In the sequel, the internal nature of this change will be more satisfactorily and more explicitly opened by those who had the best opportunities of knowing the truth, and who, by their wisdom and experience in divine things, are far better qualified to judge than the writer of this Narrative*. At present suffice it to say briefly, that at about the age of fifteen he was very seriously impressed with the importance of practical religion. He studied the Scriptures diligently, meditated deeply on the essential doctrines, and experienced much conflict of mind. His excellent mother, at the same period, state. The spirit of fearless innovation, revolt and contempt of authority, which he had the grief to see break forth in his latter days, was strenuously and often successfully opposed by him. EDITOR; the Rev. Wm. Richardson. The Rev. Dr. Isaac Milner, the writer of this Narrative, takes this opportunity of observing, that wherever the word EDITOR was prefixed or subjoined to any note or observation in the first Edition, that note or observation is due to the Rev. Wm. Richardson, who was the real Editor of that Edition of the work. In this second edition, Dr. M. has added the initials W. R. of Mr. R.'s name, for the purpose of more effectually preventing mistakes. * This has been deemed unnecessary, after what is said on the subject in the course of the Narrative. The change produced in the character of Job, by the discipline he went through, will illustrate that which takes place in those Christians, who have been conscientious from their early youth. The nature of it is thus expressed: "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."-The great truths of religion, when held merely as opinions, may form strict, devout, and exemplary characters; but they must be received by that FAITH Which SUBSTANTIATES things hoped for, and REALIZES things unseen, in order to produce a new creature, one who ABHORS HIMSELF, and submits unto the righteousness of God. Mr. Milner certainly, like Job, thought too highly of himself, and was a proud and a self-righteous man, till the glorious "Gospel of Christ came to him, not in the word only, but in power." EDITOR, W. R. was become very earnest in religious concerns, and was herself intelligent in the practical parts of the Scriptures. Mr. Milner always ascribed his first religious emotions, under the direction of Divine Providence, to the example, exhortation, and admonition of his mother. The father of Mr. Milner did not much like all this. He was sound in speculative principle, and exemplary in moral conduct, but had not learned the humbling doctrines of the Gospel. On the contrary, he was disposed to ridicule enthusiastic and over-religious persons, as he called them; and his great object, at that time, was to divert the attention of his son Joseph from subjects which he conceived might give a gloomy cast to his mind, and injure his rising fame, both by the reproach which attaches to such pursuits, and by retarding his rapid progress in other things. He had no great difficulty in carrying this point. Joseph's extreme seriousness was not of long duration*. He continued sound and orthodox in the faith; he read the Scriptures daily in their original language, and grew wise in all critical inquiries respecting them; but he ceased to trouble himself with what he afterwards used to call vital, practical, experimental religion; he was contented with mere *The Editor has heard Mr. M. mention the time when he deliberately renounced the grand Protestant doctrine of Justification by Faith, which he afterwards, with Luther and the whole body of the Reformers, so strenuously maintained, as ARTICULUS STANTIS, VEL CADENTIS ECCLESIÆ. This added bitterness to his distress when the truths of Christianity recovered their influence over his mind and conscience; for he was tempted to consider himself as having been guilty of an act of apostacy. W. R. It will appear afterwards, in what sense Mr. Milner was to be considered as orthodox in sentiment at that time. morality.--His heart was panting after literary fame; and we have seen how this passion must have been fed by what passed after his father's death, at Leeds and at Cambridge, and by success at Hull at so early a period of life. If Mr. Milner's gifts and various good fortune had hitherto tended to gratify human pride and vanity, we shall find that, by and by, he met with plentiful cause of mortification. From the commencement of a change in his sentiments and practice, to the time when his judgment may be considered as settled and confirmed, an interval of at least two years elapsed. However, the alteration, when first perceived, was suf-. ficient to excite suspicion and alarm, though the better sort of people did not immediately abandon their favourite Schoolmaster and Preacher. They could not think of this without reluctance. It must even be owned that they gave him a fair time for trial; and they also made some private attempts to reclaim him; but all in vain. Once in particular, at the conclusion of a very decent convivial meeting, in the house of one of the first families of the place, where some of the morc respectable Clergy were assembled, and among them one Clergyman of learning and distinction, whose residence was not at Hull, and who happened to be on a visit at that time, a general attack was. made on the young Enthusiast. This evidently appeared to have been preconcerted, though the writer does not deny that the intentions might be friendly, and that the plan might originate in a desire to preserve Mr. Milner from plunging deeper into Methodism. This attack, though attended with some ridiculous circumstances in the course of it, was truly instructive in the event. The advantages of serious study of the Scriptures, and of the knowledge of them, appeared in the strongest light: The assailants agreed in no one thing but in zeal to run down Mr. Milner, and in some general extravagant charges of Enthusiasm, Methodism, and such like. They could state NO DISTINCT article of false doctrine, or even of disagreement; and when the Bible was appealed to, they proved themselves such wretched Textuaries that they could not produce a single passage to their purpose; and were unable even to find those passages of which they seemed to have some faint and imperfect recollection. Mr. Milner patiently endured their reproaches; and smiled while they were fruitlessly turning to and fro the pages of an excellent Bible, which seemed to have been very little used. In those days he had begun to carry a Bible constantly in his pocket; a practice which he never left off. When the party were exhausted, and had become pretty silent, he pulled out his little pocket-Bible, now grown dirty and tattered by much wearing, the obvious comparison of which with their elegant one conveyed a silent but sufficiently intelligible admonition, and proved no bad introduction to what he had to say. In a word, he entered fully into an explanation of the peculiar doctrines of Christianity; confirmed his arguments and statements by numerous and appropriate passages of Scripture, and completed his defence by reading the texts which they had sought for in vain, and then by an swering the supposed objections.-Several of the party freely acknowledged afterward "they had better have let him alone. But Mr. Milner's company did not continue long to be called for in genteel and convivial meetings. The man who was grown insupportable in the pulpit ceased to be a desirable guest at the table; and indeed his own heart was now so much engaged in different branches of practical religion, that he had little time, and no taste for trifling company. He was constantly seeking opportunities to say "a word in season. He had left off playing at cards; he was no longer seen at the playhouse or the assembly; his presence checked and rebuked indecent conversation, and irregularities of every kind, and when a company, by being less trifling, or by some ill-natured attack on religion, presented an opening for grave conversation, Mr. Milner would often ex press himself with so much seriousness, and so much just admonition, that "men of the world*" no longer felt themselves at ease in his presence. They, on the one hand, did not choose to be thus exposed to his censures, nor to have their consciences made uneasy by him. He, on the other, devoted the little time which he could spare from absolute duty, or from private study, to those social visits which had the express design of promoting the interests of religion. These and similar causes concurred to separate Mr. Milner more and more from people of superior rank. They, with very few exceptions, were never seen at church when HE preached; and he rarely * See Sermon XXI. of this Volume, for the character of men of the world. |
