was intimate, often read and fpoke much about religion, and frequently made useful and folemn remarks on Death and Judgment; this generally left a fenfible impreffion upon my brother's mind; and tho' he too often ftifled thefe convictions, yet he was inclined feriously to enquire into the way of falvation. When he was near twenty years of age, a perfon asked him one morning, to hear a Methodist Preacher of the name of Brettell, (a Local Preacher.) My brother confented to go the following fabbath; when it pleafed God that he was deeply awakened to a fenfe of his loft ftate. The following lines in one of our Hymns, were deeply impreffed upon his heart: "Where shall my wondering foul begin? A flave redeem'd from death and fin, He confidered himself to be this flave, this brand; --- and from that hour, began to flee from the wrath to come. On his return home, and informing his mother of what he had heard, fhe pleafantly asked, "if he was converted ?" He anfwered "that is what I want." From this day his conduct became remarkably exemplary; he fhunned every appearance of evil, and devoted much of his time to reading the Scriptures, and private prayer. He now met with much oppofition and many difcouragements from all in the house, both parents and kindred. But this was not all, being naturally of a timid difpofition, and far from the means of grace, and having to go thro' fields and woods alone in the dark evenings to attend them: On his return home he was fome times, locked out of doors, and had to contrive his retreat how he could. In the midst of these disagreeable trials, the conflicts of his mind became very alarming. He faw his danger by fin, and his foul trembled at a fenfe of it. He was troubled with fore temptations, even to doubt the Being of GOD, and was ready to conclude that this was a fure prelude to his future mifery, but was afraid of mentioning this to any perfon. His diftrefs was very great, he refused to be comforted, and continued in forrow. He faw the neceffity of being faved from all fin, but almost doubted the power of God to accomplish it. He could find no pleasure in the world, nor any, as yet, in religion. This diftrefs drove him to the Throne of Grace; and he fet apart four times a day for private prayer. His mother faw the affliction of her fon, but not underftanding the nature of it, the judged that the Methodists were the cause of all his forrow. She tenderly and with many tears, expoftulated with him, but he fteadily pursued his way and fought the things which pertain to the kingdom of God.. My brother had an uncle living in Birmingham, of a very moral character; who requested that his kinfman might be fent to him for a while, in hopes of reclaiming him entirely from follow ing the Methodists. My brother being removed to Birmingham, prevailed upon his uncle to hear the Methodists, on condition, that if he could prove from Scripture, that they did not preach the Truth, he would immediately withdraw from them. His uncle accepted the challenge, not doubting but he should foon change the conduct of his nephew: But it pleafed God, that he himfelf was convinced of the truth, and embraced it with his whole heart; and about two years ago died, as he had long lived, in the peaceful enjoyment of it. My brother had now more opportunities of attending the means of grace which he diligently improved, and obtained a sense of the pardoning love of God. It was in a clafs-meeting that the Lord fpoke peace to his foul, and gave him a comfortable evidence of his favour, which enabled him long to walk in the light of God's countenance. Here alfo, he had the happiness to be known by Mr. Mather, whose attention to him, and care over him, together with the fuitable advice he gave, both as it refpected his temporal and fpiritual eftate, was of lafting service to him, and for which he ever retained the fincereft gratitude. After refiding in Birmingham about a year, he returned home, and was better received and more kindly treated by his friends than before. He was the eldest of three brothers, and four fifters, and was foon made the means, under God, of the conversion of two of his brothers, and alfo of two of his fifters. To these he became, both in example and advice, a fpiritual father. These two fifters have fince died in the faith of Chrift. About three years after his return home he began to preach, and was made very useful to many of his own kindred and neighbours. When he had laboured as a local preacher about four years, his fphere was enlarged, and he began to officiate as an itinerant preacher. He has travelled about twenty-fix years, with the fhort