Rev. Sir, To the Editor. THE following Anecdote of that great and good man Mr. CECIL, I CORceive, may afford a useful Hint to some of your readers, as I trust it did to the writer: -I had been known to Mr. Cecil as an occasional hearer at St. John's, and by soliciting his advice at my commencing master of a family; but some years had passed since I had enjoyed the pleasure of speaking to him, when he called at my house, on horseback (being then unable to walk) and desired to speak with me. After the usual salutations, he addressed me thus: 'I understand that you are very dangerously situated.' He then paused. I replied, that I was not aware of it. He answered, I thought it was probable you were not; and, therefore, I called on you: I hear you are getting rich; —take care, for it is the road by which the Devil leads thousands to destruction! This was spoken with such solemnity and earnestness, that the impression will ever remain on the memory of W. T. 6 JUVENILE DEPARTMENT. AN ADDRESS TO YOUNG PEOPLE. To the Lambs of the Redeemer's flock, the seed of the church, the sons and daughters of God's friends, the hopes of their pious parents and teachers; to all those young persons who are training up in serious schools, whether boarding, day, or Sabbath schools, The humble Prayer of the poor perishing Heathen." Highly favoured Youths, Be it known to you, that more than six hundred millions of your fellow - creatures know nothing of the blessed God, who made you and them; and have never heard the delightful story of that dear Redeemer who came down to bleed and die for us, which has so often drawn tears from your eyes. Many of them, therefore are worshipping great blocks of wood or stone, cut into horrid devilish forms, with gaping bloody mouths. Others have nothing but the name of a God written in great letters, which they worship, by burning before it pieces of paper. Millions are praying to a dead man; myriads to a living one. adore the stars, and others the beasts. -- Some But as prayers to false Gods will never give peace to the conscience, they endeavour to get pardon for their sins by torturing their bodies. One makes a vow to keep his fist clenched till the nails grow through the back of his hand; another hangs himself by the middle of the body upon an iron hook. Many offer up their children to a river, which they worship as a god, by putting the poor little creatures into baskets, and throwing them into the water to be devoured by crocodiles. Not a few burn widows alive along with the corpses of their departed husbands. Some bring their poor aged sick parents to the banks of a river at low water, and leave them there, that when the tide rises it may wash them away; but others even eat them, and chuse that time of the year where lines and salt are cheap, because they use these to season the flesh of their parents and make it palateable. —O could you behold some of these horrid scenes, surely you would exclaim, Lord, I ascribe it to thy grace, And not to chance, as others do, for had I been born in the dark parts of the world, I might not have been alive now, but might have been given to the river Gauges, and my flesh and bones might have found their tomb in the stomach of a crocodile; or my father might have died, and then my dear mother, instead of tenderly cherishing me as she now does, might have been burnt alive; and I never should have had her dying shrieks out of my ears, but should always have had her before my eyes, burning to a cinder. My grandfather or mother, who are now so fond of me, might have been left to perish in the water, or have been eaten up by the rest of the family. Instead of this, I am surrounded with friends, who are made kind to me by the influence of true religion. I am not hearing horrid tales of false gods, or shrieking at the sight of the monstrous ugly idols; but am told of a blessed and glorious God, who fills heaven and earth, and of a dear Redeemer who died to save me from the punishment which my sins have highly deserved. He took children into his holy arms and blessed them, and said, 'Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.' I have the blessed Bible, which tells me all about Jesus, and explains the way to heaven. I have parents, teachers, and ministers, who love my soul, and long to see me holy and happy. I go to the place of worship where I sing, 'Lord, how delightful 'tis to see A whole assembly worship thee; Then would you not say, O that the poor Heathen could be made as happy as I am! O that they could be made to know my Saviour! Dear children, they may, if Missionaries are sent to preach to them. The Missionary Society wishes to make your dear Saviour known to all the world; but they have not Missionaries enough, nor money enough: for it costs vast sums to send to the other end of the world. Are you not now saying, I wish I could help them! But you can. Have you not pocket money which you spend upon toys, fruit, gingerbread, or pastry, which you do not need, and which often hurts you. O could you not save some of this money every year, and, putting it together with what your school-fellows save, send a collection to the Missionary Soơciety? If you were to save only a shilling or two a piece in every year, it would make a guinea or two from your school; and such a sum from every Christian school in the kingdom, would make some hundreds. --This would send a Missionary, who might be called The Good Children's Missionary, and might preach the gospel to thousands of Heathen. Thus you would honour the Lord with your substance, and the first fruits of your increase; which, as it is pleasing to him, so he has given to it a promise of blessings in Providence. Thus also you would express your gratitude to the dear Redeemer for giving you friends to