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MEMOIR OF THE REV. J. GROOM.

459

Monday and Tuesday, repeated this detached part of 1 Thes. ii. 17, "So shall we be ever with the Lord," with some additional and pertinent reflections. The friend at whose house he lodged, at Castle Coomb, insisted upon the liberty to escort him where he was to dine. After dinner he was anxious to get to Christian Malford; but he mounted his horse with difficulty, and dropped his whip, evidently incapable of holding it; a stupor seized him, and as he was but a mile from his lodgings,. his friends judged it prudent he should go forward under their care. They reached the house safe; he was instantly put to bed, from whence he arose no more His senses left him; and with yery little motion he breathed. Once, supposing his wife to be near him, he addressed her with an exclamation and his blessing. This was the only notice he took of any body; and on Friday the 10th of October, 1780, in the evening of that day, he entered into the joy of his Lord.

His being a corps on the Sabbath, upon the premisses where he had the Sabbath preceding, in a very fervent manner, addressed the congregation, made it a very solemn day; and many tears were shed on the event. On the Tuesday, following, his remains were conveyed very respectfully to the Tabernacle at Rodborough, accompanied by many friends; where they were interred by the Rev. Mr. Rowland Hill, after a suitable discourse preached to a numerous congregation. Little more remains to be said of this plain excellent man, in whom was exemplified the apostle's remark, "God hath chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence."

Mr. Croom was a tall man, full six feet, and large featured, of a clear complexion, and dark eyes. His temper, though naturally morose, was well regulated by divine grace. His constitution was rather inactive. Originally deficient in the use of the pen, he never cultivated the improvement of it, so that he was an exception to the original Methodists, who supported a large correspondence with each other; whereas he hardly ever exchanged a letter, nor even committed to paper the breviate of any thing he delivered. Though he was very clear in the doctrines of grace, and in sentiment a strict Calvinist, he retained much of the manners, deportment, and language of the Quakers; and often worshipped leaning upon the top of his staff. Though Le was of a satirical turn, he never indulged levity. He often smiled, but seldom laughed; and much oftener sighed and groaned than smiled. He knew how to accommodate himself to characters ; and would draw forth the sentiment he wanted by observation,

if he found the person he conversed with backward, through modesty, to speak what he ought. He described prayer by the name of Privilege, and when he wanted the family to join him, would ask if they had any business above. He would couch the idea of going to Heaven by that of a child going to rest; frequently soothing the mind under affliction by saying, We shall 800 go up stairs. His reproofs were cutting, sometimes indiscreetly dealt ont, but always well intended. He was often in great perplexity about preaching, and frequently ventured into the pulpit without any pre-meditation, frankly telling the people the embarrasment of his mind before he came up. We men tion this merely as a matter of fact, not as an example to be imitated. Tho' there may be cases in which such a liberty may be allowed, it ought to be very sparingly indulged. The summit of his attainment was a great share of the Bible and self-knowledge; and however defective he might be in the knowledge of other things, it is certain, in the use of these the Lord much owned him. The means of his subsistence was always uncertain; but the God whom he served never left nor forsook him. At his decease Mr. Hill (who is the friend of the fatherless and the widow) exerted himself in behalf of Mrs. Croom, and a daughter deficient in her intellects, who received a stated subsistcnce from the Rodborough congregation while they lived.

THE BLACK EWE.

A TRUE TALE.

Some time ago, as a gentleman was passing over one of the extensive downs in the west of England, about mid-day, where a large flock of sheep were feeding, and observing the shepherd sitting by the road-side, preparing to eat his dinner, he stopped his horse, and entered into conversation with him to this effect : "Well, Shepherd, you look cheerful and contented, and, I dare say have very few carcs to vex you. I, who am a man of pretty large property, cannot but look at such men as you with a kind of envy." ? Why, Sir,' replied the Shepherd, tis true I have not troubles like yours; and I could do well enough was it not for that black ewe that you see yonder, amongst my flock. I have often begged my master to kill, or sell her; but he won't, though she is the plague of my life; for no sooner do I sit down to look at my book, or take up my wallet to get my dinner, but away she sets off over the down, and the rest follow her; so that I have many a weary step after them. There! you see she's off, and they are all after her ! "Ah, friend," said the gentleman to the shepherd before he started, "I see every man has a black ewe in his flock to plague him, as well as me!"-The reader can make the application. PHILEMON

HINTS

ON THE MANNER IN WHICH CHRISTIAN PARENTS
SHOULD IMPROVE THE DEATH OF CHILDREN.

"WE know," saith the apostle, " that all things work together for good to them that love God ;" and surely the death of children, however sorrowful and afflictive a dispensation, is not to be excluded from "all the things" by which the infinitely wise God carries on and perfects the salvation of his people. Such of your readers, as have been visited with these trials, will readily admit that we never know the full force of parental affection till our children are about to be taken from us. It is then that we discover how strongly they have entwined themselves round our hearts; when we behold the fixed eye, the palo lips, the convulsive throws of death distorting the countenance; or when with aching and throbbing hearts we deposit those who are a part of ourselves in the cold and silent grave. It cannot be supposed that he who is the Father of mercies afflicts willingly, or grieves any of his children without an important reason.. There is " a need be" that we should be in heaviness for a season. God deals with us as a wise parent deals with a froward and inconsiderate child; when counsels and admonitions have no salutary influence, he finds it necessary to correct us with the rod. Strokes inflicted by Divine Providence upon others within our observation, are too often disregarded by us; the Lord, therefore, in mercy to our souls, brings the affliction nearer, and unites us in those who are our own bone and our own flesh. If our children be interested in that covenant which is ordered in all things and sure, their death, even in early years, is to them unspeakable gain. God has ways, which we cannot unfold, of ripening these for Heaven, whom he conducts to it in the beginning of their days: and does not the precious promise that he will be our God and the God of our seed;" the gracious encouragement the Saviour gives us to bring our children unto him, because of such is the kingdom of Heaven; and the assurance that this tender-hearted Shepherd shall gather these lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom,-afford us good hope and strong consolation with respect to their death. Let us not weep

for our dead then, who now rest from their labours, and have entered into the joy of their Lord; but let us weep for ourselves, and carefully consider what good effects their death should produce on our hearts and conduct, whilst we sojourn in this valley of temptation and tears.

