evening. I retired to rest at seven o'clock in the evening, but was obliged to rise and kneel or stand for two hours, then sat by the fire till between three and four o'clock this (Sabbath) morning; yet, after all, to my great astonishment, I was enabled to preach three times. The two first discourses from Psalm lxviii, 18, and Isaiah xl. 4, were rendered very delightful to my soul, by the Divine presence and assistance; but in the evening I was dull, being much exhausted. Notwithstanding my returning affliction on the one hand, and my enjoyment this day, I was in the evening grievously harassed with corruption, and my imagination and affections were defiled with|&c.; and O what a sweet heasin, especially whilst I was exercised with obstruction in breathing, from three to four o'clock in the morning; but at length the Lord heard my cry, and kindly relieved me." speakable honour and pleasure it is to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ; but alas how unable and unworthy I am to be thus employed; and what sad returns do I make for the kind assistance granted me by the God of all grace! Ah! what proud thoughts whilst preaching! the recollection of which has produced within me grief and astonishment. O how humble aud condescending was the Lord of life and glory! and yet I, a vile creature, high minded!" "Aug. 10, 1788. This forenoon I preached from a text chosen by my sister K, Rev. vii. 17; For the Lamb in the midst of the throne shall feed them,' venly feast of love divine was I indulged with! I hope it was a prelibation, or foretaste, of heavenly bliss, an earnest of eternal life, and a cluster of grapes from the celestial Paradise. I showed that Jesus was the Author of heavenly happiness; noticed his Title, Lamb of God; his Situation in the midst of the throne; his Supreme Authority and Infi "June 1. I was very ill last night and this day with the asthma; sometimes could hardly sit at Meeting, yet was helped to administer the Lord's Supper, though with difficulty; but Onite Majesty: always accessible, what a delightful soul-melting season did I enjoy! My heart was broken and comforted; the Lord drew from me tears of repentance, love, and gratitude." Whatever was observed by others as to his growth in grace, he continued to have the most humiliating views of himself. near, and visible to glorified saints and angels, whom he feeds and leads to living fountains, which yield inexpressible refreshment, and most exquisite delight. Here we have but shallow streams, yea, but a few drops, in comparison of overflowing and ever-flowing fountains, immense unfathomable oceans of glory, love, and joy, for the infinite entertainment of immortal souls throughout an eter July 20, 1788, he writes: "Last night I had a sore conflict, and great distress, so that I dread-nity." These were the lively and ed the thoughts of preaching this animated descriptions of a soul day; I was ashamed to mention fast ripening for the immortal the name of the Lord, because of state he had been exhibiting to my unworthiness; yet I was fa- his people in such glowing covoured with great and divine as- lours, and of the blessed felicity sistance." and glory, of which he was soon to enter into the full enjoyment. August 3. O what an un f thus; monds's own writing. It concludes Inviting us to come; And a beautiful conclusion it is for a dying saint. The remainder of his diary was written by one of his deacons, and consists principally of a number of texts of scripture, which appear to have been very supporting and conso Sept. 2, 1788. While my people were assembled for prayer upon my account, (being laid aside by illness,) I retired to seek the Lord by supplication; in which, when I had been engaged for a while, I was filled with holy joy and ecstacy, from the consideration of Divine and infinite love, free and sovereign grace, to such a worthless sinner as I."Many texts of sacred writ he here enumerates, which yielded him joy and consolation, but with the words recorded, 1 Peter i. 3-9. he was much affected, and almost transported. "O how seasonable, sweet, and suitable are these verses, especially concerning the inheritance-heaviness for a season, through manifold tempta-latory to him in the midst of his tions-the trial of our faith being much more precious, &c.; lastly, loving, believing, and rejoicing in an unseen Saviour.-I was the same evening ravished with the union that subsists between the Father, Son, and real Christians. John xvii. 21; That they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, that they may be one in us,' &c. My views of heavenly happiness were, after a while, absorbed in the view of Christ himself, in comparison of whom heaven is a dark spot, indeed loses all its lustre, separate from the Sun of righteousness."