had been for fome time preceeding; and his fon wrote him a preffing invitation to come and refide a little while in London. This, unexpectedly, was the laft letter that he had the honour to addrefs to a beloved father and the following answer to it, is the laft memorial of parental piety and affection that he had the happiness to receive:

31ft Jan. 1797. "I cannot embrace your offer to fojourn with you at this time of the year. When the Miffionary Society meet again, if I live I fhall fee London. Then the country will be green and pleasant and the journey will afford me fome pleasure. The defcriptions of a future ftate, which include any thing of fuch fcenes, are always agreeable to me, and that hymn of Dr. Watts' "There is a land of pure delight," &c. is peculiarly charming. I blefs God, I am much better of late in my health, and my days pafs comfortably to myself, and, I truft, profitably to my friends. I am not anxious about living, nor afraid of departing. I have animating views of a future ftate: thither, the greateft part of my Sheernefs friends are removed, and are waiting my coming; fo that, though I fhall lofe my prefent Bethel Chapel friends, who are moftly young and frange to me, I fhall meet my dear old friends with whom I raifed the walls, and to whom I often miniftered with a glowing heart and a happy foul. Yes, and I fhall fee Jefus, and enjoy the bleffed fociety of Heaven; and then there will be no more coldnefs of affection, no more waxing and waning in our regards to each other: An everlasting joy thall crown our heads and gladden our hearts, and forrow and fighing fhall for ever flee away! Pray, my dear fon, that I may have an abundant entrance into this kingdom and glory.

"The great Father of all, who is the fource of all our natural affection, muft be particularly delighted at feeing thofe wheels happily moving, which he hath formed and fet to work. He will take pleafure to hear the prayers of children for their parents; therefore 1 intreat you to remember me, and afk for me the prefence and bleffing of God, when "I tread the verge of Jordon."

On Sunday, the 5th of February, Mr. S. preached in the afternoon from these words, "The fecret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will fhew them his covenant." He appeared to be very lively and happy in his own foul, and he communicated much pleasure to those who heard him. It was not expected that this would be his last sermon, yet, his friends could not help remarking the warmth of his

feelings,

feelings, and the energy of his expreffrons.---In the courfe of the fermon, he introduced the circumftance of Jofu's appearing to Mary, when he was feeking him, after his refurrection; and, when he described what the experienced when the faw and knew the Lord, his foul feemed quite enraptured. Many of the congregation will, perhaps, never forget the glow of facred pleafure which lightened his countenance, and the expreffive feeling of the love of Chrift which animated his foul. Throughout the whole of the day, thofe, who were near him in the chapel, were af fected at the remarkable manner in which he performed the feveral parts of divine worship. He preached the great truths of the Gofpel with the fweeteft appropriation, and the most impreffive energy: He prayed with unufual fervor and with deep folemnity: He fung with a ftrength of voice and animation of fpirit, that had not been witneffed for a confiderable time; and while Mr. Buck was preaching his attention was profound. But this was to be his laft Sábbath on earth; and it feems to have been a powerful prelibation of thofe fublime and perfect enjoyments, which, on the next Sabbath, he furely partook of in the heavenly world.

On the next morning (Monday) he eat a very hearty breakfast, and went out to his office, and entered on the bufinefs of the week with as much health and fpirits as he had been feen to enjoy for fome time before. But, about eleven o'clock, he felt a fhivering aguith fit, and foon after was feized with fo violent a fickness as obliged him to go to bed. Medical advice was immediately folicited: The Doctor came, and found him in a deep fleep, which, it was hoped, would have been favourable to him; but he never awoke to exercife his fenfes any more. In the early part of the evening he grew reftlefs: Soon after, his whole frame was agitated with convulfions, and thefe fo rapidly and violently encreased, that on Tuesday morning, about five o'clock, his fpirit was released from the burden of the flesh, to reft in everlasting joy and felicity.

That his family were greatly affected with the lofs of fuch a relative, and that his friends, in their measure, feft the fad bereavement, are truths, which juftice to the memory of the deceased, and to the feelings of the survivors, demands to be mentioned. Thefe, however, are circumftances of forrow, which follow on the lofs of every good man: But Mr. Shrubfole's death was lamented by a circle of connections, much wider than it is the common lot

of

of individuals to affect; and when he fell, every inhabi tant of Sheerness feemed to feel the fhock, and to deplore the lofs. There was a general, a mighty movement of forrow through the whole place, which strongly testified how extentively he had been useful, and how peculiarly he was beloved.

In the intervals of his deceafe and interment his house was every day crowded with perfons of all ages and circumftances, who came, for the laft time, to look on that countenance which always used to smile on them with complacency and benevolence, and which appeared pleafant even in death. The day of his interment being fixed, the church and congregation at Bethel Chapel, those at Mr. Wefley's Chapel, with the various branches of artificers in the dock-yard, all expreffed a determination to attend the funeral; and on the Friday fucceeding his death, his remains were carried to Minfter (about four miles from Sheerness), attended by the greatest concourfe of people ever seen on fuch an occafion, and were depofited in the earth amidst the most profound filence of devotion, and the moft cordial expreffions of forrow.

