that all stand alike before God as sinners: that we all owe our being to God: "He made us, and not we ourselves; our existence in this world was not by our own choice;—when our minds are enlightened, we wake up to a consciousness of possessing an evil nature, and a further consciousness that we possess immortal souls. That independent of our bodies, our spiritual nature cannot die; neither have we the power of extinguishing the spark of life which the Almighty God has kindled. We find also that, as sinners, we are not perfectly, constantly happy; yea, from the experience of all around us, perfect happiness is not found in this state and we are led to ask:

"Happiness, thou lovely name,

Where's thy seat? O, tell me where.
Learning, pleasure, wealth, and fame,
All cry out, it is not there!"

I look, however, to the great and glorious work of Christ Jesus, my Lord and Saviour. I read in that book which is "a light to our feet, and a lantern to our paths," " "Who His ownself bare our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Pet. ii. 24); "Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (1 Tim. ii. 6); "And He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John ii. 2.)

Many other texts to the same purport might be cited; but when an opinion has been formed, it is an exceedingly difficult task to alter it. The doctrines of grace, as they are termed, or justification by faith alone, from the Reformation up to the time of the Wesleys, were mostly associated with unconditional election. The "Assembly's Catechism" was, in fact, the creed of most of those who held the vital doctrines of the gospel. John and Charles Wesley, from their first start in the heavenly course, saw no necessary connection between salvation by faith and partial redemption. John, in his chaste and logical sermons, and in his short and vigorous notes on the New Testament, set forth the great truth, that Christ died for all; while Charles strung his harp to the same strain, and sung:

"O for a trumpet voice

On all the world to call!
To bid their hearts rejoice

In Him who died for all.
For all, my Lord was crucified,
For all, for all, my Saviour died."

The doctrine of general redemption, which the brothers held so tenaciously and promulgated so zealously, is now held probably by four-fifths of the Evangelical churches. It is a well-known fact, that many of the dissenting churches which have been founded on the narrow base of John Calvin, have widened their foundation, although the rules written in their first Church register recognise the "Assembly's Catechism," and profess to be in harmony therewith. Yet, listen to the sermons from

their pulpits and to the hymns they sing; and the conclusion to which you come will be this; that their rules are a dead letter, and that they now believe Christ died for all.

The travelling and local preachers in connection with all the branches of Methodism are as one man in their belief of this doctrine, all over the world. They all go forth without hesitancy, and, as authorised by the Master, proclaim, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John iii. 16.)

Biography.

SOME EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF THOMAS MITCHENER.

WRITTEN BY HIMSELF.

WITH A FEW CLOSING REMARKS BY MR. J. CLARKE.

(Concluded.)

HAVING experienced the converting grace of God, I felt astonished and surprised that I had not sooner laid hold on Jesus. The love of Jesus was now shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Ghost given unto me. I knew I was born again; old things had passed away, and all things become new. Glory be to God! I might have been happy long before, had I, by simple faith, cast myself upon Jesus. I felt now I was adopted into the family of God, was an heir of God, and a joint heir with Christ. The blessed word of my Father was my constant companion. How sweet the promises to my soul! they were all yea and amen in Christ to me.

On the Monday night following, I prevailed upon twenty of our soldiers to come to the prayer meeting held in the chapel. The leader of the meeting had no one to assist him, and he called upon me to pray; but my timidity was such, I told him I could not. He took me by the shoulder, and said, "Now, corporal, pray or perish." I then opened my mouth for the first time in public, shedding tears the whole of the time; but the prayer was heard: the Holy Spirit came down, and one soul, one of my comrades, was brought to God. The following week, two more of my fellow soldiers were convinced of sin; and now we numbered four. We were now formed into a class by the superintendent preacher, and we hired a room to hold our meetings. Now the storm of persecution began. The enemies of the Saviour raised a report that we were meeting for conspiracy and illegal purposes. I exhorted my brethren to hold fast, and put their trust in God, and then all would be well.

