Reminiscences of Distinguished Contemporaries: Preface
My residence in Bath gave me many opportunities of multiplying connexions, or at least acquaintances; and, in a long course of years, I have become more or less intimate with many interesting individuals from Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and various parts of England.
Not long after my settlement in this city, I found a coterie of rather singular characters: it included Lutterbray, the celebrated landscape-painter. Sir James and Lady Wright,* Miss Lee, the natural daughter of Lord d’Espencer,t Rev. Briant Hill, J Miss Charles Westley, &c.
All these occasionally attended my preaching, and I was
* Both these lie in our burying-ground, and their escutcheons were sent into the vestry. Lady Wright was the sister of More, Archbishop of Canterbury. None of the family attended the death or the funeral.
t She was a woman of great talent and much learning; yet I fear from her neglect of public worship, and a prayer (which she showed me) written for her daily use, on the principles of pure deism, that she was at least sceptical as to the truth and importance of Christianity. — After some injuries which the tomb of Sir James and Lady Wright had sustained, she repaired it, and had her name engraved as the repairer in the corner of the panel. Some may remember her strange flight with a gentleman, as if carried off unwillingly; also her throwing away a camphor-bag from her bosom.
X Author of a Poem on Italy, and brother to Sir Richard and Rowland Hill.
personally acquainted with them all. They seemed alive to eternal things, and to be in a state of serious inquiry. They had their own private and social meetings (it would seem for various purposes), but I could never learn how they conducted them; and they held some occult sentiment, which they were neither ready to explain nor to recommend. Many supposed they had some leanings towards the continental Illuminati.
In a long ministry, and in a varied and extensive intercourse with the religious world, I have met with not a few curious characters, mental and moral nondescripts; owning no party, and owned by no party; signalized and observable by uncommon, strange, preposterous opinions, usages, pretensions. With very little that is romantic in my frame, I have never been able to pass by such anomalies without notice and reftection; and if I had a descriptive humour, by a little enlargement and colouring, I could produce reminiscences enough to excite wonder and ridicule, laughter and sadness.
But, oh, how many have I seen and admired in the various denominations of Christians, who have been Israelites indeed, in whom there has been no guile; enlightened in their principles, walking in the truth, consistent and uniform in their conduct, devoted to the cause of the Gospel, and ready to every good work; and, though not free from infirmities, “adorning the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.”
These are worthy of observation, and remembrance, and a record; and we are commanded to “mark the perfect man,, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace.”
As I have not found many of these among the Very rich, «o I have found none of them among the abject poor. Whatfevei* they were originally, converting grace made them temperate and diligent; gained for them the countenance and help of their feUow-Christians, and secured for them the favour of Providence, so that not only their “bread was givcD, and their water was sure/^ but it” blessed their bread and their water/^ and made “the little that a righteous man had, better than the riches of many wicked/^ Lo this! we have proved it — so it is —” I have been young, and now am old, yet have I never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread/^
I here, then, notice some of these individuals, in various conditions and circumstances of life; especially those I was acquainted with in the earlier parts of my ministry; and who had some considerable influence on what I have beerij and what I have doney and what I have written.
While I thus, in a measure, gratify allowable curiosity, I desire and hope to do something more. Facts are better than definitions, and exemplifications than descriptions; and as we cannot form an idea of love or hope, pride or avarice, in the abstract — virtues and vices, excellences and defects, are best shown in their subjects and actings. And is not this the method of the sacred writers?
Almost every memento of celebrated personages is desired and welcomed, and readers are anxious and eager to catch at every trifling anecdote that helps to form a conception of their individuality, or to connect their private history with their public fame. I have, therefore, rather largely brought forward several more public and distinguished characters; but my design extended beyond them.
There are other beings who deserve attention, and who may be, as examples, more within common reach. Johnson has said that “there is hardly a life of which some useful narrative may not be furnished.^^ Yes; there are many who never see a college, nor enter a pulpit, nor publish a book, who can serve their generation by the will of God. They embody and fulfil religion in their private stations; and though they make no figure in the “annals of worldly renown, are great in the sight of the Lord. “Their day is coming,^^ called” the manifestatidn of the sons of
God,” when, however shaded here, they will “shine forth as stars in the kingdom of their Father.”
Some of these I have selected, and would gladly have noticed by name many more; but I have been obliged to restrain my inclination, and confine myself to a few; and, had I chosen much humbler individuals than any I have selected, the Scriptures would have justified my choice; for while they leave in oblivion philosophers, statesmen, and conquerors, they furnish to all ages the very name of *^^Rhoda,’’ the poor damsel who announced with so much ecstasy the presence of Peter. Inspiration says nothing of the builders of the Egyptian pyramids, but it records the names of the “inidwives, Shiphrah and Puah, who feared God, and for whom God built houses.” An oak was consecrated to memorialize Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse.
“Laurels may flourish round the conqueror’s tomb,
But happiest they who win the world to come:
BeUevers have a silent field to fight,
And their exploits are veil’d from human sight.
They in some nook, where little known they dwell,
Kneel, pray in faith, and rout the hosts of Hell:
Eternal triumphs crown their toils divine.
And all those triumphs, Mary, now are thine.”
Cowper’s Epitaph on Mary Higgins.
Will my readers just notice what follows, not as apologetical, but explanatory?
First: As I profess to give only brief sketches, let none look for anything more.
Secondly: I have not endeavoured to observe the precise order of time in which intercourse with the characters noticed was carried on; — as I write from the present promptings of remembrance; and I know of no cases in which dates would have contributed to the proof or importance of the events and circumstances recorded.
Thirdly: In some of these Eeminiscences, I fear instances of a similarity of remark and reflection may be found repeated. But I was not able to compare them for the purpose of such detections; and the recurrences m ay not be useless, being found in different connexions, and applied to different purposes.
Fourthly: I hoped, but in vain, to have had time and leisure to transcribe and correct the whole of these hasty and free sketches. In that case, I might have reduced some parts, and added others; but I should have altered little, as I always wrote according to my knowledge and conviction, and only spake the truth in love.
Finally: Some will probably censure the egotisms which seem so much to abound. But, in a work of this kind, references to myself were unavoidable; and, in such narratives, personal circumstances are often inseparable from things introduced solely to illustrate somewhat pertaining to the character itself under review.
And here the writer must be satisfied with a consciousness of his own motives. When his work itself is read, he will be out of the reach of human censure or applause.