stormy passage of twelve days, arrived in safety at New-Providence. Of the manner of his reception, after thanking God for his preserving care, he writes: "Having letters of recommendation to the Honourable Thomas Forbes; (this gentleman proved a kind and invariable friend) and a Mr. Trot, merchants, I sent Mr. F.'s on shore, but Mr. T. coming on board, received his, and kindly invited me to his house." Although brother T.'s reception was favourable, the scene which exhibited itself was far from being so. He soon discovered the moral soil he was sent to cultivate was as arid as the soil on which his feet were destined for some years to tread. Politeness, by many, was considered as the perfection of nature. Morality had a name, but vital godliness was not only unknown, but, in general, ridiculed. Very unpleasant circumstances had occurred, to raise prejudice against him in his official character, and tended to frustrate the purpose of his mission. Prior to his arrival at New-Providence, two or three persons, under the character of Methodist Preachers, (they were from Mr. Hammett, who separated from Dr. Coke in Charleston) had taken upon them to preach, and formed a small society of Blacks. Whatever was their object in the beginning, their end was without honour. By their bad conduct they had given a dreadful wound to the cause of truth, and raised a prejudice in the minds of the community against Methodism, which, in many, remains to the present day. The Colonial Assembly, in consequence, passed a law, prohibiting, in future, any American Preachers to preach in the colony, and also any Preacher from England preaching without a licence. The society formed by the above preachers, knowing little, if any thing, of vital godliness, had fallen out among themselves, and divided into separate bodies; one party had taken a Mr. Paul, and the other an Anthony Wallace for their leaders, the latter of these was the person who had written to Dr. Coke for a preacher, and was consequently anxious to have brother T. to take charge of those whom he had under his care. Placed as he was in such critical circumstances, he determined to act with caution, and follow the direction of Divine Providence. Respecting the manner how he conducted himself at this critical juncture, and the kind intimations of God in his providence to show him the path which he had to pursue, he notes as follows:

"On my passage, the captain informed me, there had been two or three preachers at New-Providence, who had greatly dishonoured the cause of God, one of whom had fallen under such disgrace through his bad conduct, as to be reduced to go a privateering with him. Before I left New-York, I had had an account of the same nature, which went as a sword to my heart; I well knew to what I should be exposed from the conduct of such men. On my landing, I waited on the Governor, who be

haved exceeding politely, and at once gave me liberty to exercise my functions. I informed him I understood there was a colonial law, which prohibited any person from preaching without a regular licence from him, and that I felt willing to take the oaths, and be licenced. Upon this he inquired if I had brought any recommendation. I told him I had; when he heard to whom, he desired me to call the next day: I did so. All was settled, and I was ordered to take the oaths, and be licenced. Before Í had time to act upon my licence, I was attacked by a severe fever, which threatened my dissolution: but, through the abundant mercy of God, I was spared to do the work which he sent me to do. As soon as it was known I had arrived, a black man, (Mr. Wallace) came to the house which I had hired, and, fearful of offending, inquired if I intended to keep school; I told him I did not know what I might do in a future day, but my present design was to preach the gospel. He then made known who he was, and invited me to his house; I told him I supposed him to be one of those who had been connected with Mr. Hammett's preachers, and that I understood there had been disputes among them, and they were divided into parties; that I was a man of peace, and as soon as I was able, if no place could be obtained, I would preach on the publick parade, and all who were willing to join the Wesleyan Methodists, I would receive as brethren: he, however, prevailed upon me to call to see him, which I did: before I left his house I was again taken ill, and was expected to die. The kindness of this people was beyond expression; this led me to think I ought to receive them. As soon, therefore, as I got better, I began to preach and to form a society, and received several of them on trial."

Prejudice, which views all colours, however beautiful, with a jaundiced eye, was soon excited against this excellent missionary. His zealous efforts to promote the cause of truth, (although nothing could be brought against his moral character,) were considered equally injurious to the good of society, as the professions of those who had, by their immoral conduct, disgraced the gospel of Jesus; but under all this reproach, conscious of the justness of the cause in which he was engaged, he prosecuted his work, and found his God to be with him. The word which he preached was particularly owned of the Lord, and the work of his hands prospered. Many who were then brought to God under his preaching, after having borne the burden and heat of the day, became and are now the pillars of the black part of the Methodist Society in New-Providence. On the above he observes, "As soon as I began to show myself active, I was represented as hurtful to the slaves. The behaviour of the Americant preachers was brought forward, and few knew the difference between them and the Wesleyan Missionaries." It would have

given unspeakable pleasure to have been enabled to have followed our worthy brother through every step which he had so cautiously taken in his first conducting this important mission; but of the power of doing this we are deprived; nothing appearing to have been written by him from this time, excepting concerning his marriage, until 1805, when brother Rutledge was sent by the English Conference to his help. As his marriage is an evidence that he was influenced with no other desire than to glorify his God, it may not be amiss to notice it here.

