Page:Our Hymns.djvu/235

 THEIR AUTHORS AND ORIGIN. 215

acids, &quot; I went pitying the poor deluded Methodists, but came away envying their happiness.&quot; Whitefield was preaching on Matthew iii. 7, and his solemn words on &quot; the wrath to come, produced a profound and lasting impression on the mind of young Robinson. For two years and seven months he remained in a state of per plexity and fear, but at length in 1755 he found, he believed, &quot; full and free forgiveness through the precious blood of Jesus Christ.&quot; His own account of this momentous change in his life is interesting. It is as follows, and was written on a blank leaf of one of his books: &quot; Robertus, Michtelis Marireque Robinson Filius. Natus Swaffahmi, comitatu Norfolciffl, Saturni die Sept. 27, 1735. Renatus Sabbati die, Maii 24, 1752, per predicationem potentem Georgii Whitefield. Et gustatis doloribus Renovationis duos annos mensesque septem, absolutionem plenam gratuitamque, per sanguinem pretiosum Jesu Christi, inveni (Tuesday, Dec. 10, 1755), cui sit honor et gloria in secula seculorum. Amen.&quot; He remained in London a few years longer, often hearing Wesley, Whitefield, and others, associating with Christian men and gaining religious experience.

His Christian friends in London soon perceived in him the qualifications for a preacher, and urged him to develope and exer cise his gifts. At length, in the beginning of 1758, he removed to Mildenhall, where he occasionally preached, and thence to Nor wich, to be a pastor there. But, owing to his dissatisfaction with the character of some of the members of this church, he seceded with others to found another Christian church. In the following year he married, and began supplying a church at Cambridge, the scene of his future labours. This was a Baptist church, Robinson having then recently joined that denomination. The church there urged him, again and again, to the acceptance of the full pastoral office, but it was not till the year 1761, and when they had con ceded the point of open communion, upon which he insisted, that he consented. At first his means were very small, and his church and congregation were few in number. But at the end of three years a good chapel was erected, and the congregation increased,

�� �