Funeral of Mr. R. Koddy,

LATE EDITOR OF THIS MAGAZINE.

WEDNESDAY afternoon, November 14th, had been fixed as the time for the interment of the remains of our highly-esteemed editor. The day, for November, was especially fine; which fact made us expect a goodly number at the funeral. Our expectations were not disappointed. There could not have been less than three hundred in Chadwell Street Chapel, at the service, whilst nearly two hundred

assembled in Abney Park Cemetery, to await the arrival of the corpse. Shortly after two o'clock the funeral cortége arrived at the chapel. Mr. J. Hazelton, pastor of the church at Chadwell Street (of which church the deceased was a valued deacon), commenced the solemn service by giving out the beautiful hymn, "Why do we mourn departing friends," etc. He then read the following portions of Holy Writ:-Ps. xc.; 2 Cor. v. 1-10; 1 Thess. iv. 14-18; Rev. vii. 9—17. After this he delivered an impressive and appropriate address, in the course of which he said, "Any strong remarks with regard to the Christianity of our brother are not needed, for he was well and widely known, and well-beloved as a brother in the Lord. We love his remains, because they are the remains of one whose regenerated soul is now for ever with the Lord. He has left his tent with his bereaved wife and his sorrowing friends. The body is dead, and has to be buried, but our brother is not dead. His tent only has fallen; his mind is unclothed; his soul has taken its flight to its eternal rest. We are not assembled to-day to bury our brother, but the tenement he inhabited for sixty-eight years. He himself has now trodden the unknown path. After considerable suffering, he sweetly fell asleep in the arms of everlasting love, which for so many years had been beneath him. Yes, he is asleep, but a downy bed would not now be suitable to him. He is returning to dust, and a dusty bed is the most appropriate. He will not, however, always remain in that dusty bed. The Lord will by-andbye come and communicate life to these remains of our dear brother. He will open his eyes upon his descending Lord, and, rising from his dusty bed, will exclaim, This is my God; I have waited for Him." Dwelling upon the word "waited," which he had quoted, Mr. Hazelton continued: "All in heaven are waiters. The ransomed spirits, our brother amongst them, wait for the resurrection of their bodies. Angels await the consummation of all things. Even Christ is waiting-'From henceforth expecting, till His enemies be made His footstool.' In a very important sense our dear brother is not sleeping. He is awake, and singing before the eternal throne. He is now immersed in the glory of Jesus, which glory fills every faculty and power. Our brother, when upon earth, was a living Christian. His religious life did not proceed from nature; he was called according to the purpose of God. There was life in his prayers and in his praises, and a measure of life in every act he performed. His life could be seen in his eye. I do not think his dear wife will deem her pastor to have overstepped the mark of propriety if I quote a saying of hers, 'My dear husband lived very near to God." He was not, therefore, one thing in public and another in private. His life was a very fruitful one. There was nothing forced about his religion. He was a consistent Christian with regard to New Testament ordinances, and also as to his faith, friendships, and associations. His moral character and conduct were beyond reproach. leaves no ill odour behind him. Was he useful? He was for many years a member of Salem Chapel, Meard's Court, Soho, and a deacon under the late excellent, talented, godly, spiritual, heavenly John Stevens. He joined our church at Chadwell Street on the 4th of June, 1871, and for twelve and a half years has proved a very useful member. For about six and a half years he has been a wise and good deacon of this church. He was a member of the following committees: the Strict Baptist Mission, the Strict Baptist Association, and the Aged Pilgrims' Friend Society. I believe all these committees are represented to-day by official deputations. In addition to this he was editor of the GOSPEL HERALD. Through grace he lived well and died well. We live in hope of seeing him in that glorious world where he is constantly happy. May He who has taken him solace his bereaved partner and sorrowing friends, and make up his loss to this church and to the denomination at large-a loss which is too deeply felt to be expressed in words." At the close of this address, Mr. Hazelton offered a solemn and heart-melting petition to the God of all grace.

He

Upon leaving the chapel for the cemetery, the funeral cortége was considerably lengthened. Immediately after the relatives came a coach containing the deceased's fellow-deacons, Messrs. Abbott, Hunt, E. Mote, Oliver, and Sawyer (Mr. Cobb and Mr. Hodges were unable to be present). The next coach was that containing the deputation from the Metropolitan Association of Strict Baptist Churches. Owing to a death in his family, the president, Mr. G. W. Shepherd, was unable to attend. The deputation consisted of Messrs. J. Clark (vice-president), J. L. Meeres, I. R. Wakelin, and J. Box (hon. sec.). Next came the deputation from the Strict Baptist Mission, consisting of Messrs. J. Briscoe (hon. sec.), H. Cooper, A. Steele, and T. L. Wakelin (hon. sec.). This coach was followed by one containing the deputation from the Aged Pilgrims' Friend Society, which deputation consisted of Messrs. J. E. Hazelton and W. Jackson (secs.), W. Howe, S. Sharp, R. P. Whellock, and C. Wilson. Upon arriving at the grave, Mr. Hazelton called upon Mr. J. L. Meeres to offer prayer, who, in a solemn, appropriate, and deeply affecting address to the Divine throne, committed the mortal remains of our beloved and highly valued brother to the tomb, in the presence of a concourse of sorrowing friends, who had come from various churches to pay the last token of Christian respect to one whose loss will be widely felt and deeply lamented. P. REYNOLDS.

