But he, not wife enough to fcan His best concerns aright, Would gladly ftretch life's little fpan To ages-if he might. To ages! in a world of pain, To ages! where he goes, Strange fondness of the human heart, Strange world that coft's it fo much fmart, And yet has pow'r to charm! Whence has the world its magic pow'r? Why deem we death a' foe? Recoil from weary life's best hour, And court a longer woe ?--The caufe is confcience---Confcience oft Her tale of guilt renews: Her voice is forcible, tho' foft, And dread of death enfues.--Then anxious to be longer fpar'd, Man mourns his fleeting breath All evil then feems light, compar'd With the approach of death! 'Tis judgment shakes him! there's the fear That prompts his wish to stay: He has incurr'd a long arrear, And muft defpair to pay! Pay Follow Chrift, and all is paid, His death your peace enfures; Think on the grave where he was laid, And calm defcend to yours. ཟ་ར་་ནར་་ར»་་ར ON THE DEATH OF AN AMIABLE YOUNG RELATION. "STERN foe to man! grim conqueror! Thy rage exhauft, triumphant Death, O'erwhelming pomp, and pride, and pow'r, The filent tomb beneath! "Yet why, before thy dreadful shrine Should lovely meekness, youth, and bloom, Fall victims; and their charms confign 8 Ah! was the not too young to find A STRING OF COMPARISONS. HOW brittle is glass, and how flipp ry the ice; How fleeting a fhadow---a bubble how thin: So brittle, fo flipp'ry, fo fled in a thrice Are the joys of the world, and the pleafures of fin. How glorious the fun, and how pure the light; How firm is the rock, and how boundlefs the fea: But more full, and more firm, and more pure, and more bright, Are the bleffings, Religion, created by ་་་་་ར་ས་ར་ར་ར་ཚ་ ALIQUIS. WRITTEN ON A BLANK LEAF OF WATTS's PSALMS AND HYMNS. WHILE Watts affifts the fong below, May grace the tuneful heart beftow, To blefs the Saviour's love! How good th' employment here to praife, While Faith her hopeful eye can raife To nobler fongs above. Printed by T. Gilles Salisbury Square. THE Evangelical Magazine, FOR MARCH, 1801. BIOGRAPHY. MEMOIR OF MR. SAMUEL TURNER, LATE MISSIONARY SURGEON. Communicated by his Friend and Paftor, the Rev. WILLIAM MAURICE. HE fubject of this Memoir was born in London, Octo 21, 1774. It was his happiness to defcend from pious, though not opulent parents. About the period of his birth his, father, though in bufinefs, was an occafional preacher of the Gofpel of Chrift at various places in and around the metropolis. Soon after the birth of this fon he removed to Morpeth, in Northumberland, where he continued fome time labouring as a stated Minifter; afterwards he became affiftant to the late venerable and Rev. Mr. Edwards of Leeds; and lastly, he had his lot caft by Providence at Gatley, near Stockport, in Cheshire, where he continued paftor of an Independent Congregation to his death, about 1792. He was a worthy, humble, godly, and honeft man, as was well known to many befide the writer of this Memoir. Previous to his death he had been very anxious about his fon, not knowing how to procure him a fituation in any refpectable line of business, a premium generally being required, which, because of the narrowness of his cir cumftances, he was totally unable to give. God, however, gracioufly removed this difficulty, and through the kindness of friends he was placed apprentice to a Chymift and Druggift in the populous town of Bolton-le-Moors, in Lancashire. Being of an obfervant and curious turn of mind, he im proved, not only in the knowledge of his own business, but alfo in the principles of medicine in general; by which he was the better prepared for his future fituation as Miffionary Surgeon. Though from the age of fifteen to twenty he made no VOL. IX. open open profeffion of religion, yet his deportment was fteady and becoming. He ufed to spend much of his time in reading; and this circumftance raised a little fufpicion in the minds of fome that the books he read were of an improper tendency; but this was found, on enquiry, to be groundlefs. During a confiderable part of the above period, the writer of this was paftor of the Independent Church in Bolton. Upon his miniftry, Mr. Turner conftantly attended, and always looked up to him as to a friend. and a father; efpecially after the lofs of his natural parents. One or two evenings in a week he generally devoted to converfations with him, which exhibited confiderable evidence of the grace of God in his heart; yet he always fpake of himself, and of what he thought or felt as to his experience, with the utmost modefty and difficence. As the expiration of his apprenticeship drew near, he was much haraffed with fears refpecting his future lot in life. The cloud, however, moved-and Providence fuddenly and unexpectedly fixed him at Haflar Hofpital, near Gofport, as an affiftant furgeon; and alfo under the miniftry. of the Rev. Mr. Bogue. His continuance at this place was three years. Here his knowledge in medicine and furgery were very confiderably. advanced. "He had an opportunity of extenfive practice at a time when many ufeful improvements, founded on experience, were introduced into furgery, by which he be-" nefited much, and defervedly raised himself eminent in his profeffion." Would to God he had been growing in the beft things alfo! In knowledge, faith, love, holiness, and communion with God! It is painful here to mention a report that, during fome part of this time, his behaviour and conduct was not fo orderly as it had formerly been. the change of fcene, and of fociety, fubject him to too strong temptation? Was this a feafon of backfliding? If it were fo; yet, a gracious God, we truft, reclaimed and healed him by fovereign and efficacious grace. Did Previous to the fecond voyage of the Miffionary Ship Duff, a ferious perfon was wanted as furgeon. Mr. Turner was perfuaded to apply to the Society. He at firft modeftly refufed, not from a backwardness to devote himself to the work of a Miffionary, but from a deep fenfe of his own infufficiency and unworthinefs to sustain that facred character. Being further urged, he complied, faying, "The will of the Lord be done." From this period, Oct. 1798, his zeal for the glory of Chrift, and his fpirituality, as |