Page images
PDF
EPUB

THE

New-York Miffionary Magazine,

AND

Repository of Religious Intelligence.

Account of the late Mr. SAMUEL PEARCE.

MR.

R. PEARCE was born at Plymouth, on July 20, 1766. When a child, he lived with his grandfather, who endeavoured to imprefs his mind with the principles of religion. As he advanced in life; however, his evil propenfities began to ripen; and, forming connections with vicious fchool-fellows, he became more and more corrupted.

At times, he was under great convictions; but when thefe fubfided, he returned with eagerness to his finful purfuits. When about fifteen years old, he was deeply affected by hearing a dying man cry out, with inexpreffible anguish of fpirit, I am damned for ever! and he felt a refolution at the time to ferve the Lord; but the impreffion foon wore off, and he again returned to folly.

By means of a fermon, delivered by Mr. Birt, of Plymouth, he appears to have been brought to the knowledge of the truth, when about fixteen years of age.The change in him appears to have been fudden, but effectual; and the recollection of his former vicious propenfities, though a fource of bitterness, yet furnished a ftrong evidence of its being the work of God: "I believe," he fays, "few converfions were more joyful. The change produced in my views, feelings, and conduct, was fo evident to myfelf, that I could no more doubt of its being from God, than of my exiftence. I had the VOL. II. No. 4.

A

witness in myself, and was filled with peace and joy un-. fpeakable."

After this he was baptifed, and became a member of the Baptift church at Plymouth, the minifters and members of which, in a few years, perceived in him talents for public work. Being folicited by both his paftors, he exercised as a probationer; and, receiving an unanimous call from the church, entered on the work of the miniftry in November, 1786. Soon after this, he went to the academy at Briftol, then under the fuperintendance of Dr. Caleb Evans.

While at the academy, he was much distinguished by the amiableness of his fpirit and behaviour. It is fometimes obfervable, that where the talents of a young man are admired by his friends, and his early efforts flattered by crowded auditories, effects have been produced which have proved fatal to his future refpectability and usefulnefs. But this was not the cafe with Mr. Pearce. Amidst the tide of popularity which even at that early period attended his minifterial exercifes, his tutors have more than once remarked, that he never appeared to them to be in the leaft elated, or to have neglected his proper ftudies; but was uniformly the serious, industrious, docile, modeft, and unaffuming young man.

Towards the latter end of 1789, he came to the church in Cannon-street, Birmingham, to whom he was recommended by Mr. Hall, now of Cambridge, at that time one of his tutors. After preaching to them awhile on approbation, he was chofen to be their paftor. His ordination was in Auguft, 1790. Dr. Evans gave the charge, and the late Mr. Robert Hall, of Arnfby, delivered an addrefs to the church on the occafion. In the year 1791 he married Mifs Sarah Hopkins, daughter of Mr. Johua Hopkins, of Alcefter; a connection which appears to have been all along a fource of great enjoyment to him.

From his firft coming to Birmingham, his meeknefs and patience were put to the trial by an Antinomian fpirit, which infected many individuals both in and out of

his congregation. It is well known with what affection it was his practice to beseech finners to be reconciled to God, and to exhort Chriftians to the exercife of practical godliness; but these were things which they could not endure. Soothing doctrine was all they defired.Therefore it was that his miniftry was traduced by them as Arminian, and treated with neglect and contempt. But, like his divine Mafter, he bore the contradiction of finners against himself, and this while he had the ftrongest fatisfaction, that in thofe very things to which they objected, he was pleafing God. And though he plainly perceived the pernicious influence of their principles upon their own minds, as well as on the minds of others, yet he treated them with great gentlenefs and long forbearance; and when it became neceffary to exclude fuch of this description as were in communion with him, it was, with the greatest reluctance, that he came into that meafure, and not without having first tried all other means in vain. He was not apt to deal in harfh language; yet, in one of his letters about that time, he fpeaks of the principles and fpirit of thefe people as a "curfed leaven."