The death of our children should teach us submission to the will of God. It becomes us to submit without murmuring to the dispensations of that Sovereign and merciful Being, who formed both us and our children; and has a right to dispose of

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both according as he sees meet. It is our daily prayer, as Chris tions, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven:" but till the hour of trial arrives, we are very incompetent judges how dif ficult it is to offer up this prayer in sincerity, so as to submit to the divine will with such resignation and cheerfulness, as that we can bless God when he taketh away our mercies, as well as when he bestows them. The Lord loveth a cheerful giver ; let us, therefore, take heed that we do not murmur against the afflictive dispensations of his providence, lest we provoke him to chastise us with still greater severity. The Christian may be compared to a froward child, whose proad heart needs to be humbled and brought into subjection, as much for his own peace and comfort, as to teach him to exercise due reverence towards wise and affectionate parent. When God hath taken away the desire of our eyes with a stroke, when we have laid a sweet and lovely child in the cold grave, let us turn with resignation and hope to that God who has smitten us, and let us still desire, with David, to fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies are great.

The death of children should elevate our affections, above earthly relations and enjoyments, to God himself, as the chief portion of our souls. Job mentions it as a distinguished part of his prosperity, that his children were then about him." When our children are with us, and growing up like olive plants around our table, they not unfrequently occupy a higher place in our affections than is due to any created object. How many Christians have reason to read these words with considerable alarm: "Whosoever loveth father or mother, wife or child more than me, is not worthy of me;" and what measure doth the infinitely wise God adopt when his people are in danger of falling into this sin? The heaviest judgment he could inflict, would be to suffer them to cleave to the creature more and more; saying as he did of Ephraim, "He is joined to his idols, let him alone." It is with unspeakable kindness, whatever our carnal hearts may object, that God smites the earthly gourd, and takes away relations that were too dear to us, that we may look to himself as our supreme portion, in obedience to his first and great commandment, Thou shalt have no other Gods before me:" this may serve to point out the wisdom of such dispensations, as parents are apt to consider particularly dark and distressing. Those children who were most remarkable for their amiable endowments, we are usually called to resign first into God's hands, and to lay them in an carly and untimely grave. By such afflic tive events we are taught to moderate our affections towards earthly things, to contemplate this world as a perishing and unsatisfying portion, and to recollect with lively energy the words of the apostle, "That it remaineth that they who weep be as though they wept not; and they who rejoice, as though They rejoiced not; for the fashion of this world passeth away."

HINTS FOR IMPROVING THE DEATH OF CHILDREN. 443 The death of our children should excite in us a lively faith in that state of life and immortality which is brought to light by the gospel. What affectionate parent can bear the thought that a child so lately the object of his tenderest concern and solicitude. has ceased to exist,-and that those lovely endowments which occupied such a deep place in his affections are extinguished for ever! From such a prospect as this the mind recoils with hor ror. When our children lived with us on the earth, they formed our strongest attachment to the world, they were our companions, our comfort and hope in the house of our pilgrimage; and now when they are departed from us, let us follow them with devout aflection to the world of spirits, and rejoice in their joy. If God be the God of our children as well as our own God, they are now perfect in knowledge and holiness, the days of their mourning are ended, all tears are wiped from their eyes, and the high praises of redeeming love are continually on their lips. Had we some dear relations dwelling in a distant country, would not this lead to a closer connection and intercourse with it, on their account? And should not our connection and inter.course with the world of spirits be more strengthened, in consequence of our dear children having become inhabitants of that world for they are still our children, objects of our love: and now when they are adorned with holy beauty, more worthy than ever of our tenderest regard, we should, therefore, in the exercise of faith and hope, be daily entering within the vail, where God our Father dwells, Christ our Saviour, all the excellent ones of the earth, our godly friends, parents, and children, and where there shall be no more death, neither pain nor sorrow, nor crying."

The death of our children should induce us to live continually mindful of our own mortaiity. When the voice said "cry,' the prophet enquired," What shall I cry?" "All flesh is grass, and all the goodlines thereof as the flower of the field." "How often have weeping parents seen these words verified; when the tender flowers of youth were cut down just at the moment they were beginning to expand their blossoms! Sach dispensations should remind us of our own death, reconcile us to it, and prepare us for it. Those men must be inconsiderate indeed, who have children modeling in the dust, and yet never familiarize themselves with death; who have already a part of themselves in the grave, and yet continue wholly occupied about the business, or the vanities, of this perishing life. When I stand by the grave of a sweet and lovely child, I contemplate the spot where it is probable I myself shall soon repose; I look to the grave with less alarin or terror: I say with Divid, “I must go to my child; but my child shall not return unto ine." Our children are the tenderest of the ties which bind us to the world; and when they are removed out of it, we cannot be so immoderately anxious either about life or earthly things. The tree which is deeply

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