the Friday before the Sacrament in publick prayers and preaching Gods Word and the day after the Sacrament in thanksgiving at his own or some other neighbour-family especially where there fell out in any Communicants family any occasion of special thanksgiving as recovery from sickness or the like A faithful account he hath taken and left hereof noting the Text preached upon by himself or his Brethren on those dayes and according to his observation giving a general character of Gods dealing with them in his Ordinance in such words as these The Lords supper was Sep. 21. 1656. a day of breaking bread indeed for Christ was broken to the breaking of some hearts that thought they could never be broken The Thanksgiving was at whereby many it was said Psal 103. 1 Sam. 7.20 Again Sâ—p 1660. His last Sacrament there thus A good and great day as formerly the Lords presence and Communion with his Blood made it so And as much cause of thanksgiving for all the Ordinances that day especially I c. By Mr. Ms. coming to Astbury he had only opportunity of preaching there each other Lords day and had liberty on the other for his Charity-service which he heartily rejoyced in and was ready freely to help any of his Brethren so that he was seldome a day at ease And now he had opportunity to be acquainted with the Ministers and Congregations in Cheshire where the Lord blessed his indeavours to many soules For his labours here were much inlarged by the many Fast-dayes which he kept upon occasions offered unto which he was very ready and would gather up such special things as any in or out of his family desired to be recommended unto God in prayer on such days and at other times and press them to particularize some special thing lest they should come unto God on a sleeveless errand which things he would frequently write down in a paper for that purpose that those who were imployed might read it and so be inabled pertinently to pray for one another And he did much desire to make these dayes and indeed all Ordinances very serious and to rescue them from that formality that ordinarily accompanies them being little content with the work done unless he found something done thereby upon his own and others hearts Great benefit and comfort he knew was to be had in these ordinances and he would not rest contentedly without it but diligently observed the success of them and upon Gods withdrawing from him made it his business to seek his God untill he found him again and the Cause also of his withdrawing The strength of affection which he had in Gods worship was discernable to all that joyned with him so that he seem'd Deum toto ictu animae tetigisse and particularly in singing of Psalms which he did with such an apparent intention of mind and heart as is not ordinary and divers yet living shal never forget with what faith and fervency he would pronounce Amen Amen at the end of a prayer And after holy duties his heart was commonly greatly lifted up in the wayes of the Lord and though he far'd never so well in it yet he had not done with an Ordinance when it was over but had the heart unto and the art of improving an inlarged heart and would then with a Dexterity and Sincerity of his own put on to holy discourse as not only publickly urging things pro forma but would follow it after with all his might as if being the Lords Embassador he waited for an answer to him that had sent him A most unwearied man he was in Religious Duties and was never observed to give our though sometimes on special occasions they continued all night therein After one of these dayes of special Communion with God he retired with two or three beloved friends in private and there moved each of them to name some one thing they would chiefly desire of the Lord and so each of them pray'd over all those particulars that were cast in And the impressions and affections raised in their hearts by this occasion will not easily be forgotten by such as yet survive And for the increase of Knowledge and Holiness he held up a Conference to his own and peoples great benefit and that no time might be lost nor any ones Mite neglected he would take the answers of those that were absent at the stated times when he occasionally and opportunely met them and sometimes before the whole Assembly were gathered together at dayes of Prayer so that he was alwayes doing and designing the best advantage of the peoples Souls upon all occasions Whilst he was Minister at Astbury it pleased the Lord to give him four of the five Children which the Lord made him Father of concerning whose births he thus spakes in the faithful Memorials which he left The first Will I made was suddenly after Marriage he means the first formed Sealed Will and in it spoke of a Son Samuel as if I had seen him by faith though he was not then in being and it was a full quarter of a year before we had sensible hopes of a Child which was given us about March 9. 