of his happy, cheerful manner,. He could never be made angry by any amount of opposition or abuse on the part of Romanists. He gave blessing for cursing, overcame evil with good; and by these means converted his enemies into friends. The Romanists showed that they respected him, for numbers of them attended his funeral, and accompanied his remains into the church, where they were most decorous and attentive during the service. It is only those who knew Ireland some years ago that can understand how great a change must have come over the people when they would thus publicly manifest their respect for a Scripture Reader, and set the laws of their church at defiance by entering a Protestant place of worship and remaining there during the celebration of the solemn funeral service. If I had no other proof of it than this, I would be convinced that poor James O'Beirne had not laboured in vain in Hollymount. He spoke and read the pure word, and faithfully and boldly visited from house to house; and I do hope and believe that this has, and will be blessed to many who heard it. May it lead them to that Saviour of whom it testifies, in whom James believed and trusted, and leaning on whom, he passed calmly and peaceably through the valley of the shadow of death.

"I am glad to say, that in other parts of the Mission here, there is also much to encourage and to show that our intercourse with the Roman Catholics has made them think more favourably of us."

KILLERY.

(From the Missionary.)

THE month now gone by has been one of great interest to me, as affording evident proof that the Lord is blessing our humble efforts to bring the truth before the benighted people of this district. But some of the seed has fallen on good ground, and is bringing forth fruit abundantly. And how can it be otherwise? Has not the Lord promised that his word will not return to Him void? And if we sow in faith, relying on this promise, have we not every right to look for the increase?

I am happy to be able to report to you that the Roman

Catholic schoolmaster, mentioned in a former letter, has at length taken the decided step, and thrown in his lot with us. Surely nothing less than a miracle of grace could have enabled him to do this, living, as he is, with a bitter enemy to Protestantism, who will be sure to dismiss him from his house, knowing how the finger of scorn will be pointed at him; how he will be mocked at by some, despised by others, and persecuted by all. But, having counted the cost, the salvation of his soul being at stake, he did not look to consequences, and so presented himself at our church, where, for the first time in his life, he listened with delight to a service he could understand and take part in. On his return home, the news of his having become "Jumper" was there before him. He got notice. to quit if he persevered. The following Sunday he attended our church again, and in consequence I fear he must lose his place, for Rome has no mercy on those who dare to think for themselves in matters of religion. All we can do is to pray that God will give him more grace to support him in the trials which are before him on account of the step he has taken.

On a former occasion I stated it as my conviction that many of the people here, though Romanists in name, were Protestants in heart. In proof of this, I give you the following, extracted from the Reader's journal:

"On Friday evening, two Romanists came into my house. There was some conversation about the true religion, when one of the Romanists said to the other, that Roman Catholics in general believed what the priests said more than what the apostles said, although the latter were trained by Christ and spoke by inspiration; but that Protestants believed nothing only what Christ and his Apostles taught. And now,' he added, 'I would swear on the Bible that the Protestant Religion is the true one.' The other man then said, 'Well, if you believe that, why are you a Roman Catholic?' The answer was, 'Because, if I became a Protestant, I would be turned out of my land.' Here you see that fear of being thrown out of their land is the reason given for not joining that church which their conscience tells them is the true one. It is not long since I got the same reason from the lips of another."

IAR-CONNAUGHT.

(From the Missionary.)

HERE, in Spiddal, we have had, thank God, much to encourage us since my last report. The chief instance of encouragement has indeed been a case but indirectly connected with Spiddal-that of a very intelligent and interesting man whom I happened to meet on a Sabbath evening last winter, when on my way to Galway to preach a controversial sermon. Having observed a man with a French expression of countenance, dressed rather in a priestly garb, looking wistfully at the car as I passed, I stopped, and offered him a seat, which he gratefully accepted. I had no difficulty, very soon after, in bringing him to introduce the subject of religion, and I soon found that he was in some respects a sceptic-one whose halfeducated mind had been preoccupied with doubts as to the inspiration of Scripture, founded on some infidel objections which he seemed anxious to have solved, but which, he said, his priests, though often asked, had never attempted to explain for him. On my invitation, he attended the church on that evening; and, at the conclusion of the service, met me at the door, and said that he had taken notes of my sermon, and would write a reply to me, which he accordingly did (or attempted to do). To this letter of his (a temperate one) I replied, and on two or three occasions afterwards met him in the town where he lives, and each time had a few words of kind controversy with him. I need hardly say how thankful I was to God when, on the day before I set out on a recent tour, I received a letter from him in which he said that he had done with Rome, and hoped soon to come out to Spiddal, and receive here the sacrament from my hands. At his request I have sent him tracts, etc., and am about to send him a Protestant Prayer-book, for which he has also asked.

