E.JBY? S. IRISH METHODIST L-^ REMINISCENCES; BEING MAINLY MEMORIALS OF THE LIFE AND LABOURS OF THE REV. S. NICHOLSON. BY EDWAED THOMAS. "The Holy Ghost was upon him." LONDON : J. C. WATTS, 30, FURNIVAL STREET, HOLBORN, B.C. 1889. PREFACE. ^T7 HE reasons for the appearance of this volume are various. It contains a wife's tribute of affection & I fe * to the memory of her sainted husband. He still lives in her heart and every-day life, and she knows " The touch of a vanished hand, And the sound of a voice that is still." When asking us to undertake the compilation of the memorial, Mrs. Nicholson said: "My only motive in desiring Mr. Nicholson's life to be given to the world ia that thereby God may be glorified and good done." This wish agrees with the supreme aim of our departed brother's life on earth, which was to glorify God and save men. And surely even in the glorified strtte, it would be a great joy to Mr. Nicholson to know that the aim of his lite is being promoted by the story of that life. The issue of Christian biographies finds much of its justification in the welcome they receive and the edifi- cation and comfort they confessedly bring to many devout hearts. IV PBEFACE. The history contained in the fourth chapter is not in- tended to revive the controversy of a past age, but to supply what did not exist in connected form an account of the origin, &c., of the Methodist New Connexion in Ireland. It seemed desirable to supply the friends of the Denomination with a reliable account of its inception and early labours. In the preparation of the memorial, we could not forbear casting side-glances at concurrent events and contemporaneous individuals. These glances, we hope, will prove, as they are designed to be, interesting and edifying to Methodist New Connexion ists in general, and more particularly to the descendants of many of the good men and women whose names will be found scattered throughout the following pages. We have written under difficulties, inexperience in this kind of work being not the least of them, and our ordinary duties required unabated attention. If our narrative be the means, under God, of inspiring any mind with a devout thought, a holy purpose or or if it incite to aspiration ; anyone "attempt great things for God, and to expect great things from God ;" or if it be the means of encouraging some souls under con- scious guilt to look to Samuel Nicholson's Saviour, we shall be abundantly rewarded for our toil. It is but due to her to record the fact, that the work would have been impossible had it not been for the material supplied by Mrs. Nicholson, at the cost of much labour. E. T. BROOMHEDOE, LISBURN, Co. ANTRIM, May, 1889. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE Mr. Nicholson a Descendant of a Huguenot Family The Linen Trade Sermon on a Lawn Uncle Samuel Nicholson Grandfather's Prayer for an Extension of his Life answered Father Mother Spring Valley " Given to the Lord all the days of his life" Day School the Sickness : Whiskey bad Medicine Prefers Methodists Division in Methodism over the Sacra- ments, &c. Moira Anne Lutton Mothers in Council " In the 7th ot Romans Johnny Armstrong" Con- version. 1 CHAPTER II. Motions of the New Life Sickness : Recovery in Answer to Mother Prayer ; A Vow Christian Worker Taken by to Ordination Services Special Providences Spiritual Succession of Preachers Studies Directed Family Prayer, &c. Manual and Mental Labours Spiritual " Growth : Fightings Within" Bible and Prayer. 21 CHAPTER III. Holiness Movement Made Perfect in Love Divine Impres- sions Evangelistic Tours Magorian a convert from Popery Moved by the Holy Ghost to Preach the Gospel Exhorter and Local Preacher Offered an VI. CONTENTS. PAGE Appointment as a Preacher by the Primitive Wesleyans Examined before the Portadown Wesleyan District Meeting Appointed to the Donegal Mission Brother Robert and Mother die of Fever Resigns the Ministry for a Time Mother's Memoir Remarkable Answer to a Youth's Prayer A Tempest Joins the Methodist New Connexion. 34 CHAPTER IV. Thirty-two Leaders &c. Expelled by the Methodist Confer- ence Address to the Societies by the Expelled : Their Names William Black John McClure: First Irish Metljgdist New Connexion Minister Thomas West Patrick Cunningham James Wright James Halliday James Cherry First Chapel at Priesthill Miss Isa- bella Wright Difficulties Ireland Selected by the Methodist New Connexion as its Field of Missionary Enterprise List of Preaching Places Journals of Mis- sionaries : From Rev. J. Lyons, Mr. J. G. Duff, and Revs. J. Robinson, T. Seymour, J. Seymour, W. McClure Rev. Win. Cooke's Superintendence Mr. Price a Convert from Romanism : Missionary in Irish Language Fruits of the Irish Mission in Canada : Letter from Rev. J. C. Watts, D.D. 58 CHAPTER V. Mr. Nicholson meets Rev. W. Cooke Foundation-stone of a Chapel Laid by Lord Lurgan Fruit after Many Days Lay Representative to the '.Irish M. N. C. Con- ference of 1839 Temperance Pledge Assists on the Smithboro' Mission- -Meditation at the Close of the Ycnr Letter from Rev. W. Cooke: Engaged as a Him] Local Preacher Coghan Letter to Miss Moore Irish MeUiodist New Connexion Conference of 1840 Becomes a Supply Letter to Superintendent Journal : Poteen Adventure in an open Boat Haunted House, &c, Becommended as a Preacher on Trial Letter to the CONTENTS. Vll. PAGE Superintendent Preaches to Roman Catholics Confer- ence of 1841 Presentation to Rev. W. Cooke Labours in Belfast : Journal Reading and Study Dromore Joseph Barker Priesthill Hungers and Thirsts after Righteousness Conference of 1842 Probation Com- mences Priesthill Marriage. 