1653. at which time the Orchard was planting In May following we came to set up house-keeping at Astbury where God gave us the birth of our asking of God 1 Sam. 1.20 Samuel born Nov. 13. about eleven of Clock at night Baptized the Sabbath day following chiefly called Samuel because asked of God by Father Mother by both and many Christian friends there and elsewhere with great ends propounded at such times of Prayer viz. that he might be one to bear Gods Name here in his Church on Earth and one to take up a Room prepared for him in glory The Lord be Surety for thee my Son The Lord forbid thou should'st come short of these ends prayed thy Father Thus did he set upon his head the Remembrance of the Mercy of God in his Birth as the Servants of God of old did make the very names of their Children the means of remembring Gods signal mercies to them and so constant occasions and provocations to Gods praise which this gracious Man abounded in Again In the first year of his life he was by sickness twice under the sentence of death but Prayer that obtained him kept him Another great Deliverance to this Child he recorded which if it affect his heart when he is able to consider it as it did his Fathers who would make large Narratives thereof and beg the serious praises of his friends for it with extraordinary affections it will be of no small advantage to his Soul to in dear him to the God of his life Thus he records it Memorandum That July 10. 1656. the Lord prevented the death of my Son Samuel which in all probability might have been with my own hand bowling a stone with all my might towards the Child whether I saw him before it went out of my hands or no
February Pray and prevaile for us what a conjunction of prayers there was in several places on that day and the rich crop and harvest reaped afterwards we think it worthy the reflection of those Ministers who never wonne a soule to Christ from what principle in what manner and for what ends they first ingaged in this sacred Function Though he was not at present dispoesd to settle at any place yet he was loath to go about his work without Ordination and that which induced him to continue unfixed for a space was his large desire after soules not only of his friends and kindred but of all his neighbours as far as he could see or know or goe he even travelled in birth for such as had not seen his face that Christ might be formed in them And the largeness of his heart herein was frequently expressed in his most earnest prayers unto God for the inlarging of his Kingdome in Families Towns and Counties which he would name with the greatest affection both in his prayers and letters crying out O that whole Staffordshire and Cheshire might be saved And by this time he had acquaintance and intimacy with all that were eminent for Piety in all the parts adjacent and greatly did he stirre up the grace of God in them And he was extraordinarily qualified and prepared by the Lord for this work in an especial juncture of time the heat of controversies mannaged by Sword Pen and Pulpit having sadly prevailed to the justling out the lively sense of the main things wherein all were agreed And divers Ministers were so taken off these great matters by other work which the Enemy had found them the tares he had sown in the fiield that to preach of Death and Judgement of Christ Conversion were almost new things to many people And this good man was singularly fitted to retrieve the Great work back again into the hearts and hands of his Brethren having never intermedled with the controversies either in Church or State but setting out with all his might upon the main things and driving on the work of conversion where-ever he came And his success was great In his Fathers house at Seabridge the Lord made him eminently instrumental for his three Sisters conversion His Parents greatly favoured the wayes of God much furthered him in his work and were cheerful entertainers of well-disposed people upon solemn occasions And there was such an habituated course of gracious converse set up in the family by his staying there the first year that an eminent Minister at his first coming thither and beholding their order zeal and forwardness in Christ could not forbear insisting the next day on those words of Moses Numb 11.29 Enviest thou for my sake being the result of that dealing he was forc'd to with his own heart upon that occasion And this Ointment on Aarons head ran down to the skirts of his Cloathing for he was a precious savour to the very poor servants of the house with whom he was unweariedly importunate to be holy and prevailed much A notable pledge of the future success of his Ministry upon others In reference hereunto he takes occasion himselfe to say thus of his Father My Father John Machin did more for our family than his progenitors building both House and Barns from the ground c. But most of all he may be remembred for bringing up me his Son to and at the University who was through Grace instrumental to bring the Gospel in its power into our Family which was more glory to the same than if the materials of the house had been all turned into pure Gold whereof let those Scriptures upon the Chimney-stone in the Parlour be witness Gen. 28.15 22. 2 Chron. 6.7 42. 2 Sam. 7.18 25. 1 Chron. 29.10 20. Psal 116.1.12 19. Psal 118.17 Gen. 32.10 Jer. 30.21 Ezek. 48.35 1 Sam. 7.12 Exod. 17.14 15 20.24 1 Cor. 15.34 1 Chron. 