Within the past year, the Rev. John Seys, Superintendent of the Liberia Mission, Rev. George S. Brown, Missionary from Africa, together with Simon Peter, a converted native Exhorter, have been engaged in travelling extensively, for the purpose of replenishing our funds. They have been thus employed separately, and in accompanying our Secretaries, with encouraging success. Brother Seys will continue to labour in this service as his health will allow; and the Board affectionately commend him to the attention and liberality of all the friends of the cause.

Upon our Bishops, presiding Elders, and Itinerant Preachers we are constrained to rely, more than upon all the other agencies in the field. Their numbers, their relations to the people, their facilities for soliciting and collecting contributions to our treasury, all combine to devolve upon them a large share of the responsibility for the Missionary action of the churches. Many of these, we rejoice to testify, are heartily engaged in the work; and if all were as active as a few have been, our treasury would be ample to meet the increasing demands upon our Missionary Board. We trust that our present extremity may be their chosen opportunity; and that, upon every District, Circuit, and station, a simultaneous effort will be made to raise money for our exhausted treasury.

To our Local Preachers, numerous and efficient as they are in the service of the church, an appeal is now made by some of their own number, from which we hope for an example which will provoke others to love and good works. It is proposed, that each of them should give ten dollars, or beg that sum for our treasury; and we are glad to learn, that many of them have a mind to the work. In their noble project, thus to pay off our debt, we wish them God speed.

Upon our Class-Leaders much, very much, will depend, for the success of the penny-a-week collections, which the Board have so earnestly recommended, and which they hope to see introduced in every part of our work, without delay.

If the presiding Elders will see that every Quarterly Conference is organized into a Missionary Society, auxiliary to that of the Annual Conference; and every Preacher, with the aid of the Leaders, will organize the classes within his charge into Branch Societies, appoint suitable persons to receive a penny a week from all who are willing to subscribe this small sum; we have strong

confidence that this plan, in connexion with other agencies, will afford us a permanent and systematic source of revenue, adequate to the wants of our treasury.

But still we must look to our ministry and membership for their zealous cooperation in multiplying Auxiliary Societies, and in sustaining those now in operation, especially in all populous places. And we take pleasure in testifying to the timely and efficient aid we have received from Sunday-school and other Juvenile Auxiliaries, who have, in many places, excelled their seniors in zeal and success.

The periodicals belonging to our Church are among our most important agencies; and it is fit that we should recognise and appreciate the constant facilities they afford us, for spreading abroad our Missionary intelligence, and circulating the appeals which our necessities have compelled us to make upon the exertions and liberality of the Church.

In the "Christian Advocate and Journal," of January 5th, 1842, will be found an Address to our ministry and membership, from the venerable Bishop Hedding, from which we make the following extract :—

"To carry the above-named plan into effect will depend, to a great degree, on the Preachers. Dear brethren in the ministry, though you have not the money, you have the influence with the people.* They have the money, and, if they will, they can do all that is necessary in the present distress, and all that shall be necessary, from time to time, to carry on this glorious work of God. I pray you, then, call their attention to it; lay the plan before them; and urge them, for Christ's sake, to adopt it. And if any of the societies shall decline adopting this plan, beseech them, for the sake of the souls of the Heathen, to help, by some other mode, in this glorious enterprise. How can you pray, 'Thy kingdom come,' and neglect this important part of your duty? How can you see your brethren return in tears from Oregon, and from Africa, for lack of bread, when it is in your power to persuade our people to feed them? By everything sacred in the holy religion you preach, I entreat you, one and all, come out in good earnest, make one mighty and simultaneous effort to arouse

*We are not to understand the Bishop as intimating, that the Preachers are backward in the support of the Missionary cause, as he very well knows that many of them are among its most liberal supporters, their poverty notwithstanding.

all our people to a more vigorous and general action in this blessed cause!"

In this first Number of our periodical, we have deemed it needful to occupy so much space with a general summary of the condition and wants of the Missionary Society, that we have no room for details such as we design hereafter to furnish.

