going home, friends, I am going home! Good-night! I am going home to Jesus!" His breathing was now heavy. He said, "Lord, help me! Lord, help me!" and his spirit passed away to the realms of light. A wave of sadness rolled over the district. People could speak of nothing else. A cloud of gloom settled upon the entire circuit. People heard the news with suppressed sobs, which grew into a wail of distress. My own feelings when the telegram arrived I cannot describe; hence I will waive the attempt. The whole town was moved. As stood on two chairs in the street, Tears fell in abundance; first one The crowds at the funeral were immense. I spoke for a few minutes by the coffin, as it the multitude bowed their heads with woe. and then another raised a cry of distress, till one spirit of anguish settled upon all. Notwithstanding his temporary wanderings in the dark land of infidelity, he was loved and revered; everyone had full faith in his honesty, and was eager to show him respect. It is now over. Our brother has gone to his reward, leaving a widow and one child utterly unprovided for. May God take care of them! We have lost a good worker, but heaven has gained a saint. I have letters before me from men who worked with him after his conversion, and they all speak of his holy life, his sweet temper, his deep and bitter regret for the past, and his eagerness on all occasions to speak to sinners about Jesus. That he was for some years not only a sceptic, but a member of the National Secular Society, there can be no doubt, for I have documentary evidence before me; neither can there be any doubt of his conversion to God. The transparency of his conduct disarmed all suspicion; people might lament his opinions, and regret his actions; his honesty all were compelled to admit. One incident is too good to be omitted. Talking to a friend after his recovery he said, "There is nothing like the good old Gospel. I have tried many systems, but Jesus alone is sufficient. I have buried three children. When the first died I was an atheist, and all was dark and cheerless; when the second passed away I was a spiritualist, and there was only a glimmer of light; a few weeks ago a third departed, and all was light. Jesus was present to comfort and sustain us, and we knew that it had gone to glory to meet the others, and that some day we should meet them all." He was quite right in the general statement, and the facts adduced supply evidence which must weigh with every good and wise person. May we so live as to find light in the valley of death, and meet our loved ones on the shining shore ! W. W. HOWARD. EMILY BOWKLEY. THE subject of this memoir was born at Cradley Heath, in the year 1847. From a child she was of an amiable disposition, kind and affectionate to her parents and to those around her. In process of time she became a teacher, and continued so until her death. Being brought up under religious influence at home, she was strictly moral in her character. A sad trial awaited her. On December 6, 1871, the relentless hand of death deprived her of her pious father, which made a very serious impression upon her mind. To her mother she discharged the obligations of an affectionate daughter; to her brothers she blended the high and sweet duties of a tender sister. In the year 1876, she became awakened to a sense of her danger, she drank deeply of the wormwood and the gall, her sins became a burden dreadful to be borne. Feeling deeply anxious about her welfare, the writer and his wife accompanied her on a visit to Mrs. Pardoe, of Hales Owen, a godly woman, for counsel and instruction, who said to her, "Get on your knees in secret, and ask God for Christ's sake to pardon your sins." This was the turning-point of her life; she gave up all for Christ, her burden was removed, and she could rejoice in a Saviour's love. Her faith in God became remarkably strong under adverse circumstances. When things appeared dark and mysterious, and her mother's faith was tested, she would mildly say, "Mother, where is your confidence now? God has never left us yet; no, and never will." Her piety was unobtrusive. There was no attempt to parade it, it was seen in all she did and said. She loved the House of God, and the Word was very sweet to her taste. On a Tuesday evening, when she returned from service, she would generally say, "Oh, mother, I wish you had been there; it has been so good to-night." In her class she often expressed a consciousness of her acceptance with God. Being in a delicate state of health for some time-for she suffered much from a violent cough and difficulty of breathing—she was unable to attend the means of grace so much as she desired. But we little thought her end was so near. On the Friday previous to her death, I was sent for to visit her. She said, "I am so glad you have come, I want to tell you how happy I am; I am going home, I am going home." Though suffering acute pain, her mind was in perfect peace. I reminded her of the language of the poet, "Oh, what are all my sufferings here, if, Lord, Thou count me meet." She exclaimed, "The Lord counts me meet." There were a number of her fellow-teachers in the room weeping profusely. Mentioning each by name, she requested them to promise to meet her in heaven. When told not to exert herself so much, she