A THANK - OFFERING TO ALMIGHTY GOD FOR MERCIES RECEIVED. DEAR SIR, I am happy to inform you, that our excellent friend J. Meigh, Esq., of Ash Hall, near Hanley, has put into my hands a handsome donation of £50, for our Canadian Missions, accompanied by a letter (of which,the following is a copy) to the general treasurer of our missions. Doubtless your readers, who take a lively interest in our missionary affairs, will be pleased to read what Mr. Meigh has written; and I trust that its perusal will induce many of our more affluent friends, who have received great mercies from Almighty God, to inquire, as he has done, "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me?" Yours faithfully, Hanley, Dec. 23, 1853. WM. MILLS. MY DEAR SIR,-I have been very much gratified with reading the Rev. J. H. Robinson's very interesting accounts, as regards his missionary labours in Canada; and it is a matter of much thankfulness to Almighty God that the ministers of his blessed gospel are not labouring in vain, but the Lord is crowning their efforts with abundant success. If Mr. Robinson had more means at command, he would be enabled to do much more good in the cause of our blessed Saviour; and although we have many calls at home for similar purposes, yet, having freely received, we should freely give. I shall be obliged to you if you will remit to him the enclosed £50, to be appropriated for the purposes of the mission, in the way that he may think will most promote its best interests, with my best wishes for his happiness and welfare, both of soul and body. And may our heavenly Father add many seals to his ministry. I remain, my dear Sir, Ash Hall, Dec. 21, 1853. OUR CONNEXIONAL NAME. WE have received not less than about thirty communications on this subject, expressing, of course, some variety of views. About four declare against any change; a similar number are in favour of Presbyterian Methodist; about twenty are in favour of either Methodist or Wesleyan Free Church; whilst a few propose some other names. Finding it impossible to publish all these communications in the Magazine, we thought of giving an abstract of the whole, and had proceeded to some extent in preparing it for the press; but, apprehensive that our correspondents might complain that we had not given their letters entire, we finally resolved to send the whole to the Annual Committee. As this Committee had previously taken the subject in hand, and as some circuits had probably already sent their decisions to this Committee, it seems proper they should have all the rest, that they may have a full view of the sentiments of the friends, and be prepared to report to the next Conference. MEMOIRS AND RECENT DEATHS. SARAH BARDSLEY. OUR late sister was born in Ashtonunder-Lyne, on the 21st of December, 1802. At a very early age she became a scholar in our Sunday school, and was often graciously affected by the singing, the prayers, and the addresses to which she listened. When she was about fifteen years of age she began to meet in class, and became a member of the Ashton Society, in fellowship with which she remained until the day of her death. For about ten years she was regular in her attendance on all the ordinances of religion, exemplary in her deportment, and was at times the subject of much gracious influence; but it was not until the end of that period she entered fully into the liberty of God's dear children. The class in which she met was one. evening favoured with a special manifestation of the Saviour's presence, and of his glorious power to save. One of the members, with whom our late sister was very intimate, and who has continued until this day in steadfast fellowship with us, experienced that evening the pardoning mercy of God, and was enabled to "rejoice with the joy which is unspeakable, and full of glory." Sister Bardsley, who was not conscious of having herself experienced so great a change, and obtained so certain an assurance of the Divine mercy, resolved from that time to seek it with her whole heart until she found it. For several days she cherished an intense anxiety of soul to obtain the blessing. She sought out the promises of the gospel, and fixed the faith of her heart upon them, and gave herself to prayer, until God heard her cry, and granted her desire. The evidence of her adoption was clear and strong. She walked in the light as God is in the light. She knew in whom she had believed, and she rejoiced in Him with delight which she had never known before. She then covenanted afresh with the Lord, and consecrated herself wholly to the service of Him who had done so much for her. From that time she walked with God, and maintained the enjoyment of his favour, and gave evidence to all who observed her spirit and deportment, that she was Israelite indeed, in whom there was no guile. She became a teacher in our Sabbath school in Hurst Brook, and for many years was constant and faithful in discharging the duties of her office; not content with teaching her scholars to read and understand the Holy Scriptures, but pressing on their attention the great work of their personal salvation, and exhorting them in the fair season of their youth to become decidedly religious. an Her exemplary Christian character, and her gifts for imparting religious benefits to others, led to her appointment to the office