Chapter 5 - Going to Bristol.
CHAPTER V.
FROM HIS LEAVING TREVECKA TO HIS GOING TO BRISTOL.
1. THE frequent journeys he took to and from Trevecka while he presided over the College, in all weathers, and at all seasons of the year, farther impaired the firmness of his constitution; and in some of those journeys, he had not only difficulties, but dangers likewise, to encounter. One day, as he was riding over a wooden bridge, just as he got to the middle thereof, it broke in. The mare’s forelegs sunk into the river, but her breast and hinder parts were kept up by the bridge. In that position she lay, as still as if she had been dead, till he got over her neck, and took off his bags, in which were several manuscripts, the spoiling of which would have occasioned him much trouble. He then endeavored to raise her up; but she would not stir, till he went over the other part of the bridge. But no sooner did he set his foot upon the ground, than she began to plunge. Immediately the remaining part of the bridge broke down, and sunk with her into the river. But presently she rose up again, swam out, and came to him.
2. About this time, Mr. Pilmoor being desirous to see the inside of a coal-pit, Mr. Fletcher went with him to the bottom of a sloping pit, which was supposed to be near a mile under the ground. They returned out of it without any inconvenience. But the next day, while several colliers were there, a damp took fire, which went off with a vast explosion, and killed all the men that were in it.
3. In February, 1773, I received from him the following letter: — “REV. AND DEAR SIR,
“I HOPE the Lord, who has so wonderfully stood by you hitherto, will preserve you to see many of your sheep, and me among them, enter into rest. Should Providence call you first, I shall do my best, by the Lord’s assistance, to help your brother to gather the wreck, and keep together those who are not absolutely bent to throw away the Methodist doctrines and discipline, as soon as he that now letteth is removed out of the way. Every help will then be necessary, and I shall not be backward to throw in my mite. In the meantime, you sometimes need an assistant to serve tables, and occasionally to fill up a gap. Providence visibly appointed me to that office many years ago. And though it no less evidently called me hither, yet I have not been without doubt, especially for some years past, whether it would not be expedient that I should resume my office as your Deacon; not with my view of presiding over the Methodists after you, but to ease you a little in your old age, and to be in the way of recovering, perhaps doing, more good. I have sometimes thought, how shameful it was, that no Clergyman should join you to keep in the Church the work God has enabled you to carry on therein. And as the little estate I have in my own country is sufficient for my maintenance, I have thought I would one day or other offer you and the Methodists my free service. While my love of retirement made me linger, I was providentially led to do something in Lady Huntingdon’s plan. But being shut out there, it appears to me, I am again called to my first work. Nevertheless, I would not leave this place without a fuller persuasion that the time is quite come. Not that God uses me much here, but I have not yet sufficiently cleared my conscience from the blood of all men. Meantime, I beg the Lord to guide me by his counsel, and make me willing to go anywhere or nowhere, to be anything or nothing.
“Help, by your prayers, till you can bless by word of mouth,” “Reverend and dear Sir,”
“Your willing, though unprofitable, servant in the gospel,” “J. F.”
“MADELEY, February 6, 1773.”
4. “Providence,” says he, “visibly appointed me to that office many years ago.” Is it any wonder, then, that he should now be in doubt, whether he did right in confining himself to one spot? The more I reflect upon it, the more I am convinced, he had great reason to doubt of this. I can never believe it was the will of God, that such a burning and shining light should be “hid under a bushel.” No; instead of being confined to a country village, it ought to have shone in every corner of our land. He was full as much called to sound an alarm through all the nation, as Mr. Whitefield himself: Nay, abundantly more so; seeing he was far better qualified for that important work. He had a more striking person, equal good breeding, an equally winning address; together with a richer flow of fancy, a stronger understanding; a far greater treasure of learning, both in languages, philosophy, philology, and divinity; and, above all, (which I can speak with fuller assurance, because I had a thorough knowledge both of one and the other,) a more deep and constant communion with the Father, and with the Son Jesus Christ.
5. And yet, let not anyone imagine that I depreciate Mr. Whitefield, or undervalue the grace of God, and the extraordinary gifts, which his great Master vouchsafed unto him. I believe he was highly favored of God; yea, that he was one of the most eminent Ministers that has appeared in England, or perhaps in the world, during the present century. Yet I must own, I have known many fully equal to Mr. Whitefield, both in holy tempers and holiness of conversation; but one equal herein to Mr. Fletcher I have not known, no, not in a life of fourscore years.
