It became evident that, as she grew in years, she grew in grace, the knowledge of the truth, and in the esteem of all her christian friends. She soon discovered a desire for learning, and that she might be the better qualified for usefulness, bent her whole strength to the acquisition of secular and religious knowledge. She was immediately employed in the Sunday School, where the kindness of her nature, and her affection for the children endeared her to all.

It became evident from her calmness, good sense, and christian feeling, that she was preparing to take the place of older members of the church who might be removed. She displayed a devotion to the cause and its various interests manifested by few, but worthy the imitation of all. Having, by previous diligence and perseverance, qualified herself for communicating instruction she was, in 1840, appointed the mistress of our day-school. She disinterestedly undertook, for a small salary, this arduous work, in which she faithfully laboured till laid aside by affliction. Her having now but one object to attend to, the school, rendered her more at liberty to lay out herself for general usefulness, which she did, so that let there be to be done whatever there might, she was sure to have part of the labour; so much so, that, if we had in our churches deaconesses, she might have been appointed to that office.

It will be necessary, in order to the completion of our sketch, that we should observe a few of the leading traits in her character. First; her piety was sincere, fervent, and deep toned. No one of her friends ever questioned this; it was above suspicion. It was modest and retiring, like deep water running the stiller. It was seen in her actions, and breathed in her prayers. She thoroughly comprehended the plan of salvation, fully embraced it, and her faith, worked by love, purified the heart. Her love seemed never to falter or relax, but was the same from the beginning to the end of her christian course.

Second; her attendance upon the means of grace was above praise. This was a consequence of her piety. She might be said to dwell in the house of the Lord, for she was always there when its doors were opened, unless prevented by sickness, or attending upon those who were so. This was the case when the word was to be preached, or when prayer was to be offered; when seldom or ever did she refuse to take her part, and endeavour to benefit others by her earnest and comprehensive addresses to the Deity. She never kept away lest she should be called upon to engage in prayer, but was there to be useful to others, as well as to be blessed herself.

She could say what many cannot, that she never went to another place of worship when her own doors were opened, and her own minister preaching in the place.

Third; her attachment to her own church, schools, and denomination was great. She loved to dwell among her own people. She was not tainted with that morbid liberality which leads some to profess the same love for all, and a particular preference for none.

The meetings for the business of the church, and to promote its welfare, always found her there willing to take any part, and perform any reasonable duty that might be assigned her. She never shrank from what she was able to perform. She was not in the habit of saying "I will not, or I cannot." Whether to visit a candidate for fellowship, to attend to a

MEMOIR OF MISS MARY TEMPLE.

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case of discipline, or to collect for an object, she scarcely ever refused. The institutions of the church and connexion always found her among its subscribers, without teasing or frowning. She has further testified her love for these, by leaving in her will sums to each of them in propor tion to her means. To the church at Coningsby for its use, the sum of £19 19s.; to the Sunday-school the sum of £10, together with a book to each teacher and scholar in the school; to the day-school the sum of £19 19s.; to the General Baptist Foreign Mission, the sum of £19 19s; to the General Baptist Lincolnshire Home Mission, the sum of £19 19s.; to the General Baptist College, the sum of £10; to the General Baptist Association Fund, the sum of £10; and the sum of £19 19s., to be divided between five needy and aged General Baptist ministers. These things speak, louder than words, her love and consideration for the objects of her benevolence, and are worthy the imitation of those who have it in their power to go and do likewise.

Fourth; her diligence, punctuality, and perseverance were very commendable. She was not like some who run well and labour hard for a time, and then leave the path, or desert the object. When she had undertaken an object, she diligently pursued it, and laboured on till she had accomplished it. Her diligence often overcame difficulties which would have hindered others; indeed, she always worked hard at whatever she undertook.

Her punctuality, too, was very observable. Undertake what she would, you might rely on her punctuality in its execution. She never promised, and failed to perform. In all matters of time, she was generally before hand rather than behind. On whomsoever you might have to wait, you had not to wait on her.

Her perseverance was equally observable. When once she had engaged herself in an object, her motto was, "Never give up"; and this she displayed in everything she undertook.

All these qualities of her character were particularly observable with respect to the schools-laying very near her heart; she did for them what few would, sacrificed a large amount of her time and ease; and received as her reward, or, at least, a part of it, the esteem and love of most whom she taught.

