expected from Christ alone And as he was eminent for his living by faith on the Person of Christ His living by Faith on the promises so likewise he was eminent for his living by faith on the Promises and resting upon the Lord in all his straits when he could but take sanctuary in some promise and find out some word of God for his faith to rest upon he thought himself secure he was delighted in the mentioning of that passage of Abraham that Abraham gave God glory by believing he thought that the highest way of honouring God it was by trusting of him on his naked word and promise It is true he was often assaulted by temptations of infidelity as hath been hinted before but these were but occasions to make him pray more fervently and his Faith got the deeper root in the conclusion the main stream of his prayers in his older years ran this way that he might not stagger at the promise through unbelief that he might be established in Faith and that his Faith might not fail and the Lord heard him herein for his Faith held out in its strength to the very last as will appear when we come to relate the passages of his death When ever he was in any strait or difficulty and knew not which way to turn the Lord bare up his heart in believing that he would make out his way at last and provide for him some way or other One time having complained to a near Relation of some touches of the stone and other infirmities that he laboured under he added But the Lord Supports me in whom I trust also that he will support me When he told his friends that he endeavoured to answer their desires in praying for them he would say he did indeed pray for them daily but it was with much weakness and infirmity yet said he our trust is of acceptance in the Lord Jesus which sitteth at the right hand of the Father and maketh request for us But that which was the Crown and Ornament of his other graces His singular Humility was his singular humility As his grace and experience was extraordinary so he had a more then ordinary measure of humility No expression was more familiar with him then that of the Apostle accounting himself the chief of Sinners There was no corruption that he did oppose or set himself against more then Spiritual Pride He would often mention that passage of St. Peter God resisteth the proud but giveth grace to the humble when ever he begged any other grace from God he would still beg humility as that which must prepare him and make him capable of receiving that grace His expressions in prayer were such as these empty us of self that we may be full with thy fullness that we may receive more grace make us more humble And as he was most watchful against Spiritual pride in himself so he would warn and admonish others especially to watch against this corruption Watch said he against that stratagem of Satan wherewith he usually assaulteth Souls in the growth of Spiritual guifts which is to puff them up Another time he spake to this purpose As he said fight not against smal nor great but only against the King of Israel so say I above all fight against self and pride Writing to a near Relation he had this expression Truly I find in every days success the Ebullition of that remainder of Pride in me and I rejoyce at your sensibility of it and I have you in remembrance as to this very thing I think I may say daily But as this holy man was most sensible of the stirring of Pride in himself so by his long and daily praying and striving against it he got so great a victory over it that others that beheld him never saw greater demonstrations of humility then in him He was never known to boast of his own excellencies but he would often spake of his infirmities that so as he said God might have the more glory and himself shame When he speak for God or in the cause of God he would spake with as great Majesty and authority as ever any of so private a capacity as he was was known to do when he spake of any thing relating to himself he would still abase himself and manifest the greatest lowliness of mind and self-denial and he loved not that others should think too highly of him To one that had a great esteem of him for that grace of God that did so eminently appear in him he wrote thus Think of me no otherwise then you see only I hope I have obtained mercy to be faithful He was very curious in this to arrogate nothing to himself The Love he had to the glory of God his great care was to put off all from himself and to attribute all to the free grace of God as St. Pauls expression was not I but the grace of God in me So when he was carried out to any special or eminent exercise of grace he would still express himself to this sort I have received grace to do this or that duty or to believe this or that particular promise And it was one of his familiar sayings let us remember to expect all from him and ascribe all to him When he had heard of the grace of God in others he would rejoyce much in it and in this he had a peculiar excellency he was never observed to envy the gifts or grace of any but rejoyced exceedingly to hear of the graces of others and blessed the Lord for the grace bestowed upon others as well as that which was given to