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HYMN

Sung by the Children of a Sunday-School. FATHER Almighty! God of love!

How condescending is thy care! That we should thus thy favours prove, And of thy sov'reign bounty share! Neglected from their infant days, What thousands walk the paths to wool While we are thewn thy better ways,

And up to Heav'n are call'd to go! Thy pity sought us when distress'd,

Just on the brink of deadly ftreams; With gen'rous friends our lot is bleft,

In whose kind care thy mercy beams. While warn'd betimes thy name to fear, And taught thy sacred word to read, May grace divine be ever near,

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Our youthful hearts to wisdom lead. From sea to sea, from shore to shore, Let rich and poor obey thy voice,

Then shall the sons of want adore, And daughters of distress rejoice.

E. W.

AFTER HEARING A SERMON

FROM MAT. VI. 34.

Take therefore no thought for the morrow.

How wise and tender this command,
When cares,
in number as the sand,
Our anxious spirits press;
The future doth our thoughts engage,
To morrow's evils we presage,

And lose our present peace.
Base unbelief and fears perplex
Our anxious thoughts, and often vex
And wound our fechle mind;
And yet we know 'tis weak and vain
T'anticipate, and then complain
Of ills we ne'er
may
Why should I for to-morrow care,
And pore on ills i may not share,
Anticipating grief?.

find.

Scripture and reason both combine,
And confidence in God enjoin,

To bring a sure relief.
God's wise decrees and promises,
His conftant and his kind supplies,
And his Almighty pow'r;
Alike my anxious mind impress,
My spirits raise, my cares suppress,
And blessings round me thow'r!
This kind command O may I use,
Never its meaning so abuse,

My duty to neglect;

Active and watchful, casting care Upon that God, whose love I share,

Who will my cause protect.

Thus fhall a peace divinely great,
Preserve me calm in ev'ry itate,

Of affluence or woe:

Thus truly shall I life enjoy,
And constant praise my tongue employ
And I be blest indeed I
Westminster.
S-

Happiness of the Righteous. -after Death.

WHEN Jesus calls, by death,
His saints from earth away,
How nature fears to tread the path
To endless day;
The spirit longs to soar
To the bright worlds above,
To tread upon that heav'nly shore,
Where all is love.

And opening to its view,

What glorious wonders shine; The Lord will to the righteous shew His courts divine:

The New Jerusalem

Will then appear in fight;
'Twas Jesus that prepar'd for therm
That world of light.

Then the angelic bands
Shall on their spirits wait,

And safely guide, thro' unknown lands,
To Heaven's gate:

The Saviour whom they lov'd,
While refident below,

He, whom with ardent zeal they serv'd,

Shail own them now.

Jesus will those receive
Into the heavenly reft;

The souls who here on him believe
Shall there be bleft.

There shall they help to fing
With those that went before,
Salvation to their God and King
For evermore.

The whole seraphic trains
Shall join 'h'harmonious lays,
And sing in sweet exalted strains
Jehovah's praise;

When saints these scenes behold,
All raptur'd they will cry,
That not one half was to them told,
Of joys so high.

Arise, my soul, and turn,
From earth's delufive toys,
And with aspiring ardour burn

For lasting joys:
That so I may at last,
Thro' Jesus' sov'reign grace,
everlasting reft,

Attain

And see his face.

Printed by G. AULD, Greville Street, London.

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THE

EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE.

JULY, 1803.

MEMOIR OF THE LATE REV. J. EYRE, A. M.
[CONCLUDED FROM OUR LAST.]

