much emphasis a verse of a hymn, or a promise from the sacred volume, assuring his mourning relatives that he was happy, and longing to be gone. The characteristic depression attendant on his disease, which was water on the chest, was accompanied at intervals by a languor which baffled the effort to speak, but even then there were unequivocal signs of his resignation and repose. Leaning on the word of God, which he profoundly esteemed, he walked serenely down into the mysterious vale, and though his stalwart frame reluctantly yielded to decay, on Wednesday, the

29th of December last, at the advanced age of seventy-nine, he bowed his head and died.

Verily, so numerous are the instances of death, and so rapid their succession, that as we advance in life a local cloud of witnesses seems to gather around us -familiar faces to smile upon us from the skies. Well

"One army of the living God,

To His command we bow,
Part of the host have crossed the flood,
And part are crossing now!"

J. P. MURSELL.

Leicester, Feb. 24th, 1864.

TO THE EDITORS OF THE Baptist Magazine

Gentlemen,-The following short nar rative, relative to what may be designated one of our Denominational Charities, will, no doubt, interest many of your readers. The numerous members of the Thirty Churches, or " Congregations of particular Baptists," as they are designated, and. who are beneficially interested in the Will of the late Mary Marlowe, of Leominster, will be glad of this brief record. It also presents some instructive sugges tions to all who would be faithful stewards of the divine Lord. It behoves. Christians to maintain a prudent oversight over their worldly concerns, whatever trouble it may involve. And surely it is the duty of all to make just and wise testamentary arrangements, with all promptness and decision. The injunction of the wise man, "what thine hand findeth to do, do it with thy might," is specially worthy of consideration by such as are conscious of not having made a wise disposition of their worldly affairs, but who, from one cause or another, postpone the duty, forgetting that "there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave."

The excellent lady, whose name is introduced above, was not, indeed, unmindful of the duty and privilege of attempting to carry out her pious and generous intentions by duly executing her Will, and seems to have enjoyed the

longer over-charged with the cares of repose of a quiet mind, and a heart no this life. She was unmarried, and being possessed of considerable property, with a disposition to serve her Redeciner in all acts of a devout and benevolent life, was eminently useful in the town of Leominster, where for many years she was an influential member of the Baptist church, then under the pastoral care of the Rev. Joshua Thomas. It was her wish to appropriate £6,900-3 per cent. stock to such purposes, after her decease, as she had aimed to promote during her life. Accordingly, in a very elaborate and admirably constructed Will, allowing for the very lengthy repetitions it contains, she made the numerous bequests here referred to. Her seven trustees were Revs. Dr. Stennett, J. Reynolds, B. Francis, J. Butterworth, J. Thomas, Z. Thomas, and T. Phillips. And these have been succeeded by eleven new trustees, chosen from time to time, as death removed their predecessors. The form in which the legacies are left, is that of assigning to each of ten English churches, ennumerated, the yearly

dividend on £150 stock to the minister for the time being, as long as the said "the congregation shall exist"-and yearly dividend of £50 stock to be distributed amongst the poor members," &c. To each of twenty Welsh churches enumerated the amount bequeathed in the same terms, is on £100 and £50 stock.

Up to this period, our estimable sister, Mary Marlowe, was a pattern of wise and pious solicitude in settling her worldly affairs. And having had bequeathed to her a few years previous £25,000, there could have been no doubt upon her mind but that her estate would be amply sufficient to warrant this pious benevolence. It was, however, known to some of her best friends that her charities had been profuse, and that many loans had been injudiciously granted to persons of inadequate means, and of doubtful integrity. She was urged to investigate her affairs, and to revise her testamentary arrangements. While proceeding to effect this prudent purpose, though still unhappily surrounded with some who had access to her purse, and were disposed to make a free use of it for their own advantage, her life was suddenly cut short! While in perfect health and cheerfulness, without the slightest warning, she suddenly expired!

Her Will was duly proved; but the Executors, apprehensive not only of difficulty, but of pecuniary danger to themselves and families if they attempted to administer, sought the direction and protection of Chancery, as well they might. Several years elapsed, as was customary in those days, before the Lord Chancellor acted; at length he decreed the sale of everything—the payment of all debts and expenses, and the re-investment of the surplus or remainder to be applied rateably for the purposes above specified, and other bequests.

A very minute and accurate calculation was made by the Rev. T. Thomas, not necessary to be stated. Certain it is that the handsome sum total of £6,900 was by all these means, reduced to £1,800! and the legacees, from that time, to the present have received only what may be stated without mentioning Mr. Thomas' fractional calculation, a composition of 4s. 74d. in the pound! This is the reason why the sums of £1 7s. 9d. and £1 Os. 10d. are paid respectively, when £6 0s. Od. and £4 10s. Od. were bequeathed. The same rate of reduction is applied to an annual grant for Bibles, and several of the new trustees, when elected, have received only twenty shillings, instead of twenty pounds, as originally appointed. Yours, &c.,

JAMES HOBY, Acting Trustee.

TO THE EDITORS OF THE Baptist Magazine. Cranbrook, March 14th, 1864.

Sirs,-As a subscriber to your periodical, I take the liberty of calling your attention to a letter of mine in in The Athenæum of the 27th of February. I am induced to do so from the fact, that several periodicals and newspapers have thought proper to copy from it. I did not expect, when I sent this letter to the Athenæum, that so much notice would be taken of it. Although I have considered this discovery made by me very important, because by the light it reveals, many things are much more plain and clear respecting the care and solicitude that Bunyan exercised his mind with, concerning his little flocks in the neighbourhood of Bedford soon after his confinement in jail, than we have been able to do from what has hitherto been known of the man and his labours. It does seem remarkably singular that this edition should not have been known before.

Cranbrook, Feb. 22nd., 1864.

In consequence of a very rare original piece of Bunyan's, entitled "Christian Behaviour," having recently been discovered by me, a literary friend has advised me to send you the first public notice thereof. Neither C. Doe, the personal friend of Bunyan, nor Mr. Offor, who in 1855 exercised the greatest care to procure the first copies of the whole of Bunyan's works for republication, had any knowledge that "Christian Behaviour" made its appearance from the pen of Bunyan until after the author's release from prison. Mr. Offor states, in 1855, that the earliest known edition has no date, but has always been supposed to have first appeared in 1674. The copy just discovered by me has this remarkable finish to it— "From my place of confinement in Bedford, this 17th of the 4th month, 1663.” This is eleven years earlier than we have yet had any knowledge of its appearance. The little volume is quite perfect, and is remarkable for having the author's name on the title page, and again at the end of the preface. It has also an owner's name, written in it the very year it was published. It was "printed for F. Smith, at the Elephant and Castle, without Temple Bar.' The title page is more full than in any later edition. It has always been considered the nineteenth piece Bunyan wrote; but this proves it to be the sixth.

Yours, &c.,

W. TARBUTT.