during those sun-bright hours, be sure that a death-bed is no place for procuring them. Weakness and pain of body, darkness of soul, distraction of thoughts into a thousand channels, are as utterly unfit for setting our houses in order, as a deluge would be for setting in repair a decayed and tottering hovel. While I would set no limit to God's

words: it is the presence (though perhaps unseen by bystanders) of light and joy in the soul about to break her chain. Peace at the last: blessed sound! not to be bought by gold, not to be attracted by talent or reputation, but dispensed, like the natural light, on palace and on cottage, wherever the Spirit of God has taken up his abode. Some here may know what this peace is by having wit-possible mercy, I can but cleave to what nessed the object of desire, "the death of the righteous;" and surely you can "tell them that come after" that the blessedness of such an end is worth some little striving after. No Christian ever forgets such scenes: with him, as with God, "the righteous is had in everlasting remembrance." The tired wayfarer may have had much to bear: he may have agonized in the furnace, or trod on thorns, and meanwhile seducing prospects have opened themselves out to him in apparently smoother and easier paths. But he diligently examined his chart, and clung closely to the direction which it pointed out; for he never, never knew it to deceive him, while he knows full well the snares of a false world. And now the goal is almost touched: earth, its trials and comforts, objects of desire and precedencies, fade away in the far distance: sorrowing friends stand around; perhaps some glorious scripture promise is repeated by a fellow saint for the encouragement of the dying. There he lies, faith in his heart, heaven in his view, and Jesus at his side: the cold stream still rolls between him and the promised land, but eternal sunshine glitters on its waves; and with their roll is mingled the murmur of a well-known voice, "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee;" and so the scene closes, and "Lazarus is carried by angels into Abraham's bosom."

he has declared, and to the texts which he has given; and surely they who have been steeled during a long life against the Spirit's influences will naturally retain their aversion to them at the end; as a proof of which, all ministers know instances of individuals apparently converted during sickness then restored to health, and plunging again into "the vomit and the mire," thereby showing clearly that their show of penitence came from fear of judg ment, not from sorrow for sin. Live, there fore, the life, if you would ever "die the death, of the righteous." And let it be your business to anticipate death in your daily meditations. Unless the Lord come first, and destroy that "last enemy," he will come. Well, be not afraid of him: the serpent's fangs are drawn: those who now recoil in horror from the thought of death show unfitness to meet it. Ascertain whether your present supply of faith would suffice, supposing you were unexpectedly brought low upon a bed of anguish; and, according to the result of such enquiry, rejoice humbly, or seek the Lord's face, in order that you may. Thus passing on, detached from regard to earthly things as you recede from them, and realizing heavenly things as you draw near to them, you shall, in God's good time, have this your desire fulfilled to your unspeakable joy; and in years to come they to whom your memory shall be as the sweet fragrance of a flower transplanted to a richer soil, shall say of you," The righteous are taken away from the evil to come," and shall pray for themselves, "Let me die the death of the righteous; and let my last end be like his."

THE CHOLERA AT PLYMPTON*.

The scene closes: yes, but not so our consolation. "I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth; yea, saith the Spirit, for they rest from their labours; and their works do follow them." Farther than this we presume not to follow them, or to describe the state wherein they abide. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man THE parish of Plympton St. Mary, at a distance the things which God hath prepared for them of about four miles from Plymouth, is bounded on that love him." The scene closes; but not so the west by the river Plym. From Long-bridge, our lesson and warning. Hear it, and be wise: which crosses the river, it extends eastward nearly Redeem thou the time, O six miles. because the The population at the time of the days are evil." Suppose that the fig-tree be spared until the period of natural decay; suppose there be no clouding of your prosperity beforehand, no sudden summons away; still, unless peace with God, and some conformity to Christ's character has been wrought

man,

Devonshire.

