retiring diffidence of your disposition, ever desirous to shrink from the meed of a well-deserved praise; and we will not do violence to a temper of mind so praiseworthy by dwelling upon the many virtues which have especially marked your walk and conversation, but rest assured the remembrance of them will ever live in our hearts, and be handed down to our children as characteristics worthy of a good minister of Jesus Christ.

Accept, then, this mark of our respect and esteem, accompanied also by our sincere wishes for every blessing to rest upon you and the dear companion of your pilgrimage; and may it please the Almighty Disposer of Events long to spare your valuable life, and to continue His blessing on your ministerial work, and when He shall see fit in His infinite wisdom to call you to rest from your labours, may you receive this welcome, 'Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.""

Mr. Crisp rose to return his grateful acknowledgments, which, though frequently overpowered in his feelings, he did in a very able and affecting manner. The Rev. Mr. Eccles, of Hopton, and the Rev. J. Pridie, of Halifax, gave addresses. The room was beautifully decorated with evergreens and exotics, under the able supervision of the ladies. Lunch was provided, of which all were invited to partake. Joseph Holland, Esq., in a neat speech, moved a vote of thanks to the ladies, and C. H. Macaulay, Esq., ably replied for them.

After an honourable and useful pastorate of thirty years he resigned his post, August 28th, 1842, owing to increasing infirmities, with the affectionate regards of his people, and of members of other churches in the neighbourhood, both Episcopalian and Dissenting. He remained three years at Brighouse, residing at Bonegate, in order to associate with his old and tried friends. In 1845 (shortly after the death of two of the deacons, John Holland, Esq., and Mr. Abraham Horsfall, the latter of whom had lingered some months in sickness, and on whose account Mr. Crisp delayed removing, that he might pay a last tribute to his memory), the worthy pastor tore himself away from the scene of his ministerial labours, removing to Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in Leicestershire. His successor, the Rev. Robert Bell, paid him a deserved tribute in a funeral sermon (which was published), on the death of John Holland, Esq.

At Ashby-de-la-Zouch he endeared himself to a large circle by his sympathy with the afflicted, his wise counsels, and his consistent life. Though not deficient in intellectual talent, his chief forte as a minister seems to have been in his exemplary conduct. His winning manner was generated by a philanthropic disposition, and was not an artifice to bind his people to him. He lingered long, his decay was gradual, his mind peaceful, and his hope strong. The retrospect of his association with Bridge End ever afforded him pleasure, and when opportunities presented themselves he sent greetings to the old members. For him death had no terrors. He calmly fell asleep on January 12th, 1869. His friend, the Rev. T. Mays, the minister at Ashby, preached a funeral sermon. Mr. Haynes, of Ashby, with whom Mr. and Mrs. Crisp lodged for seven years, at the close of their united lives, says "You ask me the estimate of his worth; that is out of my power to describe, but I may say that he was the most consistent Christian I ever knew, and in describing his character you could not exaggerate, from what I have seen and known of him."

Mrs. Crisp, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Kendrick, to her dying day cherished a fond regard for Bridge End. Just before her death, when ninety years of age, I had a letter from her, in which she desired to be remembered to some Brighouse ladies. She was indeed an exemplary lady, worthy such a husband, and a pattern in good works. In the words of an inscription on a gravestone I have seen

Think what a wife should be!

And that was she.

Her brother's widow, Mrs. Kendrick, of Hartshorne, Derbyshire, has a good photograph of Mr. and Mrs. Crisp together. Mrs. Crisp died at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, September 21st, 1872, aged 90 years. Mr. Ormerod has also a photograph of Mr. Crisp.

The following is the inscription on the gravestone in Ashby Cemetery :

Elizabeth, relict of the above,
Who died September 21st, 1872,
Aged 90 years.

She was his faithful and affectionate wife
more than 65 years.

Heirs together of the grace of life. 1. Pet. iii. 7.

