The Life And Ministry Of William Bell

Gospel Standard 1872:

Death. On Feb. 14th, Mr. William Bell, Baptist minister, Framingham Earl.

In sending some account of his last days I shall chiefly send extracts from his own writings. On May 21st, 1868, he thus wrote to Mr. Freeman; but it was never sent:

“Dear Brother Freeman,—I must tell you that after many months of silence I do feel a desire to put my thoughts on paper. Many have been the times I have thought of you since we parted on that memorable day, Whit Tuesday, at Framingham. Many have been the letters I have written to you in my meditations, but could not find courage nor desire so strong as I do today, nor so sweet a peace and a line of good things. It is not from fear of you; not at all; but I do feel I am a poor thing in all the things of Christ and his truth. I am a poor scholar in the wisdom of this world, and I am sure I am in that wisdom that cometh from above; but such as I am and such as I have I hope you will have without hypocrisy.

“The Lord called me to feel his wrath and the power of his word, the law of commandments, before he called me to feel and rejoice in the pardon of my sins and the freeness of his grace by Jesus Christ. It will be 36 years in a few days since my soul tasted of these solemn things; yet to this day I often wonder at his wonderful ways to me, a poor sinner, the only son of a poor infidel shoemaker. I have looked back in the line of my forefathers, father’s side and mother’s side, and cannot see one clear call by the grace of God amongst them; and even up to this time my heart has often cried, ‘Why me, no better than any of them?’ Yes, my brother, it has been with many a tear rolling down my cheeks that I have looked at love so great and love so free and strong; and yet, after all these years, after all my joys and comforts, and after all the Lord has showed me, I am often in the spot where good Mr. Tiptaft was, wanting to have the Lord shine and make clearer my call by grace and my call to the great and solemn work of the ministry. My fears often rise when darkness covers my soul or the guilt of daily sins stings my conscience. I do know from heart-feeling that whoever can sin cheap, a child of God cannot. Some part of Ps. 51 has come with power into my soul when by an unguarded word or fall in some act of transgression I have lost the Lord’s sensible presence. I have cried in the language of David: ‘Take not thy Holy Spirit from me;’ yes, and I do believe I am not the only man that has sent up that petition; yet not an adulterer in deed; for from this the Lord has kept me! And I pray he will eyer keep me and all who have felt his fear and his love.

“O, my brother, what debtors we are to the Lord for his keeping and holding up and guiding these many years in this world of snares and gins. What marvellous deliverances he has wrought for us! He has for me, or I should now have been amongst the unclean and walking in all uncleanness. Bless the Lord, my soul. I know you can also join with me in thanking and blessing the Christ of God and the Holy Ghost for not leaving us to suck down or take in any new doctrine or cursed heresy.

“I know we are the poorest cause of Christ in the kingdom in money matters; for we have not much over £15 a year to keep the pulpit supplied and all other little expenses; and this is all at an uncertainty. Truly we have to look to the Lord to keep the doors open. Never shall I forget my journey to Suffolk from—. My heart felt broken. After I left the train to walk seven miles, it was seven miles of tears, cries, and groans out of my soul to the Lord, I felt what a blessing it would have been for me to have found fl, peaceful grave for my weary body and a haven of rest for my weary soul. Little did I think when I first stood up to speak in the name of the Lord what thorns and briers I should meet with in the way. Indeed, my brother, when I look back on the path I have come since I became the unworthy pastor of five little causes in the space of 28 years, what from the strange people I have found among the members and the people that attended, what from the many temptations in the world and from Satan and my own heart’s evil, the hidings of the Lord’s presence, a sealed Bible, the spring of the blessed Spirit of God shut up, affliction of body, and the badness of my trade, for I had to make and mend shoes, I am lost in wonder at the goodness and kindness of the Lord who kept me, provided for me, and heard my cry in the day I called upon him. Whoever knows the want and worth of a throne of grace, I can speak for one of the blessings of it. The psalms have often been made a blessing to my soul; Ps. 140 in particular, in 1864, when men and women were trying to spoil my name, turn me out of my home and send me away without means to pay my debts and get a piece of bread, at that time I opened my Bible and read Ps. 140 on my knees before the Lord with a broken heart; and never may I forget and never may I cease to proclaim the goodness of the Lord. I felt as if the Bible had a mouth to speak, such words of comfort came to my heart; and never did I see a clearer opening of the hand and heart of the Lord. He did indeed provide for me and brought me honourably away from that place. I preached at the Baptist chapel, Downham, until my time was up, and then the Lord brought me to this place, more like a dying man than one that was to have a people gathered by his preaching. Truly the Lord brings down and the Lord raiseth up. This I have proved many, many times. In sickness of body, in the castings down of my poor soul, in the providing for my bread to eat and a home for my head, he never forgot his own blessed promise that he spoke to my soul 36 years ago: ‘I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.’

‘”Although I have him oft forgot,

His loving-kindness changeth not.’

