DEATH OF MR. BENSON. The PUBLISHERS of the METHODIST MAGAZINE have the mournful task of announcing to its numerous readers the death of its late venerable EDITOR, the REV. JOSEPH BENSON. For several months his strength had gradually declined; but during the three last weeks of his life, the infirmities of age very rapidly increased upon him, until his constitution, originally more than ordinarily strong, but now exhausted and worn down by his intense application and unremitting labours, sunk under their pressure, and he was reduced to a state of extreme debility. He was still solicitous, however, to attend to his official occupations as long as possible; and nearly the whole of the articles contained in the present number of this work were selected and prepared for the press by himself, or under his direction, as usual, He was only four days confined to his bed; and on Friday, February 16, at nine o'clock in the evening, he entered into the rest which remaineth for the people of God, aged 73.-Know ye not that a prince and a great man is fallen this day in Israel? For a considerable period it had been evident to the family and friends of MR. BENSON, that those Christian graces, in which he had so long been exemplary, were acquiring that peculiar mellowness and maturity, which are so often seen to stand in immediate connexion with the departure of pious persons, and indicate their finished meetness for the inheritance of the saints in light. During his whole affliction his mind was stayed on God, and kept in perfect peace. His weakness was such that he could only seldom and sparingly converse with his most intimate friends; but what he did say afforded satisfactory evidence of the truly evangelical and spiritual frame of his soul. At the close of a life, distinguished by piety towards God and benevolence towards his fellow-creatures, and of a public ministry of more than half a century, honoured by a success not often equalled in modern times, he repeatedly and emphatically expressed his exclusive dependence on the merits and grace of the Divine Redeemer, and “looked for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." Further particulars relative to the life, death, character, and labours of this excellent servant of God will be given to the public in due time. We shall only add, at present, in the language of some of the public journals which announced his dissolution, "He was pre-eminent in learning, piety, and usefulness; and will long live in the grateful and reverential recollections of his friends, and of the body to which he belonged." His mortal remains were interred in the ground adjoining to the City-Road Chapel, London, on Thursday, Feb. 22. The Trustees of that chapel had kindly expressed a wish, that they should be deposited in the same tomb with those of MR. WESLEY, as a token of their high respect for the character of this distinguished preacher and defender of the doctrines so blessedly revived and propagated in our country by the great Founder of Methodism; but his relatives very naturally preferred his own family-grave. About twelve o'olock the corpse was brought into the chapel, and placed before the pulpit, preceded by MR. VASEY, by MR. BUNTING and MR. MARSDEN, as President and Secretary of the Conference for the time being, and by DR. ADAM CLARKE and DR. HAMILTON; and followed by the relatives of the deceased, by twenty-four travelling preachers, by about twenty gentlemen, personal friends of Mr. BENSON,-and by thirty local preachers, twenty stewards, and forty other members of the society, who appeared in mourning-cloaks, as representatives of the bodies to which they respectively belong in the two London circuits, and thus united to testify their esteem aud gratitude towards their former pastor and faithful minister. MR. BUNTING, as the President, was desired to conduct the usual service, both in the chapel and at the grave. Dr. CLARKE delivered an address to the immense concourse of people assembled on the occasion, in the course of which he gave a most honourable testimony to the deceased, as a sound scholar, a powerful and able preacher, and a profound theologian; and MR. MARSDEN engaged in prayer. It is hoped, that the deep and serious interest, universally evinced MISSIONARY INTELLIGENCE. The following excellent Letter, written by Dr. Clarke, and addressed by him, in the Dedication of his Clavis Biblica, to the Committee of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society, shows a train of thinking, and breathes a feeling so much in harmony with the objects of this publication, that we doubt not but it will be read by our Missionary friends with great pleasure. To the Rev. JABEZ BUNTING, M.A. President of the Methodists' Conference for the year 1820; the Rev. Messrs. JOSEPH TAYLOR, RICHARD WATSON, and JOHN BURDSALL, Secretaries; JOSEPH BUTTERWORTH, Esq. M.P. and the Rev. GEORGE MARSDEN, General Treasurers; and all the Gentlemen and Ministers composing the General Committee of the Wesleyan Missionary Society. GENTLEMEN AND BRETHREN, In dedicating this Treatise to you, I feel as if I were contributing a little to the general cause, by endeavouring to strengthen