Then tune afresh thy heaven attemper'd lyre, And call th' angelic hosts his grace t' admires And thro' eternity's unmeafur'd space, Thou shalt unwearied love, rejoice, and praise! There may we meet thee foon again, to prove The facred joys of friendship, and of love. To fee thy glory, fhare thy bright abode, And fing with thee the praises of our God. Yes, Jefus, yes, thro' thee we hope to join Our friends departed, in the realms divine; To fwell the chorus which fhall ftill pro- The glorious triumphs of the bleeding Our blood-bought honours at thy feet to caft, And fing thy name while endless years fhall laft. O may the rapturous thought each bosom fire With holy longings, and a pure defire! Surely a foul thus deftin'd, ought to rife, And daily, hourly feek its native skies; Should keep this empty world beneath its feet, Nor fear its terrors, nor its joys regret; With out-ftretch'd wings ftill urge its rapid flight, And pant to reach the realms of perfect light. It should be fo; but, ah! my fpirit, fay, How oft thou cleav'ft to fordid duft and clay; Seem'ft for awhile by flesh and sense o'er PRINTED AT THE CONFERENCE-OFFICE: THOMAS CORDEUX, Agent. THE METHODIST MAGAZINE, FOR JULY, 1811. BIOGRAPHY. MEMOIR OF MR. GEORGE LOMAS, OF STRANGEWAYS, NEAR MANCHESTER. BY HIS SON-IN-LAW, GEORGE MARSDEN. Sunday, November 25, 1810, died Mr. George Lomas, of Strangeways, Manchester. He was a person so well known, and fo highly refpected, not only by the Methodists, with whom he was connected, but alfo by many of the inhabitants of Manchester, that I thought it my duty to fend you a fhort fketch of his experience and character. The firft divine impreffions which were made upon his mind, of which I have been able to gain any information, were, when he was very young, under a fermon, preached in a barn, at Chelmorton, in Derbyshire. But not having religious connexions to cherish the early impreffions of grace, they were, in a great measure, obliterated, and for many years afterwards, he lived without any union with the people of God, and probably without any real piety. In the year 1776, he went to refide in Manchester, where he entered into bufinefs. Soon after he fettled there, he began to attend on the preaching of the Methodists, at the old chapel in Birchin-lane, and continued his attendance there on the Lord's-day, until the chapel in Oldham-street was erected. He took a feat by the plan of the chapel, before it was opened; and from the time it was firft preached in, he and his family were regular in their attendance on the Lord's-day evenings, long before any of the family were truly converted to God. It pleafed God to give Mr. Lomas much fuccefs in bufinefs; and as he was naturally of a lively, cheerful difpofition, until his fpirits were borne down by long affliction, many of the gentlemen in the neighbourhood where he refided, fought for his acquaintance, and endeavoured as much as poffible, to lead him into the common gaieties of life. He was frequently engaged in cardVOL. XXXIV. JULY, 1811. parties, parties, and at the bowling-green; and very frequently had large parties of his gay companions at his own table. But, notwithftanding all his pleasures and company on the week days, he continued on the Sunday evenings, to attend the heart-fearching fermons which were delivered in Oldham-street chapel. From this inftance, ought not the minifters of the gospel to be encouraged to hope, that the moft gay, and to all appearance, the most worldly of their hearers who continue under the word, may, in the end, be favingly brought to God? Mr. Lomas and his family were at chapel on the Lord's-day, and probably on the Monday or Tuesday had a party of gentlemen at their card-table. But by their regular attendance on the faithful miniftry of the word, confcience, under God, was prevented from falling entirely afleep. During the whole of that period, Mr. Lomas had a strong regard for truly religious characters, and for fome time before he thook off his worldly companions, he became very anxious that his rifing family might not follow the worldly pleafures which had led him captive. Sometimes when the company wished for a song, or for the cards, he directed that the children fhould be in fome diftant part of the houfe; for though he would not deny his companions their gratifications, he knew the way was wrong, and wifhed his family to be ftrangers to the example. The company of the world is enfnaring; and we have here a strong proof of its powerful influence, in leading him captive contrary to his judg ment, and also to the very powerful workings of confcience. "He knew the right, and yet the wrong purfued." But God was gradually preparing him for a very important change. The divine impreffions which had been made upon his mind early in life, though frequently forgotten, were not entirely erased; and by his attendance on a faithful ministry, a sense of the importance of eternal things was frequently revived. In the year 1790, he began more deeply to feel the importance of religion, and gradually to withdraw from thofe companions, who had long been a fnare to him. In the following year it pleafed God that Mrs. Lomas became fully determined to caft in her lot with the people of God, and fhe joined the Methodist Sooiety; and foon after, the defired Mr. Hern and Mr. Shore to fpeak to Mr. Lomas refpecting meeting in clafs, which they did, and he foon after entered into the fociety. For fome years he continued to meet with Mr. Shore, but for feveral years before his death, he was the leader of a clafs that met at his own house, and which he continued to meet, until prevented by affliction; and from that time, a friend had the care of it for him, until he joined the chureh of the firft-born in the kingdom of God. For |