BX 7260 .K6 A3 1859 
Knill, Richard, 1787-1857. 
The life of the Rev. Richar 
Knill, of St. Petersburg 




I 



LIFE OF 

EEY. RICHARD KNILL. 



" The hiographer has performed his office with judgment 
and fidelity, and has given us a condensed account of one 
of the most useful ministers of his age. He has left him 

to speak for himself and teU his own story Such a 

man's life should he a study. . . . I am not without hope 
that this volume has its mission to stir us up to a spirit 
like his own.'^ 

" The man who writes one good, popular, useful re- 
ligious tract has done a work worth living for, though he 
did nothing else. There is a time coming when Hie author 
of the " Swearer's Prayer'' (Mr. KniK) will have more joy 
in his simple leaflet than Milton in the production of 
Paradise Lost." — Eev. J. A. James' Eevietv. 



"7 think it prohahle that with these few notes on dear 
Knill's life and labours, I shall lay down my pen, which 
has written much." — Rev. J. A. James to the Editor on 
tlie day before his death. 



THE LIFE 



OF THE 



REV. RICHARD KNILL, 

OF ST. PETERSBURG: 



BEIXG 

SELECTIONS FROM HIS REMINISCENCES, JOURNALS, 
AND CORRESPONDENCE. 



BY THE REV. CHARLES M. BHIRELL, 

OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH, LIVERPOOL. 

WITH A REVIEW OF HIS CHARACTER, BY THE LATE 
REV. JOHN ANGELL JAMES. 



PRINTED BY THE 
AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY. 

150 NASSAU-STREET, NEW YORK. 



PREFACE. 



The personal reminiscences which form the 
basis of this narrative were penned during 
some periods of silence appointed to the vener- 
able writer towards the close of his life. The 
hope, however, which was at first entertained, 
of presenting them to the reader as an un- 
touched composition, could not be realized, as 
they were found, on close examination, to be 
marked by chronological inaccuracies, and the 
omission of some interesting passages of his 
history. The Editor, although he had the 
happiness of witnessing Mr. Knill's manner of 
life in the foreign capital which enjoyed so 
large a share of his labours, as well as the 
privilege of frequent communication with him 
during his residence in the English city in 
which his useful career closed, did not judge 
himself competent to complete the story ; but 
a large supply of letters and several volumes 
of journals having promised to supply the 

1* (V) 



vi 



PREFACE. 



deficiencies of the original sketch, he attempted 
to unite all the documents in a continuous 
narration, which should retain, as much as 
possible, the character of an autobiography. 

At a period when there are signs of an in- 
creased desire on the part of Christians to 
seize the opportunities of usefulness which 
occur in common life, the example of one, who, 
though occupying a public position, was dis- 
tinguished for the dcYOutness, vigilance, and 
success with which he applied the interviews 
of the home and the wayside to the loftiest 
topics, will not, it is hoped, be unseasonable, 
nor, by the Divine blessing, without fruit. 

The fervent and discriminating application 
of the moral lessons of the book made in the 
concluding pages by an author who has laid 
this generation under so great obligations — 
whose words prompted the earliest serious 
thoughts, and guide the mature labours of so 
many amongst us — will, it is believed, be ac- 
cepted by the reader, as it has been by the 
Editor, with sincere gratitude." 

Edge Hill, Liverpool, 
1st October, 1859. 

See Postscript, page 355. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 
EABLY DAYS— A.D. 1792-1812 ; JET. 5-25. 

Parentage — ^Escape — ^His Mother's Prayers — Enlistment — Convictions- 
Residence in Bideford — Rev. S. Rooker — Christian Profession — Mis 
sionary Aspirations — Perils — ^North Devon Militia — Touching Re- 
cognition— New Work, Pages 11-31 



CHAPTER II. 
MISSIONARY CONSECRATION— A.D. 1812-1814 ; m. 25-27. 

The "Western Academy — ^Review of life — ^Useful Conversation — A Stu- 
dent's Sermon — Rev. Dr. Waugh — Solemn Purpose — His Mother's 
Struggle — Missionary Fire — ^Decision — ^Faith — Accepted by the Lon- 
don Missionary Society, Pages 33-60 



CHAPTER lU. 
PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR-A.D. 1814-1815 ; MF. 27, 28. 

The Rev. Dr. Bogue— Gosport Studies— A Stranger— Street Preaching— 
A Generous Sailor— Indian Destination — Ordination at liCeds — Good 



(vii) 



viii 



CONTENTS. 



Fruits — Christian Love — Conversion and Unexpected Recognitioi^ 
Family Reform and another Recognition — Farewells — His Mother's 
Wedding Ring— Embarkation, Pages 51-81 

CHAPTER IV. 
THE FIRST CAJIPAIGN— A.D. 1816-1820 ; 29-33 

Missionaries for the East — The Captain — ^The Voyage — Sea Services — 
Cape of Good Hope— Madras— Mr. and Mrs. Loveless— A Young 
OflQcer — ^First Victory — ^Jlilitary Officers — A Civilian Converted— "A 
Religious Horse" — Chastening — ^The Sky Beclouded — Dr. Judson — 
Tour in South India — An Elephant Enlisted — Ceylon — Voyage Home 
—St. Helena— England again, Pages 83-121 

CHAPTER V. 
THE RUSSIAN CAPITAI^A.D. 1820-1823; MT. 33-36. 

Religious State of Russia— Voyage to St. Petersburg— Winter at Sea— 
The Congregation — ^Time of Refreshing — ^Walter Venning — School 
for Poor Foreigners— Sickness — Marriage — Correspondence with 
Missionaries — Pastoral Visits — Russian Bible Society— The Emperor 
—Education— Fellow-Labourers, .... Pages 123-148 

CHAPTER VI. 

STORMS— A.D. 1824, 1825 ; JET. 37, 38. 

Position of St. Petersburg— Inundation— Loss of Life— Russian Benevo- 
lence — Domestic Anxiety — Bereavement — Useful Sermon — Cautions 
to aToung Christian— Bible Society Imperilled— Death of the Em- 
peror — Civil Confusion — Attempted Revolution— Extinction of Rus- 
sian Bible Society, Pages 149-171 

CHAPTER VII. 

GLEAMS— A.D. 1826; MT. 39. 

ffis Mother's and Father's Death— Schools— The Watchmaker's Trophy 
— ^The Russian Tailor ; his Scepticism, Love and Zeal — Retro- 
Bpect, Pages 173-190 



CONTENTS. 



ix 



CHAPTEK VIIL 
BLUE SKIES— A.D. 1828, 1829 ; 41, 4a. 

Departure of Fellow-Labourers— Baltic Islanders— Finnisli Bibles— The 
Milkmaid— Bibles Taking Wing— Faith Tested— Good Fruits— New 
Year's Prayer — Release of Russian Testaments — Large Diffusion of 
Scriptures — Caution — Severity of the Government — Summary of 
Work, Pages 191-215 



CHAPTEK IX. 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE— A.D. 1830-1832; JETT. 43-45. 

Departure of Mr. and Mrs. Venning— New House Consecrated— Alarm- 
ing News of Cholera — ^The Princess Metschersky — ^The Princess' 
Translations — ^Unexpected Liberty — Hannah More — Christian Litera- 
ture — A Prisoner Freed — Bideford Letters— North Devon Sunday- 
Schools — ^Kindness of the Empress — Summer Retreat — ^Peace dur- 
ing Peril— History of Trials— Tracts— English Sailors— A Gloomy 
Winter— Return to England, Pages 217-292 



CHAPTER X. 
WIDENING HORIZON— A.D. 1834-1847 ; 47-60. 

Missionary Work in England— Dr. Urwick's Sketch— Irish Tours— Spirit 
of Prayer — Home Revisited — Leeds — Mr. Reed's Account — Fruits 
of Conversations — Mr. Spurgeon — Wotton-under-Edge — ^Time of Re- 
freshing — Rural Evangelists — Removal to Chester, Pages 259-292 



CHAPTER XI. 

SUNSET— A.D. 1848-1857 ; JET. 61-70. 

Chester— Preparation of the Church— Domestic Trials— Sketch of his 
Son Samuel— Death of his Son and Niece— Fresh Zeal— Colloquies- 
Prisoners — Liberality — Old Indian Friends— New Measures — The 
Theatre— Striking Assembly— Sinners Arrested— Last Mission-Tour 



z 



CONTENTS. 



— Sudden Illness — The Peace of God — Oosing Calls and Letters- 
Home — Decline— Praise — Departing — Glory— Funeral— Personal Ap- 
pearance, Pages 295-329 



CHAPTER Xn. 

Review of Mr. Knill's Life and Character by the Rev. J. A. James, 

Pages 338-354 



POSTSCRIPT, 



Page 355 



CHAPTER I. 

^Sarlg gap. 



" More servants wait on man 
Than he '11 take notice of : in every path 
He treads down that which doth befriend him." 

Herbert. 



(11) 



EAELY DAYS. 

If the reader, in the course of a summer ex- 
cursion, have sailed along the fine southern 
shore of the Bristol Channel, and, passing the 
rocks of Lynton and Ilfracombe, have turned 
into the Bay of Bideford to meet the tide of 
the " two notable rivers " which, in the words 
of Risdon, the antiquary, " there, hand in hand, 
with mutual affection, slip into the sea," he 
must have noticed two plains of considerable 
extent, stretching from the sea-line to the foot 
of the wooded hills. The one on the right 
hand, being guarded by the singular ocean- 
built breakwater, known as the " Pebble- 
Ridge," presents a noble sheet of pasturage for 
the flocks of the neighbouring farms ; while 
the one on the left hand, though not so ver- 
dant, covers the forest of a former time, in 
which, according to the firm testimony of tra- 
dition, a hardy preacher of the fourth century 
2 (13) 



14 



EARLY DAYS. 



proclaimed the gospel. The determined zeal 
and fruitful toils of this primitive evangelist 
have imprinted his name on the parish church 
of St. Braunock's, as well as on the village or 
township of Braunton, which lies embosomed 
in orchards in a picturesque adjacent valley. 

In the modern community of this place, the 
father of the missionary whose life is deline- 
ated in the folio u'ing pages held a somewhat 
prominent position. He inherited from his 
ancestors, who had been known for many 
generations in the parish, a capacity for nearly 
all kinds of business. His original trade was 
that of a carpenter, but, by the help of a small 
patrimony, he gradually relinquished that oc- 
cupation for pursuits more agreeable to his dis- 
cursive genius. While he would occasionally 
plan and work at the construction of a house, 
he would be found equally at home valuing the 
timber of an estate, selling a farming stock, 
making the draught of a lease, or drawing up 
the will and testament of a dying neighbour. 
These useful services, united with a tall person, 
a benevolent countenance, and a goodly wig, 
procured for him the familiar but respectful 



EARLY DAYS. 



15 



title of " The Counsellor.'' He married Mary- 
Tucker, a woman of superior education and 
excellent judgment, the daughter of a substan- 
tial neighbouring farmer, distinguished for 
kindness to the poor and general hospitality. 

Richard, named after his father, the youn- 
gest of their four children, was born at Braun- 
ton, on the 14th April, 1787. The only inci- 
dent of liis childhood which has come down to 
us was one which nearly cost him his life. On 
his way to school, the boy had to cross a stream 
spanned by a bridge of two flat stones. On 
attempting one day to ascertain how far he 
could push a stick under this structure, he 
overbalanced himself and fell in. The splash 
reached the ear of a poor widow, carding wool 
by her cottage door. On looking up, she spied 
a child's hat on the surface of the stream, and^ 
darting to the spot, drew the little owner, by 
his flaxen locks, from under the bridge. Molly 
Robins was never forgotten by Mr. Knill. 

She could not read," he would say character- 
istically, " but she saved my life : feeble 
powers, if well employed, will do wonders." 
Braunton owed little to its reliQ:ious instruc- 



16 



EARLY DAYS. 



tors. Its inhabitants generally lived in moral 
darkness, though, in addition to the parish 
church, it had had a community of Noncon- 
formists from the earliest period possible after 
the Act of Uniformity in 1662. The parents 
of Richard Knill resembled their neighbours, 
and Ts^ere not prepared, at the time when he 
was committed to their charge, to direct him 
in the path of life. 

" But," says he, in the reminiscences, which 
shall now be largely quoted, " God remem- 
bered them in their low estate. A young 
man, named Joseph Evans, the son of a farmer, 
who had been for some years in Barnstaple, 
came home and opened a shop. He gave no- 
tice to a few of his friends that he should have 
a religious service at his house on Sunday 
evenings. It was much ridiculed by the people 
generally, but my beloved mother, who had 
known Mr. Evans from a child, attended his 
meeting. There the Holy Ghost applied the 
word with such power to her soul that she 
could not stay away. The Lord Jesus Christ 
became very precious. She rejoiced with joy 
unspeakable. My father was highly displeased 



EARLY DAYS. 



17 



at this ; and I never recollect his speaking un- 
kindly to my mother, except about this change 
in her religion. But she sought comfort in 
prayer ; and would often take me with her into 
her chamber, and say, ' Kneel down with me, 
my dear, and I will pray with you; your 
father and your brothers will not join me.' I 
wondered why she wept so, and where she got 
such remarkable prayers for my father and the 
family ; but I understand it now, and I have 
good reason to believe that her prayers for 
them have been answered, and that she has met 
them all in heaven, except myself, and I trust, 
through rich, distinguishing grace, she will 
meet me there also. Blessed be God for a 
praying mother." 

" In my thirteenth year," he continues, " I 
was apprenticed to business, and in my seven- 
teenth year finished my apprenticeship, and 
went abroad into the wide world to make my 
fortune. I proceeded to Ilfracombe, and Barn- 
staple, and Bristol, for improvement, and so 
far I succeeded ; but I cannot look back to 
these early travels without a pang. ' Evil 
communications corrupt good manners.' In 
2 



18 



EARLY DAYS. 



the midst of wicked old men, and wicked 
j^oung men, I forgot the prayers of my pious 
mother, and became fond of singing foolisli 
songs, and breaking the Sabbath, thus stifling 
the voice of conscience, and fighting against 
God ; and all this before I was twenty. My 
fondness for music was a great snare to me. 
The devil often took advantage of it to lead 
me into company. At last I began to fancy 
that if I enlisted into the militia I should soon 
get into the band, and then it would be music 
and songs all the year round. Accordingly, I 
enlisted. This nearly broke my mother's 
heart. ' Now,' said she, ' body and soul are 
lost; oh! what can be done?' Mr. Evans' 
the dear friend who led my mother to Jesus, 
called on my parents to sympathise with them, 
and offered to try and procure my discharge. 
Their hearts were full of joy at his offer. Mr. 
Evans immediately waited on Colonel Bevis, 
an intimate friend of Earl Fortescue, the Lord- 
Lieutenant of the country. He told the colonel 
the story, described the feelings of my parents, 
and offered any money that might be needful. 
* I will do it,' said the colonel ; ' but you must 



EARL\r DAYS. 19 

get a substitute, and keep Knill out of the way 
until the matter is settled.' It was a mighty 
struggle,^ but it succeeded ; and it is affecting 
for me to know, that the young man who be- 
came my substitute soon volunteered into ' the 
regulars,' and was killed in the heat of battle ; 
perhaps, as my mother said about me, ' body 
and soul were lost.^ 

" During the proceedings with the colonel, I 
was shut up. Mr. Evans gave me a room, and 
I came down night and morning at family 
prayer. This was a new and strange scene to 
me. I had never been present at a family 
prayer in my life. The first night that I was 
in this good man's house, about nine o'clock 
lie rang the bell, and his shopmen and servants 
all came in to the parlour and sat down. I 
looked with surprise, and wondered what was 
coming next. When all were seated, he opened 

* The miglity struggle is said, by an early companion of 
Mr. Knill, to have arisen in part from the dissatisfaction of 
the major with the substitute accepted by the colonel. 
Knill, being upwards of six feet high, had been placed 
among the grenadiers, but the substitute being shorter could 
not occupy his place. The colonel insisting on his right to 
admit a man of the minimum height, produced a permanent 
coolness between himself and his brother officer. 



20 



EARLY DAYS. 



his Bible and read a portion, and thus let God 
speak to his household. They then arose and 
fell upon their knees. The sight overpowered 
me. I trembled ; I almost fainted. At last I 
kneeled down too. I thought of my past life ; 
I thought of my present position ; I thought, 
Can such a guilty creature be saved ? I heard 
but little of my kind friend's prayer. All my 
soul seemed turned in upon myself. My con- 
science said — ' This is how true Christians 
live; but how have I lived? God has not 
been in all my thoughts ; but now I will begin 
to seek mercy.' 

" I went to bed that night as I never had 
gone before. On entering the room, I looked 
around for a Bible, but found none. There 
was a copy of ' Doddridge's Hymns' on the 
table, some verses of which I read on my 
knees, by the bed-side, and then poured out my 
heart in broken prayers, and went to bed. 
This was just when I had completed my twen- 
tieth year. I have never gone to Barnstaple 
of late years, without going to weep over the 
hallowed spot where God fastened the arrows 
of conviction in my heart." 



EARLY DAYS. 



21 



" There was from that time," he writes in 
1812, " a great alteration in my outward con- 
duct, and I could not commit sin without stings 
of conscience ; yet I was a stranger to that 
godly sorrow which worketh ' repentance 
which needeth not to be repented of.' " But a 
new residence was to conduct to a glorious 
change. " Mrs. Isaac, of Bideford," he says, 
" wanted a person to conduct her business, and 
to instruct her only son, a youth a little 
younger than myself. I was recommended to 
her, and agreed to go." 

For some time after this removal, which oc- 
curred in March, 1808, he continued to attend 
the services of the Established Church either 
at Braunton or at Bideford, but gave no indi- 
cations of religious progress until he made the 
acquaintance of Mr. Thomas Spencer, a young 
man who resided next door to him. Mr. 
Spencer, while walking in his master's garden, 
repeatedly heard his neighbour's fine voice in 
song, and conceived that it would be of service 
both to the congregation and to himself if he 
could induce him to attend the ministry of the 
Rev. Samuel Rooker. In this he happily sue* 



22 



EARLY DAYS. 



ceeded. The songs of the world were ex- 
changed for those of Zion, and every week the 
ministry of Mr. Rooker served to bring some 
fresh meaning to his strains. " Mr. Rooker,'- 
it is said in the reminiscences, " was a holy 
man of God and a sound theologian, deeply 
read in the old divines. A hungry soul could 
feed and thrive on his ministry, and an inquir- 
ing spirit could find rest. It was just what I 
needed for nursing my incipient piety, expand- 
ing my religious views, and fitting me for 
active service." 

The church was at this period, it seems, in a 
languid state — inclined to repose on the tradi- 
tion of former prosperity, and on the reputa- 
tion of its then recently deceased pastor, the 
Rev. Samuel Lavington. Mr. Rooker had suc- 
ceeded this excellent man, his father-in-law, as 
the sole pastor of the church, about three years 
before, and was anxiously desiring better times. 
A sermon which he preached at the celebra- 
tion of the jubilee of George III, on the 25th 
of October, 1809, was accompanied by an unu- 
sual impression ; and a report of it, from Mr. 
Knill's pen, having found its way into the 



EARLY DAYS. 



23 



preacher's hands, he was led to seek the ac- 
quaintance of the writer, and to begin a life- 
long friendship fraught with rich blessings. 

It was about eight months after this inci- 
dent that the two friends, Knill and Spencer, 
sought admission into the church. They were 
hailed by Mr. Rooker in a fine paternal ad- 
dress, founded on the words, " I have drawn 
thee with cords of love and with the bands of 
a man," and the impulse which the little com- 
munity received from the accession was of the 
happiest description. Meetings for devotional 
purposes, which had subsided into formality, 
were revived ; and there was," says a con- 
temporary, " an earnestness, an unction, and a 
breathing after holiness in Mr. KnilFs prayers 
which went to the hearts of otliers." A Sun- 
day-school had existed for some years under 
* the care of an illiterate teacher, and had been 
reduced to an almost nominal attendance, 
when, about a fortnight after the addition of 
the new members, Mr. Rooker proposed that 
the then novel system of voluntary instruction 
should be tried. Knill and his companion 
seized the idea, and threw their new-born en- 



24 



EARLY DAYS. 



ergies into the work. The poor old teacher's 
salary was continued ; but a staff of young 
persons of both sexes assumed the duties, and 
the school sprung into a new existence.* 

The anniversaries of the institution were 
seasons of great interest, which the pastor 
watchfully applied to the highest ends. His 
discourse on the 20th of Sept., 1811, deserves 
particular commemoration. As a contrast to 
the advantages of an early Christian educa- 
tion, he read some passages from " Buchanan's 
Christian Researches in the East," a book 
which was then awakening great attention in 
the country. As he went over the thrilling 

* For several particulars in this part of the Darrative, the 
Editor is indebted to an interesting paper relative to the 
origin of the Bideford Sunday-schools, drawn up by a lady 
who was one of the first teachers, and who happily survives 
to maintain her early habits of usefulness. A curious illus- 
tration of the difficulties encountered in those times is thus 
given: — "Mr. Newcomen, an eminently pious and benevo- 
lent man, of good property, having read of Joseph Lan- 
caster's plan of educating children by mutual instruction, 
ordered the books and lessons with the view of establishing 
such a school in Bideford ; but being told it would injure the 
poor old women who got their living by teaching children, 
and who could not earn a subsistence in any other way, he 
relinquished the attempt." 



EARLY DAYS. 



25 



picture of the pilgrims to Juggernaut, and re- 
counted facts which some judged too revolting 
for the ears of an English auditory, one of the 
teachers, sitting in the aisle at the head of his 
class, was noticed with large moistened eyes 
fixed on the preacher, and his manly open 
countenance beaming with mingled wonder 
and compassion. " It was," said he, long after- 
wards, " like a spark on tinder. It set me on 
fire to go to the heathen. I did not know of 
missionary societies, but my thoughts were set 
to work, and I borrowed books and informed 
my mind on the subject. I was afraid to men- 
tion my impressions to my pastor, but they 
smouldered until the Lord's time came." 

Mr. Knill, in later life, communicated to a 
small periodical an account of an incident, 
which it is difficult to imagine as having oc- 
curred at this advanced period of his profes- 
sion ; but the most careful comparison of 
events does not admit of its earlier insertion. 
If this is its proper place, it will afford a 
warning all the more striking to young per- 
sons of a social and trusting temperament. 
On his way to the school one Sabbath morn- 
3 



26 



EARLY DAYS. 



ing, lie was met by three of liis former com- 
panions, who said they were bound on an ex- 
cursion up the river, on which the early sun 
was beautifully gleaming. Partly by sarcasm 
and partly by entreaty, they induced him to 
join their party. The boat glided up the 
stream, and had scarcely shut out the town 
behind the richly-wooded banks, when " the 
church bell rung out," the narrator says, " sig- 
nifying to the inhabitants that it was nine 
o'clock, and that, by and by, divine service 
would commence. The sound of the bell 
vibrated sweetly on the undulating wave, and 
produced a tranquillizing effect on three of 
the party, but to the fourth it was perfect 
agony. Perhaps a poor condemned criminal, 
on the morning of his execution, hears the 
prison-clock strike which warns him of the 
fatal hour, with just the same feelings as this 
young man heard the nine o'clock bell. Tliat 
well-known sound had been to him, for months 
past, the signal for commencing the Sunday- 
school, and now the wiiole of the Sunday-school 
proceedings spread out before the eye of his 
mind. His conscience was very busy : the 



EARLY DAYS. 



27 



Spirit set liis guilty conduct in terrible array 
before him. He fancied he heard the children 
sing, the teacher pray, the school business 
begin, and every man at his post but one, and 
that was himself. In vain did his companions 
laugh, and banter him, and try to cheer him. 
No — God had smitten him ; and a wounded 
spirit who can bear ? They had taken some 
musical instruments with the mwith an inten- 
tion to play ; but his harp was now unstrung, 
and the whole day was spent by him in perfect 
misery. If he could have jumped ashore he 
would have done it, but he could not ; yet one 
thing he did, and it was Avorth doing. He 
solemnly resolved never to break the Sabbath 
again, and never more to associate with those 
who fear not God, but to come out from among 
them and be separate ; and God has enabled 
him to perform this vow." 

After this, his deepened convictions of duty 
found expression in various efforts after useful- 
ness, one of which he thus describes : — " The 
North Devon Local Militia was about to be 
disbanded at Barnstaple. The regiment con- 
sisted of one thousand men, who were soon to 



28 



EARLY DAYS. 



return to their families in almost every parish 
of the north division of the county. Mr. 
Mills, with whom I had become acquainted 
through the Barnstaple Sunday-school, said to 
me, ' What a noble opportunity there is for 
distributing religious tracts in all the dark 
villages around ! The regiment will give us a 
thousand distributers, if we can only get them 
conveyed to the men.' I said, ' How can it be 
done? ' To which he answered, ' I have not 
nerve enough to give the tracts to the soldiers ; 
but I will furnish you with the tracts, if you 
will circulate them.' ' Agreed.' The tracts 
were obtained, and I set about my work. The 
men were assembled in the barrack-yard, wait- 
ing for the signal to deliver up their arms. I 
made my way to the Pioneers, who stood at 
the right, and said, ' Friends, will you take 
home a beautiful little book to your families ?' 
They joyfully received them. I next came to 
the band. I took ' Christ the only Refuge 
from the Wrath to Come,' and offered it to the 
master. He looked at me, and said ' I under- 
stand that you go about converting people; 
can you convert me ?' I replied, ' It is not in 



EARLY DAYS. 



29 



my power to convert people; but if it were, 
the first person I would convert, sir, should be 
Serjeant Reynolds.' ' Well,' said he, * that is 
plain enough.' ' Yes,' I added, ' and it is sin- 
cere too. Now, this tract may convert you, 
Serjeant ; it was written by that great man, 
Mr. Hervey, who wrote " Meditations among 
the Tombs." ' ' Ah,' said he, ' I have read that 
book, and I will take your tract and read it 
too.' This was just what I wanted, for 
immediately all the musicians took tracts. I 
proceeded next to the grenadiers, who were all 
pleased, until I came to one merry-andrew kind 
of a fellow. He took the tract and held it up, 
swore at it, and asked, ' Are you going to con- 
vert me ?' I said, ' Don't swear at the tract ; 
you cannot hurt the tract, but swearing will 
injure your soul.' ' Who are you ? ' he ex- 
claimed. ' Form a circle round him,' said he to 
his comrades, ' and I will swear at him.' They 
did so : he swore fearfully, and I wept. The 
tears moved the feelings of the other men, and 
they said, ' Let him go ; he means to do us 
good.' So I distributed my thousand tracts, and 
left them in the care of Him who said, ' My word 
3^ 



EARLY DAYS. 



shall not return unto me void.' Many years 
after I Lad taken leave of these soldiers, I re- 
turned from India to my native country, and 
visited Ilfracombe. There I was invited to 
preach in the open air, a few miles distant. 
Preparations were made for my visit ; and 
during the time that I was preaching, I saw a 
tall, grey-headed man in the crowd, weeping, 
and a tall young man, who looked like his son, 
standing by his side, and weeping also. At 
the conclusion of the service, they both came 
up to me, and the father said, ' Do you recollect 
giving tracts to the local militia at Barnstaple 
some years ago V ' Yes.' Do you recollect 
anything particular of that distribution ? ' 
' Yes ; I recollect one of the granadiers 
swore at me till he made me weep.' ' Stop,' 
said he ; ' oh, sir, I am the man. I never for- 
gave myself for that wicked act. But I hope 
it has led me to repentance, and that God has 
forgiven me. And now, let me ask, will you 
forgive me?' It quite overcame me for tlie 
moment, and we parted with a prayer that we 
might meet in heaven. Is not this encourage- 
ment ? May we not well say, one tract may 
save a soul ? " 



EAliLY DAYS. 31 

The piety, tact, and courage which he thus 
early exhibited, awakened in the minds of Mr. 
Knill's friends the idea that he might be 
destined for tlie Christian ministry. The 
Rev. William Rooker, of Tavistock, brother 
of his excellent pastor, when on a visit to Bide- 
ford, asked him whether his desires tended 
towards that work. To this he replied, that 
w^hile he scarcely dared to admit the fact, and 
could see no way of accomplishing such an 
object, the wish to be wholly consecrated to 
the publication of the gospel occupied all his 
thoughts. The path was soon opened ; and he 
proceeded for classical and theological study 
to the Western Academy. 



CHAPTER n. 



" There's a voice upon the waters 
Deeper than the sounding sea ; 
Zion 1 wake thy sons and daughters, 
Heaven and earth are in the plea." 

M. G-. Saffert. 



(33) 



3 



mSSIONARY COj^SECRATIOK 

" The Western Academy is of ancient date 
among the colleges for Dissenters. It usually 
had eight students, partly supported by the 
King's Head Society in London, and partly 
from other sources. My honoured pastor inter- 
ested himself deeply about me, and obtained 
my admission. It was at that time under the 
watchful care and instruction of the Rev. 
James Small, Axminster, Devon. Into this 
school of the prophets I was cordially wel- 
comed in the autumn of 1812. It was a fine 
retired, happy place for those who wished to 
be happy in it. Many and great were its 
advantages. One of these was, that the stu- 
dents formed part of the family, took their 
meals at the family table, and kneeled around 
the family altar. The presence of ladies always 
has a refining effect on young men, who, in 
general, need refining. This privilege we 

(35) 



36 



MISSIONARY COXSECRATIOX. 



had. Mr. Small made a point of calling tlie 
students by name between five and six every 
morning, and a fine was levied on tlie person 
who was not down stairs before six o'clock. 
It gives me pleasure to recollect that I was 
never fined. I learned habits of punctuality 
which have been of use to me all through my 
life. 

*' In looking back on tliis movement, I feel 
that it is a very solemn matter for a young 
man of twenty-five to leave the business in 
which he has been brought up, and enter upon 
a life of study for the ministry. If he fail as 
a preacher he is ruined. His student's life 
has unfitted him for returning again to busi- 
ness, and in this way many excellent men, who 
would have shone in secular life, have been 
compelled to drag out a miserable existence. 
Ministers cannot be too cautious in recommend- 
ing young men to our colleges." 

" My Bideford friends considered it quite 
an era in the history of their Sunday-school, 
that one of their first teachers should become 
a minister. They loaded me with kindness on 
my departure, and always greeted me with 



MISSIONARY CONSECRATION. 



37 



sweet fraternal affection at every subsequent 
return." 

Nor did the young student fail to cherish 
tender reminiscences of these early friends 
and scenes. To his recent companion, Mr. 
Thomas Isaac, he writes from " Axminster," on 
the 9th February, 1814 : — " The revolving sea- 
son forcibly reminds me of my first acquaint- 
ance with you — an acquaintance which, I 
trust, will be strengthened and matured even 
to eternity. It is now just six years since 
that memorable hour — ever-memorable, in- 
deed, to me. Instead of saying with Job 
(on another occasion), ' Let it not be joined 
unto the days of the year, let it not come 
into the number of the months,' I would pray, 
' Lord, let it be engraven on my heart in 
indelible characters,' for then I began to seek 
the Lord — then I began to live. I am aston- 
ished when I consider the innumerable mercies 
the Lord has conferred upon me since that peri- 
od. Oh, that I could feel grateful as I ought ! 

" At times I can with great perspicuity trace 
the Lord's hand in leading me to live with 
vou, in drawing me to hear that good man 
4 



38 



MISSIONARY COXSECRATIOX. 



Mr. Rooker preach the glorious gospel, in 
sweetly constraining me to attend the prayer- 
meeting, and at last in bringing me to this 
place. And cannot you behold it is the Lord s 
doing ? Then lift up a song of praise for me." 

At the midsummer vacation he returned for 
a short time to Bideford, and afterwards had 
the happiness of learning that his conversa- 
tion had been the means of leading the daugh- 
ter of a neighbouring farmer, whom he had 
frequently visited, to a life of devoted piety. 
The manner in which tlie decided character of 
this young person triumphed, by the power of 
God, over severe domestic persecution, and 
led to the conversion of her father and mother, 
and her brothers and sisters, as well as to the 
commencement and continued maintenance of 
evangelical light in a benighted parish, is 
strikingly depicted by Mr. KnilFs own pen, in 
the little narrative called " The Farmer and 
his Family." 

" On my return fi^om Russia," he observes, 
in the reminiscences, " I went to visit the farm 
on which the family resided. The venerable 
father was sitting in his arm-chair in front of 



MISSIOXARY CONSECRATION. 



39 



the house, to see me arrive, and to give me 
the first welcome. As he approached me, with 
snow-white locks floating over his shoulders, 
he burst into tears, caught me by the hand, and 
with a faltering voice said, ' Dear Mr. Knill, 
we are a whole family going to heaven now, 
and Betsy has been the means of it all.' 

The period spent at Axminster was devoted 
to study, not in itself calculated to quicken 
the spiritual life ; but his heart gave no sign 
of diminished sensibility. The peculiar ease 
which he afterwards displayed in touching 
and carrying with him the feelings of an au- 
ditory evinced itself even then, and under cir- 
cumstances by no means such as predisposed 
to the expression of the emotions. It was the 
custom for the students, after the first year's 
residence, to read a discourse in turn for the 
criticism of their compeers and tutor. When 
under skilful guidance, there is probably no 
better training for the actual duty of the pul- 
pit. On the first occasion when Mr. Knill 
submitted a production to this ordeal, he se- 
lected as his text, " Ye who sometimes were 
far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ 



40 



MISSIONARY COXSECRATIOX. 



and proceeded to illustrate the words from bis 
own experience, and to urge tlie claims of 
Christ to the gratitude of redeemed men, with 
such force and pathos, that several of the stu- 
dents, forgetting their judicial character, were 
melted to tears. The conclusion was followed 
by a long pause, after which the president, 
observing the general impression, and drying 
his own tears, rose and left the room, saying, 
" Brethren, criticism is disarmed to-day." 

In the month of April, 1814, a missionary 
meeting was held at Bridport, Dorset, a town 
about twelve miles distant from Axminster. 

" Perhaps this was the first which had been 
held in that part of the country. Missionary 
meetings were great novelties then. I had never 
seen one, nor had any of my fellow-students. 
Happily for us the Rev. Mr. Saltern wrote to 
our tutor, inviting him over, and ' bring the stu- 
dents with you, sir,' said he ; 'it may do them 
good. The Rev. Dr. Waugh of London is go- 
ing to preach. I should like them to hear him.' 
So we all went to Bridport, and Dr. Waugh 
preached. He took for his text, ' It shall come 
to pass in that day, that tlie great trumpet sliall 



MISSIONARY COXSECRATIOX. 41 

be blown, and they shall come which were ready 
to perish.' His plan was to show, firsts that 
the heathen were perishing, and that they could 
not help themselves ; second, that God, in His 
boundless love, had provided a remedy for 
them — the * blowing of the great trumpet/ 
Then he enlarged in his own peculiar manner 
on the gospel, and its adaptation to the wants 
of sinners ; and after a grand display of evan- 
gelical truth, he paused, and said, ' My brethren, 
this great trumpet cannot blow itself, it must 
be sounded by men — redeemed, converted 
men— those who themselves have tasted the joys 
of pardoned sin, and who, from their own hap- 
py experience, can tell the heathen what a pre- 
cious Saviour Jesus is. We want such men, 
and we must have them.' He then looked 
around, as if wishing to fix his piercing eye on 
some object, and in melting tones said, * Is there 
in this congregation one young disciple of the 
Lord Jesus who has love enough in his heart 
to his Master, to say, " Lord, here am I, send 
me ? I felt the appeal. It entered into my 
soul, and I silently said, ' Lord, I will go.' This 
was a solemn hour to me. I bless God for it, 
4* 



42 



MISSIONARY CONSECRATION. 



and shall ever bless Him. The service ended, 
and the students were all invited to dine with 
the ministers ; but I had no appetite for food. 
My heart was full. The family of our senior 
student, Mr. Hart, resided in Bridport. and from 
them I procured a little chamber, where I spent 
some hours alone in fasting and prayer. I have 
had that little room in my eye ten thousand 
times since, for there I spent some of the hap- 
piest moments of my life, in saying again to Him 
who redeemed me, ' Lord, I will go." 

" Mr. Small sent for me next morning to con- 
verse with me about it ; and when he found 
what were my feelings, he wrote to the secre- 
tary of the London Missionary Society to make 
inquiries. In the meantime, I went home to 
consult my honoured parents, and to endeavour 
to obtain their sanction. I had given them 
trouble enough about the army, and I wished 
not to wound their feelings again. My father 
heard me with great patience, and said, ' I will 
throw no impediment in your way ; but what 
will your mother say ?' I thought I was sure on 
that point, for slie loved Jesus more than Chris- 
tians in general do ; but I was mistaken. My 



MiSSIOXAUy CONSECRATIOX. -io 

mother's feelings were too strong. She said, 
' Richard, how can you think of leaving me ? I 
am advancing in years, and I have always com- 
forted myself with the hope that you would be 
with me to pray with me, and to cheer me when 
I shall pass through the valley of the shadow 
of death. I cannot give my consent. You should 
have seen me under the clods of the valley first.' 

" Here I was driven to my wit's end. I knew 
that God never smiles on a son who breaks a 
parent's heart. I could expect no blessing if I 
disobeyed so good a mother. But she betook 
herself to prayer, and at last prayer prevailed. 
She prayed for days, and nights too ; and one 
morning, as I met her at her chamber door, the 
tears were dried up. Her countenance was 
again tranquil, and she caught me round the 
neck, and with a mother's fond embrace, said, — 
' Now, my dear son, it is all settled ; God has 
given me grace to say to you, Go ; and I bless 
Him for putting it into your heart to go, and I 
adore Him for giving me an Isaac to offer on 
His altar. Go, my son, go ;' and from that 
hour until the day that she died, she did nothing 
but cheer me." 



44 



MISSIOXARY COXSECRATIOX. 



That he had viewed the subject with as much 
prudence as zeal, may be gathered from a few 
lines to Mr. Walter Bowen of Bideford, dated 
Axminster, IGth April, 1814 : — " Perhaps you 
have not forgotten that a spark of missionary 
fire was kindled in my bosom through tlie 
instrumentality of our dear Mr. Rooker ; but 
now, sir, with unspeakable pleasure, I inform 
you that sjoarh is blown into a flame — a flame 
which, I hope, and pray, and trust, will burn 
increasingly bright and clear till my pulse shall 
cease to beat, and my disembodied spirit join 
the spirits of the just made perfect, where the 
righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the 
kingdom of their Father. 

I have signified my intention to my rever- 
ed tutor, who readily acquiesced, and kindly 
ofiTered to accelerate so desirable an object. As 
it is an unprecedented tiling at Axminster 
Academy, Mr. Small has written to the commit- 
tee (which I particularly solicited), in order 
that I might have an honourable acquittal from 
hence, without which principle would not 
sufi'er me to go. I expect to hear the result in 
a few days, when it will be forwarded to the 



MISSIONARY CONSECRATION. 



45 



directors, and I hope my orders will soon arrive 
to go to Mr. Bogue's, Gosport, or wherever 
they may think proper to send me. After read- 
ing this, you may be ready to ask, ' Have you, 
my dear friend, thoroughly weighed the impor- 
tant matter V I will tell you, sir. I have been 
in the habit of asking myself such questions as 
these : — 

" Can you leave your dear parents ? — This 
is, indeed, a hard question : the ties of natural 
affection bind me fast, and many other things, 
better conceived than expressed, press sore 
upon me for their sakes. But if Jesus calls. I 
must obey ; for ' he that loveth father or 
mother more than me is not worthy of me.' 
Yes, I can l^ave my parents. 

" Can you part with friends ? — My friends 
are dear to me ; I love them with a Christian 
love, but I am not my friends^ yea, I am not 
my own, but Clirisfs. My friends could not 
purchase salvation for me, and I was totally 
incapable of effecting it myself ; surely I am 
bought Avith a price, and bound to glorify God 
in my body and my spirit, which are His. Yes, 
I can leave my friends. 



46 



MlSSlOXAilY COXSECRATiUX. 



