RECOLLECTIONS OF THE BELOVED AND HONOURED SERVANT OF GOD, THE LATE MR. A. TRIGGS. LONG before this Number of the Gospel | Christ" of whom he so loved to speak, Magazine is in the hands of its readers, "no more through a glass darkly, but they will doubtless have heard of the face to face." Now, what he would removal to his eternal inheritance of our delight to express in some well-chosen late valued friend and occasional corres- verse at the table of the Lord, he enjoys pondent, Mr. ARTHUR TRIGGS. He to the full. Then, with a rapturous now realizes, in all their fulness and heart and tearful eye, he would exclaim, power, those glorious things upon "Now free from sin, I walk at large, which, during a lengthened ministry, he This Breaker's blood's my soul's discharge; was wont to dwell. That "most glorious At His dear feet content I'll lay, Christ," whose sacred person was his A sinner saved, and homage pay." all-engrossing theme, now stands revealed to him in all His perfection, loveliness, does he realize what he then expressed But now how fully and how blessedly and glory. in the following verse : on a The consciousness of this fact brings to our remembrance a little circumstance in connexion with his ministry when he was in the zenith of his popularity as a preacher. He was preaching Sabbath evening, as was usual, to a crowded audience in Zion Chapel, Waterloo Road, London; and there happened to be seated at our side a young Cambridge student, who had just completed his college course, but who has since been called to his account. Mr. TRIGGS' text was from Rev. i. 17, "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead." When Mr. T. announced his text, his whole soul was fired, a heavenly rapture overspread his countenance, and he seemed as though his very spirit would leap out of the body. He gave out his text with a grandeur and a pathos that far exceeded everything we ever heard. It was the evident expression of the heart, and his words seemed to echo and re-echo through every corner and crevice of that crowded building. Turning to our young Cambridge friend, we said, "Did you ever hear a Cambridge man equal that ?" "Never!" was the reply. There was an originality-a power-and such a telling effect about that simple announcement of a text, that some thirteen or fourteen years have never obliterated; and the idea that his removal by death suggests to the mind, is that of his having now entered upon the sweet, and full, and blessed realization of that which he then anticipated, and of which he had but the foretaste. Yes, he now beholds that "most glorious Jesus, to celebrate Thy praise, My soul shall wake her noblest lays; Till round Thy throne Thy face I view, And sing Thy blood and victory too." Doubtless many of our readers will remember the peculiar power with which he would give expression to these and sundry other verses at the time of administering the Lord's supper. Nay, as far as we ourselves were concerned, it was in his prayer before the sermon, and in the comments which he offered upon the hymn before Mr. TRIGGS announced his text, where our souls were most fed. With his natural love for singing, and with a hymn rich in gospel truth, well given out and well sung, his soul would be fired, and, in all the warmth of his heart, he would rise and plunge into the subject; so that the hymn, and about the first third-part of the time commonly devoted by others to the sermon, were in sweet keeping and blessed harmony. After that Mr. T. would read a Scripture for a text without opening his Bible, but only occasionally open that text at the time. It was not the order of his preaching, nor his abiding by his text, that commended him as a preacher; but it was the originality of thought which here and there in every sermon, he would bring as from the Fountain-head, and that special power and divine unction with which it was conveyed to the hearts of the Lord's tried and tempted people. Whilst he was a champion for the truth, and would come forth as one who had fought the enemy for every truth he brought forward, and at times, in the joy of his conquests, seem to soar far above the heads of the majority of his hearers, there were times when he would descend from those rapturous heights to which he was wont to rise, and mingle with the veriest babes, taking up their lispings, and encouraging them on their onward way with sweetest sympathies. At one moment he would triumph in the great fact that sin had virtually become a nonentity, as far as the believer was con. cerned, because every particle of it had been charged home upon the great Sinbearer, and "In their Surety they were free;" rejoicing in the fact, that "there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus ;" and the next moment he would come down to commune and sympathize with those who were waging a ceaseless warfare with sin, Satan, and the world. If any man ever understood practically the apostle's language, “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing," Mr. TRIGGS did. None could say more unhesitatingly than he, "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body." As we purpose (God willing) to add in future Numbers some personal recollections of this man of God, and as we have moreover now to introduce from one of his sons, and from a beloved friend, particulars of his last illness and removal, we will not at present add more than the expression of our deepest sympathies with the bereaved widow and children. She has lost a husband, they a father indeed! No man shone more brightly in either the one character or the other than Mr. TRIGGS did. He was a devoted husband and a loving father. He had his failings as a man-and who has not ?