Authorship
The pressure and variety of Mr James’s labours, when his popularity as a preacher was at its highest point,, cannot be appreciate 1 without an account of the books, pamphlets, and sermons, which were published during the same period. The list is a long one. His Address to the Teachers connected with the Birmingham Sunday-school Union, published in 1815, and expanded afterwards into “The Sunday-school Teacher’s Guide,” has already been mentioned. In 1815, he also published his sermon on “Christian Activity,” preached before the Staffordshire Association; in 1816, his charge,* at the ordination of his brother, the Rev. Thomas James; in 1819, the Surrey Chapel Missionary sermon,-fon “The Attraction of the Cross; a sermon,J entitled “The Crisis,” on the commercial distress and political troubles of the country; a short memoir of his first wife, appended to the funeral sermon by Dr Fletcher; and a controversial pamphlet on Religious Liberty; in 1820, two sermons, one on Christian Mercy,§ preached in the Poultry Chapel for the City of London Lying-in Institution*; the other, “Small Beghmings not to be Despised,” preached for the Port of London Society on board the Floating Chapel, moored off Wapping Stairs; in 1821, a sermon, occasioned by the death of
* Collected Works, vol. i. f Ibid. J Ibid.
§ Ibid. II Ibid. t Ibid. the Egv. John Berry; in 1822, “The Church Member’s Guide;” and in 1824, “The Christian Father’s Present to his Children.” He says, in his Autobiography, “that the design of this work was to form, develop, and guide the religious character of young people. It met with great acceptance, and ran through fifteen or sixteen editions. I have reason to believe that it was useful in many families of God’s people, and afforded considerable help to those parents, alas! how few, who were really anxious to bring up their children in the fear of the Lord. It has been often mentioned to me by those who have derived benefit from it.”
In the same year he published a sermon,* “Youth Warned,” in which he vigorously assaulted theatrical amusements, and another on “The Siu of Scofiing at Religion.” The promoters and supporters of the Bu-mingham theatre were greatly provoked by his attack, and several pamphlets appeared in reply. The ablest of these, written by a clever Birmingham solicitor, has for its principal object to damage Mr James, by charging him with plagiarising in his “Youth Warned” from Dr Styles, and in his “Sin of Scoffing” from Tillotson. Eef erring to this controversy, the Editor of the Collected Works, in the introductory note to the first of these sermons, says, “The author was grieved at the ill-will which he thus contracted, as tending to weaken his hold on his feUow-townsmen; and it was clear, from what he from time to time said on the subject, that he had become convinced that the best method of opposing any popular amusement which may appear wrong, is rather by inculcating counteracting principles than by a dii-ect attack upon it.”
In 1825, he printed his funeral .sermon f for Dr Bogue; in 1826 his sermon at the opening of Hoxton College as a missionary academy; in 1827, his sermon to the church assembling in Livery Street, Birmingham, at the settlement of the Rev. J. Mather; in 1820, his sermon to the members of the Juvenile Auxiliary Missionary Societies, preached in the Poultry Chapel. In the same year he also issued his “Christian Charity; or. The Influence of Religion upon Temper.” “This volume,” he says, in the Autobio- Collected Works, vol. i. f Ibid., vol. ii. t Ibid., vol. L
LIFE OF JOHN ANGELL JAMES.
graphy, “was first preached in a series of sermons on the chapter which it proposes to expound. It had been for a long time my deep and settled conviction that no part of Christianity is less understood and exemplified than that which is thus characterised by Mr Hall: ‘Love is the very essence of the Christian religion: all else but its earthly attire, which it will throw off as it steps across the threshold of eternity.’ Oh, how different would be the condition of the world now — how little would have been left for us to do in the way of its conversion to Christ, had all the iprofessed followers of Christ from the beginning been so many living examples of love! Would there have been found an infidel who would believe himself that such a religion was a mere imposture or enthusiasm, or who would have attempted to persuade the world that it was so? Who could have become antagonistic to pure, practical Christian love? But what of love is found on the pages of ecclesiastical history? Alas, alas! how little of it is seen in the conduct of professing Christians of every age, church, or country! As a proof how strangely this subject is neglected, even by preachers and authors, I mention the fact, that an American author of considerable ability and extensive reading says, he had never met but with one treatise on this subject, and that was my own. Is not this an astounding and melancholy fact, that while thousands and thousands of volumes on all other parts of Christianity, on all subjects of faith, controversy, and practice, should be from time to time issuing from the press, only one volume, and that of no great merit, should have come forth wholly devoted to the exposition and enforcement of this cardinal virtue of our holy religion! My work is now in its sixth edition, — a circulation far above its own intrinsic merits, but far below the importance of the subject. If love be religion in its very essence, we shall, in looking abroad upon the Christian world, be led to conclude there, is yet but little of genuine Christianity in the world, or even in the church.”
The Editor of the Collected Works, in an introductory note to “Christian Charity,” has this very pertinent and interesting paragraph: —
“The author often expressed his surprise that no other book had been exclusively devoted to the praise and inculcation of Chiistian love, and he derived much pleasure from his having in any degree supplied the deficiency. The subject has always had this disadvantage, that the practice of any one writing upon it must be consistent with this book, or it would, as far as he was known, have little other effect than that of a satire on himself. Those who really knew our author, have ever testified that his life exemplified and enforced his precepts. The Editor recollects the volume being once quoted against him, but it was by a man towards whom he had ever practised forbearance and forgiveness. The author was much delighted that his work was approved by two readers more than ordinarily qualified to judge of it: one of thera well acquainted with life, as ha-ing sustained a high part in it, and the other as having keenly mused in solitude on the ways and feelings of men; they were the Chief-Justice Bushe, and the poet Wordsworth. The latter introduced himself to the author after a service at Carr’s Lane, saying, that for a long time it had been one of his cherished wishes to see and speak to the author of * Christian Charity’”
To this followed “The Family Monitor; or, A Help to Domestic Happiness,” which had also been preached in a series of discourses. In his Autobiography, he says —
“When I had finished the course, I received a numerously signed petition from the married women of my congregation soliciting the publication of the sermons to husbands and wives. But I chose rather to publish the whole.
“Here, again, I believe the pulpit is deficient in the minute inculcation of specific domestic duties. How much the well-being of the community and the prosperity of the’ church depend upon the order, good government, love, and harmony of families! I have heard of preachers, who dwelt almost exclusively upon the doctrinal parts of Divine truth, and who, having expounded in course the earlier parts of the Epistle to the Ephesians, said, on coming to the practical parts, in which the domestic duties are so beautifully set forth, ‘We have no need to dwell on such matters, for the people know their duty on these things.’ What a reflection on the apostle dwelling upon them; or rather upon the Divine Spirit by whom he wrote!”
In 1829, he issued a series of pastoral letters on Kevivals; in
21-1 LIFE OF JOHN ANUELL JAMES.
1830 his pamphlet,” Dissent and the Church of England in
1831, a sermon* on “DisUke to Ministerial Fidehty;” and in
1832, a tract on “The Importance of Doing Good.”
In this chapter I have relied on a list of Mr James’s works, with the dates of their publication, drawn up by the late Thomas Beilby, Esq., who for many years was a most efficient deacon of the Carr’s Lane church, and one of Mr James’s dearest friends. Mr Beilby ’s accuracy makes it quite unnecessary that I should hunt up first editions in order to verify his record. Of Mr Beilby Mr James once said to me, with an emphasis that has stamped the words for ever on my memory, “That, sir, is the most perfect man I ever knew;” the justice of this remarkable testimony everything that I know of Mr Beilby, or have ever heard of him, confirms.
* Collected Works, voL iL