dred and sixty-three persons, making an average, for the entire period, of ninety-six sermons per annum and forty-six admissions. During the first twenty-five years of his ministry, the average number of sermons was one hundred, and the average number admitted to his churches was sixty. For thirty years prior to the union of the Independent Presbyterian Church with the Presbyterian Church, he was the acknowledged and honored leader in that branch of the Church in which his lot had been cast. He loved this Church and her peculiar doctrines, but he never considered the difference between his own and the parent Church of sufficient importance to justify a separate organization. Hence, in every successive effort which was made to heal the breach,' and to unite those who harmonized in all the leading doctrines of God's word and in every important principle of Church policy, he gave to such efforts his hearty approval and his earnest endeavors to secure their success. And when these efforts were finally crowned with success in December, 1863, although he doubtless felt, in some measure, as a father giving up a long-loved and fondly-cherished child, yet he sincerely rejoiced that the breach in Zion was closed, and that the parent and child were again united after a separation and comparative alienation of more than fifty years. "It may be affirmed that the power and influence of this truly humble and very eminent servant of Christ were nowhere felt in fuller measure than in the chamber of sickness and in seasons of affliction. He had learned to sympathize with the suffering, to 'weep with those that weep,' and often was it his privilege to minister consolation' to the afflicted and to apply the balm of spiritual comfort to the wounded spirit.

"His judgment was sound and discriminating, and the community in which he had lived so long had learned to look to him for counsel in their perplexities, as well as for comfort in their sorrows. In all the relations of life he was beloved, honored and revered. After the union of the Churches he was enabled to attend only a few of the meetings of the judicatories of the Church; but these occasions he regarded as seasons of peculiar privilege. His brethren of the Bethel Presbytery felt for him an earnest respect and a warm affection, and at their meeting in October, 1866, they adopted a letter of condolence, tenderly and touchingly affectionate, which was signed by all the members of Presbytery and forwarded to Brother Russel."*

"LANCASTER C. H., Oct. 6, 1866.

"To Rev. R. Y. Russel

"DEAR BROTHER:-Grace, mercy and peace be multiplied through Jesus Christ our Lord. 'Out of much affliction and anguish of heart we write you with many tears; not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which we have more abundantly unto you.' We sorrow unfeignedly to learn that the chastening hand of our heavenly Father has been laid upon you, and that the voice which has for near a half a century proclaimed the unsearchable riches of Christ is hushed by wasting sickness. Great as would be this visitation at any time, pre-eminently so is it now in this sad day of spiritual decline to the Church of God. But a few short years have elapsed since, through your zeal for the interests of the Master's kingdom, the delightful union so long and so devoutly sought after was consummated between the two Presbyterian bodies which had been divorced for half a century. We were cheered by your delightful presence, and sincerely did we then hope that the great Head of the Church would prolong your ministry and make your latter day of glory excel that of the former. But, alas! My Father! my Father! the chariots

of Israel and the horsemen thereof! Discase has imprisoned you, and we are denied the privilege and treasure of your ripe experience in the court of Christ. Amid the afflictions which encircle you, dear brother, let us assure you of our most fraternal sympathy, as we are assured 'tis Jesus who presides over this dispensation, which so beclouds your chamber of sickness. Unitedly we invoke that God would spare your life to your beloved family, to the charge which you have served through so many weary years, to recover lost souls, and lead the flock of Christ into 'green pastures and beside the still waters;' that He would spare you to ourselves, to whom you are united by so many tender ties, that like Paul the aged, in our midst we might learn wisdom at your lips. But if this be asking too much at the hands of the Master, to whose sovereign will we submissively bow, then we invoke that the Holy Spirit of God would cheer with his gracious presence your declining steps, and show you how to lay aside your tabernacle with joy, so an entrance may be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.'

"And now with affectionate solicitude, dear

Jesse H Turner.

