CHAPTER X.

REMARKS OF MR. PRESTON-MR. SIMEON'S TREATMENT OF HIS

MR.

CURATES HIS SUNDAY EVENINGS-LETTER TO MR. LLOYD COMFORT IN HIS BROTHER EDWARD THOUGHTS ON PRAYERLETTERS TO DR. AND MRS. RING ON THE LOSS OF FRIENDSTHE DEATH OF A FAITHFUL SERVANT—AND PLACING A GIRL IN SERVICE—MR. SIMEON'S CONTINUED DEBILITY—LETTER TO HIS PARISHIONERS DISCONTINUES THE AFTERNOON SERVICE-SANCTION FOR THE EVENING SERVICE-RESOLUTION OF THE VESTRY -EXTRACT FROM FULLER ABOUT THE LECTURESHIP THOMASON'S APPOINTMENT TO INDIA-HIS DEPARTURE—MR. SIMEON ACCOMPANIES HIM ON HIS VOYAGE-ACUTENESS OF HIS FEELINGS AT PARTING-MR. THOMASON'S SHIPWRECK-LETTER TO MR. SIMEON-HIS CHARACTERISTIC REPLY-MR. THOMASON'S REVIEW OF THE EVENT-REMARKS OF MR. SIMEON-CLERICAL MEETINGS AT SHELFORD-MR. PRESTON'S ACCOUNT OF THEM— MR. SIMEON'S DESCRIPTION TO DR. RING.

1808-1809.

AN important trait of Mr. Simeon's character, noticed by Mr. Preston, "was the delight with which he observed the spiritual progress and growing usefulness of other ministers, even when there might seem to be a temptation to the feeling of jealousy, as if another were rising to supersede himself. On such occasions he would say, with evident joy and sincerity, 'He must increase; I must decrease.' This truly Christian feeling was manifested in a striking manner on his return to Cambridge from the Isle of Wight. During his residence there, and for some

time before, his friend and curate Mr. Thomason, who had previously performed only a subordinate part in the ministrations at Trinity Church, had been called out to the vigorous exercise of all his powers in the work of the ministry. Through the grace of God he had been enabled to rise to the occasion. No one, who remembers his sermons at Cambridge during that year, when Mr. Simeon was for the most part disabled from duty, will be backward to acknowledge, that his improvement in the course of a few months was extraordinary. There was at that time a richness and fulness in Mr. T.'s discourses, such as was not always found in Mr. Simeon's. This devoted servant of Christ, who loved his Lord with all his heart, and was thankful, for His sake, either 'to be abased or to abound,' was much struck and delighted, on his return, with what he saw and heard from his beloved Colleague. After hearing him preach, he turned to a friend and said, 'Now I see why I have been laid aside; I bless God for it.'

The generous and affectionate feeling which he habitually cherished, and on suitable occasions manifested, towards those who have successively stood to him in the relation of Curates, is gratefully remembered by every one of them. Considering that the term Curate-honourable as it is, and elsewhere attached to the office of the principalis commonly regarded in this country as implying inferiority of rank, he was disposed to discard it. 'Not my curate,' he would say, 'my brother. my brother, which part of the duty shall I take?' The privilege formerly enjoyed by these gentlemen, of supping with him in private, after the conclusion

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of the evening service on the Lord's-day, has been spoken of by more than one of them, as peculiarly delightful and refreshing. So congenial were the duties of that holy day with the temper and taste of his renewed soul, that he generally appeared at the close of the day to be invigorated, rather than exhausted, by them. I am an eight-day clock,' said he; now I am wound up for another week.' His prayers on these occasions (for he always closed with prayer) were, it may be presumed, some of the least reserved of his supplications addressed to the throne of Grace. A Dignitary of the Church, who was once present, remarked to the Curate, in returning, how much he had been affected with the deep humiliation indicated by Mr. Simeon's prayers, particularly with the confession (taken from Bishop Beveridge, but which appeared to be new to him), that our very tears need to be washed in the atoning blood of Christ."

During the season of his retirement from public duties, Mr. Simeon was indefatigable in his attention to his beloved brother Edward. Little hope indeed remained of his recovery from the painful disorder under which he laboured; but Mr. S. had the unspeakable consolation of observing a manifest improvement in his spiritual estate:-though his outward man seemed to be decaying, his inward man was evidently renewed day by day.' Mr. Simeon's tenderness and earnestness on this and other matters of private and minor interest may be traced in the following letters, written at this period, to Mr. Lloyd, and his much-loved friends at Reading.

To the Rev. T. LLOYD:

"Salvador House, Jan. 9, 1808.

"My very dear Friend and Brother,

"I thank you a thousand times for the kind and friendly solicitude you express respecting myself and my poor afflicted brother. In body he is certainly little if at all better, than when I had the pleasure of seeing you last: but I cannot say so in relation to his soul. Adored be our God, there is a daily and visible progress in his love to heavenly things. He no longer complains, as he always has done before, that people of our description require too much, and thereby discourage those whom we wish to benefit: on the contrary, be begins to have his own wishes conformed to those of God; and desires rather to have his experience elevated to the requisitions of the Gospel, than to have those lowered to his attainments. He delights to have me read and pray with him: and when I attempt it, God is for the most part graciously present with us: he melts our hearts into contrition, and entwines them in the tenderest love.

"I feel no difficulty in believing that God will hear and answer prayer: on the contrary, I seem to think that if God only give me an heart to pray, the work shall surely be done. I am aware of the difference between asking for ourselves and others, and consequently, between the kinds and degrees of confidence that should be entertained in relation to the promises themselves, and especially to our own application of them. And so far am I from approving of the construing of an inward persuasion of mine into an absolute promise of God, that I account it little less than blasphemy. But I

know whence a spirit of prayer comes, and whence an humble boldness and confidence: and I look on these as a kind of pledge and earnest of still greater blessings. Hence, if I have the pledge given me by God, I entertain a joyful hope that I shall have the full accomplishment of my heart's desire. This therefore is what I am longing after; I desire to be more humble, more earnest, more constant, more believing in prayer and I feel, that if I can obtain this mercy from God, my dear brother shall be given me: if God were an unjust judge, instead of a loving Father, I should wrest the blessing from Him. Some sweet answer to prayer I have already had, if I may put that construction upon the manifestations of His presence with me in my poor endeavours.

"I greatly regret indeed that I am able to do very little in the way of reading or conversation. If I attempt it a second time in the day, though I only whisper, it overcomes me. But, though from a prudent regard to my public duties I abstain, I think that I would most gladly spend, and be spent for Him.

"It has afforded me most unfeigned joy to see you apparently so well. May God of his infinite mercy strengthen you for his service, and make you yet a blessing to many, many souls! "C. S."

To Mrs. RING, Reading.

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"Salvador House, Jan. 28, 1808.

My very dear Madam,

"It is indeed a vale of tears. Two letters

I have this moment opened; the first informs me that my faithful and affectionate servant, (my man's