-Such were the employments and enjoy-though thirty-four years have ments of the sick chamber, and passed away since his removal, though the prayers of his beloved his name is still precious in Bedpeople were not answered as to ford; and the church, with their their specific object-the resto- respected pastor, (the Rev. T. ration of the health and ministe- Hillyard,) and Mr. Symonds's rial labours of their pastor; yet immediate successor, delight to no doubt the Lord answered evince their affectionate regard them, by granting an increased to his memory, by continued tomanifestation of his presence, and kens of kindness to his family. forming his faithful servant meet Mr. Symonds left a family of for the enjoyment of his everlast-eight children, to mourn the loss ing reward. of an affectionate and pious paThe 13th of September, 1788, | rent, and a widow, bereft of one is the last record of Mr. Sy- of the kindest of husbands: they affliction, and tending also to show that the same spiritual comfort was afforded him to the latest period of his earthly pilgrimage; and which closed at last suddenly and unexpectedly, on Sabbath morning, November 23, 1788, when he entered into the joy of his Lord. The interment of his mortal remains was a peculiarly solemn and affecting scene. His memory was embalmed with the tears of his mourning flock, who on this occasion forcibly illustrated the words of scripture, "The memory of the just is blessed ;" and had indeed walked together in charming prospects, I met a perlove. Mrs. Symonds only surson whom, from his appearance, vived him four years, when she I concluded to be a blacksmith; also departed in peace, leaving and wishing to ascertain from the orphan children to the care him the state of religion in that of a kind Providence; and as part of the country, as well as they have received the blessings his own feelings on that important of Providence in the midst of nu- subject, I endeavoured to draw merous straits and difficulties, so him into conversation by asking may they render to the Lord ac- some general questions respecting cording to his mercy unto them. the church, which was near to Mr. Symonds, on his dying bed, us, as also the minister, and whehad strong assurances that with ther they had service once or regard to the everlasting welfare twice on the sabbath, and what of his family, "Not one hoof kind of a person their minister should be left behind." An old was. The man I soon perceived servant, writing to one of his viewed me with some suspicion, daughters, thirty-three years after and with a caution which did his death, in reference to ano- credit to his understanding, spoke ther* then lately deceased, says, very respectfully of the person "It brought to my mind the last concerning whom I had been night I sat up with your dear fa- making inquiry, without satisfyther, how he repeated and dwelt ing me as to his piety or usefulon part of the fifty-fourth chap-ness. On my asking him if there ter of Isaiah, All thy children was any other place of worship shall be taught of the Lord, and in the village, or whether any great shall be the peace of thy dissenters or methodists resided children."" Some are already therein, I perceived from his gone, leaving a happy testimony looks that his fears were afresh behind them that they have join-excited as to who and what I ed their departed parents, never was; yet he did not hesitate to more to experience separation. tell me that some persons, called O that the living may all lay it methodists, or village preachers, to heart, and seek, earnestly had occasionally been there, and seek, salvation through that Sa- he believed had done good; but viour, whom their earthly parent that the squire, to whom the delighted to hold forth as the re- whole village belonged, did not fuge and the Redeemer of sinful approve of their preaching, as creatures! then will their father's these persons had never had any God be their God, and their learning, and therefore it was imguide, even unto death. possible they could know any thing about religion. The reserve of my companion now began to wear off; and on my inquiring if he had himself heard them, his countenance brightened as with holy pleasure, and, the tear glittering in his eye, he replied, "Yes; the first time of their preaching in this village was on a Sunday morning. A person came to my house before the church-service began, and said VILLAGE NEAR D. MR. EDITOR, Being called in providence during the last month to spend a few days in a small village in the neighbourhood of D. as I was early one morning enjoying the * Mrs. Bailey, of whom see an Obituary in the Baptist Magazine for November, 1822, he should like to preach there, and asked me if I could lend him a chair to stand on at my door. I was too fearful of what might be the consequence, to comply with this request; but a man who worked for me, said, he could not hurt a wood-bottomed chair, and without waiting for my consent brought a chair out, upon which the man mounted. I was too much alarmed to stand and hear the whole sermon, yet I went backward and forward into my house, and catched a little now and then. But I hope the little I did hear was blessed to me; for I had till this time been, though an occasional reader of the Bible, utterly unacquainted with