TURNER, JESSE H.-The son of Rev. James and Sally (Leftwich) Turner, was born in Bedford county, Va., Jan. 1, 1788. He was early taught the way of life, and made a profession of religion in his sixteenth year, and joined the Peaks church in Bedford county, Va., his father being pastor at the time. He was educated in Hampden Sidney College, Va., and studied divinity in the Union Theological Seminary, Prince Edward, Va. He was licensed by Hanover Presbytery and ordained by the same Presbytery in 1813. He began his labors as a missionary in Richmond, Va., as early as 1810, and was earnest and faithful in advancing the cause of his Master. He was called to succeed his brother William, who died whilst pastor of the church in Fayetteville, N. C. He subsequently preached in Manchester, Va., and his last charge was in Hanover county, Va. He was without charge for several years, and his health was somewhat infirm.

He died at his residence in Liberty, Va., March 13, 1863, of bilious fever. He was twice married: first, to Miss Harriet Barr, of New Haven, Conn., April 22, 1811; she died in 1850. Second, he married Jan. 9, 1855, Miss Sarah Fitzwilson, of Richmond, Va., who, with one child, survives him.

He was a sincere, good man, quite successful as a teacher. He lived the life of a humble Christian, and died in the full assurance of a blessed immortality.

WILLIAMS, EDWIN T.-The son of Richard Farr and Mary (Millen) Williams, was born in Savannah, Ga., March 12, 1826. He was prepared for college by the late Rev. Samuel M. Gayley, who was well known throughout the Presbyterian Church as a prominent and successful educator, and entered New Jersey College, Princeton, N. J., were he graduated with credit, and studied divinity in the Theological Seminary at the same place. On finishing his course he returned to his native State, and was licensed and ordained by Georgia Presbytery in 1853 as a foreign missionary, his field of labor being Africa, where he labored with zeal and success, first at Monrovia and then at Corisco, from 1854 till 1860, when he returned to the United States with somewhat impaired health, but with an earnest desire to return to that people. Mr. Williams returned to his native State, and the civil war coming on he presented the following overture to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States of America, which met at Augusta, Ga., Dec. 4, 1861:

"OVERTURE, No. IX.-From Rev. Edwin T. Williams, of Georgia, hitherto in connection with Western Africa Presbytery and New York Synod, desirous while in this country of assuming some pastoral charge, would be instructed whether any action on the part of this General Assembly is necessary to release him from his former ecclesiastical connection and to attach him to said Presbytery and Synod within the bounds of the Confederate States to which, in the providence of God, he may be called; and should such necessity exist he further desires and respectfully asks of this General Assembly that the needed action be taken by them." It was

brother, we commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.'

"Beloved brother, we shall meet again; if not here, in the Church militant hereafter, in the Church triumphant, with the 'four and twenty elders around the throne.' Farewell.

"With every assurance of fraternal love, we are yours in Christ till glory.

"(Signed) W. W. CAROTHERS, Moderator. "WILLIAM BANKS, Stated Clerk. "Jos. H. MARTIN, Temp'y Clerk. "And also by every member of Presbytery pres

ent."

"Resolved, That any Presbytery in our connection to which Mr. Williams may apply will be warranted to receive him on his furnishing them with satisfactory evidence of his good standing.'

After this, having labored for some time in Bryan county, Ga., he became a member of Florida Presbytery and pastor of the church in Quincy, Florida. During his labors here, which were eminently successful, he died in the Manse at Quincy, Florida, Aug. 9, 1866, of erysipelas.

He was twice married: first, to Miss Sarah Wells Du Pre, daughter of Rev. Daniel Du Pre, of Charleston, S. C. His second wife was Miss Mary Catharine Fleming, daughter of Judge William B. Fleming, of Savannah, Ga., who, with two children, survives him.

During his whole ministry he was filled with the spirit of missions, which led him to devote himself even while in the seminary to a foreign field, and tears will be shed for him on the hot sands of Africa, and the poor black man of America, amid the bewilderments of these times and the conflicting professions and claims of those who bid for his confidence, may well weep to lose one good friend whom he could safely trust.