“Dear brother, I have felt free in letting out some of the bitters and sweets, trials and afflictions my soul has known in this wilderness and in the labour and work of the Lord. If you should feel any blessing come into your soul while looking this poor letter over, it is to the Lord you and I must give all, yes, all the praise. Sometimes our poor eyes are running over with sorrow, and sometimes the oil of joy is running in the telling of the goodness and the loving-kindness of the Lord Jesus, who loved us and died for us. If I have had my bitters, I know I have had my sweets. I shall never be able to tell of all the sweet times and seasons my soul has had. I have had blessings from his word, the Bible. Many times have I kissed it and called it precious; and many a sweet line of a hymn from dear Gadsby’s book has come into my soul. I never heard a pure gospel sermon till from his dear lips in that little chapel in Norwich. There I felt its power. O, what a union I felt to him, and O what a time to my soul! Time would fail to tell of the many sweet crumbs gathered under the ministry of men sent of God, Tiptaft, M’,Kenzie, Warburton, Grace, Brown, Godwin, Samuel, Smart, and last, but not the least, that highly-honoured servant of God, Philpot; also a host of others whose faces I never saw but have read what they penned and was recorded in the ‘Gospel Standard.’ I bless the Lord that he ever put it into the heart of Mr. Gadsby to send the ‘Gospel Standard’ forth. What words of reproof and rebuke, as well as instruction and comfort, I have received from the pens of the men whose dust is in their graves, but their memory is fresh in the affections of many in this land.

“May the Lord, whose servant my soul has no doubt you are, when you leave home, go with you; may he well water your soul, and may your preaching of Christ and him crucified be blessed to some poor hungry, needy soul. May he bless you in soul and body, bring you safe amongst us, and carry you home in peace. May we feel a stronger union than ever, and meet and part in love. May the Lord give you a place in the soul’s breathings of his dear people, and may you have us in your heart and prayers. Yours in love, for Christ’s sake,

“’W Bell.”

He was indeed greatly attached to the late Mr. Gadsby. When speaking of him, his tears have often chased each other. On Dec. 2nd, 1870, he thus wrote:

“Very solemn thoughts have for some time been with me about the closing scenes of my days. I have no feelings of guilt on my mind, nor am I in any alarm as to my departure from this world of son-ow and woe; neither have I great joy and rejoicing about my departure. But, bless the Lord, my soul is calm, peaceful, and solemn. I feel I should be glad to have more of the Lord’s presence, and a clearer sight and precious feeling of the love of God in my soul, and feel the Rock of my salvation with a more blessed feeling, and have more heavenly communion with my precious Jesus. I do want him to bring me nearer to his footstool with meltings of heart and a removing of all coldness, and to fill my soul with honest confessions of all my wanderings from him. I feel I want that sweet time of love in my soul that the church had when she said, “I am my Beloved’s, and his desire is towards me.” But he will come at his own time, according to that sweet promise which he spoke home to my poor soul 40 years back, in the first days of my profession and, I hope, possession, when I was weeping on my bed of straw, and my poor soul was pleading for the Lord to keep me and hold me up, and provide for me, body and soul. Many times in the space of 40 years have I told him of his promise, when in soul trouble and in the troubles of this life, and he has not forgotten me.”

Again, in January, 1871:

“How short are our soul’s joys! Our sun often goes down at noon; yet it is a mercy to have a few sweet momenta, and get a few short glimpses of the heavenly things. It is, indeed, an unspeakable mercy not to be left to be taken up with the things of this world. I have read my Bible, and hope I have seen some new things and felt some fresh feelings. The things of God are beyond all other things.”

Again, in February, 1871:

“How true it is, if we had no soul trouble, we should have no soul prosperity, nor ever cry to the Lord to deliver us out of trouble. We should like to go to heaven when we die; but we want to go on a smooth road. The flesh dislikes the troubles of the right way. I am wonderfully well in body, and comfortable in mind. I was awake early this morning, and had a good feeling of the wonderful goodness of the Lord to me in the decline of my days. My soul felt overwhelmed when I looked back, and my poor soul tried to thank him, but could not find words nor feelings to speak and thank him according to his marvellous dealings. I begged he would keep me, that I might never think more of the mercies than of his blessed self. What a mercy it will be, when we come to die, to see that all our troubles have worked for our good, and that love was at the bottom of them; and how blessed to thank the Lord that he did not leave us like thousands to go smoothly down the stream of life into a world of sorrow and woe. May we be more on our knees than ever, and feel we want him as much in a calm as we do in a storm.”

On March 20 he thus writes:

“I hope you and your little household are well in body, and if it has pleased the Lord to bless you to feel well in soul, to him be all the praise. The words of a hymn by Cowper have brought tears to my eyes:

‘”When darkness long has veil’d my mind,

And smiling day once more appears,’ &c.

I wonder when the time will come when my soul will sing with all my powers in the enjoyment of the blessing of that season. The last verse quite broke me up:

“Thou art as ready to forgive

As I am ready to repine;

Thou, therefore, all the praise receive;

Be shame and self-abhorrence mine.’

