Jesus will be sure to have most of the devil's me in this instance, and for many others grudge; and especially if Jesus employs heretofore. My prayer,' he said, to my them in soul comforting and soul-strength-covenant God and Father, shall be, that he ening his people. The more Jesus smiles on may make you a blessing to the poor people them, the more hell will frown. But it is where you are going.' Jesus who must bear up and bear through all opposition; this is his work, and not our's; and his is the glory to make more than conquerors all his redeemed, while going on as one is described, Psalm lxxi. 13, 14, 15, 16;

and always on the look out, as another is re- A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE, EXPERIENCE, presented, 2 Timothy iv. 5, 6, 7, 8.

beans we got as we marched along the road; | this, with the rum we had, kept us alive. We marched through various parts till we reached the Pyrinees Mountains; there we suffered severe hardships. We was out at camp that very hard winter, 1813; the time there was 13 weeks frost in England. We lay all this time exposed to the inclemency of the weather, and was almost literally starved to death with cold. We continued our march till we arrived at Toulouse; we were engaged with the French on the 10th of April, from 3 o'clock in the morning till 4 o'clock in the afternoon, when we took Bonaparte prisoner, and set sail for England.

life, a source of regret on the one hand, that
his youth was spent in such debasing frolics,
and yet on the other a source of thansgiving
to the beneficient author of all his inercies,
who had so kindly preserved his unworthy
life, whilst so many of his companions were
cut off in their sins, and sent to that place
where hope never enters.
And he would say
to me, 'Thomas, why was I spared; why was
I not cut down as well as the rest? The only
reason, I find in Ephesians ii. 4th and 5th
verses, the great love wherewith he loved
us, when dead in trespasses and sins.' We
will hear a little now from his own pen :-

"As soon as I arrived home-this was in 1818-I got work at my trade, and in twelve months after I entered into a married life, and lived in my native place for six years. Here I was taken severely ill, and this affliction was a mean, in the hands of God, of convincing me of my sins. The remembrance of my former dream was powerfully laid on my mind, and I thought that I must begin to alter my course of life, and attend to the duties of religion; but these convictions. being only natural, they soon wore off, and I fell back again to my old state till 1824, when I began again to serve the Lord as well as I could, with such a religion as I thought

"After resting at Plymouth one month, the news reached us that war had broken out in America. We were ordered immediately to set sail for New Orleans; we had a very bad passage over the gulf of Mexico, being three days crossing it, and our gun-brigg was lost, and all hands perished in a watery grave. When we arrived at New Orleans, we had to fight for our landing; when we landed we were 700 strong, and when it was dark at night, the Americans came down on us; we were fighting all night, and in the morning there were but 150 of us left, all the rest were killed and wounded. When I think of the goodness of God to me a hell-would do to go to heaven with; I began to deserving sinner, it constrains me to cry out, What hast thou done, O my God, in preserving me in the midst of so much destruction? From America we took shipping for the West Indies: this was in 1815. When Bonaparte got his liberty from Elba, we received orders immediately for Waterloo; but providence so ordered it, that the wind was contrary, so we were obliged to lay in the Downs all night, and therefore could not get soon enough for the battle. We were so near the scene of desolation that we could hear the roaring of the big guns, as if it was thunder in the heavens. I have often felt grateful to Almighty God, (while looking back at this important crisis,) that he caused the winds to blow contrary, and thus to keep us from rushing into imminent dangers; truly there is an all-wise God, and the winds and the seas obey them.

"We landed at Dogle, and then marched to Dover, from there to Shoreham Cliff, in Kent; our stay there was three months, and then the route came to embark for Ireland. From there we marched to Ramsgate, we then set sail for Dublin, stayed there two years, and then marched to Bun, in King's county; after staying there half-a-year, orders came for our regiment to be broken up; and thus, after about eight years toil and labour, I was sent home (without a pension) with the root of the complaint in my constitution from the effects of which I am suffering to this day."