In his spirit, temper and diligence he was a model minister, so gentle, forgiving, courteous, pure and lovely. Whether he moved in the social circle among his own flock, or acted with his brethren in the Presbytery and Synod, he was always the same affectionate friend, the same faithful and wise counselor. So entirely was he absorbed in the great realities of eternity and the salvation of man, that all who knew him believed that for him to do the will of God was his meat and his drink. He was pre-eminently a man of prayer. He wrestled with God daily. Without ceasing he prayed by the wayside, in the closet, in his outgoings and incomings, in the fields and in the groves; in the morning, at noon and at night his thoughts were heavenward; in a word, his very breathing was prayer, struggling to get nearer to his Saviour and to know more of him.

We read of such characters in Christian biographies, but it is with a sort of doubt, which reveals itself in the surprise with which we look upon one in real life; for he was one of those whose memoirs ought to be written in full, as rich contributions to the literature of the Church.

He was one of the most devout of men, and many instances are known in which his unworldliness and his constant prayerfulness were used to make very deep impressions on careless young men. Those who knew him best readily testify that he reached a measure of faith to which few have attained, and while he was the very embodiment of kindness and sympathy with his fellow-men, and seemed to enjoy a smooth and sunny path, yet at times he was sorely tried, he was emphatically a shining mark for the fiery darts of the enemy; but his armor was ever on him, and though his conflicts at many periods of his journey were fearful, he always triumphed in the strength and power of that Saviour whom he loved, and to whose name he almost always prefixed the word "precious.

As a pastor he was faithful. The Quincy church, his last charge, will not soon forget his tender sympathy for the suffering, his forbearance with the erring and his earnest effort with all long-suffering and prayer to restore them. The children and youth of his flock shared in all his efforts to do good. As a preacher he was earnest and pathetic, and if he was less brilliant than some of his brethren, he was inferior to none in the soundness and symmetry of his pulpit exercises. All his ministrations were solemn and impressive, always abounding in simple illustrations, suited to all classes of men, that both saint and sinner might have his portion in due season.

Im Wilson

WILSON, JAMES M.-The son of Samuel B. and Elizabeth (Hanna) Wilson, D.D., was born in Fredericksburg, Va., Nov. 27, 1821. Possessing good natural talents and a docile disposition, he was carefully instructed in the knowledge of divine truth and duty, and received it as a revelation from God. He made a profession of religion at an early age, and with a view to the ministry he was educated at Washington College, Lexington, Va., and graduated with honor. He studied divinity in the Union Theological Seminary at Prince Edward, Va. He was licensed by West Hanover Presbytery. His first field of labor was as a missionary in Floyd county, Va., where there were but a few Presbyterians, no church organized and no house of worship. By his labors a church was organized and he was ordained by Montgomery Presbytery. He succeeded in erecting a brick house of worship and a comfortable MANSE, doing so without leaving any debt upon them. In this church Sunday-schools, Bible-classes, prayer-meetings and collections for missions were all arranged for the systematic furtherance of religion. The small salary he received, the urgent wants of a growing family and a desire to promote the Christian education of the daughters of our country, induced him to accept the office of president of a female college at Rogersville, Tenn. Here he spent several years usefully and acceptably to the public and the trustees of the college. On the death of his wife, a lady of inestimable worth, he deemed it wise to resign his office; and as soon as he could make arrangements for the comfort of his children he sought a new field of labor in the desolate regions beyond the Mississippi, and in the autumn of 1862 he came to Arkansas and took charge of the churches of Des Arc and Wattensaw, which he continued to supply, intending to unite with the Arkansas Presbytery as soon as an opportunity would offer. In their service he was employed about six months. His ministry was acceptable in a high degree, and prospects of great usefulness seemed to open before him. He was happy in his work, his brethren were cordial and rejoiced with him. But God, whose ways are inscrutable to mortals, speedily changed the aspect of affairs. On the Lord's day, Sept. 7, 1862, after preaching with more than usual unction in the morning to the white congregation and in the afternoon to the colored people, in his discourse to them he was observed to be unusually solemn and affectionate. At the close of the exercises they gathered around him to express their grateful feelings for the interest he had shown in their eternal welfare, and he continued to urge upon them the importance of preparing for the eternal world. He then took his seat in his buggy, intending to spend the night at the residence of Mrs. D. S. Gray. On the way his horse took fright, and after running about an eighth of a mile, suddenly turned a corner at Mrs. Gray's yard, by which the buggy was overset, and from his braced position and firm hold upon the reins, he was thrown quite a distance, and with great violence upon the ground. He was immediately carried into the house, where medical aid was soon procured and every attention which Christian affection could bestow was given. He lay speechless and apparently unconscious, and with but little sign of pain, until the next afternoon, when his happy spirit was released from suffering, and borne to be for ever in the presence of that Saviour whom unseen he had loved and in whom believing he had often rejoiced with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