Cau you leave the enjoyments of your 
native country ? — The comforts I am favoured 
with here are very great, and flesh and blood 
say, 'Enjoy them a little longer.' But, 0 my 
soul, confer not with flesh and blood. As for 
soul enjoyments, they are derived from the 
visits of my dear Redeemer, and He can visit 
my soul in tlie remotest regions. John was 
banished on the Isle of Patmos, but there he 
enjoyed peculiar manifestations of the Divine 
favour. Paul and Silas were thrust into the 
inner prison, and their feet made fast in the 
stocks, but Jesus drew near and caused them 
to burst into a song even at midnight. Then, 

0 my soul, let the enjoyments of thy native 
country vanish when contemplatii^ the glory 
of God in the salvation of the heathen. Yes, 

1 can leave this, too. 

" Are your bodily powers equal to the 
arduous undertaking? — My body, indeed, is 
weak, but the Master whom I serve is the 
preserver of body as well as spirit. He is the 
great Physician, and will make me immortal 
till my work is done. It is a useful life I wish 
for, whether long or short, and consequently I 



MISSIONARY COXSECRATIOX. 



47 



devote all my powers to so good a eaiise. 
Then, such as my body is, Lord, I resign it to 
Thee ; do with it as Thou pleasest. But, 0 my 
soul, the most important question remains to 
be answered : Art thou competent to so great, 
so arduous, so honourable a work ? — Here 
stop and wonder. The prophet complained, 
' Who hath believed our report V and the 
apostle, under a sense of his weakness, ex- 
claimed, * Who is sufficient for these things V 
And art thou greater than these ? No ; whilst 
I look to myself, I must despair ; but while I 
look b'elievingly to Jesus, then I am strong, 
knowing that I can do all things through 
Christ strengthening me. Then do not be 
discouraged ; look to the promises, they are 
more than suMcient for thee, and His strength 
shall be made perfect in thy weakness. 0 
blessed Jesus, here am I, send me ! 

' 'Tis to my Saviour I would live, 
To Him who for my ransom died.' " 

The steps by which he closed this stage of 
his journey are indicated in the following 
communications — the first to Mr. Isaac, and 
the second to Mr. Rooker : 



48 



MISSIONARY COXSECllATIOX. 



" Axminster, 30th May, 1814. 

. . . . I haYG received a letter from Mr. 
Burder, secretary to the Missionary Society, 
which states a probability of my being sent for 
to visit Mr. Campbell in London, who is lately 
returned from the Cape. It is in contem- 
plation, if I am accepted, to send me to tlie 
city of Lattakoo. Lord, support me ! Believe 
me, my dear friend, I am almost overwhelmed, 
but I hope in His mercy, who has helped me 
hitherto. Entreat the sympathy and prayers 
of my dear Bideford friends, though I firmly 
believe I need not entreat them." 

" Islington, London, 1st September, 1814. 

" Being about to leave London to-morrow, 
and having learnt from experience your con- 
cern for me, I avail myself of the pleasure of 
sending you a little information. My journey 
was not a very agreeable one, though the 
weather was fine, the views delightful, and my 
business big with importance. But we arrived 
in town at half-past seven on Saturday morn- 
ing, and shortly after I found myself in the 
house of a mother in Israel. Here, sir, I was 



MISSIONARY CONSECRATION. 



49 



introduced to three brethren, a Dane, a Scotch- 
man, and a Welshman. How refreshing the 
sio-ht ! How cheerinof their discourse ! For 
though they spoke broken English, yet they 
spoke the language of Canaan fluently and 
sweetly. Oh, my dear Mr. Rooker, how full of 
joy is the hope of spending an eternity with 
some of all nations, and kindreds, and people, 
and tongues, who shall all speak the same pure 
language, all join in the same harmonious 
song, and all unite in adoring our precious 
Redeemer. 

" Last Monday, the committee met at Grocers' 
Hall, No. 8 Old Jewry, when Mr. Evans, the 
Welshman, and myself, Y>'ere examined and ap- 
proved : the other two had passed this before. 
It was resolved that we should all spend some 
time at Gosport — how long is not determined. 
Yesterday we w^ere favoured with an interview 
with Mr. Campbell, at his own house. He 
kindly showed us a variety of curious things 
which he met with in his tour ; he gave us a 
very pleasing and interesting account of his 
travels ; he spoke in high terms of the salubri- 
ous air, the abundance of cattle, the beautiful 
4 



50 



MISSIONARY COXSECRATION. 



prospects, &c., which are peculiar to the neigh- 
bourhood of Lattakoo. He held up to view, 
also, a little of the dark side of the cloud ; but 
we must go there to know it all. 

" Most sincerely do I thank you, sir, and 
your dear people, for your great kindness to 
me at your prayer-meeting after I was gone ; 
for valuable and numerous as the kindnesses 
are which I have received, both from minister 
and people, this outweighs them all." 



CHAPTER ni. 



" God hath made all things for the sake of man, and man 
for His own sake."— Augustixe. 

(61) 



PUTTINa ON THE AEMOIIR. 



The Rev. Dr. Bogue is identified with the ear- 
liest movements of the London Missionary 
Society. Several of his appeals through the 
public press contributed more than any other 
single cause to the concentration of the ener- 
gies of thousands of good men, which issued 
in the formation of that institution. 

For several years prior to the commence- 
ment of its work, he had united to his pastoral 
duties the task of educating young men for the 
home ministry, and the early candidates for 
missionary labour were naturally added to the 
number of his students. His masterly under- 
standing, early academic training, and ardent 
zeal, well qualified him for such a position. 
His own capacity for labour, indeed, was so 
vast, that he often over-taxed the powers of 
his pupils ; but they seldom failed to acquire 
sound habits of thought, a thorough acquaint- 

5* [53] 



54 



PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. 



ance with the Bible, and intense thirst for use- 
fulness. 

" The whole morning," says Dr. Bennct, in 
describing the course of instruction, " was 
sometimes given to prayer and other devotional 
exercises, to prepare for a new session, or to 
implore the Divine blessing upon those who 
were going forth to take the cliarge of souls. 
On such occasions the awe of the Divine pres- 
ence has been very powerfully felt, and the 
most devout and profitable intercourse has 
been maintained between the tutor and the 
students, as between them and their God." 

Mr. Knill sometimes mentioned a circum- 
stance which impressed him with the reality of 
those prayers, and the unreasonableness of ex- 
pecting the Divine blessing while any known 
duty was neglected. A religious service in 
one of the neighbouring villages, which was 
not popular with the students because it oc- 
curred on a week evening and broke in upon 
their studies, was one day left unprovided for. 
Mr. Knill, whose turn it was to offer tlie 
prayer which preceded the academic lecture, 
was about to proceed, when tlie Doctor inter- 



PUTTIXG OX THE ARMOUR. 55 

posed. " Stop, Mr. Knill, we cannot pray un- 
til a supply for Elson is obtained." " I will 
go, sir," said the person he had arrested. 
" Thank you, sir," he replied ; " now we may 
venture to approach the throne." 

It was the spirit which breathed in such in- 
cidents as this, which enabled Dr. Bogue's 
biographer to say, " No one could leave Gos- 
port without a deep impression of the gran- 
deur and responsibility of the ministry, and an 
awful anticipation of the day when every shep- 
herd of souls must render up his account to 
the Good Shepherd, who laid down His life 
for the sheep." 

" I found," says Mr. Knill, in his general 
reminiscences of Gosport, " a large number of 
students, some for the ministry at home, but 
the greater part for the heathen. There was 
no college building. The students boarded 
with various families, and met Dr. Bogue for 
his lectures daily in the vestry of his chapel. 
Mr. SmalFs academy, which I had just left, 
was a place of seclusion and hard study, with 
gi'eat gates to keep us safely ; but at Gosport 
there was anything but seclusion. As far as 



66 



PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. 



missionaries were concerned, there was, indeed, 
hard work, and for those wlio, like myself, 
were to remain but for a short time, it was 
' life in earnest.' I have often wondered how 
any of us survived. We had to write as much 
from the Doctor's various lecture-books, as 
would moderately fill up a man's time. In 
addition to this, we had to prepare for the 
various classes, and to preach almost every 
Sunday. The tutor's great soul was set on the 
conversion of sinners abroad ; but he could 
not bear the thought that any should perish 
for lack of knowledge at home. Hence his 
zeal for breaking up every inch of fallow 
ground in Hampshire." 

This laborious life, how^ever, was varied by 
enlivening scenes. 

" We have lately," he writes to Mrs. Isaac, 
on the 24th April, 1815, "parted with some 
of our missionary brethren ; two for Surat, and 
one for Malacca. About twenty of the breth- 
ren accompanied them to the ship, which lay 
at the Mother-bank. You may conceive what 
were our feelings as we talked with them by 
the way. Sometimes we were overwhelmed 



PUTTING OX THE ARMOUR. 



57 



by the difficulties, and then ^"e were animated 
with the pleasing prospect, the delightful hope, 
of bringing poor heathen to Jesus. At last 
tlie moment came for us to part. Some took a 
long farewell, not with the most distant hope 
of seeing each other again in the flesh, while 
others entertained the expectation of meeting 
again in the Eastern world. The voyagers 
were left apparently with a sacred calm upon 
their hearts ; but w-e, in the returning bark, 
made the billovrs echo with 

' Salvation, 0 the joyful sound !' " 

To the same correspondent he mentions an 
occurrence, which illustrates the tact to which 
he owed so much of his usefulness. 

" Last Sabbath-week I was supplying for 
Mr. Hunt of Chichester, who is republishing 
the works of the great Mr. Howe, of Torring- 
ton. On my way thither, my ears were insult- 
ed and my heart pained by the vain discourse 
of a gentleman who sat in the coach witli me. 
After some time, I spoke very affectionately on 
the impropriety of his conduct, and he said he 
thought I was a * Methodist parson.' I told 



58 PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. 

him I was, and, therefore, 1 had taken the op- 
portunity of preaching to him. ' Sir,' said he, 
* If I knew where you preached I would come 
and hear you,' and bound it with an oath. I 
told him where I hoped to preach the follow- 
ing day ; and the first person I saw when I 
entered the chapel was my old fellow-traveller, 
sitting in the minister's pew. His conduct 
during the service was worthy of imitation. I 
I was asked by some after service if I knew 
that stranger ; they thought he was a very 
pious man, by his marked attention to every 
part of the service. He went out, and I saw 
him no more." 

Writing to his friend, Mr. Spencer, of Bide- 
ford, on the 4th of July, 1815, he says — " We 
have lately commenced street-preaching. I 
was not first on the field ; but on the second 
Sabbath, at nine o'clock, the lot having fallen 
on me, I ascended the market-house steps, the 
first time, I presume, that ever they had been 
used for preaching the glorious gospel from. 
The market-house adjoins the beach. The 
congregation consisted chiefly of those who 
never attend a place of worship. I am sure 



PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. 



59 



you would have rejoiced to have seen it. When 
we began to sing, the persons who were buy- 
ing meat left the standings ; the butchers, 
having no customers, left their business, and 
stood around us with their ' steels ' in their 
hands. The porters and watermen drew near, 
and the sailors, with their immoral associates, 
left the brothels. The windows of the sur- 
rounding houses were opened, and from 150 to 
200 were listening or looking. The sight of 
a crowd of such characters was enough to 
melt a rock of ice. I preached for about a 
quarter of an hour from the text — ' I have a 
message from God unto thee.' Mr. Slater had 
concluded by a short prayer, when two sailors 
were seen pressing through the crowd. We 
knew not their intention, but we had no fear 
of sailors. One of them said to Mr. Slater — 
' Will you write a letter for me to my father ? 
I fear I am breaking his heart.' The other 
came to me, and said — ' You have been speak- 
ing a long time, sir, I am sure you must be 
thirsty ; do take this three-shilling bit, and 
get something to drink.' ' Thank you, brave 
fellow,' I replied, ' we did not come liere to 



60 



PUTTING ON THE ARMOUll. 



get drink.' ' No, no/ said he ; 'I know what 
you came here for — it was to do us good ; but 
you must have the three-shilling bit.' I said, 

* Have you a Bible ?' * No,' was his reply. 
' Have you one in your mess ?' ' I never saw 
one,' said he. ' Well, then,' I added, ' come 
with us, and I will give you a Bible for your 
money.' He turned to his shipmate and said, 

* Let us go with these gentlemen.' We took 
them to our lodgings, and gave the young 
man the Bible. He viewed it on all sides, 
and then opening his breast-pocket, pushed it 
in and exclaimed, ' There, sir, I will part with 
that book on the day I part with my head.' " 

On the 2d June, 1815, he sends to a corres- 
pondent the following important piece of in- 
telligence : — " My destination is now fixed. 
My future scene of labour is before me. In- 
dia's burning shores lie open to my view ; but 
God is there, and cheerfully I will go, if the 
Lord permit. Never did I see it a greater 
privilege to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, nor did I ever see more of the neces- 
sity and importance of an interest in His 
merits. Bought with His blood, called by 



PUTTING ON THE AEMOUR. 



01 



His grace, sanctified by His Spirit, aDcl up- 
held by His power, oh, how precious ! 

" Hitherto the lines have fallen to me in 
pleasant places, and still goodness and mercy 
follow me. The station allotted me is pecu- 
liarly pleasing for several reasons. Mr. and 
Mrs. Loveless, who have been there some 
years, are very excellent persons. Mr. Bogue 
speaks of Mr. Loveless in the highest terms. 
AVhen he was at the Academy, his amiable 
manner, the meekness of his disposition, and 
his eminent piety, gained him the esteem of 
all. I shall be under the protection of tlie 
British Government, and have many of my 
countrymen around me ; and what is best of 
all, I shall not be prevented from preaching 
the gospel while learning the language of the 
natives, which must be the case in many places. 
The students say that mine is certainly the 
best station : may I be more grateful and 
labour more abundantly than they all 

" In the month of September, 1815,'' it is said 
in the reminiscences, " when I had been just 
one year at Dr. Bogue's, he beckoned to me 
one day after lecture to remain. When the 
6 



62 



PUTTIXU OX THE ARMOUR. 



students were gone, he said — ' I have received 
a letter from London, which, I think, will in- 
terest you. Last year an Auxiliary Mission- 
ary Society was formed at Leeds, for the West 
Riding of Yorkshire. It will be one of our 
chief supports. The secretary has written- to 
Mr. Burder, saying, " We have never seen a 
missionary at Leeds, and our large population 
needs something out of the common way to 
keep up and increase our missionary spirit. 
In October is our first annual meeting, and if 
you have a missionary about to leave, we wish 
him to be ordained at Leeds.'' ' Now, sir,' 
said the Doctor, ' you are one of the first who 
will leave, and I wish you to go. AYhat do 
you say to it ?' I felt disappointed, and re- 
plied — ' My old pastor and his people wish me 

to be ordained at Bideford, and ' ' and,' 

said the Doctor, ' you would naturally like to 
go ; but you are public property now. You 
must live for the whole world. We must 
sacrifice personal feeling if we wish to be 
extensively useful. Remember there are 80,000 
people at Leeds. Take two days to consider 
it.' On arriving at my lodgings, the students 



PUTTING OX THE ARMOUR. 



63 



wished to know why I had been detained. I 
told them, and asked their advice. They all 
said, ' Go to Leeds,' and I went." 

The narrative is continued in a letter to 
Mr. Tucker, on the 2d of October : — 

" On Friday evening I reached the destined 
spot, after travelling nearly 300 miles, without 
the least injury. Surely journeying mercies 
are not amongst our smallest blessings ; for 
though there is no fiery, cloudy pillar to di- 
rect, yet a providential Hand is visible in 
protecting amidst so many accidents and dan- 
gers. On entering the town, I was beginning 
to fear what would become of me ; but when 
the coach stopped, a man looked in at the win- 
dow and said, ' Is there a gentleman here of 
the name of Knill ?' I said, ' Yes.' ' Then 
you must go with me,' said he. ' Pray sir,' 
said I, ' who are you ?' ' 1 am Joseph, at Mr. 
Clapham's.' Now, it happened that this good 
old faithful servant was nearly as well known 
in Leeds as St. Paul's Church in London. 
Joseph conducted me to the hospitable mansion 
of his master, where I spent a fortnight, which 
will never be forgotten by me nor by them. 



64 



PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. 



On the Sabbath I preached three times, and 
on Monday gave the address to the united con- 
gregations, at their missionary prayer-meeting. 
On such occasions, the Independents and the 
Baptists meet together. Our meeting was in a 
Baptist chapel. Bigotry will soon be a name 
unknown in Leeds, I hope ; for all parties 
seem united to promote the glorious cause of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. I was introduced to 
three evangelical clergymen, and I was in- 
formed that the pure gospel is preached in two 
or three of tlie churches. Thursday the branch 
missionary society meeting commenced. Mr. 
Leifchild, of London, preached one of the ser- 
mons on the occasion, and the Evangelical 
Magazine will inform you who preached the 
other. In the evening, the meeting for busi- 
ness was held at Salem Chapel, which is by far 
the largest. If you had been there, sir, I am 
certain your heart would have leaped for joy, 
you would have been ready to exclaim, ' Bless- . 
ed are our eyes, for they see, and our ears, for 
they hear, those glorious things which kings 
and prophets waited for, and never found.' 
The large place was well filled, the speeches 



PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. G5 

were animating, and the collection good. The 
next day was appointed for ray ordination. 
Ah, sir, this is important work ; never did I 
feel more forcibly that remarkable saying of 
the apostle, 'Who is sufficient for these things?' 
I was almost overwhelmed : my departure, my 
work, my death and judgment, were presented 
to my view, and scarcely any one present did 
not deeply feel it. The Lord, T trust, was in 
the midst of us ; all was solemn, a spirit of 
prayer was evidently poured out, and scarcely 
an eye was seen but in it stood a tear. This 
solemn day was closed with the commemora- 
tion of the dying love of Christ by Christians 
of all denominations, who were admitted by 
tickets. On the Sabbath day I preached three 
times again — once for the Baptists, and twice 
among the Independents ; in the evening, to 
the teachers and scholars of the various Sun- 
day-schools, including also an Arian school. 
This was an interestino: si2:ht. After the ser- 
vice, a deputation, consisting of five of the 
biggest of each sex, was sent me to return me 
thanks. When I spoke to them, the dear little 
creatures burst into tears, and I must have 
6* 5 



66 PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. 



been a stoic if I had not mingled my tears 
with theirs. 

" On Monday, a missionary meeting was 
held at a village called Morley, three miles 
from Leeds. I walked ' among the tombs ' 
of the pious dead. Some of the dear minis- 
ters of Christ sleep here who were ejected 
from their livings for conscience' sake. I 
witnessed the funeral of a young man just of 
my own age ; and while I saw his parents 
weeping over their departed son, I could not 
lielp saying to myself, ' No parent may be near 
to weep when I am numbered with the dead.' 
Yet this did not divert me from the great 
work, but rather roused me to feel more ten- 
derly for tliose poor souls who are dying 
without the knowledge of Christ, and made 
me long more earnestly to be among them to 
do all in my power while my life lasts. 
Before the meeting for business commenced, I 
preached a short sermon to a chapelful, and 
as many as could hear outside, for numbers 
stood at the doors and windows. The inhab- 
itants of this village gave £40 last year to 
the society, and this year is expected greatly 



PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. 67 

to exceed the last. On Tuesday I preached 
again at Leeds, in a place where there is no 
regular pastor ; it lies in a part of the town 
which is not very elegant, but several hundreds 
attended. 

" On Wednesday last my public services 
ended. I preached my farewell from 'Who 
am I, 0 Lord God,' &c. I believe there was 
never such a scene witnessed in Leeds before ; 
it is not in my power to describe it. After 
the service was over, the people would not 
depart' till they had shaken me by the hand, 
and those who could not come to me by one 
door went round and came in by the other. 

" On the Thursday evening, the ministers 
and people held a special prayer-meeting to 
commend me to God, and implore a blessing 
on my future labours. The Rev. Messrs. 
Eccles, Scott, Turner, and Payne, took part, 
and appeared to have their minds sweetly 
engaged. The place resembled a ' Bochim.' 
No one could have persuaded me that I should 
have met with so much kindness ; though a total 
stranger a fortnight before, yet then I felt 
myself surrounded by mothers, and brothers, 



68 PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. 

and sisters. The services were concluded by 
singing that delightful hymn, — 

Blest be the dear uniting Love 1' 

Now a solemn silence pervaded the whole 
assembly. Each kept his seat, when one of 
the ministers said to me, 'They will not depart 
till they have taken their last farewell of you.' 
I arose and went to the seat door, and imme- 
diately they hastened to it, when I parted 
with them to meet no more till we meet around 
the throne of God. Solemn thought ! 

" On Friday I took my departure, accom- 
panied by several to the coach, almost worn 
out with fatigue and anxiety, bringing with me 
many proofs of kindness, and assured that I 
shall never be forgotten by them in the most 
important sense. The collections were XI 30 ; 
and in the town of Leeds no less than £500 
have been collected during the past year for 
the Missionary Society. My soul was much 
refreshed with what I saw and heard, and my 
heart is cheered with the thought that many 
precious souls are praying for me at Leeds, in 
addition to those who bear me upon their 



PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. 69 

hearts before the Lord at Bideford. In the 
multitude of God's tender mercies, I am 
brought back to Gosport in peace, where I 
hope to enjoy my former privileges for a little 
season — how long, I know not. I anticipate 
the time when I shall once more behold my 
dear friends at Bideford, and pray that when 
we meet and when we part, it may be in the 
fear of God. Hoping that this may meet 
you in the full enjoyment of those blessings 
which make rich and add no sorrow, I re- 
main," <fec. 

The intense interest attending these services 
did not arise exclusively from the comparative 
novelty of the missionary enterprise, and the 
prepossessing aspect and character of the 
youthful missionary ; it appears, from perma- 
nent results, to have been in large measure the 
fruit of an outpouring of the Spirit of God. 
One of the ministers who took part in the ser- 
vices, writing twenty years afterwards, says 
that great effects were produced in different 
congregations, and that many persons were 
added to the cliurches, who continued to adorn 
their profession : while a general impulse was 



70 PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. 

given to the zeal of Christians. It may not 
be improper, in illustrating the strength of this 
feeling, to give a glimpse of the interior of an 
honoured Christian family, by the following 
note from Mrs. Parsons to Mr. Knill : — 

" When I told you, that at the little prayer- 
meeting which I hold on the Sabbath evening 
from six to seven with my children, your name 
should be mentioned with that of my dear 
father, with my soul I made the vow, and it has 
been rigidly adhered to, and shall be while you 
or I live. Blessed be God, I can truly say I 
have had sweet communion in so doing, and 
often a blessed foretaste of the enjoyment of 
heaven. After prayer, my dear children often 
ask me about you, and tell me how they love 
to pray for you. Do so for them, and en- 
deavour to meet us. Never, my dear sir, for a 
moment, suppose you will be forgotten here ; 
many, I trust, will have cause to bless God 
that you were sent. Already we have heard 
of three who date from that time their serious 
impressions — one has proposed himself, and 
talks of following your example in becoming a 
missionary. Who knows but more may come 



PUTTING ON THE ARMOUE. 71 

forward ? When you are on the great deep, 
and far hence among the Gentiles, you will be 
present in the hearts of many here ; allow me 
to say, by none more sincerely or affectionately 
than by those in this house. You will, I am 
sure, be pleased to know that all things here 
with us go on well. My dear husband is 
highly honoured in his increasing church. 
We have few cliurch-meetings without several 
being united to us. Another of my sons is 
truly serious, and of the others I have great 
hopes. I do hope they will all become 
preachers of the everlasting gospel, to win 
souls to Christ. This is all my prayer for 
them." 

One result of that visit was brought to the 
knowledge of Mr. Knill thirty-three years 
afterwards, in a singular manner. When at- 
tending a public meeting at Ludlow, in 1849, 
one of the speakers, the Rev. Samuel Tillot- 
son, a superintendent preacher in one of the 
branches of Wesleyanism, introduced into his 
speech the following account of his conver- 
sion : — ' ' A great feeling of delight had been 
produced in my native town by a missionary 



72 



PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. 



being ordained there. I was a stout lad, and 
a bold blasphemer. One of my uncles was a 
godly man, a deacon of Mr. Eccles' church. 
He said to me, ' Samuel, there is a young man 
in town who is going abroad to preach to the 
black people, and he is to take leave this 
evening by preaching to the young ; thou must 
go, lad.' The chapel was very much crowded ; 
but being a strong fellow, I pushed my way, 
and got where I thought I should have a full 
view of him. We were all expectation. At 
last he made his way to the pulpit stairs. I 
watched him up into the pulpit. He was a 
tall, thin, pale young man. I thought, ' Is he 
going to the heathen ? Then I shall never see 
him more ; I will listen.' He read and prayed, 
and then gave out his text — ' There is a lad 
here.' There God met with my soul ; I yielded 
myself unto Him. Next Sunday morning, I 
went to a Sunday-school, and asked if they 
would have me for a teacher ; They complied, 
and I soon began to pray in the school. Then 
I set up prayer in my father's family ; next 
they made me an exhorter, and God blessed 
me to the conversion of my own father and 



PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. 73 

brother. I have now been a regular preacher 
in our body for thirty years, and God has 
smiled on my labours. I owe it all to that 
sermon. I have never seen the preacher since, 
and, perhaps, I may never see him ; but I shall 
have a glorious tale to tell him when we meet 
in heaven.'' 

" Little did Samuel Tillotson think," said 
Mr. Knill, in afterwards referring to this inci- 
dent, " that the once tall, pale, thin young man 
was sitting near while he was giving that nar- 
ration. Time had greatly changed my appear- 
ance. He had never seen me but on that occa- 
sion ; and when I introduced myself to him in 
the midst of the meeting, the shock was elec- 
trical. How strange, that, so far away from 
the original scene, and after both of us had 
been wandering and labouring for so many 
years, we should so providentially meet! It 
has often struck me since, that ministers may 
expect strange greetings in heaven, from those 
whom they never saw on earth, but who have 
received good from their labours." 

Mr. Knill returned from Leeds to Gosport, 
where he enjoyed, for four months longer, the 
7 



74 



PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. 



instructions of Dr. Bogue. Having received 
ordination, he found some new services de- 
manded of him."^' "The first," he says, "was 
to baptize a little girl who was supposed to.be 
near death. I at first refused, but afterwards 
applied to the tutor for advice. 'The dying 
child,' said the Doctor, 'will neither be better 
nor worse for it, but you may be a blessing to 
the distressed parents; go, sir, and may the 
Divine blessing accompany you.' On entering 
the house, we found the father walking up and 
down the room, wringing his hands, weeping, 
and saying, * Oh, she will die ; God is punish- 
ing me for my sins.' Then looking at us, he 
said, ' Are you come to baptize her ?' ' Yes, 
sir, sit down ; compose your mind, and let us 
talk together.' The mother was sitting with 
the child on her lap, intently looking on it, but 
she never said a word. I began to encourage 
him with the hope that God would hear our 
prayers and spare his child, and then gave him 
good advice how he was to train her for God. 
' Especially,' said I, ' let her hear your voice in 
prayer.' ' Stop,' said he, ' stop, sir ; you do not 
know who I am.' 'No, sir,' said I; 'but I 

* The American Tract Society, in issuing this work entire, 
express no opinion as to the mode or subjects of 13aptism. 



PUTTING OX THE ARMOUR. 



75 



should be happy to learn.' ' We were botli/ 
he answered, ' members of a church at Eyde. 
I led the singing, and conducted the prayer- 
meetings, and was a great professor. My wife 
would never have consented to have me, if she 
had not thought me a religious man. Our 
grocery business was not large, still we could 
live comfortably. But a fair prospect offered 
here ; we took this house and business, and this 
was our snare. When we first came, we always 
closed our shop on Saturday night, not to open 
it again till Monday. But our neighbours did 
much business on tfie Sunday ; and if a ship 
came into harbour, and wanted supplies, per- 
haps they got more on Sunday than on any day 
of the week. This was a great temptation to 
us to do the same ; — we tried it. First we 
opened the shop so as to have business over in 
time to go to chapel, next it encroached so that 
we could only go out in the evening, and then 
our consciences became so callous, that we left 
it off altogether ; and now, sir, God is going to 
take away our child to punish us.' ' Well,' I 
said, ' learn wisdom by this stroke ; repent, and 
do thy first works. Begin from this day ; call 



76 



PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. 



in your young men, and have family prayer.' 
' I cannot.' ' Cannot !' I exclaimed ; ' why V 
' Oh/ said he, ' they know how I used to live.' 

* Well, if you were not ashamed to serve the 
devil in their presence, don't be ashamed to tell 
them you have changed masters. Tell them 
honestly the whole story, and let them see your 
sincerity by the change of your deportment.' 
We then went to prayer, and I baptized >S'o- 
plironia, and took leave. A few days after, I 
called at the shop to inquire for tlie master. 
The servant said, ' He is up stairs.' ' How is 
the child ?' * She is recovering,' said the ser- 
vant ; ' she began to get better after you left.' 

* Call your master,' said I. The girl went to 
the nursery to call him ; and while she was 
absent, I looked round and saw some Bibles 
and hymn-books on a table. On her return, I 
said, * What are all these books placed here 
for ?' ' Oh,' said she, ' they are books which 
master uses at family prayer.' So he had 
begun. 

" In a visit which my family paid to the Isle 
of Wight in 1836, they went into a shop, and a 
young person serving in the shop said to my 



PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. 77 

son, • Your father baptized me.' ' Indeed/ said 
he ; ' when and wliere V ' At Gosport, when 
he was a student. Please to tell your father 
that my father became an honourable member 
of the Church of Christ, and my mother died 
happy in the Lord. But before they died, they 
had the pleasure of seeing me also on the Lord's 
side. Your father's advice and prayers were 
not lost. Please to tell him this from Sophro- 

In the month of February, 1816, the time of 
embarkation for the East being now at hand, 
Mr. Knill went to Devonshire, to take farewell 
of his parents and early friends, bearing with 
him a letter from Dr. Bogue to Rev. S. Hooker, 
containing the following passages : — " I send 
this note by Mr. Knill, to express my best 
wishes for your prosperity and success, and to 
congratulate you on having sent forth such a 
young man into the ministry of the gospel. I 
never had a student with me who gave me 
more satisfaction. His talents are good, his 
piety eminent, his application to study assid- 
uous, and his zeal for the advancement of the 
Redeemer's glory fervent and exemplary. He 
7^ 



78 



PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. 



carries away with him the esteem and affection 
of his tutor and fellow-students, and of the 
Christian people here. 

" Last Thursday evening* he repeated the 
chief part of his ordination service, greatly to 
the edification of the audience. I asked the 
questions ; and concluded with an exhortation 
to the people, and prayer. I think, sir, if you 
were to have this service in your congregation, 
and also in the principal congregations in the 
West, it would be both acceptable and useful 
10 the people." 

This suggestion was readily acted on by Mr. 
Rooker ; and a series of services took place, 
accompanied by a remarkable blessing. The 
ordination of a missionary was an event even 
more rare in those parts than in Yorkshire ; 
while the circumstance that the individual had 
sprung from themselves, added greatly both 
to his own interest and to theirs. Bideford, 
Barnstaple, South Molton, Axminster, and 
Wellingborough opened their arms to him, and 
parted from him with tears and prayers. At 
one place, an aged disciple, who had for years 
been confined to bed, on hearing what was to 



PUTTING ON THE ARMOUR. 7C 



occur, seemed to regain his youthful vigour, 
and begged to be carried to the chapel ; say- 
ing, that having prayed in secret for the 
heathen, he must, before he died, see one who 
was going to point them to tlie Lamb of God. 
His wish was complied witli. He remained 
during the whole service, and soon afterwards 
departed to glory. At another place, his ap- 
peal reached the heart of a young man, with 
such power from on high, that sleep departed 
from him until he was brought to a resolution 
to surrender himself to Christ's service among 
the heathen. He has for many years been a 
blessing to the South Sea Islands. The name 
of Aaron Buzacott is well known to the readers 
of the Christian history of those islands. 

" Services like these, amidst weeping friends 
and early associations, and hallowed by tokens 
of God's saving favour," Mr. Knill naturally 
remarks, " were very trying to my feelings. I 
used to think sometimes that I could weep no 
more — that the fountain of tears must be ex- 
hausted. But it was also very pleasant to be 
taken by the hand by the excellent of the 
earth, and to have a precious promise that they 



80 



PUTTING OX THE ARMOUR. 



would pray for me, and teach tlieir cliildren to 
pray for me. These were favours which I 
could not have anticipated, and may well lead 
me to sing — 

' Oh, to grace how great a debtor 

Daily I'm constrain'd to be ; 
Let that grace, Lord, hke a fetter. 
Bind my -vrandering heart to Thee 1' 

Amidst these parting scenes, there was one 
more tender than the rest. I must not omit 
that. It was parting with my beloved and 
honoured parents, but especially with my 
sainted mother. She took off her wedding- 
ring in the presence of my father, and said, 
* This is the dearest thing I possess. It was 
given to me by your dear father, as a pledge 
of his love, on our wedding-day. I have worn 
it more than forty years, and now in the ex- 
pectation that I shall never see you again in this 
world, I give it to you. Your father gave it to 
me as a pledge of his love, and in his presence 
I give it as a token of our united love to you.^ 
Description fails here. Tender parents alone 
can understand it. In addition to the ring, 
there was a silver cup which my grandfather 



PUTTING OX THE ARMOUR. 



81 



presented my mother, I believe on lier wed- 
ding-day. This also she gave to me. The 
ring I keep as a sacred relic. The cup I gave 
to the skilful and attentive Dr. Lloyd, who at- 
tended me five months during the voyage from 
India to the Thames. 

" When I had taken leave of my dearest 
friends, I repaired to London, to wait for the 
sailing of the ship. My residence in London 
was always with Mr. Nisbet, bookseller. He 
and his family were warm and affectionate 
friends of missionaries. Three or four of us 
have been at his house at once. He greatly 
assisted us in preparing for our embarkation, 
and I have always found a home at his house 
since. His friendships have not been over- 
looked by the Master. As it was with Obed- 
edom, so it has been with Mr. Nisbet. ' The 
Lord blessed the house of Obed-edom, because 
of the ark.' " 



6 



CHAPTER IV. 

\t first Campign. 



" God doth not need 
Either man's works or His own gifts ; who best 
Bear His mild yoke, they serve Him best." 

MiLTON". 



(83) 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN". 



The Eayi of 3foira, commanded by Captain 
Kemp, sailed from Deal on 20th April, 1816, 
with a large and interesting force of mission- 
aries for the East. It included Messrs. Hough 
and Winter, of the Church Missionary Society ; 
Mr. Randall, of the Baptist Missionary So- 
ciety ; Messrs. Townley and Keith for Calcut- 
ta, Messrs. Meade and Reader for Travancore, 
Mr. Reeve for Bellary, and Mr. Knill for Ma- 
dras, of the London Missionary Society. All 
these brethren, with one exception, were ac- 
companied by their wives : Mr. Knill was un- 
married, having met with a disappointment, 
which, considering his affectionate nature, he 
bore heroically. 

" My dear, faithful, and affectionate pastor,'^ 
ran a few lines to Mr. Rooker, at the moment 
of embarkation, " I cannot let Britain go till I 
have blessed God for you, and once more 
8 



86 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



thanked you for your affection and kind- 
ness. The Lord reward you and yours a 
thousandfold. 

*' My hand trembles, but my heart rejoices 
in the prospect of taking a long farewell of 
Britain, and her highly -favoured children. In 
case the depths of the sea should provide me a 
grave, or some fatal disease put a speedy ter- 
mination to my life, accept this as my last trib- 
ute of grateful remembrance ; but if the Great 
Head of the Church, in His infinite kindness, 
spare my life to reach Madras in peace, be as- 
sured that soon you shall hear from your af- 
fectionate and obedient — Richard Kxill."' 

The external circumstances of ship and 
weather conspired, with the delights of intel- 
ligent Christian fellowship, to make the voy- 
age most auspicious. 

Our privileges," it is said in the remini- 
scences, were greatly owing to the pious feel- 
ing of the captain. TThen he was an ofiicer in 
an East Indiaman, a gay and thoughtless 
young man, he went asliore one Sunday at 
Calcutta, and seeing some English people 
enter a house which had the appearance of a 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



87 



chapel, he followed them, and heard Dr. Carey 
preach. The sermon was blessed to the con- 
version of his soul, and the swearing youth re- 
turned to England a man of prayer. On his 
passage home he made a solemn vow, that if ever 
providence gave him the command of a ship, 
and a missionary were going to Dr. Carey, he 
would give him a free passage. We had the 
result of this daily before our eyes ; on a for- 
mer occasion he had taken out Dr. Yates, 
and now he was taking Mr. Randall and his 
family. 

" When we had become accustomed to the 
motion of the sliip, and had braced up our 
minds for action, this good man said, ' Now, 
let us turn this ship into a Bethel ; let us have 
family prayer every day, and sermons on Sun- 
day ; it will sweeten the voyage, endear us 
to one another, and draw down the Divine 
blessing.' " 

How this plan succeeded is told in a letter 
to Mrs. Isaac, dated the Cape of Good Hope, 
July 3, 1816 : — " It is an unspeakable privi- 
lege to sail in such a ship. Though removed 
from friends and all that is dear at home, we 



88 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



can hold fellowsliip with saints even on the 
bosom of the Atlantic. We muster no fewer 
than nine chaplains, "besides the captain, who 
takes his part, and deservedly has our praise. 

" Each chaplain acts for the day in alpha- 
betical order. . We have eight preachers ; two 
sermons on the Lord's day, and one on Thurs- 
day — the Lord's Supper on the first Sunday, 
and the missionary prayer-meeting on the first 
Monday of the month. Think, my dear 
madam, how great the privilege I Surely the 
ship which, after a twelvemonth's voyage, rest- 
ed on the mountains of Ararat, could not vie 
with ours. 

" This is a part — let me now tell you of the 
harmony which exists among us, and then join 
with David, and say, ' How good and pleasant 
a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in 
unity !' Our company consists of clergymen, 
Baptists, Independents, and one Methodist ; 
but we live like brethren, ' each esteeming 
other better than himself.' The tools of con- 
troversy have been thrown overboard ; we 
perceived they were grown rusty and out of 
date ; we saw them ' sink as lead in tlie mighty 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



89 



waters/ and they are now where, I trust, your 
sins are — viz., ' in the depths of the sea.' I 
have reason, indeed, to hope that much of the 
?: Divine presence has been experienced on 
board. That blessed Saviour who sanctified 
the mountains round about Jerusalem, and 
sometimes had a boat for His pulpit, has hon- 
oured this ship with His love. For ray own 
part, I have never felt more of my own vile- 
ness and unworthiness in my life ; for here is 
time for reflection — things which were once 
forgotten are remembered, and at times death 
and judgment appear just at hand. On the 1st 
June, when chaplain, and engaged in family 
prayer, I had such an overwhelming view of 
myself that I was forced to stop in the midst, 
and give way to a flood of tears, while Mr. 
Meade concluded the service ; but I have not 
always been cast down. 

" Shall I now tell you how we have been 
favoured as it respects the w^eather ? We left 
Deal, under the most pleasant circumstances, 
on the 20th April. On the 23d we entered 
the Bay of Biscay, where the tremendous swell 
which generally pervades those seas affected 
8^- 



90 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



US but little. On the last day of the month 
we passed the isles of Madeira. The weather 
being cloudy we saw them not, but on the fol- 
lowing morning an officer perceived them at 
daybreak about sixty knots astern — the weath- 
er being still so delightful that we thought we 
might have sailed in the long-boat without 
danger. At dawn, on the 3d, the captain dis- 
cerned one of the Canary Islands, called 
Palma ; we all hastened on deck, glad to be- 
hold it, and gratifying indeed was the sight, 
being the first land we had seen for many days. 
On the 27th we crossed the line, but felt noth- 
ing oppressive in the heat, though there was an 
almost perfect calm, which reminds one of the 
poet's words — 

' More tlie treacherous calm I dread, 
Tlian tempests bursting o'er my head.' 

" I am happy to inform you that, after a 
passage of sixty-eight days, and sailing eiglit 
thousand miles, we landed safely at Simon's Bay, 
which lies about twenty-one miles from Cape 
Town. It happened to be on that sacred day 
when the tribes go up to the house of the Lord. 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



91 



There are but few houses at that place, but 
they are exceedingly white and clean. There is 
a little military force, a pretty little church, and 
a nice little parson. When our blessed Re- 
deemer came to Jerusalem, He first visited the 
temple, and we imitated His example ; the bell 
was ringing when we came on shore, and we 
walked immediately to the church. The les- 
sons for the day particularly struck me ; they 
were 1 Sam. ii, and Luke xv, and the text was, 
' There is joy in heaven over one sinner that 
repenteth.' We afterwards strolled into the 
burial-ground, sat among the tombs, and sang 
praises to God. We read inscriptions on the 
tombs of our countrymen who had gone thither 
to die, and sought to imbibe the solemn lesson." 