On Sunday morning, I had just sat down to breakfast, when the corporal of the guard called me, and said I must go to the Adjutant-Captain Clark, and answer a charge relative to an illegal meeting I was holding

somewhere. I lifted up my heart to God for help, and went to meet him, when the following conversation took place. "Well, corporal, I understand you hold a meeting with some of the men. What meeting do you call it ?" "A Methodist prayer meeting, sir." "And you pray, I suppose?" "Yes, sir, as the Lord hath given me ability." "And who prays besides you, corporal?" "John Martin, Joseph Seal, John Chapman, and John Gregory." "Do you sing hymns?" "Yes, sir, Wesley's Hymns." "Do you read the scriptures?" "Yes, sir, I read a chapter." "Do you speak upon the chapter?" "Sometimes, sir, I give a word of exhortation." "What nights do you meet?" "Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, sir, when there is no service in the chapel." "Where is the room you meet in ?" "In Market Street, at the back of the blacksmith's shop." "What do you pay for the room?" "One shilling per week." "Who pays this? "I do, sir." "How can you afford to pay this?" "When I was a private, sir, I lived on private's pay; now, out of my additional pay, as corporal, I pay for this room.” "Do you make any collection?" "No, sir." "But you must have light; who pays for this?" "I find candles, sir." "Then you pay all the expenses." "Yes, sir." "Now, corporal," said he, "go to your barracks, and go on with your meeting, and no one shall molest you; but mind you do not preach."

Whan I turned round to leave the captain, there were twenty or more men, mostly my persecutors, who were waiting to hear the result, expecting I should be confined, and reduced to the rank of a private. They opened right and left, and let me pass between them; and I lifted up my heart to my heavenly Father, and said, "O Lord, thou hast, this morning, delivered thy poor worm from the mouth of the lion." After this, we had rest, and many more attended our prayer meetings. We were removed from Strabane to Armagh the following week, with a detachment of twenty-four to Dungannon. I earnestly besought the Lord to keep my little flock from sin. Blessed be God! He heard my prayer, and gave me two more of our party; so our number was increased to seven. We joined the regiment at Belfast, and sailed for Scotland on the 10th May, 1814, and landed at Port Patrick, where we remained until November.

During the whole of the time I was away, I corresponded with my dear wife, telling her of my conversion to God, and giving her, time after time, my experience; and, blessed be God! although we were hundreds of miles apart, the Lord had heard my prayers for her, and she also was made the subject of His saving grace, about the same time I was ; and we held sweet communion together by letter, both of us rejoicing in the pardoning mercy of the Lord. Truly, "The ways of the Lord are past finding out."

I now got my little flock together; and having no place to meet in-the barracks being one mile from the town-we met in a field; and the presence of the Lord was manifested there; and He interfered again in our

behalf; for the barrack-master, hearing of our meetings, kindly offered us the use of a spare room in the barracks to meet in. Thus favoured, we held our meetings at five in the morning and seven in the evening. We had, of course, a great deal of opposition; but the Lord was with us, and four more were brought to God, during our stay at Haddington, and two brother Collins brought with him from the party that did not volunteer for Ireland.

I now sent for my dear wife, and she arrived June 8th. We met at one of the friends in the town. We both fell down on our knees before God, and poured out our souls in thankful acknowledgments to Him for His great mercy towards us, in converting our souls, and permitting us to meet together as His adopted children. I was allowed to take lodgings for myself and wife outside the barracks. There I met my class, my wife meeting with us. Our congregation increased. I felt a strong desire to speak to them; and, throwing myself upon the Spirit, I ventured to take a text-Luke vi. 20-22: "And He lifted up His eyes on His disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God," &c. I spoke for about thirty minutes, the coal-box being my rostrum, the barrack-room my chapel; but the Lord was there. I now preached regularly; and this coming to the officers' ears, I was confined, and on my march was treated as a prisoner, placed between two soldiers, and had to march from Haddington, Scotland, to Portsmouth with my firelock upside down; but my soul was happy in God; I rejoiced in being counted worthy thus to suffer for my blessed Master. The Methodists in the various towns through which we marched treated me with the greatest kindness; and I must not omit to state that, in one of the towns through which I passed, the mayor was a local preacher. He came down to the house where we were billeted, and ordered the landlord to let me and my wife have a separate room, and all necessary comforts, saying, like the good Samaritan, that he would pay for it; and having to start on march at five in the morning, he had us down to his residence to break fast; and the mayoress filled my wife's basket with cake and other eatables, as well as a bottle of wine, saying it would help us on our way.