28.9 when it may be said blessed be he and they who brought His Name hither to record it To God aolne be the whole Glory His usual way after preaching was to repeat and to assemble together as many as he could to the place where he lodged and there to spend as much time as he was able in pressing things further upon them and in holy and pertinent discourse with unspeakable heat and vigour which made one of his Kinred say that he liked his Cousen Machin well but that he made his house a Chapel when he came to him And during this time he was unfixed as he expresseth himself in a Letter to a Friend of his in Cambridge I am yet placeless Charities servant desired to many places but in part resolved to fix at Ashburne for every other Sabbath reserving the other for the service of Necessity and Charity which may be found in these parts And accordingly he did as himself records At the beginning of An. 1650. I was called co Ashburne in Derbyshire where God was with me two years and though my labours were not in that Towne so successful as I desired yet I had Gods presence much comforting my soule and the soules of many Christian friends thereabout About this time he was with a Quaker on his death-bed presently after the first springing of that Sect in Staffordshire and the more earnestly he prayed with the sick person the more raging he was which was an argument to him as also to several of the company then present that Quakerisme was a degree of Possession Whist he was at Ashburne he was a laborious preacher and very useful and his spare dayes he laid out to the utmost advantage of the Gospel by forecasting heavenly work in the Morelands and darke corners of Staffordshire where the power of the Gospel had scarce ever come before so that he might truly say that he gloried not in another mans line he sowed where few had effectually sowed before nor then save by his procurement There was no man like-minded in the parts he lived in that did so naturally care for the state of soules for indeed he sought not his own but the things of Jesus Christ He would prevaile with his Brethren that were intimate with him and knew the sincerity of his heart and design herein to meet him in those parts and to preach at several places neer together sometimes three or four dayes together And the people were ordinarily so far made willing that they would flock to his great joy from place to place after the means of Grace and he had the comfortable testimony of Gods approving his wrok in the good that many soules received thereby Take a taste of his heavenly spirit in a Letter of his sent to a Ministers wife that thought her husband long from her then with him in the Lords Worke July 9. 1652. Dear Friend I do heartily bless our God for what he hath done for you and especially for your soule I pray believe you heard these following words as coming out
12 s. per Annum be for ever set apart for the Gospel of my own estate that immortal souls may be won and Gods portion in the world increased To be disposed as abovesaid or as my Brethren Mr. N. and Mr. S. my dearest fellow labourers shall judge and find most abundantly and effectually to accomplish Christs ends and mine saying Rom. 10.1 my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved This Lecture he set on foot this Summer The first day was at Newcastle Aug. 4. 1653. where his two foresaid friends did preach as also the third course which was at Vttoxeter Sep. 29. following being the day of his marriage And this business was so much in his heart and purpose that when some scruple was made about it in the settlement of his Land at marriage he hath these words in a Letter Whether I change my condition or not I have cause and call to respect my promise to the Lord and his Gospel in the thing I intended which I think will now be preferred before the change of my condition And that you may discerne the undissembled holiness of his heart and bent of soule also to this good work we shall transcribe some passages of the Will he made Nov. 16. 1653. not two moneths after his marriage I commit my soule to God my God and my Saviour that created and redeemed it even into the bosome of the Father of Spirits my body to my Father Corruption and to the Worms my Mother and Sister Job 17.14 In hopes he will make good to me who with them some time have endeavoured to serve him his promise of Eternal Life Rom. 2.7 As for my dear beloved Wife I freely return and I pray it may be with advantage to him that hath lent her to whom I leave Joh. 17.24 Revel 21. last Jude 24. Psal 84.10 11. hopeing that I leave them heirs together with me or rather with Jesus Christ of a Kingdome that cannot be removed If the Lord should graciously give me Issue I pray it may be of his Heritage and prepared for a Room in Heaven to it I would leave 1 Chron. 