-but it was his tender (and perhaps over-)solicitude as a husband and a father that caused him to betray those failings. To us it appears he was a man of great faith in every respect, except in leaving what he was wont to term "the moveables" of a family in a Father's hands. It was not a want of love, but a superabundance of love, showing itself in a certain amount of fear and distrust of God's providence, that led to steps for which he was reproached. We write thus, not in a spirit of condemnation, but to account for what might otherwise appear inexplicable. We wanted him, during his life-time, to have published the secret and special leadings of the Lord, with regard to his removal from Plymouth to London, from London to Plymouth, and from Plymouth to London again; but this he was unwilling to do, intimating to us that it was written, and in reserve for publication after his death. Now the fact that this is to be published gives us heartfelt delight; and, from our inmost soul, we hope that there will be a most liberal response to his now sorely-bereaved and deeply-afflicted widow, with respect to this publication. We hope our readers will send in their names promptly to the address which will be subjoined. The perusal of the First Part of Mr. TRIGGS' life, we shall never forget. We had spent three hours and a half on the field of Waterloo, and, as we surveyed a spot, the scene, a few years before, of such a fearful carnage, our feelings were horrible-most horrible. We walked as among a mass of spirits who seemed whispering into our ears from every quarter of their awful destruction. We at length jumped into the conveyance which we had hired at Brussels; and, happily finding in our pocket the little work alluded to, Mr. TRIGGS' Life, we opened it and read with avidity; and never shall forget the sweetness of that work, in contrast with the scene we had just been contemplating. We were just reading about the little girl whom he there mentions as having been blessed in the early part of his ministry, as we drove through the village of Waterloo; and the preciousness of that account melted our hearts before the Lord. We doubt not that equal interest and equal power will be found in the part of Mr. Triggs' life which remains to be published; and we hope our beloved readers will, by their names, stimulate to its very early issue from the press. THE EDITOR. Bedminster, Aug. 18, 1859. LETTERS OF THE LATE MR. A. TRIGGS. To the Editor of the Gospel Magazine. MY BELOVED BROTHER,-I have been looking over some letters which we have received from time to time from our dear departed friend, Mr. Triggs; and, as I find there is a never-ceasing freshness, and such a sweet savour of Christ in them, I doubt not they will be acceptable to many of the Lord's living, hungry, needy, tempest-tossed, devilhunted family, who can be satisfied with nothing but "Jesus only." I shall, therefore, be pleased to send you one every month, as long as they will last, for insertion in the Gospel Magazine. Yours ever affectionately, Plymouth, J. B. DENSHAM. Angell Road, Brixton Road, TO MRS. DENSHAM. Oh! the long-suffering of my gracious Lord and God! I arrived at nineteen times, and then, instead of praying the twentieth time, as I intended, it was vibrating and sounding in my ears, Curse God, and die." I arose from my knees confounded and confused, and believed I had sinned against the Holy Ghost; but after a few weeks, wondering that I was not cut off and turned into hell, I pondered, and searched the scriptures, and found I was the subject of real prayer. As it is written, "Let the sighing of the prisoner come before me." "Thou hast heard my desire." Those "think upon His name." And the body of Christ, in our olden Bibles, is called His breathing frame; therefore it is only the living that breathe and say, "I opened my mouth and panted." I say not a word against bowing the DEARLY BELOVED, AS sorrowful, knees; let people do it as often as they yet always rejoicing; as having nothing, think right. But I do love secret comyet possessing all things; and so we munion with the Lord, and secret aspiralive and abide, being new creatures in tions to the Lord. "Thou knowest all Christ, joined to Him the Lord and one things; thou knowest that I love thee." Spirit; and to us the Holy Ghost de-"Teach me to do thy will, O God; clares, "All are yours, ye are Christ's make me to know thy truth; lead me in and Christ is God's." And to this truth the way everlasting.' 