Representative nonconformists: with the message of their life-work for to-day

Front matter

PRINCETON, N. J.

BX 5206 .G76 1879 c.l Grosart, Alexander Balloch,

1827-1899 .

Introduction

T N his funeral sermon for Dr. William Bates, John Howe — the greatest of our four Representative Nonconformists — in his splendid summing-up, announces his purpose thus : — " The little I shall say of him shall be, not by way of history, but of character."*

This admirably expresses my own motif in these Lectures. I trust that in my Lives of Dr. Richard Sibbes, Thomas Brooks, and many other of the Puritan Divines, as well as in my Fuller Worthies' Library and Chertsey Worthies' Library — to name

* Works, vol. vi., p. 294.

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only these — sufficient proofs have been given that when called for I have not grudged any expenditure of pains or research or toil, towards getting at the facts of the Lives in hand, or elucidatory of the Works.

But in the present case it does not at all come within my province to tell the external story of any of my Worthies. I assume that the Life itself is in each .case less or more familiar to my Readers. This is surely not unreasonable, seeing that there are readily accessible such authorities as these : —

(a) John Howe. — Life by Henry Rogers, author of " The Eclipse of Faith," etc., etc., I vol. 8vo., 1863 (also original edition) : Calamy : Hunt : Dr. James Hamilton : Christophers, etc., etc.

(j6) Richard Baxter. — Life by William Orme (editor of " Practical Works "), I large vol., 8vo, 1830: Reliquiae

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Baxterianae (folio) and numerous Memoirs, Essays, etc., etc.

(y) Samuel Rutherford. — Life by Thomson in his " Letters," 2 vol. cr. 8vo, 1836: by Dr. Andrew A. Bonar, prefixed to " Letters," 2 vols. 8vo, 1863: Wodrow : McCrie, etc., etc.

(8) Matthew Henry. — Life by Sir J. B. WILLIAM.S, Knt, and numerous others introductory to editions of the " Commentary," and of his miscellaneous works.

Besides these, there are the equally accessible Histories of the Later Puritans and Nonconformists, in which all our quaternion fill considerable space.

From these and kindred sources any one seeking to master the facts of the several Lives, or who wishes critically to determine their historical-literary, literary-historical place among leading Nonconformists and in relation

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to Churchmen, will have himself to blame if he do not draw ample materials, as well for their Biography as for their part in the chief movements of their time.

My present commission (as my choice) is wholly different. As addressing in the first instance young men — students and others — and my fellow-ministers and fellow-workers, my main design is from SELECTED CHA- RACTERISTICS of the Life and Life-work of these Representative Nonconformists to incite and quicken to higher and nobler service of The Master in our day and generation. This being so, I am perfectly at ease under the foreshadow of blame, on the ground that what is wanted is presentation of facts and letting them make their own impression. One naturally answers, ' Wanted by whom } ' Equally at ease am I in anticipation of being charged with ' improving ' Howe and Baxter, Rutherford and Henry — as the old Divines called their reading of lessons from

INTRODUCTION.

ix special events and circumstances. To draw SUCH LESSONS and to drive them home into heart and conscience is my purpose and endeavour. In order to this I am — necessarily as I think — discoursive and discursive. If any one chooSe to fling stones at me as ' didactic,' ' hortatory,' ' moralizing,' and so on : so be it. I shall not like the stoneflinging, but shall bear it.

I believe the didactic and hortatory to be effective in their own place. I believe them both to be urgently demanded to-day. For the loss is that except here and there, Facts and characteristics if simply told do not leave the impression which they might and ought. A bullet will not strike or kill without gunpowder and fire. I cherish a hope that in these Lectures there is some pointblank shot and some magnetic force. So far as I know my own heart, my animus is not polemical, but if possible to do some good in the way of practical

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stimulus, of rousing, of winning to study and re-study, and to emulation of these Worthies among our forefathers. And so I turn to our four Representative Nonconformists.*

* It is deemed well to explain thaf most of the illustrative quotations throughout, were not read but rcsei"ved for the printed book, from the limited time available.

Contents

Introduction — quotation — motif o( the Lectures — 'character' not external story — accessible authorities — 'improving,' etc. — intentionally hortatory and didactic — practical usefulness in stirring to higher service . . . Pages v. io x.

I. JOHN HOWE :

Inevitable impression — portraits — incident at Whitehall — appointed domestic chaplain to Cromwell — 'noble presence' ■ — advantage of — ^description of Dr. Bates — heredity — meanly-housed souls — noble form and falsehood — Shakespeare quotations — the Platonism of Spenser and Milton — quotations from — A FIRST present-day truth and duty — Christians to-day urged to fashion and transfigure their very look — evils of the opposite — Whittier — Andrevif Fuller — Dr. Robert S. Candlish — Hovi'e a fellovir-disciple with John Smith, Dr. Henry More, Dr. Ralph Cudworth — expression of face a beatitude — of grace not of birth — Phineas Fletcher — George Herbert — an over-looked incident— controversy with Thomas Larkham, of Tavistock — rash, ill-informed, pestiferous zeal, hot of temper — heartchange — controlling grace — contrast of "bitter words" to and of Larkham with after-words — Stillingfleet — Psalm cxli. 5 — a second present-day truth — ' conversion ' a reality and universal need — Christ unique (note) — modern Scientists unscientific and uncritical herein — A third prexii