LETTER XXI.
“So I prophesied, as he commanded me, and the breath came into them.”
To —
I had heard and read much about the spread of the gospel in towns and villages, as well as in foreign climes, and magazines abounding with this information; but, in my travels, I cannot say I found it true. It may be the case, where I have not been. It is true, indeed, I found preaching and professing; but duty, faith, moral harangues, and Baxterian sentiments, were the greatest part of the preaching I could find. Both wise and foolish virgins all appeared to me to be asleep, except now and then a missionary meeting, when there did appear a little shaking amongst the dry bones; and dry enough they are; simple-hearted souls, resting on the piety and goodness of their preachers, though their souls were starving for food; and others resting on their lees, never having been emptied from vessel to vessel; a wonderful outcry against Antinomianism, although one professor in thirty thousand can not tell what this frightful thing can be. This sad state of professors not a little affected my heart, and feeling the importance of truth, I desired to go forth to this host of Midian, and the army of the Moabites, as the Lord spake by the prophet, 2 Kings, iii. “And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones, and so they did, only in her Kir-haraseth left they the stones thereof, but the slingers went about it, and smote it.” An alarm should be sounded in the streets of Zion. We are at present in the Sardian state of the church. When thousands have a name to live, but they are dead, and many of the Lord’s spiritual people are sunk in a deep sleep, surely it is high time to awake out of sleep, to arise from such deadly preaching; and professing. It is time to seek the Lord, until he come and rain righteousness upon you. I bless God for many visits in the country, notwithstanding all opposition, and the plans satan laid in every direction for my overthrow. A few years ago I was invited to a small village called Horsell, near Woking: here I preached several times, in a small hovel, which was the only place they had; and soon afterwards they built a chapel and founded a church, and are blest with the pure gospel. At the same time I visited Woking and Chertsey, and found some blessed souls who were truly spiritual; and some who were the fruits Mr. Huntington’s ministry, and had been well brought up under the pastoral care of the truly excellent Mr. Merrit. Shortly afterwards, I was taken by a gentleman into Essex, and preached at C—. After the morning service I was invited to preach in the afternoon, it being a charity sermon for the school in that place. This a little affected me, when the children stood upon the forms, remembering when I was in like circumstances, while I pleaded their cause. Being intreated, I preached again in the evening; although I found, afterwards, it was a little out of order: this I did not know at the time, as the minister had to preach elsewhere—but it gave offence to him, which I was very sorry for; as the managers had unanimously invited me, I concluded it was mutual, and acted accordingly. I continued to preach, every evening, in the same place, except one, and the Word was blest to many; but much trouble arose in consequence of it, and many disputes about myself and my doctrine: but the Lord gave testimony to the Word of his grace, and those who were spiritual rejoiced for the consolation. I was again invited, but when I went down I was of course denied the use of the chapel. Guards were set to protect the place, lest the vast body of hearers should resolutely determine to enter; and had they been of that mind, they might easily have done it, as I was then informed that the holy men who employed them, made them all * * * * *, but I had no notion of hostility. A gentleman opened his house for me, which was soon crowded. I advised them to obtain a barn, or any large place, rather than act in an unchristian-like manner, which was done immediately. I opened it on the Lord’s-day, and preached in it three times to a very large assembly. I continued there that week, and shortly after visited it again; the last day of which I laid the foundation of a new chapel, on St. John’s-green, and preached in the evening on Gen. xxviii. 22—“And this stone, which I have now set, shall be God’s house; and of all that I receive I will give the tenth unto thee.” The people were exceedingly zealous and liberal. The place went up rapidly; but before its completion some disputes occurred amongst those who were engaged in it, which arose from spite on the part of some; and, to vex the other party, an objection was made to my coming down to open the chapel. A great deal of unpleasantry ensued, as a consequence, which was produced by an artful character, and attended with much grief. Both in town and country the plot took well, and another went to open it, who was less credit to them, in the issue, than I was. I had a most anxious desire to see the chapel, and to preach in it once, which was accomplished. A lady who had invited my daughter to spend a few weeks at her house in the town, requested I would come to see her; and, upon my arrival, many friends came to visit me. I exhorted in the parlour, and the next day was pressed by the friends to preach in the chapel. I accordingly solicited the use of the pulpit, for the evening, which was granted. The passage I was enabled to speak from, was—“He careth for you.” I felt extremely affected with a variety of ideas which crowded on my mind; the happy seasons I had experienced among them, the troubles they had been called to meet with on my account, and the thoughts, the solemn thoughts, that I should never see them more in this lower world, deeply impressed my heart. The next day I left the town, and earnestly prayed for them. My poor petitions were granted; the Lord has raised up a very faithful and deeply-taught preacher among them; a church is formed on the mixed Baptist plan, and God is with them. Many are very dear to my heart, and their kindness will never be forgotten by me,—nor the Lord neither, particularly the Messrs. A. H. L. and many more.
Some time after this I went to Lincoln, and to several places in Lincolnshire, where the Word was received; and I have heard from many what God had done by the preaching of the Word, through my feeble means. Many other places in the country the Lord has sent me to; also to Deptford, Greenwich, and some places near London.
The Lord will bless his own truth to his own people, by his own servants, and giving testimony to the word of his grace by the man, is a proof the man is a sent servant of God; as, on the contrary, the Lord says of some—“They ran, but I sent them not: therefore, they shall not profit this people at all”—where the Word is blest to precious souls it is an evidence of their being truly sent of God. “By their fruits ye shall know them; fruits of their ministry. Do men gather grapes off thorns, or figs off thistles?”—Even so every tree is known by its fruit; and this is a sure evidence to the people. So saith the Scripture, Ezek. xxiv.—“That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, and cause thee to hear it with thine ears, and thou shalt be a sign unto them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.”
Yours, J. C.
“Each cherub of Jesus who preaches the Word,
Shews the path-way that leadeth to life;
The sixty that handle the spiritual sword,
Attends both the Lamb and his wife.” [106]