66 God be merciful we respond, saying, The Lord is my to me a sinner." All this, and much portion, saith my soul, therefore will I more, expressed without bowing the hope in Him;" and to Him say, "Whom knee, or speaking a word verbally. have I in heaven but thee ?" and also in When our Lord spake the words it was the glorious liberty of the children of to the Jewish people and their priests, God, we say, "My Beloved is mine, and who prayed openly in and at the corners I am His." of the streets, to be seen and heard of men; and plainly intimates to them that secret heart-prayer, separate from the world, and the world shut out, with the commandments of men, and the prayer with the spirit and the understanding, are only acceptable unto the Lord. Paul, a representative of the Gentile Church, saith, "I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named," &c. And such as have received_the Spirit of adoption cry, Beloved of and in the Lord, I hail and greet you in Him in all fulness of eternal life and salvation: Though once afar off, made nigh by the blood of Christ;" and are "reconciled to God by the death of His Son," "who is our peace, "" and hath made peace by the blood of His cross ;" and we being born of God, and passed from death unto life, pray with the spirit and with the understanding also. This is a secret in a secret place, as it is declared, "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Abba, Father." "The Spirit Himself Him, and He will show them His cove-beareth witness to our spirits that we are nant." I foolishly, in by-gone days, the children of God." And whatever thought that if I could bow my knees posture we may be in, we come with twenty times in one day to pray, I boldness to the throne of grace, and in should be a perfect man. the name of Jesus ask for a Father's blessing and a child's portion. I am fully persuaded that no living, new creature can live without prayer, though he does not live by prayer, but lives by life in Christ, who saith, "Because I live you shall live also." And we say, "The life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Thus in living life we live and walk by faith; that is, we live and walk in the Spirit, and so come up from the wilderness leaning upon the Beloved," 'casting all our care upon him, for He careth for us." All the promises of God are Yea and Amen in Christ Jesus, to the glory of God by us. And one promise is, "Before my people call I will answer; and while they are yet speaking I will hear." This is most blessed; and also, "My God shall supply all your need, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." And we are witnesses, that not one thing hath failed of all the Lord our God hath promised. And the words are from His own mouth, "In me ye shall have peace; in the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world ;" and "We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." Cheer up, my sister, happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God. And He saith, "My grace is sufficient for thee; my strength is made perfect in weakness.' Peace be unto you and to your hus band, John, whose souls are bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord your God. Love, blood, and salvation abound in you, and you abound in hope by the power of the Holy Ghost. The time of my departure is at hand. I die daily; and shall soon realize the full truth of 'Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord." Now I have sleepless nights and restless days, from pains in flesh and bones; but soon all pains will end. Sorrow and sighing will for ever fly away; and God, our own God, will wipe away all tears. I long to see Him as He is; then I shall be like Him. Even now He is to us, and for us, Jehovah our everlasting light, our God, our glory, Emmanuel, God with us. And the increasing mercy is also, that we have not an High Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He hath in all points been tempted like as we are, yet without sin; and we have salvation in Him with eternal glory. My own Mary unites in love to you both, and also to our brother and sister, George and Sarah. The Lord bless you all with the revelation of the abundance of peace and truth, and daily showers of blessings; and by the fellowship of the Spirit at all times say, truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. Yours in our precious Lord Jesus, A. TRIGGS, Zion's Pilgrim, past 72. THE LAST HOURS OF THE LATE MR. A. TRIGGS. To the Editor of the Gospel Magazine. His high praises, who had "done so great things" for him whilst in this I SEND you for insertion, if approved of, a short account of the last illness and death of my beloved father, Mr. A. valley of tears." It pleased the Lord to Triggs. Truly can we say of him, that "he come and