About half an hour after two they were in the Poultry, and the faw a great many people going down the Old Jewry; and the determined fhe would fee where they were going. She mixed herself among them, and they carried her to the Old Jewry. So foon as she entered the door of it, and looked about, she turned to her companion, and said with fome furprise, "This is the very place I faw in my dream." She had not stood long till Mr. Shower, who was then minister of the place, went up into the pulpit; and so soon as fhe looked on him, with greater surprise ftill, the faid, "This is the very man I faw in my dream; and if every part of it hold true, he will take that for his text, Pfal. cxvi. 7. Return unto thy reft, O my foul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee." When he rofe to pray, fhe was all attention, and every fentence went to her heart. Having finished prayer, he took that for his text; and there God met with her foul in a faving way and manner; and she at last obtained what the fo long fought for in vain elsewhere, reft to her foul in Him, who is the life and happiness of fouls.

Account of the late Mr. SAMUEL PEARCE.

TH

[Continued from page 245.]

HE zeal which Mr. Pearce discovered for the introduction of the Gofpel among the Heathen, formed a prominent feature in his character. Soon after his fettlement at Birmingham, he became acquainted with Mr. Carey, whofe name will ever be dear to chriftians, cn account of his effential fervice to the caufe of Chrift, in tranflating the facred fcriptures into the Bengalefe language. Mr. Pearce was one of the firft members of the Baptift Miffionary Society, which was formed in 1792, and entered into its bufinefs with all his heart. When it was refolved that Meffrs. Thomas and Carey should go on a Miffion to the Hindoos, and a confiderable fum of money was needed for the purpose, Mr. P. undertook

journeys to various parts of the kingdom, in order to carry that object into effect. In one of thefe journeys, he writes to Mr. Fuller, as follows:

February 23, 1793.

"I am willing to go any where and do any thing in my power, but I hope no plan will be fuffered to interfere with the affecting, hoped for, dreaded day, March 13 (the day of our brethren Carey and Thomas's folemn defignation at Leicester). Oh! how the anticipation of it at once rejoices and afflicts me. Our hearts need feeling to part with our much loved brethren, who are about to venture their all for the name of the Lord Jefus. I feel my foul melting within me when I read the twentieth chapter of the Acts, and especially verses 36-38. But why grieve? We fhall fee them again. Oh! yes, them and the children whom the Lord will give them;we and the children whom the Lord hath given us. We hall meet again, not to weep and pray, but to smile and praise.

"S. P."

But Mr. Pearce's zeal for the progrefs of the gospel was not expended merely in promoting this object at home. In October, 1794, his friends first learned, that he had it in ferrous contemplation to caft in his lot with his brethren in India. From this defign they endeavoured to diffuade him, arguing that he was already in a fphere of ufefulness too important to be relinquished. Nothing, however, would fatisfy him fhort of his making a formal offer of his fervices to the Committee; nor could he be happy for them to decide upon it, without their appointing a day of folemn prayer for the purpose, and when affembled, hearing an account of the principal exercises of his mind upon the fubject, with the reafons which induced him to make the propofal, as well as the reasons alledged by his connections against it.

About a month preceding the decifion of this affair, he drew up a narrative of his experience refpecting it; refolving at the fame time to fet apart one day in every week for fecret fafting and prayer to God for direction;

and to keep a diary of the exercises of his mind during

the month.

This narrative he accordingly prefented to the Committee. It is extremely interefting; but, from its length, we muft refer our readers who wish to perufe it, to Mr. Pearce's Memoirs. The Committee, after the most ferious and mature deliberation, though they were fully fatisfied as to Mr. Pearce's qualifications, and greatly approved of his fpirit, yet were unanimoufly of opinion that he ought not to go; and that not merely on account of his connections at home, which might have been pleaded in the cafe of Mr. Carey, but on account of the Miffion itself, which required his affiftance in the station which he already occupied.

On receiving the opinion of the Committee, he immediately wrote to Mrs. Pearce as follows:

"Northampton, Nov. 13, 1794.

