On the ORIGINAL DESIGN of the METHODIST MAGAZINE. TO THE EDITOR. Dear Sir,-Some years ago you, or your predecessor in office, consented to soften down the title of your periodical work by calling it The Arminian, or Methodist Magazine; and this was done, I presume, to lessen, if possible, the distance between two respectable denominations of Christians, that there might be no longer the same cause for angry and noisy controversy; and that those who agreed to admit Jesus Christ to be the only true foundation of Christianity, might with perfect harmony raise the superstructure. Whether this end has been attained, or whether the alteration in your title is consistent with the contents of your Magazine, it is not my intention to controvert; yet I am inclined to think, that the change is a dereliction of its original design. Mr. Wesley says, in his address to the reader, ia the first number of the Arminian Magazine, printed in the year 1778, "Our design is to publish some of the most remarkable tracts on the universal love of God, and his willingness to save all men from all sin, which have been written in this and the last century. Some of these are now grown very scarce; some have not appeared in English before. To these will be added, Original Pieces, written either directly upon this subject, or on those which are equally opposed by the patrons of Particular Redemption." He observes again, "We have been frequently advised to give the Magazine another appellation, rather than one that will give a general offence," and assigns his reasons for not altering it. But, supposing the odious name were dropped, would this change the complection of its contents? The contrary is evident: for as long as the doctrine of God's love to all men is taught in it, it will still be called an Arminian Magazine. Mr. Wesley, during his life, never admitted the term Methodists, as designating the people under his pastoral care as a sect, but as an epithet which wit had applied to them; hence in all his writings he uses the expression, "The Methodists so called." Whatever objections there may be to the doctrines taught by James Arminius, when considered in detail, the Methodists so called, perfectly agree with him, that God willeth all men to be saved. Upon this important article you neither have made nor can make any concessions, without dissenting from your first principles. As the Magazine was first designed to maintain and defend General Redemption, so it was intended to guard the people against all senti. ments and hypotheses, which directly or indirectly might weaken the column which supports all they hold as sacred and dear. Your work of course then must continue to be a vehicle to circulate your opinions in the most prominent form; and, at the same time, to contain cautions and animadversions upon anti-methodistical notions. That you have a right to reject all papers that maintain opinions contrary to the doctrines taught in Mr. Wesley's first four volumes of sermons, and his notes on the New Testament, is readily granted; but that you should refuse admittance to such as, in the spirit of meekness and wisdom, defend these doctrines, no one will cret, who is at all acquainted with your known consistency and orthodoxy. I am aware, that some of your readers may be inclined to cry out, "How illiberal in this enlightened age," and charge the writer with narrow contracted views. Be it so. Is candour found with no other persons but those who believe that all sentiments are alike, and may be innocently held? that the dogmas taught by Plato are of equal importance with the doctrines of the cross, preached by St. Paul?. We consider the truths of Christianity of too much importance readily to relinquish them; or give up the ground we have taken in order to avoid the odium of bigotry, to meet the views of latitudinar an professors. Here there can be no compromise; the religion of Jesus Christ is unyielding. Here there can be no drawback from either its quality or quantity; it is one and indivisible; it is the truth, the whole truth, as it is in Jesus; it can mix with no heterogeneous bodies. There are times when the disciples of Jesus Christ must wage an offensive war against anti-christian opinions, and when it would be criminal for the minister of Christ to sleep at his post. Those opinions are now afloat in the world; error, masked in a false garb, assuming an imposing appearance, and misleading the simple and unsuspicious. Dear Sir, you are placed at an important post in the church, and it is your imperative duty, through the medium of your Miscellany, to circulate the antidote, and to watch with vigilant circumspection the body with which you are connected, and defend the purity of those doctrines which God has so greatly blessed in leading sinners to himself, that believers may be built up, and established in their holy faith. Dear Sir, I remain, your's most affectionately, London, June 5th, 1819. OBITUARY. DIED, at Stonegrave, near York, Aug. 31, 1818, Mrs. ELIZ. PEACOCK, aged 78. This mother in Israel, whose maiden name was Hodgson, was born at Raskel, near Easingwould, Yorkshire. Her parents regularly attended the service of the Established Church, and taught her in early life to pray toGod, and to repeat the Catechism. In her youth also, she acquired the habit of speaking the truth, and learned to reverence the Lord's-day; and though she lived many years unacquainted with the spirituality of the Divine law, and the excellencies of the gospel of Christ Jesus; yet, from her general stability, the correctness of her morals, and her uniform attention to public and private religious duties, she was deemed a Methodist by her