take him to Himself, August has come to the grave in a full age, like 10th, 1859, about four o'clock in the as a shock of corn cometh in his season.' afternoon, after suffering intense pain Also, "Precious in the sight of the Lord for many weeks, from gangrene in the is the death of His saints." I write foot. His end was peace. He could this, believing there are many of the joyfully testify, that "For me to live is Lord's people, readers of your Gospel Christ, and to die is gain." Reading Magazine, that will feel a mournful and studying his Bible; preaching, writpleasure in hearing that another of the ing, and talking of his precious Jesus, Lord's faithful ministers has been taken were the delight of his heart. He was home to glory by Himself, and is now firmly rooted and grounded in love; and with a precious Jesus, sounding aloud his faith remained unshaken in the good 66 ness and mercy of his faithful God; and being of "Jesus only." After the pain had he could exultingly say with the Psalm-left him, he said, "It is just over, in peace ist, "Surely goodness and mercy shall with God." He put out his arms as if emfollow me all the days of my life, and I bracing some one, and cried out, "My prewill dwell in the house of the Lord for cious Lord Jesus." He called his dear wife ever. He died in peace with God, and children around his bed and blessed looking for that blessed hope, and the them, saying, "The Lord give you peace glorious appearing of the great God, and in believing; the Lord bless you all; our Saviour Jesus Christ." A few of the Lord will provide for you all." At the sayings uttered to his family and a another time he said, “If any of my few friends during his illness, may be friends ask about me, tell them it is interesting; for "A good man out of sweet to die in Jesus." To a friend who the good treasures of the heart bringeth called to see him, "You have come to forth good things." During great and see me die in Jesus; I am longing to be acute pain, he repeated those sweet with Him; no fear, no anger, no wrath; lines:it is all love." "I am longing to die; He is my Redeemer." A few evenings before he died he had a severe fainting fit; we thought then that he was about to be taken from us; but it was not the Lord's time. My dear mother asked him if he had not a blessing for her? he answered, "He will be a Father to the fatherless, and a Husband to the widow.” Thirty hours before he died he did not move, but slept very heavily until about five minutes before he was taken home to glory, but his speech had then failed him. The last words I heard him utter distinctly were, "Come, Lord Jesus." August, 1859, in the Norwood Cemetery. He will be buried this 15th day of I will close these remarks with, "May my last end be like his;” “May I die the death of the righteous." "Should death be at hand, I'll fear not undressing, But cheerfully throw off my garments of clay; To die in the Lord is a covenant blessing, Since thou, O my Jesus, hast first led the way." "I wish the time was come to depart رو "And when I close my eyes in death, to be with Jesus was at hand." At one time he cried out, "It is all come to a stop; it is all gone.' No doubt, meaning, that he had at that time no communion with his precious Lord and Saviour. Shortly after he said, "This cannot last long; I am sinking fast." But still the Lord his God was with him to support and comfort. Once that deadly enemy of souls, the devil, was permitted sorely to try his faith in the faithfulness of his God. In the intensity of his feelings he suddenly cried out, "Oh! thou devil, devil, to set at me so!" But immediately after he repeated his favourite verse, The Lord liveth, and blessed be my His bereaved widow and family are in Rock; and let the God of my salvation great sorrow of heart for a loss nothing be exalted." Another expression was, "It on earth can replace; but may we all is close work to die." On another occa-be enabled to look to Jesus, and say, sion he said, "I am sinking rapidly, but Thy will be done." "The Lord gave, I am very happy, I cannot be otherwise." and the Lord hath taken away; blessed "I am a citizen of no mean city, I am be the name of the Lord." free born." "Bless the Lord, O my soul." "I am now proving my acceptance in the Lord." "Christ is all I want." " Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly." His dear friend, Mr. V. Smith, called to see him during his illness; and I have been told by those that were in the room at the time, that it was like heaven upon earth to them, a time never to be forgotten; it appeared as if both were 4 out of the body, present with the are requested to be addressed, No. 3, Lord" in heaven; their conversation' Angell Road, Brixton Road, London, S. During his life-time he preached 10,103 sermons; the first was delivered January 12th, 1817, from Romans i. 16; the last, July 5th, 1859, from Ps. cxi. 9. Thus died in the Lord His faithful servant, aged 72 years last 23rd day of April. Yours faithfully, |