BAPTIST MAGAZINE. FEBRUARY, 1830. MEMOIR OF MR. SAMUEL Bligh. WHEN the curtain of eternity suddenly descends, and conceals from our view a fellow-traveller, in whose interesting society we had almost unconsciously toiled through many a weary step of human life; after the mind, agitated by surprise and grief, regains a sufficient degree of composure, it commences an eager research into the annals of recollection, and endeavours to restore to their original impressiveness the faded delineations of an imperfect memory. The soothing influence of such efforts seems to mitigate the anguish of separation; and, if the result can be rendered subservient to the instruction of survivors, it may be said of our departed companion, "he being dead, yet speaketh." There are no principles so powerful in their exercise, nor so important in their operation, as those which originate in an experimental knowledge of divine truth. heart, and the consequent transformation of character from the image of the earthly, to the image of the heavenly. In collecting, therefore, and arranging the reminiscences of such facts, and the evidence by which the certainty of their having transpired becomes delightfully obvious, it is desirable to remember, that with whatever indifference or suspicion their recital may, in some instances, be received, angels witness their continual recurrence with triumphant exultation; while, to the Christian, the instruction and encouragement they impart, expand his desires, establish his confidence, and supply him with the most ample and felicitous occasions for devout reflection and adoring thankfulness. Mr. Samuel Bligh, whose lamented departure from this mortal state has suggested the preceding observations, was born in the city The of London, December the 6th, 1777, He was the second son of Mr. David Bligh, many years a highly respectable member and valuable deacon of the Baptist church assembling in Prescott-street, of whom a more particular account will be found in the close of the eighteenth volume of this work. His esteemed and aged mother, also, Mrs. Sarah Bligh, has very long been, and still remains, an honourable member in the same Christian communion. history of their development may When the subject of this record had arrived at a suitable age, he was placed with a watchmaker, a business in which, for some few F years, he was afterwards engaged. "Soon after this period, I read Blessed with such parental advantages, and privileged in childhood and youth to listen to the eminently judicious ministrations of the venerable Mr. Abraham Booth, his mind appears to have been early and gradually instructed in the great principles of evangelical truth, and his heart tenderly and effectually drawn, by the Spirit of God, to desire above all things, that he might constantly live under their benign, constraining, and transforming influence. part of Mr. Alleine's Alarm to the Unconverted, particularly his description of the miseries of that state. This still more alarmed my conscience, discovered to me my danger, and constrained me to cry, God be merciful to me a sinner!' I knew from what I had often heard (having been accustomed to hear the Gospel from my childhood), that there was no other name given under heaven whereby I could be saved, than that of Jesus Christ. Yet I believed that His own perspicuous and im- I was in a condition extremely unpressive account of the commence- fit to apply to him. I felt exceedment of this work of grace, is as ingly confident, that a greater defollows:-"I was the subject of gree of sorrow and brokenness of strong convictions when very heart for sin were necessary, before young, but never felt any abiding I could apply to the Lord Jesus impressions until I was led, in the Christ. I therefore sought to excourse of Divine Providence, to perience these supposed pre-requihear Mr. Booth preach a funeral sites, and instead of casting myself sermon for one of his members; at the feet of sovereign mercy in at the close of which he solemnly the name of Christ just as I was, addressed the unconverted part of I hardly used the name of Christ, his congregation. He described but prayed that I might feel more the dreadful condition they were in sorrow, contrition, and tenderness by nature, the uncertainty of life, of conscience. I read those parts and the inevitable consequences of of Scripture that treated on the living and dying in that state. I sufferings of Christ, with the desire remember he added, I do not and the expectation that my feelwant to drive you to despair, but ings and passions might be powerI want to set you a thinking, I fully wrought upon. I likewise want to set you a reading, I want looked for the same effect from the to set you a praying.' Being discourses which I heard, that so l awakened to a sense of my state, I might be in a fit condition to apply resolved, when opportunities should to the Lord Jesus Christ. But offer, to read, hear, and pray too. herein I was mistaken. The Lord I began to think seriously, and to did not see fit to answer my prayers entreat the Lord to change my in this way, but left me to feel heart, and to render the means of still more of the hardness of my grace useful to my soul. I seized heart; and thus I became, as I every opportunity I could find to thought, still