To Mr. William Walton, Wakefield.

Hull, April 29th, 1815. DEAR SIR,-Yours I received with pleasure, and would have written by Mr. Wood, but that I had no time. I perused the copy of poor

-'s letter with thankful feelings to that God who willeth not the death of a sinner. There seems no doubt of his having died as we could wish him to die. How mysterious are the ways of Him who cannot err! Your anxieties and kind endeavours to save his life were frustrated;-perhaps mercifully frustrated; for had he lived, he might have gone on still in his trespasses. The body was given to death, that the spirit might be quickened and saved. You have nevertheless the pleasure of reflecting that you "did what you could." The event was the Lord's; and he, in this, as in every case, "hath done all things well.” Mr. Thompson has been, and still remains ill; when he is better, I will show him the letter, and he will rejoice with us.

It is Saturday night; and to-morrow is the Sabbath of the Lord. I must therefore apply to my preparations; not forgetting, however, when I bow before the throne, old friends and old enjoyments. I often think with pleasure on our Saturday night prayer meetings at Wakefield.— To-morrow morning early I perform the melancholy duty of laying the first corpse in the vaults of our new chapel; a respectable member of our society, who was with us at the missionary meeting, and all the services connected with it, in the same chapel. So precarious is life; so soon may our Master call! May we be found ready, at our post, and in our work; and what then is death?

'Tis life's last shore,

Where vanities are vain no more;
Where all pursuits their goal obtain,
And life is all retouch'd again ;

Where in their bright results shall rise,

Thoughts, virtues, friendships, griefs, and joys."

Please present my affectionate remembrances to your respected family, the preachers, and all friends.

I am yours very affectionately.

At the conference of 1815 Mr. Watson was returned a second year to Hull; and his colleagues were the Rev. Messrs. Isaac Turton, William Naylor, and Henry S. Hopwood. They laboured together in harmony and love, and had the high gratification of seeing the work of God in a state of growing prosperity through the circuit.— The following account of this part of Mr. Watson's life has been kindly supplied by Mr. Naylor :

"I had the honour and happiness of being appointed to labour with him in the Hull circuit, and as our residences were near each other, our intercourse was frequent and free; and in regard to myself it was truly profitable. It was our custom, with our colleagues, to spend one forenoon in the week in discussing some selected subject in divinity, when his richly-stored mind would unfold and illustrate the important doctrines of the Gospel to our edification; and frequently we knew not which to admire most, the luminous statements which he made, or the humility with which they were given,-the teacher generally personating the earnest inquirer.

"In Hull he was greatly esteemed by the pious of all denominations, who availed themselves of the opportunity of attending his ministry; and his powerful and evangelical discourses were not merely admired, but felt, and rendered specially useful. I have frequently thought that, as a preacher, he never surpassed what he was in those days. His sermons were closely studied; and having then greater bodily vigour than he possessed in the latter years of his life, they were delivered with an energy which increased the interest they were so well calculated to produce. His labours were not in vain in the Lord. Not only were believers comforted and edified, but sinners were convinced of their guilty, depraved, and miserable condition, and effectually turned to God, under his ministry. My surprise was, that their number was not greater. When I have heard his convincing statements concerning the evil and fearful consequences of sin; his powerful appeals to the conscience; and his encouraging addresses to the penitent, to draw near to God through the mediation of Jesus Christ; I have thought that we should surely hear of many con

versions.

"There is reason to believe that the disease which terminated his life existed, if it had not its commencement, during his residence in the Hull circuit. He complained of a pain in his side. This was so severe, that he could not bear the exercise of riding on horseback, which was our usual mode of conveyance to the distant places in the circuit. He was exceedingly punctual in attending his appointments; and therefore performed many long journeys on foot, even in the middle of winter, and upon very indifferent roads; for he could not endure the thought of a Methodist preacher neglecting a congregation, when he was expected; and he felt very keenly if any one supposed him capable of doing so from indifference."