said, "I must do my duty; I want them to meet me in heaven." Shortly after she had a severe struggle with the enemy. Being unable to tempt her on the grounds of her acceptance with God, the temptation was that she had offended God through her impatience in wanting to die, and as though the powers of darkness were let loose upon her soul, she fought hard, calling on Mrs. Hingley and Mrs. Southall to pray for her; after a dreadful combat the assurance was given, when she cried, "I have obtained the victory!" Saturday came, and her faith in God was unwavering. On the Sunday I visited her again, and found her very happy, still trusting in her Saviour's love. On the three following days she continued with her faith unabated, when she exclaimed, "I am so happy, and so full of the love of God, that my cup runneth over." During her affliction she never expressed the least desire to recover. Her mind was raised above the transitory things of life. Her affections were fixed on things above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. On Thursday morning she exclaimed, "This is the day appointed." The burden of her cry was, 66 Come, Lord Jesus, and come quickly; why art Thou so long in coming? Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!" when her strength failed her, and she changed mortality for life in the thirty-fifth year of her age. Her death was improved by the writer at our Cradley Forge Chapel on Sunday, October 8, to a deeply-affected congregation. "So fades a summer's cloud away, So sinks the gale when storms are o'er; So gently shuts the eye of day, So dies a wave along the shore." J. SOUTHALL. ISABELLA HACKER, { WIDOW of Samuel Hacker, who died in the year 1864, was born March 16, 1816, in London, where she spent the greater part of her early life. Surrounded with all the amusements of city life, but being under the tuition of a good mother, who sought both by precept and example to produce in her mind the fruits of good living, she was very early in life religiously inclined, although she did not identify herself with any Church till shortly after she was married, being then twenty-three years of age. Circumstances, however, caused them to remove to Oakenshaw, in the Willington Circuit, where they joined our Connexion, and remained loyal and faithful members till the day of their death. As a wife, our deceased sister proved to be a help-meet for her husband, and encouraged him in his public work of preaching the Gospel, which he followed for thirty years of his useful and laborious life, until the year 1864, when God saw fit to remove her husband from this stage of action to the rest that remaineth for the people of God. This was to her a source of severe trial, being left with seven children to mourn their loss. Our beloved sister was identified with this Church about twenty-five years; was for upwards of forty-two years in the services of Christ; and on January 28, 1882, she was taken from this world of sin and sorrow to a world of endless bliss, aged 65 years. Previous to her death she was afflicted with chronic rheumatism, and for a period of ten weeks her pains were most excruciating; yet she bore them with great patience and Christian resignation, constantly praying for the Lord to help her; and when asked in regard to her suffering, she assured them that the Lord was helping her to bear it all. During her illness she was visited by our esteemed minister, Rev. H. W. Howard, who prayed with her, and she always assured him that Christ was precious, and a very present help in time of need. Her class-leader (Brother Haley) writes: “I have known sister Hacker for twenty years, and she has always manifested a consistent Christian example. I admire her for her patience in the midst of trial. Indeed, she was a mother in Israel." It is worthy of note, that our departed sister had the sweet pleasure of seeing the whole of her family brought to Christ, and useful members in our Church. "Give glory to Jesus, our head, With all that encompass His Throne A widow, a widow, indeed, A mother in Israel is gone. The winter of trouble is past, The storms of affliction are o'er; Her struggle is ended at last, And sorrow and death are no more." W. HUSKINSON. JOSEPH WALKER, SHEFFIELD. IN the death of J. Walker the South-street Church has lost one of its oldest and most devoted members. During more than a generation his face has been familiar in our assemblies, and his voice frequently heard in our Sunday-school and Church meetings, speaking words of counsel and encouragement. When he was about fourteen years of age he was brought to the South-street Sunday-school, and, under the preaching of the late Andrew Lynn, was led in true penitency to trust in Christ as his all-sufficient Saviour. The holy joy which filled his breast broke out in praise and led to devoted service. He had the pleasure, which to him was an unspeakable one, of leading many men to the Saviour. Cheerfully he took any work to which he was called by the Church, most readily the humblest and arduous, and, if shrinking at all, it was from the prominent. At a time when the labourers were few, he went as an exhorter to the remote parts of the circuit, and preached with pathos and power. In the Sunday-school, as a teacher and superintendent, and in the Society, as