" The next day," says another communica- 
tion, " having been joined by our dear brother, 
Mr. Thorn, we travelled in ox-wagons to Cape 
Town. There I first saw a congregation of 
heathen, composed of persons from seven dif- 
ferent tribes of Africa ; and, having spent a 
most refreshing time, during which great kind- 
ness was shown to us by the Rev. George 
Thom and his congregation, we again weighed 



92 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



anchor, and, after a favourable run, anchored in 
Madras Roads. Thus I found myself in my 
adopted country, surrounded by heathen gods, 
heathen temples, and lieathen people." 

The excellent man whom Mr. Knill joined 
was the first English missionary to Madras, 
and had at that period resided there for eight 
years. He had formed a church, of persons 
who had been converted through his ministry, 
and had been of great service in the establish- 
ment of schools, and in the distribution of 
Christian books throughout the presidency. 
His wise and benevolent measures had pro- 
duced a considerable impression on the public 
mind ; so that Mr. Knill always delighted to 
observe, " He laboured, and I entered into his 
labours.'' 

" Mr. and Mrs. Loveless," he says, " were 
among the best people I ever saw. Their 
house was the ' Saints' Rest.' Godly men of 
all denominations found a home under their 
peaceful roof. They had a large and profit- 
able boarding-school, which enabled them to 
use hospitality to strangers, and to entertain 
angels unawares. Mr. Loveless received no 



THE FiRbT Campaign. 



93 



salary from tlie Missionary Society, but was a 
large contributor to its funds by preventing 
expenses when missionaries arrived. 

"We landed on a Tuesday, and the next 
evening I preached my first sermon, from these 
words, * Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh 
away the sin of the world ;' and God blessed 
it to the conversion of a young widow, who 
afterwards became the wife of Dr. Medhurst, 
our oldest Chinese missionary. 

" Tlie next day Mr. Loveless said to me : — 
* It has long been the desire of my dear wife 
to have a free school for girls, as large as tlie 
free school for boys ; and now you are come, 
we must set about it. I have my plan, and 
think we shall succeed.' In the next week I 
obtained a sum of money, in a most remark- 
able way, to commence it, as will appear from 
what follows. The wife of a minister in Eng- 
land had a brother, a captain in the Madras 
army. She Avrote to her brother about me, 
and one day, when he had a party of officers 
at his house, the letter arrived. An English 
letter always produces a great sensation in 
India on tender spirit&. The captain said to 



94 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



his guests, ' Permit me to open my letter.' He 
read on, and as he read he laughed heartily. 
* What is the matter ?' said they. ' Oh,' said 
he, ' it is a letter from one of my sisters, who 
is introducing a gentleman to me, and wishes 
me to be very kind to him. Who do you 
think it is ? — a missionary.' They joined in 
the laugh, and said, ' What will you do with 
him ?' ' Why, I will make him drunk, and you 
shall come and see the fun.' A young officer 
who was present had a brother at Mr. Loveless' 
school, and on his way to the Fort, he called to 
see his brother. In conversing with Mr. Love- 
less, he said, *I am glad you are going to have 
a coadjutor, sir. My captain has just received 
a letter from his sister about it.' And then, 
referring to the ' fun' they had eujoyed, he 
said, * I advise you to put him on his guard 
when he arrives.' 

" On the arrival of the ship, the captain saw 
my name in the Gazette, and on the Sunday morn- 
ing after, he came, and brought several other 
officers with him, to the chapel. The sight 
was quite novel. At the close of the service, 
my friend inquired for me, and expressed great 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGX. 



95 



pleasure at seeing me, asked many questions 
about Bideford and Axminster, and added, 

* When will you come and dine with me ? ' I 
begged to be excused just then, as my baggage 
was still in the Custom House, and my pres- 
ence was needed there. He shook hands, and 
said, * I will call on you.' He did so, and as 
soon as he had retired, Mr. Loveless told me 
of the plot, but added, ' You must go. Be upon 
your guard. I am not without hope that God 
will bless your visit.' I dined with the cap- 
tain and the party who knew about his sister's 
letter. Englishmen in India are noted for 
their hospitality. They live like princes. 
They fare sumptuously every day. The wine 
passed round merrily. They pressed me to 
drink. I politely declined. The captain said, 

* When you are at Rome, you must do as Rome 
does.' I said, ' Captain, if you urge me to 
drink, I will write to your sister about it, and 
what will she say?' The snare was broken. 
' Well,' said he, ' do as you please.' They re- 
lated soldiers' stories, and I related missionary 
stories, and by way of application, I said, 
' Gentlemen, we are going to build a girls' 



96 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



school in Black Town, near our chapel, to cor- 
respond with the boys' school, and as this is 
the first visit I have paid, I should like to make 
it memorable by your becoming the first con- 
tributors. Give me something for a founda- 
tion stone.' They cheerfully responded, and 
sent me home in the captain's palanquin, 
with fifteen pounds towards the girls' school. 
From that time the captain b^ame a regular 
attendant at chapel, and sometimes ten or 
twelve officers came with him ; one of whom 
was converted by a sermon from Mr. Reeve. 
The captain also bought a large Bible and 
Hymn-book for himself, and sent copies of valu- 
able books to various parts of India to his old 
friends. He never ceased to be my friend. 
After I had become very intimate with him, he 
said to me, ' If I had gone home before I saw 
you, and my sister had inquired about the mis- 
sionaries at Madras, I should have said, " There 
are none," or, if she had asked me about your 
chapel, I should have said, " There is no such 
place." ' So much for the testimony of worldly 
men on the subject of missions." 

On the 4th February, 1817, he writes : 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



97 



" My dear and tender Parents, — Four- 
teen thousand miles have not in the least 
abated my affection for you, my brother, or 
tlie dear children. No ; I have you on ray 
heart. In the beginning of January, I for- 
warded, by the Albion, five copious letters, but, 
to my great mortification, they are completely 
gone. The ship is wrecked ; but every person 
saved. The cargo lost, and the packet of let- 
ters soaked and spoiled. This comes with 
only a few of tlie numerous particulars stated 
in the- one that is gone, and to none of my dear 
friends can I write at present. 

" Through the tender mercies of God, I am 
well, very well, much better than when I last 
saw your face. India agrees with me much 
better than I could have even hoped for. My 
dear brother and sister. Loveless, are most 
affectionate creatures. I live with them, and 
am quite at home. I live principally on rice, 
which suits my constitution. I take much 
exercise in the morning before the sun rises. 
The morning and the evening are the only 
seasons which are safe for Europeans to go 
out, because the heat of the sun is quick de- 
7 



98 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



struction. I Avear very thin clothes — white 
jacket and Nankeen trousers — sleep very cool 
— drink very little — preach very often — study 
very closely — make some advances in the lan- 
guage — visit the schools twice a week — see 
some fruit of my labours — and want nothing 
but a thankful heart. This is my language : 

' Gracious Redeemer, make me bear 
More of Thy Gracious image here.' 

" This is a hasty glance at myself ; now let 
me tell you of our chapel. Here we have 
service thrice a week, and many attend. On 
each side of the chapel we have a charity 
school : on the right side for boys — 147 belong 
to it ; on the left side for girls, which is in its 
infancy, but bids fair for much good. Between 
the boys' school and the chapel, we have a 
school for the native children, little, sharp, 
intelligent creatures, almost naked. They sit 
on the ground, write on the sand till they can 
make good letters, and then on the leaf of a 
tree with a pen of iron. We have four other 
schools in various parts of Madras, in which 
are about 200 boys ; but the natives will not 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



99 



permit their girls to learn reading — even a 
princess does not know a letter. Mr. Love- 
less has opened the large school-room for 
divine service ; and every Sunday evening 
great numbers attend. We read the prayers 
of the Church of England in this place. I 
have no less than twenty-five officers of the 
army at once to hear me. In the fort, we 
preach twice a week to the soldiers ; few 
attend. They do not think (generally speak- 
ing) that they are sinners. At the ' Mount ' 
we preach once a week to a party of soldiers, 
in a house left for that purpose by a pious 
serjeant-major. This is eight miles from Ma- 
dras ; a lovely place ; the road thickly set 
with beautiful banyan trees, which in some 
parts form an arch, and yield a delightful 
shade to the weary traveller." 

Mr. Knill gained much influence over these 
officers. His sincere, open and direct manner 
suited their taste. He seemed to know in- 
stinctively when to assault the conscience, and 
when to touch a chord of home recollections. 
" What do you missionaries mean ?" said one 
of them ; " do you think that poor black fellow 



100 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



will be damned ?" " I hope not," was the 
answer ; but if he is, I think his punishment 
will be very light compared with yours, if you 
neglect God."^ The interrogator, convinced, 
lifted up his hands, and said, " I believe it ; I 
have long thought so Another, whose con- 
science had been aroused, but who still clung 
to his sins, one morning called, and sought to 
get into an argument. " There are many 
things in the Bible, sir, impossible to be under- 
stood." " There are, sir," was the reply ; " but 
the seventh commandment is very plain." The 
controversy ended. A young civilian, while 
engaged in writing a book on infidel principles, 
probably visited by some relentings, went one 
Sunday to the mission chapel. " The text," 
says Mr. Knill, was, ' Behold, I stand at the 
door and knock.' I saw the stranger in tears, 
and said to one of the deacons, ' Do you know 
where he lives ? I must write to him.' I did 
so ; and received an answer, requesting me to 
* call at once.' I found him in tears. ' You 
felt a good deal this morning, sir ?' said I. 
' Yes,' he replied ; ' Christ has so often knock- 
ed at my door, and been refused admission, 



THE FIRST Cr\MPATGX. 101 

that I feared to-day tliat He would knock no 
longer.' ' To prevent that/ I said, ' let us kneel 
down immediately and ask forgiveness ; that is 
the plan.' We prayed ; he wept ; he resolved ; 
ho tore his infidel manuscript in pieces ; left 
his infidel associates ; abandoned liis lucrative 
situation in the Company's service, and sailed 
for England. Before leaving India, he wrote 
a spirited letter to the public, calling a meet- 
ing for the formation of a missionary associa- 
tion. We had a good meeting, at which he 
spoke-, making a public recantation of his for- 
mer errors. A report of the proceedings was 
drawn up, and presented to the Governor, for 
permission to print it. His Excellency, with 
his own hand, erased ' all objectionable parts,' 
that is, all that was worth printing, and then 
gave us permission to proceed. We carried 
out the object, without employing the press at 
all." 

" Mr. and Mrs. Loveless," continues the 
reminiscences, " would have me live with them, 
but they charged me very little for my board, 
whereby I was enabled, with my salary, to 
support seven native schools. These were so 
9* 



102 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



situated that I could A'isit them all in one day; 
and while they gratified my heart, they aided 
me in attaining the colloquial language of the 
people. My horse and gig were seen constant- 
ly on these rounds ; and my horse at last knew 
where to stop as well as I did. This nearly 
cost a Bengal officer his life. Captain Page, 
a godly man, who was staying with us until a 
ship was ready to take him to the Cape, one 
morning requested me to lend him my horse 
and gig to take him to the city. The captain 
was driving officer-like, when the horse stopped 
suddenly, and nearly threw him out. He in- 
quired, ' What place is this ? ' The answer 
was, ' It is the Sailor's Hospital." ' They 
started again, and soon the horse stopped sud- 
denly, and the captain was nearly out as before. 
' What is this V 'A school, sir,' was the 
reply. At last he finished his business, and 
resolved to return another way. By doing 
this, he came near my schools, and again and 
again the horse stopped. When he got home, 
he said, ' I am glad that I have returned with- 
out broken bones, but never will I drive a re- 
ligious horse again ! ' " 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 103 



These labours, however, were not to be 
without interruption. Coraing home exhausted 
one day during the rainy season, he flung him- 
self on his bed, and fell asleep. He did not 
know that the bed had been exposed to the 
rain, until he experienced effects from which 
he did not recover for several years. The 
immediate result was, that he was compelled 
to leave Madras for a season ; and by the 
kindness of the Rev. Charles Church, an excel- 
lent chaplain to the East India Company, 
spent about two months at Cuddalore. From 
that place, on June 10, 1818, he thus writes to 
the Rev. S. Rooker : 

" The heat, and other things connected with 
this country, are not favourable to a speedy 
recovery from sickness ; yet I trust the Lord 
has more work for me to do at Madras, and 
will, therefore, prepare me for it. I have much 
reason to adore Him for this affliction ; it was 
sent in great mercy, and has been sweetened 
by a thousand consolations. Ah, my dear 
Rooker, missionaries want chastisement as well 
as others, and their Father loves them too well 
to spare them. We want to learn how to 



104 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



mffei\ as well as do the will of God, and I be- 
lieve my soul has been as a weaned child. It 
is rather singular that, during my affliction, I 
have been staying with three pious chaplains ; 
with Mr. Thompson I remained a few days, 
with Mr. Malkin also a few days, and with Mr. 
Church I have been more than six weeks, and 
shall not leave his habitation till the hot winds 
have ceased, which will not be for some weeks. 
He lives at Cuddalore, about 130 miles from 
Madras, in one of the pleasantest places in 
India. I mention this to show that Church- 
men and Dissenters can love each other, pro- 
vided they have a supreme love to Christ. 
The doctors whom I have consulted give it as 
their opinion that my liver is not attacked, 
nor are my lungs affected, but my debility has 
arisen chiefly from ' excessive labour and 
great abstemiousness.' This, I believe, is the 
case ; but I did it, as I thought, for the best. 
And, my dear sir, there is no man who has a 
tender concern for the glory of God and the 
happiness of man, who can live in India with- 
out exerting every power ; for sin is doing all 
it can do in its very worst forms ; and who 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



105 



would not endeavour to stop the torrent? I 
assure you, that at Madras I have every en- 
couragement to work ; the Lord smiled upon 
me, which put new life into all I did and said. 

" About this time last year, two young men 
were first seemingly concerned about their 
souls under a sermon I was preaching from 
Rev. iii. 20. One of them was a young Eng- 
lishman, a very clever, and. now a very useful 
young man ; he is about to return to Europe, 
and intends to spend the remainder of his days 
as a missionary. The other was the descend- 
ant of a Dutchman, who had scarcely even 
seen a house of worship before, or heard any 
thing of the blessed Redeemer. He had lived 
on the north coast, speaks the Gentoo fluently, 
and is now studying it with a view to proclaim 
tlie everlasting gospel in that language. 

" Since I have been sick, I have received 
several letters full of encouragement, and cal- 
culated to excite the most grateful feelings in 
my heart to the ever-blessed God. Among the 
rest is a letter from a lady, who, twelve years 
ago, let her house to Mr. Loveless to preach 
in ; and thougli she had the gospel preached 



106 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



under her roof, she seldom heard it, and never 
felt it till one Lord's day she came to the 
chapel. I was preaching on ' family prayer/ 
and the Lord opened her heart, and now, for 
the first time, she began to pray. These things, 
you know, my dear sir, are such as stimulate 
to every holy action ; they wind up all the 
springs, and put all tlie wheels in motion : 
every power is put to the stretch in devising 
and acting for the glorious cause. 

" The last sermon I preached was from the 
last verse of James. One of the primary ob- 
jects I had in view was to stir up the people 
to a serious concern about the Sunday-school. 
It had chiefly devolved upon me before my 
affliction. It was too much for Mr. Loveless, 
and hence it began to fall off. Thanks be to 
God, He blessed the sermon for its desired 
end ; nine male teachers immediately volun- 
teered their services, and some females, so that 
I believe we muster upwards of 100 Sunday- 
school children, and 13 teachers. This, for 
India, is wonderful. Perhaps I have already 
written you of my giving theological lectures 
to a dozen young men. This promised very 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



107 



fair for great usefulness. One evening in the 
week was devoted to this. Mr. Bogue's plan 
was adopted, which to his students has proved 
a very efficient one, though, I believe, it is not 
adopted by any other academy. This, with all 
my other plans, has been laid aside by me for 
many months. Oh for strength, grace, and 
zeal, to enter on my delightful work again !" 

The eminently Christian character of Mr. 
and Mrs. Church, whose acquaintance he had 
formed on their landing at Madras, united with 
the fine climate, and the beautiful scenery in 
which their residence was situated, revived the 
buoyant spirits of the invalid, but did not es- 
sentially restore his strength. " The doctor 
of the station was unremitting in his kindness 
to me. I had a visit from him daily ; and after 
one of his calls, he said to my host, " I think 
Mr. Knill cannot recover ; he has no stamina 
left. I wish you to advise him to go back to 
Madras, and the sooner the better.' Mr. 
Church sought an opportunity to speak to me. 
He first spoke very comfortingly about heaven, 
and the prospects of going there. Then he 
asked me about my hope. I had no doubts ; 



108 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



God favoured me usually with briglit hopes. 
' Then/ said he, ' it is right I should tell you 
the doctor's opinion.' He did so, prayed 
with me, and then left me. It was a solemn 
moment ; I was glad to be alone. I felt as if 
I had received the message of death. I took 
a review of my coming to India. The field 
was promising, and the labourers were few. 
We had started many things, and prosperity 
had crowned them all ; and 'it seemed myste- 
rious, that just when I was able to speak to the 
heathen, all the purposes of my heart should 
be broken off. But I had left all for Christ 
and souls ; and if God saw fit to take me to 
Himself, I wished to say, ' Thy will, 0 Lord, 
be done.' 

" Very soon after this, it was reported that 
an open boat was going to Madras, 100 miles 
distant ; and as this was an easy mode of 
travelling, the doctor advised me to go by it. 
I embarked in my palanquin, and was carried 
safely to dear Mr. Loveless's again." 

About this period Mr. Loveless and Mr. 
Enill had an opportunity of showing kindness 
to one of the greatest of their fellow-labourers, 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 109 

Dr. Judson of Burmali. He had left Rangoon 
in a small native vessel, of a class that never 
can safely lose sight of land, with a view of 
proceeding to Chittagong, ten or twelve days' 
sail distant. Tempestuous weather drove them 
to sea, and involved them in horrible sufferings. 
After two or three months' struggle with almost 
every species of privation, the little vessel 
came to an anchor in the mud of Masulipatam, 
about three hundred miles north of Madras. 
Mr. Judson gathered sufficient strength to 
pencil a note begging for a place to die in, 
and addressed it " To any English resident." 
When told, a little while afterwards, that a 
boat was approaching from the shore, he suc- 
ceeded in crawling to the window of his cabin, 
and perceiving the red coat of the soldier, and 
the white jacket of the civilian, he sank down 
on his knees and wept. One of the officers 
treated him with the most generous hospitality, 
until he set out to Madras in search of a ship 
to Rangoon. He waited three months for a 
passage, while liis friends in Burmah were 
held in painful suspense as to his fate. But it 
may easily be imagined how much his sorrow 
10 



110 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



was alleviated by the friendship of the mission- 
aries. ''I received," says he, in a letter to 
America, " such proofs of Christian affection 
from many dear friends, as rendered parting 
with them very painful, though my detention 
in Madras had, in other respects been almost 
insupportable.'*^^ Mr. Knill mentions but one 
incident of the visit : — "A young man," says he, 
" called on me one day, to speak about being 
baptized. Mr. Judson sat and listened to the 
conversation. The young man spoke admi- 
rably as to liimself, the Scriptures, and the 
Saviour. At last Judson rose to his feet, and 
clasping his hands, exclaimed — ' If ever I 
should live to liear one of the Burmese 
expressing himself as this man does, my heart 
would leap for joy.' Happily he did live to 
see his ardent wish fulfilled." 

Another hot season in Madras was not 
reckoned safe for Mr. Knill, and he was 
persuaded to pay a visit to his former fel- 
low-passenger, Mr. Meade, who laboured at 
Travancore. After an interesting journey 
through Tranquebar, Tanjore, Trichinopoly, 

* "Wayland's " Life of Judson," vol. i., p. 154. 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



Ill 



and Palmacotta, where he became acquainted 
not only with new forms of idolatry, but with 
evidences of the Divine blessing on the labours 
of the early Danish missionaries, which at 
once affected and cheered his mind, he was 
cordially hailed by his friend, who, then in 
widowed solitude, persevered in proclaiming 
the glad tidings near the Serpent's Temple at 
Nagercoil. " I found him, with his dear little 
boy, in excellent health and spirits, but there 
seemed something wanting. When we parted 
at Madras, I carried the dear child in my arms 
to the ship, and Mr. Loveless supported poor 
Mrs. Meade who was then very ill ; but now 
she has been twelve months an inhabitant of 
another world — a citizen of a nobler city. 
Poor, dear Meade looked forlorn ; the sight 
of me revived his recollection of the wife of 
his youth ; but the important duties of his 
station called, and he obeyed ; and I had 
now a little time to reflect on my new 
position." 

The salubrious climate had a reviving influ- 
ence on Mr. KnilFs enfeebled constitution, and 
he threw into the work all the energy at his 



112 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



disposal. New schools were opened, sermons, 
consisting of short questions and answers, 
were delivered to willing auditories, and 
native teachers, bearing the names of English 
benefactors, were sent forth to the villages. 
AYith characteristic hope, the foundation of a 
very large chapel was laid ; and when the 
difficulties which invariably gather round such 
nndertakings appeared, they were met with 
unflinching courage. There were stones 
enough in the mountains, and trees beyond 
number in the forests ; but the means of their 
transportation could not be found. While 
this problem was waiting for solution, " I 
saw," says Mr. Knill, a huge elephant feeding 
near a temple with a keeper by his side. I 
said to the man, ' Whose elephant is this ? ' 
The reply was, ' He belongs to the goddess 
who lives in the temple.' ' What does the 
goddess do with an elephant V ' She rides on 
him,' it was answered, ' twice a year at the 
processions.' I thought if we could get this 
elephant to draw the building materials for 
our chapel, the animal would serve a new 
master, and be employed in a better work 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



113 



than canying an idol. I mentioned it to Mr. 
Meade, and through the Resident the matter 
was laid before the Queen. Her Majesty said, 
' They may have the elephant but they must feed 
the animal and pay the keeper.' We readily 
consented, and had the gratification of seeing 
the monster daily engaged in drawing stones 
and timber for the house of the Lord. The 
chapel was some years in building, but now 
some of the largest and most interesting anni- 
versaries in India are held in it." 

In the midst of these pleasant and important 
labours, a fearful visitation of cholera deso- 
lated that part of India. The affrighted 
population fled to the missionaries for relief, 
and gave them little repose night or day. 
They, having procured medicines, laboured to 
meet the demand, and were the means of rescu- 
ing many from death ; But the sudden and ex- 
cessive exertion told quickly on Mr. Knill's 
strength. " As I rode," says he, " from place 
to place, the distress was very alarming. At 
one place I saw a cluster of people on the 
roadside sui-rounding a man agonized by chol- 
era. I gave him medicine and ordered the 
10* 8 



114 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



people to rub him. At last the poor creature 
began to recover ; and opening bis eyes, said, 
* Who are my helpers ?' In an hour he was 
able to walk to the next village ; but while 
engaged with him I was exposed to a very 
sharp wind. Choleric symptoms followed, 
which nearly killed me. This was decisive. 
From this time there could be no reprieve. 
On partial recovery the doctor ordered me to 
quit India at once. Dear Mr. Meade, though 
reluctantly, helped me away ; and on the 
morning of the 15th February, 1819, 1 set sail 
for Colombo. Vessels generally cross the 
Gulf of Manaar in twenty-four hours ; but 
we were becalmed for five days, and the sun 
beat upon us very much. I sat, or lay, in my 
palanquin on the deck the greater part of the 
way, and suffered much from the liver, which 
was affected again by the intense heat. On our 
arrival at Ceylon, I was removed to the Wes- 
leyan mission-house, where I was treated with 
all the affection and tenderness which the ser- 
vants of Christ are wont to show each other." 

After a short sojourn, Mr. Knill succeeded 
in securing a passage to England in the ship 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGX. 



115 



Bichnond, Captain Home, " The vessel liad 
to go round to Madras to complete her cargo ; 
and for the third time I entered Madras Roads, 
and once more, and for the last time, found 
myself with beloved brethren and sisters in 
India. It was early on Sunday morning. Two 
of the members of the church came off for me, 
and took me direct to the chapel. They were 
singing when we entered, and I heard the verse 
given out by Mr. Hands of Bellar^- — 

' Grace will complete what grace begins, 
To save from sorrow and from sins ; 
The work that wisdom undertakes, 
Eternal mercy ne'er forsakes.' 

A poor creature, tossed about as I had been, 
and who was just about to leave the land of 
his adoption, for, perhaps, a watery grave, 
alone could imagine how these lines soothed 
my troubled breast. I silently added, ' Even 
so. Father, for it seemeth good in Thy sight.' 

"On the morning on which the ship again 
set sail, a new mission-chapel was commenced, 
and, as a token of my bretliren's love, I was 
honoured to lay the foundation-stone ; after 
which, amid their tears and prayers, I bade 



116 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



farewell to India forever. The chief officer, 
whose cabin was very airv, kindly gave it up 
to me, and I found it a great comfort. My 
health went through several changes in the 
tropics. One night the doctor considered me 
dying ; and dear Mr. Griffiths, a Baptist mis- 
sionary, who, with his wife and daughter, was 
returning in the same ship, sat with me and 
prayed with me, commending me to the care 
of Him who received the spirit of the dying 
Stephen. But I revived. Off the Cape of 
Good Hope we had stormy weather, which so 
increased the illness of two military officers — 
a captain and a major — that they both died ; 
and their funerals exceeded in solemnity, I 
thought, any funeral I had seen on shore. The 
weather not permitting us to land at the Cape, 
we put into St. Helena, where we remained in 
lodgings for four days. The charges were 
thirty shillings a day, which, for me, amounted 
to six pounds, and for Mr. Griffiths and liis 
family to fifteen pounds. But when we asked 
for the reckoning, the host answered tliat he 
had been ordered to present us with our bills 
discharged. On begging to know our bene- 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



IIT 



factors, he answered, the Rev. Mr. Yernon, the 
chaplain, and Captain White. Many will have 
to thank God for sending English ministers to 
that rock — then the lonely prison of Napoleon. 
The chaplain accepted from me ' CeciUs Re- 
mains' as a keepsake, and again we set sail for 
Old England. 

" On the 30th November, 1819, we landed 
at Margate, and after a day's rest, I set off 
for Mr. Nisbet's where I was cordially re- 
ceived." 

" Oh, my dear Mr. Rooker," runs a note, 
dated' a few days afterwards, " how can I be- 
gin a letter to you ? My heart grows warm 
at the recollection of the blessings I have re- 
ceived through your ministry, and the favours 
I have received from your hands. May the 
Lord repay you a thousand-fold! You have 
heard of my affliction, and I doubt not that I 
have shared in your sympathy and your pray- 
ers. Now, let me entreat you to praise the 
Lord for His goodness to me in bringing me 
in safety to my native shores, and mercifully 
restoring me to such a measure of health and 
strength, as I never could have expected. The 



118 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



improvement of my health since I landed at 
Margate (30th November), has been very 
rapid, and very great. Last Monday I saw 
the directors, and met with all that affection- 
ate kindness which the blessed gospel inspires. 
Tuesday, good old Dr. Waugh took me to his 
physician, who reported well respecting me. 
The directors offered to send me to any place 
which appeared most suitable to my present 
state. The physician did not think that 
Devonshire was altogether suitable, as it was 
too damp ; but I shall come down, by the help 
of God, for a few days, and stay among my 
dear friends for a little Russia is con- 
templated as my future home. Probably the 
place of my residence may be St. Petersburg, 
but this is not yet decided." 

Journal. — ''January 1, 1820. — On this first 
day of the new year, I set out for Bath. The 
weather was exceedingly cold, and travelling 
rather dangerous, but through mercy I suffered 
no injury, and about 8 p. M., was safe in the 
York Hotel in this beautiful city. 

" January 2. — This day being the Sabbath 
of the Lord, I had the pleasure of hearing Mr. 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGX. 



119 



Jay preach from the words, ' We thanked God 
and took courage.' I afterwards became ac- 
quainted with the Rev. Dr. Haweis, one of the 
fathers of the London Missionary Society. 
He was an old man, and full of days. More 
than fourscore years had rolled over his head, 
and yet there were moments when he was all 
vivacity. His heart was always warm on mis- 
sionary subjects, and his eyes frequently flow- 
ing with tears, while I told him of the wonders 
of redeeming love among the heathen. The 
venerable saint talked of going to London in 
May, but he was removed in a few days to the 
rest which remaineth for the people of God. 

" January 3. — The missionary prayer-meet- 
ing at Mr. Jay's. He pressed me to give the 
address, which I did to a large and interesting 
congregation. 

January 4. — Set off, after experiencing a 
thousand kindnesses from the Yockney family, 
for Bristol. As I entered this city, and was 
passing from the coach-office to Mr. Skinner's, 
my heart was so full that I was much relieved 
by giving vent to tears. When I last saw 
that city, I was a stranger to God, being far 



120 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



from comfort and holiness. 0 my soul, if I 
had died then, what would have become of 
thee ? I look back and tremble. I look up 
to Thee, 0 my God and Saviour, and adore 
Thee for Thy great goodness. 

" January 6. — Having tarried with the truly 
excellent family of Mr. Skinner till to-day, I 
posted onward to Poundsford Park, the seat of 
Thomas Welman, Esq., — the refuge of Chris- 
tian ministers in the days of persecution, and 
the hospitable home of one or other of them 
ever since. 

" February 9. — Took leave of the hospita- 
ble mansion. I received the most affection- 
ate kindness, which, together with the peace 
and happiness I have enjoyed, has tended 
greatly to strengthen my body and establish 
my health. My dear and honoured friends, 
Mr. and Mrs. Welman, accompanied me to 
Taunton, where I took coach, and proceeded 
to Barnstaple. 

" February 10. — Rev. W. H. Gardiner went 
with me to Braunton, the place of my nativity. 
My dear parents are greatly altered, having 
now exceeded the lease of human life — my 



THE FIRST CAMPAIGN. 



121 



dear father being in liis 74th, and mj mother 
in her 75th year. On our arrival, my mother 
fainted, and I thought she had sunk to rise no 
more, but the Lord was merciful to her, and 
to me also, in that she gradually revived, and 
was wonderfully cheerful and happy ; her mind 
stayed upon God, her soul fixed upon the Rock 
of Ages. 

» " February 13. — Preached at Braunton to 
my old neighbours and companions with more 
than usual energy. Lord, bless Thy holy 
Word ! During an absence of four years, I 
found many of the neighbours dead and gone, 
and their places filled by others, many of 
whom I know not. Wliat a change does only 
four years make I — 0 my God, all things fade 
and die ; but Thou remainest. Help me to 
seek Thee for my present and eternal portion !" 

For nearly three months, Mr. Knill tarried 
among the friends of his youth, in all tlie 
towns and villages of that part of Devon, 
requiting their kindness by touching and ani- 
mating addresses, accompanied by a large bless- 
ing from on high. 

11 



CHAPTER V. 



"A Man in the right, with God on his side, is in the 
majority though he be alone, for God is multitudinous above 
all populations of the earth." — Beecher. 



(123) 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 

At the period of Mr. KnilFs return to Eng- 
land the religious condition of Russia was 
awakening deep interest in this country. The 
Scottish Missionary Society, as early as the 
second year of the present century, established 
a mission in the provinces bordering on the 
Caspian and Black Seas, which was attended 
with small fruit ; but about ten years later a 
series of events kindled hope for the whole 
empire. The Rev. Dr. Paterson, who had 
been successful in promoting the publication 
of the Bible in Sweden, conceived the idea of 
attempting a similar work for Finland, which 
had then been recently annexed to Russia, and 
in the prosecution of his purpose, arrived in 
Moscow, a few days before that city was con- 
sumed in presence of the army of Napoleon. 
The anxiety produced by the war, which lie 
feared would defeat his object, proved, on the 

It* (125) 



126 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



contrary, to be favourable to it. The strik- 
ingly providential destruction of the French 
legions, together with the exhaustion produced 
by their own protracted struggle, disposed 
several leading statesmen to solemn reflection. 
Above all, the religious impressions made, 
through a variety of agencies, on the Emperor 
Alexander, inclined him to look favourably on 
any measures which promised to promote the 
moral welfare of his people ; so that when the 
proposal to print the Scriptures for the " for- 
eign Confessions " of the empire was laid be- 
fore him, he not only gave it an instant sanc- 
tion, but expressed regret that his own Rus- 
sians " were not to be sharers of the boon. 
That omission, which had been made to avoid 
the hostility of the Greek clergy, was speedily 
supplied, and the Divine "Word was eventually 
published in as many as twenty languages, 
inclusive of the vernacular tongue of the coun- 
try. 

The favour shown to this great undertaking, 
not only by the emperor, but by the heads of 
the Greek Church and the ministers of state, 
many of whom proved, on a subsequent day 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



127 



of trial, to be men of decided Christian prin- 
ciple, was so great, that for some time what- 
ever the sagacious and laborious Paterson 
asked for was promptly granted. The law 
permitted the people of each nation to wor- 
ship according to the rites of its own Church, 
but allowed of no dissent, and of no proselyt- 
ism. The English residents in St. Petersburg, 
who then numbered about two thousand, had, 
on that principle, enjoyed the ministrations 
of the Episcopal chaplain ; but as these were 
not, at that period, of an expressly evan- 
gelical character, a strong desire arose in the 
hearts of a few persons for other services, and 
the request of Dr. Paterson for such a privi- 
lege was so far complied with that he was 
allowed to hold public worship on the evening 
of the Lord's day in the chapel of the Mora- 
vian Brethren. These ordinances, which were 
rendered peculiarly interesting by the some- 
times lengthened visits of missionaries on their 
way to Astrachan and Siberia, received such 
evidences of Divine approval, that, after the 
lapse of four years, it was reckoned desirable 
to have a resident minister, who should make 



128 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



them the chief object of his attention. This 
proposition had been just acceded to by the 
Directors of the London Missionary Society, 
when Mr. Knill returned from India, and no 
time was lost, after his own concurrence and 
that of his medical advisers had been obtained, 
in despatching him to St. Petersburg. After 
an extensive but exhilarating tour in England 
on behalf of foreign missions, he sailed from 
London in the autumn of 1820. 

The season was rather too far advanced, and 
the voyage proved protracted and wearisome. 
The " multitude of his thoughts" during that 
interval found no record ; but a letter to his 
parents shows how affectionately and devoutly 
he bore them on his heart : — 

" At S3a, lat. 58 X„ long. 10 E., 
October 25, 1820. 

My dear and hoxoured Parents, — .... 
Often have I been conversing with you, and 
lifting up my heart to God for you, when 
walking the deck or swinging in my cot. Oh, 
how earnestly I have longed for your spiritual 
and eternal felicity ! This world has not been 
such a scene of trial to you as it has been to 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



129 



many ; goodness and mercy have followed you 
all your journey through, and I trust that the 
arm of Jesus will support your tottering age, 
and His soft hand wipe away your tears. I 
wrote you from Gravesend, and requested my 
kind friend, Mr. Nisbet, who accompanied me 
to the ship, to say at the bottom of the page 
that he had seen me embark. Our passage to 
this point has been very expeditious, and we 
may expect soon to arrive at Elsinore, whence 
we shall be able to send letters. ..." 

A baffling wind kept the ship beating within 
a hundred miles of that port for a week ; but 
eventually he was able to address the Rev. 
George Burder from the "Bible Society's 
House," St. Petersburg, on the 7th December, 
1820, and to say — " I hope you will never 
send another missionary so late in the year to 
this cold country. On our arrival at the 
island of Cronstadt, we found ourselves en- 
circled with ice and snow not sufficiently 
frozen to suffer travellers to pass it. Hence 
I was detained there nine days, at great ex- 
pense and in painful anxiety. However, on 
Saturday last the ice was so far broken as to 
9 



130 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



admit of our passing over to the opposite 
shore ; and between nine and ten in the even- 
ing I arrived at this house. Every mark of 
Christian kindness and attention I received 
froDi our dear friends, Dr. Paterson, and Dr. 
and Mrs. Henderson. On Sabbath morning 
we met around the table of our Lord, and 
found it a time of refreshing from His pres- 
ence. It was to me as life from the dead, 
after being shut out of Christian society for 
many weeks." 

Mr. Knill thus entered a sphere in which he 
was destined to receive and to impart great 
blessings. It was a position requiring unusual 
circumspection, for the government was pro- 
verbially jealous, the Greek clergy were sus- 
picious of every encroachment on the religious 
province, and not a few among the English 
were disposed to treat contemptuously those 
who discountenanced their general worldliness. 
But Mr. Knill, though of a highly sanguine 
temperament, was distinguished by a simplicity 
of purpose, and a fine perception of propriety 
in speech and conduct, which served, through 
the Divine blessing, to keep him beyond the 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



131 



reach of his enemies. The congregation, too, 
which he found awaiting him, though small, 
included several persons of great intelligence 
and fervent piety, by whom his principles 
were strengthened, and every good enterprise 
which his fertile invention suggested was cordi- 
ally sustained. 

The entries in his private journal show a 
growing sense of responsibility. He writes on 
June 1, 1821 : " 0 my God, give me grace to 
love and serve Thee more and better ! Grant 
that every token of Thy favour to myself and 
to the people, may endear Thy name. Thy 
ways. Thy work, to my heart ! And wilt 
Thou, most gracious Spirit, pour out Thy holy 
influence on the people in such a plentiful 
manner that they may all become fellow-work- 
ers with me in warning and encouraging, in 
drawing and inviting sinners to Thee, and in 
building them up in their most holy faith ? 
Make us a holy and consecrated band ! Though 
despised by many, may we be rich in faith, full 
of good works, honoured by Thy love and pres- 
ence ; and then all will be — all must be well.'' 

Nor did these, and similar petitions, remain 



132 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



unanswered. Persons who Lad forgotten the 
professions they had made in their native land, 
and yielded themselves up to the prevailing 
indifference of the city, were restored ; and 
others, to whom the gospel in its simplicity 
and fulness was a new message, were gra- 
ciously brought under its power, so that, in a 
few months, the band of communicants was 
doubled, and the general congregation aug- 
mented in an even greater ratio. 

The gladness of this " time of refreshing'' 
was chastened by the sudden death of Mr. 
W. Yenning, whose brief career contributed so 
much to form the character of the little church, 
that a passing notice is due to his memory. 

Mr. Yenning, when resident in London, in 
1815, was attracted by the Society for the Im- 
provement of Prison Discipline, formed at that 
period under the presidency of the Duke of 
Gloucester ; and having succeeded in reform- 
ing some juvenile offenders, at a time when 
that was judged hardly possible, he resolved 
to devote his remaining life to the enterprise. 
Proceeding to St. Petersburg with mercantile 
views, he found so much room for the exertions 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



133 



of a philanthropist, that he totally surrendered 
his original pursuits, and gave himself over to 
the work of ameliorating the national prisons. 
No personal dangers, and no considerations of 
ease or wealth, restrained him. He plunged 
into the receptacles of disease and crime : and 
by a skilful organization of noblemen of great 
influence, he was enabled, in a marvellously 
short time, to correct flagrant abuses. So 
deep and general was the impression produced 
by his disinterested consecration, that when he 
died of a fever, contracted in gaol, shortly 
after completing the thirty-ninth year of his 
age. Prince Galitzin, in proposing the monu- 
ment to his memory, which now stands in the 
Smolenskoi Cemetery, said, " While Russia has 
to show near one frontier the ashes of his 
countryman who produced the first traces of 
amelioration in the condition of prisoners, and 
of the sick and suffering, let her show here the 
monument of a second Howard, — a worthy 
follower and emulator of the good deeds of 
the first."* 

* Memoir of the Life and Character of Walter Yenning, 
Esq., by Richard Knill. London, 1822. 8vo. 

12 



134 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



The dying words of this devoted man — " I 
wish to say to you, Knill, labour for Jesus 
Christ as long as you have breath in your 
body" — were long remembered, so perfectly 
had they been illustrated in the life which was 
then closing, and so fully did they accord with 
the purposes of tlie heart upon which they fell. 
Not less influential was the example of Mr. 
Venning on the subsequent life of his own 
brother, whose name will hereafter often occur 
in these pages ; while an educational institu- 
tion, which occupied much of Mr. Knill's atten- 
tion, and which flourishes to this day, sprang 
almost immediately from his ashes. 

