A Review of An Account of the Life, Ministry, and Writings of the late Rev. JOHN FAWCETT, D. D. who was Minister of the Gospel fifty-four years; first at Wainsgate, and afterwards at Hebdenbridge, in the parish of Halifax. THAT the memory of the just is blessed, and their name better than precious ointment, is strikingly exemplified in the excellent man whose life is here recorded. He was born January 6, 1740, near Bradford in Yorkshire. His father died when he was in his twelfth year. At the age of thirteen he was put apprentice for six years at Bradford. From his early years he was fond of religious books, especially of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, and Heavenly Footman; Alleine's Alarm; and Baxter's Call to the Unconverted. During his apprenticeship, the Bible was his constant companion; and between the ages of twelve and fourteen he read it over repeatedly. His thirst after knowledge appears from the following particulars. He had a small lodging room to himself. His master and mistress, with the domestics, retired at an early hour. He, among the rest, took his candle up stairs, and, to avoid suspicion, when he had been a little time in the room, concealed the lighted candle under an earthen ves sel till he supposed the family were all asleep, when he betook himself to his delightful employment for a considerable part of the night. No small portion of his pocket money was employed in the purchase of candles. Sometimes he tied a weight to his foot, and at others fastened his hand to the bed-post, that he might not sleep too long. These circumstances do not deserve imitation; but they show the decided bent of his mind, and should incite more highly favoured youth to value and improve their privileges. About this time, Mr. Whitefield came to Bradford. "The impression made by the preaching of Whitefield on the mind of him who is the subject of this narrative was indescribably great, and remained unabated to the close of life. He preserved his portrait in his study, and the very mention of his name inspired the warmest emotions of grateful remembrance. For natural, unaffected eloquence, he considered him as superior to any person he ever heard. His whole soul was in the work; bis 82 MEMOIRS OF DR. FAWCETT. words fell from his lips with majes- "The first time our young disciple saw and heard this eminent man of God was at Bradford, in an open part of the town, near the water-side No place of worship could contain the concourse of people assembled on that occasion. As MoThe text was John iii. 14. ses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,' &c. His own language will best describe what his sensations were on that interesting occasion: 'As long as life remains, I shall remember both the text and the sermon.' He admired, he was astonished with almost every sentence, both in the devotional exercises and the sermon. "Though he had read much, and been regular in his attendance on public ordinances, yet from early prepossessions, and the general strain of the sermons he heard, he was far from having clear conceptions as to the ground of a sinner's acceptance with God: he saw men as trees walking.' But this Apollos, who was mighty in the scriptures,' even by one sermon showed him the 6 way of God more perfectly' than he had ever seen it before. The glimpses he had before enjoyed suddenly became clearer,and gospel light beamed upon his soul with resplendent rays. The mode of address was quite new to him, and 6 brighter scenes were disclosed to Mr. Whitefield preaching again in the evening, he requested leave of his master to go and hear him, which was granted, though with some hesitation. He evinced a degree of displeasure at his eagerness, and inquired who had put it into his mind to follow this strange preacher; to which he replied. that he believed it was the Almighty At the evening service the same truths were held forth which he had heard in the morning, from that striking passage, For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.' The preacher showed what those works of the devil were,-some evident before the eyes of man in the idolatry and profaneness which prevailed in the world; others in the minds even of those who were more regular; namely, prejudices against the truth, self-righteousness, &c. and he then proceeded to set forth the ability of Christ to destroy these works, and the manner in which he effects it. "It appears by the following extract from his diary that he had then entered upon his sixteenth year. In the sixteenth year of my age, it pleased God graciously, and more particularly than ever before, to work upon my mind, and to give me a deeper sense of my lost condition by nature.' .. From this time he began to make a more public profession of religion, and connected himself with the Whitefieldite Methodists. He attended their private meetings as often as he was allowed: these were sometimes protracted to an unseasonable hour, so that being too late to gain admittance into his master's house, who was in the habit of retiring early to rest, 1 he not unfrequently spent the remainder of the night in the open fields, or under sheds. and of bringing forward to notice talents which might otherwise have lain dormant. Considerable numbers of those who were afterwards the most distinguished pastors of dissenting churches, dated their conversion from attending the ministry, or perusing the writings, of these