[1055] The author therefore requests the reader to correct his mistake at p. [1002] in dating Rastrick’s arrival here in 1710 or 11.
[1058] Something similar has occurred here within the present year (1811,) only with this difference, that the disaffected gained their point, and obliged the minister to resign and withdraw; whereas Mr. R. maintained his ground and retained his situation, in spite of all opposition, to the last. But he was constantly supported by the most respectable part of the congregation.
[1059] As a manuscript it is very curious for the neatness and smartness of the writing, especially as it appears to be written when the author was above 70 years of age. The beginning of the Preface, where matter corroborative of what was above suggested occurs, reads thus—
“Perceiving that Antinomianism is in a great part grown to be the completion of the dissenting interest in England, as far as my observation reaches, to the great reproach of the reformation, and scandal of the opposers of its progress: and that many who pretend to be against it are yet fond of the doctrines and opinions on which it is founded; grounding all their divinity on the decrees of God alone, abstracted from his rule of government; falling in with the hypothesis of necessity and fate, on which Hobbes founded his Atheism: making all God’s government to be merely physical, to the destruction of all religion and morality: not enduring to hear of a justification by works in any sense, though it be undeniably a scripture doctrine and expression, Jam. 2. 24:—asserting such an imputation of Christ’s righteousness as is essentially and formally altogether unscriptural; and the like: by which means sinners are hardened in their sin, comforted against necessary fears conducive to their safety; charity, alms-deeds, and all good works at a fatal stop; people taught to presume without ground; calling a good conscience, or a consciousness of keeping Christ’s commandments, the building on a rotten foundation: tho’ Christ saith the contrary. Math. 7, 24. Learned, able, and faithful ministers rejected and discouraged, and illiterate persons that will indulge men in their soporiferous notions set up in their room—I say, perceiving and musing on these things, and exercised by a party of weak christians under the aforesaid impressions; understanding the state of christian doctrine amongst us, and the divided condition of the Churches about it, and casting my eyes upon that text in John 15, 10. as one of the plainest and fullest decisive of these controversies: so many thoughts sprung up in my mind upon it, that to preserve them. I immediately set pen to paper and wrote down above twenty of the following propositions before I took it off; to which the rest were quickly added. By which time I purposed to preach from that text, and lay them all before my own congregation who so much needed it: which I did with different success; viz. the usual distaste of the discontented party, but so much to the satisfaction and acceptance of others, my worthy friends, that I was greatly and constantly importun’d to present them to their eyes, as I had done before to their ears. And having been called to preach at a meeting of ministers at Nottingham on the 26th of June 1718, I made no particular preparation for it, but took a text out of the 22 chap. of Math. part of the parable of the marriage feast, the whole of which I had preached over at home, but now only so much of it as would afford me matter suitable to the whole congregation, both ministers and people. And being by my brethren desired to publish my Sermon, I was forced to deny them their request at that time, because what I had delivered was pick’d out of a great many discourses, and what I thought most proper for the auditory at that time only, but would have been a maining to the whole. Yet I did not despise their motion, nor lay aside all consideration of it. The importunity of some of them ran so much in my mind, that . . . I thought if I must write I might digest the matter of that sermon into the following Treatise, without deviating from the design of it, but rather conveniently adding to the principles of it, which I have done, hoping that they will accept it here, with the rest, by which the doctrines of that sermon are better stated, cleared, and confirmed, than they would have appeared to have been if that sermon had gone alone. So in this way I shall answer the desires of my friends at home and my reverend brethren abroad at once; and do what service I can to the Church of God before I die.”
The whole preface is very long, this being but a small part of it. But this is enough to shew that there was in this congregation a party that disapproved of his ministry, as well as another that highly approved of it, and that he experienced a great deal of discomfort from the former, who appear to have been very calvinistically or antinomianly inclined, and withal very contentious, as their descendants or successors have been almost ever since.
[1060] Some of those thoughts relate to the Theory of Comets, which he supposed to be worlds in a state of conflagration and dissolution; and he thought it probable our Earth will hereafter become a comet and be seen as such in remote regions of the universe. This comet state of a Heavenly body he considered as a state of judgment, and indicating the previous apostacy and irreclaimable impenitence or rebellion of its rational inhabitants, which caused the very world they inhabited to be so devoted to destruction. Each of those devoted worlds, he thought, had its saviour and offers of mercy sent to it long previous to that awful and fatal catastrophe. Christ he believed to be the saviour only of this world, from which he draws some curious inferences favourable to his own system.—According to his notion the same comet could not be expected to appear twice in our system: nor would that, perhaps, even in this day, be very easily refuted.
[1061] He was buried in St. Nicholas’ Chapel towards the west end, where his grave stone is still to be seen, with a long Latin Inscription or Epitaph, of which the following translation has been given many years ago by the late Dr. Thomas Gibbons, exclusive of two expressions here added.
“Here lie the remains
of the revd. John Rastrick, M.A.
Born at Hackington near Sleaford
in the county of Lincoln;
and educated at Trinity-College in Cambridge.
He was formerly vicar of Kirkton
in the same county, fourteen years:
And afterwards, as he could mot comply
with some regulations of the Church of England
with a safe conscience,
Was an undefatigable preacher of the gospel
in this town twenty-six years
To a christian church in separation from the establishment.
He was a man of eminent piety,
charity, and modesty;
of approved integrity,
of remarkable study and pains;
And an adept in almost every part of learning,
But especially the mathematics.
He was a pleasant companion,
A truly christian divine,
An eloquent and powerful preacher,
A faithful and vigilant pastor,
An intrepid reprover of vice
And as warm an encourager of virtue.
Having finished his course,
Imbittered, alas! with many trials,
He joyfully yielded up his soul to God,
August 8, 1727. Aged 78.”
[1063] On a slip of paper, in his hand writing, pinned to a blank leaf fronting the title page are the following directions to his son—
“My dear son William, I suppose you will be inclined when I am gone to publish the following Treatise called ‘Plain and Easy Principles, &c.’ If you do, I leave it to you to tell the world, that these are the notions that I am most inclined to; and that it was the division among the ministers at Salter’s Hall, that begat them, and put me upon a more deliberate perusal of Dr. Clarke’s and Mr. Jackson’s books, &c. as well as Dr. Waterland’s: and that my case was just the same with that of Mr. Peirce of Exeter, &c.—It’s probable that you may write an Epistle of your own to the Reader (and so stile it, as mine it stiled the Preface). In that Epistle you may account for my sentiments as now mentioned, and add what more of your own you please. But I would not have you publish my book till you have let some learned pious persons peruse it and give their approbation.—Mr. Sam. Wright’s thoughts you will find in his Letter, and my undigested notions in that matter, you will find in his said Letter before my book: if you can put them into order you may, and may punish them in the nature of an appendix: as also you may a great part of my last Thoughts about the Trinity and Son of God. Or let Mr. Wright put them in Order.”