THE HARBINGER.

JULY, 1857.

MEMOIR OF MRS. PHILLIPS, OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS.

The subject of the following brief sketch was a member of our chapel in that interesting watering place, with which she had been connected from childhood till death. Mrs. Phillips was born of pious parents 23rd July, 1791, by whom she was brought up "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." She died 6th April, 1857.

Mrs. Phillips was one of the first of the scholars in the Sabbath school, and such was her love of learning and so retentive was her memory, that not satisfied with the portion set her, she usually doubled the quantity, and received many prizes for diligence and success.

If sufficient space could be given we might have supplied a number of interesting extracts from a diary that has been found since her death; but we must content ourselves with general observations, only confirming them by brief references to her own recorded experience. The diary contains notices of all the most remarkable events that occurred in her family or family connections: such as the deaths of relations and friends,—the entrance of her childreu into business, and their subsequent movements, -the sermons she heard preached, and with all these are suitable reflections or records of the state of mind produced by them.

Mrs. Phillips ascribes her change of heart to the blessing of God accompanying a sermon preached at the Countess's chapel by the Rev. Mr. Wardle, from Jer. viii. 11. "For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace." The profit she subsequently derived from the preaching of this servant of God will be apprehended from the following extract.

March 1, 1812. Heard Mr. Wardle from xxii. Rev. 9, and again in the evening from ii. Hebrews 10. I can say, dear Lord, without deceiving myself, that the word of grace preached by thy dear servant, Mr. Wardle, has been abundantly blest to me, in 1810, as a soul quickening word and now as a soul comforting word. I trust I can say, "My Jesus has done all things well." O Lord, give me more faith, and enable me to say, "Thy will be done;" and as I have now parted with thy dear servant, grant that I may find Jesus to be my never failing portion may I be

enabled to live more upon him, and less to the world and if I am never permitted to meet thy servant again in this world, I trust, through grace, to meet him at thy right hand in glory, where we shall never part more, but sing the wonders of redeeming love through the countless ages of eternity. Seriously impress my mind with the advice thy servant has given me may I be enabled to live closer to God in private, and fear sin as sin, and aspire after holiness, because without it no man shall see the Lord.

March 4, 1812. Mr. Wardle left the Wells. May the Lord's presence be with him in an especial manner, and enable him to speak faithfully on the ensuing day.

The following extracts pertain to her birth days, from which it will be seen that she was not unmindful of the Lord's goodness to her year by year.

July 23rd. What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me, in again sparing me to another birth-day? I will praise the Lord for all his goodness and mercy that have followed me all my days, and say, Having obtained help of God, I continue to this day, and again I can set to my seal, that He is true; and feel thankful for the measure of health I now have.

July 23. I am this day 42 years of age. Oh, the sparing goodness of the Lord to me! I have been a transgressor from the womb. I have received unnumbered mercies from the Lord, and can testify to his praise, that not one good thing has failed me of all he has promised. Goodness and mercy have followed me all my days.

July 23. Oh, what cause for gratitude, that such a sinful worm as I am should be spared another year! Not unto me, O Lord, but unto thee be all the praise; for if I had been left to myself, I should have forsaken the fountain of living water. I have cause to be humbled for all my many sins, but it is my unspeakable mercy, that Jesus is the Friend of sinners, and his blood cleanseth from all sin. I must again raise my Ebenezer, and say, Hitherto the Lord has helped me. May I be enabled to live the remainder of my days to his praise.

The following estimate of Mrs. Phillips is supplied by her husband, who survives her.

"As a daughter she was dutiful and affectionate, and I believe never caused grief to her parents. As a sister, she was fond, peaceful and kind, and studied to promote the happiness of her brothers and sisters, As a wife she was always attentive to the comfort of the partner of her joys and sorrows. As a mother she was very affectionate to her children both in infancy, and in after life. Often have I seen her, with her infant in her arms, looking at it with the deepest maternal solicitude, drop the tear of love, accompanied by a mother's kiss, saying, Oh, my precious babe, you have an immortal soul which must live to all eternity. Oh that God may make you a child of his. These heartfelt prayers have, I trust, been answered in the experience of all her children. Some have been removed hence, others by doing or suffering are still glorifying God on the earth, and I hope we shall eventually be a whole family in heaven."