The following letter will interest the friends of our German Missions :

"To the Corresponding Secretary of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

"DEAR BROTHER,-Having spent a few weeks in your city, (New-York,) in assisting in the German Mission, at a 'protracted meeting,' which has just closed, I cannot deny myself the pleasure of representing to you some features in this interesting field of Missionary enterprise. And, first, I was most agreeably surprised to find the little society in connexion with the Mission, about twelve in number, so hearty in the cause, and so happy and clear in their religious experience; and I may add, that I have never seen a company of professing Christians who evinced more of the spirit and power of the Gospel than they. From the commencement of our meeting, to its close, there was an evident increase of interest evinced in the preaching of the word; and the power of God, to wound and to heal, was manifested in an eminent degree; eighteen were admitted to church-fellowship; and at almost every successive meeting were seen new hearers, who gave the most striking evidence of entire satisfaction with our doctrines and manner of worship, and, I doubt not, were also greatly profited in their own souls.

"Several cases of peculiar interest occurred, which I must not forget to mention, as they may prove, by the blessing of God, the germs of signal good to others. At an early stage of our meeting, a Danish sea-Captain was attracted to our place of worship, who, not satisfied to eat his morsel alone, induced a Holland Captain to share with him in this privilege; and they together soon after brought with them also a Hamburgh Captain, who continued to attend our worship to the last, our watchmeeting not excepted, with the exercises of which, especially, they expressed themselves as greatly pleased and profited. I visited them, also, on board of their respective vessels, and found them quite ready to engage in religious con

versation, manifesting a great deal of docility and contrition, and promising to devote their whole lives to the service of God, and the working out their own salvation; and one of the number, at least, promised solemnly, in addition to all this, to hold prayers regularly with his crew every day. Who can calculate the extent of the good that may be done through their instrumentality? May our merciful Saviour attend them in all their voyages over sea and land, and make them the ministers of vital godliness to thousands of their own countrymen, as well as to others whom they may meet! Among the converts were also some Papists, who appeared unspeakably happy in having found a religion which filled their souls with peace and joy in believing;' and their happiness seemed greatly heightened by the fact, that, in their conversion, they had been delivered from a religion which consisted in a mere drudgery and form. And I shall never forget the thrilling emotions produced in one of our prayermeetings by two lads, who, having experienced religion a few days before, now broke out in strains of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, for the unmeasured streams of light and consolation he had so lately poured into their hearts; adding to all this their most fervent prayers for the more general spread of this kind of religion among their countrymen.

"The Mission, in all its various aspects, presents a most important field of usefulness, and commends itself to the affections and fostering care of every true philanthropist and lover of Jesus Christ; and, so far from any need, on our part, to fear a disappointment of success, we may rest entirely satisfied in the assurance, that that form of godliness known by the name of Methodism will find a most congenial soil in the German character; and, to illustrate the ardour with which they are wont to cleave to a people through whose instrumentality they are brought to the knowledge of salvation by the remission of sin,' I need but relate a fact which occurred in your city but a short time before the commencement of your Mission here. A family which had been happily converted to God, in our German Mission in Cincinnati, removed to this city, with a view of settling here; but, being disappointed in not finding any German society congenial with their own religious views and feelings, they returned to Cincinnati again. I would also add, that the Sabbath-school is large and flourishing, and

numbers with its scholars some heads of families. JOHN C. LYON."

The following is the substance of a speech made at a Missionary Meeting, by Lizette, a native of Oregon, who was among the first-fruits of the Gospel among the Indians in that Mission. We learn, that she is about to return shortly to her home. Four years ago she could not speak a word of English.

"I did not wish to speak to-night, as I am some bashful to speak before you, 'specially as some may think it not exactly proper for females to speak in Meetings of this kind; but I cannot see it very improper, though I do not know much of the customs of your country yet. But O, who would have thought, five years ago, that I would to-night stand before you here, poor little orphan girl as I was,-no father, no mother, no brothers, no friends, only two little sisters, and they all the same as myself, poor, dark, blind children of the woods, not understanding one word in the English, nor able to speak at all except in Indian? My father was very kind to me, very indeed; and I loved my father. But O! where is my father now? I know not perhaps down to that everlasting place where there is no peace for ever; (then she paused, and wept ;) "for though my father was very kind to us all, he did not mind the Sabbath, nor keep God's holy commandments. But yet he was not so bad as many I see in this country, where the Missionaries come from, to tell us what is good. No; in New-York, and along on the canal, I was surprised, and very much ashamed, to hear what I did in this Christian land; and here, too, in this congregation, I see some young people whisper and laugh in time of this Meeting; and I have thought, some of you need to have a Missionary sent you from Oregon shall I send you one when I go home? No, I did not expect to see such things here. And what shall I say when I get home? Shall I tell my people, that, in the Missionary's country,

many white people are very bad? No, I will not tell them that; but this I shall tell them, that all the people here have been very kind to me; yes, very kind. And now let me thank you for all your kindness in sending us the Missionaries: this was the greatest good you could do for us. Had it not been for the Missionaries, where would I be now? I know not. Now I can read the word of God, and feel happy in trying to do his holy commandments.

