"Ah, show me that happiest place, Thy passion and death on the tree, To suffer and triumph with Thee. ""Tis there with the lambs of Thy flock, There only I covet to rest, To be at the foot of the rock, Or rise to be hid in Thy breast; Charles Wesley is said to have written some thousands of hymns and sacred poems. His was a truly poetic mind, sanctified by the spirit of God, that was constantly sending forth gushes of holy feeling in the form of devout and ardent aspirations moulded into the shape of measured verse. Of his very numerous poetical productions 630 appear in the Wesleyan Hymn Book, and of these, some are inserted in all other collections of hymns for public worship in the English language. The greatest number, however, thus transplanted in any one book does not exceed forty, whilst, in some compilations there are not more than twelve, the larger number being in "Gadsby's," there indicated by the letters "C. W." Comparatively few insert the hymn given above, although it certainly is a highly spiritual and deeply experimental composition. It is the response of a believing soul that has been given by the Spirit to know the Good Shepherd's voice and to have heard its sweet accents of pardon, of loving kindness and tender care. It accords with the language of the spouse in the Song of Songs, "Tell me, O Thou whom my soul loveth, where Thou feedest, where Thou makest Thy flock to rest at noon." The writer of such a hymn was, of course, an admirer of that sacred and deeply spiritual portion of God's holy Word, as allegorically setting forth the mutual heavenly love of Christ and the Church. In one of his poems "Thou hidden source of calm repose, But perhaps the best known and most admired of all his hymns is that commencing, "Jesus, lover of my soul," which is a most precious composition; and although not a hymn of direct ascription of praise, but rather a devout and deeply affecting form of prayer, is calculated to produce in the soul a holy and trustful frame of sweet reliance on the dear Saviour, whilst singing its plaintive and expressive strains. He who can sing that hymn with the heart and with the understanding is certainly one to whom the Blessed Spirit has revealed the Christ of God. Charles Wesley was born in 1708, was brought into the liberty of the Gospel when about thirty years of age, and after a subsequent life of zealous and loving labours in the service of Christ, died in 1788. The last hours of his life were very happy. Amongst his latest utterances were the following lines: "In age and feebleness extreme, Who shall a sinful worm redeem? When near the end he was asked if he wanted anything; his reply was, "I want nothing but Christ." His last words were- "Lord, my heart, my God," and so he entered into the rest that remains for the people of God. THE The Family Circle. "THREE GRAVES;" OR, TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO. GODLINESS with contentment is great gain. By nature we possess neither, being without God, and discontented. In youth, our discontent often takes the form of complaining of our lot and surroundings, and we seem to think other boys and girls have more to make them happy than we have. As we grow older, we are prone to murmur at the times in which we live, as if former times were better than these. For my own part, I have long since been convinced that it is much better to be thankful for what I do possess, than to be always "crying" after what I do not possess. If any of my young friends have a grievance, and there is a REMEDY, try and find it. If not, never mind it. "O, for the good old times!" is the doleful ejaculation of some persons. There were croakers of this kind as far back as the days of Solomon; hence his advice, Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these?" (Ecc. vii. 10); and the object of this paper is to show that we, at least, have no reason to join in their miserable chorus. You must now join me in an imaginary journey to a little village called Oakington, five or six miles from Cambridge. Arrived at our destination, we make straight for the churchyard; and, as we glance at the graves and gravestones therein, our attention is suddenly arrested by three rudely-constructed tombs just outside the churchyard, hard by it. Making for the spot, we at once inquire whose memorials are these? and why were they buried in this private garden? Deciphering the inscriptions on the stones, we first learn that buried here are the remains of FRANCIS HOLCROFT, who died January 6th, 1692. We also learn that he was born in the year 1633, at West Ham, his father being a knight. Under the next stone are the remains of JOSEPH ODDY, who died May 3rd, 1667; and under the third stone those of HENRY OASLAND, who died November 19th, 1711. But F. Holcroft, J. Oddy, and H. Oasland were all ministers of the Gospel, belonging to the class that were commonly called Puritans; and the fact of their having been buried in a private garden is a silent, but eloquent, expression and condemnation of the great and cruel persecutions they endured while living, for the sake of Christ and the