6 the room, in the vehemence of passion, charged him abruptly with the murder of her son. Mr. Galliard made answer coolly, that indeed he well knew her son, but had not seen him for many days before the day of his disappearance, being then out of the island upon business, as the family, in whose house he now was, could attest. But this jewel,' said the mother, (shewing him the jewel open as it was,) is an incontestable proof of your guilt: You gave the deceased this jewel, which was purchased by my son, and was in his possession at the time of his death.' He denied ever seeing the jewel. The sister of the deceased then confronted him; and taking it in her hand, and closing it, This jewel (said she) you gave to my sister in my presence, on such a day, naming the time and place, pressed her to accept it, she refused it, you pressed her again, she returned it, and was not prevailed on to take it until I placed it to her watch, and persuaded her to wear it.' He now betrayed some signs of guilt, but looking upon it when it was closed, he owned the giving it, and, presently recollecting himself, said he knew it not in the form it was first presented to him. But this trinket, (said he,) I purchased of Levi, the Jew, whom you all know, and who has travelled these islands for more than twenty years. He, no doubt, can tell how he came by it.' The clergyman now thought himself happy in the counsel he had given; and, addressing himself to Mrs. Gordier, I hope, madam, you will now be patient till the affair has had a full hearing; Mr. Galliard is clear in his justification; and the Jew only, at present, appears to be the guilty person; he is now in the island, and shall soon be apprehended. The old lady was again calm, and forced to acknowledge her rashness, owing, as she said, to the impetuosity of her temper, and to the occasion that produced it. She concluded with begging pardon of Galliard, whom she thought she had injured. Galliard triumphed in his innocence, hoped the lady would be careful of what she said, and threatened, if his character suffered by the charge, to refer the injury to the decision of the law. He lamented the sudden death of the unfortunate young lady, and melted into tears when he approached her bed. He took his leave, after some hours stay, with becoming decency; and every one, even the mother of the murdered youth, pronounced him innocent. "It was some days before the Jew was found; but when the news was spread, that the Jew was in custody who had murdered young Gordier, remorse, and the fear of public shame, seized Galliard, and the night preceding the day on which he was to have confronted the Jew before a magistrate, he was found dead, with a bloody penknife in his hand, wherewith he had stabbed himself in three places, two of which were mortal. A letter was found on the table in his room, acknowledging his guilt, and concluding with these remarkable words: None but those who have ex perienced the furious impulse of ungovernable love, will pardon the crime which I have committed, in order to obtain the incomparable object by whom my passions were inflamed. But thou, Father of mercies! who implanted in my soul those strong de sires, will forgive one rash attempt to accomplish my determined purpose, in opposition, as it should seem. to thy Almighty Provi dence!! What infatuated language is this! Oh! how the god of this world blinds the eyes of the children of disobedience. Surely this tragic story confirms the doctrine of an universal and overruling Providence! Surely, even an infidel, must in this matter, see the finger of God! May every one that reads this, adore the God of Providence-reverence his authority-obey his laws, and trust in him for all things. Amen. THE GRACE OF GOD MANIFESTED, TO THE EDITOR, THE following concise account of an aged servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was well known to the Rev. John Wesley, and those who laboured with him in the gospel, is handed you for insertion, if you think proper, in the Methodist Magazine, where its publication will gratify those who knew her pious worth, and I trust will be a mean of stimulating others to follow her as she followed Christ.-I remain, with great respect, your's in the gospel, WM. THEOBALD. Huntingdon. Mrs. WEBSTER, (formerly Sarah Reeve), was awakened under the ministry of the late Rev. John Berridge, the pious vicar of Everton, who was eminently useful in his day and generation, and whose praise is yet in our churches. Our departed sister had been at the time of her decease, a devoted follower of the Lord Jesus for fifty years, about forty of which she was a member of the Methodist society; and such was her deep and uniform piety, or consistent deportment, her strict integrity, and universal conscientiousness, that she gained the esteem of all who were acquainted with her, and was indeed an honour to the connexion to which she was closely united in sentiment and affection. When she first became religious she was much persecuted for righteousness sake; she had many trials to endure, and the vio lent opposition which she encountered from various quarters, may allowably be expressed in the nervous language of St. Paul," In deaths often;" but having received mercy she fainted not, but steadily pursued her way, rejoicing that she was counted worthy to suffer for Christ's sake. For several years after the conversion of Mrs. Webster she at tended the ministry of Messrs. Berridge, Venn, and Hicks, all pious ministers in the Established Church, who used occasionally to visit her, and preach in her house; but as these excellent men embraced the doctrines of unconditional election and reprobation, she did not enjoy their preaching as she had done prior to their change of sentiment, (particularly with regard to Mr. Berridge); she was therefore anxious to become acquainted with Mr. Wesley, concerning whom she had heard much, and whose sentiments on these points were congenial with her own. Her first interview with that great and good man was at Bedford, about the year 1774. His conversation and preaching were much blessed to her, and from that period she was decidedly a Methodist. In the month of November in the same year, Mr. Wesley, in consequence of previous invitation, paid her a visit, which he thus describes: "My new friend (speaking of a lady who had taken him in a chaise from Erith to St. Ives) carried me to Godmanchester, near Huntingdon; a large barn was ready, in which Mr. Berridge and Mr. Venn used to preach; and though the weather was still severe, it was well filled with deeply attentive people."Wesley's Works, 8vo. edition, vol. v. page 147. In the month of January, 1775, Mr. Wesley visited Godmanchester a second time, which he thus mentions: "Thursday 12. We crossed over the country to Godmanchester; the whole town seemed to be moved; the people flocked together from all parts, so that the barn would in no wise contain them. I found great liberty of speech among them, and could not doubt, but God would confirm the word of his messenger."