Scotch church, who rented a small farm in the county of Stirling. He
was a most industrious hard-working man; and his wife was a pattern
for economy and frugality. For more than fifty years they lived
together in the enjoyment of domestic happiness; but just as they
reached the evening of life, they experienced a series of reverses,
and poverty advanced upon them as an armed man, compelling them to
give up their farm, to be cultivated by other hands. Their son took
a little cottage for them near the church in which his venerable
father had worshipped God for many years; and having acquired a
scientific knowledge of horticulture, he obtained, through the
medium of a friend, his present situation at the Squire's; and to
his honour he supported his aged parents till it pleased God to
take them to himself. When he came to England, he was a moral but
not a pious man; nor did he feel the influence of the truth on his
heart till after his marriage. His wife was the daughter of a worthy
man, who gave her a superior education; and to this the God of all
grace had added the ornament of a meek and a devotional spirit. By
her chaste conversation, and the influence of her example, she won
over her husband to the reception of the pure faith of Christ; and
though, like most others, they have had the ebbings and flowings of
prosperity and adversity; yet, to quote their own language, goodness
and mercy have followed them all the days of their life.
Had the gardener's father remained exempt from misfortunes, his
son might have been living in the house in which he was born, and
cultivating the farm his father tilled for fifty years; but then he
had never seen his pious wife, and might still have possessed only
the form of religion. That dispensation which came as the whirlwind
and the storm, to drive him from his home and his country, led him
at length to attain the blessings of contentment and peace. Thus
we often see in the history of life, disastrous events proving the
precursors of personal and domestic happiness, as the dark and
tempestuous morning is not unfrequently followed by a serene and
joyous evening; exciting gratitude and love to the wise Disposer of
all human affairs, in exchange for the perplexity and sorrow which
they may have occasioned.
THE PIOUS COTTAGER.
After staying for about a week under the hospitable roof of Mr.
Newell, I quitted Thornwood, to pay my long promised visit to
the Elms, and was accompanied thither by Miss Holmes. We had the
gratification of finding all well on our arrival, and I spent with
my old friends a few days very pleasantly; after which it was
necessary for me to return home, though much urged by Mr. and Mrs.
Holmes to remain with them for a little time longer. During my stay
at the Elms, I more than once accompanied Louisa to call on Mrs.
Kent, in whom I felt much interested, but who, for some time past,
had been in a very feeble state of health, and was now evidently
hastening to her end. The evening before my departure she rallied a
little, and on the ensuing Sabbath felt herself so strong as to be
able to walk to chapel, at about a quarter of a mile's distance. On
Monday, however, she was again obliged to return to her bed, from
which she never rose. She now gradually sank, and in the course
of ten days peacefully expired. Her history, and some incidents
connected with her death, will be found in the following letter from
Miss Holmes to Mrs. Loader:--
"THE ELMS, _17th June, 18--_.
"MY DEAR FRIEND,--I have just sustained a great loss. Poor
Mrs. Kent died yesterday, and I feel that I have indeed lost a
friend. You have often asked me to give you some particulars of
her history, and this I shall now endeavour to do.
"She was left a widow when about the age of forty, with four
children, almost entirely dependent upon her for support.
Her husband, who was a pious man, died of a consumption; the
symptoms of which made their appearance within a few years after
their marriage. But as his outward man decayed, his inner man
was renewed day by day. During his protracted illness, though he
had no raptures when anticipating his death, and the glory to
follow, yet he was favoured with great composure; and when the
hour of his departure came, he died in peace. While he lived, he
and his wife had regularly attended the little Dissenting chapel
in the village, and had always been allowed to do so unmolested,
but shortly after his death the steward of Lord Harwood informed
his widow, that unless she gave up her religious notions, and
went to the parish church, she should not be allowed to remain
any longer in her little cottage. Her reply to this unmanly and
anti-Christian threat, at once displayed the characteristic
independence and firmness of her mind:--'As I would not give
up my religion to please his Lordship, you cannot suppose that
I will do it to please you, Sir. You may turn me out of the
cottage, but my Father, who knows that I want a dwelling for
myself and children, will provide me with another, over which
you will have no authority.'