lead you to him, instead of leaving you to be murdered in sacrifice to some filthy idol. Only such children as you, who have serious parents and teachers, can be expected to give their money to send the gospel to the heathen. Others will only contribute to heal the sick, and do good to the body; but it will be your peculiar privilege to do good to souls, and thus, ia the end, to bodies too. Surely, you are now saying, The thoughts of this is sweeter than any cakes. We will make a subscription immediately; and send it to the Missionary Society, before the Meeting in May, that it may encourage the good people and ministers, knowing that so much has been collected only from children. Thus their prayers, and the blessings of the heathen, who were ready to perish, may come upon you.' -- May you, my dear young friends, be richly rewarded for your little acts of self-denial, with eternal blessings on your souls, and meet in heaven those redeemed heathen whom you were the means of bringing to the knowledge of Christ! Dbituary. MR. GEORGE MULLINGER, A DEACON of the Independent Church at Sheerness, was born Dec. 14, 1762, at Ipswich. His mother was a pious woman; and it was his privilege to be brought up under the gospel, and to be preserved from those vices which are so often the disgrace and ruin of our unhappy youth. His conversion to God was effected by the divine impression on his mind of that text, Gen. vi. 3, My Spirit shall not always strive with man;' which, to use his own expression, was thundered in his ears.' Here menced that light which was never extinguished, those energies which never expired, and that life which was only removed from earth, that it might possess immortal vigour in heaven! Ye children of pious parents, whose souls are watched over with anxiety, prayer, and exhortation, value your privileges highly, and adopt the prayer of David, O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me! save the son of thy handmaid!' com About 1785 he removed to Chatham, to be near a pious uncle, Mr. J. Boydon, whose long relation to the church of Christ there, and whose devotedness to its temporal and spiritual welfare have deeply engraven his image on the minds of his pastor (Rev. Jos. Slatterie) and fellow members. The affectionate intercourse which Mr. Mullinger had with his uncle proved a great blessing to him; and he joined the church at Chatham. He ever afterwards spoke with delight of this event, and of the communion with God which he then enjoyed. When he went to their prayer meetings, some of which were held as early as five o'clock in the morning, such were his sacred pleasures, that he would say, he hardly felt the ground he trod upon.' May our candidates for communion, and the young members of our churches, be animated with the zeal and piety of former days! and · the communion of saints be esteemed by us all an exalted privilege, and not a mere matter of form! In 1789 Mr. Mullinger removed to Sheerness; and soon after married Rebecca, the daughter of Mr. Henry Bishop, whose Obituary was given to the public by his pastor, the late Rev. W. Shrubsole, in the Evangelical Magazine, Vol. I. p. 123. -Mrs. Mullinger, after being married 13 years, and becoming the mother of 10 children, obtained a triumphant dismission from the burthens of the flesh' in 1803, and entered into glory eight years before her pious husband. Her Obituary was published in the Theological Magazine, Vol. III. p. 486. Soon after Mr. Mullinger settled at Sheerness he joined the church there, and, tracing the footsteps of his wife's pious ancestors, accepted the appointment of Deacon in 1794. That he used the office of Deacon well,' his pastor testified in his funeral sermon: He was the faithful servant of the church; as a deacon he was grave and steady. I shall never forget, and many of you cannot, his strict fidelity, disinterested zeal, and unaffected faithfulness.This church has lost a most sincere friend.' The death of his beloved wife, when his children were very young, and the unavoidable cares which then devolved upon him, gave a severe shock to his bodily frame; and a rheumatic affection succeeded, which so enervated his limbs, that he was incapable of any great muscular exertion. This rendered him, until the time of his death, lame, both in his hands and feet; though in general he was preserved from much pain; and under all his infirmities exercised a holy acquiescence in the will of God. In his family he continued to manifest the same devout spirit, pious conversation, peaceable disposition, and holy example. These excellencies were visibly blessed to those under his roof. A young man, whom he had brought up in his house, and to his business, acknowledged, when he joined the church, that he had reason to bless God for coming to live with him. He had the felicity to see one of his children join the church before he left it, and to hope that some others of them would also' say, 'We are the Lord's!' and surname them selves by the name of Israel.' May the seven dear orphans, in every future period of their lives, when they read this memorial of their beloved parent, recollect his pious efforts for their spiritual good, be stimulated by his example, and seek their father's God! May every parent aim to be a blessing in his family while he lives, and leave a legacy of piety and prayers to his successors! What he was in the world, the multitude that attended his funeral, from a distance of four miles, strongly attested. To which his pastor, the Rev. Mr. Prankard, in the funeral sermon, added this strong testimony. After expatiating on the public, social, and personal excellencies of a good man, he adds, I may now say, without the fear of contradiction from the most dubious heart, or calumniating tongue, Such was