mercy. While thus engaged, these words came with power to my mind, 'Whofoever will, let him take of the water of life freely I was enabled to believe, and immediately my doubts and fears were removed, and my foul was filled with joy and peace in believing. Thus did the Lord make the time of my extremity, that of his opportunity of manifefting his power in plucking me from the jaws of defpair. Then could I fay, from happy experience, Behold, God is my falvation; I will truft, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my ftrength and my fong; he alfo is become my falvation.""

About three weeks before the happy period of his deliverance from a worse than Egyptian bondage, Mr. Saunderfon had joined the Methodist Society. With joy he embraced the first opportu nity that offered of telling the members of the Clafs in which he met, what great things the Lord had done for his foul. Having entered into the glorious liberty of the children of God, he was foon called to affift at prayer meetings, and occafionally to meet claffes. Waiting diligently upon the Lord, in the appointed means of grace, private as well as public, his views of divine. things became brighter day by day, and his comforts abounded. The following is the account which he gives of the steps by which he was led to engage in the work of the ministry.

"One day as I was walking a little from home, these words came to my mind with uncommon power, 'Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, faith your God.' Some time after, as I was meditating on this paffage of Scripture, from which I had derived much comfort, it forcibly occurred to my mind, that it implied a command; but I thought furely the Lord will never command fuch an ignorant unworthy creature as I am, to comfort his people. Thus I reafoned, and confequently refused to speak in his name, till I was convinced that if I did not make an attempt, for the fatisfaction of my own mind, I fhould lofe the peace and happiness which I enjoyed. During the time of my being exercised in this way, my comforts were on the decline. At length, after much painful reafoning, I ventured to give a word of exhortation at a prayer meeting; and God deigned fo to accompany the truths which I then delivered, as to make them inftrumental in quickening fome, and in awakening others. Not long after this, I repeatedly visited a village at no great diftance, where feveral of the inhabitants had greatly oppofed both preaching and prayer meetings. There, bleffed be God, my labours were not in vain; for fome were brought to the knowledge of the truth, a fociety was formed, and preaching established in the village. I foon began to vifit other places, until I had work enough for every Lord's day'; and thus I proceeded, till I was requested by Meflrs. Hopper and Valton, to preach occafionally in the Birftal, Huddersfield, and

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Dewsbury

THE METHODIST MAGAZINE,

FOR MAY, 1812.

BIOGRAPHY.

A MEMOIR OF MR. WILLIAM SAUNDERSON.

CHIEFLY COMPILED FROM HIS OWN PAPERS.

W thire, June 14th, 1748.

TILLIAM SAUNDERSON was born at Birstal, in Yorkfhire, June 14th, 1748. His parents were brought up Diffenters. For feveral years his mother refided with the late amiable and learned Dr. Doddridge, for whom, and the people under his care, fhe entertained a very high refpect. Senfible of the great importance of a religious education, the, in addition to giving her children fuitable inftruction, laid them under fuch reftraints as were well calculated to promote their temporal and eternal welfare. For many years before her death, he was a fteady, upright member of the Methodist Society; and having lived many years the life of the righteous, her laft end was peaceable, fafe, and bleffed.

"I often, (fays Mr. Saunderfon), when very young, had many convictions for fin, but my love of finging and company prevailed over them. Many times while finging, "My foul doth magnify the Lord, &c." and other pieces of Church mufic, the Spirit of God wrought fo powerfully upon my heart, as to render me unable to proceed. I was often convinced that there was fomething among the Methodists, that we Church people did not enjoy. I frequently thought of feeking that internal religion expreffed in the Liturgy, but delayed from time to time; hoping that, at fome future period, I should attend to the one thing needful.

"After I entered into the married state, I hoped that I should attend to things of a fpiritual and eternal nature; but ftill one thing or another fo occupied my mind, as to leave me little leifure or inclination for the great work of religion. It pleased the Lord to take away our first child, by the fmall pox, just when it had begun to walk and fpeak.-This vifitation alarmed me much for fome time; but the fhock occafioned by it was of fhort duration. One time, being from home on business, my mind was much exVOL. XXXV. MAY, 1812. ercifed