its nature. But the Lord opened my eyes, unstopped my ears, and melted my heart; the base pleasures my nature had long indulged in, I can now indulge no longer; my sabbaths, which were constantly spent at the Swan public house, are now employed in read. ing God's word with my family, or going where I can hear it preached, after we have attended the service of the church in the village; for our preachers make it a rule not to interfere with the hours of public worship at church. And indeed, Sir, I have now but one burden, and that is sin. With this I have daily conflicts, especially those sins to which my nature is more particularly prone, and which from long habits have had the greatest power over me." The poor man here entered into such a sweet and scriptural detail of the experience of a work of grace upon his heart, the method by which God the Holy Spirit opened to him the deep-seated depravity of his nature, his need of the atonement of Jesus Christ, and the all-sufficiency of his blood to pardon, and his Spirit to purify, the most inveterate diseases sin had produced, that I was struck with silent admiration and adoring gratitude, and could only exclaim, "What hath God wrought!" "Aye,” replied the poor man, our preacher took that for his text the other Sunday; and sure enough I may say, when I look at what I have been, What hath God wrought!" Had I before doubted of the reality of the communion of saints on earth, I could have doubted no longer. Had I dared to question the power and sovereignty of God's Spirit, when it works on the most ignorant and depraved heart, I could have questioned it no more, with such a display before me of the import of that text, The wind bloweth where it listeth. Anxious to know in what way this great change of heart and life was met by those from whom he expected the most opposition, he informed me that the person on whom the greatest part of his daily bread depended, so far from having been permitted to feel angry with him, had given him the whole of his business, which before he had only shared with other workmen; and this the good man ascribed solely to the kind interference of his heavenly Father, who has the bearts of all men in his hands, and turneth them as the rivers of water whithersoever he pleaseth. On my asking him if the word preached had been attended with any good to others in the village and neighbourhood, he replied, with joy in his counte[nance, "Yes, Sir, we are about thirty of us, to whom this village preaching has been blessed; and on Sunday mornings and evenings we meet at that house yonder, at the end of the village, for prayer with and for each other, and there we have sometimes blessed seasons." Willingly would I have spent a Sabbath among them, had not my engagements called me home on the following Saturday evening; but never shall I forget, while memory lasts, this interesting scene, and the circumstances attending it. The above statement would furnish many useful and instructive lessons, did the limits of this communication allow me to suggest them. This, however, I trust will be acknowledged by all,-it proves the great good done by Village Itinerancy; and the encouragement it must afford those of our friends thus engaged, that their labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. Z. Stepney Green, May 17. REGISTRY OF BIRTHS. Walworth, Aug. 4, 1823. MR. EDITOR, Our friend, the dissenter at Coseley, in the last number of the Baptist Magazine, has by no means expressed his alarm relative to the late decision of the Registers of Births kept by dissenters, more strongly than the very alarming subject demands. I, Šir, am a dissenter from principle, yet wish to live in christian fellowship with all who love our Lord Jesus in sincerity, and have been led to place a full reliance that the Registers of Births at Dr. Williams's Library, where my children are registered, would be perfectly satisfactory, and legally decisive in any court of law. But I really have not words to express my astonishment at the late decision. Surely, Sir, you will, I trust, sound the trumpet, and call the dissenters to this business without delay. Who knows the immense loss that many families may sustain by the neglect? Not a week ought to be lost. May the Lord inspire his people with firmness and energy in using all proper means for the attainment of their rights and privileges. I am, Sir, yours in the bonds of the gospel, Y. Z. We fully agree with Y. Z. and with many other Correspondents, some of whom have recommended an application to the legislature, that this is a subject which demands the most serious attention. We hope that it will be attended to by "The Protestant Society for the Protection of Religious Liberty." Our hope is founded upon its being said by Mr. Wilks at the Annual Meeting of that Society in May last, that an application had been made by Mr. J. G. Pike of Derby, respecting the validity of the Registry of Baptisms; and that it was a subject of the HIGHEST IMPORTANCE." See our Magazine for June, p. 246. EDITORS. |