CHAPTER VIII.

Sketch of Daily Life and Character.

A SHORT Sketch of the daily life of one who endeavoured to live in the fear of God may not be unprofitable. It will be seen that his habits were gradually formed, and were in most cases the fruit of earnest wrestling with his natural infirmities.

The first which I will mention has reference to his waking thought in the morning; this, after much watchfulness, habitually ascended to his God; and greatly was he comforted when the habit became confirmed, for he looked on it as a token of God's love, and the fragrance from this habit perfumed as it were his whole day.

Rising early, after prayer he walked out, meditating on some passage of Scripture; latterly, he returned by half-past seven o'clock, to instruct his little ones in the love of God, for half an hour before Family Prayer.

Sermons and letter writing occupied the first part of the morning. His correspondence was large, and gradually increased, and therefore required method, to prevent its absorbing too much time. On his sermons he bestowed labour and study: an invocation of God's help was followed by diligent searching of the Scriptures, by comparing passage with passage, and by consulting any books likely to assist in the elucidation of the subject under consideration.

On the Sunday he preached written sermons, but his extempore discourses for the week day's service were carefully studied; the office of preaching he considered to be too important, and too responsible, to be undertaken without due care and preparation.

During the last months of his life he had the deep joy of attending morning service in the Parish Church; previously to attaining this happy privilege, he joined with me in the service at home, translating on those occasions the second lesson from the Greek Testament.

After this holy exercise he went out into his parish, instructing in the schools, visiting the sick and whole of his flock, and fulfilling any parochial engagements he might have made, methodically pursuing the plan laid down on the previous evening; but if in any case he became perplexed, or was vexed by untoward circumstances, he would sometimes return to the Vicarage, and give himself to earnest prayer. It is not surprising that, after such communion with his God, he would rise from his knees strengthened in faith, and with a beaming countenance be enabled to return to the duties of his parish, assured that his " path had been made plain."

For noon-day devotions, as will be seen by his Diary, he had dedicated, at the least, one half hour daily. In his active life, with numerous engagements, it was difficult to snatch even this short time in the busy hours of the day; but he never failed to do so, regretting only when repeated interruptions tempted him to be worried or impatient.

The afternoon was employed in visiting from house to house; but social intercourse was not omitted, and the extent of his parish enabled him to combine what he believed to be a duty with parochial visits, without much loss of time.

The half hour before dinner was devoted to his little ones, who greatly enjoyed their looked-for romp.

After dinner, when at home, whether alone or with friends, he joined in the Evening Service, usually chanting the Psalms and Canticles.

A proof of his value of music for the purposes of assisting in the exercise of thanksgiving was shewn by his learning

the organ during the last year of his life: he so far succeeded, that he was enabled to play several chants with accuracy, and would sometimes refresh his spirit by chanting a short Psalm.

The evenings were generally spent in parochial or friendly engagements; his cheerful disposition, and well cultivated mind, made him both a welcome guest and an agreeable companion. He disliked gossip and frivolity, but entered heartily into literary or useful conversation, and thoroughly enjoyed social intercourse. In his most unguarded moments "reverend gaiety" marked his demeanour and words.

Inclination, and a feeling of duty, led him to mingle with his own curates and with the neighbouring clergy and gentry : but society which savoured of the world, and worldly amusements, he considered inconsistent with his ordination vow, and therefore carefully to be avoided; and he endeavoured, as far as possible, not to allow social intercourse to interfere with the hour which he had set apart for Family Prayer. In connection with Family Prayer I will here mention a practice which peculiarly commended itself to his judgment. It was the custom, in the evening, for each member of the household to be provided with a Testament, and to read in rotation a verse from the Second Lesson for the day.

Notwithstanding his numerous avocations, he became acquainted with most of the useful publications of the time, and was, to use a familiar expression, a "well-read man;” light and frivolous books he disliked extremely. The works of some of "The Fathers," in the original, were perhaps his favourite study, especially during the last year of his life. When we occasionally spent a quiet evening together, he would either translate to me, as they occurred in the course of his reading, some choice sentences from the Fathers, or read any other extract from them with which he was especially pleased.

The engagements for the following day were carefully

noted down, and, unless he was unexpectedly interrupted, in due time, punctually fulfilled.

Methodical habits assisted him in quietly and with apparent ease, fulfilling his daily duties; the result of those labours, however, proved with what diligence he must have devoted himself to their performance.

In visiting his parish from house to house, he allotted a certain number of houses for each day; and, if interrupted in this work at the time, would complete the task he had assigned to himself before the evening closed. Anxiety lest he should be satisfied with visiting the number, without regard to the care bestowed, led him, as will be seen by his Diary, to make rules for the length of his visits, which included all classes amongst his people.

The recollection that he was the Clergyman of the parish, I believe, never forsook him; and the influence of his Ordination vow was discernible, not only in his own daily life, but in the character of all his domestic arrangements. This was to him an effective living principle, which he loved to extend to all—to his wife and children, as well as to his own habits of life: the remembrance of the obligations of that vow prevented his permitting costly display in furniture, &c., and kept him from vieing with an ostentatious world in that hospitality which he so freely exercised. It led him also to order his house in accordance with the seasons of the Church, strictly observing the Fast days. I need scarcely say that he scrupulously avoided dining from home at those times.

Mr. Popham in his letter, alludes to the custom of the weekly gathering of the Clergy at the Vicarage; this friendly intercourse, as I ever thought, tended much to cement that union which so firmly existed between him and his fellow labourers.

The following letters will shew how much he was valued by his Clergy, and are a pleasing proof of their affec

tionate remembrance of his character after so long an

interval:

"Dear Madam,

"Verwood, near Cranborne, Sept. 3, 1860.

"I am glad that you have proposed to publish the Diary of your excellent husband; he was, indeed, a bright and shining light; he is one to be counted with those servants of the Lord, for whom we bless God's holy name in the Prayer for Christ's Church Militant here on earth, because of their good example.

"An example he was both in his life and death; dying as he did unexpectedly to himself, he departed this life with that piety and resignation, which leaves such an encouraging testimony behind, and which is so admirably fitted to animate all who hear thereof to follow the course which so happily ended.

“In his life, what a pattern he shewed of Christian zeal! How constantly and heartily was he occupied in the work of the Ministry! Truly it might be said of him, that he gave himself heart and soul to the Ministry to which he had been, in the providence of God, called. In him was combined, what is so much to be desired, sound Church principle and the love of Jesus Christ our Saviour.

My residence as Curate of Westbury comprised, as you know, nearly the whole period of his Ministry in that large parish. Humanly speaking, it would have been most desirable that his Ministry, instead of lasting but from January, 1845, to May, 1847, should have been prolonged for many years; but God's ways are not our ways, and He orders all things for the good of those who love Him.

"How much did he accomplish in that comparatively short period.

"The first public work he commenced was the establishment of a branch of the Wilts Friendly Society. I am speaking chronologically, in the order of events, to the

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