40, Albion Grove, Barnsbury.

En Memoriam,'

MR. WILLIAM BRAIN. MR. BRAIN was born September 7th, 1816; called by grace at an early age under the ministry of the late Mr. Thos. Powell, of Rye Lane Chapel, Peckham ; was baptized by the late Mr. David Denham, of Unicorn Yard Chapel, Tooley Street, Southwark ; admitted to full communion January 4th, 1835, the card of membership being, "He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust. His truth shall be thy shield and buckler" (Ps. xci. 4). For a short time he attended the ministry of the late Mr. James Harrington Evans, which was greatly blessed to him. Afterwards he removed to Woolwich, where, for a short time, he attended Bethlehem Chapel and Enon Chapel, but afterwards was led with a few other friends to unite in opening old, and building new, "Carmel Chapel," Woolwich, where he held the office of deacon several years. He afterwards removed to Sevenoaks, where he lived for five

years, and worshipped with a few people at the Assembly Rooms, sometimes conducting the services.

Mr. Brain removed to New Cross in September, 1862, and from that time worshipped at Zion Chapel for the most part; but it was not until four years afterwards that he saw his way clear to sever his connection with the church at Woolwich. On the first Lord's-day in October, 1866, he and his excellent wife were received into fellowship at Zion, in which communion nearly the last seventeen years of his life were spent, during fifteen of which he filled the office of deacon.

For two years or more before he was quite laid aside, disease (creeping paralysis) was upon him, `and in December, 1879, he was stricken down, and had to be nursed like a child until his decease, a period of three years and eight months. His long, painful, and tedious affliction is a mystery, which, perhaps, is explained to him now, and may be to us when we meet him in

Qissions.

A Paper Read at the Annual Meeting of the Suffolk and Norfolk Home Mission Society by SAMUEL COZENS, Ipswich.

THE cause of Missions is the cause of God and truth in the earth. He gave the Word-of promise, of life, of salvation--to the patriarchs and prophets, and great was the company of them that published it. The great patriarchal father of the faithful (Abraham) was called of God, from the seat of idolatry, to build altars of devotion in other regions, that God's name might be known among the heathen, and His saving health among all nations.

The cause of Missions is the cause of the Redeemer, who left the bright realms of glory, and assumed our nature, to make His Father's loving and merciful councils known. He is the Apostle, the Sent, the Messenger, the Missionary, the High Priest of our profession. He came to illustrate the perfections of God in the redemption of man. And how grandly He accomplished both is seen in the terrors and the triumphs of His Cross.

The cause of Missions is the cause of the Holy Ghost, whose baptism of fire lit up the world with a living light that shall shine brighter and brighter till the perfect day that shall put an end to the long dark night of ignorance, superstition, and sin; till that day when the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the deeps-when all shall know Him, and "All nations shall call Him blessed."

The cause of Missions is the cause of the Church. It was from the Church that that little band of fishermen-fishers of men-went forth with a broad mission: "Go into all the world; preach the Gospel to every creature; he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. And lo! I am with you alway." The world was their parish; the Gospel was their sermon; baptism marked their triumphs; believers formed their churches; the Divine presence hallowed their fellowships, and constrained their operations.

The cause of Missions is the cause of angels, who are sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation; .who sing, "Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will towards men ;' "who preached Christ and the resurrection; who take a deep interest in the salvation of men. There is joy, joy, joy in the presence of the angels over one sinner that repenteth. If fallen angels are the ministers of sin, then no marvel if good angels are the ministers of righteousness.

The cause of Missions is the cause of the world; for the Gospel of the Kingdom is to be preached among all nations. God has promised to give to His beloved Son the heathen for His inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession.

"All the promises do travail
With a glorious day of grace,"

when kingdoms that now sit in darkness shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. We plead the cause of countless millions sitting in the regions of the shadow of death, without one glimmering ray of light to cheer them in the struggle of life, in the hour of affliction, in the ordeal of death; who, in the impetuous rush of the multitude that do evil, are making haste, adown the broad road of wickedness, to destruction.

It is the cause for which patriarchs went from one nation to another, and from one kingdom to another people. It is the cause for which proselytes were admitted into the Jewish Church. These proselytes came from all parts of the world-from Arabia, from Egypt, from Greece, from Italy, from Spain, and other distant regions to keep the Passover, and to carry back tidings of the God of Israel, like the Ethiopian eunuch, to their distant homes. Luke thus enumerates some of those who listened to the first preaching of the Gospel: "Parthians and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia and in Judea, in Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Ronie, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians." Croly says, "Every race of mankind, in its most marked peculiarities, then passed beneath the eye. Then came the long train of swarthy slaves and menials round the chariot of the Indian prince, clothed in the silks and jewels of the regions beyond the Ganges. Upon them pressed the troop of African lionhunters, half naked, but with their black limbs wreathed with pearl and fragments of unwrought gold. Behind them moved, on their camels, a patriarchal group, the Arab chief, a venerable figure, with his white locks flowing from beneath his turban,