1655. last prevailed, and he accepted of that obliging proposal, which was the means, under God, of saving his life; for not many days after his removal to Mr. Morgan's the mill was blown up, and his apartment with it, on such a day and hour as he had always been in his study from the time he first came to that place. So that he must inevitably have perished, if his deliverance had not been wrought out for him after this unexpected manner. This singular goodness of God, which interposed in his behalf, was received with all thankfulness; and a life thus preserved quickened his endeavours in pursuing the true purposes of living. He goes to libraries. During his being at St. George's, and some think a year for for a year or two before, his constant custom was to the use of make a journey once a year to the university of Oxford, where he remained about two months to enjoy the pleasure and advantage of the public libraries. It is a great misfortune to a young clergyman, when he is confined to a country cure, to be destitute of such books as are necessary to enable him to make any considerable advance in his studies of divinity, to which other parts of learning contribute their aid and assistance, and therefore consequently are not to be neglected. And if the solid foundation of useful knowledge is not laid, and the habit of studying acquired, while men are in the prime of their days, they seldom make any progress that will be able to distinguish them from persons of ordinary attainments. But Mr. Bull, being sensible of what consequence it was to season his youth with all that learning which he was then capable of attaining, took the method I now mention to supply the want of a good private library; and by the great profi ciency he made, it very sufficiently answered what 1655-8. he proposed from it; for here he nourished his mind with fresh supplies of learning, and having nothing to distract his thoughts, or to interrupt his studies, we may reasonably suppose, that the advances he made in those two months were much greater than he could attain in double the time at his own cure, where the constant duties of his parish challenged a large share, and where the want of books hindered him from employing his leisure to the greatest advantage. Besides, he reaped another benefit from this excursion, that the exercise of the journey contributed to the preservation of the health of his body, which by a constant sedentary life is exposed to many growing infirmities. In his way to Oxford, and in his return, he always made a visit to sir William Master of Cirencester, where he was constantly received, as a very welcome guest, with great civility and kindness. He usually upon these occasions preached for the incumbent of that place, Mr. Alexander Gregory, whereby was laid the foundation of such an acquaintance and friendship between them, as was afterwards improved to so great an intimacy, that in some time Mr. Bull married one of his daughters. marries get Gre X. In the change of his condition Mr. Bull seemed Mr. Bull to have a regard chiefly to the character of the per- Mrs. Bridson he chose for the companion of his life, and pre-gory. ferred the qualifications of piety and virtue to those temporal advantages, which for the most part influence the minds of men upon such occasions. And as this method ought to be pursued by all those that would build their happiness upon a sure foundation 1655-8. in a married state, so it appears still more necessary in a clergyman, because not only himself, but his family, ought to be a pattern to the whole parish. For he hath solemnly promised, in the presence of God, to apply himself diligently not only to frame and fashion himself, but his family also, according to the doctrine of Christ; and to make not only himself, but them also, as much as in him lieth, wholesome examples to the flock of Christ. Now what means can be so fitly adapted to this end as a prudent mistress of a family, eminent in those virtues which are the peculiar ornament of the female sex, such as devotion and purity, meekness and modesty, mercifulness and humility; to which may be added, that gravity of garb, and decency of dress, which in a particular manner adorn the wife of a clergyman, who will do honour to her husband, and rise in the esteem of others, the more she keepeth at a distance from the vanity and gayety of the age? The appearance of these Christian and proper endowments for the family of a priest, determined Mr. Bull to conclude a marriage with Mrs. Bridget Gregory, daughter of Mr. Alexander Gregory, under whose care she was educated with great modesty and sobriety. They were joined together in holy matrimony by Mr. William Master, vicar of Preston, according to the form prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer, the use of which was then forbidden under a great penalty. But as Mr. Bull had a particular regard to our excellent Liturgy, in those times when it was the fashion to despise it; so he had not a less esteem for the constitution of the church; for in order to render so serious an action, as matrimony is, still more solemn, he pitched upon 1658. Ascension-day for the solemnizing of it, which, in 1658, was the twentieth of May. racter. The success of such an important action answered Her cha the care and caution that was used in bringing it to pass; for Mrs. Bull proved in all respects a fit consort for a clergyman, as being in her own nature sufficiently provident, and yet well disposed to all manner of good works, out of a true principle of love to God and goodness. Her attire was very plain and grave: her chief diversion was the care of her family, and her main ambition was to please her husband, to whom she was always a complying and obedient wife. Yet her piety was not confined to her own home, but extended itself to the whole parish wherever she lived: for by the help of her closet, and skill in surgery, she made herself extremely useful and necessary upon all occasions, and was very much beloved, especially by those of the meaner sort. These advantages she improved to the best purposes; for by these means she was highly instrumental with the people of Avening, a living which Mr. Bull was afterwards preferred to, especially those of her own sex, to lay aside their prejudices against the Common Prayer, to bring their children to church to receive public baptism, which they had not been used to do for many years before, and to return thanks to God after childbirth, which had been discontinued for some time in that parish. Such was her charity, that she not only distributed her own alms with great liberality and discretion, but would frequently put the overseers of the poor in mind of their duty; that the sick and aged might not want such supplies as they were obliged to fur 1658. nish, and the necessity of the indigent required. And such was her concern for the souls of her neighbours, that when her husband's infirmities made him, upon occasions, unable to visit the sick, and that the curate was accidentally from home, she would procure this assistance, when to be had, from others; and her worthy son-in-law Mr. Archdeacon Stephens well knows, that he seldom went to pay his duty at her house, but she would engage him to go along with her to visit the sick, and to pray and discourse with them. They were man and wife above fifty years P ; and she is yet living at Brecknock; the people of which place were so kind as to send a message to her on purpose, after the bishop's death, to signify their earnest desire and request, that she would come and spend the remainder of her days among them; and though solicited by some of her relations to live with them, yet she complied with this obliging proposal, not so much from an inclination to live at Brecknock, as to die there, being determined to be buried near her deceased husband, who was there interred; and to this purpose the ground remains still unpaved by her order, who daily waiteth for - her dissolution. She brought Mr. Bull five sons and six daughters TM, and so proved a fruitful as well as a provident and obedient wife, which exactly answered the prayer of her wedding-ring, which was, Bene parere, parere, parare det mihi Deus. P [Fifty-two years.] 9 [That is, when this Life was begun before it was ended she had died, as is mentioned by Nelson when speaking of the interment of bishop Bull. She died Nov. 16, 1712, aged 75.] r ters.] [Jones, the historian of Brecknockshire, says two daugh |