I preached at seven in a large room, to as deeply serious a congregation as I ever saw, on 'Jesus Christ, of God made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.' Thursday, 16th. I had a very serious congregation at five, in a large room of Mr. De Jersey's house. His gardens and orchards are of a vast extent, and wonderfully pleasant; and I know no nobleman in Great Britain that has such a variety of the most excellent fruit; which he is every year increasing, either from France, or other parts of the Continent. What quantity of fruit he has, you may conjecture from one sort only,—this summer he gathered fifty pounds of strawberries daily, for six weeks together."

Mr. John De Jersey was born in the year 1797; and, when about fifteen years of age, was awakened to a sense of his condition as a sinner, with several others, while at the school of the Rev. Mr. Stevens, of Kingswood, near Bristol; and received his first society-ticket from the hands of the Rev. T. Pinder. Though there is no detailed account left upon record, of the operations of the Holy Spirit upon his mind at that time, yet the genuineness of his conversion was subsequently shown, by the depth and consistency of his piety. It is of the greatest importance, when young persons are sent from their father's house, in the pursuit of knowledge, that they be committed to the care of those who are not only competent to the task of instruction, but able and willing, at the same time, to watch over the morals of their pupils, and lead them to Christ. The impressions made upon the mind of Mr. De Jersey, while at Kingswood, were not erased from his heart when he removed from under the roof of Mr. Stevens: for, some time after his return home, with mature deliberation, he united himself to the Wesleyan society in Guernsey; of which he continued to be one of the highly-esteemed members, until removed from the church militant, to the church triumphant.

Not only was Mr. De Jersey eminently pious, but he also possessed very considerable talent for usefulness in the church; and, consequently, in due time was called upon to fill most of the offices peculiar to Wesleyan Methodism. As a Leader in the society, he had the happy art of leading those committed to his care at once to the Saviour, and, at the same time, of uniting them in sincere affection to each other the two large classes over which the providence of God had placed him, loved him with strong Christian affection, and were greatly profited by his evangelical instructions. He knew the spiritual state of every one committed to his care, and was gentle among them, even as a nurse cherisheth her children;" and when any of his charge were removed beyond the reach of his oral instructions, they were not only followed by his affection and prayers, but also by his written epistles. Thus, to one he writes: "The frequent and profitable opportunities which we have been favoured with, of encouraging each other to run the heavenly race, having, in the order of Providence,

come to a close, probably never to return; I consider it a part of my duty, as your Christian Leader, to furnish you with these few lines, expressive of my sincerest wishes for your continual prosperity, and to serve, also, as a subject of encouragement to your future progress. You have, from a pure motive, and Christian principle, chosen the Lord to be your God; you have enjoyed heart-felt happiness in his service; and you have felt sensible delight in uniting with those who fear the Lord, think upon his name, and speak often one to another. O may you continue 'steadfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord!' Snares may beset your way; you will be much exposed to temptation; youth is justly termed 'a slippery path ;' expectations naturally run high; the passions are easily moved; the heart is susceptible of easy access; and the inclinations are bent to what is outwardly pleasing. You will ever need divine counsel, and your heavenly Father will not withhold it. And now, my dear friend, I commend you to the grace of that God who is able to keep you from falling, and to give you an inheritance among them that are sanctified. It is most probable that we shall not see each other again, until we meet in that vast assembly gathered together from all the nations of the earth; when you and I, amidst the vast concourse, shall meet the Lord as our Judge, and each receive our doom," &c.

As a Superintendent of the Sabbath-school, he was admirably qualified for the difficult duties which devolved upon him: his familiar, pathetic, and instructive conversations and addresses, arrested the attention, and won the affections, of all; the Teachers, therefore, were much united, and the school greatly prospered under the direction of himself and his esteemed colleagues in office. To the knowledge of the writer of this memoir, several of the children not only learned how to live, but also how to die, and are now glorified spirits in the kingdom of heaven. He also rendered very efficient aid to the PrayerLeaders, as their Secretary; encouraging them in their work, and uniting with them in every department of duty. His gift in prayer was above the common order; he excelled in the appropriate use of Scripture language, and in earnestness of supplication to the throne of grace; but, above all, his prayers were attended with an unction from above, which made his presence in the prayer-meetings always welcome.