MR. EYRE had been educated in the Established Church; and, from a conversation which took place while he was at the Mulberry-gardens chapel, between himself and his old friend Mr. Brown, who happened to be in London, as well as from some other particular circumstances, he determined to go to Oxford, in order to prepare for episcopal ordination, and the exercise of his future ministry in the Church of England. With a respectable knowledge of the Latin and Greek classics, and of the Mathematics, he was entered at Emanuel College, in that university, in the year 1778; admitted into deacon's orders, by Dr.Lowth, then Bishop of London, the 30th of May, 1779; and into priest's orders, by the Bishop of Lincoln, on the 19th of December following, when he was licensed to the curacy of Weston. Some time after this, he assisted the Rev. R. Cecil, at Lewis, till about the year 1781, when he removed to Reading, where he engaged as curate with the late Hon. and Rev. W. B. Cadogan, Vicar of St. Giles's, in that town; the memoirs of whose life have been presented to the public, from the able of his friend Mr.Cecil. At Reading, Mr. Eyre was highly respected. His labours were truly acceptable to the pious part of his audience, and much honoured in the conversion of others. To one family he was particularly useful. Mr. and Mrs. S. had been awakened under the ministry of Mr. Cadogan; and, in consequence of their religious deportment, met with great opposition from their relatives. In Mr. Eyre they found a friend and counsellor. To them, his memory is peculiarly precious. "Seldom, if ever," says Mr. S. " did he enter into our house, without endeavouring to impress upon the minds of the children the great importance of real religion." Two of these children, and three of their relatives, were converted under bis ministry. At Reading, he remained about a year; and then removed, under the same Vicar, to St. Luke's, Chelsea, wherehe was attended by a very crowded audience.

It was during his residence at Reading that he became acquainted with Miss Keene, whom he married in November, Few events in the life of a minister are of more im

1785.

portance than that of marriage. Mr. Eyre found in his valuable partner a character just adapted to his own.

At this time the chapel at Homerton was vacant; and the gentlemen who had purchased it, for the purpose of introducing the gospel into that place, fixed their attention on Mr. Eyre. Though the parish is populous, the place of worship was then very small. Amidst these unpromising appearances, Mr. Eyre, after much deliberation, advice with friends, and prayer for divine direction, determined to make trial. He left his beloved residence at Chelsea (repeating to his dear partner the last lines of Milton's Paradise Lost) and entered upon his new engagement about Christmas 1785; which introduced by far the most eventful period of his life. At his first arrival he went into lodgings; but, as his prospects of usefulness began to enlarge, he took a house, and soon after opened a school; which he continued some years, and for which he was eminently qualified, not only by his talents, but especially by his affection for youth. Accordingly, no man could be more beloved than he was by his pupils; who derived as much advan⚫ tage from his free conversation in the parlour, as from the regular instructions in the school. ‡

He now considered himself as fixed, by the Divine Providence, at Homerton; where his labours were evidently blessed, his congregation rapidly increased, and his chapel was considerably enlarged. As it pleased God to continue this connection to the close of his valuable life, we shall here review the manner in which our departed friend discharged the important duties of his pastoral office, rejoicing that many living witnesses can bear us testimony, that we exhibit no exaggerated portrait.

Mr. Eyre had subscribed to the Articles of the Church of England, and received them in their plain and obvious Calvinistic sense. The sentiments they contain were, however, by him acknowledged of still higher authority. The Bible was his body of divinity, and the Lord Jesus was his only Master. His hearers can bear witness that he did not shun to declare the whole counsel of God. His sentiments neither verged towards Antinomianism, nor sunk into Arminianism. Like the immortal Calvin, he adopted and acted upon the motto, The middle way is the sufest. §

Mr. Eyre was once preaching in Cornwall, and having occasion to notice the doctrine of election in the course of his sermon, he dwelt upon it for some time, as part of the gospel truth, to the entire satisfaction of those who belonged to the place, and even many others; but as he was leaving the

Two of the first of these are now in the ministry: Mr. Vardy, among the Dissen ters; and Mr. Wilson, in the Established Church. Beside these, Mr. Eyre had the honour to instruct for the ministry, Messrs. W. Priestley, Pine, Wildbore, and Goodwin.

§ Medio tutissinus ibis.

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