himself He loved Holiness for Holiness sake and therefore when he saw it in any he rejoyced in it as much as if it had been in himself When he had heard of the grace of God bestown upon some he said blessed be the Lord for ever and ever who are we that we should be able to will any thing after this sort the Lord keep it in the purpose of our hearts for ever and prepare our hearts to him The great thing which he begged of God for himself and his nearest Relations was that God would make use of him and them some way to be serviceable to him whilst they lived and he said one thing more have I begged of God and shall beg that both me and you and all that receive the benefit may look up and give God alone all the glory Herein lay the perfection of his grace and that wherein he came nearest to the holiness of the Saints in heaven that although he desired to be most serviceable and to be carried forth in the highest way of exercising grace yet when all was done he desired not that he might be eyed or looked upon the more but his great desire was that all that was done by him might be seen to be of God and that he might be admired the more Writing to a near Relation he had this
greatly swallowed up in and by the sense of Gods love to him What delight did he take in concealing that grace which was conferred on him under an humble self-abasement before God and men He lived the most that ever I knew any in a continual separation not only from the world but also from himself He seemed to me to have arrived unto the greatest abjuration of self-sufficiency that ever I met with Oh how much did he depart from himself day by day that so he might more intirely enter into and live in Christ What a generous design had he to abandon every part not only of sinful but legal self for Christ But yet the less he lived in the Spirit of his own Gifts or Graces received the more he lived in the Spirit of Christ his head Oh what an amorous union with and value for Christ did he gain by the Ruines of self-love The less he was in his own eyes by so much the more did he magnifie Christ His works did praise him but how much did his tongue heart and life praise Christ Yea how much did he rejoyce to see Christ glorifyed by others as well as by himself I must confess according to my best knowledge I never knew any that did more cry down self and cry up Christ than this now glorified Saint How willing was he to render unto Christ whatever he received from him Thus as the Rivers receive new supplies by emptying themselves into the Sea so did this holy man by returning the acknowledgement and improvement of all his grace unto Christ the Ocean of all As Humility kept him low in his own eyes so Faith raised in him an high esteem of Christ As he went unto Christ for all grace so he ascribed all unto him Thus he made Christ all in all He seemed so laborious in the ways of Godliness as if there were no Christ to trust unto and yet he was so much in Faith and dependance on Christ as if there were nothing to be done on his part As for his diligence in the work of God that he ascribed to Christ but as for any negligence he was guilty of that he ascribed to himself His will stood strongly Bent for God Oh! what a pure sound single entire upright heart for God had he How did Divine Love bend his will purifie the intention thereof keeping it in a firm adhesion unto God What spiritual Affections for Christ ballanced with saving light was his heart possessed withall How much did he fear God under Smiles love him under frowns hope in him under difficulties desire and enjoy him under all other enjoyments What a beautiful Harmony was there between his will and the Divine Will Yea how much did he live and die in the Soveraign Will When the Lord took from him any dear Relation what a correspondence with and Acquiescence in his royal pleasure did he discover in his deportment How Passive yea Active in concurrence with the will of God was his will under all chastisements How little covetuous or thirsty after his own will was he Oh what a flexible humble meek and broken will towards God was there discovered in him and yet lo how inflexible and stiffe was his will as to whatever had the appearance of evil how patient calm and submissive was he in his own cause and yet what an ardent zeal had he for the concerns of his Lord How much could he condescend to the will of the meanest for their good and yet how little would he stoop to the lusts of the proudest As for the constant establisht tenor of his Spirit in walking with God not only in Religious dutys but also in his civil Affairs I have much admired it Yea I cannot but tell the world what I have oft mentioned in private that I verily believe this holy man enjoyed more of God in his civil employments then many Christians do in their spiritual Retirements and Devotion I have taken him when newly come of a croud of secular affairs and have found him more spiritual in his converse then I find the most of Christians after their most serious exercises in religious worship And I remember he then told me what I hope I shall never forget That this was his course every day to examine what had been Gods carriage