Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

mending to the attention of our readers.

After the summary we have already given of the principal events of Dr. F.'s life, any specific account of his PRIVATE CHARACTER, Would be perhaps needless. The minute and delicate traits, that contribute to individualize a man, and separate him from the mass of his species, are sometimes so difficult to discern, and always require such exactness in their delineation, that we might well be excused from attempting it in the present instance. But Dr. F.'s peculiarities were marked and definite, and, unlike those of most men who ascend from comparative obscurity, were all on the side of virtue and good sense. If he diverged from the common and beaten circle of mankind, his eccentricities were directed to a noble end. Had he never been enlightened by the grace of God, a mediocrity of excellence, and an unobtrusiveness of character, might have rendered him undistinguishable from the generality of mankind; but religion kindled an ardent fire in his bosom, which incited him to as devoted and zealous an obedience to his Master's commands, as was attained to by any of his contemporaries. The energies of his soul were exclusively directed to the extension of the kingdom of Christ, and in this respect, perhaps, no individual in the part of England where he dwelt was more honourably conspicuous. As an AUTHOR, Dr. F. was much above mediocrity. His Essay on Anger, is, we believe, generally the most esteemed of his works. His Life of Oliver Heywood is an interesting and able memoir, and highly instructive to ministers. The Devotional Bible has long maintained a high reputation as an excellent and judicious summary of elucidations of the sacred volume. His other works are generally small, but have been rendered extensively useful, particularly his tract entitled The History of John

Wise. Among Mr. Fawcett's literary correspondents, he occasionally numbered Dr. Hugh Blair, of Edinburgh, and Mr. Boswell, the biographer of Johnson. With Andrew Fuller, and most of the principal men among the dissenters, he was intimately connected.

As a PREACHER, Dr. F. was held in high estimation by his brethren. No one was blind to his merits but himself. He was accustomed to say, when speaking of his services, not that he had preached, but that he had attempted to preach. He never entirely lost that timidity and diffidence which oppressed him in his earlier days, though these feelings were softened down into a sedateness of manner, and earnestness of delivery, which increased the general interest of his auditory. In his opinions on the controverted points of doctrine, he was a moderate Calvinist, though, in his earlier years, he had belonged to a church which inclined towards the Supralapsarian sentiments; but in these notions Dr. F. never concurred. In his views as an Antipedobaptist, though decided, he was liberal and candid to those who had, like himself, sought the truth, but come to opposite conclusions. He was happily free from that dogmatism and bigotry which, on this subject, but too frequently characterise those ministers who arise from obscurity, without having enjoyed a regular education. His mode of preaching displayed a judicious union of the doctrinal and preceptive parts of Scripture; being firmly convinced that the strength of the foundation, and the subsequent rearing of the superstructure, were equally necessary to the completeness and beauty of the Christian edifice; and that the fruits of Christian holiness are as essential to evince the presence of spiritual life, as the principle of faith is necessary to connect the branches with the stem and root.

SHORT DISCOURSES FOR FAMILIES, &c.

No. XXXI.

[The following is the Substance of a Sermon delivered by the Rev. Mr. Toller, on Jan. 9, 1803, after expounding, in the morning, the first nine verses of the chapter from which the Text was taken.] "And he answering said unto him,

Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: and if it bear fruit, well; and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down."

LUKE, chap. xiii. ver. 8 and 9.

THIS passage happening to come in the course of exposition so soon after we enter on a new year, being so expressive in itself, and suitable to the season, I thought it my duty to call your attention to it, without confining myself to that mode of enlarging on it which I adopted in the morning. I can fairly draw those sentiments from it which will be calculated, through the divine blessing, to be useful to us all, but especially those who are living from year to year with out being sensible of the importance of life, and time, and usefulness, to themselves and others.

I. Renewed seasons of Christian privilege, may be justly considered as a kind of providential experiment on men's characters, like a tree spared from year to year, and cultivated.

II. Every renewal of such seasons makes every individual case growingly critical and important; like the case of a tree, about which the dresser of the vineyard is hesitating.

III. These providential experiments, or trials, will at length terminate in an issue inexpressibly

momentous.

