Fathers in Christ, from Britain far remote,
Ye know our loss, for oft his worth ye prov'd;.
To you the portrait of his soul he wrote f;

Ye saw the God, the men, the cause, he lov'd..
Tho' diff'ring much in outward form and name
(And party-rancour rage mistakes for zeal)
One gospel-spirit prompts one holy aim;

Alike the gen'rous flame of love ye feel,
Among the foremost, EYRE was ever found,
Nor felt discourag'd by success delay'd;
Eager to act, he felt the frequent wound
When cold Reluctance lent unwilling aid.
Yet soon would Grace bid ruffled Nature cease,
A little moment and the cloud was past:
Kind was his heart, his looks, his words were peace,
And the sweet bond of brotherhood stood fast.

He lov'd his country, and with ardour strove
To mend its morals and instruct its poor:
To spread the knowledge of redeeming love,
And ope in ev'ry town a gospel-door 1.

He felt the int'rest of the rising race

And led their doubtful feet to Wisdom's ways;
For he had known the bliss of early grace,

And gave to God the blossom of his days.
O ye who heard his voice, still list'ning hear,
For he, tho' dead, yet speaks aloud to you :
Retrace the lessons past of many a year,

And from his death-bed catch a sermon new.
For you he pray'd with his expiring breath:

"To God I leave my charge, from whom it came; "Soon shall my feeble pow'rs be lost in death; "But his firm love and care remain the same." And ye who bear his name, who felt the ties Of dearest kindred twine about your heart,

A husband lov'd, a father valu'd dies;

And ye are wounded in the tend'rest part.

Yet sorrow not as those of hope devoid,

For he has finish'd well his course below;
Has kept the faith, and Faith's support enjoy'd,
And triumph'd o'er the last invet'rate foe.
He saw the righteous crown, the prize was won;
He heard the sweet sustaining plaudit giv'n,
"Well hast thou, good and faithful servant, done;
Enter thy Master's joy, and rest in Heav'n §."
There sin fhall ne'er pollute the spirit more,
Nor the frail body wound the soul with pain;
Temptation's struggles are for ever o'er;

Nor death dissolves the bonds of love again.
Bright as the sun, and like the angels pure,

The spirits of the just made perfect shine:
Their work is finish'd, and their prize secure;
Their joy is full, eternal, and divine.

O blissful scene, thy prospect cheers the mind;
Blest promis'd mansions of redeeming love!
May each departing saint thy solace find,
Then change their hope to certainty above !

ALIQUIS

✦ R- promotias Iuneranov

By W. H. of Oxford.

THE MUSIC BY THE REV. DR. HAWKER.

Angels shall watch this sleeping clay,
Releas'd from Earth's alarms,
And wait us, on that joyous day,
To our Immanuel's arms.

EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE.

JUNE, 1803.

MEMOIR

OF

THE LATE REV. JOHN EYRE, A. M.

WHILE we narrate the lives of others, we ourselves are dying. The hand is now cold in death which first introduced this Work to the public, and has, in the course of ten years past, recorded so many bright examples. It is a debt we owe, both to our late respected Editor and to the public, to add his example, as another instance of holy zeal in life, and blissful piety in death.

"The great ends of Christian Biography," says Mr. Fuller, "are instruction and example. By faithfully describing the lives of men eminent for godliness, we not only embalm their memory, but furnish ourselves with fresh materials and motives for a holy life*" This observation will be found to apply to the subject of these memoirs, no less justly than to the amiable PIERCE as they were natives of neighbouring towns, they were also men, in many respects, of kindred minds.

Of the earliest part of Mr. Eyre's life, our materials are, unhappily, very scanty. He was born at Bodmin, in Cornwall, of very respectable parents, in the month of January, 1754.It appears they gave him a liberal education; for he was taught Latin at an early age: not, however, being intended for any of the learned professions, he was, at fifteen, removed from school, and placed as an apprentice with a Mr. Oliver, clothier and shopkeeper at Tavistock.

Prior to this event, even so early as at four years old, he was not without serious thoughts. At that period, a godly man, taking him up in his arms, said, "There is such a thing as the pardon of sin, and there is such a thing as knowing it ;" an impression was made thereby on his mind, which, when recollected at the age of fourteen, urged him to pray, in order to obtain this blessing for himself. Of such importance is it to implant the