THE No. 3. CHRISTIAN DISCIPLE. MARCH. 1315. NARRATIVE OF MR. JOHN HOBBS. [The following affecting narrative of the sufferings of Mr. JOHN HOBBS, who died at Weston on the 15th of December, 1802, aged 32, is compiled from an obituary notice, published soon after the event by the Rev. Dr. KENDAL, and from a more detailed account in the Sermon, preached the Lord's day after his decease.]. THE circumstances of the life and death of Mr. HOBBS, it is believed, will be interesting to the publie, as they were affecting to all who witnessed them. VOL III. degree. In this situation he was attacked by the real rheumatism, which dislocated both hips and the right elbow. Thus crippled, and for the most part of the time in extreme pain, he would apply himself to some profitable business, which he could perform with his hands, for he could not bear to think of being an inactive, useless being, or wholly dependent upon others. Even when we should suppose When a lad he was amiable, that he was totally unable to atpromising, and active. At about tend to any thing but his own fourteen years of age, he was pain, and that he needed the conmost painfully afflicted with a stant assistance of a friend, he fever sore, the anguish of which would diligently employ himself was so great, as for awhile to de-in knitting, sewing, binding boots prive him of reason. The com- and shoes, and braiding whips; plaint at first was supposed to each of which he was soon able be the rheumatism, and remedies to perform with surprising dexfor that disorder were applied. terity and neatness. His attenThe disease spread till the whole tion to these, and the conversasystem became affected. The tion of friends, in which he would bone in the left thigh, and in the join with remarkable cheerfulright arm above the elbow, beness, served to beguile the hours came carious. The tendons in of wearisome confinement and the thigh and leg were contract- unmitigated suffering. ed, the knee stiff, and that limb considerbly withered. His left wrist suffered in a similar manner, though not to an equal Vol. III. At about 21 years of age, his head became affected, and his hearing impaired for several days, till rising one morning he found that he had totally lost it. This afflicted and unmanned him more than all his pains, which had rarely extorted a sigh or a groan. That he should be denied the alleviation which conversation afforded, was a thought that for a day or two melted him into tears. But he soon recovered the usual tone of his mind; observing that it was the will of heaven that he should no more enjoy his hearing, and that it did not become him to discover such weakness and impatience. He soon learnt to understand any speech addressed to him by the moving of the speaker's lips; and so expert was he in conjecturing what was said, that his loss of hearing was hardly suspected by those that spoke to him. For fourteen years he was unable to move from his chair to his couch without assistance; and nearly half that time was wholly confined to his bed, or exercised with racking pain.-For the last three years of his life, however, he enjoyed more ease and health, and was even able by the help of crutches to walk; and, to the astonishment of all who saw him, would drill rocks with almost the vigour of a well man. By his ingenuity and industry, he had with the labor of his own hands accumulated about a thousand dollars. As his sufferings interested all the tender feelings of his acquaintance, his patience, fortitude, cheerfulness, and amiable disposition commanded their admiration and affection. Few men appear more contented and happy than he did for several years; and none can endure what he did with greater fortitude. Seldom was he known to utter a groan or complaining word. When asked, he would give an impressive account of what he endured, but in such a manner, and with such a sweet expression of countenance, as almost to constrain one to believe that he had suffered nothing. In better health than usual, and with better accommodations, he began to indulge the hope that he might enjoy some comfort and satisfaction in life; but death soon closed the scene. On the seventh of November, [1802] a dog belonging to the family discovered symptoms of maduess by snapping at flies, and at a brother's children, and by other unusual motions and actions. Apprehending that the children were in danger, and having greater command over the dog than any one else, Mr. Hobbs called him to himself, and as much as he could kept him under his own legs. The animal showed no ill temper to him, or disposition to bite him, but with apparent good nature licked his master's hand. If a child or a fly approached him he would snap at it with fury. At length a fly lighting on the hand of Mr. Hobbs, the dog snapped at it, and in catching it wounded the hand in a very small degree with the fore teeth. The scratch was followed by a slight inflammation and scab, but soon entirely healed. Some alarm was excited, but several circumstances conspirel to quiet the apprehensions of himself and family; of course nothing was done to counteract the poison and prevent the fatæl effects. On the tenth of December he began to feel some complaints which he thought indieated an attack of his old disor der. These complaints continued, increasing moderately through the eleventh, twelfth, and to the middle of the thirteenth, when on taking a cup of drink and raising it to his lips, not in the least suspecting that he was unable to taste it, he was instantly thrown into a violent spasm. Still be repeated the trial to put the eup to his lips, but each succeeding attempt produced a more violent effect. In a few minutes he could not endure to have the cup in the room. The sight or even thought of the smallest quantity of liquid, or of a vessel that might contain it, would severely affect and agitate him, though exercised with distressing and increasing thirst. A spoonful of water he said appeared to him like an ocean that would instantly drown him, and filled him with the greatest imaginable terror, though death itself had no terrors in his view. Perfectly rational and even pleasant and communicative, when not affected by his spasms, he well understood his situation, and freely conversed upon it, giving a minute account of the behavior of the dog, of the wound he received, and of his own feelings. He said that he felt a strong propensity to bite, and expressed a concern lest he should involuntarily communicate the deadly poison to some of his attendants. At times reeollecting the cup that was handed him, or the thought, but more particularly the sight of any thing liquid, filled him with the greatest agitation. His very looks seemed emphatically to express the language of the text, [Job xxi. 5, 6.] Mark me, and be astonished, and lay your hand upon your mouth. Even when I remember I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh."When