George Mullinger!' We record no perfect characters. Mr. Mullinger was a man of like passions with us; but, to the honour of divine grace be it recorded, that these fruits of the Spirit eminently abounded in him,patience, spirituality, prayer, hospitality, hospitality, love to ordinances, the love of peace; and his end was blessed. He was patient in tribulation! In a letter written soon after the death of his wife, he says, 'The state of my mind you can better conceive than I can express; but I have the happiness to say, the Lord has been my soul's support amidst the trial; and I have not sorrowed without a blessed hope!' second letter he says, Our God does all things well. That great decisive day will make it manifest. O that all the many changes, trials, and crosses, may be means of fitting for the happy and peaceful regions of a blissful immortality !' In a On his second son's recovery 'I from a fever, he thus wrote: His conversation was spiritual.— In looking forwards to friendly intercourse, his language was, ‘Õ that our little interviews may remind us of an eternal one !'-When leaving the House of God, ‘O for the growth of grace, under the means of grace! may Jesus be more and more precious! Not long before his own departure, he was called to attend a sick brother, thought to be near death, when he thus addressed his children: I am waiting, hoping to learn something of the importance of dying! Ö may you and I be found in Him, my children, whom to know is life eternal, whenever the summons shall come!' He was earnest and impressive in prayer. - The church, which has now lost him, will not forget the many impressive petitions he offered to God for it, both in adversity and prosperity. May pastor and people experience, in a happy and perpetuated union, an answer to those prayers in which they once united. The fervour of his petitions, when taking leave of his connexions, will afford an example in ail similar cases. 'Let friends and relatives part at the throne of grace, it will endear their mutual remembrance while absent; give a relish to their future interviews, if such should be reserved for them, or form a delightful preparative for re-union within the veil. But it was in his intercessions for his children that his whole soul seemed to be poured out. These intercessions will long vibrate upon his 6 He was given to hospitality. It was one of his dying declarations; and it was a true saying, I bless God that I have always had a house open for the servants of God!'. His pastor in his funeral sermon said, He was the generous supporter of the cause. I cannot say how much, under God, this church owes its present state to him. He lived to see the last Association here (July, 1811) and exerted himself in it to such a degree, that he seemed to forget his own, while co-operating with others in welcoming and entertaining the servants of the Most High. The Rev. J. Slatterie, who also improved his death at Chatham, bore testimony, When a good man dieth, his memory is blessed; he has been willing to shew favour;' and this was the truth of him. He was ever willing to do good, especially to the household of faith. He did not confine his benevolence to his own church, but extended it to all who needed it. This feature in his character was not excelled in Kent.— Reader, do not only admire, but imitate! He had a love for and was regular in attending upon divine ordinances. His place, which will now know him no more for ever, rarely missed him. At prayer meetings, and at weekly lectures, as well as on Sabbath-days, he would find time to fill up his place: and great were his spiritual enjoyments in the means of grace. It is no wonder that those who will make no sacrifices for divine ordinances, but at tend only as it suits their convenience, should complain of barren seasons. It is what may be expected. The royal charter runs thus: They that honour me, I will honour.' If we expect divine ordinances to be breasts of consolation,' we must discover that devoteduess to them, and that ardour for them, which the prophet expresses, Isaiah Ixvi. 11, That ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of consolation; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.' His disposition and conduct were peaceable. He was the man of peace,' says his pastor; he prayed for it, and he sought it." .His friend, Mr. Slatterie, said, The death of the deceased had some influence upon my choice of this text," He shall enter into peace:" and this peace had our friend Mullinger. He manifested a disposi tion to forgiveness in the church. He had many trials; and had he not been a man of peace, he might have spread a spirit of contention far and wide; but he uniformly endeavoured to promote peace.' Ye officers of our churches, ye members of our communion, see how much good you may effect, and how much evil you may prevent by taking Christ's yoke upon you, and learning of him to be meek and lowly in heart.' He was blessed in his death. - A slow nervous fever had been hanging upon him for some time; but from which his friends apprehended no danger; but renewing its attacks when he was suffering under a surgical operation, it terminated with his life those sorrows under which he was eminently supported, until the moment came that he could say I am entering glory!' For the purpose above alluded to, he left his home on Sept. 25, 1811. On the 28th he arrived in London, under the hospitable roof of his friend, Mr. J. Croucher, jun. where he received all the kind attentions that friendship and affection could afford. He immediately wrote to his family (it was his last letter) I hope that kind hand which has seen fit to wound, will, in his good time, heal. It is only for you, my children, that I wish to live; but we are in the hands of |