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and earnest prayers made him an ever welcome visitor. His loss will also be deeply felt by a large and interesting Bible class of youths, whom he was accustomed to meet in his own house on Sabbath afternoons for instruction in the Scriptures. They loved him dearly, and testified their affection by following his mortal remains to the grave in the Folkstone Cemetery. On Sunday evening, November 8th, a funeral Sermon was preached by his pastor, the Rev. D. Jones, B.A., to a large and deeply-moved congregation, including many members of other churches. The text then chosen as appropriate to the departed saint from Matthew xxiv. 46, may be well commended to the reader of these lines:"Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh, shall find so doing."

Mrs. EDMUNDS, of Caerphilly.

This pious old Christian fell asleep in Jesus in the eighty-sixth year of her age, January 7th, 1863, She was the widow of the late Rev. James Edmunds, Baptist minister, whose death, at the time, was noticed in this Magazine for 1851, p. 41. Mrs. Edmunds was born at Abergavenny in 1777; was baptized in 1803; and became a member of the ancient church at Llanwenarth. Subsequently to her marriage to the Rev. J. Edmunds, she removed to Caerphilly where she remained during the whole of her earthly pilgrimage. The following shall be given as it was related to the writer by Mrs. Edmunds herself:-"I felt some prickings of conscience when I was twelve years of age, or even earlier; but I managed to heal up my mind from time to time. I listened to a sermon about Satan leaving his house and returning with seven other spirits worse than himself, and it made me exceedingly unhappy. When I was at school near Hereford, I had a great delight for dancing, as a dancing master came there once a week. But my parents would not allow me to learn that exercise. When I was at home at Abergavenny, I, with other young people, was invited to tea a short distance from the town, to the house of an ungodly old lady. There was dancing and music after tea, in which I most heartily joined; but without my parents' knowledge. My mind, however, was somewhat uneasy; but still, I kept on dancing; and when in the height of the dance, a word came into my mind which made me utterly wretched,

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out from among them; be ye separated.'

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Ah!' I said to myself. This is somewhere in the Bible.' With that I sat down in the midst of the dance and prayed, O Lord, save me.' I never went into a dance after that, nor could I listen to such music as was there, but with grief. After that time I was miserable, and could not sleep at night because my conscience troubled me. Thus I continued, with various changes, for some years; nor could I have any rest till I had made a profession of Christ, when I was about twenty-six years of age. Mr. Gilpin, of Leominster, was at our house and was asked, whether there was anything wrong in dancing? I don't know,' he said, but this I know, that no baptist should dance, for John the Baptist lost his head in consequence of what had happened at a dancing party.' The above was written by one from the mouth of Mrs. Edmunds, April 11th, 1858. Of Mrs. Edmunds it can be said, that she was intelligent, kind, liberal, and truly religious. She was a great reader of good books, and her readings she kept up to the end. She had taken every number of the Baptist Magazine from the very first to that of January last. She found great comfort in reading, and she used to speak of her books as "dear dumb companions, silent friends." She once told me that she had no business in this world; that her dear ones were gone before; and that she longed to be with them. "But," she said, "while on my journey I must be content, though often tempted to pray,"

"Fly swiftly around ye wheels of time,
And bring the welcome day."

Mrs. Edmunds found much consolation in many hymns, especially in that of Ryland, "O Lord! I would delight in thee, &c." The death of Mrs. Edmunds was calm and painless-a gentle wafting into life. On the day of the funeral, the Rev. James Richards offered a very appropriate prayer at the house, and the Rev. T. Thomas preached at Llysfaen, where the whole of the Edmunds' family are gathered together; and wait for the resurrection of the just. In the death of Mrs. Edmunds the poor have sustained a great loss, and all religious institutions have been deprived of a faithful supporter. May the gracious head of the church add many of like character to Mrs. Edmunds, to his people in our days.

T. L.

!

The following donations to the Special Fund of £10,000 have already been paid or promised: some of them are payable by instalments.

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each Chapel)

Rev. W. A. Blake.

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Subscriptions marked thus (*) are given specially for the four Metropolitan Chapels to be erected by Sir S. Morton Peto, Bart., M.P., and Lady Peto.

METROPOLITAN CHAPEL BUILDING.

To provide the necessary accommodation for Religious Worship of the rapidly-increasing population of the Metropolis, is now become the anxious work of every Denomination of Christians, and in which there is ample scope for all to take their part.

The noble liberality of Sir S. MORTON PETO, Bart., M.P., and LADY PETO in the erection of Bloomsbury Chapel and of the Regent's Park Chapel, and the Christian zeal which have been so abundantly blessed

in both cases have been the cause of gratitude and praise in many hearts. Not satisfied, however, with the past, our excellent friends have recently erected another Chapel in Cornwall Road, Notting Hill, capable of accommodating 1,000 worshippers, with School-rooms and Vestries complete, at a cost of £3,500, which is now opened under the ministry of the Rev. JAMES A. SPURGEON. They further propose to erect three additional Chapels in the suburbs of London, and to put the four in trust for the respective churches which may be gathered in them, provided that one-half their cost is advanced on loan by THE BAPTIST BUILDING FUND. The amount would be lent on the usual terms of the Fund, viz., to be repaid by the respective congregations, by instalments, in ten years, without interest: thus enabling them ultimately to defray one-half the cost of their Chapels, and further creating a fund which would be ever circulating in aid of similar enterprizes.

The Committee of the BAPTIST BUILDING FUND, who had previously been engaged in raising a Fund of £10,000, to assist in the erection of Chapels in the Metropolis and other populous places, are most anxious to adopt, as part of their scheme, a proposition which so entirely accords with their own views; and they now make this appeal to the Christian Public for Special Contributions to enable them to accept this noble challenge of Sir Morton and Lady Peto.

