Life and Remains of the Rev. John Brown

The Rev. John Brown was born in the year 1722, in a little village called Carpou, in the county of Perth, Scotland. The narrative of his experience which he left behind him is as follows: —

The more I consider the dealings between God and my soul, 1 am the more amazed at his marvellous kindness to me, and at my ingratitude and rebellion against him.

I reflect on it as a great mercy, that I was born in a family which took care of my christian instruction, and in which I had the privilege of God’s worship both morning and evening. This was the case in few families in that corner; and it was the more remarkable, considering that my father had not got any regular instruction in reading.

About the eighth year of my age, I happened in a crowd to push into the church at Abernethy, on a sacrament Sabbath. Then it was common for all LIFE AND REMAINS OF

but intended communicants to be excluded. Before I was excluded, I heard one or two tables served by a minister, who spake much to the commendation of Christ: this in a sweet and delightful manner captivated my young affections, and has since made me think that children should never be kept out of the church on such occasions. At this period of life my thirst after knowledge was great, and indeed pride often instigated me to diligence. My parents’ circumstances were such, that they were not able to afford me any great length of time at school for reading, writing, and arithmetic. I had a particular delight in learning by heart the catechisms published by Vincent, Flavel, and the Westminster Assembly, and was much profited by them. One month at school, without my parents’ allowance, I bestowed upon the Latin.

My father dying about the eleventh year of my age, and my mother soon after, I was left a poor orphan, and had nothing to depend on but the providence of God; and, I must say that the Lord hath been u the father of the fatherless, and the orphan’s stay.”

In the thirteenth and fourteenth years of my life, the Lord by his word, read and heard, did often strive with my soul for its good. The perusal of Alleine’s “Alarm to the Unconverted” contributed, in some measure, to awaken my conscience, and to move my affections. However, some of his hints, made worse by my corrupt mind, occasioned my legal covenanting with God. I made much the same use of that excellent book, Guthrie’s 44 Trial of a saving Interest in Christ.” Indeed, such was the bias of my heart under her convictions, that I was willing to do any thing rather than flee to Christ, and trust to his free grace alone for my salvation.

I had no small pleasure, about this time, in reading religious books, such as the Bible, “Rutherford’s Letters,” u Gouge’s Directions how to walk with God,” &c. By means of attention to these, I was led into some measure of tenderness in my external behaviour. The impressions which were made on my mind, by the sermons which I heard, and the books which I read, were on certain occasions very great, and sometimes continued for several days. Under these I was much given to prayer, but concealed all my religious exercises to the utmost of my power. Within a few months after my mother’s death, I was seized four times with fevers, which succeeded each other rapidly, and which brought me so low, that almost every person who saw me lost all hopes of my recovery: though I did not expect immediate death in those troubles, yet apprehensions of eternity exceedingly affected me. A serious friend told me, after I was recovered, that, when she was praying in my behalf, these words, u I will satisfy him with long life, and I will show him my salvation,” were so impressed by God on her heart, that she was perfectly easy under all my distress.

Deprived of my parents, I was obliged to leave a small religious family, and to enter into a larger. This was attended with much practical apostacy from

the Lord. My former attainments were lost, and religious exercises were often omitted. Even secret prayer was not always regularly performed; but I in my folly pleased myself, by making up the number in one day, in which I had been deficient on another.

After many changes in the frame of my heart, Providence again afflicted me with a fever in the nineteenth year of my age: this in some degree awakened my concern about eternal salvation.

After my recovery, I heard a sermon on John vi. 64, “There are some of you that believe not.” This, though delivered by one that was reckoned a general preacher, pierced my conscience, as if almost every sentence had been directed to none but me; and it made me conclude myself one of the greatest unbelievers in the world. My soul was thrown into a sort of agony, and I was made to look on all my former experiences as effects of the common operations of the Holy Ghost. In this manner I viewed them for many years afterwards, till at last God showed me, that 1 was wrong in throwing aside all ray attainments, as having nothing really gracious in them.

Next day I heard a sermon on Isa. liii. 4, u Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” This enlightened and melted my heart in a way that I had never before felt. I was made as a poor lost sinner, as the chief of sinners, to essay appropriating the Lord Jesus as having done all for me, and as wholly made over to me, in the gospel, as the free gift of God; and as my all-sufficient Saviour, anseverable to all my folly, ignorance, guilt, filthiness, slavery, and misery. Through this, and other ordinances, the pleasure which I had enjoyed in some former years, was not only remarkably returned, but I attained far clearer views of the freedom of God’s grace, and the exercise of taking hold of, and pleading the promises of the gospel. I had not been much above a year, when I was exercised with a new trial of five years’ continuance. In consequence of my anxious pursuit after learning, as opportunity was given, and especially by the gracious assistance of God, I had acquired some knowledge of the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages; and was resolving to use them in the service of Christ, if he should open a regular door. My learning of these languages without a master, except for one month, occasioned my obtaining the favour of some, and my meeting with the malice of others. By the last it was represented, that I had certainly got my learning in some sinful way; and this groundless calumny spread far and wide. The reproach was exceedingly distressing to me; however, God was gracious, for I enjoyed remarkable mixtures of mercy with the affliction. At the beginning of the trial, these words, 44 The Lord will command his loving-kindness in the day-time, and his song shall be with me in the night, and my prayer to the God of my life,” were peculiarly sweet to my soul.

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