Anecdotes of the Puritans (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: A PURITAN'S AMBITION. flLLIAM GEORGE became minister of Blackfriars, London, in 1608. His' labors were very acceptable, the congregation greatly increased, and numbers were added to the church. He was on several occasions offered higher stations in the church, and among others, the Provostship of King's college, Cambridge, but he used to refuse them, saying, " It is my highest ambition to go from Blackfriars to heaven." His great object was to be useful to souls. He was never lifted up by his popularity; but used to say, " I know more to textit{abase me, than others do to textit{exalt me." He was very diligent in the improvement of his time. If at any time he heard other persons at their work before he was in his study, he would say, " I am much troubled that any person should be at their calling before I am at mine." Towards the close of his life, he was afflicted with several painful maladies. Under these he often groaned, but never murmured. Inthe midst of his afflictions he would often say, " Soul, be silent; soul, be patient. It is thy God and father who thus ordereth thy estate: thou art his clay: he may tread and trample on thee as he pleaseth: thou hast deserved much more. It is enough that thou art kept out of hell. Though thy pain be grievous, it is tolerable. Thy God affords some intermissions. He will turn it to thy good, and then put an end to all. None of these things can be expected hereafter." When his friends would comfort him by reminding him of his usefulness, he replied, " I dare not think of any such thing for comfort. Jesus Christ, and what he hath done and suffered, is the only ground of comfort. I being a great sinner, comfort myself in a great Saviour. When I look upon myself, I see nothing but weakness and emptiness; but when I lo...