ercifed in reflecting on my past life. I faw that I had been eagerly pursuing happinefs, but felt, at the fame time, that I was very far from having it in my poffeffion. My mind was then forcibly ftruck with this conviction, that fhould I die in my prefent ftate, I must furely perifh. Whilft ruminating on these things, my fins flared me in the face, and the Divine threatnings came to my mind with fo much force as affected all my bodily powers. I funk beneath the weight of a guilty confcience, and was very ap prehenfive that I fhould not live to finish my journey. On my return home, all my former convictions, and the refolutions which I had made under them, came to my remembrance; and I had fuch a view of the great fin of trifling with convictions, and of breaking fo many refolutions, as overwhelmed my mind with forrow, and filled me with confufion. While thus affected, I thought I heard, as if one spoke and said, 'thy prefent convictions and refolutions will prove as heretofore, and thy last state will be worfe than the firft.' The language of my heart then was, 'a wounded fpirit who can bear!' I then began to pray, and I refolved, in the ftrength of the Lord, to lead a new life. The Sunday following I asked my wife to go with me to the Methodist Chapel; the readily complied, and we heard Mr. Thomas Mitchel preach from, The ax is laid to the root of the tree,' &c. Under the fermon my fears were greatly increased; I faw my danger to be great beyond expreflion, and felt the dreadful terrors of a guilty confcience. Í then (in 1772) joined the Methodist Society. Often did I befeech the Lord to try the ground of my heart, to deepen my convictions, and to lay the ax to the root of my every fin. I was afraid of healing my hurt flightly, and dreaded the thought of having my load of guilt removed in any other way, than by a lively faith in the Lord Jefus Chrift. In this ftate I continued for fix weeks, deploring the depravity of my nature, and the fins of which I had been guilty. Sometimes I was ready to envy the beafts of the field, confidering that they answered the end of their creation, while I rebelled against my Creator, Preferver, and bountiful Benefactor. Many times I feared that I had finned beyond the reach of mercy: but during this night of terror and diftrefs, the Lord preferved me from utter defpair, by occafionally affording me a comfortable hope, that he would blot out my tranfgreffions. I read Allein's Alarm,' and found the directions which it contains to the unconverted, to be of great use to me. One day, being more than ordinarily tempted to believe that I had outlived my day of grace, I intreated the Lord to undertake my caufe; but the heavens feemed to be as brafs to my prayers. I read a few verses of Scripture, and then prayed again, but received no answer. Almoft overwhelmed with defpair, conceiving myself to be upon the very brink of deftruction, I cried in an agony for

mercy.

mercy. While thus engaged, these words came with power to my mind, 'Whofoever will, let him take of the water of life freely I was enabled to believe, and immediately my doubts and fears were removed, and my foul was filled with joy and peace in believing. Thus did the Lord make the time of my extremity, that of his opportunity of manifefting his power in plucking me from the jaws of defpair. Then could I fay, from happy experience, Behold, God is my falvation; I will truft, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my ftrength and my fong; he also is become my falvation.""

About three weeks before the happy period of his deliverance from a worse than Egyptian bondage, Mr. Saunderfon had joined the Methodist Society. With joy he embraced the first opportu nity that offered of telling the members of the Clafs in which he met, what great things the Lord had done for his foul. Having entered into the glorious liberty of the children of God, he was foon called to affift at prayer meetings, and occafionally to meet claffes. Waiting diligently upon the Lord, in the appointed means of grace, private as well as public, his views of divine things became brighter day by day, and his comforts abounded. The following is the account which he gives of the steps by which he was led to engage in the work of the ministry.

"One day as I was walking a little from home, these words came to my mind with uncommon power, 'Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, faith your God.' Some time after, as I was meditating on this paffage of Scripture, from which I had derived much comfort, it forcibly occurred to my mind, that it implied a command; but I thought furely the Lord will never command fuch an ignorant unworthy creature as I am, to comfort his people. Thus I reafoned, and confequently refused to speak in his name, till I was convinced that if I did not make an attempt, for the fatisfaction of my own mind, I fhould lofe the peace and happiness which I enjoyed. During the time of my being exercised in this way, my comforts were on the decline. At length, after much painful reafoning, I ventured to give a word of exhortation at a prayer meeting; and God deigned fo to accompany the truths which I then delivered, as to make them inftrumental in quickening fome, and in awakening others. Not long after this, I repeatedly vifited a village at no great diftance, where feveral of the inhabitants had greatly oppofed both preaching and prayer meetings. There, bleffed be God, my labours were not in vain; for fome were brought to the knowledge of the truth, a fociety was formed, and preaching established in the village. I foon began to vifit other places, until I had work enough for every Lord's day, and thus I proceeded, till I was requested by Meffrs. Hopper and Valton, to preach occafionally in the Birftal, Huddersfield, and

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Dewsbury