" Mr. Walter Yenning, the philanthropist," 
says Mr. Knill, " met with a hopeful penitent 
in the prison, and requested Mr. Gray, one of 
our members, who spoke four languages, to 
read the Scriptures to him and converse with 
him on religion. This work quite suited Mr. 
Gray's mind, and he expressed a strong desire 
to be constantly employed in it. He suggest- 
ed to Mr. John Yenning the idea of a school 
for poor foreigners ; and he mentioning it to 
me, I drew up a paper, which the Princess 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 135 



Metscliersky showed to the Emperor. The 
Emperor, in his own prompt way, ordered the 
thing to be done, granting at the same time 
5000 rubles for the establishment of the school, 
and appointing me as superintendent, with an 
annual salary of 2000 rubles, and Mr. Gray as 
master, with an annual salary of 1000 rubles. 
It came upon us as sudden and as genial as an 
April shower." 

This institution, which offered elementary 
instruction through the medium of Russ, Ger- 
man, and English, to the children of persons 
not of the Greek Church, had to encounter at 
the beginning all the old prejudices against the 
education of the humbler classes. But on the 
26th July, 1823, Mr. Knill was able to write 
to a friend : — 

" Our boys' and girls' schools go on well. 
Dear Princess Metschersky is a nursing mother 
to them, and the young Princesses Sophia and 
Marie are following their honoured mother's 
steps. At present we have 270 boys and 70 
girls — a most interesting sight. Upwards of 
300 have been refused admission since the 1st 
of January, which has made our hearts ache ; 



136 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



but we had no room. We sometimes talk of 
taking a larger house, but we are afraid. It 
is a new thing ; a charitj-school for poor for- 
eigners was never heard of, and we have much 
to struggle with. We did not, indeed, expect 
that an object so decidedly religious would 
meet with general support ; but we had no idea 
that the contrary disposition would have been 
so prevalent. But there are happy exceptions ; 
a gentleman from your side of the Tweed 
lately called at the school, and afterwards 
meeting me, gave me 200 rubles to its funds, 
saying, ' I will vindicate it wherever I go ; it is 
the best thing ever set on foot in this country 
by the English.' '' 

The following entries carry on the view of 
his inner and domestic history : — 

JouRXAL.— " Mmj 29, 1822.— Reading this 
morning an account of Dr. Bateman's life and 
death, I was particularly edified and delighted. 
My soul melted at the goodness of God, and I 
longed to glorify Him in my death, if it should 
be His heavenly will. — 0 Lord, grant that 
when my heart and flesh fail, I may find Thee 
precious to my soul, and may be enabled to 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



137 



declare to all around my dying-bed liow 
precious, how glorious Thou art." 

" October 30. — I would devoutly adore Thee, 

0 my God, for Thy great goodness to us. Oh, 
favour us, favour us with more of ' the mind 
which was also in Christ Jesus,' that with 
meekness, love, zeal, and usefulness, we may 
pass through this world of sin to perfect joy in 
Thy presence. — My father's letter informs me 
of the joyful tidings that my nephew, about 
seventeen, comes and prays with my dear 
mother. Hallelujah !" 

" December 2. — This day two years ago I 
arrived at St. Petersburg, and in tracing the 
linger of Providence, how striking does it ap- 
pear ! — Gracious Lord, Thy love in time past 
forbids me to think Thou wilt ever leave me. 
May every successive year of my life, if years 
are given, be increasingly instrumental in 
drawing sinners to the Redeemer. 0 Lord, 
Thou knowest all things ; Thou knowest that 

1 love Thee, and that to honour Thee is my 
supreme delight. This day do I give up ray- 
self to Thee, and would seal my covenant with 
my God, my Father, and my all. Amen.'^ 

12* 



138 THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



Decemher 17. — The bridge was carried 
away by the ice, which prevented me from visit- 
ing my friends on the island. I therefore visited 
the school, and then accompanied my dear 
friend, Mr. Venning, to the prison, at which 
place, I think, I caught a cold. It increased 
rapidly, and by midnight I was in a violent 
fever. The thought of dear Walter Yenning's 
prison-fever and death ran much in my mind, 
and during one part of the night I was a little 
delirious. It was a serious and anxious time. 
The communication being cut off from my 
dearest Sarah by reason of the floating ice, I 
knew not but that her next intelligence of me 
might be that I was dead and buried. Blessed 
be the Lord, He has not cut me off as in a 
moment, but has raised me up again. The 
kindness of dear Dr. Paterson was very great, 
as, indeed, it has always been ever since I knew 
him. I received from him some medicine, 
which wonderfully abated the fever ; but I was 
unable to rise during the Wednesday, and he 
preached for me in the evening, to the great 
edification and comfort of the people. The 
inquiries and attentions of those of the little 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



139 



church who knew of my affliction made me 
shed tears of joy. I adore Thee, 0 Lord, for 
placing me among so pious and affectionate a 
people. Multiply the number of such Chris- 
tians by thousands and thousands. Then shall 
Thy name be glorified from the rising to the 
setting sun." 

" December 20. — I was so far recovered as 
to be able to go to the Rev. Edward Law, to 
request him to publish the banns of marriage 
between me and my Sarah. — Gracious Father, 
who hast united our hearts to each other, pour 
down upon us much of Thy Holy Spirit, that 
we may be preserved from dishonouring Thee 
in thought, word, or deed, and be assisted in 
glorifying Thee in all our ways. Amen." 

The event thus introduced to the reader's 
notice occurred at the chapel of the British 
Factory, on the 9th of January, 1823 ; and it 
may be permitted here to record a few words 
penned by Mr. Knill towards the close of his 
life, relative to the lady who, from that day, 
contributed so much to his personal happiness, 
and to his usefulness as a minister : — " She was 
the daughter of James and Isabella Notman, a 



140 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



quaker family, originally resident in Newcastle- 
on-Tyne. Her father served under the two 
Emperors, Paul and Alexander, as the founder 
of tanneries in different parts of the empire. 
He won a fair fame for the Quakers long be- 
fore the Emperor Alexander saw "William 
Allen or Daniel Wheeler. Sarah was born in 
St. Petersburg, and after being educated in 
England at ' Friends' school,' accompanied her 
parents to Kazan, in Asiatic Russia, where her 
father, in the midst of his extensive labours, 
fell sick and died."^ Looking back over our 

^ Mrs. Notman's life was once singularly preserved by an 
opportune visit of Howard the philanthropist. During the 
absence of her husband on a long journey, she was seized 
with a typhoid fever, and sunk under it to the point of los- 
ing all external signs of life. The servants were proceeding 
with preparations for the interment of the body, when How- 
ard, who greatly respected the family, travelhng near their 
house, came in, and was informed of the circumstance. He 
requested to see the body, and suspecting that liie was not 
extinct, administered some powerful restoratives, which 
proved, by God's favour, successful. In a little while, " she 
arose and ministered unto them," having, during her utter 
helplessness, heard distinctly the conversation of the ser- 
vants respecting her funeral, and the commands of Howard 
respecting the measures for her restoration. "When she 
afterwards accompanied her daughter to a " Friends' school" 
in England, the first object of interest to which she conducted 
her was the statue of her deliverer in St. Paul's Cathedral. 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



141 



happy union of more than thirty years, I de- 
liberately consider it, next to my soul's salva- 
tion, the greatest blessing of my life." 

About this time Mr. KnilFs labours were 
much increased by his having accepted the 
appointment of the London and the Scottish 
Missionary Societies as a medium of communi- 
cation between them and their missionaries in 
the remote parts of Russia. This work grati- 
fied his early and unquenched interest in the 
heathen, and he threw himself into it with his 
whole heart, maintaining an extensive and en- 
livening correspondence with those brave men, 
who, under the impression which proved too 
correct, that even the hard lot which they had 
chosen among barbarous and warlike tribes 
would soon be denied to them by the Greek 
Church, devoted themselves with intense appli- 
cation, to translations which might survive 
their personal labours. Upon men pursuing 
such toil, in such regions, uncheered by Chris- 
tian society, or even by successful evangelism 
through the living voice, the letters of one 
more pleasantly situated came down "like 
showers that water the earth." 



142 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



Not less welcome did his personal visits con- 
tinue to be to numbers of his own countrymen 
in the capital, who had long been estranged 
from the privileges of their native land. He 
reckoned, and perhaps justly, that such direct 
communications, in his position, formed the 
most important department of his duties. It 
certainly was one to which he was singularly 
adapted, and in which he was permitted to ob- 
serve very distinct proofs of the Divine bless- 
ing. The spirit in wliich the work was pur- 
sued is thus expressed : — 

Journal. — " February 19, 1823. — In my 
pastoral visits during this week my soul lias 
been much comforted by the pious conversation 
of my dear people. They are very dear to 
rae indeed. Many of them are my children in 
the faith. — 0 my God, how greatly dost thou 
comfort me and bless me, in giving me such 
tokens of Thine approval ! Dearest Lord and 
Saviour, thou knowest that I love Thee and 
Thy service ; nor would thousands of gold 
and silver so rejoice my heart as to see Thy 
kingdom advancing among us." 

Particular cases are often recorded, and 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



143 



made the occasion of special prayer or praise 
— the golden thread which ran through the 
whole texture of his life — " Mr. M. was deeply 
affected when conversing with me on spiritual 
things. His little daughter observed her 
father affected, and with much concern looked 
at him and then at me, as if I knew the cause. 
May she soon hear a father's prayers, and know 
that his tears are those both of sorrow and of 
joy." Again : " Spent the day at the Y.'s in 
the country. Had much delightful conversa- 
tion with Mrs. Y., and could not but admire 
the goodness of God in making her so devoted." 
Then, at a dying-bed : Oh, how my soul was 
comforted to behold the apparent penitence, 
solicitude, love, hope, and obedience of this 
poor dying woman ! — I thank Thee for bring- 
ing me acquainted with that poor, depraved 
family." Of a public person of great influ- 
ence : " The censor purchased good books for 
his domestics. Was much delighted with his 
moistened and intelligent eye, and his apparent- 
ly warm and devoted heart. — Lord, let there be 
ten thousand such instances of piety in this 
city ! Amen." 



144 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



Towards the close of this year the Russian 
Bible Society, which for the ten previous years 
had continued to pour forth its treasures in an 
uninterrupted stream upon the country, began 
to experience some premonitory difficulties. 
The metropolitan, Michael, who had been its 
true friend, died, and was succeeded in his 
ecclesiastical office by Seraphim, its decided 
enemy. The complaints of the inferior clergy 
could now find their way to influential persons 
in the Church, and from thence to the ears of 
Arakcheyeff, the chief minister of state, upon 
whom the burden of government began more 
and more to be developed. The emperor, how- 
ever, continued to show his personal favour to 
the promoters of evangelical measures, and 
while he did so, no open hostility was to be 
dreaded. Mr. Knill thus cautiously and de- 
voutly alludes to the imperial kindness in a 
letter to his young friend, Mr. Parkinson, then 
in England : — 

''August 15, 1823.— The great friend of good 
men and good things in this empire lately took 
tea with Mr. and Mrs. Yenning. He was there 
for an hour and a half, and never was so warm 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



145 



in the things of God. Let us pray daily for 
him ; for in his days the righteous flourish.'' 

At a somewhat later period, he writes to 
Miss Ross of Edinburgh, to whom he was often 
indebted for a deep and practical interest in his 
endeavours : — " I enjoy the fullest liberty, and 
the Lord is pleased to bless us with many 
proofs of His loving-kindness, and thougli I 
know not what may be my lot to-morrow, yet 
He has taken from me all fear and disquietude. 
I was greatly agitated and distressed at one 
time, but I cried unto the Lord, and He heard 
me, and delivered me from all my fears. Hal- 
lelujah ! . . . . Decided and almost universal 
hostility to vital religion is a marked feature 
of the present time, and it is to my mind an 
evidence that it is greatly on the increase, that 
it is striking its roots deeply in the hearts of 
the Lord's people, and that the energies of the 
Church will be called forth mightily. It is a 
very eventful period, and I trust that we shall 
be assisted to advance the Redeemer's king- 
dom." 

The same letter mentions the continued 
stability of the school : — " The announcement 
13 10 



146 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



of your great kindness to our scliool, through 
Dr. Brown's letter, was quite cheering to the 
hearts of the committee. It came most oppor- 
tunely ; for, owing to the want of religion 
among all ranks, we meet with very little as- 
sistance. Indeed, many strenuously oppose it, 
especially as it is in the hands of those whom 
they are pleased to style ' Methodists.' Not- 
withstanding this, it flourishes, and more than 
two hundred boys and one hundred girls are 
daily receiving instruction in the most impor- 
tant things. These children are from among 
the lower orders, and, through the Divine 
blessing, may be expected to exert a great in- 
fluence over the morals of the present genera- 
tion, and the next generation also. If you 
have never been out of England, it is not pos- 
sible that you can form an idea of the depraved 
state of a large city with little religion in it. 
Books cannot convey a thousandth part of the 
real state of things." 

Still, too, did he enjoy the cooperation of 
the valued friends who laid the foundations of 
his work, and in whose usefulness he was ever 
as ready to rejoice as in his own. On one oc- 



THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 147 



casion, being seized with sudden illness when 
about to preach, he called, he says, " on Dr. 
Paterson to pray, and with difficulty sat down. 
The Doctor immediately came into the pulpit, 
and went through the service in a most solemn, 
animated, and edifying manner, afterwards 
administering the Lord's Supper to the largest 
number of communicants that we have ever 
had. The Lord was very gracious to us all in 
thus assisting His servant to declare His coun- 
sel.'' At another time, when detained at home 
by sickness. Dr. Henderson and Dr. Paterson 
divided the services between them, and " I 
bless the Lord," is his language, " that my 
dear people were so well supplied, and that 
my brethren were enabled to set forth the 
word of life in so precious a manner. Oh that 
I may hear, on some future day, of sinners be- 
ing converted under these faithful discourses !'^ 
Nor were his sympathies limited to his own 
flock. He watched with deep interest signs 
of advancing life in the other English congre- 
gation. " It is very gratifying, " is the entry 
in the Journal of March 14, 1824, " to hear 
of the Rev. Edward Law's faithful preaching 



■'is THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. 



to SO large a congregation. — May Thy word 
be made like a fire and a hammer that break- 
eth the rock in pieces ! May there be a shak- 
ing among the dry bones, and a great ingather- 
ing of precious souls to Christ ! Amen." 



CHAPTER YI. 



" Oh, fear not in a world like this, 
And thou shalt know ere long — 
Know how sublime a thmg it is 
To suffer and be strong !" 

Longfellow. 



13* 



(149) 



STOKMS. 



The series of trials, both public and domestic, 
which now approached, was ushered in bj the 
inundation and threatened destruction of the 
city. Peter the Great, it is well known, chose 
the site of his capital more with reference to 
his political and commercial designs than from 
regard to the comfort of its future inhabitants. 
A position fifty miles below the largest lake in 
Europe, at the head of a magnificent gulf, and 
commanding communications with the Eastern 
and Western hemispheres, was not to be re- 
iected because it was so soft that the founda- 
tions of palaces required to be as deep as the 
walls were high, and so low as to be in no 
part twenty feet higher than the surrounding 
waters. The imperial determination so far 
prevailed, that one of the most imposing cities 
of the world now rests on the quivering sur- 
face of those marshy islets ; but a higher law 
5* [151] 



152 



STORMS. 



is said perpetually to hold over it the possi- 
bility of a complete submergence. Whenever 
it shall happen that a powerful west wind shall 
blow during the fortnight which witnesses the 
breaking up of the ice, the waters of the Gulf 
of Finland, it is affirmed, will meet the cur- 
rent from Lake Ladoga, and, rising together, 
they will roll over the city, and involve its 
four hundred thousand inhabitants in a fate 
not less terrible than that of Herculaneum 
and Pompeii. Such a combination of circum- 
stances may, of course, never occur ; but even 
the modified form of it, which must now be 
noticed, brought consequences sufficiently dread- 
ful. In the middle of November, 1824, a gale 
of unusual violence swept through the British 
Channel, the North Sea, and the Baltic, and, 
passing up the Gulf of Finland, reached St. 
Petersburg on the 19th of that month. Trees 
which had stood every winter-blast, from the 
foundation of the city, were levelled with the 
ground, and the iron roof of the Bible House 
was " rolled up like a sheet of paper, and car- 
ried into the air." This peril of the wind 
brought the greater peril of the waters. 



STORMS. 



153 



" On Thursday night," writes Mr. Knill to 
Mr. Alers Hankey, on the 23d November, " the 
wind was high, and the waters rose very much, 
BO that guns were fired to warn the inhabi- 
tants of those apartments which were nearly 
on a level with the river. The next morning 
the guns fired again, as the waters had greatly 
increased. About ten A. M. some of the streets 
near the Neva were beginning to be covered ; 
but the people would not believe that the 
waters could rise much higher, forty-seven 
years having rolled away since the city was 
inundated. By half-past ten it was too late 
to attempt the removal of any property, and 
all the people were thrown into confusion. 
Those who could run, ran ; and those who 
could not, cried for deliverance from immedi- 
diate death. In some instances assistance 
reached the sufferers ; but in many more they 
were suffocated in the flood. 

" By two p. M. the city presented a scene the 
most awful that can be conceived. Every 
place was deserted. There was nothing visible 
that had life, and the streets were occupied by 
ships, and boats, and watch-houses, and float- 



154 



STORMS. 



ing trees, and even coffins from the cemeteries, 
with property of various kinds. Several en- 
tire villages were carried away, with the ex- 
ception of a cottage here and there to make 
known where they once stood. 

" The havoc which has been made among 
the poor surpasses anything that I have ever 
heard of in modern times. Many thousands 
were hurried in a moment to meet their Judge. 
This is the most affecting part of the story ; 
for the loss to the commercial world, though 
great, and the miseries among the trades-peo- 
ple, though pressing, may all be remedied ; but 
those who are gone ! ! ! those who are gone ! ! ! 
May I never lose the impression which I now 
feel of the value of the soul and the necessity 
of redemption through Jesus Christ, as well 
as the importance of making every sermon to 
abound with those particular truths which are 
calculated to lead men to Christ, and to be 
ready to depart ! Oh, what would I have 
given for an angel's voice, and an eagle's 
wings, to flee and tell the drowning peasants 
of the Lamb of God ! but now it is over." 

About noon, the wind, though it did not 



STORMS. 155 



abate in force, by God's merciful appointment, 
shifted a few points, and the city was saved 
from complete destruction. By two o'clock 
the waters had decreased several inches, and 
by six it was possible to walk in the streets. 
Next morning, those who had been driven 
from their dwellings, and were still alive, re- 
turned to witness the desolation, to seek for 
traces of lost friends, and to save the remnants 
of their property. 

" I am happy to know," Mr. Knill continues^ 
" that many of my dear people were much en- 
gaged in prayer during the dreadful hours, 
and some of them were made inexpressibly 
happy in the prospect of death and eternity. 
It is very delightful to see that a great spirit 
of love and sympathy is manifested towards 
the sufferers. Almost every family that has 
comfortable lodgings has taken another family, 
or part of a family, to share its comforts, or in 
some other way to alleviate its sorrows. Dear 
Mr. Mortimer, the Moravian minister, has suf- 
fered a good deal. He and his family are for 
the present residing with me. The Moravians 
have often succoured others, and I felt very 



156 



STORMS. 



thaukful, and considered it a great privilege, 
to afford him a little temporary accommoda- 
tion. There is reason to fear that, as the 
winter is begun, the wet rooms will remain 
cold and damp, and produce much sickness. 
A subscription is begun, which I have no doubt 
will be very liberally supported." 

The misery, indeed, which followed the flood 
was much greater than that which had been 
experienced during its prevalence. Thousands 
had been driven from their homes without food 
or clothing, and instant exertions were neces- 
sary to prevent wide-spread starvation. The 
Russians, who are a compassionate people, 
threw themselves with energy into the work 
of mercy ; and it was a tribute as honourable 
to them as to the foreigner whom they trusted, 
that some of the most influential nobles and 
gentlemen placed themselves under the leader- 
ship of Mr. John Venning. When the news 
of his measures reached the Imperial family, 
they, also, sent him liberal pecuniary support ; 
the Grand Duke Michael putting into hij 
hands £1000 sterling. Arakcheyeff, the foe 
of evangelism, demanded that those fundi 



STORMS. 



157 



should be placed at the disposal of govern- 
ment ; but Venning boldly declined obedience, 
and, after relieving the wants of the sufferers 
with unimpeachable integrity and discretion, 
he proposed that the balance of the fund should 
be augmented, and applied to the establisli- 
ment of a permanent House of Refuge, which, 
to this day, opens its gates to the afflicted and 
the destitute. 

Th« gloom of the closing year was not re- 
lieved by the events of the spring : the first 
cloud which darkened the pastor's house drew 
near. 

Journal. — " March 10, 1825. — Keturned, 
and found my dear wife and child in perfect 
health. My lovely Julia met me at the door, 
and congratulated me. I sat down at my 
writing-desk to prepare letters for England. 
At half-past two the babe became very uneasy, 
and would not be quieted. Her dear mother 
attempted various ways to quiet her, but all 
was unavailing." 

The account is continued in a note to Mr. 
and Mrs. Parkinson, dated March 17, 1825 : 
The delight which you appeared to take in 
14 



158 



STORMS. 



our beloved Julia causes me to take up my 
pen, and with a trembling hand, to inform you 
that last Wednesday, between four and five in 
the afternoon, she left the abodes of mortals to 
join the spirits of the just. . . . When I saw 
that death was rapidly approaching, I sat at 
her feet, and my dear Sarah at her side, while 
Mrs. Yenning was kneeling near her head. 
There we called upon God to support us, and 
help us to bear the shock. Gracious and 
merciful has He been in this trying hour ; bless- 
ed for ever be His name. She expired a few 
hours before the first anniversary of her birth. 
We had been fondly anticipating the pleasure 
of the society of a few of our friends to com- 
memorate the interesting event ; and little did 
we expect, instead, to have her laid in her 
coffin, and nearly all our acquaintances coming 
to sympathize with us.'' 

Journal. — " March 12. — The dear babe is 
laid out in my study. Oh that the circum- 
stance may be attended with the most salutary 
effects on my mind, on my studies, on my 
prayers, on my sermons ! Thus may the death 
of my darling be overruled for great good 



STORMS. 



159 



to the parents and children of my little 
flock ! 

" March 14. — Rose this morning at five, and 
repaired to my dearest Julia. After I had 
kissed her sweet forehead, and her clay-cold 
purple lips, I took her dear hand in mine ; and 
my soul at this moment received unspeakable 
comfort. For, I thought, this hand will never 
be lifted up against God — this heart will never 
indulge a thought contrary to His holy will — 
this silent tongue will never utter a word of 
rebellion — nor shall the little feet ever be 
found in the broad road that leads to death ! 
I cannot describe how happy I felt at the 
thought of this, while the tears rolled down 
my cheek with all the tender emotion of a 
fond father. I thanked God, and took cour- 
age, and hastening to my wife, related to her 
how the Lord had comforted me. She also 
was greatly consoled ; and we prayed together 
for the Lord to help us through the day. Ah ! 
it was a day never to be forgotten ; and to 
make our grief complete, neither of our dear 
brothers, Paterson and Henderson, being con- 
fined to their chambers, could come to help us, 



160 



STORMS. 



and pray with us, or bury the babe. Thanks 
be to God, I was enabled to do this also. A 
few friends came, and I read the 90th Psalm, 
prayed for a blessing to follow from it, and 
then took the body to the grave in the Smo- 
lenskoi burying-ground. It was truly astonish- 
ing to see how tlie Lord supported both my- 
self and the dear mother on the way, and at 
the grave. We committed the dear little body 
to the dust, in full assurance that it shall rise 
again all triumphant and all glorious. (1 Cor. 
XV. 42.) Tears have since been our meat day 
and night, but they are sometimes tears of 
tenderness — sometimes of sorrow — sometimes 
of gratitude. Oh, what a precious gospel is 
our gospel ! What life and immortality are 
brought to light by it ! Without it we should 
not know what would become of little child- 
ren, or what will become of ourselves. But, 
blessed be God, we have a sure word of proph- 
. ecy, to which we do well to take heed ! 

" March 15. — Lord's day morning. Preach- 
ed my dearest Julia's funeral sermon from * Be 
ye ready also.' It was a very solemn morning. 
What a mercy it will be if some one -be enabled 



STORMS. 



161 



to say in truth : ' From the death of Julia 
Knill I date my spiritual life !' August 10. — 
My prayer has been answered ; dear M. H. 
has told me this day that this sermon was 
blessed to her soul, and brought her to give 
up herself to the Lord. Thus, my God and 
Father has given us another daughter. Sep- 
tember 23, 1827. — Mr. D. told me he also was 
impressed by this sermon. — How good are all 
His ways !" 

To the young friend to whom he communi- 
cated this first domestic sorrow, and who was 
maintaining a Christian profession in an un- 
genial atmosphere, he wrote, at this time, in 
the following strain : " We Avere much delight- 
ed to hear of the decided conduct of Mr. . 

No doubt it will become known here ; and I 
hope that grace will be given him to act with 
the same decision at St. Petersburg, that he 
may become a truly good man, and a great 
blessing. He has a talent for communication ; 
and if his heart be warm in the things of God, 
he will speak to the advantage of some, and 
the confutation of others. Your being in Mos- 
cow has no doubt been a blessing to him, and 
14* 11 



162 



STORMS. 



we ought to hope and expect that it will prove 
a blessing to many. Great wisdom and purity- 
should be sought after by you from the source 
of all, and God will give it you if you seek 
Him. I see and feel how much I need this, 
and so will you. The more public our profes- 
sion of religion becomes, the more need there 
is of an increase of grace, that it may corres- 
pond with that profession. A star may set, 
and few observe it, but if the sun be eclipsed, 
it is seen and conversed about by all the 
people in the nation ; so a Christian, in some 
obscure corner, may pass on calmly with low 
attainments in religion ; but if he fills a con- 
spicuous station, many eyes are upon him, and 
many ears are waiting to hear something evil 
of him. You were known before now, but 

since your return both you and Mr. will 

be considered more decided than ever. I 
pray God that He may give you a large share 
of every heavenly grace, and make your house 
the gate of heaven to many !" 

The shadows of the year deepened as it ap- 
proached its close. The Emperor, although 
maintaining, as it has been intimated, the most 



STORMS. 



163 



friendly relations to the men who sought the 
religious good of the people, had permitted the 
influence of the priesthood to obstruct their 
plans. The removal of Prince Galitzin from 
the presidency of the Bible Society, and the 
substitution of the new metropolitan, Seraphim, 
was a marked, and, as it proved, a fatal con- 
cession to their malice. The meetings of its 
committee became infrequent ; and the doc- 
trine was at length announced from the chair, 
that the undirected reading of the Bible was 
fraught with danger, both moral and political. 
These omens were rendered more alarming by 
the increasing disinclination of Alexander to 
public business. His nervous system appeared 
to be shattered, and his mind depressed. He 
spent much time in retirement, and devoted 
himself to religious duties with an ardour 
which some pronounced superstitious. In the 
early part of the autumn, the Empress, who 
was in delicate health, was advised to reside 
during the winter in the south of Russia, and 
the Emperor willingly seized the opportunity 
of withdrawing from the publicity of the capi- 
tal by joining her at Taganrog. 



164 



STORMS. 



While there, his depression was fearfully in- 
creased by the intelligence of a latent conspir- 
acy in the army. The energy requisite to 
grapple with this difficulty no longer remained 
to him ; and not perceiving that the disaffection 
was directed rather against the unprincipled 
men whom his declining force had suffered to 
rise into power than against himself, he ex- 
claimed, as if heart-stricken, " They have not 
known me." A cold caught during a rapid 
tour in the Crimea, acting on his enfeebled 
condition, produced typhus fever, under which 
he sank on the 19th of November. The event 
produced unfeigned grief in St. Petersburg, 
for the monarch was sincerely beloved by his 
people, and by none so much as by those who 
had the best opportunities of studying his 
private character. Mr. Knill's note, on the 
morning when the fact became known, ex- 
pressed the real feeling of thousands : — 

JouEXAL. — " November 27, 1825, Friday. — 
This morning I was informed that His Impe- 
rial Majesty the Emperor Alexander was very 
ill, and that the family had been praying for 
him. It was painful intelligence, but left hope 



STORMS. 



165 



that we should soon hear of his restoration. 
I went to the school, then called on a friend 
who was very much distressed at hearing the 
report, and before I reached home I learned 
that it was certain the beloved monarch was 
no more. I saw the soldiers marching from 
the palace, whither they had been to take the 
oath of allegiance to the Emperor Constantino. 
The whole city seemed to be impressed with 
the awful and solemn scene. Every person I met 
seemed to feel that a friend was gone. Oh, what 
a day was this I How unexpected — how sud- 
den was the removal of this much-revered and 
greatly-beloved Emperor ! Lord, sanctify this 
awful stroke. Support the bereaved widow, 
and fill her soul with peace and consolation, 
and may the honoured and distressed mother 
find in Thee a comforter. Lord, have mercy 
on me and my dear little congregation. In- 
cline the heart of the Emperor Constantino to- 
wards us, and let none be permitted to disturb 
or distress us. May we be assisted to walk in 
the most exemplary manner, so as to fear God, 
honour the king, love the brotherhood, and do 
good unto all men. Amen." 



166 



STORMS. 



It is well known tliat Constantine did not 
ascend the throne ; but it is not necessary to 
the elucidation of this memoir to do more than 
glance at the fact. It was at his own urgent 
entreaty that Alexander, three years before his 
death, executed a document releasing him from 
the responsibilities of that position, and passing 
them downwards to Nicholas, his younger 
brother. This paper was deposited in three 
separate places, and its contents were not di- 
vulged to more than two or three persons, of 
whom one was Alexander's most trusted friend, 
Galitzin. Nicholas, either unacquainted with 
it, or desiring to establish his claim on a firmer 
basis, went instantly, on hearing of the Em- 
peror's death, to take the oath to Constantine. 
Galitzin met him on the way to the altar, and 
mentioned the fact ; but he would not listen. 
He swore allegiance to his brother, and was 
followed in the deed by the ministers and the 
army. The consequences of this precipitancy 
were instantly foreseen, and occasioned deep 
anxiety. When Constantine, then in Poland, 
transmitted his absolute refusal to act, and the 
army was required immediately to transfer 



STORSIS. 



167 



their fealty to another sovereign, the leaders 
of the conspiracy saw that their hour was 
come. They issued orders to the troops to 
keep the oath which they had already taken, 
and thus adroitly seized the sentiment of 
loyalty to do the work of sedition. AVhen, on 
the morning appointed for taking the second 
oath, the soldiery poured into the city, Nich- 
olas rode up to them, and saluted them with 
cordial frankness ; but they refused to return 
the compliment, and doggedly marched past 
with the muzzle of their guns depressed. Dr. 
Paterson witnessed this from the window of 
Count Lieven's mansion. " It was," says he, 
"an awfully critical moment. I could not 
help pitying the Emperor, who appeared pale 
and dejected, but behaved well through the 
trying scene. The horse were ordered to 
' charge, but the mutineers at once formed into 
squares, and held them at defiance ; and on 
retreating to their former position fired some 
shots after them, by which several Avere 
wounded, and some killed, among whom were 
some of the chief ofiScers."* 

* " The Book for Every Land : the Autobiography of 



168 



STORMS. 



Night drew on before extreme measures 
were permitted, but the artillery were then 
commanded to open fire, and the irsurgent 
ranks were broken. " I had left the city," 
says Mr. Knill, " in the morning with my 
family, when all was quiet. But as we return- 
ed at night, we saw large heaps of something 
piled up on the great square. Many soldiers 
were standing about, and the usual thorough- 
fares were shut up. On inquiry, we found that 
the heaps, among w^hich we had been passing, 
were dead bodies — that the soldiers had revolt- 
ed — that the governor, Miloradovitch, had 
been slain — that a dreadful day had passed in 
the city, and that still greater troubles were 
expected. We felt that our situation was 
very awful, but God took care of us. In the 
night, the Place was cleared of the dead, the 
bodies having been put through large holes in 
the ice into the deep and peaceful river." 

For the first few months of his reign, the 
Emperor was too much engrossed with meas- 
ures for the extinction of the conspiracy, and 

John Paterson, D.D. Edited by TV. L. Alexander, D.D. 
London, 1857." 



STORMS. 



169 



the rectification of the general disorder to 
which puplic affairs had been reduced by the 
misrule of Arakcheyeff, to give any indication 
of his policy relative to religious institutions. 
But when the ofi&cial representatives of all 
public bodies were invited to the funeral of 
the deceased Emperor, those of the society 
which he regarded as the chief gem of his 
dominions were omitted — a circumstance which 
was regarded as significant of a design to per- 
mit it quietly to subside into oblivion. It was 
not till 13th February, 1826, that the obse- 
quies were observed ; and when Mr. Knill, 
under that date, writes in his Journal — " On 
returning from the grand and solemn proces- 
sion, conveying a very affecting view of human 
greatness, a few of us met at the Bible House, 
and united in prayer to God for grace to live 
more and more to His glory,'' — he reveals the 
thoughtful and expectant posture of the little 
band. 

It may be true, that imprudent oratory in 
England alarmed some faithful adherents of 
the Greek Church, and even that, in some 
places, conspirators had met under the guise of 
15 



170 



STORMS. 



a Bible Society Committee ; but the tide had 
risen and rushed on, independently of such ac- 
cidental auxiliaries. More than half a million 
of copies of the New Testament, in the mother 
tongue of the people, could not have found 
their way to all parts of the empire without 
producing effects unpleasant to the Church au- 
thorities ; and no human instrument, but the 
will of the reigning prince, could have held 
the opposition in check. The new Emperor 
had not, like his predecessor, fathomed the deep 
springs of this enmity, and could not have 
foreseen the consequences of his own decisions. 
When told by Galitzin that the priesthood 
wished the conductors of the Bible Society to 
quit Russia because they were heretics, he ex- 
claimed that he could not " endure such big- 
otry," and afterwards treated them in a manner 
which proved his words to be sincere. It was, 
therefore, probably more from an excessive 
desire of having everything, as he conceived, 
in its right department, than from any defined 
hostility to the diffusion of the Scriptures, that 
he transferred all the operations of the society 
to the " superintendence of the Holy Synod." 



STORMS. 



171 



But tbis he did in a ukase, dated 15th August, 
1826, and by that act closed a fountain of life 
which, except to the small degree hereafter to 
be related, has not been re-opened to the 
present moment. 



CHAPTER VII. 



"EuKAiROS, Akairos: in season, out ot season." 

St. Paul. 

" For the heart grows rich in giving ; all its wealth is living 
grain ; 

Seeds, which mildew in the garner, scattered, fill with gold 
the plain." 

E. C. 

15* 

(173) 



4 



GLEAMS. 



" 3Iarch 29, 1826.— The bridge of boats set 
up again ! Spring returning ! 0 Thou who 
makest summer and winter, warm and invig- 
orate my heart, and make all my beloved 
friends joyful in Thee ! Shed down upon us 
all the precious and invigorating influences of 
Thy Spirit, and make us fruitful in every good 
word and work. I have lately sent forth some 
of my sermons. Gracious Father, break not 
the bruised reed, quench not the smoking flax, 
but accept and bless this feeble efi'ort to serve 
Thee. Amen." 

It was thus that Mr. Knill, amid increasing 
difficulties, girded himself afresh for ]iis work. 
Only by a nearer approach to God, and a 
steadier faith in His promises, could he have 
rightly met these difficulties. The faithful 
fellow-labourers, who hailed him on his arrival 
in the country, and had proved most able and 

(175) 



176 



GLEAMS. 



affectionate counsellors in times of perplexity, 
retired from the scene, and left him more sensi- 
bly dependant on the Divine arm. His domes- 
tic sorrows had been leading in the same direc- 
tion. To his correspondent at Bideford he 
writes, " I think I have never had my mind so 
much in heaven as since the death of my be- 
loved daughter. Thus our gracious God makes 
all things to work together for good." The 
death of his parents, too, which now occurred, 
awoke many solemn and tender recollections 
of his former life : — 

Journal. — " June 20, 1826, Lord^s-day. — 
Preached in the evening, from Rev. xiv. 13, a 
funeral sermon for my honoured mother. She 
and my father were married about 55 years, 
and, I think, for about 30 years she has been 
a disciple of Jesus. For four or five years she 
has been confined almost every hour to her bed, 
and latterly she seemed to have lost all recol- 
lection. A few hours only before her depar- 
ture she had the use of her reason restored, 
and she began to pray. Her last words were 
* Eliza, pray ;' and so she yielded up the ghost, 
having just completed her 80th year. Lord, 



GLEAMS. 



177 



give me grace to follow Thee, as she followed 
Thee. Oh, how warm was her love, how great 
her attachment to the Word and house of God ! 
May all her relatives be like her !" 

^''December 11. — A letter from my niece 
states that my dear father is very ill ; that she 
had received a letter from him on one week, 
and on the next, a message, that he was not 
able to write." 

Perhaps the following touching passage in a 
letter to the family at Loveacott ought not to 
be withheld : — 

" Often have I exclaimed, when passing 
through the streets of this splendid city, ' Oh 
that all was right with my father's soul, and 
that he considered his latter end!' I am 
happy to think there is any change of a con- 
soling nature ; but we want things to be very 
sure for ourselves and our friends before we 
can take comfort in their death. People who 
know not what conversion is, take it for 
granted that all their friends go to heaven, 
particularly if they receive the sacrament on 
their death-bed ; but we know how deceptive 
all these tilings are. A new heart and a right 
12 



178 



GLEAMS. 



spirit — a creation luito holiness by the Spirit 
of Christ — is what we need, and without it we 
must perish." He was not without reason to 
hope that such prayers had been graciously 
answered before the event which he thus re- 
cords : — " In the afternoon, received a letter 
announcing the death of my dear and honoured 
father, on the 15th December, 1826." 

Meanwhile, the peace and usefulness of the 
little church suffered no interruption. " I am 
happy to inform you," he writes to his faithful 
correspondent in Edinburgh, " that a few have 
been united to us in church fellowship since 
Dr. Paterson left us. The Lord gives us un- 
bounded reason for thankfulness for personal 
and domestic comforts. I heard from good 
Princess Metschersky last week. She is at her 
estates near Tver, living among her serfs, and 
trying to do them all the good in her power. 
I never perceived her heart so much affected 
with their spiritual misery as she appears now 
to be. She is capable of doing much to en- 
lighten their darkened minds. Oh, Miss Ross, 
how shall we sufficiently adore the Lord for 
His goodness to us in making us experiment- 



GLEAMS. 



179 



ally acquainted with His love and power, in 
giving us to taste and see that He is good ! 
How shall we praise that matchless Kedeemer 
who undertook our cause, and gave us His 
Holy Spirit to be our Comforter ! Is it not 
wonderful that w^e think so little of it ? May 
we in future feel it more, and exemplify our 
attachment to Him in a more lively manner. 
Amen." 

To the same correspondent, a few months 
later, he mentions the continued prosperity of 
one of the most useful of the institutions : — 
" The gentlemen of the committee charged me 
to return their sincere thanks for your con- 
tinued favours to the school ; the Lord reward 
you, and all who contribute to its support. A 
few days since we had our annual examination. 
Oh, how gratifying was the sight ! Many of 
the young people attended who were formerly 
scholars with us, but are now apprenticed to 
various tradesmen in the city. Their appear- 
ance was peculiarly encouraging. We never 
had so many children in attendance as we now 
have. Sometimes there are sixty girls simul- 
taneously at work on various kinds of gar- 



180 



GLEAMS. 



ments and useful articles for families. They 
can make every garment usually worn by 
women, which enables some of them already 
to support themselves, and many who have left 
the school support also their friends." 