Gospel. By a wicked Act of Parliament, called the "Uniformity Act," TWO THOUSAND excellent ministers of the Gospel were, on one day in the year 1662, turned out of their pulpits and deprived of their livings, and must have been starved to death with their wives and children, but for the special goodness of God and the great kindness of their friends. Among these ejected ministers were F. Holcroft and J. Oddy. though put out of the synagogues these good men did not cease to preach; as their flocks gathered round them and demanded from them the Word of Life. Exasperated by this, their persecutors passed another Act in the year 1664, called the "Conventicle Act," which prohibited any number exceeding five to meet for any religious exercise whatever otherwise than as directed in the "Prayer Book." This law proved a terrible scourge. Under it our fathers were afraid to have "family prayer," and hardly dared to ask God's blessing on their meals if any strangers were present. The prisons throughout the country were quickly filled with Dissenters, in which nearly EIGHT THOUSAND are supposed to have died from hardships. Under this "Act" good Mr. Holcroft was confined in prison nearly twelve years at Cambridge, and good Mr. Bunyan at Bedford. Yet even these cruel persecutions did not put a stop to the preaching of the Gospel by these good men. When they found it impossible to meet in the houses for religious worship they met in the fields and woods; and when they could not assemble in the light of the sun they availed themselves of the rays of the moon, many often walking a distance of twenty miles to hear the Gospel preached, and to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience. Thus far baffled, the enemies of true religion and national freedom passed another law called the "Five Mile Act," which received the royal assent in 1665, the object of which was to separate the ininisters from their flocks and friends, forbidding them to come within five miles of any place (unless in passing the road) where they had previously conducted religious services. Here, then, we have the reason why the "Three Graves" at Oakington are outside the churchyard, and I should not be doing justice to my subject did I not inform, or remind, my young friends that all these things took place under a so-called Protestant King (Charles II.), that these cruel and wicked laws were made by a Parliament supposed to be composed of good Churchmen, and that the prime movers in these persecutions were the dignitaries of the so-called Protestant Church as it now exists in this country, and not by the Roman Catholics. Further, as we are living in an age when many not only sigh for what they call the "good old times," but multitudes are busily engaged in efforts to revive the spirit and doings of those times, it becomes us to be on our guard lest the enemies of true religion and mankind should steal a march upon us. Old landmarks and waymarks are being removed or obliterated. The battle is being set in array, and on which side shall we be? Shall we take sides with those who deal in ceremonies and outward show, and who offer us the traditions and inventions of men? Or shall we, as our fathers did, prefer the substance and inward grace of the Gospel, together with the commandments and ordinances of God? On which side should we prefer to be on the day of judgment-the persecutors or the persecuted? Let us never forget how much cruel suffering our fathers endured for righteousness' sake, and hold fast those principles and ordinances which they accounted so dear, lest at any time the glorious sun of our privileges should be obscured by the clouds of superstition and formalism. In a word, imitating their example by always following the Apostle's advice, "Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good" (1 Thess. v. 21). May we at all times and in all things show ourselves to be the worthy children of such noble sires. En Memoriam. MR. GEORGE SEWELL, MR. J. FIELD, MR. G. RIDLEY. THROUGH the ever-open gates of the City of Zion above, there is a constant stream of ransomed spirits passing, in robes mysteriously made white in the blood of the Lamb. These are the redeemed from among men, and the stream of these purified, sanctified ones shall continue to flow on until all the ransomed of the Lord have returned to Mount Zion with songs of joy never to end. Angels welcome them to their heavenly home as they enter the portals of eternal bliss-yea, convey them thither on leaving their tabernacles of clay. Do they conduct the newly arrived ones to the King Himself, the Lord of Glory? We do not know; perhaps they do. Certainly Christ Himself welcomes the erewhile wanderers home, who enter the mansion prepared for them by their Lord, to go no more out from His presence for ever. And the glorified ones previously there; have they no participation in the joy occasioned by new arrivals of trophies of redeeming love and sanctifying grace? We are inclined to think, with good Joseph Irons, that when "An heir of bliss draws nigh. And so on, until the mansions of bliss designed for them shall all be occupied by inhabitants taken from this little globe on which we at present dwell, and MR. GEORGE SEWELL.