towards him and what had been his carriage towards God A Golden Rule for Heart examens Oh what an estrangement from a worldly Spirit had he in all his worldly concerns How were his Thoughts Principles Inclinations Affections and Actions moulded into a fit frame for walking with God Was not this the main business and exercise of his Life How much time did he spend in the service of his Lord and how little was he taken up with self-concernments What a serious lively affectionate communion with God had he not only in but also out of duties How much was his end ever in his eye And with what vigorous activity did he pursue the same How much was his heart with God in eating walking commerce and all parts of civil Conversation What a curious vigilant eye had he on his Spirit to secure it from all violent passions and irregular motions How unwilling was he to let pass the least occasion presented for receiving or doing good How little was there of a Vacuum in his Life for tentation to fill up What an equal uniform and harmonious life did he lead In sum He was one of an Universal Spirit for Godliness The Yoke and Cross of Christ were pleasant and familiar to him Oh how strict was his life but his heart large towards God and men How much did he vindicate the Reality of his Religion by living at a more than ordinary rate in Religion It was his great Aphorism both living and dying That Religion was a Real thing And how much did he demonstrate the same by the power thereof in his life and conversation What an Heaven of Holiness and Happiness did he find in his way to Heaven What a Tranquility of Spirit did he arrive unto in this inferiour world Was not his life by reason of the equality of its parts like a circle which every day began and ended in God What a constellation of graces seemingly contrary did there shine forth in his Conversation How knowing in the deep mystery of Faith and yet how humble was he What a blessed mixture of zeal and meekness appeared in him What a Majesty mixed mith a sweet Affability was there in his presence How much did he advantage men that knew him by giving them such a bright shining example of visible Godliness I would not exceed in mine esteem of persons or things but yet I must confess I cannot but admire the grace of God that shone so illustriously in this eminent Saint And I think I may say it without injury to truth or person that to my best remembrance I have not seen any one clothed with more visible and shining grace then
not my gracious God by disappointing my unsanctified desires for seven years space or more prevented my Folly Oh what a misery is it for vain youth to have its will Oh what a blessing to bear the yoke betime especially when God will open the Ear to discipline as blessed be his Name he did mine at the last And here I may justly break out into admiration of the Riches of his Grace that brought light to me out of my darkness I mean a great Light of Grace into my Soul by occasion of the great Darkness of mine own sin into the which I fell My Pride went before my fall so sin drew on sin and sin was punished with sin yet O depth of Grace this Fall was the cause of my Rising I mean in Grace Thus my gracious God did me good by mine own Evils and made my greatest sins occasions of my great Humiliation And although Voluptuousness Ambition and Coveteousness were the Idol-sins of my youth yet my gracious God preserved me from the gross acting of those sins either by Murder Adultery Fornication Tneft or any other unlawful way of Gain I say that it was my gracious God that preserved me and therefore let his name have all the Glory as for me I should have run Mad in Pride with Nebuchadnezar and burst asunder in Coveteousness with Judas and drowned my self in a daily course of Delicacy with the Glutton that St. Luke mentions had I not been kept by the power of God alone Only only to thy name O Lord be the praise My desire of Marriage was corrupt through my Coveteousness Voluptuousness and Ambition as I have said and my gracious God crossing those unsanctified desires of mine for divers years did at length teach me to desire Marriage for better ends And having begun to set my mind in order he also brought on the blessing for first he prepared my heart to seek him by Prayer for a meet helper and then he opened his Ear and granted my request so that even in the same day wherein he had stirred me up in a more then ordinary manner to seek a blessing in my Marriage by Prayer he was pleased to give me evidence that he had heard me in sending to me an honest Christian which came to me on purpose to break the matter for Marriage with her which afterward God gave me to wife This match Satan attempted to hinder by stirring up a neer friend of mine to fail in performance of his promise made to me for my preferment which justly might have alienated the minds of my wifes parents from me but that my gracious God would not suffer Satan to do me that mischief yea more then so he gave me grace to seek reconciliation with that Friend of mine which had so deeply wronged me So far are the words of his own Relation written by himself The Family into which he matched was a Godly