a class-leader, his excellences were most conspicuous. When he thought that the absence of teachers from their classes, and of members of the congregation from their pews, indicated a diminished interest in duty, he would, at the close of Sabbath services, hasten home and pour out his soul in long and pleading prayer to God. Keenly feeling his own imperfections, he had a strong and manifest purpose to attain to a perfect manhood in Christ. The last time he was amongst us was at our Society meeting. He was in feeble health, his voice faltered as he led us in prayer, but there was no faltering in the faith; it was the prayer of a man accustomed to talk with God. At the close of the prayer, he said, "My day is almost over. My heart is with you; thank God there is a bright future for this Church, also for me." During his affliction his familiarity with the Word of God and the hymns of Zion proved a source of great comfort to himself and others. On one occasion, recovering from a paroxysm of pain, he said, "God allows me to have this pain, but, blessed be His name, He gives strength, and more, He gives joy;" tears stood in his eyes as he continued, “Being justified by faith, I have peace, peace." Strength rapidly failed; turning to his sorrowing wife, he exclaimed, "He calls a worm His friend, He calls Himself my God, Through Jesu's blood. He by Himself has sworn, I on His oath depend, I shall, on eagles wings upborne, To heaven ascend." Shortly after he said, "The great wish of my life will soon be realised. I shall be satisfied when I awake with Thy likeness." He fell asleep, with a calm hope, on November 2 aged 63 years. He died as a veteran soldier on the field, with his harness on. "One day his voice was heard in Israel, But 'twas a glorious exchange for him, T. S. Our Connexional Outlook. THE New Year opens brightly upon many of our circuits, and had we space in the present number to gratify our feelings we should delightfully expatiate on the facts before us. There is Nottingham--that grand old circuit, where Alexander Kilham closed his labours, and died in exulting triumph, and which is still blest with the revival spirit; and as the gracious result is distinguished by the almost simultaneous erection of four or five chapels-Long Eaton, opened only a few months ago; Bulwell, now in course of erection; Stapleford, in which a new chapel is resolved upon; Woodbro' Road, where a most eligible site is just purchased at a cost of £2,000, and subscriptions raised in a few days amounting to £1,319, with a prospect of soon realizing, by sale of present site and other contributions, at least £3,000 more; and we think we have heard of another new chapel at Hucknall being in contemplation—here are evidences that the Lord of Hosts is with us; and His powerful presence inspires the people with zeal, courage, and liberality. May the Divine blessing still rest upon them, and cause their generous and magnanimous efforts to prosper yet more abundantly. Then there is Cobridge, where the cause is expanding until the walls of the present chapel are too confined, and a new one is resolved upon, and the combined efforts of the friends in gifts and sale of work amount already to £540-a very handsome beginning for people of small means. And this, we see, is connected with a gracious revival at Smallthorne, a place in the same neighbourhood. Well do we know these places, and remember the time when one very small building served for both. We had once a mishap at Smallthorne; for when as a young local preacher, being engaged in preaching there, the pulpit fell right down and ourselves with it, but through the good providence of God we experienced no injury, and soon rose again to proceed with the service. This was nearly sixty years ago. We never heard of such a calamity before or since; but we do heartily rejoice to hear now of the chapel being crowded even on the week-night, and many souls being converted to God, some of whom are regarded as miracles of grace. Praise the Lord for this manifestation of His love and power! We rejoice in the Convention recently held in the Hurst circuit, when important measures were advocated and adopted for setting all the members of the Church to work for God, with a special view to arouse the careless and godless around them, and secure their conversion, and also the salvation of the scholars in our Sunday-schools. This is the right spirit and the right course of action. Let it become general in the Connexion, and we shall see thousands of souls brought to experience the love of Christ. In the Bradford circuit our worthy friends are putting forth noble efforts to erect a chapel at Horsforth, to improve the cause at Pudsey, to extinguish debts, and advance the cause of God. We would respectfully call attention to the excellent suggestion offered in the paper of Brother Gillis on “The Week-day Work of the Sabbath-school Teacher; and also to the valuable paper of "New-Con," on the way to encourage and help our local preachers in their important and valuable labours, and his other practical measures for invigorating our Churches and saving the souls of our fellow-men. The excellent Secretary of the Sunday-school Committee calls attention to the Iroposed examination of our Sunday scholars, and suggests the mode in which |