His pastoral vigilance continued to be at- 
tended by many encouraging incidents. " On 
the 29th of June, 1826," lie writes to the Rev. 
J. Arundel, " I one day called on a watch- 
maker, lately become pious, to ask him where 
I could buy a good spy -glass. ' If you want 
a good spy-glass,' said he, ' I should like to 
speak with you on that subject.' ' Proceed, if 
you please.' ' The summer before you arrived, 
I bought a beautiful spy-glass in a walking- 
stick, for my amusement on Sundays ; but God 
in His mercy has enabled you to direct me to 
objects more glorious than that glass discovers. 
I have now better work for Sundays, and have 
no further use for the glass. I beg you to ac- 
cept it as a trophy of the grace of God ; keep 
it, sir, as an encouragement in your labours of 
love, and be assured that it was only the same 
power that sent the Otaheitan idols to the Mis- 
sionary Museum that brought that glass to 



(JLEAMS. 



181 



you.' I liave it as a valuable and precious 
testimony to the power of God. The former 
owner of it is a bright Christian ; many also 
of his relatives have become pious." 

A circumstance of a similar kind affords a 
lively illustration of his manner, which was at 
once kind, bold, and discriminating. A Rus- 
sian whom he had employed in the capacity ot 
a tailor having called one day when he was 
engaged with a gentleman, he asked him to sit 
down,-' handing him at the same moment a tract 
in the English language, which he knew he 
could read. 

I soon returned, and paid him his bill, and 
as he was going away, he said — 

" I hope you are pleased with your coat ?" 

" Yes," I replied, " I am much pleased with 
my coat ; how are you pleased with my 
book?" 

"Oh," said he, "I never trouble myself 
about books." 

" Do you not ? I am sorry for that, sir ; 
you are getting an old man, and if you do not 
trouble yourself about books, I fear there is 
something else which you neglect." 
16 



182 



GLEAMS. 



" What is that, sir ?" . . 

" Why, your precious soul. ' And what is a 
man profited, if he gain the whole world, and 
lose his own soul ? or what shall a man give in 
exchange for his soul ?" 

" Ah," said he, " I guess what you mean ; 
you think I ought to become religious." 

" Yes, that is it." 

" Bless you, sir," he replied, " it would be 
impossible for me to carry on my large busi- 
ness if I were religious." 

" You astonish me, sir. How would religion 
interfere with your business ?" 

" Why, if I were religious, then I must go to 
church on Sundays." 

" To be sure you would ; aye, and you would 
rejoice when Sunday came, that you might hear 
something of God and salvation." 

" I tell you, sir, that would be impossible 
with my business. I have thirty men, and I 
pay most of my bills, and receive most of my 
money, on Sunday ; it is my busiest day." 

" What ! do you never go to church ?" 

''Never." 

" This is worse and worse, sir. You say 



GLEAMS. 



183 



you do not read good books, and you do not 
go to church ; depend upon it you are going to 
hell. I have long tliought that no man would 
go to heaven merely because he read the Bible 
and went to church ; but I am deeply con- 
vinced that the man who neglects these things 
is not going to heaven. How can you live so ? 
Do you not believe there is a God 

At this he looked angrily at me, and said, 
" God, sir ! God ! Have you ever seen God 

At this I trembled to think how far down a 
man might sink in his iniquity, and I replied 
— " I have not seen God, but I have seen you, 
and you are one of God's works." 

" Very well," said he, " when you meet with 
any one who has seen God, please to let me 
know it. Good morning, sir." 

The old man then took his leave, and I saw him 
no more until I met him at the funeral of the 
friend who had introduced him to me. This 
excellent man was seized with typhus fever, 
and died ; and great lamentation was made 
over him. The funeral sermon was numerous- 
ly attended, and among them I saw the Rus- 
sian tailor, and the tears rolling down his 



184 



(JLEAMS. 



aged cheeks, but I could not tell whether it 
was anything that I said, or the death of my 
friend that so deeply affected liim. On the 
following Sabbath, I saw him present again ; 
on the second Sabbath again ; and on the third 
Sabbath again. This was very strange to see ; 
yet I was afraid to call upon him, lest he 
miglit take the alarm and keep away al- 
together ; but I said to one of my friends, 
" Did you see Mr. B ?" 

" Yes," said he ; " I can tell you something 
very interesting about that old man." 

" Indeed ! what, sir ?" 

" He has purchased an English Bible, and 
says he is determined to read it ; yes, and to 
read it all through, to see whether what you 
say is true or not.'' 

" Then," said I, " there is hope of him. 
There is always hope of a man when he begins 
to read the Bible with attention." 

I now found him a constant attendant on 
week-days as well as Lord's-days, and I often 
saw his countenance lighted up with joy ; but 
I never spoke to him until one Saturday night 
I was sitting in my study, when my wife 



GLEAMS. 



185 



catered, saying, " There is a stranger inquiring 
for YOU." 

Who is it?" 

" I do not know, but I think it is the Rus- 
sian tailor." 

So I walked out, and there I saw him. He 
began : " Saturday night is not just the time 
to call on you, Mr. Knill, but I have a little 
business." 

" What business, sir ?" 

" One of your hearers wished to present 
you with a new coat, and I have brought it ; 
I hope you will not be angry." 

I answered — " I am not in the habit of 
being angry with any person, but especially 
with one who would give me a new coat ; 
pray, what kind and considerate friend has 
done this ?" 

"Ah," said he, " that is a part of the busi- 
ness ; he will not tell you his name." 

" Is it a young man ?" 

He answered — No." 

"Is it an old man ?" 

" Yes, an old man with a grey head." 

There he stood by my side, with his hair as 
16* 



186 



GLEAMS. 



white as milk, but I had no conception that he 
was the man. 

"Perhaps, sir, you will tell my w^ife who it 
^Yas r 

" Yes, I am not bound to keep it from her." 

So I left them, and he told my wife that he 
was the person who had given me this coat. 
Of course, I soon knew it ; and very peculiar 
were the feelings produced in my mind by the 
transaction. 

" Xow, sir, I know who my benefactor is, 
and I am greatly obliged to you for this kind- 
ness ; but do tell me what induced you to give 
me the coat ?" 

At this he burst into tears, and said — " Ah, 
sir, if God had not changed my heart I never 
should have thought of giving you the coat." 

" Thank you," said I, " for this explanation, 
and if it be connected with a change of heart, 
then the coat is invaluable." 

He then gave me a striking proof that his 
heart was changed indeed. He began to con- 
sult me about the spiritual good of his people. 

I want to ask you, sir, what I should do 
for my men? I feel very much about their 



GLEAMS. 187 

souls. What do you think I should do for 
them ? Should I give them copies of the 
Testament ?" 

I was delighted to behold this mark of 
spiritual life, and urged him by all means to 
give them the Scriptures. This encouraged 
him. His youth seemed renewed like the 
eagles'. He ran home, and called his men 
together, and said to them — " Can you read V 

" Yes, sir, I read Swedish." 

To another — " Can you read?" 

" Yes, sir, I read German." 

To a third—" Can you read ?" 

" Yes, I read Finnish." 

To a fourth—" Can you read ?" 

" Yes, I read Russ." 

Having ascertained how many of his people 
could read, and in what languages, he came to 
me again, saying—" Now, sir, so many books 
in so many languages ; for I am resolved that 
no man shall remain in my employ, who is 
able to read, without a copy of the blessed 
New Testament." 

" The inquiry he thus made led to another 
discovery. He not only found out who could 



188 



GLEAMS. 



read, but he also found out who could not read, 
and for them he bought spelling-books, and set 
the readers to teach them ; for he also resolved 
that every man and boy in his works who 
could not read should be instructed. 

In addition to all this, he usually ^spent half 
an hour in the evening with them in reading 
and expounding the Scriptures. The sight was 
at once novel, amusing, and affecting. The old 
man would fix upon a chapter, then they 
would all read the same verse in their differ- 
ent languages, and then the master would 
give them a short exposition of it in the 
Russian language, which they all understood. 
By this means his house passed through as 
great a change as the master. Instead of 
being polluted with worldly occupations on 
the Lord's-day, now every day was turned into 
a Sabbath. Prayer, and praise, and religious 
instruction were carried on daily. The voice 
of joy, thanksgiving, and praise, was heard in 
the tabernacle of the righteous.''^ 

In the midst of these and other evidences 
of the Divine blessing, which cheered his 

* "The Russian Tailor.'' Eeligioiis Tract Societj. 



GLEAMS. 



naturally trustful and hopeful spirit, the year 
approached its close. 

^'Decemher 26. — Mr. Mirrielees has arrived 
from Moscow, and gives a very interesting 
account of all our friends. It is now finally 
settled ( D. V.) that Mr. Parkinson shall leave 
for Rotherham College, about June next. Thus 
from our dear little congregation, Mr. Ton 
Essen, Mr. James Lyon, and Mr. Parkinson 
have chosen that blessed work, which surely 
is to be preferred above all others. — Gracious 
Lord, Thou hast all fulness in Thyself ; in 
mercy supply these Thy servants out of Thy 
infinite store. Amen. 

" Wednesday, 29. — Preached in the evening 
on those beautiful words, ' Thou crownest the 
year with Thy goodness,' and it becomes me 
to look back with gratitude on a year of 
mercies. 

" Blessed be Thy holy name, for every tem- 
poral comfort and every domestic blessing : 
for the means of grace — precious Sabbaths 
and sacramental feasts — not one of which has 
failed ; for help from dear Dr. Paterson when 
I was sick ; for several excellent persons added 



190 



GLEAMS. 



to the Church, and for others who give evi 
dence of a concern for their souls. 0 my God 
and Father, my Saviour, Friend, and Portion, 
bless Thou my dear people — cause true and 
undefiled religion to increase and flourish T' 



CHAPTER YIII. 



*' "VTho best 
Can suffer, best can do ; best reign who first 
Well hath obeyed." 

Milton. 



a9i) 



BLUE SKIES. 



Two years from the period of the Bible 
Society's suppression liad scarcely passed, be- 
fore the darkness, whicli then threatened to 
close in upon all evangelical efforts in the 
country, began to clear away, and to disclose 
a field of exertion somewhat proportioned to 
Mr. KnilFs large desires and irrepressible 
energy. Such a blessing could have come 
only to the watchfulness and patience of true 
faith. The haste of an indevout zeal would 
have been fatal to its approach ; for, while the 
law had not forbidden the circulation of exist- 
ing copies of the Scriptures in any language, 
a premature activity would have excited alarm 
and opposition. When the right time came, 
the prison doors were opened as by the touch 
of an angel. Mr. Knill's review of the cir- 
cumstances is as follows 

"After the departure of my honoured friends, 
n 13 (193) 



194 



BLUE SKIES. 



Drs. Paterson, Pinkertoii, and Henderson, tlie 
Bible Society's house was transferred to other 
hands, and tens of thousands of precious books 
were shut up in warehouses ; a small depot 
being kept open, and a poor monk put in 
charge to sell them. Few persons seemed to 
have courage to ask for a book ; but God, 
who is 'wonderful in counsel and excellent in 
working,' at last raised up an instrumentality 
to bring out the buried treasure. There is a 
small island in the Baltic called Hogland, 
containing a few hundred inhabitants, who 
subsist chiefly by fishing. They speak the 
Finnish language, and belong, nominally, to the 
Lutheran Church. They had neither doctor 
nor minister among them, when a pious young 
Lutheran clergyman, hearing of their situa- 
tion, hired a small vessel in order to visit 
them. As the little bark nearcd the island, 
the adults came to the landing-place, to see 
what he wanted. ' I want,' said he, ' to see 
all the grown-up people in the island ; call 
them, for I have a message to deliver.' The 
people collected, and he preached to them, for 
about an liour, on the words, 'Behold, I bring 



BLUE SKIE.^, 



195 



you good tidings of great joy, whicli shall be 
unto all people. For unto you is born this 
day a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord/ The 
people were astonished and delighted, and, at 
the close of his address, said — ' This is an 
angel. Oh ! will you stay among us, and be 
our pastor ? If you will, we shall give you 
fish, and oil, and candles, which is all we 
have. 

" He was not a little pleased with his ' en- 
trance in unto them,' but replied, ' I cannot live 
upon what you kindly offer, but I will go to 
St. Petersburg and see if I can get a few 
friends to help me, and, if I succeed, I will 
come back to you.' He then took leave, and 
started for St. Petersburg ; told liis story to 
Madam Gotzen, the widow of an admiral, who 
often attended my ministry, and asked, ' Will 
you support me ?' The lady said, ' Mr. Knill 
is often speaking on such subjects to his con- 
gregation, and I think, if I call and inform 
him about it, his people will stand by you.' 
* Yes,' I replied, Avhen she came to me, ' I know 
they will ; I know my men, and I never ap- 
plied in vain.' The admiral's widow went to 



196 



BLUE SKIES. 



encourage the missionary, and I set off to my 
pious and devoted friends. They immediately 
subscribed what was needful, and he sailed 
soon for the island, leaving two boxes in my 
possession, which I was to send by a vessel a 
few weeks after. I was preparing his boxes, 
putting in clothes, medicines, and other need- 
fuls, and, on the top, some Finnish Bibles, with 
which Mrs. Mirrielees had furnished me. Now 
came the memorable moment. Just as the 
Bibles were passing through my hands, a milk- 
maid from a village called with milk. As she 
passed me, I said, ' Good woman, can you 
read V ' Yes, sir, in my own language.' 
' What language is it?' 
" ' The Finnish.' 

" ' Oh, here is a Finnish Bible ; read the 23d 
Psalm.' 

" She read very fluently until she came to the 
words, ' Yea, though I walk through the valley 
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil : 
for thou art with me ; Thy rod and Thy staff 
they comfort me,' and then her voice faltered ; 
she began to weep, and returned to me the 
book. ' Have you a Bible ?' I inquired. 



BLUE SKIES. 



197 



" ' No, sir ; I never had money enough to 
buy one/ 

" ' How much money liave you now V 
" ' Only a ruble' (lOd.) 

" ' Then give me/ I said, ' the ruble, and I 
will give you the book.' 

She looked at me with astonishment, but I 
said I meant what I told her, when sh'e fumbled 
in her dress for the ruble, and gave it to me, 
and I handed her the Bible. The ecstasy of 
the woman cannot be described. She looked 
at it, opened it, shut it, and looked again, then 
pressed it to her heart, kissed it, and burst 
into tears. Seeing her so delighted, I said — 
* Have your neighbours any Bibles ?' 

" ' I believe not,' she replied ; ' I never saw 
one among them.' 

" ' Well, tell them of this, and inform them 
they may have a Bible for a ruble too.' 

"'May I?' she exclaimed, and away she 
went. 

" It happened to be market-day, when great 
crowds assemble. She rushed in amono^ the 
people, and holding up her book, cried, ' A 
Bible!' 'Where did you get it?' came from 
17^ 



198 



BLUE SKIES. 



numerous voices. ' From a foreign pastor.' 
'What cost it?' 'X ruble.' 'Impossible!' 
* No,' said the milkmaid, ' for the man told me 
to say that, if you wished for one, you may 
have it at the same price.' On hearing that, 
they took her Bible from her, and gave her two 
rubles, saying, ' Get two Bibles for these two 
rubles, and we will give your Bible back again, 
and something for your trouble ; but if not, 
we will keep this, because you have deceived 
us.' 

" The poor creature came back to me, weep- 
ing, to relate the story. But I gave her the 
two books, and said, ' Continue to tell your 
neighbours of it.' She did so, and the news 
flew on the wings of the wind. The people 
went home that day with a new story, and my 
house was soon beset witli customers. Persons 
who had to travel fifty versts (thirty-three 
miles) were at my house at tlie break of day, 
to make sure of a copy." 

The emotions which this work awoke are 
indicated in many sentences of the Journal, 
such as these : — 

''October 25, 1828.— Ordered another hun- 



BLUE SKIES. 



199 



dred copies of Finnish Bibles. The glad 
tidings are spreading, and the people welcome 
the joyful sound. Lord, bless the precious 
Word, and make it a guide to heaven to every 
one who possesses it ! Several of my friends 
begin to help me in this benevolent work." 

" 21th. — Wrote to Dr. Pinkerton to request 
him to send me £10 to help forward the glori- 
ous work. Two hundred Bibles are sold this 
week." 

Noveviiber 10. — Sent for one hundred Bibles. 
This has been a remarkable week. The Lord 
has blessed me with many mercies ; at present, 
that which appears to me the chief mercy, is 
the privilege of circulating the Holy Word. 
To whom can I go for aid, but to the friends 
of the Bible? Lord, incline their hearts to 
help me, and crown the whole with thy bless- 
ing ! I am now in the seventh hundred, and 
they are nearly gone. More than seventy have 
been sold to-day." 

" — Bought another hundred Bibles. 
Preached in the evening from Psalm 116, 
' What shall I render to the Lord for all his 
mercies towards me ! ' " 



200 



BLUE SKIES. 



19^/?. — The poor Fins arc still coming in 
great numbers for Bibles ; but there are no 
more. Oh, how grievous to see them go away 
without the blessed book ! My God and 
Father, I bless Thee for enabling me to circu- 
late so many. Sanctify Thine own "Word, 0 
Lord ! 

His faith had often been put to tlie test. 
" One day," he says, " there had been a great 
run, and I was at a loss what to do. I went 
to my wife and said I was in trouble. 

" ' AVhat is the matter ?' 

" ' I can never meet the demands of the Fins 
at the rate I have fixed, for they are coming 
upon us like bees. But if I do not fulfil my 
promise, I am undone.' 

" She very calmly replied, * It is God's book 
and God's work, and, depend upon it. He will 
help us. Go on.' 

" Being thus encouraged, I put a hundred 
rubles in my pocket, and was on my way for 
more Bibles, when the thought struck me that 
fifty rubles would be enough for me in the cir- 
cumstances, and with the claims of my family. 
At that moment, passing the end of a street, 1 



BLUE SKIES. 



201 



lifted up my eyes, and saw a funeral. It was 
enough. That funeral preached me a sermon 
from the text, ' Whatsoever thy hand fmdeth 
to do, do it with thy might ; for there is no 
work nor device in the grave, whither tliou 
goest.' I felt ashamed and humbled at the 
thought which had been working in my breast, 
and went off, and invested my money in the 
Bibles. Then I drew np a short letter, and 
sent it round to my friends, to ask their coopera- 
tion, when the Lord did help us, for in a short 
time the money came in, and in six weeks I 
sold 800 volumes." 

" In distributing the Bible among strangers,'^ 
he remarks in a letter, " it is not likely we sliall 
know much of the effects produced by them 
while we remain in the present world ; but a 
few happy instances have occurred within my 
own circle, which may be considered a fair 
specimen of what others may have observed. 
One of the most efficient of my numerous help- 
ers is a young officer, who spends almost every 
holiday among the poor in the distant villages. 
To these poor people he carries New Testa- 
ments and tracts, and sometimes travels fifty, 



202 



BLUE SKIES. 



eighty, or even a liundred vcrsts a day in his 
labours of love. In one of his excursions he 
met with a very pious Fin. My young friend 
said to hira, ' I rejoice to hear and see these 
things in this little cottage ; pray, how long 
have you been a partaker of this felicity ! ' 
' 0 sir,' said the cottager, ' I am only a young 
Christian. Once I was addicted to drunken- 
ness — the common sin of our people. But last 
year I heard of Bibles selling at a cheap rate 
at Pastor Knill's. Wishing to have a Bible as 
well as my neighbours, I bouglit the book, and 
God has blessed it to my soul, yea, and to my 
wife's also. There is no intemperance in our 
house now, sir.' 

" Again. A man, whose birthplace is far 
distant, came hither in the spring, and, calling 
at my house, bought a New Testament, which 
he took to his lodgings, where thirty other men 
boarded and lodged. Last week he called 
again to purchase more books. He said to 
Mrs. Knill, ' You have no idea of the blessing 
that book has been which I bought in the 
spring. At that time every night was spent at 
cards, and in drunkenness ; but now the scene 



BLUE SKIES. 



203 



is completely changed. We assemble every 
night around the man who reads the Word of 
God, and cards and drink are shut out of the 
place.' 

" We do all we can/'' he adds, in the letter 
in which these facts are mentioned, " to pro- 
mote this blessed work in a quiet and unofficial 
manner. The wisdom of the serpent is needed, 
as well as the innocence of the dove. Pray 
for us, that the Word of God may run and be 
glorified, 'even as it is with you.'" 

This busy and prosperous year closes, and 
another opens with the following entries : — 

" December 31, 1828.— 0 my God and Father, 
all these things concur to increase my debt of 
gratitude ! By Thy grace I am what I am. 
Thy bounty feeds and clothes me, and every 
good and perfect gift cometh down from Thee. 
I feel, 0 Lord, that in every thing I am de- 
ficient. I end the year lamenting over my 
cold and selfish heart, yet adoring Thy ricli, 
free, and sovereign love. Hallelujah. 

JamiavT/ 1, IS'29. — Xew-year's Day. The 
goodness of God to me is very great. Few 
among the human race have so much reason 
12* 



204 



BLUE SKIES. 



for gratitude. Lord, liavc mercy upon me, and 
help me to honour Thee ! Let my services be 
acceptable in Thy sight, through Jesus Christ, 
my Lord. Make this year peculiarly useful in 
the conversion of sinners ; tlie increase of 
piety among true believers ; the zeal of the 
Church ; the circulation of the Holy Scrip- 
tures and other good books, and the prosper- 
ity of all things connected -^-ith Thy cause. 
Oil, prosper the work of our hands upon us 
— the work of our hands. Lord, prosper Thou 
it!" 

The circulation of Bibles in the languages of 
the foreign populations of the empire was fol- 
lowed by a blessing still less anticipated in 
the dispersion of the Russian Testaments lying 
buried under the guardianship of the Holy 
Synod. Though no edict forbade the purchase 
of these books, the old monk left in charge of 
them held but a nominal office. His peace was 
invaded in the following manner : 

" A young person in my congregation, who 
♦ was converted to God, and threw a great deal 
of energy into her religion, one morning called 
on me, and said, ' Xext week is my name's day, 



BLUE 



2U5 



and our servants will expect a present. They 
can all read, and what can I give them so good 
as a Russian Testament?' 
' Nothing/ I replied. 

' Well, will you please to get some Russian 
Testaments for me ? ' 

" ' I will try,' I responded ; and set off with 
a light heart to the dear old Bible House. 

' Can I have some Russian Testaments ? ' I 
inquired, cautiously. 

" ' Yes, said the keeper ; ' you can have 
10,000 this week, and 10,000 next week, if you 
please. The damp is rotting and the moth 
devouring them.' 

" Alas ! I thought on my way home, this is 
dreadful ! Oh, that I could indeed get out 
10,000 ! It soon occurred to me that we had 
one warm friend in Scotland, who had taken 
an interest especially in the Jewish children of 
the schools, and had written in a way which 
convinced me she had much love to God. This, 
I thought, is the friend to apply to in tliis emer- 
gency. I gave her an account of what w^e had 
been doing, and what we wished to do, and 
said that, if she could set us agoing with XI 0, 



206 



BLUE SKIES. 



we should not, when once in motion, soon 
stop." 

Journal. — '^January 31, 1829. — To the 
glory of God be it recorded, that I this day- 
received a letter from dear Miss Eoss of Edin- 
burgh, in answer to mine of the 17th of Np- 
vember, authorizing me to draw for .£50 to 
carry on the delightful work of circulating the 
Holy Scriptures. 0 my soul, never forget 
this loving kindness ; let it encourage thee 
and stimulate thee to be steadfast, unmovable, 
always abounding in the blessed Master's 
work, nothing doubting that He will raise up 
friends to aid His own cause." 

" I asked you," he writes to this lady, for 
<£10, and you sent me £50, which made me 
feel in a very remarkable manner that the 
Lord was with me. I knelt down and adored 
Him, and entreated blessings for you and for 
the friends who might have helped you to send 
so large a sum. I soon communicated the 
glad tidings to tliose excellent friends who are 
my coadjutors in every good work, and they 
have assisted me in giving an extensive circu- 
lation to the precious Word. About thirty 



BLUE SKIES. 



207 



copies a-day for the last two weeks has been 
the average demand. I liave sold forty to-day 
with my own hands." 

" Among many pleasing instances of useful- 
ness, one is that of a Russian servant in my 
own house. When she first came to us, she 
could read a little, and my wife encouraged 
her to persevere, and for this purpose a Psalter 
and Testament were given to her. She seemed 
to take great delight in reading, and we were 
gratified to perceive how she improved every 
spare -moment for this sacred employ. The 
first time she evinced any emotion was one 
evening when she had been reading the liistory 
of Cornelius. She came to my wife with an 
anxious and inquiring look, and said, 'Please 
to explain this to me : Cornelius fasted, prayed 
to God always, and gave much alms to the 
people ; yet he was commanded to send for 
Peter to obtain information what he ought to 
do. Pray, how is this ? What could he do 
more? Is any more required of us than to 
pray, give alms, and keep the fast V 

" Mrs. Knill answered, ' If something more 
had not been necessary, the angel would not 



208 



BLUE SKIES, 



have commauded it ; therefore, proceed with 
the narrative, and mark what Peter said.' She 
proceeded ; and when she read these words, 
' To him gave all the prophets witness, that 
through His name, whosoever believeth on Him 
shall have remission of sins,' the poor young 
creature was overcome. She burst into a flood 
of tears, and soon exclaimed, ' Xow, I see it ; 
it is by believiug on the Lord Jesus Christ that 
we obtain forgiveness of sins.' From that day 
to this her delight has been in the Scriptures. 
Her diligence in business, and her zeal for the 
salvation of her relatives, makes her very 
highly esteemed by us ; and, as far as we can 
judge, she adorns the doctrine of God her 
Saviour in all tilings. Erena, which was the 
name of this young woman, proved a great 
treasure to Mr. Knill's family. 

As no funds existed for the supply of Bibles, 
sold considerably under the cost price, Mr. 
Knill was obliged to add to the labour of dis- 
tribution that of an extensive correspondence. 
In the following letter to Joseph Nunneley, - 
Esq., of Leicester, a general view is given of 
his position on the 21st May, 1829 : — 



BLUE SKIES. 



209 



A delightful work is going on amongst us, 
far, very far beyond what I ever anticipated. 
The Word of the Lord is spreading extensively 
amongst people who had not possessed a copy 
of the Divine volume before, many of whom 
had scarcely ever heard of it, and who, a few 
years ago, were unable to read. During the 
reign of the Emperor Alexander, the education 
of the lower orders became an object of con- 
sideration, and tens of thousands were taught 
to read. This was a notable feature in the 
reign of xilexander, and it is an animating 
thought that his majesty the Emperor Nicholas 
is carrying on the great work on an enlarged 
and improved scale. By this means, books 
will be more and more called for, and what 
more important than the Book of God? 
Blessed, for ever blessed be His holy name for 
giving us the means, the disposition, and the 
opportunity of circulating it ! 

" In my last to you, I stated that 800 Bibles 
had been sold, since which time I have circu- 
lated above 2,200 other books, some Bibles, 
chiefly New Testaments, and a few hundred 
Psalters. These are not confined to any par- 
18* U 



210 



BLUE SKIES. 



ticular language, but embrace the Sclavouian, 
German, Swedish, Finnish, Polish, Esthonian, 
French, and English. I have now entered on 
the sale of the fourth thousand, and, by the 
help of the Lord and His people, shall not 
cease to attempt thousand upon thousand until 
I can work no longer. Please to accept my 
grateful acknowledgments for your liberal as- 
sistance. I trust the Lord will bless it to the 
good of many a poor sinner. It was a time- 
ly aid ; for though I wrote eighteen letters, I 
received an answer only from you and three 
others — the Tract Society, Mr. Lewis of Isling- 
ton, and a lady of Edinburgh ; but I have 
great hopes that many other friends have by 
this time sent me something, though I have 
not yet heard from them. The British and 
Foreign Bible Society, with their usual gene- 
rosity, offered me 500 copies of the Finnish 
Testament, but I have declined receiving 
hooks ; it might be dangerous. Here are 
books in abundance, sanctioned and author- 
ized to be sold ; so that, in circulating them, 
I violate no law. But strange books from 
other countries might be viewed in a different 



BLUE SKIES. 



211 



light. I hope, however, they will grant me 
pecuniary aid, for I shall soon exhaust the 
bounty of private friends. At present I am 
about £30 in advance, which a dear friend 
here has lent me, and I am proceeding with 
the work. I cannot relax, for surely the Lord 
will send us help ; He began the work, and 
hitherto He has carried it on. Will He now 
permit it to cease ? I think not. 

" I assure you, dear sir, it was a great relief 
to my mind to see this door of usefulness open- 
ing to me ; for my congregation is very small, 
and most of them, thanks be to God, are pious. 
I felt, therefore, that something was needful to 
afford useful occupation, and now we have it. 
Several of my little flock are most actively evA- 
ployed in disposing of the sacred volume ; 
they have tasted its sweetness, and they are a? 
thankful as I am to have the present oppor- 
tunity.'' 

The committee of the Bible Society, recog- 
nizing the propriety of Mr. Knill's unwilling- 
ness to introduce books from abroad, very 
liberally came to his aid with money. A cor- 
rect estimate, indeed, cannot be formed of this 



212 



BLUE SKIES. 



work, without keeping in view the peculiar 
union of boldness and caution, of energy and 
self-control, which it demanded, and which 
was graciously given from on high. A few 
lines, enclosing letters from Siberia, addressed 
to the Eev. William Orme, on the 12th May, 
1830, will illustrate this : 

" It is well known to Dr. Henderson, and 
he can explain it much better than can be done 
in a short letter, that missionaries in this 
country must always stand on very precarious 
ground. No certainty can be attaclied to their 
stay for an liour. People who have never 
lived here, can hardly form an idea of the 
state of our feelings at times, tliough I ac- 
knowledge with gratitude that I have never 
experienced anything but kindness since my 
arrival here, nor, I think, is it otherwise with 
the brethren in Siberia ; still our situation is 
wliat is stated, uncertain. 

" Two of the most excellent nnd intelligent 
young men I have ever seen — an officer in tlie 
Russian service, and an English physician — 
both members of my little church, were lately 
apprehended for circulating New Testaments 



BLUE SKIES. 



213 



and tracts. The former was imprisoned, and 
the latter was sent across tlie frontier, banish- 
ed from the realm, in the depth of winter, at 
twenty-four hours' notice. This so alarmed 
us, that we did not know what to do ; my 
name was associated with the afiair in a cer- 
tain degree, as I had supplied them with the 
Scriptures, and they belonged to my congre- 
gation. This they stated at their examination. 
I therefore expected to be seized every hour, 
and prepared for the event. But, blessed be 
God, I am permitted to remain ; and although 
there was an interruption for some time, we 
have circulated 2000 Testaments and Psalters 
during the last three months, and tracts and 
school-books in great numbers. 1 cannot but 
mark the care and kindness of my adorable 
Redeemer in this matter. Oh, for a more entire 
devotedness to Him 

In the review of this period, Mr. Knill could 
easily have replied to the arguments of some 
who questioned the necessity of two English 
congregations in St. Petersburg, and who could 
appreciate only palpable facts, such as he here 
enumerates. 



211: 



BLUE SKIES. 



" October 28, 1829.— Is it asked, Have you 
a Bible Society ? I answer. We distributed 
about 6000 Bibles, Psalters, and New Testa- 
ments last year. Is it asked. Have you a Mis- 
sionary Society? I answer. We support six 
native teachers in India, and one missionary 
printer in Georgia, besides sending 100 rubles 
annually, for general missionary purposes, to 
the London Missionary Society. Is it asked. 
Have you a School Society ? Several of my 
congregation keep schools, and have upwards 
of 200 children under their tuition. Is it 
asked. Have you a Tract Society ? I answer, 
We distribute many tracts in various langua- 
ges, and have more than 50,000 on hand for 
distribution. Is it asked. Have you a School- 
book Society ? I answer, We furnish hun- 
dreds of people with the authorized school- 
books of the country at a low price. Is it 
asked. Do you provide clothes for the poor ? I 
answer. We have a Dorcas Society, by which 
hundreds are clothed. Is it asked, Do you 
take care of the sick ? I answer. We have two 
pious doctors, besides other friends, who give 
every possible attention to these. — 0 God, the 



BLUE SKIES. 



215 



author of every good and perfect gift, what 
shall I render to Thee for all these mercies, 
and all these favours ? How blessed is the 
man who lives among so devoted and loving a 
people 1" 



CHAPTER IX. 

Slrnktos 0f tin "§t$txlnct. 



" The tree 

Sucks kindlier nurture from a soil enriched 
By its own fallen leaves ; and man is made, 
In heart and spirit, from deciduous hopes, 
And things that seem to perish." 

19 

(217) 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTHiENCE. 

Mr. Knill did not expect, of course, that his 
path in God's service would long remain un- 
marked by tribulation ; but he scarcely antici- 
pated that the pestilence, which dismissed him 
from India, would confront him again among 
the snows of Russia. Yet that terrible mes- 
senger was commissioned to give a sober 
colouring to all the transactions of the two 
years upon which we now enter, and finally to 
cast a deep shadow over his cheerful home. 
The year after the cholera ravaged the penin- 
sula of India, it proceeded to China, and the 
islands of the adjacent archipelago. Three 
years later, it entered the Russian territory, at 
Astrachan, and, having warned Europe, with- 
drew for seven years. At the close of that 
period it reappeared in the same city, and, 
steadily advancing along the shore of the 
Volga, reached Moscow in the autumn of 1830, 
and St. Petersburg in the summer of 1831. 

(219) 



220 SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 



The sense of the presence of this power will 
make itself apparent in most of the letters and 
entries now to be quoted ; but as it did not in- 
terrupt, but rather quickened exertion, the 
usual record of the mixed occurrences of suc- 
cessive days, will convey the most faithful 
picture of the time. Early in the summer, a 
family, which had conferred no small honour 
on the little church, and had contributed incal- 
culably to the personal happiness of Mr. Knill, 
sailed for their native country. 

''June 25,1830. — Wednesday. — At five this 
evening I set off in Mr. Baird's steamer for 
Cronstadt, with our dear friends, Mr. and Mrs. 
Venning, on their way to England. I spent a 
part of every day with them this week, break- 
fasted with them this morning, and united with 
them for the last time in prayer. It was a 
most affecting season. — Lord, sanctify these 
trying scenes ! I know Thou art able. Oli 
yes ; Thou canst make darkness light before 
us, and every bitter thing sweet. — The recol- 
lection of what they have done for me calls for 
my deepest gratitude, and the knowledge of 
the good they have received from my ministry, 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 



221 



should ever fill my heart with praise. — Paul 
plauteth, ApoUos watereth, but Thou, 0 God, 
givest the increase. — We went on board tlie 
Dutch steamship, which is to carry our friends 
to Travemunde, and at half-past nine we took 
an affectionate farewell, and left them. — 0 my 
God, do Thou be ever with them, to guide, 
comfort, strengthen, and make them very use- 
ful. Wherever they go, do Thou make them 
to shine as lights in the world. 

''June 26.— At Cronstadt. Slept little 
during the night ; thouglit being busy with the 
dear friends from whom I had parted. They 
have been for many years the most kind, 
tender, generous, loving friends that ever I had 
in my life, and, blessed be God, their love in- 
creased rather than diminished, as our separa- 
tion drew near. They have left me their 
house to dwell in for a season. What a favour 
is this ! 

" July 21. — Galernay Street. Many and 
great were the blessings which God granted 
me in the last house. Thousands of poor sin- 
ners have seen or lieard of that house in the 
Fanarnay, from which they received Bibles, 



222 SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 



Testaments, Psalters, prayer-books, and tracts. 
— Lord, I will praise Thee for that mercy ; 
graciously grant that the house into which I 
have now entered may also prove to be a house 
for Thee. It has already been a ' house of 
prayer,' a ' refuge for the needy,' and ' as the 
shadow of a great rock in a weary land.' 
Lord, help me here to honour Thee, for Jesus' 
sake. 

" August IL — Heard from the Rev. W. Glen 
of Astrachan. Great distress prevailing on 
account of the cholera-morbus. Mr. G. has 
told me where to find his will in case of his 
death. — Yet, 0 Lord, preserve him to advance 
Thy glory. Amen." 

Mr. Knill received the letter referred to in 
this notice on the evening of Saturday, and 
when he appeared on the Sunday niorning, his 
people instantly perceived its effects on his 
countenance. To explain himself, he read 
those parts of it which described the entrance 
of the disease into the Mission House at 
Astrachan ; how it struck down one of tlie 
missionaries, and then the wife of the Sarepta 
Commissioner ; and how, after the funeral of 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 223 

that lad J, the bereaved husband, fleeing with 
his three motherless children, was overtaken 
and buried by the roadside, three stages from 
the city. The painful picture was relieved by 
an account of the almost miraculous recovery 
of Mrs. Glen ; and when the words of her 
husband were given, " I cannot tell you how it 
comforted me, while I stood in awful suspense 
by her side', to see her confidence in the Lord 
Jesus Christ as the Saviour of sinners," Mr. 
Knill turned to the congregation, and address- 
ed to them the most moving appeals to make 
instant preparation for meeting God, and 
closed with an invitation to all who felt that 
they had committed themselves to Christ, to 
commemorate, with the church, on that morn- 
ing, at His table. His dying love. " It was a 
season," says one who was present, not to be 
forgotten ; and, after the lapse of nearly thirty 
years, is still fresh on the page of memory." 

Septemher 15, 1830. — Held a meeting at 
my house to beseech the Lord to preserve us 
from the cholera. 

" September 21. — Remarkable day. In the 
morning a man from the hospital came for 



224 SHADOWS OF THE PESTILE^'CE. 



Hebreu^, Tartar, Finnish, and Russian Testa- 
ments ; and I had the pleasure of supplying 
them. 

" Septemher 28. — In the evening preached on 
the ministry of angels : a solemn and delight- 
ful theme in times like the present, when men's 
hearts are failing them for fear. A letter 
arrived to-day from Mr. Mirrielees, dated sixty 
versts from St. Petersburg, where he is per- 
forming quarantine ; many are detained there, 
and many more at the next station. Every 
precaution is adopted to keep the cholera from 
the city. Lord, bless the measures of govern- 
ment, and hear our prayers ! 

" Septemher 29. — This is the anniversary of 
the beginning of my Bible operations. 0 
Lord, I will praise Thee. In these two years 
nearly 14,000 have been circulated ; besides 
prayer-books, school-books, and tracts, to the 
amazing number of 120,000 copies. Sanctify 
this, 0 Lord, to the good of families and indi- 
viduals, and towns and villages. Amen." 

The tracts to which reference is here made 
were those which had been prepared by the 
Princess Metschersky. This excellent person, 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 225 

"whose name has now several times occiuTed 
on these pages, was brought to a knowledge 
of Christ during the residence of Mr. (after- 
wards Dr.) Pinkerton as a tutor in her family. 
While he instructed her daughters she remained 
in the room, and became by degrees deeply 
interested in the religious ideas which he 
expressed. She was thus led to a close pri- 
vate examination of the Scriptures, and at 
length exclaimed to her friend, " While you 
have taught my children, the Spirit of God 
has taught me." From that time, though re- 
taining connexion with the Greek Church in 
accordance with the absolute law of the coun- 
try and her own general convictions, she sur- 
rendered her property and fine talents to the 
dissemination of the gospel in her native land. 
Her first work was to translate into Russian 
the delightful narratives of Legh Richmond — 
'* The Negro Servant," " The Young Cottager," 
and " The Dairyman's Daughter and her 
intimate acquaintance with the Emperor Alex- 
ander enabled her to put these translations, 
together with various sermons and select pas- 
sages from the writings of the more evangeli- 
1.5 



226 SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 



cal authors of her own church, into extensive 
circulation. Thej were finding their way over 
the length and breadth of Russia, when the 
opposition of the priesthood to the Bible So- 
ciety took a visible form. Fearing that all 
was over at that period, she placed the entire 
stock, amounting to about 200,000 copies, in 
the hands of Mr. Knill, by whom a large num- 
ber were assorted and bound in volumes, and 
all of them at length so skilfully used, tliat 
in a few years hardly a single copy remained 
on the shelves. 

Even he scarcely ventured to hope that 
while the ecclesiastical temper remained as it 
did, any of those narratives would be reprinted. 
But in this, as in many other instances, the 
the mercy of God " prevented him.*' A few 
weeks since," he writes to Mr. Alers Hankey, 
on the 14th of October, 1830, " I had one of 
the happiest days of my life. TTe had applied 
for permission to print a new edition of Legh 
Eichmond's ' Young Cottager,' and were kept 
in suspense for many days. At last the license 
came, signed and sealed by the spiritual cen- 
sor, who is the highest authority in these mat- 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 227 

ters. It was translated many years ago by 
our dear Princess, but we have no copies on 
hand, and have often feared that we should 
never see it reprinted. It was an answer to 
many prayers, and when it came, I called my 
family together to praise the Lord for his pecu- 
liar favour. 