Family who did the sooner imbrace Mr. Rowes motion because of that which they had heard concerning his Affection to Religion The person whom he took to Wife was a very godly and sincere woman although one that walked in Darkness and had no assurance of Gods Love the greatest part of her days and that appears by this Passage which we may not therefore omit because Mr. Rowe himself hath Registred it as one special experience of Gods Love towards him When his wife lay Sick and was upon her Death bed she complained that she had no assurance of the Love and Favour of God and that when she died she should be taken to Glory in Heaven hereupon Mr. Rowe besought the Lord very earnestly for her and the Lord was so far intreated as a little before her death to assure her of her Glory in heaven and this in somewhat an unusual extraordinary manner giving in such a secret Hint and Intimation to her soul as this I will Glorifie thee After Mr. Rowe was Married he continued four years in the house of his Father in law at Pinhow in Devon a place as himself hath recorded it in the Memoriall of his own experiences enriched with divers worldly contentments but all embittered thorough the want of the Ministry of Gods Word And what he adds in the same place may not be omitted There says he had I just occasion given me to repent of my former fulsomness and weariness of that heavenly Manna But here again my gracious God that never ceaseth to do me good did as well provide the Plaister as give the Wound He wounded my Conscience by the want of the Ministry in my own Parish of Pnin bringing to my rememberance my sin in undervaluing the plentiful Ministry which I had once enjoyed but he healed the breach again not only by forgiveness and repentance but also by providing for me the Ministry of a worthy servant of his in a Neighbouring Parish But to proceed in the Narrative of his Life His remove to Crediton Mr. Rowe being weary of living any longer in the house of his Father in Law by reason of the want of the meanes of grace in that place although as hath been said he enjoyed at least for a season for how long it was he had that happiness the Relator hath not come to the knowledg of the labours of a faithful Minister in an adjacent Parish and hearing that there was an able Preacher at Crediton he had a great desire to remove his Family and Habitation thither and accordingly did so taking his leave of his wives Relations he went and setled himself and family in Credition on purpose to enjoy the means of grace and there continued to his dying day And according to this example of his own he would often exhort his children and acquaintance that their first care should be to place themselves under a Godly and a powerful Ministry and for this purpose he would often mention that text Can. 1.8 Go forth by the footsteps of the flock and feed thy kids besides the Shepheards tents Not long after his coming to Crediton he was made High-Constable His Executing the office of High-Constable in which office he continued about Twenty years during which service his care diligence and zeal was such for the suppressing and punishing of Vice that his Name became a Dread and a Terror to all the Prophane that were near to the place he lived And as his zeal was great so his wisdom Charity and Compassions were no less he would first seek to win Offenders by his loving counsels and gentle admonitions before he would use the severity of the Law against them and his great care was to let men see that it was their Vices not their Persons that he aimed at And such was the Presence of God with him such the Authority and Majesty that shone in his carriage and behaviour that although he was forced to punish many for their misdemeanors that would not be otherwise reclaimed yet none had power to lift up an
great occasion had fallen out in the day he would still retire himself to ask counsel and a blessing from the Lord Once every month he always kept a private day by himself besides what he did upon particular occasions to seek the Lord by fasting and Prayer the better to prepare himself for the Lords-Supper and then also he had much upon his heart the concernments of the Church And if ever any affliction befel him or his family or any of his relations his constant course was to seek the Lord in an extraordinary manner So likewise if there were any great business he was to undertake or any more eminent strait wherein he needed Divine counsel providence and protection he still set apart some time to seek God in a more then ordinary manner and his success was answerable for he had always some gracious return or other Besides the set times of Prayer which he observed he was full of occasional ejaculations He was seldom known to be out of a spiritual frame and in that frame his heart was darting up one holy ejaculation or other He was most punctual in keeping his times and seasons for Prayer reading and Meditation Whatever his worldly businesses were which were sometimes many and weighty he was very loth to abridge himself in his wonted course for these exercises and if he were necessitated at any time to be shorter he would be sure to redeem the next