* From "Cottage Scenes during the Cholera." By the rev. W. I. Coppard, M.A., incumbent of Plympton St. Mary, London Rivingtons, and Hatchards. Plymouth: Lidstone. 1848. A very interesting volume; and peculiarly acceptable, if, as it seems but too probable, the

cholera again visit our shores.-ED.

↑ By the census in 1841, the population was 2,757; and it is computed at the present time to be above 3,000.

census of 1831 consisted of 2,152, and is scattered over an area of nearly thirty square miles. Independently of gentlemen's seats, numerous farmhouses, and small clusters of cottages in isolated spots, there are seven villages within the parish; viz., Ridgeway, Underwood, Colebrook, Hemerdon, Sparkwell, Venton, and a part of Lee-Millbridge, containing, upon an average, in each, from 150 to 300 inhabitants, chiefly agricultural labourers.

was formed; and the immediate attention of the
board was directed to the following objects:
"1. The state of the highways, dung-pits, and
gutters.

"2. The state of the houses of the poor, as re-
gards whitewashing, ventilation, and bedding.
"3. The providing common necessaries, and re-
quisite medicines.

"5. That two members of the board (to be arranged among themselves) do daily take the duty of superintending the due execution of the above regulations.

"4. The engaging (provisionally, so as to be able to enter it at a moment's warning) a proper Near the western extremity stands the vene- house, to be used as a hospital; or, otherwise, to rable parish church, in a picturesque valley, arrange with adjoining parishes for a joint occuwithin a few hundred yards of the three first-pation of any such convenient building; so that named villages. Colebrook is on the lowest the distance for the removal of the sick should be ground, adjacent to a small river: Ridgeway is as small as possible. situated higher; and Underwood, the main scene of the disastrous ravages of the cholera (having been near y decimated out of a population of 300, and where, at one time, 200 individuals were affected, more or less, with symptoms of the fearful epidemic), lies east and west on the north slope of a hill which rises above a valley* terminating at the river Plym. A small brook winds its way at the foot of the hill; and a little stream, issuing from a spring which rises at the western end, runs through a part of the village, in an open gutter on the side of the road.

The poorer portion of the inhabitants are as well conducted and cleanly in their habits as the generality of labouring people; and their cottages, for the most part, are kept in a creditable

condition.

The four last-named villages are at the eastern end of the parish, three or four miles distant from the church, and are situated on elevated ground, bordering on the moors. The air in the neighbourhood is considered to be very healthy. No such density of population exists in any locality as might be supposed to produce a prejudicial effect on the salubrity of the atmosphere. Therefore, as far as local advantages could be depended upon, every thing tended to encourage the idea that the parish was not so liable to be infected with the cholera as many other places.

Up to the month of July, 1832, when that disease was making fearful havoc at Plymouth and the adjoining towns, a flattering hope was still entertained that, by the mercy of God, we should escape. But it pleased him "who ordereth all things with infinite wisdom," and "whose ways are past finding out," that it should be otherwise; and on the 13th of July, the first instance of a case of the cholera in the parish occurred at Underwood.

It must not be supposed, however, that no precautionary steps had been taken. The great importance and necessity of sanatory measures had been felt and acted upon in the neighbourhood long before. A public meeting, especially convened for that purpose, was held at Ridgeway, on the 8th of Nov., 1831. The principal gentlemen of the parish were present. A board of health

This valley is at present little else than an extensive marsh, which has been redeemed from the Lary, or Laira, an estuary into which the river Plym empties itself. A dense fog, of a peculiar character, frequently rises from this valley, after sunset, at all seasons of the year, and hangs about the adjacent hill, assuming the appearance of a white cloud.

"5. That a subscription be forthwith entered into for the above purposes.

"7. That the rev. W. I. Coppard be requested to act as treasurer and secretary."

A subscription was immediately raised; and the measure, as far as it was practicable, was carried into effect under the superintendence of those gentlemen who were members of the committee, at the villages which were contiguous to their respective residences.

