many years, and done much service: but for God to take away his faithful labourers in the midst of their days, and cause their sun to set at noon, is a providence of a dreadful aspect upon unfaithful and unfruitful hearers. Oh! what would many a condemned wretch give at the great day of the Lord, to have Christ, and mercy, and pardon proffered him, as they have been proffered by this glorified saint! God took him away immediately upon his release from prison, when you had some hopes of the further enjoyment of his labours; at a time when there is the greatest want of such faithful and zealous labourers; especially of such as are enlightened in, and are zealous for church-work; such as have a heart and abilities to encourage the people of God in their separation from the world and antichristian defilements. "There was a near relation between this servant of the Lord and many of you present. He was to many of you a faithful pastor and teacher, labouring among you in word and doctrine. If the Lord prevent not, now that the shepherd is smitten, you will be scattered. It will be hard to find a person so ready to venture life and liberty to serve you. Το many of you he might be a spiritual father, a means of your conviction and conversion; and oh! what hard hearts must you have, if you cannot mourn over a dead father, a dead shepherd, a faithful pastor, when taken from you. Consider those blessed qualifications with which this servant of Christ was endowed, and by which he was enabled to promote the glory of God and the welfare of your souls. He had love for all the saints. He had room in his heart to receive every one whom Christ received. He held communion with the saints, not on account of their names, or forms of worship, but on account of their union to Jesus Christ. He loved no man on account of his opinions, but his union to Christ, as he often declared in his congregation. He made known to the members of his church, to whom he gave the right hand of fellowship, that their union to Christ was the ground of their communion with saints; and that the reason of their admission was not because they were of this or that opinion, but because they were looked upon as interested in Christ; and that they who were heirs of glory ought to receive all saints, not as presbyterians, or independents, or anabaptists, but as saints. "He had a great insight into the doctrines of grace. Having cast anchor within the vail, he understood well the great mystery of the mercy-seat. It was the glory of his ministry to hold forth the riches of the grace of God in Christ Jesus.. In preaching this doctrine he was a mystery to a blind world: they could not understand him; and, therefore, they hardly knew by what name to call him. He was an offence to many professors, who charged him with giving liberty to sin, notwithstanding he often preached upon the apostolic cautions against it. As at many other times, so a little before his imprisonment, he so charged professors with their lukewarm. ness, their hypocrisy, their neglect of closet devotion, family religion, and the duties of public worship, that he left a sufficient testimony to stop the mouths such for ever. The doctrine of the covenant was, indeed, his great delight. When he spoke of the unsearchable riches of the grace of Christ, he was carried beyond himself: he had a flood of words, yet seemed to want words to express what he knew and enjoyed of divine grace. "He was a faithful servant of Christ. Whatever the Lord made known to him, he made known to his people without reserve, whether it pleased or displeased. He did not shun to declare all the counsel of God, so far as it was revealed to him. Also, if at any time he was convinced that he had delivered any thing not consonant to scripture, he would openly and publicly confess his error, and trample upon his own name and honour, rather than deceive the souls of his people by leading them to imbibe false doctrine. While he thus ingenuously and openly confessed his mistakes, it shews how eminently faithful he was to truth and to the souls of his hearers. "He was a zealous servant of Christ. He was willing to spend and be spent, that he might fulfil his ministry, and do good to souls. How laborious was he in preaching; how constant in attending the assemblies of the church; and how often did he blame his people for neglecting them! He was not one who did the work of the Lord negligently, but he served his God with fervency of spirit. He did not stand upon terms with God, saying, Lord, I will serve thee, if my name, and estate, and liberty may be secured: but whatever he judged to be his duty he would be sure to attend to it, and leave the event to the Lord. He enjoyed much communion with God, and a rich experience of his goodness. Many a faithful minister of Christ lived but low, compared with what this blessed saint enjoyed. By this rich experience of divine favour, he was enabled to administer comfort to others. "He was a very humble and holy man. For the sake of peace, he would condescend to the meanest member of his church. He followed after those things which made for peace, and laboured always to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. After the Lord was pleased to work upon him by his mighty power, and to reveal the grace of Christ to his soul, he was of a heavenly conversation. He walked closely with God in his family. He was a saint at home as well as abroad; and he made it appear that he was really and relatively good, by being a good husband, a good father, &c. He lived loose from the world, and made not his gain his godliness. He had no design to make merchandize of Christ and the gospel. He often refused money for preaching, especially funeral sermons; and if, on those occasions, any was forced upon him, or sent after him, he soon disposed of it by giving it to the poor. His discourse was mostly upon spiritual and heavenly subjects, in which he always discovered great pleasure and forwardness. In his youthful days he was greatly addicted to vanity and ungodliness, which, to his own shame, and to the praise of divine