ministerial work. His whole mind and time were, in one way or other, consecrated to GOD in his work. He had a steady, fixed, unvarying love for his Brethren in the Ministry: nor can I recollect that, at any time, (in a familiar and very frequent intercourse with him for thirty years and more,) I ever witnessed any temper towards them, contrary to that esteem and love which ought always to subsist between fellow-labourers in the vineyard of the LORD. He believed that the system of Methodism is calculated, in a more than ordinary degree, to promote vital and practical religion in the world; and that it forms a prominent part of God's great plan for the benefit of mankind. He therefore felt, and manifested, a high degree of solicitude for its interest, in every department. His labours as a member of our Body were unremitted, and were continued to the last.

"He was particularly formed for friendship. He had a sympathetic mind, which felt another's woe. For many years I called him my Friend; and in some very trying circumstances, he greatly soothed and comforted my mind. He was always the same man. When he was called away, I felt that I had lost a Friend, and a Brother; or, to speak more properly, was deprived of him for a season!"

The judicious writer, from whose letter this extract has been made, when speaking of MR. T., as a friend, further observes,

"I had much friendly intercourse with him, from the year 1792, and knew something of his personal exercises, as he, on his part, knew of mine. I ever found in him ingenuousness, tenderness, and sympathy. Nothing seemed to yield him greater satisfaction than the fulfilment of every duty required by reciprocal friendship. As a Christian and a Colleague, I never experienced from him, on any occasion whatever, the least cause for withholding my most cordial and unqualified approbation and esteem. No person had a better acquaintance with the nature, discipline, character, and general operation of Methodism; in which he wholly employed his heart and mind, his soul and strength. If at any time he deviated into human failings, it may, perhaps, be said to have been most evidently perceived in the exhaustion of all his energies on whatever public business he took in hand: but that is not a charge for any of his Brethren to bring against him. If through this extraordinary exertion, his useful services in the Church were abridged by the premature termination which surprised and distressed his surviving friends, we can only lament that he lived so fast, and regret that the harvest-field has been deprived of such a labourer."

The character thus given of MR. TAYLOR by his friends, I believe, is in no respect exaggerated, or too highly coloured: He was all they describe;-a man without guile;-warm, steady, and affectionate in his attachments,-zealous in propagating the truth of CHRIST;-invincible in the path of duty; neither to be seduced by flattery, nor intimidated by frowns. His piety, his laboriousness, his uniform kindness, his godly simplicity, and his peaceable disposition, recommended him to the respect of all who were closely acquainted with him, and will long live in their memory, when recollection brings to view the name of SAMUEL TAYLor.

Birmingham, May 3, 1822.

MEMOIR OF MRS. ELIZABETH BERRIMAN,

Of Penzance, in Cornwall.

MRS. BERRIMAN was born in Plymouth-Dock, on the 25th of July, 1778. Her parents were members of the Baptist Church in that place; and having enjoyed the comforts of religion themselves, they were desirous to bring up their tender charge in the nurture and admonition of the LORD. Their labours were crowned with success; for in early life their daughter ELIZABETH felt her mind impressed with a deep sense of the majesty of GoD, and a constant fear of offending him.-There are some who are unfriendly to the practice of inculcating on children any doctrinal principles at all; and who plead for leaving their minds quite free and unbiassed, till they are able to judge for themselves. This was the system advocated by ROUSSEAU, the infidel philosopher. He said, "You must not talk to children about God, or religion, because they can understand nothing of either. Childhood is the time for exercising the memory, and for the acquirement of habits; you must employ the first in dry but necessary studies concerning the arts and sciences, which different ranks of children will have to follow in future, and the last, in making them practise duties, of the fitness of which they may be made sensible; reserving religious instruction for the time when their understanding shall be capable of receiving and acquiescing in it." This insidious maxim was received by too many parents, who were far from comprehending the views of its propagator, and who did not foresee the consequences which have resulted from its adoption. Trained up in the school of irreligion, and being ignorant of themselves and of God, their children soon became proficients in vice and infidelity evil habits "grew with their growth, and strengthened with their strength," till at last they blasphemed the God of heaven, vilified the person of his Son, ridiculed the operations of his SPIRIT, and treated the glorious system of Christianity as a cheat and delusion.

Fully convinced of the importance of first impressions, the parents of MRS. B. were anxious to imbue the mind of their child with the principles of the Gospel, and to give, from the cradle, a proper direction to her thoughts; and the fruit of their pious endeavours soon became visible. They had taught her to repeat some of DR. WATTS's Hymns, with which her mind was deeply affected. One day she had been repeating the following lines :

"JESUS, I throw my arms around,

And hang upon thy breast;

Without one gracious smile from thee,

My spirit cannot rest."

On finishing the verse, she exclaimed with astonishment, "How can I embrace a SAVIOUR I cannot see?"

This appeared as marvellous

to her, as the doctrine of the New Birth to NICODEMUS; for at that

time she was totally ignorant that CHRIST is to be apprehended and embraced only by faith. This faith will not say, "Who shall ascend into heaven, that is, to bring CHRIST down from above? Or who shall descend into the deep? that is, to bring up CHRIST again from the dead. But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart."

