"Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" Such was almost his dying enquiry, for in a few days he was numbered with the silent dead. pastor of one of our oldest churches, and his simple but engaging serwas brought to the closing scene mons. I can almost imagine that of life. He had long been griev-I see the worthy little man pleading over his apparent uselessness ing with God for sinners, or pleadin the church of Christ, and when ing with sinners for God; I seem seized with the illness which re- to hear him ascribing every excelmoved him from life, the impres-lence to Jesus, and beseeching sinsion of regret was deepened; and ners to embrace the message of his as he approached nearer to eter- merey; I can almost imagine mynity he became increasingly af- self now hearing him preach his fected with the thought that for a last sermon founded on the solemn considerable time past he had been enquiry, of no use; the thought planted thorns in his pillow, and embittered his dying moments. At this time a church meeting was held, and two persons unexpectedly came But my regard for the holy saint forward to solicit communion with who long honoured the gospel, and these followers of the Redeemer. whose name is fragrant in the MidThey gave a satisfactory statement land Counties of England, though of the Divine dealings with their no stone marks his last dwelling, souls, and ascribed their conver- nor memoir hands down his name sion to God to the instrumentality to future generations, has led me of the dying pastor. One of the deacons hastened to the departing saint, and never was an angel of mercy more welcome; he came on purpose to administer the balm of consolation, and to assure the good old man that his recent labours were not in vain. The venerable saint listened to the statement with holy joy beaming in his countenance, and adopting the words of Simeon he exclaimed, "Now Lord lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation," and gathering up his feet into the bed, departed to another state, where he has since hailed some to whom he was a spiritual father. It is now perhaps fifteen years ago, that I knew a venerable man who had travelled as a pilgrim more than fourscore years in "this present evil world," a very large majority of which had been spent in the service of God. I was but a youth, but I remember his venerable and apostolic appearance, his ardent piety, his earnest prayers, from the subject of my paper. For a considerable period before the death of this holy man, he had greatly lamented that he knew of no good he was doing, and seemed desirous that his great Master should call him from labour to rest. The desire of his heart was granted, but the principle on which it was founded was a mistaken one. What the extent of his usefulness in the closing months of his life really was, I have now no means of knowing, but very shortly after his death six persons were added to the church, all of whom were the fruits of his ministry in the last year of his life, but of their conyersion he knew nothing while in this lower state. I may, perhaps, be allowed to state one fact more, and I will close. It is a fact of no extraordinary occurrence: the minister most interested in it, has met with others not dissimilar, but I only mention one. A minister, now living, was called to supply the pulpit of a friend since removed to his rest. One from transgression to holiness, and had afforded joy to the inhabitants of heaven. The letter was doubly valuable, for it came at a period when mental depression had almost led to an abandonment of the ministry. sabbath, during the morning and afternoon services, he suffered very greatly from depression of spirits, occasioned by reviewing the discouragements attendant on the Christian Ministry. It was with considerable difficulty he could I shall leave to my readers the fulfil his public engagements, and task of deriving lessons of improvehe looked forward to the duties ment from this statement of facts. of the evening with feelings known I hope it will lead them to pray to ministers, but an idea of which for the success of their pastors, to cannot be communicated to others. encourage them in all their labours A prison seemed to him preferable of love, and to support that cause to a pulpit, and he was ready to which needs more than human aid exclaim "My soul chooseth strang-to extend it in the world. ling rather than life." He retired from the house of God to tea; his friends would have administered relief to a mind burdened by distress, but they could not understand the nature of its malady; and ease from the burden he bore was only to be found in private. After tea he retired from his friends, burst into a flood of tears, poured out his heart before the Lord, and in some happy degree felt composure of mind. With a heart solemnly impressed, a spirit more than usually devotional, and with an ardent desire for the salvation of sinners, he addressed a large and deeply attentive auditory. The subject was the meeting between Jesus and those who have listened to his gospel at the last day. It was a season interesting