of assistant-leader, and in a short time to the office of leader of a class. In this office she was blest, and made a blessing to many. It is in the remembrance of one of her friends, who was associated with her in that class, that at that period of her life she was often remarkably endowed with the spirit and the power of fervent and effectual prayer. At those times it was specially good to be there; for both to her and to the members of the class they were times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. She was, for a succession of years, in the habit of reading the Bible through each year. She read daily a portion of the historical and of the prophetical Scriptures of the Old Testament, and a portion of the New, so as to complete the reading once every year. The more precious and spiritual portions, and those most applicable to her own expe rience and improvement, she read again and again, and treasured them up in her memory and heart, that she might feed on them, and be sanctified by their influence upon her soul. As she became more familiar with the Scrip tures, they became more excellent in her esteem. She hid them, as the Psalmist did, in her heart, that she might not sin against the Lord. They were more precious to her than gold. The appearance of the Bible, which she used for many years, gives evidence of the constancy and diligence with which she read its sacred pages, and the facility with which she could appropriate its language, either to prayer or Christian conversation, showed how deeply it had impressed both her memory and spirit. So long as she was able, no one was more constant in attendance on the ordinances of God's house than she. But a mere attendance did not suffice for her. She passed through forms and means into the spiritual enjoyments they are designed to give. She had fellowship with the saints when their fellowship was with the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. As the eyes of a maiden are unto the hand of her mistress, so her eyes waited upon the Lord till he had mercy upon her; and often did she speak with grateful joy of the blessings she had experienced in the house of God, when his presence had made it none other than the gate of heaven. She was ardently attached to the principles and institutions of the Connexion. While she loved all who loved the Saviour, she had a special regard for that section of the Church in which she had been brought to a knowledge of the truth, and by whose ministry and ordinances she was being matured for a place in heaven. It is in the recollection of some of our friends with what heroic firmness she held fast to the Connexion when its principles were violently assailed, and its institutions and even its very existence were attempted to be overthrown. Her love to the cause of Christ, especially as identified with our religious community, was evinced not only by her prayers for its prosperity, and her persevering and unwearied efforts, but also by the cheerful liberality with which she contributed to its support. She felt that she owed her all to Christ, and that, freely as she had received, she ought freely to give of what she had to promote the ad vancement of His cause; and that she did, not seldom, but as often as she had opportunity, not ostentatiously, but with a retiring diffidence which showed that she loved the praise of God rather than the praise of men! Thus went our sister on for many years in the calm and even tenor of her way; securing, as her life advanced, the growing confidence and esteem of all who beheld how holily and unblameably she walked before the Lord. At no period of her life could she be said to enjoy vigorous health, and her often infirmities helped to keep her in continual remembrance of her approaching end. She was earnestly desirous that the event which happeneth unto all might find her quite prepared, and she often spoke with lively exultation of the blessedness of those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching. And it was granted to her as her heart desired. About the month of August, 1852, her health began evidently and seriously to decline, and though hopes were for a time entertained that she might again recover, they were doomed to disappointment. From the beginning of her illness her own mind calmly acquiesced in the will of God, whether it might be for life or for death. Her soul had made its peace with heaven. Her anchor was cast within the vail. Christ was precious to her, and she relied upon Him as her Saviour to the uttermost. At length she became so far reduced in strength, as to make it evident that her end was not far away. All who had the privilege of seeing her in the last stage of her affliction, could not fail to be impressed with the fact that she was prepared to die. She had an unshaken evidence of her interest in the great offering on the Cross, and an assurance which never left her, that He who had loved her from the beginning, would love her to the end. At times, indeed, her affliction was hard to bear, and much she needed that divine support which God has graciously engaged to give His people in the day of their sorest trial. But God was faithful to His promises, and her strength was according to her day. One day she was thinking of the promise-"In six troubles I will be with thee, and in the seventh I