Crediton. POETRY. LINES ON A LILY. O pause, and hail the Lily's * God, Ere carth had borne the beauteous child, Pause, then, and think-shall He, the Power Oh, shall the Guardian of the flower No, never can our God forget To bless his human reign; And guilt, and tears, and blood are vain Then, stranger, turn thee to the world, Thy breast, like hers, to Heaven unfurl'd, So shalt thou rest in earth like her, Till Spring the wintry trance shall stir, A HYMN. God, mighty to create, all things adore: Mighty to save! On Sabbath morn, when the soul, tempest-driven, Mighty to save." * The three first verses are allusive to the beautiful "Consider the lilies," &c., of our Lord. Sinner, guilt-stain'd through all thy anguish'd frame, When quivers on the lips the last faint breath, Mighty to save! When thrilling life pervades the wakening clod, PSALM cxxvi. 5, 6. Mighty to save. Mighty to save! "And they who sow in tears shall reap in joy!" Sheds o'er the death-couch, o'er the orphan'd child, Of somewhat, too, beyond what tongue can tell, The mother's love hath stor'd her infant's mind Above earth's proudest sage.-The morning sun, Shalt thou lie there?-Before the heavenly throne SCRIPTURE SONNETS. John xi. "I am the resurrection and the life: To the cold grave where Lazarus is laid; To Lazarus, "Come forth!" He lives, he breathes; Of death are torn away, and the pale shroud- Matt. iv. To the dark desert of the spirit led, Our Saviour fasted, and the evil one Came to him tempting-" If thou be the Son By bread alone, but by the words that come From God's own mouth." Upon the Temple's dome, His Son, cast thyself down-'tis writ that he To whom the Saviour, ""Tis again decreed, Luke xviii. "Suffer the little ones to come to me, I would be one of these; and when with smiles R. OBITUARY. 1825. April 11, after a severe illness of five days, aged 52, Mrs. B. BRISTOWE, wife of the Rev. J. B. Bristowe, pastor of the Presbyterian congregation at Ringwood, Hants. She was born at Worksop, Notts, and was descended from the ancient and respectable family of the Bristowes of Beesthorpe Hall, in the said county, and was the only child of Thomas Bristowe, Esq., of that town. When a mere girl, she was puzzled at the doctrine of the Trinity, which she could not comprehend, and applied to the Rev. E. Otter (chaplain to the late Duke of Portland, and an intimate friend of her family) for. a solution of its difficulties. The worthy divine always evaded the subject by telling her that it was a mystery, and not for him and her to talk about; and when she again recurred to it, he used to reply, "Come, let us change the subject; we cannot understand it," &c. After the death of her father, she removed with her mother from Worksop to Nottingham, and soon after, they left that town, then disturbed by frequent riots, and settled at Mansfield, and became regular attendants at the Unitarian Chapel, to the minister of which she was afterwards married, and had one child, who died very young. Some years after, the family removed to Hinck ley, where she sustained a heavy loss in the demise of her mother. In that town she laboured under a bilious affection, and after a residence of above six years, she left it, being advised by her medical attendant, and especially by the liberal and friendly Catholic priest, head of the College at Douay during the storm of the French revolution, to try a milder climate; and in July 1817, she came to Ringwood, where her husband was shortly after cho. sen to be the minister. Here she gained more strength, and enjoyed comparative better health. She was much esteemed for her many good qualities, particularly her wakeful prudence and presence of mind, her gentle and peaceable disposition, her scrupulous regard to truth, her unbending integrity, her high sense of honour, and her anxious attention not to mislead or to allow others to mislead themselves by her actions or words. At her own repeated request, her remains were carried to Caunton, beyond Newark, Notts, near to Beesthorpe Hall, and were deposited, in a chapel adjoining the church, (which was the property of her direct ancestors, and now belongs to her relative, Samuel Bristowe, Esq.,) near those of her father, mother, child and progenitors for more than 300 years.-She took great interest in the cause of genuine Christianity at Ringwood; and, soon after her husband's settlement here, endeavoured to establish a Feniale Fellowship Fund, similar to those which have arisen, with so much advantage, from the recommendation of Dr. Thomson, the writer's fellow-student and friend. By the young persons in the society she was held in great esteem, and justly, for she was very anxious about them, and when any were leaving their native homes, she never failed to give them good advice, and exhorted them to be true to their religious principles, and to withstand the temptations to which they would be exposed in great towns. To the poor of the congregation, considering her limited means, she was bountiful, especially to the aged. On Easter Sunday, only a week before she expired, she attended public worship three times, and with the sermon, “ On the Peace of the Tomb and the Resurrection," the singing, and the whole service, she was singularly delighted, and seemed to wish that her latter end, if it pleased her Maker, might not be far off. In three days after, she was seized by a fever, uncommon to her, and which the skill of her usual medical attendant, aided by an eminent physician of Salisbury, whom she had before consulted with advantage, could not completely subdue. On the morning of the day of her death, she sat up in the library, and conversed with two kind female friends and her family, still anxious concerning an amiable youth of the congregation, then on the eve of departing for London, and lamenting the loss his removal would occasion. Feeling