apostolic men; and to this revival many of those congregations which have continued to flourish and increase to the present day, owe their rise. The mantle of Elijah dropped upon many Elishas; and a por tion of the spirit which actuated Mr. Whitefield not only rested upon his immediate followers, but, blessed be God, the sweet savour of it still remains. By this spirit the Protestant church in Great Britain is distinguished from the professors of the same faith on the European continent, who have long been in a de "Whenever Mr. Whitefield came into the north, he eagerly embraced the opportunity of attending his ministry. His next visit to Bradford was in the year following. Mr. Whitefield, in one of his letters, da ted August 24, 1756, says, 'It is now a fortnight since I came to Leeds, in and about which, I preached eight days successively,three times almost every day, to thronged and affected auditories. On Sunday last, at Bradford, in the morning the audience consisted of above ten thousand; at noon, and in the evening, at Birstall, of nearly double that number. Though hoarse, I was able to speak so that they all heard.' These religious opportunities were often mentioned by the subject of this memoir as having produced an uncom-clining state. Notwithstanding the mon and lasting effect upon his mind. After having heard him at Bradford in the morning, he followed him to Birstall, where a platform was erected at the foot of a hill adjoining the town, whence Mr. Whitefield had to address an immense concourse of people, not fewer, as was supposed, than 20,000, who were ranged before him on the declivity of a hill in the form of an amphitheatre. Much as he was in the habit of public speaking and preaching to large and promiscuous multitudes, when he cast his eyes around him on the vast assemblage, and was about to mount the temporary stage, he expressed to his surrounded friends a considerable degree of intimidation; but when he began to speak, an unusual solemnity pervaded the assembly, and thousands in the course of the sermon, as was often the case, vented their emotions by tears and groans. Fools who came to mock, began to pray, and cried out, What must I do to be saved?" "The mighty impulse which Mr. Whitefield and his coadjutors had given to the professing world, was the means of exciting a general spirit of inquiry on religious subjects, awful judgments with which God has lately visited them, many, alas! yet remain in an awful state of stupor, having left their first love, and lost the zeal and fervour of their ancestors. This spirit has been the life and soul of the missionary exertions which have so much distinguished modern times; and we have reason to believe that it will spread and prevail till that glorious period, when all the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God, and of his Christ." "On the 26th of February, 1758, being then just entered on his 19th year, he came before the society at Bradford," of which Mr. W. Crabtree was minister, "as a candidate for baptism and church fellowship. Having given great satisfaction to those who were present, he was baptized the 11th of March following, and soon after admitted a member of the church." Our limits compel us to pass by a mass of interesting information, relating, amongst other things, to the state of religion, and to a great number of celebrated preachers, which we should otherwise be strongly inclined to give to our readers, but for which we must refer them to the work itself: we shall therefore confine ourselves to a few of the more prominent particulars in the life of this excellent man. In 1759 his apprenticeship expired, and he married a member of the church, who proved an excellent wife, and died March 30, 1810. The whole of his life was a course of early rising, improvement of time, industry, frugality, and fondness for reading. From his diary may be perceived his spiritual-mindedness, his humility, his industry, and his habit of meditation and self-examination. In July, 1760, his thoughts appear to have been turned towards the Christian ministry, with a view to which he learned the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages. "I have been taught," said he, "that,according to the Greek proverb, THERE IS NOTHING IMPOSSIBLE TO INDUSTRY, especially when it is attended by the blessing of heaven, which is what I desire to seek at all times. The Lord has favoured me with three things, which afford me matter of encouragement:-a good degree of bodily health; more leisure than usual; and the choice of necessary books." Having received an invitation from the church at Wainsgate, he removed thither in 1764, and was ordained July 31, 1765. In the year 1766, he received the following letter from Mr. Whitefield: "DEAR SIR, "London, Sept. 1, 1766. "I have been so often imposed upon by letters from strangers, that it is high time to be a little more cautious. Besides, bodily weakness prevents my writing as formerly: but your letters seem to evidence simplicity of heart. If truly called to the glorious work of the ministry, of which I can be no judge at this distance, I wish you much prosperity in the name of the Lord. The language of my soul is, Would to God that all the Lord's servants were prophets! A clear head, and an honest, upright, disinterested, ་ warm heart, with a good elocution, and a moderate degree of learning, will carry you through all, and enable you to do