How much Mr. P. felt the divine energy of those truths which he preached to others, appears, in part, from his letters written to intimate friends, many of which Mr. Fuller has introduced in the course of the work. On August 19, 1793, he writes thus to an intimate friend:

[ocr errors][merged small]

"WHEN I take my pen to purfue my correfpondence with you, I have no concern but to communicate fomething which may anfwer the fame end we propose in our annual journies, viz. lending fome affiftance in the important object of getting and keeping nearer to God. This, I am perfuaded, is the mark at which we should be continually aiming, nor reft fatisfied until we attain that to which we afpire. I am really afhamed of myself, when, on the one hand, I review the time that has elapfed fince I first affumed the Chriftian name, with the

opportunities of improvement in godlinefs which have crowded on my moments fince that period; and when, on the other, I feel the little advance I have made! more light, to be fure, I have; but light, without heat, leaves the Chriftian half diffatisfied. Yefterday I preached on the duty of engagedness in God's fervice, from Jer. Xxx. 21. "Who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? faith the Lord;" (a text for which I am indebted to our last journey). While urging the neceffity of heart-religion, including fincerity and ardour, I found myself much affifted by reflecting on the ardour which our dear Redeemer difcovered in the cause of finners. "Ah!" I could not help faying, "if our Saviour had measured his intenfenefs in his engagements for us by our fervency in fulfilling our engagements to him, we should have been now farther from hope than we are from perfection.

"Dear Lord, the ardour of thy love
Reproves my cold returns."

"Two things are caufes of daily aftonishment to me; the readiness of Chrift to come from heaven to earth for me, and my backwardnefs to rife from earth to heaven with him. But, Oh! how animating the profpect! A time approaches, when we fhall rife to fink no more, to" be for ever with the Lord." To be with the Lord, for a week, for a day, for an hour, how fweetly muft the moments pafs! But to be for ever with the Lord!-that enstamps falvation with perfection; that gives an energy to our hopes, and a dignity to our joys, fo as to render it "unfpeakable and full of glory!" I have had a few realizing moments fince we parted; and the effect has been, I truft, a broken heart. Oh! my brother, it is defirable to have a broken heart; were it only for the fake of the pleasure it feels in being helped and healed be Jefus! Heart-affecting views of the curfed effects of fin are highly falutary to a Chriftian's growth in humility, confidence, and gratitude. At once how abafing and exalting is the comparifon of our loathfome hearts

t

with that of the lovely Saviour! In him we fee all that can charm an angel's heart; in ourselves, all that can gratify a devil's. And yet we may reft perfectly affured, that these nefts of iniquity fhall, ere long, be transformed into the temples of God, and these fighs of forrow be exchanged for fongs of praife.

"Laft Lord's day I spent the most profitable Sabbath to myself that I ever remember fince I have been in the ministry; and to this hour I feel the fweet folemnities of that day delightfully protracted. Ah! my brother, were it not for paft experience I fhould fay,

"My heart presumes I cannot lose
The relish all my days."

But now I rejoice with trembling, defiring to "hold faft what I have, that no man take my crown.'

that I fhall find how

I

"Ere one fleeting hour is past,
The flatt'ring world employs

Some sensual bait to seize my taste,
And to pollute my joys.”

Yours in our Saviour,

(To be continued.)

"Yet fearing

Another Account of Mr. Cowper.

S. P."

T has been frequently obferved, that the life of a man of genius is marked by few incidents. The mind which grows up amidst the privacies of ftudy, and the character which is framed by folitary meditation, belong, in a great degree, to a world of their own, from which the paffions and events of ordinary life are equally excluded. There is, therefore, nothing very remarkable in the life of the poet to whom these pages are devoted. But, in the hiftory of those who have done honour to the English nation, and added richness to the English language, no circumftance is trifling, and no incident unworthy of record; efpecially, as there is a fort of fanctity attached to thefe men, which diffufes itself to the minuteft tranfaction in which they have been concerned.

« EelmineJätka »