opportunity to regain what he had been deprived of He was wont to say when he did hasten over holy duties out of an over eager desire to follow his worldly business he did many times meet with a cross in his business but when he did take his ordinary time God did make his other business to succeed the better or else his mind was brought to submit to the will of God He was seldom known to pray himself His great Affection in holy duties or to join with others in Prayer but his heart was much affected and carried out with much holy zeal and fervency In his old age his heart would melt frequently and he would often be dissolved into tears and his affections seemed to be as green and vigorous as the affections of young Converts use to be When he joined with others he was far from an oscitant and careless carriage His behaviour was so reverent and mixed with so much affection as that the Minister under whose Ministry he sate would profess he found himself very much helped and quickned by the observance of his affection If at any time he found the least decay or deadness coming upon him that was his greatest trouble and far more then any outward affliction In one of his letters he expressed himself thus having spoken before in his letter of a bodily distemper that lay upon him he goes on thus That which troubleth me now is the distemper of my Spirit because I find my self less lively in holy things and more unactive then formerly Yesterday blessed be God I found some reviving When he awoke in the morning His private Exercises in the morning if it were before the ordinary time he was wont to rise his manner was to spend some time in meditation and the subject of his Meditation for the most part was somewhat of the great work of Redemption and he imployed his thoughts principally to meditate on the eternal sacrifice of the Lord Jesus which was offered up to the Father for the taking away of the sins of his people and according to this his own practise he would counsel his children every Morning to take a turn at the Cross of Christ and to think of his sufferings and that would be a means to make them love Christ the more When he was rising and dressing himself in the morning he would let fall some holy instructions or other on them that were about him After he was ready his first work was to retire himself into his closet where he spent a considerable time in reading Meditation and Prayer His daily practise was to read every morning some part of the Scriptures with some commentarie thereupon and after that to meditate on what he had read and being much taken with the Spirituality and Judiciousness of Calvins expositions he made the greatest use of him to help him in the understanding of the Scriptures After he had thus finished his private exercise of Prayer and Meditation on the word he had read His morning exercises in the Family he was wont to call together his family and communicate unto them what he had learned from his own meditation and the expositions of godly Divines on the word that he had read and what ever his worldly occasions had been he would scarce ever omit this exercise with his family but every morning would open some portion of the Scripture to them and give them some holy exhortation from it and this was his practise for 20 or 30 years together Such was his modesty and humility in the managing of this work that although he was of a great Judgment himself of long experience and had a deep insight into the things of God yet he would say he would not take upon him to interpret the meaning of such or such a text but he would acquaint them what he had learned from godly Divines By this constant course of reading and daily perusing the expositions of Divines joyned together with his own Meditation he became a man expert and mighty in the Scriptures So that when he came to speak to his family he would open the Scriptures with much clearness and solidity and the Lord endued him with a wonderful ability to make things plain and familiar to the capacity of the meanest And when he came to make applications of things to those of his own family he would be sure to consider what every ones condition did require those whom he feared to be still in the state of nature he would lay open to them the danger of their condition and what a sad thing it was for them to remain out of Christ and what ever the matter was he had been speaking of his exhortation would be sure always to center in this to press them to look after Christ in whom the Father had laid up all grace and from whom they must expect to receive all grace His exhortations were set on with a wonderful strange authority there was so great a presence of God with him that many besides those of his own family who came occasionally to be in his house will have cause to bless God for him to eternity After he had spent a quarter of an hour or a little more in this way of exhortation he would close up the mornings exercise with prayer in which he would not be long but his prayer was so substantial that he would comprehend the whole of Religion and as it were a body of Divinity in a short Prayer His prayer seemed to be nothing but digested meditation