to the preacher, and appeared little less so to his hearers. THE MARCH OF INTELLect. B. A GENTLEMAN of landed property in the county of S. being lately on the outside of a stage-coach, had sworn several oaths within a few minutes after he had taken his seat. Addressing a dissenting minister, a stranger to him, he remarked, "We hear, Sir, a great deal said about the march of Intellect:' are you, Sir, a believer in the march of Intellect? I believe, Sir, these S-clodhoppers know nothing of the march of Intellect." The minister replied, "I have observed Sir, that there is not so much profane swearing among the peasantry as there used to be. I consider that one decisive proof of their intellectual improvement." The gentleman appeared as if he felt the reproof, but had too much good sense to manifest any disThe preacher's engagement ex-pleasure. In his subsequent conpired, and he left the neighbour-versation, which proved him to be hood; years rolled along, and an intellectual person of high though he could not forget the order, he shewed himself capable the service, he knew of no benefit of going forward in the march of which had followed it: at length improvement, as he swore no more he received a communication from during the fifty miles' journey. the estimable minister, who in the What Christian will not adopt the mean time had become the pastor prayer of the Psalmist in reference of the church; and this interesting to profane swearing, "O let the letter stated the pleasing fact that wickedness of the wicked come on the evening to which we have to an end, but establish the just." referred, a sinner had been called PURITAN. POETRY. [Extracted from "The Christian Poet."-See Review.] The Believer's Reply to Death's Threat enings. I knew that from my birth My frailty is confest; I knew my flesh was earth, O feeble thing! How canst thou conquer Christ, "Tis Christ that doth thee send, To bring about his end; My spring, my guide, my rest? RICHARD BAXTER. A good Priest. BISHOP HEBER. possess ; Give me the priest these graces shall A leader's courage, which the cross can bear, A ruler's awe, a watchman's wakeful eye, A pilot's skill, the helm in storm to ply, A fisher's patience, and a labourer's toil, A prophet's inspiration from above, A teacher's knowledge, and a Saviour's love. BISHOP KEN. REVIEW. Pilgrims of the Nineteenth Century; a continuation of the Pilgrim's Progress, upon the plan projected by Mr Bunyan: comprising the history of a Visit to the town of Toleration: with an account of its Charter, and a description of the principles and customs of its inhabitants, under the similitude of a dream. By JOSEPH IVIMEY. Simpkin and Marshall. 3s. 6d. bds. THE author's well known connexion with our work, forbids us to expatiate on his merits. We must, however, be permitted to say, that his intimate acquaintance with the life of Bunyan, and his researches in the general history of nonconformity, have eminently qualified him to write a very entertaining book, the multifarious contents of which, we shall not attempt to analyse. worn pilgrim will be refreshed by the exhibition of the joys and sorrows of Christian experience. The work is embellished with six neat engravings, and is well printed. The valuable list in the note to p. 20. should exhibit the names at full length. Query--Should not Sir Isaac Newton be placed with William Whiston among the General Baptists ? Some of the anecdotes are highly valuable. sent. "I was on one occasion, in company with Mr. Fuller, break fasting with a distinguished member of the senate; a dignitary of the church of England being preThis work of Mr. F. was mentioned, tic in its title.* It was added, Mr. F. and an objection made to the term Calvinisyou Dissenters would have been all Socinians before now, had it not been for the church of England.' Mr. F. calmly and very deliberately replied, as he was buttering his roll, I do not believe that either. You, I apprehend, have as many Socinians in the church, as we have out of it: with The town of Toleration is large. Mr. Ivimey has visited every street in a very friendly manner, and explored even the lanes, courts and alleys: he himself living, as every body knows, in Bath Street. He cannot live where there this difference, however, all yours are peris not a bath, and a public one too! jured ones, but ours are not.' They answered For another we are indebted to the Rev. Rowland Hill. "An anecdote which I heard him relate about thirty years since, is worth your hearHe said, "When a young man, at The reader will find many happy al-him not a word!” lusions to Scripture history, and to the church history of the two last centuries. The author introduces him to the Roman Catholics, Members of the church of England, Presbyterians, Independ-ing. ents, Baptists, Quakers, Methodists the commencement of my ministry, and just (Arminian and Calvinistic), Freethinkers, and non-descripts. Without pledging ourselves to the accuracy of every statement, we think the dream is well imagined, and the dialogue skilfully conducted. Strokes of humour and pleasantry abound, and some of the sketches of character