The object of his choice was a poor woman, but one in whose heart God had wrought a thorough work of conversion. She was the first white person in Nassau, who joined the Methodist Society, and was ever active to promote the glory of her Lord: After ber marriage, she was made a peculiar blessing to the poor inhabitants of Eleuthera, which has endeared her memory to that people to the present day. In an account which he had written. of her after her death, he observes, "I once thought never to marry, concluding I should never meet with a woman who would associate with the black people; and being sent chiefly to them, I determined never to do any thing that would be a hinderance in my way; but now thinking I had found one to my wish, I concluded to address her on the subject, and, on the 22d of June, 1803, we were married by the Rev. Mr. Groombridge. After we were married, she still continued her zeal for God's glory, and the salvation of souls. Seldom had we more than two or three evenings together in a week; she would go into one district, and I into another, seeking after the lost sheep. When it pleased God to send brother Rutledge as a helper, she was willing to go to any place where she could be rendered useful; and when I found Rock-Sound willing to receive the gospel, she soon followed me thither, and continued her zeal by going among the inhabitants, shewing them the danger they were in, and exhorting them to repentance and reconciliation with God. They, at last, were so desirous of being acquainted with the knowledge of God, that they themselves requested to be privately instructed; and her willingness to save souls led her to form them into a class, almost contrary to my desire, and the first time met twelve: finding her endeavours owned and blessed by God, she asked my liberty to form another: these classes increased fast in number and in grace.

"The black people were her next object, and she, in like manner, succeeded in this, and had a class of black women, with whom she often found herself blessed. With this people she laboured until September 10, 1807, when it pleased God to call her to her eternal rest."

VOL. XLIV. JANUARY, 1821.

*B

When brother Rutledge arrived to his help in 1804, he (brother T.) had under his care a steady society, consisting of 160 members. And the mouths of gainsayers were stopped by his upright conduct and judicious proceedings. But the very great labours, which had for nearly five years devolved on him, his riding out in the burning sun from the Western to the Eastern district twice, and preaching three times on the Sabbath-days, employing himself in preaching, &c. nearly every evening in the week, and keeping school through the day, to render his expenses as light as possible on the mission-fund, had greatly debilitated his system, and rendered the help sent him not only acceptable to himself, but timely to the Church. For this seasonable help he was exceedingly thankful, and, to the honour of his colleague, says, "He saw his help was much wanted, and therefore he entered on his labours with zeal."

(To be concluded in the next.)

DIVINITY.

A SERMON, preached in the Methodist Chapel at Liverpool, in Nova Scotia, September 12, 1819, at the Funeral of the late Mrs. ABIGAIL NEWTON, Wife of JOSHUA NEWTON, Esq. and eldest daughter of the late Colonel PERKINS.

A gracious woman retaineth honour, PROVERBS XI. 16.

THE design of a funeral sermon, is not only to direct the attention of our hearers to the awful subject of mortality; not only to lament the loss of the upright, the pious, and the benevolent: but also to hold up their example to imitation, to magnify the grace of God in them, to pay their memories the deserved tribute of respect, and to offer to the friends and relatives of departed worth, the consolations which the hope of immortality affords.

I enter upon the solemn duties of this hour with mingled feclings of regret and pleasure: regret, for the loss of an invaluable friend, a useful member of our church, and a pattern of piety and uniformity-pleasure, at being favoured, by an unexpected act of a gracious Providence, with the opportunity which I now enjoy, of performing the funeral rites of a most respectable female, for whom I have always had the highest esteem, and who was, in my opinion, a truly gracious woman.

I propose in the following discourse, first, To describe, as concisely as I conveniently can, the character of a gracious woman, to

shew her peculiar honour, and its security and durability. I shall, secondly, lay before you an epitome of the religious experience, pious life, and exemplary character of our deceased friend, Mrs. Newton; and then conclude, exhorting all present to follow her as she followed Christ Jesus.

And, first, I am to describe the character of a gracious

woman.*

A gracious woman experiences the saving effects of that grace of God which brings salvation to the lost sinner; which fills the soul with confidence in the great Redeemer; which unfolds the treasures of the love of Christ to the believer, and which enables its possessor to adorn the doctrine of God the Saviour in all things.

A gracious woman has a firm, an unshaken faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the only Saviour of sinners: she trusts in him alone: to him she commits in well-doing the keeping of her soul, believing that there is no name under heaven given among men whereby she can be saved, but the name of Jesus. She therefore relies wholly upon him his blood is her only plea, his name her strong tower, his righteousness and merit the ground of her acceptance, and his precious promises the firm basis upon which she builds all her hopes of heaven.

A gracious woman experiences the sanctifying influences of the Spirit of Christ, changing her heart, subduing her will, purifying her desires, renewing her nature, filling her with Divine love, raising her affections above the world, the creature, and created good. She is born of the Spirit, a child of God, an heir of God, and a joint heir with Christ Jesus the Lord. She has "not received again the spirit of bondage unto fear, but the Spirit of adoption, whereby she is enabled to cry, Abba, Father! my Lord and my God!" She also enjoys the fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, temperance: by these her tranquillity is secured, and her character adorned.

A gracious woman keeps herself unspotted from the world. Hating sin with a perfect hatred, she shuns the very appearance of evil, and comes out from among the ungodly. Relying upon Divine grace, she fights against the world, the flesh, and the devil, and comes off victorious. Holiness to the Lord is her motto: his word is her rule; his Holy Spirit her guide; the example of Christ her pattern, and his glory her constant aim.

A gracious woman delights in the service and worship of God. She does not prefer a party of pleasure to the house of prayer;

It is not the intention of the writer to assert, that none are gracious women, but those who come fully up to the standard here laid down; but as the subject of this sermon came as near to it as most female saints, it is the duty of all, as far as it Sis criptural, to aspire after it.