Upon the death of his father, his widowed mother found in him, being then only sixteen years of age, an invaluable and constant support. Left with a family of six children, the pain of bereave ment was mingled with fear for the future; and it was with a troubled heart she tried to think how her loved ones could be suitably brought up. John, seeing her grief, told her "not to weep, for he would take his father's place to them." This promise was faithfully kept, so far as it possibly could be kept by one so young; nor did he cease his endeavours, till, in successive years, every member of the family was in some way provided for. The feeling thus shown in early years was afterwards matured and strengthened by his piety, and was manifest in the actions of every-day life. God blessed him with increased substance and a still more loving spirit; and he constantly reaped that joy which of earthly joys "exceeds all others, the joy of doing kindnesses."

As a neighbour and friend he was always ready to lend a helping hand to those who needed it. Here is an instance of this, which, although it would be unworthy of record in the life of a man of wealth or of good income, in the case of one of such limited means as those which fell to the lot of the subject of this memoir, has about it the ring of princely generosity. On one occasion he learned that a person who lived a few miles off, and at whose house he was generally entertained when he went into that neighbourhood to preach, had been unable, through ill health, for some time to attend to his employment. On hearing this, the thought arose in his sympathetic heart that very possibly this friend might be in straitened circumstances. He accordingly went over to see him, and took an opportunity of delicately saying, that "if this were the case, and five pounds would be any relief to him, he was welcome to it." This generous offer was not accepted, but it produced the deepest impression upon the heart of him to whom it was made.

The blessing of him "that considereth the poor" also rested upon him. He was not satisfied with the bestowal of indiscrimi nate charity; he sought out cases of distress. In two instances he took poor orphan children as his special charge, seeing to their maintenance altogether till they were able to procure a living for themselves. His liberality, also, in connection with the work of God abounded,-liberality, the ability for which was purchased by no small measure of self-sacrifice. Immediately upon his conversion he manifested a strong desire that every part of the work connected with the Church should prosper; and long before he was officially interested in the financial concerns of the Society, he was accustomed to inquire every quarter how matters stood in reference

to them-with a view to their being kept in a satisfactory state,and his praiseworthy solicitude was continued throughout life. At one period he had been able, by dint of great economy during several years, to lay by the sum of one hundred pounds. At this time the Milford Wesleyan Chapel was burdened with a heavy debt. It was a period, too, of rebuke and dismay; and both the Society and congregation had become so greatly reduced in numbers, that this burden upon the chapel-trust threatened the Methodist cause there with total destruction. In this extremity, John determined to lay the sum which he had so hardly earned, and with no little difficulty saved, upon the Lord's altar. He accordingly offered to give the whole of it for the benefit of the chapel, if the other friends would in some way supplement it with an equal amount. More than the required sum was soon raised, he himself largely helping to obtain it; and so the work in connection with the much-loved sanctuary began once more to prosper.

Unsectarian in his views and feelings, every Christian enterprise shared the sympathy and support of our departed brother; whilst Christian Missions, the British and Foreign Bible Society, the Tract Society, and Sabbath-school institutions were special objects of his loving thought and effort. At the same time he took care "to owe no man anything." All his accounts were kept with exemplary exactness: no one could reproach him with being generous before he was just. He gave no quarter to idleness; and any one who wished to go through his daily work too easily, did not care to be placed under his supervision in business hours. He was not gifted with much talent, but his persevering labour made what he had most effectual. In the service of God's house

he also engaged with characteristic ardour. Those who were accustomed to hear it will not soon forget the " Amen,❞—so hearty, clear, and strong, with which he responded during the prayer, and sometimes during the sermon, and which was in his case the sincere utterance of his heart, not a formal or ostentatious practice. He was in fact a man of fervent and continual prayer. In addition to attending the Sunday and week-day services of the sanctuary, and conducting family devotion three times a day in the house of his brother-in-law, with whom he resided, he spent large portions of every day in private religious exercises. His pleading, importunate fervency at the throne of Divine grace, in the class-meeting, or public prayer-meeting, was very noticeable. You were often reminded, as you listened, of the patriarch whose wrestling faith near the brook Jabbok was crowned with such a glorious victory. He lived in the spirit of holy approaches to God, endeavouring to put in practice the

apostolic admonition, "Pray without ceasing." It was observed that during his last illness he never took the medicine prescribed him without at the same time asking a blessing upon it. One could not be much with him, and be permitted to share in his confidence, without soon discovering how fully he lived in the midst of the "things unseen and eternal." It is no wonder that in his conversation about spiritual matters there was a beautiful simplicity and assurance, and that even worldly men felt the sincerity and honesty of his religious profession.