"As soon as this threat was known, a very general murmur was
expressed through the hamlet. Many, indeed, thought that it
would not be carried into execution; but a pious gentleman, who
felt a great respect for the memory of her husband, and who knew
that she would always live in terror, while under the power of
this petty tyrant, built a little cottage for her on his own
estate, which she occupied, free of rent, till her death. Three
of her children, one after the other, fell victims to their
father's complaint, and were all buried in the same grave. She
was a very industrious, frugal, and prudent woman; greatly
respected by her religious friends, who, much to their honour,
provided an ample maintenance for her, when she became, through
infirmities, unable to support herself.
"Her cottage, which was built on a piece of rising ground,
within sight of the turnpike road, was the neatest in the
parish, and bore, in legible characters, the following
inscription:--'A refuge from persecution.' This memorial of
his cruel spirit mortified the steward, by exciting public
attention; and after smarting under it for some time, he offered
to make any apology to the widow, on condition that it might
be effaced. She became his advocate with her landlord, and the
stone was removed; but ere he had made the application, Lady
Harwood, on riding past in her carriage, having seen it, was
induced to stop, and ask Mrs. Kent why her cottage bore such
a singular inscription. The reason was given, and when she
informed his Lordship, on his return from the Continent, he felt
so indignant, that he sent for his steward, and, after a severe
reprimand, dismissed him from his situation.
"I have spent many pleasant, and I trust profitable hours in
Mrs. Kent's company; and now she is gone, I find the remembrance
of our conversations a source of great consolation. Her
knowledge of the Bible was very accurate and extensive; and
the remarks which she sometimes made on different passages
were pertinent and striking. In her the word of Christ dwelt
richly; it composed her perturbed feelings--induced a spirit of
resignation to the will of God--opened before her the prospect
of future bliss, and supplied her with subjects of reflection
and conversation, which made her society a source of much
improvement to others. She was well qualified to guide the young
Christian, amidst the perplexities which are apt to entangle
his faith in the early stages of his experience, and guard him
from the fatal evils by which he is often surrounded in his
passage through life. To her conversation my sister Jane is more
indebted than to any other means of religious instruction; and
even Emma would often gladly spend an hour in her society.
"A few months ago her infirmities began to increase upon
her; but we were not alarmed by any symptoms of approaching
dissolution, till about a week before our visit to Lynnbridge.
When sitting with her one fine spring evening, listening to the
song of the blackbird and the thrush, I spoke of the bountiful
provision which our heavenly Father has made for our necessities
and gratifications, she replied in the beautiful language of the
poet: 'Yes,
'----not content,
With every food of life to nourish man,
He makes all nature beauty to his eye,
And music to his ear.'
But this is not the only provision he has made for us. He is now
preparing a place for us, and soon he will come to receive us to
himself.'
"On asking her if she had any fears in anticipation of the end
of her faith, she said--
"'I have had many, but they are all gone, and though I still
have my spiritual trials, yet I can anticipate the final issue
with great composure. I know in whom I have believed, and am
persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed
unto him against that day.'
"'You long to be gone, I have no doubt?'
"'I certainly long to see HIM, whom unseen, I have loved for
nearly fifty years, because then I shall be like Him; but I am
not impatient. Indeed, I am not yet prepared to go, for the ties
which bind me to earth are not all broken.'
"'Then this earth still possesses some attractions?'
"'Yes; I have enjoyed, and do enjoy a large proportion of its
comforts; and though I have felt, at times, the storms of
adversity, yet I can say, 'The lines are fallen unto me in
pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.' Here I am,
in my calm retreat--far away from the noise of contention and
strife--waiting patiently the great change; and if the Lord
should be pleased to answer my prayers for the salvation of my
dear son, I should then say, 'Lord, now lettest thou thy servant
depart in peace, according to thy word.'
"'Then you think your son is still living, notwithstanding the
report of his dangerous illness in the hospital at the Cape?'
"'Yes, I believe he is. As Abraham saw Isaac in a figure rising
from the dead, so the Lord gave me a somewhat similar vision,
the night after I received my son's letter. I saw him leaving
the hospital well, though leaning on his staff, and pale and
wan, as if just recovered from illness. I have now only one
painful trial.'