He was a wise and judicious counsellor in the church of Christ, in the various offices which he ably sustained, and devoted much of his time to promote its prosperity. He joined heartily in the proceedings connected with our Centenary, subscribed largely to its funds, and greatly rejoiced in the prosperity and permanent establishment of Wesleyan Methodism, both at home and abroad.

In the family circle he was the centre of affectionate attraction. All looked up to him with the utmost confidence, as a pattern, a protector, and a counsellor; and in him were found the endearing cha

racters of a husband, a father, a brother, and a friend indeed; as well as that of an affectionate son to his aged mother, who remains behind to mourn his loss.

For upwards of a year prior to the decease of Mr. De Jersey, he carried about with him evident symptoms of infirmity, though no serious apprehensions of personal danger were at all entertained. Soon after this period, however, he was under the painful necessity of delivering up one of his large classes. This was keenly felt as a trial by the members of the class, as well as by himself; and as his infirmities increased, his active and zealous labours were still further diminished, until they were finally closed; for his work was speedily to be completed, as his days were already numbered. And now the promises of God, which he had so frequently employed for the comfort of others, were evident sources of consolation to his own mind. In patience he possessed his soul, and "endured as seeing Him who is invisible;" for he knew that "all things work together for good to them that love God."

Up to this period, the nature of his disease was not properly understood, although his digestive organs were exceedingly weak, and, as a consequence, his frame much debilitated. It was, therefore, thought that travelling might be of service to him; on which account he left the island for Liverpool, during the Conference of 1839, where we had previously agreed to meet, and also to return to Guernsey by way of France. He was evidently much indisposed at this time; but, notwithstanding, as cheerful in himself, and as regular in his attendance upon the means of grace, as could be expected. Indeed, he seemed much delighted, as well as profited, by what he saw and heard. On our arrival in London, we sailed for Boulogne, and from thence travelled onward to Lille and Roubaix, in the north of France, where he had the pleasure of meeting his much-beloved brother, the Rev. H. De Jersey, Wesleyan Missionary in that neighbourhood. The interview was affecting, and the parting scene exceedingly moving, whether viewed in connexion with the brotherly affection which existed between them, or the solemn thought with which both were impressed, that they might never meet again in this world; which was really the case : they parted to meet no more in time. O death! how dost thou separate choice friends, and blight those joys and prospects which nature so much endears, and grace so greatly sanctifies!

From Lille, where we parted from the Rev. H. De Jersey, we proceeded on to Paris, where he attended every ordinance of the Lord's house during our stay there, and was much gratified in his interviews with the Rev. W. Toase and the Rev. P. Lucas, the English and French Missionaries in that city, with whom he was upon terms of intimate friendship. His heart was moved within him, to see the awful state of morals around him there: the shops open on the Lord's day, the same as they are during the week, as well as all the public

places of amusement. To all appearance, the people seemed to be almost universally devoted to pleasure, and forgetful of God. In such an awful state of things, it would seem as if the cause of God in that city were not likely to prosper, to any great extent, until the Missionaries could take their stand in the streets and highways, to preach Christ, the Saviour and Judge; meeting, in the spirit of the Apostles and martyrs, whatever opposition and persecution might arise.