I went to bed early, tired in body and clouded in mind. I think I can say, with Job, in a small measure; ‘I am made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed me. ‘When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise and the night be gone? For I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day,’ Not one word would I say against the Lord. He is good, and doeth all things well, and is just in all his ways. I am willing to lie at his dear feet; but I want to feel his mercy and enjoy his presence, get softly to his footstool, and tell him all my soul trouble. It is for some wise purpose. The end will speak, and he only knows what the end will be. I am wonderfully dealt with after all. Goodness and mercy are around me in temporal things. May he keep me from rebellion or hard thoughts of him. I feel a poor thing in my body; very feeble.”

In the beginning of April he was taken ill of the disease that ended in death, although he did not give up preaching until August; but he ofttimes went into the pulpit in much weakness, yet the Lord strengthened him, and he sometimes said he felt better at night than he did in the morning. He spoke like a dying man to dying people, very solemnly; but I will give one more extract from a letter, dated June 8, which will show how his mind was exercised:

“My mind has been dark and gloomy, and empty of all good. I felt a little peace and comfort from reading the first psalm and part of the first of Genesis; but it is like the early rain upon the thirsty ground, soon dried up, and wants another shower. I often wonder I should be so empty and barren when the Lord is sending me so many earthly comforts, and has given me a comfortable home; but I learn, by teaching, that my Adam nature cannot send forth any good thing, and my new man must grow and bear fruit as the heavenly husbandman cultivates it. I am every day learning the great and grand truth of my Bible, that the Lord is a sovereign, and rules and reigns over all worlds, and works and blesses when and where he pleases. He does not ask the creature for liberty or leave to do. I am the clay. He is the wise Potter; and when he takes me in his hand he moulds me according to his mind, will, and wisdom, and makes my soul to say, ‘He does all things well.’ I hope I have to bless him for a broken heart, and for the healing balm. He often binds it up, and I am willing he should have all the rule, and all the praise, and all the glory. He is worthy, and it is his lawful right. I hope one day to lay my crown at his deal.’feet, and say, ‘All glory to the Lamb!’ I do not want to live in this wicked world any longer than he pleases, for it is full of wickedness and deception; and, what is worse, the Lord says, even in his house he has found it. I want to feel the power, truth, and sweetness of Jas. 5:7, 8. Ifthis epistle were cut into our hearts, it would do us good.”

During his last affliction there were many of the hymns in Gadsby’s book that were blessed to his soul; but especially 293. He wrote by this: “My soul feelings.” Also 396, 910, 911.

In October he came to Brooke. I had many conversations with him on the things of eternity. He was afraid of being deceived. He would say, “If I am deceived, how solemn!” One morning, I well remember, he told me with tears, he had had a faith’s view of the Son of God, as staining his garments with blood, his own most precious blood; and he dwelt sweetly on the love of God. I can say with truth he preached some good sermons while walking up and down my house, unable to rest from pain of body. He used to say, “If the Lord raise me up again, I shall have to tell of the Lord’s delivering mercy.” One morning in the beginning of December he was in great pain. My husband got up to go for the doctor; when he broke out all at once, “The Lord has sent relief. I don’t want an earthly doctor. Now he has heard my cry and delivered me.” As his disease seemed not to decline, he was advised to try the hospital, which he did. He went in on Dec. 30th. He says in his first note to me, “I am a speckled bird; but the Lord stood by me;” and on Jan. 18^th he says, “I feel better in health, and have had a short visit from the Lord.” When I asked him the state of his mind, he said, “I am willing to live if it is the mind and will of the Lord for the good of his people and the glory of his name; but the bias of my mind is to depart and be with him. My times of peace are short, but I have not forgotten Saturday last. May the Lord abundantly bless you! What It long tale of things I shall have to tell you if spared; but above all to have the Lord’s presence and love visits. His presence makes heaven on earth.”

I saw that he got weaker; and when I went on Feb. 10th, he wished to come home. He said, “I want to go home to die in peace.” He had his wish complied with. As soon as the fly was off, he said, “I’m going home. I feel like the pilgrims let out of Giant Despair’s castle.” When he got to Poringland Hill, he let the window down, to take a last look at the spot where the chapel stood and his house; but he made no remark. His heart was too full for utterance. He sat up till 9 o’clock that night, and rose at 6 the next morning; but was obliged to go to bed again at noon, and did not come down again till brought down for his funeral. He said to me while I sat watching him on the Sunday night, “I want wings. I want to hear him say, ‘Arise, my fair one, and come away.'” I said, “It will not be long.”

He slept a great deal from the Sunday at noon, except when the pains came and awoke him. I said to him on the Monday, “How do you feel now?” He said, “I feel that the everlasting arms are underneath, and I am resting on them.” I said, “Will the truths you have preached do to die by?” He said, “Yes, they will.” He afterwards said, “Mark the perfect man,” but was unable to finish the sentence. I concluded it for him; and he said, “Yes, that is my experience—peace.”

He fell asleep in Jesus on Wednesday, Feb. 14th.

Lydia Goldsmith