should he walk through the valley and shadow of death, afford him his rod and his staff, and that this most affecting visitation may be sanctified for the eternal benefit of all the parties concerned, is, my dear sir, the earnest prayer of

Your most affectionate and sympathizing Friend,

ROBERT HALL.

LXXIV.

TO MR. J. E. RYLAND. (EXTRACT.)

Leicester, May 29, 1825.

It gives me much pleasure, but no surprise, to hear that the end of your dear father was emphatically peace. What else, or what less, could be expected from such a life? As he was one of the brightest examples of holiness on earth, no doubt great is his reward in heaven. May it be your happiness, my dear sir, and mine, to follow, though at an humble distance, so bright a pattern. May we not be slothful, but followers of them who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises. I need not repeat how much I feel for your dear mother, and the whole bereaved family. It is, indeed, an irreparable loss; but such is the tenure of all earthly bliss. May we be enabled to lay hold on eternal life!

1

LXXV.

TO MRS. RYLAND.

ON THE DEATH OF DR. RYLAND.

Permit me, my dear madam, to express the deep sympathy I, in common with innumerable others, feel for you under your irreparable loss. The magnitude of it none can adequately estimate but yourself: but it is consoling to reflect, that you are not called to sorrow as those that have no hope; that, on the contrary, our loss is his unspeakable gain. And the time is short: a very few years will put an end to all our sorrows; and, if we are the Lord's, will reunite us to all those whom we have most loved upon earth.

As you have been highly distinguished by the blessing of possessing such a companion for life, so it is no inconsiderable honour to have contributed so essentially and so long to the felicity of the best of men. All who know you will ever respect you, not only as the relict of Dr. Ryland, but as the distinguished individual who entitled herself to his gratitude by such a series of unremitting attentions and kind offices

(the remembrance of which must be a source of melancholy pleasure), as will doubtless draw down a blessing from Him to whom he was dear. It is my earnest prayer, that the God who reveals himself as the father of the fatherless and the husband of the widow, may take you under his especial protection, and supply you with those rich and ineffable consolations which are neither few nor small. We have the word of Him that cannot lie, to assure us that "all things shall work together for good to them that love God." That you may feel more of his sustaining hand, and of his blissful presence, is, dear madam, the earnest prayer of

Your affectionate and sympathizing Friend,

ROBERT HALL.

LXXVI.

TO MR. ARTHUR TOZER,* BRISTOL.

IN REFERENCE TO MR. HALL'S REMOVAL TO BROADMEAD.

My dear Friend,

Leicester, July 19, 1825. I am very sorry your kind letters have remained unanswered so long: it was the consequence of their arriving while I was absent from home. I did not arrive at Leicester till last Saturday, having staid at Kettering, in order to preach for the mission, which I did morning and evening.

The letters from you ought, in all reason, to have been sent forward; but this was impracticable, because my whole family were, at the same time, on an excursion for their health. I hope you will be so good as to accept this as a sufficient apology for my apparent neglect. Had I been guilty of any voluntary one towards a friend whom I so highly esteem, I should never forgive myself.

It is impossible for me to hear the favourable opinion which you and the rest of my friends entertain of me, without being deeply sensible of their kindness. I feel myself most unworthy of such an expression of their regard; the consciousness of which, while it enhances my gratitude, impairs my pleasure. Could I see my way clear to leave Leicester, I should still tremble at the thought of being placed in a situation in which I must necessarily sustain a comparison with your late beloved and lamented pastor.

In an affair of so much magnitude, I should wish to avoid whatever might wear the appearance of precipitance; and on that account, should the church at Broadmead see fit to give me an invitation to the pastoral office, I should wish to be allowed some time before I give a decisive On some very obvious accounts I should prefer Bristol, perhaps, to any other situation; and the state of the church at Leicester

answer.

* Mr. Tozer was one of the deacons of the church at Broadmead.

is far from being precisely as I could wish. Still the aspect of things is brightening; the clouds I trust are beginning to disperse; and an important step has already been taken towards the restoration of mutual confidence and affection. I feel at present inclined to believe it is my duty to stay at Leicester. I wish most earnestly to be directed from above, and that the few remaining years of my life (if any are allotted me) may be passed where they may best subserve the best of causes. I am not at all given to change: I have long fixed it in my mind that it was the design of Heaven that I shall finish my days here; and had nothing occurred to disturb our tranquillity, I should not have indulged a thought to the contrary. I do most earnestly bespeak an interest in your prayers, that my way may be directed of the Lord; and that "for me to live may be Christ, and to die gain."

Pecuniary considerations, as you suspect, will have little influence in guiding my determination. I beg to be most affectionately remembered to all inquiring friends, and remain, dear sir,

Your affectionate Friend and Brother,

LXXVII.

TO THE SAME.

ROBERT HALL.