more unfit to apply read and hear the word of God. to the Saviour. I was now greatly O, how earnestly and repeatedly discouraged, until looking over a did I entreat the Lord to bring me number of books in my father's to the knowledge of himself, which library, I took in my hand Mr. I then considered as a blessing of Booth's Reign of Grace.' This more value than ten thousand was the means of convincing me of worlds. my mistake. The author, in that work, describes the awakened sin- had faith. I therefore was again ner as looking within, to find him- greatly discouraged, and bitterly self distinguished in some way, by disappointed at my prayers being, being more humbled under a sense of guilt, &c. and thus opposing the true grace of God, by hankering after some worthiness of his own, instead of looking immediately to the Redeemer. This afforded some relief to my mind. My prayers took a new direction. I now saw the complete suitableness of Jesus Christ to my case, and that to look within for any thing, by way of a warrant to apply to him, was to rob the Redeemer of his glory, agreeably to the sentiments of Mr. Hart, 'If you tarry till you're better, You will never come at all,' as I thought, rejected. Weary of waiting, I seemed almost at the point of relinquishing my pursuit. It appeared astonishing to me that the Lord Jesus should be represented as so willing and ready to embrace returning sinners, and yet that he should take no notice of my supplications. I could not reconcile these things. In this perplexity I took up my Bible, and turning over its pages, my eye was directed to Lam. iii. 25, 26. The Lord is nigh unto those that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope, and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.' I believe I "The question now was, seeing hardly ever felt any part of the Christ to be so suited to my case, divine word applied with so much without any previous qualification power and sweetness, as these to recommend me to his notice, words suddenly were to my 'How shall I apply to him? This mind. I was made willing to wait I learned must be by faith, and the Lord's time; and instead of that not of myself, but the gift of saying, my way is hid from the God. Here, I trust, I was deeply Lord,' I found, agreeably to anconvinced of the sin of unbelief, other passage that was very pleaand not being then aware, that to sant to me, that his eye was upon produce this conviction was the me, who hoped in his mercy. work of the Holy Spirit, I was was soon brought tn see, that I had much troubled at it; and conclud- entertained mistaken notions of ed that I had not a spark of real faith, and had taken the fruits of faith in my heart. Being encou-faith for faith itself; and that I was raged by many promises to seeking not so utterly destitute of that souls, and hoping that faith would grace as I had supposed. come by hearing, I began to seek Gill's description of faith, in the more immediately for that blessing third volume of his Body of Diin the use of appointed means, as vinity,' and particularly of faith for hid treasure. I went on thus in Christ, was, I hope, made very for several months; reading and useful to me at that time; where hearing the word of God, with fre- he describes it in its first and lowquent prayer over it, that I might est, as well as in its higher actings be the subject of that faith which on the blessed Redeemer. I now is of the operation of the Divine saw that faith and unbelief might Spirit. I prayed much against un- exist in the same soul; according belief and hardness of heart; and to those words, Lord, I believe; supposed that ere this I should help thou my unbelief.' I was now have found them removed, and convinced that all the encouragethat this would demonstrate that I ment I had derived from the pre Dr. wrought upon in a spiritual way. Dr. Owen has the following just remark: He that is alive may know that he was born, though he know not the place where, nor the time when he was so and so may he that is spiritually alive, and has ground of evidence that he is so, that he was born again; though he know neither when, nor where, nor how.'” mises, and that all my earnest out- narrative, point out the precise goings of soul after the knowledge time when the mind was first of Christ, was an evidence of interest in him, and love to him. Now I saw my prayers answered: nay, that they had been answered in some happy measure, even at the time when I supposed that the Lord had no regard to the voice of my supplications; and I was then enabled, with such freedom and delight as I shall never forget, in the most familiar and unreserved manner, to give myself up to Christ, to cast myself upon him, and venture upon him my eternal all; and was at length enabled to say, what I had so ardently desired, My beloved is mine, and I am his;' and, I trust, I viewed him to be the chiefest among ten thousand, and the altogether lovely.' It now became my great concern to live to Him who died for Holiness appeared beautiful and desirable, and, I trust, the Spirit of God excited some of the strongest desires I ever possessed, after the image and the revealed will of Christ; equally strong, perhaps, with those I had felt to be saved from eternal death. Instead of doing any thing that I might be