The Church being defirous that the Rev. Rowland Hill would improve the awful bereavement which they had experienced, that gentleman very kindly went to Sheerness, and on the enfuing Sabbath preached Mr. Shrubfole's funeral fermon to a crowded and deeply-affected audience. Mr. Wefley's chapel was fhut up on this occafion, and both the Minifter and the congregation attended at Bethel Chapel to pay their laft token of veneration for the character of the deceafed, who had been separated from them not in affection, but in fentiment, and whom they had always found ready to affift them in their difficulties, and to heal their diffenfions.

Mr. Shrubfole's ftature was rather above the middle fize. He was inclined to be corpulent, but not to fuch a degree as to impede activity, and his walking was remarkably firm and erect. His countenance was open and engaging: Good-nature was marked in every feature, and his eyes expreffed much benevolence. These favourable indications of mental qualities were realized in his natural difpofition, and his long continued intercourfe with Society, in its feveral relations, was a feries of unremitting exertion to promote the glory of God, and the happiness of his fellow

creatures.

It pleased the Great Head of the Church and the Go

vernor of the Univerfe to place him in a sphere of confide rable exertion, and to make him the inftrument of great usefulness. At the time of his coming to Sheerness there were but few perfons there who feemed to feel the power of religion; none among them were endowed with fufficient abilities to conduct the public worship of God; and their worldly circumftances would not admit of their fupporting a Gofpel Ministry. It was neither to be forefeen nor expected that the arrival and refidence of a poor country boy would prove of any importance to encourage and: affift thefe good people; and yet fo profound are the counfels, and fo gracious the interpofitions of Providence, in a little time after his coming among them he was made to feel a veneration for their characters, and a love to the cause in which they were engaged; he was led to affociate. with them; was perfuaded to affift them in their devotional exercises, and was affectionately compelled to preach to them the word of life. From this time the caufe of religion gradually revived, the number of those who feared the Lord progreffively increafed, and Mr. Shrubsole had the honour and happiness of preaching to a large congrega¬ tion, and of prefiding over a church of more than one hun dred members, moft of whom were the feals of his own ministry.

It will be readily allowed that in circumftances of fuch important confideration, Mr. S. had quite enough to engage his mind, and to employ his time; and yet, befides his ministerial duty, he was Mafter Maft-maker in the dockyard-an office which required conftant attention, and fre quently great exertions. But by a wife and regular appropriation of the time that could be fpared from his official concerns, he was enabled to make a tolerable proficiency in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin languages; was well read in divinity and hiftory; compofed and published feveral tracts on various fubjects, and furnished himself with matter which proved highly acceptable and useful in his public miniftrations.

He was richly endowed with minifterial gifts, and he exercised them with diligence and fidelity. His preaching was judicious and practical, and the applicatory improve ments of his difcourfes were delivered with fuch peculiar energy and affection, as made them very impreffive and ufeful. In doctrinal fentiments he was a Calvinift, but of the moderate rather than of the rigid class. His natural difpofition and his religious opinions were both favourable VOL. V. 3 D

to

to Catholicism and cordiality, and he lived on the moft friendly terms with the members of the Established Church and of Mr. Wefley's Society. How greatly he was respected by the latter will appear from this fingular circumftance: In a very ferious diffenfion that had arisen among them, and between them and Mr. Welley, Mr. S. was fixed on by each of the parties to be the arbitrator of their feveral claims; and it is remarkable that his decifion met with the approbation, and procured him the thanks of all that were concerned in this unpleasant business.

Mr. S. did not appear with lefs honour as an officer in the dock-yard than he did as a Minifter of the Gospel; and his ufefulnets in both capacities was very extenfive. The knowledge which he had acquired, and the abilities which he poffeffed in the line of his profeffion he fuccefsfully employed to ferve the artificers in the various dock-yards, and to benefit his country; and for thefe purposes he published a pamphlet entitled, "A Plea in Favour of the Shipwrights," &c., which made his name very popular, and acquired him the refpect of his fuperiors. But it was at Sheerness that his honourable activity, his benevolent exertions, and his exemplary piety were eminently witnessed; and thefe procured him, what he juftly merited, the veneration and love of all its inhabitants.

Having fucceeded in attaining fuch an office in the dockyard as was quite agreeable to his mind, and the duties of which did not interfere, with his religious employments, he determined never to feek after any other preferment; and when it was freely offered him by a diftinguifhed and excellent character, he very nobly declined both the honour and the advantages of a higher ftation, left they should by any means obftruct or paralife his minifterial ufefulnefs. He expreffed the following fentiments in a letter to a friend, when he was appointed Master Mast-maker, and he remembered and acted on them as long as he lived.

I preach regularly twice a week. I fuppofe I am accounted a phoenomenon, there never having been, I believe, a preaching Mafter Maft-maker before. However I know there has been a preaching carpenter of the most exalted rank, and this bleffed perfon, by the grace of God, I am determined to imitate while I live, and not the vain practices of the world. May God rather bring me down to the grave than fuffer me to fwell beyond the dimenfions of a fincere follower of him who humbled and emptied himfelf for my unworthy foul.".

Mr.