Life of the Rev Joseph Grafton Author:Samuel Francis Smith Subtitle: Late Pastor of the First Baptist Church, Newton, Ms. With an Appendix, Embracing Historical, Statistical, and Ecclesiastical Information Pertaining to the Town of Newton General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1849 Original Publisher: J. Putnam Subjects: Newton (Mass.) Notes: This is a black and white OCR r... more »eprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER II. TRIALS RESPECTING HIS ENGAGEMENT IN THE MINISTRY. He who sanctified Jeremiah, and ordained him, before his birth, to be a prophet to the nations, ordained the subject of this memoir, as a chosen vessel, to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. After having traced the progress of his long and successful ministry, and observed his peculiar adaptation, in many respects, for that work, we cannot doubt that this was the sphere of labor and of usefulness for which God had prepared him. But Mr. Grafton shrunk from the idea of filling so responsible a station. " No man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron." And it was no easy matter for Mr. G. to persuade himself that this was the path to which the finger of God was pointing him. This was a period of critical interest to the North American colonies. The business of the country was turned aside from its customary channels, or wholly prostrated. Life, liberty, and property, were liable to be wrested from their possessors. Hardships and temptations abounded. Many of the young men were connected with the army, and Mr. G. was left almost alone. He did not enter the army, but performed his quota of military duty when called upon, as did all whowere able to bear arms. Thus he was preserved from those scenes of excitement and of sin, under whose baleful influence his devotional spi...« less