My very dear Friend, Leicester, August 11, 1825. I should have sooner written to you but on two accounts; first, the almost ceaseless interruptions I have met with since my return from London, which have kept me in a perpetual hurry; and second, my inability, even at present, to give you the satisfaction you wish by a decisive answer. Sensible as I deeply am of the unmerited tokens of respect shown me by my Bristol friends, and solicitous if possible to comply with all their wishes, I still feel difficulties in the way, which I know not how to surmount. The church at Leicester is much agitated on the occasion, and have evinced great unanimity in their resolution to adopt the speediest and most effectual measures in order to remove the principal source of my uneasiness. There appears to be but one feeling pervading the church and congregation. What success may attend their efforts to restore peace God only knows; but should they be successful, I shall find it very difficult to separate myself from them. To inflict the pain it would occasion to many excellent persons and kind friends would cost me a conflict for which I feel myself little prepared. In truth, the motives for staying in my present situation, and the motives for relinquishing it, are so equally balanced, that I am kept still in a state of suspense; and am habitually under some apprehension, that whatever choice I make, I shall be apt to repent not having made an opposite one. It is certainly an humbling consideration, not to be able to come to a speedier decision; but I feel the weight of the affair, and that the consequences of it, both to myself and others,

will probably be greater than can result from any future step in my life. I earnestly implore an interest in your prayers, that the Lord would be pleased to direct me, and that, wherever the bounds of my habitation may be fixed, "Christ may be magnified in my body, whether by my life or my death." The greatest annoyance of my life, for some years past, has arisen from not being able to command my time, particularly in the morning; and could I be assured of my possessing this inestimable privilege, the poorest and most neglected village would possess irresistible charms for me. The afternoon and evening I have always been willing to abandon to the use of others; but to have no time I can call my own,-to be liable to have the most precious hours of reading and meditation snatched from me,-is an evil, to one of my temperament, almost insupportable. Now I greatly fear this evil would be increased at Bristol. One advantage I should enjoy at Bristol (the want of which I severely feel here) is, access to books; but what will this avail me, if I have no time to read them?

I have carefully inspected the documents relating to Terril's deeds, brought by Messrs. Sherring and Phillips. It is my decided opinion that the pastor of Broadmead is under no obligation to prepare young men for the ministry, unless they are presented to him for that purpose; a thing most unlikely to happen, when such ample means of education are already provided. Should it occur, however, he has only to make his election, either to comply with the demand, or to relinquish his interest in the establishment. As to the fear of incurring penalties, it is too ridiculous to be thought of. All this, however, I most cheerfully leave to the determination of the trustees; for if ever I was sincere in any thing, it is when I declare that pecuniary considerations will have no influence in my decision. To deteriorate my situation would be injustice to my family: beyond that, I have no solicitude. I beg to be most affectionately remembered to Mr. James and my sisters, and all friends, as if named. I remain, dear sir,

Your affectionate Friend and Brother,

LXXVIII.

ROBERT HALL.

TO THE SAME.

My very dear Friend,

Leicester, Oct. 3, 1825. I am as much ashamed as any of my friends can be, to keep them so long in suspense respecting my determination in regard to removing to Bristol. I feel it to be of so much importance to my own happiness, and in the relation it bears to the spiritual interests of a large body of people, both here and at Bristol, that I tremble at the thought of coming to a final decision. My inclination, I confess, stands towards Bristol. The reasons are obvious: two sisters, justly dear to me, residing there; a place dear to me from ancient recollections, and

from the most enchanting scenery; access to books, a want which I most grievously feel here; many old friends, or the families of old friends, whom I much love and esteem; a superior description of society; and, I may add, equal, if not superior, prospects of usefulness. These, it must be acknowledged, are weighty considerations, and I feel them in their full force, insomuch that I feel myself incapable of relinquishing the thought of Bristol without a pang. On the other hand, I most sensibly feel the difficulty of leaving a people who are most affectionately attached, and a congregation which I have, through mercy, been the instrument of raising from a very low to a very flourishing state. The certainty of giving great uneasiness to many excellent and worthy friends, and of being accessary to the injury of an interest which ought ever to be dear to me, presses much upon my mind: it is, indeed, the grand difficulty I feel in the way of leaving Leicester. I tremble at the thought of destroying what I have been the means of building up. I tremble at the thought of rushing into a sphere of action to which I am not called, and, it may be, of offending God by deserting my proper post. As it is the last remove, in all probability, I shall ever be tempted to make before I am conveyed to the "house appointed for all living," I feel extremely anxious that it may be made with the Divine approbation, conscious that my times are in the Lord's hands. I desire most sincerely to acknowledge him in all my ways. O that I might hear a voice behind me, saying, "This is the way, walk thou in it !" My mind is much perplexed, my resolution not decided. I feel a conflict between opposite motives, and am drawn by contrary attractions; though, were I to consult my inclinations alone, I should certainly decide for Bristol: my advanced period of life, and the apprehension of its possible, if not probable, effects on the interests of religion, form the grand objections. One thing I must beg leave to mention, that were I to settle with you, I should decline taking any share in the monthly lecture. In the united prayer-meeting I should engage with pleasure. I have but little opinion of the utility of the first of those meetings.

On the whole I must request one month more, and at the end of that time (if my life is spared) you may reckon upon my giving you a decisive answer. During that interval, I will again seek Divine guidance; and I humbly hope I shall receive it. At all events I will not keep you longer in suspense, and am truly concerned at having exercised your patience so long.

I beg to be most affectionately remembered to Mr. Holden, and thank him sincerely for his kind letter. My best regards await all inquiring friends. My love to dear Mr. and Mrs. James, and my sister.

I remain, my dear Sir,

Your affectionate Friend and Brother,

ROBERT HALL.