"In love with the beautiful clay, Dear Mrs. C. has just departed this life. Truly in Thy faith, fear, and love. Sure 'tis a privilege thus to die. O what a feast of marrow and fat things has my soul enjoyed through my intercourse with this dear woman during her protracted sickness: she died exclaiming-My Jesus hath done all things well.' Who could have thought that her feeble frame would have survived the healthy constitution of my much-esteemed friend and faithful colleague in the bible association, Mr. John Morgan, who died March 16th, 1818. He was at the Common, remarkably cheerful, at eleven o'clock, receiving (as usual) the weekly bible contributions of the poor,-was a corpse a few hours after! Five years ago he and I united our efforts to supply the poor with the scriptures; we began, continued, and ended in one spirit; were never disposed to relinquish our important work, and the Lord was pleased graciously to prolong his useful life to see all but the accomplishment of his wishes. The poor are nearly all supplied with bibles. His exertions in their behalf were very great; with tears in his eyes a few weeks ago, he said that he was determined to stand by the blessed institution to his life's end. So he did,—and having so far served his generation, we trust, according to the will of God - He was not, for God took him,' and I am left to mourn his loss: 'When such friends part, He was one of the little band who used to worship at good old Mr. Pearce's, in Meeting-lane, herein-before referred to nearly the last of them was Mrs. Mary Brown, widow, of this town, who, after adorning the doctrine of God her Saviour in all things, during her long life, died in 1849, with a hope full of immortality, aged eighty. Mournful statement of events which followed the relinquishing of the said preaching at Warminster Common, and thus neglecting, if not despising, the perishing poor there.-"Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.". [JUDGES V. 23.] Two itinerant preachers forthwith reduced to one; injudicious expulsion of some of the oldest members; the chapel in the town, which had been recently pewed and had two new galleries erected in it, and every sitting let, was reduced in occupancy nearly half; a respectable and long-tried friend who had left a legacy to the chapel in his will, cancelled the said legacy; in two years the society fell off in the circuit, fifty members, the income was thereby so reduced, that the steward was actually compelled to borrow thirty pounds on the preacher's household furniture. It is true, that occasionally a little quickening of the cause appeared, but it was always soon followed by a falling off again. By the year 1821, the principal persons concerned in this transaction (most of them preachers) had nearly all vanished from the chapel. One was turned out of the society and fled from his creditors; another had no success in his trade and left the town, soon afterwards his ship foundered, his deserving widow and family were reduced at once to poverty, and himself died in prison; a third left the society and became a withered branch; a fourth died, leaving an orphan quite unprovided for, with unsatisfied creditors; a fifth was rejected from his office and also left the society; a sixth died suddenly, immediately after preaching; a seventh died in a lunatic asylum; the last of them, in 1835, joined the sad desolating separation which then took place, when all the then local preachers in the circuit, excepting two, seized every chapel which they could get possession of, and formed a new sect. In 1844, notices of ejectment were served on the trustees, and, although all of them had received much spiritual instruction and edification there, yet they refused to come forward to stop legal process, or in any way to help in time of trouble. The chapel therefore, where so many faithful and beloved ministers had long laboured-where so much expense had been incurred-where so many precious souls had heard and received the truth as it was in Jesus, and had become burning and shining lights in their day and generation-that unfortunate chapel would have been inevitably sequestered in a few days, and poor Methodism actually driven out of the town, perhaps for ever, had not one of the expelled members of 1818, in deepest pity and concern, come forward and rescued it: Why art thou cast down O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me?' Is his mercy clean gone for ever, and will he be no more entreated?' Thenceforward, friends wisely commenced a contribution fund, for lowering the long-standing and oppressive debt, in order that the sad occurrence might never again take place. But recent events seem plainly to shew that 'Ichabod' is not yet removed from that once flourishing, but now languishing and muchlamented cause. The debt is still unliquidated (1850). It is impossible,' says our blessed Lord, but that offences will come, but woe unto him through whom they come.' I knew an aged minister who had seen much of the religious world during his long life : he had witnessed many painful schisms and separations, he had diligently watched their results, and in no case did he ever see the parties concerned therein, afterwards prosper. Agitators of religious societies, before they proceed to their unhallowed work, should read NUMB. xvi. and LUKE xvii. 1, 2.” A PRAYER FOR THE PREACHERS OF THE GOSPEL, Composed by Mr. C. Wesley. 1 LORD of the harvest, hear And every Gospel Messenger, With labouring strength supply: With well-instructed zeal, 2 To shew forth all thy praise, And poor, and mean, in his own eyes, 3 Be this their single aim, Thy glorious Truths to spread : Content to live, and die unknown, 4 In answer to our prayer, MEDICAL ELECTRICITY. CASE 7. Aged forty.-A violent pain in the pit of the stomach, in or near the heart, extending frequently to the left arm; when it attacked her heart it was so acute that she feared sudden death had resisted all medicine for three weeks. Sparks, and a few slight shocks, applied to her stomach, drawn off at her back and through her arm; perfectly cured-better in health than she has been for years. Two years after this it returned, and again was conquered in the same way. 8. Aged sixty-nine.-Great weakness in the joints and rheumatic pains in different parts of the body. Small shocks administered all over the body a few evenings; perfectly cured-can now walk without her stick, and her health is better than for the last four years. 9. Aged thirty.-Swelling in the knee joint, commonly called a white swelling: had long resisted all medicine-unable to walk for three years-turned out of the infirmary incurable, after being there fifteen weeks,-the leg and foot also much swollen,the swelling greatly reduced but the lameness remained. Sparks and shocks directly through the affected part. CHAPTER VI. NEW AND IMPORTANT MOVEMENT IN FAVOR OF WARMINSTER COMMON.-ANECDOTES AND EXTRACTS. In the year 1818 another movement took place, which though small at its commencement, was found afterwards vitally to affect the interests of the poor at Warminster Common to a large amount. The Methodist Society in this town became considerably agitated, by the undue officiousness of a certain itinerant Wesleyan preacher recently sent among them, of the name of Joshua Fielding, which ended in the expulsion of, first, the steward, and then of several of the principal members. Reports stated that this was not the first instance that had occurred of his breaking up societies where he had been stationed. In this case he undertook on his own judgment and of his own will to expel the said members; an awful power indeed, for any individual entrusted with ministerial functions to hold and use. It was not known till now that any Methodist preacher ever had this dangerous authority: I conclude that it was what that body called "legal" or "constitutional," because, on return from the district meeting, the said preacher stated publicly, first to the society, and then to the congregation, from the pulpit, in my presence," that there was a peculiar glow of pleasurable feeling went through the whole of the said meeting when he informed them that he had accomplished what none of his predecessors could, namely, got rid of the troublesome steward, and now," said he, you will prosper." Moreover, a statement of the 66 |