While in the Hull circuit Mr. Watson narrowly escaped with his life in one of his pedestrian journeys into the country. For several years the preachers had been in the habit of visiting Marfleet on the week-day evenings;-a small village in Holderness, on the banks of the Humber, where they had a society and congregation. The road to this place being then circuitous, foot passengers were accustomed to shorten the distance, by walking across the fields, which are surrounded by deep drains; and over these some narrow planks formed the only bridges. When returning from this place one stormy winter's night, Mr. Watson missed the path, and wandered about for some hours, exposed to the storm, and in no small danger of perishing in the drains, which were then filled with water. As the night advanced his family and friends became alarmed; and Mr. John Thompson, at whose house he was expected to sup on his way home, set out with a lantern in quest of him. Mr. Watson, in a state of great exhaustion, saw the light approach; and believing it to be the sign of his deliverance, sent in answer to his prayer, stood still till he was able to hail its friendly bearer, who was overjoyed to find that he was the honoured means of saving so valuable a life. Mr. Watson, who was completely bewildered when Mr. Thompson appeared, always regarded this deliverance as the result of a providential interposition.

CHAPTER IX.

Mr. Watson visits London to assist at a Missionary Anniversary-His Sermon in the City-Road Chapel-Missionary Anniversary at Hull-Extract from the Report-False Alarm-Difficulty in preparing for the Pulpit-Mr. Watson's Removal to London-Appointed one of the General Secretaries to the Wesleyan Missions Manner in which he discharged his official Duties-Letter to Mr. Edmondson-Letter to Dr. Ellis-Letters to Mr. Garbutt-Extracts from the General Missionary Report for the Year 1816.

Ar this time Mr. Watson's fame as a preacher, and especially a preacher on public occasions, was circulated far and wide; and his services, as an advocate of Christian missions, were in general and urgent demand. The friends in London applied for his assistance at the anniversary of their district society in the spring of 1816; and, in compliance with their request, he preached in the City-Road chapel on the morning of the 25th of April. The Rev. William Jones, the editor of the New Evangelical Magazine,* who had been acquainted with Mr. Watson in Liverpool, had given so high a character of him, as to induce the attendance of a large number of dissenting ministers; and as the missionary anniversary was held during the sitting of the annual district meeting, when the Methodist preachers belonging to all the neighbouring circuits were present, nearly the whole of the front gallery was occupied by ministers. Mr. Watson felt the importance of the occasion, and experienced no ordinary degree of trepidation in contemplating the task which was allotted him. He paced the vestry of the chapel in a state of considerable agitation; and when he was informed that the time for commencing the service had arrived, he said, with an expression of strong emotion, "Seasons of this kind require strong nerves, and great assistance from above." That assistance he ultimately received in an eminent degree; although he was so affected that he partly lost the recollection of the topics which he intended to serve as an introduction to his discourse. The sermon was founded upon 1 Cor. xv, 25, “He must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet." The subject was the mediatorial government of Christ, viewed especially in connection with the universal spread and establishment of Christianity in the world; and the sermon altogether was one of his happiest and most successful efforts. It is scarcely possible to conceive of argumentation more lucid and powerful, sentiments more sublime and impressive, imagery more beautiful and varied, and diction more rich and appropriate, than those which characterized this wonderful discourse. As he overcame his embarrassment, and entered into the subject, his own heart became deeply impressed with its truth and momentous results; his countenance expanded; and the effect upon the congregation was irresistible. Much had been expected from him ;

* A correspondent in Hull had said, in one of his communications, “We have now an admirable preacher here, of the Methodist persuasion, a Mr. Watson, very deservedly popular. The new chapel in which he officiates is supposed to be the handsomest in the kingdom, not even excepting your chapels in the metropolis." To this Mr. Jones added, "The editor can from his own personal knowledge, fully subscribe to this verdict on the talents of Mr. Watson. He ranks among the ablest preachers in the kingdom."

"Yet when at length the clear and mellow base
Of his deep voice brake forth, and he let fall
His chosen words like flakes of feather'd snow ;"

and when every successive topic which he introduced rose in interest and grandeur; a breathless silence pervaded the whole assembly; the people seemed to be all but their attention dead; the powers of the preacher were forgotten in the magnitude and sublimity of the theme and when the protracted service concluded, every one seemed to feel as the parent of mankind felt when he had been listening with amazed and delightful attention to the strains of angelic eloquence, describing the creation of the universe by the almighty Son of God:

"The angel ended, and in Adam's ear

So charming left his voice, that he awhile

Thought him still speaking, still stood fix'd to hear."

