I John Green, Selston 2 J. Green, Selston 3 H. Green, Selston 4 T. Cox, Golden Valley 6 W. Green, Selston 7 T. Kirkby, Blidworth 8 T. Shore, Heage 9 I. Shore, Heage 10 J. Hardy, Portland Row 12 W. Green, Church Lane, 13 W. Rose, Fish Pools 40 J. Wharmsby, Selston 53 * 55 *** 56 **** NOTICES. School Anniversaries.-Bleak Hall, 17th April, Ser Shore; Selston, May 1st, Sermons, by Mr. Hayes in in the evening; Hucknall Torkard, Sermons, by James Green in afternoon, H. Gre evening. noon, Chapel Anniversaries.-Heage, April 24th, Serm Osborne; Greenhill Lane, June 12th. Home Missionary Meetings-Brassington, May chair to be occupied at six in the evening, by Hognaston, the following preachers are expected t the occasion, James Green, J. Tomlinson, W. Green J. Hodgkinson, and W. Dale; Radford, June 6th, to be occupied at six in the evening, by J. Rhodes, ing preachers are expected to assist on the occa Green, J. Tomlinson, W. Green, T. Shore, W. O Bridgett, and J. Goodhall. Camp Meetings.-Kirk Ireton, May 15th, preachers No. 1 to lead, 41, 29, 30, and 43; Birchwood, preachers to attend, No. 5, 6, 10 to lead, 16, 2 Brassington, May 29th, preachers to attend, No. 2 6, 10, 23, and 35; Radford, June 5th, preachers to a 1, 5, 8, 16 to lead, 21 and 24; Blidworth, June 19t lead, 15, 16, 19, 29, and 21; Middleton, June 26th, to attend, No. 1 to lead, 8, 9, 16, 20, and 35; Se 3rd, preachers to attend, No. 4 to lead, 8, 9, 18, 25, Branch Quarter-day to be held at Brassington, M commence at two o'clock. General Quarter-day to be held at Radford, July 41 ers' meeting to commence at half-past ten, general b half-past one. Managing Committee re-elected. Branch Committee-J. Gould, J. Rowbottom, T W. Wayne, and S. Webster. General Stewards-John Green, treasurer: J. T secretary. Quarter-day Delegate-W. Green: Vice J. Hardy and J. Hodgkinson. All Communications for the Record are requested warded to J. Tomlinson, South Normanton, Near A quarter-day. N.B. Those few places which have not collections towards Hognaston New Chapel, are re do so immediately, and forward the amount to Jo he Original Methodists' Methodists' Record: A FREE GOSPEL MAGAZINE. VOL. II.-No. 3.] JULY 1ST, 1853. REMINISCENCES OF PAST DAYS. BY T. SHORE. NO. IV. THE FARMER AND HIS SERVANT "BILL." EARLY twenty years have rolled down the ever-flowing stream time, and so have had their confluence with the vast ocean eternity, since, on a Sunday afternoon, in the flowery Onth of June, an old Farmer was walking through a large, titful orchard, to which he belonged. This orchard was ›re than an acre in extent, and full of healthful trees. This hard had been, to the old Farmer, a source from whence had drawn much gain, so he loved it for the past, but more because he hoped to derive more wealth therefrom. He mined the apple-trees-the fruit was well set, and at this smiled it was so with the pear and plum trees, and his e was radiant with delight. And there were cherry-trees en with bunches of fruit, which were approaching maturity, I assuming the colour of polished rubies. On looking at se prolific cherry trees, the Farmer turned to a young man, o was one of his servants, and said, Bill, now these rries are getting ripe, you must not begin to get and make oc with them-so remember what I say." To this mane Bill promptly replied-"No, master, I will not touch m;" yet at the same time, when unobserved by the Farmer, signified to another youth who was with him, by a wink of eye and a sinister shake of the head, that he should get nany of them as he pleased. 66 The two youths left the orchard, and took a sabbath-breakramble into the Farmer's fields-but of this I shall pretly have more to say-the Farmer went to the top corner he orchard and leaned over a gate, and with delighted eyes surveyed a field of fine clover, which was in full blo Farmer was on the shady side of sixty years, abo between that and seventy. In personal appearance man of the middle stature, of slender frame, an bowed-his head was grey, even to whiteness-h oval, but thin and pale-his eyes were of a dark ha but very expressive and his mien was thought extreme. He wore a coat and vest of claret-colo his breeches and leggings were of drab-coloured k and his hat was remarkable for the lowness of its the broadness of its brim. This man was highly re the neighbourhood where he resided. He was a m ing, and liberal to a degree-a man of great punct word was as good as his bond. He was one of husbands-one of the best of fathers-a pattern and sobriety, but he was no sincere christian, notwi the many good properties he possessed; had he would not have examined his fruit trees on the sa But the following brief history of his life will se the character of the man in its true light. In his was left a fatherless and motherless orphan, alon brother and two sisters. They all four found re poor-house, where they remained for some years. dreary walls of the poor-house, he went to live wit to fill the useful post of plough boy. In this useful, and even honourable occupation, he went p until he became the farmer's head man; from th he took another step upwards, and so became th a fertile farm. He was very successful in his u and soon became possessed of sufficient means t in easy circumstances. But here he did not st pressed on in the way of fortune, and became th of houses and land, which he, with exulting plea his own. But he did not even stop here he still and kept adding field to field, and house to hou became the richest farmer in the neighbourhood; & to tell, from the commencement of his career, to life, he never met with one pull back-no dark clo sity ever cast its gloomy, shadow over the suns prosperity; whatever he took in hand prospered to the astonishment of many. This man attende subscribed two pounds yearly for the support of the minister where he attended; and he attended only for the sake of fashion, and not for any benefit which he hoped to derive therefrom-for he often said, on his return from the chapel, that he did not believe what the preacher said. The truth is this, he was a Universalist, and professed to believe that all mankind would finally be saved. He laughed at the mention of an over-ruling providence, and attributed his own success to his superior skill in his business. When he viewed his unbounded crops-and he often did this-and, in contrasting them with the poorer crops of his neighbours, a sinister, but exulting smile often played upon his face, when he would exclaim, "What things of the world those are-they are not fit to have an inch of land." This Farmer was worthy of being imitated, as far as regarded his energy, economy, industry, and perseverance; but here we must stop-we must follow him no further: he was a man of the world—a man who lived for time, and not for eternity. His opinion upon religious subjects, being often published in his family, and among his servants, produced an evil atmosphere, which they continually breathed to their own spiritual injury. I may here state, that of all his servants, whether male or female, from the beginning to the end of his career, not one ever made a god-fearing person. No! they all, to a man, to a woman, run in the downward way of sin. Some of them have already gone to their account, and the rest are out of the way of life. I must now return to the sabbath afternoon when he was leaning over the clover-field gate. That was a splendid afternoon. The wind was blowing a soft, but sweetly refreshing, breeze from the west-the air was pleasantly warm-large isolated clouds, of great romantic grandeur, were floating briskly across the sky of limpid blue; the sun, the smiling sun, was shining forth in all his matchless brightness, except when his refulgent rays, like burnished gold, were obstructed by the passing clouds, and their shadows were thrown upon the earth, which produced dark spots, with beautiful sunshine all around. These large isolated clouds, which appeared as if mighty, stupendous mountains had left their beds, and betaken themselves to flight, were carried by the wind, one after another, in rapid succession through the trackless air, and their shadows at the same time, with noiseless feet, were running upon the earth at the same speed. These shadows |