Hitherto the poor old man has with his own hand given a short detail of his course of life, a period which which was, in after

attend the Methodist chapel every Sunday. One Sunday evening while sitting under a sermon from the barren fig-tree, 'Behold these three years I come seeking fruit, and find none, cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground?' I began to think the preacher meant me, for I felt myself to be a barren tree. I tried to improve myself, and to think more about my soul, attend more to the duties of religion, and so on, till providence removed me and my family to Leicester, and being strangers, we used to go from one place of worship to another to see which we liked best; at length, living near the Archdeacon Lane Chapel, which is General Baptist, we attended there, and both me and my wife were soon baptised and joined the society; but I being unsettled and unstable in my mind, went to hear the Ranters, and thought I should get the most good amongst them: well, here we settled, and both me and my wife continued members for seventeen years; after which period the Lord laid his afflicting hand on me for good. I then began to think there was something more for me to know and experience before I could reach the kingdom of God. And after my dear brother Smith came to visit me, I began to search the Scriptures with more diligence, and to examine myself as to my state and standing in the sight of God, and soon, with the help of God, and my brother Smith reading to me, and explaining to me the word of God, by prayer and supplication, I became more acquainted with the truths of the everlasting Gospel; and that blessed

Thus far, christian reader, the poor old man has given us a short detail of his life and experience. It is true he has not related much of what he experienced,. either under the Law or Gospel; but it must be remembered, that what he wrote was upon his bed, when he was drawing near the gates of death, and, at my request, as I informed him I should write a brief outline of his life and experience. After his death, and during the time I was acquainted with him, which was four years, I had an abundant evidence of his deep conviction of sin, and when I look back to the commencement of that fellowship which, though begun on earth, will be consummated in heaven. I cannot but admire the all-wise providence of God, who, in his infinite wisdom, disposeth of all times, and circumstances, and places, for the mutual good of his beloved people.

word does often give me consolation and, There has been a man here to see me, whom comfort when all alone-did I say all alone? I am acquainted with, (mentioning his name) no; I am, at such seasons, not alone, for the who believes there are children in hell not a Father is with me; glory be to his name, I span long.' I asked-upon what does he am not alone, for the Father is with me! He ground his belief? he replied, I don't know, is a friend that loveth at all times, and without it is on the ground of election.' sticketh closer than a brother." 'But,' says I, this is a wrong inference from a true doctrine, and whoever the person may be, you may depend upon it, he is filled with airy notions about religion, without any grace in the heart. If he had indeed been humbled by the mighty hand of God, he would be employed in profitable conversation instead of vapouring with these terms. It is by such men as this, that the great and glorious doctrines of the gospel are made to appear contemptible in the eyes of the weak and wavering. We have no warrant for such an assertion in the Scriptures, and I never remember to have heard such a sentence come from either the lips, or pen, of a man of God in my life.' We read that by sin came death, and that all Adam's posterity fell in him, he being their federal head and representative; consequently all, whether young or old, are born in sin, and by nature children of wrath, and heirs of hell: but by the second Adam, the second head and representative, an innumerable company of Adam's fallen posterity are delivered from curse and condemnation, from original and actual transgressions, by virtue of their interest in their public head, the second Adam, the Lord from heaven; as we read, as in Adam all his natural offspring died, so in Christ all his spiritual offspring, (who are his by his spirit being communicated to them, by virtue of their interest in the everlasting covenant,) all his are made alive; and we believe that children who are taken away from the evil to come, are taken to that eternal rest which remaineth for all God's people by virtue of the obedience and death of Christ. They do not go to heaven, as some affirm, 'because they are innocent little things,' but on the score of God's everlasting love. There is not two ways of being saved, one for babes, and another for adults, but one new and living way, which is consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his death. How the grace of God, (which all must receive who enter heaven,) is imparted to babes, we cannot tell, any more than we can tell how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child. This is a secret which is hid in God, who is the fountain of all secrets, and is called 'the only wise God.' I remember seeing engraved on a gravestone in a church-yard, a pertinent verse, which illustrates the subject:

It was in November, 1843, that circumstances of an earthly nature led me to the humble dwelling of this afflicted man. He appeared then to be fast approaching that place from whence there is no return. I had a little conversation with both him and his wife, and soon perceived that he had a greater acquaintance with the Scriptures than many professors of religion in the present day. I perceived also, that he was in a measure taught by the Spirit of God, though he appeared in great darkness, as to many of the truths of the everlasting gospel. Our conversation turned upon experience, and though I found he had been a member of the Ranters seventeen years, yet I felt a union of soul to him, while relating something of God's gracious dealings with him; there seemed to be a sincerity and honesty in what he uttered, and as far as he knew and had sight into the doctrine of God's unchangeable love in Christ Jesus our Lord, he spoke with firmness and decision. These were his words: 'I have been amongst the Ranters many years, but I could never see with them, that I could be a child of God one day, and a child of the devil the next; I believe when God put his love in my heart, it was that I should not depart from him, and (says he) I have had many debates with them on this subject, but could never come to their point.' I spoke to him upon the attributes of the divine being-particularly upon his unchangability. During our conversation, Mr. Philpot's printed sermons were mentioned; I was rather surprised when he informed me he had read some of them, and liked many things he said in them, but thought the doctrine of election and reprobation was a hard doctrine; and, says he,

OUTLINE OF THE

Funeral Sermon for Mr. Geo. Francis, (Concluded from Page 32.)