If extreme diligence and incessant labour have a tendency to debilitate and induce disease and death, then we do not wonder at her early removal. From the commencement to the close of her connexion with the schools, she worked much harder at them than her strength justified.

From childhood she possessed but a feeble constitution, and through her whole life and labours exhibited signs of latent disease. Within these last three years, these begun more fully to develope themselves. She became afflicted with cancer in the breast, and was twice operated upon for its cure without success. Notwithstanding this, and for months after it, she laboured on with considerable diligence.

As disease progressed, she was obliged, though with the greatest reluctance, to relinquish some of her many engagements; and, at last, to sever herself from that idol of her heart, the Day-school.

When she did this she said, with tears, "There, my work is nearly done, I should like to have kept it twenty years, but I see I cannot." Then came over her an entire change, and she, who had done so much, had to quit engagement after engagement, until all were relinquished. When

the writer received from her, her Bible and other collecting books, she said mournfully, "There, my hands are clear now, I have done collecting." Disease increased debility, and those feet that so frequently and regularly trod the house of God, now could not enter there.

Weeks spent in bed, dragged on heavily, under the most severe pain, and her Sabbaths were comparatively dull, enlivened only by the presence of God, and the conversation and prayers of christian friends.

Many were the opportunities the writer had of seeing and conversing with her; and of observing all the workings of her mind, and the power of religion to support and comfort in affliction.

To repeat the hundredth part of the conversations he had with her, on the religion she had professed and possessed for more than twenty-seven years, must not be expected. She was generally in a calm and happy frame of mind, waiting for, and rejoicing in, the hope of salvation through Jesus Christ. She said more than once, she could wish her evidences were always alike bright; but though they were not, she said, she had no doubt of the goodness of the foundation on which she stood-of the ability of Jesus Christ to save her that she knew whom she had believed, and was persuaded that he was able to keep that which she had committed to him. Sometimes she would say she had had such sweet dreams, and awoke repeating such beautiful passages of Scripture which made her so happy, as they came with such power to her mind. One morning, on visiting her, she said, "I have just awoke out of such a delightful dream." On being asked what it was, she said "I have just dreamed that my late dear mother came to my bed-side, and, touching me, said, beckoning, come up higher :' just as I awoke, I was saying, I shall soon be with you." She could certainly adopt the Psalmist's language, “In the multitude of my thoughts thy comforts delight my soul." In short, throughout the whole of her affliction, there was a sweet and calm resignation which did honour to her religion. Once she said, "My sufferings are like martyrdom, but they will soon be over; and I shall have no sufferings beyond these. I now know Jesus can make a dying bed soft as downy pillows are." She was very fond of singing, and would say she could scarcely sing now, but she should soon sing in heaven, both sweeter and louder. She would say, when asked how she was, or what kind of night she had had, "I am worse, but, bless the Lord, he is with me; the valley I have to pass through is not all darkness; there is light at the end of it;" or, "I had a poor night, I thought I should have been at home before morning. I shall soon be gone; I long to be gone." Thus she lay for weeks in a dying state, constantly longing to be gone.

During the dreary weeks, and indeed throughout her whole affliction, she was never heard to murmur or complain at the length or greatness of her sufferings, but bowed with meek submission to her heavenly Father's will. At last the reprieve came, and a happy one it was; and she who had so long patiently suffered, fell asleep in Jesus, and was not, for God had taken her.

A great number attended to witness the interment of such a friend, and such a teacher; and many were the tears shed at her grave by the spectators generally, but by the young people and children especially. On the following Lord's-day, her death was improved by a funeral sermon from, "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord," &c., to a large and deeply affected congregation.

Coningsby.

G. JUDD.

CHRISTIAN ZEAL.

[Being a sermon preached at the Yorkshire Conference, Birchcliffe, by the Rev. J. Batey, on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 1858, and published by the request of the Conference.]

TEXT.-"But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing."-Gal. iv., 18.