"Yes, poor orphan girl as I am, far from my country, yet I am not unhappy; no, not at all; for though I have no father here, I have a very good Father in heaven, and he is more to me than everything else; yes, he is very good to me, and all of us, too; for he gave his own beloved Son to die for us, that we might not go down to that everlasting hell; but he has gone up, to prepare mansions for us in heaven: there is my home; yes, heaven is my home. I do not want to live here. This world! what is it? all pride, and fashion, and foolishness. No, I do not want to live here. I would rejoice if God should call me home to-night. I know I should go home to my Father in heaven; yes, he will take care of my soul. O young ladies, are you prepared to die? No matter how white, nor red, nor handsome we are, nor how we dress, nor how we look; if we are not converted, what shall become of our souls? But, surely, I am not a Missionary. I wish I was fit for a Missionary: I would talk more to you about your souls. But now I must stop only I would say to you all, when you have anything to give, give it; if it be only a sixpence, or half-dollar, or dollar, give it; and the Lord will reward you all. Poor Indians! they know nothing as they ought to know, only what they are told by the Missionaries. I thank you very much for sending us the Missionaries; yes, I thank you all; and may God bless you, too! And now, farewell you shall see my face no more in this world; but perhaps we shall meet in heaven. Farewell."

:

1. DIED, January 29th, 1838, at Walsall, in the seventy-fifth year of her age, Mrs. Lees, widow of the late Mr. Andrew Lees, of Wednesbury. She had been a member of the Wesleyan society more than half a century. In early life, the instructions of a pious mother, and her attendance on the Wesleyan ministry, were very useful to her; but it was not till she had reached her twentieth year that she so far yielded to the lessons of truth and the influences of grace as to receive the conviction of her own personal guilt and sinfulness. For three long years she sought sorrowingly for a sense of her acceptance with God, and was at length enabled to believe on Christ as her Saviour, and to enter into the rest of faith.

Thenceforward her profession was steady and consistent. She had put her hand to the plough, and she did not look back. Naturally timid and retiring, she was little known beyond the circle of her own friends; but she was most beloved and valued by those who knew her best. Her faith was strong and simple, and she delighted in prayer. To the ordinances of God's house she was diligently attentive, she carefully read his word, and was charitable from principle, as well as from kindness of feeling. About a month before she died, she had a slight attack of apoplexy, when she fell, and broke her thigh. She was convinced that this affliction would remove her from the world, and looked forward to the solemn change with perfect composure. She felt that she was in the Lord's hands; and here she rested. There was no impatience; no struggling with pain: she was grateful for all the attentions she received, and was plainly a witness of the Saviour's kindness to his suffering saints. Like the sun at his setting, her religion seemed as though it were most bright and beautiful at the close of life. It was truly encouraging to behold her triumph over the last enemy. "The Lord of hosts," she said, "is with me; the God of Jacob is my refuge." On the morning of the day on which she died, she said to her sister, "Jesus is the fairest among ten thousand; he is altogether lovely." She passed away very quietly. She had just before been heard to say, Lord, save me; Lord, prepare me; Lord, receive me: and these were her last words on earth. ADAM FLETCHER.

2. Died, February 23d, 1840, in the Third Manchester Circuit, aged sixtyfour, Mr. Charles Johnson. He was born at Broughton, near Manchester, in the year 1776. In his youth, the culti vation of his mind was neglected; and though he was preserved from immoral habits, the best interests of his soul were forgotten. His parents having removed to Longsight, he here became acquainted with a religious family, in whose godly demeanour he saw the beauty of Christian holiness; and was induced to attend the Wesleyan-Methodist ministry. He soon perceived, that religion was not a mere name; but that it implied a renunciation of the world, a turning to God, and the establishment of that kingdom of God in the soul, which consisteth in "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." These discoveries filled him with dismay; for his past life appeared a scene of childish folly; but, guided by the ministrations of the pulpit, and encouraged by the counsels and prayers of his religious neighbours, he sought, and soon obtained, the forgiveness of his sins, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He joined the Methodist society in the twentieth year of his age; and, prompted by a desire to glorify God, to save his own soul, and to benefit his perishing fellow-creatures, he diligently used the means of grace, and laboured to improve his mind by reading and meditation. His first systematic essay at usefulness was made in the Longsight Sunday-school; where, by his diligence, punctuality, and consistent piety, he acquired an influence which was as salutary as it was strong. In 1805 he was appointed to be the Leader of a class, in which office he continued to serve the church till his mortal affliction laid him aside. A recollection of the great benefits he had derived from the fellowship of saints at the commencement of his Christian course, and a knowledge of the ensnaring temptations to which young men are exposed in a large manufacturing town like Manches. ter, induced him to use great diligence in bringing in, and in training up, young disciples. For this department of holy service, his great simplicity of character, his prudence, and fatherly kindness, peculiarly qualified him. In 1808 he became a Local Preacher. In exercising the duties of this office he

