from the day of his funeral to this day, no Nonconformist has ever preached in his pulpit, so that it appears for whose sake the liberty was maintained. Denton has found the smart, it will be well if England feel not the fatal consequences of the removal of such pillars. Methusalem died the same year that the deluge overspread the world: Hippo was sacked by the Vandals, immediately after Augustine's death there: Heidelberg taken after Pareus's death: Luther died a little before the wars in Germany. Lord, prevent temporal evils threatened, that the prediction may not be accomplished, that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come:* this worthy, fallen in Israel, speaks heavy things to England. Mr. Angier was very solemn and grave in all his addresses to God, or in his delivering messages from God. It was his usual manner, before he spoke a word in prayer, to pause a considerable while looking upwards, composing his thoughts, possessing his heart with awful apprehensions of the divine Majesty, and by mental ejaculations imploring God's quickening presence, and after a season, he arrived gradually to a great degree of zeal and fervency in prayer, agonizing in the duty with sweat and tears, which rendered his speaking at some seasons both painful and difficult; yet was he not only actuated by zeal and affection, but had also appropriate matter, exact method, and well adapted expressions. Mr. Harrison was wont to call him a ponderous man, for every word had its weight and emphasis: he had no waste words either in prayer or preaching, but as his affections were excited, so his words were few and well weighed. He was not usually long, except upon extraordinary occasions, and then not tedious, because variety of matter and his empassioned manner rendered his prayers interesting. He proposed this question, whether the Spirit of God did ordinarily dictate matter of prayer? he did conceive it might, from Rom. viii. 26, "The Spirit helpeth, for we know not what we should pray for." Yet he was far from enthusiasm; nor was he altogether against forms of prayer, nor joining in public with the liturgy, though he judged that inconvenient modes of worship must be our affliction, but may not be our sin, when we are not in a capacity to procure a remedy; nor did he think that mere presence signifies consent to or the approbation of every thing we hear. As for the Lord's prayer, his judgment was, that it was delivered chiefly by our Saviour as a pattern or platform of prayer, to which (as to several heads) all our prayers should be referred. He seldom insisted long upon a text, (except he took a Isa. lvii. 1. scripture before him) because, as he used to say, a minister may have frequent occasions in the course of his ministry, to return again to the same subjects, therefore he needs not to say all that can be said upon it at once, but extract the marrow of the text, and select what at present he judgeth proper to the prinpal occasion for which he chose it, and drive that nail home: yea, though a minister should say all that he can collect upon such a text or subject, yet he will be forced to leave some gleanings that he may return again to gather up, and those as pertinent and useful as he obtained at his first vintage-reaping: so just was that saying of Tertullian, I adore the fulness of the Scriptures. * On quoting the following passage, Heb. xi. 32, "For the time would fail me tell of Gideon ;" he observed, that a minister must have respect, not only to what he should say, but to the time in which he is to speak or write it; all things cannot be spoken at one time. Christ taught as the people were able to bear; people, yea the best people have but a measure of attention, memory, or susceptibility. Good old Mr. Horrocks was wont to say, I would rather leave my hearers longing than lothing. And as Mr. Angier constantly preached, so he carefully catechized the youth of his congregation, according to the Assembly's Shorter Catechism, and explained it, opening the principles of religion in a plain and familiar way; sometimes taking an account of their proficiency. If he heard of the breaking out of sin in any of his hearers, he faithfully admonished them privately, and sometimes publicly, and sometimes he sent for the persons and pleaded with them, with much gravity and humility and bowels of compassion. Ordinarily when strangers came to settle under his ministry, he sent for them, conversed with them, counselled, instructed, and exhorted them thus he dealt with new married persons; and indeed God brought several from other places to fix themselves under his ministry, for the benefit of the ordinances. : His usual saying was, if God will help me to take care of my duty, I will leave him to take care of my comfort. His main design was to bring glory to God in the conversion of sinners, and edification of saints: the attaining of these ends was his reward; when any sent him tokens of their regard, he looked at God in it, and was more glad of it as an indication of their proficiency, than a means of his enriching himself. So Paul, Phil. iv. 17, " Not because I desire a gift, but I desire fruit that may abound to your account." Thus it is said of Bucholster: (Gratiam munerum, quam munera, et theologiæ fructum, Adoro Scripturæ plenitudinem. quam fortunam maluit,)" He rather chose and accepted more cordially a kindness in the giving, than the greatness of the gift; being better pleased with the fruit of his ministry, than merely their bounty. Mr. Angier was much conversant in the holy scriptures, they were daily his delight, and he had an excellent art in choosing and adapting texts to divine providences, so that the word of God might be a comment on his work. Seldom did any remarkable providence or sudden accident fall out, but he either made it the main subject of his discourse, or particularly applied to it something he had in hand. He had a singular skill in preaching funeral sermons; though he rarely made historical reflections on the dead, yet intelligent hearers might gather important instructions or admonitions from his doctrinal conclusions, and close application naturally resulting. He conducted himself with much reverence in God's public ordinances, minding duly what was in hand. He constantly wrote sermons when he was at any time a hearer, for example to others, to prevent wanderings of mind, and for his own edification. He was also full of candour and ingenuousness; though men's gifts were weak, yet if they were honest he would commend them. Never did any hear him despise or disparage others; but as he much