was introduced into a F family, and afterwards to a in St. Paul's Churchyard, th which was a God-fearing man he was so entirely ignorant he did not know anything at Christ; and his wonder on the ing would frequently be excited to the conversation of his en fellow shopman, as to the ma spent the previous day, the been given, and the subject course; frequently did he liste wondered what pleasure there religion, and what there could this Jesus of whom they spal this much he learned, that if re pleasures he was an entire strai and secretly he wished to b therewith. Walking according of this world, it is no wonder were spent in recreative pursu employed when, about 22 year was wandering over Clerkenwe inadvertently strolled into Clerker where the Rev. H. Foster wa having taken Jabez's prayer for hi that thou wouldest bless me inde thou wouldest keep me from evil, not grieve me." This was to him a ning of days; his sabbaths were employed in attending to the s God. He selected most principal gelical ministers of the establish in the course of reading the wo covered the ordinance of believe and baptism by immersion. It is remarkable, that up to the prese he had never heard of the bapt manner, although there was a bap of the late Enoch Crook. Having joined the people of God, and possessing talents for usefulness, our brother was early sanctioned and encouraged by the church to exercise his, gifts in the villages. In 1839, Mr. Hebditch was elected a deacon, an office which he retained to the day of his death. Through bodily infirmities he was often wanting in energy and promptness, but these deficiencies he amply compensated by his prudence and stability. His value was especially seen when the church was without a pastor. Not only would he often supply the pulpit himself, which he always did with acceptance, but he would give the most judicious counsel when a minister was invited on probation. One instance in particular could be referred to, were it proper, when, acting as a careful pilot, he guided the tossed and endangered vessel most safely through the storm. But he was not permitted to continue long in this world. In the prime of life he was summoned to his Master's presence. For some months previous to his decease he often complained of indisposition, and for weeks before the solemn crisis, little hope was entertained of his recovery. But though the prospect of death was full before him, death had no terrors to him, and his mind was usually calm and peaceful, believing as he did that his salvation was in the hands of Christ in whom he confided and whom he supremely loved. As his end approached and appeared more near, he became anxious to leave this world of sin and sorrow and to enter into the joy of his Lord. Hence expressions of holy aspiration were often on his lips; and just before his departure he exclaimed, with peculiar emphasis," Blessed Jesus!" So died, on the 24th of January, this servant of God, furnishing another tes-in Colnbrook, and the gentlemen timony to the thousands already adduced, that every succeeding death, in the case of believers, robs the monster of his chains and his prison of its gloom. So true is it : "Our dying friends are pioneers to smooth Our rugged path to death; to break those bars Of terror and abhorrence, nature throws Cross our obstructed way; and thus to make Welcome as safe our port from every storm." The death of Mr. Hebditch was improved by his pastor on Lord's day, February 1st, from Ps. xviii. 46, words selected by himself. The presence and deep attention of a large auditory showed the respect in which he was held. MR. AND MRS. PERKINS. Mr. W. Perkins was born at Colnbrook, in Buckinghamshire, in the year 1780. He had ferred to were both baptists. He invite the poor to her own habitation, not only to relieve them from her purse, but also to assist them by her counsels; for after a life of Christian activity, her advice was judicious; and it is no perversion of the words in her case, that "when the eye saw her it blessed her, and when the ear heard her it gave heed to her." Thus sustained by divine grace, they walked happily together, taking active positions in the Bible and Bethel Union Societies, besides subscribing for many years to the various societies of our own denomination, while circumstances permitted. "If a man live many days, and rejoice in them all, yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many." This truth was painfully experienced by Mr. Perkins, who was unexpectedly attacked with paralysis after leaving the Lord's table on the first sabbath of the year 1838, thereby depriving him for a season of the use of his mbs, but ultimately causing him to be wrecked in every position, both of body and mind, so that for the last few years of his life he was perfectly unconscious of passing events. To dwell on the kindness and affeetionate treatment manifested by Mrs. Perkins towards him in this unhappy state for the long period of fourteen years, would be unnecessary; it was witnessed by many Christian friends, many of whom were thereby led to admire the grace of God in her. In the autumn of the year it became evident that his afflictions would be brought to close ere many weeks. It is not improbable, that the announcement of this fact by medical testimony might have been the first prelude to her own dissolution; yet still, she thought to have survived him, and that her own wish would be realized, that he would be the first to enter into rest, and she would shortly follow. God's ways, however, are not as our ways. Other circumstances painfully cccurred which worked upon her system already weakened by disease, and in the course of ten days released her from all her troubles and