herself weak and restless, she went with little assistance to that bed from which she arose no more. About half an hour before her spirit fled, she expressed her thanks for the attentions paid to her, and her conviction that all had been done for her by her family that could be done. Many and anxious were the inquiries that were made, by all parties, during the short term of her sufferings, and sincerely aud generally was her unexpected death lamented. Numerous are the testimonies which were borne to her virtues, and to the exemplary manner in which she discharged the duties of her station and relations in life, by persons belonging to the congregation with which she was more immediately connected, by friends at a distance, and by those of other religious denominations in the town. express their sense of her worth and regret at her removal, the society put on Το mourning, and hung the pulpit, desk, &c., in black cloth; and the Rev. A. Bishop, the Independent Minister, in a manner creditable to himself and honourable to the dead, gave notice that his chapel would be closed on the evening her funeral discourse was to be preached. This duty was ably performed by the Rev. A. Bennett, of Poole, (who well knew her,) before a crowded congregation, from John xiv. 1. In reference to the melancholy occasion, the preacher observed, "When death enters the circle of our friends and acquaintance, we all feel the intrusion. If he seize on one to whom we are held in the bonds of friendship and affection, the pleasure of whose company we have oftentimes enjoyed, whose conversations we found edifying, and who evidently endeavoured to contribute to the innocent gratifications of society, whom we know to have been always ready to discharge the duties of humanity, whose liberal disposition we could not but admire, and of whose bounty we may have partaken; who was careful in the midst of all the duties of social life to preserve the spirit of religion, and whose example was evidently sincere and pure; to know that there is now no more remaining of that person, in this world, than a mass of cold and lifeless clay, consigned motionless to the narrow space of a coffin, and committed to the silent grave, to be no more seen; at such a dissolution of the ties of friendship and esteem, whose heart is not moved with pity, regret and grief? Probably each one of us now in this house of prayer, assembled to contemplate the excellencies of a friend lately deceased, feel the truth of what I say. You can, in general, bear testimony to her virtue and piety, to her benevolence and charity, to her social disposition and cheerfulness, and those who were around her could speak of her steady patience under a long state of delicate health, and of her resignation to the will of God in her last moments. She was a sincere believer in the existence, goodness, and superintending providence of one God, the Father of Jesus Christ, and of all mankind. In the benevolence and fatherly character of God she found a constaut source of satisfaction and comfort through many years of bodily weakness, and under several painful events and berearements. And, on the bed of death, a short time before she expired, she evinced submission to the appointment of Providence, in the words of our Saviour, God's will be done.' In the divine mission of Jesus, she was a firm and grateful believer, and delighted to con template those scenes of future bliss and glory which it opens to the view of the genuine Christian, and would often ex She press her thankfulness to God for the gift of his Son, by whom life and immortality were brought to light. As far as one human being can judge of another, it may be affirmed, that her piety was unaffected and genuine, rational and sincere. preferred practical, vital religion to that which is speculative, and which has no tendency to warm and amend the heart, to render men more devout, benevolent and good. Sincerely attached to the cause of genuine and evangelical Christianity, she was anxious and zealous to promote its prosperity and success in this place, by every rational and Christian means in her power. Her last moments were not disturbed by any of those apprehensions which arise either from a sense of guilt, or from narrow and appalling views of the Almighty Parent of the world, as if his goodness or his grace were of a limited nature. Neither conscience nor dread of her Maker's frown, gave her any uneasiness. Under the influence of these religions sentiments, she lived beloved and respected, and expired as one falling asleep, without a struggle, a groan, or a sigh. Alas! she is now gone to the land of forgetfulness, and this house, in which she offered, conscientiously, her devotions to the Almighty, will know her no more. Ah! think not, respected stranger, that there is no religion but in thy creed; that there is no piety but in thy bosom !"-" While therefore we grieve and sympathize with each other at the departure of our friend, we hope and trust it will be well with her, and that we shall meet her again in an other and a better world." The worthy preacher concluded his excellent discourse with an impressive exhortation to his hearers, not to let the present awful scene pass without producing a determination in all to consider their latter end and prepare for it, while the golden opportunity was in their power. After which the following beautiful lines were sung, for the first time, in Ringwood, by the choir of the Meeting: "Forgive, blest shade, the tributary tear, That mourns thy exit from a world like this; Forgive the wish that would have kept thee here, And stay'd thy progress to the realms of bliss. No more confin'd to grovelling scenes of night, No more a tenaut pent in mortal clay; Now should we rather hail thy glorious flight, And trace thy journey to the realms of day." J. B. B. |