neighbours, though it does not appear she had, at that time, any acquaintance with the Methodist Society. For it was not until about the 28th year of her age that she heard the Methodists preach. Under the first sermon, however, that she heard, she was convinced of her sinfulness and need of pardoning mercy, and soon afterwards obtained" peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." She then became anxious that the people of the village where she lived should have an opportunity of hearing the gospel in that way which had been so useful to herself, and invited the Methodist preachers to Raskel, MENTOR. where they soon formed a society, and of which she became an active and useful member. Her zeal and diligence, united with her universal good character, rendered her a general blessing in the neighbourhood. About the 36th year of her age, after much prayer, and sincerely seeking Divine instruction, she was united in marriage to Mr. Robert Peacock, who resolved, with her, to open a door for the servants of the Lord; and having settled upon a farm at Stonegrave, they invited the preachers to their house, where the preaching afterwards became established, to the great profit of many who attended to hear it. She truly respected the servants of Jesus Christ, and always made them welcome to her house, After living thus usefully and respectably as a member of the Methodist society for about fifty years; and, in her journey through life, bearing many trials, she came to the close," an old disciple," and quite willing to put off her mortal clothing, even as our Lord Jesus Christ had shewed her; for she had no fear of death, but "rejoiced in hope of the glory of God." To those who visited her when she was near her end she said, "I have not followed a cunningly devised fable,' the Lord has been with me these fifty years, and I feel him with me now-I shall soon be where he is, to behold his glory." To DIED, at Tiverton, January 1, 1819, Mrs. JOANNA COTTY, aged 94. She was the daughter of a Baptist minister of that place, and early in life became a member of that church, being awakened to a real consciousness of the depravity of her heart, and the transgressions of her life; and just at that time, looking into the dreadful gulf of unconditional predes tination, she concluded herself to be amongst the eternally reprobated, and became overwhelmed with distress arising from these two causes, viz. the Spirit of God wounding her mind preparatory to healing it, and a contrary spirit suggesting that her doom to perdition was fixed before she had a being. About this time, Mr. Wesley, and others in connexion with him, first visited Tiverton. Miss Sampson, (for that was her name previous to marriage,) requested and obtained leave of her mother to hear these men, then every where spoken against. The preacher took for his text Acts v. 31, and under that sermon her every doubt, arising from the horrible decrees, and fear of never finding mercy, vanished; and her mind was filled with peace and joy through believing in Him who, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man. She often spoke of this as the commencement of her spiritual comfort; and having derived her greatest good under a Wesleyan ministry, she considered it her duty to cast in her Jot with the infant society of Methodists, then formed in Tiverton, and accordingly was immediately united to them. If all persons acted as uprightly in this respect as Miss Sampson did, some would find that they ought to be in congregations that they have deserted, and amongst a people on whom they have turned their backs. Amongst the thousands who in their life and death have been led to glorify God for the truth as it is in Jesus, taught among the Methodists, Miss S. was one, and she stood firm in the evil day, and continued the warm advocate of Methodism, in the midst of the violence of persecution that assailed it. From the benefit she received from time to time under the Metho In the month of July 1750, John Wesley came first to this town, and preached in the open air, at different times and in various parts of the town. In September, 1751, persecution arose against Mr. Wesley and his preachers. Many, who had been educated at Blundell's school, formed a mob, procured dist ministry, it is no cause for wonde that she accepted the hand of one of our first Itinerant Preachers, Mr. James Cotty. For many years she was a widow, and continued to the day of her death, I believe," a widow indeed." It is more than eight years since I first saw Mrs. Cotty, and as she lived in a family where the preachers lodged, I had many opportunities of seeing and conversing with her, (being one of the Preachers on the circuit.) and always found her most free to speak of the best things, ever happy to hear of Zion's prosperity. Her uniform walk gave the best proof to others, that she was the Lord's by adoption and grace, while the Spirit of God attested to her own soul, that she was indeed born of God. Few are to be found in whose breast dwelt more Christian sympathy, demonstrated by her readiness to relieve persons in distress, and her heartfelt pleasure in benevolent acts. In addition to all the individuals so frequently relieved by her alms, she was an annual subscriber of £1 to our Preachers' Fund. When our new chapel in this place was begun, she gave towards it £50, and afterwards lent £100, which, said stre, "I shall leave to the chapel, (to aid the liquidation of its The Baptist debts,) after my decease." church, I understand, some time before her death received, as a gift from her, £100. In her latter days she felt much lethargy, but at intervals she enjoyed an exemption from