intermiffion of about three years, occafioned chiefly by a ftate of illness. As I travelled with him four years, I had the opportunity of feeing his ufefulness to fome, and the affection of many towards him. His plainnefs and fimplicity, and I might add, his fincerity and uprightness, all, I believe, that have known him, have been witnefs to. His illness, which has now terminated in death, began about three months before, and was a flow nervous fever, attended with entire lofs of appetite. He was then in the Otley Circuit, and tho' not able to preach from the time he was firft taken ill, yet, he often rode out; but no means were any way effeftual to his recovery. The medical men to whom he applied, feemed unacquainted with his disease, and, like many others, conceived little or nothing was the matter with him till he died. When he was first taken ill, he thought he fhould die; and was remarkably happy in God. After which he funk low, with depreffing views of his own unworthiness and ingratitude: But the Lord Lord poured upon him the Spirit of Prayer, and he was heard to plead much with God for purity of heart and confidence in him. In this exercise he was remarkably bleffed, and requested of his friends, that if any thing was faid of him after his death, it might be from these words, "And it fhall come to pass, that whosoever "fhall call upon the Name of the Lord, fhall be saved." His views of falvation were fuch, as led him to long for the fulleft enjoyment of God in Glory, and to exprefs his furprise at the folly and madness of men, for their inordinate and finful attach ment to the things of this world. He was tenderly affected when any of his chriftian friends called to see him; and as one fenfible of his approaching change, he looked forward to that time and place, where he hoped to fee them again, joyfully repeating thefe lines! "There all the fhip's company meet, "Who fail'd with their SAVIOUR beneath, "With shouting each other they greet, "And triumph o'er trouble and death!" A few days before his death, my fifter informed me of the rapid progrefs of my brother's diforder. I ordered my concerns fo as to go over and vifit him. I arrived at Otley on the 31ft of May, but before I could fee him, I was informed that he was dying. When I came into the house he revived, and embraced me with much affection, and foon after faid, "I blefs GOD, Í was never more refigned to his Will; I have no pain, nor "have had any doubt of my acceptance with God fince my af "fliction began." Mr. Harrison came in late from the circuit and called to fee him. My brother took him by the hand with great affection, and faid, "This is my friend that always flood by me." I fat up with him that night. He refted but little, and early next morn ing defired to fit up, which he did for a short space several times in the day. During this day I took an opportunity of speaking to him on fome family affairs, which gave him fatisfaction, and alfo, on the affairs of our Zion, for the peace of which his foul had long travelled in pain. 1 expreffed my hopes of feeing general peace in our focieties. He juft replied," If your hopes are well founded, it is well." In the evening he was so very weak that he could hardly fpeak at all, but when his friend Mr. Blagborne from York, with Mr. Harrifon, came in, before the preaching, he revived, and faid to them, "Bleffed be GOD, I have not. ferved him for nought; but am very conscious, that tho' I am, Unworthy of the crumbs that fall, "If "Yet, rais'd by him who died for all, "I eat the children's bread." VOL. XIX. Nov. 1796. When When they were gone, obferving their brotherly affection towards him, he faid, "The law of fympathy makes us feel very much." During the following night, he was a little reftlefs, with difficulty in breathing. Next morning I perceived his diffolution was near: I asked, If he longed to depart to be with Chrift? He answered, "I did feel that defire conftantly, but it is not fo conftant now.' I asked, What is the caufe? He faid, "I am examining." I now faw he could fpeak no more. I took his feeble hand, when I fuppofed its flrength was gone, and faid, If Jefus is precious now, raife your fingers. He lifted up his hand with great emotion. Soon after I perceived he was dying, and kneeled down to commend his foul into the hands of God. He opened his eyes and looked upon me with his ufual eafe and pleasantnefs, and then breathed his laft. Thus died a meek and humble follower of Jefus Chrift, having juft entered into the 55th year of -his age. 66 Stockport, June 20, 1796. J. BRETTELL. CHARITY recommended on its true Motive! [EXTRACTED FROM A LATE EMINENT