pleasant and profitable afternoon they had spent, rich and poor meeting together; but they had felt as brethren, and that the Lord was the Maker of them all. "Love, like death, had all destroyed, Rendered all distinctions void." But as all meetings on earth must sooner or later terminate with the word farewell; and, when these friends part, we hear the word farewell; so with the writer and his readers. We have travelled together, weeping with those who wept, and rejoicing with those who rejoiced. We have followed in imagination the exulting Christian as he has left earth for heaven. at last, we, too, must say FAREWELL. Yet, "Soon shall we meet again, Meet ne'er to sever; Soon shall peace wreathe her chain Our hearts will then repose, Secure from worldly woes; Our songs of praise shall close Never; no, never!" But Biography. A SHORT MEMOIR OF MRS. HANNAH BRADLEY OF KIMBERLEY. BY THOMAS HIRST. CHARACTER does not always gain distinction according to its worth. The light of grace is often estimated higher from its surroundings than from its nature; though all, whether in cottage or palace, emanates from the same Sun of Righteousness," and illumes the same path to glory. The pages of the "LOCAL PREACHERS' MAGAZINE" have given some splendid instances of "burning and shining lights" in cottage life. 66 Our late sister, HANNAH BRADLEY, of Kimberley, would not obtain popular distinction either by desire or adaptation. Her light was not "hid under a bushel," but put " on a candlestick;" yet both the candlestick and the room were small. In order rightly to estimate the character of this class of persons, you must have an intimate acquaintance with their sayings, doings, movements, and particular tone of conduct in private life; and, indeed, let it be known, that in private is laid the foundation of character. For, however commendable and right a man's public doings may be, if you detect vicious design and the hollowness of principle in his secret movements, the whole becomes worthless and contemptible in the sight of the Lord, and of all honourable men. She lived a good many years without decision of Christian character; having great regard to the externals of religion, but not coming out for spiritual illumination, brokenness of heart before God, and pardon and peace by faith in Jesus Christ, the only root of Christian life and hope of heaven. But such a change in her did happily take place. Her closet was a sacred spot. Her son Thomas thus writes of her :"Her heart's devotion to God was entire. Seasons of high and holy communion with the Lord, spent there, were manifold; and the grace obtained shone out in her life. Her love to the house of the Lord was strong and continuous, and her absence from it was the exception and not the rule. The bible was her favourite book; her precious treasure, which she read daily with growing delight and profit." She appeared very sincere and scrupulous in her doings, and at times, sensitive to excess. In giving class-meeting experience her confidence was sometimes shaded with doubt. But then it was that sort of doubt that affords one of the best proofs of Christian confidence, by leading the soul to prayer and watchfulness, and the use of every means in order to make the "calling and election sure." About ten days before her death, she spoke her experience more fully and clear than she had ever done before, and very much to the satisfaction and real profit of the friends. This was the last meeting she attended. Her affliction was sudden and rapid in its destruction of her physical life. During its progress several religious friends visited her, to whom she bore humble and expressive testimony of the power of gospel grace to save her, and showed her willingness and even readiness to go when the Lord willed. In this state of mind, and in the full use of her mental powers, she passed from earth to heaven February 28th, 1866, in the 68th year of her age." The writer cannot omit mentioning the very affectionate attention of her children towards her, not only in her last affliction but aforetime, in rendering that financial assistance and filial comfort, which such dear relationship should ever induce. Such praiseworthy conduct is too seldom seen. Her death was improved in Kimberley chapel by the writer, from the passage chosen by her children :- "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his." Literary Notices. THE LIFE OF WILLIAM FLETCHER (THE THIS little work, penned in the VOL. XVI. poverty and hardship, under harsh treatment and ungenial influences, the youth became wayward and mischievous, prone to animalism and criminality. Cruel treatment hardened his heart and goaded him to desperation. Familiar with destitution and wickedness, he was often disposed to end his misery on earth by committing the great and awful crime of suicide; but was providentially checked and hindered. His whole life was miserable until his conversion to God. He then became happy, and felt the love of N 2 Christ constraining him to speak of the salvation he had found, and to seek the wandering souls of men and to proclaim Christ crucified to them as the only Saviour. His birth was in the parish of Wivestone, Suffolk, on All Saints Day, (Nov. 1st) 1834. When he was only half