the hands of those who are bearing the heaviest part of the burden, and enduring the greatest intensity of the heat of the day, next to the men who are actually employed in the Foreign Missionary stations, And I am glad to have the opportunity of expressing in some permanent way the deep sense I feel of the great importance of the work in which God has employed you; the piety, prudence, and economy with which you conduct it; and the singular manner in which He has l'essed and prospered your unremitting and arduous endeavours to spread the knowledge of His truth throughout the habitable world. Nothing can be more consistent with the genius and spirit of Methodism, which so uniformly asserts and invincibly proves the love of God to the whole human race, than Missionary exertions. Your great Founder began his unexampled labours in the true spirit of a Missionary, by an attempt to carry the glad tidings of salvation to the VOL. XLIV. MARCH, 1821. savage Indians of North America, before he commenced his ministerial career among his own countrymen, And his companions and successors in the Work have seconded his views, and carried on his plans with daily increasing extension. When I look back, particularly to the year 1786, when the little cloud, small as a human hand, appeared to rise out of the sea, and trace down to the present time its vastly increasing magnitude, and behold it filling the whole heavens, and distilling its fertilizing showers from north to south, from west to east; I cannot but exclaim with gratitude and adoration, What hath God wrought! This Missionary cloud, so small in promise at the beginning, received its direction and increase from God alone: for the great things which have been effected were not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of Hosts. The Missionaries sent out by the Methodists' Conference, under your superintendance, have indeed been most especially owned by Him, who gave the command; "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel tó every creature.” He has accompanied the men who taking up the ark of God faithfully bore it upon their shoulders, unweariedly traversing des sarts where the sun of truth never shone; and with the cloud of His presence He has overshadowed them, when exposed to the sultry and pestilential climes of Asiatic regions; and with His pillar of fire He has defended and warmed them when culti vating the cold, dreary, and inhospitable coasts of Newfoundland. They have gone successfully forth from the shores of Britain even to our Antipos * 2 D * des in New Zealand, taking nothing of the Gentiles, and although comparatively poor making many rich. Amidst all the anxieties, and the pleasing yet arduous duties in which you are engaged, you still learn that wherever your Missionaries proclaim the truths of the Gospel, and plant the standard of the cross, those heavenly doctrines have become, through the Divine influence, light, spirit, and life, to the people. You have already seen the strong man bowing himself before the foolishness of this preaching; the deluded Pagan throw ing his idols to the moles and to the bats; the proud worshippers of Budhoo learning at the feet of Jesus to renounce his former trust; and many among the savage and sanguinary tribes of South Africa and elsewhere ceasing to do evil, and learning to do well. Through these Missionaries, the wilderness has been gladdened, the solitary place has rejoiced, and the desart blossomed as the rose. Thus have ye seen the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of your GOD. Among the poor, oppressed, servile, and wretched progeny of Ham the Wesleyan Missionaries have been eminently successful. In the midnight of their servitude, these outcasts have had the light and liberty of the Gospel proclaimed to them; and, though still fettered in body, they have learned under the doctrine of the cross to bear it patiently, rejoicing in the liberty wherewith Jesus Christ has made them free. Among those hardfated Africans, the labours ol your Missionaries have been successful be. yond any thing I find recorded in the annals of the Christian Church, from the days of the Apostles to the present time. Indeed, whether I turn my eyes to the West or East Indies, to North America, to the burning sands of Africa, or to the confines of Europe, I still behold your labours crowned by the blessing of God with an abundant harvest; and I trace also the advancement of Instruction, Civilization, and Social Order every where accompanying the saving influences of the Gospel. That the contributions of the publie have borne pace with your exertions is to me no subject of wonder. These are the days of the Son of Man. And who, that loves God-that feels his obligation to the FRIEND of sinners— and has a spark of that good will to his perishing fellow-creatures, which the Gospel inculcates and inspires, would not bear a part in a work so holy and glorious! To their credit let it be told, that the Methodist Sucieties and Congregations have offered willingly: so that in times of great trial from general pressure, the abundance of their joy and deep poverty have abounded to the riches of their