THE PEACE OF GOD,

EXHIBITED IN THE DEATH-BED OF A BELIEVER.

SHORTLY before it pleased our heavenly Father to summon Charlotte Elizabeth to her rest, another faithful servant of the Lord, the Rev. Robert Mayor, who, like her, was eagerly looking for his Master's return, and waiting in unshrinking confidence, the conflict that must precede it, has been taken away from the evil to come. We have permission to insert the following extract from the funeral Sermon, entitled, "The way of Salvation made Plain, and Illustrated in the Happy Death of a Faithful Minister of Christ,' preached by the Rev. E. Bickersteth to his mourning parishioners from Eph. ii. 8, a text chosen by himself, on his death-bed, with a special request, that little might be said respecting him, but that his people might, on this occasion, hear again the full gospel of salvation.

To those who knew him in health, who had watched his beaming eye, and listened to the exulting tones of his voice, while he dwelt on the fulness and sureness of the Divine promises, with a faith that seemed almost changed into sight, his last hours are precious. They are a precious seal set to the faithfulness of Him, who has said, open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it, and who

is willing to give us as large a spirit of expectation as he bestowed on his honoured servant, and then as abundantly to fulfil all our hopes.

Here is the Lord's own voice testifying to the reality of despised evangelical religion. A cold system of orthodox doctrine, or the voice of solemn warning, may fail to arrest those who have been beguiled by the fascinations of outward ceremony and poetical emotions, but this glowing love, this joy and calm peace in the hour of nature's utmost extremity, touch a yet deeper chord of the human heart. May He who wrought thus wondrously in his dying servant, himself bless this simple record of his own dealings:

'It was the express and repeated wish of my beloved brother-your late minister-that as little as possible should be said respecting himself, his great anxiety being that the occasion should be improved for bringing fully before you our free salvation in Christ Jesus. I must not therefore, enlarge on his personal history. He was born in 1791 in Shropshire, and being religiously brought up by his excellent father, the vicar of Shawbury, he early was truly converted to God. In his dying hours he said, speaking of his past religious history -that once, when quite young, he had been in much distress, and this petition seemed to be given to him by his heavenly Father, "Cause me to desire and give me grace, give me faith to receive all that the merits of Christ has procured for us, and all that thou art willing to bestow." That he had from early youth to the present day pleaded it, and that the Lord was most graciously fulfilling his request and giving him a blessed earnest and foretaste of his heavenly rest. There was great natural ardour in his character: and missions beginning at that time to be generally brought before the Church,

he gave himself to that blessed work. He married my beloved sister in 1817, and at the close of that year proceeded under the Church Missionary Society to Ceylon, and established the Baddagamme mission, erecting there, in the midst of the heathens, a durable stone Church. He remained there for about ten years, when his health failing, he and his family returned to England in 1828. His health was never sufficiently restored to allow of his return to Ceylon, and he assisted the Society in its home proceedings, in visiting associations, and laboured at Harborough and Burslem, till in 1833, he was appointed Incumbent of the parish of Coppenhall, and in 1838 was removed to Acton: from whence God has now translated him to his heavenly home leaving a widow and ten sorrowing children.

'God endowed him with many excellent qualifications for the work which he appointed him to fulfil. The leading features of his Christian character were great warmth of affection, a lively zeal, a devotedness, joined with unshaken reliance on the promises of God. He would say, "Ask and ye shall have, seek and ye shall find:" is it not written so? What can you want more? The animated tone and look with which he would utter this, showed his lively faith in the promises of God. He would repeat with exultation, a favourite

verse:

Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees

And looks to that alone;

Laughs at impossibilities

And says, It shall be done.

'He would then exhort those about him to draw more fully on this rich treasury. The idea prominent in his mind was ;-God has said it, it must come true. He spoke with such feeling, that while he was speaking,

unbelief seemed not only sinful but absurd. When talking of the subjects nearest his heart, he had a great facility in applying all surrounding circumstances. He would stop to speak to a labourer, spiritualize the work in which he found him employed, and leave some striking truth to dwell on his thoughts. His faith would rise high as he dwelt on the approaching trials of the Church, and the sure strength that would be afforded, and the full joys given in days of suffering, and martyrdom for the truth.

'His infirm health prevented him from visiting his people at their own houses, as much as he wished. He did this however, even more than his strength allowed, and often to the increase of his bodily indisposition. He would press much the reading of the Scriptures in large portions; the diligent practice of much private prayer, and habits of self-denial and obedience.

'He had especial support in the time of his last illness and death, and was eminently enabled to glorify God by a hope full of immortality. I may be allowed here to give a message to myself,-he wished me to be informed that he began to fear that he never more should be permitted to see my face in the flesh, but that he looked forward to a blessed meeting, where "THE PROMISED GLORY" (my treatise under that title had been a comfort to him in his dying hours,) where the promised glory would be fully realized. He continued that he had hoped, had life been prolonged, to have added his name to the members of the Evangelical Alliance.* But

*The Evangelical Alliance is a religious Society, about to be formed, of those holding the great essentials of Christianity to promote brotherly union and love among each other, and to make manifest the real unity that subsists between true Christians. It is heartily commended to the attention, the prayers, and the support of all who love our Saviour in sincerity.

though there was no probability of this wish being fulfilled, yet so long as life was granted, his heart's desire and prayer would be, that Christian unity might exceedingly abound among real Christians of every

name.

'He was in such a prayerful and happy state, one day early in his illness, that he said "he thought he should not find it difficult to spend twelve hours in prayer." He earnestly interceded for the people of his parish, "that God would pour out his Holy Spirit upon them, and would provide them with another Shepherd, who should be a far greater blessing than he had been." The Lord himself graciously answer this prayer, and direct so the mind of him who will have the appointment, that you may thus be blessed. Not long before his death he said—Only think that in one short week I may have put off this body, and see Jesus face to face. Some talk of a tour in the summer, but what a tour is before me to the heavenly Jerusalem, where I shall see Jesus face to face, what a blessed company shall I meet there: What glorious prospects will then open before me !

"To a nephew looking forward to the ministry, he said, "The Lord make you a faithful Minister of Jesus Christ. Remember it is not enough to have Christ there" pointing to a Bible before him, "but you must have Christ here" laying his hand on his heart. "It is the Holy Ghost alone that can make a real Minister of the Gospel."

'He gave this advice to his children.

"Do not be satisfied with cold formal prayers, night and morning, but pray, earnestly and unceasingly, until you obtain a full assurance of pardon: until your whole soul is filled with love to our adorable Redeemer.