REMARKS OF THE KING AND QUEEN. 95 gentle in our censure of any Christians who helped to lead the ignorant to the Saviour of souls. Blessed also is the memory of the men whose situation gave them the power, and whose piety begat the inclination, to support their endeavours at a time when to honour Christ and his word, was to forfeit the esteem and approbation of the mass of society, high and low. It was of these excellent but rare persons, and with particular allusion to Lord Dartmouth, that Cowper says We boast some rich ones whom the Gospel sways, And one who wears a coronet and prays; Like gleanings of an olive-tree they show, How different our own highly-favoured days-days that will be brighter still, when our moral atmosphere is cleared of the many vapours that will melt away as the sun of truth approaches nearer its meridian glory. Lord Dartmouth and his friend, Lord Chief Baron Smythe, were amongst the earliest supporters of evangelical preaching at the Lock Chapel, for which they were much sneered at. But George III. and his Queen knew how to set a right value upon Lord Dartmouth's character. Her Majesty called him one of the best of men;' and the King, in a well-known conversation with Dr. Beattie, observed, 'They call his Lordship an enthusiast; but surely he says nothing on the subject of religion but what any Christian may and ought to say.' Such were the opinions of these illustrious personages, who had the gift of discerning the worth of true piety through all the prejudices which the world cast around it. Whitfield also paid a just tribute to his Lordship's liberal support of the College for American Indians. Such was the distinguished confidant of Mr. Richard 96 MR. HILL'S PENSIONERS. SIR CHARLES HOTHAM. His Hill, whose private virtues and public spirit were in every way worthy of his noble friend's regard. active benevolence appears in various memoranda among his papers. The following are specimens: July 1765. Margaret Rolls, one of my pensioners died, aged between eighty and ninety. About the same time died the widow Griffith, another of my poor pensioners, nearly the same age.' "The clerk of Weston's widow, Ann Gittens, died Sept. 1765, about the same age, another pensioner. Her husband died about two years before, aged between ninety and a hundred." They were privileged at that time with the gospel in the parish where Mr. Richard Hill lived, as I gather from another record, though I never heard Mr. Rowland Hill mention it, nor any other person. July 13, 1766. The Rev. Mr. Dicken, curate of this parish, departed this life by a jaundice and dropsy. He had been curate above twenty years, five of which he preached the glorious gospel of Christ." These simple memoranda bespeak the character of the man who made them, and need no remark of mine. Amongst these notices of events, I find, Oct. 26, 1767, "Received a letter with the news of Sir Charles Hotham's being gone to his everlasting rest. A great man indeed is fallen in Israel, but the Lord has all hearts in his hand, and can easily make up the loss to his Church and people; or otherwise, he will shew them that he can carry on his work without any earthly helps. Lord, prepare me for the important hour: keep me always with my lamp trimmed and my oil burning." Charles Hotham was an indirect fruit of Whitfield's ministry at Bath, where he often preached at the house of Lady Gertrude Hotham, the sister of Lord Chester Sir STATE OF THE HIGHER CLASSES. 97 His afflicted field. Her ladyship's eldest daughter was one of his converts there, and Whitfield himself never described a more touching and triumphant scene than that of his last interview with her, when she lay in the prime of her earthly days, upon her dying bed. But Sir Charles heard in vain, till it pleased God to make the loss of his lady the salvation of his soul. He went down sorrowing to the grave, though the good king appointed him to an office about his majesty's person. mother was soon after burnt to death. were her sufferings that the surgeon who dressed her wounds, in his ignorance told her she deserved heaven for her wonderful patience. But she pleaded like a true Christian, the alone blood and righteousness of the Lamb, and warned the poor flatterer of his own danger. Thus does a mysterious but wise Providence frequently ripen his loveliest fruits for the eternal garner. So dreadful Although the ministry of Whitfield and the career of Lady Huntingdon had excited the curiosity, and impressed in some degree the minds of many persons of distinction at this period, yet there never was a time in which vital godliness was more hated and opposed by the higher classes, who were generally in a state of appalling ignorance respecting the plainest truths of the Bible, and condemned as Methodists all ministers who even named the name of Christ in their sermons. It is reported of one worldly clergyman, that he thought it necessary to make an apology for preaching Christ on Christmas-day, assuring his audience at the same time, that he had done with the subject till the same festival came round again another year! The consequence of this was, that those members of noble and wealthy families who had experienced the blessedness of true piety, were obliged to encourage each other in bearing the ob H 98 MR. HILL'S RELIGIOUS PROGRESS. loquy to which their religion exposed them, and to endeavour by a lively spiritual intercourse, to keep up the tone of godliness amongst themselves. By the help of God they abundantly succeeded, and were the means of laying the foundations of those bulwarks of our nation, which we now possess in the many noble families devoted to the truth. The mind of Mr. Richard Hill seemed to gather daily firmness of principle and fixedness of purpose. He wrote among the memoranda of his own experience, "I think I may safely hope that the Lord vouchsafes me more power over sin, and that the law in my mind does bring the law in my members more into subjection. But still I have reason to say, 'O wretched man that I am, &c.' I know my heart is very deceitful, but I think I may safely say the one abiding, reigning desire thereof, is to be wholly devoted to God in Christ, to be more active and useful in his service, to promote his blessed cause in my generation, whatever opposition I may meet with for so doing, to be more crucified to the world, more self-mortified, and self-denied in a word, to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." He had his share of trials from his family connections and the world, but observes, "It is a blessed thing to be able to leave all our concerns in God's hands, and to see with the eye of faith that every cross, trial, and affliction, and dispensation, is appointed of God, and will continue or be removed from the believer, as shall be most for the Lord's glory and the good of the believer's soul. Unbelief embitters all. Faith sweetens all. Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief. Let me be anxious for nothing, but in every thing let me follow the leadings of thy word, Spirit, and providence.' Again he says, It is upwards of seven years that I HIS PREACHING. ANECDOTE. 99 have been endeavouring to understand the meaning of that promise, Thou shalt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.' I bless God that I do in some measure know and feel its import, though I always have had, and always shall have need to say, 'not as though I had already attained.' It is a great thing to live abidingly by the faith of the Son of God." Such sentiments could not fail to develop themselves in a career of energetic exertion, which he felt to be the more called for by the deplorable condition of all classes of people as regarded religion. Hence he sought every possible occasion by which he could be made an instrument of infusing even the smallest portion. of the true leaven into a mass so dead and hardened; and there is no doubt that his embracing many opportunities of preaching, the mistake of which step he fully saw in after life, was caused by the purest spirit of zeal and philanthropy. Indeed in his earlier days, he was persuaded to discontinue it for a time, and was induced by his father to go and try to bring home his brother Rowland from his itinerant course. He met with him at Kingswood near Bristol, surrounded by a throng of colliers, upon whom a most powerful appeal from the lips. of the young preacher, had produced a wonderful effect. He drew near the multitude and mingled with them, waiting to speak to his brother when the sermon ended. But the scene was too much for him, and quickly wrought upon the sensibility of his tender and excitable heart. He saw the traces of tears upon the black faces of the colliers, and his own soon flowed as he caught the spirit of the stirring moment. Young Rowland's eye was upon him; and with that quickness which distinguished him throughout his life, saw that he had gained him to his cause. He did not hesitate for a moment, but gave |