ner of bearing it; and the more meek, and more injured thou hast been, the kinder and more bountiful rewarder thou shalt be fure to find in me," Mr. S. was much affected with these sentiments. He took the paper home, and determined to humble himself to the duft, rather than witnefs the divifion of the Society. He alfo made fuch proposals to them-for an accommodation as were accepted; and they were again united in the bonds of unity and affection.

Soon after this Mr. S. was very earnestly folicited by a dear and reverend friend to quit the dock-yard, and devote himself wholly to the miniftry; and this folicitation was enforced by a promise from a Right Honourable perfonage that, on his confent, ordination in the Eftablished Church fhould be immediately procured him. After confulting his friends, Mr, S. concluded to decline the offer; but this application was made very serviceable to him, as it obviated fome of the doubts he had entertained concerning his call to the Ministry.

In March 1773, he was appointed Mafter Maftmaker at Woolwich. This event, though favourable to his temporal interefts, yet gave both himself and the Society much uneafinefs; and their feparation occafioned the most lively and affectionate forrow. Mr. S. was received by the religious people at Woolwich Chapel with great refpect; and was invited by the Countefs of Huntingdon to preach there, and to fuperintend its fpiritual concerns. Here he laboured with much acceptance and fuccefs till October; when, after narrowly escaping being fent by the Lords of the Admiralty to Portsmouth, he was remanded to Sheerness, placed in the particular office which had ever been the object of his wishes, and restored to the affection and the prayers of his loving and beloved Society and friends.

But this world is not the Chriftian's reft. Mr. S. was much impreffed and affected with the mercies afforded him, and was not infenfible to the Apoftolic admonition, "Be not high-minded, but fear." In a letter written at this time to his most intimate friend, he thus expreffes himself: "The providence which I at prefent rejoice in, is fo fingularly adapted to my wifhes, that I am filled with aftonishment, and cannot help exclaiming, What hath God wrought! But, reflecting on the general lot of God's people in this world, I am made to tremble with apprehenfons of having fome fevere trial to balance all this tempo

ral

tal good. And indeed if fomething of that fort fhould be laid on me, I have merited it, and may fay with Job, That which I feared is fallen upon me."

It is worthy to be remarked that only two days after writing this letter he was bitten by a mad dog, which event plunged himself, his family, and his friends into the deepcft diftrefs. By the bleffing of God on the means made ufe of to preferve his life and health, the muchdreaded effe&t never followed: Yet a dismal cloud was caft over his bright profpects, and the peace of his mind was very much difturbed for feveral months. The thoughts of dying in fo terrible a manner, as frequently happens in fimilar circumftances, and the diftrefs which, in fuch a cafe, would be brought upon his family, confpired to render him at times very miferable. But, while enduring this heavy affliction, he remarked that the Scriptures were peculiarly comfortable to him, that the precious promites contained in them were applied to his heart with a power which he never before felt, and that his old enemy, Infidelity, was not permitted at all to trouble him. The Lord knew that he fuffered as much as he could well bear, and would not therefore permit any fceptical notions to be injected into his mind to increase his affliction. This grievous vifitation hindered his preaching about five weeks: After that time he returned to his delightful work, and found it peculiarly profitable to himself and his people.

But what, under the divine bleffing, moft contributed to the establishment of his peace, and the reviving his enjoyments, was his compofing a new Pilgrim's Progrefs, in the manner of John Bunyan. He had thought of fuch a work fome years before this time; and now, hoping it would divert his mind from dwelling on the gloomy ideas which frequently diftreffed him, he began to put his defign in execution; and in a few months had made a rough draft of his work on fcraps of paper and the backs of letters. About a year afterwards he tranfcribed thefe detached papers, and lent his performance to feveral friends, who expreffed a warm approbation of it, and earnestly begged that it might be published. His worthy friend, the late Mr. Mafon, of Rotherhithe, was particularly urgent with him in this refpect, and kindly propofed fome emendations and corrections, which Mr. S. as cordially received: And yielding, therefore, to fuch general and friendly approbation and importunity, he published his work under the

title

title of Chriftian Memoirs, or a Review of the present State of Religion in England, &c.

This work, confidering it as a review of the prefent state of religion, and that fuch a defign naturally led the author to cenfure what he thought amifs in many profeffors, was, in general, well received: The edition was foon fold off, and he was encouraged to publifh a new, improved, and enlarged edition, by receiving many thanks from perfons of different denominations, and by hearing that his book had been the means of doing much good.

About the year 1783, fome irregularities and differences broke out in the Society, which gave Mr. S. fo much trouble and difguft, that he wrote to his friends to folicit the Admiralty to remove him from Sheerness; and going at that time to London, he feemed quite indifferent as to his ever returning to Sheernefs again. His reflections on his feelings and conduct, on this occafion, breathe fuch a spirit of Chriftian humility and genuine piety, that they merit infertion This behaviour (fays he) was not paffed over by my Heavenly Mafter; for foon after my return home I was confined to my chamber for a week, by a bilious colic, and was severely rebuked for deserting my ftation, and doing God's work fo negligently. Pfalm lxxviii. 8, 9, came with fuch power upon me, that I was much diftreffed. I was made to know, that after God had furnished me with ability for his fervice, I had bafely and ungratefully fought to defert the place in which he had fixed me. I was thoroughly ashamed of my conduct; with many tears I begged God to forgive me, to employ me again, and to give me his bleffing: And he graciously granted my requeft.'