"MY DEAR SARAH,

"I am disappointed, but not difiayed. I ever with to make my Saviour's will my own. I am more fatisfied than ever I expected I should be with a negative upon my earneft defires, because the bufinefs has been fo conducted, that I think, if by any means fuch an iffue could be enfured, the mind of Chrift has been obtained. My dear brethren here have treated the affair with as much feriousness and affection as I could poffibly defire, and I think more than fohfignificant a worm could expect. After we had spent the former part of this day in fafting and prayer, with converfation on the fubject, till near two o'clock, brother Potts, King, and I retired We prayed while the Committee confulted. The cafe feemed difficult, and I fuppofe they were near two hours in deciding. At laft, time forced them to a point, and their anfwer I enclose for your fatisfaction. Pray take care of it; it will serve for me to refer to when my mind may labour beneath a burden of guilt another day.

"I am my dear Sarah's own

"S. P."

The diary which he kept for a month preceding the decifion of the Committee, was not fhown them at the time. Since his death, a few of them have perused it, and have been almost ready to think, that, if they had feen it before, they dared not oppofe his going. We have selected the following paffages from this transcript of his heart, which we gladly infert, as exhibiting an excellent pattern to those who have like service in view.

"Oct. 8, 1794. Had fome remarkable freedom and affection this morning, both in family and fecret prayer. With many tears I dedicated myself, body and foul, to the fervice of Jefus; and earnestly implored full fatisfaction refpecting the path of duty. I feel a growing deadness for all earthly comforts; and derive my happinefs immediately from God himself. May I ftill endure, as Mofes did, by feeing him who is invisible!

"Oct. 10. Enjoyed much freedom to-day in the family. Whilft noticing in prayer the ftate of the millions of Heathen who know not God, I felt the aggregate value of their immortal fouls with peculiar energy.

"Afterwards was much ftruck, whilft, on my knees before God in fecret, I read the fourth chapter of Micah. The ninth verfe I fancied very applicable to the church in Canon-street;* but what reason is there for fuch a cry about fo infignificant a worm as I am? The third chapter of Habakuk, too, well expreffes that mixture of folemnity and confidence with which I conteiplate the work of the Miffion.

"Whilft at prayer-meeting to-night, I learned more of the meaning of fome paffages of fcripture than ever before. Suitable frames of foul are like good lights in which a painting appears to its full advantage. I had often meditated on Phil. iii. 7, 8. and Gal. vi. 14. but never felt crucifixion to the world, and difefteem for all that it contains, as at that time. All profpects of pecuniary independence and growing reputation, with which, in unworthier moments, I had amufed myself, were now

*Of which he was the pastor.

chased from my mind; and the defire of living wholly to Chrift, fwallowed up every other thought. Frowns and fmiles, fulness or want, honour and reproach, were now equally indifferent; and when I concluded the meeting, my whole foul felt as it were going after the loft sheep of Chrift among the heathen.

"I do feel a growing fatisfaction in the propofal of fpending my whole life in fomething nobler than the locality of this ifland will admit. I long to raise my Master's banner in climes where the found of his fame hath but scarcely reached. He hath faid for my encouragement, that all nations shall flow unto it.

"The conduct and fuccefs of Stach, Boonish, and other Moravian Miffionaries in Greenland, both confound and ftimulate me. O Lord, forgive my past indolence in thy service, and help me to redeem the refidue of my days for exertions more worthy a friend of mankind, and a fervant of God.

"Oct. 15. There are in Birmingham 50,000 inhabit-· ants; and, exclufive of the vicinity, ten minifters who preach the fundamental truths of the gospel. In Hindoftan there are twice as many millions of inhabitants, and not fo many gofpel-preachers. Now, Jefus Chrift hath commanded his minifters to go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature: why should we be fo difproportionate in our labours? Peculiar circumftances must not be urged against pofitive commands: I am therefore bound, if others do not go, to make the means more proportionate to the multitude.

"To-night, reading fome letters from brother Carey, in which he speaks of his wife's illness when the first came into the country, I endeavoured to realife myself not only with a fick but a dead wife. The thought was like a cold dagger to my heart at firft: but on recollection I confidered that the fame God ruled in India as in Europe, and that he could either preferve her, or fupport me there as well as here. My bufinefs is only to be where he would have me. Other things I leave to him. O Lord, though with timidity, yet I hope not without VOL. II. No. 6. C