a year old, his father abandoned the mother and her two children-the elder one a girl-and went to sea, never showing himself again to his forsaken family for a period of more than seventeen years. His mother went out to service, and placed her children with their uncle, paying out of her wages towards their maintenance. At the age of five the boy was put to work. His childhood and youth, up to manhood, afforded incidents and changes for as melancholy a history as one can hardly parallel in the whole region of biography. To go through it is a severe tax upon feeling; but it stands in all the more impressive contrast with "the life of faith" that eventually came to pass. The young man resolved at last to enter the militia, and then the regular army. Having enlisted for the latter, he joined the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers. After hard drill he went with his comrades to Portsmouth, where they embarked for the Black Sea, and were landed at Varna. They were then transferred to the Crimea, in time for the battle of the Alma. Young Fletcher's hand was shot off, and the arm had to be removed to save his life. He was in hospital at Scutari, during which an "angel of mercy in the person of Miss Nightingale arrived. He reverenced her for her humanity, but loathed her religion. The reader's heart is relieved of a sad pressure on reaching this point of the narrative, nearly all before having been gloomy and sad. The wounded were landed at Malta, where they spent six weeks, on their way homeward, and were finally landed at Liverpool. Soon afterwards Fletcher obtained employment at Woolpit, as post-messenger at 12s. weekly wages. He had long before got into the habit of drinking, and could not now refrain from the old indulgence. Drunkenness was punished with unhappiness. He was induced, however, 66 new to go to a preaching-room, where he heard a Captain Towers, whose doctrine offended him. A young man's preaching afterwards reached his heart, and he became a creature." Immediately he began to preach; but, ignorant of Satan's devices, he soon fell into sin, and became again unhappy. Grace shortly restored him. He joined a little church by baptism: but, going into a house where some friends were raffling, without thought of the impropriety, he joined in the raffle. The fact was reported to the church, and he was disowned. This so unsettled him that he sold the little furniture he had, and removed to London. He now entered the commissaire corps, and maintained a Christian course, preaching wherever he had the chance. His wife, whom he had married just before his conversion, now became a Christian woman. His cap tain was offended with his preaching, and opposed it so resolutely that Fletcher felt obliged to quit the corps. He went with his wife to her friends at Felsham, and immediately commenced cottage preaching. In a few days they went to Redgrove, where his own parents were living, and did the same there. Being in London when five pirates were to be hanged at Newgate, he went with another young man into the neighbourhood of the prison on Sunday afternoon, and began to sing, when a policeman ordered them away. Upon this interruption he began to walk about among the people, distributing tracts and talking loudly to them about their eternal welfare. The policeman again interrupted him, and told him to go and preach somewhere else. Fletcher persisted. The policeman seized him by the collar and dragged him away to the station. He sang and praised God as he went, hundreds of people following. will transfer to these pages just a couple of pages of the narrative. We When they arrived at the station house, Fletcher was put into a small dock; he had no room to kneel down, so, while standing up, said, "Let us pray," and continued praying for the policemen while they were swearing at him. He then sang "For the Lion of Judah shall break every chain, And give us again," the victory again and and afterwards prayed again. The inspector said, "Now then, will you hold your row, and give us your name and address; if not, we shall have to put you down in the dark cell." "Well, if you do, you will have to put me out again. Praise the Lord! I am not in the dark caverns of hell, am I? and as for being here for Christ, it is no disgrace to me or anyone else." "What is your name ?" "William Fletcher, of 16, Spa Road, Bermondsey." "Do you think you are in your right mind, kicking up all this row in the streets ?" 66 "I had better make a row here, than have you men crying out when you are lost, that if I had warned you you would not have been where there is weeping and weiling and gnashing of teeth. I will warn you all here this afternoon, that if you die where you are you will be eternally lost. Salvation through the precious blood of Jesus; he that believeth shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned. Oh, may God bless you all, is my prayer. Lord, save these men!" He then sang again. "Will you hold your noise?" said one of the men, "for we want to get a little rest this evening, for we have to be out in the Old Bailey all the night." "And so have I, for I want to go and tell poor sinners about the love of Christ. Glory be to God! He died for me and for you. Do you believe it? If so, you are saved; if not, you will be lost if you die in the state you are in." "Whatever did you bring that mad fellow in here for? We had better put him down drunk." Fletcher then prayed to God again, to stay the man's hand from writing a lie against his child, and then sang"Here o'er the earth, as a stranger, I roam," &c. They had evidently had enough of their prisoner, and were anxious to get rid of him again. The inspector ordered him to be discharged; telling him that he was not to go near the place of execution any more. Fletcher then opened his bible, and read Acts iv. 19, and told him that he could not promise any such thing, as he had brought 6,000 tracts, and he wanted to give them away before he went to the City Theatre in the evening. 