But, whatever excellencies he possessed as a preacher, Mr. Mortimer was unconscious of them himself: for he frequently deplored what he considered the inefficiency of his ministrations, and was accustomed to speak in the most humble terms of his sermons. On one such occasion, he said, “When I come out of the pulpit, and turn over in my mind what I have said, I think, What does it all amount to? How much more to the purpose it might have been, and how much more useful!”
On the Sunday evenings, after committing his past endeavours into the hands of his God by prayer, he would turn his thoughts from the review of what he considered his past failures to the hope of future usefulness, by at once renewing his exertions. With this view, he was accustomed, before he retired to rest on the Sunday evening, to look out a text for the following Sunday, and to form the outline of the sermon. But although he was thus peculiarly anxious about the preparation of his sermons, he seldom spoke on the subject without remarking upon the necessity of the accompanying influences of the Holy Spirit, to render efficacious even the most highly wrought, powerful, and most convincing sermon. Indeed, he has expressed the opinion, that the most common-place sermons were often made the most useful; because, in such cases, the preacher, being aware of their defects, and being thus divested of all feelings of self-congratulation, was led, in more humble dependence upon God, to entreat that He would give the increase.
In connexion with this subject, he once mentioned having preached for a friend on a rainy day to an exceedingly small congregation. The comparatively large number of empty pews presented a very discouraging aspect, and tended very much to depress his spirits;—altogether such was the effect produced on his mind, that least of all on that day would he have expected any favourable result from his sermon. Some time afterwards, when he was spending an evening at the house of a person who resided at some distance both from the place where he preached and from his own home, a lady, who was of the party, took an opportunity of stating how much she felt indebted to him for the spiritual sight that she had received through his instrumentality. He was at a loss to know what she alluded to, for he had no recollection of having seen her before: but she brought to his recollection the thinly scattered congregation in his friend’s church, for whom he had preached on a very rainy day: and then stated that she was one of those few hearers, and that the sermon had made so deep an impression on her mind as to have been productive of lasting benefit.
PASTORAL VISITING.
In his pastoral visits, Mr. Mortimer appears to have been remarkably successful. He seems always to have paid attention to this very important and often very useful part of the Christian pastor’s office, but more especially during a few of the latter years of his life, making his daily drives for the benefit of his health subservient to that purpose. He made a point of visiting at first six, and afterwards ten families during each week, by which arrangement he considered that he could visit each family four times during the year, besides paying more frequent visits in case of illness, or any particular affliction. He not only visited the different members of his congregation and others belonging to the church, but he went to every house in the immediate neighbourhood, and, for several miles around, he knew the occupants of almost every house. When he visited Roman Catholics, or Dissenters, he never sought to enter into controversy with them; for he considered it, in general, unprofitable, and seldom productive of the desired effect of bringing them into the fold of the Church. He was far, however, from shrinking from entering upon the subject, when it appeared desirable for him to do so; and when the subject was brought forward in conversation, he stated the grounds of his firm adhesion to his own communion, and conscientiously, but with a mild and affectionate manner, warned them of the sin of schism. On such occasions, unity was generally the theme of his discourse, and he would dwell much on its importance and obligations, and urge upon them the consideration of that beautiful prayer, “That they, Father, may be one, as we are.” He was never satisfied unless he could give a decided religious turn to the conversations he had with his people, but, even if he failed in doing this, he always contrived to introduce some serious remark before he left their houses. A Presbyterian, who was warmly attached to her own Church, when speaking of Mr. Mortimer, said, “Ah, he was a real good man. I have often said, that he and Mr. J. [the minister of her own communion] were the two best ministers in Canada. I wouldna miss going to hear Mr. Mortimer preach in the evening [she went to her own place of worship in the morning], but I havena the heart to go now. I weel remember how he sat here, for near an hour, talking to my husband the last time he was here. My husband served at Waterloo, and they were talking about the battle, and such things; and then he stopped all of a sudden, and smiled, and said, ‘but I didna come here to talk about politics.’”
He was particularly desirous of impressing upon the minds of those whom he visited the importance of individual and experimental religion, and would constantly remind them that their great aim should be to prepare for heaven.
He took also occasion to warn them of open sins which they were in the habit of committing, such as drunkenness, or the neglect of public worship. An old man, who frequently gave way to a habit of intoxication, and, perhaps from this cause, has now become prematurely infirm and almost childish, alluded to the last visit of his pastor in the following manner:—“On the Thursday—the Thursday, you mind, before he died—old Mr. Mortimer came to see me in his little carriage, and his man drove him: and he gave me a caution. He said, ‘Mr. —, I saw you on Yonge-street a short time since, and you were drunk;’ and on the next Saturday he was a corpse, and I lost my brother:” and the old man turned aside to hide his tears.
The husband, or rather the widower, of a Presbyterian, mentioned that his wife had frequently remarked to him, that there could not be a better minister by a sick bed than Mr. Mortimer: for that he never excited persons, but that at the same time he did not delude them about their eternal prospects, but spoke candidly to them, according to their different states of mind. She said that there was no minister that she should so much like to see, if she were ill, as Mr. Mortimer. Her wish, however, was not gratified, for she survived him about half-a-year.
Another person, a member of a Presbyterian family in the neighbourhood, after stating that Mr. Mortimer was very much missed, said, “And no one misses him more than my mother; for he used to come and sit with her, and talked so nicely to her, that it did her so much good—it did her good till he came again. There will never be another minister like Mr. Mortimer: if there were to come five thousand, there would not be another like him.” [268a]
He took an interest in the concerns of those whom he visited, and, following the example of St. Paul, strove to “please all men in all things, not seeking his own profit, but the profit of many, that they might be saved.” “He was not naturally fond of children, and I was much struck, on that account, with the remark of a woman when talking about the visits of my dear father; ‘Ah, miss, your father was mighty fond of this little one, and he took so much notice of him the very last time he was here!’ Another woman said, ‘Ah! he was a real gentleman, and he would sit down with us, and talk so free and pleasant-like.’” [268b]