THE

BANNER OF THE TRUTH IN IRELAND.

FEBRUARY 1, 1862.

·000·

"Gloriously Happy."

UNDER the above title we gave, in THE BANNER for January, the first part of the account of a deeply interesting convert of the Dublin Mission, who manifested the highest tone of spiritual feeling during a painful and lingering illness. Some letters written by the poor man from his death-bed, to various friends who visited him, were inserted. We add a few more of these letters, and the concluding account of his last moments, as drawn up by the friend who took so deep an interest in his case.

Writing to one lady, poor George Connor said

"DEAR LADY,-I hope you will not think ill of me to address you with these few lines, first to return you my sincere thanks for your kind thoughts of me; and I glorify and praise my Saviour, for I consider them as messages from Him to me. You asked me if I suffered any pain, oh! if you knew the great cause I have why I should feel this a happy affliction to my poor sin-sick soul. I was six and thirty years blinded by the dark and dismal doctrines of Popery, resting on priestcraft for my eternal rest. Now look at the cause I have to say, Happy and healthful affliction! to see that the Lord sent the Holy Spirit to strengthen me, to get stripped of all my false hopes, and to come to rest on Jesus Christ alone for pardon, peace, and eternal joy; all these I have found through the atoning blood of the Lamb, and now, dear lady, is not this a great cause of my peace? I am a poor, incurable patient, without either money or property; if I had to send for a priest of Rome to come to me, he would tell me I should endure the torments of purgatory to cleanse me from all my light sins, and he would absolve me from the weighty ones! Oh, miserable! My great High Priest, Jesus Christ, tells me that his blood cleanseth from all sin,' and the guilt of sin. This High Priest knows all the secrets of our poor deceitful hearts, and He tells

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me that whosoever believes and trusts in Him comes not into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Again, in the 3rd of St. John we see that God so loved the world,' etc. Oh, pray for me that the Holy Spirit may teach me more and more of Jesus before I leave this little closet, ere I come to another resting-place in this merciful Saviour. I am given over here by all the medical men as incurable, but you see I am delivered into the hands of my Great Physician, who never had an incurable patient yet-all health comes with his precious blood... ... There is no balm for the sin-sick soul but the blood of Jesus Christ. Oh, my dear lady, we have not to go up to Christ to know this; Christ came down to this wicked world to preach and teach it to us, and left his Word, his life, his sufferings and death, He left all on record for us, that we might come to Him, and be saved for eternity! Oh! mind the word eternity. Will anything less than heaven satisfy the poor sick soul for eternity? Hear the voice of the merciful Saviour now, 'Let not your heart be troubled,' etc. Oh! what a precious view is this of a merciful Saviour who came down from glory to shed his precious blood for sinners, and to think that the very eyes now shining in glory were once dim with tears for our sins. Dear lady, my reason for sending you these few lines was merely to let you know of my happy state of mind in getting away from the soul-destroying doctrines of Popery, and in coming to rest for all eternity on the 'Rock of Ages,' and the deeper I get into the clefts' of that Rock Jesus, the safer I am. Oh, may He ever dwell in me, and while I am here-I trust it's not long-I will have my unslumbering Shepherd's voice with me, saying, Fear not, for I am with you, I will never leave you nor forsake you.' Neither will He forsake my little family. Is it not a merciful feeling that I am drawing quietly home to see my Saviour without much torture. Those I love, I rebuke

and chasten," says the Lord our God."

It is impossible to arrange his letters in anything like order, but we give extracts from some of them as they lie before us :

"I have got a great change for the worse since I came out here, but please God the earthly house of this tabernacle will soon be dissolved, and then I will have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. My unslumbering Shepherd is whispering in my ear,' Fear not, for I am with you.'

"I have received great peace and joy, knowing that I have found the priceless pearl which has redeemed my bankrupt soul from eternal destruction. When, on this bed of affliction, I