"Presuming that she referred to the spiritual state of her son,
I remarked, that parents must feel intense agony of mind, in
prospect of having their children separated from them in the
eternal world.
"'I have not that prospect to distress me. I have three already
in heaven, and I doubt not but the grace of God will ultimately
reach the heart of my prodigal son. I cannot doubt it. It would
be a sin to doubt it. I have felt such a spirit of prayer come
upon me at times, on his behalf, that I have wrestled for his
conversion, as Jacob wrestled with the angel at Peniel; and
though I have heard no voice saying to me, 'It shall be unto
thee even as thou wilt,' yet I have departed from the throne of
grace in peace, and found my faith strengthened with power from
on high. My faith is so strong and so uniform in its exercise,
that it has cast out fear from my heart; and I can rejoice in
prospect of meeting all my children in my Father's house.'
"During my absence at Lynnbridge her illness continued to
increase, and Jane used frequently to call on her, and take
her some little comforts which her feeble state required. On
my return I took Mr. ----, who was paying us a short visit,
to see her, and she seemed to derive great comfort from his
conversation and sympathy. She now gained a little strength,
and in a day or two felt herself so much better as to be able
again to go about, and on Sabbath actually walked to chapel. The
exertion, however, had been too much for her, and on calling at
her cottage on the Monday forenoon I was grieved to learn that
she had found herself so weak as to be obliged to return to bed.
I left with her a little wine, which I had brought with me,
and called again to see her in the evening. I perceived that I
must now forego all hopes of her recovery, as her strength was
evidently sinking fast. After some conversation regarding her
bodily ailments, she said to me, 'I have been struggling through
deep waters since your last visit, and even now the swellings of
Jordan are rising higher and higher upon me; and though I have
not lost my anchor, I have been tossed as upon the billows of
the great deep. I trust, indeed, all will be well at last; but
I now feel a terror in prospect of death, which I never felt
before. I am now on the verge of eternity. I shall soon, very
soon see God--the final sentence will soon be uttered; and if I
have been deceiving myself and others, what will be my doom!'
"'But, my dear Mrs. Kent,' I remarked, 'you should look back on
your past life, and think of the sacrifices which you have made
for the cause of the Redeemer, and the numerous indications of
his approbation which you have received.'
"'I dare not look back,' she replied, with great solemnity,
'unless it be to increase the intensity of the anguish which
at times weighs down my soul, for I have been an unprofitable
servant, and am one of the greatest of sinners that ever
indulged a hope of entering into heaven. Look back! no, my
dear. I am obliged to 'lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from
whence cometh my help.'
"Two days after this visit I again called, and found her sitting
up in her bed. On extending her hand, she said with great
animation, 'The storm is over, and now the sun is shining upon
my soul, in his full noon-tide strength. The bitterness of death
is passed; and I have nothing more to suffer, except a few
convulsive struggles, which nature will feel, when the moment
of my departure comes.' Then raising her hands and her eyes to
heaven, she burst forth into a strain of enraptured devotion. I
have preserved a few of her expressions, which were principally
quotations from the Bible, or Watt's Hymns; but it is not in
my power to portray the calm dignity of her countenance, or
the intense fervour of feeling with which she spoke. 'Blessed
Saviour! thou art my Redeemer! Thou hast borne my sins, and
carried my sorrows! Thou hast suffered the just for the unjust,
to bring me to God! Thou art the chief among ten thousand, and
altogether lovely! Thou art the author and finisher of my faith!
To thee do I yield myself, to be redeemed from all evil--to be
sanctified--to be presented faultless before thy Father's glory
with exceeding joy! Yes,
'----every smile of thine,
Does fresh endearmonts bring;'
and fixing her eyes, as though she saw her Lord, she extended
her arms, and said,
'Haste, my Beloved, fetch my soul,
Up to thy bless'd abode,
Fly, for my spirit longs to see
My Saviour and my God.'
"I happened just then to turn my head to the window, when I
saw a soldier walking up the pathway in front of her cottage.