chose plain texts, used plain language, and sought the profit, rather than the applause, of his hearers. He frequently made his knowledge of the affairs of this life to bear with happy effect on the illustration of the Scriptures, and the consciences of his hearers. Being personally acquainted with the power of godliness, well versed in the Scriptures, and animated with a tender pity for the souls of men, his unpretending discourses were both acceptable and useful to the congregations he addressed. As he advanced in life, he acquired the character and influence of a father in the society, and among his brethren the Local Preachers. To defraud, or to take advantage of the ignorance or necessity of, his neighbour, was, in his estimation, as inconsistent with the spirit of Christianity, as highway robbery. When not occupied in preaching, he was invariably found in his pew on the Lord's day, with his family around him; and, from the interest which he took in the worship, it was evident that he waited on God not in the spirit of self-denial, but of holy delight. In his dress he was simple, without negligence; in his speech, guarded, yet candid and sensible; and in his spirit, serious, devotional, and somewhat inclined to melancholy. He was always at his post, though never in a hurry; and while he disliked parade, he was persevering and practical. In adhering to truth and righteousness he was inflexible; but his firmness, joined to his habitual taciturnity on some occasions, gave an air of severity to his character, and rendered his manner repulsive strangers. His word was as his bond; and, in giving his opinion of men and things, he studiously avoided exaggerating on the one hand, and underrating on the other. He lived like a man who knew that he was responsible for the deeds done in the body, that his days were numbered, and that he had a great work to accomplish, on the faithful performance of which his eternal destiny depended. His last illness was of a very painful and depressing character; but in patience he possessed his soul. There was but little of the triumph of faith in his closing scene; but there was no wavering, no despondency. He was the same man in health and in sickness, in life and in death. The religion he had so often recommended to others, supported himself while passing through the valley and shadow of death. On one occasion he said, "It is true, I am at sea, and the storm is high; but I have

to

cast my anchor within the veil, and I shall be brought at last to the haven where I would be." A few hours before he died, he said, "All is well. I have peace. Christ is precious." He had set his house in order; and he met the last enemy, confidently reposing on the merits of his Redeemer.

PETER M'OWAN.

3. Died, March 10th, at FennyBridges, in the Axminster Circuit, Mr. Edward Coombe, in the forty-fifth year of his age. His earliest religious impressions appear to have been received during his tenth year; but it was not till he was about thirty-eight years of age that he determined to give his heart fully to the Lord. Previous to that period he was considered an agreeable companion, almost invariably disposed to engage in the diversions of life; but even in the midst of those amusements, he was often revisited by those convictions of sin that first led him to think seriously of death and judgment. For several years he attended divine service in the Church of England; but being unsettled in his views as to the extent of human redemption, he resolved to hear the Wesleyan Methodists, whose ministry, under God, was successful in convincing him that God had loved the world, and sent his Son to be the Saviour thereof. He was speedily led to examine himself, as in the sight of God, and inquire after the only refuge in distress; but on account of the indistinctness of his notions of divine things, he did not instantly receive Christ Jesus the Lord. His views of the possibility of obtaining forgiveness on earth seemed to be obscured, till one Sabbath evening, while attending a prayer-meeting, he was enabled to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ with the heart unto righteousness, and realize his acceptance in the Beloved. Peace and joy, as the fruits of justifying faith, sprang up in his heart, evincing the reality of his conversion to God. From that day he walked consistently, frequently reproving the ungodly for their sin, and faithfully testifying, "Ye need not one be left behind." He shunned not the yoke of Christ, but fearlessly exhibited in his deportment an example worthy of imitation; being truly hospitable and unassuming, ever regarding himself as an unprofitable servant. He was cheerful without levity, and serious without melancholy. His liberality to the cause of God was clearly shown in the fact, that in 1839 he contributed largely, and exerted himself