THE New-York Missionary Magazine, AND Repository of Religious Intelligence. * Account of the late Mr. SAMUEL PEARCE. M R. PEARCE was born at Plymouth, on July 20, 1766. When a child, he lived with his grandfather, who endeavoured to impress his mind with the principles of religion. As he advanced in life, however, his evil propenfities began to ripen; and, forming connections with vicious school-fellows, he became more and more corrupted. At times, he was under great convictions; but when these subsided, he returned with eagerness to his finful pursuits. When about fifteen years old, he was deeply affected by hearing a dying man cry out, with inexpreffible anguish of spirit, I am damned for ever! and he felt a resolution at the time to serve the Lord; but the impression soon wore off, and he again returned to folly. By means of a serinon, 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 propensities, though a fource of bitterness, yet furnished a strong evidence of its being the work of God: "I believe," he says, "few conversions were more joyful. The change produced in my views, feelings, and conduct, was so evident to myself, that I could no more doubt of its being from God, than of my existence. I had the VOL. II. No. 4. A witness in myself, and was filled with peace and joy unspeakable." After this he was baptised, and became a member of the Baptist church at Plymouth, the ministers 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 ministry in November, 1786. Soon after this, he went to the academy at Bristol, then under the superintendance of Dr. Caleb Evans. While at the academy, he was much distinguished by the amiableness of his spirit and behaviour. It is sometimes 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 respectability and usefulness. But this was not the cafe with Mr. Pearce. Amidst the tide of popularity which even at that early period attended his minifterial exercises, 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 studies; 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 August, 1790. Dr. Evans gave the charge, and the late Mr. Robert Hall, of Arnfby, delivered an address to the church on the occafion. In the year 1791 he married Miss Sarah Hopkins, daughter of Mr. Joshua Hopkins, of Alcefter; a connection which appears to have been all along a fource of great enjoyment to him. From his first coming to Birmingham, his meeknefs and patience were put to the trial by an Antinomian spirit, which infected many individuals both in and out of 1 1 い his congregation. It is well known with what affection it was his practice to beseech finners to be reconciled to God, and to exhort Christians to the exercise of practical godliness; but these were things which they could not endure. Soothing doctrine was all they defired.Therefore it was that his ministry was traduced by them as Arminian, and treated with neglect and contempt. But, likę his divine Master, he bore the contradiction of finners against himself, and this while he had the strongest fatisfaction, that in those very things to which they objected, he was pleasing 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 gentleness and long forbearance; and when it became necessary 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 harsh language; yet, in one of his letters about that time, he speaks of the principles and spirit of these people as a "cursed 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: "My dear Brother, " WHEN I take my pen to purfue my correspondence with you, I have no concern but to communicate something which may answer the fame end we propose in our annual journies, viz. lending some afsistance 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 rest satisfied until we attain that to which we aspire. I am really ashamed of myself, when, on the one hand, I review the time that has elapfed fince I first assumed the Christian name, with the opportunities of improvement in godliness which have crowded on my moments since that period; and when, on the other, I feel the little advance I have made! more light, to be sure, I have; but light, without heat, leaves the Christian half dissatisfied. Yesterday I preached on the duty of engagedness in God's service, 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 assisted by reflecting on the ardour which our dear Redeemer discovered in the cause of finners. "Ah!" I could not help faying, " if our Saviour had measured his intenseness 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 "Two things are causes of daily astonishment to me; the readiness of Chrift to come from heaven to earth for me, and my backwardness to rife from earth to heaven with him. But, Oh! how animating the prospect! A time approaches, when we shall rise to sink no more, to "be for ever with the Lord." To be with the Lord, for a week, for a day, for an hour, how sweetly must the moments pass! But to be for ever with the Lord!-that enstamps salvation with perfection; that gives an energy to our hopes, and a dignity to our joys, so as to render it "unspeakable and full of glory!" I have had a few realizing moments since we parted; and the effect has been, I trust, 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 cursed effects of fin are highly falutary to a Christian's growth in humi lity, confidence, and gratitude. At once how abafing and exalting is the comparison of our loathsome hearts 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 rest perfectly assured, that these nests of iniquity shall, ere long, be transformed into the temples of God, and these sighs of forrow be • exchanged for fongs of praise. " Last Lord's day I spent the most profitable Sabbath to myself that I ever remember since I have been in the ministry; and to this hour I feel the sweet folemnities of that day delightfully protracted. Ah! my brother, were it not for past experience I should say, "My heart presumes I cannot lose But now I rejoice with trembling, defiring to "hold fast what I have, that no man take my crown." Yet fearing that I shall find how -"Ere one fleeting hour is past, Yours in our Saviour, Another Account of Mr. Cowper. S. P. T has been frequently observed, that the life of a man of genius is marked by few incidents. The mind which grows up amidst the privacies of study, and the character which is framed by solitary meditation, belong, in a great degree, to a world of their own, froin 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 history of those who have done honour to the English nation, and added richness to the English language, no circumstance is trifling, and no incident unworthy of record; especially, as there is a fort of fanctity attached to these men, which diffuses itself to the minutest transaction in which they have been concerned. |