wonders. You will not fail to pray for a decayed, but, thanks be to God, not a disbanded soldier. O that the last glimmerings of an expiring taper may be blessed to guide some wandering souls to Jesus Christ! As yet the shout of a King is heard amongst us.' Whether I shall ever visit Yorkshire again, is only known to Him who holdeth the stars in his right hand.' Kind remembrances to all who love the Lord Jesus in sincerity. Brethren, pray for us. I retain my old name, Less than the least of all saints;' but for Jesus Christ's sake, "Yours in our common Lord, G. WhitefielD.” In 1773, he set up an academy. In 1774, he was attacked by a violent illness, during which he wrote "The Sick Man's Employ ;" and after which he frequently had heavy and long continued bodily afflictions. In the spring of 1776, he removed his residence from Wainsgate to Brearly Hall, a distance of about three miles, but continued to preach at Wainsgate for about a year. In 1777, a new meeting-house was built for him at Hebden bridge, as a more central place for the church and congregation. A part, however, remained at Wainsgate, who rebuilt the meeting-house in 1815. In 1796 he removed from Brearley Hall to Ewood Hall, a large mansion in the neighbourhood. "Several of Mr. F.'s friends had long expressed a desire that he would give a digest of the sermons he had preached on almost every part of the divine word, and his general idea of the sense of scripture, by writing a short comment on the Bible, with suitable reflections at the close of each chapter: the materials he had long been treasuring up. The leisure he now enjoyed from the confinement of his former avocation," (meaning the academy, from the superintendance of which he retired in 1805,)" and the state of his health, which was in some respects improved, induced him to take the matter into serious consideration. His mind, however, for a considerable time, shrunk back at the thoughts of such an undertaking. "To commence a work of that magnitude when on the verge of seventy, was what perhaps had never before been attempted The recollection of the many instances in which those who had engaged in similar works in the vigour of their days, as Poole, Henry, Doddridge, &c. but died before the completion, was a discouraging circumstance. His intimate friend, Mr. Fuller, though he approved of the design, had little expectation that his life would be prolonged till he could bring it to a conclusion. In one of his letters, he says, 'I hope your life and strength may be spared to go on with the Commentary, though there is not much probability of your living to finish it. I have somewhere met with the following expression : -Jesus could say, It is finished, and then gave up the ghost; but this is more than can be said of any one besides. Death generally finds us with a number of our unfinished works on our hands.' "His advanced years certainly presented one important advantage for entering upon this arduous undertaking, namely, the mental stores and mature experience which he had acquired from his constant study of the scriptures, and from his ministerial labours. No doubt, when he finally concluded to accede to the wishes of his friends, he was influenced by motives similar to those of the apostle Peter, when drawing to wards the close of life:- Moreover, I will endeavour that, after my decease, ye may have these things always in remembrance; for we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.' "From a date, (Nov. 17, 1807,) in the manuscript, at the close of Gen. iv. it may be inferred, that he entered upon the work of writing the Commentary in the beginning of that month. His regular plan, unless prevented by some unforeseen occurrence, was to go through one chapter, on an average, every day; and on the Lord's day mornings he expounded one of the chapters he had commented upon during the preceding week. This was both a relief to his own mind, in his studies preparatory to preaching, and proved highly interesting to the hearers, as was evident from the considerable increase in his morning congregations, more especially while he was upon the historical parts of scripture, which he had the happy talent of rendering both entertaining and instructive. For the gratification of his aged partner in life, and others, who occasionally stepped in, he usually read, before he retired to rest, what he had composed during each day. These evening rehearsals also afforded him an opportunity of making the necessary corrections, and supplying what might have been omitted. "In a letter to a highly-valued friend, to whose perusal part of the manuscript was submitted, he says, -I am glad to find you do not disapprove of my feeble attempts, in a work to which the powers of my mind are not equal, though I find a present reward in them. I often wonder that I have been enabled to sit to close study, for twelve or fourteen hours in the day, without any material injury to my health. The fact is, that I am running a race, with death at my heels, not knowing how soon he may overtake me. The work is formidable: but who can tell what the Almighty may intend to do by one of the weakest and most unworthy of his servants! I would live, and act, and think, and read, and write, depending on him. You will easily conceive that I must meet with many interruptions from company; and I have been obliged to publish three pamphlets during the last summer. The uncertainty of |