-This good brother entered the Holy City on November 14th, 1882, being the fiftyeighth anniversary of his natural birth. He was a worthy deacon of the Baptist Church of Christ at Hadleigh, Suffolk, and a preacher of the Gospel of Christ. Born at Hitcham, in Suffolk, he attended the Sabbath-school at Wattisham, where his godly mother was a member, being, as is said, the first person whom the late beloved John Cooper baptized. At the early age of four years he lost his father by death, but, under the careful training of his mother, he became attached to the house of God, and walked in the paths of obedience and morality in his childhood and youth. Mr. Cooper's ministry attracted his attention, and, when a child, in artless simplicity, he would sometimes say, "I would like to preach like Mr. Cooper, if I were a man." It does not appear, however, that the great change was experienced by him until about the age of thirty. At that period he attended the ministry of Mr. Matthews at Hadleigh, being removed in providence, and settled down in married life. He was brought into great and deep soul trouble to the borders of despair, insomuch that he was tempted to put an end to his life. In due time, however, under Mr. Matthews' ministry, he was brought into Gospel liberty, the sermon from which instrumentally this blessing was received being founded on words in Solomon's Song. He joined the church at Hadleigh in 1857, and was chosen deacon September, 1865. Mr. Matthews held "conference classes" for instruction in Biblical truth, in which the several members were encouraged to give their views of the several portions of Scripture selected for discussion. Here our brother soon evinced an aptitude for orally delivering his thoughts; likewise at the prayer meetings, which he regularly attended, his addresses at the throne of grace were felt to betoken a gift for the public ministry. His pasto", perceiving this, encouraged him to speak in public, which Mr. Sewell at length was induced to do. At first he was greatly exercised in mind as to whether it was the will of the Lord that he should do so or not. But the blessed Spirit having given him a seal to his ministry in answer to earnest prayer, he was encouraged to continue speaking in the name of the Lord. At Blakenham, Somersham, Ipswich, Hadleigh, Hadleigh Heath, Wattisham, Sudbury, also at village stations connected with the Hadleigh cause, and other places, he preached the Word of Life. Meanwhile his tem poral trials and anxieties were great; having a large family to provide for, and being of a somewhat weakly constitution, his health greatly failed, about ten years ago, under the weight of the burden of the Lord's Word and the trials of life. Nevertheless, he said the Lord was faithful to His promise"As thy day thy strength shall be although his failing health was necessarily a hindrance to his public speaking. Other precious promises were applied in seasons of spiritual conflict A and depression of mind that helped him greatly. Attacks of illness were frequent with him during the last few years of his life. About a month, however, before his death, after a complete rest and change, to the joy of his friends, he appeared much better. relapse taking place, the expectations formed were disappointed, and, his complaints being asthma and bronchitis, his sufferings from difficulty in breathing were great. On the Thursday before he died, finding himself unable to rest, he sang the verse, "Thou dear Redeemer, dying Lamb;" and on the following morning the verse, "When Thou my righteous Judge shalt come." His meditations, although disturbed by his sufferings, he said were sweet on the things of God. On the Lord's-day, there being no hope of his recovery, his children away from home were written to, and in the afternoon a brother deacon, Mr. F. Hitchcock, and his pastor, Mr. B. J. Northfield, went to see him. In answer to their inquiries he said Jesus was very precious; here was all his stay; the Lord had done all things well. Many other precious utterances he made, as well as his enfeebled powers enabled him. parting on this occasion was very affecting, being as for the last time. On the following day, feeling his end to be near, he kissed his dear ones, and bid all present good-bye, commending most lovingly and earnestly his dear wife and family to the care of his covenant-keeping God. On the Tuesday, about half-past eight in the morning, he calmly and peacefully fell asleep in Jesus. His mortal remains were interred in Hadleigh Cemetery, on the following Monday, in the presence of a large number of people, his pastor reading a portion of Scripture and offering prayer, and Mr. Wilkins, of Wattisham, delivering a solemn and appropriate address. On the following Lord's-day, November 26th, our departed brother's affectionate pastor, Mr. B. J. Northfield, improved the occasion by a sermon delivered to an overflowing congregation from Job i. 21-"The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken The |