this affliction, and invariably expressed her gratitude to God, and confidence in him, often exclaiming, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name." "For her to live was Christ, and to die was gain." JOSEPH SANDERS. Tiverton, May 18, 1819. drums and fifes, &c. and came upon Mr. W. and by their tumult obliged him to desist. In the course of these violent proceedings, some time near the latter end of the year 1752, the Mayor of Tiverton, in company, asked a respectable gentleman, who sat near him, and who gave me this information, what he thought of the Methodees, and their religion, and whether he did not think it right that they should be driven out of the town. "I think, Mr. Mayor," said the gentleman, you had much better follow the counsel of Gamaliel to the Jews, (Acts v. 34-39,) and leave them and their religion to themselves." "What do you think so, Sir ?" (said the ma gistrate,) do you consider, Sir, what little reason there is for any new religion in Tiver ton another way of going to heaven, when there are now so many? You know, Sir, there is the old church and the new church: that is one religion. Then there is parson K.'s, at the Pitt-meeting, (Presbyterians:) parson W.'s, in Peter street, (Calvinists;) and the old parson T.'s, at the meeting in Newport-street, (Baptists,) four ways of going to heaven already: enough in con science, I think; and if they won't go to heaven by one or other of these ways, by they sha'nt go to heaven at all herefrom, whilst I am Mayor of Tiverton." MISSIONARY INTELLIGENCE. ANNUAL MEETING OF THE GENERAL WESLEYAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY. (Concluded from our last Number.) The Rev. JOHN HAWTREY, (lateCaptain Hawtrey) in seconding the resolution, said, the resolution which had been read, and so affectingly enlarged on by the respectable friend, who had just sat down, needed not his support; for there could be no individual who had heard such a detail of what the last speaker had himself seen of those dreadful acts of self-destruction, those awful murders, and unhappy effects of idolatry and superstition, without feeling the propriety, not only of immediately assenting to the resolution, but of pledging himself to aid the labours of Missionaries, until all this abominable idolatry shall be destroyed. In adverting to another subject, it was extremely pleasing to learn from the valuable extracts which the Chairman had read, the good doing in the West Indies. He knew that there was other testimony beside what had been adduced, to corroborate the usefulness of Missionaries there. At the same time we should all bear this in our minds, that though we have every reason to be grateful to Almighty God for the friendly disposition manifested by the many planters and proprietors of estates; yet we could not at present flatter ourselves, that there were no feelings of prejudice and opposition remaining. He had not brought the remark forward to throw any damp upon the good tidings we had heard; but he thought that we ought to be most seriously impressed with the truth, that though the work of evangelizing the negroes in the West Indies is in a most pleasing state of progress, it cannot be considered as completed, or as having overcome all its difficulties. We could only hope that remaining prejudices against the labours of Missionaries would be removed by the continued approbation of such assemblies as the present, which would give the sanction of the British Public to the cause of religion among the swarthy tribes of the descendants of Ham. His observations would chiefly respect a station nearer home. He had lately returned from France, and had had an opportunity of mixing with the people of that empire. There was a little Wesleyan Society in Cherbourg. He had preached there, and though the notice was only that of a few hours, yet a congregation assembled that filled the place; and when it was remembered that such meetings were interdicted through the priests, and that each person attending was liable to a fine of 200 franks, that is upwards of £8, if of the Roman Catholic persuasion, this was very encouraging. There were several Roman Catholics, notwithstanding, who regularly mingled in this congregation, and had found benefit from the preaching of the word of God. He was most gratified to hear the experience and testimony of some of those eonverted Catholics. These were important and interesting facts, but he had seen more. On his arrival at Caen, in Normandy, where there was a Missionary and two Chapels, he had the satisfaction to inform the meeting, that on a late Sunday he preached to a French congregation, and though no notice was given, the place was filled. He was convinced that that nation was not properly known, and the character of its people not properly understood. It had grown with our growth to look on Frenchmen with a jealous eye; to believe that they were almost past conversion; that there was nothing but evil in their hearts: They had been, it was true, in a state of awful infidelity. But he was convinced that their moral condition was improving; they were feeling after God, they had tried infidelity, they had seen what it could do for them; and they were looking out for something better. It had pleased God to convert a gentleman of property in the town of Caen, a man of birth and education, who had been a man of the world, and had been a noted duellist, and once the terror of the town. Immediately on his eyes being opened, he saw the danger of his fellow creatures, he boldly stepped forth to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he had, in defiance of all the malice and craft of the priests, formed little