Without thinking what I was saying, I exclaimed, 'Here is your
son, Mrs. Kent, come back to you from the Cape!' Never shall I
forget the scene which followed.
"'My son!--impossible!'
"We heard the latch of the door lifted up, and a deep manly
voice calling 'Mother!' On that word reaching her ear, his
mother sprang up in her bed, and exclaimed, 'It is my son!' but
her feelings were so strongly excited that she had not strength
to restrain them, and before I could return to her assistance,
she fell back, and for some moments we thought her gone. I felt
her pulse, but it had ceased to beat--her eyes were fixed--and
while engaged with her faithful nurse in employing the usual
means to restore suspended animation, the door of her chamber
was opened, and her son entered with a smile on his countenance,
which was soon exchanged for the strong expressions of filial
grief. He saw what was the matter, and forbore to speak, but
stepping gently to her bedside, he kissed her, and let fall a
tear on her face. 'How long has she been ill?' he inquired; and
just as these words were uttered, we saw a slight motion of her
hand, and soon after she began to breathe softly. On returning
to consciousness, her first impulse was to embrace her long lost
child. No words were uttered by them, but a frequent interchange
of the expressions, 'My child!' 'My mother!' I withdrew to the
window while they remained for many minutes locked in each
other's embrace. I then handed the dying saint a glass of
wine, which revived her; and after reclining on the bosom of
her son for some time, giving vent to her feelings, she became
sufficiently composed to converse with him.
"'O mother, I am sorry to find you in this state; but you will
get well soon, I trust.'
"'Never while I remain in this world, my dear son. But I have
every reason to be thankful. God has always dealt graciously
with me. Even in the midst of the greatest tribulation, He has
enabled me to sing,
'Bless'd is the sorrow, kind the storm,
That drives me nearer home.'
But this last expression of his kindness, in permitting me
to see you before I die, is so unexpected, that it is like a
miracle wrought in answer to prayer.'
"'O mother,' the soldier replied, weeping as he spoke, 'your
prayers have been the means of my salvation, and I am thankful
that your life has been spared till I could come and tell you of
it.'
"She sat and listened with great interest to his account of
his adventures. While in hospital at the Cape he was visited
by a pious missionary, to whose conversation he ascribed his
conversion to God. 'Before I saw him,' he continued, 'I had many
qualms of conscience; and was often terrified at the thought of
death, but never _felt_ that I needed a Saviour till he spoke
to me. His appeals were like an arrow shot through my soul,
and I could get no comfort till I prayed to Jesus Christ.'
He paused to weep, and we wept with him; when he renewed his
narration, and after giving us a detailed account of his recent
preservation during a violent storm on his return to England, we
knelt down, and he commended the soul of his dying mother into
the hands of the Lord Jesus, after which I took my leave.
"Mrs. Kent remained for several days without undergoing any
material change; but on the eighth day after her son's return,
he called at the Elms, and said that his mother was not expected
to live through the day, and wished to see me. I immediately
went, accompanied by my sister Jane. We found her in a most
heavenly frame of mind. After a conversation which lasted about
half an hour, I observed a sudden alteration in her countenance,
which convinced me that the time of her departure was drawing
nigh. She now sat for several minutes in perfect silence; a
death-like stillness pervaded the room, and we all felt an awe
on our spirits that seemed to betoken some great event. She then
raised her head, and first expressed her gratitude to her nurse
for her kind attention; thanked me and Jane for the few favours
we had been enabled to show her; and then taking the hand of
her son, she pressed it to her lips, and said, 'Yes, thou art
a faithful God! and as it hath pleased thee to bring back my
long lost child, and adopt him into thy family, I will say, 'Now
lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation;' then smiling, she fell
back on her pillow, and with one deep sigh her gentle spirit
passed away and left us.
"Thus lived, thus suffered, and thus died, one of the Lord's
'_hidden ones_,' set apart for himself, to show forth his praise
first here on earth, and now for ever in the celestial world.