He married Miss Cecelia Rogers, the daughter of Rev. Thornton Rogers; she died in 1861. Several children survive him. His father, S. B. Wilson, D.D., Professor in Union Theological Seminary, Va., and his brother, Rev. S. B. O. Wilson, of Covington, Tenn., are Presbyterian ministers.

Rev. J. W. MOORE, of Austin, Arkansas, preached his funeral sermon. He spoke as follows: "No one, we believe, has ever labored within our bounds whose natural and acquired qualifications and devoted spirit promised more extensive usefulness. Time and acquaintance are necessary to give most men access to the hearts of strangers. It was not so with our deceased brother. His open, benignant countenance, his easy and natural address, and withal his unaffected and unmistakable spirituality of mind, impressed every one, on the first interview, that they were in the presence of a man of God. His addresses in the pulpit were of that peculiar character which draws off the thoughts of the hearer from surrounding objects and from the speaker himself, and carries them away to the contemplation of things not seen and eternal. It was the uniformity and consistency of the hallowed influences attending him which gave him such a hold upon the affections of the people, and which called forth such general and unaffected expressions of grief when he was called away.'

A friend writes: "He was a sound theologian. He loved the doctrines of grace as held by the Reformers and embodied in our standards. He believed and taught that true faith will produce good fruits in the life. His own example was lovely and he was greatly beloved wherever he resided by all upright men. His successor in Floyd C. H. writes: 'I am occupying the field in which Mr. Wilson once labored. I wish I could give you a complete and full idea of the esteem and respect with which his memory is still cherished at this place. Something is said of him almost every day, and he seems to be a standard for every thing that is good and excellent.'

WILSON, WILLIAM W.-The son of Abner and Mary (Williams) Wilson, was born in Darlington district, S. C., in 1823. He was educated privately, and studied divinity in the Theological Seminary at Columbia, S. C., and was licensed by Harmony Presbytery and ordained by the same Presbytery in 1846. He was a stated supply of Bishopville church, and soon after became pastor. He subsequently preached in Hepzibah and Lynchburg, Va., and where he was laboring when he died, at his residence in Bishopville, S. C., Aug. 26, 1865, of typhoid fever.

He married Miss Ann Harrington, the daughter of a Presbyterian minister, who, with four children, survives him. J. Leighton Wilson, D.D., and John D. Wilson, Presbyterian ministers, are cousins.

A friend thus writes: "The work of divine grace, which was begun when his heart was young, became deep and abiding. It manifested itself in no sudden impulses, no enthusiastic raptures, but in constant love to God and zeal for his glory. Those who knew him best marked from year to year a steady advancement in holiness; his path appeared to them as the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day.' He was from education and conviction emphatically a Presbyterian. Few, if any, loved with more intense devotion the ordinances, worship and doctrines of the Church of which he was a minister. And yet he was no sectarian. Ministers of other denominations with whom he associated, people of other folds who wept when they heard that he was not, testify how well he loved all who loved his Saviour.

"He was an able, sound and instructive preacher, and although he seldom indulged in flowers of rhetoric, was hailed with pleasure in the pulpits