and could not tell what might happen." Under these impressions he gave directions as to the disposition of his temporal affairs, in case he should be taken away. He possessed some means, and in the prospect of death, he remembered the cause of missions. He also made known his wishes in regard to his funeral. A short time after the above conversation, he was taken down with what was believed to be the small-pox, and died at his residence at North Hudson, Essex county, N. Y., October 19, 1850.

The circumstances attendant upon his latter end, were in some respects of a melancholy character. Remote from his brethren in the ministry, he was cut off from their presence and sympathy; and the apprehensions indulged by his neighbors of the danger of contact with that dreadful disease, doomed Mr. Lyon to suffer and die unattended, except by his own family, and perhaps two or three friends. But he died where every man of God would wish to die-at his post.

Mr. Lyon made no pretensions to being a learned or great man; he had been a plain common-sense farmer; and entered upon the work of calling sinners to repentance rather late in life. He was a very pious, lovely. spirited man. His heart was formed for sympathy and friendship. Meekness was a distinctive trait in his character. Under great provocation he has been observed to breathe nothing but kindness; returning good for evil. His genuine humility was apparent to all who knew him, without any effort on his part to make it manifest. He was habitually cheerful and happy. These qualities rendered him exceedingly agreeable in his social intercourse. It might well be said, in the technical language of our annual Conference, "There is nothing against brother Lyon." Few men, of the same talents, accomplish as much for the cause of God

as did Chester Lyon. He was an excellent singer, and sung much, not as an amusement, merely, but with melody in his heart unto the Lord. He loved to sing, and pray, and shout, which he often did with unaffected simplicity, and a joyful soul.

He died as he lived, shouting the praises of God, and exhorting those around him to prepare for the world to come, and doubtless was conveyed by angels from his lonely cottage in the wilderness, to those celestial mansions prepared for the redeemed on high.

Some such men as Mr. Lyon will shine with a far greater lustre in the firmament of the upper heavens, than many who have outshone them on earth.

REV. HENRY EAMES.

"Your fathers, where are they?

And the prophets, do they live forever?"

Mr. Henry Eames, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in the western part of Ireland. He was converted to God when about twenty years of age, through the instrumentality of the Rev. John Wesley, and was received by him into the Methodist society. He emigrated to this country in 1769, only three years subsequent to the formation of the first Methodist society in America, of which he became a member in the city of New York, while Mr. Phillip Embury was still there. Two letters received by Mr. Eames from his spiritual father, the last of which was written less than two years previous to Mr. Wesley's death, may be found in Wesley's Works, vol. vii, p. 99.

Mr. Eames subsequently removed to the town of

Bedford, Westchester county, N. Y., where he died in holy triumph, in 1821.

23,

Rev. Henry Eames was born at Bedford, N. Y., June 1774. He was awakened and led to seek the mercy of God, when about thirteen years of age, by means of an alarming dream, in which the world of woe was represented in awful colors to his mind, His distress under the discoveries of God's wrath, was great; but when he was enabled to believe in Christ, the witness of his acceptance was clear, and his joy was full. He at once united with the church, and became, it is believed, at an early period of his Christian career, a witness of perfect love.

In 1800, being then twenty-six years of age, he was received on trial in the New York Conference, in the same class with Samuel Merwin, William Anson, Jacob Gruber, Henry Ryan, and others-men who bore manfully the burden, in the heat of the day that tried men's souls; and who, with the subject of our sketch, now rest together in Abraham's bosom.

The following account of his labors and departure to the spirit land, is from the pen of his son, Rev. Joseph Eames, of the Troy Conference.

"My father's first circuit was Chesterfield, Conn. In 1801, he was appointed to Tolland; 1802 admitted to full connection, ordained deacon, and sent to Athens; each of those charges was in the New London district; 1803, Brandon, Vt. In May, 1804, he married Miss Lydia Harris, of Lisbon, Conn., one who was every way fitted to be a help-meet for him in the great work. The same spring he was ordained elder, and appointed to Long Island, where he remained two years: that was then a six weeks' circuit, including the whole Island, with the exception of Brooklyn. I have often heardhim say, that those two years were seasons of great

prosperity, and during that time more than four hundred were added to the church. In 1806 he was removed about four hundred miles, to Dunham and Fletcher cir cuit, which extended into Lower Canada. He continued there six months, when a change was effected between him and the Rev. N. Gage, and he spent the remainder of the year on Cambridge circuit. He was appointed in 1807, to Lebanon, N. Y.; 1808, Litchfield, Conn.; 1809, Courtlandt, N. Y.; 1810 and 1811, New Rochelle; 1812, Croton. It was in August, of this year, that my dear mother departed this life, in holy triumph, leaving four little children, of whom I was the eldest. Although I was only in my seventh year, I well remember standing by her dying bed, and receiving her last blessing. In 1813, he was appointed to Redding; and 1814 and 1815, Stratford, Conn. In the spring of 1816 he was married again, to Miss Louisa Robinson, of Danbury, Conn., who still survives him. That year and the following, he traveled Chatham circuit; 1818, Rhinebeck; 1819 and 1820, Durham, Conn.; 1821, Jefferson, with the Rev. J. Bangs. This was a year of great spiritual prosperity, several hundred were added to the church; 1822 and 1823, Bern, with D, Lewis; 1824 and 1825, Montgomery; 1826 and 1827, Cambridge; 1828, Petersburgh, 1829 and 1830, Pittstown. At the conference of 1831, his relation was changed to supernumerary, and in 1835 to superannuated, which he continued to sustain till his death. For many years he had been subject to a chronic diarrhoea. This, with other complaints incident to declining years, gradually wore him out; however, he continued to preach, as long as he consistently could. Although his natural and acquired abilities were quite inferior to many of the brethren in the ministry, yet his labors were owned and blessed of the Lord to the conversion and salvation of many souls. He was esteemed

as a good man, and full of faith and the Holy Ghost. His latter years were years of bodily suffering; but I have heard it said, by those who were with him, that he was meek and quiet as a lamb, never complaining or repining in the least. The closing scenes are thus described by my brother: On Wednesday evening preceding his death, he had a struggle, and shook violently, the sweat standing upon him in large drops. They supposed he was then struck with death, but he revived for a short time; when he came to, he said he thought the house was on fire, and that he went up in the flames to heaven, where he was permitted to see the glories of that place, and the faithful who had arrived there. His sky was clear to the last. One of his dying expressions was, 'All is well!' He gradually sunk away, until he slept in death, on Saturday, September 6, 1851."

Such is the faithful but very scanty record, of one who did effective service in the work of the ministry, for an unbroken series of thirty-one years. But the reader may ask, did no interesting and instructive events occur, in the history of all these years, worthy of record? Yes; privations were endured, conflicts passed, deliverances wrought out, and victories achieved. Scenes of thrilling interest in connection with the early struggles of Methodism, and the progress of the work of God, in which father Eames was an actor, must have occurred. But, as in other cases, we have to regret that no earthly pen has recorded them; and the few reminiscences here gathered up from the memories of the living, might soon have been irrecoverably lost. May not the recital of these trials and triumphs of the ambassadors of Christ, form a part of the employment and enjoyment of heaven?

Father Eames is represented, by those who knew him long and intimately, as a fair specimen of the old style of