are drawn from life, with admirable fidelity and force. Justice to the writer requires us to state, that his object is not merely to amuse and entertain the reader. The leading doctrines of evangelical truth are clearly stated, practical religion is powerfully inforced, and many a way as Leuconemus t was finishing his ministry, who had been by accident dreadfully burnI accompanied him to visit an aged female ed. We found her exceedingly ignorant and insensible. She appeared neither to feel concerned about the state of her soul, nor to understand any thing said to her respecting the way of salvation. Taking him of no use to converse farther with her.' He by the arm I said Come Sir, let us go, it is replied with great energy and with his characteristic manner, Let me alone, let me alone, who can tell what is God's utter most?" As a specimen of our author's descrip- ¦ such another melancholy event taking place tive powers in the allegorical style, we subjoin his view of the printing press. the persecutor is now restrained by a superior power, and the public spirit of our town would raise a fine of ten times the amount for the purpose of preventing such an awful catastrophe. Alas! we are verily guilty concerning our brother.'* Were ever the doors and windows to be closed again, and the engine be subjected to the controul of our enemies, our townsfolk would be more miserable than ever. To live and not be able to state and propagate our principles, would be a state of servile degradation to which we could not submit with tameness; in order to our being happy and prosperous, we must not only be permitted to think, but to think aloud. I assure you, my friend, it is impossible we can be sufficiently thankful to God and the king, for that humble looking establishment, nor can I speak too highly concerning it. I call it the emporium of our wealth, the arsenal of our strength, the arbiter of our rights, and the palladium of our liberties." pp. 187, 188. "Going through "Constitution Row, a workshop appeared in view. No building in our town, said my companion, was attended with more expence and labour in its erection, than that mean-looking house before you if it were possible to calculate the value of groans, and tears, and blood which its erection cost, it would amount to a most surprising sum. An engine of singular contrivance which is worked in it, has been, probably, the greatest boon ever conferred by the invention of man upon the world; but for it, every part of the earth had been still groaning under the rod of the oppressor, in all the enslaved degradation of intellect which existed in the dark ages. Our forefathers, before that house was built, used an ambulatory engine, which like the flying artillery in a battle, attacked the enemy from every part of the field without being discovered. Even after it was built, sentinels were placed at the doors to search all who went in, and all who came out; none being suffered to pass who had not obtained an imprimatur from their commanding officer. These difficulties have been removed from the time our town was enfranchised, and the engine is now worked with the most entire liberty, those who use it being only liable to punishment, when twelve men chosen from their peers, unanimously decide that the engine has been employed injuriously to the community: these also award the proportion of the suffering for the offence. It is by this surprising engine that our town is supplied plentifully with weekly and monthly intelligence. It is from this house that our magazines are filled, here our chronicles are kept, and from hence our heralds are dispatched to every part of the world. It may indeed be called our armory: all our weapons whether for offensive or defensive warfare are made and deposited in it. The history of this building, small as it is, would exhibit the struggle of a few, brave as the heroic band of Marathon, or the brave three hundred at Thermopylæ, against the machina-ments:tions of power and fraud, employed in the subjugation of mind, and the enthralment of thought. Many of our people have fallen victims in this noble conflict: and of these none so illustrious as he who found the prison his sepulchre. When I think of the fate of that heroic defender of our principles, proving them to rest upon maxims of eternal truth, and not to have originated in scruples of conscience; I weep for the guilt of my country, I blush for the neglect manifested towards him by my townsmen. There is not, however, the least danger of Essays on the Evidences, Doctrines, and The following paragraph is a fair spe. cimen of our author's style and senti * Mr. Thomas Delaune, a learned Baptist schoolmaster. For writing his "Plea for Nonconformity," in 1684, he was convicted and sentenced by the infamous Jefferies, to pay a fine of thirteen marks, amounting to 66l. 15s. 4d. and his book to be burnt by the common hanginan. He was committed to Newgate till the fine should be paid; and there, from cruel treatment and shameful neglect, he and his wife, and two children all died!" Ivimey's History of the English Baptists." Vol. i. 395--404. |