liberality. For all this I devoutly thank God; for all this I rejoice with you: nor can I doubt that while you are thus piously, diligently, and zealously endeavouring to promote the ingathering of the Gentiles, the hearts, the hands, and the prayers, of your people will be with you; the Great Head of the Church and the Shepherd of the sheep will still continue to crown your la bours, and those of your Missionaries, with increasing success; and will command His blessing out of heaven upon you, even life for evermore. Amen. With ardent prayers for the continued prosperity of the noble Work in which you are engaged, and for the Divine Blessing on all them who encourage it, I am, Gentlemen and Brethren, your humble servant and fellow-labourer, in the kingdom and patience of Jesus, ADAM CLARKE. The following letter from our excellent Brethren, Messrs. Mowat and Hoole, states their safe arrival at Madras, after having providentially escaped the imminent danger which is detailed in their letter. Our friends will join us in thanksgivings to Almighty God for the preservation of our Brethren, and the ship's company, though with the loss of all things. The loss to the society is about 5001. in the outfit of the Missionaries' books, and other articles in the care of the Brethren. Extract of a Letter from Messrs. MOWAT and HOOLE, dated Royapettah, Madras, Sept. 23, 1820. Respected Fathers and Brethren, It is with unfeigned gratitude to the Father of Mercies that we now inform you of our safe arrival in India, and especially considering the peculiar circumstances under which we landed. We had no opportunity of sending letters to England during the voyage; but we have now to state that, after a very pleasant and agreeable voyage, we made the Island of Ceylon, eastward of Point de Galle, on Sunday morning, Sept. 3. Not being able to make the port, as the current and wind were against us, we proceeded to Batticaloe. On the 5th of September, about six P.M. we anchored off the river, and landed Sir Richard Ottley, and Mr. and Mrs. Browning, who were kindly received by Mr. Osborne. On the morning of the 6th, the luggage of the various passengers, together with Messrs. Oswin and Kettle, attendants of Sir Richard, and Adam Munhi Rathana, were landed. It was with considerable regret we parted with our excellent friend Sir Richard; and were alınost ready to envy those missionaries who might be stationed where he resided. We feel it our duty to bear testimony to his very great kindness to us. Our parting with him seemed to terminate the pleasantness of our voyage, and events followed of which we had not the most distant apprehension. But although the visitation of the Almighty was most awful, yet it was not in judgment, but in great mercy. Having weighed our anchor about one o'clock, Sept. 6, the day we landed the passengers and luggage, we steered north along the shore, with a light breeze and fine weather. - At sun-set, the sky bore a squally appearance; and the Captain ordered to shorten sail; and about seven o'clock heavy squalls, with rain and vivid lightnings, far surpassing any thing of the kind we had ever witnessed in England. At half past eight o'clock, while some were taking supper, and others retiring to rest, the vessel was most violently struck with the lightning, and was immediately discovered to be on fire in the main hold. The Captain used every exertion to extinguish the flames; but finding the fire and smoke increasing in all directions, and every appearance of the ship being ou fire in every part, he ordered the boats to be got ready; and, with difficulty, succeeded in hoisting out the yawl, which was stowed in the long boat. We cannot easily describe the confusion and distress which then ensued. The vessel was all on fire below; and sent forth at the hatchways, heat and smoke that were almost suffocating. The darkness of the night, relieved only by flashes of lightning which had already proved fatal to two of our seamen, added greatly to the terror of the scene. The flames had taken hold of the long boat, and it was with difficulty we could make our way over the side of the vessel. A small four-oared boat, which was on the larboard quarter, was lowered, A binnacle, a compass, a tin case, which contained the ship's papers, and a box of dollars, that was in the poop cabin, were all that were saved. An attempt was made to obtain a little fresh water and some bread; but the flames rendered this impossible. Excepting the two sailors who were killed by the lightning, all the ship's company, 48 in number, got into the boats, and were obliged to leave the vessel for the safety of our lives, with only three oars to our two boats, and no rudder to the largest of them. Happily, we secured several pieces of wood with which we made paddles; and also candle sufficient to give us light till day-break. But the death from which we were making our escape still threatened us. For the wind changing several times, together with the force of the current, drifted the vessel after us, and obliged us fre quently to alter our course. Now we felt the advantage of religion, as all earthly refuge seemed to fail. But * 2 D2 * |