90 CHAPTER VI. Mr. Nicholson's Labours at Priesthill continued Kindness of " the Friends to the Foolish Couple" Resolution of Conference against Young Preachers Marrying during Probation James Richey, one of the thirty-two Memoir of Margaret Carlisle Irish Christian Monitor Memoir of Samuel Hinds Conference of 1843 Ballyclare Domestic Joy : Parental Feelings Chapel- debt Removed Receives a Presentation Memoir of Jane Irwin Letter to the Monitor Sister Margaret Con- ference of 1844 Portglenone Alarming Encounter A Fire Arrested Strange Characters and Experiences " " The Lord's Jewel in an Irish Bog" Sickness : Xearer to Thee" Conference of 1845 Ballyclare again Canadian Mission Letter to Superintendent A Wed- ding Diary Parental Joy A Drunkard and Blasphemer Converted To the Superintendent Studies Poor Girl's Jubilee Offering. 118 CHAPTER VII. Conference of 1846 Ordination Charles Hall one of the Thir- ty-two Smithboro' Mission Broomhedge Memoir of John Meaklim Sanctified Illness To the Mission Secret ary Funeral of J. Martin Girl seized with Cholera dur- ing Preaching Rev.W.McClune's brief earnest Ministry Dalton's Funeral A Five Pound Xote from the Lord Conference of 1847 Newtownards "Potato Blight": Famine Fever Cholera Diary A Woman Expires in an Open-air Service Parental Joy and Thanksgiving Vlll. CONTENTS. PAGE Fruit Conference of 1848 Presentation to Rev. Wm. Baggally To the Superintendent Thirty Penitents Mr. .Nicholson on Open-air Preaching 147 CHAPTER VIII. Conference of 1849 Broomhedge again Journal Memoir of John Jones Conference of 1850 Memoir of Joseph Thompson Mere Assent not Saving Faith Memoir of Robert Anderson Edward McClune A Backslider Restored A Roman Catholic Converted The Remark- able Revival, at Broomhedge, Priesthill, &c., of 1851 Fruit after many Days Conference of 1852 Tracts : Letter from Peter Drummond The Revival in him as well as around him Memoir of Mrs. Collins The Revi- val [breaks out again Memoir ofj Mrs. Dornan Young Men Induced to become Scripture-Readers Temperance "Bunnel Green" Daughter Converted SabbathSchool opened at Magheragall Conference of 1853 Letter " from Rev. T. Seymour The Cause of Ireland's Degra- " dation, and the Means of her Recovery Letter to the Superintendent Conference of 1854 The Venerable John Lyons Retires Lisburn First Ragged School in Lisbtirn James Whitla and Mrs. Nicholson from New York Cholera To the Mission Secretary Domestic Affliction 171 CHAPTER IX. Conference of 1855 Prieethill &c. A Will altered and True Peace obtained Remarkable Answer to Prayer Confer- ence of 1856 Lisburn and Broomhedge Death of Father Conference of 1857 Irish Conference altered to Irish District Meeting Gahvay Prostrate under a Virulent Fever : Mrs. Nicholson's Account 1868. Super- numerary for a Year: Supplies Newtownanls: Much Blessing William Dobbin, jun. Revival of 1859 Three Hundred Converted at Broomhedge in One Week Revs. B. Turnock, and B. B. Turnock, M.A. Mr. Nicholson's CONTEXTS. XI. PAGU5 : Revival Scenes Stricken Cases Labours at Bangor ; &c. Memoir of Rob. Patterson Four Children die in Scarlet Fever Memoir of Caroline M.B.Nicholson Lady from Cork finds Peace through Mr. Nicholson's Instru- mentality 1861, Broomhedge again American War: " " Cotton Famine ; Prodigious Labours and Sacrifices to relieve Widespread Destitution Irish Beneficent Society Ceases Providential Relief 1863, Lisburn Successful Labours Amongst the Poor Fever Death of Rev. T. Seymour (1866) Bernard Jefferson Death of Mr. and James their McCoy ; Samuel Atkinson, Father and Sister Representative to the English Conference of 1867 Emigration of Members Renovation of Chapel Daughters commence Business. 200 CHAPTER X. Mental Characteristics Child of a Special Providence Lover of Nature Cheerfulness and Humour In the : Financial Efforts Pulpit Newtownards [again ; Tem- perance Labours; Misses the Train and Escapes a for Illness on Over- Disaster ; Love Souls ; brought by work Ballyclare again Expansion of Temperance Creed Chapel debt Removed Death of Wm. Connelly and Miss J. Logan 10 from New Zealand Death of ' Nancy McVeigh, aged 92 5000 Tracts Prayer and Revival Drunkard Converted Death of James Scott Fifty years Retrospect Fruits of the Revival Spirit Grocer Converted Self Examination Affliction Super- annuation Resolution of Conference Retires to Lisburn Parental Love Fruit in Old Age Address and Presen- tationLast Hours Peaceful Departure Interment in Bangor Churchyard 230 IRISH METHODIST REMINISCENCES.