will not leave thee;" and she asked, "Is not this the seventh trouble?" and then she added, "But I am confident I am going to Jesus." Seeing her sister giving way to sorrow at the prospect of her approaching death, she forbade her to indulge such a feeling, and she said, "I do not die like one that has no hope." She cherished a lively and thankful recollection of the benefits she had derived, both in health and in sickness from her connexion with the church; and she affectionately enjoined her sister never to leave it, and always to preserve an interest in its prayers. She often repeated the precious and appropriate portions of the Scriptures, and the favourite verses of our hymns, and they were sometimes made the means of peculiar blessing to her soul. Throughout her affliction she had very humble views of herself, but exalted views of her Saviour; often speaking of His precious blood as the sole foundation of her hope, and saying, "I the chief of sinners am, But Jesus died for me." A friend, on seeing her heavy sufferings, observed to her, "that it seemed hard that she should suffer so;" but she answered, "Truly the Lord is good." After a very restless night with pain, she spoke of Christ as having been very precious to her in the midst of all, and that He had given her songs in the night. At some seasons she was made remarkably happy, and had great enlargement and elevation in prayer. One night, when her sister was staying up with her, she exclaimed, "O! if I had a voice, how I could sing His praise!" She began to sing, "His love in times past forbids me to think," &c., but her strength failed, and she was obliged to cease. On another occasion, when extremely weak, she manifested an earnest desire to engage in prayer. She pointed to her bedside, and inquired if they thought she could bear to kneel there while so engaged. They expressed a fear that she was too weak for the effort, and encouraged her, as she was, to lift up her heart to God. She said, "God is worthy of all honour, and she would prefer to make another effort to pour out her heart before Him in the proper attitude of prayer." She was lifted from her bed; she attempted to kneel, but her strength was too far gone. Her attendants held her up, and she began to pray, and for nearly half-an-hour she was engaged with God. She prayed with remarkable unction, and in the most earnest and affecting manner-for her kindred, -for her friends,-for her ministers,— and for the church. Shortly after, she expressed herself as having delivered up all that concerned her into the hands of God, and was now ready to be gone. From this time she became increasingly desirous "to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better;" and repeatedly did she look up, uttering the words "Yonder's my house and portion fair, My treasure and my heart are there, And my abiding home." At length the chariot wheels of her Lord were heard, and she welcomed His message of invitation to the rest He has prepared for the redeemed. She died in peace, on the morning of Sunday, the 14th of March, 1853, in the fiftieth year of her age, having been thirty-five years in honourable and useful connection with the church of Christ. The Christian life of our departed sister was not distinguished by many very striking and remarkable events; but by uniform consistency, and increasing excellence, "Her path was that of the just, which is as the shining light; shining more and more until the perfect day." May her removal stimulate the desire of many to be followers of them who, through faith and patience, are now inheriting the promises. Ashton-under-Lyne, MALLY BYROM, OF STALYBRIDGE. OUR departed sister Byrom was born at Marsh-head, in Saddleworth, July 31st, 1785. She was the child of poor but pious parents, who were connected with the Methodists; and our sister in early life was accustomed to attend the worship of God among that body of people, and was restrained from many of those sins and follies to which youth are exposed. But it appears that she did not become the subject of any lasting good impressions until more than twenty years of age, and she has often been heard to lament the follies of her youth, and the precious time she had lost in pursuing worldly pleasures and amusements, while in an unconverted state. When Mally had grown up to womanhood, there were, in that part of the country two zealous men, of the names of Buckley and Winterbottom, who went about the villages preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ; these men had been trained among the Methodists, and the great leading doctrines they taught, and their mode of worship were the same as among the Methodists; but they were men of liberal opinions, and held views on church-government and on some minor points of doctrine that did not exactly harmonize with the then existing Methodist churches; hence they moved in a limited circle. Their views, however, on Church-government, and their mode of worship were so much in accordance with those of our Connexion, that they were, either by way of reproach or distinction, called "Kilhamites," meaning, doubtless, that they held the principles, if they were not the followers, of the founder of our Connexion. Under the ministry of these two worthy men, our sister was brought to a knowledge of the truth; she saw herself a guilty