It foon began to appear very evidently for what purpose the Lord had continued him at Sheernefs; and this Scripture, which had often encouraged and fupported him, began to be verified. "In the morning fow thy feed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand; for thou knowest not which may profper, this, or that, or whether they may not be both alike fuccefsful." The Society, though fmall, were united and happy; and the congregation fo largely increased, that a ftrong defire was expreffed for building a more convenient and capacious place of worship.

Mr. S. was at firft backward in giving encouragement to fuch a defign; fearing that what their zeal might intend, their ability would not be fufficient to execute: But, perceiving that the fpirit of the people was not checked, but Lather increased, he was induced to offer fome propofals to

them,

them, for raifing a fum of money to undertake the work. Thefe were immediately acceded to; a fubfcription was opened, which produced a much larger fum than was expected; and the steward of the principal eftate on the island, unexpectedly, and generoufly, offered Mr. S. the choice of any piece of ground that fhould feem moft eligible for his purpofe. Being thus encouraged, the work was entered on, and a chapel, 46 feet by 36 feet 6 inches in the clear, was finished and opened in October 1784.

The bleffing of God remarkably fucceeded this undertaking. The congregation was fully equal to the capacity of the chapel; the word of the Lord fell with a mighty power on the people; and the Society was greatly increased in number, and enriched with a fpirit of active piety and warm affection. "This," faid the worthy fubject of thefe memoirs, "feems to be the day of the Gofpel call to Sheernefs! This is the time, to which God's dealings with me have been evidently pointed! I am laden with honours, bleffed with great life and power in the pulpit, and am very happy in the people."

About this time, Mr. S. was honoured with the notice and friendship of the late worthy and excellent John Thornton, Efq. of Clapham, who fent books and money for diftribution among the poor of the Society and congre-. gation at Sheernefs; and employed him in compofing fome thort lectures on the moft remarkable and edifying fubjects in Scripture hiftory, for Mr. Thornton's benevolent difpofal. Mr. S. thought himself highly honoured in being inade the channel of Mr. Thornton's beneficence to the poor, and in being employed for the inftruction of the ignorant. The lectures, as they were finished, were inferted in the Theological Mifcellany; and a very edifying and affectionate correfpondence was continued between Mr. Thornton and Mr. Shrubfole, till the death of the former deprived the church and the world of a man, in whom were united the warmest piety and the most active bencvolence.

In the year 1787, Mr. Shrubfole's congregation was fo much encreased, that even the new chapel was rendered incommodious; and propofitions were made by feveral refpectable perfons for its enlargement. After deliberation

and prayer Mr. S. confented; and the chapel was fo much lengthened as to make room for two hundred people more. All the additional feats were immediately taken, the enlar ged place completely filled, and, by the liberality of the So

ciety and congregation, and the exertions of Mr. S. among the friends of the Gofpel in London, the whole debt of £1200 was foon greatly reduced, and, he had the pleasure of living to fee it wholly difcharged.

From this time till the year 1793 the miniftry of Mr. S. was much attended and greatly bleffed; and the church under his care enjoyed remarkable profperity. But his labours were not wholly confined to Sheernefs: He went very frequently to preach at Minfter and Queenborougn, two neighbouring places; and, at the latter place, was fo fuccefsful, that a little before his death he had the honour and pleasure of opening a neat little chapel, which continues to be well filled with worshippers. He ufed also, in the fpring of every year, to vifit Faversham, Milton, Lenham, Sutton, &c. and his preaching in these excurfions was made fo very ufeful, that his remembrance, in all the above places, is cherished with the highcft refpect and the warmeft affection.

In February 1793, it pleafed God to vifit him with a paralytic affection, which rendered him incapable of preaching for fome months, and haftened and encreafed thofe infirmities, which a life of fixty-four years might be expected to bring upon him. He could no longer preach three times on the Lord's-day, as he had always ufed to do; an affiftant was therefore neceffary, and after feveral Minifters had occafionally laboured with him, the Rev. Mr. Buck was ordained, as Co-Paftor, in the year 1795.

Mr. Shrubfole's friends began now to perceive with concern, that the ftrength of his body and the power of his mind were gradually impairing. He only preached once on the Sabbath, except on very preffing occafions; and though his fpiritual life and animation were continued to his laft fermon, yet his memory fo failed him that he could not bring forth to the people thofe rich ftores of Golpel provifion, which reading and reflection, under the divine influence, provided him with, and which he used to set before them in a moft remarkable variety and profufion. But the more his outward man decayed, the more was his inward man renewed and invigorated. For feveral months before his death, his converfation and the frame of his foul were peculiarly spiritual and heavenly. The fear of death was quite taken away; his confidence in Chrift was greatly ftrengthened; and his defire to depart and to be with his divine Mafter, was cordial, conftant, and animating.

(To be concluded in the next Magazine.)