After a few days we travelled onwards to St. Malo's; and, while walking on the fortified walls which surround that town, waiting for the Jersey steamer, we had some very serious conversation. He viewed himself as on the borders of eternity, and said, that he believed he should not long remain in this world. He seemed much affected with the idea of meeting his family and friends, much worse in his health than when he left home. On his arrival in Guernsey, the whole family were mournfully impressed by the change which they saw in his appearance; and the conviction was irresistible, that he was hasting to eternity. His amiable partner felt the shock, but bore it with the meekness of a Christian. Medical aid was immediately called in, and the disease was pronounced to be a permanent obstruction, or cancer, in the stomach; and it was added, that it was likely, in a very short time, to prove fatal. This intelligence was received by him with calm resignation to the will of God: but there were an aged mother, an afflicted wife, six children, and other members of the family, of whom he was the natural protector. In due time, however, the weight. occasioned by looking at those whom he was about to leave, was removed, and he was enabled to resign all into the hands of that God who is the Husband of the widow, and the Father of the fatherless children. With the greatest composure he now began to arrange his temporal affairs, setting his house in order, as if he were but going on a journey; and everything was done with the greatest precision. During this period he not only took a lively interest in the affairs of his own household, but also in those of the church of God. The celebration of the Wesleyan Centenary, in October, 1839, he anticipated with great delight, and made many valuable suggestions on the subject; but he did not live to see the day. Methodism, in its doctrines and discipline, he sincerely loved, and viewed it as one of the chief instruments, in the hands of God, for the evangelization of the world. In now resigning the only class which remained under his direction, and the first to which he had been appointed Leader, he expressed the greatest anxiety for the welfare of the members. "I am sorry," said he, in a note to the Preacher, "to be under the necessity of troubling you, but the burden lies near my heart: I should be most happy to attend to the duties myself, but I cannot; and I am anxious to know, that that interesting charge is well provided for." Indeed, he neglected nothing that a dying man could perform, in reference either to his family, or the church of God. During his affliction be

frequently conversed about a future state, and always appeared to possess an unshaken confidence in God. He was truly earnest in supplication for all the mind that was in Christ. Several times our conversation had special reference to the important blessing of entire sanctification, as the gracious privilege of all true believers, and as a necessary qualification for the kingdom of heaven: he sought this with entire dependence upon the atoning sacrifice of Christ, and with great earnestness; and evidently increased in holiness, spiritual enjoyment, and inspiring hope. His love to God, and to all around him, was sufficiently evident. His manner was remarkably affectionate. interviews with the members of his classes, and with his particular friends, were almost more than could be borne in his weak state; but he forgot not to commend them to God, and to encourage their perse

verance.

His

It was

Although he was not aware that his end was so near as it really was, yet he was evidently waiting for the coming of his Lord. sufficiently apparent, however, to his friends, that the time of his departure was at hand; and this could not long be concealed from himself: he soon found that the hand of death was upon him. His children and relations now passed before him, one by one; and he took the most affectionate leave of them, commending them to God; and then seemed as if he had for ever done with all earthly things, and only waited for admission to a higher state of being.

The day on which he died, soon after I entered the room, he proposed prayer, in which several of us solemnly united. The Lord was graciously present. It was a time to be remembered. His soul appeared to be in an agony of devotion. I then asked him, if his confidence in God was strong. He answered in the affirmative, without hesitation. If he were willing to die. He said, "I am.”—If he now felt able to resign his spirit into the hands of his God. He answered, "I do." After this we sat down, and I read to him some consoling passages of Scripture, and verses of hymns, on the happiness of heaven. After this he again proposed prayer, in which we engaged; and then, as if all were done that was necessary in this world, he composed himself, as if to wait with solemn awe for his final admission to the world of spirits. I left him for a short time, but was immediately called back to see him die. Articulation was now failing, and his tongue was silent; but he retained his senses unto the last; and when his sister asked him, if he were going to the arms of Jesus, he evidently attempted to give signs that that was the case, and immediately ceased to breathe; and his spirit took its flight to the society of the blessed. So died Mr. John De Jersey, of Mon-Plaisir, October 1st, 1839, aged forty-two years.

The removal of our beloved brother was not only an irreparable loss to his own family, but also to the neighbourhood in which he resided, and was especially felt in the church of Christ. Every one was