cares. The Master came and called for her, conveying her to her heavenly inheritance on the 7th November, 1851, in her 72nd year. It is supposed that the loss sustained by Mr. Perkins, though never communicated, was felt; the hand, the voice, the person, and the every expression of kindness was mis-ed. He never afterwards mentioned her name but ence, but his altered appearance plainly told the depth of his sorrow; he survived her only twenty-five days, dying on the 2nd December, in his 72nd year. Their remains were deposited in the Highrate Cemetery, Mr. C. Smith of Cumberland MRS. JONES. Died, January 24, 1852, at Hackney, Mrs. Mary Jones, late of Loughton, Essex, relict of Mr. Thomas Jones, formerly of Stony Street, Southwark, in the ninety-first year of her age. The following account is taken from a memorandum supposed to be in her own handwriting, in which the commencement of her Christian life is stated to have been in the year 1782. (afterwards Dr. Rippon) about making a She says she first spoke to Mr. Rippon public profession of religion on the 18th of October, 1782; on the 21st she went before the church, on the 27th was baptized, and on the 3rd of November was admitted as a member of the church. On one of these occasions Mr. Rippon preached from Ps. lxviii.: "Strengthen, O Lord, what thou hast wrought in us." She adds: "Thou, O Lord, hast wrought great things for me, whereof I am glad! O help me to praise thee for thy loving kindness and saving mercy to me an unworthy sinner. O gracious Saviour and kind Father, do thou be pleased to encourage this poor heart of mine in the work it is engaged in, to thy honour and my eternal felicity and joy." After hearing another sermon on the death of the wicked, she writes: "Lord, let me not die the death of the wicked. Lord, from this time make me to think more of death, judgment, and eternity, and to remember, though young, I am hastening to the grave, the place appointed for all flesh; and however long or short my stay on earth may be, may I be helped through thy Spirit's influence to improve my fleeting time, to make much of thyself, thy Spirit, and thy word; and then at last, clothed with thy righteousness, saved with an everlasting salvation, redeemed by the blood of Christ, freed from the sins of my nature, the sins of my practice, above all the sins of my deceitful heart, I shall sing with the redeemed above the song of Moses and Amen. the Lamb for ever and ever. "And must this body die, "Yes," she writes, "this body must be the food of worms till the great decisive day when the Lord of the heavens and earth shall come in the clouds to judge the world in righteousness, and I must be there. Yes, at that solenin tribunal, my soul, thou wilt he there to receive thy sentence, "Come ye blessed," or that awful sentence, "Depart ye cursel." Lord, help me to consider and try my ways, to know whether I have an interest in thy that his rod and his staff shall guide his redeemed pilgrims through the dark valley, from this world of sin and sorrow to the world of joy above, where sin and sorrow will for ever flee away? "Could I but say my God is mine, Could I but feel his glory shine' on this my poor heart, then, with a pleasing, smiling, calm repose, I'd bid adieu to all that I call pleasure here below, and say farewell to all my joys, and sweetly lay me down in the cold prison of the tomb till the great rising morning come." Such were the desires and such the experience of our departed friend in the days of her youth, being then about twenty-one years of age, and she held fast her profession for nearly seventy years; although encompassed with many infirmities and sins, and called to pass through many trials, the Lord was faithful to his promise and never forsook her, even in old age. It was he that began the work, and he carried it on against all opposition from the world, the flesh, and the devil. When informed of her approaching end she received the tidings with a calm resignation, and setting her house in order waited for the king of terrors; but his terror was gone; she said she felt no ecstacy, but spoke of the faithfulness of God through Jesus Christ, and all of grace. Those words were the last she was able distinctly to articulate, but she evidently had the full possession of her understanding until a very short time before she fell asleep in Jesus; and of her it may undoubtedly and truly be said, "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them." She was in principle and practice a decided baptist; she was very liberal to the full extent of her ability to the cause of God, and loved to hear of the spread of the gospel everywhere, especially of the prosperity of the church formerly in Carter Lane, of which she was nearly seventy years a member. ANN BILLING. teen months to move herself in bed, but it "Where the assembly ne'er breaks up, J. LORD, ESQ. March 13th, 1852, died, John Lord, Esq. of Irwell Terrace, Bacup, aged forty-nine years; in whose death the neighbourhood have lost a worthy patron, his work-people a good master, the cause of Christ a cheerful, liberal donor and kind friend, and his family a good parent. MISS METCALFE. Died, April 10th, at No. 10, Richmond Terrace, Birkenhead, aged 18 years, Mary Hannah, eldest daughter of the Rev. John Metcalfe, baptist minister of that place, after bearing protracted affliction with Christian patience and resignation to the divine will. ROBERT KETTLE, ESQ. This useful and well-known Christian was taken from the church on earth, after a few days' illness, on the 23rd of March. Mr. Kettle was a native of the village of Kintillo, in the parish of Dumbarney, county of Perth. He was much attached to his native place, which he was of