to recommend them to others. One of these, a native school-master, has lately been married according to their usual form, and entreated brother Brindabund to go on one of the principal days of the wedding, when all his relatives were assembled together, to read and explain the scriptures to them. God has not left us altogether without hope. Two or three seem to have their hearts favourably inclined towards the gospel, but they have not yet had sufficient courage publicly to own Christ. We hope God will give them grace to do this. Most of our native school-masters give us pleasure, We cannot say that any of them have undergone a change of heart, but they have undergone a change of sentiment. They are forward to read, explain, distribute, and recommend the scriptures to their countrymen. We hope they will not all remain here. If God should turn them to himself we shall obtain a number of valuable native preachers. The Rev. Mr. Corrie has received a number of natives into communion at Agra. All who love our Lord Jesus Christ in India, and the number is not small, compared with what it was a few years ago, are uniting their endeavours in the great work, and I hope we shall ever feel a oneness of heart in this glorious cause.

We hope shortly to increase the number of our native schools. These are of great importance, especially when combined with other missionary efforts. They are repositories for the scriptures, places for enquirers, abodes for itinerant preachers, and must be considered in eve ry respect calculated to promote the great cause. I am affectionately yours, J. ROWE.

LONDON SOCIETY

FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIANITY A-
MONGST THE JEWS.

Patron-His Royal Highness the Duke
of Kent.

prejudicial to the object and interest of this Society, the Committee have judged it expedient to inform the public, that its affairs are put upon a footing which promises to ensure more confidence and stability to the Institution than it has ever possessed.

Its debts are in a course of imof its revenue will in future be conmediate liquidation :-the collection ducted in the most unobjectionable manner:-regulations are adopted, which, without violation of the fundamental principle, have so far modified its operation as to afford to Christians of every denomination the opportunity of promoting the common object with perfect consistency, and an assured confidence that their contributions will be applied to specific objects, or general purposes, at their own discretion.

That the Jews' Chapel and School be a distinct concern in the hands of the Dissenters.

That the Hebrew New Testament, the Printing Office, the Manufactories, and Female Asylum, be a distinct and separate concern, forming one common centre of union to all parties.

That the three distinct concerns have each its own particular Committee.

That the proceedings of all the three Committees be comprised in one Report, and be read together, annually, at the Reports having been circulated same time and place,

Dec. 27, 1814.

THE

CHRISTIAN HERALD.

March 20, 1815.

MEMOIRS OF THE LATE REV. DAVID SIMPSON, M. A

(Concluded from page 45.)

WE E now come to the most extraordinary circumstance of Mr. Simpson's clerical life. He had long meditated the design of quitting the established church, and of casting in his lot among the dissenters. The reasons of this step were doubtless such as satisfied his own mind of the propriety and necessity of it: but as it is not the design of this memoir to introduce questions of dispute between churchmen and dissenters, the writer passes over the reasons Mr. Simpson assigned for his conduct, and confines himself to pourtray the feelings of his heart, with reference to this memorable crisis, from his own language. "I now renounce a situation, which, in some respects, has been extremely eligible. I cast myself again upon the bosom of a gracious providence, which has provided for me all my life long. Hitherto, I must say, the Lord hath helped me. I have never wanted any manner of thing that has been necessary to my comfort. And, though I neither know what to do nor whither to go, yet

The world is all before me, where to choose

My place of rest, and Providence my guide.

This extraordinary step the sacred dictates of conscience com pel me to take. I am truly sorry for it. To me few trials were ever equal. I have loved the people among whom I have so long lived and laboured. And I have every reason to be satisfied with their conduct towards me. Neither hath the great Head of the church left us without seals to our ministry. The appearance of fruit, at times, has been large; and there are some, no doubt, among the people of our charge, VOL. II. No. 3:

L

who will be our joy and crown in the great day of our Re deemer's coming. My friends must consider me as called away by an imperious Providence; and, I trust, they will be provided with a successor more than equal, in every respect, to their late affectionate pastor. I think it necessary to say in this place, that the doctrines I have preached unto them for six and twenty years, I still consider asthe truths of God. I have lived in them myself, and found comfort from them; I have faithfully made them known to others, as thousands can bear me a witness; we have seen them effectual to the pulling down the strong holds of sin and Satan, in a variety of cases; and I hope to die in the same faith, and to find them the power of God unto the salvation of my own soul, in eternal glory, by Christ Jesus. I mean to preach the same doctrines, the Lord being my helper, during the whole remainder of my life, wheresoever my lot may be cast. I am not weary of the work of the sacred ministry. I have, indeed, often been weary in it, but never of it. I pray God my spiritual vigour, life, and power, and love, and usefulness, may abound more and more to the end of my Christian warfare*"