there was no apparent agitation, we learnt—not from sighs and groans, (for no such thing was observed,) but from his answers to questions-that his distress was extreme, and such as he had never experienced in all his former sufferings. He was fully apprized of the speedy approach of death, and said, “I shall soon be gone to a better world, and I long for the happy hour." Upon being questioned in writing, whether he had never been ready to think that God had dealt hardly with him? he turned, and with marks of surprize at the inquiry replied, "never, never;" and with a composed and solemn air, said, "God's will be done!" He alone appeared unconcerned about the event before him. While many surrounding friends, neighbours, and even strangers, looked upon him with emotion, he was calm, and requested them to suppress their grief. In He wished that all who had an inclination might be admitted to see him, and paid attention to all that entered the room. the morning of the day of his death, the scene was affecting beyond the powers of description. The room was crowded with company. To all, to whom he conveniently could, he extended his • It will be recollected that he was too deaf to hear any question. hand, and bid an affectionate farewell. He noticed if a child entered the room, called it to him, and after advising it to behave well, bid it adieu! He retained his reason to the last; and his fortitude, resignation and hope, in connexion with the peculiar circumstances and sufferings of his life, rendered him one of the most interesting and affecting spectacles ever beheld, Remedies were administered, with little hope, and as little success. His strength rapidly decreased, and the disorder as rapidly progressed, till, in about fifty two hours from the commencement of the hydrophobia, he resigned himself into the arms of death. Thus lived and thus died a young man, whose peculiar sufferings excited much sympathy, and hose behavior under them is most admirably instructive. NARRATIVE OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF A CHURCH, Ar the formation of a church at a Confession of Faith, drawn up by the council, convened on the occasion, was left as a test of orthodoxy, for those who should apply for admission. For about twenty years it was retained, and those who were admitted gave a public assent to their belief of all the articles it contained. At length one of the most respectable members informed the pastor, that he scrupled the propriety of making that assent a term of admission, and wished to communicate his views, on the subject, to the brethren.The church was therefore convened, and the doubting member observed-That the confession of faith, the professed belief of which they had made a condition of admission, contained articles, which no body could comprehend, and articles which had divided the christian church from the days of the apostles; respecting which the greatest and best of Christ's followe: s had entertained different senti ments-that few who were convinced of the truth of christianity, and thought it their duty to make the christian profession, had attended to them, or possessed means of information which enabled them to judge of them that they could only assent to them as true, because somebody told them they were true-that the confession, and the manner in which the assent to its truth was required, earried in it the solemnity of an oath-that tọ require people to swear that they believed, what they did not understand, in order to their becoming members of the church, appeared to him to be unreasonable and wrong He therefore moved, That the confession should be corrected that what was intricate,or matter of dispute,should be struck out; or that an appeal to God, angels, and men, that it was believed, should not be required of those, who offered to make the christian profession. It was objected-That the confession contained only the or thodox scheme of christianity that to strike out the articles objected to, would open the door to the unsound in the faith-that the church was commanded to reject heretics; and that those who did not believe all that was contained in the confession of faith, must be considered heretics-that weak christians might be convinced of the truth, though they could not comprehend it might believe it, because told that it was the truth, by those more knowing than themselves that people believed things foreign to religion on this ground, and might believe those of religion on the same ground. It was urged, in answer, by the first mover of the matter, That all the absurdities of Popery might be believed, and probably were believed by many, on such evidence as this-That the evidences of the truth of christianity lay, many of them, open to weak minds-that the weak might be convinced of its truth, and consider it their duty to profess that belief, and attend gospel ordinances in obedienee to the divine orders, who could not truly say that they were convinced of the truth of all contained in the confession; and that to exclude such, and prevent them from doing what they thought to be their duty, because they doubted respecting matters of which they had no knowledge, was unchristian-that christians were ordered to receive the weak with the strong, and had no right to exclude them. The pastor, observing the different sentiments of the church, and that some grew warm,began to be apprehensive of divisions. To prevent them he observedthat they all believed the scriptures-all believed the gospel, and acknowledged Christ to be the Son of God, and only Savior of sinful men-that they all agreed, that faith, repentance, and sincere obedience, were essential to the christian, and that consecration to the service of God was a part of the christian character that they only differed in their construction of certain texts which were hard to be understood, and had been differently understood by good people ever since Christ had a church in the world He moved therefore, that each one should be allowed to construe such scriptures for himself, and that they should agree to differ in their constructions of them, while in this dark world-that while they severally acted conscientiously themselves, they should allow their brethren the same liberty of construing the scriptures, which they used themselves, and should receive all those as brethren, who professed to believe, and appeared to obey the gospel, and walk with them as brethren in the Lord-He observed, that the end of the commandment is charity, out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and faith unfeigned--that there may be all these without entire unity of sentiment, and that it is the end of the commandment to produce them that the christian may act sincerely before God, who doth not understand all mysteries; yea, who even entertains many mistakes-that none infallible-that none are probably free from errors and mistakes, are |