grace, he acknowledged to his dying day. His ministry was very successful, and attended by the abundant blessing of God. He was instrumental in the conversion of many souls; and he left behind him many seals to his ministry. Every faithful preacher was not so remarkably blessed. God blessed him above scores, nay, hundreds of preachers, in the great work of conversion, by turning souls from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God.' His happiness is unquestionable. Your loss is his gain. He is taken up into glory, and there hath communion with God. He is out of the reach of all his enemies. They can now imprison him no more. He will never have any thing more imposed upon him contrary to his conscience. He will never suffer there for nonconformity. There God 'will be for ever served, adored, and glorified with one heart, and with one consent." Mr. Simpson's funeral sermon, entitled, "The Failing and Perishing of good Men a matter of great and sore Lamentation," was preached June 26, 1662, the day of his interment. JOHN BIDDLE, A. M.-This great sufferer was born at Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire, in the year 1615, and educated in Magdalen-hall, Oxford, where he took his degrees in arts. Here he prosecuted his studies with great Funeral Sermon, assiduity and success, and became an ornament to his college. In 1641 he was chosen master of the free-school of Crypt,* in the city of Gloucester; where, for his excellent talents and diligence in his profession, he was highly esteemed. Here his freedom of inquiry in his academical studies was directed to the subjects of religion. His opinions concerning the Trinity differed very soon from those commonly received; and, having expressed his thoughts with much freedom, he was presently accused of heresy. He was accordingly summoned before the magistrates; to whom he presented, on the point about which he was accused, the following confession of faith: 1. "I believe that there is but one infinite and almighty essence, called God. 2. "I believe, that, as there is but one infinite and almighty essence, so there is but one person in that essence. 3. "I believe that our Saviour Jesus Christ is truly God, by being truly, really, and properly united to the only person of the infinite and almighty essence."+ This confession, dated May 2, 1644, proved unsatisfactory to the magistrates, who urged him to be more explicit concerning a plurality of persons in the divine essence. Accordingly, about four days after, he confessed, that there were three in that divine essence, commonly called persons. This appears to have given greater satisfaction. Mr. Biddle, having made up his mind more fully upon this subject, drew up his thoughts upon a paper entitled, "Twelve Arguments, drawn out of Scripture, wherein the commonly received opinion touching the Deity of the Holy Spirit is clearly and fully refuted." This paper he shewed to one whom he supposed to be his friend, but who was ungenerous enough to betray him to the magistrates of Gloucester, and to the committee of parliament, then residing there. Upon this information, he was committed to the common gaol, December 2, 1645, being at the same time ill of a dangerous fever. The design of his imprisonment was to secure his person, till the parliament should take his case into consideration. The intolerance of this proceeding was, however, soon mitigated by the interposition of a compassionate friend, a person of eminence in Gloucester, who, by giving bail for his appearance, procured his enlargement. About June, 1646, the famous Archbishop Usher, passing through Gloucester on his way to London, had a conference Biog. Britan. vol. ii. p. 303. Edit. 1778. + Toulmin's Life of Biddle, p. 18., Edit, 1791. with Mr. Biddle, respecting his sentiments upon the Trinity, and endeavoured to convince him of his dangerous error. Mr. Biddle, our author observes, had but little to say, and was none moved by the zeal, piety, and learning of the archbishop, but continued obstinate. In about six months after Mr. Biddle was set at liberty, he was summoned to appear at Westminster, when the parliament appointed a committee, to whom the consideration of his cause was referred. Upon his examination he freely and candidly confessed, "That he did deny the commonly received opinion concerning the Deity of the Holy Ghost, as he was accused: but that he was ready to hear what could be opposed to him, and, if he could not make out his opinion to be true, honestly to acknowledge his error."+ However, at the distance of sixteen months from his first imprisonment, being wearied by tedious and expensive delays, he wrote a letter to Sir Henry Vane, a member of the committee, requesting him either to procure his discharge or to report his case to the house of commons. This letter, dated April 1, 1647, answered the end proposed. Sir Henry became a friend to Mr. Biddle, and reported his case to the house; but the result was not favourable to Mr. Biddle's comfort and liberty. Instead of obtaining his release, the house committed him to the custody of one of its officers, and he remained under this restraint five years. In the mean time the matter was referred to the assembly of divines, before some of whom, it is said, he often appeared, and gave them in writing, his "Twelve Arguments against the Deity of the Holy Spirit." The answers which he received on these occasions not producing sufficient conviction in his mind, he was induced, during this year, to print this tract, with the above title. The piece was no sooner published than its author was summoned to appear at the bar of the house of commons, when he owned the book, and the sentiments therein contained, to be his. Upon this, he was sent back to prison; and by an order from the house, dated September 6, 1647, the book was appointed to be called in and burnt by the common hangman, and the author to be examined by the committee of plundered ministers. Accordingly, he was *Edwards's Gangræna, part iii. p. 87, 88.-Wood's Athenæ Oxon. vol. ii. p. 197. Ibid. p. 28-24. + Life of Biddle, p. 28. |