When she entered on the nineteenth year of her age, fresh light broke forth upon her mind, and she discovered that mere morality, and attention to the external duties of religion, could not save her; and that without an entire change of heart she could never be scripturally holy or happy. A severe conflict now commenced; and for some time she felt her mind alternately agitated with hope and fear, expectation and disappointment. While she was thus suffering the terrors of the LORD, with a troubled mind she applied herself to the Bible, that great source of consolation to true penitents. But, instead of finding comfort, her conscience became more alarmed, while she read those awful passages which contain the denunciations of an offended GOD against hardened and obstinate sinners. Weary of herself, and sick of the world, bewailing the deadness of her own heart in reference to spiritual things, and mourning on account of her sins, she was ready to exclaim, “Q that I had wings like a dove, for then I would fly away and be at rest. Lo, then I would wander afar off, I would hasten my escape from the stormy wind and tempest."—In this state of mind, however, she continued to approach the throne of divine grace. The subject of her prayer was, that God would give her that clear and indisputable evidence of his pardoning mercy through CHRIST, without which her troubled conscience could find no abiding peace. To the precious promises of the Gospel her attention was now directed; and these at length became the foundation of lively faith and hope in the REDEEMER. Though she had sought the favour of God for some time, without finding comfort, defeat and disappointment rather quickened than discouraged her; and soon her hopes were realized. As her distress had been great, so her deliverance from it was proportionably clear and striking. It took place, not while she was engaged in the private duties of the closet, nor in the solemnities of public worship, but as she was walking in the street, and engaged in the common business of life. The words, "Fear not, for I have redeemed thee," were applied with divine power to her mind; and in a moment her gloom was dissipated, and her soul was filled with unutterable joy. To communicate the blessed tidings to her mother, she ran home; and told her that God, for CHRIST's sake, had pardoned her sins, and given her a clear evidence of his favour. Yet this happy event was regarded by her, not as the completion, but rather as the commencement of the work of saving grace in her mind; for she was fully persuaded, that under the genial rays of the Sun of Righteousness, all the fruits of the SPIRIT would

be brought to full maturity in her heart, and that it was her duty and privilege to " go on unto perfection."

The sacred pages assert the communion of saints, as well as the forgiveness of sins; and having obtained the one, MRS. BERRIMAN now determined to enjoy the other. Her parents were Dissenters; and it was natural for them to feel a wish that their now converted child should join their own community but as they exercised the right of private judgment, they concluded that she also ought to enjoy the same privilege. The Methodists were the people of her deliberate choice; and she, accordingly, at once united herself with them, saying, "This people shall be my people, and their GoD my GOD." Of this important step she never repented; for she soon found the Class-meetings amongst the Methodists to be truly strengthening and edifying. And surely no meetings have a more direct tendency to fan the flame of holy zeal, to dissipate the mist of doubt, and to invigorate the humble believer in his pursuit of divine enjoyments. "Christians," says ISAAC AMBROSE,"must drive on an open and free trade; they must teach one another the mysteries of godliness. Tell your experience, your conflicts, and your comforts. As iron sharpeneth iron, as rubbing the hands makes both warm, and as live coals make the rest to burn; so let the fruit of society be mutually sharpening, warming, and influencing. Christians should also bewail their failings, infirmities, deadness, coldness, and unprofitableness, one to another; in order to see whether others have been in the same case, what course they took, and what remedy they procured." All these advantages MRS. B. derived from the Methodist Class-meetings; and therefore she highly valued them. And as she now found that she had a religious character to support, this awakened her circumspection, and gave a decided uniformity to her conversation and conduct.

In her dress she was a pattern of plainness and neatness. She considered an undue conformity to the world, as inconsistent with the true dignity of a Christian, and inimical to the progress of piety in the soul. With these views it was impossible for her to make the attributes of a butterfly the object of her affections. She adorned herself, as the Apostle enjoins, "not with the outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and wearing of gold, or putting on of apparel; but with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which in the sight of God is of great price." When professors of religion lose their primitive simplicity, they often become fond of dress; and in too many instances, the proper line of distinction between those who call themselves the disciples of the lowly SAVIOUR, and those who seek their happiness in the world, is, in a great measure, removed, to the no small injury of religion. The following observation of a dissipated Gentleman on the conduct of some professors of this class, cannot be considered in the light of a compliment. "I once

hated them," said he, "because they were so unlike the rest of the world; but I now entertain a more favourable opinion of them, because they are more like their neighbours and friends." That the world will love its own, is an incontrovertible maxim; and it is equally clear that the friendship of this world is enmity with God. Attending, in these respects, to the strictness of scriptural requirements, MRS. B.'s supreme object was, to "put on CHRIST," and to be clad in the "beauties of holiness."

In the year 1803, she was married to MR. NICHOLAS BERRIMAN, who was then a religious young man, and is now a useful Class-Leader in the Methodist Society at Newlyn. In her new situation she was unwearied in her endeavours to promote the happiness of her husband and family; and steadily contributed every thing that affection could suggest, or diligence perform, in order to augment and perpetuate their felicity. In the management of her family-concerns, she gave no occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully of her conduct. She attended to the voice of that infallible monitor which teaches

"the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." She studied domestic economy; and was careful that the fruit of her husband's industry should not be improvidently spent. She well knew that extravagance is the source of many calamities, and has involved thousands in misery; and that in those houses where it is indulged, little is to be expected but disorder and confusion. Under this impression, "she looked well to the way of her household," and did not eat the bread of idleness.

In her christian experience she suffered much from a constitutional gloom, which often led her to form an unfavourable opinion of herself and of her state. Frequently her prospects of a better world were fearfully clouded. A thousand anxious doubts were suggested to her mind. The valley of the shadow of death appeared dismally dark, and she shuddered at the idea of crossing it. To her husband she often expressed her fears concerning the future. "How will it be with me in the hour of death? And what will become of me in eternity?"—were questions she would often ask with a look of extreme solicitude. MR. B. endeavoured to comfort her, by reminding her of the promises of God, such as, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Fear not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." The truth of these promises, the subsequent part of her experience will fully prove.

In the year 1815, her health began to decline. She complained of a pain in her throat, which was accompanied with a large swelling in her neck; and though the symptoms at first were not very alarm