thirst,'-His sufferings were near an end; upon which, I cast myself on the bed, crying out, I thirst, I thirst.' Soon after this, I found and felt in myself that I was delivered from the burden that had so heavily oppressed me. The spirit of mourning was taken from me, and I knew what it was truly to rejoice in God my Saviour, and for some time could not avoid singing psalms wherever I was; but my joy gradually became more settled, and, blessed be God, has abode and increased in my soul (saving a few casual intermissions) ever since. Thus were the days of my mourning ended. After a long night of desertion and temptation, the star which I had seen at a distance before began to appear again, and the daystar arose in my heart. Now did the Spirit of God take possession of my soul, and, as I humbly hope, seal me unto the day of redemption."

HIS ORDINATION TO THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY.-In addition to the ordinary University studies, he had prepared himself by the meetings for religious edification among the young men who, then at Oxford, were seeking the salvation of their souls. They at this time prescribed fixed rules and methods for their conduct, hence they were called Methodists. He also visited the sick, and read and expounded the Scriptures with the prisoners and poor, and prayed with them. These things came to the ears of good Bishop Benson, who sent for Whitfield, and, after conversing with him, encouraged him, and offered to ordain him to the ministry. This made Whitfield's path clear, and he determined to seek ordination. This he received on the 20th of June, being Whit-Sunday, in the year 1786. Writing to a friend the same day, he says, "This is a day much to be remembered, O, my soul! for about noon, I was solemnly admitted by good Bishop Benson, before many witnesses, into holy orders, and was, blessed be God, kept composed both before and after imposition of hands. I endeavoured to behave with unaffected devotion, but not suitable enough to the greatness of the office I was to undertake. At the same time, I trust, I answered to every question from the bottom of my heart, and heartily prayed that God might say 'Amen.' I hope the good of souls will be my only principle of action. Let come what will, life or death, depth or height, I shall henceforward live like one who, this day, in the presence of men and angels, took the Holy Sacrament, upon the profession of being inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost, to take upon me that ministration in the Church. This I began with reading prayers to the prisoners in the county gaol. Whether I myself shall ever have the honour of styling myself a prisoner of the Lord, I know not; but indeed, my dear friend, I can call upon Heaven and earth to witness, that when the Bishop laid his hand upon me, I gave myself up to be a martyr for Him who hung upon the cross for me. Known unto Him are all future events and contingencies; I have thrown myself blindfolded, and, I trust, without reserve, into His Almighty hands; only I would have you

observe that till you hear of my dying for or in my work, you will not be apprised of all the preferment that is expected by yours, etc."

HIS ABSORBING PIETY.-His religion had its foundation down deep in his heart. His spiritual exercises at Oxford had secured this. It was drawn immediately from the Word of God-from Christ and His apostles -it was fed by uninterrupted communion with God, with mighty prayer, and strong crying and tears; it was strengthened and purified by direct communications of the Holy Ghost. His religion was a rapture which burnt throughout his life till at last it consumed him. It was distinguished by prostrate humility-by a childlike simplicity in forgiving all injuries-by a love which embraced the whole Church of Christ, and then the whole world. Its realness and earnestness must impress any who read the unimpeachable records of his life; it is true he spoke the language of Canaan, but then that was the only language he could speak. He was the most real man you meet on the page of history. His enlarged catholicity of spirit beamed through the whole of his conduct, his writings, and his sermons, and found appropriate expression in the postscript of his will: "N.B.-I also leave a mourning ring to my honoured and dear friends, and disinterested fellow-labourers, the Revs. John and Charles Wesley, in token of my indissoluble union with them in heart and Christian affection, notwithstanding our difference in judgment about some particular points of doctrine. Grace be with all of them, of whatever denomination, that love our Lord Jesus, our common Lord, in sincerity." Of no other man we know could it be more truly said,-"For to me to live is Christ," "Christ lived in him "-Christ was the principle, the rule, the strength, the joy, the model, the object, the hope, and the glory of his life. This religion was the basis of his qualifications for—