During the month of November, the poor who whitewashed their dwellings, in compliance with the recommendation of the committee, were paid for the time they had lost. Lime was conveyed to their houses, and delivered to them free of expense. If unable to use the whitewash themselves, masons were employed for them.

All heaps of manure, &c., which had been accumulated near dwelling-houses, were removed: drains were cleansed, and some enlarged. In several instances, blankets were supplied to those whose bedding was in a bad state, or too scanty.

Thus far, sanatory measures were adopted more than eight months before any symptoms of the disease appeared in the parish.

From this time to the month of July, 1832, it pleased God, in mercy, to spare us. The pestilence, however, was raging far and near. The dark and threatening cloud still lowered around. But months passed on; until, at last, it approached with awful warning. Then "fearfulness and trembling came upon us." And "in the time of trouble we called upon the Lord." Then were acknowledged "the neglect of God's ordinances, the misuse of his bounties, and the offences which had been multiplied in the land."

As, long before this, temporal precautions had been resorted to, with the hope that, under the blessing of God, they might be instrumental towards the averting of the impending danger, so trembling penitents also sought, in humble prayer, the only effectual remedy to assist in setting their spiritual house in order-the merciful aid of a pardoning God, through the merits and intercession of a crucified Saviour. Humbled to the dust, under a sense of sin and unworthiness, which now appeared in fearful reality, they pleaded for mercy before the throne of grace, comforted by the promise of their heavenly Advocate: "Whosoever cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out." They fled in earnest to the "Rock of

THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND MAGAZINE.

Ages," for shelter from the storm. Having been thus prepared for the approaching trial, when it did fall on them they experienced a merciful answer to their cry for help, and were supported in their last hour; for, the nearer death approached, it was, in numerous instances, met with resignation, tranquillity, and peace.

When we ponder these things, and reflect upon the uncertainty of life, whether exhibited in the ordinary or the extraordinary course of nature, we cannot but feel how important it is to cherish within us a spirit of watchfulness and prayer. This, by the blessing of God and the merits of the Saviour, will disarm death of its sting, and dispel, or at least mitigate, the fears which assail us in the time of danger. Amidst the varying scenes of life, this frame of mind carries a blessing with it; and, when we are about to quit them, it will bring us peace at the last. "Take ye heed, watch and pray; for ye know not when the time is." "Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching."

God grant that the recollection of the fearful events which the following plain narrative recalls may revive and render permanent, not the terrors of the mere outward circumstances, but the pious vows and resolutions which accompanied them.

It may be necessary here to remark, in reference to the prominent allusion, in the following pages, to the writer himself, that in the details of a diary it could not be avoided. A panic had spread in the neighbourhood, from a conviction that the disease was not only epidemic, but contagious. The consequence was, that all intercourse between the inhabitants of other villages with Underwood, was either prohibited, or avoided as much as possible. As one proof of this, a servvant in another part of the parish, who went to Underwood to see a relation, at a house where there was no sickness, was immediately discharged.

29

where the disease was confined within narrower
limits, and not more than two or three hundred
had been affected by it, the difficulty of taking
notes became proportionably less.
This has pro-
bably been done in many instances, which, at
present, have not been made known. But it has
been strongly urged that the publication of them
might be highly useful; as an opportunity would
be thus afforded for those who are the most com-
petent for the undertaking to compare the details
of variation of character which this extraordinary
disease may have exhibited under different cir-
cumstances, and by these means to arrive at some
additional conclusions as to how far it has resisted
or yielded to the application of particular modes of
treatment.

The "Christian Observer" (No. 381, Sept. 1833, page 511) expresses this opinion in the following words:

"It might be well if clergymen, or other persons, would draw up a record of any remarkable circumstances in their respective vicinities, connected with the visitation. These local narratives would form valuable notices towards a history of this mysterious disease.

"It would not be uninteresting to compare the memoranda, moral and physical, of an inland manufacturing town like Bilston, suffering under the affliction, with those of a scattered rural district, or a sea-port population, such as that of Plymouth, which the disease visited with almost unexampled rigour."