WRITER ] GREATER REATER injuftice, cannot be done to the doctrines of Christianity, than to fuppofe them barren fpeculations, fubjects intended only for the meditations of the pious in their clofets, or the controverfies of the learned in their writings; and iffuing in no conclufions for the benefit of fociety, and the comfort of mankind. The contrary is happily evinced by the Apostle, where he fays, "If GOD fo loved us, we ought alfo to love "one another;" in which words, allufion is made to the incarnation of the Son of God, as the great inftance of the divine love toward us; and that love propofed as the principle and the pattern of our love toward our neighbour. "If God fo loved us," that he "fent his Son to be the propitiation for our fins," then, we ought alfo to love one another." We might afk him in whom zeal for the welfare of his fellow-creatures burns with the brightest and most ardent flame, what his patriotic and generous heart could with more, than that men might be brought to this bleffed temper of mina? Did it but prevail in it's full extent, it would reform the world at one. Tranfgreffion would ceafe, and with it much of our mifery and tremble. The reign of righteoufnefs and happiness would commence, and paradife be, in great measure, reftored upon earth. St. Paul affigns the reason, in very few words; "Love worketh no ill to it's neighbour t;" it can work him no ill; it can never injure him in his person, his bed, his property, or his character; it cannot fo much as conceive a defire for any thing that belongs to him. But it refteth not content with negatives. It not only worketh him no ill, but it must work for him all the good in it's power. Is he hungry? It will give him meat. Is he thirty? It will give him drink. Is he naked? It will clothe him. Is he fick? It will vifit him. Is he forrowful? It will comfort him. Is he in prifon? It will go to him, and, if poffible, bring him out. Upon this ground, wars must for ever cease among nations, diffenfions of every kind among leffer focieties, and the individuals that compofe them. All must be peace, because all would be love. And thus would every end of the Incarnation be accomplished; good will to men, peace on earth, and to GOD on high glory from both. Many feem to think, that if charity be but fhewn, Motive is a matter of indifference. It may be fo to the party receiving, but not to the party beftowing. Á fick perfon is equally benefited, whether he, who fits by his bed-fide, fits there from real affection, or with defign to make a will in his own favour. Nothing can determine the fterling worth of an action, but a knowledge of the Motive upon which it is performed. Here, then, we should be very careful not to deceive ourselves. We fhould deal fairly, and fearch our hearts to the bottom. In the day of inquifition and retribution, he who made them, and therefore knows what is in them, will certainly do fo. Men and angels, on that day, will be made acquainted not only with all we have done, but with the true reafons why we did it; and the transactions of human life will be found far other than they feem. Nay, there are, even now, men of the world, endowed with fagacious and penetrating minds, who judging partly from what they experience in themfelves, and partly from what they have obferved in others, are not eafily impofed upon. By knowing a perfon's general charac ter, and laying circumftances together, they will give a threwd guefs at what is paffing within, and not be led to take the oftenfi ble motive for the real. Some French authors, and, after them, fome English ones, writing upon this plan, have given a very unfavourable representation indeed of human nature. Their maxims are by no means univerfally true: but might be rendered ferviceable, if we made ufe of them, not to cenfure others, but to examine ourselves; not to judge our neighbours, but to let our own confciences plead, Guilty, or Not Guilty. Some information on this fubject is neceffary for us all, left after performing actions of charity, by performing them upon wrong and finifter motives, we become expofed to the mortification of lofing their reward. We may perform them merely because there is a decency and propriety in fo doing; others perform them, and we should be thought meanly of, were we to omit them: We may perform them out of vanity, to acquire the character of benevo lent; a character, to which, perhaps, upon the whole, we have. no good title: We may perform them out of envy, left a rival bear off the honour from us: We may perform them to become popular, and ferve by them fome fecular and political intereft: 4 F 2 We |