pel. After they had related to me a number of things respect. ing their lands and houses, &c. I told them that it was not merely necessary to care for the body, but especially for the soul; and in order to bring it more closely to them, and to introduce the Gospel to them, I asked what they thought would become of their souls hereafter. They replied, this question was too deep for them, as they never had troubled their minds with such things. I expressed that I pitied them very much. In the mean time some had gone to call the priest of the village, who soon arrived: he was an old venerable looking man. I asked him whether he could read and write? He replied, he could read a little, but write he could not. I entered into a conversation with him on religion, in the presence of the ple, who were staring at us, as if they heard something quite new. I spent a very pleasant hour with them. I hope to visit them as often as I can. I must observe that the people higher up the country are far less acquainted with the particular tenets of the Mahometan religion, though they are called Mussulmans, than the people a long the sea-shore, and are therefore the fittest subjects for the Gospel, as their prejudices are less.

peo

"On Sundays I have regular preaching in Malay to a few poor people, who profess themselves Christians. Though I see that the number of hearers does not increase, I will not give it up as long as there are two or three. An old man amongst them, who had regularly attended, was so sick, that he could not come; I visited him in his house, reminding him of that which I had spoken repeatedly to them, namely, of our salvation in JESUS CHRIST, and that we were all miserable and lost sinners without him. He replied to me with tears in his eyes, that he was no sinner. You may suppose that I would rather have heard such a language with tears without that no. Though I suppose he had lived all his life-time in whoredom, he was still self-righteous. I asked him whether he was not called a Christian. Yes, he said. Now, I said, if you, being called a Christian, have not loved JESUS CHRIST with all your heart, and expressed this love by living according to his precepts, then you are a great sinner, though you, perhaps, have not committed murder and theft. This put him to silence. After recommending him to think about those things I had spoken to him about, and to pray to GOD for light and assistance, I left him for this time.

"In my attempt of translating the New Testament into Javanese, I am come to the end of Paul's Epistle to the Colossians. I have also begun the revision of the Gospel of Matthew, to adapt it more to the use of the natives."

The following instance of the liberality of a poor native Christian woman, at Calcutta, given in the last report of this Society, will be read with great pleasure.

A Portuguese woman, a member of the Church, having been employed as a servant in a respectable family, had saved a small sum, which she was desirous of devoting, in some way, to the cause of GOD. Nothing better having occurred to her, she offered to rent a piece of ground, and build on it a Bengalee place of worship at her own expense. After having ascertained, to their entire satisfaction, that her design, in this proposal, was to promote the work of God, the Missionaries acceded to her request. The house was built; and the following Letter, which she sent to Mr. Eustace Carey on the occasion, will interest every pious reader, by the strain of evangelical simplicity in which it is written.

"May the glorious God be victorious!

"My dear Brother

"I am by no means worthy to write to you, or even to call you Brother, because I am a very insignificant person. It is through the love of the LORD, that I have been able to call you Brother. I have one request to make; and it is, that you will not think any thing of the house; for it was not from me, but from the hand of GoD. If the LORD alone had not given me the mind, I should have been able to do nothing at all. O LORD! thy mercy is great! thy death is all in all! I could stand in the streets to proclaim thy praise, but then men would say I was mad. O LORD! what shall I do to proclaim thy praise?

"A few days ago, as I was sitting and meditating, my mind was exceedingly happy; and I said, 'O my mind, come, let us build a house, in which we may proclaim the praise of the LORD! After this, however, I did not know whether I should do it or not; because I thought, O my mind if this is only done with the body, then I shall be certainly like the idolaters, who think there is merit in such things.' Then my mind was afraid. But I said, O my mind, whence has this desire arisen? how do I know but it came from the hand of the LORD? O gracious LORD, if it came from thee, give me an humble mind, that, in this, thy name may be glorified. O LORD, we are the cultivators; what can we do? Thou art the giver of the fruit! Thou canst do all things! Nothing is impossible with thee! Let me not trust in my own wisdom; but, in every thing, acknowledge thee!