" Remembering the good adage, ' Make hay 
while the sun sliines,' we immediately set to 
work to print an edition of 10,000 copies. 
The kingdom is the Lord's, and He is the 
governor among the nations. He will provide 
the means. I have paid for the paper, and we 
are expecting the needful help from friends to 
wliom application has been made.'' 

The work thus recommenced proceeded most 
auspiciously. Applications made to the cen- 
sor for permission to issue new editions and 
new translations, not only of tracts, but of 
elementary school-books and Scripture-lessons, 
were received with uniform favour. In some 
instances in which leave was withheld, the 
reasons assigned showed so correct a know I- 
edge, not only of the requirements of the Rus- 
sian mind, but of religious truth, that the re- 



228 SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 



fiisal liad a greater value than would have 
belonged to an indiscriminatuig license. 

" Last week," he writes to Mr. Alers Han- 
kej, on 14th October, " we put into circulation 
1400 New Testaments, 526 Psalters, 550 school- 
books, and 6,700 tracts. AYe never had such 
a week before, and of course it cannot be con- 
sidered an average specimen of our labours. I 
merely mention it as an interesting fact. I 
sent away all that remained of the ' Shepherd 
of Salisbury Plain.' In the year 1819 the 
dear Princess Metschersky printed an edition 
of this tract at her own expense, and I have 
no doubt that the Lord has blessed her pious 
efforts, for it was a favourite book with the 
peasantry. But they are gone. The shelf on 
which they stood is empty. I have therefore 
reserved two copies to print from, and one I 
have sent to Hannah More, its celebrated 
authoress. I have told her our exact situa- 
tion, and implored her aid to print another 
edition. A word from her lips, or a line from 
her pen, to the opulent friends of the Redeem- 
er, would quickly procure for us all we want." 

A few months later, he says to another cor- 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 229 

respondent, " In the autumn I wrote to that 
aged disciple, the eminent Hannah More, re- 
questing her to aid us in reprinting the ' Shep- 
herd of Salisbury Plain and a few weeks 
ago I received a letter from a friend of hers, 
with X20, for an edition of 5000 of this beauti- 
ful tract. Hallelujah ! We are at the same 
time printing several others, such as ' The 
Doctrine of the Cross of Christ," ' An Address 
to those who Neglect the Great Salvation,' 
' Reflections at the Close of the Year," &c., 
making altogether, in the course of twelve 
months, about one million three hundred pages 
of tracts. 0 God of mercy, pour out Thy 
Spirit to prepare men's hearts, and to vrater 
the seed, that an abundant harvest of holiness, 
righteousness and peace may be reaped here, 
and ' in the world to come eternal life !' Do 
you know a little book, entitled, ' Hymns for 
Infant Minds,' by Jane Taylor, and her sister, 
Mrs. Gilbert ? This sweet work has lately 
beeu translated into Russ. One edition lias 
gone, and another is in the press. The trans- 
lator, who is a fine character, has also trans- 
lated Dr. Watts' ' Divine and Moral Songs for 
20 



230 SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 



Children/ of which an edition has been printed. 
This is likely to be of unspeakable advantage 
to the rising generation. The Lord grant it 

This year also closes with gratitude. 

" December 24, 1830.— xirrived at Cronstadt 
this day ten years ago. Lord, how rich and 
free have been thy mercies towards me ! In 
looking back on these years, how much have I 
to bless Thee for ! I am stronger in body — 
surrounded by new friends — have a dear wife 
and three sweet little boys — a good prayer- 
meeting, and as large a congregation as I 
could expect in a foreign land — many pious 
people raised up through my labours, and 
others helped forward in the good way — books 
circulating continually — ten thousand tracts 
printed already, and more expected — my house 
open all day long for the ignorant, the poor, 
the wretched, and friends here almost daily 
providing for their wants. Oh, help me, Lord, 
to show forth Thy praise ! Text in the even- 
ing, ' Surely goodness and mercy shall follow 
me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in 
the house of the Lord for ever.' " 

The Journal opens the new year with the 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 231 

sentence — " Mr. Drury dined with us." But 
except by an emphatic line below the words, it 
was not reckoned prudent, even in that private 
record, to do more to explain their meaning. 
The allusion is to the officer in the Russian 
service who had been imprisoned for circulat- 
ing Testaments and tracts, and of whose re- 
lease Mr. Knill afterwards wrote thus : — 

"On Passion Week — the week when Rus- 
sians ' do exploits,' in the way of favours and 
forgiving offences — an order was sent to the 
captain to come to the place for his sword. 
To our delight we saw him pass our window 
in full uniform. Dear fellow, he almost fainted 
when he entered our house. When he recover- 
ed, he said, ' Go and make my mother ac- 
quainted with this ; but do it gently, for she 
thinks she shall never see me any more.' I 
carried the news, but could scarcely gain cre- 
dence for it. In the course of two hours, how- 
ever, he was in the bosom of his family. He 
was afterwards honourably received by his 
comrades. On Easter-day, the princes, gov- 
ernors, and cliief men of the State, visit the 
palace to congratulate the Emperor ; and on 



232 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 



Easter Monday, generals hold levees to receive 
the congratulations of all their officers. Cap- 
tain Drury went when the audience-hall was 
thronged. On his name being announced, the 
general arose and kissed him, and then intro- 
ducing him to the officers, said, ' Here, broth- 
ers, is Captain Drury, the first officer of our 
army who was ever imprisoned for doing 
good: " 

Notwithstanding his interest in Russia, Mr. 
Knill never forgot North Devon. " You have 
scarcely any conception," he writes to Mr. 
Rooker, " of the feelings a Bideford letter pro- 
duces on me. It awakens a thousand slumber- 
ing ideas, and furnishes a boundless source of 
thought, meditation, prayer, and praise. What, 
then, do you think were my feelings, two days 
ago, when not fewer than three letters arrived ? 
They were, indeed, written eight months ago, 
and have been travelling almost ever since ; 
but after visiting our mission at Selinginsk, 
Siberia, in the 106th degree of east longitude, 
they have reached me safely My de- 
lighted spirit frequently hovers over the con- 
secrated spot which you inliabit. In one of 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 233 

my preaching visits to Ciiichester, I purchased 
a second-hand volume of the ' History of Bide- 
ford/ and I often read a few of the pages with 
a kind of melancholy pleasure, on account of 
joys departed. For you, my dear sir, I feel a 
growing love and veneration. Perhaps we 
shall never more meet in this world, but we 
shall meet before the throne of our great Re- 
deemer, to tell His love, and to sing His 
praise." The interest often expressed in sen- 
tences similar to these, exhibited itself also in 
various actual endeavours to promote the re- 
ligious welfare of his native county. While 
denying himself many additions to his personal 
comfort, and using every exertion to find 
means for maintaining his projects for the 
good of Russia, he contributed largely to the 
education of several young persons in Devon- 
shire, who afterwards filled situations of use- 
fulness. He frequently sent also, in the kind- 
est manner, pecuniary presents to poor and 
aged persons, as an expression of his love ; 
and village ministers were often comforted by 
a timely gift^ under the form of a provision for 
preaching a sermon for the Snnday-sclioo], or 
20'* 



234 SHADOWS OF THE PESTILEXCE. 



to the young. Even during this year of anxi- 
ety he found time to originate, and carry 
through all its details, the little plan which he 
thus describes : — 

" Sunday night is generally a sleepless one 
with me, arising from the excitement of the 
past day. During one of these nights my 
thoughts wandered back to the scenes of my 
early days, and when I arose, I penned the 
following particulars, which I presented to my 
friends : — ' When I was young, the place of 
my nativity, and the numerous villages which 
Burrounded us, were enveloped in gross moral 
darkness. I never heard of more than one 
pious person living at that time in any of those 
places ; but it has pleased God since that 
period to make a glorious change. At present 
I believe there are a few pious people in all 
these villages. In the greater part of them 
the gospel is preached, and each village has its 
Sunday-school. It is to assist these Sunday- 
schools that I particularly desire your aid.' " 

This introduction was followed by the name 
and a brief notice of each village ; and the 
paper having found its way into the palace, 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 235 

prompted the very kind act of the Empress 
which is thus noted in the Journal .: — 

" May 25, 1831. — In the course of the week 
a singular providential circumstance brought 
my intention of assisting the eleven Sunday 
schools to the notice of her Imperial Majesty 
the Empress. She was so pleased with the 
proposal that, unsolicited, she gave one hun- 
dred rubles, which I ordered to be laid out in 
twenty-two Bibles, two to be assigned to each 
school." 

This peculiar kindness," he writes to his 
brother, when defining the terms on which the 
books were to be given, " in one so exalted, 
shows us how easy it is for God to raise up 
friends to His cause ; and I sincerely hope, 
that when the teachers and children know this, 
it will excite an unusual degree of interest 
among them, and that every young person in 
the various villages will strive to obtain the 
imperial gift. It will be very gratifying to 
me to know that, in connection with these 
books, hundreds of young persons have treas- 
ured up in their memories? the precious chap- 
ters appointed." 



236 SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 

On each of the twenty-two Bibles were in 
scribed the words : — " The gift of her Imperial 
Majesty the Empress of Russia and on each 
of double the number of Testaments : — " The 
gift of an English lady at the Court of Rus- 
sia." 

From this characteristically ingenious and 
kind attempt to benefit the villagers of Devon^ 
he was called to receive solemn instruction 
within the circle of his own family. In tlie 
early part of June, he escaped from the sudden 
and excessive heat of the city, and thus wrote 
to Mr. Rooker : — " My w^ife and children are 
with me in a summer residence, provided for 
us by the munificence of an American mer- 
chant, where, after a seven months' winter, we 
have the lovely sight of the green grass, the 
butter-cup, the lily of the valley, and the moun- 
tain ash ; where we can walk in the seques- 
tered grove, listen to the notes of the nightin- 
gale, and gaze upon all God's wondrous 
works. It is a great comfort to my chil- 
dren to have this sweet liberty, for they 
were shut up in the house for the space of 
five months — that is, while the severity of 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 237 

the winter lasted. It is a peculiar mark of 
Divine favour to us that I became acquainted 
with this American friend, and I trust he has 
been a gainer by it too, as it respects the 

things which are eternal Our Samuel 

is growing a fine boy ; so is John ; and Joseph 
bids fair to be a stout, healthy and kind-heart- 
ed child. They were all born in August : 
Samuel, August 12, 1825 ; John, August 1, 
1827 ; Joseph, August 3, 1829. I should not 
write these little things to you, if I were not 
sure that you would be gratified to know them." 

From this pleasant retreat he suddenly re- 
turned, under circumstances afterwards to be 
explained ; and on the 26th of June, O.S., 
1831, addressed W. Alers Hankey, Esq., thus : 
— "I write to you, honoured and dear friend, 
to let you know that, up to this hour, my dear 
wife, the children, and myself, are free from 
cholera-morbus, but the attacks on some of our 
acquaintances have been very sudden, and 
from all appearances they are likely to be 
fatal. If it should please my Divine Master 
to send for me noic, 1 trust He will graciously 
admit me into His presence, ' where there is 



238 SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 

fulness of joy.' I am happy to inform you, 
also, that my wife has no fears on this head, 
neither are we at all afraid of the malady. 
God in His mercy keeps us tranquil, and we 
go wherever duty seems to call. This is the 
case with several of my most active friends. 
Now is the time for the fruits of faith to ap- 
pear, and I rejoice that they do appear. I 
write as from the brink of eternity ; and if I 
die suddenly, and have not another oppor- 
tunity of writing, I beg you, and the society 
at large, to take care of my wife and children ; 
and I pray God to draw your hearts towards 
them, and be to them fathers, guardians, and 
friends, and I believe He will. He knows, for 
He knows all things, that I have endeavoured, 
though feebly, yet sincerely, to serve Him, and 
He w^ill not abandon His servants, nor their 
seed. Praise, honour, glory, and thanksgiving 
be unto His name ! All my accounts with 
you, and with the Bible Society, stand fairly 
written out in two separate books, by which, 
at a glance, it will be seen how matters 
stand." 

The history of the following month can be 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 239 

written only by his own pen. The directors 
of the London Missionary Society he thus ad- 
dressed, on the 20th July, O.S., 1831 :— 

" Honoured and Beloved, — The dealings 
of our heavenly Father with me for the last 
few weeks have been peculiarly solemn ! Tears 
have been my meat day and night. My wife 
and myself, and our children and servants, 
have been brought very low, and two of my dar- 
ling children are numbered with the dead. 
These trials came upon us so rapidly, that I' 
was struck dumb. I was overwhelmed. My 
flesh trembled for fear of His judgments, yet 
my heart cleaved to Him as my God, my 
Father, and my Friend. 

" My mind is now regaining its tranquillity, 
and my poor frame is daily recovering strength, 
and I feel that it would be a relief to write to 
you. I shall therefore give you a distant view 
of the scenes through which we have passed. 

" A little before brother Swan left us, we re- 
ceived 300 rubles from our dear frieud, J. D. 
Lewis, Esq., for the express purpose of pro- 
curing a summer residence in the country ; 
and thither my wife and children repaired, on 



240 SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 



Tuesday the 2Gtli of May, O.S. I stopped a 
few days with them now and then, as cir- 
cumstances permitted, and found it very in- 
vigorating after the busy scenes of a long win- 
ter. 

"On Wednesday the 17th of June, there 
was great alarm in the city, on account of the 
cholera. It was reported that the city would 
be shut, and a cordon placed round it. Three 
families near us immediately returned to town, 
that they might procure medical aid if needed, 
&c. My duty was plain as it regarded my- 
self — I ought to be with my flock ; but it was 
not so plain respecting my family — for it is a 
serious step to take a family, in full health, 
into a place infected with disease. We thought 
and prayed much on the subject; and on 
Thursday evening I addressed a few friends on 
these words, ' I beseech you, therefore, by the 
mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a 
living sacrifice, acceptable unto God, which is 
your reasonable service.' We then committed 
ourselves into His gracious hands, and deter- 
mined not to be separated from each other, 
but to go and try to do what we could for tlie 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 241 

honour of God, and the benefit of our suffer- 
ing fellow-creatures. 

"Friday the 19th, we returned to town. 
The disease was going on with its ravages ; 
but nothing particular happened among our 
friends until Wednesday the 24th, when Mrs. 
Dixon, one of our earliest friends, was attack- 
ed, and was soon thought to be dying. I went 
to see her, and took, as I thought, my last fare- 
well — but she is now recovered. 

" 25tJi. — My dear little Joseph was seized 
with convulsions. These are alarming at all 
times, but were rendered peculiarly so at present. 
But this was not enouQ-h. God had more in 
reserve to exercise our faith and patience, and 
love and resignation. About midnight, Mr. 
Venning's steward sent us word that he was 
seized with cholera, and entreated us to come 
to him. We ran — and after consulting for a 
few minutes what should be done, I hastened 
for a doctor and found one, who administered 
immediate assistance and relief. By the 
prompt aid afforded to this man his life was 
preserved. Indeed, in almost every instance 
where immediate aid could not be procured, 
21 16 



242 SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE, 



the patient died. I remained up all night to 
watch, lest the malady might take any sudden 
change. This, together with the circumstances 
of my dear suffering child, greatly affected me. 
But I was not permitted to rest : for early on 
Friday (26th) a note came from Mrs. Chapman, 
the excellent mistress of our Lancasterian 
school, written with her own hand, saying that 
she was very ill. Our good friends Mr. Gelli- 
brand and Mr. Mirrielees immediately went to 
her, and procured for her all possible assist- 
ance — but, alas ! it was all of no avail. This 
was a dreadful day in St. Petersburg. Among 
the hundreds of people who were attacked 
with cholera, T never heard of one who re- 
covered. A kind and excellent doctor came 
home at night and wept like a child — every 
one whom he had visited that day died under 
his hands. Dear Mrs. Chapman left a delight- 
ful testimony. She rejoiced in God her 
Saviour. On Saturday morning, at four, she 
expired. Dear Mrs. Gellibrand took her 
little orphan daughter to live with them. In 
the afternoon I performed the funeral service, 
and, together with the members of the school 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 243 

committee, accompanied the body to the 
ground expressly appointed for persons who 
died of cholera. Here the scene was truly 
awful. Numerous coffins were resting, some 
on carts, and others on the ground, waiting 
till graves could be dug for them. We pro- 
cured two men to dig a grave for our friend, 
and saw her committed to dust in sure and 
certain hope of a joyful resurrection to eternal 
life. Little did I then think that her grave 
would soon be opened to receive one of my 
sweet boys — but so it came to pass. 

" About ten in the evening I returned from 
the funeral, and found my wife unwell. This 
was Saturday night. My next business was to 
go in search of a doctor, and happily met with 
one at home. He ordered bathing, bleeding, 
&G. This kept me up all night. A dear 
Christian friend watched with us. It was a 
good preparation for the pulpit, as far as it 
respected the subject, but it exhausted my 
strength. Our morning service was thinly at- 
tended. Some were sick, others were watch- 
ing, and others were afraid to venture out. 
My text was, ' Blessed is that servant whom 



244 SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 



liis Lord, when lie cometh, shall find watch- 
ing.' It was my last text ; and I have often 
thought since that I should never preach again. 
Monday passed over pretty peacefully ; but on 
Tuesday, the 30th, my little Joseph was seized 
with symptoms nearly resembling cholera ; yet 
we fondly thought that children were exempt 
from the malady. The night came on, and the 
child grew worse. It was a night long to be 
remembered. It was spent in watching and 
prayer. The dear little fellow frequently 
said, * I thirst and I believe he never repeat- 
ed it but I thought of the Redeemer and His 
agonies, and drew comfort from His dying 
love. At four the following morning, when 
the child appeared to be dying, I called my 
wife into the adjoining room, where our other 
two boys were sleeping, and we kneeled down 
together, and once more gave up ourselves and 
our offspring to the Lord, committing in an 
especial manner the spirit of our Joseph into 
the Saviour's hands. Ah ! dear fathers and 
mothers, who have been bereaved of your 
children, you will understand what were our 
feeliugs. And now, while we stood in silence 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 245 

waiting to see the child expire, another wave 
was preparing to roll over us. A sound from 
another quarter pierced our hearts — ' Johnny 
is seized !' This seemed like a sword in our 
bones. I hastened to a dear friend, Mr. Ropes, 
from America, who was now staying with us, 
and begged him to arise and help us. Two 
•doctors came. My wife, and servants, and 
friends were employed in bathing, rubbing, 
blistering, &c., this lovely boy, while I was left 
to watch and weep over the other dying child. 
The cholera made dreadful havoc on John. 
He seemed death-seized, and amidst tears, and 
sighs, and groans, and efforts of no common 
kind, he sank into the arms of death before 
noon. So rapidly did death execute his com- 
mission ! In the evening, our friends conveyed 
his body to the cholera burying-ground, and 
placed him in Mrs. Chapman's grave. ' Glory 
be to God ! Glory be to God ! Glory be to 
God !' were the only words which my wife and 
myself could utter, when we saw ourselves so 
suddenly bereaved ; and I hope these will be 
the burden of our song through the ages of 
eternity. 

2P 



246 SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 

" My heart sinks at the recital, but I must 
go on. At this moment, when we needed 
every assistance, our servant-man became 
alarmed, and requested his wages, that he 
might go to his family in the interior ; and I 
was actually compelled to dismiss him when 
the undertaker was putting my darling John 
into his coffin. Thus wave after wave rolled 
in upon us, redoubling all our woe. But this 
was not all. As soon as the corpse was 
carried out of the house, my beloved wife, who 
had rallied all her strength to nurse her lovely 
children, immediately sank, and was confined 
to her bed for several succeeding days. I felt 
amazed and bewildered, and threw myself on 
my couch, to compose my troubled mind for a 
few minutes ; but another wave was preparing. 
I had scarcely laid my head on my pillow, 
when a person came and aroused me with, 
' Your kitchen-maid is attacked with cholera !' 
* Is it possible ?' said I. ' Is it possible V 1 
really trembled. There was no time for reflec- 
tion. If I thought about anything at all at the 
present moment, it was this, ' Surely God is 
going to make a short work of it with us ; but 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 247 

we sliall not be lost ; for He is our God.' We 
ran to the kitchen, and found the woman sujffer- 
ing, and gave her powerful medicine. Two 
doctors were called in ; and, I rejoice to add, 
she is now convalescent. 

" My house was now in complete confusion 
and distress. One child dead — another in the 
agonies of death — my wife confined to her bed 
— and one servant also sick in bed. 

" The next morning dear Mrs. Mirrielees 
took our eldest and now only child, to reside 
with them. 

" On Saturday, about mid-day, our sweet 
little Joseph expired ; and in the evening, our 
friends carried him to the grave, where he rests 
with his dear sister — our first-born. I was 
now unable to support myself any longer ; both 
body and spirits were exhausted. I took to 
my bed also, and was much afraid of cholera, 
though the fear was checked at the commence- 
ment, and was not permitted to prey upon me. 
As my dear partner and myself lay bemoaning 
our afflicted state, and endeavouring to com- 
fort each other with the consolations of the 
gospel, we looked around and rejoiced to see 



248 SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 



our pious nurse Erena still spared to us. But, 
as if to complete the scene of our distress, 
about midnight this faithful servant was also 
seized. Now the house was turned into an 
hospital ; and we were thrown into the hands 
of strangers. 

" Thus, in the course of ten days, my happy, 
healthy family was shattered in pieces ; and 
we are now attempting to repair the wreck 
against another storm. When tlio.t will come, 
God only knows. 

" During this short sickness we have had 
seven doctors, as we were happy to call in tlie 
first we could meet with. Three silent Sab- 
baths have been our portion. This has grieved 
me, but we cannot resist -the will of God. I 
believe that the best relief for a preacher with 
an afflicted mind is to preach ; but the duty 
of a preacher with an afflicted body is to be 
quiet ; for by attempting to preach when he 
is unable, he may injure his usefulness through 
all his future days. On this plan I have acted. 
We are now in the country, but I hope to be 
able to preach next Sunday. 

" The scenes which I have attempted to 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILE2fCE. 249 

describe seldom fall to the lot of one man. 
In reviewing tbem, I tremble and rejoice. 
There is much in them to make me tremble, 
but I also behold many things to call for my 
loudest praises. 

" 1. I believe that, from the beginning of 
our distress until now, we have not uttered a 
rebellious word, nor cherished one murmuring 
thoughts We have felt, and felt deeply ; but 
we have been wonderfully supported, and 
strengthened, and comforted. The High and 
Holy One has not forsaken us — no, not for a 
moment ; and we can recommend Him to all 
future sufferers as a very present help in time 
of need. 

" 2. None of our particular friends who live 
near us were afflicted, and they were incessant 
in their attentions, night and day. Had tliey 
or their families been sick, they could not have 
attended to us, and then we Should not have 
known where to look for help. 

" 3. It was a great mercy that we could 
procure people to work for us in the room of 
our afflicted servants. If the people had taken 
the alarm, as we were afraid they would, then 



250 SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 



no one would have come near us, and we 
should have perished alive. Oh, if the Lord 
had continued his strokes only a few days 
longer, we can easily perceive how deplorable 
our situation would have been ! 

" 4. It was very consoling to us that two of 
our spiritual children — good Mrs. Mickleson, 
who sold her watch to buy Bibles for the 
Finns, and our pious nurse — were enabled to 
perform the last kind offices for our John and 
Joseph. 

" 5. Though we know of no other family 
who have been afflicted like ourselves, yet we 
do not view it as a mark of the Almighty's dis- 
pleasure. Whom the Lord loveth He chas- 
teneth, and we bless Him for His fatherly 
chastisement. May it make us more than ever 
tlie partakers of His holiness ! ' Every branch 
in me tliat beareth fruit, he pruneth it.' He 
has pruned off two boughs from us at a stroke, 
but our prayer is that it may render us more 
fruitful. It became the Moral Governor of 
the world to make tlie Captain of our salva- 
tion perfect through sufferings, and we hope 
and pray that our sufferings may be so sanctl- 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 251 

fied as to render us fitter instruments for 
bringing many sons unto glory. Pray for us, 
dear fathers and bretliern ! Pray that this 
may be the happy result of the Lord's dealings 
with us. Amen. " 

The Princess Metschersky expressed the 
solicitude and the trust of many hearts when, 
at the close of this storm, she wrote : — '*Are 
you all alive, my dear friend, are you all safe ? 
Yes, you are all safe under the mighty arm of 
our heavenly Father ; but in this time of trial — 
in a moment when His chastening hand plun- 
ges every human feeling into dread and grief 
— in these sorrowful hours are your souls in 
peace And although Mr. Knill could not 
reply that he and all his loved ones were 
" alive," he could affirm that all were " safe " 
and " in peace." " Dear Madam," he asks of 
his now widowed friend, Mrs. Rooker, does 
not heaven appear more desirable since you 
had three children and a husband there? 
Although we wish to be there, chiefly because 
we shall be ' ever with the Lord,' I do not 
think our heavenly Father is angry with us 
for cherishing the anticipation of unmingled 



252 SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 



bliss with beloved relatives. I believe I uever 
thought so much of heaven as I have done 
since mj Julia, and John, and Joseph were 
there, and in this way I think the dispensation 
has worked for my good." 

As soon as his mind had attained to some 
degree of tranquillity, he drew up an interest- 
ing account of his son John,"* which was 
published by the Religious Tract Society. 
The charming simplicity which pervades the 
little sketch led to its extensive circulation in 
the Russian, Mongolian, and other languages ; 
and every testimony to its usefulness sent a 
fresh tide of gratitude through the father's 
heart. 

Of his tracts generally, Mr. Knill afterwards 
wrote — "My first effort was one entitled, 'The 
Influence of Pious Women in promoting a 
Revival of Religion.' It found favour, and 
after being published by the Tract Society, 
was translated into my old language, tlie 
Tamil, and God blessed it at Travencore. I 
went on sending home papers, whenever cir- 
cumstances occured which afforded good his- 

* "An Account of John Knill: by his Father." 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 253 

torical notices. Some were printed by the 
American and English societies, and others by 
private persons at their own expense, and they 
are now moving through the world, in ten 
languages — the numbers printed already 
amounting to between six and seven millions. 
Oh, the wonder-working God ! I stand 
amazed at the grace that taught my heart to 
love, my head to plan, my hands to work ! It 
has frequently been my happy lot to meet with 
persons who have been awakened, directed, 
comforted, and I hope saved through these 
humble messengers. Mr. Jones, of the Tract 
Society, told me that they printed an edition 
of thirty thousand of the ' False Hope ' for 
the London City Mission, because the repre- 
sentations of its usefulness compelled them. 
In the blessing of God on these tracts, I have 
noticed much of the Divine sovereignty. For 
instance, I wrote ' John Knill ' to comfort 
bereaved parents ; but God blessed it to the 
conversion of a man in Newgate under sen- 
tence of transportation. Lady Pirie took me 
to see him. Again, I wrote 'The Dying Thief 
and the Dying Saviour,' with a hope that it 
22 



254 SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 



would be blessed in our prisons ; but two 
geutlemen of high moral character were con- 
verted by it, who have entertained me in their 
mansions, and given me the cheering acccount 
with their own lips. Should not every young 
minister be stirred up to write short pithy 
tracts, and hope for the Divine blessing on 
them?" 

The return of the Rev. AYilliam Swan, with 
tlie early ships, cheered the little Christian 
circle in St. Petersburg, and gave Mr. Knill an 
opportunity of prosecuting visitations among 
the English sailors in Cronstadt, in which he 
had always delighted. "I have lived," he 
says, on 31st of August, " on board sliip, and 
have not been up to the town at all. The con- 
gregations have been large, and deeply interest- 
ing ; but the field is so vast — about one thou- 
sand English and American ships with about 
ten thousand men, annually — and demands so 
many kinds of labour, that my heart is almost 

full of it I find the sailors in general 

very destitute of good books, and I am most 
desirous to supply a thousand men next sum- 
mer, if I live, with a copy of such a work as 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 255 

Baxter or Doddridge, which they may call 
their own, and take them as a chart and com- 
pass over the great ocean of life. I have 
ordered five hundred volumes, at my own ex- 
pense, to be ready for next spring's ships." 

These interesting and useful visits were neces- 
sarily terminated on the approach of winter ; 
but the same agency which closes the seaward, 
facilitates the landward communications. When 
tlie snow mantle descends on the green cupolas, 
the bronze statues, and the gravelled prome- 
nades of the city, the rugged highways of the 
country become paved in a style which renders 
travelling a luxury. The passenger-steamer 
therefore, in which he had been made free by 
the generous owner to navigate the Xeva all 
the summer, was now exchanged for the sledge : 
and the diligent Siberian missionary, being 
detained by the labour of copying a recent- 
ly discovered version of the Scripture, Mr. 
Knill was enabled to visit periodically several 
neighbouring villages, in which English arti- 
sans were employed by the Russian govern- 
ment. In these excursions he took deep inter- 



256 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 



est, and his visits were always hailed with 
gratitude, tliongli no lengthened memorials of 
them remain.^ 

The winter proved to be one of unusual sick- 
ness and mortality among the English residents 
in St. Petersburg, and Mr. Knill was called, 
in the midst of all his energetic labours, to 
follow several beloved friends to the grave, 
some of whom had been among his most intel- 
ligent and affectionate coadjutors in every good 
endeavour. After such a season of gloom and 
sickness, the genial airs of the spring were 
more than usually welcome. Tlrey brought 
with them, too, a new prospect and a new mode 
of life. In the month of May, he received 
from the directors of the London Missionary 
Society a request that he would visit England, 
and devote some time to the work of represent- 
ing the society, and stirring up a missionary 
spirit through the country. In making this 
proposal the directors appear to have been 
prompted by a desire to afford to him some 
change after the sorrows and toils he liad 

* At Alexandroffsky, one of those villages, a church vas 
formed, which now maintains an English pastor of its own- 



SHADOWS OF THE PESTILENCE. 257 

undergone, as well as by a knowledge of his 
remarkable adaptation to tlie work to which 
they called him. He, at the same time, was 
the more inclined to accede to their request, as 
a desire which he had long cherished of having 
a chapel for the exclusive use of his congrega- 
tion was now more than ever likely to be real- 
ized, and the time had come when application 
for pecuniary aid might be properly made in 
England. The hand of God thus seemed to 
him to be in the proposition. " Your letter," 
he writes to the Rev. William Ellis, on the 
18lh January, 1833, "overwhelmed me. I 
opened it in the street, and wept aloud when I 
read that part which referred to my return to 
Britain, and could not help saying, ' Lord, thou 
knowest I am not equal to tliis. It is too 
much. The directors have formed too high an 
opinion of me, and their hopes will be blasted.^ 
Yet this will not prevent me doing what I can. 
I have had two or three meetings with my 
friends about it, and I shall leave for England 
as soon as possible." 

22* 



11 



CHAPTER X. 



" As'sliips meet at sea, a moment together, when words 
of greeting must be spoken, and then away upon the deep, 
so men meet in this world ; and I think we should cross no 
man's path without hailing hun, and, if he needs, giving him 
supplies." — Beecher. 

(259) 



WIDENING HOmZON. 

Mr. Knill fully expected that after a brief 
sojourn in England, he would be able to re- 
turn witli the means of completing a chapel, in 
which he should continue to hold forth the 
word of life in St. Petersburg. But his ser- 
vices among the churches in England proved 
so valuable, that he was induced by the direc- 
tors, from time to time, to prolong his stay ; and 
having met with one well qualified to occupy 
his vacant place, he eventually perceived that 
he was to prosecute and to finish his labours 
for Christ in his native country. The work on 
which he entered is one almost equally useful 
and perilous. To awaken the Christian mind 
of the country to the duty of disseminating the 
gospel over the earth, is to render, not only to 
the heathen, but to England, one of the highest 
services ; but to maintain a thoughtful and 
devout spirit during incessant journeys, in the 

[261] 



262 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



atmospliere of public meetings, and among suc- 
cessive crowds of strangers, cannot be easy, 
and is never really accomplished, but when the 
ruling motive is of unusual power. Mr. Knill 
entered on tlie task with a full knowledge of 
its peculiarities ; and during the eight con- 
secutive years which he pursued it, received in 
Buch measure the blessing of the Holy Spirit, 
as to make that period one of the most valu- 
able of his life. Materials, however, for giving 
it full illustration do not exist. There was no 
such leisure for entries in journals, and no such 
necessity for epistolary correspondence as had 
existed in the quietude and remoteness of the 
Russian capital : the journals now containing 
little more than lists of engagements, and the 
letters being confined almost entirely to af- 
fectionate notes to his family and his more 
intimate friends. 

The following communication from the Rev» 
Dr. Urwick of Dublin, opportunely supplies 
a characteristic general sketch. 

" The first time I had the pleasure of seeing 
and hearing Mr. Knill was in the summer of 
1820. I was not then i^esident in Dublin, 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



263 



but came up to attend a public meeting for 
fully organizing the Hibernian Auxiliary to 
the London Missionary Society. A deputation 
from the parent society was present, consisting 
of the Rev. Jolin Arundel, its Home Secretary; 
the Rev. Dr. Stewart of the Scotch Church, 
Liverpool ; and the Rev. Richard Knill, who 
had just returned from India. Evangelism in 
our city was in the simplicity and susceptibility 
of its early youth. The arrival of such a 
deputation in behalf of missions to the heatlien, 
produced no small stir among those who are 
called the Christian public ; for to many of 
them the missionary enterprise was a new 
thing — to tlie claims of Avhich they then awoke 
as from a sleep, — the rising of an orb they had 
not before seen. The admirable exhibition 
which the deputation presented of the catholic 
principle and practice of the society, added to 
the excitement. Especially was it extraordi- 
nary and interesting to have the sacred cause 
pleaded in Dublin, by a young man of good 
speaking powers, with a soul of fire, direct 
from the far-off mission field — who could 
largely and affectionately tell, from his own. 



264 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



knowledge, what abominable idolatries and 
other evils prevailed in heathendom, and what 
blessed results had already followed upon the 
introduction of the glorious gospel in the dark 
places of the earth ! 

" Sixteen years passed by, and Mr. Knill 
was again in Dublin. During the interval he 
had been fulfilling his ministry in Russia. He 
came alone, but the event proved 'he was a 
host in himself !' The first service in which 
he was engaged was on a Sabbath morning, in 
my own chapel. It was, throughout, one of 
great efficiency. His prayers, his reading of 
the Scriptures, with short comments as he pro- 
ceeded, and his sermon, all conspired to gather 
up the hearts of the congregation into com- 
munion with his own. 

There was no pretence of greatness ; there 
was no attempt at display ; there was no 
elaborate composition ; there was not what 
would entitle him to be placed high as a 
reasoner, or as an original thinker, or as an 
orator ; but there was good sense, pure and 
rich gospel truth, living earnestness, a spirit 
glowing as if kindled from the altar of God, 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



265 



and a directness which made the hearers feel 
that what he said was spoken in honest pur- 
pose of heart. Rarely had I heard a preacher 
who was more happy in illustration by anec- 
dote, or who better combined and blended 
statements adapted to convert and edify, with 
those which bore for the consecration of talent 
and property to aid Christian missions. His 
style was simple ; his sentences short ; and 
every word seemed to be an outbreathing of 
his soul. His countenance was most expres- 
sive ; whatever affected himself appeared to 
affect others ; ypu might read his mind in his 
face ; and the smile or the tear — the look that 
wins, or melts, or awes, came spontaneously 
with his ideas. He was tellingly graphic in 
description, and moving in appeal ; and withal 
he had an unction of sterling piety which 
proved him to be truly a man of God. Those 
who attended his ministry in other places of 
worship in our city formed a like estimate of 
him. 

" As Mr. Knill was unaccompanied by 
another delegate from the society, I went 
with him on a short tour to some places south 
23 



266 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



of Dublin, and on a round to the west, includ- 
ing Sligo. We had hospitality and God speed 
from excellent ministers and members of the 
Established Church, as well as from other 
friends. Two of our meetings were held in 
episcopal places of worship, according to ar- 
rangements made by the clergymen of the re- 
spective parishes. Wherever we went, we 
found hearts open to receive our friend's state- 
ments, and respond liberally to his appeals. I 
much enjoyed the opportunity which this joint- 
travelling gave me, for becoming more inti- 
mately acquainted with him ; and the better I 
knew him, the more I loved him. I found him 
to be as real in private, as he appeared to be 
in public. His residence in India, and after- 
wards in Russia, had given him a good knowl- 
edge of the world. He could ' beware of 
men,' while he was free and lively in convers- 
ing with them. He maintained his position 
among them without aping what he was not. 
Nothing of what is justly called * cant ' ever 
escaped him ; but he was never at a loss for 
pointed appropriate remarks, wisely and pleas- 
antly made, to whomsoever he met. He had 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



267 



great viyacity in conversation, with not a little 
Tvit and humour, and uniform good temper. 
When opportunity was given, he spent his 
time alone, partly in writing, partly in prayer, 
and partly also in resting and recruiting his 
not over-strong bodily frame. He had great 
power of observation and quickness in adapt- 
ing incidents to illustrate cases. What struck 
me perhaps as yet more remarkable, was his 
faculty for repetition. Anecdotes and appeals 
which he had given out often in other places, 
he delivered in the same words and with the 
same warmth of spirit, tone of voice, and ex- 
pression of countenance, as if he were then 
speaking them for the first time. This habit 
would with most men have been merely me- 
chanical — an artistic acting to produce effect. 
I feel assured that in him the freshness and 
kindling which came on many occasions in the 
same form, were genuine, and were sustained 
by close communion with God, in and for His 
work."^ 

" I may add, that he was in the habit of 

* Cornelius Winter thus explains the same peculiarity in 
Whitfield. 



268 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



making a request, tliat the Christian friends 
with whom he was to be engaged, would 
occupy themselves beforehand in special, priv- 
ate, and social prayer for the Divine blessing 
upon his visit. I need not observe how well 
this served to open and make ready the way 
for him, and to bring with him a presence and 
a power far higher than his own. Were the 
visits of missionary and other Christian depu- 
tations always preceded by the same devout 
preparations, they would be received with a 
more cordial welcome, and the advantage de- 
rived from them would be much grater than is 
realized in cases not a few." 

The value which Mr. Knill placed on the 
prayers of the people whom he was about to 
visit, was in keeping with the importance 
which he attached to it in his own practice. " I 
think," said a friend to him, " I should feel the 
want of retirement in your present mode of 
life, more than anything." " So I do, my 
brother," he replied, " and particularly that I 
have so little time for prayer ; I mean quiet 
prayer in the closet — without any noise, any 
hurry, any disturbance. This is what I want, 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



269 



and what every minister of the gospel wants. 
What can we do without prayer ? How can 
we study, how can we preach, how can we 
visit the sick, how can our words reach the 
heart, without prayer ? A minister needs to 
be surrounded continually with a devotional 
atmosphere.'' 

Of seasons of solemn retrospect and devo- 
tion, there occur many traces in the journal, 
such as these : — 

May 1, 1834. — I am now at Kibworth 
where the blessed Doddridge began his minis- 
try. 0 my God, make me as holy, and pre- 
serve me as spotless — make me as zealous and 
devoted as thou madest him ; and though I 
have not his learning, yet thou canst make me 
as useful ! Lord, bless me, and make me a 
blessing ! The last month has been very cheer- 
ing. Ten thousand mercies have followed mo 
— exposed by night and day — constantly 
preaching and living among strangers, yet 
preserved and well to this moment ! 0 Lord, 
to thee I ascribe the praise forever, and to 
thee on this first day of the month, I afresh 
give up myself to be more than ever consecrated 
23^ 



270 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



to Thy service. If I am spared through this 
month, there will be many calls upon my feeble 
powers. Lord, help me safely through ! Thy 
grace is suf&cient for all Thy servants : help 
me to lay hold of it by faith. Amen." 

The scenes of his own early life awakened a 
similar class of feelings in a very interesting 
manner. 

" September 30, 1836 —Proceeded to Braun- 
ton my native place, and found my brother 
alive, but weak in body ; and, I trust, improv- 
ing in spiritual things. My soul was greatly 
comforted by his conversation, especially on 
the majesty and glory of the Saviour. 