28.9 and I pray God see it executed according to my will And it is my will concerning my Heir if the Lord give one that he may be a Samuel lent to the Lord and his Service in the Ministry for I can say he is an asking of the Lord as was Samuel And that he may have my inheritance performing his Fathers and my will concerning my Lecture As for my Personal Substance c. ending thus Praying whoever rules here may keep open house for God and his and all I leave may be his to whom I would in faith say Psal 31.5 hereunto subscribing with my heart and hand J. M. And in a Schedule dated herewith as followeth Some particulars concerning the thing that hath long been in my heart to do for God written as my last will as an occasion of some standing Service when I am not Motives Gods Glory Christs Kingdomes increase and poor Souls Salvation an expression of my thankfulness for what he hath done for our family and for me the least and last of it And the rather because I am here in my own apprehension so little serviceable in speaking doing and suffering for him and nothing at all advantageous in writing as others have been and I could have desired Those Motives together with that blessed experience I have had of its advantage already through Gods sealing work with it makes me to think my self favoured the more of God if I may do this for him and I doubt not but he can and will if need be give me and mine much more than this as is said 2 Chro. 52.9 and if I could say as David 1 Chron. 29.23 I would think it little betwixt him and me who hath said That whosoever shall give you a cup of cold water to drink in my name because ye belong to Christ verily I say unto you he shall not lose his reward and my Prayer is that those that come after me whose it might have been think it's better bestowed than the rest The Thing A double Lecture viz. of two Sermons once a month chiefly intending Souls Conversion The Ministers The most Orthodox able and powerful that can be procured for love to Jesus Christ and his Service or the will of the dead chosen by my Trustees successively The Trustees Four Ministers and four Lay-men The Ministers I leave in trust and question not their faithfulness herein for Christ sake are my dearest fellow-labourers in our Lords work Mr. N. Mr. S. Mr. B. and Mr. J. with whom I only leave for their direction and incouragement 1 Cor. 15.58 Mat. 28.20 The Laymen whom I put in joynt trust are Mr. B. Mr. M. Mr. B. and plain-hearted T. H. all whose faces I hope to see in Heaven with them I leave for their refreshment when taking some steps about it Mat. 25.39 40. for Eternity is the place I would be for to which when gone I am but a little before and you a little behind This Lecture he kept up by his constant cost and care from Aug. 4 1653. monthly until Jan. 2. 1659. whereof he kept an exact account in a Catalogue wherein he took notice of the day of the month the place the persons that Preached and their Texts some hints of the Congregation both number and seriousness 〈◊〉 continued it until the times would neither incourage nor bear it and thereupon it not only fell but also wanting publick liberty for such an Exercise according to the purpose of his heart he suspended his intentions and disposed this Land otherwise It seems to be like the pious intention of David upon the most holy and affectionate motives 2 Sam. 7.2 and such as we read not that Solomon had that after did it to build an house to the Lord. But the Lord accepted his desire blessed him for his pious design but would have his Son do it So God may revive this design on the hearts of his Son or Successors who finding the blessing of their Fathers Prayers Piety and Promises descending upon them may arise to build and finish what he began We find him now setled at Astbury whether he came to keep house in May 1654. where he saith himself I was entertained without exception or interruption And though for some years we met with troubles yet did the Lord stand betwixt me and all my trouble so that many times I was as a man wholly free and was made amends for all my Sufferings of that nature by the Lords presence sweet and powerful in his Ordinances especially in that of the Lords Supper there set on foot in March 1654. and continued without interruption monthly or once in six weeks till Anno 1660. And the Lord did mightily strengthen his hands and incourage his heart in this ordinance and great care he took in preparation for it spending
were unconcern'd in the solemn things he hath treated on Some that have travelled with him a journey which usually were upon some religious account have been even ravished in their souls with his heavenly expressions to prayer he would immediately go either publickly in the Family or privately in his Chamber in every house where he came He had an undaunted boldness in the reproving of a sinner How have some of us seen him in an Inne upon his journey Thunder-striking a Swearer in this manner Who was it there that durst abuse the Name of the God of Heaven And he would ever on purpose when talking with his friends on the way choose some weighty word to speak as he met with people that passed by that so it might stick and this bread of his that was cast on the waters would some times return to him after many dayes He had a singular presence of heart and matter to speak to whomsoever he met and great condescention to explain himself wherein any did not understand him as once in a Snowy day meeting suddenly with a man driving his horses that saluted him and said well met Sir I but sayes he we shall be better met if we meet in Heaven and such like Few poor ever went from his door without a most powerful spiritual almes and he would order them a larger allow aâ—â—e that would admit of his caelestial reliefe But especially