I have received from Mr. Mays about five hundred of Mr. Crisp's sermons, written partly in Taylor's system of shorthand. The Historical books supply seventy-eight texts; the Poetical, ninety-five; the Prophetical, thirty-two; the Gospels and Acts, one hundred and eight; and the Epistles, one hundred and sixty-four. The series of fifteen on Esther are particularly worthy of preservation. In addition, there are notes of addresses at different meetings, the first report of the Ladies' Auxiliary Bible Society, &c.

Was the worthy successor of Mr. Crisp. He had preached at Bridge End several times when a student at Idle, and the church had no difficulty in fixing its choice, when Mr. Crisp resigned. Messrs. Holland and Horsfall were deputed to pay him a visit, and invite him to Brighouse. The following memoir is chiefly-supplied by his friend, the Rev. W. Hudswell:

"Mr. Bell was born at Colne, in Lancashire, July 11th, 1806, where his early youth was passed. His parents attended at the Independent Chapel, and took their children to wor

ship with them. At that time the Rev. John Calvert was minister; he afterwards removed to Morley, where, after many years of earnest labour, he died. It was under the preaching of this faithful minister that Robert Bell received his first religious impressions, and was led to the full surrender of himself to the Lord Jesus Christ. Mr. Calvert's ministry was very scriptural, full of the gospel, and proved invaluable teaching of theology to the youthful disciple. Robert Bell, when very young, gave promise of becoming a successful preacher, and Mr. Calvert encouraged him to give himself entirely to the work of the Christian ministry. He recommended him to the tutor of Airedale College, the late Rev. Wm. Vint, and his application was accepted by the committee. He entered the college in September, 1825. He was then nineteen years of age, of fair and ruddy complexion, with a very bright, smiling face, and looked younger than he really was; and, as he had preached for some time before he entered the college, he had become known as 'the boy preacher.'

"Mr. Bell made preaching his special study, and all his courses pursued at college were directed to this end. He possessed some natural endowments for this duty, which were greatly improved by constant care and effort. He had a good voice, not loud, but very sweet and musical, and under full command. He had a clear pronunciation and a distinct articulation of his words, so that it required no great effort to hear him; and he had also a natural and an easy method of speaking, which always made it pleasant to those who heard him. He had an excellent memory, and all he read he carefully made his own. He had a taste for discovering an eloquent passage in any author, and he could turn to it instantly in his own books, and his own natural style was chaste and beautiful; hence he was a popular preacher from the beginning of his public course, and was gladly heard in all the chapels supplied by the students. He was a great reader of the sermons of men of mark, and carefully examined what it was which made them acceptable preachers. He was always anxious to hear any noted minister, and perhaps few derived

so much instruction from them as he did as to manner of preaching. His fellow students expected that he would ultimately take a good position as a preacher in his future course.

"While at college there was one fear about him as to his health. He had a delicate throat and chest; he soon took cold, which brought on sore throat and almost loss of voice for a time. It was hoped that with great care he would outgrow this, but probably he never did altogether.

"On leaving the college, in the summer of 1829, he settled at Stainland, where he retained the pastorate for eleven years. This was the happiest and probably the most successful period of his ministry. Mr. Rhodes, the predecessor of Mr. Bell, had a salary of £70 a year, which he supplemented by weaving. It is very undesirable that any minister should be a tradesman also; but if his people will not give him sufficient to maintain himself and his family, he had a thousand times better be a trader than contract any debts. When Mr. Rhodes left Stainland, in 1827, there was a church numbering thirty-seven, but the congregation was very limited.

"In 1864, a jubilee service was held at Stainland, to which all who had at any time been connected with the place during the past fifty years were invited; about 1,200 people were present. A paper was read by the pastor, the Rev. J. Haley, and we extract the honourable reference he makes to Mr. Bell.

"In 1829, a unanimous call was given to the Rev. Robert Bell, whose presence among us to-night has been most earnestly desired, and to whom in your name I venture to offer the most hearty welcome, as also to his successor, the Rev. J. Rawlinson. Their presence among us to-night forbids that I should speak of them in terms of praise (although with perfect truthfulness I might well do so), lest by those who know them not it should be construed into the language of flattery. To most of you, both are well known, whilst not a few of you have reason to thank God for the good received during their ministry. Their fervent piety, their thorough consistency of character, their blamelessness in walk and conversation, their