" At night I was accommodated with the 
same bed I had often occupied before. The 
furniture remains just the same as when I was 
a boy. But my busy thoughts would not let 
me sleep ; I was thinking how God had led 
me through the journey of life. At last the 
light of morning streamed through the little 
window, and my eye caught a sight of the very 
spot where my sainted mother, more than forty 
years ago, took my hand, and said, ' Kichard, 
my dear, kneel down with me, and I will go to 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



271 



prayer.' I seemed to hear the tones of her 
yoice : I recollected some of her expressions. 
I burst into tears, and rising from my bed, fell 
on my knees, just on the place where my 
mother kneeled, and adored the Divine good- 
ness for giving me such a parent. Bless the 
Lord, 0 my soul, at every remembrance of this 
mercy 

" October 2, Lord's-dmj. — Preached at Barn- 
staple. The scenes of youthful folly pressed 
sore upon me, and I was nearly overwhelmed. 
When reading the second of Ephesians, I could 
not proceed, but shut the book ; when the con- 
gregation rose, and we prayed. I recovered, 
but it was a weeping day to myself and to 
hundreds." 

" October 8. — Walked about among my old 
neighbours, and humbled myself before God at 
the recollection of youthful transgressions. I 
bless Thee for light and life, and peace and 
joy, through Christ Jesus, my Lord." 

" October 9. — I dined at Bideford with dear 
Spencer, and preached to about a thousand old 
and young, in the old meeting, where I have 
enjoyed so much. Fine sight! Religion is 



272 



AVIDEXIXG HORIZOX. 



greatly on the increase here, and in every part 
of North Devon. The Lord be praised !*'' 

Proceeding through the country in such a 
spirit as this, it will be readily understood that 
he aimed primarily at the increase of religion 
in the hearts of the people before him. " I 
like/'' he said, " the missionary sermon which 
brings the people to dwell on the love of 
Christ. It is not the brilliant oration which 
does the work at our missionary meetings, but 
the earnest and direct appeal to the conscience. 
' How much owest thou to my Lord ?' — that is 
the question to bring home ; and when it is 
brought home, the money will not be want- 
ing." The predominance of this feeling gave 
him an almost intuitive perception of opportu- 
nities of usefulness. " Sir," said a working- 
man to him, " I went last night to the mission- 
ary meeting, and I heard you speak of the love 
of Christ, and of the responsibility of Christ's 
people to seek the salvation of the heathen. 
I have professed many years to be a Christian, 
but I liave never yet given anything to tlie 
Christian cause. I have come now to say that, 
by good health and constant work, I liave 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



273 



saved up XIO ; and I have brought it, begging 
jour acceptance of it, as my first contribution 
to the Missionary Society." 

Mr. K. asked " Does your wife know of this ?" 

" No ; she is not a godly woman, and I am 
afraid to tell her," replied the man. 

" Well, I will tell you what to do. I can- 
not take it without her knowledge. Go home; 
take courage and say to her, ' You are my 
nearest and dearest friend. I want you to 
kneel down with me and pray with me for five 
minutes, and then I want to ask your permis- 
sion for something that I will not do without 
that permission.' Do not be afraid ; but go 
tenderly and affectionately to her. See what 
the result will be, and come again to-morrow." 

The next morning the man came, and with 
tears said, " It is a most wonderful thing ! My 
wife has always been opposed to these things. 
But I went home ; I had the courage to do 
what you told me : I asked her to kneel down 
with me. I then told her everything ; and she 
has sent me here to-day to say she gives it 
cordially, and with all her heart." 

The following communication from Mr. 
18 



274 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



Charles Reed gives an additional proof that 
arduous as were the duties in connexion with 
the mission to which he was pledged, there 
was hardly a proposal for the good of the 
population around him with which he was not 
ready to comply : — 

" Early in the year 1839, Mr. Knill visited 

Leeds. He was the guest of Mr. C , an 

influential magistrate in that borough, and at 
his house we first met. I had resided through 
several years in the town, and was a member 
of the church under the pastoral care of the 
Rev. John Ely. During the winter of 1838, this 
excellent minister had been making an effort 
to promote the revival of religion among the 
people of his charge, and a great awakening 
had taken place in both the church and congre- 
gation. Drawing-room and kitchen meetings 
were held from house to house, at which per- 
sons of all classes were assembled — the Scrip- 
tures expounded, religious experience given, 
and free prayer united in. These were hal- 
lowed seasons. Breaking in upon the ordinary 
festivities of the winter, no opportunity seemed 
to be left for mere evening parties ; for the 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



275 



families were all concerned in higher and more 
important interests. Among the inquiring 
people, John Ely was like an apostle ; and 
Winter Hamilton and Thomas Scales rejoiced 
in the proofs of usefulness by means of these 
holy and prevailing influences. Having at 
the time the charge of a large factory in the 
town, where many hundreds of young people 
were employed, I was led, amidst much dis- 
couragement, to attempt something for their 
religious welfare. Most of the families em- 
ployed in Britannia Mills were Irish, and of 
these most were Romanists. No difficulty, 
however, had arisen in setting on foot a good 
library of books for circulation ; and classes 
for instruction had been arranged. The great 
difficulty seemed to be, the connecting with 
the scheme a religious service, which it was 
desired, by some of the pious workmen, to hold 
at least once in the week. On a certain 
Wednesday evening, the experiment was to be 
made ; and in the face of some open contempt, 
and much more apathy, we had issued the 
notice that the works would stop an hour 
earlier than usual on that evening. 



276 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



" I believe it was in answer to prayer that, 
on the very night when this notice had been 
posted on the outer gates of the mill, and 
we were questioning the policy of the act, a 
stranger came into the town. Quite unex- 
pectedly to me I met him at the house of our 
mutual friend ; and, before he knew my name, 
or I was acquainted with his, my eye had met 
his searching and affectionate look, at the 
startling question, ' What are you doing for 
the Saviour ?' I hesitated ; and our host said, 
* 0, Mr. Knill, he is at work in a corner of the 
vineyard, which you must see.' From that 
moment he was my friend. He fell in my way 
at a time of sore trial ; and he no sooner 
heard of our plans and difficulties, than he 
entered into them with the greatest interest. 
He offered to go with me to the houses of some 
of our people ; and while he astonished them 
by the suddenness and pointedness of his ques- 
tions, he won their respect by his kindness and 
essential goodness. Thus I remember that he 
went with me from cottage to cottage, and, 
standing by the looms, his wonderful tact 
broke through all the obstacles which had bar- 



WIDENING HORIZON. 277 

red my effort to be useful. The poor people 
were all delighted, and through the day the 
principal topic of conversation in the factory 
was the visit of the Russian missionary. On 
the morning of the day in question, a great 
event happened. Mr. Knill visited our works, 
and so great was his popularity, that people, 
not unused to stand by their machines while 
peers and nobles passed along, were with diffi- 
culty kept at their work while he visited the 
various departments. He was received in all 
the rooms with great manifestations of inter- 
est by the groups surrounding him ; and the 
strong men in the forge, the dye-house, and the 
engine-room, vied with the little children 
piecing the endless threads and soliciting the 
tracts, hundreds of which he distributed during 
his visit. With his own hand he wrote a 
notice, and posted it in the principal entrance 
— ' Mr. Knill will give an account to-night of 
" A Yorkshireman's Funeral.''' I shall never 
forget the scene. The great bell rang out at 
seven o'clock, the last beat of the throbbing 
engine was heard, the gates were thrown open, 
and the people were free to go or to remain* 
24 



278 



WJDEXING HORIZON. 



In one room, of immense proportions, a plat- 
form was raised, and on that platform stood a 
home-made pulpit, fresh from the carpenter's 
shop. Rushing in like a mighty tide came the 
congregation. Pious Sunday-school girls led 
the way : old women, to whom the blessed 
Word had long been a strange story ; little 
cliildren, attracted by the novelty of the scene ; 
and behind them all, a compact body of men. 
Catholics, and plenty of them — infidels, and 
not a few — men of every creed, and more, I 
fear, of none — mingled in that promiscuous 
throng. The magic power of love had won 
that congregation. 

" The proprietors of the mill were punctual 
in their attendance ; the cashier, the book- 
keepers, and clerks ; the gate-keeper and the 
call-boys — all were present ; indeed, I believe 
few were wanting when the whole company 
stood to sing that hymn of praise, ' Come, let 
us join our cheerfal songs.' It was an impres- 
sive sight, even to Mr. Knill, accustomed as he 
was to popular gatherings. I watched his 
face, and saw that emotion was busy there. 
The tenderness of a loving spirit betrayed 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



279 



itself in those large expressive eyes, and the 
words faltered on his lips — ' Jesus is worthy 
to receive/ &c. All eyes were turned on him 
as, rejecting the pulpit, he stood agaiust one 
of the columns to address that crowd of busy 
workers, in the life of daily toil and in their 
own workshop. I doubt not that exquisite 
narrative, since published, under the title of 
' The Funeral of a Yorkshireman,' was first 
composed and delivered on this occasion. 
Aptly suited to the circumstances of the people, 
and having a local interest of so powerful a 
kind, his address was listened to with profound 
attention. I may not say what good resulted 
from this effort ; but if sighs, sobs, and ex- 
clamations (quite unusual in that part of the 
country) are proofs of feeling, and that feeling 
was sincere, surely that night was one in which 
* the angels of heaven rejoiced over the faithful 
proclamation of the heavenly message of peace 
and salvation. It was the beginning of a good 
work ; a nail had been fastened in a sure 
place ; a regular prayer-meeting was instituted, 
and several persons were received into fellow- 
ship among the Independents and Wesleyans. 



280 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



" Some years after this Mr. Knill visited 
Leeds again, and he received this testimony 
that ' good hands worked better and that 
tract distribution and prayer-meetings ' did 
not hinder labour/ any more than psalm- 
singing at the loom reduced the amount of 
profit." 

It must have been observed before now, but 
it merits particular attention, that, though 
favoured to a remarkable extent, with large 
and exciting audiences, Mr. KnilFs zeal was 
not limited to them. He was as much moved 
by an individual as by a multitude, and seemed 
habitually impressed by the infinite worth of 
every human being. He therefore rarely per- 
mitted • an opportunity of personal conversa- 
tion on the highest topic to pass unimproved, 
and numerous were his entreaties to his friends 
to pursue this accessible, but too little fre- 
quented path to usefulness. It was evident 
that he had made the method of successfully 
approaching strangers on the question of per- 
sonal religion a subject of constant study. 
That he occasionally made mistakes, no one 
was more ready to admit than himself. Some- 



WIDENING HORIZON. 281 

times a rapidity and directness of utterance, 
which were meant to throw off reserve, and 
which indeed most nearly accorded with his 
natural manner, made the timid shrink from 
further communication, and the proud resent 
the familiarity by studied silence ; but while 
the causes of such failures were carefully ob- 
served with a view to prevent their recurrence, 
in by far the greater number of instances, the 
sincerity, the benevolence, and the real defer- 
ence which declared themselves in his trans- 
parent eye and simple manner, secured the 
confidence which he never misused. The in- 
stances are too numerous to admit of record, 
in which his words spoken in fitting circum- 
stances, and at a critical moment, came with 
electric power on individual hearts. It is 
said, that as many as a hundred ministers, now 
preaching the gospel at home and abroad, 
trace their first purpose to give their souls to 
Christ, or their lives to the public service of 
his church, to his quickening appeals. From 
his frequent allusion, in conversation and in 
correspondence, to these results, some may 
have imagined him ostentatious ; but no one 
24^ 



282 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



who properly understood the childlike open- 
ness of liis disposition, or perceived the unaf- 
fected tone of devout praise in which such 
references were made, could retain that im- 
pression. So far from attributing his useful- 
ness to any peculiar wisdom and excellence 
of his own, he was continually overcome by 
the Divine goodness which shone in it. 

" This morning," he writes to an intimate 
friend, " I received from Mr. M the touch- 
ing account of his dear son's death, and of 
God's love to me, in making my conversation 
blessed to him, while walking on the road. It 
affected me to tears — indeed to ' strong crying 
and tears for the dear youth is only one 
among many who have been led to Christ, not 
by preaching, but by a tender, pointed conver- 
sation. Three letters received within a few 

days from K , so very useful ; from S , 

an excellent preacher ; and now this from 

P , is a rare occurrence, in so short a time. 

I would encourage every one whom I know to 
speak to their friends to the point. God will 
bless it." 

If his sanguine and charitable temperament 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



283 



sometimes inclined him to judge too favourably 
of character, it never led him to expect great 
results without toil. Some labour without 
hope, and others hope without labour : he fell 
into neither of these errors, and when the 
prayerful spirit he maintained, and the inces- 
sant diligence with which he pursued his work 
are considered, no one who believes the Divine 
promises, can be surprised that his path was 
crowded with blessings. Such notices as the 
following frequently occur in his concise jour- 
nal : 

" January 14, 1839. Tabernacle, Bristol, — 
About fifty-five remained after service to con- 
verse with me about their souls. Many have 
called since at my house. 

" l^th. — Sermon on the influence of pious 
women. After service, about two hundred 
women remained to speak with me. Lord, fol- 
low it with ten thousand blessings ! 

" March 3. — Preached to seven thousand 
people in fifteen days, and had offers from six 
young men to go as missionaries. 

" April 12. — On one day I received a letter 
saying that a sermon had been blessed to three 



284 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



people in London, and heard that three had 
been awakened by the sermon at Chishell. 

Sent books to the young person at B , 

who appeared to get good from the service 
there. 

October 15.— Mr. H called to tell me 

that God blessed my message to him at 

W , and brought him to the Saviour. Xow 

he is going with John Williams to the South 
Seas. What shall I render to the Lord for all 
those mercies ! 

" December 1, 1839. — The month of Novem- 
ber has been a very instructive month to me. 

Mr. B told me of three persons being led 

to the Saviour during my visit. A minister 
from Turvey informed me that, when I attend- 
ed the missionary meeting at P , it pleosed 

God to convert a poor, ignorant, careless 
woman, who has since been blessed to the con- 
version of her husband. When I was at Nor- 
wich, one of the deacons called and told me 
that a person had lately been admitted to the 
church, who was converted under a sermon I 
preached some years ago. Mr. Venning intro- 
duced a man to me who was converted dur- 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



285 



ing a Christmas sermon at Bradenham Hall. 
Two ministers, both Weslejans, came to de- 
clare to me that the Lord had been pleased to 
call them, through ray sermons, the one to the 
work at home, and the other to the work 
abroad." 

Such incidents were much more numerous 
than Mr. Knill was ever aware of. Very re- 
cently, a minister when preaching in Bideford, 
stated that when he revisited that town after his 
return from Russia, he took aside himself and 
one of his companions, and having made them 
repeat the prayer, " 0 Lord, convert my soul, 
for the sake of Jesus Christ, Amen," until it 
was impressed on their memory, he charged 
them in the most solemn and affectionate man- 
ner to continue to offer it until it was answered. 
They did so ; and both are now ministers of 
extensive usefulness : one in the Wesleyan con- 
nexion, and the other in the established church. 

During his residence at Wotton-under-Edge, 
he visited the Rev. James Spurgeon, the minis- 
ter of an ancient chapel of Dr. Watts' at 
Stambourne, Essex ; and walking in the garden 
with his host's grandson, then about ten years 



286 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



old. he felt, lie afterwards said, a prayerful 
concern for the intelligent and inquiring boy, 
sat with him under a yew-tree, put his hands 
on his head, and prayed for him ; telling him 
at the close, that he believed " lie would love 
Jesus Christy and preach his gospel in the larg- 
est chapel in the world. ^' When this curious 
prediction obtained something like fulfilment 
in the young preacher of the Surrey Music 
Hall, both parties, in a short correspondence, 
referred to the old garden incident with feel- 
ings akin to wonder. Who can trace the sub- 
tle influence of such suggestions on the tenor of 
one's life ? All will at least be able to appro- 
priate the aspiration prompted by these occur- 
rences — "0 Lord God omnipotent ! Thine is the 
kingdom, and the power, and the glory. Help 
me as Thy servant to go on labouring and re- 
joicing. These are tokens of Thy favour too 
great to be left unrecorded. What would 
thousands of gold and silver be, compared to 
the conversion of souls, and the calling out of 
preachers ?" 

The year is thus gratefully and devoutly 
closed : — 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



287 



" December 31. — In looking back on the past 
year, I find many things to call forth my praise. 
I have laboured in twenty-five English coun- 
ties, made two trips to Ireland, and spent a 
month in Wales. My general health has been 
wonderfully preserved. My opportunities of 
usefulness have been very extensive, I having 
addressed four hundred congregations of dif- 
ferent sizes, by which the Lord has given me 
the privilege of speaking to one hundred and 
fifty thousand persons about tlie salvation of 
their souls. This brings with it great re- 
sponsibility. Lord, help me to feel it as one 
who must give an account ! Pity and save 
Thy servant ! Amen." 

The toil, however, attending this service be- 
gan to tell sensibly on Mr. Knill's health, and 
to point to the necessity of a change. " You 
recollect," he writes to a friend in Leeds, " that 
in my ordination service I declared that all my 
days should be spent as a missionary. This 
was my purpose, but I was compelled to sur- 
render it from failure of health. Then, when I 
travelled for the Missionary Society, I thought 
I w^as just in my proper place, serving the 



288 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



same cause ; but my health again failed. In- 
deed, the work was too exciting and laborious 
for any man. I had eight years of it — Sab- 
baths and week-days — not like the agents of 
the Bible and Tract Societies, who generally 
rest on the Sabbath. In July, 1841, I was 
going through Gloucestershire for the mission, 
my health very feeble, nerves shaken by over- 
work, and a slight fever caught at Chatham. 
I preached in Rowland Hill's pulpit. A deep 
feeling pervaded the congregation, and two 
persons, in opposite conditions of life, a young 
lady and an old wicked soldier, were con- 
verted. The people pressed me to preach for 
a month, and at last to become their minister. 
I knew not what to do. I sighed for rest. I 
proceeded to London, and the directors giving 
their consent, I went to Wotton-under-Edge 
on the first of January, 1842."'^ 

This place, which he had repeatedly visited 
and admired, was suited both to his state of 

* The Rev. Rowland Hill, soon after 1771, built a *' taber- 
nacle," a range of alms-houses, and a summer residence in 
tliis place, and till the close of his life, in 1833, divided hia 
labours between it and London. 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



289 



health and to the peculiarities of his ministry. 
The rich scenery and rural quiet which it sup- 
plied, restored the tone of his mind, and the 
neighbourhood presented facilities for that 
union of the pastoral and missionary functions 
to which his tastes impelled him. The faith- 
ful labours of several of his predecessors had 
left impressions on the hearts of many in the 
congregation, which waited for the quickening 
influences of a spiritual spring-time. That 
period came with the vivacity and devout 
energy of his addresses in the pulpit, and 
the familiar and kind intercourse which he 
maintained with the people in their homes and 
by the way-sides. There was an almost gene- 
ral revival of religious feeling among Chris- 
tians ; and numbers who had been dead in 
trespasses and sins were " added to the Lord." 

The heart of the system being animated, the 
warmth was quickly transmitted to the ex- 
tremities. All converts were urged to bear 
some part in their Master's work ; and he was 
able, in 1846, to say to a friend, " Eight of 
our members were at work on Sunday last in 
six parishes, and preached to about seven hun- 
25 19 



290 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



dred precious souls. We have five Sunday- 
schools in the villages, which call for much 
care and labour. Our Tabernacle Sunday- 
school is large, and God continues to smile 
upon the labours of our self-denying teachers." 
Among the sixty assistants at prayer-meetings, 
and the twelve village preachers, whose services 
he directed, there were, it was acknowledged, 
a great variety of gifts ; but considering that, 
" in the absence of gaslight, a glimmering lamp 
is better than total darkness," he encouraged 
their endeavours, and did what he could to 
cultivate their powers. He says of the Brit- 
ish schools, which had been improved, and 
accommodated with a spacious school-house, 
through his exertions : — " They are likely to 
be a great help to us. Some of our pious 
youth have had few opportunities of reading, 
or writing, or speaking correctly ; but seve- 
ral, who have become concerned about their 
souls, are now attending an evening-school. 
This comes nobly to our help ; and I hope to 
live to see the day when not one of our young 
men who engage in public services shall offend 
the ear of a good grammarian." All these 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



291 



villages he visited personally at short inter- 
vals. At two of them — Hawkesbury and 
Charfield — he procured the erection of suit- 
able chapels, and the services, for a season, of 
students from the Western Academy ; while 
the converts were either formed into small 
local churches, or united to the society at the 
Tabernacle, which, during the period of his 
residence, was doubled in numbers. 

It was Mr. Knill's settled conviction that 
his ministry was specially adapted to the 
awakening and gathering in of sinners ; and 
when he thought he saw that object, to any 
marked degree, accomplished in one place, he 
became eager to pass to " regions beyond." 
On approaching the close of the sixth year of 
his work at Wotton, a variety of considera- 
tions conspired to impress him with the belief 
that it ought to be left to the careful cultiva- 
tion of a new labourer, and he began to look 
around for another spot to which his peculiar 
gifts might be advantageously applied. During 
several visits, in the cause of missions, to 
Chester, the claims of that city appeared to 
him singularly great, and, under the advice of 



292 



WIDENING HORIZON. 



several ministers of sound experience, he ac- 
ceded to the unanimous invitation of the church 
in Queen Street to become their pastor. With 
profound sorrow his flock at Wotton heard 
from his own lips, at the last communion sea- 
son of the year, that he had resolved to leave 
them. The sensitiveness of his heart prevented 
him allowing a long interval to elapse between 
the announcement of this purpose and its con- 
summation. The four weeks of affectionate 
leave-taking which followed was as much as he 
could endure ; and on the last day of the year, 
bearing costly tokens of love, he left a home in 
one of the loveliest vales in England for an- 
other within the old walls of Chester. 



CHAPTER XI. 

Sunset. 



"Faith, perseverance, zeal, 

Language of light and power ; 
Love, prompt to act and quick to feel, 
Marked thee till Ufe's last hour." 

Montgomery. 

25* 

(293) 



SUNSET. 

The church of which Mr. Knill now assumed 
the charge represented the families which had 
enjoyed the ministry of Matthew Henry, and 
which, when his successors fell into Unitarian- 
ism, retired and formed a separate community. 
At this period it was dispirited by heavy 
financial burdens, and was slow to believe that 
prosperity, either temporal or spiritual, was at 
hand. The hope and energy, however, of the 
new pastor quickly diffused themselves. Im- 
mediately on his settlement he addressed him- 
self to the task of becoming acquainted with 
the people individually, at their own homes, 
and establishing between them and himself, as 
far as possible, sympathy and unity of purpose. 
He then showed them, that what he had in 
view could not be accomplished if their efforts 
were limited to those who already attended 
the chapel, but that they must conjointly go 

(295) 



296 



SUNSET. 



fortli to the desolate wastes around them. He 
very soon proved that he had no intention of 
sparing himself in this enterprise ; for, in ad- 
dition to the exhausting labours of visitation, 
he opened places in the neglected parts of the 
city and its suburbs, for preaching. Boughton, 
Handbridge, and King Charles' Chapel, as he 
called the spacious hall of an old mansion in 
which the first monarch of that name is said to 
have lodged before the battle of Rowton Moor, 
became new centres of light and power, and 
many persons who had resigned themselves to 
a total neglect of religious ordinances were 
awakened and introduced to the Christian 
course which they still pursue. This activity 
told powerfully on the members of the church 
themselves, whom he was most anxious to 
make " fit company " for the new converts. 
" No man," he said, " likes to go into an ice- 
cellar — it is too cold ; few people like to be in 
a room with dead bodies — there is death ; and 
a sleepy, lukewarm church has something in it 
so repelling that I wonder how any one can 
remain in it. Let the members of this church 
shine forth in all the splendour of holy living, 



SUNSET. 



297 



and the influences of it on others will be aston- 
ishing. Look on them : their heads plannm,:^ 
for good — their hands working for God — their 
tongues crying, ' Behold the Lamb !' Is there 
nothing in all this to attract an inquiring 
youth ? — nothing to catch the sympathies of a 
sinner just brought out of darkness into mar- 
vellous light V 

As this work was beginning to expand, it 
pleased God to draw the chief instrument in 
it nearer to Himself by successive trials. 
Scarcely had he recovered from several weeks 
of extreme prostration, produced by having 
been called to give evidence in a court of jus- 
tice, on a trial which he had in vain laboured 
to prevent, when his home became the scene of 
sickness and mourning. An interesting young 
person, the orphan daughter of his nephew, 
who had been adopted into his family, and 
brought up with an affection which she cordi- 
ally returned, was seized with fatal illness in 
her eighteenth year. About the same time, 
Samuel, his only remaining son, was laid low. 
When at school in Totteridge, this youth was 
attracted to Christ, and became anxious to 



298 



SUNSET. 



devote himself to the ministry of the gospel. 
He indicated, in many ways, an aptitude for 
such duties, and was eventually received into 
the Lancashire Independent College ; but had 
not long pursued his studies, before his state 
of health compelled him to desist. After re- 
maining a short while at home, in great weak- 
ness, he was induced to accept the invitation 
of a friend to visit America. His journeys, 
however, in the far-west of that continent 
proved exhausting, and at the close he was 
"just well enough to get home."' He spoke 
with much gratitude of the kindness he re- 
ceived in many places for his father's sake. 
When sailing, for example, on one of the great 
lakes, sad and disconsolate, a passenger pre- 
sented to him the tract called The Russian 
Nurse," with the request that he would peruse 
it. He thanked the stranger, and added — 
" This woman nursed 7?ze." The communica- 
tions which followed, led to acts of the most 
considerate kindness, of which, at that time, he 
stood particularly in need. On his return to 
England, his health so much revived as to 
permit him to address occasionally the smaller 



SUNSET. 



299 



meetings iu Chester, and at length to take 
charge of a congregation at Sutton, not far 
from the city. A church consisting at first of 
twelve members was formed under his minis- 
try ; and having taken lodgings in the village, 
he was in the habit of proceeding thither on 
the Saturday evening, and returning on Mon- 
day, going back on Wednesday, and returning 
on Thursday — thus spending about four days 
every week among his little flock. The con- 
gregations became crowded and most atten- 
tive ; Bible-classes and Sunday-schools were 
established, and sinners were converted. But 
his strength was soon spent, and his visits were 
frequently intermitted. After a long period 
of silence, he expressed an intense desire to be 
present at the first missionary meeting, and his 
father, anxious to gratify such a wish, took 
him over with great care. It was his last 
visit. A few affectionate words, which were 
all he could utter, closed his short ministry ; 
and he returned home to complete the last 
stage of his heavenward journey under parental 
care. 

" Dear Sam,'' his father writes to the Rev. 



300 



SUNSET. 



W. Swan, on September 26, 1849, " is kept in 
a very tranquil state, but I hear him coughing 
now. My dear wife is able to attend to him 
night and day, and he wants all a mother's 
love. Polly, a great-niece of mine, whom we 
took to train for God, is also dying ; she, I 
trust, is safe in the arms of Jesus. It is very 
soothing, in the midst of our anxiety, to have 
good ground to hope that they have committed 
their precious souls to Jesus." To his old 
friend, the Rev. J. Lewis, he unburdens his 
heart thus on 21st December, 1849 : — " I have 
often written you, but never under such painful 
feelings as at present. Dear Samuel, the 
object of our hopes, and prayers, and joys, and 
the source of many anxieties also, has left his 
weeping parents in the wilderness. Yesterday 
morning his spirit left the poor, worn-out and 
enfeebled body, and I believe Jesus received 
him into glory. He died with that precious 
name upon his tongue. Our judgment ap- 
proves, and faith sees him in heaven ; but 
nature feels. My beloved wife is much over- 
come. She has nursed him night and day for 
a twelvemonth, and scarcely ever left him for 



SUNSET. 



301 



half an hour, and, though wonderfully strength- 
ened while Samuel lived, she is crushed be- 
neath a weight of sorrow — not for him, but for 
herself, and Mary, and me." 

" The dear Devonshire girl, whom we 
brought up with our daughter," he mentions in 
a note to Sir John B. Williams, a few days 
later, died on the 26th of October, while my 
son was dying in a room below. But we were 
comforted in her death, and liad a rich reward 
for love to an orphan. We felt greatly com- 
forted by your few words of sympathy. There 
are times when even a smile or a tear will pro- 
duce rapture, and surely, next to the favour of 
God, we ought to esteem the kind feelings of 
God's servants." 

These private sorrows fed the lamp of his 
zeal ; and his religious services in the city be- 
came most abundant. Though he attached the 
highest importance to the teaching of the pul- 
pit, he considered that he had a special calling 
in the homes of his people. In the course of 
a few months, he knew more of the streets and 
antique lanes of Chester than many who had 
dwelt among them during long lives. He 
26 



302 



SUNSET. 



seldom found any dijfficulty in reaching the 
hearts of the rudest of their inmates ; but, 
dispensing with all introduction, he generally 
succeeded, both in suggesting his object, and 
in placing himself on a friendly footing, by 
the first sentence. "John," he would say, 
guessing at the name, when he did not know it, 
"what, think you, crossed my mind as I 
knocked at your door " Cannot tell, sir." 
" The people who live here," thought I, " have 
immortal souls : I wonder whether they are 
saved and happy." " Pray sit down, sir," 
would follow ; and the conversation, though 
short, would generally end in a deep impression. 

His great kindness to the poor could not re- 
main hid ; and it often exhibited itself in a 
form so artless and cordial, as to give to it a 
singular charm. If he saw a labourer, of 
whom he knew nothing, eating dry bread for 
his noonday meal, he would stop and say, 
" What ! only bread !" and, inviting him to 
follow to the nearest shop, would send him 
back with a ration of cheese. Hearing, in the 
course of a walk, that a pious widow was in 
great want, he went to a shop and ordered 



SUNSET. 



303 



food to be sent to her instantly ; and entering 
the house some time after, he found her with 
the tears rolling down her cheeks, in the midst 
of her dancing children, giving thanks to God 
for an unknown benefactor. Such a sight was 
to him the richest gratification. 

So much importance did he attach to the use 
of this remarkable talent for personal commu- 
nication, that he often went to chapel half an 
hour before the time, that he might converse 
with the people, and, by a few well-directed 
remarks, prepare them for the^ service. When 
his labours in different parts of the city had 
sent to his congregations at Queen Street per- 
sons imaccustomed to the house of God, he 
was most anxious, by such kind attentions, to 
make them feel at home. Occasionally, how- 
ever, the force of his thrusts would alarm them. 
To a man who had been induced to come to 
the Thursday evening lecture, he exclaimed, as 
he came up to him, " How much better to be 
here than in the public-house, singing ' Rule 
Brittania T " Now,'' said the man after- 
wards, " that was the very song for which I 
was famous ; and as I thought he must know 



304 



SUNSET. 



all about me, I staid away for some time ; but 
I afterwards found he was always throwing 
such great paving-stones as were sure to hit 
some one." 

There was no class of persons, indeed, whom 
he feared to encounter, or despaired of bless- 
ing. When about, one day, to enter a carriage 
at the Chester Railway Station, he observed 
Bome officers putting a band of chained prison- 
ers into an apartment of an inferior carriage 
by themselves. He was immediately touched 
with compassion, and begged to be allowed to 
accompany them. The officers seemed sur- 
prised at his desire, but made no objection. 
He spoke to them with such power, that most 
of them were in tears ; and before he left, he 
knelt down, at their request, and offered up 
fervent prayers for their reconciliation both to 
man and God. 

In the course of his ministry, great impor- 
tance was attached to family religion ; and it 
was observed that family prayer became much 
more carefully observed among Christians, and 
greatly extended among the poor. It delight- 
ed him to learn that a poor man's house had 



SUNSET. 



305 



become " sanctified by the Word of God and 
by prayer and sometimes, after a late walk 
about the city, he would come home filled with 
joy by the sounds of sacred song which he had 
overheard. On one occasion, when passing 
near a place in which there had been much 
wickedness, his ear was thus greeted ; and, 
without disturbing the humble worshippers, he 
wrote with the point of his walking-stick on 
the smoky ceiling of the passage, "Salvation 
is come to Parry's Entry." The inscription 
continued on the memories of many long after 
it had vanished from the roof, and salvation 
itself still remains among the inhabitants. 

The church had now been so much revived, 
that it was thought desirable to make an at- 
tempt to throw off at least part of the load of 
debt which depressed its energies, and abridg- 
ed its ability to aid in the evangelization of 
the world. Nothing now seemed impossible ; 
and the effort which followed, both then and 
at a later period, tended to call out the activ- 
ity and to unite the hearts of the people. 
There were few who did not taste the enjoy- 
ment of self-denial in a good cause. Families 
26* 20 



306 



SUNSET. 



in yery humble circumstance worked at the 
needle during the evenings of a whole winter, 
and poor men gave themselves to various kinds 
of industry in addition to their necessary toil, 
that they might have some share in the enter- 
prise. 

Mr. Knill, in the meanwhile, went over the 
wide range of his correspondents in all parts 
of the earth, and in few instances failed to re- 
ceive a cordial response. Some incidents of 
that correspondence greatly interested him. 
One of them he alludes to in a letter to Dr. 
and Mrs. Henderson, dated 22d December, 
1851 : — "Befoi-e the year ends, I feel anxious 
to send you a line, to express our hopes and 
prayers for your health, and peace, and joy. 
We have a full covenant, great and precious 
promises, a faithful and unchanging God. I 
hope you feel Him very near to your souls. I 
preached yesterday from ' They feared when 
they entered into the cloud and so, I sup- 
pose, we all have at times, though Christ was 
there. Thirty-five years ago, I had a Bible- 
class in Mr. Loveless' boarding-school. One 
of my favourite boys is now a merchant in 



SUNSET. 



307 



Madras ; but most of the others are dead, or 
in other parts of the world. In August last 
I wrote to this gentleman, and told him of 
Chester, and of our efforts to remove the debt. 
This month I have received a very affectionate 
letter from him, with £25 ; and he adds, 
* When I gave your salutations to the church, 
a member stated that he knew you ; heard 
you preach at Shrewsbury, in November, 1840, 
from Galations i. 15, 16 ; and that that sermon 
led him to become a servant of God.' lie sent 
<£10. This is the first notice I ever heard of 
the young man, and I assure you it cheered me 
exceedingly. I hardly slept that night. I 
hope you will both meet with precious souls in 
heaven, helped thither by your pens or by 
your lips. We ought to anticipate great 
things, for God's Word will not return unto 
Him void." 

This work had scarcely been brought to a 
successful termination, before an undertaking 
more unusual, and much more congenial, pre- 
sented itself to his mind. His missionary 
longings always predominant, he was in con- 
stant dread of settling down into the minister 



308 



SUNSET. 



of a select congregation, to -wliicli the gospel 
had been long familiar ; and although he had 
succeeded in crowding a spacious edifice with 
persons of whom a large proportion had been 
induced to attend public worship through his 
labours, he began to sigh for opportunities of 
preaching to multitudes among whom Jesus 
Christ had not been so much as named. Some 
might have imagined that, in a city of moder- 
ate population, largely supplied with clergy of 
the national church and non-conformist divines, 
such persons could not be found. He, how- 
ever, did not entertain that impression, but 
believed that thousands were perishing within 
sound of the cathedral chimes, entertaining 
objections to entering within the walls of any 
sacred place so strong that nothing but unu- 
sual measures could overcome them. Meeting 
a pious working-man in the street one day, he 
said, in his usual non-prefatory style, " I am 
just going to order gas for the theatre." 

Are you then, sir, going to leave the chapel 
for repairs ?" 

''Oh, no ; I am going to preach there for 
twenty Sabbaths." 



SUNSET. 



309 



" What, sir, in the play-house 

" Yes ; the people will go to a play-house 
when they won't go to chapels ; and they 
must hear the gospel." 

Such was his resolution, and such his reason. 
An old building, not far from the cathedral, 
which had formerly been a chapel dedicated to 
St. Nicholas, but had long been used as a 
theatre, was about to pass from the hands of 
the lessee to those of the " Chapter,'* to be 
rebuilt for purposes more consonant with the 
improved tastes of the day. Mr. Knill, having 
ascertained that he might, for a moderate sum, 
obtain the use of this building on Sundays for 
the remainder of the lease, determined on 
securing it. He had not so many precedents 
for the use of secular buildings in preaching to 
the masses as he would have had a year or 
two later, and yet it was not to be the first 
time he proclaimed the gospel in a theatre. On 
February 7, 1836, he wrote in his journal : — 

" In the evening, preached at the theatre, 
Milton Street, formerly called Grub Street. 
The scene was novel and very affecting. Pit 
full ; boxes full ; gallery full, chiefly with 



310 



SUNSET. 



rude children, affording good materials for 
future labourers. Lord, bless the efforts of 
Thy people to illuminate and sanctify hearts 
in that neighbourhood ! " 

This incident, however, he had probably for- 
gotten, as he does not appear to have mention- 
ed it to any of his friends, with a view to re- 
move their apprehensions of failure. He had 
himself no fears, but proceeded, nevertheless, 
with his usual good sense, to have every proper 
arrangement made under his own eye. He 
earnestly requested his stated congregation 
not to follow him ; but he accepted the con- 
voy of his deacons, and the aid of the choir, 
for which he had taken the precaution to pro- 
cure a good harmonium. 

The first service was announced by placards 
for the afternoon of Sunday, 21st November, 
1852. The weather proved most unfavourable, 
and the streets were deluged with rain. Few 
persons were observed on the way, and, as he 
approached the place, he found some coming 
slowly away, as if they had concluded that no- 
thing was to be done. " Won't you return 
he said. " There is no more room," was the 



SUNSET. 



311 



answer. Such was the fact. The sight was 
overpowering to the speaker, and the whole 
service produced a deep impression on the 
auditory. This was repeated from week to 
week. " Last Sunday," he writes, " was my 
fourth service. The place was densely crowd- 
ed. We do not print any bills now, but I 
give a verbal announcement to fifteen or 
eighteen hundred. I cannot describe the con- 
gregation. The theatrical appearance, the 
crowd, the profound attention, the oft-falling 
tear, are all very cheering. Two hopeful con- 
versions, some brought to decision, and pleas- 
ing appearances in more, are good indications 
of Divine approval. God is evidently moving 
among us. I know only a few faces, and that 
was my hope and prayer. The expenses will 
amount to about £60^ and all the money is 
safe, either in the Chester Bank, or in the 
Bank of Faith." 

It was one of the numerous proofs of the 
cordial feeling which existed between Mr. 
Knill and other Christian ministers, that one 
of the clergymen of the city, who several 
times attended these services, and took the 



312 



SUNSET. 



deepest interest in tliem, entreated tlie privi- 
lege of paying the cost of the gas, observing 
that, if he could not supply the heavenly, it 
might be permitted to him to contribute tlie 
earthly, light. 

During the whole of the time occupied by 
this special work, Mr. Knill was by no means 
well. The gout affected him so much that he 
could not preach in a standing position, but 
had to rest on his knees. " It seems rather 
remarkable," he says, " but doubtless God has 
good reasons for it, that I am kept to the 
house, except on Sundays and week-evening 
services. It crossed me at first; but it must 
be well." It certainly did not diminish the 
power of his ministry. His words as arrows, 
pierced the consciences of some of the most 
hardened sinners. In the upper galleries, 
where no eye could light upon them but that 
of God, numbers of these outcasts from all 
the ordinary means of religious instruction 
congregated, and were arrested. "I was a 
blasphemer," writes one, " and cared neither 
for God nor man ; I got into the darkest cor- 
ner of the place to make game with my com- 



SUNSET. 



313 



rades ; but when the sermon began, it drew 
such a picture of my life that I thought some 
one had been telling him all about me. 
"During this discourse the terror of the Lord 
was on my soul ; and when it was ended I 
went home, but found the truth of the words, 
* There is no peace, saith my God, to the 
wicked until at length ' old things passed 
away, and all things became new.' " No 
time was occupied in these sermons with 
humorous introductions or general disserta- 
tions on morals, but the fortress of the enemy 
was at once assaulted by vivid exhibitions 
of the word of life ; and numbers of persons, 
not only convinced of the propriety of 
reformation, but actually reformed through 
" the faith of Christ" and the " renewing of the 
Holy Ghost," were united to the church in 
Queen Street, and to various other churches 
in the city. 

This effort increased his pastoral work, for 
some time, to an extent which might have 
seemed sufficient for his declining physical 
energies. But what he had said of the great- 
hearted tutor at Gosport was true of himself 
27 



314 



SUNSET. 



