The cordial thanks of the Committee are offered for various acceptable Presents to the Society; namely, to Friends at Nunery, Wanstow, and Clifford, to the care of the Rev. R. Harding, Jamaica; Ladies' Clothing Society, Gainsborough; two young Friends, at Bristol, by the Rev. A. E. Farrar; Friends, at Redditch ; Mrs. Payne, Truro; E. Stokes, for Ashantee; Friends, at Glasgow, Montrose, &c., to the care of the Rev. J. Innes; A. M. S. and W., Queen-strect Circuit, to the care of the Rev. Jonathan Crowther; Mr. S. Tuck, Frome, for Madras Schools; Mr. Whitting, Newark; Miss Jollands, near Newark; Ladies of the Dorcas Society, Hitchin; Ditto, ditto, Belper; Messrs. Dixon and Sons, Sheffield, for Goods to the value of £10; Mr. Congreve, for Goods to the value of £3. 3s. ; Mr. Slater, for four Yards of Black Cloth; a Friend, a Visiter at Margate, for a Crate of Crockery, to the care of the Rev. T. B. Freeman; Messrs. James, Aspinall, Turner, and Co., Manchester, for a Bale of sundry Articles, value £15, ditto; Mr. Samuel Hill Smith, and Messrs. Dixon and Sons, Sheffield, for a quantily of Cutlery, to the care of the Rev. T. B. Freeman, for the Ashantee Mission; Misses Field, Sevenoaks, for various Articles for the Gambia, to the care of the Reo, W. Swallow. LONDON :-Printed by James Nichols, 46, Hoxton-square. FOR DECEMBER, 1840. BIOGRAPHY. MEMOIR OF THE LATE MR. JOHN COULTHARD, BY THE REV. FRANCIS NEALE. MR. COULTHARD was born in the year 1777, at West-BlackDean, Weardale,* in the county of Durham. He attended alternately "In this part of Weardale," says Mr. Wesley, "the people in general are employed in the lead-mines. In the year 1749, Mr. Hopper and John Brown came and preached among them. None opposed, and none asked them to eat or drink. Nevertheless Mr. Hopper made them several more visits. In autumn four found peace with God, and agreed to meet together. At Christmas, two young men of Allandale determined to visit Weardale. Before they entered it, they kneeled down on the snow, and besought the Lord that he would incline some one to receive them into his house. At the first house where they called, they were bid welcome; and they stayed there four days. Many were convinced, and some converted to God. One of the young men was Jacob Rowel. They made several more visits during the winter. In summer, twenty lively people were joined together. From that time, they increased gradually to thirty-five; and so continued for ten years. They increased, by means of Samuel Méggot, to eighty; but, four years since, sunk to fifty-three. From that time, they increased again; and were in August one hundred and twenty." For many years Weardale formed a part of what was called "The Dales Circuit;" " which extended over an immense tract of country. It is appalling to think of the dangers and privations to which the first race of Methodist Preachers were exposed in crossing and re-crossing, at all seasons of the year, the horrid, and then nearly trackless Fells, which separate these dales from one another, and from the rest of the kingdom. But now, through the blessing of God upon his own word, instead of "the Dales," "Where wilds, immeasurably spread, Seem lengthening as we go," Barnard-Castle, there are, upon the same area, at least seven Circuits; namely, Hexham, Middleham, Richmond and Reeth, Alstone, Bishop-Auckland, and Wolsingham, only two or three of which are inconveniently extensive. Weardale, now better known as the Wolsingham Circuit, was visited twelve times by Mr. Wesley during his protracted life. His last sermon in the Dale was preached at Stanhope, on Friday, the 11th of June, 1790, only nine months before his death. The society appears to have stood high in his estimation; and he has thus recorded his favourable opinion : "In two respects this society has always been peculiarly remarkable: the one, they have been liberal in providing everything needful for the Preachers: the other, they VOL. XIX. Third Series. DECEMBER, 1840. 3 Z the established Church and the Wesleyan chapel, with his parents. Ilis conduct was upon the whole moral; but he lived a stranger to experimental religion, though not without frequent and deep convictions of its necessity. He entered the marriage state early in life; but in a short time was bereft of his beloved partner. During her last illness he had to go some distance for medical aid. In crossing the moors, a heavy fog came on, which occasioned him to miss his track. He was compelled to lie on the bare ground through bodily exhaustion. The consequence was, a stroke of paralysis on the side exposed to the dews. His wife, who continued to languish, died happy in the Lord. Her death, his own affliction, and previous convictions, contributed to excite an earnest desire for salvation; and it is not a little remarkable, that, during the funeral of his wife, in 1798, at a time when he stood in most need of consolation, God spoke peace to his soul in the church. Mr. Coulthard removed to Sunderland, some time about 1799; and either in the course of that year, or the year after, he received his first ticket as a member of the Wesleyan society from Mr. Bogie. He was exceedingly active and useful in the Sunday-schools; and for this work he was well qualified, not only from the circumstance of his having been engaged in the instruction of youth before he resided in Sunderland, but owing to the excellent example he had before him in Mr. Longridge, who was admirably fitted for the same sacred employment. At this time he kept a diary, in which he entered his daily joys, sorrows, conflicts, victories, views, conversations, and religious conduct; and that part of it which is still preserved, with some chasms between, from September 6th, 1802, to August 16th, 1807, exhibits at once the humble, ardent, laborious, conscientious Christian, communing with his own heart, and in deep communion with God. It is written in a clear hand, and often beautifully expressed. Much of the present memoir might be well occupied with extracts from it; but here we are compelled to observe brevity, as it is not at a portion of our friend's history merely, that we are to look, but at the whole of have been careful to marry with each other; and that, not for the sake of money, but virtue. Hence they assisted each other in bringing up their children. And God has eminently blessed them therein; for, in most of their families, the greatest part of their children above ten years old are converted to God. It was observed, too, that the Leaders were upright men, and truly alive to God. And even when they had no Preacher with them, they met every night for singing and prayer." Considerable traces of this amiable character are still to be found among their descendants. May they never be "corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ!" We have only to add, that some of the most pious and useful members of our societies in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Sunderland, Gateshead, &c., are connected either directly or indirectly with Weardale. |