late years in the habit of visiting periodically, and endeared himself to the inhabitants by many acts of kindness, so that his temporary residence became quite an event in the village. He settled in Glasgow about the year 1815, and by dint of industry and economy was able to commence business on his own account as a yarn-merchant in 1829. He attached himself to St. John's congregation, then under the ministry of Dr. Chalmers, and remained in connexion with it throughout the succeeding incumbency of Dr. Patrick_M'Farlan, and during great part of that of Dr. Thomas Brown, co-operating with the exemplary parochial agency first established by Dr. Chalmers, in the capacity of a sabbath-school teacher and a member of the Court of Deacons. Although he subsequently left the church of Scotland, his admiration of the In the record of the faithful the name of Ann Billing of Rothersthorpe is entitled to a place. For nearly twenty years she had been a member of the church at Thislingbury. Her meek and quiet spirit, her diligent attendance on the means of grace, and her uniform consistency, rendered her ornamental to her profession, and spread a beneficial influence through the sphere in which she moved. Her life involved much more than an average amount of trial, which was borne with extraordinary cheerfulness, courage, and resignation. Her last affliction was long and painful, being unable for four-parochial economy of Dr. Chalmers con tinued unabated; and a few weeks before his death he was heard to declare with much feeling, at a meeting of sabbath-school teachers, that that great man was "the best friend that Glasgow ever possessed." He felt a warm interest in the growing purity and spirituality of the national establishment about that period, and took part in the formation and management of the Church of Scotland Society; but in 1834 he was induced by the then prevailing controversy to re-consider the subject of the connection of church and state, which led to his separation from the establishment, and his becoming a member of the baptist church, under the pastorate of the Rev. Mr. Paterson, a step which he justified in a pamphlet published at the time. His connection with a comparatively small body of Christians did not separate him from his former fellow workers or lessen his interest in general objects of riety and philanthropy, which he continued to the last to cherish with a large and liberal heart. He was a vicepresident of the City Mission, and was unwearied in his attentions to the interests of various religious societies. Personally exemplifying the brotherly love, and endeavouring to promote the unity of sentiment and effort, which it is the object of the Evangelical Alliance to foster amongst the different members of the body of Christ, he delighted in frequenting its meetings; and the thrill of sorrow which shot through the large assembly in the Merchants' Hall, on Tuesday night, when the mournful intelligence of his death was communicated, showed in a striking manner the estimation in which he was held. Mr. Kettle was in great measure a selfeducated man. He possessed a large share of common sense, and the powers of his naturally robust mind were matured and elevated by reading, observation, and reflection. It was only on rare and urgent occasions that he could be induced to take part in public meetings, but when he did so, he never failed to produce an impression by his shrewdness and sagacity, his caustic though inoffensive humour and mother wit. Those who knew him best and came most in contact with him as a merchant, speak with admiration of the inflexible rectitude of his transac tions in business, and the incorruptible integrity of his character. Nothing could disturb the equanimity of his temper, or sour the genial kindliness of his heart. His liberal soul was constantly devising liberal things. In the death of Mr. Kettle, the church has been deprived of a member who was universally beloved for the clear and admonition of his calm and hopeful death, find meet expression in the weighty sentence with which he closed the printed address to the families in his sabbath school district thirty years ago :-"Many are the opportanities of spiritual improvement that God is giving us; they are all talents that must be accounted for. Let us, therefore, work while the day lasteth, taking care lest any of us fail of the grace of God, watching with prayer against all sin, seeking daily to Christ for life, light, and strength, that every day may find us advancing toward the heavenly Zion; and when the night of death cometh upon us, as come it will, may it be followed to us by the bright glories of eternal day!" REV. S. A. DUBOURG. The estimable pastor of the congregational church meeting in Park Crescent chapel, Park Road, Clapham, was removed from among us on the 17th of April. Mr. Dubourg was a native of France; but he had resided long in this country, and had so much assimilated himself to its inhabitants in speech and manner, that it was possible to have much intercourse with him without perceiving that he was not an Englishman. Though he was not of our denomination, he was one of those men whom it would afford any Christian community pleasure to acknowledge; gentle, kind, and candid, in whom the eye of a human observer could detect no fault. COLLECTANEA. THE BAPTIST UNION. The Fortieth Annual Session of the Baptist Union was held on Friday, in the Library of the Mission House, Moorgate Street. The attendance was not very numerous; but the leading London ministers, and a considerable number from the country, were present, besides several lay gentlemen of respectability. After devotional services, the Rev. Dr. Cox, the appointed