Of the children who survive her one is a preacher of the gospel in

England, after having laboured for fifteen years in India as a Missionary; and another is an active travelling agent of the London City Mission. The mother and the christian are alike manifested in the following extracts from her diary. June 4, 1839. The long expected time has arrived at last, when I am called to part with my beloved child Thomas and his partner. In the midst of many prayers and tears I was enabled to give him up to spend his life in the service of his dear Lord in a heathen land; and I trust I can say, though I mourn I do not repine. No, the way appears so plain, that I dare not confer with flesh and blood; but say, "It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good." I trust I feel the Lord's supporting hand. In all probability, I shall see his face no more, and I have no doubt but that I shall meet him in glory. I hope he will be the instrument in the Lord's hands of the conversion of many of the benighted heathen. May the Lord preserve him and his dear partner in their voyage, and grant them strength to bear the climate, and support them amidst all the trials and privations to which they will be exposed, and make them great blessings to each other, willing to spend and be spent for the glory of God and the good of souls. I desire to commend him to the covenant care of a covenant God, who hath said, "Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world.”

But the affections of her heart, and the deep concern she felt for the soul's salvation of her children, were shown at the untimely death of her son William, who was drowned while bathing on a Sabbath-day. In a paper found since her death, she thus writes of that calamitous event, on the day in which it happened. May all sons of pious parents, and of others, take warning! Ponder these words of a mother!

July 25, 1852. A day of mourning, lamentation, and woe. I tremble to record it; may the good Lord support me. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" Although he has taken away the desire of mine eyes with a stroke, who was drowned while bathing on the Sabbath-day. He swam out of his depth, when it is supposed, that through exhaustion and fear he sank to rise no more. It was nearly five hours before he was found. When he was dragged out of the water, he was taken to the Royal Oak public house, in a van, accompanied by his dear father, who had been at the water side, anxiously watching nearly all the time, and whose pathetic exclamation was, "Would to God that I had died for thee my son, my dear son, William!" Oh, the goodness of God to us in preserving our reason! The anguish I first endured lest his precious soul was lost is indescribable! But is any thing too hard for the Lord ? He might have put up a prayer to Christ to save and pardon him, when he found himself sinking, and like the thief on the cross, be saved in the last moment of his life. May the great day of judgment reveal it :—but who can bear the thought of an eternal separation? Yet, there is a small gleam of hope in the many agonizing prayers we have offered up for his conversion.

On the following Tuesday, after the inquest, the precious remains of my dear child were brought home. When I saw it, my heart was well nigh broken.

No

As a Christian she was uniformly consistent; she lived very near to God in private. Often when I have gone into her bed room, not knowing she was there, I have found her on her knees with her bible open on the bed engaged in meditation and prayer. One year especially I remember she seemed to live in the very atmosphere of heaven from day to day, singing the praises of God, and experimentally proving that "to be spiritually minded is life and peace.' At other times she was greatly depressed. As a hearer of the gospel she was constant and punctual. thing could induce her to leave her place of worship, for it was her spiritual home, and she always endeavoured to be in time, knowing how dis couraging it is to a minister to see his hearers come in late, or to miss them altogether.* As a member of the church, she highly respected her minister, and loved her fellow members, and always rejoiced to hear of additions. From a child she was strongly attached to the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion, and preferred its form of worship and discipline.

Mrs. Phillips proved her attachment and her zeal in behalf of our Sierra Leone Mission; for which she collected until within a few weeks of her death. To this she added efforts for the London City Mission. Her son from India bears witness that from the time she became so much interested in our Missionary operations her letters gave evidence of greater happiness in religion, and a more earnest zeal for God. The last year of her life was one of great tribulation. Sorrows of the past now wrought their effects, and she suffered even to derangement of mind. In this state she continued until within a few hours of her departure, when she became quiet, and at the last hour was seen to clasp her hands in prayer while with her lips she faintly uttered the words "Glory, glory," and then breathed her last. The conflict was now over, and she passed away to

join the church above.

Things New and Old.

WEEDS AND BAD HABITS.

The Scotchman's little paper of seeds was sufficient to overrun an island as large as England with the noxious weeds. So the little mischievous seed a man sows in his heart will bear a crop of weeds out of all proportion to the original germ.

Weeds and bad habits mature without cultivation, for both are lusty and strong -not apt to be nipt by early or late frosts, or scorched by fiery suns, and the last thing to be drowned out in a flood or dried up in a drought. Give them a foothold in the soil and the smallest possible chance of life, they will take care of themselves.

Whatever is valuable must be reared with more or less of care and labour; but these natural and moral pests ask only to be let alone. Neglect is the only care they require.-Do nothing and you do all they ask. No toil is required to rear a crop of weeds, they eat up the goodness of the soil and deprive those plants which are valuable of their proportion of nourishment. If they are suffered to remain long in the ground, they become very difficult to exterminate. would eradicate a noxious plant you must take it in hand at an early stage. If you wait till its seeds are wafted to every corner of the field and its roots have spread deep and wide, it will mock your efforts to master it. You may cut it down or pluck it up; you may burn it or bury it; you may fight it manfully

If you

*Our friend might have added, how displeasing late coming must be to God. If in time for the sermon why not for prayer?