6. However, having chosen, at least for the present, this narrow field of action, he was more and more abundant in his ministerial labors, both in public and private; not contenting himself with preaching, but visiting his flock in every corner of his parish. And this work he attended to, early and late, whether the weather was fair or foul; regarding neither heat nor cold, rain nor snow, whether he was on horseback or on foot. But this farther weakened his constitution; which was still more effectually done by his intense and uninterrupted studies; in which he frequently continued without scarce any intermission, fourteen, fifteen, or sixteen hours a day. But still he did not allow himself such food as was necessary to sustain nature. He seldom took any regular meals, except he had company; otherwise, twice or thrice in four-and-twenty hours, he ate some bread and cheese, or fruit. Instead of this, he sometimes took a draught of milk, and then wrote on again. When one reproved him for not affording himself a sufficiency of necessary food, he replied, “Not allow myself food! Why, our food seldom costs my housekeeper and me together less than two shillings a week.”
7. “On the tenth of May, 1774,” says Mr. Vaughan, to whom we are indebted for several of the preceding anecdotes, “he wrote to me thus: ‘My brother has sent me the rent of a little place I have abroad, eighty pounds, which I was to receive from Mr. Chauvet and Company, in London. But instead of sending the draught for the money, I have sent it back to Switzerland, with orders to distribute it among the poor. As money is rather higher there than here, that mite will go farther abroad than it would in my parish.’”
8. To show in how great a degree he was disengaged from
Wealth, honor, pleasure, or what else
This short-enduring world could give,
Mr. Vaughan gives us another little memoir, which fell within his own knowledge: “After he had published two or three small political pieces, in reference to our contest with the Americans, ‘I carried one of them,’ says he, in a letter to me, ‘to the Earl of D. His Lordship carried it to the Lord Chancellor, and the Lord Chancellor handed it to the King.’ One was immediately commissioned to ask Mr. Fletcher, whether any preferment in the Church would be acceptable; or whether he (the Chancellor) could do him any service. He answered, ‘I want nothing, but more grace.’
9. “In 1776, he deposited with me a bill of one hundred and five pounds, being (as I understood) the yearly produce of his estate in Switzerland. This was his fund for charitable uses; but it lasted only a few months before he drew upon me for the balance, which was twenty-four pounds, to complete the preaching-house in Madeley-Wood.”
10. In the same year, his health being more than ever impaired by a violent cough, accompanied with spitting of blood, of which I had had large experience myself; having frequently seen the surprising effects of constant exercise, together with change of air; I told him, nothing was so likely to restore his health as a long journey. I therefore proposed his taking a journey of some months with me, through various parts of England and Scotland; telling him, “When you are tired, or like it best, you may come into my carriage; but remember, that riding on horseback is the best of all exercises for you, so far as your strength will permit.” He looked upon this as a call from Providence, and very willingly accepted of the proposal. We set out (as I am accustomed to do) early in the spring, and traveled, by moderate journeys, suited to his strength, which gradually increased, eleven or twelve hundred miles. When we returned to London, in the latter end of the year, he was considerably better. And I verily believe, if he had traveled with me, partly in the chaise and partly on horseback, only a few months longer, he would have quite recovered his health. But this those about him would not permit; so, being detained in London, by his kind but injudicious friends, while I pursued my journeys, his spitting of blood, with all the other symptoms, returned, and rapidly increased, till the Physicians pronounced him to be far advanced in a true, pulmonary consumption.
11. It being judged quite improper for him to remain in London, on December 16, 1776, he retired to the house of a friend, Mr. Charles Greenwood, (now with God,) to Stoke Newington. Here he had the advice of the most eminent Physicians that London could afford. He was also in a good air, and had every convenience and every help which art could bestow. One of the family, of whom I inquired concerning this part of his life, gave me the following information: —
12. “Agreeably to your desire, I endeavor to recollect some particulars of Mr. Fletcher, during his abode at Newington.