HIS GRAND ITINERANCY.-He preached in the prison, in the cottage the parlour, the drawing-room, the churches, the chapels, and then in the fields. It is said, his first sermon in the open air was in Islington churchyard, in April, 1739. But he had preached in the open air before—viz., February 17, 1739, at Kingswood, near Bristol, among the colliers. He says, "I hasted to Kingswood. At a moderate computation there were above ten thousand people. The trees and hedges were full; all was hush when I began. To behold such crowds standing together in such awful silence, and to hear the echo of their singing run from one end of them to the other, was very solemn and striking." From that time he ranged through England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and America. The places be selected were sometimes singular. His determination was, as he says, "to attack the devil in his strongest holds." At Basingstoke, he got upon the stage of a country play-booth. His preaching at Moorfields partook of the same character. At Kennington-common, according to an old

print in the British Museum, he is preaching from a stage, with an immense concourse of people surrounding him; and in the foreground two triangular gibbets, on one of which there are three criminals hung in chains, rotting in the open air, from one of whom half a leg has dropped. He preached in all the principal towns in England. He went several times to Wales; visited Ireland twice, Scotland fourteen times, and seven times crossed and-recrossed the Atlantic to and from America. During the thirty-four years of his ministry he preached publicly eighteen thousand times; so that it was a pardonable exaggeration of some to liken him to the angel in the Book of Revelations, flying through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to the whole world.

THE OPPOSITION WHICH HE ENCOUNTERED.-In so remarkable a career, so outspoken and so uncompromising as he was on the most important subjects, we are not surprised that that opposition was considerable, and in some instances fierce. It came from nearly all quartershigh and low, rich and poor, learned and illiterate, religious and irreligious, ecclesiastical and secular. In many places he was interrupted, pelted, and ill-treated. On the stage at Basingstoke, he was hit on the head with a cudgel, which might have proved of serious consequence. At Plymouth, he was called upon at night by two men, who had engaged to "do for him," and who clearly intended to murder him, but he was mercifully preserved from their diabolical violence.. In some instances he turned off the annoyance with amusing and ready remark. The clergy shut their churches against him. Some of them wrote in opposition to his doctrines; one, forsooth, on the text, "Be not righteous overmuch," as though it were necessary to exhort that generation against too much religion. The Bishop of Exeter came out against him, but he was soon silenced. The rioters at Minchenhampton were prosecuted at Gloucester, and cast in heavy damages. The titled and nobility joined in the general outcry. "The doctrines of these preachers," writes the proud Duchess of Buckingham, "are most repulsive, and strongly tinctured with impertinence and disrespect towards their superiors. It is monstrous to be told that you have a heart as sinful as the common wretches that crawl upon the earth. This is highly offensive and insulting, and I cannot but wonder that your ladyship* should relish any sentiments so much at variance with rank and good-breeding." And so they went on, but they did not stop the great evangelist as he went on his glorious mission. He counted not his life dear unto him, that he might finish his course with joy, and testify the Gospel of the grace of God.

(To be continued.)

*Lady Huntingdon.

MISSIONARY INTELLIGENCE.

"He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied." The height and fulness of the Saviour's joy is to be in proportion to the depth and extent of His suffering. His death is the procuring cause of life to our fallen race; and it is in the moral renovation of man and his introduction into the family of God, that the Redeemer is to realize the one sublime end of His humiliation and sorrow. This is the joy which was set before Him, and for which He endured the cross :--this it is which is to fill up and complete the satisfaction of His soul. Nor of this result are we left in any uncertainty. It rests on the purpose of God, on the mediation of Christ, on the mission and work of the Spirit, on the sure word of prophecy, on Providential arrangements and determinations, on the prayers of the Church, and on the destiny of man. design is laid in Infinite wisdom, and its accomplishment is certain.

MISSION IN SIERRA LEONE.

Nothing very remarkable has transpired recently in connexion with our Mission work in Sierra Leone. At the same time, we are glad to report that the work itself is steadily maintained.

Our African friends are very anxious to see their old friend and pastor, the Rev. John Trotter, once more, and we have reasons to believe he is equally anxious to see them. In a letter to Mr. Trotter, dated Waterloo, November 16, 1870, they thus write on the subject:

"Rev. and dear Pastor,-Your kind and instructing letter reached us safely, and was read with great welcome. All the brethren of every place have come together to-day, and we came to one head at one time to beg you to come to us once more. All your people in these western parts of Africa felt greatly when your letter was read, and we learned how much you love us, and that you have a strong desire to see us all once more. So we all, with one voice and heart, agreed to beg you to come at one time. know we are poor people; but Waterloo, Goderich, Rokelle, Hastings, Ebo Town, Tombo, and McDonald Town have agreed to put towards your passage to us not less than 40%. Shall we keep the money for

You

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your honour until you come? or shall we send it to you to pay your passage? May God bless our great friends in England for their kindness towards us from time to time. We remain, your faithful servants in the Lord, T. CAUDELL, Waterloo ; J. HAZE, Goderich; WM. JONES, Rokelle; H. PALMER, Tombo; J. Couy, Hastings; JACOB JOHN, Ebo Town; J. WILLIAMS, McDonald Town.