One peculiarity attended all Mr. Watson's occasional sermons, as well as his ordinary ministry,-admiration of the preacher was only a very subordinate feeling among his hearers. Every one, of course, was impressed with the greatness of his talents and genius; but, excepting the merely sentimental hearers, who were equally deficient in piety and in sound judgment, and whose attention was directed to nothing but figures of speech, the congregations were so much affected with the subjects which he brought before them, as to be almost incapable of thinking of any thing else. These were exhibited in a light so impressive, and their practical bearing was so distinctly and forcibly urged, that the devout part of his hearers especially were deeply humbled under a sense of their deficiencies and neglects, and retired from the house of God lamenting their past indifference, resolving to be more faithful for the time to come, and retiring into secret to ask pardoning mercy from God, and grace to enable them to fulfil their numerous obligations.

Mr. Watson declined to publish the sermon which he preached in the City-Road chapel; and no outline of it was found among his papers after his decease. The following account of it, and of the occasion on which it was delivered, was given by Mr. Jones in the periodical work which has just been mentioned ::-"The whole of the discourse was strikingly appropriate to the cause of missions; and the preacher never for a moment lost sight of the important object of the meeting. As this sermon, according to our judgment, possessed no ordinary degree of excellence, it would afford us pleasure to present our readers with something like an epitome of it, but the very attempt disheartens us. We feel how much injustice we should unavoidably do to the preacher, while we should be as far from satisfying ourselves. Those who would form any just estimate of Mr. Watson's pulpit talents must hear him for themselves. His popularity, unlike that of many of the present day, is not founded upon the ignorance of his followers. It is not the gracefulness of his action, the modulations of his voice, nor the harmony of his periods alone, that arrest the attention of his hearers, and make them listen to him with delight. In none of these, indeed, is Mr. Watson deficient; but he possesses other pulpit excellences of a still higher order, which may be truly said to lay the basis of a solid popularity, and which confer upon the former a kind of crowning effect. These are a discriminating judgment, an understanding highly culti

vated, an intimate acquaintance with the sacred writings, enlarged and liberal views of things, and a happy facility of communicating his ideas to others. Mr. Watson is not a dull declaimer; there is nothing of pedantry about him; he disdains 'to amuse the skittish fancy with facetious tales.' He can, it is true, be plain and familiar, where plainness and familiarity are proper; but he can also soar to the heights of sublimity. His mind is richly stored with sentiment; and few men possess a happier talent at conveying that sentiment to others. It is some years since we had heard Mr. Watson preach; but though we looked for great things from him, we frankly own that he has surpassed our expectations. We were glad to find that the interval of half a dozen years had contributed toward maturing his judgment, and perfecting his qualifications as a preacher; so that we found ourselves fully justified in the favourable testimony which we lately gave of Mr. Watson. We observed several of the London ministers, of different denominations, present on this occasion; probably induced to it by what we said of the preacher; and, if we might be allowed to draw any conclusion from the expressions of marked satisfaction which they evinced in their whole behaviour, we should say that they were not disappointed. Entertaining, as we do, but little doubt that the committee for managing the concerns of the mission will prevail on Mr. Watson to publish his sermon, we are indeed the less solicitous at present about giving any report of its contents; but it may gratify the impatient curiosity of some of our readers to be furnished with the mere outline of this admirable sermon. Some pertinent and striking observations on the nature of the Christian dispensation,-its prophetic character, and the profound and intimate acquaintance which the Apostle Paul had with it in all its ramifications, introduced the discussion of the text; to illustrate which, the preacher proposed the consideration of three particulars; the enemies' which Christ will ultimately subdue,-the nature of that dispensation which is termed his 'reign, and the certainty of his eventual success.

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"The enemies of Christ, Mr. Watson justly remarked, are all of them the enemies of the happiness of man; and these he classed under the following subdivisions:-Satan and his angels,-sin,-false religions, under every form and shape, and all civil governments that set themselves in opposition to the interests of his kingdom, by persecuting his people, and endeavouring to check the progress of his Gospel in the world. After illustrating each of these particulars, he proceeded to delineate the characteristic properties of Christ's reign, which he judiciously distinguished from his providential government of the world; remarking, that it was an administration conferred upon him by God the Father, in consequence of his having finished the work of redemption, and in virtue of which all power was given unto him, both in heaven and on earth,' agreeably to Matthew xxviii, 18. He therefore considered it under the threefold view of a reign of mercy,-a reign of vengeance, and a reign which does not supercede the freedom of the human will.* The discussion of these topics brought the preacher to

*The expression used by Mr. Jones is, "a reign of moral suasion;" but Mr. Watson remarked to the writer of this narrative, when he read this account of his sermon, that "moral suasion" was a phrase which he had never used in the pulpit in the whole course of his life.