"I am happy to say that I can now refer, with some degree of
satisfaction, to dear Emma, in whose welfare I know you take
a deep interest. I speak with caution, yet I think I can say
there are some appearances, which give us reason to hope, that
her afflictions are beginning to yield the peaceable fruits of
righteousness. She is now more frequently alone and with her
Bible; still very reserved on the question of personal piety,
but references and allusions accidentally escape her lips, which
induce me to believe that the Lord is gradually drawing her to
himself. Dear creature! she has passed through a sad ordeal,
but I trust she will yet be enabled to say with David, 'It is
good for me that I have been afflicted.' Pray for her, my dear
friend, and also for your attached
LOUISA."
THE CLOSING SCENE OF THE YOUNG CHRISTIAN'S CAREER.
Miss Holmes, as the reader has already been informed, had suffered
much in her health, by the unfortunate marriage of her sister
Emma; but her visit to Lynnbridge had contributed greatly to her
improvement, and her parents now fondly hoped that she was in a fair
way of recovery. Shortly after the death of Mrs. Kent, however, she
experienced a return of her former alarming symptoms, and an eminent
physician was consulted, whose opinion, though rather reservedly
given, was not of a very hopeful nature. Conscious herself of the
extreme delicacy of her constitution, and apprehensive that she had
not long to live, she now prudently declined an advantageous offer
of marriage which she had received. Her suitor was Mr. Alfred Reed,
the only son of an intimate friend of her father's; a young man,
about her own age, decidedly pious, and who was likely to come into
the possession of a large fortune. He had been bred to mercantile
pursuits, but eventually decided on entering the Church. His father
opposed his inclination, till, being fully convinced that he was
actuated by proper motives, he cordially gave his consent. He had
passed through his examinations at Cambridge with great distinction,
and was now spending the vacation at home, preparatory to taking
orders. His person, his manners, and his profession combined to
render him an acceptable suitor to Miss Holmes, who united in her
character the varied excellencies which are necessary to qualify a
female to fill the important station of a clergyman's wife. She was
intelligent, amiable, discreet, and zealous in the cause of religion
and benevolence, without the smallest tincture of ostentatious
display. Her sense of duty, however, would not permit her, in her
present state of health, to contract a union which might speedily be
dissolved, and involve her husband in much perplexity and grief.
By the advice of her medical man, she was induced again to try a
change of air as the best means of arresting the progress of her
disorder. After much deliberation it was decided to go to Dawlish
in Devonshire, both because they had so much enjoyed their former
visits there, and Louisa preferred its retirement to the noise
and gaiety of a more fashionable watering-place. Mr. Reed, who
still continued faithful in his attentions to her, notwithstanding
her refusal of his offer, and still cherished the hope of his
proposals being accepted, on Miss Holmes' restoration to health,
was allowed, at his earnest request, to form one of the party. He
accordingly set out first, to secure a suitable lodging, and it
was no small gratification to the family when they found he had
taken the same house which they had occupied some years before.
As they had travelled by easy stages, and had been favoured with
pleasant weather, Miss Holmes appeared much better on her arrival at
Dawlish than when she left the Elms; and she continued to improve so
rapidly, that all began to anticipate her entire convalescence. Her
spirits, which had at times been deeply depressed, soon rose to the
level of her accustomed cheerfulness; and though the hectic flush
occasionally added fresh beauty to the sweetness of her countenance,
yet, as it did not return so often, nor appear so deeply tinged
by the florid hue as formerly, it did not occasion any alarm. On
returning from a lovely walk, as they passed the little chapel which
benevolence raised for the accommodation of the Christian pilgrim,
who thirsts for the pure water of life, she facetiously remarked,
addressing herself to Mr. Reed, "I presume, Sir, we cannot calculate
on your accompanying us to-morrow to this unadorned house of prayer."
"Why not, Miss Holmes?"
"Of course, Sir, your clerical profession will lead you elsewhere!"
"I am happy to say, that I am not ashamed to go to offer up my
sacrifice of prayer and of praise in any place in which the God of
salvation will condescend to accept it. I prefer the village church
to the village chapel, most certainly; but, as I have no wish to
become a _dissenter_, I shall conform to the religious customs of
the party during our visit."
"A clergyman in a Dissenting chapel! The last wonder! Of course, we
must all be sworn to secrecy, and keep our pledge, or no bishop will
ordain you."