Surely, if our coloured brethren are willing, out of their deep poverty, to contribute such an amount, it ought not to be difficult for our home churches and schools to complete the necessary expense.

A large, well-filled box has just been despatched to our colonial stations, containing a good assortment of Bibles, texts, prayer-books, hymn-books, educational books, slates, copy-books, pens, pencils, &c. Thanks to the friends at Spa-fields, Worcester, Cheltenham, Malvern Link, and Exeter, for their kind and liberal contributions. A valuable collection of the above-named articles came from the latter

place, accompanied with a kind letter, from which we make the following extract :

"These things are the produce of putting by one penny per week for three

years. If the young friends of our churches would do the same thing, what an amount of good would be done by such small means for our African churches? May God bless this humble offering."

We trust this excellent suggestion and noble example will be carried out throughout all the churches.

The following is an account of a district meeting held in St. Mark's Chapel, Kingstreet, Waterloo, of all the village churches of Lady Huntingdon's Connexion in the Western District of Sierra Leone :

"The meeting was opened with singing, after which Brother H. Palmer, of Tombo, offered prayer. Mr. A. H. Brown, sec. of the district, then read the 3rd chapter of Malachi, and expounded the 16th verse: Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened, &c.'

"The business of the district was then proceeded with, which was transacted in a very amicable spirit. The reporter says it was a very goodly, beautiful meeting-one of the most joyful they had ever held; although it was held in the midst of trial and temptation."

We have once more to report the inroad of death among our Waterloo friends, in the removal of one of our most efficient exhorters. A brief memoir of this good and useful brother came to hand by the last mail, which is nearly as follows, and which was written by Mr. A. H. Brown :

With a

"We have, with lamentation, to announce to you the death of a young brother, who was made an exhorter in 1865. His name is John A. Macarthy. He was one very dear to us all. willing, earnest heart, he was always ready to do any kind of work in the church for which he thought he was qualified, and did not hesitate to be even a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord. He was valiant for the truth upon the earth. A severe illness overtook him in June of 1870, and, as he could not secure a proper medical adviser and attention here, he was removed to Freetown. After staying a month in Freetown, and find

ing his sickness to increase rather than otherwise, he was taken to another place, where he placed himself under a black doctor, who lived in the bush. But all was in vain, for he became worse and worse. He and his friends now saw that his sickness was unto death; so they brought him back to his own home to die. Poor, dear fellow! he did not live long after this; for on the evening of the 17th of last November, this youthful brother and faithful servant of Jesus Christ was called home to join that harmonious throng in the bright, celestial world above, where he now rests with God, and reaps the reward of his labours in the cause of his Heavenly Master. Ah, dear Pastor! he died the death of the righteous!; bis last end was triumphant and peaceful. His mouth was too small to say all that was in his heart, but his whole trust was in the finished work of Jesus. He often spoke of you when dying, and his heart was big to see you. He has left behind him a wife and three very little children, also his mother, mother-in-law, a sister, and a brother, who mourn his loss. All our churches regret to lose him; he is greatly missed by us, every one; but, whatever the God of heaven says must be our rule; so, hearts, we say, 'Even so, Father, for so with sad yet, we hope, with submissive it seemeth good in Thy sight.'

"Our departed brother was born in Freetown on the 30th of April, 1841. He was converted while he was yet young. In 1860, he removed to Waterloo. In 1865, vember last he died, aged twenty-nine he was made an exhorter, and in Noyears, six months, and seventeen days. His sun went down while it was yet His last words were :

noon.

'God of my life, to Thee I call;
Afflicted, at Thy feet I fall;
When the great water-floods prevail,
Leave not my trembling heart to fail.'"

The life and death of Mr. Macarthy will show to our friends in England that our Mission work in Sierra Leone is not in vain in the Lord.