and have refused to pay any money to Dr. Reeves. I have some money ready for you in my hands, which I will pay to your acquitance, and that will serve you to wage law with them. He was amazed at this wonderful Providence, received the money, sued for his estate, and recovered it. “He that loseth his life (saith Christ) for my sake and the gospel’s shall find it.” His godly wife, enjoying a loving husband, several fine children, and a handsome estate, in the midst of these outward blessings, fell into a way of questioning the truth of her grace, because of her outward prosperity. This was her sin without doubt, for which a friend rebuked her; but it was a severe rebuke that the Lord gave her for her unthankfulness; a fine boy, about three years old, fell into a kettle of scalding wort, and was taken out by his mother, and died. This she looked on as the Lord’s discipline for her unthankfulness, and was instructed.