John Holbrook "followed on " to know the Lord. He evidently embraced and enjoyed those exalted privileges which too many Christians neglect; the result being that his spiritual life, instead of being full of doubts, and comparatively profitless, was ever clear in Christian conviction and rich in rare results. He lived to and in Christ, and so proved the truth of the Saviour's words, "He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit." Soon after his conversion he became persuaded that there were provided for him in the Gospel richer blessings than those he had already realized. He saw it to be his privilege to be sanctified "wholly; " and there was bestowed upon him a deep hungering and thirsting after righteousness, with which, according to the promise, he looked to "be filled." His faith prevailed; he was enabled to say, with a fuller meaning than ever, "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin," and to feel as never before the blessedness of those who are "sanctified by God the Father." Nor was his enjoyment of this lofty blessing a transient one through grace he did not cast away his confidence, but continued to prove that even in this world it hath "great recompense of reward." Throughout the remainder of his life he bore a glorious testimony, by his godly and high character, to the power of faith in the atoning blood of Jesus. His light shone so brightly that not a few can bear witness that there was something about him which impressed them most favourably, even when they were strangers to the grace of God,-something that gave unusual weight to his warnings and admonitions. The Rev. J. Chadwick, a minister of the "New Connexion," and who was intimately acquainted with him, thus writes :-"I ever regarded him as one having few equals as a man of God, as a man of real moral worth, of high Christian integrity, of deep and sterling piety, and of fervent zeal; as one indeed entirely consecrated to the service of the Lord. Never shall I forget the earnestness of his entreaty when he besought me to give my heart to Christ. His appeal I could not resist, and in the day of the Lord Jesus' I expect to be a star in the crown of his rejoicing."

There was a tone of cheerfulness about his religion which

was more than ordinary. He seemed to enjoy a heaven upon earth. This might not be so manifest to all, owing to the intentness with which he was continually prosecuting some duty, or to the deep feeling which filled his heart on behalf of others,-intentness and feeling which were plainly written on his countenance. Two short extracts from his letters will illustrate this point. "What a glorious salvation is this!" he writes. "This now salvation, what a blessing it is! It has been a 'now' salvation with me for twenty-five years, and I am still happy in the service of Him whose service is perfect freedom. I have many precious seasons in private with the Lord, but some of my happiest times have been in my public labours for Christ. O, the honour of being engaged in so great and good a cause!" Again: "I feel in the service of God there is a present reward. Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.' I can 'reckon myself dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.''

But happy as Mr. Holbrook was in the service of his Master below, he was soon to be happier in His more immediate presence above. When just in the prime of life, and in the midst of his usefulness, he was summoned from the Church militant to join the Church triumphant and glorified. His death was in harmony with his life. The fatal illness lasted only a few weeks, and dur ing almost the whole of this time he firmly believed that he should recover. He had possessed an ardent love of life, a feeling to which he not seldom gave utterance in stating his religious experience to his Christian brethren. This arose not from any doubt of his personal safety, but from a strong desire to be made more extensively useful, and it was consistent with the deepest piety. When seized with what proved to be a mortal disease, he had prayed fervently that he might be raised up again, if it were consistent with the Divine will, and he had a firm persuasion that his request was granted. It may be matter of surprise to some that this devoted servant of Jesus should have been suffered to labour under such a misapprehension; but it may teach us a useful lesson: it certainly caused the grace bestowed upon him to shine out all the more conspicuously in the last few days of his life. Very beautiful was it to see with what resignation and peace his soul was filled after he had become certain that his hope of a restoration to health was not to be realized,-that it was indeed the will of his Father in heaven that he should cease his labours in the Church below. It must have been no small trial to discover the error just at the last moment,-only a few days before his departure. But not a murmur escaped his lips. "Then I must have been mistaken," was all he had to say on the subject,

with the exception of words expressive of resignation and thankfulness. Although called thus suddenly to face "the last enemy," his mind was kept in perfect peace. Indeed, it appeared to him, he said, "that there was no spiritual enemy at all to trouble him." There was no conflict, no cloud, no darkened sky; but a sweet and joyous anticipation of heavenly rest. During the time he was looking forward to renewed health he had seen but few of his friends, owing to his extreme weakness; but as soon as he felt his days were numbered, he embraced every opportunity of speaking for the Saviour to those who visited him; and especially did he urge such of them as were unconverted to be decided for Christ. But speech at length failed: the voice that had been so diligently used for his Lord was now to be employed, if not in a nobler, yet in a more triumphant service. While his relations and friends were bowed in prayer around his bed, on the morning of March 8th, 1868, his sanctified spirit was called home. It was a time of life rather than of death. "Heaven's richest blessing," says one who was present, "seemed to come to earth; and although we had lost one so dearly loved, grief was well nigh lost in joy."

On the following Lord's day the remains of this faithful disciple of Jesus were interred in the graveyard of the Wesleyan chapel at Belper. A little outside the town the long funeral procession was met by a number of the leading friends connected with Methodism in the locality, who had come forth to manifest the esteem in which the departed one was held. Among the hundreds who assembled round the grave there appeared to be but few who could refrain from weeping, while the lamentations of some were bitter indeed. A special service was held a short time after, when a funeral sermon was preached to a dense congregation by the writer of this sketch. A somewhat similar service was also held in several other chapels in the surrounding neighbourhood, where the labours of the man of God had won for him the warm esteem and highest regard of many.

The testimony born by the life and death thus briefly recorded to the value and power of the religion of Christ, is one that cannot be gainsaid. Here we see a man who, in a comparatively humble station, gained the respect and love of all who came into contact with him; of little education, but possessing a reputation for true wisdom; of no worldly wealth, yet making many rich; of but moderate ability, and yet exercising commanding influence. Amidst the common duties of life, its little joys and sorrows, its struggles and excitements, he walked a consecrated spirit; his meanest acts ennobled by a lofty and holy purpose, and his greater ones performed in a spirit of humility and dependence upon a higher Power than his own. His hand was constantly stretched