The Gracious Designs of God, Accomplished by the Malice of His Enemies: Being the Substance of an Address, Delivered on Wednesday, November 24th, 1819, at the Surrey Tabernacle, by J. Church, Being the Day of His Deliverance.Church, J. (John)
Religion
The Gracious Designs of God, Accomplished by the Malice of His Enemies: Being the Substance of an Address, Delivered on Wednesday, November 24th, 1819, at the Surrey Tabernacle, by J. Church, Being the Day of His Deliverance.
Church, J. (John)
Church, J. (John), approximately 1780-approximately 1825
I bless, praise, and adore the Lord the Holy Spirit, that he has ever
thus visited my soul with his quickening, renewing, reproving, and
consoling influences; that in the place of my captivity he has again and
again assured my soul of her part and lot in himself, in the love of the
Father, and in the doing and dying of the Saviour; which has produced
evangelical repentance, increasing hatred to sin, fervent love to God,
and willing and cheerful obedience to his laws; that he has supported my
spirit in the deep affliction, and brought me near to himself; subdued
what was wrong, and led me to see wherein I have erred; chastened,
scourged, afflicted, tried, and brought me low; taught me many important
lessons for my future benefit, and glorified his own grace in my soul,
and has at last led me to say, he has done all things well, praise ye the
Lord.
In the second place, as is my duty to do, I make this public
acknowledgement of my gratitude, for the special, long, unwearied, and
unreserved kindness of my friends, to me, during this severe trial, which
has lasted above three years. The support of myself, the support of my
children, and the ability afforded me for the relief of some hundreds,
during my confinement, and which relief and support has been owing to the
affection and sympathy of many females, from the very best and noblest
motives, also from some gentlemen in the fear and love of God—men, whose
conduct and characters are agreeable to the word of God, who have
accompanied their generosity with many prayers for the sanctification of
my troubles, and which prayers have, I believe, been answered to my
felicity, and, I trust, the future joy of their hearts, as influenced by
that holy charity that rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoices in the
truth. Nor do I forget their kind exertions in the support of the cause
of God and truth, within these walls, though wrecked with dissentions,
and injured by many, who shall be nameless here, as I hope to forgive
every injury I have received.
I might here mention, were it prudent, some particular persons, whom the
Lord has raised up to seek the welfare of this oppressed Church—persons
whom I scarcely knew before, but who have been the instruments of much
good to us. I beg them to accept this my warmest gratitude and
acknowledgement.
In the next place, I take this opportunity of returning my grateful
thanks to that large body of persons, who, though many were strangers to
me, did, so willingly, and in so kind a manner, readily subscribe their
names to the petition, which was presented to the Secretary of State for
my enlargement, and which was refused, for very judicious reasons; the
good effects of which we hope shortly to see.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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