- — SO long as there was a spot of fallow- 
ground in the county, he could take no rest." 
In the summer of 1855 he formed a project, 
which, though never fully accomplished, show- 
ed the unabated freshness of his spirit. He 
entered into a correspondence with his breth- 
ren in the chief towns of Cheshire, proposing 
to visit them, and preach in their public rooms, 
streets, and market-places ; remaining a day 
or two in each locality, with the view of enter- 
ing into conversation, holding private confer- 
ferences, and distributing religious tracts. 

The proposition was cordially accepted ; 
arrangements were made for the tour, and in 
the first week of July, having procured about 
13,000 tracts, he sorted, packed, and sent them 
off to the several towns, with the fearless hope 
and almost boyish delight with which he went 
forth to the evangelization of the North Devon 
militia. He followed his printed messengers, 
and preached every evening from Monday to 
Saturday. On the Sunday he preached three 
times in Congleton, with great ani mation ; 
closing his services there with a discourse in 
the market-place, on Monday evening, to a 



SUNSET. 



315 



very large audience. On the following morn- 
ing he returned home, to prepare for another 
and similar journey. He appeared in excel- 
lent health and spirits, and spoke most grate- 
fully of the attention with which liis message 
had been received. In a little while he retired 
to his study ; but soon afterwards called for 
Mrs. Knill, who was instantly at his side. A 
blood-vessel had broken, and the blood flowed 
profusely from his nostrils. It was a moment 
of anguish and alarm ; introducing tliose 
months of prostration and waning power 
which formed the last scene of his active life. 

Through the blessing of God on the assidu- 
ous attention which was paid to him, he was 
considerably revived before the autumn ; and 
on the 15th October, 1855, he was able to 
write this comforting letter to an old friend : 

" Dear Mr. Venning, — Our adorable Sav- 
iour ' par done th and absolve th all them that 
truly repent and unfeignedly believe His holy 
gospel.' Cheer up, then, dear friend. May your 
evidences shine brighter and brighter, till the 
sun sets in glory ! The tabernacle, you feel, 
is feeble ; but a ' house not made with hands' 



316 



SUNSET. 



will follow. I bless God for the hope that I 
shall soon be ' with the Lord.' I have much 
to endear life. I love my family ; I love my 
church ; I love dear friends — but I could joy- 
fully part with all to be for ever with Him. 
Pray for me, that I may be kept in this 
heavenly frame. Death has but one sting, 
and that has been taken out by Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Hallelujah." 

Similar language he repeats in a beautiful 
note, written about the same time. Who 
would not desire to close life with equal 
serenity ? 

" My agony at Liverpool, for some hours, 
was greater than I recollect to have ever 
endured before : but I was very happy and 
willing, if the Lord pleased, to depart and to 
be with Him. It has been a blessed world to 
me, and a blessed church to me. Not one 
good thing has failed of all that the Lord has 
promised. I have as much happiness in my 
family, and with my friends, as could be ex- 
pected by mortals ; but i feol perfectly assured 
that the blessedness of heaven is exceedingly 
abundant, above all tliat we have thought or 



SUNSET. 



317 



seen. I tliauk you for all your friendship and 
affection." 

The early months of 1856 were cold and 
harsh, and he was much confined to the house ; 
but whenever the weather was at all favour- 
able, he would go out, and be often absent for 
hours. He walked slowly and feebly, but 
sometimes accomplished the entire circuit of 
the promenade on the city walls ; diverging 
occasionally to the houses of the sick or poor, 
where he was only able, after sitting thought- 
fully for a few moments, to rise and take his 
leave, saying touchingly, " The Lord be with 
you," or " Peace be to you." The children of 
his flock he never passed without speaking to 
them, laying his hands on their heads, and 
returning their bright smiles. These transient 
ministeries, indeed, were often more fruitful 
than elaborate exhortations. " It seemed to 
me," said one, " that he never finished preach- 
ing ; a word or two when meeting him on the 
'street were as good as a sermon.'' 

It was interesting to notice how those sym- 
pathies, which had never been withheld from 
any class, began to flow with increasing ful- 
27* 



31B 



SUNSET. 



ness towards the aged, as his own infirmities 
multiplied. In one of the few notes which he 
was now able to pen, he writes to Mr. Ven- 
ning, on the 4th December, 1856 : 

" It is a long time since I wrote to you, and 
I am very anxious to hear how you are. I 
have ventured out to-day for the first time this 
month, but the frost and snow are too severe 
for my poor body. How are you, dear friend? 
Can you bear the cold, or are you also shut 
up ? You are a long distance before me in 
point of age, but not in feebleness. I endeav- 
or to live in the expectation, that it will soon 
terminate in glory. ' Thanks be unto God 
who giveth us the victory, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord.' " 

A troop of old men, appointed by the city 
authorities to sweep the street in which he 
lived, frequently attracted his attention as he 
came down to breakfast ; and fancying them 
to be cold and feeble, he would have all the 
coffee poured into bowls, and preparing it to 
his own taste, would carry it out to them with 
a few cheering words. The worthy " pension- 
ers," especially on the colder mornings, extend- 



SUNSET. 



319 



ed their line so as to reach the pastor's house 
at the breakfast hour ; not, it may be pre- 
sumed, merely for the seasonable fare, but 
from a real interest in their benefactor ; for 
after he was no longer able to make his ap 
pearance, the advanced posts inquired respect- 
fully after his health, and the word passed 
with great interest from one to another through 
the whole body. 

At the end of May, rooms were taken by 
the family in a farm-house a few miles from 
Chester, where the pure air and the rural 
scenery greatly delighted him. " The church 
in the village," says his daughter, " had no 
regular minister, and various clergymen 
preached — none too well. There was a dis- 
cussion among us whether it was incumbent 
upon him to go to the service. ' Yes,' he said 
at last, ' I'll go ; it will be long and fatiguing 
for me, no doubt, and I may not hear the gos- 
pel after all ; but the only testimony I can 
give for Christ in this dark village, is to keep 
His day and attend His house ; therefore I'll 
go.' In July the weather turned suddenly 
cold and wet, and we returned to town, which, 



320 



SUNSET. 



after seven weeks' absence, lie was very glad 
to do. ' There's no place like home,' was 
frequently his pleased remark, as he went 
from room to room, and looked at the familiar 
furniture. On Sabbath, when able to attend 
tlie services, he would be waiting with coat 
and hat on for the opening of the chapel-doors. 
Having stepped across and entered, he would 
walk up and down the aisles, in front of the 
communion-rails ; now stopping as if in med- 
itation ; now holding open the seat-door for 
some members of the congregation, and asking, 
as they entered, about their bodily or spiritual 
health ; and now going up into the pulpit, from 
which he was never to preach again, and look- 
ing around on the gradually filling pews." 

Before this time the church had accepted his 
resignation of the pastoral office, and, by the 
liberality of his numerous friends, a sum was 
raised sufficient to secure to him and to his 
family a proper maintenance for the remainder 
of their lives. The provision thus affection- 
ately made greatly comforted him ; and though 
he knew he could enjoy his portion of it but 
for a little while (only, as it proved, for one 



SUNSET. 



321 



half-year,) it gladdened his heart to know that 
the capital would fall into the funds of the 
Missionary Society, which he had loved so 
long, for the relief of widows and orphans be- 
reaved in its service. 

"The progress of decline," continues the ac- 
count, "became more and more marked. The 
walks grew shorter and fewer. Days of pros- 
tration of body and mind were more frequent, 
with later rising and earlier retiring, but not 
to rest. In September he performed his last 
pastoral act, in the baptism^ of the child of one 
of the families of his church, but the hesitating 
speech, the repetition of sentences, and the evi- 
dent forgetfulness, proved that his days of ser- 
vices were over. 

"In November another small blood-vessel 
gave way, and we were alarmed by a fresh 
flow of blood from the nose. * Only another 
tent-pin loosened,' he said ; ' the old tabernacle 
is coming down.' The rest of that month and 
all December were one scene of suffering. 
Often he would go quietly away into the study 
when in great pain, lest we should be distress- 
ed ; and sometimes we used to try to look as 

* See note on page 74. 

21 



322 



SUNSET. 



if we did not notice it, that he might have the 
gratification of thinking he had spared us sor- 
row. The last month of his life he spent 
entirely in the house, even his little walks at 
noon, on the pavement before the door, being 
now too great an exertion. 'I cannot sing,' 
he frequently said ; ' sing for me.' 

" ' What would you like, papa V 

" ' Guide me.' And so I would go to the 
piano and sing, to ' Rousseau's Dream.' his fa- 
vourite hymn, 

' Guide me, 0 Thou great Jehovah.' 

He would always try to join in the last 
verse, 

* When I tread the verge of Jordan.' 

And when he could do that no more, he never 
missed the last two lines — 

' Songs of praises 
I will ever give to Thee !' 

" * It is weary work travelling down the 
valley,' he remarked, on one of his last days. 
* Yes ; but Jesus is with you.' ' I believe He 
is,' he answered, thoughtfully ; and then, in 
subdued tone, ' I will fear no evil.' From his 



SUNSET. 



323 



chamber - he could hear the singing in the 
chapel, and followed the service closely. ' Now 
they are singing — now they are at prayer ; 
there, that is the second hymn — now the ser^ 
mon is beginning ; Lord, bless my dear peo- 
ple !' " So wakeful was his ear known to be 
to the sound of music, that the congregation 
omitted singing in the service which preceded 
his death ; a circumstance which at once 
evinced their kindness, and gave a touching 
solemnity to their worship. 

In the settlement of the Rev. Charles Chap- 
I man, A.M., his successor, he took the most 
i=j lively and affectionate interest. On the Sab- 
f bath before his death he expressed a wish to 
; see him ; and after speaking to him for a few 
[' moments, and commending his church and 
I family to his care and kindness, he grasped 
i| his hand earnestly, and said, "Be faithful, be 
jj faithful ; I hope the chapel will be as full as 
it can hold ; and God bless you." 

At the commencement of his illness, he was 
tried by great depression of spirits, chiefly 

* The house was No. 28 Queen Street, opposite the 
chapel. 



324 



SUNSET. 



arising from physical causes ; but now that 
was over, and peace, and love, and joy were 
with him to the end. " My dear," he exclaim- 
ed to Mrs. Knill, on the day before his death, 
" I believe my Saviour will say to me, ' W ell 
done.'" Even in the wanderings of delirium, 
this joy of his soul shone forth. " They sent 
me to preach unto the heathen the unsearchable 
riches of Christ ; and I did it ! — I did it !" 
At length all power of speech left him, and he 
lay apparently unconscious all New-year's-day. 
He had heard and noticed the firing of the 
guns, and the bells which rung the old year 
out and the new year in ; and then gradually 
became quiet again, in the early morning, 
looking his thanks for any attention shown 
him, and whispering, " Kiss me — ^kiss me," to 
the loved ones who were beside his bed. 
Within a few hours before his death, observ- 
ing that his head was in an uncomfortable 
position, and that he was striving ineffectually 
to move it, his daughter sought to relieve him, 
saying as she did so to her mother, " Is not 
that better?" The dying father evidently 
heard her, and mistook the words for an in- 



SUNSET. 



325 



quiry if he were not better, and immediately 
said, though with great difficulty, " How are 
you, Mary ?*' love seeking, in death, to evade 
an answer that would give pain to his child. 
These were his last words. A little after, as 
the night was departing, he seemed to look 
round, as though in search of some one ; and 
seeing this, his wife drew closer to him and 
took his hand ; and his daughter laid her 
hand upon his burning brow. Still he appear- 
ed to gaze inquiringly, as if unconscious of 
their presence, until the latter whispered, *' We 
are both here, dearest father, and Jesus is here, 
which is far better." Instantly a faint smile 
answered her words — a look of heavenly glad- 
ness, and peace, and rest — and then his eyes 
gently closed in the sweet '* sleep which He 
giveth to His beloved." At six o'clock in the 
morning of the 2d January, 1857, he was 
" absent from the body and present with the 
Lord." 

On the 8th, the remains were borne through 
the solemn streets — the shops having been 
voluntarily closed all along the route — follow- 
ed by a deeply affected multitude, and by 
28 



826 



SUNSET. 



ministers of every branch of the Church of 
Christ ; the good Bishop of the diocese, who 
joined the throng at the grave, interpreting 
the general feeling by the remark, that there 
was " comfort in taking the last look of a good 
man.'' The treasure was deposited in the 
beautiful cemetery on the left bank of the Dee ; 
where an appropriate monument, in addition 
to a mural tablet in the chapel, has since been 
erected by his attached friends. 

Even if the Editor had not regarded his 
office as strictly historical, and endeavoured so 
to dispose the materials at his command as to 
enable the reader to form his own judgment of 
the individual to whom they relate, any at- 
tempt to sum up his excellencies and imperfec- 
tions would have been rendered unnecessary 
by the contribution from another pen, with 
which, happily the volume closes. The curios- 
ity, however, which naturally arises regarding 
the external appearance of those in whom we 
are interested, may demand a few additional 
words. 

The prefixed portrait, which is taken from a 



SUNSET- 



327 



painting executed by an artist in the congre- 
gation at Chester, very fairly represents Mr. 
Knill in his latter years. His height was 
about six feet, and his form well proportioned. 
The complexion was fair, and the forehead 
rather high than broad : what are understood 
as the moral organs finely arching the head, 
upon which rather a scanty supply of soft 
auburn hair was gathered. The mouth was 
small, and the lips so regularly formed as to 
convey the idea of juvenile simplicity. The 
eyes were blue and full-orbed, having a 
thoughtful more than a sprightly expression : 
the lids being often allowed to drop as a cur- 
tain over them, not only as he sat in the pulpit 
and on the platform, but in the intervals of 
conversation, as if he sought retirement. His 
voice was very powerful and melodious, and 
went easily to the furthest limits of an assem- 
bly. It was used without apparent art, and 
seemed to follow the mental impulse. From 
the loudest pitch he descended, without harsh 
abruptness, to the quiet, confidential tone of 
conversation, in which, generally, he intro- 
duced his anecdotes. It was this melody and 



328 



SUNSET. 



yarietj of intonation, united with his open and 
manly bearing, almost as much as the con- 
tagion of his emotions, which led to results 
which one of the best judges of public speaking 
has acknowledged. " I never saw a man/' 
says the Rev. Dr. Raffles, in the discourse 
preached in Queen Street Chapel on the Sun- 
day after the funeral, " who had greater mas- 
tery over the assemblies of his fellow-men than 
he ; and this was the secret, — it was no studi- 
ed eloquence, it was no elaborate argument, it 
was no oratorical flash that did it, — it was the 
depth of earnestness, that figured in the eye 
and found an utterance and expression in the 
voice. That was it which aroused and riveted 
his hearers, so that they hung upon his lips 
and were carried onward by him, almost un- 
consciously, as with a current they made no 
offer to resist. How often have I seen him 
rise in the midst of a meeting that had be- 
come all but frozen by previous speeches, 
when, with one or two sentences, the whole 
had dissolved in a gush of intense feeling and 
the joyous expression of satisfaction and 
delight ! 



SUNSET. 



329 



..." Dearly beloved departed friend ! very 
pleasant hast thou been to me : I cherish thy 
memory with admiration and love ! 

' Thy chequer'd path in hfe is trod, 
Earth changed for glory and for God.' " 



28* 



i 



CHAPTER XII. 
BY THE EEY. J. A. JAMES. 



1 wish to say to you, Knill — labour for Jesus Christ 
as you have breath in your body." 

Yexxen'g the Philanthropist. 



l331) 



# 

i' 



RE TIE W. 

In some of the paintings of the old masters 
there is the work of more hands than one. 
The more important and prominent subjects of 
the picture were elaborated b}^ the artist who 
designed the piece, while the subordinate parts 
were left for others to finish. Something like 
this occurs in the memoir of Richard Knill. 
My friend, Mr. Birr ell, has given us the por- 
trait, and has requested from me, as one who 
knew the original, to supply some of the fill- 
ings-in of the picture ; and I could not feel at 
liberty, in the present instance, to decline this 
labour of love. The subject of the memoir 
was so well known to me, and, on account of 
his great devotedness and usefulness, held by 
me in such affection, esteem, and even rever- 
ence, that I feel honoured in paying this tribute 
of respect to his memory, and in recommend- 
ing his example to notice and imitation. 

(338) 



REVIEW. 



The biographer has performed liis office with 
ludgment and fidelit}^, and has given us a con- 
dcDsed account of one of the most useful min- 
isters of his age. He has left him to speak for 
himself and tell his own story ; and though 
we cannot but regret that he did not leave be- 
hind more details of the varied scenes through 
which, in his changeful and eventful life, he 
passed, yet more than enough will be found for 
admiration and direction. In this age of 
diluted biography, conciseness is so rare 
that we are content to take a work which is 
the essence of a man's life instead of a weak 
solution. It will be found, even by those who 
knew some of the facts before, a work of deep 
and instructive interest ; and it is so correct a 
likeness, that, had it been possible to conceal 
the name of its subject, it would, like one of 
those truthful portraits which are without in- 
scriptions, have been recognized by all who 
were familiar with the original. 

Mr. Knill was no ordinary man. His use- 
fulness in the way of conversion of souls to 
God was perhaps greater, all things taken into 
account, than that of any other man of his day 



REVIEW. 



335 



in this kingdom. Wherever he laboured, 
whether in the villages of Devon, in India, in 
Kussia, or in the various parts of England, he 
was instrumental in awakening the impenitent 
and careless to a deep concern for their eternal 
welfare. He entered every place with thaf 
object in view, and in very few instances left 
without having in some measure accomplished 
it. His usefulness lay not exclusively among 
the poor : many persons of education, intelli- 
gence, and station were brought, through him, 
under the influence of evangelical religion. 
How seldom has the individual been found, 
since Whitfield's and Wesley's time, of whom 
it could be said that there was reason to be- 
lieve he had been the instrument of converting 
a hundred persons ivho, in one ivay or another, 
became preachers of the gospel ! This, added 
to the multitude of other persons who by his 
instrumentality were brought to the Saviour 
of the world, is an amount of usefulness which 
rarely falls to the lot of any minister of 
Christ. It proves that he, above most, was 
" wise to win souls," and that " God was with 
him." 



336 



REVIEW. 



Surely it should become with all, and espe- 
cially with the mioisters of religion, an inquiry 
by what means this amount of usefulness was 
accomplished. Such a man's life should be a 
study ; yet it is to be feared that, in this age 
of " intellectualism," many will deem it be- 
neath their notice. True, he had no splendid 
talents, no brilliant genius, no lofty imagina- 
tion ; he possessed neither scholarship nor 
philosophy ; he was neither an acute meta- 
physician, nor an accurate logician, no, nor 
even a profound theologian. But he was some- 
thing greater, higher and holier than all this, — 
he was a devoted servant of Christ, a hero of 
the cross, an eminently successful preacher of 
the gospel. He made no pretence to great- 
ness ; yet, if saving souls be a great work, he 
was great. He made no attempt at display ; 
he coveted not, he attempted not to be philo- 
sophical or intellectual, yet he was master and 
preacher of the profoundest of all philosophies, 
and the deepest of all intellectualisms — the 
gospel of salvation. He was no orator, in the 
conventional meaning of that term, yet had he 
the power of rousing, fixing, and holding the 



REVIEW. 



33T 



attention of an audience, far above wliat,most 
elaborate and intellectual preachers possess. 
He was no rhetorician, nor, if eloquence con- 
sists of great and original conceptions clothed 
with glowing imagery and splendid diction, 
could he pretend to this : his eloquence was 
that of the heart, gushing out in streams of im- 
passioned feeling, which carried away his hear- 
ers on the tide of his own emotion — the elo- 
quence of a man on fire with zeal for God, and 
melted into compassion for souls hovering on 
the verge of the bottomless pit — the eloquence 
of faith and love. Like Paul, he was a man 
of tears, and often drew forth the tears of 
others by the magic power of his own full eyes 
and faltering voice ; or, like Paul's Master 
weeping over Jerusalem, Knill would often 
weep over the audience before him. The min- 
ister who would turn from the delineation of 
such a man because he had no claim to be a 
genius, or a subtle reasoner, or an original 
thinker, or a poetic sentimentalist, or a dreamy 
mystic, and was nothing but an earnest preacher 
of the gospel, has reason to doubt whether he 
knows that the salvation of souls is the great 
29 22 



338 



RE7IEW. 



object of the Christian ministry, and is above 
all scholarship and all philosophy. It is much 
to be desired, then, that this work should be 
read by our whole ministry, to see what may 
be done even by a man of moderate abilities, 
whose heart is set in him to be useful, and who 
is inspired and moved by the purpose of sav- 
ing souls. 

AVe now take up the inquiry after the means 
by which he attained to so great a measure of 
usefulness. It is evident that it was, in a great 
degree, to be attributed to his intense desire 
after it. He set out in life with the adoption 
of that mighty, impulsive, and glorious word, 
USEFULNESS ; and usefulness, with him, meant 
converting sinners. He yearned for the salva- 
tion of souls. It was, with him, not merely a 
principle, or a privilege, but a passion. For 
this he longed and prayed in the closet, wrote 
in the study, laboured in the pulpit, conversed 
in the parlour, and admonished, counselled, 
and warned wherever he went. It was his 
conviction, that his talent and temperament 
were more especially adaptel for the work of 
conversion, and thence his sermons contained 



REVIEW. 



339 



invariably a large portion of the truths which 
conduct to it. They were to a considerable 
extent made up of first principles, and were 
not so much calculated for leading on a con- 
gregation to perfection. As regards the pas- 
toral style of preaching, it is by no means 
necessary or proper that this should be its 
character to the exclusion of more instructive 
and profound teaching. Few of our congre- 
gations are mere nurseries for babes who are 
to be' fed with milk ; in most of them there 
are Christians of full age, young men and 
fathers, who require strong meat ; and, there- 
fore, Mr. Knill, though valued as a preacher, 
cannot be held up for indiscriminating imita- 
tion. What we desiderate is more of his sim- 
ple, direct, earnest, heart-affecting method of 
address, grafted, as much as possible, upon a 
more enlarged and enlightened course of pul- 
pit ministration. 

It is, I think, an error into which many of 
our modern ministers, whose education has 
been carried to a high pitch, have fallen, that 
every thing is to be done by the head rather 
than the heart. We know very well that the 



340 



REVIEW. 



true method is to reach the heart through the 
head, and that men must be made to feel by 
being- shown why they should feel, and what is 
to make them feel. But in very many cases, 
especially in the least educated, the head is to 
be reached by appeals to the heart. We often 
hear the remark, " Yes, it was a clever sermon, 
but it wanted heart. It sparkled like the stars, 
or shone like the moon on a wintry night, but 
it warmed no one." I have been sometimes 
struck, as every one else must have been, with 
the varying effect produced by different speak- 
ers at a public meeting ; and how much more 
power over the audience, and how much more 
the object of the meeting has been accom- 
plished, by a few gushes of simple eloquence 
from the heart of some earnest and ardent ad- 
vocate, than by the elaborate but passionless 
pleader. The latter was coldly admired, and 
admitted to be an eloquent speaker ; but the 
former melted and moved his audience by the 
depth and intensity of his own feeling. And 
as with speaking so it is with preaching. Mr. 
Knill often did with a few touches of genuine 
emotion what others could not do witli great 
and lengthened elaboration. 



REVIEW. 



841 



It must be conceded, that the unction of a 
warm-hearted preacher depends, in considera- 
ble measure, on natural temperament ; a man 
must have an emotional organization to be an 
emotional preacher ; and it is, after all, a 
miserable exhibition when an excess of emotion 
is brought forward as a substitute for a 
deficiency of intelligence, and tears are made 
to supply the place of thoughts. I am not quite 
sure that our friend did not occasionally border 
on this deficiency. His tears, the fountain of 
which was always full and always open, like 
those of Paul, were a part of his power, and 
often gave irresistible effect to what he said ; 
but now and then they enervated his address. 

The usefulness of Mr. Knill, however, was 
not exclusively the result of his preaching. 
The passion for the conversion of souls which 
he manifested in the pulpit, and which led him 
to seek it with such earnestness there, he 
brought with him out of the sanctuary, and 
carried into more private spheres, as the great 
object of life and principle of action. Like 
the enthusiastic botanist, geologist, or ento- 
mologist, he was ever in pursuit of his object, 
29^ 



342 



REVIEW. 



and looking out for fresh means of gaining it. 
It was his felicity to have rarely to say, " I 
have lost an opportunity How few, how 
very few of us have attained to this watchful- 
ness for occasions of usefulness! Our friend, 
no doubt, had a peculiar tact for this way of 
doing good — a talent which exists in various 
degrees in different persons, but which ought 
to be, and may be, cultivated by all. Whether 
it was the servant girl that waited upon him 
in the house of a friend, or the host and 
hostess themselves, or the fellow-traveller in 
the railway carriage, or the porter at an inn, 
or a person he casually met on the road, or a 
sailor on the sea-beach, he had a tract or a 
word — generally an ajjt word — for each. In 
every one, he saw an immortal being on his 
passage to eternity, and he longed to be the 
instrument of his conversion. Oh, what mul- 
titudes would be converted to God, and how 
changed would be the face of society, if all 
ministers and all Christians were thus set upon 
the work of saving souls ! And why should 
they not be ? True, they may not have Mr. 
Knill's tact for the work ; but they may do 



REVIEW. 



343 



much if they have the heart to do it. Some- 
thing, no doubt, may in his case be set down 
to natural temperament. He was impulsive, 
eager, active, and possessed of great sensibility. 
He had an ardent, and, if we may so say, an 
outgoing soul. Then there was dauntless moral 
courage and an unflinching boldness of ad- 
dress : witness his distribution of religious 
tracts, while yet a youth, to the North Devon 
Militia ; his venturing into the company of 
ungodly and sneering officers in India, when 
lie knew their object in inviting him ; and his 
occupancy of the theatre, and his preaching in 
a series of towns in his old age. He knew not 
fear in the service of his Master. This is a 
noble quality of soul, and an important aid to 
usefulness. We should all do more good if we 
had more of this spiritual heroism. Before 
. such a man tlie proudest spirits stand abash- 
ed and feel how awful goodness is." Have 
we not all too often quailed before those whom 
we have felt afraid of assailing even with the 
weapons of argument, persuasion and love, 
and come away from -the company of some 
whom we should have tried to save, with the 



344 



REVIEW. 



shame and self-reproach of a spiritual coward ? 
I am fully aware that it requires great deli- 
cacy and caution how we thus aim to do good 
by introducing religion to those whom we 
casually meet, lest we disgust and affront by 
our apparent rudeness, and rouse the preju- 
dices of those whom we wish to conciliate. I 
am not quite sure that Mr. Knill was always 
judicious. There were instances, I believe, 
though rare, in which he was a little too 
abrupt in his address, and perhaps sometimes 
" cast his pearls before swine.*' Yet he never 
merged the politeness of the gentleman in the 
zeal of the Christian ; and there was an 
honesty, a frankness, a kindliness of manner 
in him — such an obvious benevolence of inten- 
tion, such affection beaming in his looks, such 
a tone of tenderness in his words, such 
an unmistakable design and desire to benefit 
the persons he addressed — that it was almost 
impossible for any one to whom he spoke to be 
offended with him. 'We must beware of a 
species of knight-errantry in religion, and of 
that spiritual garrulousness in which some very 
talkative professors indulge, who measure their 



REVIEW. 



345 



zeal by their volubility, and who are regarded 
by all who know them as religious bores or 
Pharisaic zealots. But oh, what an enviable 
talent is tact in doing good by private conver- 
sation with those into whose society we are 
casually thrown ! By many, I know, the in- 
troduction of religion in the way of personal 
address, especially if the person he treated as 
unconverted, is considered as a breach of good 
manners and a mark of vulgarity ; and too 
many pious people, and ministers also, yield to 
this conventionalism, and pass through life 
without ever attempting thus to do good. 
But can this be right ? Is it not a cowardly, 
guilty silence ? If we have found the secret of 
happiness for both worlds, should we not in all 
proper ways seek to make it known to others ? 

There was another way in which Mr. Knill 
extended his usefulness, and that was by writ- 
ing and publishing short, striking religious 
tracts, as well as reprinting some that had 
been written by others. His own contained 
no great depth of thought, and nothing that 
displayed genius ; but, generally founded on 
some fact, they were eminently calculated to 



346 



REVIEW. 



engage the attention and to interest the feelings 
of the reader. They obtained, he tells us, a 
circulation of some millions^ were translated 
into several languages, and were greatly 
honoured for the conversion of souls. It was 
his own pithy saying, One tract may save a 
soul and in thousands of instances his, by 
God's grace, have done this. The man who 
writes one good, popular, useful religious tract, 
has done a work worth living for, though lie 
did nothing else. There is a time coming 
wlien the author of The Swearer's Prayer" 
will have more joy in his simple leaflet than 
Milton in the production of " Paradise Lost." 
Why then do not Christian writers more fre- 
quently try to send over their own land, and 
over more lands than one, those winged n>es- 
sengers of mercy by which, under the blessing 
of God, they shall convert souls wliile they 
live, and speak for the same purpose when they 
are dead? It must be confessed, however, 
that peculiar tact is necessary for such a work. 
The man who could write a large and learned 
volume would in some cases, find it difficult to 
write a good popular tract ; just as he who 



REVIEW. 



347 



could forge an anchor might not be able to 
make a jewel or a pin ! But are there not 
many who could do so if they tried ? 

It is not always that such ardour in the way 
of doing good as Mr. Knill evinced is asso- 
ciated with and guided by such discretion as 
he generally manifested throughout the whole 
of his career. Impulsive and sanguine tem- 
peraments are always liable to erratic move- 
ments ; and many a fervent spirit is set on fire 
and consumes itself by the velocity of its own 
unchecked motion. Zeal, like fire, needs to 
be watched and kept in its own place, or, in- 
stead of warming the house, it may burn it 
down. No one can read the foregoing pages 
without being convinced that Mr. Knill, with 
all his impetuosity in his useful career, was 
singularly guided by wisdom. Ever active, 
amid the jealousy of the Russian Government 
and the vigilance of the Greek Church, he 
never fatally committed himself. He knew 
well, what is not often the case with ardent 
minds, how to direct and when to Imiit his 
zeal. This, as well as his watchfulness for 
opportunities of usefulness, and his eagerness 



348 



REVIEW. 



to seize iliem as they presented themselves, 
was finely manifested in his exhumation of the 
Russian Bibles from the vaults in which they 
were buried, and fast going to decay ; and 
also his extensive sale of Bibles to the Fin- 
landers. He thus did an immense amount of 
good without alarming the fears or awakening 
the suspicions of the authorities. How im- 
portant is it, in all our endeavours to be use- 
ful, to study the best luay of being so ! Zeal 
should have eyes and ears as well as hands 
and feet ; should keep both open, and make 
good use of their testimony. 

What kept Mr. Knill thus active and ardent 
in his career of usefulness was his fervent 
piety. If he had a tongue of fire, it was be- 
cause the flame of devotion was bright and 
ever burning in his soul. Few men in modern 
times entered more deeply into the apostle's 
words, " The love of Christ constraineth us." 
By this, as a torrent, which he was as little 
able as he was willing to resist, he was borne 
energetically and successfully along in his 
course. He lived within sight of the cross, 
and felt the " powers of the world to come." 



REVIEW. 349 

His diary exhibits the springs of his action, 
the source of his energies, and the secret of 
his success. He was eminently a man of pray- 
er, and did everything in the spirit of prayer. 
His communion with God was close and con- 
stant. He came from the closet strengthened 
for his work in the pulpit and in the city, and 
went back to his closet, not only for repose 
and refreshment, but to be strengthened and 
prepared for further labour. This made him 
" strong in the Lord and in the power of His 
might." And why are any of God's servants 
feeble in action, but because they are weak in 
devotion ? We live in days when Christians 
are far less in the closet than they should be. 
The study and the counting-house encroach 
upon the closet. We are preaching men and 
business-men, but not so much as we should be 
praying-men. What mighty men in prayer 
were our great ancestors, the Howes, the 
Owens, the Baxters, and the Henrys ! How 
they must have wrestled in the closet to send 
forth such words as they did from the study ! 
Where is their mantle ? Doddrids^e and Watts 
found it, and dropped it again for such men as 
30 



350 



REVIEW. 



Paj^son, M'Che3''ne, and Knill. They, in their 
turn, let it fall. Would God we could find 
it ! What is wanted among us is a deeper- 
toned piety, a more devotional spirit. Oh, for 
a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit — a revived 
ministry, and a revived Church — a race of 
preachers and of people whose whole char- 
acter and conduct shall bear, in letters which 
every one that sees must read, the inscription 
on the mitre of the High Priest, " Holiness to 
the Lord We complain of a want of use- 
fulness. Have we any reason to wonder that 
we should have cause to complain ? Is our 
piety such as to make us burning as well as 
shining lights ? Are we as intense in devo- 
tion as we are earnest in business and in 
study ? We should all be more useful if we 
were more holy. 

It will perhaps be asked, if I would hold 
up Mr. Knill as a standard by which all should 
be tried, and a model which all should imitate ? 
In some things I would. In his singular de- 
votedness, and consecration to his work ; in 
his deep conviction and clear perception, that 
the salvation of souls is the great end of the 



REVIEW. 



351 



ministerial office ; in his intense desire and 
constant endeavour, in all ways, to reach this 
end ; in the prevailing evangelism and earnest- 
ness of his sermons ; in his eminent piety and 
devout spirit ; in his loving disposition and 
kindly bearing ; in his simplicity, fidelity, and 
courage, — in all these things I would commend 
his example as what we should endeavour to 
copy. Still it would be unfair and unwise to 
expect that all should in everything exactly 
resemble him. Most men have idiosyncrasies, 
and he had his, which do not belong to others, 
and should not be slavishly copied by them. 
The God of nature had much to do in the 
constitution of his mind and tendencies, as 
well as the God of grace with the sanctifica- 
tion of his heart. Very few could do exactly 
as he did. And is not the wisdom of God 
manifested in that variety of talent and gifts 
which is apparent in the ministers of Christ, 
so that as there are great differences of mental 
habitudes among the hearers of the gospel, there 
should be corresponding differences among its 
preachers ? Let not, therefore, the readers of 
this memoir make comparisons between its 



352 



REVIEW. 



subject and their own pastors, and querulously 
and unthoughtfully say, " Ours are not as he." 
Perhaps not, and yet they may be very good 
ministers still. Nevertheless, that his burn- 
ing ardour for the salvation of souls, and his 
unwearied endeavours in that work, might and 
should be possessed by us all, is very true ; 
and I am not without hope, that this volume 
has its mission to stir us up to a spirit like his 
own. 

In the retrospect of a long life, now draw- 
ing to a close, during which I have watched, 
of course, the career, and observed the mode 
of action, of many of my brethren, I have 
noticed great diversity in the results of their 
ministry ; and I have most assuredly seen, that 
where they have been intensely earnest for the 
salvation of souls, and have sought this by a 
style of preaching adapted to accomplish it, 
God has honoured their endeavours by giving 
them success. If, without impropriety, I may 
refer here, as I believe I have done elsewhere, 
to the service which, during fifty-four years, I 
have been allowed to render to our great Mas- 
ter, I may declare my thankfulness in being 



REVIEW. 



353 



able, in some small degree, to rejoice that the 
conversion of sinners has been my aim. I 
have made, next to the Bible, Baxter's " Re- 
formed Pastor " my rule as regards the object 
of my ministry. It were well if that volume 
were often read by all our pastors, — a study 
which I now earnestly recommend to them. 
I sometimes venture to hope that it has kin- 
dled in me a spark — but oh, how dim! — of 
that spirit which actuated Mr. Knill. In re- 
gard to all that constitutes earnestness, I blush 
before his statue, as it rises before me in this 
volume, and confess my shortcomings in the 
work of the Lord. Standing, as I now do, in 
the prospect of the close of my ministry, of 
the eternal world, and of my summons to the 
presence of the great Lord of all, the salva- 
tion of souls, as the object of the ministry, 
appears to me, more than ever before, in all 
its awful sublimity. Everything else, as com- 
pared with this, seems but as the small dust of 
the balance ; and though, perhaps, not alto- 
gether an idler in the vineyard of the Lord, it 
is now my grief and ray surprise that I have 
not been more devoted and more laborious. 
30* 23 



354 



EEVIEW. 



Defects, omissions, and errors, come out before 
our view in the evening of life, and especially 
when it is spent, as mine now must be, in re- 
tirement, solitude, and suffering, which we did 
not perceive during the burden and bustle of 
the day. To my younger brethren I say, You 
are engaged in the greatest work in the uni- 
verse ; for in preaching for the salvation of 
souls, you are brought into fellowship with 
God in His eternal purposes of mercy to the 
children of men ; with our Lord Jesus Christ 
in His redeeming work upon the cross ; with 
the Holy Spirit in His mission to our world ; 
and with prophets, apostles, and martyrs. 
Heaven, through eternity, will resound with 
the praises of your diligence, or hell with 
lamentations and execrations upon your neg- 
lect. Happy will it be for you, and happy for 
your flocks, if the perusal of this volume 
should help you to find and to wear the man- 
tle of Richard Knill. J. A. J. 

Septembeb, 30, 1859. 



POSTSCRIPT. 



While the proofs of these concluding pages, 
accompanied by the Preface, are yet retui'ning 
to the press, the public telegrams announce to 
all parts of England that their venerated wri- 
ter is no more. The intelligence will travel 
to the utmost limits of our language, and be 
told, at length, in all the tongues in which his 
heart-stirring thoughts have ever been read, — 
filling thousands with such sorrow as springs 
only from the loss of a father. With what 
solemnity does this event stamp these his last 
utterances ! A life completely filled with la- 
bours for the highest welfare of mankind could 
not surely have been more fitly closed. It 
seems as if his Lord, with touching kindness, 
had given him this latest opportunity of bear- 
ing testimony to the importance and blessed- 
ness of His service. 

A bound set of the sheets of this Memoir 

(355) 



356 POSTSCRIPT. 



vrere sent to him about a month ago, with 
little hope that he would be able to add to 
them. But, after glancing over the volume, 
he was so warmed by the kindred spirit of 
Knill that he resolved to throw his generous 
impressions into writing. His continual suf- 
ferings greatly increased the difficulty of com- 
position, and, after doing his uttermost, he 
wrote to say that the result was so unsatisfac- 
tory to himself that he could send nothing. 
But immediately after the despatch of that 
decision he happily changed his mind, and sent 
the manuscript, accompanied by an expression 
of the hope that it would be found so unsuit- 
able as to be returned. It was, however, too 
much prized to be so treated ; and, with a 
very few alterations, it reached him in print 
on the day prior to his departure. He at once 
proceeded to its revision, in the course of which 
he detected several inaccuracies in the print- 
ing, which had escaped other eyes, and inserted 
two or three qualifying words. This was his 
last work on earth. He felt that it was ; for 
as soon as it was finished, he wrote to the 
Editor, with unusual distinctness of penman- 



POSTSCRIPT. 



357 



manship, as if every "^ord had been deliber- 
ately weighed, a letter — it is presumed his last 
— of which the following passage is the chief 
part : — 

Edgbaston, 30th Sept., 1859. 

"... I think it probable that with these 
few notes on dear KnilFs life and labours I 
shall lay down my pen, which has written 
much : would God it had written better ! But 
while I say this, I am not without hope, yea, I 
I may add, conviction, that it has, in some 
measure, written usefully. In some humble 
degree I have aimed at usefulness, both in my 
preaching and writing, and God has, to an 
amount which utterly astonishes and almost 
overwhelms me, given me what I have sought. 
It seems a daring and almost presumptuous 
expression, but with a proper qualification it 
is a true one — that usefulness is within the 
reach of us all. The man who intensely de- 
sires to be useful, and takes the proper means, 
will be useful. God will not withhold His 
grace from such desires and such labours. 
Oh, my brother, how delightful is it, notwith- 
standing the humbling and sorrowful conscious- 
24 



358 



POSTSCRIPT. 



ness of defects and sins, to look back upon a 
life spent for Christ! I thank a sovereign 
God I am not without some degree of this.'' 

In an hour or two after this letter was 
sealed, the summons came from his Divine 
Master, and when next morning dawned upon 
us he was with Him in glorv. May his man- 
tle be found and worn by thousands 1 