"May the grace, love, and peace of our LORD JEsus Christ be with all the Brethren and Sisters. Amen!

(Signed)

"An insignificant Handmaid of the LORD."

THE AMERICAN MISSIONARY REGISTER SAYS,

Two letters from the Rev. Messrs. Fisk and Parsons, dated in September and October last, were published in our number for February. At the date of these letters, the Missionaries. were residing on the Island of Scio, devoting their attention to the study of the Modern Greek language, and preparing for their future labours. During their residence on this Island, they distributed one French and three English Bibles, two Italian and thirty-five Greek Testaments, and 3700 Religious Tracts. They took their depature from Scio on the 23d of October, on their return to Smyrna where they arrived on the following day. On the 1st of November, they left Smyrna on a tour through a part of Asia Minor, and returned on the 23d of the same month; "during which time, they travelled 300 miles; visited, among other places, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia; sold and gave away 21 Bibles and Testaments; and distributed 1300 religious tracts.".

*

Obituary.

DEATH OF ELMON ALLEN.

To the Editors of the Methodist Magazine.

DEAR BRETHREN,

THE enclosed sketch of the conversion, affliction, and triumphant death of Elmon, son of Rev. Robert Allen of this county, I think may be useful to many of the readers of your excellent Miscellany. Should you think with me, its insertion in an early number, will be gratifying to his parents, and to many of his friends,

Yours in Christ,

Richmond County, Georgia, Aug. 7, 1821. His parents were religious before he was born, and his father has been for many years a local preacher, he was of course blessed with a religious edu. cation. When about nine years old, he was often seen to weep, and discovered an anxious solicitude about the salvation of his soul. At places of worship he was at times so overcome by a sense of his want of religion, as to be rendered helpless, and in that situation his friends would bear him away. From that period he became devoted to God; in his thirteenth year he join ed our church, and such was his upright walk, and godly conversation, that many of his acquaintances regarded him as truly a child of God. But it was not until the White Oak Camp-Meeting, Warren circuit, July, 1819, (which was perhaps the greatest Camp-Meeting ever witnessed in

SAMUEL K. HODGES.

this part of the country,) that he received a satisfactory evidence that he had found "the peart of great price." This was in his sixteenth year. He now became zealous in his Master's cause, enjoyed the confidence and esteem of all who knew him, and would sometimes exhort with so much energy. that he was called the little preacher."

Before that meeting, he felt some symptoms of the fatal disease, that brought him to an untimely end. It commenced by an affection in the right side, whether produced by a fall, that he received from a horse, or some other cause, his physicians could never determine. The symptoms continued, and became more and more alarming, until last March, when the affected part was much swoln, and his physicians deemed an operation imperious

faithful mother to me, I am going to glory, I thank you for all your toil and care, Oh! try to meet me in heaven." He then spake individually to all present, and exhorted his weeping brothers and sisters to live for God and meet him in Heaven. Recollecting some who were absent, for whom he felt much interested, he said, "tell them I am going to heaven, and to be sure to meet me there."

ly necessary. This was performed, than tongue can tell, but am going to but nothing but blood, bone, and lungs, receive my reward." Turning to bis were found; one rib was entirely gone, mother, he said, "You have been a and a part of the lungs was taken out. At times he seemed better and then worse, until the 10th of July, during which time there were four operations performed. His sufferings were exextreme, but a murmur was never beard to drop from his lips. His fortitude, arising from an unshaken confidence in God, uniformly evinced the power of that grace that is sufficient for every trial. He would speak of death with the utmost composure and serenity of mind; but when spoken to on the subject of his experience, he would express a wish for more of the fulness of God. On the evening before his death, the cause of his sorrow was entirely removed, and he was enabled to rejoice aloud, on account of the glorious manifestation of the divine presence.