desired to have young ministers preach with him, so if they missed in it, he would plainly and privately tell them of their slips, or encourage such as did well. What he spoke was from his heart; on what others spoke, he would put a candid construction, if it would admit of it. When the minister that preached for him came out of the pulpit, he usually met him with this salutation, "Thanks be to God" or "blessed be the Lord;" never returning thanks to the minister, (so far as I know) but to God for his help to the minister. ner. He was very excellent and exemplary in his administration of the Lord's supper, as it respected method, matter, and manThat ordinance was celebrated every month, and he had many hundreds of communicants; especially in these late times, good people from all adjacent parts and counties came flocking thither, and there were feasted and refreshed. I have known many strangers come ten, some twenty miles, yea, some thirty miles, to attend on the ordinances at Denton; so that there were often more communicants than could sit on seats in the chapel, and officers went amongst them to see if there were no intruders; for either they were known by face to them, or had testimonials from approved ministers, or eminent Christians. His exactness, gravity, and enlargedness, were such, that the first time I partook there, a worthy gentleman bade me observe him diligently, saying he is the exactest man in Lancashire in this work and I thought young ministers might take notice of him as a pattern worthy of imitation. And O how many souls have been quickened, comforted, and nourished in that ordinance, in that place! what gracious words proceeded out of his mouth, and what gracious impressions have been made on communicants' hearts! He was very diligent and pains-taking in his private studies, and very much enjoyed his closet retirements. It is true, he was not able to read much in his latter days, but he had variety of employment, sometimes reading, sometimes praying, meditating, writing: he wrote many choice and excellent letterspithy, pertinent, profitable, upon several occasions, some of which he copied out, and were they collected into one entire volume they would be valuable. He often complained of his memory, saying he had a memory for nothing but to remember his own sermons; but indeed his memory was not to be slighted: however, his solid judgment, clear understanding in divine mysteries, and gracious, experienced heart, shone forth in all he did, and helped his invention, while continual exercise made his memory retentive, and strong affections especially carried him through all; for a sanctified heart hath never a bad me mory. : He was of a holy, heavenly frame of spirit to eye God in all, and to improve all occurrences for spiritual advantage: the like instance of an exact conversation hath seldom been found; I was once riding along with him, and a minister of my acquaintance, whom I met, asked me who he was, being passed by I told him; he said, if there could be an angel on horseback I would say that is he and a servant who lived with him many years, and knew his manner of life, attests that, according to his judgment, he walked as near to the rule of the word, and pattern of our Saviour, as is possible for a man to do on this side glory, excelling in every grace, exemplary in every good work, elevated above the ordinary rank of Christians, as it was said of Bucholtzer, as to liveliness: Vivida in eo omnia fuerunt, vivida vox, vividi oculi, vividæ manus, gestus omnes vividi :* Voice, eyes, hands, gesture, all full of vivacity. Thus this man of God, Mr. Angier, did act above his strength and years in God's work and worship, and was so full of warmth and energy, that it plainly appeared he was actuated and animated with a spirit beyond his own, for God was with him, and he was much with God. He was affable to all, amiable in converse with his intimate Melch. Ad. Vit. Buchol. page 556. friends, frank in discovering himself, without subtle reserves or peevishness of spirit; he was so far as any could discern, ἀοργητος και άχολος, without anger or choler; howbeit his natural constitution being sanguine, might incline him to passion, yet the large measure of grace wherewith God had endowed him, and continual mortification, had so sweetened and lenified his disposition, that to all who conversed with him, he seemed to be compounded of love and kindness. Besides he was a person of much gravity, his mildness did not degenerate into fondness or levity, nor his gravity into moroseness or austerity; but a kindly mixture of mildness, majesty, and attractive sweetness, put such an awful reverence into his countenance, as did at once daunt impudent profaneness, and animate religious modesty; none were so audacious as to be found in any unhandsome act before him whose very looks gave check to licentiousness, and none that knew him were afraid to open their spiritual cases to him, finding him so tender and condescending to them upon all occasions: indeed he was fruitful in holy discourse to all. Upon a question or case of conscience, he had the faculty to enlarge suitably and edifyingly to the satisfaction of the proposers; if company were silent, himself usually proposed a profitable question, or a proof of some principle of religion, or the meaning of some scripture, as matter of discourse for mutual edification: sometimes in travelling with a minister, he would request him (when the road was free) to repeat the heads of the sermon he preached or heard last. He was exceedingly liberal to the poor, both in giving and free-lending; it was strange to observe how much he gave out of so little; he had a liberal hand and an open heart, he devised liberal things, making frequent collections in public, improving his interest for the indigent, or in public affairs: his left hand knew not what his right hand did; one instance take, when the collection was made for Northampton, 1675, he was then indisposed, and went not out for fourteen weeks or thereabouts, and therefore desired his kinsman to preach on 2 Cor. viii. 7, which he did, preparing the people in the morning for the collection in the afternoon; at which, because he could not be present, he sent his charity by his servant, which was not inconsiderable, but afterwards gave privately three times as much as he had done in public by his servant. In cases of collection, he would oft put on both his children and servants to give: he also sent to poor widows, orphans, and others, considerable sums, with a charge not to tell from whence it came. He had not above £20. |