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upon the list of my old friends. I am yet in life, yet in the house of God, yet engaged in the ministry of the word. But I am waiting for the change when I shall rank with perfect society in the world of blessedness, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of a trumpet, nor have hunger of bread, as is the case with many of our dear brethren on the conti'nent, and would have been as dreadfully so with us, if God had punished us as our sins deserve. I am getting old and feeble. I am before my years in constitution, and have been ever since I was a child. So trying I find the ministry, and so many trials have I with my people, that I have been tempted to give it up. But yet I dare not. Be thou faithful unto death, is a peal in my ears, and turns the inclination of the mind. It has been the lot of others, as well as of myself, to have their labors defeated, and to be pained with the worst of all disappointments. A few years will deliver me from my pain, and convey me to my rest, and I hope it will be found that however great the ground of my complaint is, that all the labor is not lost. Our neighborhood is and has been for some time a neighborhood in affliction. Mr. and Mrs. Br are in the situation where I was at the hill, and I with my

good old woman are at the brow of the town, a very short distance from our place of worship, where we shut our eyes at the inconveniences we sustain, thankful for the conveniences we enjoy. My good wife is in chearful blindness, desirous of inward illumination. Mrs. Tyler is as well as may be expected, passing her days in devotional retirement, and acting as far as she can in Mrs. Winter's stead. Both unite in affectionate salutations to you. Do you find increasing encouragement from your attention to the school? Do the walls of prejudice in any degree fall at Ld. Persevere my dear friend though under discouragement. Some good may arise from your endeavors that may diffuse itself to posterity. A little stream may convey downward a great mercy, and from your maintaining your ground, the barren wilderness may become a fruitful field. According to this idea I am led to keep my station. The work has derived but little advantage from me; may it greatly increase by the instrumentality of another when I am in the grave. Wherever there is to be found one given of the father, the son will make his claim to him, and find him out, and according to this truth will be the success or non-success of the ministry. What news does B-m afford?

Do the Miss W

-'s appear benefitted by the means of grace? Their being so will prove a great satisfaction to you, as the contrary will be your affliction. I hope Mr. Wis prudent in his management of them, and that by his being near to God, he will communicate something to them that shall remain with them for ever. I hear different tidings from Wy but I hope in the main the work of God is going forwards in both departments of the church in that place, notwithstanding the late awful instances of human depravity.-Do my dear friend let us hear from you soon. I suppose Miss W is with you, I take the liberty to send my christian salutations by you,

and remain,

“Your's, affectionately,

"In our dear Lord Jesus, "C. W."

As

"Painswick,

"Nov. 6, 1807."

CHAPTER II.

HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH.

MR. WINTER was much older in constitution than he was in age. His strength was never considerable; but for a length of time previous to his removal, he had been generally complaining, and frequently so indisposed as to render the discharge of his work trying and difficult.

December 13th, 1807, he exchanged pulpits with Mr. Jeary of Rodborough. This was the last sabbath of his public ministry; and two things are observable. Here he preached his first sermon in Glocestershire; and thus he ended his career in this County where he began it. His concluding discourse was ii. Corinthians, v. 1. "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.-The congregation was peculiarly impressed; many said he seemed to be preaching his own funeral sermon. So it proved,

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He slept that night at Mr. Hogg's. In the morning he came to Mr. William Cooper's, Southfield house, Woodchester, and offered if agreeable to spend the day, and take a bed with them. In the afternoon as Mr. Cooper was writing to the Editor he wrote on one part of the sheet-f

"MY EVER DEAR FRIEND,

$16

"THOUGH I have nothing particularly to communicate, I have wanted to write. A long silence is hardly consistent with the reciprocal regard that subsists between us. I sometimes hear of you that you are pretty well; sometimes that you are but indifferent. I hope the former is more generally the case. I rejoice in your acceptance; and trust the result of your labors is usefulness in all the variety for which the ministry is appointed. I wish I could give you a pleasing account of myself, but I cannot. My powers of late have been much shut up as like water frozen, rather than like a flowing stream. Indeed I have been very, very, very poorly, and when I am forced to preach it is in a way that is very dissatisfying to myself. My voice fails me, and you may judge of a sermon that is without voice, as well as without energy of mind. But what is to be

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