It was in the month of November, when we were ordered to march from Haddington to Portsmouth, a journey of 400 miles.

I continued preaching until the end of the war, when we were marched to Winchester to be dismissed, and our little class was torn asunder. I was then twenty-eight years old. Our regiment being disbanded, I returned to my friends, and, a week after, came to Bristol. Mr. Davis was then stationed in the Bristol Circuit, and he pointed out a class in which I could meet, and also recommended me to be placed on the Mint plan. There were at that time eighteen wards in the Mint, and eighteen sermons had to be preached, from two to five in the afternoon; and whilst thus engaged in preaching to the poor sick people, my own soul was abundantly blessed. I remained upon this plan some time, and was

removed from it to the Bristol local preachers' plan, by the late James Wood. I laboured till circumstances called me to Liverpool, in 1830; and I received my note of removal of Mr. Lord, who was then stationed in Bristol, and delivered it to Mr. Dixon, of Liverpool, by whose authority I was immediately placed upon the plan there; and my principal labour was amongst the sailors, to whom I preached from the Custom-house steps. Sometimes on a wall, sometimes on a waggon, I have stood and proclaimed salvation to sinners in large numbers: as many as 1,000 or 1,500 have I addressed; and my heart has often been cheered at seeing the tears of penitence trickle down the cheeks of my hearers.

In 1842, I returned to Bristol, bringing with me my credentials to Mr. Brown, of the Bristol North Circuit; and my name was placed upon the circuit plan. I was also made class leader. An association of local preachers being formed at Bristol, I became a member of it, and was the third person who did so. That society had for its object relief in sickness and old age of the local preachers and their wives. This society has since merged into the Local Preachers' Mutual-Aid Association, from the funds of which I have been aided in my old age, for which I have always felt truly grateful.

In 1856, I removed to Bedminster, and united myself to the church at Hebron Chapel, and met in Brother Clarke's class, and continued working with my brethren on the circuit plan, as far as my strength would permit, as well as visiting the sick and dying; and in doing so, my soul was abundantly blessed.

After many years of married life, it pleased the Lord to remove my dear partner, and take her to a better home. She was laid upon a bed of affliction three months, the whole of which time she suffered acute pain, but patiently endured until the end, dying happy in the Lord, the 5th of February, 1859, in the seventy-seventh year of her age, I still remained with my daughter; and although not able to preach as often as formerly, yet, as often as I could, I endeavoured to speak a word for my blessed Master. I continued meeting in Brother Clarke's class, on Monday evening, at Hebron Chapel, and, although living at a distance of two miles from the chapel, was enabled, through mercy, to be there almost every Monday. I can truly say that these meetings were times of refreshing to my soul. In the year 1862, I felt a strong desire to see my only brother, who still resided at Leckford, in Hampshire. I went, and spent a fortnight with him, and found him also converted to God. Twenty-six years had elapsed since I had seen him; and it rejoiced my heart to find him living a pious, devoted, Christian life. I returned home better in health. Since that time, blessed be God! I have been enabled still to preach occasionally, and, by His assistance, to hold on my way to heaven. I was always fond of reading that blessed book, the Bible; and, in my solitude, was much blessed in perusing its sacred pages, although I had read them over and over again.