They trust that those friends who have been postponing their contributions to the Special Fund will be stirred up by such generous examples to prompt and liberal gifts-whilst others, who have already subscribed to it, may probably be induced to repeat or increase their donations. They appeal, too, with confidence to their honoured brethren, the Pastors and Deacons of the Churches, for their aid by means of Congregational Collections, which would be a most appropriate mode of meeting this liberal offer, affording thereby a means to thousands of expressing their sympathy with such a cause, and with the work of a Christian gentleman and lady, who are ever foremost to render their aid in the erection of Sanctuaries for the Churches of Christ.

Subscriptions, which may be spread over Three or Five years if preferred, will be thankfully received at the Mission House, No. 33, Moorgate Street, London; or by any of the Officers or Committee.

Signed on behalf of the Committee of the BAPTIST BUILDING FUND, JOSEPH H. ALLEN, Treasurer. JAMES BENHAM, Honorary

ALFRED T. BOWSER, J Secretaries.

33, MOORGATE STREET, LONDON, October, 1863.

This appeal is very strongly recommended by the following Ministers:—

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THE MISSIONARY HERALD

OUR FINANCES.

In our last number the amount of the probable deficiency in the Society's income on the 31st March, was again set forth, and some of the causes producing it were specified. Our friends were once more warned, that unless the income be raised, at least, to that of 1862, some of the Missionaries must be recalled!

We cannot let the present number of the Herald go to press without again adverting to this subject. It is one of vital importance, and must not be allowed to go to sleep! Indeed, we rejoice to know that the Churches, with their pastors and deacons, would not let it go to sleep even if the Committee and officers were so disposed. But none are so disposed; the facts to which we beg to call attention, will, we doubt not, enkindle fresh zeal, and sustain the hope and courage of those who are really in earnest, and already at work.

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First of all, it is most gratifying to note the unanimity of feeling pervading all the communications we have received. They say, most emphatically, don't think of recalling a single missionary until every effort has been exhausted to raise the income to the required amount. project rarely fails when those who are engaged in it are of one mind; and especially when they are looking up to God for His blessing while using all the means at their command. In the face of this union of sentiment and action, one half of the difficulty vanishes away.

It is also most pleasant to observe how little disposition there is to censure the Executive, or to expend time and energy in useless endeavours to fasten blame on the Committee. At a meeting which took place not long ago, on some expressions of dissatisfaction being uttered, one of our elder brethen quoted the old proverb, "when poverty comes in at the door, love flies out at the window," and no more was said. In fact the crisis has been looked at in a generous spirit. It is believed that the deficiency in the income has arisen from causes over which the Committee had no control; and that the excess of expenditure over previous years has resulted, partly from the urgent appeals made to the Committee by zealous friends to enlarge the Mission, and partly from that spirit of holy enterprise which is natural to such a work.

From some of the communications we have received, and from various remarks we have heard, it would seem as if our younger friends thought the present financial difficulty a new thing-a calamity, the like of which had never occurred before! We are not much surprised at this. many years past the income has met the expenditure. The finances have

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presented no difficulty. There has been no debt worth mentioning Hence, the prospect of a large deficit in March has caused the deepest concern, and excited in some minds, feelings approaching to alarm.

Let us however, "take heart of grace," and look back a little, and we shall find that "no strange thing has happened to us." Twelve years ago the Society was actually in debt nearly £6000. It was paid in a comparatively short time, and without any very special appeal, and the last £1200 thereof was extinguished by our honoured Treasurer. Besides those eventful times referred to by the Committee in their statement to the meeting convened at the Mission House, we well remember the state of affairs in 1841, when the Rev. J. Dyer died. The Central and General Committees were both summoned. They came from all parts of the kingdom, and continued in prayer and council for three days. One of the first things which the Secretary reported to them was, the probability of the expenditure reaching £24,000, while the income was estimated at £18,000 or £19,000, and it was then resolved that a permanent income of £25,000 was required to carry on the operations of the Society. A sub-committee was appointed to take the matter in hand, who recommended the appointment of a travelling agent, and the adoption of certain measures not unlike those which are now being employed for a similar purpose. Yet in January 1842, it was reported that the receipts were only £14,957, being £6,647 less than those for the corresponding period of the previous year! Yet they recalled no missionary. The next account showed a debt of £4,000. But this, and that of the year following, were both swept away by a grant of £7,500 from the Jubilee Fund!

But why do we advert to these things? Not, surely, to diminish zeal, or repress liberality; but to remove some false impressions, and to encourage all our friends in the efforts they are making. For when a people put their hands to a great work, the knowledge that difficulties similar to those which they are encountering, have been met and conquered before, and by fewer hands, and with less means at their command, is an incentive to exertion of no mean power. They feel that what has been done once, may be done again.

Some of our friends have been at work, and the good effects are already seen. The cloud is not so dark as it was last month. The probable deficit, owing to these exertions, is less than it was then, and so much less, as to justify the hope that a large portion will be supplied if these efforts are continued.

The Yorkshire Churches took the lead in right good earnest, and they are going on with the work. The meeting held in Huddersfield was numerously attended, and the mode of action settled. They appointed the Rev. T. Pottenger, Secretary, and in his last letter dated Dec. 10, he says, "Our Committee met in Leeds yesterday. Answers have been received from most of the Churches, and there is a general disposition to help the Mission. Contributions have been sent from several of the small and poor Churches." After stating what arrangements are made for Horsforth, Lockwood, Bradford, Hebden Bridge, Halifax, Leeds, Farsely, Sheffield, and Huddersfield, he observes, "the Churches are very deficient in systematic efforts to collect small sums, and I am sure that we have here a real mine yet unexplored." We are confident that this last remark applies very widely, and we hope Mr. Pottenger will endeavour

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