[We will now extract the journal of one day :] August 27.-Whilst at breakfast, I was entreated to go as soon as possible to Wm. Arthurs, at Underwood, as he was extremely ill, and he was thought to be dying. After attending to a number of applications for medicine I went immediately to the sick man. His wife, in tears, was standing at the door, watching my arrival. Her mother, Mary Martin, and another woman, with Thus the difficulty of obtaining assistance, and dismay in their countenances, were near her; one of providing nurses, was lamentably increased. of the children, ill with cholera, in a cradle: two The sick and dying, who had no one to help other little creatures, unconscious of what was them, sought their minister, as their only friend; passing, were playing about the room. I first and, in the closing scenes of their existence, they endeavoured to quiet the minds of the women, called aloud for his presence. Such an appeal, impressing upon them that there was not so both to the common feelings of humanity, as well much danger to be apprehended from the as to one of the highest obligations of a Christian disease itself, as from giving way to such minister, could not be otherwise than irresistible. excessive alarm; that all excitement and agiThere is nothing remarkable, therefore, in the tation of the mind tended to increase, if not to circumstance of a clergyman, residing close to the cause, an attack of the malady. I found the village afflicted with such an awful visitation, poor man very ill. Upon inquiry, it appeared having endeavoured to render all the assistance that he had been "very bad all the night, and in his power, independently of attending to the they thought he could not have held out till the important duties of his sacred office. morning.' "But why did you neglect to send among the clergy, would not have done the same, for medical advice at first?" "O, sir, we hoped in a similar case of emergency? Many names it would pass.' I told them they must send immeare on record, of those who exerted all their ener-diately for Mr. L-, or for some other medical gies, în a manner far more valuable and import- gentleman; but they said it would be of no use, as Arthurs refused to take any medicines; indeed, he had said the same to me; but, after much persuasion, he consented to take what I gave him. At this time he was in a state of partial collapse, writhing with pain; large drops standing on his icy cold forehead, his tongue cold, harassed with incessant and violent sickness; the wife standing by, concealing her face with her apron, not being able to look at him when the paroxysms came on. At a glance, the appearance of every thing indi

ant.

Who,

When we recollect the scenes at Bilston, Sedgly, Plymouth, and other populous districts, where the epidemic spread among thousands, it is evident that the labour and exertion of those whose duty called upon them to attend the sick, must have been past description. Few, under such circumstances, had an opportunity of remaining any great length of time to watch the progress of particular cases, or of taking minutes of them. But