Mr. Foreman then read for his text, Heb. xiii. 7, 8. Remember them which have the rule over you; who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever;" noticing it as follows:1. The occupation of the church in the ministers of God; in which I would notice four things,-1. Their position. 2. Their labour. 3. Their faith. 4. The end and intent of their conversation.

1. His position. Remember him that hath had the rule over you. Apply this to our dear departed brother. Not with a lordly dominion-not as lord of your faith. No: you know better than that. It was in August, 1813, that the church was formed; and it was in that very same year that I was baptised, and admitted a member of a church in Suffolk. His position was that of a ruler-not of a lordly imperious tyrant, nor a ruler of our conscience, so as to deprive us of our liberty; as is the case now a day. A friend of mine, a barrister, was conversing with the late Mr. Daniel O'Connell; and he asked him, When do you think of religion? Religion!' exclaimed Mr. O'C., 'I have no time to think of that, that belongs to the priest, and he's paid for it.' But the position to which our text refers, is to preach the gospel of Christ, and to minister the laws of Christ. He must be a watchful shepherd. And has it not been thus with George Francis? And has not the Lord given him success? Yes.

66

I congratulate you upon your honourable conduct; in that, when you found he could no longer work; you did not say he should not eat; but have provided for him in the manner that you have. I don't be lieve you'd have done it though, if the Lord had not ordered it so. Our dear brother never introduced any of the new fangled fooleries; but kept on in the good old way. It would have been no good if he had. I have never heard of anything that could draw a veil over his character.

2. His labour. Oh, say you; there is no labour in talking. Well; I've been in the farming line; I've mowed, and I've reaped, and I've been in harvest field from morning till night; but I never knew what it was to go to bed so tired, as I have since I've been in the ministry, both body and mind. Great labour is attached to the ministry, or it is of little good. A minister once said to Mark Wilks, of Norwich, that he wanted no studying; he only wanted to look at his text, and it all came to his mind at once. 'Well,' says Mark, 'if you can get your sermons as easy as that, they can be of little profit to the people.

3. The faith. Now there are many kinds of faith in existence, but as the Lord has but one way of saving his people-one par

6

don, and one sacrifice; so their faith is uniform. There may be some trifling difference, but they are one. It is Christ in the beginning, Christ in the middle, and Christ at the end; and a man that does not know something of this for himself, is not fit to preach salvation to others. George Francis admitted that he was a sinner; he could not live without eating as well as others; and he found that none other than the bread of life sent down from heaven I could satisfy his hungry soul. He believed in the discriminating mercy of God; he believed in election as the grand spring of all; he believed in predestinationWhom he chose, them he also did predestinate,' &c. He believed in redemption. As he paid the ransom; he'll have the ransomed. He believed that none went to heaven that were not redeemed by the blood of Christ; and that none were lost who were interested in that blood. He believed in justification; and he believed in regeneration; that, let a man belong to any sect he might, unless he had been born again, he could not enter the kingdom of heaven. He believed in sanctification; for he knew that Christ was made unto us wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification; while final perseverance, and ultimate glory were grand things to him. Faith is a conviction on the mind that makes the man to disbelieve what he once believed; and to believe that which God impresses on his mind which he formerly disbelieved. This faith it was which George Francis preached, and what he believed.

Re

4. The end and intent of his conversation. It was 'Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.' For if he was not the same at all times, our salvation would not always be the same. He takes the same care of his people now, as he did of old, for he is the same Jesus Christ now as he was then, and ever will be. Was there ever a man aimed more to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ than did George Francis? II. The counsel, or advice given. member them which have the rule over you; who have spoken unto you the word of God.' Has not our brother done that? Well, remember him, then. Did he aim to exalt himself? no: it was Christ. Then remember this; and no other will do. And though he is dead, you are the same; and I hope that you have a man that preaches the same. Your dear departed brother don't want your prayers or your thanksremember what he preached unto you. Whose faith follow."

In conclusion, Mr. Foreman addressed the aged widow; and the other members of the deceased's family. When Mr. Foreman had finished, the congregation sang a hymn composed for the occasion by Mr. Thomas Stringer, which we should here insert; but want of room compels us to omit it.

The chapel, which is small, was thronged to the doors; and very many were unable to obtain admission.