-Vol. v. page 148. This expectation was happily realized; the seed of the gospel thus sown, has sprung up, and brought forth fruit; many who received it are lodged in Abraham's bosom; and although various changes have taken place since that period, there is yet sufficient evidence, that these labours were not in vain in the Lord. Sister Webster was truly a nursing mother, her house was always open to the disciples of Jesus, and the ministers of the gospel were sure to find a welcome there. She loved the doctrines of Methodism, and was cordially attached to its discipline; she believed them to be scriptural, and her experience proved that she did not believe in vain. The last year of her life was a season of great affliction; a complication of diseases, to which she had been subject many years, occasioned her almost constant, and often extremely severe pain, all which she bore with great Christian patience. Her faith was strong, her hope was lively, and her love to God was fervent; she ever spoke of herself with great humility, all her trust was in the atonement, she knew in whom she had believed, and was always ready to give an answer to every one that asked her a reason of the hope that was in her; her earnest and affec tionate exhortations will not soon be forgotten by those who visited her, and there is reason to hope, that the fruit thereof will remain to eternity. During her last illness she invariably bore testimony to the reality of her religion; and repeatedly declared, that from the time when the Lord manifested himself to her soul in pardoning mercy, she had never lost her enjoyment of the Divine favour; she had walked for fifty years in the light of God's countenance, and in the full assurance of faith, waited in patient resignation the approach of death, persuaded, that "for her to live was Christ, and to die would be gain." She was not exempt from temptation; and sometimes the attacks of the enemy were so violent as visibly to agitate her whole frame; but by the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit (weapons with which she was well acquainted) the enemy was always conquered, and songs of deliverance celebrated the victory. As she advanced towards the confines of the eternal world she evidently appeared to be ripening for glory, and frequently expressed the pleasure she anticipated in meeting those of her pious relatives and associates, who had weathered the storms of life, and gained the heavenly port; and in this happy and peaceful state she continued until January 1, 1818, when her eyes were closed in death. Her remains were accompanied to the grave by a considerable concourse of persons, who appeared anxious to testify their respect to departed worth; and the funeral discourse in the evening, from Luke i. 45, (selected by herself, and in a general sense realized in her experience) collected together a crowded audience, whose serious attention proved the high estimation in which our departed sister was generally held; in short, of her it may truly be said, "Her life was useful, and her death was peace." To the Editor of the Methodist Magazine. REV. AND DEAR SIR, W. T. From a sense of duty, as well as at the repeated solicitations of several pious and respectable friends, I have drawn up and now send you a Memoir of Mrs. Mary Pottenger, who was for many years one of the brightest ornaments of the Methodist society at Lambourne, and who closed a holy life by a happy and triumphant death. As she had left a written account of her conversion to God, and subsequent experience in the Divine life, I have preserved her own language, except in a few cases where the sense appeared not properly expressed. Requesting you to make such corrections as you may think proper, I am, Rev. and dear Sir, your's very respectfully and affectionately, THOMAS BUSH. Lambourne, 1st Jan, 1817. MEMOIR OF MRS. MARY POTTENGER, "I was born December 21, 1769, at Aldbourne, in Wiltshire; of poor, but pious and industrious parents. My convictions for sin began at a very early period. Before I was five years old, I was sometimes so exercised in my mind that I could not sleep for the painful thought of grieving my dear mother; and also fearing that the Almighty would take her from me by death; or that I myself should die; for I saw myself to be a great sinner, which caused me to water my pillow with my tears, and to pray to God to spare us both. I made resolutions in my trouble to serve the Lord; but oftentimes broke them the next day. Thus I went on sinning and praying. The Lord, however, continued to strive with me by his Holy Spirit, and I was often exercised with alarming dreams of death and judgment. One time I dreamed that the day of judgment was come, and that my parents were to be received to glory. I begged of my mother to let me go with her, but she said it was then too late, that I would not hearken to her counsel nor follow her example, therefore she must leave me to endless misery; she added, that she could not be sorry for me, and was taken up to meet the Lord in the air. The earth opening at a short distance from where I stood, I saw sulphureous flames, and many who made hideous cries in the midst of them. Just as I was falling in, to my great comfort I awoke; and, although it was but a dream, it made a strong impression on my mind. But alas! how soon did I trifle away these serious impressions! "There was at that time an evangelical minister who preached in the Established Church at Aldbourne, the Rev. Mr. O'Neal. Under his ministry, my convictions for sin were increased ; the word, from his lips, often came with Divine power to my soul; which, being followed by the instruction of my parents, together with awful and alarming dreams, greatly excited me to seck salvation. One Sabbath-day, passing by a neighbour's house, I was called in; when I came, the people who were in the house desired me to read a song or ballad; I was very unwilling to do it, yet had not power to withstand their repeated importunity. After I had complied with their request, I think it impossible to describe what I suffered for several nights and days on that account. I thought God would never forgive that sin. I had another remarkable dream, which was rendered a great blessing to me, for it was as a rod to drive me from evil for years after, which was as follows:-Going out at the door of our house, I thought the four winds were stayed, and it became exceedingly warni; I thought the end of the world was come; the clouds fell around VOL. XLI. JUNE, 1818. |