A white

cated the cleanliness of the family. I went across the way to John Andrews's; cloth was on a little table near the window; a their daughter, Mary Aun, aged six, who was second bed in the room; a little store of potatoes taken ill in the morning, having died at four P.M. in a basket, in a corner near the stairs. The The other child, who was ill on the 6th, recovered. women were prompt and ready in preparing the Peggy Andrews, the mother, though deeply afstimulants--mustard and hot vinegar; and hot flicted, showed much Christian resignation. At water, in stone bottles, for the feet. All linen her urgent request, I went up stairs to see the was removed from the bed. The child below was child as she lay a corpse. She had been carried at this time screaming so violently, that we were off so rapidly they could scarcely believe she was obliged to use for her similar remedies. Rhubarb dead. Chloride of lime was used abundantly; and and ginger had been given to the child. I gave a the poor people promised that the rooms should saline draught, which appeared to check the sick- be whitewashed on the following day. Their cotness. The poor man required constant attend- tage is kept particularly neat. Having remained ance; sickness and cramp being most distressing. some time in conversation with them, I went I had sent for medical assistance, but at that to Richard Dunn's; their little girl, aged two moment it could not be obtained. What was to years, sinking from exhaustion in a low fever, be done? The poor man was in agony, and the like typhus, which immediately followed an sickness violent, without an intermission of ten attack of cholera. Every possible attention was minutes. In this extremity I gave him the same paid her; but nothing would make her rally. She medicine which I had taken myself. In half-an-lay perfectly quiet; her clear blue eye fixed on hour the man was again extremely harassed, and me, being a stranger; and just at that moment a the sickness was not abated. He complained of parting ray of the evening sun beamed through insatiable thirst. I then prepared a saline mix- the casement upon her face, her light silken ture, composed of the same ingredients which had locks shone upon her spotless brow, giving to in some instances been adopted by Mr. L-, her appearance an unearthly effect, which I viz., carbonate of soda one drachm, common shall never forget. Very soon she was cold and salt one drachm, oxymuriate (chlorate) of potash lifeless; but a smile rested on her countenance, so six grains, and a teaspoonful of sal-volatile, to a serene and lovely, that the transition from life to quart of cold water; of which he drank freely. death was not perceptible. I could not be surAfter this, the vomiting subsided for a time; but prised at the distress of the parents. Difficult it pain and nausea remained. Friction with stimu- was at such a moment to acknowledge the reality lants were continued, and hot salt applied to the that their loss was the child's gain. Under what stomach. Being somewhat relieved, he was de- a variety of circumstances does this fatal malady sirous that I would pray with him. The poor strike its victims! Equally varying, therefore, women knelt round the bed, tears streaming the occasions for Christian consolation. May this down, though they held their hands before their be profitable to minister and people! Wrote to faces, to conceal their grief and apprehension. At the central board of health. Two new cases. this time, the appearance of the man's eyes began more decidedly to assume the character which we had remarked in the worst cases of cholera. prayer was shortened; but a sigh only, in faith, fails not to reach the throne of grace. I sent again, with the hope of obtaining medical aid, but without success. I began to tremble at the responsibility I had taken upon myself; but I could not leave the patient at such a crisis; and to have remained inactive might have been fatal. His pulse, when I first saw him, was scarcely perceptible, it now began to improve: sickness again came on, but not so violent as before. He drank freely of the saline mixture. At two o'clock, I left him for half-an-hour, to attend the funeral of Maria Taylor's infant. Soon after my return (about three o'clock), Arthurs became easier and more tranquil: the pulse had improved, general warmth succeeded, and at four o'clock profuse perspiration: more clothing was put on the bed to keep that up. He wished for some tea and biseuit, and took a small quantity. In half-an-hour afterwards the pulse became extremely full and quick. At five P.M., I went to Mr. Langworthy's, and found him just returned. I informed him of Arthurs's case, and we went there together; but before we arrived a medical gentleman had called, bled him sparingly, and had gone away. Mr. L. ordered him medicine, and gave directions how to proceed. The poor man then expressed himself as being weary, and soon sunk into a calm sleep. The child was much better towards the evening.

Our

WHY I LOVE MY CHURCH.

I LOVE and venerate my Church because it is founded on the standards established, both in doctrine and forms, by her Divine Head and his first disciples. I believe that that church, like our glorious constitution, was not "created by chance but design." I believe, with pious Claudius Buchanan, that "both were the gift of God." I believe, with an illustrious German scholar, that the vineyard of our church has produced practice, the fruit of faith; that her standards, especially her daily services, have engendered, and are engendering, godly practice, and securing to the land blessing from on high; inasmuch as they inculcate obedience to God's laws, love to God and man, and, therefore, respect for national institutions and individual rights.

And well may we reverence and cling to the standards of our dear church; because they enable us to give a reason for the faith that is in us; because, as declared by the legislature in the time of the illustrious protestant prince, king Edward VI., "none can doubt that the authors of our liturgy were inspired and assisted therein by the Holy Ghost;" because the more we probe and examine, and think and speak, and live by them, the more we feel, and know, and are sure, that they are standards of sound doctrine and godly living; an emanation of the Spi.it of wisdom and understanding; a reaper gathering souls into