Now, understand when I speak of seasons of Christian privilege as providential experiments, I mean nothing inconsistent with the infinite knowledge of God, nor the necessity and sovereignty of his grace, but I mean precisely what

The

the Scripture does, where it speaks of trying and proving Israel of old, seeing what was in their hearts. I mean the thought our Lord intended to convey, in the answer of let it alone this year," I'll put it to the dresser of the vineyard, "Lord, the test; I'll see what is to be done. I mean something answerable to what some of you have said to a child, or a servant-Well, I'll try you a little longer; I'll see how you behave and turn out. There is an important sense in which divine dispensations and Christian privileges are to be considered as experiments on the character, which will have a good effect, or none, or a bad one. experiment is made on some with prosperity; they have all that heart can wish, the candle of the Lord shines on their tabernacle. God is trying the melting influence of mercy on them. On others, the experiment of painful and cutting afflictions; long and pungent illness; or the pinchings of poverty, or the loss of a bosom friend. Joseph's temptation, the plagues of Pharaoh in Egypt, the trials of Jacob's family, the wanderings of Israel in the wilderness, are to be viewed as experiments on the character. Hence the restraints of education, the earnestness of parental instruction and prayer, the tenderness of parental tears, these are experiments on young minds. Access to the Bible, regular Sabbaths, plenty of the means of grace, richness of spiritual cultivation, are experiments on heart and character. The renewal of such seasons, fresh providential dispensations, richer spiritual privileges, more valuable means being thrown in a person's way, these are to be considered as a renewal of further experiments.

[ocr errors]

II. Every renewed season of

such means and experiments, makes every such case growingly critical and important. Every year a man begins, and spends, and ends, under this experimental discipline of providence, and means of grace, becomes more important than the last; every increasing advantage from friends, ministers, preaching, and all other sources of improve ment, make additional increase to the responsibility of a man's circumstances, in a moral and religious view. The close of the year just finished is more important to every person here than the close of any preceding year, because the more serious sermons he has heard, the more anxious his friends have been in praying for him, the more serious providences he has been exercised with, the case is more critical. It appears so, if you consider the season of providential ex, periments will not always last; it is necessarily getting nearer to its final close, and the case will be left one way or other. Every year when the proprietor came to see this tree, was more important than the former, because there was a time approaching when he would come no more. It would appear so to every person, if he did but realize, this may be my last year. Think of a culprit under sentence of death; he knows it is intended he should be executed on a certain day, a month or six weeks hence; in these circumstances, every morning that man rises appears more important than yesterday, and every succeeding morning more so still; and as the last day advances, the hours rise into more importance and value; and, when the last hour comes, the minutes and seconds seem as if tinged with gold, as if he would give a world to command their continuance. Thus would every new year, and every renewed privilege, appear, if you were to realize what is before you, for there is a day when you will certainly die. The growing

importance of these seasons will appear, if you enter into the force of habit. There is nothing belonging to human nature more evident than the force of habit, It is as much so with respect to our spiritual concerns as to the motions and actions of the body. The Scripture says, that a man may be so accustomed to do evil, that his learning to do well is like the Ethiopian changing his skin, or the leopard his spots. The man that goes, from year to year, resisting these providential experiments on his character, turning a deaf ear to the word of God, is less and less likely to be made fruitful. I don't say that the almighty grace of God cannot reach his heart; for if he please he can turn a stone into an obedient child: but when a man is in the habit of resisting the means of improvement, stifling his convictions, and hardening his heart, it is in the last degree unlikely that God will. bless the means: the more improbable does an effectual change become. I am far from being singular on this point. A man may have got to such a pitch of hardness, he may have outlived his day of grace, and be so confirmed in evil habits, that his fate may be as fixed, and his doom as certain, in the eye of God, as if he were now in the eternal world. is joined to idols, why should he be stricken any more?" which is one of the most dreadful states on this side hell. In that case, a man is all but damned! Such is the growing importance of these renewed seasons of grace: because the more of these experiments are made without effect, (such is the nature and force of habit,) it is less likely any future effect should be made. It is a fact, without being uncandid, serious experienced persons have remarked, that you seldom know a conversion late in life, where a person has lived all his days under instructive means;

"He

where people are brought up in ignorance, there are many instances (not otherwise) of late conversions.

III. These providential experiments will terminate in an issue inexpressibly momentous. "If it bear fruit, well; if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down." Every thinking man estimates the importance of any thing by its consequence; here lies the weight of this subject-the consequence of the effect of providential experiments. Bearing fruit, and being well; or being irrecoverably cut down. In many other cases, if a man misses of good, it is not totally lost. Suppose he has a farm, and, by mismanagement and indolence, loses his money; the year after he may go on a new plan, and entirely recover himself. If a man sets up in trade, and spends his property, and becomes a bankrupt, he may, after a while, recover every thing, and make a forBut here the ultimatum of these means of grace is so final, the alternative so widely different, the crisis of the soul so awful, either bearing fruit, and being well, or cut down and lost!

tune.