hell-deserving sinner, and earnestly sought mercy through a crucified Saviour, and it was a happy circumstance that her lot was cast among a people who directed her to the Saviour, and she was by faith enabled to rest her guilty soul on the atonement of Jesus, and to realize an interest in his blood, even the forgiveness of all her sins. She now made a firm stand, and separated herself from those who had been her companions in her unconverted state. She heard God by his Spirit and his Word, saying, "Come out from among them, and be ye separate ;" and so she did, and told her dearest companions that unless they forsook their sinful ways, and became religious, she could no longer call them her friends. She had counted well the cost, and now, having given herself to God, she did not waver, but acted with firmness and decision; and if her old companions tried to entice her from the good way she would reply: was then a widower with three children; and in our sister he found a suitable mother for his children, and a faithful partner of the joys and sorrows of his future days. Soon after their marriage, want of employment, and its consequent disadvantages, caused Brother Byrom and his family to remove to Stalybridge, when they at once united with our people. Here, for many years, while their family was young, and provisions dear, they had to struggle with poverty; but under these circumstances our sister exhibited her Christian principles. She might go to the house of God in a "faded dress," (but always clean,) or in a bonnet worse for the wear; or her husband might be seen in a threadbare coat, but it was never said of Mally Byrom that she contracted debts or took up goods without a prospect of paying for them. There have been times when they have had much to grapple with, but, to the praise of our sister be it spoken, when they had but little, she made the best of that little, and denied herself of many comforts rather than go into debt. Our sister was remarkable as long as health permitted, for her regular attendance on the means of grace. By early rising, and prudent forethought and contrivance, she would so arrange the affairs of her household, that even when she had a large family to provide for, she was seldom absent from the public ordinances of the House of God; and a bad cold, a shower of rain, a cold morning, or a dark night, were never pleaded as excuses for absenting herself from the sanctuary of the Most High. No one ever heard Sister Byrom say, "It's only a prayer-meeting; there will only be a few. It will only be a local preacher." Such considerations had no influence upon her attendance at the means of grace; she went there in obedience to the injunction, "not to neglect the assembling of ourselves together," and relying on the promise," wherever two or three are met together in my name, there am I in the midst of them;" and whether the prospects were bright or gloomy; whether the cause was popular or despised, Sister Byrom might generally be seen with her household, wending their way to the house of God, to worship him, and training up her family in his fear. And she did not wait upon him in vain. Our sister was discreet in the management of her household affairs, and did not bring religion into discredit by tattling and tale-bearing, or meddling in the affairs of others. To her neighbours she was a pattern of piety and Christian consistency; she was in an eminent degree a woman of peace. She lived in love and charity with all men, and her spirit was grieved whenever she heard others speak reproachfully of any of God's people, and would say, "Let him that is without fault cast the first stone." Another pleasing trait in our sister's character was her cheerful contributions to the cause of God. She at times suffered much from pinching poverty, and by severe and long-protracted affliction, but she always sacredly set apart her penny a week for her class, and her shilling for her quarterly ticket, as money that belonged to the Lord, and she gave it with a cheerful heart. The latter years of our sister's life presented a chequered scene. Some twelve or thirteen years ago, she had a paralytic stroke, which took the use of one side. Two or three years afterwards she lost her dear partner, which had a powerful effect on her already shattered frame; but still she had confidence in her God, and could sing, "Though waves and storms go o'er my head Though health, and strength, and Though joys be withered, all, and dead; Of our sister's experience in her last sickness, we can say but little. Her affliction affected her mind as well as her body. Her memory was affected and a heavy stupor succeeded; so that she could converse very little with the friends who visited her; still she was happy and resigned, and what she did say was expressive of her confidence in God, and of her longing to depart and be with Christ; she was ripe for heaven, and prepared for her change. Her medical attendant (an unconverted man), said to one of our friends, “I should not be afraid to die if I were like that woman." During this affliction, though severe, she was never heard to murmur or complain, but patiently endured the chastisements of the Almighty. As long as consciousness remained she seemed grateful for the visits and prayers of the minister and friends; and earnestly joined in their sup |