congregations, of 19 or 20, who assembled in different places for the purpose of prayer and reading the scripture. Several of these little societies were in the town of Caen. He had recently been to Paris, and there also established several of these meetings. He was quite sure that a door was opening in France, for the introduction of the truth. JAMES WOOD, Esq. of Manchester, observed, that he could not contemplate the VOL. XLII, JULY, 1819, *3R* moral state of Ceylon and of Continental India, without the most painful feelings, Some had talked of pious heathens. There might be pious heathens, yet he thought, when we had once admitted the possibility of their being such persons, we had admitted full as much as we ought. They had heard that day much of the worship of idols in the island of Ceylon, and in Continental India, but those who ought to be denominated pious heathens, were men who like Cornelius, feared God and wrought righteousness: there might be such, in the heathen world, but it was not for us to argue from this, that in fact, there were a great number. If there were, Missionaries would have found them out, and it would have very much gladdened our hearts to have heard of them; but of such we had heard nothing. Missionaries had not found them, among the millions of India. What then was to be done to help them? It appeared that there was no way of raising them from their moral degradation, but sending them the preachers of the everlasting gospel. He would admit that a great deal had been done by disseminating the word of God, and a great deal might be done; but it appeared to him that they would never have complete views of the gospel without the expositions and assistance of those men whom God himself had called and qualified to dispense the word of life. God had made us the depositories of his truth, and he now called on us to disseminate it in every part of the habitable globe. It was not a matter of indifference whether we should send the ministers of the gospel, or not; it was not a matter of mere privilege, but a matter of high responsibility and doty. He was happy to state, that the Manchester district was taking its full share of this burden. The last year had been a year of great commercial distress and peril, distress unparalleled in some branches of our manufacture, yet their subscriptions had greatly exceeded any former years. We might argue from this important fact, that the minds of the people there were made up to acknowledge the importance and obligation of Christian Missions, and that they now acted from principle. They felt this to be the cause of God, and acting upon that principle, he had no doubt they would continue to give it their support. The Rev. JONATHAN EDMONDSON, President of the Conference, said, that his heart felt so great an interest in the cause, that if he were young, he would offer his services for the Foreign Mission that day. It gave him very great pleasure to see so many doors opened in almost every part of the world. We had our Missionaries in the East, and in the West, in the North, and in the South, and yet he thought that the Missionary cause was but in its infancy. It seemed to him that we were but just beginning. He looked forward to the time, and thought it not very far distant, when the "kingdoms of this world should become the kingdoms of God and of his Christ." He accompanied Dr. Coke to the sea-side when he embarked for the East. He was well aware that the Doctor's motives were pure, and that the young men who accompanied him were persons of great ingenuity and talents, but his hopes were not very sanguine. He had a thousand fears, and when he heard that Dr. Coke was called into eternity, his hopes fell still lower. But on their arrival in that country, though they had lost their leader, yet Providence raised up other persons, and to one of these earliest and best friends of the Ceylon Mission, Sir ALEXANDER JOHNSTON, he had the honour to propose a vote of thanks. He recollected his kindness to our Missionaries whilst in India, and since his return to this country, he had rendered essential services to the Mission, by his communications with the Committee. The Rev. RICHARD WATSON seconded the resolution. They had to lament the absence of Sir Alexander Johnston, who would have been at the meeting, but for the illness of a near relative. His heart was with us, and he would, but for the circumstance just mentioned, have given his personal testimony to the importance and successful operation of our Ceylon Mission. He had thought, when he found the Ceylon Mission so much omitted by the preceding speakers, to have called the attention of the Meeting particularly to its operations, and had not several speakers yet to address the meeting, he would have gone at some length into the animating details of the important Mission of Ceylon. He should, however, merely observe, that all the Missionaries who were now engaged in the work had given the utmost satisfaction to the Committee, and that their prudent, diligent, and zealous conduct, gave them a strong claim on the support of the Christian public. On the resolution he would say, that the most cordial thanks of this society were certainly due to the gentleman mentioned in it. It was a cheering consideration that when we turned to India we saw a class of men rising up, whose talents, character, and influence were all consecrated to the encouragement of religion. They lived at a great distance from home, and in a country where opposition to religion would subject them to no reproach, and perhaps give them the praise of prudent politicians; yet even there men were raised up by Providence, holding high |