saved, or by which I might in the least degree merit the favour of God, I wished to walk in the path of obedience, because I was saved: and, I trust, that still my prevailing desire is, that I may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of Christ; while, on the other hand, my chief trouble, yea, bitterness of soul, arises from my having so little love to Him, and from my conduct and conversation being no more as becometh the Gospel of Christ.'" me. 6 Mr. Bligh is well known to have possessed very considerable vocal powers; and, at an early age, his highly acceptable talents, in conducting the praises of God, were obtained by a respectable pædobaptist congregation, of which Mr. Crole was then the pastor. About this time, however, the obligations of Christians to acknowledge the authority and follow the example of Jesus Christ, in the ordinance of baptism, were forcibly impressed on the mind of our deceased brother, and became an occasion of a friendly exchange of letters between Mr. Crole and himself, which terminated in his becoming an attendant on the ministry of Mr. John Martin, late pastor of the Baptist church meeting in Keppelstreet, where, in the twenty-first year of his age, in the presence of many witnesses, he declared his unfeigned faith in the Son of God, was baptized, and, on Lord's day, March the 3d, 1799, was admitted into the fellowship of the visible church. Some time previously to this pleasing and memorable event, he had attained what many attempt, but, owing either to want of opportunity or perseverance, few To this very interesting state- comparatively possess, such a ment is appended a note, too va- competency in the art of shortluable to be omitted :-"Let none hand writing, as enabled him with be discouraged because they can-ease to follow any speaker whose not, like the writer of the above utterance was not unusually rapid. exist, the most pleasing intimations, that it will be the unceasing endeavour of the young people to emulate each other in promoting, on every occasion, the comfort of their bereaved and beloved parent, and strengthen, among themselves, the firm band of mutual affection. It would not have been difficult for loss, they have been called to sushim, especially then, to have con-tain. There seem, however, to verted this acquirement to his temporal advantage, but it was principally employed in reading and transcribing for his own edification, and the instruction of his friends, many of the valuable discourses which he had taken from the lips of Mr. Booth, and other distinguished preachers, on whose ministry, at that period, he occasionally attended. When Mr. Bligh had been some time in connection with the church at Waltham, his conversation and He had not been a member of devotional exercises produced an the church in Keppel-street much impression that he possessed quamore than one year, when Divine lifications for ministerial usefulProvidence seemed to direct his ness; and he was requested to give removal to Waltham Abbey, in the church an opportunity of formEssex, where there appeared to ing and expressing their judgment be an opening for him to engage on this important subject. Having in business on his own account. complied with this solicitation, the After consulting with those persons conclusion was decidedly in favour who were most entitled and best of his engaging, as Providence qualified to assist his determina- might direct, in the Christian mition, he concluded that it was his nistry. The church which had duty to embrace this opportunity; thus encouraged him to labour in and the necessary arrangements the word and doctrine, had now being made, the contemplated for some time been deprived, by change accordingly took place; and in the beginning of 1801, he was honourably dismissed to the church at Waltham, then under the pastoral guidance of Mr. William Brackett. the hand of death, of the services of their late esteemed pastor; and that they should not have availed themselves of one, as his successor, who was raised up in their own immediate communion, may perhaps be referred, in part at least, to the principle involved in our Saviour's declaration, "A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house." This movement, especially, was one of a series upon which, no doubt, during his subsequent life, he often looked back with intense interest and devout gratitude. At Waltham he was introduced to an intimate acquaintance with Miss Shortly after his call to the miElizabeth Stammers, second daugh-nistry, the church at Potter's Bar, ter of Mr. John Stammers, of Sud- in Middlesex, being destitute of a bury, to whom, in 1802, he was pastor, solicited him to supply their happily united; an occurrence, in vacant pulpit; and, having done his history, to which he never ad- so for a considerable time, much verted but with evident emotions to their edification and comfort, he of the most entire satisfaction. was cordially invited to take, as By this union he had eight children, their pastor, the oversight of them of whom three sons and three in the Lord. Before, however, he daughters, with the afflicted wi-could satisfactorily conclude that dow, remain to mourn the affecting it was his duty to accede to this and, in some respects, premature request, mature deliberation seem |