“When he first came, he was, by Dr. Fothergill’s advice, under the strictest observance of two things, — rest and silence. These, together with a milk diet, were supposed to be the only probable means of his recovery. In consequence of these directions, he spoke exceeding little. If ever he spoke more than usual, it did not fail to increase his spitting of blood; of which, indeed, he was seldom quite clear, although it was not violent: Therefore, a great part of his time was spent in being read to. But it was not possible to restrain him altogether from speaking. The fire which continually burned in his heart many waters could not quench. It often burst out unawares. And then how did we wonder (like those who formerly heard his Lord) ‘at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth!’ He could not have sustained life without sometimes giving vent to his heart. No penance could have appeared so severe a cross to him, as to be debarred from speaking of or to God. His natural vivacity, with his intense love of Jesus, continually impelled him to speak. But, on being reminded of his rule, with a cheerful smile, he was all submission; consenting by signs only to stir up those about him to pray and praise!
13. “Whoever has read Mr. Fletcher’s Last Check to Antinomianism, and has had the privilege of observing his spirit and conduct, will not scruple to say that he was a living comment on his own account of Christian perfection. It is an alarming word which our Lord speaks ‘to the Angel of the Church of Sardis:’ ‘I have not found thy works perfect before God.’ But, as far as man is able to judge, from the whole tenor of his behavior, he did possess perfect humility, perfect resignation, and perfect love. Suitable to this was the testimony concerning him which was given in Lady Huntingdon’s chapel at Bristol, even by Mr. V., a gentleman strongly attached to those opinions which Mr. Fletcher thought it his duty to oppose: ‘I have enjoyed the privilege of being several weeks under the same roof with dear Mr. Fletcher: And during that time, I have been greatly edified by his perfect resignation to the will of God; and by being a witness to his exemplary conduct and uncommon grace.’
14. “When he was able to converse, his favorite subject was, ‘the promise of the Father, the gift of the Holy Ghost,’ including that rich, peculiar blessing of union with the Father and the son, mentioned in that prayer of our Lord which is recorded in the seventeenth chapter of St. John. Many were the sparks of living fire which occasionally darted forth on this beloved theme. ‘We must not be content,’ said he, ‘to be only cleansed from sin; we must be filled with the Spirit.’ One asking him, what was to be experienced in the full accomplishment of the promise; ‘O,’ said he, ‘what shall I say? All the sweetness of the drawings of the Father, all the love of the Son, all the rich effusions of peace and joy in the Holy Ghost; — more than ever can be expressed, are comprehended here! To attain it, the Spirit maketh intercession in the soul, like a God wrestling with a God!’
15. “It was in these favored moments of converse that we found, in a particular manner, the reward which is annexed to the ‘receiving a Prophet in the name of a Prophet.’ And in some of these he occasionally mentioned several circumstances, which (as none knew them but himself) would otherwise have been buried in everlasting oblivion.
“One of those remarkable passages was, ‘In the beginning,’ said he, ‘of my spiritual course, I heard the voice of God, in an articulate but inexpressibly awful sound, go through my soul in those words: If any men will be my disciple, let him deny himself.’ He mentioned another peculiar manifestation of a later date, ‘in which,’ said he, ‘I was favored, like Moses, with a supernatural discovery of the glory of God, in an ineffable converse with him, face to face; so that, whether I was then in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell.’
16. “At another time he said, ‘About the time of my entering into the ministry, I one evening wandered into a wood, musing on the importance of the office I was going to undertake. I then began to pour out my soul in prayer; when such a feeling sense of the justice of God fell upon me, and such a sense of his displeasure at sin, as absorbed all my powers, and filled my soul with the agony of prayer for poor, lost sinners. I continued therein till the dawn of day; and I considered this as designed of God to impress upon me more deeply the meaning of those solemn words: Therefore knowing the terrors of the Lord, we persuade men.’
17. “The blessed state of his soul continually manifested itself, by its overflowing goodwill to all that came in his way. And yet his spirit was so deeply impressed with those words, ‘Not as though I had already attained,’ that the vehemence of his desire for a fuller manifestation of God seemed sometimes to border upon unhappiness. But his ardent soul only felt the full impression of those words of the Apostle: ‘Forgetting the things that are behind, and reaching forth unto those that are before, I press toward the marks for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.’