His happy soul often broke forth into the greatest extacies, and he would shout, glory to God. About seven o'clock, they thought he was dying. His father said, as we cannot weep for sorrow, let us sing--while thus engaged, he revived-by this time some of the neighbours came in, and he entreated them most earnestly, to meet him in heaven. When he ceased to On the 11th of July, the day of his shout, supposing him unable to speak, departure, his sufferings were still one said, brother Elmon, if you feel more excruciating; but his mind was happy, raise your hand. In a moment calm and collected, and with his af- he raised both, and shortly after withflicted friends, he was looking out for out a sigh or groan, he breathed his the moment of relief; he however last.

lived until late in the evening. About Our loss is his eternal gain. He is five o'clock in the afternoon he re- taken from the evil to come. Surely quested his father to be called, who the dying chamber of a child of God, is had retired to rest. On his coming in, favoured above the ordinary walks of Elmon, said he, how do you feel? Oh, life. May my last end be like his. bappy, happy! I have suffered more

Poetry.

For the Methodist Magazine.

HOW bright the tear which wets the eye,
And oft the cheek of pity stains!
How sweet the sympathetic sigh,
Which heaves for others woes and pains!
This tear is brighter than the gem,
Which glitters in a diadem.

The zephyr's breath a fragrance yields,
When spring revives the smiling plain,
And Flora decks the verdant fields,
Extending wide her flow'ry train;
But Pity's breath is sweeter far
Than all the gales of zephyr's are.
The dew-drops trembling o'er the mead,
Reflected by the light of morn,
Like radiant pearls, a lustre shed,
Or like the stars the beav'ns adorn;
But these display a feeble light,
Compar'd with Pity's tear so bright.
Proud ocean rolls her lofty waves,
That strike with awe the sons of men,
And deep within her bed she laves,
The coral fair and precious gera;
But these cannot affect the soul,
Like Pity's tears which gently roll.

PITY.

Hope's lambient flame may dimly burn,
Excite the tears which oft are shed
O'er some lov'd youth, whose lonely ura
Speaks to the living, not the dead;
Soft are the tears which o'er them flow,
But softer shed for other's woe.

'Twas pity touch'd the Saviour's breast,
And caus'd him to forsake His throne:
He left the mansions of the blest,
To suffer for mankind alone;
His eye the pearly drop distill'd
When sorrow deep His bosom fill'd.
The poor partook his friendly care,
When He compassionately smil'd;
He did their griefs and sorrows share,
And oft their lonely hours beguil'd;
He wept-and o'er the mournful bier
Let fall the sympathetic tear.

Breathes there a soul in earthly mould,
Who boasts of nobler pow'rs of mind,
Whose heart untouch'd, to Pity cold,
And all those sentiments refin'd?
He lives, but almost lives in vain,-
He dies, but not to live again.

MIRANDA

THE

METHODIST MAGAZINE,

FOR NOVEMBER, 1821.

Divinity.

From the London Methodist Magazine.
ORIGINAL SERMON ON JOHN VI. 66-68.

By the late Rev. JOHN FLETCHER, of Madeley.

"From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him: then said JESUS unto the twelve, will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter, answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life."

IN opening these words, I shall endeavour, First, to show what offended so much many of our LORD's disciples, that they walked no more with him. Secondly, I shall prove from St. Peter's words, by the grace of the LORD, that, as out of CHRIST there is nothing but eternal death for sinners, so in CHRIST there is eternal life for the chief of sinners that come to him. I shall then take occasion to make some practical reflections upon those two heads, by way of application.-And may the LORD JESUS So shine upon our understandings by the striking light of his truth, and so prepare our hearts by the softening power of his grace, that we may all join PETER in his glorious confession of faith: "To whom shall we go, O Lord? Thou hast the words of eternal life; and we believe, and are sure, that thou art the CHRIST, the Son of the living God, who openest the kingdom of heaven to all believers."

I. I shall endeavour to show what offended so much many of our LORD's disciples, that they went back, and walked no more with him.

The sermons which our blessed LORD preached were plain, though deep; sharp as a razor, though smooth as oil; and the effect was the conversion or the confounding of his hearers.True doctrine will always cause a division between the chaff and the wheat of a congregation; it sifts the worldlings, puts the formalists at a stand, and makes the Pharisees and Saddu VOL. IV.

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