his faculty excelled in Discoursing with people on the way with whom he would very handsomly insinuate into very material and yet familiar discourse of Eternal things find out their ignorance mightily amaze and convince them and lay thereby the happy foundation of future acquaintance upon this best count which practises of his may shame and teach us for alas what through the earthlyness and vanity and what through the bashfulness of our hearts Christ and Heaven are generally excepted out of our discourse We can speak of any thing but the soule of any person but of Jesus and of any place but of Heaven and it is almost a crime for a Christian to talk of Christianiâ—â— What an unreasonable thing is it that we who pretend for Heaven should not as readily ordinarily and cheerfully fall into discourse concernig Gods word and our Salvation as the worldlings and wicked ones can of their Lands and Lusts No other talk but what leads towards God shall be worth talking over again in the Kingdom of Heaven Divers Dialogues that were on such occasions framed by him are dispersed in the hands of friends that would if published shew his excellent Genius this way and perhaps stir us all up to be more fruitful in such discourse One Instance hereof is remarkable Riding one morning to a Lecture he met with some young men carrying their Cocks to a Cock-fight he overtaking them dropt this word to one of them Friend our Lord and Master Jesus Christ never came into the world to set up such sports as these These words some further discourses though the young man went on to his sport that day stuck like an arrow in his liver and he could not be at quiet till he had learned who this Minister was and after gain'd acquaintance with him and thereupon laid these and his other sins to heart and made an happy change of his courses He was a zealous improver of good society His ordinary visits were seldome finish'd without prayer with his friends before they parted And when divers good people were all night together he would be tying them as it were end to end and engaging them to pray one after another often to midnight or else to produce their several evidences for Heaven and would sometimes raise the company an hour before day in the morning to wrestle and weepe together that the fire might not go out upon the hearth of their soules being so constantly blown up yea the very crumbs of piety that fell from him at his table were most refreshing and heavenly and a plain argument that it was his meat and drink to do his Fathers will and finish his work He had most ingenious devices and witty artifices flowing from his rooted affection to God whereby after some Solemn dayes he would ingage his Christian friends to a closer conversation Take an Instance or two hereof as we finde them left on record Articles betwixt Christ and two soules 1. That we be his willing loving and obedient Spouses 2. That we labour by all means to know more of his mind and then to tell it one to another and draw to the practise of it 3. That we be alwayes jealous left each other take his room and to be indifferent and moderate in everything and every one but to Him and His. 4. That whatever creatures are betwixt us they be improved to highest advantage betwixt Christ and our soules 5. That we connive not at sin in each other but be tender of one anothers soules and bodies 6. That we love and live each day as the last 7. That we faithfully indeavour performance of each others will while living and when dead so far as Reason and Religion may bind 8. That we be in every condition more willing to go live with Christ our Husband than stay here one with another for pleasure sake 9. That we endeavour seasonableness and suitablenesâ— in every duty c. And another to this effect Seabridge Oct. 8. where His name was that day recorded Before the Lord in his strength I promise to draw neer to God believing he will draw neer to me I pass away and part with my own power to Him that I may be His not anothers Subscribing with heart and hand praying and believing the Lord will undertake for me that I never go back in a thought Or else this will stand in full force against me at that great day to come Phil. 4.13 H. N. Cant. 8.5 J. M. Psal 119.106 J. M. Zach. 8.21 M. M. Psal 119.80 N.B. Isa 38.10 E. H. 2 Cor. 3.5 c. He was one that set great store by the prayers of his Friends and was a very faithful remembrancer of them that desired his prayers which he used to do with that heartiness and sympathy and inlargedness of heart that it would much work upon their hearts and ingage them to more seriousness in their own business and in affection to him that so kindly concerned himself in their affairs And with great fervour would he plead with God in their absence not only to satisfie his conscience promise of remembring them but with strong cryes to prevail for them Besides that frequent course he held of putting on persons to tell him before prayer began what they would have chiefly begg'd for them at the Throne of Grace by which they were sent into their own soules to study their inward and present condition A dear friend upon this account saith thus He gave this Rule touching praying for friends which I have endeavoured since to