66 'Well," said the inspector, we don't want to keep him here, we cannot do anything with him; he would only be shouting all night, and the men want to get a little rest. Well, we'll let you go this time." Soon after the great flood caused by the bursting of the Bradfield reservoir, Fletcher visited Sheffield, where he preached with success out of doors. He then visited Halifax, where two drunken men interrupted the meeting, and one of them swore awfully at the preacher, who warned him to flee from the wrath to come, which made him the more outrageous. A sudden impulse came upon the preacher's spirit. He took a small memorandum book from his pocket, and, addressing the people, said, "Dear friends, I feel very solemn just now, for I verily believe that if I am a child of God, that man will be laid on the bed of affliction before fourteen days. This is a very serious assertion to make, therefore I hope somebody here will put it down, and if it is not so, I hope you will expose me wherever you go: but such is my impression. I lodge at 2, Bedford-street." The following Friday afternoon, one of the men who was present at the meeting, arrived at Fletcher's lodgings, nearly out of breath, and inquired whether he was at home. When Fletcher went to the door, the man said, "Sir, do you remember preaching on Monday night, when a drunken man was there, who you said would be taken ill before fourteen days?" "Yes; what about him?" "Well, sir, you must go and see him, for he is very ill, and the doctor says he will not recover, and he has sent for you." Fletcher, with another brother, immediately went to see him, and found him dangerously ill! Fletcher spoke to him of his never dying soul, and asked him whether he was prepared to go into the presence of Almighty God. The man shook his head, and sald, “No, sir, I am not; I hope you will forgive me for treating you as I did." 66 My dear friend, I have nothing to forgive; shall I read a chapter of God's word?" was In November, 1864, Fletcher held five services in the Free Church, Hackney. One of his hearers heard to say, "Ah, he's just the sort of chap I like to hear. Some of these here preachers talk so as you can't understand what they mean; but there's no mistake about him." What preacher need be ambitious of any kind of distinction superior to that? It is so much like that recorded of the MASTER,-"The common people heard him gladly." We can but wish the one-armed "soldier preacher" all needful grace, and a long life of soulwinning success. We can say nothing in praise of the typography of this little book, nor more for its literary qualities than that its style is simple: but it is worthy of commendation for its fidelity and its religious spirit and aim. It has a well-executed threequarter likeness of its hero, and it is worthy of study as a piece of genuine biography. When we add that it is published at a shilling, we need say no more. PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION, designed to instruct the ordinary reader in the method by which he may rationally investigate and consistently expound the scriptures for himself. By the REV. N. ROUSE. Pp. 50. London: Hamilton, Adams, and Co. THE author of this pamphlet was for more than a quarter of a century in the itinerant ranks of the Wesleyan ministry; but, imbibing and avowing certain opinions opposed to the doctrinal standards of Methodism, after having taken time allowed him for serious consideration of the matter, he gave up his connexional position, and eventually became the settled pastor of a church based upon congregational principles of polity, at Ripley, in the county of Derby. The sacrifices made by him for the sake of what he believed to be truth, entitle him to personal respect, as a man acting from conscientious conviction: but his opinions must be dealt with on their own merits, and be accepted or rejected on the ground of their accordance or their discordance with reason, common sense, and the analogy of faith. "The substance" of the pamphlet, we are informed by the preface, "was delivered to a number of brethren who are accustomed to meet periodically for the purpose of biblical inquiry and theological discussion; and in compliance with their wish it is now published." After the preface is an introduction; then a statement of the literary, mental, and moral "qualifications necessary for an interpretation of the scriptures." This is followed by a short chapter on "False Systems of Interpretation," and that by another |