Another Letter from the same, to New Providence, May 13, 1818. REV. AND DEAR SIR, but, at the same time, adding, “He is wise, he cannot err." Early in May he again began to decline much; his digestion failed, and he was taken with a vomiting every night about three o'clock. The doctor seeing this change, wished him to be reinoved by water to one of the islands, judging that the confined air of the town would relax him still more. But when the time appointed for this remove came, it was found that our aged brother was too far gone to bear it. On the Friday morning before he died he was seized with s fit of trembling; which proved the forerunner of a speedy dissolution. this time he never spoke articulately; which was a grief to the numerous friends that surrounded him, and wished to hear his dying testimony. The night, however, before he was taken so ill, a few friends being present, as he turned himself in his bed, he said in an audible voice, "Glory be to God," three times distinctly; which were some of the last words he spoke. He died in the 57th year of his age, and we think the 22d of his ministry. From As a preacher, brother Turton was plain, simple, and pointed, in the appli. cation of his subjects to the consciences of his hearers. As a Christian, intelligent, humble, and pious. As a member of society, affable, sociable, and much esteemed; as a colleague, I must say, after labouring nearly thirteen years in the vineyard with him, he was peaceable and loving, and treated his fellow-labourers with much tenderness and re Ir again falls to my lot to inform your self and the Committee, of the death of another of your faithful missionaries on the Bahamas. On Sunday last, the 10th of May, died Me. W. Turton, after a severe and lingering illness. Brother Turton has been sinking since his return from America, under numerous infirmities, and nervous affections. Last year he took his appointment at Harbour Island, and for some time enjoyed a little better health than he had enjoyed, till brother Wilson left that circuit entirely to him, when his great exertions, in order to supply brother Wilson's lack of service, became more than his strength could bear. He paid a visit to a place on that circuit called the Highlands; after which he was taken ill, and from that illness never entirely recovered Brother Wilson, hearing of his affliction, visited that circuit, fearing that the want of a preacher might be an injury to the work, as many of the members of Society were young, and weak in the things of God. When he arrived he found our dear departed brother very ill, and persuaded him and Mrs. Turton to come to town, where proper nourishment might be procured for him, which was what our aged brother stood so much in need of. The obtaining medical aid was another object he had in view in this voyage. On February 23d, he arrived in town, after a favourable passage; but so great was his weakness that he was obliged to be carried in a sitting chair from the boat to his bed. We now called in a friendly physician, who continued to pay him all possible attention, and he was greatly relieved by his prescriptions and advice. In the month of March he was again taken very ill, so that we thought him dying for two whole nights. From this affliction also, however, it pleased God in a measure to restore him, so that a little after he was able twice or thrice to ride in a chaise. Once I took him in a chaise to the eastward chapel, to hear preaching; he was not able, how ever, to stay in the chapel, but sat at the door of the dwelling house; where he had the opportunity of hearing the last sermon he was to hear, for which favour he expressed great thankfulness to God. After this he was able to walk a little in his room, and, for some days, conversed freely on Divine subjects; often observing that he could not discover what end the Lord had in view by recovering him; Prmted at the Conferenco-Office, 14, City-Road, London; T. CORDEUX, Agent, A for. spect, always seeing their temporal Our state in the Bahamas now speaks for itself, and shews how greatly we want one or more missionaries. We have been visited with singular afflictions in the course of the last year. Five ministers have died in New Providence in eleven months, viz. Doctor Stivers, of the Church of England; Doctor M'Farlane, of the Church of Scotland, and three of your missionaries. May God sanctify this afflictive dispensation to his people! Hoping, dear Sir, that yourself, and family, with the church of God, all prosper in Divine attainments, I remain, your's, affectionately, THE METHODIST MAGAZINE, FOR OCTOBER, 1818. BIOGRAPHY. MEMOIR OF THE LATE MR. WM. APPLETON. Mr. APPLETON (the subject of this Memoir,) was born May the 17th, 1779, of respectable parents, who were members of the Methodist society. The short time they were permitted to continue with him in this world they taught his infant mind to adore and love that God who made him. But when he was only two years old his pious mother was removed from earth to heaven. She had lived near to God, had been an ornament to her profession, and at last died happy in her Saviour's love. He has often been heard to say, that through the mercy of God and the prayers of his excellent parents, he believed he was saved from sinning outwardly against God. He was blest with serious impressions from his childhood, and his heart was drawn out in prayer to God to preserve him from sin, wheur between seven and eight years old; and he was even then so serious, that he would read his Bible upon his knees several times a day. Soon after the death of his mother, his father married the eldest daughter of Mr. Rance, of Spitalfields, a very holy and useful man. This marriage union was but of short duration; for the Lord removed both his father and mother-in-law within a fortnight of each other, before he was nine years of age. He has often with gra titude acknowledged the kind hand of Providence in afterwards providing for himself, his brother, and sister. He was then sent to an aunt in Yorkshire, who loved him as her own child, and, while she lived, supplied all his little wants. She died triumphing over death and the grave. In his 15th year, God deeply convinced him of his sinful state by nature, and shewed him the necessity of true repentance, and faith in a blessed Redeemer; or, to use his own words, "to search his heart with the candle of God's Holy Word, and much prayer." His repentance was deep, and his sorrow for sin great, and he made up his mind to continue to seek the Lord till he should have the evidence in his heart that God had heard his cry, and delivered his soul from the horrible pit and miry clay. He did not continue long without VOL. XLI. OCTOBER, 1818. relief: for God, who saw the inward breathings of his soul, after he wrestled like Jacob for three hours, spoke peace and joy to his troubled breast, and he felt assured that God, for the sake of Jesus Christ his Son, had justified him freely, regenerated his soul, and made him a new creature in Christ Jesus. He was filled with peace and joy in believing. For two years after this he continued happy in the favour and love of God; he enjoyed much of his presence, and had a nearness of access to a throne of grace. But about that time a particular friend of his, being, as he thought, falsely accused by some of his brethren, he took his part to the injury of himself; he yielded to the suggestions of satan, lost the image of God, forfeited his love, fell by little and little into sin, and at last gave up even the profession of religion. He never thought of this part of his life without being much affected and humbled before God, on account of his grieving the God of his youth; but the Lord did not leave him long in this state of captivity, but restored him, after deep repentance, to his favour, and filled his soul with love to him; he made his way exceedingly plain before him. In return for this great mercy manifested to him, he was determined to love God with all his heart, and serve him with all his might, which, through grace he was enabled to do. As he was convinced that he was not sent into the world to be merely an idle spectator of its concerns, and was persuaded that God had work for him to do, he determined to do whatever that work might be with all his might. He now began to think how he could serve and what he could do for that God who had done so much for him, and had brought him back to his fold. The first step to his usefulness in the church of God, was his becoming, in his 19th year, a subscriber to, and visitor of, the Benevolent Society in London, which, at that time, was in its infancy, compared with its present state. He felt great joy in visiting the wretched abodes of misery, to which he was sent with a little relief; and his own soul was usually much blessed while conversing with his poor fellow-creatures about Jesus. Perhaps ere this he has met many of those souls in glory, who, when he visited them, had not a bed on which to rest their suffering bodies. In his 20th year he joined the brethren of what was called the Community, for the purpose of visiting the workhouses in and about London. This work he entered into with all his heart, and daily and diligently employed his time and talents in visiting the sick, and exhorting sinners to return to God. At this time he felt more than ever a desire to preach the word of life. This was attended with an outward call from his brethren; which, together with a remarkable dream, influenced him to enlarge his sphere of action. The dream was as follows:-He saw one of the local preachers (a friend of his) in a pit, digging and sepa |