In the first chapter of this epistle, the apostle expresses his astonishment that the christians at Galatia, had been so speedily seduced from the first principles of the doctrine of Christ, to the adoption of a spurious gospel. "I marvel," he writes, "that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ." It is highly probable that St. Paul had been the chief instrument in their conversion to Christianity. This will account for his deep amazement and sorrow at their perversion from the truth as it is in Jesus;-and also for his burning indignation against the Judaizing teachers who had crept into the Church, and sown amongst them the seeds of discord and strife. These false teachers and perverters of the gospel of Christ, appear to have taken advantage of the apostle's departure from Galatia for a season. In his absence they called in question his apostleship, for the purpose of depreciating his authority in the estimation of his converts. They chose this course, doubtless, the more easily to accomplish their object of introducing a Jewish element into the religion of Christ. And, like the serpent that deceived our first parents, they unhappily succeeded; and the consequence was, that those who at one time would have plucked out their own eyes for the apostle, became, in effect, his enemies. Such is the withering, blighting, and soul-destroying influence of mixing up the theories and speculations of men with the simple, sublime, and glorious doctrines of the cross of Christ. Seeing that such a state of things had been produced at Galatia, can we wonder at the apostle exclaiming, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." The false teachers upon whom this anathema was pronounced, appear to have been characterized by great zeal in the dissemination of their mischievous principles. So we learn from the words which immediately precede our text. "They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you," or rather us, a reading adopted by Locke, Doddridge, and others, "that ye might affect them." Their object was to alienate the affection of the people from their pastor, to fix it upon themselves, and not to promote the salvation of their souls. Such zeal is utterly unworthy the servants of God, and detrimental to the interests of the Redeemer's kingdom. "But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing." This, then, is the subject of our dis

course.

I. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF TRUE CHRISTIAN ZEAL.-The word zeal is derived from w, to be hot, and applied to the mind, signifies a vehement fervour, or heated state of the affections. Hence, it may with

propriety be used either in a good or in a bad sense. Thus in Acts v., 17, the word is rendered indignation, to express the furious zeal of the high priest, and his associates in persecution, who laid hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. The same word is translated envy in Acts xiii., 45, where the Jews under the influence of a hellish fervour of mind, excited by their enmity to the gospel of Christ, contradicted and blasphemed. But the word has a good sense, and is used to express that holy and benevolent affection which actuates and inflames with "burning charity divine," the breast of every true and devoted follower of Jesus Christ. It is a spark of heavenly flame. 1. It is the opposite of lukewarmness. In addressing the angel of the church of the Laodiceans, "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would that thou wert cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth." There was of course the usual profession of attachment to Christ, but there was no true, genuine, glowing affection. They were not zealously affected in the cause of righteousness. If true zeal had ever had an existence, the holy flame had been quenched, and the spirit of ardour had been supplanted by a cold, calculating, lethargic spirit of criminal indifferentism. No marvel that the holy Saviour preferred a state of utter coldness to such a half-hearted attachment to his cause and interest. It is more honest, and honourable, and safe, to be altogether cold, than to be lukewarm in the service of Christ. When there is no profession at all, there can be no charge of inconsistency, insincerity, or hypocrisy. Saul of Tarsus, the persecutor, sustained an infinitely more honourable character than that of Judas, the traitor. A spirit of lukewarmness is the gangrene of the churches of the Redeemer. It is the devil among the sons of God! It is a spiritual paralysis. It paralyzes the arms of faith, and annihilates the power of prayer. It darkens the prospects of the soul, and retards the progress of the gospel of Christ. Now zeal, true christian zeal, is diametrically opposite to this. The man who possesses it, is strong in faith, giving glory to God. He has the spirit of the ancient worthies, "who, through faith, subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, and turned to flight the armies of the aliens." Such a man has power with God. His prayers move the arm that moves the world. They spring from the "hidden fire," enkindled in the breast by inspiration of the Holy Ghost. They are the result of the "baptism of fire." The candle of the Lord shines upon such a soul with a celestial brightness. The possession of such a spirit must necessarily exercise a most beneficial influence upon its possessor, and upon all around him, and is as much opposed to a spirit of lukewarmness, as the summer's breeze of an eastern clime to the winter's blast upon the icy mountains of Greenland. 2. It includes a cherished fervency of love. It is faith working by love. This is the grand controlling, and energizing element of christian zeal. It is "the love of God shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost given unto us." This is that fire which Christ came to kindle upou earth. It is a flame of heavenly love, produced in the regenerated heart by a live coal from heaven's altar. It worketh