TO THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF MR. PEARCE, THESE MEMOIRS, COMPILED WITH THEIR APPROBATION AND FROM A TENDER REGARD TO HIS MEMORY, ARE AFFECTIONATELY AND RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED BY THE COMPILER, CONTENTS. IT T was obferved by this excellent man, during his laft affliction, that he never till then gained any perfonal inftruction from our Lord's telling Peter by what death he fhould glorify God. To die by a confumption had used to be an object of dread to him: but "Oh my dear Lord," faid he, "if by this death I can moft glorify thee, I prefer it to all others." The lingering death of the cross, by which our Saviour himself expired, afforded him an opportunity of uttering fome of the most affecting fentences which are left on facred record: and to the lingering death of this his honoured fervant, we are indebted for a confiderable part of the materials which appear in thefe Memoirs. Had he been taken away fuddenly, there had been no opportunity for him to have expreffed his fentiments and feelings in the manner he has now done in letters to his friends. While in health, his hands were full of labour, and confequently his letters were written mostly upon the fpur of occafion; and related principally to bufinefs, or to things which would be lefs interesting to chriftians in general. It is true, even in them it was his manner to drop a few fentiments, towards the clofe, of an experimental kind; and many of thefe hints will be interspersed in this brief account of him: but it was during his affliction, when, being laid aside nearly a year, and obliged to defift from all public concerns, that he gave scope to the feelings of his heart. Here, ftanding as an eminence, he reviewed his life, re-examined the ground of his hope, and anticipated the crown which awaited him, with a joy truly unspeakable, and full of glory. Like Elijah, he has left the chariot of Ifrael, and afcended as in a chariot of fire; but not without having firft communicated of his eminently chriftian fpirit. Oh that a double portion of it may reft upon us! 25 MEMOIRS OF THE LATE Mr. SAMUEL PEARCE. CHAP. I. HIS PARENTAGE, CONVERSION, CALL TO THE MINISTRY, AND SETTLEMENT AT BIRMINGHAM. MR. SAMUEL PEARCE was born at Plymouth on July 20th. 1766. His Father, who furvives him, is a refpectable Silverfmith, and has been many years a deacon of the baptift church in that place. When a child, he lived with his grandfather, who was very fond of him, and endeavoured to imprefs his mind with the principles of religion. At about eight or nine years of age he came home to his father with a view of learning his business. As he advanced in life, his evil propenfities, as he has faid, began to ripen; and forming connexions with feveral vicious fchool-fellows, he became more and more corrupted. So greatly was his heart at this time fet in him to do evil, that had it not been for the reftraining goodness of God, L |