**

A more particular* Account of the Life and Death of Mr. CHRISTOPHER PEACOCK.

[By Mr. James Rogers.]

MR. CHRISTOPHER PEACOCK was born at Swaledale,

in the North-Riding of Yorkshire, in the year 1753.

When a child he was frequently convinced of fin, and wifhed for fome one to fhew him how he might be faved from it.

About the year 1773, the Methodist Preachers began to call finners to repentance, at a fmall diftance from his father's houfe; but he hearing many reports concerning this new fect (as ftrange as groundless) his mind was fo deeply prejudiced that

he would not hear them.

In the year following, Mr. D. W. and I were ftationed in the Thirsk Circuit, of which Swaledale was a part: it pleased God that year to fucceed his word: it ran, and was glorified in the awakening, and converfion of numbers in those parts, which caufed a great fir in the neighbourhood where he lived and several of his old companions (being alfo turned from the error of their ways, and filled with zeal for God, and the falvation of fouls) frequently folicited him to hear preaching. It was fometime before they could prevail; but during the Christmas-holidays, he and fome others formed a refolution to go and hear (for once) what these men had to say. It was my turn to preach; and being the first day of the new year, I preached on the 13th of Luke, Lord, let it alone this year alfo, till I fhall dig about it and dung it; and if it bear fruit, well; if not, then after that, thou shalt cut it down.

A fhort Account of his Death was inferted in the July Number, page 355

The

The word was accompanied with power. He felt that he was the spared finner; and was affected in an uncommon manner. From that hour he broke off from all his ungodly companions, and foon joined the Society. His convictions were now fuch that he could not reft, till the Lord manifefted his pardoning love to his foul; which he did in a few weeks. As his forrow for fin had been great, the change he now experienced was the more confpicuous, both to himself and others. Being juftified freely, through the redemption that is in Chrift Jefus, he rejoiced with joy unfpeakable and full of glory. The. conftant language of his heart was truly expreffed in the fol. lowing lines,

Oh! the rapturous height

Of that holy delight,

Which I felt in the life-giving blood!
Of my Saviour poffefsed,

I was perfectly blesséd,

As if filled with the fulness of God.

His attachment to the means of grace was now fuch, that with fome others (converted about the fame time) he would travel many miles, in the depth of winter, and in the darkest nights; over dreary mountains, and through lonely dales, to hear the word, because he could have it no oftner than once a fortnight near home. I have frequently heard him speak with fingular pleasure of those times; faying, how happy he was when returning from fuch and fuch places at midnight, finging hymus moft of the way home.

Too many have I feen, who after their firft love, fuffered the holy flame to decrease, if not die away. But it was far otherwife with him. He drew not back; but daily advanced in grace continuing to believe, and prefs forward to the full, and final falvation of his foul.

As

As it was foon manifeft that he poffeffed tolerable abilities, his acquaintance began to folicit him to act in a more public way; but he had fo mean an opinion of himself, that he was not eafily prevailed upon. He was followed, however, from time to time, with fecret impreffions that he was called to the work; and with strong fears, left in refufing, he should be found to fight againft God. His love for fouls being as a fire in his bones, conflrained him to make a trial. This he did first at a little village in the neighbourhood, where the Lord opened his mouth to the edification of many, as well as to the encouragement of his own fou!. He was then prevailed on to make a fecond trial. Soon after he had invitations to different places round about. This was about two years after I had left the Circuit.

On my way from Edinburgh to Cornwall, I called at a place about twelve miles from his father's houfe: and being informed of his ufefulnefs, I fent him word to meet me there. He came; and before we parted, I was fully perfuaded he was called of God to preach the gofpel. I received many pleating accounts of him afterwards; and especially of his great ufefulnefs as a local Preacher.

as

At the Leeds Conference, in the year 1781, I propofed him

a proper candidate for a travelling Preacher. Accordingly Mr. W. appointed him for Scarborough-Circuit; where. he laboured with fuccefs, and gained a good report of all the people.

The next year he laboured with me on the MacclesfieldCircuit. Here I was an eye witness of his indefatigable labours, and of the great good done by the bleffing of God thereon. I was alfo an eye witnefs of his fortitude, meeknefs and patience. under various trials we this year laboured under, occafioned by oppofitions we met with from feveral quarters, on account of doing what we thought was moft for the glory of God.

[To be continued.]

Some

Some Thoughts on an Expreffion of St. PAUL, in the first Epistle to the Theffalonians, chap. v. ver. 23.

1.

THE words, as literally tranflated as the English tongue will bear, run thus: May the whole of you, the Spirit, and the foul, and the body be preferved blameless.

What does St. Paul here mean, by dividing man into three parts, the fpirit, and the foul, and the body?

This creates what has been thought an infurmountable difficulty, by thofe who argue thus:

"How is it poffible to contradiftinguish the Soul, both from the Spirit and from the Body? For it must be either material or immaterial, matter or not matter: there is no medium. But if it be matter, does it not coincide with the Body? If it be not matter, does it not coincide with the Spirit ?"

But perhaps a way may be found of untieing this knot, of unravelling this difficulty, by fimply declaring the (at least) probable) meaning of these three terms.

May not the Spirit mean (fo it has been understood by the Christians in all ages) the highest principle in man, the immortal Spirit made in the image of God, endued (as all Spirits are, fo far as we can conceive) with Self-motion, Understanding, Will and Liberty?

Is not the Body, that portion of organized matter, which every man receives in the womb, with which he is born into the world, and which he carries with him to the grave? At present it is connected with flesh and body. But these are not the Body. They are only the temporary clothing of the Body, which it wholly puts off in the grave.

The Soul feems to be the immediate clothing of the Spirit, the vehicle with which it is connected from its firft exiftence, and which is never separated from it, either in life or in death. Probably it confifts of Ethereal or Electric Fire, the pureft of

all

all matter. It does not seem to be affected by the death of the Body, but envelops the feparate, as it does the embodied Spirit: neither will it undergo any effential change, when it is clothed upon with the immortal Body at the Resurrection.

May not the Apoftle have an eye to this, in thofe remarkable words (2 Cor. v. 4. We that are in this tabernacle (this corruptible flesh and blood) do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed (divefted of all covering, which belongs only to the Father of Spirits) but clothed upon with the glorious refurrection-Body, covering both our Soul and Spirit. This will fwallow up, totally destroy To To that which was mortal, namely, the flesh and blood, which alone was liable to death.

If we understood the words of the Apostle in this sense, all the difficulty vanishes away. We allow, there can be no medium, between material and immaterial. But fill there is room for a wide and effential difference, between the foul and the body: the latter implying that original portion of matter, which is now clothed with flesh and blood; the former, that vehicle of ethereal fire, which immediately covers the immortal Spirit.

Congleton, March 31, 1786.

An Extract from a JOURNEY from Aleppo to Jerufalem; at Eafler, A. D. 1697.

By HENRY MAUNDRELL, M. A. late Fellow of Exeter College, and Chaplain to the Factory at Aleppo..

[Continued from page 497.]

TUESDAY, April 20. The next morning we took our

leave of Nazareth, and directed our courfe for Acra;

in order to which, going at firft Northward, we croffed the hills that encompaffed the vale of Nazareth on that fide. After

which