To apply this,-1st, We learn what is one evidential circumstance with respect to our character in the sight of God; viz. a humble conscientiousness that the experiments God is making on me are blessed to have their genuine essential effect.-When the mind is, in a Scripture sense, turned to the word as clay to the seal. Does he crown my days with prosperity, smile on my circumstances and family? Do these blessings tend to melt my heart in gratitude, and love, to bind my soul to God, and his service? Do I take more delight in devotion and converse with God? Then it is an evidence in my favour. Does God wound and afflict me, and take away the desire of mine eyes with a stroke? Does this humble me in the dust before him, drive CONG. MAG. No. 49.

me to my knees, and a throne of grace, deaden me to sin and the world? Then the end is answered. Have I privileges, Sabbaths, a Bible, and pious friends? Are these blessed to lead me to a Saviour, as my all; to endear the temper and precepts of the Gospel? These are evidences in my favour.

2nd, How desirable it is that young people should be early sensible of the importance of habit. I do think, my friends, next to the grace of God itself, nothing is so important to instil into a child's mind as a deep sense of the force of habit. Suppose a child of six or seven years old begin to form a habit of turning a deaf ear to its parents' orders; this habit grows unchecked and unchanged; at length he will form a habit of being deaf to all instruction, divine, as well as human: deaf to the means of grace; and, if left to himself, will turn out a monster. "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, &c." This is only a strong way of saying, how prodigiously forcible is habit!

Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it." This is a strong way of saying, how great is the force of good habit! Not one man under this roof is sufficiently sensible, how important this is. There are some whose characters are so set; their mental habits so fixed, that nothing but a miracle of grace can make them other than they are. Let me solemnly warn such. The man who goes on carelessly, resisting providences, trifling with the word, turning a deaf ear to the Gospel calls and warnings, is forming habits which God may suffer to be invincible; forging chains that nothing but a miracle may be able to break.

3rd, We derive a comfortable evidence that a man is not past all intercession, when the tree, though it has been barren, is let alone for further cultivation; when there is a returning tenderness of mind, a

C

falling under reproof, a humble sense of the inefficacy of means, and the necessity of divine grace, to make his soul effectually fruitful. I think this an excellent symptom that the heart and life are not given up in righteous judgment. These views are so important, that I shall repeat them. A deep, humiliating, self-abasing sense of the wretched unfruitfulness of your heart; a powerful sense of the necessity of grace from our Lord Jesus Christ, to render the heart fruitful; and a humble daily application for the blessing, is a good evidence. If I knew any person in that situation, I should turn him to that passage, Ezekiel xxxvi. 26, and following verses," A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you an heart of flesh, &c." I think, my dear hearers, what, if this should be the last year of experiment with any of you! It is more than possible, what is figuratively related in the text, may, in substance and

ON

real meaning, have passed in the divine mind with respect to some here. You have been planted for. years in the Gospel vineyard; the proprietor has come seeking fruit, and found none; he may have been on the point of uttering the order" cut it down." The intercession, perhaps, of that Saviour you slighted, has prevailed. It may be said in the divine mind, "Well! he shall have another year." It may be now, or never, If the sermons and providences of this year have no effect, at the beginning of another it may be all, over and every thing settled. Respecting your character and doom, there may be a sense in which angels and devils are watching what is the effect of this year upon your Life and death, the blessing, and the curse may be set before you a way they never were before. This may be the most critical Sabbath in the whole term of your life. O think of the consequences depending; if ye bear fruit, well but if not, the word may be issued forth," after that, then thou shalt cut it down."

ORIGINAL ESSAYS, COMMUNICATIONS, &c.

MINISTERIAL ADDRESSES TO SINNERS.

(To the Editors.)

I PRESUME not many ministers of the Gospel are to be found, who have not felt some degree of difficulty with reference to the manner in which they should conduct their addresses to the ungodly. There are a few, I believe, (if ministers of the Gospel they can be called,) who deem it improper to address any thing at all, in the shape of exhortation, to those whom they regard as "dead in trespasses and sins;" while others. content themselves with calling upon them to do what they consider within the compass of their moral power, viz. to read the Scrip

in

tures, to attend the preaching of the Gospel, &c. but who never venture to say, with the Apostle, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,' The number of both these classes has, of late years, been greatly and happily diminished, by the writings of Fuller, Williams, and others, who have clearly exhibited the true ground of moral obligation, and shown, with a power of argument not to be resisted, that it is the duty of every man to believe all that God reveals, and to do all that he commands.

Still, there yet prevails, even among those who hold this general view of the matter, considerable disparity of sentiment and practice. There are some who

« AnteriorContinuar »