feed upon the bread of life! They are leaving their respective dwellings, and will soon be united together in the house of prayer. How beautifully does this represent the effect produced by the voice of the good Shepherd,' calling his sheep from every part of the wilderness into his fold! As these fields, hills, and lanes are now covered with men, women, and children, in various directions, drawing nearer to each other, and to the object of their journey's end; even so, many shall come from the east and from the west, and from the north and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God."'"

In the year 1801, he formed a society at Brading, which proved an occasion of much benefit; the rules and regulations being peculiarly calculated to promote order, sobriety, and religion. This society met every Wednesday evening, and he himself assumed the office of director. The

The following regulation will afford a general idea of the character and object of this society:

"The society will meet every Wednesday evening, when the director will attend, for the purpose of explaining the Holy Scriptures, the Liturgy of the Church of England, and other such godly books as he may think useful and profitable for the instruction and edification of the members; giving them such friendly and Christian exhortation and counsel as each or all of them may require; answering any questions which they may wish to propose, respecting the meaning and design of the word of God, and their own conduct and religious progress in general; and joining in prayer with them to Almighty God

members of whom it was composed were such as had derived advantage from his ministry, and were sincerely desirous of advancing in knowledge and true holiness. A copy of the first address delivered to them, has been found among his papers, from which we extract the concluding passage :

"In a word, my dear friends, I consider you all as deeply sensible that the care of the soul is the one thing needful, which if you neglect you will perish; but which, if you regard with a humble, devout, and sincere heart, God will receive and acknowledge you among the number of his children. I hope more will join themselves to our society, who are in this mind and persuasion. It shall be my care to do all in my power to cherish and support you in all virtue and godliness of living; to comfort you in affliction, to clear up your doubts, to reprove your faults, encourage your good resolutions, and to be, by God's help, a spiritual pastor among you, to lead you through the pilgrimage of this life, to the enjoyment of the glories of Paradise.

"All that I now ask and beseech of you is, that you will be in earnest in your present professions, and strive with heart and soul to persevere in that good road, wherein I trust you

for a blessing upon themselves, their families, their neighbours, their country, and the whole Church of God, wherever dispersed in the world."

now are going. And remember how sad will be the lot of those who, having put their hand to the plough, look back again, and are no longer fit for the kingdom of heaven. Be strong then in the Lord, and may his grace preserve you in your good resolutions, and bring you to the full knowledge of the excellency of Jesus Christ, and give you the greatest of all blessings, forgiveness of sins in this world, and life everlasting in the world to come. Ever be it, blessed Lord, now and evermore."

To the soldiers that were occasionally quartered in'that part of the country, he was made highly useful by his preaching. The history of one of these men is remarkable. It is related at length in the Christian Observer,' for the year 1802 (p. 772). Being too long for insertion here, we give the substance of it as follows:

"A young soldier introduced himself to Mr. Richmond, in company with one of his comrades, begging to know if he would kindly purchase from him a few clergyman's bands, and some manuscript sermons. Being asked by what means they came into his possession, he stated, with much embarrassment, that his history was wholly unknown to his companions in arms, but that being thus urged, he would recount the painful circumstances of his past life. He proceeded to declare that he was the son of a clergyman in Wales, that he had been regularly

ordained, and officiated during three years on a curacy in the county of W-; that disorderly habits, and debts incurred without the possibility of discharging them, had brought him at length to ruin and disgrace; and that, to avoid imprisonment, he had been induced to enlist as a common soldier ;-that he had served in the last campaign in Holland, and was then about to proceed with the army, on the expedition to Alexandria, under Sir James Abercrombie. He added, that it was to furnish himself with a few necessaries, that he was led to offer the articles in question for sale. Mr. Richmond having ascertained, as far as possible, the correctness of his story, purchased them; and afterwards held a very long conversation with him, on the awful consequences of his past life, and his unfaithfulness to the solemn and sacred engagement he had formerly contracted. The soldier seemed to be more abashed by the disclosure of his history, than impressed with the consciousness of his guilt, and the admonitions that he received. In June, 1802, the comrade who had originally accompanied him, once more called on Mr. Richmond, and stated that he was just returned from Egypt, and that the young man, in whose welfare he had taken so lively an interest, had fallen in battle, and died a true penitent ;-that on the evening preceding the engagement of the 21st March, he had been seized with a presenti

ment that he should not survive the event of the following day; and had commissioned him, (the bearer,) should he be spared to return, to inform Mr. Richmond, that the counsel he had so faithfully given to him, though it had failed at the time to impress him as it ought to have done, had ultimately sunk deep into his conscience, and produced all the effects that he could have wished; 'tell our dear pastor,' continued he, that I owe him more than worlds can repay; he first opened my heart to conviction, and God has blessed it to repentance. Through the unspeakable mercies of Christ, I can die with comfort.' The event that he had prognosticated was fulfilled; and it was discovered that poor Mr. E-lost his life by a cannon ball, at an early period in the action."

It is in the Isle of Wight that the scene is laid of those popular tracts, composed by Mr. Richmond, the reputation of which is now so widely diffused in all parts of the world.

His " Dairyman's daughter" resided at Arreton, a village six miles distant from Brading, where he was in the habit of occasionally visiting her, by particular request, during her last illness. Her name was Wallbridge; and who that has read her history, can repress the emotions that such unaffected piety and sanctified affliction are calculated to awaken ?

His "

Negro Servant" lived in the family