The Life And Ministry Of George Morton

Gospel Standard 1880:

Death. On Tuesday morning, May 25th, 1880, aged 69 years, George Morton, of Dunham Massey, Cheshire, Baptist minister.

I gather from my father’s account of the Lord’s dealings with him that he began to be awakened to a sense of his lost and ruined state before God when about 23 years of age. His parents were in poor circumstances, so that he was sent to service when very young, and to use his own words, there he learned to fake God’s Holy Name in vain and to profane his holy sabbath, and also to indulge in some of the most sinful practices: But God, who is rich in mercy, in his own time and way, brought him to a knowledge of his sinful state, both by nature and practice, and put a cry into his heart for mercy. He was brought to humbly confess and acknowledge his sins before a heart-searching and rein-trying God, and to confess that God would be just in sending him to hell, as the due reward of his sins and transgressions. But when God the Holy Spirit brings a poor sinner here, he does not mean to send him to hell. O no! God hath not appointed such a one to wrath, but to obtain mercy through Jesus Christ our Lord.

However, like all God’s children who are under the law, he began to think he must do something to merit the favour of that holy God whom he had so greatly offended, and whose laws he had broken. Therefore he began to go to churches and chapels and prayer-meetings, and tried to keep the sabbath day holy. But God the Holy Spirit brought many portions of Scripture to his mind, such as—“Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them;” and “he that offendeth in one point is guilty of all.” These made him feel the burden of guilt upon his conscience to grow heavier, so that he could truly say with the apostle Paul, “When the law came, sin revived, and I died.”

In these days he used to go to different places of worship, but none of the professors he met with could point out or meet with his case. He was like John Bunyan’s pilgrim in the “Pilgrim’s Progress,” with a great burden of sin and guilt upon his conscience. He wanted to be eased of his burden; but he found too many worldly-wise men who directed him to Mount Sinai. This made his burden to increase so greatly that he thought it would sink him to the lowest hell; but no evangelist could he find until it pleased the Lord to send a minister to Dunham Massey from Manchester, whose name was William Gadsby. Of him my father had heard some very bad reports; but he was so wretched in his feelings that he said he could not make him any worse, so he would go to hear him. This he did; and it pleased the Lord to deliver his captive soul with those words (Psalm 103): “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy Name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits; who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction, who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies.” It is not in me to describe the joy and gladness which flowed into his soul when these words dropped into his heart like the dew, under the preaching of that dear man of God. He was like John, when in the Isle of Patmos, almost ready to worship the messenger which brought him such good news and glad tidings of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

How long he continued in the blessed enjoyment of the presence of his dear Lord and Saviour I cannot tell; but he was eventually baptized by that same dear man of God, William Gadsby, at Manchester, where he became a member; and from thence was sent out as a preacher of the gospel. My father preached as a supplyat many places in Lancashire and Cheshire until the year 1846, when there was a small church formed by him at Dunham Massey; and he preached for them without being paid for his labour. The seats were all free; only there was a small collection every quarter to pay the rent of the chapel, and for the cleaning and heating. Most of the members died before him; so that the chapel had to be given up, when he gave up preaching; because no new members sprang up to fill the old ones’ places. 

He was obliged to give up preaching in 1877, through being greatly afflicted with asthma and bronchitis. His friends can testify that he was a good and gracious man. When I look back upon his past life I can truly say, though of course he had his infirmities, that I never knew him do a wrong or unjust action. He was always very honest and upright in his dealings with his fellow-creatures, always aiming at doing unto others as he would they should do unto him, He was a good and loving father to his children, setting them a good example. He would never allow them to say a rude word. Truly the memory of the righteous is blessed; yes, the righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance. He was one that did all the good that he could, but never placed any confidence in his own goodness. He trusted entirely to the merits of Jesus Christ, his only Lord and Saviour. The doctrine of the imputed righteousness of Christ was to him a delightful theme. He used often to say, if that failed him, he had no other refuge.

I will now give a few extracts from his diary.—“March 19th, 1878. O! sin, sin, what hast thou done?

“Thou hast ruined wretched man,

Ever since the world began;

Thou hast God afflicted too;

Nothing less than that would do.”

O my soul, but for the superaboundings of grace over the aboundings of sin, thou must have perished for ever. Sin is a deep which no human line can fathom: but Christ has fetched his redeemed from the bottom of it, and virtually seated them at God’s right hand in glory.”

“July 11th, 1878. O Lord, I have been about 67 years in this vale of tears; and it has been my lot to labour most of that time for the bread that perisheth, and also to labour in the Lord’s vineyard for over forty years; and in that time I have tried to preach more than 4000 times, with what result the Lord only knows. That portion hardly seems applicable to me: “WeIl done, good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.’ 

‘”Apace the solemn hour draws nigh,

When I must bow my head and die;

But O what joy this witness gives—

Jesus my Sanctuary lives.'”

“September 14th, 1878. Here I am, a monument of God’s discriminating grace and mercy; and his mercies toward me are new every morning, and great is his faithfulness. My mercy is that my salvation depends upon God’s faithfulness, and not mine. I have a most harassing and distressing- cough; and also I have every comfort that I can desire. O Lord, would it please thee to relieve me from this harassing cough in thine own way. I have tried many things, but find no relief.”

It will be seen from his own diary that he was greatly afflicted for the last few years of his life, which brought him down to so weak a state that sometimes he was quite rambling in his mind; but still he always knew his Christian friends. A few days before he died, two friends called to see him, when his face beamed up with joy, and he said, “Here are my best and heavenly friends.”

In his very last moment, when both speech and reason failed, he was very happy in his soul, his countenance nearly always smiling. Death to him was only a falling asleep. He was buried necessarily at the parish church. We sang a hymn, and one of his Christian friends, Mr. Cowsill, gave a short address before we left the house. “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth; yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.”

GEORGE MORTON.