Mr. Simpson thus concludes his account of his feelings, in the contemplation of this momentous change. "My judgement has not been biassed by interest, by connections, by inclination, or by any human considerations whatever. I have thought much upon this subject; read on both sides of the question whatever has fallen in my way; conversed with various persons for the sake of information; suffered the matter to rest upon my mind for some years undetermined; have never made my fears, suspicions, and dissatisfaction known to any man; and now, when I bring near to myself the thought of quitting one of the most commodious churches in the kingdom, erected on purpose for my own ministrations; leaving interred by it many a precious deposit, who will, I trust, be my joy and crown, in the great day of the Lord Jesus; besides a mother, a wife, two children, and a sister; and giving up various kind friends, whom I love as my own soul, together with a large body of people, that, if it were possible, would have plucked out their own eyes, and given them to me :- -What shall I say?-All that is affectionate within me recoils. I am torn with conflicting passions; and am ready to say with the Apostle, I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my friends and brethren, whom I love in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

But, then, various passages of Scripture urge on me the most imperious considerations, to renounce a situation, which

Plea for Religion, p. 140, 141.

I cannot any longer retain with peace of mind*." But how mysterious are the ways of Providence! About twelve hours before he was to have preached his farewell sermon, the supreme Arbiter of the world called him to join the church triumphant! Amidst the conflicts which agitated his mind as to his episcopal connections, and only a few days before the dissolution of his connection with the world, he was called to a severe trial in the death of his second wife. They were married in October, 1776, and had three children, one of whom died in infancy, and the eldest surviving, a daughter, died after a lingering illness, a few months before her parents, giving good evidence of her personal interest in the salvation of the gospel. On this occasion, Mr. Simpson wrote the following interesting letter to his brother :

My Dear Brother,

I have now to inform you, that my dear Betsy took her leave of mortal things on the 25th of last month, at eight o'clock in the evening, after a severe affliction of five months, during the whole of which time, she was patient and resigned, beyond what I have almost ever seen or known. Towards the latter part of her illness, however, she was much more than resigned, she was all on the stretch for mercy and salvation. You may be sure it has been a sever trial to her mother and myself, and the more so, as we are now left childless at home, and as she was the only daughter of her mother. It has been a time of much fatigue to Mrs. Simpson, because she scarcely ever could be prevailed upon to leave our poor dear child by day, and never by night, for all the five months. She is however pretty well, thank God, and bears our loss with remarkable fortitude and firmness of mind. Indeed we have much reason to be both resigned and thankful, because we have no reason to sorrow as those who have no hope.

I am, my dear Brother,

Your's affectionately,

D. S.

Mrs. Simpson's attentions to her daughter were so assídu ous and unremitted, that they very materially shook her own constitution. A change of air was tried, but without effect. She gradually became worse and worse, till she was unable to move out; and at length her dissolution appeared to be fast approaching. On the 27th of February, 1799, a physician was called in, who pronounced her complaint, a fever of a dangerous nature. On hearing this she said, "God is faithful, and has promised never to forsake them that trust in him :" and from that time she gave up all desire of life, and requested nothing of a worldly nature might be mentioned to her. She saw that her time was short, and felt the importance of an habitual and actual readiness for the decisive hour

* Plea for Religion, page 350.

of her approaching dissolution. On the 7th of March, she was peculiarly exercised in mind, with harassing temptations from the powers of darkness, and, under the influence of these temptations, she was hurried to the gloomy regions of despondency, and refused to be comforted; saying, she had deceived herself, and had been in a deep sleep all her life, and was but just awakened to a sense of her misery. But, the next morning, in answer to her fervent and importunate prayers, the consolations of her Saviour's love were shed abroad in her heart, and she was restored to the joyful assurance of her right and title to the inheritance of the saints in light. From that time, although her bodily sufferings increased, the tempter obtained. no further advantage over her. On the 10th of March, she was collected and happy, and spent the whole day in prayer. At the close of the day she repeated the following lines with peculiar ardour:

Give me a place at thy saints' feet,
Or some fall'n angel's vacant seat;
I'll strive to sing as loud as they,
Who sit above in brighter day.

From the 10th to the 13th of March, she was very delirious; but, on the morning of that day she was blessed with returning reason, and, though in the agonies of death, spent her few remaining hours in prayer and praise. At six o'clock, she fell into a deep sleep, from which, at the close of the hour, she awoke in a blessed eternity.

While Mrs. Simpson was in the state of affliction above described, and two days before her departure, Mr. Simpson addressed the subjoined affecting letter to his son David, now of Bishopsgate Street, London :

My Dear Son,

Your Mother and I have both been confined to our beds for above a fortnight. I can hardly tell you what my complaint is, but I am brought very low. Your Mother's complaint is a fever of the most dreadful kind. Her fate must be decided for life or death in two or three days. I would not have you come over, till you hear from me again, which shall be by to-morrow's post, God willing. If you were upon the spot you could have no communication with her, nor even be permitted to see her, as she is generally delirious. The Lord bless you, my dear son: you shall soon hear again to-morrow.

Your affectionate,

But deeply afflicted Father,

DAVID SIMPSON,