18. “One end of his retiring to Newington was, that he might hide himself from company. But this design was in nowise answered; for company came from every side. He was continually visited by high and low, and by persons of various denominations; one of whom being asked, when he went away, what he thought of Mr. Fletcher, said, ‘I went to see a man that had one foot in the grave, but I found a man that had one foot in heaven.’ Among them that now visited him were several of his beloved and honored opponents; to whom he confirmed his love (however roughly they had treated him) by the most respectful and affectionate behavior. But he did not give up any part of the truth for which he had publicly contended; although some (from whom one would have expected better things) did not scruple to affirm the contrary. Those of his particular friends who visited him here will not easily forget how he exhausted his whole soul in effusions of thankfulness: Mrs. Cartwright and Cavendish in particular, with his faithful and affectionate friend Mr. Ireland, will remember their interviews with him. And those of the family were almost oppressed by the outpourings of his love and gratitude, whenever they showed their love and care in the most inconsiderable instance; yea, so thankful, in proportion, would he be to even the meanest servant.
19. “It was not without some difficulty that Mr. Ireland at length prevailed upon him to sit for his picture. While the limner was drawing the outlines of it, he was exhorting both him and all that were in the room, not only to get the outlines drawn, but the colorings also, of the image of Jesus on their hearts. He had a very remarkable facility in making allusions of this kind; in raising spiritual observations from every accidental circumstance; in turning men’s employments, pleasures, and pains, into means of edification: This he did, in order to engage the attention of the thoughtless, the more deeply to fix the attention of the thoughtful, and to prevent the trifling away of time in unprofitable conversation. And such little incidents as used to pass away unnoticed by almost any other person, acquired from Mr. Fletcher’s fine imagination a kind of grace and dignity. To give an instance: Being ordered to be let blood, while his blood was running into the cup, he took occasion to expatiate on the precious blood shedding of the Lamb of God. And even when he did not speak at all, the seraphic spirit which beamed from his languid face, during those months of pain and weakness, was
A lecture silent, yet of sovereign use.”
20. But it is necessary to be observed, that this facility of raising useful observations from the most trifling incidents was one of those peculiarities in him which cannot be proposed to our imitation. In him it partly resulted from nature, and was partly a supernatural gift. But what was becoming and graceful in Mr. Fletcher, would be disgustful almost in any other.
21. “One of those who visited him at Newington was Mr. William Perronet; a pious, sensible, and amiable young man, who was snatched hence in the bloom of youth. He often said, the first sight of Mr. Fletcher fixed an impression upon his mind which never wore off till it issued in a real conversion to God; ever accompanied with a most affectionate regard for the instrument of that happy change.”
Soon after he left Newington, he wrote the following letter: — “May 28, 1777.
“TO MY VERY DEAR FRIENDS AND BENEFACTORS,
CHARLES AND MARY GREENWOOD.
“MY prayer shall always be, that the merciful may find mercy, and that the great kindness I have found under your quiet roof, may be showed you everywhere under the canopy of heaven. I think with grateful joy on the days of calm retreat I have been blessed with at Newington, and lament my not having improved better the precious opportunity of sitting, Mary-like, at the feet of my Great Physician. May He requite your kind care of a dying worm, by abundantly caring for you and yours, and making all your bed in your sickness! May you enjoy full health! May you hunger and thirst after righteousness, and be abundantly filled therewith! May you sweetly rest in Christ! May His protection be as a wall of fire round about you and yours! May His rod and staff comfort you under all the troubles of life, the decays of the body, the assaults of the enemy, and the pangs of death! May you stand in the clefts of the Rock of Ages, and be safely sheltered there, when all the storms of justice blow around! And may you always have such spiritual and temporal helps, friends and comforts, as I have found in your pleasing retreat! You have received a poor Lazarus; (though his sores were not visible;) you have had compassion, like the good Samaritan; you have admitted me to the enjoyment of your best things; and now what can I say? what but, ‘Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift;’ and thanks to my dear friends for all their favors? They will, I trust, be found faithfully recorded in my breast, when the great Rewarder of them that diligently seek him will render to every man according to his works; and a raised Lazarus shall then appear in the gate, to testify of the love of Charles and Mary Greenwood, and their godly sister!
“I was a little better, but I now spit blood, more than I had done for weeks before. Glory be to God for every providence! His will be done in me, by health or sickness, life or death. All from Him is, and, I trust, will be, welcome to
“Your obliged pensioner,”
“JOHN FLETCHER.”