chairman, delivered an elaborate and eloquent introductory address, which we have much pleasure in placing before our readers. The subject is "the Demands of the Age," discussed under two divisions,-the demands which are to be refused, and those which are to be granted. This discourse abounds with valuable practical suggestions, and is characterized by remarkable beauty of style. It was listened to throughout with close attention; and, among others, the pas are fines and law expenses almost without end; and goods, and even necessary food, are mercilessly seized to defray them. One worthy pastor states, that all the members of his little flock who had taken part in a particular act of divine worship, had been thus rence. creasing debt; but its entire liquidation was provided for before the assembly rose; and it is hoped, that a committee to whose consideration the matter has been referred, will be able to devise some plan by which the future efficiency of the Union may be seenred. The healthy state of the Congrega-mulet. In Berlin and various parts of tional Union was referred to in proof of what Prussia, similar scenes are of common occur might be accomplished; and proposals to The fairest hope of a change is in follow its example in several respects were Sweden, where a religious-liberty party is received with apparent favour. Some of forming among the national clergy, who are the country ministers seemed to be of opinion one of the four estates of the realm; but it that the sphere of operations might be bene- will be some time before the majority of the ficially extended,—that, by aiming at greater reverend legislators, whose consent is indisthings, greater things would be achieved. pensable to any law, will be induced to conMr. Underhill produced an evident impres- sent to a relaxation. The hopelessness of sion by some remarks on the want of a high matters in Prussia must be great indeed, denominational purpose and literature; and when the perfidious hypocrite who reigns mention was made of the establishment of a there, is counted as the best friend to tolerabaptist lecture; but in the present state of tion in his own dominions. Dr. Steanc stated the Union, it seemed inexpedient to pursue it as a fact within his own knowledge, that, the matter further. | very recently, the celebrated professor Hengstenberg, one of the lights of protestant Germany, declared, he should be glad to see Berlin as full of Capuchin friars as it already was of policemen. Baptists, indeed, may not marry in Germany; but the sword and the cowl are brought together again, and the sons of Luther bless the union.-Patriot. The resolutions adopted show, that the Baptist Union is by no means neglectful of the great questions which call for the attention of religious bodies. With its usual soundness of principle, it takes distinct cognisance of the education question and of the Maynooth Endowment. The resolution referring to state-persecution of the baptists in various parts of Germany and in Sweden, was prefaced with an interesting statement by the Rev. Dr. Stenne, who, with the Rev. J. H. Hinton, has lately visited the foreign churches. On the breaking out of revolution in 1848, they obtained civil freedom; but they have since felt the full force of the re-action. In the Prussian dominions, Baden, and Mecklenburg Schwerin, they are cruelly oppressed. One of their chief grievances arises from the marriage-law, which, in those Lutheran states, requires that every candidate for the nuptial ceremony shall produce certificates of baptism, confirmation, and church communion; thus leaving to the children of baptist parents no option, in the eye of the law, but celibacy or concubinage. Under the revolutionary régime, these restrictions were inoperative; and the baptists, availing themselves of their opportunity, were married in their own way. In consequence of the re-establishment of monarchical power, however, such marriages have been declared null, and their offspring illegitimate. Hence, numbers have taken refuge in emigration. Those who remain, are the objects of a continual police crusade. Except in the free-towns of Hamburgh, Bremen, and Lubeck, and in the little Duchy of Oldenburg, all the German governments may be described as more or less actively persecuting the nascent baptist churches, which constitute nearly the only lights of liberty that relieve the gloom of an all-pervading despotism. In Baden, HesseCassel, and Mecklenburg Schwerin, there COLONIAL BISHOP'S BILL. We observe that Mr. Gladstone's Colonial Bishop's Bill stands for the second reading on Wednesday. Its provisions are plainly framed in concert with the Tractarian and Romanizing prelates, who in Tasmania, in Australia, and Canada, are striving to obtain power whereby to crush Evangelical religion and establish their own exclusive and AntiProtestant denomination. We trust it will be resisted and thrown out.-Record. MOSES STUART, Moses Stuart was born in Wilton, Connecticut, March 26, 1780. He was a farmer's son. At the age of twelve he became absorbed in the perusal of "Edwards on the Will." In his fifteenth year, he was sent to an academy in Norwalk, Connecticut, for the purpose of perfecting his English education. Urged by his preceptor to prepare for a collegiate course, he began his Latin Grammar with a characteristic impetus. In one evening he learned the four conjugations of verbs; in another, the sixty rules of syntax. In three days the principles of the whole grammar were in his mind, and he found himself a member of a class who had devoted several months to the language. Alike rapid was his progress in the French. In May, 1797, he entered the Sophomore Class of Yale College. At this period his |